Movies
Must-see movies debut at Toronto's international festival

By Moira Macdonald
Seattle Times movie critic

Andy Lau, left, and Takeshi Kaneshiro in "House of Flying Daggers."

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Three hundred and 28 films, nearly two dozen screens, hundreds of actors, directors and journalists, seemingly thousands of publicists, and unlimited (albeit pricey) popcorn — that is the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival, which begins today and continues through Sept. 18. It's a big, splashy festival that combines red-carpet glamour with the best of independent world cinema, and it's where many of fall's most talked-about films make their North American debuts. And it's where I'm headed for a week, hoping to get a jump on the fall movie season, and to find some movies that will thrill.

In recent years, films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Lost in Translation," "School of Rock," "Far from Heaven," "Amélie," "Bowling for Columbine," "Winged Migration," "The Fog of War," "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "Facing Windows" (the eventual grand-prize winner at this year's Seattle International Film Festival) graced the Toronto festival's screens — often before they had been seen anywhere else in North America.

	Gael Garcia Bernal, front, and Rodrigo de la Serna in "The Motorcycle Diaries."

This year's lineup, though a little light on big-studio fare, bubbles with possibility, like a freshly drawn fountain Diet Coke on ice. (Do I seem a tad obsessed with multiplex food here? That's because I'm bracing myself to eat virtually nothing else for a week. "Super Size Me," indeed.) Here's a look at some of the films — and the people — who'll be raising eyebrows and causing talk in Toronto in the coming days.

The directors

	Charlize Theron in "Head in the Clouds."

Many of cinema's finest directors will be at TIFF with their latest work — and some are even working as a team. Steven Soderbergh, Wong Kar-wai ("In the Mood for Love") and Italian master Michelangelo Antonioni join forces for "Eros," three short films presented as a trio, on themes of sex and love. Individually, anything by these three is a must-see; it'll be fascinating to see how their work blends together.

Writer/director David O. Russell, who surfaces every few years with a terrific movie ("Three Kings," "Flirting with Disaster"), will be at Toronto with "I [Heart] Huckabees," described as an "existential comedy" and starring Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin. Alexander Payne ("About Schmidt," "Election," "Citizen Ruth"), along with writing partner Jim Taylor, will bring "Sideways," a road movie about two men avoiding midlife crises in the California wine country.

Toronto International Film Festival Opens today and runs through Sept. 18. For information, go to www.e.bell.ca/filmfest. See the Northwest Life section next Tuesday and Thursday for updates from the festival.

Actor Kevin Spacey makes his directing debut as singer Bobby Darin in "Beyond the Sea" (and yes, word is he does his own singing). Pedro Almodóvar ("All About My Mother," "Talk to Her") returns with "Bad Education," about a pair of childhood friends who reunite long after their years in religious school. Bill Condon, who hasn't made a movie since his wonderful 1998 drama "Gods and Monsters," will be at TIFF with "Kinsey," a biopic about sex researcher Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson).

French master Jean-Luc Godard, still making movies in his mid-70s, brings "Notre Musique," described as a poetic examination of hell (war), purgatory and paradise. John Waters returns to sex and Baltimore for "A Dirty Shame." Walter Salles ("Central Station") brings "The Motorcycle Diaries," based on the writings of Che Guevara.

Zhang Yimou, director of the current box-office hit "Hero," returns with another swordplay-filled adventure, "House of Flying Daggers." Sally Potter ("Orlando") directs Joan Allen and Simon Abkarian in "Yes," a romantic drama told in verse. And Danny Boyle turns from zombies ("28 Days Later") to kids who find an unexpected cache of money with "Millions."

The actors

	Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin in "I [Heart] Huckabees."

Two of this year's top Oscar winners will be represented at Toronto with new films. Sean Penn ("Mystic River") stars in the political drama "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," directed by Niels Mueller. Charlize Theron ("Monster") joins Stuart Townsend and Penelope Cruz for John Duigan's romantic drama "Head in the Clouds," set in 1930s England.

Jamie Foxx, so good in "Collateral" this summer, will play the title role in Taylor Hackford's "Ray," a film biography of singer Ray Charles. Laura Linney is already getting Oscar buzz for Dylan Kidd's "P.S.," about a divorced woman mysteriously reunited with her high-school sweetheart.

	Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in "Ray."

Michael Radford directs a starry version of Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice," with Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. Kenneth Branagh headlines John Stephenson's film adaptation of the Victorian children's book "Five Children and It." And Martin Short will reprise his "The Martin Short Show" character Jiminy Glick, an excitable entertainment critic, in "Jiminy Glick in Lalawood" — set at the Toronto Film Festival.

The wild cards

	MERIE W. WALLACE / FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES "Sideways," with Paul Giamatti, left, and Thomas Haden Church, is a road movie about two men trying to avoid midlife crises.

Many of the films making their world premieres at Toronto are without studio backing and available for acquisition — and chief among these is Laurence Dunmore's irresistible-sounding "The Libertine," which features Johnny Depp as a 17th-century poet and wit. John Malkovich and Samantha Morton ("In America") co-star.

Other films have little buzz but sound delicious. Who could resist a movie called "Ladies in Lavender," starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith (and, undoubtedly, fabulous hats)? Or "Double Dare," Amanda Micheli's documentary about a pair of Hollywood stuntwomen? Or Kristin Scott Thomas and Romain Duris as a countess and a jewel thief in the French crime caper "Arsène Lupin"?

I'll be catching as many of these films as I can (Sleep? Who sleeps?) and will be reporting from the muggy streets and blessedly air-conditioned multiplexes of Toronto next week, popcorn bag in hand. What will be this year's Big Discovery? Stay tuned; I'll let you know.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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