By David Baldwin

Rita (Zoe Saldaña) is a defence lawyer in Mexico City with the uncanny ability of helping her wealthy clients stay out of jail. She is contacted by a local drug kingpin for assistance in finding the right discreet medical centres to complete their gender affirmation surgery from man to woman. She needs to help get the kingpin’s young wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and children to safety in Switzerland as well. Four years later, Rita meets the fully transitioned Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón) who now wants to become reacquainted with her family.

Oh, and did I mention that this is a full-blown rock opera filled head to toe with songs – almost all entirely in Spanish – while also being a Shakespearean tragedy?

EMILIA PÉREZ is a sumptuous fever dream that should not work. But Co-Writer/Director Jacques Audiard manages to balance all of the ideas and genres (including it also being a crime thriller and a moving exploration of discovering one’s true self in the LGBTQ+ community) into one cohesive and beautiful film. I loved the look and the feel, and felt the songs and dance sequences – yes there are plenty of those as well – were exquisite. While I wish there was a true showstopping number, I still feel like we are gifted a solid soundtrack that will get lots of future replay on Spotify.

If I hold anything really again EMILIA PÉREZ, it’s that there are a few subplots and characters that feel extraneous and take away from the commanding performances by the lead trio of Saldaña, Gomez and Gascón. This is a story about powerful, flawed women first and foremost, and they each slay in their own way from start to finish. There’s a reason why the Cannes Film Festival bestowed the Best Actress prize to the three of them (plus Adriana Paz) rather than highlighting only one of these spectacular performers. So why should we care about characters like Edgar Ramírez’s Gustavo? Some of this leads to sag in the middle that I wish was tightened up a bit better, but I will admit that it’s easy to look past and forgive once you see what a distinct and unique sensory feast the rest of the film is.

EMILIA PÉREZ screens at TIFF ’24:

Monday, September 9 at 6:15PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Tuesday, September 10 at 11:30PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Friday, September 13 at 5:45PM and 9:00PM at TIFF Lightbox

Saturday, September 14 at 9:00AM at TIFF Lightbox and 9:45PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sunday, September 15 at 12:00PM at TIFF Lightbox

By David Baldwin

In 1983, FBI Agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) has come to small town middle America to investigate a series of bombings and bank robberies. As he digs further in, he discovers that it is a case of domestic terrorism and cult leader Bob Matthew (Nicholas Hoult) is gearing up for an armed revolution against anyone who stands in the way of the Caucasian race taking back what they think they deserve.

THE ORDER is a startingly piece of true crime that has more than a few eerie similarities to modern times. It is unsettling even at the best of times and will certainly get under your skin. Hoult’s character specifically is one of the most despicable in the Film, but the way he plays up the charm and rizz in certain scenes will make you second guess why you are meant to hate him so much (and then he goes ahead and shows his young son how to use a gun at a party and you suddenly know exactly how you are supposed to feel). Director Justin Kurzel threads the needle carefully between tough moments like this and a handful of propulsive action beats that will have you glued to your seat.

Law and his epic broom handle mustache are great here, acting in a much more reserved and calculated way versus his unhinged work in fellow festival selection Eden. Tye Sheridan is another standout as a local officer helping with the FBI’s investigation and Marc Maron makes a lasting impression in a small role as a local radio DJ.

While some may write off THE ORDER as slight or as rather simply, a “Dad movie”, it is still a solid thriller that does a great job staying grounded and not taking massive swings. And sometimes, that is more than acceptable.

THE ORDER screens at TIFF ’24:

Sunday, September 8 at 3:00PM at TIFF Lightbox

Monday, September 9 at 2:30PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Friday, September 13 at 7:30PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 14 at 12:00PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Nicholas Porteous

We open on a particularly bland overhead shot as a car pulls into a driveway. It’s a reserved choice to serve as the opening for Steven Soderbergh‘s latest–but wait. The camera twists and turns and hovers down the stairs, revealing an empty house and an anxious realtor (Julia Fox–be warned: this is her only scene). There’s clearly something more to this strange, drifting perspective. Indeed, there’s a Presence in this house. A ghost. And for whatever reason, among the family of new occupants in this otherwise lovely abode, their young daughter Blue (captivating newcomer Callina Liang) shares some kind of connection with the spirit.

What follows is entirely from the ghost’s perspective, and it turns out to be a fantastic parameter for Soderbergh to play within. How does a non-speaking entity reveal its motivations? What kind of phantom are we dealing with here? And how will a family contend with the unknown force? You won’t hear another word about the plot from me, but if you’re looking for a good little ghost story, you’ve come to the right place. Presence is another small-scale, experimental gem from Soderbergh that moves at a clip and kept me intrigued–both as a narrative and as a technical act of storytelling–for its lean, 85-minute runtime.

David Koepp‘s Screenplay is occasionally guilty of tripping over the line into schlock and cheese, which plays at odds with Soderbergh’s relatively naturalistic approach. But all in all, Presence is a brilliant blend of family dramedy and supernatural suspense, anchored by a strong ensemble–featuring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan as spiritually discordant parents–that imbues the camera with a perfectly calibrated sense of fear and wonder. Presence could be considered a minor work from a master Filmmaker, but its slender format and otherworldly themes have staying power. Don’t let this one pass you by.

Presence screens at TIFF ’24:

Friday, September 13 at 6:15 PM at The Princess of Wales Theatre

Saturday, September 14 at 7:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre

We are in the home stretch finally! Our TIFF ’24 DAY EIGHT included:

•Kate Hudson
•Kaia Gerber
•Elizabeth Berkley
•Este Haim
•Arian Moayed
•Lionel Boyce
•Max Minghella

Highlights from the day:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

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