By Mr. Will Wong

Nicole Kidman is an Actress at the highest level possible and her latest effort BABYGIRL is an affirmation.

Actress-turned-Director Halina Reijn helms this very intimate look at female sexuality from a distinctive female lens. We meet Romy (Kidman), a high-power CEO who engages in an illicit affair with an intern at her company, Samuel (Harris Dickinson). Reijn delves into the power in their relationship and ultimately it is the intern who holds the upper-hand, with the threat of him destroying everything she has worked so hard to build including her career and family. BABYGIRL is a portrait of a woman in power and her world unravelling, but the question is why she makes the choices she does.

While sex is an integral component of the Film, it serves as a device to helping us try to understand this complex woman and her past. Kidman soars in the deep complexity of the assignment. Her Romy isn’t here to win hearts, Kidman is here to take us into her world and struggle to understand herself. Dickinson, meanwhile, completely disappears into Samuel – a fearless young man who certainly knows how to push buttons.

Taking notes from ’90s Erotica Thrillers, BABYGIRL feels reminiscent of that era, yet is unmistakably now and could only have been made today. Reijn is an exciting new Filmmaker with something to say.

BABYGIRL screens at TIFF ’24 as follows:

Tuesday, September 10
VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
9:30 pm

Wednesday, September 11
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
5:30 pm

By David Baldwin

Ash (Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed) works as a mysterious middleman who brokers deals between would-be whistleblowers and their former companies. He uses new and dated technology – and makes extensive use of the telephone relay system – to keep his clients safe and out of harm’s way. His newest client, Sarah Grant (Lily James), is being harassed by thugs hired by her former company to intimidate her. Ash is hesitant to help but relents when he realizes the henchmen are not letting up.

RELAY has an interesting hook, and feels very much indebted to the paranoid thrillers of the 1970’s and even the work of Alfred Hitchcock. Some of the Film’s twists feel a little forced and bizarre, yet Director David Mackenzie (whose previous credits include Hell or High Water and TIFF ’18 Opening Nighter Outlaw King) has a knack for keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout anyway. He makes great use of the foreground and background, dropping in small details that even the most obsessive viewer may not catch.

James does well as the damsel in distress, but this show belongs to Ahmed. He spends much of the Film silent and determined, always staying (or at least trying to stay) ahead of the thugs. While some of the exposition unlocking his character’s past could have been a little cleaner, the sheer rizz Ahmed exudes keeps the Film from totally grinding to a screeching halt and makes some of the ludicrous swings more digestible. His chemistry with James is wonderful but his chemistry with a computer screen is simply divine.

RELAY screens at TIFF ’24:

Sunday, September 8 at 3:00PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Monday, September 9 at 3:00PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) is a brilliant and obscenely wealthy architect who can harness time itself and has grand plans for the future of New Rome (which not so inconspicuously looks like what we call New York). His latest project which he dubs Megalopolis has made him a thorn in the side of the city’s mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). The animosity the pair have for one another is further exacerbated when Cesar falls in love with Cicero’s daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel of Game of Thrones and the Fast franchise).

That description only hints at the wonder and madness housed within MEGALOPOLIS, legendary Oscar-winning Writer/Director Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating passion project that has become one of the most-talked-about films of the year. I was not quite sure what to make of the film and days after seeing it, am still very much speechless when it comes to describing my feelings about the final product.

What I can say is this: MEGALOPOLIS is big, bold, brash filmmaking that is uncompromised in terms of vision and scope. It is unlike anything you will likely ever see and stands in sharp contrast to any “epic” film made over the past fifty years. The dialogue can become rather dicey even at the best of times, but Coppola’s grasp of the Film’s visual language is staggeringly unique and often downright beautiful. It deftly blends practical with artificial and practically explodes with its use of vivid colours and sumptuous costuming. For better or worse, we will never see a film like this come out of the American cinema system ever again. Full stop.

That may sound like typical festival hyperbole, but no film can even come close to matching the audacity of MEGALOPOLIS. Like what other film can boast about containing chariot races, Shia LeBeouf dressed in ancient Roman drag, and Jon Voight commenting on the size of his “boner”? What other film stops dead in order for someone to pop out of the audience and literally speak to Adam Driver on-screen for an extended period of time? I am not kidding about any of this – it all happens and somehow these are not the most ludicrous examples of what Coppola was able to sneak into this film.

Acting wise, everyone is all over the map putting in ranging from subtle, controlled work to wildly animated, over-the-top insanity. Everyone is committed to the bit here and to Coppola’s incredible vision. For my money, the clear standout is Aubrey Plaza, who plays the scheming TV personality Wow Platinum (yes, that is seriously her character’s name). She commands the screen with every breath and overshadows nearly everyone with her certifiably deranged performance. It may border on being a little too campy, but in a movie like this, fits in rather snuggly alongside every other crazy thing around her and needs to be seen to be believed.

MEGALOPOLIS screens at TIFF’ 24:

Monday, September 9 at 9:30PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Tuesday, September 10 at 8:00PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Jason Reitman pays joyful homage to Lorne Michaels and his troupe of young comedians who changed television forever with the smash-hit Saturday Night Live.

SATURDAY NIGHT depicts what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first taping on October 11, 1975. Reitman and his Co-Writer Gil Kenan capture the frenetic energy and stress at 50 Rockefeller on the 17th floor the night that made history. This hectic atmosphere is elevated by the outstanding score by Jon Batiste who developed it after working and witnessing what happened on set each day. He captures the anxiety, joy and playfulness those comedians felt and managed to fit it all into his Score.

The Script is fast-paced, which brings us right into the madness of putting on a live program, and is loaded with witty jokes, each of which are delivered by the ensemble cast with impeccable timing. Reitman has cast each of these beloved people to perfection. His idea to focus on a collective ensemble rather than any one individual is genius. It parallels the collective unit of the cast members working on SNL both past and present.

If there was a primary character Reitman focuses on it would be Michaels, for obvious reasons. This beloved Canadian changed television forever. He swung big and he didn’t know if he was going to stick the landing. Gabriel LaBelle’s performance allows for the anxiety and stress to be brimming just below the surface of the restrained and calm demeanour Michaels is known for. Other notable performances come from Cory Micheal Smith as Chevy Chase, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd and Matt Wood as John Belushi. Each get their own moment to shine and show just how charismatic they and those they portray are. And finally there’s Rachel Sennott as Writer Rosie Shuster. She’s got a magnetic energy on the screen and the intimate moments she shares with Labelle are strong.

Overall, SATURDAY NIGHT is a hilarious, fun, entertaining Film that captures the moment a dreamer took a huge chance and won.

SATURDAY NIGHT screens at TIFF ’24:

Tue, Sept 10 at 5 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Wed, Sept 11 at 3 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri, Sept 13 at 3 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sat, Sept 14 at 9 AM at Scotiabank Theatre

Our fave part.of the Festival! We get to actually see movies and hello to friends!! Our Day Seven!

•Kaia Gerber and Kate Hudson at TIFF ’24 for SHELL
•Halina Reijn at TIFF ’24 for BABYGIRL
•Edward Burns, Christy Turlington, Juliana Margulies, Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie, Gretchen Mol, Benjamin Bratt and Patrick Wilson celebrating MILLERS IN MARRIAGE

…and Elevation Studios END OF BRAT SUMMER Bash!

Highlights here:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Mr. Will Wong

If you loved Michael Gracey‘s THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, there is plenty to love about Robbie Williams’ lively Biopic-Musical BETTER MAN.

While Robbie Williams dominated the Pop world internationally in the early 2000s, often he was a tabloid fixture. The former Take That member went on to achieve superstardom around the world after going solo and this dazzling spectacle manages to balance high energy with Williams‘ personal struggles including being bullied as a boy, his relationship with his father, his failed relationship with Nicole Appleton, to his battle with drug and alcohol addiction.

Though presenting as a monkey the entire film, Jonno Davies channels Williams’ essence perfectly and is fantastic nailing the physicality of the role in some ofthe Film’s demanding dance numbers. This decision helps visualize Williams‘ feelings of self-deprecation and inner voices constantly telling him he isn’t worthy.

