Top 10 Toronto Int. Film Fest Films!

For the second time, I made the trek to Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival. This time I had a pass which gave me access to Press & Industry screenings, which meant that I was able to see over 20 films.

These are the top 10 that I saw, plus a wrap-up on what I absolutely hated at the end.

1. Molly’s Game

Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut is a crowd-pleasing delight that validates everything you love about the Sorkin-brand. It’s got bold characters, rip-roaring monologues, and exposition disguised as entertainment. Furthermore, Sorkin ably translates poker’s literal stakes into dramatic ones. It helps that the film is more about someone running poker games than participating in the game herself; this way Sorkin can delve headlong into the various metaphors that poker can represent and not get too caught up in the specifics.

As for the presentation, it just works. For a first time director, the execution is confident and flawless. Working with an auteur like David Fincher in the past produced the modern classic The Social Network; on his own, Sorkin’s slick directorial style proves more than satisfactory to manage his script.

Finally, I know that some people will see Molly’s Game in a few months and roll their eyes at the high placement on this list. I may have seen films with more humanistic themes at TIFF, but as far as escapism goes, it doesn’t get much better than this. Deal me in.

2. Lady Bird

Greta Gerwig doesn’t reinvent the wheel with this coming-of-age tale. I caught trailer for Lady Bird after having seen the movie, and I can confirm what you see is exactly what you’re going to get — but you’re going to see the best possible version of that story.

Lady Bird hits the right balance of specific-to-universal in the portrayal of the eponymous protagonist and her struggles with her overbearing mother. For those who loved The Edge of Seventeen (another TIFF flick) from last year, you can do no better than this rock-solid high school dramedy.

3. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards is a thrilling contradiction: it’s a slow-moving stage play and a thrilling mystery; it’s wildly funny and deeply depressing; it’s furious and resigned. Somehow the complex film won the Grolsch People’s Choice award at TIFF over vastly more crowd-pleasing entries, namely The Shape of Water. I’d argue that’s proof that the film’s sharp voice and well-realized examination of small town racism is more than good, but truly essential.

Past recipients of the audience-given award (12 years a Slave, La La Land, Room) have gone on to do well at the Oscars. I’d be both pleased and proud if this alienating film were to gain that sort of national attention. There are few films in 2017 (Get Out) that are more appropriate for the screwed up times we live in.

4. The Florida Project

The Florida Project, a portrait of itinerant life in Orlando motels starts with the incongruous song “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. That’s the zany sense of humor that director Sean Baker possesses. For more info, look no further than his breakout film, Tangerine, which dove headlong into the world of trans prostitutes on the streets of LA. During Christmas, of course.

The Florida Project isn’t quite as “funny” as the opening would suggest though. The film’s humanistic depiction of poverty eventually reach some traumatic places. The central thrust of the movie follows a young girl’s attempts to construct a carefree childhood amidst the crushing realities of her existence.

Sean Baker is able to capture underrepresented communities without condescending or resorting to a mawkish depiction of poverty for easy sympathy. As a result, The Florida Project isn’t an easy watch. It is, however, the exact definition of uncompromising movies that “no one makes.” I can promise you won’t see any fictional films like it in 2017.

5. The Shape of Water

TIFF’s ultimate crowdpleaser, The Shape of Water, is a near-perfect execution of a somewhat unambitious idea. It’s an adult fairytale about a romance between a mute woman and humanoid “monster” from the Amazon river. The subtextual themes rely heavily on the Cold War setting to demonstrate the meaninglessness of creating boundaries, etc. It’s simple, but it works.

Throw in some gorgeous creature design, nimble cinematography, charming performances, and you have a movie! The Shape of Water won’t fix attitudes on racism, homophobia and, uh, bestiality, but it’s great that it’s able to fit those concerns into the package. The Shape of Water is more proof that “adult blockbusters” are often the best times you can have at the movies.

6. Meditation Park

I was unprepared for this touching film. Meditation Park has the “dramedy” tonal balance that screams Sundance. I don’t say that as an insult, but I was surprised how much I liked it given the film’s tightrope tone between realism and light comedy. Normally, these half-and-half movies are outside my wheelhouse. Mina Shum tells the story of an devoted woman who discovers evidence that her longtime husband is cheating. The protagonist’s investigation into infidelity is played with a level of fun, while the moments of introspection in between carry proper weight. Ultimately, the performances carry the film through the changes and help it land a solid ending that justifies some of the tonal whiplash.

7. The Disaster Artist

The Disaster Artist tells the behind-the-scenes story of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, and for some people that is enough to recommend it. For those on the fence, I can assure you that The Disaster Artist is a remarkably cohesive, stand-alone comedy about ambition and ‘alternative’ fame. It succeeds because it finds a clear narrative path to hang the ridiculousness on. The tone isn’t that much different than any James Franco romp, but the story of two outsiders coming together to follow their dreams is empathetic enough to give the movie a faint air prestige. It’s not bound for true Oscar glory — although an Adapted Screenplay nod or supporting actor nomination wouldn’t shock me. I haven’t actually seen The Room (amazing, I know), but I found it compelling. I really appreciate the message it tells about failure and show business. Hollywood loves to make movies about itself, but The Disaster Artist justifies the navel-gazing.

8. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Fans of The Lobster, rejoice! The Killing of a Sacred Deer is another deep dive into the silly bounds of respectable society and whatever makes us human. This time the specific subject matter moves on from romance to family loyalty. Once again, filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos find a unique ultimatum to drive the conflict of his picture. In The Lobster, it was the threat of being turned into an animal. Here, if certain wrongs aren’t righted, well…I’d hate to spoil it.

The pacing drags a tad — Deer would have been a brilliant 25 minute short — but the jogs of hilarity come at regular intervals. Luckily, Lathmos can still justify the weird stilted dialogue style and wring it for humor. The Killing of a Sacred Deer might only be my #8, but I imagine it will be #1 for a lot of folks this year.

9. I, Tonya

I, Tonya is a brutally hard watch. The dark comedy takes an ironic approach to its (relentless) depiction of domestic and parental abuse. But it has such strong perspective on the story and a powerful style to match that no decisions feel unjustified. You may disagree with what’s on screen, but you can’t argue negligence regarding the hot button topics. At any moment, I, Tonya could have flown off the rails. It should alienate people from disadvantaged backgrounds, sports fans, and true crime connoisseurs. Instead, it mixes all their interests into a big, ambitious old gumbo. At the very least, I, Tonya succeeds in one simple goal: after watching the film, I can assure you Tonya Harding is more than just a white trash/tragic figure in Olympics history. She’s a real person who lost control of her own destiny.

10. Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name is easy to damn with faint praise. It’s a well-constructed coming of age flick. The cinematography is sharp and the film boasts a unique sense of place. The pacing is novel-esque (in a good way).The film casually expands homosexual relationships on the big screen, with some of the most erotic depictions of gay love in years. Ultimately, for me, the performances are the only impactful part of package. The rest may fade into generic art schmaltz, but those actors owned it. Armie Hammer justifies his continued presence in film festival fare and newcomer Timothée Chalamet owns his big screen breakthrough.

The Really Bad Movies!

Now for the fun part, what did I hate? In no particular order…

mother!

There are two kinds of bad movies — movies that have nothing to say, and movies that have something to say which is bad. mother! is the latter. It sure has a lot to offer on the meaning front, but it’s an utter failure as a movie. The self-flagellating message crumbles when it comes across as self-serving too. Darren Aronosky can’t excoriate himself as an asshole and then pat himself on the back for doing just that at the same time. I hated every second of his pretentious, unengaging garbage.

Downsizing

Alexander Payne misses the mark. His comedy never picks a subject matter for the milquetoast protagonist to get embroiled in. Is it an economic parable? A human rights one? An environmentalist screed? Who knows. After two hours and fifteen minutes, the inert film tries on a bunch of different themes, but doesn’t wear any properly.

And in case you were wondering, one of the main characters is an atrocious racial caricature. The film was already bad before it became racist. SMDH.

Suburbicon

The lackluster old Coen brothers script doesn’t gain much with George Clooney and his writing partner Grant Heslov tacking on a racial commentary. The two storylines never merge in a satisfying way. Plus Matt Damon is well-cast on paper but thinly written in the lead. There’s just no heft to the “bumbling criminals” shtick that we’ve seen before. Suburbicon is lame. The trailer is much better.

I Love You, Daddy

I Love You, Daddy is a poorly made film. It meanders and lacks strong conflict. The protagonist is detestable. The jokes are not funny. The actors embarass themselves. The visual style is miscalculated. The ending feels forced.

All of these criticisms are true before we address the controversial subject matter (the age of consent!). I can’t properly reconcile the film’s sticky plot with Louis CK’s real life sexual assaults allegations, but I will say that CK is not as enlightened on any sexual matters as he thinks he is. The ability to bring up a complex issue and then shrug is not good filmmaking. Skip this one.

The Rest:

When you see 23 movies in a week, it can be hard to make sense of the ones that are not amazing or awful. Of the other films I saw, they ran the range from passable to quite entertaining; the question is just how memorable are they?

Which is why I’m compelled to mention First Reformed. It is the one exception to my viewing experience. The film has moments of brilliance but fails to stick the landing in a debilitating way. It’s not good enough to be in the top 10 and it’s far more memorable than most of ‘the rest.’ It’s almost impossible to discuss the film in detail because I’d hate to spoil the plot. I went in blind — all I knew was the director (Paul Schrader, Taxi Driver scribe) and lead actor (Ethan Hawke). Suffice to say, that I was unprepared for the slow-burning unpromising film that I saw. Was it great? No. Would I recommend? Hell yeah.

Here are the other films I watched:

Darkest Hour, Brawl in Cell Block 99, The Upside, Beast, Roman J Israel, Outside In, Disobedience, Battle of the Sexes,