Top Ten Anticipated Films at Toronto
Whether they've already debuted at Venice, Telluride or Harvey Weinstein's movie grotto (face it, he must have one) these are the films that have to be seen at Toronto to consider your attendance a success. The tragedy is the screenings can sometimes be scheduled at the same time (don't ask us why) so sometimes seeing them all is not possible...but here's the list. One of the great things about Toronto, however, is the UN-Anticipated films, which are the surprises that often end up making the entire festival worthwhile. by Keith Simanton
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- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsSandra BullockGeorge ClooneyEd HarrisDr Ryan Stone, an engineer on her first time on a space mission, and Matt Kowalski, an astronaut on his final expedition, have to survive in space after they are hit by debris while spacewalking.When a master craftsman like Cuaron takes five years to do any film it's worthy of our attention. The brief footage shown at Comic-Con wowed everyone who saw it and it comes from Venice and Colorado laden with praise. I'm excited to see this one the most.
- DirectorSteve McQueenStarsChiwetel EjioforMichael Kenneth WilliamsMichael FassbenderIn the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.Director Steve McQueen's film, based upon the true story of Solomon Northup, played by the excellent Chiwetel Ejiofor, has been on my radar since it came together. The supporting cast has names like Pitt, Fassbender, Cumberbatch and Giamatti. Heck, it even has the two leads from Beasts of the Southern Wild, Dwight Henry and Quvenzhane Wallis, for good measure. Promises to be tough sledding, which is expected, but can McQueen give the audience the unexpected yet what it craves? Redemption? Hope? The films that made him, Hunger and Shame would say no. Rapturous reviews from Telluride precede it.
- DirectorJohn WellsStarsMeryl StreepDermot MulroneyJulia RobertsA look at the lives of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose paths have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Oklahoma house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them.Will this film be Terms of Endearment or A Thousand Acres? All eyes are on TV producer (c'mon, that's what he's known for!!) John Wells, sitting in the director's chair. His well-meaning but inert The Company Men didn't squander the prodigious talents he had at his disposal (Jones, Cooper, Affleck, Bello) but it didn't capitalize on them either. Everyone felt like they had reserves left as Men lacked bite and drive, particularly for a film about something as universal as being laid off. Both bite and drive should be in evidence--in spades--with August: Osage.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsDaniel BrühlChris HemsworthOlivia WildeThe merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.The true story of Lauda and Hunt may be well known in Europe but it's brand new to most North Americans. Howard concentrates on the bitter competition, which drove both men to excellence they may have not otherwise achieved, with a clarity of vision, bringing you into the dangerous world of tires, engines, asphalt and fire.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsLiam NeesonMila KunisAdrien BrodyThree interlocking love stories involving three couples in three cities: Rome, Paris, and New York.Another stellar cast led by an Oscar-winning director who has also written the script. Since Haggis also did the adaptation for Million Dollar Baby and Casino Royale, this is a must-see even if any plot outline that includes the phrase "interlocking stories" normally gives me hives. Since his Oscar-winning film, Crash, was about interlocking stories I'll have to control that aversion.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsJudi DenchSteve CooganSophie Kennedy ClarkA world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.One thing exceedingly helpful about Telluride sneaking some of these films out early is that you get advanced word on works with big, fat question marks behind them. Philomena formerly had such punctuation. Director Stephen Frears has proven himself time and time again over 30 years with excellent films, from 1988's Dangerous Liaisons to 2000's High Fidelity to 2006's The Queen. But he's been uneven of late with Lay the Favorite vanishing in a poof and Tamara Drewe never finding its groove. Great buzz on this latest venture, though, particularly for Dench, means it may be time for another actress to be thanking Frears for a fantastic, original role.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHugh JackmanJake GyllenhaalViola DavisWhen Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.If you have children then the promise of seeing a film about child abduction is about as welcome as starting out on a 2-hour commute home and you're not in charge of the radio. However, director Villeneuve made the unwatchable acts in his Oscar-nominated film Incendies part of a compelling narrative which, though it flirted with melodrama, did not get overwhelmed by it. Once again, great buzz precedes this film.
- DirectorBill CondonStarsBenedict CumberbatchDaniel BrühlCarice van HoutenA dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization.Let's face it, the very fact that festival director Cameron Bailey and team chose Bill Condon's film over the rest of this amazing slate of movies makes it a must-see. It will be interesting to see if Daniel Bruhl's appearence in this film and Rush will be the one-two punch that gets him the recognition he deserves and the notoriety he probably doesn't want but also deserves.
- DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsIdris ElbaNaomie HarrisTerry PhetoA chronicle of Nelson Mandela's life journey from his childhood in a rural village through to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.This film has "good for you" stamped all over it which is unfortunate. In its favor though are the leads with the electrifying Idris Elba playing Mandela and the ethereal (really, in real life, she's ethereal) Naomi Harris as Winnie. Director Justin Chadwick worked with Harris on The First Grader, another film set in a violence-plagued part of Africa and he's unlikely to pull any punches in the telling. This could be one of the real surprises of the festival.
- DirectorAllison BergFrank KeraudrenStarsJohn WojtowiczCarmen BifulcoJeremy BowkerA documentary portrait of the late John Wojtowicz, whose attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank to finance his lover's gender-reassignment surgery was the real-life inspiration for Dog Day Afternoon (1975).It's hard not to include half of the TIFF Docs on a "Most Anticipated" list this year (and more are on my "Most UN-Anticipated"). However, if they were going to make me choose just one I'd go with this. The true story inspired two late, great filmmakers, screenwriter Frank Pierson and director Sidney Lumet, so it must be fascinating.