By Mr. Will Wong

Maude Apatow (Euphoria) is definitely going places and she delivers a very polished and accomplished directorial debut in POETIC LICENSE.

This quirky Comedy centers on Liz (Leslie Mann, Apatow‘s actual mother) who relocates with her family as her husband (Method Man) takes on a new assignment at a college. She is an Auditor, and sits-in on a Poetry class at the college, but before she knows it, she finds herself unwittingly caught in an emotional “love” (or not) triangle between two best friends, Sam (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Ari (Cooper Hoffman). All the while she is navigating her daughter Dora (Nico Parker) coming-of-age and about to head off to college, beginning to distance herself about from Liz. She is confused and trying to understand her place, feeling like a complete outsider at home and in her new surroundings.

POETIC LICENSE is quirky, yet so smartly-written and well-acted and we go through a real journey among these lost souls who are each at their own respective crossroads and intersecting in this story. Our three leads are terrific, but the real scenestealer is Euphoria alumni Martha Kelly with her deadpan delivery in the classroom as Poetry Professor Greta – worth the price of the ticket itself.

Kidding aside, it is refreshing to see interesting, well-rounded characters on the big screen here. Things are looking promising for Apatow and we are looking forward to more.

POETIC LICENSE screens at TIFF ’25:

Saturday, September 6
Royal Alexandra Theatre
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
5:15 pm

Sunday, September 7
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
9:45 pm

Friday, September 12
VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Audio description (AD),
Open captions (OC)
9:30 pm

Sunday, September 14
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
9:30 pm

By Amanda Gilmore

Director Bobby Farrelly’s latest is an endearing romantic comedy that pays homage to the classic 80s comedies we’ve loved.

It follows high school senior Jeremy (Sam Nivola) whose relationship has become a long-distance one due to his girlfriend Samantha (Lilah Pate) attending college as a freshman. After a call that may or may not be the break-up call, he impulsively plans to make a grand romantic gesture to keep her. He steals his driver’s education car with the three other students inside and heads to her campus. But will he make it before his principal (Molly Shannon) and driving instructor (Kumail Nanjiani) catch them? And if he does, will Samantha still want the relationship?

Driver’s Ed is a fun teen rom-com that brings us back to young love. How intense it feels, but how fleeting it all is. Nivola plays the lovelorn Jeremy with empathy. He’s a young man holding out hope when those around him are aware that hope is probably lost. The group of driver’s ed students forced to come along on his love quest is an impressive ensemble of young talent. Particularly, Aidan Laprete, who plays drug dealer/stoner Yoshi. Laprete delivers a brilliant deadpan performance that also gives layers to this usually stereotypical character.

The real scene stealers are Shannon and Nanjiani. Their years of talent and charisma playing off-beat characters if perfectly suited to these quirky high school tropes. Shannon is at her typical best, and Nanjiani performs the driving instructor as a bright light of positivity while literally going through the worst time in his life. We just wish there were more time with them.

Overall, Driver’s Ed is a cute road-trip Rom-Com that we may feel like we’ve seen before…but hey, don’t fix something that isn’t broke.

Driver’s Ed screens at TIFF:

Fri. Sept 12 at 9:30 PM at Roy Thompson Hall

Sat. Sept 13 at 3:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales

Sun. Sept 14 at 9:05 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

A priest at a small church in rural New York has been killed under mysterious circumstances and Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is the main suspect. The local police are stumped as to what happened, so they call in Master Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to help solve the case.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN, the latest in Writer/Director Rian Johnson’s Knives Out series is very much what fans of this series (which have all World Premiered at TIFF) have come to expect: clever twists, simultaneously hilarious, ingenious and outrageous dialogue, and one of the best ensembles in recent years. Rather than play into the maximalist approach of Glass Onion, WAKE UP DEAD MAN feels more streamlined and back to the whodunit basics of what inspired the franchise in the first place. And while it is nice to have a lot less asides and references to Jeremy Renner hot sauce (who, in true meta fashion, shows up as a supporting character this go-round), the narrative gets bogged down by immense exposition and having its explanations be needlessly overcomplicated. 

What also suffers as a result of the endless exposition is that there is not enough time for the large ensemble to really develop their characters. They are all great in their large and small roles (O’Connor and Glenn Close are highlights, as is the young Daryl McCormack who continues to impress), but many of them feel underutilized in ways that the previous films’ ensembles were not. Even Craig seems to have been cut back. He still gets to chew the scenery and have a blast with his Kentucky Fried Foghorn Leghorn accent, just with a very minimized screen presence.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN still succeeds at being a crowdpleaser despite these issues, and still fits in nicely with its predecessors. I feel like I will like it more when I have the opportunity to rewatch and see how all the pieces fit in together. As it stands though, it is a movie I liked and enjoyed watching. But I wish I genuinely loved it.

