Keith Simanton's Toronto Films I'm Most Excited to See: 2015 List
Toronto's lineup this year has some standout features, including new films from directors Ridley Scott, Tom Hooper, Scott Cooper, Jay Roach and Stephen Frears. But there's also some other films that have received high praise at other festivals, piquing my interest. It's impossible to see everything so it's best to take your best guesses and hope you're not wrong. Films playing at Toronto I already caught at Cannes and loved are Sicario and Disorder.
1.
Spotlight
(2015)
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core. (128 mins.)
Director: Tom McCarthy
“ Spotlight has already received some positive notices but this isn't just drafting behind them. I have been a fan of Tom McCarthy's films such as The Visitor and The Station Agent because he's a director who can elicit the best performances from his previously underutilized actors including Richard Jenkins, Peter Dinklage and Bobby Cannavale. I've been so supportive that, for last year's Top 10 Anticipated at TIFF I included The Cobbler, a misbegotten misfire starring Adam Sandler. Putting that behind us it appears that McCarthy has garnered some great performances from this fantastic troupe with several serious topics in play. ” - keithsim
2.
The Martian
(2015)
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. (144 mins.)
Director: Ridley Scott
“ This was the trailer that impressed me the most at CinemaCon, which was the least thing I expected. Another stellar cast and no Damon Lindelof in sight. This looks like a return to form for the legendary Ridley Scott. ” - keithsim
3.
Trumbo
(2015)
In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs. (124 mins.)
Director: Jay Roach
“ Can director Jay Roach keep this from being a mere civics lesson? His work on Game Change would suggest that he most certainly can and Trumbo is a character well-worth investigating. ” - keithsim
4.
The Danish Girl
(2015)
A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. (119 mins.)
Director: Tom Hooper
“ I'm glad that Redmayne received the recognition he did for The Theory of Everything (though that was Michael Keaton's Oscar) and I first noticed him at another TIFF debut, the otherwise loathsome Hick. In that film he played a psychotic redneck obsessed with Blake Lively's character. In Danish Girl, reuniting with his Les Miserables Tom Hooper, Redmayne gets to show his range yet again, this time as the first gender reassignment patient. But what I'm really looking forward to is the performance by Alicia Vikander, who, with Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and this, is really having a wonderful year. ” - keithsim
5.
Room
(2015)
A kidnapped mother and son escape from a room in which they have endured imprisonment for the entirety of the boy's life. Upon breaking free from its confines, they experience a dramatic homecoming, provoking insight into the depths of imagination and the extent of a mother's love. (118 mins.)
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
6.
The Witch
(2015)
A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession. (92 mins.)
Director: Robert Eggers
7.
Son of Saul
(2015)
In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son. (107 mins.)
Director: László Nemes
8.
The Program
(2015)
An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong. (103 mins.)
Director: Stephen Frears
9.
Black Mass
(2015)
The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf. (123 mins.)
Director: Scott Cooper
10.
He Named Me Malala
(2015 Documentary)
A look at the events leading up to the Taliban's attack on Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, for speaking out on girls' education followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations. (88 mins.)
Director: Davis Guggenheim