TIFF2012

This year, the Toronto International Film Festival will be a little different for me. As it turns out, I was not accredited to cover the film festival in any official capacity. Last year, I had two print media outlets backing my visit to the festival, but as they both shut down production earlier this year, I'm now out there all on my own.

What does this mean for Black Sheep's TIFF 2012 coverage? It simply means a lot less interviews and a lot more reviews. This will be the first year that I attend the festival as a serious filmgoer. In the years leading up to my two accredited years, I didn't even live in Toronto. I would come into the city and see whatever I could in the few days I could afford to be here. That usually amounted to five or six films at the most.

This year, I intend to see at least 20 films and I'm hoping more for something like 30. And without the insane chaos that goes hand in hand with setting up interviews at TIFF, I should have the time in front of me to just enjoy the films and write about them afterward. And while I will miss that insanity, because quite frankly I thrive in it, I am very much looking forward to enjoying TIFF the same way everyone else does this year.

This morning, TIFF announced their first batch of films selections, the gala and special presentation selections, including the opening night film, LOOPER, a science fiction mobster film, that reunites star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt with BRICK director, Rian Johnson (pictured below).

I definitely hope to catch this film and I say hope because I now fall into the same waiting game as every other ticket buyer. I don't know what films will still be available or whether or not I can fit them into my schedule. In that spirit, I present to you, of the films that have already been announced, the following list of 5 films I am most hoping to score tickets to at TIFF 2012 ...

ARGO
Directed by Ben Affleck
Affleck is no stranger to TIFF, having shown his last film, THE TOWN here in 2010. His latest, a true story of six Americans trapped in Tehran in 1979 and the great lengths they went to to get out, looks to be one of the year's best. Starring Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman.

ANNA KARENINA
Directed by Joe Wright
Tolstoy is not exactly my thing by Wright definitely is. Having already proved that he and star, Keira Knightley, work very well together on two previous productions (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and ATONEMENT), Wright hopes to make it three for three with this ambitious project.

CLOUD ATLAS
Directed by Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski
I must admit that I do not know very much about this film but when the director of RUN, LOLA, RUN works with the directors of THE MATRIX, you have to take notice. From what I understand, it promises to be an esoteric exploration of how we are all connected. Sounds good to me!

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Directed by David O. Russell

Russell's follow up to the Oscar winning, THE FIGHTER, looks to be a solid contemporary drama about the trickiness of achieving intimacy in a damaged world. Bradley Cooper stars opposite Jennifer Lawrence in a role that looks to step up his serious acting game.

TO THE WONDER
Directed by Terrence Malick
Malick's latest is described as an exploration of love in its many forms. That alone is reason enough to see this film. That said, it will be impossible to pass up the opportunity to see how the infamously reclusive director follows up his visual masterpiece, THE TREE OF LIFE. Starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem.

And now, we wait. There are 44 days until TIFF officially launches on September 6. What are you most excited to see?

Here is the full list of announced films:


WORLD PREMIERES

LOOPER (Rian Johnson) (Opening Film)
CLOUD ATLAS (The Wachowskis & Tom Tykwer)
ARGO (Ben Affleck)
THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (David O Russell)
LOVE, MARILYN (Liz Garbus)
FREE ANGELA AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS (Shola Lynch)
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (Derek Cianfrance)
MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN (Deepa Mehta)
HYDE PARK ON THE HUDSON (Roger Michell)
GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Mike Newell)
INESCAPABLE (Rubba Nadda)
ENGLISH VINGLISH (Gauri Shinde)
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (Stephen Chbosky)
THANKS FOR SHARING (Stuart Blumberg)
END OF WATCH (David Ayer)
IMOGENE (Robert Puccini and Shari Springer Berman)
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Joss Whedon)
FRANCES HA (Noah Baumbach)
THE TIME BEING (Nenad Cicin-Sain)
WRITERS (Josh Boone)
AT ANY PRICE (Ramin Bahrani)
VENUS AND SERENA (Maiken Baird)
BYZANTIUM (Neil Jordan)
GINGER AND ROSA (Sally Potter)
A LIAR'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY (Ben Timlett, Bill JOnes, Jeff Simpson)
THE IMPOSSIBLE (JA Bayona)
HANNAH ARENDT (Margarthe bon Trotta)
MR. PIP (Andrew Adamson)
CAPITAL (Costa Gavras)
THE ATTACK (Ziad Doueriri)
ZAYTOUN (Eran Riklis)
THE DEEP (Baltasar Kormakur)
DREAMS FOR SALE (Nishikawa Miwa)
THE LAST SUPPER (Lu Chuan)

INTERNATIONAL / NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES

TO THE WONDER (Terrence Malick)
ANNA KARENINA (Joe Wright)
THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST (Mira Nair)
JAYNE MANSFIELD'S CAR (Billy Bob Thornton)
A ROYAL AFFAIR (Nikolai Arcel)
DANGEROUS LIAISONS (Hur Ji-Ho)
THERMAE ROMAE (Hideki Takeuchi)
CAUGHT IN THE WEB (Chen Kaige)
DORMANT BEAUTY (Marco Belloccchio)
EVERYBODY HAS A PLAN (Ana Piterbarg)
REALITY (Matteo Garrone)
A FEW HOURS OF SPRING (Stephan Brize)
THE HUNT (Thomas Vintenberg)
THE ICEMAN (Ariel Vromen)
LORE (Cate Shortland)
NO (Pablo Larrain)
OUTRAGE BEYOND (Takeshi Kitano)
RUST AND BONE (Jacques Audiard)
THE SAPPHIRES (Wayne Blair)
TAI CHI O (Stephen Fung)

CANADIAN PREMIERE

THE SESSIONS (Ben Lewis)

For more information, visit the TIFF website.