Toronto International Film Festival
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Shines Thanks to a Deadpan Daniel Radcliffe: Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: Based on the 100% true story of comedian/musician/renegade polka king’s rapid rise to superstardom, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is an “unflinching” look at “Weird” Al Yankovic’s chaotic life. From his childhood as a closeted accordion player, to his brief flirtation with the hot underground polka scene, to his excessive rock and roll lifestyle to his artistic struggles, to his tumultuous romance for the ages with Madonna, and his deadly feud with a legendary drug lord, writer/director Eric Appel and co-writer Al Yankovic pull no punches. This is as real and serious as it gets. Related Video Generic Blues: A fake biopic of “Weird” Al Yankovic is most likely a foolproof formula. How wrong can you...
Unauthorized Queer Batman Movie The People’s Joker Pulled from TIFF “Due to Rights Issues”
The People’s Joker, an unauthorized queer coming-of-age movie set in the Batman universe, has been pulled from Toronto International Film Festival after a single screening “due to rights issues.” Helmed by and starring Los Angeles-based director Vera Drew, the film was scheduled for three more showings at TIFF following its premiere as part of the festival’s Midnight Madness programming on Tuesday, September 13th. Billed in the description of its trailer as “completely unlicensed by DC and Warner Bros.,” The People’s Joker was likely trying to operate under US fair use laws for parody. According to IndieWire, however, Warner Bros. Discovery informed the filmmaker of “a copyright issue” over the movie’s use of characters including Joker and “a Harlequin a la DC’s Harley Quinn...
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Is a Silly, Absurd and Downright Fun Sequel: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: Famous Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), whom we first met in the 2019 flick Knives Out, is in a pandemic-induced funk when he receives an invitation from eccentric billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) to his next big case in Greece. There, on a remote island, Bron’s closest friends and “disrupters” congregate for a murder mystery party at his Glass Onion house — a spot so lavish even the Mona Lisa is there, on loan from the Louvre. There’s former model-turned-fashion-designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), controversial social media star Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), brilliant scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), right-wing politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), and Bron’s s...
Chevalier Shines an Elementary Light on a Nearly Forgotten Master: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: You have heard of Mozart, Beethoven, and countless other European composers that helped shape music as we know it. However, it’s likely that you have never heard of Joseph Bologne, known professionally as Chevalier de Saint-Georges, whose work was largely destroyed when slavery was reinstated throughout France in 1802. It is an absolute shame, but thankfully, what has been preserved has been rediscovered over the years, establishing him as the first Black composer of the classical eras. Now, his story, or at least some of it, has been adapted for the screen thanks to director Stephen Williams and screenwriter Stefani Robinson. Chevalier shows Bologne, played by Luce breakout Kelvin Harrison Jr.,...
The Fabelmans Sees Steven Spielberg Turn The Camera On Himself: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: If you are familiar with Steven Spielberg beyond his movies, you likely know that he had a bit of an unconventional upbringing. His mother was an eccentric character, while his father seemingly loved her unconditionally as they moved around the country. However, that came to a halt when they suddenly announced their divorce when he was a senior in high school. It was this critical event, and the infidelity that Related Video fueled it, that helped shape the themes of Spielberg’s movies for the rest of his career. This influence is especially apparent in his latest film, The Fabelmans. Swapping out the Spielberg name with that of the titular family, this film is nonetheless his most personal to d...
Harry Styles Greets Fans, Joins Cast & Director for ‘My Policeman’ Premiere In Toronto
Right opposite a giant illuminated sign that reads “Love Accepted Everywhere,” British pop singer and budding actor Harry Styles joined his castmates and director Michael Grandage at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Sunday night (Sept. 11) for the world premiere of the romantic drama My Policeman, a beautiful (and sad) statement about love, regret and freedom. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news And while the sold-out film played to its first public audience, they all headed a short distance away to the Fairmont Royal York hotel to accept the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, a first for an ensemble, and already creating an Oscar buzz. The film opens in theatres on Oct. 21 and worldwide on Prime Video, Nov. 4 In My Policeman, Styles —...
My Policeman Review: Harry Styles and Cast Arrest in Essential Queer Story
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: In 1950s Britain, same-sex relationships are illegal. Gay men are arrested and thrown in jail for “unlawful” acts, or beaten by a hateful public. Those who pursue relationships must do so in secret or risk everything — their careers, families and maybe even lives. Enter a handsome but simple policeman named Tom (Harry Styles), who falls in love with an educated museum curator named Patrick (David Dawson). The pair hide their affair until Tom meets a schoolteacher named Marion (Emma Corrin) and decides to marry her in pursuit of a “normal” life. Related Video Fast forward several decades and Marion (now played by Gina McKee) takes in Patrick (Rupert Everett) following a stroke, angering Tom (Linu...
TIFF Review: Last Night in Soho Thrives More as a Tribute to ’60s London Glitz Than Coherent Horror
This review is part of our coverage of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), a sheltered young woman with an all-encompassing 1960s obsession, leaves the English countryside home she shares with her grandmother to study fashion in London. When life in the dorms leaves her feeling stressed and isolated, Ellie finds a room of her own to rent in Soho. At first, the move seems ideal: Her landlady, Miss Collins (Diana Rigg, in her final role) is stern but kind. The room appeals to Ellie’s need for space and her aesthetic. And it comes with an exciting bonus: Every night, she’s transported to 1966, where she follows a glamorous young woman named Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she romps through Swinging London’s nightlife. Alternately watching Sandy...
TIFF Review: Listening to Kenny G Explores What Makes Him So Beloved (And Despised)
This review is part of our coverage of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: When some people think of Kenny G, they think of the platinum-selling recording artist who’s shaped their childhoods, soothed their workplaces, and even soundtracked the most intimate moments in their lives. But for others, the thought of Kenny G fills them with scorn. He’s a sellout, a fake, a mop-haired purveyor of anodyne saxophone schlock. He disrespects the improvisational, group-centered dynamics of jazz in favor of treacly solo showmanship, and — even worse — subjected the world to “smooth jazz.” The man’s a paradox wrapped in an enigma topped with a curly perm he’s maintained since the 1980s — the best-selling instrumentalist of all time who nonetheless remains a pop-culture punchli...
