The Toronto International Film Festival draws to a close this weekend: the deals have been made, the reviews have been filed. And now speculation can start on who the frontrunners are in this year’s Oscar race (remember, the statues aren’t handed out until February 27).
The biggest buzz didn’t come from any of the festivals but from early screenings of The Social Network, David Fincher’s film about how some say Facebook was founded. It will open the New York Film Festival this coming week before being released nationwide. Early online reviews are raving (it was screened to bloggers before the traditional critics) and the Oscar talk ranges from Best Picture (for which it is sure to be a major contender) to Best Supporting Actor for Justin Timberlake (less likely, but an intriguing possibility). The only bump in the road ahead could be that computer-challenged Academy members can’t relate to this portrayal of millenials, even though the story told seems to be a timeless one.
James Franco in 127 Hours
Two of the films that made the biggest impression in Venice and Toronto also have their problems when it comes to the Oscars. 127 Hours is Danny Boyle’s follow-up to Slumdog Millionaire (which won 8 Academy Awards) and has been very favorably received in Toronto. It tells the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston (played by James Franco) who gets trapped in an isolated canyon after a boulder falls on his arm. Franco has to carry this movie (think Tom Hanks in Cast Away) and does so by delivering a “knock-out performance” (JoBlo). But here’s the snag: the film contains a gruesome scene where Ralston takes the ultimate measure to escape (not difficult to guess which one) which may scare off some Academy members (medics were apparently required at one of the screenings). The other Oscar contender with a complication is Black Swan: Natalie Portman seems a shoo-in for a Best Actress nomination, but the film has some kinkier aspects that may not appeal to all Academy members.
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart in Rabbit Hole
Luckily, there were also some more traditional films making waves in Toronto: The King’s Speech and Rabbit Hole stand out. I reported on the former last week. Deadline now calls The King’s Speech “a real crowd pleaser” that “should play right into Academy’s lap”. Rabbit Hole has been noted mostly for Nicole Kidman’s performance. She plays a mother dealing with the accidental death of her 4-year-old son (Aaron Eckhart plays the husband, also garnering praise). And if you think there is a movie like this one every awards season, read this Cinematical review.
A bit more towards the dark horse end of the spectrum, we have films like Biutiful, Hereafter, The Town and of course Somewhere. Even though the latter won the Golden Lion in Venice, it hasn’t been seen by enough people to create a real buzz (it skipped Toronto). Ben Affleck’s The Town tops the box-office this weekend and got good reviews, but may be a bit too violent. The talk in Toronto surrounding Hereafter – Clint Eastwood’s movie starring Matt Damon as a psychic – has not been particularly positive, but the Academy will find it difficult to overlook Clint. And Biutiful has Javier Bardem going for it, who already won the (tied) award for Best Actor in Cannes. The subject matter of the film – a man involved in illegal business learns that he might be dying of cancer – may be a bit too dark to make it a real contender for anything other than Best Actor.
Finally, Deadline reports that a deal was also closed in Toronto for Robert Redford’s The Conspirator, about the aftermath of the Lincoln assassination. The film will be saved for next year’s Oscar race with a release in the Spring of 2011. Apparently this year’s race is already getting too crowded.
Cheat Cut 