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Toronto Film Festival announces first of 2012 film line-up
Wednesday 25th July 2012 | Osh
We’ve seen Cannes and many more come and go this year, but now it’s time for Toronto to take its turn as the time between now and the launch of the 36th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on the 6th September grows ever shorter.
Founded in 1976, TIFF has built up an astounding reputation. It now screens more than 300 films from over 60 countries and is now the most highly regarded film festival in North America, arguably only second in the world to Cannes. It is also famed for frequently generating and premiering Oscar buzz-worthy films and year after year pulls in a crowd of actors, actresses and other notable names in the film industry to rival any other festival. An extremely small sample of classic films that have premiered at TIFF include Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, Crash and Black Swan.
It is different to Cannes and others in that it is non-competitive. There is no jury and no awards, save the ones publicly decided on by the festival-goers, for example the People’s Choice Award, which is given to the film with the highest ratings from those who attend. Last year was won by the Lebanese film Where Do We Go Now?, and the year before by our very own Brit favourite The King’s Speech.
Buzz is already spreading for this year’s event as the organisers has just announced the first 62 selections. Here are a few of the films, and some of their trailers, that Guestlist are particularly excited about:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
One of the most beautiful books ever written about the trials and triumphs of adolescent growth arrives at its final destination on-screen. It follows 15 year-old Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) as he makes his transition from being a wallflower who observes others on the edges of life, to a young man fully involved in a life full of friends, fun and occasional tragedy. Some of those watching the trailer may be left feeling a bit uncertain as to how closely the film will stay to its literary forefather but, as the film is being directed by the book’s author (Stephen Chbosky), we have high hopes for it translating pretty smoothly. In the meantime, get hold of the book and give it a read – not only for the great story but the brilliant songs that track the protagonists’ journey, which will hopefully make an appearance in the film.
Also starring: Ezra Miller, Emma Watson, Paul Rudd, Kate Walsh, Nina Dobrev
Looper
Starring an almost unrecognisable Joseph Gordon-Levitt (he of 500 Days of Summer and the recent Dark Knight Rises fame) Looper is a sci-fi film that attempts to conjure some Inception-style ingenuity. Don’t get it twisted though – time may be a prime focus in this film but the plots are very different. Loopers, like Gordon-Levitt, work in a futuristic gangland where time travel is manipulated on the black market by the mafia in order to go back in time and terminate agents who worked for them. Things get a bit complicated however when on one mission he discovers the victim he is meant to kill is his own future self (Bruce Willis), and he allows him to escape. And so a crazed, murderous hunt on the part of his former-employers ensues. We predict it will be a particularly fun one to watch and, in any case, Joseph is a pleasure to watch in any film he stars in.
Also starring: Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels
Anna Karenina
Joe Wright (director of Pride and Prejudice and Atonement) teams up with Keira Knightly for a third time in this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel. The trailer sees Knightley portrayed as the scandalous black sheep, the eponymous socialite who is having an affair with Count Vronsky, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy, Kickass). She is fittingly dressed in a dark ball gown as she shocks society with her brazen ways. Both beautifully shot and choreographed, you are literally dancing, gliding, moving along with the characters. Not only is this likely to please the powers that be in the Academy, it’s a must-see.
Also starring: Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly McDonald, Domhall Gleeson
Argo
Based on a true story, Argo is exactly the type of thoughtful, politically-focused film Ben Affleck would be a part of. It sees strife conditions in Iran growing increasingly volatile to the point that it culminates in people from the American Embassy in the country being taken hostage. Six American diplomats manage to escape and, in order to make sure they don’t meet messy ends at the hands of the Iranian rebels, Affleck and team need to swoop in and recover them under the guise of a fake Hollywood movie. Tense and fast-moving, this could be the one to provide the audience with some action-packed yet purposeful film viewing.
Also starring: Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Kyle Chandler, Victor Garber
Cloud Atlas
Kudos to anyone who can understand the trailer because it has to be admitted that it’s pretty hard to keep up with. Adapted from David Mitchell’s (no, not that one) best-selling novel, it involves six stories that take place in different locations and eras, seemingly separate but actually connected. Each story halts at the same moment and, once the sixth one is concluded, the novel regresses back in time to conclude them. Lucky then, with such tricky chronology to contend with, that the movie is being handled by the Wachowski brothers (who brought us the Matrix trilogy) and directed by Tom Twyker, the man behind cult classic Run Lola Run. It’s no wonder the team have released an extended six minute trailer considering the complexity they needed to convey. It reveals a heavy-weight cast consisting of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and more amongst its twists and turns. Whatever the stories will reveal, this looks set to be big.
Also starring: James D’Arcy, Ben Whishaw, Doona Bae, Zhao Xun, Keith David, David Mitchell (in a cameo role)
Great Expectations
Yes, we know it’s been adapted countless times but this version – directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mona Lisa Smile¸ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) – has a stellar cast lined up including Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane and Sally Hawkins. Most of us are familiar with Dickens' story about orphaned boy Pip (Jeremy Irvine) whose life takes an astonishing turn after his encounter with the threatening convict Magwitch. If you're still not convinced by another Dickens remake, watch this for Bonham Carter’s turn as the broken and disturbed Miss Havisham alone – it’s the kind of role she was born to play and she's sure to bring her own bit of magic the show.
Also starring: David Walliams, Jason Flemyng, Holliday Granger, Jessie Cave
Much Ado About Nothing
Trailblazing director Joss Whedon takes his own turn at a period piece with Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Coming from the man who wrote for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story and X-Men, and directed this summer’s box-office breaking Avengers Assemble, this is far from Whedon’s usual type of film. But if Kenneth Branagh can successfully make the transition from Shakespearian dramas to superhero blockbusters, we’re positive Whedon’s more than capable of performing the same moves in opposite.
Starring: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg
This is just a tiny, tiny representation of the much anticipated films set to make their debut in Toronto this September, and more are still to be announced. For the full list so far and more information on the films visit www.tiff.net/
Angie Moneke (@angiejudeLDN)
