More Buzzworthy TIFF 2011 Films

Twixt

"Inspired by the gothic horror of Edgar Allen Poe, Coppola's latest tells the tale of a burnt-out mystery writer (Val Kilmer) who gets mixed up in murder and evil in a California town." (Tiff.net)

Younger sister to Dakota, Elle Fanning can now brag about having been in two Coppolas' films, how lucky is she?! (she was in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere). This being a contribution from the acclaimed, legendary, Oscar-winning (and Godfather-directing!), Francis Ford Coppola, it's a must-see whether or not you catch it at the Festival.



The Descendants

"George Clooney plays the leader of a storied Hawaiian family as they are forced to decide what to do with their last, vast parcel of land. At the same time he learns a secret about his critically ill wife. From the director of Sideways." (Tiff.net)

Take this Waltz

"Sarah Polley makes a welcome return to directing with her first feature since 2006 Festival favourite Away from Her. Luke Kirby, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman and two-time Oscar®-nominee Michelle Williams star in this bittersweet story about a married woman struggling to choose between her husband and a man she's just met." (Tiff.net)

It'll be interesting to see how Seth Rogen takes on this dramatic and not-at-all-comedic role after being Judd Apatow's go-to goofball for so many years.



Melancholia

"Denmark's most celebrated and notorious filmmaker returns with a fantasy/domestic drama about depression, severely dysfunctional families, and the end of the world."

It's kind of sad that anytime anyone mentions this film, all that comes to mind is the controversy Director Lars Von Trier started by making some questionable remarks about Hitler at this year's Cannes Film Festival. But beneath all of that hoopla, looks to be a visually stimulating film about life, family dysfunction, and the end of the world.



Shame

Tiff.net

"Michael Fassbender plays a New York man confronting his sexual compulsions and the self-destructive acts of his sister (Carey Mulligan). From the director of Hunger." (Tiff.net)

No trailer yet!

Trishna

"Self-effacing British auteur Michael Winterbottom sets his unique spin on Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles against a contemporary Indian backdrop. Freida Pinto stars as the titular Trishna, a young woman who is seduced by the wealthy son of a property developer. As the romance develops, their relationship also becomes increasingly sordid and volatile." (Tiff.net)

Freida Pinto first stole our hearts as the innocent and beautiful heroine in Slumdog Millionaire. With Trishna, we'll get to see if she has what it takes to be more than just a pretty face in a huge ensemble cast.

Red Band Trailer: Ryan Gosling's 'Drive'

What can I say? I love a good crime film (...not sure what that says about me). It's no secret that I'd much rather kick back and watch Goodfellas or The Departed for the umpteenth time, than give any attention to some of the derivative action flicks that've been released lately. And, as a proud Canadian (and former fan of The Mickey Mouse Club and Breaker High!), I love me some Ryan Gosling (minus his ridiculously-fake Brooklyn accent. Like seriously, buddy, you're from Canada, not New York. Life doesn't have to imitate art ALL the time), and I truly believe Carey Mulligan is pretty much close to perfection. She has a subtle, yet distinct, on-screen presence that the world fell in love with after her breakout (and might I mention, Oscar-nominated) role in An Education. Also must mention the stellar supporting cast that includes Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and the gorgeous Christina Hendricks (Mad Men).

Ryan plays a Hollywood stunt driver who also moonlights as a getaway-car wheelman. Drive looks gritty, excellently violent, and pretty damn sexy, with heads bashing and guns waving. Seriously, what's wrong with me?

Trailer: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Leak or Viral Marketing

The age of YouTube doesn't seem like it's slowing down any. Just this year we were witness to the amazing and innovative Old Spice campaign, the crazy and infectious Bed Intruder videos and uncountable (and unwelcome) parodies of Rebecca Black's horrendous hit, Friday.

Earlier this week, the red-band trailer for David Fincher's American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was leaked, and if you haven't seen it by now, well, you're obviously not glued to your computer screen like I am. The trailer is so blatantly 'bootlegged', I mean, someone is holding a hand-held camera to a screener of the trailer. Or wait...is it?



