Single tickets for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival go on sale this Sunday, September 2. And with a record 372 films being screened (146 of them world premieres), it can be daunting trying to figure out which ones are actually worth the $20 (or $40, for galas and special presentations) and hours in line. The solution: our guide to the 50 most talked-about movies at the festival this year, in which we scrutinize the advance hype (and the buzz from Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and Venice) to separate the must-sees from the flicks that only a mother could love.
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The 50 buzziest films of TIFF 2012: we slice through the hype so you don’t have to
The List: 10 things Power Plant director Gaëtane Verna can’t live without
1| My hat
In the ’90s, I worked with a man from a family of avid sailors in Brittany on the coast of France. I bought my toque when I was visiting them. It’s made for wearing on the ocean, so it’s warm. It’s become my trademark.
2| My going-out jacket
I’m not a fashionista, but I like to wear things that aren’t like what everyone else is wearing. The Montreal designer Helmer Joseph made this jacket for me a few years ago. He’s made lots of pieces for me since, but this one’s my favourite.
3| My drawing
When I worked at Bishops University in 2004, we did an exhibition of work by the artist Denyse Thomasos. To say thank you, she gave me this drawing and made me promise to frame it and keep it in my office wherever I ended up. I did and I have.
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4| My globe collection
I got this globe as a wedding gift from friends I met in France in 1989. Everyone then was talking about the fall of the Berlin Wall. We knew the world was changing, so we all started collecting globes that included the old Soviet boundaries. I have 15 or 20
of them.
The Pick: Love Is a Poverty You Can Sell, a little bit of Weimar-era Kurt Weill at the Factory
(Images: courtesy Soup Can Theatre)
Contrary to what his legacy might suggest, Kurt Weill only dabbled in cabaret. Sure, he wrote a few tunes for the darkened German haunts, but mostly he focused on longer forms like opera and musical theatre. But Weill’s compositions, laced with despair, a wry wit and disenchantment, came to epitomize the sound of 1920s Weimar German cabaret for many in the West.
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Santa-inspired beer latest booze to be banned by Ontario liquor commission
Samichlaus: keep out of reach of children
Yet another alcoholic beverage has been banned in Ontario for its apparent appeal to youngsters. This time, it’s an Austrian beer called Samichlaus, which means St. Nicholas in Swiss-German. Like Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head Vodka and a string of other alcoholic beverages, Samichlaus was found to have breached advertising guidelines that prevent liquor packaging aimed at children. We would take this as a sign that anyone planning to sell alcohol in Ontario probably shouldn’t make their packaging look cool, but Samichlaus is actually pretty boring. The portrait of St. Nicholas looks less like a benevolent gift-bearer and more like the Player’s cigarette guy .
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Johnny Depp a no-show at Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus premiere; crowd boos Christopher Plummer
Don't sweat the small stuff: fans expecting to see Johnny Depp had to be satisfied with Verne Troyer (Photo by Karon Liu)
Even though it probably had the most star-packed cast of any movie at TIFF (Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, etc.), was directed by Terry Gilliam and had a lot of hype (it was Heath Ledger‘s last movie), we didn’t expect any of the truly big names to show up. TIFF is almost over, after all, and there was no press conference for the film. Plus, we saw the red carpet call sheet and the most recognizable names confirmed were Verne “Mini Me” Troyer and Tom Waits.
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PHOTO GALLERY: 22 pictures from the premiere of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Verne Troyer on the red carpet for the premiere of The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus at the Visa Screening Room, during the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday September 18, 2009 (Photo by James Helmer)
The red carpet was wild at the premiere of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, with director Terry Gilliam and actors Tom Waits, Christopher Plummer, Quinn Lord, Andrew Garfield and, last but not least, Verne Troyer (a.k.a. Mini Me). Check out the slide show below.
Read the full story about the premiere of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus>>
