All the best movies we saw at Toronto Film Festival, ranked (including ‘Causeway,’ ‘My Policeman’)
Daniel Radcliffe plays Al Yankovic in one ‘Weird’ music biopic
Daniel Radcliffe stars as an exaggerated version of 1980s musical icon “Weird Al” Yankovic in the biopic ‘Weird,’ also starring Evan Rachel Wood.
USA TODAY
TORONTO – Slather the maple syrup on the popcorn and pass the Tim Hortons: We’re back in Canada and seeing all the movies at Toronto International Film Festival.
After two pandemic-affected editions, the Toronto fest is again an in-person event – one that has played host to six of the past seven best-picture winners, most recently 2021’s “Nomadland.” This year’s lineup includes a new Steven Spielberg movie (semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans”), a new “Knives Out” mystery with Daniel Craig, the British ensemble drama “My Policeman” (with Harry Styles as a closeted cop) and even a “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic.
As before, we’ll be keeping readers up to date on the coolest stuff we see at the fest (ranked, of course):
19. ‘The Good Nurse’
Oscar winner Jessica Chastain plays Amy, a nurse and single mom with a heart issue who becomes close with a kind new co-worker (Eddie Redmayne), although his appearance coincides with a string of mysterious patient deaths. Amy works with the police to find the culprit in what seems like it should be a tense serial-killer thriller but is instead rather slow and methodically paced like a true-crime docuseries. (It is a true-life story, but still.) While the movie’s stuck between genres, it delivers strong performances from Chastain and Redmayne.
18. ‘The Swimmers’
Emotionally satisfying if not completely cohesive, director Sally El Hosaini’s true-life drama is a harrowing escape thriller before switching to a more conventional underdog sports movie. In war-torn Syria, swimming sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini (Nathalie and Manal Issa) want to escape to Germany for Nathalie’s Olympics dreams, and to keep the family safe. With their cousin (Ahmed Malek), the refugee sisters navigate increasingly dangerous situations through various countries, although with hope comes bigger questions about their identities and place in the world.
17. ‘Susie Searches’
In director Sophie Kargman’s darkly comic mystery, Kiersey Clemons’ Susie is a shy, brace-faced college student with a flailing true-crime podcast that could use a serious signal boost. When a social-influencer classmate (Alex Wolff) goes missing, she investigates and finds him, giving Susie the hero worship she desires. That, however, is the start of a series of increasingly dicey problems and obstacles that get thrown her way. Clemons shines in all aspects of the complex Susie, from adorable awkwardness to gut-wrenching paranoia, in the twisty whodunit.
16. ‘Triangle of Sadness’
Self-obsessed models, Russian oligarchs, polite English arms manufacturers – everybody’s sent up in Ruben Östlund’s deliciously grotesque class satire. Beautiful couple Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (the late Charlbi Dean) are invited on a trip for the super-rich aboard a yacht captained by a gonzo, Marxist-loving American (Woody Harrelson). The ship hits an unruly storm – leading to the most heinous, vomit-drenched dinner you could ever imagine – and then sinks in ridiculous fashion, though that’s actually when the movie really sets sail, turning the tables and showing who really rules.
15. ‘Women Talking’
After a series of rapes by men in a religious colony, the women meet to determine if they’ll stay and be forced to forgive or leave and risk not being welcomed into heaven. Based on the Miriam Toews novel, writer/director Sarah Polley’s intimate drama is set like a stage play, as the women determine their fate over discussions in a barn. The constant conversation lets the momentum wane at times, but it’s extremely effective with its message and the acting is spectacular, from Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy to Rooney Mara and Ben Whishaw (playing the only major male part in the film).
14. ‘My Policeman’
Harry Styles turns in his best role yet – and a much better turn than “Don’t Worry Darling” – in this British ensemble drama. Told in 1950s and ’90s timelines, the story centers on closeted gay cop Tom (Styles), who marries schoolteacher Marion (Emma Corrin) but keeps up a secret affair with museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). The movie brings up important social issues, especially the cruelty gay men were exposed to decades ago, yet the characters aren’t developed enough to make us fully care about their younger and older selves. Almost all is forgiven, however, with a soulful final scene.
13. ‘On the Come Up’
Sanaa Lathan’s directorial debut, based on the Angie Thomas novel, is a young-adult “8 Mile” with an excellent breakout performance by Jamila Gray. In fictional Garden Heights, Bri (Gray) is a 16-year-old aspiring musician and the daughter of a late hip-hop legend. She finds her voice by finding success in rap battles, with a gift for spitting bars at lyrical foes. But helping her mom (Lathan) pay the bills, she falls under the influence of her dad’s old manager (Method Man). The formulaic plot tries to juggle too many storylines, but Lathan’s assured direction lets Gray shine in the film’s most rousing moments.
12. ‘The Menu’
With a heap of style and one delicious-looking cheeseburger, Mark Mylod’s horror-tinged culinary satire whips out the nice silverware to take a stab at foodie culture, celebrity chefs and class warfare. Ralph Fiennes runs an ultra-chic restaurant on a remote island and has quite the menu planned for his guests (including Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult and John Leguizamo), one that grows more sinister and deadly as courses arrive. Gore hounds might not be satiated and it doesn’t lean into the absurdity enough, but a fearsome Fiennes and the oh-so-cool Taylor-Joy cook up a nifty bit of tension.
11. ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile’
This rousing documentary is for those who like their comeback stories epic, heartfelt and just a bit crazy. Carlile, a popular Americana musician, wanted to produce an album for her hero, country music legend Tucker. Interspersed with a chronicle of Tucker’s life story dating back to her early fame as a teen, the twosome write songs, experiment in the studio with a mix of new and old influences and help Tucker get past her insecurities, resulting in a record that puts a pink-haired, old-school Nashville outlaw back on the map – and garners her first Grammy.
10. ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’
You couldn’t dream a more perfect Yankovic biopic: hilarious, ridiculous and, in its madcap way, downright wholesome. With Daniel Radcliffe playing the accordion-playing wonder as broadly as possible, the film plots his real-life rise (and absurdly fictional fall) from childhood to guy who became famous for parodying other people’s songs. Fave Weird Al jams are here (some with bizarre origins) plus fun cameos aplenty. The movie fosters a “be as weird as you want to be” message without being cloying, and to match Radcliffe’s over-the-top Al, Evan Rachel Wood is aces as a delightfully sociopathic Madonna.
‘Weird’: Daniel Radcliffe talks ‘insane’ Al Yankovic biopic, Queen’s ‘inconceivable’ death
9. ‘Chevalier’
Imagine “Amadeus” crossed with “Les Miserables” and a social streak, and you’ve got Stephen Williams’ historical drama about a relatively forgotten Black composer and violin virtuoso. This story should fix some of that: Kelvin Harrison Jr. turns in a confident, charismatic performance as Joseph Bologne, a French musician and friend of Queen Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) who scores a chance to lead the national opera. As he does, he falls in love with a married soprano (Samara Weaving) and faces obstacles due to his skin color and a coming revolution.
8. ‘Biosphere’
Mel Eslyn’s directorial debut gives us Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass as the last two men on Earth. The buddy comedy finds these best pals living in a biosphere, having odd conversations about Mario and Luigi, keeping their fish alive and wondering about the green light coming closer every day. When evolution throws them a curve ball, what results is a clever character study about sexuality, masculinity and friendship that’s as wild as it is heartfelt.
7. ‘Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues’
This essential documentary goes deep on the life and art of the jazz legend using Armstrong’s own words, via essays (spoken by rapper Nas) and home recordings, as well as music, TV and film appearances. Director Sacha Jenkins looks at his New Orleans childhood and involvement with gangsters yet also fascinatingly discusses his political side. During the civil-rights era, he was seen by Black critics (including actor Ossie Davis) as being too submissive toward whites. And “Blues” reveals the truths he tended to keep more personal than public, although he would put someone like President Dwight D. Eisenhower in their place, if he felt the need.
6. ‘Causeway’
Jennifer Lawrence’s best performances aren’t in “Hunger Games” and “X-Men,” but her indie movies. And she proves it yet again in this meaningful drama, her best role since winning an Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook.” Lynsey is a soldier who returns home to New Orleans after sustaining a brain injury serving in Afghanistan, but she needs to improve her physical and mental health on multiple levels. Lynsey finds a friend in James (Brian Tyree Henry), an amiable mechanic struggling with his own past. Lawence and Henry’s chemistry is on point in this moving charmer.
5. ‘Bros’
The first gay romantic comedy from a major Hollywood studio is a stellar one, tweaking genre tropes in appealing fashion, unleashing clever jokes about Broadway, Hallmark movies and country music, and proudly owning its very big heart. Nicholas Stoller’s best directorial work since “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” lets Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane dazzle as two opposite guys with commitment issues dealing with the messiness of falling in love. It’s bold and fresh in its perspective (not to mention a long time coming) and the joyously manic Eichner also harnesses an impressive dramatic side in an uplifting narrative about loving yourself, no matter who you love.
4. ‘The Swearing Jar’
Directed by Lindsay MacKay, the refreshing and totally tearjerking musical dramedy starts with married couple Carey (Adelaide Clemons) and Simon (Patrick J. Adams) trying to curb their cursing with a baby on the way. As close as they are, Carey finds herself drawn to an awkward, guitar-slinging bookstore clerk (Douglas Smith). The movie messes with rom-com expectations before smacking you with a satisfying swerve exploring love, loss and multiple soulmates. Come for the acoustic numbers and sweet message, stay for Kathleen Turner as Carey’s force-of-nature mother-in-law.
3. ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’
Bigger and showier although not quite better than Rian Johnson’s outstanding “Knives Out,” the star-studded sequel centers on a super-wealthy figure (Edward Norton) inviting his old gang of friends – Janelle Monáe, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn and Dave Bautista – to his Greek island for a murder-mystery getaway. Southern-fried sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) also gets an invite and proves key when a dead body hits the floor. Monáe nearly steals the show and Craig continues to absolutely kill in this franchise that tweaks even more detective tropes a second time around.
2. ‘The Fabelmans’
The most personal film in Spielberg’s vast resume is also an instant best-picture contender. The iconic director fictionalizes his life growing up as a young filmmaker who has to navigate family problems with his parents (Michelle Williams and Paul Dano). The coming-of-age dramedy takes a little while to find its groove yet sparkles when it turns into a 1960s high school flick. Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle (who plays teen Sammy/Spielberg) out-acts his big-name co-stars and Spielberg turns in a film unlike anything else in his catalog – plus a final scene that’s simply perfect.
1. ‘The Woman King’
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s 19th-century period epic – about an all-female unit of African warriors in a nation battling a neighboring empire and also rethinking its involvement in a beneficial slave trade – works as an awesome action vehicle. What really makes the story soar, though, is a bunch of great characters to root for and gripping relationships between them. Leading the charge is Viola Davis, who rules as the steely and sinewy general needing to train new blood, and Thuso Mbedu has her breakthrough moment as a rookie who has to learn the ropes quickly.
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