A tribute to vibrators and the women who love them, Tanya Wexler's Hysteria is a jaunty little entertainment that's almost plowed under by its early-suffragette arguments for women's equality. But like the little motorized whatsit that is its subject, the movie's charms are ultimately irresistible.
Now, now: The word "Indonesian" should make my description of The Raid's red band trailer intriguing enough. Will there be expensive coffee? Komodo Dragons? Beautiful Sumatran supermodels? Even better: Gareth Evans's The Raid (Serbuan Maut) has the harshest, roughest, bloodiest, fastest-paced action of any trailer I've seen this year. It is a rush, and it is shocking as hell. It's the rare movie that warrants a "red band trailer;" type in your birthday, click play, and let your jaw drop.
It's that time again -- time for actors and filmmakers to cross their fingers, for studios and distributors to get out their checkbooks, for bleary-eyed audiences to get their running shoes on, and for all of them to meet up north for the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. As always, their confluence will yield a handful of big-screen surprises, some bitter disappointments, and the usual all-night wheeling and dealing for the best of the fall crop premiering in the week ahead.* Per annual TIFF custom, let's have a browse through the catalog (and a listen to the buzz) at five particular titles you should expect to hear about early and often.
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