An exciting second day of TIFF ’24 with many star-studded adventures!

•Orlando Bloom and Catriona Balfe for THE CUT
•Tom Hiddleston, Mike Flanagan, Karen Gillan, Kate Siegel and Chiwetel Ejiofor for THE LIFE OF CHUCK
•Eddie Huang for VICE IS BROKE
•Shamier Anderson and Samir Oliveros for THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA
•Sandra Oh, Honourary Chair of TIFF TRIBUTE Awards Gala
•Teresa Palmer for ADDITION
•Elton John, David Furnish and R.J. Cutler for ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE
•Demi Moore for THE SUBSTANCE
•Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh for WE LIVE IN TIME

Our chat with Cutler and Furnish:

A Q&A of WE LIVE IN TIME with Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield and John Crowley:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By David Baldwin

Michael (Ben Stiller) is a big-time real estate developer in Chicago. He has a huge presentation coming up but needs to sign foster forms in person in rural Ohio for his four nephews first. Their parents were just killed in a car accident and despite having not seen the family in over a year, Michael is the next of kin. To his shock, he quickly learns upon arrival that he must stay with his nephews until a foster family is located and are open to adopting all four siblings.

I am sure you can guess where NUTCRACKERS goes from here. Well, maybe not Michael trying to foist the kids onto other families or their wanting to put on an alternative version of the Nutcracker ballet that one of the kids wrote. You get the gist. For better or worse, Director David Gordon Green’s newest film – this year’s Opening Night selection at the Festival – does not pull any punches when it comes to practically anything. It is designed and engineered to be a crowd-pleaser that has you laughing one minute and then weeping the next. It succeeds in both spheres for the most part, whereas others magnify the film’s many problems (chief amongst them that it is simply too longwinded in its current form and would benefit greatly from being trimmed down).

Stiller is lovely as Michael (or Uncle Mike as the kids call him) and it is a real treat to see him back in front of the camera after so long, in a role that feels very much at home with the rest of his oeuvre. Linda Cardellini appears as the adoption agency case worker helping Michael find a foster family for the kids and does good work with a thankless role. The film could have used much more of her. The real highlight of the NUTCRACKERS cast though is the film debuts of Home, Ulysses, Atlas and Arlo Janson, who play Michael’s nephews. They bring a genuine, lived-in experience to each of their scenes and get many of the Film’s best laughs. The emotional intimacy and vulnerability they bring to each scene is terrific and genuine. Let’s hope this is not the last time we see them on screen.

NUTCRACKERS screens at TIFF ’24:

Thursday, September 5 at 6:00PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Thursday, September 5 at 8:00PM at Roy Thomson Hall

Thursday, September 12 at 1:00PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 14 at 12:45PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

Chester Brown (Dan Beirne) is a Cartoonist who lives with his girlfriend Sonny (Emily Lê) in the late ’90s. Sonny wants to redefine and open-up their relationship so she can better explore her feelings for other men. Chester is okay with the idea, but has no intention of pursuing romantic love with someone else. Instead, he decides to explore a new kind of intimacy by paying and sleeping with sex workers.

Based on Brown’s controversial best-selling graphic novel, PAYING FOR IT is a truthful portrait of a taboo subject. At the same time, it is an honest and intimate piece about romantic and platonic love, sex and all of the feelings that come along with it. Co-Writer/Director Sook-Yin Lee threads the needle between all of these themes wonderfully and brings an additional layer of authenticity to the story – she is the real-life Sonny – depicting her memories of what she was doing in-between the panels of Brown’s novel. Where other filmmakers and creators may shy away from self-reflection, Lee hones in on Sonny’s flaws and failings, making the piece feel introspective and often devastating. Her candid matter-of-factness is admirable and is a perfect match for this story.

I also admire the raw nakedness of the characters, both physically and emotionally. It gives weight to every performance and never feels disingenuous or voyeuristic. Our two leads, Beirne and Lê, benefit the most from this as it gives them the space to develop their characters and make them feel genuinely lived-in and real. Their work here is so strong that I often felt like I was no longer watching a film and was watching a documentary instead. Keep an eye out as well for Andrea Werhun who enters late in the film and leaves a lasting impression as one of the sex workers whom Chester engages with. Her real-life work as an escort and exotic dancer informs her performance, and her chemistry with Beirne is palpable.

