By John H. Foote WESTERN STARS (****) Bruce Springsteen is without peer as the greatest rock and roll poet in music history. His blue collar background has brought out some of the most intensely personal songs in modern music, singing about life in small towns, girls, cars, family, friends and life. Very few artists possess…
By John H. Foote The traffic in the lobby of the massive ScotiaBank Cinema has thinned out considerably as many critics and industry folks have gone home or headed to New York for the next big festival. You can actually walk through here without bashing into anyone or getting bashed into. Once again the incredible…
By John H. Foote Eighteen years ago today I was commuting into TIFF. Having been critically injured in a near fatal car accident, my wife did not want me staying in the city alone, so I decided I would see just two films a day and come home each night. I was listening to Howard…
By John H. Foote When it was announced that Joker would be here as a Gala film, I admit I groaned. Seriously? Is that the direction TIFF was taking post-Piers Handling? Visions of Godzilla (1998) at Cannes danced in my head, the moment Cannes became irrelevant. I should have had more faith in these programmers,…
By John H. Foote It erupted very quickly and without warning. Mere minutes before the lights went down an older lady, maybe 70, a scowl on her face, came into the cinema with her walker and immediately began accosting anyone sitting in the handicap-capped row. She was late, knew it and wanted a seat, a…
By John H. Foote By Sunday in previous years most of the big Hollywood films have screened, but this year it seems an effort was made to keep them screening through the second half of the festival. Personally, I think it is terrific. Today started early with Judy, the biopic about the last year in…
By John H. Foote The worst sound in the world is someone with a cold sniffing so hard you just know by the sound whatever horrors in their nostrils are now running down their throat. It really is a disgusting sound. They lack the simple common sense to blow their nose, a much easier sound…
By John H. Foote Have they made a conscious decision at TIFF to make the festival less top heavy? I have always maintained the first five days are the busiest as the major offerings from Hollywood are screened. Not this year. The big films do not start until Monday which gives some smaller films a…
By John H. Foote (***) The grand finale of the filmed version of the massive Stephen King book, this is among the most anticipated films of the year. It (2017) was the adaptation of a King’s massive novel, an absolute stunner and one of the man’s finest achievements. The TV film was very good, bolstered…
By John H. Foote The day began at eight a.m. Grabbing a coffee and scone at a nearby Second Cup, I made my way to the cinema in the massive Scotiabank Theatre. The home of 80% of press and industry screenings it is a beehive of energy, constant movement and movies, movies, movies. Let’s get…