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| 12 Years a Slave is both TIFF-bound and Oscar-bound. |
The Toronto International Film Festival is just days away.
That means award season is just around the corner. Buzz on the Oscar race has
already began (somewhat comically) in the past week as one Tweet after another
heralded a GUARANTEED OSCAR WINNER AND A
NEW KIND OF CINEMA. Enthusiasm has been through the roof for several films
at Venice and especially Telluride, but the Oscar buzz seems almost fleeting,
if not disposable. It’s exciting to hear such praise for films and it’s equally
disappointing to see how quickly the next great cinematic masterpiece seems to
be replaced by some shiny new thing. It could also mean that the first shot of
the festival circuit hints at a very good season for movies. Let’s be
optimistic and go with that.
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| Will the festival-circuit hysteria for Gravity make it the People's Choice |
There will be more of a chance to grasp the merit of films
like Gravity and 12 Years a Slave come September 5th when they play for
larger, and arguably more diverse, audiences. TIFF has one of the better track
record with the Oscar race as far as festivals go, although one should really
note that the awards traction of Toronto and Telluride essentially goes hand in
hand. The enviable People’s Choice Award and other prizes give TIFF some
quantifiable bonuses, and the fact that the audiences—which can number over
2800 ballots if a film screens at Roy Thomson Hall—are part of the endorsement
indicates the range of appeal that’s needed to take a film all the way to the
podium in March.
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| Daniel Brühl in Rush: is Rush this year's Argo? |
Last year’s TIFF saw an impressive
number of Oscar nominees (and winners) in its programme. Three Best Picture
nominees played the fest: Amour, Silver Linings Playbook (the People’s
Choice Award winner), and Argo (the
People’s Choice runner-up), which was the Oscar winner while the former two
films scooped awards in major categories. Other notable TIFF-Oscar crossovers
are Anna Karenina, which won one of
four nominations, and The Impossible,
which got Best Actress buzz rolling for Naomi Watts after the film had its
world premiere at the festival.
Festivalgoers in Toronto can thus enjoy films of all awards-baiting variety as they browse the programme in searching of Gala screenings and/or Contemporary World Cinema. To make things handy, here’s a quick list of some films to keep on the radar if your festival personality is the Oscar Junkie:
August: Osage County
Probably the biggest Oscar heavyweight at Toronto yet to be
seen, August: Osage County seems like
a no brainer for awards contention with its combination of a Toronto premiere,
a Christmas release date, distribution by The Weinstein Company, and the
presence of a stacked cast that includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan
McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Margot Martindale, Chris Cooper, and Benedict
Cumberbatch. The main question most Oscar-minded TIFF-goers will help solve is
the big riddle surrounding the size of Meryl Streep’s performance. Streep was
largely assumed a shoo-in for a Best Actress nomination (Deanna Dunagan won a
Best Actress Tony for the meaty role) until it was announced
that she would be campaigned in the Supporting category and Julia Roberts would
go lead. It seems silly, since Streep gets top-billing in the film’s trailer. (Interestingly,
Amy Morton was nominated in the lead category and lost to Dunagan.) Confusion
either ensued or decreased (it’s hard to say which) when it was stated
18 days later that Streep might actually be pushed in lead. This most recent
announcement seems to jive with word that sprung from test screenings earlier
this year. Those screenings also provided good word on co-star Margo
Martindale, who would likely be a casualty of category fraud if Streep were put
in supporting. With so many buzz-worthy performances, it will be a big surprise
if August doesn’t yield some more Oscar
chatter come Monday. It’s just a matter of sussing out which actress goes where.
The Fifth Estate
TIFF’s opening night films don’t always make it to the
Oscars. One would have to go back to the 2005 opener Water to find one that did. Last year’s Looper almost changed that, since it came awfully close to a
nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The
Fifth Estate, a timely WikiLeaks drama, looks like it could things a step
further and bring director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls,
Kinsey) back into the Oscar race. The
film could pop into several categories if it delivers, but early looks at the
film suggest that its biggest assets are its two male stars: Benedict
Cumberbatch and Daniel Brühl. Both actors appear in several high profile films
at the festival (Cumberbatch in August:
Osage County and 12 Years a Slave,
and Brühl in Rush.) One would hardly
recognize the actors if one watched the trailers for these films in a row.
