The international success of the Paramount+ Argentine original film THE RESCUE: THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD (EL RAPTO) continues. On Monday, September 11, the film had its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The film was presented in the “Special Presentations” category. Lead actor Rodrigo de la Serna (Money Heist), the director and renowned filmmaker Daniela Goggi (Abzurdah, El Hilo Rojo) and the producer Benjamín Domenech from Rei Cine were in attendance. The final TIFF screening of EL RAPTO will take place on Sunday, September 17, 2023.

Paramount+ also debuted the teaser trailer for the acclaimed film that will soon premiere in international markets where the streaming service is available.

The film, produced by Paramount Television International Studios, Rei Cine and Infinity Hill, is directed by Daniela Goggi and stars Rodrigo de la Serna, Julieta Zylberberg, Lautaro Perez Hillal, Lola Loyacono, Andrea Garrote, German Palacios and Jorge Marrale. 

Buenos Aires in the 1980s. Julio Levy returns from political exile to take up a position in the large family business when his older brother, like other Argentines, is kidnapped. In charge of organizing the rescue and with the full weight of his family on his shoulders, Julio discovers the forces that still operate behind the newly recovered Argentine democracy. Julio then begins a disadvantaged fight against the prevailing system.

THE RESCUE: THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD is a fictional political thriller inspired by various stories that happened that decade in Argentina after the dictatorship, and in the book “El salto de papá” by Martín Sivak.

By David Baldwin

John Knox (Michael Keaton) is a hitman. He is cold, calculated, brilliant and also happens to have just been diagnosed with a very fast-moving form of dementia. With only weeks of lucidity left and frequent blackout spells, Knox must get his house in order and make amends before it is too late. And with the cops on his tail after a hit gone bad and his estranged son Miles (James Marsden) knocking at his door after a particularly bloody incident, things are not going to be easy for Knox.

KNOX GOES AWAY is a movie tailor-made for Boomer Dads. There are elements of neo-noir, remorse, redemption, dark humour and a handful of really violent death scenes. It checks all the boxes. Sadly though, Keaton’s direction (his second effort after 2008’s The Merry Gentleman) is nothing extraordinary. He has a bad habit of slamming to black between scenes rather than have proper transitions, the camera effects when Knox is going through a dementia episode are odd and there is no real auteurship or unique identifiers on display. Additionally, the overly elaborate plan that is the crux of the Film is extremely messy and does not help make the story any less muddy.

Keaton’s acting on the other hand is fantastic. The way his eyes and body language convey Knox’s sense of distress and confusion is terrific, as are the dialogue slips when he forgets anything and the cool precision he uses for when he does not. Keaton has always been reliable and this is easily one of his best performances – and certainly will wash away any ill feelings you may have had after watching him in The Flash earlier this summer. Marsden makes a valiant effort as Miles and Al Pacino does fine whenever he pops up in the small but pivotal role of Knox’s friend Xavier. Further down the line, Joanna Kulig is quietly impactful as the sex worker Knox spends time with every Thursday, and Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden devastates in her brief role as Knox’s ex.

Referring to one particular dead character, Keaton and Marsden both say “I would dig him up and kill him again” if they had the chance. Both times I felt that deep in my bones and wish the rest of the Film would have given me the same visceral reaction.

KNOX GOES AWAY screens at TIFF ’23:

Sunday, September 10 at 9:45 PM at Princess of Wales Theatre

Monday, September 11 at 5:30 PM at Roy Thomson Hall

The finish line is in sight for TIFF ’23 but we’re still out and about! We spotted Ava DuVernay doing the rounds earlier! The history-making Oscar-nominated BAFTA and Primetime Emmy winner looked stunning earlier and was so lovely to stop for a snap! Her film ORIGIN was a late add to the lineup at TIFF ’23.

Shortly after, we saw Oscar-nominated Actress Salma Hayek Pinault arriving to her Red Carpet for SABOR DE LA NAVIDAD. In a rush to get to her interviews, she didn’ stop at the barricade for her fans. She serves as Executive Producer for the Film.

Also, a huge joy witnessing Chloe Domont‘s feature directorial debut FAIR PLAY. This is definitely one of the best things I’ve seen so far at TIFF ‘23. Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor play a couple who after getting engaged, live through a power struggle when one of them gets promoted at work. So wonderful seeing Domont at the Roy Thomson Hall Premiere tonight.

Please seeing Viggo Mortensen still here for THE DEAD DON’T HURT.

