Well, it’s that time of year again: TIFF time. Well, almost. This morning TIFF announced its 2012 galas and special presentations (basically, all the films everyone wants to see). Before our city is overtaken by schmoozing and celebrities, we have to remember that it’s all about the movies. Here are five we’re most looking forward to seeing.
Argo
TIFF has always been kind to Ben Affleck. His star-making, Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting premiered here back in 1997, and since then, he’s been here a number of times. Now Affleck’s got two films premiering at this year’s fest (his other is Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder) but we’re most curious about Argo, a thriller about the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, directed by and starring Affleck. Maybe it’s because the plot prominently features Canadians; maybe it’s because of Affleck’s shaggy hairdo or maybe it’s because we just really, really dig Affleck the director. (But, seriously, Ben, do you have to star in every movie you direct?)
A Late Quartet
This powerhouse (and intensely idiosyncratic) cast (Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Jeremy Northam) excites us to no end. The drama, which follows four members of a world-renowned string quartet who struggle to stay together in the face of death, competing egos and insuppressible lust, reminds us a bit of a mix between Black Swan and Amadeus (hello, Oscar!). Plus, there’s something cool about Walken playing a cello.
Hyde Park on Hudson
Ever since Lost in Translation (which premiered at the fest back in 2003), we’ve always had a soft spot for Bill Murray as a dramatic actor. So, despite the plot’s ick factor, we’re pretty eager to see Murray in all of his latex make-up glory as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in this based-on-a-true-story retelling of FDR’s relationship with his distant cousin and soon-to-be mistress Margaret Suckley.
Imogene
Having co-written and starred in Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig is pretty much a baller now. That’s why she was able to get Imogene — a “passion project” of hers — finally made. In this comedy she plays Imogene, a playwright who stages her suicide in an attempt to win back her ex, only to wind up in the custody of her gambling-addict mother (Annette Bening).
The Place Beyond the Pines
So what if this crime drama about a motorcycle stunt rider who moonlights as a bank robber sounds somewhat similar to the plot of Drive? The movie stars Ryan Gosling. He’ll be in town. People will tweet. Let the memes begin.
