Review by George Kozera for Mr. Will Wong

As someone who has personally experienced the insidiousness of Alzheimer’s Disease, WHAT THEY HAD is one of the few movies that features the day to day horrors one is subjected to. When Ruth (a terrific, yet underutilized Blythe Danner) is found in the hospital after wandering the streets of Chicago on a snowy winter night clad only in her nightgown, her son Nick (Michael Shannon, exceptional as always) calls his sister in California, Bridget (Hilary Swank, wonderfully-vulnerable yet strong) to fly in to discuss putting their mother in a treatment home much to the objections of their father Burt (Robert Forester in an awards worthy performance).

Occasionally laced with much needed humour, WHAT THEY HAD is a compelling study of the disease and the family dynamics. My issue with the Movie is that there are way too many conflicts that this family deals with, with flashbacks to boot. That aside, this is a must-see.

WHAT THEY HAD screens Wednesday, September 12th, 6:30PM, Roy Thomson Hall and Wednesday, September 12th, 8:00PM, Elgin Theatre

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

A Million Little Pieces is based off of the controversial Novel/Memoir by James Frey that follows his crack addiction and the his experiences and interactions with people in an AA facility. It’s the latest Film from Sam Taylor-Johnson and will have its World Premiere at TIFF ‘18 in the Special Presentations Programme.

What the Film does best is depict the struggle many people go through when having an addiction. It shows the ups and downs along with how AA might work for some but not others. The Film is also a great platform for Aaron Taylor-Johnson who puts everything he has into his performance.

A Million Little Pieces screens at TIFF on Monday, September 10 at 8:45 PM at Ryerson Theatre, and Tuesday, September 11 at 9 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1.

Words and Photo by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

The morning after its Canadian Gala Premieres, TIFF held the Press Conference for Damien Chazelle’s First Man. In attendance were Chazelle, Stars Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Patrick Fugit and Olivia Hamilton, along with Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s sons Rick and Mark Armstrong. The Film chronicles the true story of Armstrong and his journey towards becoming the first man to walk on the moon.

Having made critically acclaimed Oscar-winners Whiplash and La La Land (which won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF ’16), Chazelle says he was drawn to First Man because he wanted to show “the cost of a goal and the cost of a certain kind of ambition.” Gosling was drawn to Chazelle’s take because he felt the Film “wanted to uncover the man behind the myth.” Armstrong had said no to writers who wanted to write about his life story for years, before saying yes to Author James Hansen. Hansen’s book provided the basis for the Movie, and a framework for Chazelle and Writer Josh Singer to make the Film as thoroughly researched and authentic as possible. According to Armstrong’s sons, the man himself would be “pleased with the [final] result.”

The Cast had nothing but positive things to say about Chazelle’s process, with Foy noting that the Cast’s relationships “were seamless” from rehearsals to filming. Stoll said that working on the Movie was “a dream come true. I felt like a kid going to space camp.” “It was had to relate to [Armstrong’s] genius, his heroism and his humility,” Gosling said, “But it was an honour to be involved.” Whether the Film hits the same Oscar highs many are currently predicting is still to be determined, but the Film’s lasting legacy may be the same as Armstrong’s own legacy. Talking about his Dad, Mark Armstrong said of the successful Apollo 11 mission that “It inspired and motivated an entire generation to be better.”

First Man screens on Sunday, September 9 at 2:00PM at Ontario Place Cinesphere, Monday, September 10 at 4:00PM at Elgin Theatre and 6:00PM at Roy Thomson Hall, Tuesday, September 11 at 11:00AM at Princess of Wales Theatre, Saturday, September 15 at 9:30PM at Princess of Wales Theatre and each day from Wednesday, September 12 to Sunday, September 16 at 6:00PM at Scotiabank Theatre.

Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong

After premiering earlier this year in Santa Barbara, Writer/Producer/Director/Star Emilio Estevez has brought The Public to TIFF. Stuart (Estevez) is a supervisor at the Cincinnati Public Library. One cold evening, homeless Jackson (Michael K. Williams) stages a sit-in with a large number of other homeless patrons. They refuse to leave, and after the doors are barricaded shut, news of the situation quickly reaches the police and local television media – and only becomes bigger from there.

