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My immediate reaction was to call this the "South African Reservoir Dogs" and I don't make the comparison lightly. A bristling action movie with stunning performances, beautifully staged action moments, and an elegantly simple plot makes this a true find of this year's TIFF. From the opening scene it has you hooked, and the fact that it injects so much vitality into the well-trod heist genre speaks to both brilliant film-making and world class performances, shaming the vast majority of what passes for action films churned out by Hollywood. Excellent, memorable stuff, the kind of film that you go to film festivals in the first place, to discover something new and fresh, something thrilling and energizing. - Jason Gorber
The Wind Rises
Now that Miyazaki Hayao has officially announced his retirement from directing features, his final film is even more a must-see on the big screen with an appreciative audience. This one is clearly in the master's wheelhouse of aviation and spiritual harmony, as it follows the academic rise of an air-craft engineer on the eve of World War II. While any of Ghibli's films can be enjoyed by all audiences, here things are pitched at a more mature audience than his last couple features, Ponyo and Arietty. But I will concede that it is a privilege to watch anything conceived and directed by Miyazaki-San, in any environment. - Kurt Halfyard
Intruders
This one was literally off the radar until announced at TIFF but that's part of the point of this sort of festival, no? I have great hopes that this Korean thriller – apparently laced with dashes of dark humour – will prove to be one of the discovery titles of this year's event. - Todd Brown
Visitors
Now that his cinematographer Ron Fricke took his shtick and ran with it after the Qatsi films ran their course, it'll be interesting to see what Godfrey Reggio brings to the screen. Steven Soderbergh will be presenting the film, and the Philip Glass score will be conducted live with the Toronto Symphony orchestra. It's not quite the Town Hall concert to celebrate Inside Llewyn Davis that NYFF is getting, but I'll take it as a decent runner up prize. - Jason Gorber
Felony
Joel Edgerton, Tom Wilkinson and a bit more Joel Edgerton. That's what I want from this and that's what I'm going to get with Edgerton both writing and starring. The clip released by the festival already showcases exactly the sort of high quality performances that I expect from this. - Todd Brown
Unforgiven
There's nothing quite like a really well done Samurai flick and Lee Sang-il's (Hula Girls) latest outing has the potential to be just that. The fact that's it's based on what's probably the best American Western of the last 20 years gives it a good head start. -Ryland Aldrich
Why Don't You Play in Hell?
I saw Cold Fish a few years back and was struck by its wonderful mix of social drama, beautiful drama, and unrelenting violence. Moving from the Vanguard to the Midnight Madness programme, I'm looking for Sono to inject even more adrenaline into his weirdness. In a soon-to-be-published interview with MM programmer Colin Geddes, he promised that TIFF is "going to have to have a special clean-up crew just to sweep jaws off the floor!" I can't wait to have my face dislocated. - Jason Gorber
Night Moves
This is not a repertory screening of Arthur Penn's wonderful 1975 neo-noir starring Gene Hackman, but rather an environmental thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning. Well, why, would you ask, is that high on anyone's list? The short answer is director Kelly Reichardt who up until now has been in the game of making spare, delicate, character-reflective dramas such as Wendy & Lucy and Old Joy. Here she is making a thriller about eco-terrorists. How will this work out? Reichardt, along with Jane Campion, Lynne Ramsay, Claire Denis, and Katherine Bigelow are all in the top tier of working female directors. I'll be first in line. - Kurt Halfyard
It was plenty difficult top narrow it down to 15, but what list would be complete without some runners up. So a quick few shouts to Todd's choice of Rigor Mortis, Jason's pick Rush, Kurt's must-see The Unknown Known, and Ryland's call out of Joe and Beyond the Edge.
That brings our preview series to a close as the festival kicks off. What are you most excited to read about? Stay tuned for more from the festival soon and thanks for reading.