PAYING FOR IT screens at TIFF’24:

Friday, September 6 at 9:30PM at TIFF Lightbox

Saturday, September 7 at 11:45AM at TIFF Lightbox

By David Baldwin

Anora (Mikey Madison), or Ani as she prefers to be called, is a sex worker working at a New York gentlemen’s club. One evening, a guest requests a dancer who can speak Russian. Ani fits the bill and meets Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the charming, high-rolling son of a Russian oligarch. He is instantly enamoured by Ani and asks to spend more time with her outside of the club. They begin a transactional relationship which turns into marriage soon after. When Vanya’s parents find out, they are none too pleased.

Multi-hyphenate Writer/Director Sean Baker won the Palme d’Or for ANORA at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for a good reason – it is a magnificent film and one of the best of the year. Full stop.

The Filmmaker, whose previous films include Red Rocket and The Florida Project, has crafted a one-of-a-kind film that starts off like a romantic fever dream before evolving into a wildly intense ride akin to something the Safdie Brothers would make. It is a genuinely delirious pivot that Baker crafts beautifully and carefully, subverting expectations as he goes along. Everything that happens remains grounded in reality and never veers into the fantastical. That may disappoint some people, but it never feels disingenuous. His eye for realism extends into his depiction of sex work as well, not treating it or the strip club that factors into much of the film with the typical Hollywood glow-up. Instead, he avoids any voyeuristic gazes and depicts what it really looks like and more importantly, depicts it with the respect it deserves. Baker has long been a proponent of sex work and his inability to play into antiquated notions of it works to the Film’s benefit greatly.

All of this praise would be meaningless however without Madison, who gives a star-making performance as Ani. She is a whip-smart firecracker who speaks her mind (often profanely) and takes shit from absolutely no one. Madison infuses Ani with a ferocious energy that propels her through the entire film, only briefly hinting at the emotional interior underneath her warrior-hardened exterior. She is expressive in her pleasure with her profession and will gleefully and ravenously take down anyone who writes her off as a mere prostitute. Madison’s raw physicality and intimacy adds depth to the performance, as does the New York accent she uses to deliver every hilarious and devastating line. You hang on every moment of it, unable to look away for fear of missing out on another expressively brilliant layer she adds to Ani.

While all of the supporting players are great (Eydelshteyn’s Vanya and Yura Borisov’s Igor are the standouts), none of them can even dream of matching the strength of Madison’s performance. It is spectacular, must-see work that will stay with you long after the credits roll and will thankfully, ensure she will not be typecast as the villain who gets set on fire at the end ever again.

ANORA screens at TIFF’24:

Sunday, September 8 at 8:00PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Monday, September 9 at 8:30PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

Ziggy (Kaniehtiio Horn, who also Writes and Directs) is an influencer trying to make it in Toronto. She has just signed a deal with a seed company called Nature’s Oath when she is called back to the reservation to housesit for her Aunt. She is reminded to protect her Aunt’s seeds at all costs, and though she just waves away the warning, she changes her tune when she realizes someone may be trying to take them after all.

SEEDS is a Comedy that unpacks itself gradually before exploding into a full-blown Revenge Thriller with one of the most savage and vicious endings in recent memory. Horn steeps the film in traditions and learnings of her background, infusing Ziggy with a rich history that both haunts and informs her decisions. It feels very personal in this way and does a great job keeping itself tightly wound over the course of its 82-minute running time. Not all of the ideas come together as cohesively as they should, but SEEDS is a solid directorial debut from Horn that will consistently surprise you with the journey it takes you on.

Horn herself is great as Ziggy, as are her Reservation Dogs Co-Star Dallas Goldtooth who gets many of the film’s laughs as Ziggy’s cousin Wiz and Patrick Garrow as the menacing Bondsman who is after the family’s seeds. He has quite the knack for making you hate his guts from his first frame right up until his last. The legendary Graham Greene also appears – as himself no less – in Ziggy’s dreams as a spiritual advisor. It’s a fun role for the Oscar-nominated Actor who makes a lasting impression on every scene.

Fair warning though, if blood and animal abuse makes you squeamish, you may be keeping your eyes shut frequently watching this.

SEEDS screens at TIFF ’24:

Friday, September 6 at 12:00PM at TIFF Lightbox

Saturday, September 7 at 4:30PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

TIFF ’24 officially has kicked-off and it was an action-packed start to the Festival!

