Wild

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: No one likes putting together a Top 10 list. Oh, don’t get me wrong; it’s fun at a party if someone asks you, “What were your favorite movies this year?” and you can just rattle off a list of titles in no particular order, not overly concerned if you accidentally left something off. But this list is formal. Published on the Internet. This will be my legacy. And that’s not something to take lightly.

Sometimes, a film can effortlessly open at number one at the box office while still being a pretty huge disaster. This is the case with ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings,’ which rode a wave of terrible reviews and an even more terrible marketing campaign to a hugely disappointing start. With a lot of big movies opening the next two weeks, the new Biblical epic won’t even find time to grow some legs. Chances are strong that it is dead on arrival.

Memories are so sensual. The right song will bring you back to the first place you ever heard it; a particular blend of smells will put you back in your grandmother’s kitchen (toasted bialys with cream cheese do it for me every time). ‘Wild’ communicates this idea better than almost any movie I can think of. As Cheryl Strayed hikes the entire Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada alone, sounds and sights she encounters on her physical journey send her—and the audience—on a psychological journey into her past, to learn exactly why she decided to embark on such a crazy and potentially dangerous expedition. Strayed hikes the PCT with a comically large backpack—“The Monster,” as a few of her fellow travelers dub it—but it’s clear that the heaviest baggage she carries is the emotional kind.

Reese Witherspoon, Kristen Wiig and Jennifer Aniston - three big name female actresses - all had new movies at the Toronto International Film Festival and each performance indicates a bold new direction for each of them.

The first trailer for 'Wild' is online, the new film from 'Dallas Buyers Club' director Jean-Marc Vallée, starring Reese Witherspoon in a role that will surely gain her some attention come awards season, as the actress stars as a reckless, recently-separated woman who goes on a quest to walk over 1,000 miles to redeem herself and her spirit.