TORONTO – It's that time of year when Hollywood and its Oscar-ready movies heed the call of the Tim Hortons maple-glazed doughnut and the Great White North.
Celebrating its 50th iteration, Toronto International Film Festival has been a major launching pad for best picture winners like “Parasite,” “Nomadland” and “Spotlight" – and it was also a stop along the way for "Anora" in capturing the Academy Awards' biggest prize earlier this year. So who might the choice candidates be in 2025? Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" looks to be one, after making a major splash at Venice Film Festival. The Norwegian film "Sentimental Value," starring Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning, has buzz and accolades, as does Dwayne Johnson's MMA movie "The Smashing Machine."
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We're on the ground at the fest (which runs through Sept. 14) watching as many films as possible. Here are the best we've seen so far, ranked:
The ideal action thriller for those who think there’s way too much chit-chat on “Reacher.” In a 1970s-set crime drama with almost no dialogue but plenty of period tunes, Alan Ritchson continues his rise as a two-fisted, rough-and-tumble juggernaut, playing an ex-con recently engaged to his sweetie (Shailene Woodley). He’s sent back to the slammer after being framed by a local drug kingpin (Ben Foster), and when he escapes, our jacked hero goes on a quest of ultraviolent, bone-breaking vengeance. It makes up for what it lacks in words and character development with gritty style and Ritchson’s beefy brooding.
