FIVE GOOD BETS

1 INTO THE INFERNO / SALT AND FIRE

I know what you’re thinking: Why aren’t there more Werner Herzog volcano pictures? Well, TIFF has two. Into the Inferno, co- directed with Cambridge volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer, is a documentary that travels from Indonesia to North Korea and beyond. Salt and Fire is an eco- thriller starring Michael Shannon, Gael Garcia Bernal and Veronica Ferres. What’s not to lava?

2 VOYAGE OF TIME: LIFE’S JOURNEY

Terrence Malick has always been a big- picture director, and this is his biggest picture yet; a cinematic trip through the history of the universe, from the first spark of the stars to the crackle of life. The film will screen in both a 90- minute version, narrated by Cate Blanchett, and as the 45- minute Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience, with narration by Brad Pitt. Take your pick!

3 ARRIVAL

Denis Villeneuve’s last film was the amazing Sicario. His next, still called Untitled Blade Runner Sequel, remains one of the most anticipated films of 2017. In between comes this sciencefiction mystery starring Amy Adams as a linguist recruited to help make first contact with a visiting alien race.

4 SEARCHERS

Under the Inuktitut title of Maliglutit, co-writer and director Zacharias Kunuk ( Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, The Journals of Knud Rasmussen) reimagines John Ford’s 1956 western The Searchers, setting the tale of kidnapping and revenge in the frozen north, among the Inuk. Says the TIFF program guide: “It is an arduous journey across the tundra and, along the way, the theme changes from one of justifiable revenge to one of self- examination.” Need we add that vengeance is a dish best served cold?

5 MASCOTS

Christopher Guest has successfully lampooned the worlds of small- town theatre ( Waiting for Guffman), dog competitions ( Best in Show), folk music ( A Mighty Wind) and Oscar season ( For Your Consideration) — not to mention his acting and writing credits in This Is Spinal Tap. His newest features professional sports mascots vying for the Gold Fluffy Award from the World Mascot Association. Guest is already the gold- standard in improvised mockumentary filmmaking; here’s hoping he keeps it up.