The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival kicks off this week, and in honor of one of the biggest, most star-studded film festivals in the world, we helped make sense of it all by answering the eight most frequently asked Toronto International Film Festival questions, beginning with...
Q. So dude, what's up with Toronto?
A. Well, it's actually a really nice Canadian city that feels like a much cleaner version of New York. The people are friendly, the food is pretty good (props to Tim Horton's coffee and an amazing variety of poutine), and best of all its movie theaters (in particular the Scotiabank downtown, pictured below) are beautiful, spacious and immaculate.
Q. Whoa, wait -- what in the world is poutine?
A. Poutine is only one of the greatest food inventions in the history of awesome things that can be added to French fries. Essentially they're French fries topped with gravy and cheese curds, and they're soooooo yummy. One stroll around Toronto will reveal several kinds of poutine, from poutine topped with Thai chicken to poutine topped with deep-fried candy. Oh yes, that exists.
Q. Fine, the French fries sound amazing, but what's so special about this film festival, anyway?
A. Think of the Toronto International Film Festival as the preseason football equivalent of awards season. Many of the big, Oscar-buzz movies arriving in theaters later this fall and winter will premiere there, giving moviegoers an early glimpse at what's to come.
Q. Alright, name some big movies that have played at this Toronto festival before.
A. Sure. The festival has hosted screenings of previous Oscar winners like American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire, Argo, Gravity and 12 Years a Slave. Last year alone saw several Oscar contenders in the Toronto mix, including Wild, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything (see Best Actor Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne above).
Q. What are some of this year's festival's most anticipated movies that I'll actually be able to see in theaters?
A. Oh, there's a bunch and they range from big studio releases to smaller, awards-friendly titles. Here are some to keep an eye out for.
1. The Danish Girl
Speaking of Eddie Redmayne, could he repeat as Best Actor, becoming the first to do so since Tom Hanks did it with Philadelphia and Forrest Gump in the '90s? That's one of the storylines to follow when it comes to this period drama about one of the first people to ever undergo gender-reassignment surgery. Watch for another transformative performance from Redmayne -- who conquered awards season last year with The Theory of Everything -- and also keep an eye out for his Danish Girl costar Alicia Vikander, who's also been having one heckuva year. Have you watched her in Ex Machina yet? No? Well get on it!
2. The Martian
In three words: MaGuyver on Mars. In Ridley Scott's (Blade Runner, Prometheus) latest sci-fi epic, Matt Damon stars as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars when his team leaves thinking he died in a storm. Now, in order to survive long enough for NASA to rescue him, he has to, well, MacGyver whatever he has at his disposal.
3. Black Mass
Johnny Depp returns in another transformative role, only this time he ain't playing a pirate. Nope, this time Depp portrays real-life gangster Whitey Bulger, one of the most violent criminals in the history of South Boston. The movie tracks Bulger's life of crime, as well as his time as an informant for the FBI -- complete with thick Boston accents, cool dark sunglasses and some pretty gnarly murders.
4. Legend
Speaking of gangsters, Tom Hardy plays two of 'em... in the same movie! In Legend, Hardy stars as a pair of twin brothers who ruled the British underworld back in the 1960s, creating a vicious empire on their way to becoming two of Britain's most notorious criminals.
5. Where to Invade Next
Famed documentarian Michael Moore (Roger & Me, Sicko) is back with a new film that came as a surprise when it was announced as part of the festival program. No details have been released yet, as per Moore's tendency to keep things hush-hush till the film premieres, but we can certainly find a pretty big hint in the title.
Q. Cool, thanks for that! But what's your most anticipated movie, Erik? I know you've got one!
A. If I had to pick one movie that I'm looking forward to the most, I'd pick two: Demolition and Room.
Demolition stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a successful banker who struggles after losing his wife. That might not sound like it's must-see material, but there are two things to keep in mind here. Not only is Jake Gyllenhaal performing at the very top of his game right now (see: Nightcrawler, Prisoners, Southpaw), but with Demolition he teams with a director (Jean-Marc Vallée) who's also at the top of his game (see: Dallas Buyers Club, Wild). Those facts alone have us hankering to see what the two men produce -- and we'll get to it pretty early on since Demolition is the festival's opening-night film.
Watch the first Cameron Crowe-esque trailer below.
As for Room, this mother-son drama stars Brie Larson as a mom who struggles to raise her child in the single room where he was born and raised. Wait, one room? Can they leave the room? Well that's the hook with this film, which is already being hailed as an Oscar contender for Larson, who's been eyeing some awards attention ever since she astounded audiences with an incredible performance in the shoulda-been-nominated Short Term 12.
Watch the Room trailer below.
Q. What else should we be on the lookout for?
A. Good question. Watch this video with Alicia Malone (@aliciamalone) for some of the things she's most excited to see in Toronto.
Q. How do we track Toronto International Film Festival reactions via social media?
A. You'll want to keep track of the hashtag #TIFF15. In general, keep an eye out for the letters "TIFF" since they serve as the official abbreviation of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Q. How do we follow your own adventures at the festival this year?
A. Well that's an easy one. You can follow me @erikdavis on Twitter, and if you see me at the festival then make sure to say hey.
