#TIFF23: “HIS THREE DAUGHTERS” REVIEW
By Amanda Gilmore
Acclaimed Writer-Director Azazel Jacobs delivers a moving portrait of the complexities within sibling dynamics with His Three Daughters. The story follows three sisters, the eldest Katie (Carrie Coon), middle Rachel (Natasha Lyonne) and the youngest Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) who coverage to care for their father when his health declines.
Jacobs heartbreakingly captures the feeling of being in limbo while watching a loved ...
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#TIFF23: “SUMMER QAMP” REVIEW
By George Kozera
SUMMER QAMP take the audience to Camp fYrefly in rural Alberta, where queer, non-binary, and trans teens can spend a few days hanging out and just getting to be kids together “without any of the explanations.” As a group, these young adults are boisterous, adventurous and just thrilled to be in a safe environment where they won’t be judged or bullied; but in their one-on-one interviews with the Director Jen Markowitz, they are more subdued and reflective. They talk ...
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#TIFF23: “BACKSPOT” REVIEW
By David Baldwin
Cheerleaders Riley (Devery Jacobs) and her girlfriend Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo, TIFF Rising Star ’23 and Share Her Journey Fellow) have just been selected to be part of an elite cheer squad. With a major competition coming up – not to mention needing to impress ice cold head coach Eileen (Evan Rachel Wood) – there is no room for either of them to mess up this opportunity. And Riley is starting to buckle under that pressure.
I am not a gymnast, nor have I ever ...
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#TIFF23: “GONZO GIRL” REVIEW
By Amanda Gilmore
Patricia Arquette makes her feature debut with Gonzo Girl the adaptation of Cheryl Della Pietra’s semi-autobiographical novel chronicling her time as Hunter S. Thompson’s personal assistant.
Set in 1992, we follow Alley Russo (Camila Morrone) who’s been hand-picked to be the assistant to the father of gonzo journalism, Walker Reade (Willem Dafoe). It’s been 15 years since Walker’s written ...
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#TIFF23: “DUMB MONEY” REVIEW
By Mr. Will Wong
Based on the book THE ANTISOCIAL NETWORK by Ben Mezrich, Director Craig Gillespie (Cruella, I, Tonya) is back with DUMB MONEY, based on the true story of GameStop's unbelievable meteoric rise in share price during the Pandemic. This thanks to a Reddit page called r/WallStreetBets, leading a legion of novice investors to band together against two hedge fund giants banking on GameStop to short and disappear into the oblivion. This is a real David vs. Goliath battle that ...
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#TIFF23: “CHUCK CHUCK BABY” REVIEW
By David Baldwin
Helen’s (Louise Brealey) life did not turn out the way she expected. She lives in a room at her (ex?)husband’s home with his new girlfriend, their new baby, and his dying mother Gwen (Sorcha Cusack). Helen cares for Gwen during the day and works nights at the local chicken processing plant. She is thrown out of sorts however when her former neighbour and high school crush Joanne (Annabel Scholey) returns to town.
What follows is an often whimsical love story between ...
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#TIFF23: “I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE” REVIEW
By David Baldwin
Benjamin (Mark Clennon, TIFF Rising Star ’23) has not been having the best night. His new boyfriend Malcolm (Anthony Diaz) rejected his sexual advances, and the party he attends afterwards dredges up memories best forgotten. He stumbles home drunk, makes a bad decision and ends up being sexually assaulted by a random stranger. Benjamin thankfully does not contract HIV, but needs to start taking PEP immediately to prevent it potentially coming later. He does not have ...
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#TIFF23: “PERFECT DAYS” REVIEW
By Mr. Will Wong
Wim Wenders is back with a gorgeous portrait of every day life, that leaves its audience with a renewed sense of appreciation of life and living.
The Film centers around Japanese screen legend Kôji Yakusho who plays Hirayama, a middle-aged man working as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, residing within a throw's reach of the Tokyo Tower. He lives a quiet, mundane life, obsessed with caring for his plants, clocked down to a routine. A series of unexpected encounters with ...
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#TIFF23: DAY ONE PHOTOS: PATRICIA ARQUETTE, WILLEM DAFOE AND CAMILA MORRONE FOR “GONZO GIRL”
It's official TIFFMAS! It was a bit of running about today but thrilled that TIFF '23 finally has kicked-off. While the Opening Night Gala took place at Roy Thomson Hall and Princess of Wales Theatre for Hayao Miyazaki's THE BOY AND THE BLUE HERON, it was just like every other TIFF we've loved with King Street lit abuzz with starpower in front of Royal Alexandra Theatre for the Premiere of GONZO GIRL, based on true accounts by Hunter S. Thompson's assistant. This marks Oscar winner Patricia ...
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#TIFF23: “ANATOMY OF A FALL” REVIEW
By George Kozera
Winner of the Palme d'Or this year at the Cannes Film Festival, Co-Writer and Director. Justine Triet's, ANATOMY OF A FALL makes its Canadian Premiere at TIFF and this auspicious movie deserves a plethora of critical and awards laden attention. Sandra Hüller plays Sandra, a successful German Novelist on trial for the murder of her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis). Living in a chalet not far from Grenoble with her husband and their visually impaired 11-year- old son Daniel ...
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