RVIFF Day 11: French Suspense-Comedy, a Swashbuckling Indian Epic, and Revisionist Ultraman
September 16th, 2024 | Robin
A Ken and Robin Consume Media Special Feature
For the last day of RVIFF I try to program fun things that could still play a film fest, two criteria that can be hard to nail sight unseen.Ideally with kaiju at the end. Let’s see how I did.
The Innocent (France, Louis Garrel, 2022, 4) Shut-down aquarium docent (Louis Garrel) keeps his guard up when his actress mother (Anouk Grinberg) marries yet another ex-con. Smartly written, character-driven suspense comedy alludes to Hitchcock and De Palma.
Unidentified Objects (US, Juan Felipe Zuleta, 2023, 3) Needing cash, an aggrieved gay Little Person agrees to accompany an uninhibited UFO abductee on a road trip to her alien rendezvous point. Attacks its American indie movie stock elements with energy and great seriousness.
Ponniyin Selvan Part 1 (India, Mani Ratnam, 2022, 4) Flirtatious prince of a defunct kingdom (Vikram) acts as messenger to protect the Chola empire’s royal family from threats both external and internal, including the stratagems of a wily queen (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.) Massively mounted historical adventure epic with swashbuckling, scheming, costumes, battle sequences on land and sea and well-integrated musical numbers.
Shin Ultraman (Japan, Shinji Higuchi & Ikki Todoroki, 2022, 4) A specialist team of government kaiju-fighters grapples with geopolitical repercussions when a giant alien humanoid arrives on Earth to battle the terrifying creatures. Applies a satiric edge to the venerable franchise while still delivering the tokusatsu goods.
For the third year running, my wife Valerie and I are attending our own at-home film festival. It takes the place in our hearts and vacation plans formerly reserved by the Toronto International Film Festival. The Robin and Valerie International Film Festival is the cinema event you can play along with at home, with a roster of streaming service and SVOD titles. Its roster includes the foreign, independent and cult titles we used to love to see at TIFF, but cheaper, hassle-free, and on the comfort of our own couch. Daily capsule reviews roll out throughout the festival, with a complete list in order of preference dropping a day or two afterwards. Review ratings are out of 5.
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