Sightings from the day include:

•Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor and David Gordon Green here for NUTCRACKERS – the official Opening Night Gala
•Katy Perry surprising at the premiere of husband Orlando Bloom‘s THE CUT, plus his Co-star, Catriona Balfe
•The Tragically Hip unveil new Prime Video Docu-Series: THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL; it was celebrated on Festival Street with a singalong
•The Cast of Bonjour Tristesse including Chloe Sevigny and Lily McInerny
•Kiernan Shipka at the Festival with THE LAST SHOWGIRL
•Shamier Anderson with THE LUCKIEST MAN IN AMERICA

…and more!

In case you missed our chat with CP24‘s Bill Coulter earlier in the day!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By David Baldwin

It is the 1970s and Donald J. Trump (Sebastian Stan) is looking to make a name for himself in the Manhattan real estate scene. By chance, he meets high powered attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) who takes a liking to the young Trump and takes him under his wing, helping him with legal issues and teaching him ways to be a winner (or more accurately, a “killer”) rather than a loser.

THE APPRENTICE is one of the most controversial films of the year and will likely only gain further notoriety in the lead up to the US Elections this November. Director Ali Abbasi’s (previously at the festival for Border and Holy Spider) film is not so much a hit piece on the former US President so much as it is an exploration of who Trump was before he became the Trump we all know today. Think of it as a Donald Trump Begins kind of story, where we watch in horror as he goes from a young man with ideals and morals to an older, savvier businessman obsessed with his looks and expanding his empire. It is frequently funny but also rather bleak in its depiction, though it shies away from truly indicting him for the monstrous things he did then and will do later.

While I am a little ambivalent on some of the stylistic choices the Film makes – looking more filmic during the 1970’s and more like it was recorded on a fuzzy VHS tape in the 1980’s – I was very pleased with the performances from Stan and Strong. They both sound a little like they are trying to emulate Christopher Walken’s voice in the early goings, but they both bring a strength and an unbridled energy that will force you to keep watching. SUCCESSION fans already knew what an intensely gifted individual Strong is from his impeccable work on the Emmy-winning TV series and he brings the same level of dedication here. Stan on the other hand, has rarely if ever given as spectacular a performance as he does here. Watching him transform physically and introspectively over the course of the film is a thing of beauty, as are the ways Stan introduces inflection points and hand movements.

Supporting turns from Maria Bakalova as Trump’s first wife Ivana and Martin Donovan as Trump’s father Fred are both excellent, as is the makeup effects. There is a certain artificiality feel that left me cold alongside frequent bouts of the production design emulating a TV movie versus an actual film production but when you are as laser focused as you will be watching Stan in his element, you will quite likely barely notice at all.

THE APPRENTICE screened privately for critics during TIFF ’24 on Thursday, September 5.

By David Baldwin

Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once Hollywood royalty. Fearing she may fade into total obscurity after getting sacked from her TV fitness show, she turns to a black-market injection program called “The Substance”. Using it creates a younger version of herself, Sue (Margaret Qualley), but it comes with a catch: each body is only allowed to exist for a week at a time before they need to swap back or else they risk irreversible consequences.

You may have an idea of where it goes from there, but trust me when I tell you that nothing can prepare you for THE SUBSTANCE. You will not be the same after watching this satirical nightmare that is as much an indictment of archaic female beauty standards as it is a masterpiece of Body Horror that would make even the genre’s Maestro David Cronenberg blush. I will not mince words – THE SUBSTANCE is disgusting and goes to some absolutely revolting places. In other words, this is one the Midnight Madness sickos are going to adore and anyone else should probably avoid.

I am one of those sickos and I loved every minute of THE SUBSTANCE.

Writer/Director Coralie Fargeat’s first film, the bloody thriller Revenge, was awesome. What she does here in only her second picture makes that film look like an angry Disney Princess movie. She swings for the fences right from the jump, crafting an experience that gradually takes over nearly every one of your senses. The way she incorporates sound is impeccable and her Editing (done alongside Jerome Eltabet and Valentin Féron) is magnificent. While I was not a fan of some of the CGI effects, the stunning makeup work more than makes up for it.

Even better are the genuine special effects on display here: the performances by Moore and Qualley. They are both incredible, firing on all cylinders and delivering the best performances of their careers. They both tap into something primal and give off an aura of raw, animalistic energy that continually grows stronger throughout. They compliment each other and breathe frighteningly real life into Fargeat’s poison-laced dialogue. And though he is used sparingly, Dennis Quaid is deliciously over-the-top as the shit weasel studio executive named (of course he is), Harvey. For my money, he has the most sickening, stomach-churning scene in the entire film – which says a lot given the places this theme park ride from hell takes you.

