Starving Foodie

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

TIFF 50 - A Hot Ticket list of Galas and Special Presentations

TIFF 50

Galas and Special Presentations

My prediction for hot tickets.

This year, the Toronto International Film Festival hits its 50th year. September 4th to the 14th in Toronto, ON.

Tiff.net for all the film info and how to get tickets.

To say it's going to be a massive year may be an understatement.

For the first time, I will be able to join the many throngs of media people attending this year's festival, which will offer a Media Pass for the first time. I have volunteered for the past 25 years, so I wasn't able to cover the festival in full for this Blog before. I will attempt to do some volunteer shifts because I get to see my friends that way, and then navigate the media frenzy too. I have covered other festivals like Hot Docs, Planet in Focus, and a few other festivals, but this is the first time I received media accreditation for TIFF.

Last year, I felt it was okay, but it lacked the usual buzz and excitement about many of the films. I think some films that got attention may have been overlooked in other years. Like Emilia Perez with Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Sofía Gascón, with a transgender lead and about drug dealing, and it was also a musical. This film was definitely out of the box and stirred a lot of controversy around awards season.

This year, Toronto will be excited to see the new Frankenstein movie, which was shot in Toronto in 2024 by Guillermo del Toro, a legendary Toronto filmmaker who just received a key to the City of Toronto. It stars the popular Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth.

This list was recently released by TIFF.

I have highlighted some films in Yellow for the ones that got my attention at first glance and in RED font for the ones that I think will get a lot of buzz because they either have a strong Toronto connection, a talented Director, or a topic of interest relating to World Events. This will also be a great year for celebrity spotting with Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Aziz Ansari, Scarlett Johannsen, Colin Hanks, Colin Farrell, Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie, Brian Cox, and a lot more who will most likely be here for their films.

Here's a list of this year's Gala and Special Presentation Films:

2025 Galas (in alphabetical order):

2025 Special Presentations (in alphabetical order):

I'm not as knowledgeable on World Cinema as my focus is generally on Big audience films unless there is someone who's work I really like.

These are my opinions, and who knows what will be the standout films this year, but these are my best guess until I start hearing more buzz about each film.

I will start providing more details later when I can choose select films to focus on.

Friday, May 9, 2025

Nonnas - serves up big bowls of love

Nonna's Movie Trailer

NONNAS

2025

Running time: 1hr 51 min

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Executive Producer: Vince Vaughan

Starring: Vince Vaughan, Joe Manganiello, Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, Drea De Matteo, Linda Cardellini

Nonnas just came out today on Netflix, and I had to watch it immediately. This movie is based on a true story about a restaurant in Staten Island where the cooks are all Nonnas.

Vince Vaughan plays Joe, a man who lost his beloved mother and decides to open a restaurant and have Nonnas cook the food and make it more than just a restaurant but a place that feels like home. He is a mechanic and has no restaurant experience, but he remembers his mother's cooking and how it made him feel, and he wants that feeling back.

This is the kind of movie I want to see more of put into the world, instead of all the violent smash em up shoot up or depressing war films where you leave a film feeling angry. This isn't that kind of film.

You will feel like eating a bowl of fresh pasta, made by your mother or Nonna. Maybe not mine, though, because neither one knew how to make real fresh pasta and authentic tomato sauce.

The film is dripping with seasoned, talented actors. The characters feel like they stepped off a Staten Island, NY street and onto the screen.

The story revolves around shared grieving and building a family from strangers that form a connection over a shared goal and food.

Yes, it's always about food, and that's why I am posting this review on my Starving Foodie Blog instead of my Film Blog.

The food in the movie may have you gagging in one scene and drooling and hungry in the rest.

This film has so much heart in it. It's in the food and on the screen.

My previous review was about a Jewish family, and this one is about a found Italian family, but they have passion and food in common.

If you have Netflix, please check out this movie, and if you can watch it with your family, and some great Italian food.

If I were giving it a heart instead of a star rating, it would be

If this movie doesn't get to you, then you need to work on your heart chakra!

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Bad Shabbos- Friday night dinner like no other

BAD SHABBOS - in honour of Shabbat dinner - will open on Thursday, May 22 for a week at:

Toronto/North York - Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk
Toronto - Cineplex Cinemas Varsity and VIP
Vancouver - Cineplex Fifth Avenue Cinemas

Click here for the most up-to-date theatrical rollout.

BAD SHABBOS

DIRECTED BY

Daniel Robbins

WRITTEN BY

Zack Weiner and Daniel Robbins

STARRING

Kyra Sedgwick (Ellen), Cliff “Method Man” Smith (Jordan), Jon Bass (David), Milana Vayntrub (Abby), David Paymer (Richard), Meghan Leathers (Meg), Theo Taplitz (Adam), Ashley Zukerman (Benjamin)

Year: 2025 - Run Time: 84 minutes - Genre: Comedy

Kyra Sedgwick and David Paymer

After watching a bunch of really heavy and depressing documentaries from Hot Docs this year, I needed a pace change. I jumped at watching this film as soon as it appeared in my inbox.

The title got me, BAD SHABBOS. If you know any dysfunctional families that insist on having Friday night Shabbos meals, you will know the dynamic of this family.

This is somewhat of a stereotype of a New York Jewish family about to be blended with a Christian family. David and Meg are filled with anxiety at the thought of their parents meeting for the first time over Shabbat dinner at David's parents' home in New York. Included in the family dinner are David's sister and troubled brother, along with his sister's bad boyfriend.

In a series of bad decisions and comedy of errors, one by one, each of the family members gets involved in hiding a secret accident before Meg's parents arrive for dinner. Even the friendly concierge of the building becomes involved. In a scene-stealing performance by Cliff "Method Man" Smith whose quick thinking ends up saving the day and bonding the whole family over the shared tragedy.

You know it's going to be good when you have Kyra Sedgwick and David Paymer playing husband and wife.

This film was a fun "oh no" what are they going to do now, ride.

This film has a bunch of great directors' influences from Woody Allen, Nora Ephron, Mike Nichols, and Neil Simon, all mashed up together.

This film was shown at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, and I hope it gets a decent wide release because we need to see more movies like this that are reminiscent of movies from the 70's and 80's with interesting characters and crazy plots.

Trailer: