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Every year from September 4^th – 14^th the annual TIFF 2014 festival arrives in Toronto. The festival brings some of the world’s highest caliber celebrities and film industry talent. While our city will be buzzing with celebrity sightings, red carpets and glamorous parties, at the core of the festival is always going to be the work — in other words the new movies that are premiering. Every year the list of movies is stacked full of endless options to choose from, making it difficult to choose what movies you should see. In order to make that decision a little easier, we’ve listed 10 of the most highly anticipated films at this year’s festival. A lot of which are based on true stories, showcasing career-defining performances, as well as a couple of highly anticipated films from Canadian directors.

The must-see list is as follows:

1. Wild

Starring Reese Witherspoon and directed by Canadian filmmaker, Jean-Marc Vallee (Who’s on a real hot-streak after directing the critical hit, The Dallas Buyers Club) is a film based on the best-selling memoir of Cheryl Strayed. Reese Witherspoon plays the title role, a heroin junkie who sets out to cleanse herself on a thousand-mile hiking trail. Witherspoon is already creating early Oscar buzz for what’s undoubtedly her most interesting role since Walk the Line. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Official Trailer

2. The Imitation Game

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, Imitation Game is based on the true story of Cambridge mathematician, cryptanalyst, and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing (Benedict), who led the Enigma code-breaking operation during World War II. Turing was hired by the British military to break Nazi codes during the war, and then was later persecuted for being homosexual by the British government, which was illegal at the time. Official Trailer

3. Map to the Stars

Map to the Stars is another film by a Canadian filmmaker that is anxiously being awaited at this year’s festival. Directed by Toronto-born David Cronenberg (Cosmopolis), Map to the Stars is a satirical film that examines celebrity culture and the pursuit of fame at the expense of absolutely anything. The film explores the dark side of “western culture” and dissects LA’s obsession with celebrity culture as it follows the life of two former child stars. The film has a star-studded cast and includes the likes of Julianne Moore (who won best actress at Cannes), John Cusack, Robert Pattinson, and Mia Wasikawska to name a few. Official Trailer

4. Men, Women, and Children

Co-Written and directed by TIFF veteran Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air, Labor Day), Men, Women, and Children is surely going to be one of the most innovative films at this year’s festival. Starring Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler, J.K. Simmons (who also stars in Whiplash), Emma Thompson, and Ansel Elgort (The Fault in our Stars), the story follows a group of teenagers and their parents as they try and deal with the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, communication, self-image, and their love lives. Official Trailer

5. Nightcrawler

A film noir from first-time director Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom, a drifter and petty-thief who joins the nocturnal legions of scuzzy freelance photographers who scour the city of LA shooting gruesome crime-scenes. The film also features what is said to be the best performance of Jake Gyllenhaal’s career (who lost a considerable amount of weight for the role and is likely going to be in Oscar conversations this fall). Official Trailer

6. St. Vincent

There are a lot of great comedies slotted to premiere at this year’s festival and St. Vincent is right at the top of the list. The film stars Bill Murray (who is at his absolute best in this role), as a cash-strapped, carefree retiree who somehow becomes a wildly unexpected role model to the twelve-year-old son of his next-door neighbor (played by Melissa McCarthy) when he bottoms out his bank account and offers to take care of her son for cash. Official Trailer

7. Whiplash

While Whiplash already premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, it’s still one of the most buzzed about films heading into TIFF. It’s already won the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award at Sundance, so it will be on most people’s must-see shortlist. Starring Miles Teller as Andrew Neyman, an ambitious young jazz drummer at a prestigious music academy who ends up clashing violently with his intense music instructor, Terence Fletcher (played by J.K. Simmons). The film is all about asking the question: “How far would you go to achieve perfection?” Definitely a must see! Official Trailer

8. While We’re Young

While We’re Young is a comedy starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, and Adam Driver (who has three movies premiering at this year’s festival). The story explores aging, ambition, and success, when a middle-aged couple’s (Stiller and Watts) careers and marriage is overturned when they meet a young, hip, bohemian couple (Seyfried and Driver). The film is a close look at the New York creative class and is supposedly a bang on dissection of urban sophisticates.

