Whether it’s poets, corrupt cops or zombies, the Toronto International Film Festival has something for everyone.
Kicking off Thursday, the 10-day cinematic smorgasbord won’t just see a surge of celebrities strolling around Toronto, it’ll give moviegoers a chance to check out some 300 films from around the globe.
While you may not find anything along the lines of Paul Blart: Mall Cop (if that’s your pleasure), there will be plenty of clever comedies (like Jason Reitman’s Juno follow-up, Up in the Air), fascinating documentaries (Michael Moore’s latest expose, Capitalism: A Love Story) and more challenging avant-garde works (such as Enter the Void from Irréversible’s Gaspar Noé).
Here’s a peek at some of the most buzzworthy movies coming to Toronto.
Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire
This story of an illiterate teenager from Harlem overcoming the odds was the top prize winner at Sundance this year winning an unlikely cast (Mo’Nique, Mariah Carey) plenty of praise.
The Men Who Stare at Goats
George Clooney (who also stars in Up in the Air) plays a shadowy, elite military operative with psychic powers and the ability to possibly kill a goat just by staring at it. Seriously.
Chloe
In Atom Egoyan’s latest film, Julianne Moore hires a temptress to catch her husband (Liam Neeson) who she suspects is cheating on her. This was the project Neeson was filming when his wife Natasha Richardson tragically died skiing in Quebec last winter.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans:
Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog re-envisions the 1992 classic by casting Nicolas Cage as the high-functioning detective who deals in the drug trade.
Bright Star
Jane Campion is drawing comparisons to her acclaimed 1992 film, The Piano, with this period drama about a love affair between poet John Keats and a seamstress named Fanny Brawne.
TIFF online
• For more information on films in the Toronto International Film Festival, visit www.metronews.ca or go to www.tiff.net.
• Metro’s special coverage of TIFF begins Thursday with a special section.