Their dramatic range is impressive (as is their physical transformation into
these characters), so it seems logical that their performances in any or all of
these films could be the talk of the festival.
Rush
Ron Howard at a film festival? Rush must be pretty good, then. It scored a major slot in the Gala
programme, as it will premiere in the Sunday night slot of the opening weekend,
which has hosted high-profile Oscar hopefuls like Precious, Albert Nobbs,
and The Company You Keep. The latter
film didn’t go anywhere, but the other two did. Rush looks like the kind of film that, like last year’s Oscar
winner Argo, could find the right
kind of crossover appeal between mainstream and art-house audiences alike. Earlyreviews are strong, so film buffs will surely approach the film with
interest given the recent popularity of the racing doc Senna and the allure of another performance in Daniel Brühl’s
diverse filmography. Might Rush be
the “Drama” of the Oscar race?
12 Years a Slave
If Rush is “the
Drama”, then 12 Years a Slave is
surely the Drama-plus. Steve McQueen’s film earned sensational buzz out of the
sneak peek at Telluride with many critics/bloggers raving about the director’s
hard-hitting and realistic depiction of slavery. 12 Years a Slave is a serious contender if Toronto audiences agree.
Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor could find himself a front-runner in the Best Actor
race, while supporting players Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyongo are earning
strong praise as well. Most importantly, though, 12 Years a Slave promises to stand tallest in what has already been
a strong year for black cinema. Might it join Fruitvale Station and The
Butler in the end of the year gauntlet? All signs point to yes. (See AwardsDaily and Indiewire
for especially strong reactions.)
Gravity
Continuing the “question of taste” introduced last Oscar
season (explained here), Gravity is
doubtlessly the “big movie” of 2013. The praise is deafening and can be heard
all the way from Venice to Telluride, and will surely continue in Toronto.
Alfonso Cuarón’s technical feat has been unanimously praised, with some calling
Gravity a “masterpiece”
and “a new kind of cinema”. Top marks are also going to lead Sandra Bullock, who
reportedly gives a career-best performance in what is mostly a one-woman show.
With four screenings at the festival selling out like hot-cakes and the promise
of a riveting adventure that sounds like both a ground-breaking feat of cinema
and a breathless emotional odyssey, my money is on Gravity to take the People’s Choice Award and follow an Oscar-bound
trajectory of winners that have come before it.
Prisoners
It would be very exciting to see Denis Villeneuve back in
the race after 2010’s Incendies.
Making his Hollywood directorial debut with Prisoners,
Villeneuve provided one of the sleeper word-of-mouth hits at Telluride. First
Showing is especially enthusiastic, noting,
“A new crime thriller in the pantheon of acclaimed favorites like Zodiac,
Se7en and even Silence of the Lambs has arrived.” The
Hollywood Reporter agrees, and raves
that Villeneuve’s handling of difficult subject matter makes for an intense
film experience: “Viewers who see the movie will find it absolutely riveting,
and this is a tribute to the filmmaker’s skill and to the excellent cast that
brings the story to life.” Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal are both earning
top praise and could easily add some in-film competition to the already crowded
Best Actor race. Variety is especially enthusiastic about the performances (and
Villeneuve’s direction), calling
Jackman’s turn “career best.” Alternatively, might Gyllenhaal go supporting so
both actors can eye the prize?
Philomena
Stephen Frears has been off his game lately, but Venice
reviews for Philomena suggest he’s
back on track. Frears last found himself in the Oscar race in 2006 when Helen
Mirren’s landmark performance in The
Queen let the film ride a rave of accolades and acclaim throughout the season.
It premiered at Venice, too, and Gold Derby’s review round up from Venice teases that star Judi Dench might finally win a Lead
Actress Oscar for her funny and moving performance in Philomena. (That clitoris line at least merits Golden Globe
attention.) Praise for the film
itself isn’t especially enthusiastic—it’s certainly positive—but everyone seems
to agree that Dench is a highlight. The strength of Dench’s performance might
have something to do with all the funny business with August: Osage County: as another film on the Weinsteins’ stuffed
list of Oscar hopefuls, Dench will have to compete against both Roberts and
Streep (or only Roberts), plus Nicole Kidman in the yet-to-be-seen Grace of Monaco. If Dench is in, she’ll
be in good company with her first nom since 2006’s Notes on a Scandal and face off against Scandal co-star Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine).
