Oscar reveals 2014 foreign-language shortlist

Some are pleased, many significantly less so, with the recently announced selection of films still in the running for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Academy members whittled down the list of 76 entries to nine, a mix of shoo-ins and surprise omissions sure to rankle critics.

Among the movies that will advance to the next and final round of voting before the Academy Awards are Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty (Italy), The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium), and The Grandmaster (Hong Kong).

The Past, directed by Asghar Farhadi, whose A Separation took home the prize in 2012, is arguably the most glaring exclusion. Though some critics say the film doesn't quite meet the bar Farhadi set for himself with A Separation, the movie has nonetheless garnered nearly universal acclaim (96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) for both the director and his stars, including The Artist’s Berenice Bejo.

Chile’s popular Gloria, and Saudi Arabia’s Wadjda, the first feature ever filmed in the region, let alone by a woman, were also notably snubbed. They’ll soon be joined on the sidelines by four of the nine films listed below, as ultimately only five movies can be nominated in the best foreign-language category. These finalists will be determined after one more round of voting takes place among specially selected committees in New York and LA.

No matter how difficult, it seems we must let go of The Past in favor of rooting for those works that still have a shot at gold. Which of the below has what it takes?

Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, director
Like the characters it portrays, The Broken Circle Breakdown is a heartfelt but sloppy and overheated mess. Moving at times, but a mess nonetheless.

Full review

Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanovic, director

Cambodia, The Missing Picture, Rithy Panh, director

Denmark, The Hunt, Thomas Vinterberg, director
It’s very polished, with confusing themes (the culture of hunting, the nature of lying and gossip, the power of forgiveness?), and has narrative lapses that torpedo credibility. But should the film not get the reviews and word of mouth required to fire up the box office, the intense performance from star Mads Mikkelsen (A Royal Affair, Clash of the Titans, Casino Royale, etc.) could prove a good hedge.

Full review

Germany, Two Lives, Georg Maas, director

Hong Kong, The Grandmaster, Wong Kar-wai, director
The Grandmaster works best if you've never seen a kung fu movie before. If you have, Wong Kar Wai's film may strike you as a beautiful and expensive missed opportunity.

Full review

Hungary, The Notebook, Janos Szasz, director

Italy, The Great Beauty, Paolo Sorrentino, director
The film will inevitably draw comparisons to Fellini classics like La Dolce Vita, 8 ½ and Roma, but the Fellini halo effect could prove especially advantageous. While fun and entertaining, Sorrentino’s Roman holiday, a long stretch at well over two hours, is a more challenging excursion.

Full review

Palestine, Omar, Hany Abu-Assad, director

'Act of Valor' shines during Academy Awards weekend

As expected, The Artist landed the Best Picture Oscar this Sunday at the Academy Awards. The silent era-set tale has earned $31.8 million to date. In comparison, the middling war-action picture Act of Valor attracted more moviegoers than expected and earned $24.7 million, an amount it took The Artist three months to reach. Act of Valor's primarily male audience gave the war flick its version of a statuette--an "A" exit rating.

The disparity between art films beloved by critics and the Academy and commercial films is once again in full relief. In 2009 and 2010, the first years allowing ten Best Picture nominees (since 1943), half the movies had earned $100 million--and still others were close to that figure. This year, only The Help has topped $100 million, with $169 million in total. The next runner-up is War Horse, with a mere $79 million.

Of course, there's still time for some movies to make more money. The Artist will expand into 2,000 theatres this weekend. Still, expectations should be modest. Last year, The King's Speech had the most momentum after its nomination. It earned only 15% of its total after it actually won. Part of the reason the Academy expanded the number of Best Picture nominees was to include a mix of art films and those that performed well at the box office. It was hoped that very little and very big films might be included more frequently. This past year had no Inception, no Avatar, no The Blind Side. Without a blockbuster or crossover success in the running, the awards don't have as much appeal to general audiences. No wonder I heard many people--casual and more serious moviegoers--complain about the irrelevance of this year's Oscars. Although the ceremony included many people from more recognizable movies--like the cast of Bridesmaids, who presented awards--the awards themselves honored movies many people didn't and/or won't see. It's too bad there wasn't a well-regarded action picture in the running. True to the Academy's safe choices, an edgy movie like Drive can only get into the contest with a roundabout nomination, like its nod in Sound Editing.

Perhaps due in part to the lower-profile Oscar ceremony, box office as a whole was up from last year. After Act of Valor, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds suffered from the absence of Madea and brought in just $16 million. Down in eighth and ninth place, Wanderlust and Gone did even worse. The Paul Rudd/Jennifer Aniston comedy tallied up just $6.6 million, despite a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It may fall under the "rent it" category for many viewers.  Gone likewise didn't connect with audiences, which gave it just a C+ in exit polls. The Amanda Seyfried kidnapping thriller finished with just $5 million.

