Nerdbot has boots on the ground this year at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)! While the stars unfortunately can’t come out to promote or walk the downtown streets this year due to the strikes (pay your writers, pay your actors, we support livable wages), we are still here to bring you live coverage from world premieres, gala events, and some of the most anticipated international features of the year. If we can survive off of no sleep, coffee, and quick hot dog at the local A&W, our goal is to cover some 50+ films at the festival! That’s a lofty goal for even the most seasoned of cinephiles, so we’ll how well our stamina holds up by day 6. In the mean time, here is a sneak peak of the 9 films we can’t wait to see!
“Anatomy of a Fall“
The international sensation is finally coming to Toronto. “Anatomy of a Fall” had its World Premiere at Cannes earlier this year, and has been garnering a ton of buzz throughout the festival circuit. Some are even including it in their Best Foreign Film nominations at the Oscars next year, and are starting a groundswell campaign for Best Actress from the film’s star Sandra Hueller. With so much hype behind this tense courtroom drama, we have made sure that “Anatomy of a Fall” is the very first film we see at TIFF, kicking off the entire event with a BANG! Don’t be surprised if you keep hearing about “Anatomy of a Fall” throughout the rest of the year, and see it pop up on the awards circuit early.
“Woman of the Hour”
You had us at Ana Kendrick, but you owned us with Kendrick ALSO making her directorial debut with “Woman of the Hour.” Oh, and its based on the true story of The Dating Game Killer Rodney Alcala, who actually made it onto a dating game show in the 70s during his killing spree. And he won (ya, you can’t make this up even if you tried) and actually went on the date. The woman he went out with will be played by Kendrick, with Daniel Zovatto (“The Pope’s Exorcist“) playing the notorious serial killer. That’s a lot of things we love in one movie; Kendrick, Kendrick, and true crime. “Woman of the Hour” is an absolute can’t miss, and we can’t wait to see it later in the Festival lineup next week!
“Dream Scenario“
Another example of “you had me at hello,” Nicolas Cage as an aging professor who becomes famous by inexplicably appearing in people’s dreams is a whole lot of things we love. “Dream Scenario” will be having its World Premiere at TIFF this year, and there isn’t a whole lot known outside of the brief synopsis outlined above. Love him or hate him, Cage is an all or nothing performer, and typically works best when he’s in these kinds of high concept type films, and we expect him to bring his A game regardless of whether the film itself has the same kind of prestige. “Dream Scenario” is on a lot of festival goer’s list, and we’ve ensured that we have the opportunity to catch here at TIFF.
“Knox Goes Away”
Another favorite performer making their directorial debut in a film they are also starring in, “Knox Goes Away” is directed by and starring Michael Keaton. That’s right. Batman himself is pulling double duty this year, in a film that finds him playing a hitman suffering from aggressive, fast acting memory lost. With his memory fading fast and a job gone horribly wrong, Knox (Keaton) most rely on the help of his son to fix the issues and get them out of their mess before he forgets about it all entirely. “Knox Goes Away” has a bit of that “Momento” feel to it, but I doubt that Keaton would be so ambitious in his first time out to produce a copy cat of Christopher Nolan. But who knows? That’s the beauty of premiering a film like “Knox Goes Away” at a festival. There’s no teasers, no trailers, no early critic spoilers on twitter. Just a blind trust in the OG Caped Crusader and that’s all we really need.
“Pain Hustlers “
Because so little is known about so many of the films that premiere at TIFF, most of our selections have to be made on things like cast, director, and just a simple synopsis to sell it. “Pain Hustlers” certainly nails at least two out of three of these, with our immediate snag of tickets based solely off the paring of Chris Evans and Emily Blunt. Add in a scathing satire of the pharmaceutical industry and you’ve got yourself a can’t miss movie going experience! While a trailer has been release recently, our man on the ground has avoided it at all costs, with the desire to go into “Pain Hustlers” as blind as they were when the got tickets. Something tells us this one is gonna be a win for Netflix, and we are excited to take part in the World Premiere screening at TIFF!
The Holdovers “
It’s the return of Alexander Payne, who has not made a film in nearly 7 years. An acquired taste of a filmmaker who’s works include “Election,” “Sideways” and not so critically beloved “Downsizing,” Payne returns with “The Holdovers,” reuniting with the always game Paul Giamatti. The film has been making its round at some of the other fall festivals that took place earlier this month to rave reviews. Some are even deeming “The Holdovers” a lock for a Best Picture nomination this year. It’s been herald as a return to form for Payne; darkly funny and full of heart, and Giamatti has never been better. “The Holdovers” is a can’t miss at TIFF, and though we’ll be seeing it towards the end of the festival, it will be seen!
“Boy Kills World”
You really can’t come to TIFF and not check out at least ONE Midnight Madness film. We actually intend to check out 4 midnight madness screenings this year, and catching some of the other ones the day after they premiere. A selection of film that harkens back to that time when films ACTUALLY premiered at midnight, the slate is full of action, horror, and plenty more to keep the adrenaline flowing into the wee hours of the night. “Boy Kills World” finds Bill Skarsgård (the creepy one, not the super hot one) as boy, a deaf mute who is trained by a mysterious shaman to be martial arts killing machine to avenge the murdering of his family. That’s enough to get us sold, and with all the prestige and drama films from around the world on the TIFF docket, a little martial arts mayhem is the perfect pallet cleanser.
“Fingernails“
If Riz Ahmed is in it, then we’re in all the way. Add Jessie Buckley, and you’ve got us hook line and sinker. Not enough? Well “Fingernails” also includes Jeremy Allen White, Annie Murphy, and Luke Wilson. Billed as a romantic dramedy with a technological, sci-fi twist. With a stellar cast and an exciting, mysterious premise, “Fingernails” was a must see from day one, with tickets being acquired and schedule book the day it became available. Ahmed and Buckley almost never disappoint, so seeing them paired together in a new film certainly excites us and makes the list of our most anticipated films of the festival.
“The Zone of Interest”
Perhaps one of the most intriguing and possibly divisive films of the festival, “The Zone of Interest” follows a SS Commandant who tries to make a nice life for himself and family living next to Auschwitz. Another Cannes favorite and highly anticipated feature, the controversial setting paired with its said to be introspective and quiet framing leaves us in a very curious state of mind. What even IS “The Zone of Interest?” How do we even begin to comprehend someone living their normal life amid one of the greatest atrocities in human history? This very question puts the film high on our must see list, and TIFF hasn’t made easy to see. Both “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Zone of Interest” play roughly 20 minutes apart, so it is the “Barbenheimer” of the festival and we’re hoping we can rush from one to the other to be able to review both of them!
That’s what we’re excited to see, but there are plenty more that could easily be added to this list! We will be continuing to bring you up to date coverage of TIFF!