And last but not least, our friends at Elevation Pictures celebrated their 10th Birthday and it was a bustling party at their building on Richmond Street. They had a whopping 14 films at the Festival! Several noticables, including Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard were there.

(Photo/video credit Mr. Will Wong)

By David Baldwin

Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a professor who moonlights as a surveillance operative for the police. He is asked to fill in as an “undercover hitman-for-hire” during one sting, and surprises everyone with the strength and believability of his performance. Gary quickly becomes the go-to undercover performer and one day meets Madison (Adria Arjona), who wants to hire him to kill her husband.

Talk about your classic meet cute.

HIT MAN, the latest from multi-hyphenate Director Richard Linklater, is easily one of the hottest and most sought-after tickets at TIFF ’23. It is not hard to figure out why – he directs the hell out of the Film, crafting an offbeat Romantic Comedy that is just a joy to watch. Linklater has never been nailed down to one genre over the course of his nearly 40-year career, always swinging for the fences with mainstream experimentation and zigging when you assume he should be zagging. Though there are a few occasional story stumbles here and places where it could have been tightened, this is easily one of his best and funniest films; the kind of screwball Comedy we have not seen in decades.

Of course, we cannot give Linklater all the credit. The Film is very much a collaboration between him and Writer/Producer Powell, who is having the time of his life. This is their third film together and I can only hope there will be more collabs soon, because this has the promise of being one of the great actor/director pairings. Powell is electric from the moment the Film begins, narrating with gusto and confidently jumping into every scene headfirst. The scenes with him chatting with different perps in very different costumes are a clear highlight, showcasing his range and adoration for the material (which is based on a true story). But it is his powder keg chemistry with Arjona that really makes the Film sing. It is immediately palpable in their first scene together, and only gets stronger and sexier as the Film goes on.

Make sure you have the fire department on speed dial when you watch. Because any time these two are together threatens to ignite the screen from how incendiary their chemistry is.

HIT MAN screens at TIFF ’23:

Monday, September 11 at 5:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Tuesday, September 12 at 2:00 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Saturday, September 16 at 8:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto [Newly Added]

By David Baldwin

Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) and Army Commando Amrit (Lakshya) are in love and plan to get married. The only problem is, Tulika is engaged to someone else and is on her way on the Rajdhani Express train to meet him in New Delhi. Amrit is on the train as well, as are a large number of bandits armed to the teeth with blades of all sizes. When the bandits start robbing the passengers and put Tulika in grave danger, Amrit and his commando friend Viresh spring into action.

KILL is fucking awesome. Period. There’s really no other succinct way to put it.

Writer/Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat has crafted an edge of your seat Thriller that takes place almost entirely on a moving train and tells you very early on that it is not fucking around. If that was not enough to keep your blood pressure sky high, then the claustrophobic camera angles in the small train compartments and narrow hallways should do the trick. How Bhat was able to capture some of these incredibly-choreographed fight scenes is a minor mystery, with each one looking more intense than the last. The relentless barrage of bone-crushing, limb-snapping, brain splattering action scenes will not be for everyone – some moments are straight up the most vicious and graphically violent of the year, easily giving last year’s Midnight Madness fave Project Wolf Hunting a run for its money. For those who do revel in over-the-top gore and brutal fight scenes however, you need to put KILL at the top of your watchlist immediately.

Though some of the romance is ham-fisted and some of the familial bickering goes on too long, KILL is a blast from start to finish. Maniktala is great as Tulika, and Lakshya is terrific in his solemn, man of few words, star-making performance. He carries the movie with just his fierce eyes, his fighting stance and all the shocking things he does to the bodies of the bandits. Raghav Juyal does equally well as the villainous Fani, oozing charisma and swagger everywhere he goes. He is a wonderful foil for Lakshya’s Amrit and gets nearly all of the best lines.

Just make sure you KILL with a bunch of friends. Listening to the collective gasps, screams and clapping made for one of the best TIFF screening experiences ever.

KILL screens at TIFF ’23:

Friday, September 8 at 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Saturday, September 9 at 9:10 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By George Kozera

We first meet Sophia (Magalie Lepine Blondeau) and Xavier (Francis-William Rheaume) at a dinner party with some close friends. The topics and conversations around the dining room table ooze with intelligentsia and witty banter. Once back home, this couple, who have been together for ten years without the “benefit” of marriage, retreat to separate adjoining bedrooms where Sophia asks Xavier if he was sexually attracted to one of the guests at the party who just happened to be single. The next day, Sophia goes alone to meet with a contractor they both hired at the chalet they purchased north of Montreal to determine how much work the house requires and meets Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal, best known for his role in Xavier Dolan’s “Tom at the Farm”). Sylvain is smoking hot with enough testosterone to fuel a small country. Before one can say “Mon Dieu”, they embark on a highly-charged sexual liaison.