A number of Oscar nominees posted gains this weekend. Best Foreign Language Film winner A Separation went up 36% to earn $423,000. Foreign Language nominee In Darkness received a 10% boost, grossing $91,000. Bullhead, which was nominated in the same category, posted a 28% gain for a total of $41,000. My Week with Marilyn expanded slightly and posted a 58% gain to $313,000. The Artist, which earned five wins, went up 23% to $3 million.

This Friday, Oscar winner The Artist will go big in an attempt to capitalize on its win. It will be joined by Dr. Seuss adaptation The Lorax and the one-crazy-party teen comedy Project X.

Oscar talking points: What you need to know about all the big categories

The Oscars are on Sunday. After months of lead-up awards ceremonies and over two months after the end of 2011, the Academy will finally crown its winners. Here's what you need to know in order to make your Oscar predictions and slip in a knowing comment or two.

If The Artist doesn't win Best Picture, it will be a huge upset.
Silent, black & white The Artist has wooed nearly everyone who's been convinced to see it. Critics have embraced the movie, and it has already won several major awards, including Best Picture at the Golden Globes and BAFTA. It also won Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius at the Directors Guild of America awards, a category that strongly correlates with Oscar wins. Besides Best Picture, The Artist could also pull out a win for Best Director (and by extension, Best Editing, which often goes along with Best Director). If it wins those categories, which occur earlier in the ceremony, a Best Picture win is a lock. My dark horse pick is The Descendants, which won Best Drama at the Globes.

Streep will get a "career" Oscar
Giving Meryl Streep an Oscar is a bit of a sentimental pick that rewards her for all her previous work rather than her current film. The first four times she was nominated at the Oscars, she won twice (for Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie's Choice). Since then, she's been nominated another thirteen times without winning once. Streep may have embodied Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, but the movie itself was so-so. This time, that shouldn't stop her from winning an Oscar.

Best Actor is a toss-up
Jean Dujardin is an unknown in the United States but he performed in the most lauded movie of the year. George Clooney did what he does best under the estimable direction of Alexander Payne in The Descendants. Both won in their respective comedy/drama categories for the Globes. Will star power win, or will Dujardin's silent acting in the most-lauded movie of the year win out? This category is one of the closest.

Most likely to make a teary speech: Octavia Spencer
When Spencer won for her performance in The Help in the Golden Globes, her speech was the best of the night. If she wins Best Supporting Actress on Sunday, I'm sure she'll bring the house down. She's one of the few people who has only just tasted fame and will be in awe and oh-so grateful for the honor. I'll have my fingers crossed for her.

Could Woody Allen show up?
When Allen won Best Screenplay for Midnight in Paris at the Golden Globes, he didn't show. He's only attended the Oscars once, when he pleaded for producers to continue shooting movies in NYC after 9/11. It's unlikely he'll don a tux and put in an appearance, but if he does it'll be legendary. Seeing how the presenters handle his absence will also be an evaluation of their gracefulness. In the Adapted Screenplay category, I'm picking The Descendants.

Make sure you set your DVRs for the ceremony this Sunday. In case you need to print out an Oscar ballot, check out this pdf.

And to hear a podcast about the Academy Awards featuring FJI contributor Jon Frosch, click here.

'Chronicle' and 'Woman in Black' lure teens to theatres

This year more studios were willing to place films during Super Bowl weekend, even if it meant they would plummet up to 70% on game day. Chronicle and The Woman in Black were rewarded, while Big Miracle, the only film that actually tried to capture the un-Super Bowl audience, floundered. Overall, receipts were up 36% from last year, a clear sign that Super Bowl weekend no longer signals a lackluster box office.

The found-footage superhero movie Chronicle skyrocketed to first place with $22 million. The low-budget production only cost half that to make, so Fox is probably already in the green. 61% of audience members were under 25, a valued demographic that hasn't been showing up in force lately. Their presence elicited a sigh of relief for the industry as a whole.

The "Harry Potter factor" helped out The Woman in Black considerably this weekend, as it soared to an estimated $21 million. Young female viewers eager to see Harry Potter...er, Daniel Radcliffe...turned out in force for the haunted house flick. CBS Films only  paid $3 million for the movie, so this definitely counts as a win for the up-and-coming distributor.

Big Miracle failed to attract audiences, earning $8.5 million and landing in fourth place, behind the second weekend of Liam Neeson-starring The Grey. However, good audience response may make the whale-saving picture a strong holder. Echoing my feelings after seeing the surprisingly charming movie, audiences gave the movie an A-, the highest score of any new release.

Madonna-directed W.E. debuted to $45,000 per screen in four locations. Her star power has given the historical romance plenty of publicity, though some journalists are probably less interested in her movie than in landing a Madonna interview. The star's Super Bowl halftime performance will increase awareness even further.