THE SUBSTANCE screens at TIFF’24:

Thursday, September 5 at 11:59PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Friday, September 6 at 7:30PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Friday, September 13 at 5:45PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Paramount+ today announced that Academy Award nominees Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and Clive Owen (Closer) are set to star in the upcoming limited series JONBENÉT RAMSEY (working title) as JonBenét’s parents Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey. Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, production will begin in Calgary, Canada, with Academy Award nominee Richard LaGravenese (Behind the Candelabra) serving as showrunner and executive producer. Four of the eight episodes, including the first episode, will be directed by Anne Sewitsky (Presumed Innocent), who will also serve as executive producer.

JONBENÉT RAMSEY (w/t) explores the tragic unsolved murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey. It follows the Ramsey family, before and after the tragedy as they go through the painful loss of a child while facing intense public scrutiny caused by a media frenzy that caused this case to captivate an entire nation. At the heart of the series, it is the story of Patsy and John Ramsey – exploring the unbreakable partnership of these two complex people – as husband and wife, as mother and father – who had committed themselves and their children to building the narrative of a perfect, privileged life only to have it destroyed one Christmas night in 1996.

“Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen are an extraordinary duo to delve into this tragic story that has cast a long, haunting shadow over American culture for nearly three decades,” said Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios.

“JonBenét Ramsey continues to be one of the country’s most fascinating unsolved murders,” said Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President, Programming, Paramount+. “The incredible talent of Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen and the creative team led by Richard LaGravenese will illuminate her story with the acuity and nuance it deserves.”  

“We have been working to bring this thought provoking and bold project to audiences for some time now and could not be happier with the top notch team working in front of and behind the camera,” said David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios.

Melissa McCarthy is an award-winning actress and producer with Academy Award and BAFTA nominations for her role in Bridesmaids, a second Academy Award nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, as well as Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, and SAG Award nominations. She was honored with the People Choice Award’s Inaugural People’s Icon Award and the prestigious Comedic Genius Award from MTV. McCarthy’s film credits includeThe Little Mermaid, Unfrosted, Genie, Thunder Force, Bridesmaids, Spy, Identity Thief,  Ghostbusters, Tammy, This is 40, and The Hangover Part III; and television credits include God’s Favorite Idiot, Nine Perfect Strangers, Gilmore Girls, Samantha Who?, and Mike & Molly. She and husband, Ben Falcone, have successfully produced numerous film and television projects including Tammy, The Boss, Life of the Party, Thunder Force and God’s Favorite Idiot, as well as the critically acclaimed documentary Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed.

Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Clive Owen is celebrated by audiences in the U.K., the United States and around the world. In 2005, he won a Golden Globe and picked up an Academy Award nomination for his role in Mike Nichols’ Closer. His film credits include Croupier, Gosford Park, Sin City, Children of Men, Inside Man, Shoot’Em Up, The International, Duplicity and The Boys Are Back. He made his American TV debut in the film Hemingway and Gellhorn, which earned him Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe nominations.  He executive produced and starred in The Knick, which earned him a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination. His television credits include Monsieur Spade, A Murder at the End of the World, Chancer, Second Sight, The Echo, The Hire, The Night Of, Lisey’s Story, and Impeachment: American Crime Story.

JONBENÉT RAMSEY (w/t) will be executive produced by David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Melissa McCarthy, and Anne Sewitsky. Writers Richard LaGravense, Harrison Query & Tommy Wallach will also serve as executive producers. Query & Wallach sold the project to MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios.

About Paramount+

Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

Today we get a new Trailer for WILL & HARPER, official TIFF ’24 selection, coming to select theatres September 13, 2024 and on Netflix September 27, 2024.

About WILL & HARPER:
Three years ago, Will Ferrell was filming a movie when he received a most surprising email: his dear friend of nearly 30 years was coming out to him as a trans woman.

That friend was Harper Steele, a writer he met on his first day at Saturday Night Live back in 1995. From that fateful first meeting in the halls of 30 Rock, Will knew he had found a match made in comedy, and their friendship and creative partnership would only continue to grow over the next 3 decades.

In this intimate, honest, and heartfelt documentary, Will and Harper hit the open road together to process this new stage of their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country that she loves – this time, as herself. Over 16 days, the two drive from New York to LA, visiting stops that are meaningful to them, to their friendship, and to America. Through laughter, tears, and many cans of Pringles, they push past their comfort zones as they re-examine their relationships to these spaces, and to each other, in this new light.