by Larry Richman
September 19, 2006 11:47 PM

I attend film festivals for one main reason -- to see films. But that isn't as plain as it seems. See, to me, there are "movies" and then there are "films." Or, more precisely, indies. I am an indie lover. I like "small" films, which often are low budget, though not necessarily, and play film festivals in hopes of getting "picked up" or "acquired" for distribution. These are films that aren't yet guaranteed to be shown in theaters. I can comment on them and root for their success. It gives a sense of investment and loyalty and passion. Of course, that's not the main reason I see them. It only describes what they are. I see them because, in my opinion, they are usually better than anything else out there. But that's another story for another time. Indies are my passion.

That's why movies like "All the King's Men," Steve Zaillian's epic based on the powerful Louisiana politician Huey Long, was not a draw for me. But I did see it anyway, because even though it will be in theaters soon, it is destined to be one of the five nominated films for Best Picture and may even win. And I always like to have seen them all, so as long as it was showing, why not. Also, when else can one ask questions of the director after the screening? So I did attend a few. Let's call them "Galas."

I also saw several documentaries. I do enjoy docs, and there were some gems. I did rate and rank them as well, but they were not the focus of my interest either.

My passion is indies, and I saw a bunch. I can separate them into two main categories: foreign (I'll call them "Foreign") and English-speaking (I'll call them "Indies"). Generally, foreign films are very different in tone and production values, and rarely play outside of a few art houses in a handful of cities. So it's the English-speaking indies which are at the center of my love of film and why I attend festivals.

So here are the four categories in which I place my titles: Galas, Docs, Foreign, and Indies. I rated each film on a scale of 1 to 5. Here I will list only the films which I rated a 5 out of 5.

Here is, in my opinion, the cream of the crop of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival:

GALAS

Black Book

DOCS

The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Radiant City

FOREIGN

Chacun Sa Nuit
Glue
Nue Propriete

And finally....

INDIES

Cashback
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
Starter for Ten
The Dog Problem
Citizen Duane
The Abandoned
End of the Line

So that's the overall roundup. I'll be providing links to each film (as I did with black Book) ASAP.