TIFF 2010 Reviews: Rabbit Hole, Insidious, L.A. Zombie

Rabbit Hole *CityNews.ca Pick* – It’s been eight months since Becca and Howie Corbett (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) lost their son Daniel in a freak accident and each day is still a struggle for the couple who are growing farther apart. When group therapy doesn’t work, the two look to other people to help them grieve. Directed by John Cameron Mitchell, Rabbit Hole is hands-down the most emotionally powerful and touching film at this year’s festival. I’d be surprised if Kidman doesn’t earn an Oscar nomination as this role is one of the greatest achievements of her career. **** out of 5 stars. Schedule at TIFF.

Insidious *CityNews.ca Pick*
– Written by Leigh Whannell and directed by James Wan (the duo behind the original Saw film), and produced by the same folks responsible for Paranormal Activity, Insidious is an unsettling old-school haunted house film with a similar tone to classics like Poltergeist, The Shining, and The Amityville Horror. No blood or gore — just solid storytelling, acting, and use of lighting and sound to make your hair stand on end. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey star. **** out of 5 stars. Schedule at TIFF.

L.A. Zombie – It’s hard to recommend L.A. Zombie to a mass audience as it’s essentially a film about homosexual zombies doing grotesque, sexual things to dead people and features gay porn star Francois Sagat. It’s directed by Toronto auteur Bruce LaBruce and there is a level of artistic value to it though if you can get over the disturbing horror-porn aspect. The film features no dialogue and has a run-time of just over an hour; if it sounds like something you might be interested in, keep an open mind and give it a chance. *** out of 5 stars. Schedule at TIFF.

TIFF 2010 runs from September 9 to the 19. Check out all of CityNews.ca’s coverage of the festival here.

brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com

Top image: A scene from Rabbit Hole. Courtesy TIFF.

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