Author: Jeff Mitchell

The Best of TIFF 2023 – Part One

Jeff Mitchell

Toronto temperatures are pleasantly resting around 70 degrees F (21 C), but the 48th Annual Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) movies are on fire.  Once again, this revered Canadian jewel offers countless, dazzling movie options for professionals and fans of all ages. I’ve caught 35 films so far (as of Sept. 14, Day 8), so let me take a moment to jot down five of my favorites.  On Sept. 22, I’ll add five more for a Best of TIFF 2023 – Part Two article. Thank you for reading! “Dream Scenario”…

Celebrate Werner Herzog’s birthday with this fabulous triple feature

Jeff Mitchell

Filmmaker legend Werner Herzog turns 81 years young on September 5, and this innovative director has been challenging and dazzling audiences with his narrative stories and documentaries for 61 years!  I’ve repeatedly declared that Werner and Morgan Freeman should narrate everything, and Herzog’s movies – with his intellect, cinematic choices, and unique staccato (uttered during his docs) – are must-see events.  Not only is Werner inventive in front of and behind the camera, but the man is fearless, as evidenced by his explorations across the globe, including several volcanoes, an…

‘Between Two Worlds’ doesn’t reach for the stars to document the ground-level hardships

Jeff Mitchell

“Between Two Worlds” (2021) – A housekeeper, chambermaid, maintenance technician, and maintenance agent.  They are all similar monikers for one vitality important job, a cleaning person, a position in great demand, but by and large, the role is arduous and thankless. Journalism – a laborious, underappreciated field – shares much in common with the cleaning industry, especially in recent years, and in director Emmanuel Carrere’s “Between Two Worlds”, Juliette Binoche plays Marianne Winckler, a woman who willingly accepts both jobs.  Marianne, a Parisian journalist, travels 250 km west to Caen…