TIFF 2024: The five movies I can't wait to see

As film journalists and critics from across the globe gather to convene for this year’s annual rendition of the Toronto Film Festival, it’s only fitting to take a peek behind the curtain and unveil the 5 movies I’m most geeked about. It will be a return to the glitz and glamor of years passed as last year’s festivities were hampered by dueling actors and writers strike in Hollywood. 

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ANORA 

Considering this one has already swept several major festivals, including winning the coveted Palme d’or at Cannes in May, it’s no surprise Sean Baker’s “Anora” is already being crowned the “movie” of the festival. Rising star Mikey Madison plays a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries the son of a Russian oligarch. Baker has always been known to give actors incredible vehicles to showcase their talents, be it Willem Dafoe in “The Florida Project” or Simon Rex ala “Red Rocket.” Madison has already found herself thrusted into the Oscar race and a stop at TIFF could see those odds dramatically increase. 

HERETIC 

Oh I love when actors play against type and A24’s “Heretic” promises to deliver a Hugh Grant performance for the ages as he plays a villainous abductor who kidnaps two Mormons after they show up on his doorstep trying to preach the good book. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who sort of hit a creative roadblock with their Adam Driver dinosaur dud “65,” “Heretic” seems to suggest there’s much more underneath the hood then just your simple cat and mouse thriller. I can’t wait to see what twisty revelations are up this one’s sleeves. 

THE LIFE OF CHUCK 

Another name brand director in Mike Flanagan, who created “Midnight Mass,” “The House of the Fall of Usher,” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” paired with a cherished Stephen King short-story seems like the perfect marriage. Not much is known about the movie aside from it being described as a “life-affirming, genre-bending story,” this world premiere is walking into the fest without distribution, but there’s early buzz it might be a dark horse for the coveted People’s Choice Award. 

ICK

Debuting in the Midnight Madness section of the festival, this one sounds like it’s exactly right up my alley. A creature feature in the same vein as “The Faculty” or “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” as the logline suggests, it’s to follow a science teacher named Hank (played by former “Superman” Brandon Routh) who is forced to confront an alien threat to his hometown. 

FRIENDSHIP

As a Michigander, anytime Tim Robinson, the comedian known for his hilarious sketch comedy series “I Think You Should Leave,” is attached to something, you take notice. His new film “Friendship,” is said to be in the same vein as his popular Netflix show and this time he’s got Paul Rudd along for the ride? Sign me up.

Honorable Mentions: 

THE BRUTALIST - Filmmaker Brady Corbet is being hailed as the next Orson Welles after “The Brutalist,” made waves at the Venice Film Festival. His three hour epic, shot in 70mm, should be the talk of the town. 

SATURDAY NIGHT - The chaotic madness that went into making the first ever “Saturday Night Live” earned raves after its Telluride Film Festival bow, and if you’re a massive fan of the sketch series like I am, this should be catnip. Directed by Jason Reitman.

MEGALOPOLIS - Frances Ford Coppola’s self-funded epic has garnered plenty of headlines with mixed buzz and reactions out of Cannes (and a trailer that was pulled the day it was released). Now, North American audiences finally get their chance to see what “The Godfather” filmmaker has cooked up just two weeks prior to its nationwide release.

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival kicks off Thursday, September 5th through Sunday, September 15th. You can follow along both here and at The Spoiler Free Movie Sleuth for all of my TIFF related coverage.