Nominated for the Un Certain Regard Award at this year’s Cannes festival, THE NATURE OF LOVE succinctly tackles many fascinating topics. What makes for a perfect relationship: brains (which Xavier has in spades but is as sexual as a neutered puppy) or brawn (Sylvain may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but he is incredibly attentive in every other way). How does either gender deal with their mid-life crises. When and what makes a long-term relationship burdensome.

Director Monia Chokri seems inspired by the films of fellow Quebec Oscar winner Denys Arcand and seamlessly merges the witty repartee alongside unbridled passion and romanticism. She also elicits magnetic performances from the Movie’s three leads and the look and feel of the movie is inspired. But for reasons that would reveal key plotlines, I found THE NATURE OF LOVE somewhat polarizing and not completely credible. I do suggest it’s almost essential viewing and I would LOVE to talk about it afterwards!

THE NATURE OF LOVE screens at TIFF ’23:
Thursday, Sept.14, 4PM, Scotiabank
Friday, Sept. 15, 9:15PM, Scotiabank

By Amanda Gilmore

Dicks: The Musical is an instant Cult Classic.

Based on the off-Broadway musical Fucking Identical Twins by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson (who also co-write and star here), you better believe there has never been a film quite like this before. It’s an uproarious Musical-Comedy riff off of The Parent Trap that needs to be seen to be believed. 

It follows identical twin brothers Craig (Sharp) and Trevor (Jackson) who’ve never met each other. One was raised by their mother, Evelyn (Megan Mullally) the other by their father Harris (Nathan Lane). When they show up to work one day, they realize they are identical twin brothers. They concoct a plan to get their parents to fall madly in love with each other again. Unfortunately for them, their dad is gay and their mom’s vagina — literally — ran away.

The Co-Writers adapt their off-Broadway Musical into a cinematic experience that’s proudly, gloriously and unapologetically queer. Director Larry Charles (who also Directed Curb Your Enthusiasm and Borat) brings comedic genius into every musical number and scene. Most importantly, he trusts in the outstanding comedy legends he’s cast. Lane and Mullally are brilliantly cast as the oddball parents. These legendary comedic actors are fully committed to their characters and jump in head first to all the mayhem that ensues.

Dicks: The Musical is sure to be divisive. There are moments that some will find strange and the more conservative viewer will find gross (SPOILER ALERT: there’s a vagina with eyes that flies in the air). Yet, the musical-comedy will be loved by those who go in with an open mind and allow themselves to be swept up in the riotous ride. Even if the ending may make you scratch your head.

Dicks: The Musical screens at TIFF ’23:

Thursday, September 7 at 11:59 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

Friday, September 8 at 8 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Saturday, September 16 at 9:30 PM at Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

By Amanda Gilmore

Ethan Hawke returns to the Director’s chair to explore the life and art of American Author Flannery O’Connor, who’s stunningly portrayed by his own daughter Maya Hawke.

Hawke and Co-Writer Shelby Gaines’s Script focuses on O’Connor’s life when she left New York City in 1950 and returned home to live with her mother Regina (a dazzling Laura Linney). It was here that she was diagnosed with lupus. At the time, getting this diagnosis felt like a death sentence. And that’s how O’Connor took it. Thus, she believed her time was limited to making the lasting mark she desired. Maya Hawke captivates as the Author grapples with her identity and her artistry.

Just like Hawke’s prior directorial ventures, Wildcat examines the artist’s way. He achieves this by blending O’Connor’s life with visual tellings of her short stories. He places her mother and those parts of her real life in the visual recreations of her stories. This creates the connection between life and art that O’Connor always claimed.

A highlight of Wildcat is the examination of the relationship O’Connor has with her faith. The Screenwriters spend significant time connecting the Author’s religion with the harsh judgement she places on herself for her dark imagination. The Filmmakers imply that this judgement halted the young author’s career early on. As the ending comes, O’Connor finally accepts her imagination for what it is and separates it from her relationship with God. She went on to become one of the most prominent writers of her generation.