We did feel the pacing was a bit rushed towards the end as Williams begins to face his demons and work on his relationship with his father, whereas much of the focus is spent on his trouble times. BETTER MAN still is a triumph for this icon and his fans, hitting the right notes late in a big finish and visually looking spectacular.

BETTER MAN screens at TIFF ’24:

Monday, September 9
Roy Thomson Hall
5:30 pm

Tuesday, September 10
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
4:45 pm

Thursday, September 12
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
5:30 pm

Saturday, September 14
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
5:00 pm

Even at the half-way point, the star power still is electric at the Festival! Our Day Six sightings include:

•Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon for EMILIA PEREZ

•Robbie Williams at TIFF ’24 for BETTER MAN

•Jason Reitman, Willem Dafoe, J.K. Simmons, Rachel Sennott, Gabriel LaBelle, Dylan O’Brien, Nicholas Braun, Ella Hunt, Kim Matula, Billy Bryk, Cory Michael Smith and more at TIFF ’24 for SATURDAY NIGHT

Highlights below:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Official TIFF ’24 selection MEGALOPOLIS gets another new Trailer! The latest from Francis Ford Coppola, is in theatres September 27, 2024 via Cineplex Pictures.

Details:

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel
Synopsis: MEGALOPOLIS is a Roman Epic set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.

About Cineplex Pictures
Cineplex Pictures, a division of Cineplex, is a distributor of a wide range of genre films. Recent titles include Borderlands, The Strangers: Chapter 1, The Queen of My Dreams, The Boy and the Heron, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, SAW X, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and John Wick: Chapter 4.

By Nicholas Porteous

Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and her partner Aaryan (Himesh Patel) want a child. The only problem—they’re living in a dystopian future, the planet is a wreck, and the government has decided any would-be parents must be assessed up front. The criteria for a pass into parenthood is unclear, and the test is designed that way, but the decision is made by assessors, who spend several days observing, testing and judging their subjects. Enter Virginia (Alicia Vikander), a steely-eyed, humourless agent who—when she isn’t probing our leads with questions—takes on the physicality and persona of an extremely difficult child. Throwing food, picking fights, peeing in things that aren’t toilets—it’s all part of The Assessment, which squanders an interesting premise on a questionable group of characters.

It’s difficult to buy into the stakes of the film—whether or not our couple will be granted the right to conceive—because The Assessment doesn’t show any evidence these people actually love—or even like—each other, beyond lip service. There’s no chemistry here, and in fact they spend most of their time becoming less and less invested in each other—not much of a leap from where they begin. The Assessment also features a very troubling depiction of sexual assault, and seems to be implicitly blaming the victim for a crime that’s not their fault in any way. Olsen manages to find an interesting balance between the absurd world she lives in, and the gravity of her desire to bring another human into it. Further evidence she can make anything work. Meanwhile, Patel spends a good deal of his screen time in a big empty virtual room, reciting random numbers and commands that we aren’t supposed to understand in an effort to make digital fur texture feel just right. Vikander makes big swings in every scene, whether she’s pretending to be a kid or a rigid bureaucrat with no bedside manner, but I found her performance too mannered, and it’s impossible to empathize after a scene in the latter half of the Film. My assessment: you already know.

The Assessment screens at TIFF ‘24:

Friday September 13th at 2:00 PM at Scotiabank

Saturday September 14th at 2:45 PM at Scotiabank

Hard to believe we are already at the halfway point of TIFF ’24! Just checking-in quickly on some more sightings! Yet another epic day with huge stars!

•Francis Ford Coppola, Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Grace Vanderwaal and Giancarlo Esposito for MEGALOPOLIS
•Selena Gomez and Karla Sofia Gascon for EMILIA PEREZ
•Jennifer Coolidge and Ed Harris for RIFF RAFF
•Hyun Bin and Lee Dong-wook for HARBIN
•Fernanda Torres for I’M STILL HERE
•Juanes for PIMPINERO
•Caleb Landry-Jones and Harry Melling for HARVEST

Some highlights:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)