Also – how great a line is “Young, dumb and full of Christ” with or without context?

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY screens at TIFF ‘25:

Sat. Sept 6 at 6:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 7 at 8:30 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Wed. Sept 10 at 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox

Wed. Sept 10 at 7:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox

Thurs. Sept 11 at 2:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Fri. Sept 12 at 2:00 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sat. Sept 13 at 9:45 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

By David Baldwin

Bear (Michael Johnston) has been pining for Nikki (Inde Navarrette) for a long time. He is unsure if she has similar feelings and is too nervous and indecisive to tell her how he really feels. So, with the help of a mysterious wooden trinket, Bear wishes that Nikki would fall madly in love with him. Rather suddenly, his wish comes true and the two become the couple Bear always wished they would be. But weird things start happening and Bear quickly realizes that he might not want what he wished for.

What follows is something I can only properly describe as batshit crazy and certifiably deranged. I had heard some insane things going into my screening of Editor/Writer/Director Curry Barker’s feature-length directorial debut OBSESSION earlier this week and shrugged them off as festival hyperbole. What a wild surprise it was for me to realize the hyperbole was actually downplaying how unpredictable and bonkers this film becomes after it puts our two lead characters in place for the madness and viciously gnarly violence to come. I do not want to spoil the fun, but this is a movie tailor made for the Midnight Madness crowd and it should shock absolutely no one that it got picked up for distribution so quickly.

While the scares and cringe humour are plentiful – as are the nasty gross-out moments and the at least partial deconstruction of toxic co-dependent relationships – the real joy of OBSESSION is watching Navarrette’s star-making breakout performance as Nikki, or Freaky Nikki as she loathes being called. It is multi-faceted and for lack of better terminology, almost bi-polar in nature. She switches tones and emotions on the fly, often within the same breath, and goes to some positively haunting and downright devastating places over the course of this journey through Hell. The physicality Navarrette brings to the performance is intense, and the way she captivates even in the freakiest of circumstances is a thing of beauty. Johnston is very good too, but his work here is not what is going to have you keeping the lights on after experiencing OBSESSION. 

OBSESSION screens at TIFF ‘25:

Fri. Sept 5 at 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Sat. Sept 6 at 6:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Thurs. Sept 11 at 6:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By David Baldwin

A number of A-list talent, including burnout movie star Mike Tyler (Chris Evans), are attending an environmental benefit in a gorgeous mine in Greece hosted by big tech billionaire Braken (Vincent Cassel). Things take a turn when a group of doomsday cult eco-terrorists led by Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy) take the crowd hostage and demand three people be sacrificed to a nearby volcano in order to save the world.

That description certainly makes SACRIFICE sound like a feel-good picture (sarcasm intended), but what follows in this mad satire that takes more than just a sprinkling of inspiration from the works of Ruben Östlund, Yorgos Lanthimos and to a certain degree, Wes Anderson, is an eco-thriller with a lot of set-up and not much pay off. The first half of the film is entertaining, even as it makes jokes at the expense of the lowest hanging fruit (Braken’s recording artist wife, played by Salma Hayek Pinault, is said to have made a charity album to benefit the ocean…from the ocean’s point of view). Once the second half kicks in though, SACRIFICE loses its footing and does not really recover. There are just too many characters and situations happening at the same time, and no real sense of control. This chaos might be intentional given Co-Writer/Director Romain Gavras’ influences, but everything on display here lacks depth.

The only thing that does not lack depth is Evans, who delivers another rock solid performance to add to his stellar supporting turns in Materialists and Honey Don’t from earlier this year. He is playing a variation of himself yes, but he digs down deep in an introspective way that makes you instantly remember what an incredibly talented performer he can be when he is not playing Captain America. Taylor-Joy is pretty stellar as Joan as well, easily overshadowing anyone that comes into contact with her. 

SACRIFICE screens at TIFF ‘25:

Sat. Sept 6 at 9:30 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun. Sept 7 at 6:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Mr. Will Wong

Acclaimed Actress Scarlett Johansson tries her hand and directing in Dramedy ELEANOR THE GREAT, giving veteran Actress June Squibb a vehicle for recognition with a stellar performance, incredibly at the age of 95.

