Lessons

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Here's some of what I learned from the films, the current and my personal experience at the Toronto Film Festival, which I'll be taking leave of tomorrow:

(1) Jason Reitman's Up In The Air is now the lead contender to win the 2009 Best Picture Oscar, and it may continue to be that even after Clint Eastwood's Invictus comes along. That's because the subject of Invictus is somewhat narrower -- institutional racism, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, etc. -- and the focus of Up In The Air is about what people of all tribes and denominations are feeling (i.e., afraid of) right now.

(2) Annette Bening is now a likely Best Actress contender for her performance in Rodrigo Garcia's Mother and Child.

(3) A film that plays exceptionally for three-quarters of its length will not necessarily play that way during its last half-hour. A seasoned distributor told me this happens quite a lot, but I was stunned to notice this in the case of Mother and Child. Not to any fatal degree, but the payoff I was expecting didn't quite happen.

(4) When you stay up until 2:45 am, you'll pay and pay and pay the next day. I actually knew this before I came to Toronto.

(5) Even at a high-calibre film festival like Toronto's, a film showing with a weak focus will stay that way throughout its running time despite urgent requests that it be fixed. I tried to point this out at a Cumberland press screening of Mother and Child, and the projectionist just wouldn't agree. I knew this also before coming here.

(6) Cats don't hold back if they don't like you. They give it to you straight.

(7) Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare At Goats will play well for those who can roll with its deadpan, lightly absurdist tone.

(8) There's absolutely no reason why anyone should feel good about Megan Fox being a big star these days.

(9) Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story is not just his toughest film -- it gives no quarter -- but one of his two or three best. It will almost certainly take one of the five Best Documentary Feature Oscar noms and, I believe, stand the test of time. It's going to ignite a right-wing fever, of course, when it starts showing in the States.

(10) The N.Y. Film Festival committee blundered badly when they turned down Joel and Ethan Coen's A Serious Man, which is indisputably one of their darkest and greatest works.

(11) Snoring loudly during a movie is a no-no under any circumstance, but it's especially outrageous during a press screening. Falling asleep on a subway train is a bad idea also.

(12) You can run your tail off during this festival and still miss at least half of the films you wanted to see. There's no beating it. You're intended to leave saying, "Jeez, if I only could have seen (fill in the blank)."

(13) The Road isn't good enough to overcome the dystopian subject matter. But Collapse is.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on September 17, 2009 at 3:15 PM

comment #1

great scott says ...

Annette Bening vs. Hillary Swank Round 3?

Something tells me Invictus will be like Flags of Our Fathers. It's the frontrunner until people actually see it and are underwhelmed. That's based on nothing but a hunch.

Posted by great scott at September 17, 2009 6:07 PM

comment #2

drbob says ...

Good for Annette Bening. Sometimes, I wish she never met Warren Beatty. She missed some good years in there.

Posted by drbob at September 17, 2009 6:18 PM

comment #3

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Missed some good years by having kids? Uh-huh.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at September 17, 2009 6:31 PM

comment #4

drbob says ...

You know what I mean. Obviously, for her personally, her decision to raise a family was more richly rewarding than making movies. But, we as an audience missed a lot of potentially great performances.

Posted by drbob at September 17, 2009 7:08 PM

comment #5

drbob says ...

P.S. Dana Stevens of Slate.com about Jennifer's Body: "One of the most purely pleasurable movies of the year so far." Haven't read the whole article so far - I wonder if its a back-handed compliment. "Purely pleasurable" has a sort of guilty pleasure ring to it.

Posted by drbob at September 17, 2009 7:15 PM

comment #6

COCO says ...

She will win the golden man.....do not see a 3rd for the "Swank''......meh....popcorn anyone...
Thanks Jeff for your efforts....cat pee is a bitch.

Posted by COCO at September 17, 2009 7:18 PM

comment #7

Flash Gordon says ...

Silly Rabbits. Don't y'all know what's-her-name from AN EDUCATION will win the big O.

Posted by Flash Gordon at September 17, 2009 7:29 PM

comment #8

Brian H says ...

Fat chance on Carey Mulligan's Oscar. No dues paid.

Anything but Hillary Swank, though. Please.

Posted by Brian H at September 17, 2009 8:17 PM

comment #9

eoguy says ...

Does anyone have a vibe on what's going to win People's Choice? I'm rooting for Up in the Air (because I haven't had a chance to see it), but I have a feeling Precious could sneak in there. The Roy Thomson Hall audience ate up that Oprah appearance.

Posted by eoguy at September 17, 2009 8:58 PM

comment #10

LexG says ...

How come that chick in Precious would keep getting knocked up?

Fellas, it's called masturbation. Look into it.

Posted by LexG at September 17, 2009 9:36 PM

comment #11

Phreaker says ...

It's called rape, LexG. Look into it. On second thought, don't.

Posted by Phreaker at September 17, 2009 9:42 PM

comment #12

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Fellas, it's called drinking after work. Look into it. Lex already did.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at September 17, 2009 9:48 PM

comment #13

Flash Gordon says ...

Brian H, it's called sarcasm. Look into it.

Posted by Flash Gordon at September 18, 2009 2:30 AM

comment #14

George Prager says ...

Gosh, when you think about all of the middlebrow epics and chick flicks that Annette Bening could've starred in instead of having kids. What a waste! I weep for our culture!

Posted by George Prager at September 18, 2009 8:35 AM

comment #15

drbob says ...

Prager and Gruver: Go rewatch The Grifters. Bening could have been one of the all time great femme fatales/ingenues. She certainly had/has a more interesting screen presence than the starlets of today. Not knocking her for temporarily giving up the biz to raise a family, but I truly miss what coulda been. I don't think she would have settled for rom-coms or "middlebrow epics;" she has always gravitated towards challenging, interesting work. Say what you will about American Beauty, but she killed in the role.

Posted by drbob at September 18, 2009 8:50 AM

comment #16