9. Mr. Turner

Before the great French impressionists, there was J.M.W. Turner, one of the greatest English painters to ever live. Mr. Turner is a biopic recounting the life of the famed British landscape painter. Timothy Spall stars as Turner, and has already won the best actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Writer-Director Mike Leigh is also receiving high praise for Mr. Turner, which is being considered one of his masterworks. Official Trailer

10. Foxcatcher

Foxcatcher is probably the most highly anticipated film at this year’s festival, just based off the reception it received at the Cannes Festival. Directed by Bennett Miller (Capote and Moneyball), who also won the best director award at Cannes, stars Channing Tatum, Steve Carell, and Mark Ruffalo. It tells the true story of two brothers, Mark and Dave Schultz (Tatum and Ruffalo), both former Olympic wrestling champions and their tragic friendship with a neurotic millionaire coach, John du Pont (Steve Carell, who is virtually unrecognizable in all the prosthetic makeup). Both Tatum and Carell are venturing into foreign acting territory with their roles — Carell receiving a lot of early Oscar talk for his creepy portrayal of Du Pont. Official Trailer

TIFF is only a week away so make sure you get your tickets to a few of these buzzed about films. For tickets and all other TIFF-related information, you can visit the official website — http://www.tiff.net

Lights, Camera, Summer!

Summer 2014 is just around the corner and for most “normal folk” it means impromptu trips to cottage country, days of energy-drowning on patios with cold beverages, and basically trying to work as little as possible so you can enjoy the summer. But for those who call the film industry, “their industry”, it’s quite the opposite. Summer is a time when you strap on your working sandals and get ready to cram as much filming work as possible into your summer, until you’re working like a dog well into the dog days in August. Summer presents a great opportunity to finally film that passion project you’ve been yearning to do, or film that indie movie you’ve been trying to squeeze into your busy schedule. In short, there’s a lot being shot during the summer in Toronto.

So what’s being shot in our fair Canadian city this coming spring/summer? Obviously there’s a lot, but we’ve broken down a few of the highest profile projects to keep you in the loop.

Pixels.

The movie will be bringing Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Michelle Monaghan into our town for the summer months. Brought to you by Arcaders Productions Ltd. and directed by Christopher Columbus. Pixels tells you the story of what happens when aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them. This begins a war against the human race, using the games as models for their various assaults. Filming will take place from May 28th – September 30th. So keep a look out this summer for the dynamic goof balls of Kevin James and Adam Sandler taking in a Jay’s game and maybe even throwing that all-important first pitch.

Regression.

Written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar, and starring Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson. Regression is about a man who is accused of abusing his daughter — a crime he doesn’t even remember committing. Sounds like it’s an intense thriller that should see Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson acting opposite one another in some very intense scenes. Filming is well underway, starting on April 15th and due to wrap on June 12th.

Crimson Peak.

Principal photography began back in February at Pinewood Studios, and filming began at the end of April in Hamilton, as well as in Kingston. The film is starring Mia Wasikawska, Charlie Hunnam, and Jessica Chastain, and is produced by Legendary Pictures. The film is supposed to take place in Cumbria, a crumbling mansion in a largely rural and mountainous region of Northern England in the 19th century. A young author (Wasikawska) discovers that her charming new husband is not who he appears to be. Photos from the Hamilton set this spring have already been released all over the Internet. Filming is due to run into the summer here in Toronto.

October Gale.

Written and directed by Ruba Nadda, and starring Tim Roth, Scott Speedman, and Patricia Clarkson. October Gale is a thriller about a doctor who takes in a wounded victim that washes ashore at her cottage. Quickly they realize that the killer is there to try and finish the job, just as a storm draws in. Sounds like something to be shot on Toronto Island, doesn’t it? Filming started on April 21st and wraps up on May 25th.

The summer months are also a very busy time for TV shows to shoot in order to get prepared for fall premieres. This summer keep a look out all over the city, as Suits will be filming Season 4 from April 7th – November 7th. Lost Girl will be filming their fifth season from April 7th – August 17th. Also filming their fifth seasons will be Covert Affairs from March 31st – September 19th and Rookie Blue finishes shooting on June 9th. Then the ever-so-popular Canadian sitcom, Degassi, will be filming their 14th season from April 22nd – October 1st.

So that means there will be opportunities for actors to audition for roles on one of these productions, or simply, just catch sight of a star or a film set in the middle of action.

It’s an exciting time. The entertainment industry is bursting with projects on the go and it’s a great time be working on set. Which is all in the lead up to TIFF in September!

Tag Archives: mia wasikawska

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