Toronto Film Festival 2010: The Movies That Had Everyone Talking This Year

For those who get to attend the sprawling Toronto International Film Festival, with its 300 or so movies crammed into a little over a week, it's like summer camp for movie lovers, with countless star-spotting opportunities, fellow film buffs crowding the streets and the bars, and more good movies than you can possibly see. For the rest of us, however, the festival is a good predictor of which movies will be captivating us at awards season.

TIFF wrapped last night with 'The King's Speech,' the drama about King George VI (Colin Firth) steeling himself and Britain for World War II, winning the Cadillac People's Choice Award. Being named the audience favorite is a good omen, not just for the movie's commercial prospects, but for the Oscars as well; the last two movies to win that citation at TIFF were 'Precious' and 'Slumdog Millionaire.'

Moviefone and its partners have spent the last several days immersing readers in coverage of the festival, with celebrity interviews, reviews, deal reports and capturing the buzz from those Toronto selections most likely to wow you in theaters over the next few months and to grab for awards glory when Oscar season starts. Here's a quick rundown of the highlights of this year's TIFF.

10 Movies That Made Headlines:

•'Biutiful' (Release Date TBD): Crime drama from director Alejandro González Iñárritu, starring Javier Bardem. Moviefone interviews Bardem | IndieWire interviews Iñárritu

•'Blue Valentine' (Dec. 31): Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this sexually charged drama about a couple's courtship and disintegration. IndieWire interviews director Derek Cianfrance

•'Black Swan' (Dec. 1): Darren Aronofsky's much-anticipated follow-up to 'The Wrestler' stars Natalie Portman as a ballet dancer whose claws come out when competing with rival Mila Kunis. Choice quotes from the 'Black Swan' press conference | IndieWire interviews Aronofsky

•'The King's Speech' (Nov. 24): In this drama set on the eve of World War II, Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are said to be Oscar shoo-ins for their roles as England's stammering King George VI and his Australian speech therapist. Moviefone interviews Firth

•'Rabbit Hole' (2010): One of the most acclaimed dramas of this year's TIFF stars Nicole Kidman (in a performance likely to garner year-end awards) and Aaron Eckhart as parents mourning the death of their toddler. Moviefone review | IndieWire interviews director John Cameron Mitchell

•'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' (Sept. 22): Woody Allen's latest dramedy of love and betrayal includes such stars as Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, and Freida Pinto. Interview with Woody Allen

•'127 Hours' (Nov. 5): 'Slumdog Millionaire' director Danny Boyle's true-life drama stars James Franco as Aron Ralston, the mountaineer who was trapped for days beneath a fallen boulder until he summoned the wherewithal to cut off his own arm. As intense as it sounds, reportedly causing fainting and seizures in some viewers. IndieWire interviews Franco

•'Everything Must Go' (2011): Will Ferrell plays a rare dramatic role in this adaptation of a Raymond Carver story about a man who loses his job and his wife on the same day and winds up living on his front lawn. Moviefone review | Interview with Ferrell

•'Waiting for Superman' (Sept. 24): Director Davis Guggenheim's follow-up to 'An Inconvenient Truth' is a documentary that focuses on America's broken public education system and what some people, from Bill Gates to educator Geoffrey Canada, are doing about it. Gates, Canada, and others speak at the TIFF screening | IndieWire interviews Guggenheim

•'Cave of Forgotten Dreams' (2011): Werner Herzog's documentary about a never-before-photographed set of prehistoric cave paintings in France was a 3-D movie that even noted 3-D hater Roger Ebert could love. IFC will release the film in theaters next year before it goes to TV on the History Channel. Moviefone review

Other Buzz-worthy Movies:

•'Another Year' (Dec. 29): A family drama from master of kitchen-sink realism Mike Leigh, starring Jim Broadbent. Moviefone review

•'Barney's Version' (Date TBD): An adaptation of Mordecai Richler's satiric novel about the life and loves of the abrasive Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti). Sony Pictures Classics bought this but hasn't announced a release date yet. Moviefone review

•'Super' (Date TBD): A dark superhero satire, à la 'Kick-Ass,' starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. This became one of the first purchases at the festival when IFC Films picked this up Moviefone review | Clip

•'Dirty Girl' (2011): Teen drama set in the '80s; think 'Easy A' without the laughs. Got mixed reviews, but was the talk of the fest when the Weinstein Co. paid $3 million for it.

