I feel much better now. If you read my Amanda Knox review, you may remember that I was close to TIFF burnout last night. Well, I did what I hate doing: I made the tough choice of skipping my Midnight Madness movie last night and finally got some good sleep. Nothing like watching four more movies to make an unsettling documentary but a distant memory. I’m excited about TIFF again.
Seeing Oliver Stone take the stage to introduce Snowden (which I’ve been dying to see) didn’t hurt. Stone hasn’t made a particularly good movie in awhile and, come to think of it, has never really made a film that I love, but seeing him at TIFF still feels like a big deal. And, thankfully, my concerns about whether or not he could handle this tricky material were unnecessary.
I mean, it’s not perfect. It tries to do way too much and is about 20 minutes longer than it really should be. But it tells and/or speculates about the story that I felt 2014’s Oscar-winning documentary Citizenfour missed out on. It tells us about Snowden the man. Wonderfully played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Snowden is easy to root for and easy to relate to. I’d even argue that Stone’s film does a better job of making the case that all of us should care about illegal NSA surveillance. Even if we feel we have nothing to hide.
Of course, this isn’t a documentary and it’s easier to inspire outrage in a dramatization of events. Snowden isn’t a substitution for Citizenfour, which is an important documentary that everyone should see. It is, however, an interesting and worthy companion piece that will likely make you appreciate Snowden’s sacrifice even more and think twice about getting changed in front of your laptop.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
I do want to see this and it must be neat to go to TIFF. I never have been to this festival and hope I will one day. I’m glad you got your mojo back:)
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Thanks, Birgit, it’s always nice to have the word “mojo” applied to me. 😉 I look forward to TIFF all year. I just love it.
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Matt,
I don’t think Oliver Stone makes movies that people love…except maybe weirdos who get a buzz from looking very closely at the underbelly of things…I’m a bit of a weirdo, but I mostly feel disturbed by Stone’s movies.
I’m doing all kinds of crazy / dangerous / wild / spooky shit in front of my laptop.
How concerned should I be?
RR
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I agree that his films can be tough but I often love movies that are confrontational or upsetting if they’re exceptionally well-made. I don’t think I’ve ever really connected with any of his movies though I admire some of them.
Just put some tape over your camera.
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I have no interest in seeing it. Honestly, Oliver Stone hasn’t made a watchable film since Any Given Sunday and everything he’s done lately is just horrendous.
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Well, if we’re setting the bar at “watchble”, I actually think W qualifies. I really thought Josh Brolin did a great job in it.
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No. I didn’t like that. Especially that scene where W chokes on a peanut as it was just funny for the wrong reasons.
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Sleep helps.
Not only do I not get changed in front of my computer, I keep a piece of tape over the camera. Yes, I’m that paranoid.
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That might actually be smart, Liz. Snowden did the same thing.
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I’m not saying anything in this comment. I’ve no idea who’s monitoring it.
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Well said!
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Gorgeous ladies (sorry they distracted me from my original Stone comment, i will no doubt watch Snowden as my husband is quite concerned about internet privacy), but now I want to see Sing, with these women, I have to look it up, see whether you wrote about it!
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We’re seeing it later this week! But actually: it’s animated!
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Aaaah that makes sense…. You can tell how busy I am that I didn’t get a chance to Google it yet. Shame though, I love a good woman ensemble movie.
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Good idea to sleep, nothing worse than burn out. Hope you do a review of Sing, which I have not heard anything about.
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It’s coming!
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Well your thoughts definitely give me more hope for it than I originally had. I’m mostly just glad Cage has finally got a movie with a big director and is not starring in complete trash for once.
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The audience found it hard not to snicker when he was on screen. He was distracting to be honest but it did make sense to cast someone recognizable because he would pop up ocassionally and it helped thinking of him as “Nic Cage” to remember who he was.
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I’m not sure I’ll watch this movie. I’m already paranoid 🙂
I’m glad you could sleep and you are fresh to enjoy another day at the festival. Have fun! 🙂
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I’m proud to say I made it through til the end . My train leaves in 3 hours.
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🙂 Painful to watch? I hope you had a good trip!
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I feel obligated to watch it because of JGL but I’m really not into Snowden, the man. He really irked me in Citizenfour.
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Me too. I had so many questions about him that Citizenfour wasn’t responsible enough to ask. At least here Stone asks those questions, even if he has to make up or dramatize the answers.
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I watched Citizenfour a few months ago, and I can’t describe how I feel about it. I wanted to say ‘I loved it!’ but it’s not the kind of movie anyone should really love. It’s quite a terrifying reality, and I’m really excited to see the glitzy version. Glad to hear your thoughts on it!
– Allie
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And am looking forward to hearing yours.
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I’m interested in this one, but haven’t been all that impressed by anything Stone’s done in quite a while. (since Any Given Sunday, actually – one of his best alongside U Turn, I reckon).
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This is one of my most anticipated movies. I really wanted it to be an Oscar vehicle for JGL, but the meh reviews seem to be killing my fantasy. I’m glad you enjoyed it, I hope I will too.
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Great news! I’m glad you liked it, his whole story really intrigues me. And I’m kinda with you, the only Stone film I really like is NBK
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