Come September, Toronto becomes a mishmash of celebrities and parties, parties, parties. But beyond the red carpet, the most important part of TIFF is the actual movies. With the opening press conference just days away, we decided to take a look at some of the star-studded films we hope come to the Toronto International Film Festival this fall.
Some of these might seem like wishful thinking. But hey people, dream big.
Killing Them Softly – This noir drama features Brad Pitt as a mob enforcer and reteams him with his Jesse James director Andrew Dominik. It was a hot ticket at Cannes and its North American release date – Sept. 21 – makes it an ideal pick for TIFF’s coveted opening weekend.
Life of Pi – This long-in-development adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker prize-winning novel is a nice dose of CanCon. Plus Ang Lee’s visuals from a teaser released earlier this summer look flat out amazing. The film is due out Nov. 21.
Argo – Ben Affleck hit a home run here two years ago with “The Town.” His latest retelling of the ‘Canadian Caper,’ in which the governments of the U.S. and Canada partnered to rescue kidnapped Americans during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis looks to solidify his rep as an established director. The film opens October 12.
Django Unchained – C’mon, who wouldn’t want this? People might be spoiling for Leo’s Gatsby at TIFF, but Tarantino hasn’t brought a film to Toronto since 1995’s Four Rooms. His blood-soaked revisionist western would be a perfect fit for the Midnight Madness opening weekend program. The main roadblock: the film’s Dec. 25 release date means it might not be finished yet.
The Silver Linings Playbook – The trailer for this dramedy from David O. Russell (“The Fighter”) has been getting plenty of buzz and the A-list cast – that includes Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker (in something other than a “Rush Hour” movie) – would look plum on the red carpet of the Visa Screening Room don’t cha think?
Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow is no stranger to TIFF. Her Academy Award-winning Hurt Locker and The Weight of Water had premieres here. So we expect her much anticipated film about the manhunt for Osama bin Laden to debut at the Roy Thomson Hall. The film is due out Dec. 19.
Skyfall – Seriously, why not? Bond 23 would give TIFF a much-needed bit of star power if it got the closing night slot. We know it’s likely to premiere at the London Film Festival, but think how cool it would be to see Daniel Craig here on the last night.
To The Wonder – In a career that has spanned decades, reclusive director Terence Malick has five features under his belt. Following last year’s mesmerizing “Tree of Life,” we’ll gladly imbibe in what we hope is an existentialist take on the romance genre. The film stars Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem.
Trouble With The Curve – Two words. Clint. Eastwood. The legendary actor makes his return to the big screen opposite Justin Timberlake as an aging baseball scout. It’s his first role since 2008’s “Gran Torino” and his first time out of the director’s chair since 1993’s “In the Line of Fire.” We’ll buy that for a dollar.
Frankenweenie – Tim Burton and TIFF go back quite some time. The venue hosted an exhibition dedicated to his art and films in 2011. Since the festival likes animated films (“Antz” and “Corpse Bride” both premiered here), Burton’s passion project looks like a sure bet. The film is slated to be released in October.
Other Hollywood films we hope to see: The Master, Anna Karenina, The Man With the Iron Fists, Flight
Check back Tuesday, July 24 to see if our wishlist came true.
