By Jake Coyle
TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto International Film Festival (click here) opened its 40th year with a gala double feature of Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Moore.
The opening night premieres of "Demolition" by Quebecois filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee ("Dallas Buyers Club") and Moore's "Where to Invade Next" made an unlikely pair to kick off Toronto's fall-movie launching pad on Thursday. "Demolition" won't hit theaters until April, and "Where to Invade Next" is being shopped for buyers. Filmed clandestinely, Moore's first film in six years wasn't known to exist until its Toronto debut was announced last month.
Of the two, Moore's documentary held more surprises. While it had been expected to be an investigation of the American military industrial complex, Moore does the invading in the film himself, traveling to other countries (mostly in Europe) to find "America's soul."
Moore's premise is that decades of patriotic chest-thumping and constant war have prevented the United States from taking care of its own democracy. In Slovenia, he finds free university; in Finland, he marvels at its top education system; in Italy, he sees eight weeks of annual vacation and strong unions....
