5) Anne at 13,000 ft – Putting the “Toronto” in TIFF, Kazik Radwanski and his work stand on the vanguard of the local (and national) film scene. Over the past few years, he’s cultivated a style and voice all his own, and I’ve continued to follow his career to see what he’ll do next. And now, here we are.
4) A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood – It’s easy to understand the appeal here (at least for me): Everyone loves Mr. Rogers. Everyone loves Tom Hanks. (And the Tom Junod piece on which this film is based is easy to love too.) Put these elements together and you have a film that could melt even the most cynical heart.
3) The Truth – Like clockwork, every year at TIFF there is a new film from master Hirokazu Kore-eda. And without fail, he usually delivers a film worth seeing. After winning the Palme D’Or in 2018, this is Kore-eda’s first film made outside Japan—and it stars legends Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, and Ethan Hawke. That’s worth getting excited about once again.
2) The Laundromat – Yes, it’ll be out on Netflix in October, but each and every Steven Soderbergh film is appointment viewing. And when he happens to get together with Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas (and many more) to tell the tale of the Panama Papers in his full-on zany mode, well, what’s not to like?
1) Uncut Gems – This has essentially been my most anticipated film for all of 2019. Josh and Benny Safdie are the makers of Good Time, my favourite film of 2017, and their latest stars Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett(!), and New York City. That’s all I need to know.
