Friday 29 September 2023

What I saw at Tiff 23


 I saw more films than I did last year at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) 2023.

Not nearly as many as some of my friends saw but here is my list and what I thought of them.  In order of the dates I saw them.  

This year had a few celebrity Actor/Directors in attendance and lot's of International and Canadian Actors who may not get the same love when the Hollywood actors come to town.  It was a movie lovers festival with some sad, fun and thought provoking films.  The festival village was very subdued this year and the only real fan frenzy I saw was for the one film I couldn't get into because the rush line cut at me.  That was for the Brad Pitt of Hong Kong, actor Andy Lau who was there for the film The Movie Emperor.  I didn't know about him but my friend told me how much of a big deal he is.  I thought the film would be interesting but unfortunately will have to wait to see it another way.

The other big crowd turned up for the Live Nickelback show.  I saw the documentary but didn't have the energy to stick around for the show but being short I probably wouldn't have seen anything anyway because it was jam packed.

Here's a list of the films I did see and some brief thoughts on each one.

  1. American Fiction- This was a volunteer preview film so the volunteers got to see it before the public and it was a surprise so it wasn't on my original list.  I liked it and got the point they were trying to make.  A few of my friends didn't love it.  It ended up winning People's Choice which I thought might have gone to the Holdovers.
  2. Nickelback: Hate to Love - I love documentaries and this was a fun one because they poke fun at being called the most hated band.  They also revealed some of their personal challenges along the way.  It was a mix of their real life and show footage so if you are a fan you get the music if you know nothing about them you get a bit of their story.
  3. One Life - This one was heart wrenching.  At the screening I attended the audience was filled with people that survived because of the one man that was the subject of this film.  Films that are based on real life always have more heft to them and with Anthony Hopkins empathetic performance the audience left balling at the end.  This was one of my favourites.
  4. Ezra- This is an uncomfortable watch because of the tug of war between parents of an autistic child.  The actor playing the child was autistic in real life.  Bobby Cannavale gave a solid anxiety filled performance and the child gave a natural portrayal of the issues.  Robert DeNiro was as solid as he always is.  This was the last of a marathon day so it felt long to me.
  5. Knox Goes Away-  I wouldn't say this is a great film but it was entertaining.  It's the Directorial debut of Michael Keaton.  Character wise it was interesting.  It couldn't use a little tightening up to make it flow a bit better.
  6. Next Goal Wins- This is a Taika Watiti film.  He is in the intro and has a small bit in the film.  This one is based on a true story.  It was ok and very much like Ted Lasso but Ted Lasso has a lot more heart.  I didn't connect with this one as much as I did with Jo Jo Rabbit.  I guess having to stay true to the story might create restrictions to how far out there you can go.
  7. Rustin- This one was about the organizing of the March on Washington and the Black Gay Man that was responsible for organizing it.  Directed by George C. Wolfe.  Starring Colman Domingo as Rustin and the centrepiece of this film.  It demonstrates the struggles of gay black men and the battle to move rights forward for all Black people.  It wasn't the type of film that makes you cheer at the end but it does make you reflect.
  8. Flora and Son- This film stars Eve Hewson (daughter of Bono) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Eve's character a single mom  Flora,  finds an old guitar in a dumpster thinking her son would like it for his birthday.  She gets it fixed and when her son isn't impressed she decides to take some online guitar lessons and connects with Gordon-Levitt and finds herself in the process and develops a better relationship with her son.
  9. The Holdovers- This was my favourite film of the festival.  It was funny and original and had great characters.  It was directed by Alexander Payne.  He was the only one that was in attendance at the festival.  He told the story in the Q&A on how he found Dominic Sessa at one of the schools they filmed who was there taking theatre training and it was his first film.  Paul Giamatti who is one of the best character actors really demonstrates why he makes movies great.  Also a standout with a tough house mama staff member character was Da'Vine Joy Randolph.  You will love her while she melts Giamatti's tough heart.  It got the runner up for the People's Choice award so I would predict some Oscar buzz to come soon for this one.  All of my friends that saw this one loved it.
  10. Memory- I really wanted to love this one because I love Jessica Chastain and she has delivered some excellent work over the years.  Not that her performance was bad but I just didn't love the film overall.  I didn't like the pace of the film and the interactions between all of the characters was just plain awkward.  Maybe that was the intent but I found it difficult to watch and I kept hoping something that made sense would happen.
  11. Sly- One notable movie reviewer did not like this film but I enjoyed it but it did feel like it skipped through a lot of his history.  It was almost like a therapy session where he reveals that the whole reason of the things he did in his life was because of his tough father.  I would have liked to see more from his family and other people he worked with in the industry.  He was in attendance to intro the film at the screening I was at.  I was supposed to be volunteering at that screening but they cancelled that shift so I would have seen him up close instead of the balcony seats but at least I got to see the film.
  12. Mother Couch- This was the last film I saw at the festival and unfortunately didn't leave feeling great about standing in a rush line at Scotiabank to see it.  Another case of I love Ewan McGregor but didn't love this film.   Too weird and the characters seemed clueless.  McGregor has very expressive facial expressions but it didn't help this film make sense.

