Thumbs Down

Almost as disappointing as Shutter Island's move to February is the news that Sony Pictures Classics has decided to hold out on us with Get Low.

Instead of a fall 2009 release, which would have easily put Robert Duvall in the race for Best Actor, the studio is planning a mid-2010 drop, which I guess saves them money in the short run, but ultimately seems like a bad move. Without the recent Toronto buzz, I'm afraid Duvall will get lost in the shuffle and not make it to awards season next year. I guess then they won't have to spend much on an awards campaign, though.

Boo on you, SPC.

Ten Toronto Tidbits

The Toronto International Film Festival - where the Oscar season unofficially starts - has come to a close. This year wasn't really revolutionary. Most of the big hits already had a substantial amount of buzz going in. There were a few great bits to come out of the fest, though. Here are the ten headlines that I'm most excited about.

10. An Education still getting great reviews. Carey Mulligan is the one I'm most excited to see make the rounds this awards season.
9. Drew Barrymore can direct! Whip It debuts to positive reviews and is a commercial success. Not an awards contender, but it proves Barrymore is a fun new talent to watch behind the camera, and Ellen Page is one phenomenal young actress.
8. Chloe is greeted favorably. Amanda Seyfried is touted as an up-and-coming actress who is pleasantly surprising as a call girl hired to tempt a woman's philandering husband.
7. Mother & Child star Annette Bening is getting great reviews for her role as a woman who gave a child up for adoption when she was 14. Ten years after her acclaimed performance in American Beauty lost to Hilary Swank, and five years after her turn as Julia Lambert lost to Swank again, Bening could be up against her if she gets a nomination for Mother & Child and Swank scores a nod for Mira Nair's Amelia. If I were her I'd be packing heat at the Kodak, just in case.
6. Ricky Gervais's The Invention of Lying does well. I will always root for whatever Gervais does. Can someone please book this man to host the Oscars?
5. Up in the Air continues to bowl people over. I've got a good feeling about this one and director Jason Reitman. For some reason they're striking me as the film and director to beat, so far.
4. The Coens' A Serious Man was really the only featival takeoff. Lots of talk of the film being their most personal and best film to date.
3. Tom Ford's A Single Man, which recently won Colin Firth Best Actor in Venice, gets picked up by The Weinstein Company. Currently looking at a December 4th release date, it's looking to be the actor's first big awards vehicle.
2. Precious is not showing any signs of slowing down. It doesn't seem like anyone has a negative thing to say about it. While Mo'Nique drew most of the praise earlier this year at Sundance, it was Gabourey Sidibe stunning Toronto audiences. Both actresses now seem on track for Academy Award nominations next March.
1. Robert Duvall delivers another stunning performance in Get Low. His turn as a Tennessee hermit who throws his own funeral was the talk of the festival. The film hasn't found a distributor yet, but if it does we'll be looking at a Best Actor campaign for Duvall, which I'd love to see.

What were you most excited about in Toronto? What Toronto films are you most excited to catch this year? Any major disappointments?

Get Low Poster

I'm dying to see this miraculous performance from Robert Duvall that everyone is speaking of. Now if only it could snare a US distributor...

Robert Duvall Enters the Fray

It looks like we have a new name to add to the Best Actor race, ladies and gentleman.

Robert Duvall's performance in Get Low, another Toronto debut getting loads of good buzz, is now considered a major player in this year's award's race.

Duvall last made waves in Toronto back in 1997 with his knockout lead turn in The Apostle, a film which he also wrote and directed. He earned his fifth of six Academy Award nominations for that role. His only win was in 1983 for the film Tender Mercies.

This time around Duvall plays a Tennessee hermit named Felix Bush, who plans his own funeral to be held while he's still living.

The film has apparently been met with standing ovations after screenings at the fest, with most of the praise heaped on Duvall.

From John Foote at InContention:

"As I interviewed Duvall in the Park Hyatt Hotel, there was a distribution deal taking place downstairs so there is a very good chance the film will be seen this fall. If so, the landscape of the Best Actor race has just changed. I think Duvall has to be considered the frontrunner for this miraculous performance. Again, the man proves he is perhaps our greatest actor."

Sounds like Duvall is a lock. He'll be competing with the likes of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Daniel Day-Lewis, Viggo Mortensen, and Morgan Freeman this season. Can you hear them yet? "It's such an honor just to see my name on the same list as Robert Duvall." Good luck to one of the greats.