TIFF Bell Lightbox

Stationed right in the middle of downtown’s entertainment district, the beautiful new TIFF Bell Lightbox unveiled itself during this year’s festival on September 12, 2010. Surrounded by a lively area of restaurants and theatres, the building is located at King and John, a five-minute walk from St. Andrew Station. The new landscape features a gallery where they hold exhibits of their latest exhibition, like Essential Cinema or Tim Burton and an Oliver and Bonacini restaurant called Canteen. Canteen is a reasonably priced place with good service to dine at before your movie starts. The actual cinemas themselves are beautiful and have notably comfortable seats. Some cinemas are small and intimate for a film like Amelie and some are large and exciting for a film like Jaws. The building’s first exhibition to be held is Essential Cinema where they show the 100 greatest films of all time. TIFF chose these films by combining a 100 list from the public with a 100 list from their experts. Together, they give a varied, well-rounded group of films that they feel we must see. Having only seen about a tenth of what Essential Cinema offers, I have already had many enjoyable experiences catching up on some of the most legendary films.

 Francis Ford Coppola’s celebrated Italian Mafia film, The Godfather still continues to capture audiences everywhere. This timeless story is one that no one will ever forget about watching. Incorporating one of Marlon Brando’s last exceptional performances and one of Al Pacino’s first, The Godfather contained one of the most tremendous casts a movie has ever had. It was no surprise that the film many argue to be the best of all time made it onto the grand list.

One of Marilyn Monroe’s last movies, Some Like It Hot has been known to be possibly the best comedy of all time. The film stars Tony Curtis as Joe and Jack Lemmon as Jerry, two musicians who witness a mob hit and flee the state with a girl’s symphony, disguised as women. Some Like It Hot contains the lovely quality of keeping you laughing from beginning to end, from clever dialogue and ridiculous situations. The film also just has a delightful feeling of glee that makes you love it all the more which is why it is necessary that it be on Tiff’s 100 list.

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards in 2001, Amelie tells a semi-fantasy of a girl who is constantly, always secretly helping everyone around her with their lives. Taking place in Paris, France, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet creates a technically real world, with a magical, dream-like feeling to it. The adorable Audrey Tatou grabs our hearts with an innocent childlike performance that continuously makes us laugh. This lovable foreign film deserved it’s rightful place on the Essential 100 list.

Hitchcock’s beloved horror classic, Psycho has to be one of the most terrifying, original, clever films of all time, starring Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, a woman on the run after stealing a large amount of money from a client and the young spine-chilling Anthony Perkins as motel owner, Norman Bates, in the role that defines his career. Psycho has one of the most surprising plot twists and one of the most frightening famous death scenes of all time. No wonder it’s on the 100 list.

So far, the TIFF Bell Lightbox looks like it will be a recurring place to go to for the rest of the season and I can’t wait for their Tim Burton exhibition beginning this Friday.