Usually if something like this leaks, it's taken down right away so the production team can release it officially when they're ready. If you don't watch it right away, you're screwed because it's already gone by the time you get around to watching it. So either Sony is all lax about it since it's already out, or perhaps they leaked the trailer themselves, to generate some buzz around the movie's release.

Take a look at what The Hollywood Reporter has dug up from watching the trailer - one thing for sure is the sound seems too good for a cam-copy (and thank God for that, because the Trent Reznor and Karen Oh track wouldn't be worthy of poor sound quality). But, if that's the case and Sony did 'leak' their own trailer to kick off some viral marketing campaign, was it a clever move on the their part or should things 'go viral' more organically? Is it really something worthy of a 'leak' considering a novel and previous (hard to live up to) film version already exists? And did we ruin everything by pointing out that it may have been a marketing tactic?

If you're interested in viral marketing and want to know more about how and why videos go viral, take a look at this post from Sysomos.

UPDATE:
As you can see, as of Wednesday morning, the trailer has been taken down, with a copyright claim from Sony. Hmm, so maybe the conspiracy theories were wrong and it was just a bootleg. Still, maybe not...

Trailer: The First Grader

Sometimes I feel that it's my responsibility to bring attention to films that otherwise get pushed to the sidelines because of soul-sucking blockbusters like Fast Five. So it's my duty to talk a little about an upcoming Maple Pictures' release I'm excited to see: The First Grader. As an East African (well, a second-generation East African, since I was actually born in Canada), I have a bit of a bias with this one even though I haven't seen it yet.

Based on a true story (aren't they always?), The First Grader is the inspirational story of an 84-year-old Kenyan villager who fights for his right to attend school that he couldn't afford to go to as a child. Just that synopsis alone is enough to pull at your heartstrings. The poor guy just wants to learn how to read - how can anyone deny him that?

I know it makes the Kenyan Government look pretty evil, denying an old man - a freedom fighter - an education he so desperately wants. But, the story itself seems more about showing the importance and value of education that North Americans take for granted. I've been there; I've visited those schoolrooms and I've seen the pride that is taken in something we find a nuisance. Even the smallest village in the middle of nowhere, with maybe 15 huts, has a school, and I think - and hope - that's the true spirit of the film. That no matter who you are, and no matter where you live, you have the RIGHT to an education.

The First Grader opens in Toronto on May 20th, in Montreal on May 27th and in Vancouver on June 3rd. 

Trailer: The Art of Getting By

The Art of Getting By stars Freddie Highmore as a disconnected and uninspired teen, slacking his way through High School. He befriends Emma Roberts' character and a relationship begins to develop between the two of them but of course, the audience has to watch it to see if either of them end up acting on their feelings. The film also stars Michael Angarano (Lords of Dogtown, Ceremony), another Indie film regular, as well as Elizabeth Reaser (The Twilight Saga) and the iconic (at least for my Clueless generation) Alicia Silverstone.

I have a feeling that no matter how old I get, I'll always be a sucker for these kinds of coming-of-age indie flicks. Age really isn't a factor in being able to relate to something emotionally and even though the principle characters are almost a decade younger than me, it still gives me butterflies and a yearning for that indecisive time when our lives were so full of unlimited possibilities - before the choices of what career to have and what job to take, put limits on our potential.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

The Art of Getting By comes out June 17th.

True Blood Season 4 Spoiler - Waiting Sucks

True Blood's Season 4 premiere may still be a few months away but for die-hard, fang-banging fans, the fun and anticipation has already begun. HBO has become a social media powerhouse when it comes to TV, known for its fresh and exciting buzz-marketing campaigns to keep fans interested in between seasons. Remember the hilarious True Blood videos and poster campaign from last season? Well, apart from the spoilers that may or may not have been released at PaleyFest this past weekend (the entire cast was in attendance, including the dreamy Alexander Skarsgard!), HBO has just released the first official teaser video for True Blood Season 4. Talk about a teaser! Eric, shirtless, all vulnerable and sad? I am definitely teased.

