Don’t let the awful title put you off.  SON OF RAMBOW is a British film, a well-made rites-of-passage story of two boys of terribly differing natures as they make their first short film.  SON OF RAMBOW is from the team Hammer and Tongs (writer/director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith) that delivered the so-so HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY a few years back but this one is their pride and semi-autobiographical labour of love.  Jennings attempted a short film based on FIRST BLOOD as a kid just like his protagonist.  All that said, SON OF RAMBOW is pretty good movie, hitting number one at the box-office in London during the week when I was there on vacation.

Playwright/filmmaker David Mamet is fond of his actors shouting out loud right in ones face.  In REDBELT as in many of Mamet’s other works, subtlety is thrown to the dogs.  In one scene, the policeman’s widow screams at the protagonist: “Who will be paying these bills?” Not only Mamet have the actress raise her voice and practically attacking Mike Terry (Chewitel Ejiofor), but she has a wad of bills in her hand which she waves right at Mike’s face. 

Touted as his first English language film, Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai’s (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, HAPPY TOGETHER) MY BLUE BERRY NIGHTS is a pensive moody film that follows Elizabeth’s (Nora Jones) struggle for love as she finally settles down with café owner, Jeremy (Jude Law).  In the process, Wong takes his audience across a rather boring North American cross country ride where she meets another other couple (David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz) and a card player (Natalie Portman).

THE BABYSITTERS has the best dialogue line so far of all the films at TIFF.  “Hurry up so you can wait for me!” is how husband Michael (John Leguizamo) would title his wife’s biography.  Director David Ross makes an impressive feature debut about a group of babysitters led by an enterprising Shirley (Katherine Waterston) that turns work into prostitution because at $200 a pop, the easy money pays the bills.  The film works primarily because Leguizamo makes the perfect dirty husband, all nice and well behaved in front of the missus, but cracking snide remarks and screwing the babysitter and Waterston the ideal MEAN GIRL.  If not for anything else, the two are a pleasure to watch. 

Based on Margaret Laurence’s best selling novel and directed by upcoming Canadian director Kari Skogland (the little seen SIZE OF WATERMELONS), THE STONE ANGEL centres on Hagar Shipley (Ellen Burstyn).  The film begins as fiercely as Hagar is feisty.  Ageing Hagar is brought to a nursing home against her wishes by her son Marvin (Dylan Baker) and daughter-in-law (Sheila McCarthy).  She escapes as director Skogland reveals her life through flashbacks with other actresses portraying Hagar at various stages of her life.