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.
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