Bleed For This Review
The Plot
The true story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Panzienza (Miles Teller) who, made startling comeback after a near fatal car crash leaves doctors telling him he is unlikely to walk again.
The Good
After becoming a household name from last years Whiplash (and then losing all credibility with Fant4stic…) Miles Teller dons the boxing gloves for arguably the Raging Bull of his career. What follows is undoubtedly Teller’s most powerful performance to date. As the hauntingly damaged Vinny, Teller brings humour and tragedy to the story helped along the way by Aaron Eckhart who looks almost unrecognisable in his role as trainer Kevin Rooney, not least due to the bald look he manages to pull off.
First appearing in leopard print underwear as he is weighed in for a lightweight match, Teller’s Vinny ‘The Pazmanian Devil’ Pazienza comes off as a cocky but loveable young boxer who, as Eckhart’s Kevin Rooney notes later in the film, has a lot of heart but wears it on his chin.
Writer Ben Younger (who also directs) manages to bring a truly inspirational story to life. Even if you know the story, the film still manages to shock and lift you at times making you even forget you’re watching a film.
The Bad
If you were to compare Bleed for This to the long list of boxing classics such as Rocky or Raging Bull, which we mentioned earlier, you’d be hard pushed to put it on the same pedestal. While it works its magic at the time, with the pivotal boxing scenes particularly powerfully presented with a lack of music making the punches that much more impactful, the effect it leaves behind unfortunately doesn’t last long enough to put Bleed for this in amongst the classics.
The Ugly Truth
Ben Younger writes and directs a truly inspirational story with Teller and Eckhart giving some fantastic performances. Yet, while the film works wonders when it’s playing on the screen, the experience never really leaves the cinema.
Review by Johnny Ellis
Wakefield Exclusive TIFF Interviews
Red Carpet News talks to Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Garner, Victoria Bruno, Composer Aaron Zigman and Director Robin Swicord at the premiere of Wakefield at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film follows a man on a journey into voyeurism and self inflicted isolation, showcasing a typically accomplished performance form Breaking Bad star Cranston. Check out our other videos or more exclusive in depth coverage of TIFF 2016.
TIFF Midnight Madness 2016 Interviews
Opening with Ben Wheatley’s joyously violent Free Fire this Years TIFF Midnight Madness series proved once again wildly popular. Introducing local and international audiences to a dazzling array of weird and wonderful cinema. Away from the attention grabbing buzz about cannibal drama Raw other highlights included technological series Black Mirror, zombie thriller The Girl With All The Gifts and Morgan Spurlock’s skin crawling documentary Rats. Check out the full array of interviews below from this year’s late night red carpets.
A Monster Calls Review TIFF
The Plot
A boy (Lewis MacDougall) seeks the help of a tree monster (Liam Neeson) to cope with his single mother’s (Felicity Jones) terminal illness.
The Good
At just 14 years old, relative newcomer Lewis MacDougall (whose debut came in last years Pan) manages to hold up this moving adaptation of Patrick Ness’ novel, with the help of a stellar cast including Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver and the voice of Liam Neeson. Mixing reality and fantasy together, director J.A. Bayona, who’s next project is the upcoming Jurassic World sequel, tells the story of Conor (MacDougall), a young boy who is visited by a walking talking tree credited simply as ‘The Monster’ who makes Guardians of The Galaxy’s Groot look like a twig in comparison and is brought to life through some impressive CGI work.
The gruff tones of Liam Neeson fit The Monster perfectly, as he visits Conor to tell him three fairy tale-like stories on the condition that Conor tells the fourth. The initial three stories are told alongside some beautiful animation that is reminiscent of the tale of the Deathly Hallows from the Harry Potter series. Meanwhile A Monster Calls manages to weave in the reality around Conor as he struggles to deal with his mother’s illness, played by Felicity Jones, and the arrival of his strict grandmother, played by Sigourney Weaver.
Where A Monster Calls truly succeeds is in its central performance. At no point does the story feel too heavy for MacDougall, and it’s incredible to see his nuanced performance ape those of Felicity Jones and Sigourney Weaver. If this is what he can achieve at age 12 and 2 films into his career, the future looks very bright indeed for this young actor.
Also memorable is the previously mentioned animation that accompanies The Monster’s three tales. While it is true that it invokes memories of Hallows it does so in a way that still feels original.
The Bad
The only bad aspects of A Monster Calls will come to those fortunate enough to have not been affected by a terminal illness in their life. For those audience members, the hard-hitting moments perhaps won’t hit as hard as for those more familiar with the themes that are brought to the story. If you leave the film having not shed a tear, you’re either completely heartless or incredibly lucky.
The Ugly Truth
Director J.A. Bayona brings a beautiful tale to the screen with the help of some incredible animation and CGI effects. But the real star of the film comes from Lewis MacDougall’s engrossing central performance.
The Edge Of Seventeen Comes of Age At TIFF
