Violet, 2021. Written and directed by Justine Bateman. Starring Olivia Munn, Justin Theroux, and Luke Bracey. SYNOPSIS: Violet realises that her entire life is built on fear-based decisions, and must do everything differently to become her true self. Actor Justine Bateman makes a disarming filmmaking debut with a bold, skillfully wrought drama about the destructive […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Review – The Story of My Wife
The Story of My Wife, 2021. Written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi. Starring Gijs Naber, Léa Seydoux, and Louis Garrel. SYNOPSIS: Sea captain Jacob Störr makes a bet in a café with a friend to marry the first woman who enters the place. And in walks Lizzy. Ildikó Enyedi follows up her outstanding 2017 Oscar-nominated […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Review – Jockey
Jockey, 2021. Co-written and directed by Clint Bentley. Starring Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, and Moisés Arias. SYNOPSIS: An aging jockey is determined to win one last championship, but his dream is complicated when a young rookie shows up claiming to be his son. Clint Bentley has entered the world of feature films with a powerhouse […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Review – As In Heaven
As In Heaven, 2021. Written and directed by Tea Lindeburg. Starring Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl, Ida Cæcilie Rasmussen, Palma Lindeburg Leth, Anna-Olivia Øster Coakley, Flora Augusta, Kirsten Olesen, Lisbet Dahl, Stine Fischer Christensen, Thure Lindhardt, and Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt. SYNOPSIS: On a farm in the late 1800s, an intense waiting game begins when a mother […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Review – Hold Your Fire
Hold Your Fire, 2021. Written and directed by Stefan Forbes. SYNOPSIS: Brooklyn, 1973. Shu’aib Raheem tried to steal guns for self-defense, starting the longest hostage siege in NYPD history. NYPD psychologist Harvey Schlossberg fought to reform police use of violence and save lives by using words, not guns. Documentarian Stefan Forbes (Boogie Man: The Lee […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2021 Review – Attica
Attica, 2021. Written and directed by Stanley Nelson. SYNOPSIS: Documentary chronicles the five-day prison rebellion that transpired in the fall of 1971 in upstate New York and still stands as the largest and deadliest the country has ever witnessed. Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple) brings one of the […]
Despite controversy, Jojo Rabbit takes home the TIFF Audience Award
Even with mixed reviews and a polarizing subject matter, Jojo Rabbit has been announced as the winner of Toronto International Film Festival’s 2019 Audience Award. Director Taika Waititi’s “anti-hate” satire beat out Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite for the win. The TIFF Audience Award has, in recent years, became an indicator […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2019 Review – Joker
Joker, 2019. Directed by Todd Phillips. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro, Marc Maron and Brett Cullen. SYNOPSIS: Joker centres around the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. The exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is […]
Toronto International Film Festival Review – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 2019. Directed by Marielle Heller. Starring Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Cooper, Enrico Colantoni, Maryann Plunkett, Tammy Blanchard, and Wendy Makkena. SYNOPSIS: After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s […]
Toronto International Film Festival 2018 Review – First Man
First Man, 2018. Directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Patrick Fugit, Olivia Hamilton, Ciaran Hinds, Ethan Embry, Shea Whigham, Corey Stoll, and Pablo Schreiber. SYNOPSIS: The riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. The first […]
