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Tiff for Tuesday

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In the aftermath of The Toronto Film Festival, we thought we would offer a couple of top picks. Our eager film buff intern, Anet, spent countless hours scouring the trailers to keep herself up-to-date, and she now offers us her thorough feedback of the festival entire.

Her top two picks are:

Anna Karenina
The Perks of Being a Wallflower

To Sum It Up by Anet Wysocki

So the good ol’ 2012 TIFF recently concluded. What’s TIFF you ask? No it is not a “tagged image file format” or a way of saying you’re pissed off at someone either. It’s the Toronto International Film Festival. Ah Ha! As you can guess, it probably has to do with lots of films from all over the world being shown in Canada. Ding Ding Ding, correct! At this shindig, there are screenings of films categorized in different sections: The “Gala Presentation,” “Special Presentations,” “Documentaries” and “Midnight Madness.” There are also awards given out to certain films and a list of future nominations for other award ceremonies for best acting and whatnot. I unfortunately moved in August, so my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, just like my Hogwarts acceptance letter. SO I took it upon myself to scrounge up all my big connections at TIFF, aka the internet, and watch some trailers, review them and help you guys experience the good stuff.

Why listen to me? Good question BUT this is something I’m extremely passionate about and have fun doing. In college I minored in Digital Cinema and fell in love with analyzing films and learning more about different directors, cinematography techniques, film lingo and more. I kind of got obsessed, so this is why you should hear me out!

These trailers revealed themes of revenge, true love, illnesses, fantasies, passion, struggles, truth, infatuation, deaths, education, abuse, discovery, distrust, real life, adventure and more, all from new beginnings to intense endings. Each was packed with emotion and the story lines touched on cultural viewpoints from across the world. With jaw-dropping cinematography, directors’ unique POVs and music that could get a heartless person to cry, people instantly realize if they want to watch a movie or not. It’s kind of like how advertisers strive to catch an audience’s attention for five seconds in a print ad or the mere 30 seconds between T.V. shows. It’s the importance of making an impact quickly to reel people in to buying a product to buying a movie ticket. There has to be that extra “oomf” to make people pay attention and do a double take.

OK enough of my rambling and back to my “expert” (ha) opinion. After watching a whopping 180 clips and trailers, these are some reviews and recommendations of some movies that I think have a little “oomf” in them. This will also save your eyeballs from falling out from watching all these damn trailers like I did. You’re welcome. Some trailers that packed a punch for me were The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Cloud Atlas, Anna Karenina, Seven Psychopaths, The Sapphires, Dangerous Liaisons, Imagine, Lore and Painless. These trailers grabbed my heartstrings or struck my funny bone, bringing me to my knees with emotion. The power of some of these films’ stories should not go unnoticed, so check them out!

One film I became extremely excited to see was Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina. I am a die-hard fan of period drama films, and Joe Wright is known to have done one or two in the past: Pride and Prejudice and Atonement both starring Keira Knightly. These types of films are not for everyone, but if you are interested, Joe Wright’s direction and Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography will transport you into this time period and story line full of passion, scandals and temptation.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a literary adaptation with the screenplay written and directed by Stephen Chbosky. This film is a coming-of-age drama/comedy full of adventures between three friends in high school. The movie highlights the awkward times in their youth and the growth seen in the main character Charlie, played by Logan Lerman. He is guided by experienced seniors who take him under their wings to help him start living his life. This film captures a lot of heart and soul of this blossoming character, and the audience will be able to grow with him by seeing his struggles and adventures. I swear every time I watch the trailer I get shivers.

Silver Linings Playbook by director David O. Russell, also known for The Fighter, won the TIFF People’s Choice Award and has been getting raves ever since the screening at the festival. The complexities between two emotionally-damaged characters clash, intensity ensues, but soon enough they find similarities between each other and develop a strange connection. The dynamics of these two characters capture real life emotions and the struggles that life throws at you.

For more TIFF reviews go to click here.

List of movies to watch and their Release Dates:

  • The Silver Linings Playbook: 11/21/2012
  • Cloud Atlas: 10/26/2012
  • The Master: 09/14/2012
  • Seven Psychopaths: 11/02/2012
  • Argo: Release Date: 10/12/2012
  • Perks of Being a Wallflower: 09/21/2012
  • Anna Karenina: 11/16/2012 Limited
  • Looper: 9/28/2012
  • Much Ado About Nothing: N/A but in 2012
  • To The Wonder: N/A but keep a look out in 2012
  • The Impossible: 12/21/2012 in L.A.

Other international films that caught my eyes were Nono the Zig Zag Kid, Inescapable, English Vinglish, Born to Hate Destined to Love, A World not Ours, Jackie, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, Camp 14, The Thieves, Hype Park on Hudson, In the Fog, The Sessions, Thermae Romae, Imagine, Lore, Painless, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough by Tomi Ungerer Story, Antiviral, The Sapphires, The Company You Keep and Dangerous Liaisons.

Watch the trailers on imdb or TIFF YouTube Channel or visit Indiewire.com for more information and the complete TIFF Film list.

Cover Photo Source: Steve Snodgrass via Flickr

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://testspace.thesanjosegroup.com//wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Photo-on-12-14-12-at-2.39-PM-2.jpg[/author_image] [author_info] Jennifer is Director of Content & Ideation at SJG.  I am convinced that every human being is innately creative – Picasso said the key is to remain childlike within the body of a responsible adult, or something along those lines. As the oldest member of this opinionated clan, I feel responsible to share a different perspective. Engage me – I love a good debate! [/author_info] [/author]

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’] https://wpmaster.sjadv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Our-Space-Anet.png[/author_image] [author_info] Anet is a Junior Executive at SJG. I am an aspiring Art Director. I love to create, and it’s as simple as that. I graduated from DePaul University with a BA in Communications, majoring in PR and Advertising and double minoring in psychology and digital cinema. Other things I enjoy include watching T.V. shows, movies and trailers, cooking, boxing and searching for inspirational and ridiculously funny things on the internet. I have a strange addiction to sour candy, and I hope to have some fun here.[/author_info] [/author]