Variety.com
July5, 2007
Mister D: As I stated a month or so ago about this, mostly as a rumor, well here’s your proof. This bodes very well for the movie and the whole cast. Congrats to Elinor Lipman, Helen Hunt, and of course, our own Divine Ms. Bette Midler! And lets give a shout out to the Colin Firth fans who have been so kind to this site….
Toronto Film Fest: New Picks from Hunt, Gosling, Sayles
The 32nd Toronto International Film Festival has added five titles to its “Special Presentations” line-up, including new films from John Sayles and actress-turned-director Helen Hunt.
Here’s the release:
Toronto ”“ Five films have been added to the lineup for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. These titles join the previously announced NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN as part of Special Presentations, showcasing major films, major stars, and major filmmakers. These titles profile works by celebrated and up-and-coming filmmakers, and feature performances by some of cinema’s biggest names, including Ryan Gosling, Danny Glover, Patricia Clarkson, Sigourney Weaver, Bette Midler, Helen Hunt, Matthew Broderick, Elias Koteas, Colin Firth, Keri Russell, Mary Steenburgen, Alessandro Nivola, Kelli Garner and Kate Bosworth. The 32nd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 6 ”“ 15, 2007. Ticket Pass and Package sales begin Monday, July 9, 2007 for VISA cardholders only and Monday, July 16, 2007 for VISA, cash and debit sales, and may be purchased online by visiting tiff07, by phone at 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM, or in-person at the TIFFG Box Office at Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor Street West (main floor, north entrance).
THE GIRL IN THE PARK David Auburn, USA, Special Presentations
Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn (Proof) makes his feature directorial debut with a film about the fluidity of family and the unique and diverse ways in which we cope with loss. Fifteen years after the disappearance of her three-year-old daughter in New York City’s Central Park, Julia (Sigourney Weaver) encounters a troubled young girl named Louise (Kate Bosworth) and quickly takes her under her wing. Also starring Alessandro Nivola, David Rasche, Elias Koteas, and Kerri Russell.
HONEYDRIPPER John Sayles, USA, Special Presentations
When the down-on-his-luck owner of an Alabama juke joint (Danny Glover) recruits a guitar playing drifter (newcomer Gary Clark Jr.) to help save his club, the place and its patrons are turned upside down and inside out by an ‘electric’ new form of music. A legend of American independent cinema, writer/director John Sayles (PASSION FISH, CASA DE LOS BABYS) explores a time when juke joints were the place one could find release after a hard week in the cotton fields, all the while documenting that pulsating moment when the blues became rock ‘n roll.
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL Craig Gillespie, USA, Special Presentations
The socially inept Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) lives a nondescript life in a small, equally nondescript Midwestern town, working a generic job in an office cubicle and living a bland existence in a garage apartment. But all that’s about to change when Lars meets the girl of his dreams: a stunning Danish-Brazilian missionary from the tropics named Bianca ”“ who also happens to be a made-to-order, life-size doll. From writer Nancy Oliver (“Six Feet Under”) and emerging filmmaker Craig Gillespie, the film also stars Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson.
ROMULUS, MY FATHER Richard Roxburgh, Australia, Special Presentations
Based on Raimond Gaita’s critically acclaimed memoir, this directorial debut from Aussie actor Richard Roxburgh tells the story of Romulus (Eric Bana), his beautiful wife Christina (Franka Potente), and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son Raimond. Tragic yet simultaneously uplifting, it is a story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son. Developed with Roxburgh over seven years, the film has been adapted to the screen by poet and playwright, Nick Drake.
THEN SHE FOUND ME Helen Hunt, USA, Special Presentations
Helen Hunt’s feature directorial debut, based on the eponymous first novel by writer Elinor Lipman, tells the funny and moving story of one woman’s very unlikely path towards personal fulfillment. Nearing 40, April (Hunt) is a schoolteacher in New York. Adopted at birth, April Epner (Hunt) wants to have a baby of her own ”“ a desire made that much stronger by the fact that she never knew her biological mother. A snag in her plans presents itself when her sweet but immature husband Ben (Matthew Broderick) announces one night that their marriage was a mistake, leaving April devastated and bewildered. With her life in disarray, one more surprising bolt is thrown April’s way in the form of Bernice (Bette Midler), an eccentric local talk show host, who declares herself to be April’s birth mother. Despite the influence of her newfound mother and a relationship with Frank (Colin Firth), the father of one of her students, April’s once simple life begins to spiral out of control.
