The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was this year held from 5th to 15th September. Starting out in 1976 as a collection of films from other festivals — a 'festival of festivals' if you will, the Toronto International Film Festival has gone on to become one of the worlds most beloved cinematic events, universally regarded as an ideal platform for filmmakers to launch their careers and to premiere their latest works. The Festival has been described as 'the most important film festival in the world — the largest, the most influential, the most inclusive'.The opening gala was announced as the Canadian documentary film 'Once Were Brothers : Robbie Robertson and The Band', Directed and Co-Edited by Daniel Roher, with the festivals closing night film being the screening of the biographical film 'Radioactive', Directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley and Anya Taylor-Joy. In addition to its regular film awards, the festival announced prior to commencement that Meryl Streep will be the inaugural recipient of the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, a new lifetime achievement award to honour distinguished work in film acting. Congratulations Meryl.
This years top awards in the final analysis, from the plethora of international and Canadian films being showcased, were as follows :
People's Choice Award (the film rated as the year's most popular film with festival audiences) * 'JOJO RABBIT' - this American black comedy is Directed, Co-Produced, Written for the Screen and starring by Taika Waititi, with Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Alfie Allen.
People's Choice Awards - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'MARRIAGE STORY' - this American comedy drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Noah Baumbach, and, 'PARASITE' is a South Korean black comedy thriller Directed and Co-Written by Bong Joon-ho respectively.
People's Choice Award - Documentary (film rated as the year's most popular documentary film with festival audiences)* 'THE CAVE' - this Syrian Danish Co-Production is Directed and Co-Written by Feras Fayyad.
People's Choice Award - Documentary - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'I AM NOT ALONE' - this Armenian and American Co-Production is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Gavin Hovannisian, and, 'DADS' an American documentary Directed and Co-Produced by Bryce Dallas Howard and her father Ron Howard respectively.
People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness (the film rated as the year's most popular film in the festival's 'Midnight Madness' stream of underground and cult films)* 'THE PLATFORM' - this Spanish satirical science fiction film is Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.
People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'THE VAST OF NIGHT' - this American fantasy Sci-Fi thriller is Directed by Andrew Patterson, and, 'BLOOD QUANTUM' is a Canadian horror film Directed and Written by Jeff Barnaby respectively.
Platform Prize (awarded to films of 'high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong Directorial vision')* 'MARTIN EDEN' - this Italian and French Co-Produced historical romantic drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the Screen by Pietro Marcello.
Platform Prize - Honourable Mentions
* 'ANNE AT 13,000 FT.' - is a Canadian drama film Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Kazik Radwanski, and, 'PROXIMA' a French drama film Directed and Co-Written by Alice Winocour.
Best Canadian Feature Film* 'ANTIGONE' - is a drama film Directed, Written, lensed and Co-Edited by Sophie Deraspe.
Best Canadian Feature Film - Honourable Mention
* 'THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN' - is a drama film Directed and Written by Elle-Maija Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn. Elle-Maija Tailfeathers also stars.
Best Canadian First Feature Film (awarded to the film judged to be the best Canadian feature film made by a first-time Director)
* 'THE TWENTIETH CENTURY' - is a comedy drama film Directed, Written and Edited by Matthew Rankin.
For more on the winners and grinners from this years Toronto International Film Festival, plus all the latest news in wrapping up the festival line up, visit the official website at : https://www.tiff.net
This week there are six latest release movies coming to your local Odeon, and we kick off with the latest and possibly the last instalment in this all American action thriller franchise that first ventured onto our cinema screens 37 years ago starring our tortured yet very resourceful Vietnam War vet anti-hero as he fights the establishment, drug barons and anyone he considers the enemy using his very particular set of skills. Next up is a Sci-Fi thriller about a daring Astronaut who must travel to the far reaches of the solar system to try and locate his missing father and save all of humankind back on Earth in the process. Then we turn to a comedy offering about three sixth grade best buddies who are invited to a party and seek advice in various forms only to have that backfire on them leaving their friendship fractured. These are followed up by a live action rendition of a popular animated kids television series that sees this adventurous explorer deep in the Peruvian jungle in search of a lost civilisation, and her parents; and then we close out the week with two animated offerings featuring a displaced Yeti and a small band of kids who vow to take him back to his home on top of the world; and finally a town inhabited by various ugly dolls and play things who come across another town where the residents are all near perfect waiting to be shipped out to the children of the world, but can one now exist without the other?
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.
