We all know The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is currently lighting up theatres faster than Katniss can string her bow, and that 12 Years A Slave will probably win every Oscar Ellen DeGeneres gets to give out this year. But just in case you wanted to expand your horizons past Hollywood this weekend, we thought we’d point you in the direction of a few great films currently flying under the radar in Toronto. We’re not saying you shouldn’t check out the blockbusters, we just want you to know about some choice cinema selections you may not even be aware you had. Below you’ll find three films we suggest you check out while they’re still in the city.
Short Term 12
The story centres on a woman in her twenties who, along with her boyfriend and other co-workers, struggles to run a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers. Its portrayal of abuse, depression, power, and making the best out of what you have quickly becomes a heartwrenching, beautiful, and impossible to take your eyes off of tale that speaks to all of life’s ups and downs – probably why it won SXSW this year. Best bring a box of Kleenex with you.
Info:
1hr 36min – Rated 14A – Drama – English
Director: Destin Cretton
Starring: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr.
Playing at:
Magic Lantern Theatres – Carlton Cinema
TIFF Bell Lightbox
Kingsway Theatre
All Is Lost
Robert Redford’s been around for a while – 77 years to be exact. And he’s taken his whole life’s worth of acting knowledge and put it into this role. As a man adrift in the middle of the Indian Ocean, his boat damaged by a wandering shipping container, he must discover the courage and strength it takes to survive. The entire film is a breathtaking ode to the struggle of the human condition and one that’s so gripping we suspect you won’t even notice the lack of dialogue – sorry, no Wilson here.
Info:
1hr 40min – Action/Adventure – English
Director: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Robert Redford
Playing at:
Magic Lantern Theatres – Carlton Cinema
Blue Is The Warmest Color
The winner of the 2013 the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the latest film from one of France’s most polarizing directors, Abdellatif Kechiche, and based on Julie Maroh’s celebrated graphic novel, Blue is the Warmest Color is a love story between two young French women. It follows the couple over a few years of their lives and both celebrates their happiness as well as wallows in their despair. It is raw, intense, emotional, and sure to be talked about in the months leading up to the Oscars.
Info:
2hr 59min – Rated R – Drama – French
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Starring: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux
Playing at:
TIFF Bell Lightbox
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