The fall movie season is coming up, which means Oscar season is right around the corner. Here are five films that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this September; they may be top contenders for the Oscars in February.
FILMCertified Fresh: An American in Paris (1951)
In an awards season where the most buzzed-about films are from indie distributors like A24, Bleecker Street and Neon, will Hollywood’s big studios come out on top?
The fact that the biggest studio films haven’t yet been released means they have a built-in advantage: They can generate buzz right up until the Oscars. And a few of this season’s heavy hitters have already made a splash.
In September, Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 1984 premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was instantly declared a frontrunner for best picture. Universal/Focus Features’ Harriet also won over audiences in Toronto, with Cynthia Erivo hailed as a contender for best actress.
And though it was booed by critics at the Venice Film Festival, some are predicting that The Joker, distributed by Warner Bros., could still be an Oscar favorite.
So far this fall, it has been harder to generate buzz around big studio films like James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari or The Goldfinch (from Amazon Studios/Warner Bros.), both of which were generally well-received but hardly considered shoo-ins for any major categories.
It’s worth noting that while studios may own the rights to these movies
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are beginning to turn, and the New York Film Festival is right around the corner—but first, there’s the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Each September, the 10-day festival showcases a global lineup of Academy Award hopefuls and Hollywood A-listers on its compact roster.
This year, the slate of fall movies at TIFF covered everything from Bradley Cooper’s directing debut to a Natalie Portman–starring biopic. Here are our top five picks.
When the Toronto International Film Festival, better known as TIFF, rolls in each September, it’s a big deal. The festival, which runs this year from September 10 to 20, is one of the world’s largest, featuring more than 300 films—both short and feature-length—from a plethora of countries. While you won’t be able to see all of the films screening at TIFF (because, alas, there are only 24 hours in a day), you can certainly pick and choose from the highlights. Here are five must-see films that premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The Disaster Artist (December 8)
‘The Shape of Water’
‘Call Me By Your Name’
‘The Florida Project’
‘Lady Bird’
‘Mudbound’
From the wild, surreal setting, to the love story between a mute custodian and a half-man/half-fish amphibious creature, Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” is an original. In a world that is rife with fear and terror, Sally Hawkins plays Elisa Esposito, a woman who works at a high security government laboratory. Isolated by circumstance and unable to speak because of her own mysterious past, Elisa finds joy in watching classic musicals on TV every night. But when she sees an amphibious creature (Doug Jones) being tested on at the lab, she becomes obsessed with him. As time passes and Elisa begins to form a bond with the creature, they both become targets of Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), who sees the creature as nothing but an “asset” for his own political gain. Elisa must find a way to escape before it’s too late, taking us along for the most unique adventure of 2017.
“There are a lot of actors who are great at what they do, but there is a reason why only a few actors get the opportunity to be stars,” says Academy Award–winning director Danny Boyle, whose latest film, Steve Jobs, has been generating Oscar buzz for its leading man. “It’s because you have to be able to carry a movie yourself. These actors have to become so big because they’re taking on two roles: the character and an avatar of themselves.” Here, five actors who fit the bill.
Matthew McConaughey in Free State of Jones: He has turned himself into one of the most fascinating actors working today by completely changing his image—and his body—for each role. In this Civil War drama, he plays Newton Knight, a poor farmer who leads a rebellion against the Confederacy.
Bryan Cranston in Trumbo: The former Breaking Bad star plays Dalton Trumbo, one of Hollywood’s top screenwriters until he was blacklisted for refusing to testify before Congress during the McCarthy era. “Bryan is such a powerful actor that sometimes you forget what a gifted and subtle comic actor he can be,” says director Jay Roach (Game Change).
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs: In his portrayal of the Apple founder