•'Meek's Cutoff' (first half of 2011): A western starring Michelle Williams and directed by Kelly Reichardt, who directed Williams in the acclaimed 'Wendy and Lucy' a couple years ago. Earned rave reviews from everyone. Reichardt talks about one character's unlikely inspiration.

Deals: Nicole Kidman Enters Oscar Race
TIFF isn't usually thought of as a deal-making festival; there are no jury-driven prizes to spur purchases, and many films come into the fest with distribution deals for fall release dates already in place. Still, this was reportedly one of the busiest dealmaking editions of TIFF ever. The cash-strapped Weinstein Co., perhaps aiming to return to Harvey Weinstein's glory days as an Oscar power broker, spent freely, buying 'Dirty Girl' for $3 million and also acquiring 'Sarah's Key' and 'Submarine.'

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions went in together on not one but two movies: Robert Redford's Lincoln assassination drama 'The Conspirator' and Will Ferrell drama 'Everything Must Go.' Lionsgate also bought what was perhaps the fest's most acclaimed film, the Nicole Kidman drama 'Rabbit Hole,' with the intent of releasing it before the end of the year so that it qualifies for Oscars. IFC Films bought two Rainn Wilson movies, 'Super' and 'Peep World.' It also bought Werner Herzog's 3-D documentary 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams,' after a bidding war broke out. When a bidding war breaks out for a movie by a director as uncompromising and uncommercial as Herzog, you know business is booming.

Who Was the Festival's "It" Girl?
Every festival needs an "It" girl. Nominees included Sally Hawkins and her frequent costar Andrea Riseborough, both of whom starred in several films at this year's TIFF. Or maybe it's Abigail Breslin. The 'Little Miss Sunshine' moppet, now 14, stars in TIFF movie 'Janie Jones' as a girl who discovers her dad is a famous rocker, and she proved her own vocal chops singing at the film's afterparty.

Abigail Breslin sings at the Toronto International Film Festival

Full TIFF Coverage: You can go back and read all of Moviefone's coverage of this year's TIFF at our Toronto Film Festival category page. Links to IndieWire's extensive coverage are all on this page.

•Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

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Toronto Thins the Best Picture Herd

There are two things we can say for certain after the Toronto film festival unveiled a number of this year's potential award candidates. Tom Hooper's 'The King's Speech' will be up for a great many nominations and Clint Eastwood's 'Hereafter' will be lucky to get even one. More than just one man's opinion is driving the narrative that Eastwood's film may be the first to not garner even a breath of serious consideration since 'Blood Work'. (Even the ridiculous 'Gran Torino' was expected to get Eastwood-the-actor a nomination.) Keeping with the theme though, it's the in-between amongst these two films that have given us a clearer look at what is in store for the great Best Picture of 2010. So let us look at 15 of them, shall we?

'127 Hours' - For his second film in a row, Danny Boyle has delivered one of the best films of the year. While the true story of Aron Ralston's canyon survival has been described as a one-man show for James Franco, this is most certainly a two-man deal, with Boyle delivering an adventure tale of unexpected emotional depth. It does not work -- for sure -- without Franco's performance, which must be considered one of the top-half favorites for a nomination at this point. But Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy have another guaranteed crowd-pleaser on their hands and if it catches a hold of audiences, it could steer the duo to another Best Picture nomination.

