By John H. Foote
What could be the final group of films for TIFF was announced this morning, some nice surprises among them.
Two more Galas were added, another sixteen in the Special Presentation series, along with the Contemporary World Cinema, Masters and Wavelength programs.
Here are today’s standouts.
LUCY IN THE SKY with Natalie Portman as an astronaut recently back from space slowly unraveling. The inside word is very strong on Portmans’ performance.
A HIDDEN LIFE is the latest from Terence Malick, who I believe is vastly overrated and self-indulgent. Mixed reviews at Cannes greeted the film.
SEBERG…Kristen Stewart as controversial actress Jean Seberg. I am in. Stewart has long been far more talented than given credit for being.
LES MISERABLES…Said to be a stunner, this French crime epic is set in the modern day and never stops moving. One of the hottest tickets at the fest.
THE AERONAUTS had huge buzz a month ago, but that settled. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are reunited in a hot air balloon.
All film synopsis available at tiff.net
John H. Foote is a well-recognized Canadian film critic/historian who has been an active critic for 30 years. His deep love for the movies began at a very young age. He began his career as co-host of the popular TV show Reel to Real where he remained for nine years. While on TV he began dabbling in education, eventually ascending to Director of the Toronto Film School, where he also taught film history. After leaving the college to care for his wife, he returned to teaching at Humber College where he taught both Film History and Method Acting Theory. John has written two books: “Clint Eastwood – Evolution of a Filmmaker” and the upcoming “Spielberg – American Film Visionary”. He is currently working on two books, one about the films of the seventies and another on the films of Martin Scorsese. Through his career he has worked in TV, radio, print and the web. John has interviewed everyone in the industry (more than 300 interviews) except Jack Nicholson, he says sadly. Highlights include Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep Robert Duvall, Jane Fonda, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow.
