Rodrigo García’s charming two-hander Raymond & Ray is the double-act we never knew we needed, an unlikely pairing — Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor — in a similarly unexpected comedy from a director better known for gentle female-fronted dramas. Truth be told, Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall was a little big for it (Sundance might have been a better platform), but this TIFF Gala Presentation from Apple Original Films went over well and could well be this year’s indie sleeper, with awards potential for its ensemble cast, and Hawke in particular.
The setting doesn’t suggest a barrel of laughs — the uptight Ray (McGregor) turns up at the home of his laidback jazz musician half-brother Raymond (Hawke) with sad news: their father is dead. It soon becomes clear that neither has any affection for the old man — he was, after all, “a bitter son of a bitch” says Ray — but Raymond...
The setting doesn’t suggest a barrel of laughs — the uptight Ray (McGregor) turns up at the home of his laidback jazz musician half-brother Raymond (Hawke) with sad news: their father is dead. It soon becomes clear that neither has any affection for the old man — he was, after all, “a bitter son of a bitch” says Ray — but Raymond...
- 9/13/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
TIFF Returns to the Oscar Launch Fray, from Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ to Mendes’ ‘Empire of Light’
“The Toronto Film Festival is back!,” one specialty distributor told me last week. After two years of a slimmed-down pandemic profile, Canada’s storied Festival of Festivals has filled out to its former sprawl, with a glittering lineup packed with awards hopefuls.
TIFF has long offered gala world premieres for A-list filmmakers heading into awards prime time. Steven Spielberg is not usually one of them. This time, TIFF persuaded Universal and Amblin to give Spielberg’s personal fable “The Fabelmans” a shot at winning the coveted People’s Choice award that often presages a Best Picture contender, from Bp winners “The King’s Speech” and “12 Years a Slave” to “Green Book” and “Nomadland.” Last year, Kenneth Branagh’s personal story “Belfast” took home the audience prize.
Oscar perennial Searchlight Pictures is taking four fall season movies to TIFF, including Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light”, which is expected to play Telluride...
TIFF has long offered gala world premieres for A-list filmmakers heading into awards prime time. Steven Spielberg is not usually one of them. This time, TIFF persuaded Universal and Amblin to give Spielberg’s personal fable “The Fabelmans” a shot at winning the coveted People’s Choice award that often presages a Best Picture contender, from Bp winners “The King’s Speech” and “12 Years a Slave” to “Green Book” and “Nomadland.” Last year, Kenneth Branagh’s personal story “Belfast” took home the audience prize.
Oscar perennial Searchlight Pictures is taking four fall season movies to TIFF, including Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light”, which is expected to play Telluride...
- 7/28/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Toronto -- Spike Lee, who made noise in Cannes in May trading jabs with Clint Eastwood while promoting "Miracle at St. Anna," will bow the war drama in Toronto.
Lee's latest is among several world premieres unveiled Wednesday for the Toronto International Film Festival's Special Presentations sidebar, including new films from Peter Sollett, Vincente Amorim and Steve Jacobs.
"Miracle," which chronicles the story of four black U.S. soldiers stationed in Tuscany during World War II, stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Matteo Sciabordi, John Leguizamo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Toronto also has booked Australian director Jacobs' "Disgrace," a big-screen adaptation of the J.M. Coetzee novel that stars John Malkovich as a professor whose life comes apart after an impulsive affair, and the Viggo Mortensen starrer "Good," a British-German co-production from Amorim.
Toronto festival co-director Cameron Bailey said that the Special Presentations sidebar spotlights auteur-driven movies without sufficient star wattage to warrant a high-profile slot at Roy Thomson Hall.
Also receiving a world premiere in Toronto is U.S. helmer Sollett's "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," a comedy about two people (Michael Cera and Kat Dennings) on a first date amid New York's indie rock scene.
Toronto also will give North American premieres to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo," which bowed in Cannes, and Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker," an Iraq War thriller that stars Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Jeremy Renner and Christian Camargo.
The 33rd annual Toronto International Film Festival is set for Sept. 4-13.
Lee's latest is among several world premieres unveiled Wednesday for the Toronto International Film Festival's Special Presentations sidebar, including new films from Peter Sollett, Vincente Amorim and Steve Jacobs.
"Miracle," which chronicles the story of four black U.S. soldiers stationed in Tuscany during World War II, stars Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Matteo Sciabordi, John Leguizamo and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Toronto also has booked Australian director Jacobs' "Disgrace," a big-screen adaptation of the J.M. Coetzee novel that stars John Malkovich as a professor whose life comes apart after an impulsive affair, and the Viggo Mortensen starrer "Good," a British-German co-production from Amorim.
Toronto festival co-director Cameron Bailey said that the Special Presentations sidebar spotlights auteur-driven movies without sufficient star wattage to warrant a high-profile slot at Roy Thomson Hall.
Also receiving a world premiere in Toronto is U.S. helmer Sollett's "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," a comedy about two people (Michael Cera and Kat Dennings) on a first date amid New York's indie rock scene.
Toronto also will give North American premieres to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo," which bowed in Cannes, and Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker," an Iraq War thriller that stars Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Jeremy Renner and Christian Camargo.
The 33rd annual Toronto International Film Festival is set for Sept. 4-13.
- 7/7/2008
- by By Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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