We are now less than two weeks away from when the Toronto International Film Festival tickets go on sale to the public and a mere 16 days away from the start of the actual festivities. On Tuesday morning, another slew of films were announced along with the schedule itself and a long list of celebrities set to attend the festival. I don’t know about you, but the anticipation is overwhelming me. I suppose the nervousness and excitement will dissipate somewhat when I actually know what screenings I will be attending, or it could skyrocket even higher. Either way, this is shaping up to be one hell of a festival!

Schedule:

Now, for those attending, or those simply who’d like to know what’s going on and when, you can find the full schedule by clicking here.

FInal Film List and Programmes:

If you’d like to know what films are playing at the festival, you can click here for the entire list or click the TIFF button in the main menu at the top of this page. You can also find all the programmes offered by the festival by clicking here. Essentially, all films screening at the festival are divided into groups for attendees to better understand what type of genre and themes the film will contain.

TIFF Guests:

Perhaps the most exciting news released Tuesday morning was the endless list of celebrities ready to attend the festival. Amongst the names are Benedict Cumberbatch, Meryl Streep, Rebecca Hall, Josh Broliin, Alan RIckman, Clive Owen, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hiddleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nicholas Cage, Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Liam Neeson, James McAvoy, Nicole Kidman, Felicity Jones, Ed Harris, Spike Jonze, Melissa George, Paul Giamatti, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah Gadon, Colin Firth, Michael Fassbender, Jesse Eisenberg, Sandra Bullock, Chris Hemsworth, Mila Kunis, Jessica Chastain, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, Mia Waikowska, Owen Wilson, Steve McQueen, Jason Reitman, Keanu Reeves, Keira Knightley, Matthew McConaughey, Ti West, Eli Roth, Daniel Radcliffe, Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, Oliva Wilde, Mike Myers, James Franco, Adrien Brody, Marion Cotillard, and Thandie Newton, just to name what I feel to be the most important. And honestly, I couldn’t type any more names. There is a bunch more on the list you can find here. Also, these are just the people confirmed thus far, it is expected that the likes of George Clooney and Brad Pitt, amongst others will be attending.

Jason Reitman’s Live Read:

You can find all the information below, provided by the TIFF website.

The Festival proudly welcomes back Jason Reitman’s Live Read — a unique event in which classic movie scripts are read by contemporary actors. With no rehearsal, the actors come together for a one-take read-through with Reitman narrating stage direction. In 2012, the Festival welcomed Reitman and an all-star cast — including Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Adam Driver, Sarah Gadon and George Stroumboulopoulos — for a live table read of Alan Ball’s screenplay for American Beauty. This year, Reitman is back with a surprise script from a modern classic and a new cast at the Ryerson Theatre on Friday, September 6. Details, including cast and script, for the 2013 Live Read event will be announced in early September.

IMAX Screenings:

New this year, audiences are invited to be part of the action with two official Festival selections and two special screenings presented in spectacular IMAX. The two films will be Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” and Keanu Reeves “Man of Tai Chi.”

Next Wave and Manifesto Announced:

You can find another plethora of titles announced by clicking here.

New Galas and Special Presentations:

Metallica Through the Never: Nimród Antal, Canada/USA, World Premiere

Dane DeHaan (The Place Beyond the Pines) stars as a Metallica roadie dispatched to hell and back in this mind-blowing mash-up of concert film and post-apocalyptic adventure, presented in IMAX 3D.

The Wizard of Oz: Victor Fleming, USA, World Premiere

Experience Judy Garland’s over-the-rainbow adventure in vivid new detail with this IMAX 3D presentation of Victor Fleming’s family classic.

10th Midnight Madness Film Unveiled:

Witching & Bitching:

Fleeing through the impenetrable forests of the Basque countryside after a jewel heist, a hapless band of robbers runs afoul of a coven of witches, in this madcap supernatural spectacle from Spanish genre specialist Alex de la Iglesia (The Last Circus).

Okay then, that’ll do it for the pre-TIFF announcements. The Cinema Monster will be covering the festival in full, providing reviews, news, and Q and A’s as often as possible, make sure to follow our website to keep up with the festival. Also, follow The Cinema Monster on Twitter (@cinema_monster) and Facebook for up-to-the-minute news and posts, not to mention special pictures and videos provided by me from the screenings. Have a great week!

Hello all and welcome to another week of The Gushing Cinephile. I’ve got a bunch of awesome news to share so let us jump right in, shall we?

First and foremost, the news that I feel to be the most important of the past week. Steve McQueen’s “Twelve Years a Slave” released a plethora of new images which you’ll find below, well a few anyway. In addition, the first trailer for this highly-anticipated Oscar contender is rumoured to be premiering on July 4th, so keep an eye out for that. For those who don’t know about McQueen or his new film, I’ll supply a breakdown. Steve McQueen has directed two full-length features to this point, “Hunger” and “Shame.” Michael Fassbender has stared in both of these flicks. These two films have been met with critical acclaim and McQueen is being hailed as one of the to filmmakers to look out for in the future and for McQueen, the future is now.

Essentially, “Twelve Years a Slave” is about a free black man who is abducted and sold into slavery before the civil war. McQueen’s latest project, which also stars Fassbender and an abundance of high profile talent such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, just to name a few. While Pitt’s role is somewhat limited, his action behind the scenes really secured this films fate. As the main producer, Pitt was insistent that this film be made, which should speak a lot to the charisma and talent of McQueen and company. Not only does this film have the all-star cast both on and behind the camera. “Twelve Years a Slave” is scored by none other than the supremely gifted Hans Zimmer. I don’t know what else to say, look out for this flick cause it is going to take the world by storm, a seemingly major Oscar contender. Check out the images below.

Let’s keep this train chugging. Next up, the radiant and mesmerizing Sarah Gadon has been added to the cast of “The Amazing Spider Man 2.” I couldn’t resist putting this news up, as a fellow Canadian, I am so proud. Gadon has starred in such films as “A Dangerous Method” and “Cosmopolis, she is insanely talented. Also, how many beautiful women does this film need? Emma Stone, Felicity Jones, and now Sarah Gadon. “The Amazing Spider Man 2″ has officially secured my ticket.

All right, next, Wally Pfister, the cinematographer for the majority of Christopher Nolan’s films, directorial debut “Transcendence” is set for release in 2014 and its scribe Jack Paglen is already moving on to bigger and better things. He is set to write the hotly-anticipated sequel to “Prometheus” and I think it is safe to say that Michael Fassbender is equally as excited as I am.

Finally, it seems I can never have a week of The Gushing Cinephile without some Christopher Nolan news and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Casey Affleck recently joined Mr. Nolan’s next blockbuster entitled “Interstellar.” Affleck is set to co-star alongside Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, and Matthew McConaughey. I am so excited for this flick I think I’m going to scream!

Oh, I almost forgot. “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” has been pushed back again, but seriously, what else is new? It seems like this film will never be made. In all honesty, after so many setbacks, does anybody really care about this sequel anymore? I was skeptical of a follow up to 2005s hit “Sin City” from the get-go so this is really destroying any hope I have for this film. Plus, Clive Owen isn’t returning, what’s up with that? Anyway. there is a picture below of his replacement Josh Brolin.