I have always had a bit of an obsession with celebrities, I'm not ashamed, I love TV and movies, and I am fascinated with famous people. When we moved to Toronto, one of the things I was most excited about was the Toronto International Film Festival. Real live celebrities, in the same city as me, with a chance to see them up close! Needless to say, it was not as easy to spot the celebrities as I thought it would be, and the only person I saw that first year was Dakota Fanning. Every year I've usually had tickets to a few different movies and have seen some of the stars either on the red carpet or on stage after the showing where they answer some questions - Rachel McAdams, Jon Hamm, Zach Galifianakis , Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington, etc. To my dismay, I haven't become close personal friends with any of them...yet.
The festival starts tomorrow and I'm hoping to get tickets again this year. Here are some of my selections:
The Judge - This one is opening the festival. It is right up my alley. Robert Downey Jr. is a big city lawyer who returns to his small hometown where his father, a judge and Robert Duvall, has been charged with murder.
Foxcatcher - Another one that seems to be made just for me - true crime and sports! Channing Tatum, Steve Carrell, Mark Ruffalo, the director of Moneyball - I'm in.
Nightcrawler - Jake Gyllenhaal is getting Oscar buzz for this role. The plot is a little dark though, photojournalists in LA looking for gruesome crime scene photos.
The Riot Club - This is from the director of An Education, which I liked. This is about a secret club of wealthy and entitled young men of British society. Perhaps think "The Skulls" meets "Downton Abbey"?
St. Vincent - TIFF is scheduling an entire day to honour Bill Murray, and this movie will be part of that. It stars Bill Murray, Chris O'Dowd, Naomi Watts and Terrence Howard. The picture on the landing page for this movie makes me want to see it.
Boychoir - Is there anyone who doesn't like Dustin Hoffman? In this film he is the choir director at a musical boarding school. Kevin McHale (Artie on Glee) also stars.
A Little Chaos - This is Alan Rickman's directorial debut, and I know he is coming to Toronto for this. You know him (Harry Potter, Love Actually, Dogma), you love him. And as if that wasn't enough, Kate Winslet and Stanley Tucci star, and it's a period piece set in Versailles.
This Is Where I Leave You - Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, this is all you need to know.
Cake - It sounds kind of depressing since it is about a woman in a chronic pain support group, but it does have Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, and Sam Worthington, so I'd be interested in their performances.
The Keeping Room - Another thing I am fascinated with is the American Civil War, particularly from the Southern perspective (Gone with the Wind is my all time favourite book). This is about young women alone on a farm in South Carolina in the final days of the war. Hailee Steinfeld is in it and she is usually pretty great.
Men, Women & Children - I like pretty much everything Jason Reitman has done (Up in the Air, June), so I'm sure this will be great. It has an all-star cast of Emma Thompson, Adam Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jennifer Garner, and others you'd recognize.
While We're Young - A midlife crisis of sorts for middle aged couple, Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts, when a younger couple, Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried, enter their lives and disrupt their routine. Set in New York and Brooklyn.
Many of the films at TIFF usually get some Oscar buzz so get a head start and pay attention to these movies now.
I wish I was going to be there for TIFF! Every year I say I need to plan better and get there again. Dakota Fanning!
ReplyDelete- Cindy