"Barbarian" opens well while the nation waits for fall film season

by Nathaniel R

The nation's taste for horror just won't quit as Barbarian takes the top spot in its first weekend. Pair that with the superhero genre and it feels like maybe... just maybe (theorizing incoming) everyone feels both scared and powerless so horror is cathartic and superheroes are prime aspirational escapism. If this theory is accurate it doesnt say great things about the shape of the world right now! Bollywood picture Brahmastra Part One also opened well though the violent period drama Medieval couldn't drum up interest. Anyway the charts...

Holiday Weekend Box Office  September 9th-11th 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	LIMITED / PLATFORM
BARBARIAN	AFTER EVER HAPPY

Click to read more ...

TIFF: Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal in the Dazzling ‘Carmen’

By Abe Friedtanzer

There have been many films recently about young women crossing the border from Mexico to the United States and coming across someone whose attitude towards illegal immigrants softens considerably after the chance meeting. But Carmen is something different entirely, an update of much older material, based on a Seville-set novella and opera from the 1800s by Prosper Mérimée. This time the setting is present day in surroundings that will be more familiar to audiences but just as enchanting…

Click to read more ...

74th Emmys in Quick Review: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lee Jung Jae, Jennifer Coolidge and more...

by Nathaniel R

The 74th Emmys last night were a good time, don'cha think? Further proof that you dont really need a host (sorry Kenan Thompson!) just a lively crowd, memorable speeches, and good presenter bits. Herewith a quick list of the sky highs (and a couple of lows) of the evening.

And the winners too of course...

Click to read more ...

Baby Clyde's TIFF Diary #2: "The Woman King", Oprah, and "Sidney"

by Baby Clyde

You think I’m just here enjoying myself, don’t you? You think it’s all World Premieres and swanky parties, hobnobbing with the stars and swilling champagne. Unfortunately, that is not quite the case. My trip so far has been somewhat more mundane. Saturday, I had 5 films to see but spent most of my time visiting various electrical shops trying to find a US/UK travel adapter (I idiotically left the half dozen I own back in London). Instead of sipping Mimosas over a leisurely breakfast I was in Best Buy at 10am perusing plug sockets. At time of speaking, I still haven’t found one. I didn’t eat anything until 6.30pm. I’m now home and hastily throwing together this dispatch before my laptop dies. I’ve got about 20 minutes. Here goes.

First film of the day was a particular treat for this Brit after all who needs a Queen when we have The Woman King...

Click to read more ...

International Oscars: Mexico's finalists and more submission titles

by Nathaniel R

THE HOLE IN THE FENCE

Mexico has chosen their Oscar submission finalist list. We'd do a whole huge post on it but we suspect by the time we did they'd have named their winner and despite divisive reviews thus far we suspect they won't be able to resist sending Iñarritu again. As it stands now they're looking at three films we've already reviewed here at TFE: Alejandro G Iñarritu's Bardo (False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths), Lorenz Vigas' very dark father/son drama The Box, and Joaquin del Paso's allegorical summer camp drama The Hole in the Fence. The other two they're looking at are the sexual drama Nudo Mixteco by Angeles Cruz and the thriller Presencias by Luis Mandoki. Among those filmmakers Inarritu (Biutiful, Amores Perros) and Mandoki (Innocent Voices) have represented Mexico before while Vigas's debut film, the gay drama From Afar, was sent to represent Venezuela in its year.

But that's not all. We now know which films Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Turkey,and Uganda  are submitting. Details after the jump...  

Click to read more ...