TIFF Horror x3

by Chris Feil

Amid screening global cinema and the odd Oscar contender or two, I was able to cram in some horror films to my TIFF lineup. The festival is so large that it doesn’t just limit its horror entries into the genre-centric Midnight Madness program. My sampling was not only a mini European tour, but also a trip through different genre tropes: the French extremity of Revenge, a gothic ghost story with The Lodgers, and a surprising psychological chiller with Thelma.

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Purse First (feat. Helena Bonham Carter)

Open Thread

So... what have we missed while we've been away at TIFF? Today is travel day as Chris and Nathaniel depart Toronto so fill us in so we can catch up on the regular non-festival world. What movie or TV thing are you hearing the most about this past week? Are you eager for the Emmys tomorrow? What do we need to write about immediately that we haven't. Fill us in.

Regular programming resumes Monday along with some leftover TIFF bits like Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool and more.

TIFF: "Kings" and "I, Tonya"

TIFF wraps up Sunday and since we'd like the last few pieces to be positive let's get some negativity out of the way. Here are two films which yours truly did not respond well to. One is certain to be trashed by critics and the other, though trashy, is being widely praised. But they're both bad.

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TIFF: McDormand Dominates in "Three Billboards..."

by Chris Feil

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri unfolds in typical fashion for writer/director Martin McDonagh: unspeakable violence provides a backdrop to profanity of everyday people. Here McDonagh provides us one of his most righteous heroes in Mildred Hayes, a mother grieving the brutal murder of her daughter and the local police’s inability to bring justice. Verbal fireworks and bloody consequence is to be expected.

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