THE GALAS
The Imaginarium
of Doctor Parnassus
Terry Gilliam (Canada/Britain)
***
Veteran imaginarian Gilliam's third film with writer Charles McKeown is a fantasy cum morality tale revisiting the broad themes, frenetic high energy and visual treats of their previous collaborations ( The Adventure of Baron Munchausen, Brazil). Set in modern London's bleak corners, the film follows grizzled Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), whose motley sideshow transports volunteers through a flimsy mirror into the surreal limits of their imaginations. A centuries-old wager with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) finds Parnassus facing the loss of his daughter (Lily Cole) on her 16th birthday, while the efforts of slick-talking amnesiac Tony (Heath Ledger) to modernize the act creates further complications. It's a testament to the creative will of Gilliam, who modified the script after the death of Ledger mid-production to include "behind the looking glass" performances from Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, creating a tribute without compromising the story. Jennie Punter
Today, 6:30 p.m., Roy Thomson; Sept. 19, 2:30 p.m., Elgin
THE MUSIC
The White Stripes hit the screen. Or catch Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound - and a short concert by the folk legend (6 p.m., Yonge-Dundas Square).
The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights
Emmett Malloy (USA)
***
What motivates the White Stripes? A comment Jack White particularly likes is that the White Stripes is concurrently the most fake and most real band in the world. That may describe the end product, but what about the inner drive? This documentary gets at it a little by following Jack and Meg White on their 2007 tour across Canada, in which they played in every province and territory, unusual for such a major U.S. band. Jack seems to have found his sense of direction through music. But Meg is truly the revelation of the film - even though everything she says is so quiet that she has to be subtitled throughout the film. Thankfully, this jagged, appealingly unvarnished documentary doesn't get carried away highlighting all the Canadian stops, which (apart from the fascinating North) are shown in broad strokes. Instead, it's more interested in simply listening and watching this stellar band, even if the reason Jack and Meg do what they do can seem elusive to us, perhaps even to themselves. Guy Dixon
Today, 9 p.m., Elgin; Sept. 19, 6 p.m., AMC 2
THE ART
For a few more days, visitors to the TIFF ticket tent at Nathan Phillips Square can find respite in a video projection by the venerable Toronto artistic team Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak.
Their work titled Speak City consists of dissolving images of street signs, from Yonge and Bloor to Etobicoke. "There are 140 officially designated neighbourhoods in Toronto," says Tomczak, "and we did visit them all." As artists will, though, the pair ended up pursuing a somewhat random method within those neighbourhoods, floating through the city following their noses and gathering footage, sometimes from ladders set up amidst the rush of traffic.
The result is an 18-month record of the GTA - and of time's passing. Staff
TIFF ON TV
eTALK (CTV, 7 p.m.): An interview with Jennifer's Body co-star Megan Fox. Also: Bill Murray discusses the possibility of a Ghostbusters reunion.
ET CANADA (Global, 7 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT): Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson talks about her new role as movie producer on the film Young Victoria. Plus: An interview with Matt Damon ( The Informant!).
Andrew Ryan