Estevez admirably tackles a number of topics and ideas within The Public. But from the very beginning, the Film has trouble honing in on where to properly focus. The sit-in that forms the crux of the Plot does not take place until nearly 45-minutes into two-hour Film, and everything that comes afterwards feels very long and drawn-out. The sprawling Ensemble Cast do the best with what they are given (especially Williams and Christian Slater as a slimy mayoral candidate), but many are cast aside after they serve their characters’ purpose. With some choice edits, The Public could easily become a much stronger Film.

The Public screens on Sunday, September 9 at 2:30 PM at Roy Thomson Hall, Monday, September 10 at 10:30AM at Winter Garden Theatre, and Friday, September 14 at 4:15PM at Elgin Theatre.

By Mr. Will Wong

TIFF ’18 officially has reached its cooling point, but that doesn’t mean that Day Six wasn’t filled to the brim with starpower! Ryan Gosling was out and about promoting FIRST MAN with his Castmates and Director Damien Chazelle, while Nicole Kidman continued to do the rounds for her latest, BOY ERASED.  While TIFF ’18 heavyweight Lucas Hedges couldn’t make it to Toronto to promote his three Films at the Festival, it was a pleasant surprise that Singer/Songwriter/YouTuber Troye Sivan could make it for the Film in which he stars. Also, you might want to know about Sundance breakout hit ASSASSINATION NATION which premiered to much fanfare at Ryerson Theatre for Midnight Madness, as we expect this one to catch on in this post-#MeToo climate.

See who was saw!

FIRST MAN – Ryan Gosling, Damien Chazelle, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Olivia Hamilton, Patrick Fugit x Corey Stoll

 

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The #FirstMan Press Conference with #RyanGosling, #OliviaHamilton, #ClaireFoy, #PatrickFugit, #CoreyStoll, #RickArmstrong, #MarkArmstrong, #KyleChandler and Director #DamienChazelle. 🚀 Lead Photo: @davemabaldwin | Others: @mrwillwong #TIFF18 #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival #NikonD3400

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 9:35am PDT

 

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First men. I will never stop believing in you, #RyanGosling. Thank you for always showing love. Also, #DamienChazelle. #FirstMan #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival #TIFF18

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 9:21am PDT

 

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With the Cast of #FirstMan: #ClaireFoy 👑, #CoreyStoll, #PatrickFugit, #OliviaHamilton and #KyleChandler. #TIFF #TIFF18 #torontointernationalfilmfestival 🚀

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 10:38am PDT

BOY ERASED – Nicole Kidman, Troye Sivan x Joel Edgerton, an Australian triple!

 

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The Cast of #BoyErased: Goddess #NicoleKidman, #TroyeSivan and Director #JoelEdgerton. #TIFF18 #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:37pm PDT

 

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Singer-Songwriter-YouTube personality #TroyeSivan at #TIFF18 for #BoyErased. #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:10pm PDT

COLETTE – Keira Knightley x Dominic West

 

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#DominicWest and #KeiraKnightley, stunning in Chanel. The latter extremely late for #TIFF18 Premiere of #Colette, leaving fans who queued for hours and media disappointed. Time is valuable. Someone of her experience and level of professionalism should get that. #torontointernationalfilmfestival #TIFF

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 3:21pm PDT

VITA AND VIRGINIA – Elizabeth Debicki

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The stunning #ElizabethDebicki at #TIFF18 for both #Widows and #VitaandVirginia. #torontointernationalfilmfestival #TIFF

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 5:51pm PDT

ASSASSINATION NATION – Odessay Young, Suki Waterhouse, Abra and Hari Nef

 

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The party kicked-off at Mister C before heading via Party Bus to #AssassinationNation. #MidnightMadness #TIFF18 Premiere! Attending were: #OdessaYoung, #SukiWaterhouse, #HariNef, #Abra and #ColmanDomingo. #TIFF #torontointernationalfilmfestival

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Sep 11, 2018 at 7:22pm PDT

Expect things to start slowing down in terms of star-spotting, but we look forward to focusing on the Films of the Festival!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

Sam Levinson’s women empowerment to the power-of-four Film Assassination Nation is a violent, visceral, eye opening look at what it’s like to be a female teenager in the modern age with a bloody twist. Coming off the positive word of mouth from Sundance, it is no wonder why people loved this Film. It is an absolute blast and insanely entertaining, the Midnight Madness crowd is sure to devour the Film with absolute delight.