The leaders in Oscar nominations all showed strong holds. George Clooney-led The Descendants dipped 28% to $4.6 million, even while playing in just over 2,000 locations. The Artist, for which I've also seen an increase in television ads, had a gentle decline of 22% to $2.5 million, while playing in 1,000 locations. Hugo topped them all, dipping just 8% to $2.3 million.

This Friday will be busy. In advance of Valentine's Day, romantic weeper The Vow will release, fanboys can check out the re-release of Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace in 3D, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island will entice families, and Safe House adult males.

Nine Best Picture nominees and a few surprises in Oscar nominations

This year's Oscar nominations are out. Along with the expected films, performers, and crew nominations, there are a decent amount of snubs and a few surprise inclusions.

The most nominated film was the box-office disappointment Hugo. Director Martin Scorsese's feature received great critical reviews, but it's earned just $55 million compared to competing family pick Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked's $124 million. I wonder if the nominations will convince adults, with our without children, to catch it while it's still in theatres.

Even with nine films nominated for Best Picture, there was still one snub: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The David Fincher-directed picture landed four technical nods (including well-deserved ones for cinematography and editing), but only one in a "major" category. Rooney Mara received a nomination for Best Actress, no doubt in part because of the extreme changes she underwent to her physical appearance. I think Fincher is like Hitchcock--one of those directors whose genius always goes unrecognized by the Academy because of his chosen genre and subject matter.

A surprise inclusion in the Best Actor category was Demián Bichir in the little-seen A Better Life. Oscar voters love socially conscious films, and I'm sure this Los Angeles-set tale of underclass hardship hit close to home. Undoubtedly, many of the well-heeled Academy voters have probably employed a landscaper like him at one time, so the story has special resonance.

I'm also enthused that Melissa McCarthy was recognized in the Best Supporting Actress category for Bridesmaids. She was so much fun and also underwent quite a physical transformation. In fact, most of the female acting nominees looked quite unlike themselves in their performances. Glenn Close played a man in Albert Nobbs, and Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams both had to convincingly play a famous person (Margaret Thatcher and Marilyn Monroe, respectively).

In the foreign language category, I was at least a little disappointed that Mexico's Miss Bala didn't make the cut. The fast-paced, suspenseful tale of a beauty queen who gets caught up in the drug wars brought a human face to the destruction the drug lords have wrought in the area. Maybe it just had too many machine guns?

I'm surprisingly unfamiliar with the Best Documentary contenders. Pina, a 3D dance doc, has been a critical darling and has drawn plenty of audiences since it opened in late December. It's also earned three-quarters of a million dollars, along with over $11 million abroad. The rest of the nominees aren't so lucky--yet. I caught If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front when it played on PBS this year (pretty good). When the environmental activism doc played for nine weeks this summer, it earned just $61,000. Soldier doc Hell and Back Again has played for fifteen weeks while only grossing $37,000. Undefeated won't even open properly until February 10th. Neither has Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, which will probably be seen by the most people when it plays on HBO, not in theatres.

Overall, Hugo leads with eleven nominations. Two-thirds of the time the most-nominated movie also wins Best Picture. There's a chance this might be the one-third of the time. The second-most nominated movie, The Artist, didn't have as much of a chance to pick up the technical nominations as Hugo. After all, who would nominate The Artist for sound editing or sound mixing? Like The Artist, The Descendants, which had just five nominations, still scored in all the major categories: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Editing (which almost always goes along with Best Director). Despite its win for Best Drama at the Golden Globes, it now seems like more of a dark horse. Most people have been predicting The Artist for Best Picture, but Hugo's multiple nominations now make me think perhaps the Scorsese picture could win for Best Picture. With its mix of snubs and surprise nominations, this year's ceremony should have plenty of suspense, and pose at least a few challenges for those looking to win their Oscar pool.

'Underworld' claims top spot with 'Red Tails' swooping in for second

Featuring leather bodysuit-clad Kate Beckinsale, Underworld: Awakening easily grabbed first place over the weekend with a $25.4 million total. The fourth installment in the action-horror franchise opened just slightly off the third, all but insuring there will be more Underworld films to come. 3D and IMAX ticket sales definitely boosted the movie's bottom line, wtih 59% of sales from 3D and 15% from IMAX. The slightly male-dominated audience loved the picture, rating it an A- in CinemaScore exit polls.

In second place, Red Tails overperformed significantly with a $19.1 million total. The historical picture, which focuses on the aerial assaults carried out by black Tuskegee airmen during WWII, drew raves from its audiences. The movie averaged an A in exit polls, with the very young and very old giving it an A+. Executive producer George Lucas had to finance and distribute the movie himself (20th Century Fox contributed nothing to the distribution) so this movie's success is a big nose-thumb at the major studios, who apparently didn't trust that a movie with an all-black cast could do well.

