2022 TIFF

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin have long established themselves as an appealing comedy duo, as evidenced by their seven-year run in the titular roles in the hit series Grace and Frankie. Theirs is an onscreen relationship which dates to 1980, with their starring roles in the three-time Golden Globe nominated movie, 9 to 5.

Don’t let the title fool you. This rom-com starring Lily James and Shazad Latif is not a reference to the Tina Turner classic hit, nor her 1993 biopic of the same name, which garnered a Golden Globe win for Angela Bassett.

Award-winning Cinematographer, Luc Montpellier, talks about his latest work, the highly acclaimed film, Women Talking, which marks his third collaboration with director Sarah Polley and stars Frances McDormand, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara and Ben Whishaw.   Montpellier hails from Canada, and his impressive litany of work has been seen over the last twenty years and includes such movies as Take This Waltz, Away From Her, Ruba Nadda’s Sabah, and Cairo Time.

The Woman King is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and stars Viola Davis and South African Thuso Mbedu, along with Sheila Atim, Lashana Lynch and John Boyega. To describe it as an action film might be true, but it leaves out the social significance that might not be immediately obvious to people who are accustomed to seeing themselves represented on all levels of society.

Merging fact with fiction, French-Caribbean musician Joseph Bologne, who adopted the name Chevalier de Saint-Georges, is the subject of the biopic Chevalier, and is portrayed by Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the titular role.

In the 2021 fourth season finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), with the help of her fellow handmaids and the Canadian government, finally took revenge on Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and brutally murdered her Gilead commander and rapist. It was a long time coming for audiences searching for redemption for their favorite handmaid, now taking refuge in Canada.

The Eternal Daughter stars the inimitable three-time Golden Globe-nominated actor Tilda Swinton, who takes on dual roles in this mother-daughter horror story about the relationship between Julie Hart, a filmmaker, and her aging mother, Rosalind. Not to be forgotten, Rosalind’s dog, Louis, is played by Swinton’s own dog, also named Louis.

Stories of revenge permeate cinema — so much so that if extraterrestrials had to write up a report on humankind based only on an observational surveying of our most popular entertainment, they could be forgiven for arriving at the belief that accountability was only possible through eye-for-an-eye violence. But there is another side to the pain of loss to that which typically motivates vengeance.

Set in the world of haute cuisine, The Menu is a delicious combination of satire, horror, and comedy starring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy, with a supporting cast which includes Judith Light and Nicholas Hoult. The Menu is in some ways representative of our current foodie culture, which entered the zeitgeist some decades ago when waiters began to spout the origin story of each ingredient, culminating in the all-important phrase ‘farm to table.

After 15 years and 5 films as James Bond, Daniel Craig has already earned his place in cinema history as one of the most iconic characters of all time. But with his second appearance in the TIFF-premiered Glass Onion: A Knives Out as famed Southern detective, Benoit Blanc, the English actor may be creating another even more memorable new character; a cinematic cousin to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.