[phileysmiley]

<img src="http://parcom.pronetworks.org/images/0727tif2.JPG" align="right" alt="toronto film festival 2008"></img><font color="maroon">by Larry Richman </font>
<font color="gray" size="1">September 3, 2008 7:13 PM</font>

The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival officially kicks off tomorrow. As usual, the excitement level could not possible be amped up any more than it is, as this is the event at which all the major Hollywood studios trot out their Oscar hopefuls. In fact, Toronto has become the de facto kickoff of Academy Awards season.

For this reporter, though, it's not about that at all. As readers of this blog know, my interest is almost exclusively in independent and foreign films and, while I always see a few of the "big name" movies in Toronto, my schedule is mostly filled with those little gems from outside Hollywood that might emerge from the pack (as <em>Juno</em> did last year, for example).

In 2006 and 2007 I saw over 50 films. While many are chosen ahead of time, about 2/3 of the films I end up seeing are always last minute additions or simply chosen from a list of available titles to fill gaps in my schedule. Yet, each year, a good deal of my Top Picks once the festival is over come from that group of unplanned surprises.

As of today I have a list of 25 confirmed films for which I have high hopes. Here are 10 of them, keeping in mind that there's a very good chance some of my Top Picks from this year's festival won't come from this group at all.

Links will take you to the film's details and synopsis at the official festival site, which say much more than I ever could not having seen these films. I'd rather write about them afterward than predict what I might see. A number of these I've written about extensively here on this blog over the past couple of years from casting through filming and post-production.

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<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/prideandglory" target="_blank"><em>Pride and Glory</em></a> -- Directed by Gavin O'Connor, starring Colin Farrell, Edward Norton, Jon Voight, Noah Emmerich, Jennifer Ehle.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/fiftydeadmenwalking" target="_blank"><em>Fifty Dead Men Walking</em></a> -- Directed by Kari Skogland, starring Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess, Kevin Zegers, Nathalie Press, Rose McGowan.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/easyvirtue" target="_blank"><em>Easy Virtue</em></a> -- Directed by Stephan Elliott, starring Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes, Kimberly Nixon, Katherine Parkinson.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/zackandmirimakeaporn" target="_blank"><em>Zack and Miri Make a Porno</em></a> -- Directed by Kevin Smith, starring Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Traci Lords.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/burnafterreading" target="_blank"><em>Burn After Reading</em></a> -- Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/meandorsonwelles" target="_blank"><em>Me and Orson Welles</em></a> -- Directed by Richard Linklater, starring Ben Chaplin, Claire Danes, Zac Efron, Zoe Kazan, Christian McKay.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/middleofnowhere" target="_blank"><em>Middle of Nowhere</em></a> -- Directed by John Stockwell, starring Susan Sarandon, Eva Amurri, Anton Yelchin, Justin Chatwin, Willa Holland.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/lymelife" target="_blank"><em>Lymelife</em></a> -- Directed by Derick Martini, starring Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, Emma Roberts.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/itmightgetloud" target="_blank"><em>It Might Get Loud</em></a> -- Directed by Davis Guggenheim, starring The Edge, Jimmy Page, Jack White.

<a href="http://tiff08.ca/filmsandschedules/films/narrows" target="_blank"><em>The Narrows</em></a> -- Directed by Francois A. Veelle, starring Kevin Zegers, Vincent D'Onofrio, Sophia Bush, Eddie Cahill, Titus Welliver, Monica Keena.

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That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course. I'll post more as time allows. I'm not sure if I'll see over 25 films again but it's a good start.

[Grav!ty]

Looks like some great movies in your selection Larry. "Pride and Glory" starring Colin Farrell and Jon Voight, and the Coen brothers "Burn After Reading" stand out for me

[phileysmiley]

Looks like some great movies in your selection Larry. "Pride and Glory" starring Colin Farrell and Jon Voight, and the Coen brothers "Burn After Reading" stand out for me

Many of these films are expected to vie for Oscars come the end of the year. The Coen brothers scored last year with <i>No Country For Old Men</i> (which premiered at Toronto) so many will be looking at this one with high expectations.

One the one hand, most of these films do have release dates and will be playing in theatres shortly -- for example, <i>Burn After Reading</i> opens the following Friday. On the other hand, attending these premieres gives one the opportunity to meet the cast and crew, all of whom are expected to attend. In some cases there is no Q&A and/or meet & greet afterwards but very often there are.

I have 15 other films which aren't as high profile but should be excellent nonetheless.