Toronto Film Fest: Joy Division, Battle in Seattle Purchased

by Alex Vo on Monday, Sep. 17 2007, 01:47 PM


ThinkFilm, who ponied up big money ($2 million) for Helen Hunt's Then She Found Me early on in the Toronto bidding wars, has closed the festival with the purchase of another actor-turned-director film, Stuart Townsend's Battle in Seattle, for $2 million.

Toronto Film Fest: Eastern Promises Takes Audience Award

by Alex Vo on Monday, Sep. 17 2007, 12:22 PM


From exploding heads to car crash sex fetishes, director David Cronenberg is ever eager to freak out the audience. But the Toronto crowd was ready and willing this time: Cronenberg's latest, Eastern Promises, has nabbed the audience award at the Toronto Film Fest.

Toronto Film Fest: An Interview with Atonement Director Joe Wright

by Alex Vo on Friday, Sep. 14 2007, 01:20 PM


Atonement opens December 7, and Rotten Tomatoes caught up with director Joe Wright during the Toronto Film Fest to discuss the film, Method acting, and the unique pleasure of the long tracking shot.

Toronto Film Fest: Why Your Boyfriend Won't See Across the Universe

by Jen Yamato on Thursday, Sep. 13 2007, 03:58 PM


Julie Taymor notoriously battled with studio execs over her Across the Universe, which combines a 1960s love story with historical events, all set to a near non-stop soundtrack of Beatles songs. Sound good to you, fellas? Unsurprisingly, Across the Universe seems to leave many male reviewers cold, while women (and predisposed lovers of musicals) enjoy it much more.

Toronto Film Fest: Margot at the Wedding, Nothing is Private Reviews

by Alex Vo on Thursday, Sep. 13 2007, 12:02 PM


Margot at the Wedding: "Brings out writer/director Noah Baumbach's misanthropy at its most unsalvageable." Nothing is Private: "[Its] reputation as Toronto's most subversive film is well-deserved."

RTIndie: TIFF Acquisitions Include Controversial, Political Films

by Tim Ryan on Wednesday, Sep. 12 2007, 03:28 PM


This week in RTIndie, we have a roundup of the some key indie acquisitions from the Toronto Film festival. Also, our DVD Pick of the week spotlights the latest from a legend of the French New Wave.

TIFF Day 6: In the Valley of Elah, Cassandra’s Dream, Atonement

by Alex Vo on Tuesday, Sep. 11 2007, 08:55 PM


In the Valley of Elah: "Pretty much the equivalent of a Lifetime TV-movie for liberals." Cassandra's Dream: "Hard to take the drama seriously." Atonement: "Every frame is a radiant treat."

Toronto Film Fest: The Good, The Bad, and The Better So Far

by Jen Yamato on Tuesday, Sep. 11 2007, 06:54 PM


Well, it certainly hasn't been a dull festival. Tons of films big (Michael Clayton) and small (Juno) have screened to kudos, and on the whole there haven't been very many outright disappointments (notwithstanding George Romero's Diary of the Dead and a few others). Click for more buzz!

Toronto Film Fest: Ang Lee's Lust, Caution Reviewed

by Jen Yamato on Tuesday, Sep. 11 2007, 10:46 AM


Among the higher profile entries in Toronto, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution had a particular notoriety coming in; not only were fest-watchers waiting to confirm or contradict the early mixed reaction from the Venice Film Festival, they were also curious to see what earned the erotic thriller its NC-17 rating.

Toronto Film Fest, Day 4: George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead and Lars and the Real Girl Reviews

by Alex Vo on Sunday, Sep. 09 2007, 07:01 PM


I was majorly intrigued by George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead's premise. Not just because it's Romero, but because it's seen entirely through the digital camera lens of student filmmakers. A Cloverfield-esque approach to zombie movies? What's not to get excited about?

IFC Heads For Jar City

by Tim Ryan on Sunday, Sep. 09 2007, 06:54 PM


For those of you out there who only know about Iceland because of Bjork, Sigur Ros, and the fact that its capital city's name is difficult to pronounce, add Jar City to your list. In one of the earliest sales from the Toronto International Film Festival, IFC snagged the highest-grossing homegrown film in the history of the land of fire and ice.

Ang Lee, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett Earn Venice Festival Honors

by Jen Yamato on Sunday, Sep. 09 2007, 12:36 PM


The Venice Film Festival awarded top honors to Ang Lee, Brad Pitt, and more as festivities came to a close Saturday.

Weinstein Co. Buys Child Murderer Drama Boy A at Toronto

by Jen Yamato on Saturday, Sep. 08 2007, 09:09 AM


The Weinstein Co. has made a deal to distribute Boy A, an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Brit writer Jonathan Trigell, directed by John Crowley.

New Line to Remake del Toro-Produced Orphanage

by Jen Yamato on Saturday, Sep. 08 2007, 08:05 AM


New Line is set to produce an English language remake of this fall's Spanish horror film, The Orphanage. Guillermo del Toro, who produced the original by newbie director Juan Antonio Bayona, will resume producing duty.

...In Which RT Stumps Saw IV's Darren Lynn Bousman

by Jen Yamato on Saturday, Sep. 08 2007, 01:49 AM


Thursday night RT posed a tough question to director Darren Lynn Bousman when he stopped by Toronto's Brant House for a Saw IV soiree. What question, pray tell, was thorny enough to stump the man who brought the world such intricate, deadly traps as the Venus Flytrap iron maiden and a pit full of dirty, used syringes?

Toronto Film Fest, Day 2: Reviews of Rendition and Alexandra

by Alex Vo on Friday, Sep. 07 2007, 11:56 PM


I mentioned yesterday I was expecting to post a Juno review, but I was also expecting for something at some point to go wrong. What went right: I saw Juno. What went wrong: I was rather underwhelmed. But don't take that as ill omen; I'm apparently a bad judge at these indie coming-of-age comedies.

TIFF Blog: Why Toronto Is Hot, Roger Ebert, Lust, Caution, and Darren Lynn Bousman

by Jen Yamato on Friday, Sep. 07 2007, 01:39 AM


The weather forecast for tomorrow in sunny Toronto, Ontario is 90 degrees with about a billion percent humidity, so it is from only the most devoted reaches of our Tomato-strewn hearts that we sludge through the heat to report from the Toronto Film Festival. (Overheard today: "I feel like there's a warm fog blanketing my skin." Gross.)

Toronto Film Fest, Day 1: Reviews of Captain Mike Across America, The Brave One, and More!

by Alex Vo on Thursday, Sep. 06 2007, 11:54 PM


Greetings from slightly up north! Though movies with promising titles like Young People F*cking, I've Never Had Sex..., and Iron Ladies of Liberia had to be skipped, I come to you from our antediluvian (and supposedly haunted) inn with reviews of three high-profile releases: The Brave One, Captain Mike Across America , and Michael Clayton.

The Tomatoes Take Toronto -- See What It's All Aboot!

by Jen Yamato on Thursday, Sep. 06 2007, 12:15 AM


Curious about the dazzling lineup at this year's Toronto International Film Festival? Your faithful RT editors Alex Vo and Jen Yamato have headed north and will be reporting to you directly from the festival grounds in Toronto. Rejoice!