Reports are claiming that DP extraordinaire Matty Libatique had an altercation last night in Poland. The "Star is Born" cinematographer seems to have an alcohol problem, but I won't fault him for that, it's a fairly pronounced issue, not just in the industry but universally as well. There isn't really a way to step in and save a person that is an alcoholic, only they can change their own habits. I stopped drinking more than three years ago.
Read moreTrailer: 'Ben is Back' features one of Julia Roberts' best performances
My B-review of Julia Roberts' return to form in "Ben is Back." Her best performance since? Who knows! The script may be a bit all over the place, but her performance deserves to be praised, ditto Lucas Hedges as her drug-addicted son struggling between recovery and relapse.
'Destroyer' features Nicole Kidman at the peak of her powers [TIFF]
De-glamming has all but becomes a cliche for well-known actors and actresses to nab that ever elusive acting Oscar. We saw it with Charlize Theron in "Monster" and Halle Berry in "Monster's Ball," among many others. Nicole Kidman also donned that infamous nose prosthetic for her 2003 Oscar-winning performance in "The Hours," but now she's back at it again, de-glammed and uglified, in "Destroyer," which is the best work she's done in years, maybe ever.
Read moreTIFF: Pedantic ‘Beautiful Boy' is saved by two strong lead performances
"Beautiful Boy" is a film that means well and that may be its biggest problem. It was a little too on-the-nose for my tastes and its emotions felt hardly earned in its tackling of the way drug addiction can affect a family's inner workings.
Director Felix Van Groeningen (Broken Circle Breakdown) adapts two memoirs (from real-life father and son David and Nic Sheff) into his first American film, which is bogged down by a lackluster screenplay filled with cliches and melodramatic moments.
David (Steve Carell) lives with son Nic (an excellent Timothee Chalamet), and second wife Karen (Maura Tierney) in their comfortable San Francisco home. Major problems arise when Nic becomes addicted to Methamphetamine. The movie then, for the duration of its 112 or so minutes, goes back and forth between Nic's continuous cycle of relapse and recovery.For a movie with considerable talents involved, "Beautiful Boy" lacks the dramatic fireworks needed to break through the genre conventions at hand. However, Groeningen isn't a risky enough visualist to achieve his take on this all-too-familiar story. Even worse, his penchant for using music to amp up the tears feels maudlin and unearned, safe for a rare, successful musical montage comes when at the tail-end of this never-ending film as the director uses Perry Como's version of “Sunrise, Sunset," to showcase a touching little montage of father and son's happier moments.On a more positive note, any doubts that Chalamet's breakthrough performance in "Call Me By Your Name" would be a one-time deal are easily vanquished by his passionate take here of Nic. If anything, he deserves more screentime in this film, which has a few stretches where he completely disappears from the story. Carrel, a comedic actor that has proven over time to be a solid dramatic one, also makes the best of a rather underdeveloped role. [C]
Interview: Abbi Jacobson Talks Tackling Drama For The First Time In ‘6 Balloons’ And What’s Ahead For ‘Broad City’
Heroin depictions in cinema can be very harrowing. The premise of Marja-Lewis Ryan’s SXSW feature-length directorial debut “6 Balloons,” a sobering, no-frills indie drama featuring two actors mostly known for their comedy work, is uncompromising and damn-near grim. Premiering today on Netflix “6 Balloons” features a sister (Abbi Jacobson of “Broad City”) desperate to try and help her self-destructive heroin-addicted brother (Dave Franco). She wants him to enter rehab and clean himself up for good.
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The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.