TIFF Day 2: It’s Brad Pitt day in Toronto
Posted September 9, 2011 8:34 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
By Friday afternoon, the stars of Thursday were old news and Toronto had opened up its collective bosom to Brad Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the rest of the cast of Moneyball.
The film, based on the true story of the Oakland Athletics’ general manager Billy Beane, will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday. Beane brought the team to glory by analyzing little-used statistics, like on-base percentages, and finding players who fit his specific vision.
Avery Haines spoke to Pitt as well as co-star Christopher Pratt (from television’s Parks and Recreation) on Friday and will have more on CityNews at Five and Six.
Throngs of screaming fans greeted U2 on the red carpet Thursday night as a film about the Irish rockers opened the 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival.
The mood was high as lead singer Bono and guitarist The Edge signed autographs and posed with their disciples outside Roy Thomson Hall before a gala screening of the documentary From the Sky Down.
“We’re going to burn your town to the ground!” Bono said when asked whether he would be partying after the film.
Though slightly more reserved, festival co-director Piers Handling seemed equally thrilled about the buzz on TIFF’s first night.
“It’s so great to feel the energy,” he said. “I think [the U2] film is going to launch the next 11 days of this festival in a magnificent way.”
Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim captured the band as it struggled to adapt to its immediate and enormous success after the release in 1987 of their album The Joshua Tree.
He followed the band to Buenos Aires, Dublin, Berlin, Santiago and Winnipeg, and reveals a “very personal and very deep” account of its members who he says were on the brink of breaking up ahead of the seminal 1991 album Achtung Baby.
Guggenheim, Bono and The Edge took part in a talk about the film at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Friday afternoon.
And among the A-listers walking the red carpet Friday evening are Pitt, Ryan Gosling and George Clooney at Roy Thomson Hall; Megan Fox and Jon Hamm at Ryerson Theatre; and Jude Law, Anthony Hopkins and Rachel Weisz at Elgin Theatre.
Harry Connick Jr. will perform at the OneXOne gala event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville at 7:30 p.m.
TIFF runs until Sept. 18.
With files from The Canadian Press