For those who've read the Sookie Stackhouse series of novels that the show's based on, you know what's going on in this scene. Season 4 picks up right around the beginning of book 4: Dead to the World. So when you see a shirtless Eric, you know what's going on and why Eric's acting all 'deer in the headlights'. Although, I have to say I'm pretty sure he was wandering around naked, and not shirtless, in the book. Just saying.

Waiting Sucks, so hopefully the teaser videos and whatever HBO has planned, will keep us occupied till True Blood makes its return.

Bad Teacher - Cameron Diaz's Comedic Comeback?

Bad Teacher - It reminds me of the early days of Cameron Diaz comedies - the foul-mouthed, raunchy, not-afraid-to-be-dirty and ugly, like There's Something About Mary and The Sweetest Thing. The Cameron we fell for, but could still hang with. I actually want to see this one. Watch the trailer but be warned, Cameron be droppin' F-bombs like crazy!

Also in the movie, everyone's favourite friendly-giant, Jason Segal, who is a comic genius of today's Judd Apatow-loving generation. (I could watch him in Forgetting Sarah Marshall over and over again!) Plus, Phyllis from The Office - and who doesn't love anyone from The Office?!

Even Justin Timberlake doesn't seem too bad in this, although he needs to stop pretending he's a geek. He's too good-looking to simply put on a pair of nerdy glasses and try and convince us he's a loser. Then again, he was in NSync.

Trailer: Jane Eyre - To Mr. Rochester, with Love

aceshowbiz.com

Last summer I picked up Jane Eyre due to sheer boredom and the fact that although I’ve tried to read most classic English novels, somehow I’d missed that one. I couldn’t put it down, from beginning to end. Reading it, you are transported into a gloomy world, dark and full of secrets we can’t even imagine. The story is riveting and, as it always seems to happen, we fall madly in love with the perpetually angry and tortured ‘bad-boy’ character, Mr. Rochester.

After finishing the novel, I proceeded to find every film adaptation I could. Being a movie-obsessed person, I desperately needed something visual to relate to. Unfortunately, the Hollywood film version was just about the worst thing I’ve ever seen. With terrible casting and the tight, hour and a half condensed-story, it was a complete disaster. The BBC version was significantly better but I still have very little urge to watch it seasonally, over and over (and over) again, like I do with the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. (Oh, Mr. Darcy. Swoon.)

But coming soon for literary nerds everywhere, a new film version of Jane Eyre, releasing March 2011, starring Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland), and the always memorable Judi Dench. As someone who loves a good period piece, I couldn't be more excited. And, from the looks of the trailer, we may finally get to see a worthy adaptation of this classic story.

With Ryan Gosling, All Good Things (must come to an end?)

magpictures.com

What is it about Ryan Gosling that makes me swoon? He's made such a transformation since playing goofy troublemaker on the short-lived after-school show Breaker High. With success in various genres of film, from the epic and probably greatest romantic movie of my generation, The Notebook, to his critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated work in Half Nelson, and the hugely anticipated upcoming Blue Valentine, he's got quite a resume already and he's just getting started.

Despite the presence of Kirsten Dunst (who I seriously cannot stand - not even a little bit), I'm filing All Good Things under must-see. First of all, the film is unofficially based on Robert Durst, the wealthy son of New York City real estate mogul, who was suspected of killing his missing wife, but never went to court for it. With Ryan portraying what looks like a mysteriously dark and disturbed character, the movie screams suspense, right down to the background music. Plus, Ryan Gosling has proven to be extremely choosy with his movie roles, so I'm at least intrigued.


All Good Things Trailer
In theatres December 3rd, 2010

Finally! Blue Valentine Trailer - The sweetest thing.

We finally get to see the official trailer for the hugely anticipated new film starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams that played at TIFF. All we really know is that it's a love story that doesn't end well. And the trailer adds a bit of bitter-sweetness that I'm sure we'll see more of when it actually comes out. I'm not sure about the release date as yet.