The 2009 Toronto International Film Festival wrapped up this weekend and handed out a lot of awards which don't matter. Film festival awards are rarely a guarantee that the awarded film will win major accolades or, for that matter, even find an audience. If you're wondering which festival movies are most likely to pop up on your radar in the next few months, then look no further than buzz.
If you've been following along with TIFF coverage bouncing around the web then you probably already have a good idea of what those movies are. They've been talked about endlessly, dissected in detail, and flogged by bloggers until audience expectations are completely out of whack. It's no surprise that most of these films aren't tiny indie movies, but rather star-powered vehicles with glitz, glamour, and pizzazz. This is Toronto after all. It's where Hollywood goes to get its balls washed.
So with Toronto winding down here's our last ditch attempt to clue you in on what's going on. As the last film shows there are clearly, without a doubt, five films being talked about more than any other. They've appeared on almost every critic's best of fest list, been touted and praised beyond all reason. You'll see more of them in the coming year and don't be surprised if at least a couple of these are already Oscar front runners. Here they are, the five most talked about films of the Toronto International Film Festival. Find out why you should care and where you can see them, below.
Up in the Air
Synopsis: Ryan has long been contented with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he’s a pampered, elite member of every travel loyalty program in existence; and he’s close to attaining his lifetime goal of 10 million frequent flier miles – and yet . . . Ryan has nothing real to hold onto.
When he falls for a simpatico fellow traveler, Ryan’s boss, inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert, threatens to permanently call him in from the road. Faced with the prospect, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate what it might actually mean to have a home.
In Theaters? Limited release November 13, wide release November 25th.
Star Power? George Clooney is the man. Directed by Juno helmer Jason Reitman. Vera Farmiga and Jason Bateman in the supporting cast.
Critical Praise:
“It finds a universal rhythm and lives in that space, making for one of the most effective works of the year.” In Contention
“A beautifully entertaining yet intelligent work from one of Hollywood's most unique young directors.” Dark Horizons
“This could be the movie that actually wins Jason Reitman an Academy Award.” Film Junk
“This is a masterful dramedy, with something for everyone- and I haven`t a doubt in my mind that it will set the box office on fire when it comes out in November.” JoBlo
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Synopsis: Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write.
Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn't know the meaning of "alternative," but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.
In Theaters? Limited release only on November 6th, but it's an early contender for Oscar's Best Picture. If it's nominated, expect it to go wider.
Star Power? Not really unless you count Mo'Nique who is rumored to be able to act.
Critical Praise:
"The film is often raw and so full of anger and pain it was difficult to watch, but the performances are simply breathtaking, as though life were happening on the screen and we were eavesdropping." In Contention
"There is nothing forgettable about this raw, vibrant and resoundingly hopeful film; it will be vividly etched in your memory for hours after you leave the theater, if not days and years." Dark Horizons
"Lee Daniels creates a must-see portrait of life's underprivileged which is utterly compelling." Screen Daily
"An honest and surprisingly hopeful film about the incomparable human ability to grow and overcome insurmountable obstacles." Emanuel Levy
A Serious Man
Synopsis The film is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and "F-Troop" is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith (Sari Lennick) that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry. Larry's unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny (Aaron Wolf) is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. While his wife and Sy Ableman blithely make new domestic arrangements, and his brother becomes more and more of a burden, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances for tenure at the university. Also, a graduate student seems to be trying to bribe him for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous person – a mensch – a serious man?
In Theaters? It's a Coen brothers movie. Of course. Wide release on October 2nd.
Star Power? It's directed by the much loved Coen Brothers. What more do you need?
Critical Praise
“It's serious about the craft of storytelling, both in form and function, with a dedication to characterization, pitch-perfect performances, and a cinematic backdrop that is both severely nostalgic and completely immersive.” Cinematical
“As super-Jewish as the Coen brothers are likely ever to get. It's also seriously awesome.” Vanity Fair
“A Serious Man is my favorite Coen Brothers film produced in the last decade.” Slashfilm
The Men Who Stare At Goats
Synopsis Reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Academy Award® winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be part of an experimental U.S. military unit. According to Cassady, the New Earth Army is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of "Warrior Monks" with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy's thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Now, the program's founder, Bill Django (Oscar® nominee Jeff Bridges), has gone missing and Cassady's mission is to find him.
Intrigued by his new acquaintance's far-fetched stories, Bob impulsively decides to accompany him on the search. When the pair tracks Django to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper (two-time Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey), the reporter is trapped in the middle of a grudge match between the forces of Django's New Earth Army and Hooper's personal militia of super soldiers. In order to survive this wild adventure, Bob will have to outwit an enemy he never thought possible.
In Theaters? Clooneys' face will soon be in front of your face. Wide release on November 6th.
Star Power? Aside from that George Clooney fellow whom Canadians seem to love, the film also stars Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Robert Patrick, and the great Stephen Root.
Critical Praise
"This is a movie about the war that is sure to get audiences thinking, but in a totally different way." Pop Journalism
"A star-studded cast of unhinged performances and a subject matter so crazy it has to be true, make this one an easy recommend." Cinema Verdict
"Highly entertaining, wildly unconventional, and- despite it's wacky subject matter, oddly thought provoking." JoBlo
Whip It
Synopsis For years, Bliss Cavendar has been dreaming of escaping her tiny, truck-stop of a town Bodeen, Texas. Unfortunately her devoted, beauty pageant obsessed mother is convinced that Bliss can only succeed in life if she wins the crown at the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant, but the awkward outsider knows there's something bigger and better out there. When Bliss sneaks off to the big city of Austin with her best friend Pash she discovers a world unlike anything she could ever imagine: roller derby, with its girl-power-meets-punk-rock spirit and its liberating celebration of wild individuality.
In Theaters? It's in theaters on October 2nd and Drew Barrymore is already on a national press tour pushing it. You'll see a lot of it.
Star Power? Directed by and co-starring Drew Barrymore! Juno's Ellen Page stars.
Critical Praise
“Caricatures or cardboard cutouts, placed like so many toy soldiers amongst pop-rock musical montages, shoehorned hilarity and teary-eyed angst.” Buzzine
“Drew Barrymore seems less concerned with crafting a riveting cinematic experience as she is in creating a good time. On that criterion, she has succeeded.” Screen Daily
“An '80s film for a new millennium, “Whip It” is rough, fun, and hip-checkingly girly.” Collider