'Another Year'– Mike Leigh has not had a contender for the top spot since 1996's 'Secrets and Lies'. His low-key British dramedies with an emphasis on character over situation normally do not fit Oscar's mentality for bigger subject matters, though he has been properly recognized with script nominations for 'Vera Drake' and 'Happy-Go-Lucky' and the occasional concentration on performances. (Sally Hawkins' work from the latter was considered one of the snubs of '08.) Though now in the era of double-the-nominees, a film destined for even more critical praise than it's already received (especially for Lesley Manville's work as the optimistic, but sad alcoholic) has a pretty good shot to receive less than a handful of nods and still be considered Best Picture-worthy.

'Biutiful' – Speaking of depressing characters and a link to the hereafter, Javier Bardem plays one in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's latest glum-apalooza. Guy has a bi-polar ex-wife screwing his brother, a dead relative to identify, a diagnosis of fatal cancer and two kids he supports through seeing ghosts and helping illegal immigrants get shelter. It is a lot for an actor to convey and if there is any focus on this film come awards season, it will be on Bardem and not a repeat of the love 'Babel' received in 2007.

'Black Swan' – Darren Aronofsky's film was shown a lot of love at Toronto this year. Not so much by Michael Phillips, who called it "ridiculous," nor by me, not even after a second viewing. To me, it was the equivalent of yelling an old Macbeth line in a crowded theater until ending with ravenous applause for the director's credit to appear on the screen. Natalie Portman and the cinematography will certainly be getting its share of deserved consideration, but with its screenplay as its weakest link and likely a fair share of detractors over its nearly laughable hallucinatory horror elements and hammer-punched metaphors, it is hard to consider this a serious contender for the prize.

'Blue Valentine' – A darling out of Sundance this year for those who stayed through to the end. The ones who left missed out on something pretty terrific and have been spreading false notions of Derek Cianfrance's film being nothing but two people yelling at each other for two hours. Untrue. More like 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' without the sci-fi element or a more dramatic '(500) Days of Summer'. Will voters see it that way, though? Ryan Gosling will be on the short list for a Best Actor nod and Cianfrance's script is worth noting as well. As good as it is, there may need to be a lot more thinning in the final months for it to pull through.

'Casino Jack' – Most seem to be in agreement that if you want to know more about Jack Abramoff, rent Alex Gibney's documentary. Kevin Spacey is fine enough, but do not count on this being the kind of player that Abramoff was.

'Conviction' – Trailers made this look like it could have already boasted award nominations. A true-crime case combined with an underdog heroine who sacrifices her time to free her brother from jail starring a two-time Oscar winner (Hilary Swank), three Oscar nominees (Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis) and an actor (Sam Rockwell) who should have been nominated by now. Is it his time? Not with this screenplay, which only puts together the bare essentials to make this a somewhat average made-for-TV film. Without ever quite feeling the sacrifices of the two siblings in their situations nor accentuating the dynamic between the two key women involved in the case -- inside and outside the circle of power -- the film is too generic even it were for Emmy consideration.

'The Debt' – Call it the poor man's 'Munich'. Or better yet, the homeless person's 'Munich'. Revenge on the Nazis by an elite squad and whether or not they can stand the guilt. Throw in an unexpected secret and an ending practically out of a horror film and there are likely to be more groans for John Madden's film than cries about Oscar snubs.

'It's Kind of a Funny Story' – Going into awards season, the serio-comic trailer for Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden's latest film looked like it could be a player as this year's quirky indie to at least get some play in the Adapted Screenplay category. Word after the first screening in Toronto was a lot of hate coming from the press, including big fans of their previous films, 'Half Nelson' and 'Sugar'. After these eyes got a look, annoyance more than hate is the word to describe it. I don't want to call it this year's 'Running With Scissors' cause it is not nearly that evil, but any film that brings that into the discussion cannot be taken seriously as an awards contender.

'The King's Speech' – Standing by my tweet immediately after the Toronto premiere, which had as long a standing ovation as I have ever seen at a film festival, Tom Hooper's film is a lock for a bare minimum of five nominations, including Best Picture, Actor (Colin Firth), Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography. Being a leading contender, you can pretty much assume Hooper will be a directorial nominee as well.

