TIFF 2019
Everything I watched at TIFF 2019
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- DirectorNeasa HardimanStarsHermione CorfieldDag MalmbergJack HickeyThe crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.Sep 6
Mixed genre film with some light creature horror that focused more on the effects on the people than the creature itself. Effective character building to go along with the swift pace to the story. 7/10 - DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsMichael B. JordanJamie FoxxBrie LarsonWorld-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner.Sep 7
Decent performances from everyone, but unlike to get much Oscar attention despite the Oscar bait storyline. The safe directing led it to be more commonplace than it should have been. Many scenes came across hokey instead of emotional. The compelling true story that feels a lot like Making A Murderer, allows it to still be well worth the watch though. 8/10 - DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsJason SegelIsabella KaiViolet McGrawAfter receiving life-altering news, a couple finds unexpected support from their best friend, who puts his own life on hold and moves into their family home, bringing an impact much greater and more profound than anyone could have imagined.Sep 7
Incredibly depressing film and surprisingly effective because of the style used with the back and forth time lines. Segal’s character added some very welcome humour to the otherwise serious story. 8/10 - DirectorAlice WinocourStarsEva GreenZélie BoulantMatt DillonAn astronaut prepares for a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station.Sep 7
Slow moving look at the time spent in preparation for an astronaut and the effect it has on their family. Each aspect was entertaining in a way but all added together it lacked excitement. I also feel like it failed to properly convey the message it was trying for. If anything it just showed the issues a parent can face when considering going into space. It showed more how being a mother and an astronaut couldn’t work together well rather than showing it can be done. 6/10 - DirectorHalina ReijnStarsCarice van HoutenMarwan KenzariMarie-Mae van ZuilenIn spite of her expertise and experience, a seasoned psychologist is completely infatuated by the sex offender she is treating in a penal institution.Sep 7
Good premise for a film, that unfortunately suffers from a pacing issue. Slow moving for most of the film with many scenes lacking dialogue for long periods. 5/10 - DirectorRichard StanleyStarsNicolas CageJoely RichardsonMadeleine ArthurA secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.Sep 7
Even the low expectations didn’t prepare me for this. Bad performances, bad effects and a mess of of a flow. The effects of the Color was different all the time and it didn’t seem as necessary as they thought it would be. More consistency would have benefitted. 4/10 - DirectorCraig BrewerStarsEddie MurphyKeegan-Michael KeyMike EppsEddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.Sep 8
Much better than expected. It was like Boogie Nights meets the making of Black Dynamite. Great music and costumes the whole way though. Top notch performances from Murphy and Da’vine Joy Randolph. 8/10 - DirectorMarielle HellerStarsMatthew RhysTom HanksChris CooperBased on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Lloyd Vogel.Sep 8
The film was more about the writer than about Mister Rogers. This aspect felt like it wouldn’t work early ok but in the end it worked quite well. Hanks performance as Rogers was quite good. Thanks to his performance it was able to evoke emotion throughout. There was something unique to it in the way it was shot in the style of the Mister Rogers tv show. 8/10 - DirectorLorene ScafariaStarsConstance WuJennifer LopezJulia StilesInspired by the viral New York Magazine article, Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.Sep 8
Strong characters with each of the strippers helped to drive this film quite well. Jennifer Lopez’s performance was especially on point. Some concerns with how the story was handled though. Minor complaint that it’s a film about strippers that has zero nudity from the main cast. Showing them stripping but never taking off their clothes took away from the believability of the setting. Additionally it seems to glorify their actions even though many of the victims in no way deserved what happened to them. 8/10 - DirectorNick RowlandStarsCosmo JarvisBarry KeoghanLiam CarneyDouglas 'Arm' Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father. Torn between these two families, Arm's loyalties are tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.Sep 8
Good example of how a movie can be slow moving and still entertaining. Great performances and a story which felt unique because of its setting. 7/10 - DirectorTaika WaititiStarsRoman Griffin DavisThomasin McKenzieScarlett JohanssonA young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose hero and imaginary friend is the country's dictator is shocked to discover that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.Sep 9
Totally lived up to my expectations. Very funny the whole way through. Just enough emotion added in to elevate it. You can really miss the mark when you have a child actor in the lead like this, but thankfully his performance was quite good. 8/10 - DirectorCory FinleyStarsHugh JackmanRay RomanoWelker WhiteThe beloved superintendent of New York's Roslyn school district and his staff, friends and relatives become the prime suspects in the unfolding of the single largest public school embezzlement scandal in American history.Sep 9
More comedic than I expected which was very welcome. A story that seems too crazy to be true. They found a good balance with the characters and the way that the story unfolds. 7/10 - DirectorJorunn Myklebust SyversenStarsJosefine Frida PettersenJean Superbanan AndersenEspen Reboli BjerkeWhen a champion dancer begins to falter, her family questions her faith and prompts her to search for more radical solutions.Sep 9
A completely pointless film. I don’t know why I picked it, but had I known it was going to be all about religion than I would have avoided it. It seemed like it should have been a criticism on religion but it didn’t come across that way. 2/10 - DirectorAlbert ShinStarsAddison TymecMikayla RadanTim BeresfordFollows a troubled young woman returning to her hometown of Niagara Falls, where the memory of a long-ago kidnapping quickly ensnares her.Sep 9
Canadian mystery/thriller that had some twin peaks style to it. It was nice seeing lots of Niagara Falls scenery and locations. While it felt low budget all around, that didn’t take away from the film much at all. 7/10 - DirectorJames MangoldStarsMatt DamonChristian BaleJon BernthalAmerican car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.Sep 10
Another racing film that does much of the same as racing films before it. At least as good as what’s been done before and better in some ways. Damon and Bale were both great. 8/10 - DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.Sep 10
New take on the Joker origin story. Very clearly inspired by King of Comedy. Slow moving for most of the film. That style worked well and could have remained that way the whole way through as a character drama about mental illness. Instead you are treated to a point where it kicks into overdrive. 8/10 - DirectorLadj LyStarsDamien BonnardAlexis ManentiDjebril ZongaA cop from the provinces moves to Paris to join the Anti-Crime Brigade of Montfermeil, discovering an underworld where the tensions between the different groups mark the rhythm.Sep 10
After starting with some beautiful shots of Paris, it quickly moves into a typical gritty cop drama. Thankfully that’s not a bad thing in this case. Some creative aspects to the story with the different groups/gangs covered. I’m not really sure about the connection to the original story, but with it without a connection, it was a well put together story. 7/10 - DirectorOrcun BehramStarsIhsan ÖnalGül AriciLevent ÜnsalThe inhabitants of an apartment building are caught in a living nightmare when a radical, new communications technology goes horribly awry.Sep 10
An incredibly tense waste of time. The only thing the film did well was building intensity in the ‘scary’ parts. Waaay too drawn out at every moment. It’s like there was no editing at all. The black goo dripping down everywhere felt endless and was never really explained as far as origin or the effects of it. Seemed to be different for different characters. 3/10 - DirectorRupert GooldStarsRenée ZellwegerJessie BuckleyFinn WittrockLegendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.Sep 11
Oscar worthy performance from Zellweger as Judy Garland. Some of the story of the older Garland became repetitive with her being unreliable with her drinking. Some of that could have been removed to give more time to the flashbacks of the time she was filming as a teen. Those scenes were very interesting and left me wanting more. 7/10 - DirectorMarc MeyersStarsLiev SchreiberMarisa TomeiPeter SarsgaardThe lives of two different families collide when their children begin a relationship that leads to a tragic accident.Sep 11
Too much of a typical dramatic thriller to be a tiff film. Average in many ways but still enjoyable. The performances were fine and the story was good, despite the feeling that it’s all been done before. 7/10 - DirectorMattie DoStarsYannawoutthi ChanthalungsyVilouna PhetmanyPor SilatsaAn old Laotian hermit discovers that the ghost of a road accident victim can transport him back in time fifty years to the moment of his mother's painful death.Sep 11
A little bit of Pet Semetary and a little bit of predestination without coming close to being as good as either of those. Better pacing would have made this a much more enjoyable film. It also hinges on a twist that I figured out right from the start. I expected another twist or at least something new at the end but was disappointed to learn nothing new at the end. 6/10 - DirectorTom HarperStarsFelicity JonesEddie RedmayneHimesh PatelA balloon pilot and a scientist find themselves in a fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon in the 1860s.Sep 11
I was expecting a long buildup to get to the point of the balloon launch and flight. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, aside from some flashbacks and a quick lead up, almost the whole film was on the balloon. Plenty of action and excitement for a movie about riding in a hot air balloon. Now I’m curious to see how much of it was true. Alternate title could have been Gravity 2. Update: very disappointing to read that despite this being fairly close to a true story as far as Redmaynes character, but that the character of the co-pilot was replaced by a fictional female character (presumably to promote the pro women movement). Normally I wouldn’t care about a change like that but then to not even make any mention of who actually performed the heroic acts shown in the film seems inappropriate. 8/10 - DirectorAlma Har'elStarsShia LaBeoufLucas HedgesNoah JupeA young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father and deal with his mental health.Sep 12
Story about Shia LeBouf’s childhood and the effect it has on him as an adult. Both Jupe and Hedges did well as the Lebouf character. Lebouf was also decent playing his own father. It spent a bit too much time on certain aspects and I would have liked to see different parts of his life too. The relationship with his father seemed to swing from super negative to positive without any indication of what repaired the relationship. 7/10 - DirectorNoah HawleyStarsNatalie PortmanJon HammZazie BeetzAstronaut Lucy Cola returns to Earth after a transcendent experience during a mission to space, and begins to lose touch with reality in a world that now seems too small.Sep 12
First of all...what’s with the wolf howling theme in movies about astronauts. This makes 3 I can think of with that. This was a very disappointing movie. Some decent stuff early in the film, but then it went off the rails. The protagonist (if you can call her that) was selfish and unlikeable. Funny seeing Dan Stevens playing the nerdy, apparently less good looking guy. 5/10 - DirectorKen LoachStarsKris HitchenDebbie HoneywoodRhys McgowanHoping that self-employment through gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labour exploitation.Sep 12
Similar in tone and pacing to I Daniel Blake, which is a good thing. Top notch performances and a simple yet effective story. 8/10