Wildcat screens at TIFF ’23:

Monday, September 11 at 8:45 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre

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

Saturday, September 16 at 11:30 AM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

By Amanda Gilmore

Chloe Domont makes an assured, bold feature debut with the riveting Fair Play.

It follows couple Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) who live and work together, leading them to live double lives. In their private life, they are madly in love and share a cosy apartment. In their work life, their relationship is strictly platonic as it is a violation of company policy at their firm. Their love becomes tested when Emily earns a promotion the pair thought Luke would be given.

Appropriately set in the cut-throat world of Wall Street hedge fund firms, Fair Play is a merciless examination of love, power and gender dynamics. Emily and Luke recently got engaged but both are married to their careers. When Emily hears a rumour that Luke will be given the promotion she is elated for him. When that turns out to be untrue and Emily’s the one levelling up the celebration isn’t reciprocated. 

Rather, Luke’s fragile ego gets the best of him. He can’t understand why he wasn’t given the promotion. Ehrenreich gives a meticulous performance as the enchanting turned cruel Luke. He’s cast perfectly as his natural charm allows the audience to understand his pain and yearning to advance in the firm. 

As the story progresses, Luke’s resentment grows and he becomes vindictive and condescending towards Emily. However, Emily restrains herself and does her best to reassure Luke that he’ll get his turn. But eventually, Luke’s spiteful remarks cut like stab wounds and Emily’s controlled pain and resentment unleashes. Dynevor is a revelation as a woman achieving her dream while having to downplay this triumph. The chemistry between the two is palpable making for the most captivating pair of the year, especially in the raw arguments this couple has.

Fair Play is diligently crafted. Domont’s Script is paced to perfection, enticing us from start to finish. As the power shifts and resentment unleashes, Domont along with her two leads importantly remind us how in love these two are. Therefore, we’re constantly on the edge of our seats wondering where this relationship will go. And you’ll never see the most satisfying ending coming.

Fair Play screens at TIFF ’23:

Wednesday, September 13 at 5:30 PM at Roy Thompson Hall

Thursday, September 14 at 8:30 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

Friday, September 15 at 6 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox

By George Kozera

EZRA opens with stand-up comedian Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale) as he regales the audience at a comedy club with funny and insightful observations, some of which include his being a father of an autistic son named Ezra (William Fitzgerald), who lives with his soon-to-be ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne). Max, who was once a successful comedy writer, now lives with his father Stan (Robert De Niro), a no nonsense, pugilistic individual who had been fired from many high-profile establishments as a chef due to his aggressive personality and is now a hotel doorman.

Ezra is a highly-intelligent young boy, and he has a few triggering moments (hugs, metal cutlery, bananas) but his latest outburst at school, potentially putting other students in jeopardy may put his time at the school in jeopardy. Rather than being expelled, Max and Jenna agree to take him to be diagnosed by a doctor, who recommends that not only Ezra be enrolled into a special needs school, he needs to start taking Risperdal, an antipsychotic and Jenna supports this plan of action. Max wholeheartedly disagrees and after seeing his son overly medicated and somnambulistic at the schoolyard during recess, he hatches a rather not fully conceived plan and abducts Ezra in the middle of the night and the two drive off in Stan’s classic convertible. While on the road, Max hears from his agent (Whoopi Goldberg) that she successfully booked him to be on the Jimmy Kimmel Show the following Friday and then discovers that an Amber Alert has been summoned to find the father and son.

There are numerous reasons I fell in love with EZRA starting with the impeccable performance from Cannavale. Always memorable in feature film supporting roles, in this movie he shows how genuinely talented and dynamic he is an actor, both dramatically and comedically. Newcomer William Fitzgerald brings authenticity and subtlety in a tour de force performance. This is Robert De Niro’s finest supporting work in some time, namely “Silver Linings Playbook”. Being a fan of Rose Byrne, she effortlessly portrays the many emotions her character is going through. It is evident that Director Tony Goldwyn (also in the Movie playing Jenna’s new boyfriend) loves and respects the acting craft and allows Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Vera Farmiga (Oscar-nominated for “Up in the Air”) to shine in their pivotal supporting turns.

The Cinematography is glorious, and I truly appreciated that. That being said, it did not pull at the emotional strings that leaves one weeping. It was just right. Fun fact: Screenwriter Tony Spiradakis used his own challenges with parenting an autistic son as inspiration for the movie.

EZRA screens at TIFF ’23:

Thursday, September 14, 9:30PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox