OLM’s Most Anticipated Movies at TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival starts today and I know of many people from Ottawa who are making the trip down the 401 to see some films. Let us say you decide to go, what should you see? Here are my 10 picks in alphabetical order of the ‘Must See’ films at this year’s festival.

Beautiful Boy

Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name) play a father and son where the son is dealing with addiction. It looks very powerful.

Boy Erased

Lucas Hedges stars as a young man who comes out to his parents and is forced to take part in a gay-conversion program. It also stars and is directed by Joel Edgerton.

First Man

The ‘La La Land’ team of Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling reunite for a look at the life of Neil Armstrong.

Green Book

The unlikely friendship between an Italian-American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) and the African-American classical pianist (Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali) he drives for is front and centre in this film.

If Beale Street Could Talk

After winning the Oscar for Best Picture (Moonlight) Barry Jenkins is back with a story of a woman trying to prove her fiancé innocent of a crime while carrying their first child.

The Old Man & The Gun

Academy Award winner and Hollywood legend Robert Redford says this is his last film. What else do I need to say?

The Hate U Give

Amandla Stenberg (who is in three movies at TIFF) plays Starr, a young woman who witnesses her best friend shot by a police officer. Seemingly ripped from the headlines I am anxious to see this film.

The Lie

A few years ago there was on question for me on television; Who killed Rosie Larsen? The show was The Killing and it’s show runner was Veena Sud. She has reunited with series regulars Mireille Enos and Peter Saarsgard where they play parents dealing with the consequences of their teenage daughter’s lethal mistake.

A Star is Born

You have an actor that people love (Bradley Cooper) making his directorial debut with a pop star (Lady Gaga) that is apparently as good at acting as she is at singing. Is it too early to start handing out Oscar nominations?

Widows

After winning the Academy Award for Best Picture Steve McQueen is back with a fantastic cast led by Academy Award winner Viola Davis who plays one of four wives whose lives are in danger when there criminally connected husbands are all killed.