Alright, the time is upon us once again young rhesus monkeys!
TIFF (otherwise known as the Toronto International Film Festival) is heading into its 35th year and although North America’s biggest film fest is now well in to showing 300 movies and hosting hundreds of actors, celebrities and filmmakers, at its root is the simplicity of the cinema.
In fact, it can be pretty overwhelming and just trying to find out what is playing can be a daunting task. As such, here is a list of five movies I can’t wait to see at TIFF. Will they be on your list to see?
Fubar II
In 2002, filmmaker Mike Dowse shot a renegade mockumentary about two Albertan headbangers that went on to a great amount of cult-success. Some may even argue that the two hard-drinking dudes in the lo-fi comedy coined the term “given’r”. Now, the long-haired pair reunite and get jobs in the oil patch and obviously mayhem ensues. Sure to be another hit for hardcore hosers.
The Trip
I’ve always been a fan of Michael Winterbottom. The man who has made an array of movies that include stark dramas like A Mighty Heart, hilarious biopics such as 24 Hour Party People and the amazingly surreal Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story is returning to TIFF with his Tristram Shandy stars, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. If you remember the pair in that hilarious 2005 film, you’ll know that the premise of Brydon and Coogan playing two buddies in a road movie as they tour Northern England driving each other nuts holds a lot of promise.
I’m Still Here
You have to hand it to Joaquin Phoenix. Whether that whole crazy-grow-a-beard-and-start-rapping thing was a hoax or the real thing, it certainly will generate a lot of interest in the documentary about his recent “excursion”. Directed by buddy/brother-in-law Casey Affleck, I’m Still Here will be either this year’s Borat or a bewildering case of identity crises. No matter. I’m totally there.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
Even after all those mild comedies like Small Time Crooks and Melinda and Melinda, I still give Woody Allen the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps its because his earliest works (Manhattan, Annie Hall, Sleeper) are some of the most clever American comedies. Either way, his latest is another human piece that follows a group of London residents as they struggle with notions that the grass is always greener on the other side. A great cast (Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins and more) with Allen’s insightful wit should be a safe bet at the fest.
The Town
I can’t believe I am saying this but I can’t wait to see The Town. Before his directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone, my opinion was that the actor’s career should be gone, baby gone. That film, however, got me thinking that possibly there is more to Ben than just Boston accents and an excessively rectangular jawline. If The Town pans out, perhaps Affleck will indeed carve out a new niche for making crime thrillers with nuanced performances. Lets friggin’ hope so.
