Music is highlighting the Toronto International Film Festival with a Michael Jackson documentary from Spike Lee and a closing-night film featuring Vanessa Redgrave as a terminally ill choir singer.
Organizers announced Tuesday that Redgrave’s “Song for Marion” will close next month’s Toronto festival, which runs Sept. 6 to 16 and is one of the key cinema gatherings that kick off Hollywood’s fall movie lineup and Academy Awards season. The film directed by Paul Andrew Williams co-stars Terence Stamp and Gemma Arterton.
Lee’s documentary “Bad 25” also is playing the festival, marking the 25th anniversary of Jackson’s 1987 album “Bad.” The film features footage shot by Jackson himself along with interviews with such stars and music producers as Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Sheryl Crow and L.A. Reid.
Toronto planners announced dozens of other films to round out its 11-day run, among them Peter Webber’s “Emperor,” starring Tommy Lee Jones as Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the aftermath of Japan’s defeat in World War II; Dante Ariola’s “Arthur Newman,” a romance with Colin Firth and Emily Blunt centered on a former golf hot shot who became a notorious choker on the pro circuit; and Brian De Palma’s “Passion,” an erotic thriller featuring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.
Other Toronto highlights include Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy,” a murder tale set in 1960s Florida that stars Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack and Zac Efron; Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” with James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in a tale of college girls on a wild vacation; Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the story of a World War II Navy veteran drawn into a cult by a charismatic leader; and Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “What Maisie Knew,” with Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan in an adaptation of a Henry James tale about a girl caught in a custody battle.
Among previously announced films at Toronto are the opening-night premiere “Looper,” a sci-fi thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Blunt; Keira Knightley’s Leo Tolstoy adaptation “Anna Karenina,” featuring Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Ben Affleck’s Iran hostage rescue saga “Argo,” co-starring Bryan Cranston and John Goodman; and Robert Redford’s fugitive manhunt tale “The Company You Keep,” co-starring Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon and Terrence Howard.
Along with the Venice and Telluride festivals that precede it, Toronto typically is a prime launch spot for many Oscar contenders. Among past Oscar winners that played the Toronto festival were “The King’s Speech,” ”The Hurt Locker,” ”Slumdog Millionaire” and “Crash.”
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Delay TikTok Ban
President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
The request came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court, in which the company argued the court should strike down a law that could ban the platform by Jan. 19 while the government emphasized its position that the statute is needed to eliminate a national security risk.
"President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case," said Trump's amicus brief, which supported neither party in the case and was written by D. John Sauer, Trump's choice for solicitor general.
The argument submitted to the court is the latest example of Trump inserting himself in national issues before he takes office. The Republican president-elect has already begun negotiating with other countries over his plans to impose tariffs, and he intervened earlier this month in a plan to fund the federal government, calling for a bipartisan plan to be rejected and sending Republicans back to the negotiating table.
He has been holding meetings with foreign leaders and business officials at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida while he assembles his administration, including a meeting last week with TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined the TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger... Read More