The Film centers around Lily (Odessa Young), Hari Nef (Bex), Sarah (Suki Waterhouse) and Em (Abra) as they’re the “it” girls around high school. A hacker slowly starts to leak info about the residents of Salem, and it turns into a witch hunt massacre.

Assassination Nation screens on Tuesday September 11, 10:45 PM at the Ryerson and Wednesday, September 12 at 9:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Boy Erased follows Jared (Lucas Hedges) who is a son of a Baptist Pastor (Russell Crowe) in a small town. When Jared gets ousted to his parents his father tells him he can either attend a gay Conversion Therapy Program or be exiled from their family. Boy Erased is the second Feature for Actor-Director Joel Edgerton and will have its World Premiere TIFF ‘18 in the Special Presentations Programme.

Lucas Hedges lands a career-defining role as Jared as he displays a wide range of emotion in his often subtle performance. Nicole Kidman, who plays Jared’s mother, gives a complex and perfect performance. With Boy Erased, it is obvious that Edgerton has clear vision and message when he makes his Films, and we need more of them.

Boy Erased screens Tuesday, September 11 at 9 PM at Princess Of Wales, Wednesday, September 12 at 2:30 PM at Princess Of Wales and Saturday, September 15 at 12 PM at Roy Thompson Hall.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Léo (2015 TIFF Rising Star Karelle Tremblay) is an angst-ridden teenager reaching the final end of high school in her small, industrial Quebec town. She dreams of life outside of the sleepy town that doesn’t self-fulfill her, however, often surprises her. The Fireflies Are Gone will be having its North American Premiere at TIFF in the Contemporary World Cinema Programme.

Like previous Films directed and written by Sébastien Pilote, The Fireflies Are Gone depicts the struggles people living in changing rural Quebec towns are facing. What sets this one apart from his previous works is the magnetic performance from Karelle Tremblay, who plays Léo with equal amounts malaise and curiosity.

The Fireflies Are Gone screens at TIFF  Tuesday, September 11 at 6:30 PM at Scotiabank 13 and Wednesday, September 12 at 4:15 PM at Scotiabank 4.

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Non-Fiction follows Parisian publisher Alain (Guillaume Canet), who is looking into changing his current publishing ways for a new media landscape, and his successful actor-wife Serena (Juliette Binoche). It is coming to TIFF in the Special Presentations Programme for its Canadian Premiere after playing the Venice Film Festival to rave reviews.

Writer-Director Olivier Assayas has crafted a powerful Script about the ever-changing media and how it ultimately changes the interactions and personalities of us in the process. Canet and Binoche are cast perfectly as husband and wife who have slowly changed their feelings towards each other just as media slowly has changed us.

Non-Fiction screens Tuesday, September 11 at 4:30 PM at Elgin Theatre and Wednesday, September 12 at 9:30 AM at TIFF Bell Lightbox 1.

Review by  Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Her Smell tells the story of a self-destructive female Punk Rock musician, Becky Something (Elisabeth Moss), who seems determined to alienate those around her and threatens the success of her band. This is the fourth feature for Director Alex Ross Perry and will have its World Premiere in the Platform Programme at TIFF ’18.

Moss gives an all-or-nothing performance as Becky. It’s a demanding performance that most actors wouldn’t dare to take-on, let alone execute perfectly.  Perry’s direction takes the audience on a punk rock ride and challenges the depth to which they are willing to watch. Overall, it’s one hell of a ride that you will be happy you took.

Her Smell screens at TIFF on Sunday, September 9 at 5:45 PM at Winter Garden Theatre, Tuesday, September 11 at 12 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox, and Friday, September 14 at 9:15 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox.