According to Chris, If you’re a movie lover, there’s no better place than TIFF. Often, you’ll get to see the movie before anybody else, which is a major treat. It also brings together like-minded individuals who love film, so there’s ample opportunity to commiserate and discuss movies, movie stars and everything else involved with cinema.
TIFF 2016 welcomed a hundreds of celebrities including Leo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, Casey Affleck, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Chris offers some great advice about what to do if you are fan and want to approach a celebrity. He suggests staying calm, not to gush and just act like the celeb is a normal person.
Honestly Chris – it’s gotta be tough staying calm when you are in front of Ryan Gosling?
We also asked Chris to suggest some must see TIFF movies – here are his TOP 5 and hopefully you can catch one or two in theaters soon.
1. ARRIVAL
Visionary Quebecois auteur Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario) directs Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker in this sci-fi drama about the panic that follows a wave of mysterious spacecraft landings across the globe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTNJtEXYsyw
Jim Jarmusch recounts the hard-rocking history of Iggy Pop and The Stooges, who burst out of Michigan in the late ’60s with a savage and endlessly influential fusion of rock, blues, R&B, and free jazz.
Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and Kyle Chandler star in this emotionally overwhelming and critically acclaimed drama from writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me, Margaret), about a reclusive handyman who must face his painful past when he returns to his Massachusetts hometown after the sudden death of his beloved older brother.
The second feature from writer-director Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy) follows its young protagonist from childhood to adulthood as he navigates both the dangers of drugs and violence in his depressed Florida neighbourhood, and his complex love for his best friend.
5. LA LA LAND
An ambitious jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) and an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) fall in love while pursuing their dreams of stardom, in this dazzlingly stylized homage to the classic Hollywood musical from Whiplash director Damien Chazelle.
Finally, if you are looking for a family excursion, Chris recommends Disney’s QUEEN OF KATWE.
David Oyelowo (Selma) and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) star in the true story of a young girl from rural Uganda (played by newcomer Madina Nalwanga) who discovers a passion for chess, and sets out to pursue her dream of becoming an international champion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4l3-_yub5A
We can’t wait to watch these films. Thanks for the recommendations Chris!
ABOUT CHRIS JANCELEWICZ
Chris has been immersed in entertainment journalism for about 10 years, covering TV, movies, celebrity and pop culture. Formerly the Entertainment Editor at The Huffington Post Canada, Chris has interviewed hundreds (if not thousands) of celebrities, ranging from D-list to A-list. Among his favourites are Quentin Tarantino, George Takei, Betty White, Margaret Cho and Keanu Reeves, though Chris enjoys interviewing just about anybody.
Prior to his time on red carpets Chris wrote about a variety of topics, from medicine and health to lifestyle and fashion, for multiple websites. He’s an unabashed TV addict (many shows he watches he won’t admit to here), loves movies, and shamefully reads tabloid magazines in the grocery store checkout. He was recently one of the featured cast members in Behind the Red Carpet, a 2014 documentary about the real goings-on at the Toronto Film Festival.
When he’s off-duty, Chris loves the beach and the sun as well as his #1 destination: Las Vegas.
You can follow Chris on Twitter.