Post-Toronto, a weekend roundup of Oscar news ‘n’ notes from around the web …
Reuters sums up Toronto thusly: few deals, big stars in little movies, and Oscar boosts for “Precious,” “Up in the Air,” Get Low,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” I’ll go with them on the first three titles, but I’m not quite sure how that last one made the cut.
John Foote delivers a sunny Toronto wrap-up: terrific festival, wonderful performances and lots of great movies, with “Precious” being the best and “Jennifer’s Body” the worst. (In Contention)
Todd McCarthy looks at the three recent festivals (Telluride, Venice and Toronto) and examines how some movies can do well at one and poorly at another. In the process, a fourth festival, the upcoming New York Film Festival comes out looking not-so-smart, since they turned down “A Serious Man,” “A Single Man,” “An Education” and the widely-praised French Oscar entry “A Prophet.” Apparently NYFF has something against the article “A.” (Variety)
Sasha Stone considers the state of the Oscar race, as she also considers that considering the state of the Oscar race “couldn’t seem sillier, more pointless.” (What does that make linking to considerations of the Oscar race?) She also decides that “Julie and Julia” has a serious shot at a best-picture nomination. (Awards Daily)
Anne Thompson and Kris Tapley take another shot at dissecting the awards season via podcast. They rhapsodize about “A Serious Man” (Anne says it’s a Coen Bros. twist on the Woody Allen movies that used to win Oscars) and mull over “A Single Man,” Annette Bening, Robert Duvall and some other contenders. They also look at the business side of Toronto and the industry, where Anne explains that “the entire apparatus is broken.” (In Contention, Thompson on Hollywood)
