[This review is a reprint of Bill's review that ran during the Dallas International Film Festival]

Beautiful Boy is the story of missed connections between one another. Sometimes these result in arguments or misunderstandings, while other times they go unresolved until they finally boil over and cause a lasting effect. Director Shawn Ku gracefully navigates the heart breaking story of a couples’ loss in the wake of their son committing an act of mass violence at his college and then taking his own life. While the plot may sound conveniently topical, the way in which Ku treats the subject will have ripples for years to come. There isn’t an easy path of recovery to take, and now more than ever, people’s intrusive voyeurism and public remarks can cause even more emotional pain. Hit the jump for the full review.

Maria Bello has established herself as a very intriguing leading actress, taking on a variety of roles in projects all across the board. She can next be seen in the indie drama Beautiful Boy, about a married couple (Bello and Michael Sheen) on the verge of separation who, after a shocking act of violence committed by their son (Kyle Gallner), are united in their grief. In the fall, she will be playing Detective Jane Timoney in the NBC crime drama Prime Suspect, a re-imagining of the British television hit (starring Helen Mirren) about a tough-as-nails detective who doesn’t know when to quit. On September 23rd, the John Singleton action thriller Abduction starring Taylor Lautner will hit theaters, in which she plays a bad-ass with an amazing fight scene.

At the press day for Beautiful Boy, actress Maria Bello did this exclusive interview with Collider, where she talked about choosing roles very instinctually, how she was drawn to exploring the levels of grief for this role, how much she enjoyed collaborating with co-star Michael Sheen, and that she thinks this is ultimately a hopeful film. She also talked about why she wanted to get involved with another television series with Prime Suspect, working with Peter Berg, who directed the pilot, and how she wants to use every facet of herself in her work and life. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Beautiful Boy is the story of how tragedy effects a family and all those around them, in every way. A married couple on the verge of separation suddenly find themselves having to turn to each other to overcome unimaginable heartbreak. Under intense media scrutiny following their son’s shocking act of violence that changes the lives of so many, Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) see a chance for happiness again through their common grief.

At the film’s press day, actor Michael Sheen talked exclusively to Collider about baring himself emotionally for this role, playing the emotion of grief in such a naturalistic way, working with a director who established such an honest and collaborative set, and just being open and present in the moment. He also talked about why he loves playing Aro in The Twilight Saga, how he loves playing as many different characters, in as many different worlds as he possibly can, and why he wants to take on Hamlet next. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

A trailer for the indie drama Beautiful Boy has gone online.  The story takes the unique perspective of focusing on the parents (played by Michael Sheen and Maria Bello) of a young man who went on a shooting spree on his college campus and then killed himself.  Usually, the approach to a senseless tragedy such as that is to blame the parents, and then the tragedy somehow makes sense: better parents means better kid means no shooting spree and we can go back to pretending that the world is not a random series of uncontrollable events.  I have hope that Shawn Ku’s film, which played at last year’s Toronto Film Festival, will handle its subject matter with maturity and insight.  Having Sheen and Bello as the leads is already a great sign.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

Amid such high profile entries as Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, and Ben Affleck’s The Town, the period drama The King’s Speech entered the Toronto International Film Festival relatively low on buzz.  Such is no longer the case, as the Tom Hooper-directed film just walked away from the fest with top honors: the “People’s Choice Award,” as voted by festival audiences.  The King’s Speech stars Colin Firth as King George VI as he reluctantly assumes the throne despite a nervous stammer.

Other big winners include writer/director Shawn Ku for his work on Beautiful Boy, and the post-apocalyptic vampire flick Stake Land, honored with the “Midnight Madness Award” by audiences.  Hit the jump for the official press release with the full list of winners.

As Toronto winds down, that other TIFF, the Tokyo International Film Festival, is prepping for its trip down the red carpet next month. Today, they announced eight new films for the competition section of the festival, including films from Romania, Iran, and Israel. Stand-outs include Beautiful Boy by American first-time writer-director Shawn Ku, which also screened at Toronto, and Rowan Joffe’s UK crime-thriller Brighton Rock. This brings the total to 12 of 15 films for the competition section of the fest; the full list is slated to be announced at the end of the month. The Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off October 23rd. Hit the jump for the full press release and Beautiful Boy trailer.

Film festivals are a great way to pick up distribution for your flick.  Buyers not only have a chance to see the movie, but they get to see it with an audience and gauge reaction.  Today, we have news of four films that played at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and now have distributors.

Hit the jump for news regarding the sales of Shawn Ku’s Beautiful Boy (starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello), Robert Redford’s The Conspirator (starring James McAvoy and Robin Wright), the British coming-of-age drama Submarine, and James Wan’s Insidous (starring Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson).

Continuing our first-look image series of movies playing at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, we have images from John Carpenter’s The Ward starring Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Jared Harris, and Lyndsy Fonseca.  The Ward is Carpenter’s first film in over a decade and that alone is reason enough to see it. We also have images from Shawn Ku’s Beautiful Boy, which has a killer cast that includes Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Moon Bloodgood, Alan Tudyk, Kyle Gallner, Austin Nichols, and Meat Loaf Aday.

Hit the jump to check out all the images and synopses for both films.  The 2010 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 9 – 19th.

At last week’s Sundance Film Festival, I had the opportunity to speak with Alan Tudyk for his new movie Tucker & Dale vs. Evil – which premiered at the Festival to great reviews.  Starring Tudyk and Tyler Labine, Tucker & Dale is about two Virginian hillbillies that get mistaken for killers by kids on spring break.  Trust me, it’s a very funny movie and one you should be excited to see.

During the interview we talked about being at Sundance, his reaction to seeing the movie for the first time, PG Porn (watch his episode here), his next movie Beautiful Boy (which stars Moon Bloodgood, Michael Sheen, and Maria Bello) and we talked about being on ABC’s V.  If you’re a fan of Alan Tudyk, you’ll love the interview: