Better Still Compared to Reel Factor? U2 Leads Rocker Brigade at Toronto Film Festival

By Jason Anderson (Sign up for Jason Anderson's posts) Published Jul 28th 2011 11:05AM Filed under: Features, Toronto Film Festival, Movie News, Moviefone Canada Email This Because of the iffy screen careers of David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan, we ought to be grateful that Bono chose activism as his side career instead of acting. Just think about all of the roles i was most likely able to escape &ndash- surely it had been only dependent on time before he'd have attempted his luck like a hot-headed Irish mob boss inside a Martin Scorsese movie or opposite Kate Hudson inside a rom-com about fighting employees in a Sunglass Hut. Odds are none of those hypothetical star automobiles could have been compensated by having an recognition as exclusive because the first-evening slot in the Toronto Worldwide Film Festival. Rather, Bono gained that just by being themself, as possess the relaxation of his bandmates in U2. The Irish rock celebrities are the topic of 'From heaven Down' -- a brand new film by 'It Could Easily Get Loud' and 'Waiting for Superman' director Davis Guggenheim -- which makes its world premiere as TIFF's opening gala film. A portrait from the years prior to the band's reinvention with 1991's Achtung Baby, it's the first-ever documentary to spread out the 36-year-old festival, which rules the town of Toronto and the majority of the movie world from September 8-18. The doc's appearance in the festival also signals a noticeably musical bent for TIFF knowing through the inaugural slate of bulletins. Since U2's on tour, a unique performance or appearance tied along with the premiere appears likely. For a band featured in another new documentary debuting in the festival &ndash 'Pearl Jam 20' by director Cameron Crowe &ndash the Dallas grunge nobleman happen to be set to experience Toronto's Air Canada Center on Sept. 10 so a look and feel on the red-colored carpet appears probable for Eddie Vedder, too. (Note to Stone Gossard: Shorts don't count as black-tie attire.) Local autograph-searchers and shutter-bugs will likely be seeing another music icon, one that still provides hiding for large Hollywood ambitions despite many disastrous excursions both before and behind your camera. A drama concerning the romance between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII, 'W.E.' may be the second directorial effort by Madonna. Regardless of the merits from the movie turn to be if this has its own United States premiere at TIFF, audiences will certainly be grateful she gave Abbie Cornish the key role rather than keeping it for herself. This increase of music stars may appear just a little odd for any festival that is honored on being able to attract the favourite faces in filmdom. On the other hand, couple of of last year's going to stars got just as much attention as Bruce Springsteen when he made an appearance to advertise 'The Promise,' a made-for-Cinemax documentary about the building of his album Darkness close to Town. Maybe adding a rock star or two towards the mixture of luminaries is the only method the festival can increase its already sky-high fashion factor. For TIFF's line-from movies featuring genuine celebrities, well, there will be lots of individuals too. The very first bulletins incorporated long awaited new endeavors for Kaira Pitt ('Moneyball'), George Clooney ('The Descendants' and 'The Ides of March'), Matthew McConaughey ('Killer Joe'), Jennifer Garner ('Butter'), Gerard Butler ('Machine Gun Preacher') and Rachel Weisz ('The Dark Blue Sea'). This is the type of star energy the festival regularly instructions so expect to listen to their names when TIFF releases the state word on its visitors later in August. More film bulletins will even trickle out within the next several days. Likely additions for example Roman Polanski's 'Carnage' -- which might bring Jodie Promote and Kate Winslet to Toronto otherwise its director &ndash will prove to add another layer of lustre to TIFF's latest edition. From the movies already set to experience that have nothing related to it of U2's Mysterious Ways, listed here are 5 most buzz-worthy: 'A Harmful Method': Canadian cinema's master of creepiness, David Cronenberg, re-teams together with his 'A Good reputation for Violence' and 'Eastern Promises' star Viggo Mortensen for any drama concerning the founding fathers of psychoanalysis. Mortensen's Freud looks up with disapproval as his friend Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) will get steamy by having an alluring patient performed by Keira Knightley. Rarely comes with an analyst's couch been offer better use. 'Take This Waltz': The sophomore effort by actor-switched-filmmaker and native fave Sarah Polley was passed over as opening gala may be the greatest mystery at TIFF to date. Nonetheless, 'Take This Waltz' may be the local fave's second feature to debut after that 2006's 'Away From Her,' which continued to great critical and commercial success. Within this romantic dramedy, Michelle Williams plays a youthful lady torn between her husband (Seth Rogen) along with a new prospect (Luke Kirby). Knowing in the title, the background music of Leonard Cohen most probably bakes an appearance, too. 'The Descendants': Clooney can also be at TIFF having a directorial effort of their own, the political drama 'The Ides of March.' But here he hands the reins to Alexander Payne, who effectively released his wine-tour buddy flick 'Sideways' in the festival in 2007. Here, Clooney plays a household guy spinning in the news that his now-comatose wife was disloyal. 'Drive': Ryan Gosling reaches new amounts of awesome like a stunt driver who will get confused with Carey Mulligan plus some very heavy figures within this stylish action thriller that slayed Them at Cannes. 'Anonymous': Giving a gala slot towards the new movie through the director of 'Independence Day' and 'Godzilla' counts as TIFF's second-most surprising move to date. On the other hand, this Elizabethan-era period piece &ndash a mysterious thriller that proposes to reveal the real author of Shakespeare's plays -- counts being an abnormally classy effort for cheese-meister Roland Emmerich. We are still wishing he will get the opportunity to blow something up, even when it's just the original looking for Hamlet.