Wonderland.

7 NEW FILMS TO WATCH

All the new releases announced by Toronto International Film Festival to get excited about.

Toronto International Film Festival released this year’s lineup yesterday, and we’re counting down the days until they’re out in cinemas. With new films from Shia LaBeouf, Finn Wolfhard, Joaquin Phoenix, Janelle Monáe and Dev Patel, here are the 7 films we’re most excited for.

Honey Boy

We watched Shia LaBeouf as kids in Even Stevens. We watched him turn to raunchier roles in films like Nymphomaniac. We watched him shouting ‘JUST DO IT!’ in one of the most parodied and well-recognised memes, and we even watched him watching every one of his own movies (okay, not all 10 hours of it) in a bizarre live stream. And soon we’ll be able to watch Honey Boy, based on his own childhood, from a script he wrote during rehab. Lucas Hedges plays an adult LaBeouf, and Shia’s then-girlfriend FKA Twigs is credited as ‘Shy Girl’. Make of that what you will.

The Goldfinch

Ansel Elgort, Finn Wolfhard, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson… need we go on? This adaptation of Donna Tartt’s coming-of-age novel not only boasts a dreamy cast, but the trailer is a masterpiece in itself – with stunning cinematography and the haunting notes of Perfume Genius’ “Otherside”. Prepare to sob throughout this one, as the trailer is already making us choke up, with lines like “When I lost her, I lost sight of any landmark that might have led me some place happier”.

The Goldfinch is out in cinemas on 27th September.

Joker

Heath Ledger’s iconic turn as the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight is remembered by many as the performance of his career. Now Joaquin Phoenix is trying his hand at playing the demented comic-book villain. While Ledger’s Joker was already certifiably deranged, the new film will chronicle his descent into insanity, and Phoenix is the perfect choice to put on the face paint – that last shot in the trailer of his creepy smile is truly terrifying.

Joker is out in cinemas on 4th October.

Jojo Rabbit

Along with directing Natalie Portman as the new Thor, Taika Waititi has also announced his latest project: a dark comedy where Waititi plays Hitler, with Sam Rockwell playing a Nazi who runs a Hitler Youth camp where Rebel Wilson plays an instructor, and sporting a very Wes Anderson-esque aesthetic. Sound bizarre? Absolutely. We can’t wait.

Jojo Rabbit is out in cinemas on 18th October.

How to Build a Girl

Wonderland 7 wonders How to Build a Girl Beanie Feldstein

Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival

Wonderland 7 wonders How to Build a Girl Beanie Feldstein
Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival

Jonah Hill’s little sister Beanie Feldstein was unapologetically sassy and authentic in two of the most heartwarming coming-of-age films of recent years, Lady Bird and Booksmart – so it only makes sense that she would take centre stage in an adaptation of feminist writer Caitlin Moran’s How to Build a Girl. Beanie will play a working-class teenager who moves to London to reinvent herself as a music critic, also featuring the soothing Irish croons of Chris O’ Dowd and Paddy Considine, alongside the U.K.’s own national treasure Emma Thompson.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Dev Patel has come a long way since he played lanky, awkward Anwar in the first season of the generation-defining Skins – his performance in Lion reduced most of us to a blubbering mess. Now, he’s taking the lead as David Copperfield in an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ autobiographical novel, amongst British acting royalty such as Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Gwendoline Christie, Peter Capaldi and Ben Wishaw. With Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin) directing, we can expect dark comedy and endlessly quotable lines from this all-star cast.

Harriet

We stan Janelle Monáe whether she’s singing, rapping or acting. In Kasi Lemmons’ new film Harriet, she stars alongside Widows’ Cynthia Ervo in a biopic about Harriet Tubman, the legendary abolitionist, activist and later, Suffragette, who led several missions to release slaves in the U.S. We already have major chills from the trailer, which also stars Joe Alwyn as Tubman’s slave owner.

Words
Hannah Holway