'Let Me In' – Matt Reeves' well-made but ultimately pointless remake (aside from monetary gain) added a pretty cool car crash, but none of the novel's darker themes we had been promised for over two years in assurance this was going to be something more than the beloved original, 'Let the Right One In'. Chloe Grace Moretz is going to pop-up deservedly on a number of awards lists as this year's breakthrough performer for this and 'Kick-Ass', but she may be a longshot for a Supporting Actress nod.

'Made In Dagenham' – Pretty much exactly what you might expect from the director of 'Calendar Girls'. A somewhat cheeky true tale of girl power in a man's world -- or -- a film that doesn't exactly earn equal pay with 'Norma Rae'. Sally Hawkins is fine in the film, which along with her brief but powerful few moments in 'Never Let Me Go' will keep her in the race. Bob Hoskins, though good, disappears too frequently to make the necessary play for a nomination and its screenplay is a little too reliant on the same clichés that plague both 'Conviction' and another wannabe contender, 'Secretariat,' to be a Best Film player. Then again, 'The Blind Side' was nominated and all of these films are better than that.

'Never Let Me Go' – This film has begun to strike a real divide between critics who enjoy the streamlined focus on the characters and those who want to know more about the premise and why the characters don't rebel against their fate. As a card-carrying member of the former with an admitted curiosity about the latter, it is impossible to disavow that this will not play out against the film's chances. Perhaps it is this year's worthy nominee in the acting and Adapted Screenplay categories, but the one that gets snubbed in favor of this year's 'Blind Side'. Carey Mulligan is extraordinary in the film and needs to remain in the conversation. Keira Knightley is quite good too as is Andrew Garfield who also has his standout work in 'The Social Network' to consider. Perhaps if all the reported lovers of the book get out of the house to go see the film and spread the word, it will still be bandied about come December.

'Tamara Drewe' - To say that Stephen Frears' adaptation of Posy Simmonds' graphic novel loses its focus more than once would be an understatement. To say that you never want to spend one minute longer than necessary with some of the most shallow and annoying characters of the year is an opinion that will go to fact before the final credits roll. None of the actors get a chance to stand out. The only two likable people are cast aside too frequently and never get an opportunity to flourish as a potential couple, and unless the Oscars are giving away awards for Best Appearance in a Pair of Jean Shorts, Gemma Arterton nor the film is liable to be competing.

'The Town' - Ben Affleck's follow-up to the excellent 'Gone Baby Gone' turned out to be not only one of the best-reviewed films of the year, but is also turning out to be a nice little success at the box office. Certainly a longshot for a nomination, but it has to be considered in the running until some of the remaining November and December titles begin to screen.

LEADING CANDIDATES FOR A BEST PICTURE NOMINATION (based on actual viewings to date)
1. 'The King's Speech'
2. 'Inception'
3. 'Toy Story 3'
4. 'The Social Network'
5. 'The Kids are All Right'
6. '127 Hours'
7. 'Another Year'
8. 'Shutter Island'
9. 'Never Let Me Go'
10. 'The Town'

UPCOMING COMPETITORS (based on trailer alone)
1. 'True Grit'
2. 'The Fighter'
3. 'Somewhere'
4. 'Love and Other Drugs'
5. 'How Do You Know'
6. 'Country Strong'

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Toronto Film Festival 2010 Complete Roundup

The 35th Toronto International Film Festival has come to an end, showcasing a slew of Hollywood's most anticipated fall films -- especially noteworthy after such a bleak summer -- and indie gems you'll have to hunt for over the next few years. 'The King's Speech,' 'Rabbit Hole,' and 'Black Swan' are just a few of the hot titles that drew buzz this year. We've already reported that 'The King's Speech' won the coveted People's Choice Award, but what about the rest?

