Toronto International Film Festival 2014 Watchlist

Article by Gabe Zia
So, this weekend, I'm heading to TIFF (otherwise known as the Toronto International FIlm Festival). In terms of film fests, this is one of the bigger ones, right up there with Cannes, Sundance, or Berlin. Some of really cool movies coming out later this year and early next year will be at this festival, so here are some of the films I'll be checking out.

Phoenix

When it comes to interesting premises, Phoenix has caught my eye the most of any of them. Basically, it's about a disfigured holocaust survivor who is searched a ravaged post world war 2 Berlin for her husband, who she believes betrayed her to the Nazis. World War 2 films are almost a dime a dozen, however most of those are about soldiers or politics, so it's nice to see a story more about an isolated event.

Labyrinthus
In a weird twist on Tron, Labyrinthus is about a computer game which literally sucks its players into the game, leading the characters trying to survive this twisted game. Much like some of the other films this year, I know little to nothing about this film, short of the fact that it seems to have an intriguing premise, and Scandinavian films are usually pretty good.

Gemma Bovery

Gemma Bovery is about this guy, named Martin, who loves Gustave Flauberts novels. In a strange coincidence (I'm guess it probably isn't), an English couple moves into the house next to his, named Gemma and Charles Bovery (much like the protagonists of Flauberts novel Madame Bovery). Not only that, but their actions appear somehow similar to Flauberts characters.

While We're Young

While We're Young follows an uptight couple, played by Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts, who have their lives loosened up when they meet a younger couple, played by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried. This kind of premise might not normally catch my eye, but the directors previous work included Frances Ha and The Squid and the Whale, as well as co-writing a few Wes Anderson films, so it'll probably be pretty interesting.

Finally Famous (or Top Five)
Chris Rock makes his directorial debut with this film about a comedian who wants to become a serious actor, while being married to a reality tv star who wants to broadcast their wedding on tv. Knowing Chris Rock movies, I'm guessing things won't exactly go as planned for either of them. I'm mainly interesting in seeing this film because I'm always interested when an actor makes a directorial debut, because sometimes it can be like Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Don Jon (still waiting for him to make another movie).

Confession
In this noir-ish action thriller, three friends decide to fake a robbery (not exactly sure why). However, this ends up in a real death happening, which based on the words "action thriller", I'm guessing this leads to all sorts of bad stuff happening, all surrounding one of them wanting to probably confess (hence the title).

Do I Sound Gay?
Documentaries that really catch my eye are kind of rare, due to the fact that there are documentaries on almost everything. So, why did this one catch my interest? Well, it touches on something I don't think enough people really talk about (the stereotypical "gay voice" used in almost every North American sitcom ever), seems kind of humorous, and will probably promote discussion.

Kill me Three Times

I know absolutely nothing about this movie, other than the fact that it's a dark comedy set in Australia. And I'd kind of like to keep it that way, because when a film manages to keep its plot a secret like this, I feel obliged to go along with that and try to not find out. All I know is it's got a pretty good cast (Simon Pegg, Alice Braga, & Teresa Palmer), and a director who I've heard is pretty good.

The Yes Men are Revolting

Much like "Do I Sound Gay" The Yes Men are Revolting has caught my attention with the three major things a documentary should have for me to be interested. This one follows two guys who are causing stunts that are designed to draw awareness to climate change, which if you ask me is the most concerning thing going on right now.