'RAMBO : LAST BLOOD' (Rated R18+) - here we have what is likely to be (judging by the title) the last in the 'Rambo' action thriller film franchise that Actor, Director and Writer Sylvester Stallone has made his own. The franchise launched in 1982 with 'First Blood', then in 1985 with 'Rambo : First Blood Part II', then in 1988 with 'Rambo III' and in 2008 with 'Rambo', with 'Last Blood' marking the fifth instalment. The series of four films so far were made for a combined US$153M and grossed worldwide US$728M and gave rise to an animated television series, comic books, novels, video games and a Bollywood remake. Created by David Morrell in his debut 1972 novel 'First Blood' Stallone has played the title character of John Rambo in all films as a US Army Green Berets veteran who is traumatised by his experience in the Vietnam War, and uses the skills he gained there to fight police, enemy troops, and drug cartels. Stallone Co-Wrote the screenplays of all five films, and Directed 2008's 'Rambo'.
Here in only his second feature film Directing gig, after 'Get the Gringo' with Mel Gibson in 2012, Adrian Grunberg was announced as Director in August 2018 after ten years of to-ing and fro-ing on again off again Writing and Directing false starts. But now we have John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) who travels to Mexico to save his niece Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) who suddenly has been taken hostage by a sadistic Mexican cartel headed up by Hugo Martinez (Sergio Peris-Mencheta). Paz Vega and Adriana Barraza also star. The film is released in the US this week too.
'AD ASTRA' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi adventure offering has so far received universal acclaim following its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival on the 29th August, and was Directed, Written and Co-Produced by James Gray whose previous film making credits include his 1994 debut 'Little Odessa' and then 'The Yards', 'We Own the Night', 'Two Lovers', 'The Immigrant' and 'The Lost City of Z' most recently. Made for circa US$85M and getting its US release this week too, the story here surrounds Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his lost father, a renegade Scientist, Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) and to ultimately unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of humans on Earth. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and its place in the cosmos. Also starring Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, LisaGay Hamilton and John Ortiz. Gray described his desire for the film to be 'the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie'.
'GOOD BOYS' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Ukranian born American first timer Gene Stupnitski and Co-Written by him too with his business partner Lee Eisenberg, this American comedy film saw its World Premier screening at South by Southwest in early March this year, went on general release in the US in mid-August, cost US$20M to bring to the big screen, has so far grossed US$92M and has garnered largely positive Press so far. The film here surrounds three sixth grade student best buddies Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon). When Max is invited to his first kissing party, he asks his best friends Lucas and Thor for some much sought after advice on how to pucker up. When they hit a dead end, Max decides to use his Dad's (Will Forte) drone to spy on the teenage Hannah (Molly Gordon) who lives next door. When the boys ditch the drone and it is destroyed, they skip school and hatch a plan to secretly replace it before Max's Dad can learn the truth. But, the truth will out leading to the boys drifting apart before reconciling and promising to be besties forever.
'DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD' (Rated PG) - based on the popular kids television series 'Dora the Explorer' here this live action adventure comedy film is Directed by James Bobin whose previous film making credits include 'The Muppets' in 2011, 'Muppets Most Wanted' in 2014, 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' in 2016 and now this Australian filmed adaptation. Having spent most of her life exploring the Peruvian jungle, nothing could prepare Dora Marquez (Isabelle Moner) for her most dangerous adventure yet - high school in Los Angeles. Accompanied by a ragtag group of teens and Boots the monkey, Dora embarks on a quest to save her parents - father Cole Marquez and mother Elena (Michael Pena and Eva Longoria respectively) while trying to solve the seemingly impossible mystery behind the hidden Incan city of Parapata. Also starring Temuera Morrison, Adriana Barraza, Eugenio Derbez with the voices of Danny Trejo and Benicio del Toro. Released in the US in early August, the film has so far taken US$91M off the back of a US$49M production budget and has generated largely positive Reviews.
'ABOMINABLE' (Rated G) - this computer animated adventure film is an American and Chinese Co-Production between DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio and is Written and Directed by American Animator Jill Culton, whose previous Directing outing was 2006's 'Open Season'. Here teenager Yi (Chloe Bennet) comes across a young Yeti (or Abominable Snowman) on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai (as you do!). She and her cheeky friends Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai) give him the name 'Everest' and so begins a journey to return the magical creature to his family at the highest point on Earth. But the group of young friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help get Everest back to his rightful home. The film had its World Premier screening at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, goes on release in the US on 27th September, in the UK on 11th October and here in Australia this week.
With six new release movies this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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