First, attendees also got to vote on the best Midnight Madness flick and documentary. Jim Mickle's 'Stake Land' -- showcasing a post-apocalyptic America after a vampiric epidemic -- won the former, while Sturla Gunnarsson's environment-centric 'Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie' won the latter. Shawn Ku's 'Beautiful Boy' (a school shooting aftermath story starring Maria Bello and Michael Sheen) won the "Discovery" prize, while Pierre Thoretton's 'L'Amour Fou' (about Yves Saint Laurent) won the "Special Presentation's winner. And since this is a Canadian fest, maple leaf cinema earned some choice awards as well. Best Canadian Short went to Vincent Biron's 'Le Fleur de l'age,' Best Canadian First Feature went to Deborah Chow's 'The High Cost of Living,' and Best Canadian Feature Film went to Denis Villeneuve for 'Incendies.'

Are you struggling to keep them all straight? To suss out which one detailed a man with a stutter, which was a 'Groundhog Day' thriller, or which film Sarah Silverman is going nude for, hit the jump for a roundup of our features, interviews, and reviews from the stellar TIFF 2010 after the jump.

FEATURES
Where to Spot Celebrities at the Toronto Film Festival
2010 Toronto Film Festival Guide: 10 Movies We Can't Wait to See
Canadian Films to Watch for at TIFF
10 Must-See Toronto Fest Films That Probably Won't Escape Toronto
Toronto Film Festival Gifting Lounges Give Back This Year
'Waiting for Superman' the Ground-Shaker at TIFF
Girls on Film: TIFF's 'Trigger' is the 'Before Sunset' of Female Friendship
Toronto Film Festival 2010: The Movies That Had Everyone Talking This Year
'The King's Speech': Frontrunner for Best Picture Oscar? Here's What We Know About It

INTERVIEWS
Toronto Fest Programmer Colin Geddes on Midnight Movies ... and Madness
Jennifer Beals Talks 'A Night for Dying Tigers,' Family Love and Why She Has a Dagger in Her Skirt
Colin Firth Talks Playing Royalty in 'The King's Speech'
Javier Bardem on His Troubled Character in 'Biutiful'
Will Ferrell on Playing a Serious Man in 'Everything Must Go'
Woody Allen Talks 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,' and How Everything Is Really Hard
Penn Badgley Talks 'Easy A' and Working with Emma Stone
Sarah Silverman on 'Peep World,' Ugly Crying and Getting Naked for Her Next Film

REVIEWS
'The Town'
"Affleck proves he's no one-trick pony. It's just as smart and well-executed as Affleck's last, and with him back in front of the camera too, it delivers on all that promise of Affleck's earlier career as an actor." [Joe Utichi]

'Stone'
"Nearly suffering a mid-life crisis of its own midway through as it sulks itself deeper into material some may describe as Bresson-ian, it never has a crisis of faith and allows three very interesting performances to come shining through the center and plenty to ponder in the end." [Erik Childress]

'Never Let Me Go'
"A delicate film to discuss but a difficult one to spoil, 'Never Let Me Go' tells a concise and slippery story of resignation that attempts to bridge the gap between what we know of the human experience and the turbulence of actually enduring it. " [David Ehrlich]

'Easy A'
"Minus a distracting John Hughes tribute, a misplaced karaoke routine and a few storyline deficiencies, Easy A is a grade A comedy and one certainly worthy of multiple viewings. The pacing is impeccable, soundtrack wildly appropriate and upbeat and the dialogue snappy and packed with inventive humor." [Perri Nemiroff]

'It's Kind of a Funny Story'
"[It] is not a funny movie. Nor is it a sincere, compelling, or interesting one. That a pair of indie-favorite filmmakers would attempt a teenager's version of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' is not a big shock; that Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, co-directors of the very fine films 'Half Nelson' and 'Sugar,' would turn in such a mawkish, cloying, and uncomfortable film absolutely is." [Scott Weinberg]