Hot off its Festival run, including a tiff50 debut, this Film centers on Eleanor (Squibb), who is about to lose her Holocaust-surviving friend Bessie (Ritz Zohar). Feeling alone, with the sense that her daughter Lisa (Jessica Hecht) is looking to admit her to a seniors’ residence, she winds up joining a Holocaust survivors support group where she is welcomed and given attention, as she channels Bessie‘s accounts.  Eleanor meets 19-year-old Nina (Erin Kellyman), who recently lost her mother.  The two strike-up an unlikely friendship, with Eleanor offering to share her Holocaust survivor experience to help advance Nina‘s ambitions to be a journalist. But what happens when the truth is uncovered about Eleanor?

Squibb‘s fantastic work is undeniable here, truly captivating the audience even where there are some imbalances and moments where the story feels a little implausible and the Film navigates that fine line tonally between Comedy and Drama.  She is a treasure and it is impossible to see any other Actress pull it all of in such a lovable, sharp way. Kellyman delivers a heartfelt performance in what was my introduction to the British Actress here, giving the story some weight as it truly is a portrait of grief and the void it leaves behind. She far exceeds the maturity of Nina‘s said 19-years-of-age.  Squibb and Kellyman together are a wonderful pairing, successfully filling voids in each other’s character’s lives when their families aren’t making them feel seen and heard.

ELEANOR THE GREAT screens at TIFF ’25:

Monday, September 8
Roy Thomson Hall
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
5:30 pm

Tuesday, September 9
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
11:30 am

Friday, September 12
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
1:15 pm

Sunday, September 14
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
1:00 pm

we’re in the final stretch! here are some highlights from tiff50 day eight! we’ll be wrapping after today, trying to savour every last moment to cram in as many films as we can.. and maybe just one more red carpet!

•brian cox, shirley henderson, alexandra shipp, and alexandra wilkie at tiff for glenrothan
•vince vaughn and simon rex at tiff for easy’s waltz
•the winner of our tiff50 survival pack… shamarra

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

tiff50 day seven for us was a real showcase of asian cinema, with some of asia’s biggest stars doing the rounds!

some highlights include:

•han so-hee and jun jong-seo at tiff for project y
•lee byung-hun and park chan-wook at an in-conversation
•shu qi at tiff for girl
•fala chen and edward berger at tiff for ballad of a small player

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

By Mr. Will Wong

Director Edward Berger is back after a strong showing last awards season with Conclave. This time around, we are doing 180 from the church and going right to the casino.

We meet Lord Freddy Doyle (Colin Farrell), a swindler, running from Detective Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton) as he continues to live above his means, landing at an opulent casino in Macao. Here he meets a hostess named Dao Ming (Fala Chen), who is sympathetic to his vices, and they strike a connection together.

Just as Freddy is about to hit rock bottom, he gets the opportunity to take the biggest gamble of his life, which could mean enough riches to sort him out and repay some debts. But at what cost would this come?

It is impossible not to call out just how beautifully-shot BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER is. Frames are wide and filled with so much detail and hypercolour, capturing how grand Freddy is and wishes to be. Farrell is fantastic, navigating his compulsiveness. Everything feels urgent and we are invested throughout. Certainly among his best performances, in a career which keeps reaching new heights.

BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER screens at TIFF ’25 as follows:

Tuesday, September 9
VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Premium
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
3:30 pm

Wednesday, September 10
VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
2:30 pm

Saturday, September 13
TIFF Lightbox
Closed captions (CC),
Audio description (AD)
9:30 am
\

By Mr. Will Wong

One of the Festival’s hidden gems is the directorial debut of acclaimed Taiwanese-Hong Kong actress Shu Qi, GIRL.

This Drama looks at the coming-of-age of Lin Xiaoli (Bai Xiao-Ying), who is navigatimg growing into her teens, while being on the receiving end of abuse from both her mother and father at home. We witness a vicious cycle of abuse that is triggered by her often absent alcoholic father (Roy Chiu) and mother (9m88), who is balancing caring for her family and also working, whilst suffering domestic violence at the hands of her husband, often taking her frustration out on her eldest daughter Xiaoli.

Shu Qi takes her cinematic sensibilities, translating them fluently into her storytelling as both Director and Writer here. With the help of Cinematographer Yu Jing-Pin, beauty is evoked in even the most dire circumstances. The Film looks at the damaging aftermath of abuse, but somehow manages to possess a message of healing and hope.

Bai and 9m88 deliver standout performances, and the first-time Director keeps us engaged, masterfully telling this story with well-paced measure.

GIRL screens at TIFF ’25 as follows:

Tuesday, September 9
Royal Alexandra Theatre
Premium
2:15 pm

Wednesday, September 10
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
5:45 pm