From Toronto to Bethlehem: TIFF 2018 Recap & Staff Picks
Programming Director Ryan Hill and Cinema/Comedy Coordinator Anthony DeSanctis made their yearly trip to Canada earlier this month to attend the Toronto International Film Festival. They went to some star-studded parties, they ate some poutine, but, more importantly, they saw 40 movies between them in less than a week with the goal of figuring out what will be coming to the Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas as we get closer to awards season.
Here are their favorites from the festival…
Ryan Hill
1. Widows – Arguably the best-directed heist movie ever made, Steve McQueen wastes no time and no space in putting together a film that blends action and drama so well that the crowd at my industry screening was gasping and clapping with every twist (that never happens with industry screenings; we’re usually just thinking of how quickly we’ll get to our next film and/or if we’ll be able to eat in between). And Viola Davis is her usual amazing self.
2. Shoplifters – My early bet for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, this Japanese film already won the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Writer/Director Hirokazu Koreeda beautifully examines a family that isn’t exactly what it seems.
3. First Man – The highly-anticipated follow up to La La Land from director Damien Chazelle (working again with Ryan Gosling) is a very different movie from La La Land, as it focuses on Neil Armstrong’s NASA career through the 1960s and leading to those legendary first steps on the moon, which are filmed with a stunning patience that places this film among the best to explore the Space Race. It takes a little while to build, however, though this can be attributed to the fact that Armstrong wasn’t exactly the most emotive person to have lived, a fact that Gosling stays quite true to.
4. Boy Erased – Based on Garrard Conley’s memoir of the same name – and dealing with his time in a gay conversion program – this is so obviously a film directed by an actor, as the performances by Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe are off the charts. I haven’t seen that level from Crowe since his early 2000s heyday, and Hedges confirms, after his great turn in last year’s Manchester By the Sea, that he’s the real deal. And I just have no idea when Kidman ever sleeps; this is one of three films she was in at TIFF.
5. Gloria Bell – It is rare that the director of a foreign-language film gets to helm the American remake, but that’s exactly what Sebastian Lelio was able to pull off with Gloria Bell. I absolutely loved the original, making it very hard to judge this film on its own, so the main thing I’ll say is that Julianne Moore is a deserved lock for an Oscar nomination. It’s also a fun film (though not without its drama) that I think will be a patron favorite.
Anthony DeSanctis
1. The Old Man and the Gun – This film is very much a love letter to Robert Redford. It plays as his greatest hits rolled into one film and reminds us just why he’s regarded as one of the greatest movies stars of all time. Since this was announced to be his last film as an actor, he goes out with a bang. It’s also shot to look like a throwback film of the 70s and 80s. It’s stylish and sophisticated, infinitely rewatchable, and just plain fun.
2. Green Book – I smiled from start to finish watching this film. It will be a huge hit this fall. Mark my words. The word of mouth on this will be very strong. A crowd pleaser of the tallest order, Green Book is charming, heartfelt and flat out hilarious. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershela Ali have incredibly on screen chemistry. I’d say they are both locks for their performances at the Oscars this year. Especially Mortensen, who plays against type and gives the best performance of his career.
3. Never Look Away – Germany’s submission for Best Foreign Film this year. I hope it gets nominated. It’s a beautiful, moving story of love and art and it’s absolutely riveting. It’s 3 hours but it flies by. If this had been a Hollywood production, this is the kind of film that would get 14 Academy Award nominations. It’s also the same director of The Lives of Others, need I say more.
4. Beautiful Boy – I’ve been haunted by this film long after seeing it. It’s something I want to tell everyone to see. It’s powerful and heartbreaking. Both Carell and Chalamet prove that Oscars are in their future.
5. Burning – This is a movie I wanted to see again immediately after it ended just to see what I may have missed. You’ll want to talk about this movie with others after you’ve seen it. The slow pace actually works in that it earns each and every twist and turn. Burning doesn’t just grip you, it refuses to let go.
You may be wondering why A Star is Born isn’t on either of these lists. It’s because Anthony and Ryan didn’t see the film in Toronto; it debuted at the Venice Film Festival to such strong reviews that we now know it’s enough of a sure thing (we only get one of those a year, seemingly) that ArtsQuest’s time would be better spent on films we weren’t as sure about. We’re looking to lock that film in for October 5 and hope to be able to announce that soon.
Finally, if you’re an ArtsQuest member, you can get Anthony and Ryan’s full awards-season preview before the Member Movie on October 21st!