'Barney's Version'
"A number of writers tried to tackle famous Canadian novelist Mordechai Richler's 'Barney's Version' over the years -- including the author himself -- but it was TV writer Michael Konyves who knew how to whittle away at the dense, 417-page satire and come out with a crisp tale that loses some of the bitter edge, replaces it with humanity, and gives a talented stable of actors the chance to offer up some of their best work." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Daydream Nation'
"Unlike the creations it's similar to, Daydream Nation is a messy tale over-saturated with side plots, flat characters, and a bipolar tone." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Passion Play'
"Thus is the strength and weakness of 'Scrooged' scribe Mitch Glazer's directorial debut, 'Passion Play' – a film that adeptly conveys his passion for the material (twenty years in the making), yet fails to hit the audience in that same engaging way." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Super'
Broad slapstick satires generally don't cross the line into truly disturbing material, but James Gunn's 'Super' does -- and it does so with a good deal of vim, vigor, and uniquely twisted jokes." [Scott Weinberg]

'Last Night'
"Massy Tadjedin has quickly established herself as a notable and talented new filmmaker. Last Night is an impressive first feature, knowing when to savor a moment and linger, and knowing when to retreat and tease curiosity." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Hereafter'
"Those looking for questions would be better served making their own list and checking it twice for this film can barely muster up the time to send us home with anything to think about, other than how one of the world's most celebrated directors [Clint Eastwood] can team up with one of the most interesting writers [Peter Morgan] of recent years and produce such a unchallenging dullard." [Erik Childress]

'Cool It'
"If 'An Inconvenient Truth' is our ass-kicker designed to make us put down that bottle of water and rethink our environmental attitudes, Ondi Timoner's 'Cool It' is our level-headed documentary designed to make us think rather than just react." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Casino Jack'
"From [Jack] Abramoff's early exploits dallying in off-shore sweat shops and moving forward to his abuse of Native American casinos and his horribly bad decisions regarding a gaming cruise ship, the man's most infamous crimes are detailed in sly and juicy detail. " [Scott Weinberg]

'Another Year'
"Leigh presents all of this in his typical slice-of-life fashion, light on plot but heavy on characterization, full of effortlessly funny dialogue. 'Another Year' comes across like an exceedingly well-acted stage play. Each performance is richly detailed, even when the character appears in only a few scenes." [Eric D. Snider]

'Everything Must Go'
"[Will] Ferrell is never better than in those moments when he doesn't have to out-quirk himself, or find a way to be even more flamboyant on the big screen, and Rush lets Ferrell have a field day, finding those bits of dark humor that are always present on the darkest days." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Caves of Forgotten Dreams'
"It's a quiet, mellow, and mostly captivating documentary about a prehistoric cave in Southern France ... your narrative tour guide is Werner Herzog, and the resulting film will absolutely make for a very comfortable screening once The History Channel gets around to airing it." [Scott Weinberg]

'Repeaters'
"Though Bessai does maintain his pensive, character-focused style, he ups the ante to deliver a surprising and often kinetic look at what can happen if your days start repeating, a la 'Groundhog Day.'" [Monika Bartyzel]

'Rabbit Hole'
"What I ended up watching is, quite simply, one of the best films I've ever seen at a festival. I've always contended that there's no such thing as a 'flawless' film, but now I'm going to amend that phrase to read 'There's no such thing as a perfect film.' Because 'Rabbit Hole' is, as far as I can tell, pretty much flawless." [Scott Weinberg]

'Amigo'
"This isn't a polarizing and politically critical film in the vein of 'Silver City.' It's a character study that reveals what we see only rarely in big-screen war films -- the real people behind the conflict once the pomp and circumstance are washed away." [Monika Bartyzel]

'Janie Jones'
"Even with some stellar performances, 'Janie Jones' falls a bit flat of its potential. It plays out more like a road trip of dramatic pit stops rather than a fully fleshed out journey between father and daughter." [Monika Bartyzel]

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