Is ‘Weapons’ a Classic? And an Oscar Contender? Plus: The Best Movies at TIFF!

The Best Movies at TIFFAdam Nayman's Toronto dispatch

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Blue Heron 2025

A debut feature by a Toronto director Nayman is friends with; he says it was topping Metacritic for the fall, above Hamnet, with prizes at both Locarno and TIFF.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie poster

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Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie 2025

Hometown-hero premiere in the shadow of the CN Tower, which the crew breached to shoot the opening stunt.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery poster

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Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery 2025

Rian Johnson's third Benoit Blanc case, built around faith. Sidelines Daniel Craig for Josh O'Connor, whom Nayman says carries the film.

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The Mastermind 2025

Kelly Reichardt's latest, more Josh O'Connor; Sean hasn't seen it yet.

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The Smashing Machine 2025

Benny Safdie's solo debut. Dwayne Johnson's Mark Kerr is better than the Oscar hype; the fidelity to the existing documentary begs why. Blunt underused.

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Frankenstein 2025

del Toro's long-gestating passion project: meticulous handmade production design at war with weightless CG. Cool at Venice/Telluride, warmer in Toronto (runner-up audience award).

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Hamnet 2025

Chloé Zhao's Maggie O'Farrell adaptation; won the People's Choice Award and is a Best Picture frontrunner. Nayman resisted it, felt nothing until Hamlet arrives; filmmakers hate it, critics love it.

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The Testament of Ann Lee 2025

Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet on the founding of the Shakers, as an O Brother-style folk musical. Amanda's favorite of the fest; Amanda Seyfried leads; still no distribution.

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Maddie's Secret 2025

John Early's cheaply-made after-school-special pastiche, 'Wet Hot May December.' The one film everyone on the ground liked.

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No Other Choice 2025

Park Chan-wook's Westlake adaptation; won the International People's Choice Award. Nayman found the operatic pulp overlong.

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue poster

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The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue 2025

Barry Avrich documentary programmed, deprogrammed, then reprogrammed amid controversy, and still won the People's Choice Documentary Award.

‘Weapons’ and ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’with Chris Ryan

Zach Cregger's horror hit, now a top-30 all-time grosser in the genre. Reads to Sean as a film about grief and communal loss more than school shootings; Amy Madigan's Aunt Gladys is the villain of the year. A Best Picture longshot behind Sinners and One Battle After Another.