The Foreign Language Films
TIFF is just as big an influence for world cinema as it is
for the main competition, as all five of last year’s nominees for Best
Foreign Language Film screened at the festival: Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, Rebelle,
and A Royal Affair. Two festival
selections, Romania’s Child’s Pose
and Singapore’s Ilo Ilo, have already
been named as submissions in the category. Child’s
Pose won the Golden Bear at Berlin and Ilo
Ilo scooped the Camera d’or for debut feature at Cannes, so they are both
worth watching. More submissions will trickle in soon, so be on the lookout for
films to add to your Oscar-filled festival line-up.
Gabrielle and Tom at the Farm
No stranger to the race for Best Foreign Language Film,
Canada has several strong contenders at Toronto. The two biggies look to be Gabrielle and Tom at the Farm, which premiered to good reviews at Locarno and
Venice, respectively. Gabrielle won
the audience award at Locarno, which could put it on a trajectory akin to
Canada’s Oscar nominee Monsieur Lazhar.
Tom at the Farm, meanwhile, has some
critics calling it Xavier Dolan’s best work, with Variety also noting
that it’s his “most commercially viable” film. Dolan is always a polarizing
filmmaker, though, and Tom is no
exception. The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a harsh review and noted that Dolan seems narcissistic and a bit too fond of
putting his face before the camera. Dolan, however, hit back. What else is
Twitter good for but to tweetslap your critics?
@THRmovies you can kiss my narcissistic ass.
— Xavier Dolan (@XDolan) September 2, 2013
Enough Said
We always talk about filmmakers who are overdue for recognition
and this year I submit Nicole Holofcener for consideration. Her script for Please Give was one of the best in 2010
and it continued her streak of funny and insightful ensemble-driven indies. I’m
very surprised, then, that Enough Said
didn’t play Telluride. Fox Searchlight usually has a strong presence there,
which they more than enjoyed with 12
Years a Slave, but Enough Said
seems like the kind of independent comedy that usually plays well in Colorado.
Perhaps the distributor is just sharing the wealth. If Enough Said goes over well in Toronto, Holofcener could be in the
hunt for her first screenplay nomination. The film could also bring a first
Oscar nomination for the late James Gandolfini, who offers one of his final
performances in Enough Said could
help the film become a sentimental favourite at the festival.
Labor Day
If one film needs Toronto to improve on buzz from Telluride,
Labor Day might be it. Jason
Reitman’s adaptation of the Joyce Maynard novel has its share of fans and its
share of detractors. Both seem to love or dislike the film for the same reason,
namely that it marks a change of course for Reitman. Indiewire,
for example, likes the mature take in Reitman’s direction. Ditto Awards Daily, which notes an attention to detail in Labor Day not seen in Reitman’s other films. Less enthusiastic is a
snarky, if well argued, review from The Playlist. Word on Kate Winslet’s performance is especially strong
regardless of one’s preference for the film, and Josh Brolin’s supporting turn
could be one of the few legitimate contenders in the category so far.
Dallas Buyers Club
Everyone seems to want Matthew McConaughey to score an Oscar
nomination. He probably came close (somehow) for last year’s Magic Mike, which was an award-season favourite
boosted by his strong work in Bernie
and Killer Joe. Pushing Oscar but not
pulling through can often work in one’s favour the following year, though, and McConaughey’s
turn as a man battling AIDS in Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club could be the film to do it. He already has Mud to give him a boost this year, or
the upcoming Wolf of Wall Street to
fall back on, depending on how Dallas
scores. Also worth watching is Jared Leto’s turn as a transgendered person,
which is bound to go over well with all his fans in T.O. (Recall that his film Artifact nabbed the People’s Choice
award for favourite documentary last year after pleasing all the raving 30
Seconds to Mars fans.)
In addition to the films above, there are plenty of wild cards at TIFF that could change the game. The Railway Man starring Oscar winners Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman? Check, if it finds distribution. Third Person from Crash director Paul Haggis (whose 2 Oscars are on display at the Lightbox)? Check, if people get over Crash (it deserved the win!). Docs, like Finding Vivian Maier, The Armstrong Lie, or The Unknown Known? Check, if they make the shortlist. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the next Invictus? Check, unless it's the next Winnie. The Oscar-checklist just goes on and on... it's a busy festival for Oscar junkies!
