Already some second thoughts

It's been two days since the big TIFF announcement of the first slate and I already have shifting thoughts.

First off, there were some I missed altogether. The always-wonderful Nanni Moretti returns with a comedic look at the Vatican called Habemus Papam. Ever since this Italian master got on his Vespa in the 1990s and began exploring Italy as a way of finding his own heart, I have been riding sidecar. A Happy Event looks like a gentle comedy from director Rémi Bezançon that is hardly breaking new ground but might offer quiet memorable moments. It's been so long since there's been a film from Fred Schepisi, whose Russia House I loved in the early 90s. Charlotte Rampling takes the lead in Eye of the Storm about a woman facing end of life decisions, surrounded by an A+ list of Aussies that includes Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush. These all come onto my longer short-list.

Some films that I didn't even bother to include in my "worth seeing but I won't likely" list earlier, have come more into view now. This includes Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive, about a stuntdriver drawn into a heist, starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. My interest stems from realizing that the screenwriter is Hossein Amini whose gorgeous adaptations of Jude and Wings of the Dove previously bode well here. I also failed to mention Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz (pictured above) starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogan and Sarah Silverman, the next feature from the Canadian actress whose beautiful Away From Her was such an impressive hit of the 2006 festival. Polley has once again written the screenplay for the film. The story, which looks at a woman torn by her husband and a man she has recently met, sounds like it could be a reworking of Marie-Jo et ses deux amours, by Robert Guédiguian, which was a favourite film for me of the 2002 festival. If Take this Waltz has half the simplicity and subtle intimacy of that film, it will be wonderful indeed.

Like Crazy, Drake Doremus' film about two college kids who fall madly in love and then must test that commitment while living in separate cities - sounds much to me like the novel Raymond and Hannah by Canadian Stephen Marche, which someone should please please make a movie of. It will likely slide quickly off my list but is there for now. On the other hand, Ten Year, about a high school reunion, is written and directed by Jamie Linden, whose screenplay for Dear John was subtle and nuanced.