Rian Johnson’s first film—2005’s high school noir Brick—was the sort of film that I admire more than like, more an exercise in style and concept than anything else. That being said, I still thought it was pretty darn good, and so I’m pretty excited about Johnson’s latest film. Starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel Weisz, The Brothers Bloom follows two con men brothers—Brody and Ruffalo—who are about to embark on their grandest scheme.

Things get complicated when their mark—an eccentric and wealthy heiress (Weisz)—insists on coming along on their globe-trotting adventure. Things get even more complicated when one of the brothers begins to fall for the heiress’ charms.

The film’s trailer looks fantastic, a great step in the evolution of an already promising director, and you can’t go wrong with folks like Brody, Ruffalo, and Weisz in front of the camera.

Check out The Brothers Bloom‘s official TIFF entry here.

A few years ago, a documentary came out called Darkon. The film was at once a hilarious and deeply human look at folks involved in live action role-playing, which involes people dressing up as knights, wizards, and elves and participating in mock full-scale battles. Where the film really shone was how it looked at the way that people’s dreams and fantasies shaped and impacted their real lives, both negatively and positively, without ever adopting a condescending or snarky tone.

And it looks like The Dungeon Masters will follow suit. The documentary follows three Dungeons & Dragons gamers, and how their fantasy lives and real lives intermingle. As someone with a great deal of affection for role-playing games—and fantasy in general—I love finding out about movies like this, movies that look at the intersection between fantasy and reality, and how people’s lives can be transformed by even the most seemingly bizarre flights of fancy.

Check out The Dungeon Masters‘s official TIFF entry here.

The term “Shaolin” has acquired an almost mythical air about it, thanks to innumerable kung fu movies that center around China’s Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of kung fu. But despite such a legacy, the Temple has suffered greatly, especially in the 20th century.

In the 1920s, most of the monastery was destroyed when a Chinese warlord set fire to it for over 40 days. And later, China’s Cultural Revolution targeted the Temple as part of a campaign against religion in general; the handful of monks still living there were arrested and flogged, and all of the Temple’s Buddhist writings were removed.

However, the Temple has seen a resurgence in popularity recently—due in large part to those aforementioned kung fu movies—and major attempts have been made to restore and keep up the grounds. And now, new students have made their way to the Temple, hoping to learn the secrets of kung fu like those before them.

The Real Shaolin—directed by first-timer Alexander Sebastien Lee, who actually studied kung fu at the Temple himself—follows four students as they journey to the Temple. Two are from China, one is from America, and one is from France, but all are united by their desire to master the martial arts.

As someone who has always been fascinated by the martial arts, and by the legends surrounding the Shaolin Temple, this movie immediately rises to the top of my queue, if only to see some of the truth behind the legend.

Check out The Real Shaolin‘s official TIFF entry here.

Describing Charlie Kaufman’s movies—Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich—as “mind bending” is something of an understatement. His ability to craft multi-layered narratives that consistently blur the line between what’s happening inside and outside of his characters has made for some of the most unique—and maddening—films of the last ten years or so.

His latest film, Synecdoche, New York—which also happens to be his directorial debut—has the potential to be his most challenging film yet. The always-great Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a struggling theatre director working to get over a failed marriage and trying to bolster a flagging career. To do so, he hires an ensemble cast (which includes Emily Watson and Samantha Morton) and trundles them off to a warehouse containing a life-size replica of New York, and begins work on his magnum opus—a recreation of his own life right down to the most minute details.

Of course, this being a Kaufman film, you know things are going to get bizarre, as Hoffman’s life and art begin to blur and spiral out of control. Not surprisingly, the film has proven a little divisive at its previous screenings (e.g., Cannes 2008), but IMHO, it’s worth seeing because there’s really nothing quite like a Charlie Kaufman film.

Check out Synecdoche, New York‘s official TIFF entry here.