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rone vw QAGAAIDITADY VANIQ "WEEKEND STAR" CLAY MYA INT TI FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2001-9 Bidding farewell to a legend in the film industry jo aaa agpgooeooee SCREENING ROOM Pauline Kael passed away on the weekend, and for the life of me, I have not been able to get her passing out of my head. Kael was a film critic, perhaps the most influential critic in cinema history, 'who believed criticism was an art form on its own. Her writing style was wildly enter- taining, and one important thing I learned from her was to write about how a film impacts on your senses. "How does it make you feel," was her credo. | first discovered Kael as a struggling film/ theatre student in the late 70s when I purchased one of her many collections of reviews that were published every five or six years. | could not put the book down, and found that, even if | disagreed with her review, her writing style was so enter- taining it transcended the review itself. From that point on, 1 consumed her writing, reading everything she "had writ- ten, sometimes agreeing, sometimes strongly opposed to her comments, but "always learning. Kael could open up doors to film that one would not find open upon a first view- ing. She taught me to appreciate film as an art form, to understand cinema, and to celebrate great films because they are so few and far between. She came to power as a critic in the 60s, during the cultural revolution in America, and at that time wielded enor- mous power as a film writer. Her review of Bonnie and Clyde (1967) helped make that film one of the most important American films of the decade. What I liked "about her writing was that in every word, in every phrase, her absolute love of film came through. Even when discussing bad films, unable to hide her distaste, that love for good cinema burned through like a bright light. She had many detractors, both film critics, and powers in the film world, who despised her for the power she had in the business. Producers would take their films to her often before releasing them, just to get her opinion. When a film was exceptional, her praise was rapturous, as if the "heavens had opened and smiled ~ down on a particular film. Kael championed the work of such great directors as Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, a young Steven Spielberg, early Woody Allen, and Brian de Palma, helping to usher in the. directors' era which so dominated the 70s. By praising the work of this new generation of film makers, she drew attention to their films, thereby elevating their position in the business. In writing about the films of the 80s, she often dismissed them as corporate productions, films no longer made by artists but rather by marketing research firms. Yet when a film in the 80s was deserving of praise, her reviews. were often as long as 10 pages. She had excep- tional perception in exploring what made a performance work, deciding whether or not a performance was truthful, and often faced the wrath of the actor she had criti- cized. I remember in a conversation with Robert Duvall listening to this great actor explain his dislike for Kael and her power, and understanding why, but not being able to agree with him. His opinion of her was very low, though he admitted she had a fine writing style. "She used to like me," he smiled, leav- ing me to wonder why now she did not. There are critics who were swayed by Kael's force in their careers, who were convinced to vote for films she had cham- pioned at the annual critics' awards, but I- am not sure anyone can not claim to hav- ing a degree of admiration for her. When she retired from the New Yorker in 1991, | - felt sad that | would never again read her acerbic, insightful reviews. Once in a while she would be interviewed and discuss the current state of North American cinema, always with candor and intelligence, and | read every word with great interest. ~ Among the recent films she admired were, ironically, Robert Duvall's The Apostle (1997), Boogie Nights (1997), Pulp Fiction (1994), Magnolia (1999) and the Canadian film, The Sweet Hereafter (1997). : What | learned most from Kael was to take it personally when a film is bad. Feel betrayed when let down by a film maker, but celebrate when they get it right. When I made the move to become a film critic, it was my original hope to possess the same E qualities as Kael: honesty, passion, and genuine love for film. She inspired and moved me, and | will miss her writing very much. Film criticism in the right hands is indeed an art form. OFF TO THE FESTIVAL: Though 1 will be at half-speed, I will indeed attend the 26th annual Toronto International Film Festival. My trusty cane and -1 will hobble about from screening room to screening room, likely seeing half as many films as in other years, but | am here. This year's Festival has more of a festival feel to it, as the Hollywood pres- 'ence seems to have been toned down somewhat. Lots of stars will be here, but there will be less of a glitz and glamour presence than in previous years. Perhaps the Festival planners took last year's crit- icisms very seriously in their efforts to move back to what the Festival once was, a celebration of films from around the world. Festival director Piers Handling has done an incredible job making 'the Festival a world event, allowing the Festival to grow from what was once dubbed "The Festival of Festivals" to a truly international film celebration. Where else can you see a banned film from Iran in a screening room, then walk across the hall to see American Beauty unspool for the first time? Where else but in Toronto can you see, in the middle of a film, two executives rise, dialing their cell Turn to Page 23 *Remember entries must be in by September 7th to receive a T-Shirt blood with each beat. muscles.) he Run Sh Ww What Women on t Should Kno Women have smaller heartsthan men, so the heart pumps less A woman's heart rate is generally higher than that of a man. Women have lower hemoglobin levels than men, so less oxygen is sent to working muscles. (Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to your Women have higher essential body fat stores than men. A woman's lower level of testosterone means that women have less muscle mass than men. The effects of menstruation on running performance vary greatly from woman to woman. If your period is going to affect your running, it will most likely occur premenstrual. The good news it that many women runners find that running helps, while on their periods, with cramps, bloating and headaches. 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