                                Nickleback at Roy Thompson Hall with the director of the film

Saturday 19 August 2023

TIFF 2023 My 15 Top Film Picks

TIFF 2023 My Top 15 Picks





Toronto, Aug 19, 2023

TIFF 2023 is going to be another year of change.  For the past 3 years, the Pivot was in full effect with Tiff doing what it could to stay alive.  This year when it should have been a back to normal festival the whole Film and Television industry got hit with the Writers/Actors strikes.

But the Show Must Go On as they say and Tiff 2023 will go on.

I remember the year of 9/11 when the Festival was in full gear and then the terrorist attacks shut down half the festival because people couldn't come or go the festival went on but there was a black cloud hanging over the rest of the festival.

This year I see the festival as a return to the beginning with the knowledge of the past 46 years.

In the beginning, the festival was founded by serious film lovers and it was almost an underground festival of film buffs who attended.  As the festival grew so did the International attention and the celebrities who wanted to be here to show their work.  Then it exploded.  Then Covid made it crash to a halt.  It's supposed to be back but I would say halfway back this year.

The films this year are mostly international which is in line with Tiff's International Title.   
You would think it's all celebrity driven by the media coverage it gets but the Big Hollywood A-list films are actually a small percentage of the festival but get the most attention.

The first weekend of the festival is filled with International Media, larger Hollywood bigger budget films with even bigger celebrities, and all of the fans that flock to see them.
King Street literally shuts down for 4 days at the start of the festival to accommodate all the people and keep it safe.

This year I predict serious film lovers will return to the festival but the streets will be much quieter.  There won't be any Harry Styles, Taylor Swift-crazed fans so people around the festival village may get more sleep this year.

There are no press conferences this year but there are still Red Carpets.  They just may be a little quieter and faster this year.

What there will be are many films directed by Actors which will garner a lot of attention.  Taika Watiti, Kristen Scott Thomas, Finn Wolfhard, Chris Pine. Anna Kendrick and more.

Here are some of the films that I think will be some of the Top Picks of films that will get some attention and some of the ones I have on my list to see and why I chose them.

1.  SLY - because it's Sylvester Stallone's story.  He is incredibly intelligent and has a rags-to-riches story and with his dynamic personality it won't be a dull documentary but I am sure it will be an inspiring one.

2. Next Goal Wins - from the highly acclaimed Director/Actor Taika Watiti.  Known for his creative and satirical perspective.  It stars Michael Fassbender and Elizabeth Moss who are heavyweights in the drama department.  It's a sports film but I have a feeling it's probably more like a Ted Lasso Movie.

3.  One Life - What can I say but it stars Sir Anthony Hopkins.   really that's all you need to know.

4.  Pain Hustlers-  A story about working in a pharmacy and the shady things that go on.  It stars Emily Blunt, Chris Evans,  Catherine O'Hara and Andy Garcia.  They can all hold their own in a film.  I think this story will be very timely.

5. Reptile -  One of the Writers is Benicio Del Toro who also stars in the film.  It's about a New England Detective.   This also stars Justin Timberlake and if the strike ends and he comes there may be a frenzy.  Also starring Frances Fischer and Alicia Silverstone who have longevity in the film industry,

6.  The Burial - Inspired by true events about a funeral home owner, played by Tommy Lee Jones and also starring Jamie Foxx.  People will show up to support the film after Jamie's illness. It also stars Alan Ruck who is fresh off the success of Succession.

7.  Close to You -  Starring Elliot Page who since his transition has been busy writing his biography and this is a new film after the transition that he stars in about a family reunion.  You know those are always filled with drama.

8.  Knox Goes Away -  This one sounds interesting.   A contract killer who has dementia.  It's Directed by Michael Keaton who is also starring in the film with Al Pacino and James Marsden

9.  Memory - It's about a simple woman whose life changes after someone follows her home after a school reunion.  It stars Jessica Chastain who always picks interesting roles.  Also starring the skilled actor Peter Sarsgaard.

10.  North Star - Directed by Kristen Scott Thomas.  It's about 3 sisters,  Starring, Scarlett Johansson,  and Sienna Miller who return for their mother's third wedding.

11. Ezra -  Directed by Tony Goldwyn.  It's about a man who blows up his career to become a stand-up comic.  With another heavyweight cast consisting of:  Whoopi Goldberg,  Robert DeNiro, Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Bobby Cannavale, and Rainn Wilson.

12.  Hit Man - Directed by Richard Linklater.  A staff investigator plays the role of a hit man trying to catch the people that put the hit on.   Starring Glen Powell.  This is listed as an action comedy.

13.  Flora and Son- Starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Eve Hewson.  The story of a single mom who grabs a guitar out of a dumpster that becomes one person's junk into another family's treasure.

14.  Dumb Money -  This is one where you can put a hilarious spin on a based on real-life story.   The Game Stop trading story broke the stock market world apart.  Starring the hilarious Seth Rogan, Paul Dano, America Ferrera and Shailene Woodley.  

And Lastly another documentary

15.  Lil Nas X: Montero (Call me by your name) -  This is a film about Lil Nas X's meteoric rise in the music world.  He broke down so many barriers with his outrageous style and his openly gay lifestyle and his creative spin on his music.  Collaborating with unlikely people to bust myths.

  
........and I'm curious to see how the Hate to Love: Nickleback documentary does.  Will they hate to love the film? 


There are a few more that I am interested in but tried to limit to 15 films because who has the time?

Let's see how well I do after the festival ends and who get's chosen as People's Choice which usually goes on to win an Oscar.