TIFF - the Oscar race begins to solidify — Page 3

Some people are a little alarmed that Gravity was not a runner-up. August: Osage County also seems a bit of a disappointment though of the other choices it got the most mixed reception by far.

Denis Villeneuve is allowed to do whatever he wants after Polytechnique and Incendies. And he decided to make 2 movies with 3 Jake Gyllenhaals- so there's that. A24 did acquire Enemy. They're my new favorite distribution company to Annapurna Picture's production company.

I mentioned before that it is clear that TIFF was gunning for 12 Years a Slave to be their PCA. They're really transparent of the ones they favor, they quite notoriously added another screening to SLP so it could be in position for PCA over Argo (no problem with that, SLP was a better, more interesting movie) since Argo was a Telluride launch (which is such a hoity-toity, overly expensive film festival in a ski resort town mostly made of West Coast industry people and critics) along with SLP being a Weinstein movie. Everybody was talking about the movie everywhere on the television and in the media press. I think it is significant for the film and the festival that this 'tough' movie was chosen by the ticket-goers than some festival jury (notice a lot of the movies that got good press at Cannes, particularly Blue is the Warmest Color, got a much frostier reception).

Based on words from people I met, keep an eye out for:

The F-Word- When Harry Met Sally's Post-Modern Children Who Moved to Toronto Rom-Com. Of Daniel Radcliffe's 3 movies there, this got the warmest reception (though be aware its Toronto-specific setting may have done the trick) but a strong ensemble with Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, and Rafe Spall from the director of the underrated Goon. Also, AC Newman does the music. I could see this blowing up in 2014.

The Double- Richard Ayoade's follow-up to Submarine. What Wes Anderson business Ayoade did in his debut becomes Ayoade balancing some Terry Gilliam with Dostoevsky with Jesse Eisenberg in a dual-role.

Dallas Buyer's Club- So, apparently while this movie sports good top performances with McConaughey and Leto this movie might actually have more bite and there there going on. Like people would not be surprised if it got major awards beyond acting.

Palo Alto- Trust me on this. Gia Coppola has shades of early Sofia Coppola and Xavier Dolan. I also want to say it is a little Robert Altman goes to High School but this is a debut where constant soft focus looks like I am watching somebody's instagram and I don't want to overstate this movie. But this movie feels novelistic and realer than any HS movie that I have seen in a while. Hopefully it gets sold for distribution soon.