It's good to see the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) back in action. Three years is a long time to go without a film festival, and the WIFF is back with a vengeance, expanding the festival to 12 - count 'em 12 - whole days. It's amazing how this festival has grown and how Windsorites have taken to it. It's also a kind of mini Toronto International Film Festival - screening some of the same films - so saves us a laborious trip to the zoo which is Toronto and watch in our own relaxed back yard. Here are my film picks: The Last Bus – it stars starring Timothy Spall, who always marvellously plays archetypical irascible British characters; Deception - any film based on the personal tangles and subterfuges of a Philip Roth novel is sure to intrigue; Boblo Boats - for the same reasons everyone else who grew up in this area will want to attend; Haute Couture - because I love the fashion industry; Triangle of Sadness - this black comedy of a societal mashup has been drawing rave reviews; Rogue Agent - you've got to like anything of the British elegant spy drama genre; Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel - because anyone who has followed generations of beats, poets and rock artists who have made this cherished Manhattan hotel home would be interested; Salvatore, Shoemaker of Dreams - fashion again and because I thought my significant other would like it; Metronom - I've seen some very good Romanian films about the Communist era and expect this to be an equal; Pretty Problems - Wine, Sonoma Valley and a lost weekend, what's not to like?; The Killing of a Journalist - I've always been fond of films about Eastern European corruption - here, Slovakia – and their filmmakers depict it so darkly. One Fine Morning - just having Léa Seydoux in it is enough for me; The Divide - personal conflict mirroring societal trends has always been interesting; Hold me Tight - the fact it's directed by fave France's Mathieu Amalric and his personal take on an intense emotional drama; Howard's End - I can't even remember if I’ve seen this 30-year-old British manners classic but like fans of Dalton Abbey it's must viewing; The King of Laughter - let's see if acclaimed Italian actor Toni Servillo turns in another tour de force; Official Competition - anything Penelope Cruz is in and playing a crazed film director to boot even more so.
Tomorrow I'll have my final round of picks for this year's festival.
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