Two spots down in fifth place, Haywire debuted to just $9 million. I thought the Steven Soderbergh-directed flick was awesome, without succumbing to all the pifalls I associate with action movies. Apparently I was in the minority. Audiences gave the movie an astoundingly awful D+ rating in exit polls. Wow. Well, the movie was about as far as you can get from star Gina Carano's previous stint on "American Gladiators," so I suspect the negative rating had something to do with people's expectations not jiving with what they actually saw.

Post-9/11 drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close went wide in its fifth week and earned $10.5 million. The drama has been pretty much shut out of awards season, and some people may not be excited to buy tickets in order to revisit 9/11. It's actually the worst opening in some time for stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, though the tale really centers on a young boy, not Hanks and Bullock.

The Descendants, the Golden Globe winner for Best Drama, went up 17% to $2.4 million even as it shed 100 locations. It sounds like this George Clooney starrer is aiming for an Oscars push instead. The Artist, which won in the Best Comedy category, went from 216 to 662 locations, but it didn't soar as much as it should have. The silent picture averaged $3,500 per screen for a total of $2.3 million, finishing behind The Descendants. I wouldn't be surprised if the black-and-white movie has difficulty catching on beyond arthouse audiences.

Coriolanus, which is directed by and stars Ralph Fiennes, earned $60,000 from nine screens. The $6,700 per-screen average, however, is far behind the debut needed to launch an indie success.

This Friday, action drama The Grey will open along with the self-explanatory Man on a Ledge and Katherine Heigl detective comedy One for the Money.

 

'Underworld' expected to outperform 'Red Tails,' 'Haywire'

The fourth installment in the Underworld series, Underworld: Awakening (3,078 theatres) is expected to lead the weekend box office with an opening in the low $20 million range. Kate Beckinsale stars as a vampire "warrioress" in the action-horror sequel, which did not screen in advance for critics.

My recommendation for female-driven action this weekend is Haywire (2,439 theatres), which will definitely be the best film I'll see in January. Mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carno stars as a contract worker for the CIA who's double-crossed by her colleagues. In the extremely realistic fight scenes, she'll literally be picked up and thrown around by her hulking male opponents, then somehow manage to overpower them. Director Steven Soderbergh really does a great job showing how she's outmatched in certain respects, but absolutely able to dominate in others. I left the theatre with a huge smile on my face, a pretty rare thing. This is definitely an action movie for those who are pretty selective about their action movies, in part thanks to the great direction by Steven Soderbergh. The critical community as a whole gave the spy-action pic an 82% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating. Despite these enthusiastic responses, an opening weekend of just $8-10 million is expected. That's too bad, and I hope word-of-mouth gives this movie the number of eyes it deserves.

George Lucas shepherded Red Tails (2,512 theatres) through 23 years of development, funding it himself when Hollywood studios refused to finance a movie with an all-black cast. The WWII-set tale focuses on the Tuskegee airmen, a group of black male fighter pilots who fought the Nazis abroad and prejudice back home. Critic Doris Toumarkine admits the plotting is "formulaic," but lauds the actioner for its "solid entertainment and sensational special effects," as well as its coverage of the "civil-rights struggle" of the time. Red Tails is expected to be neck-and-neck with Haywire, with both coming close to $10 million. I think at least one of these could be a surprise overperformer.

On the heels of its Golden Globe win for Best Comedy, The Artist is expanding into 662 theatres. But will patrons demand refunds, as those in the U.K. did, claiming they didn't know the retro-styled movie was silent?

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which has quietly and successfully been in release for a month in six locations, will go wide to 2,660 theatres. Critics are divided, with exactly 50% on the positive side, and the other half giving it a thumbs-down.  67% of Rotten Tomatoes commenters liked the movie. I'm curious how the nation as a whole will respond to the post-9/11 drama.

On Monday, we'll see if audiences went with the heroine of Haywire or Underworld, if Red Tails can attract audiences of every color, and if The Artist and Extremely Loud can successfully scale their release.

Interpreting the Golden Globe nominations

By Sarah Sluis

This year's Golden Globe nominations confirmed that The Artist will not be sidelined solely because it's a black-and-white silent. Indeed, I think the movie's antiquated format actually works in its favor. Audiences are delighted to find that they're not bored, but charmed. The Artist is very audience-accessible. It's also rife with the warm-fuzzies that Academy voters in particular love, making me think it will do similarly well once the Oscar nominations come out.

Two movies that have barely screened for critics failed to grab many nominations. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo only got two nominations, one for Rooney Mara in the Best Actress category, and one for Best Musical Score. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close scored a shocking zero nominations. Most critics (perhaps including the foreign press?) haven't seen the Dec. 28 release yet. Is it a stinker?

I liked seeing 50/50 grab a couple nominations. I thought the cancer drama-comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen worked quite well. It doesn't have the lasting resonance I look for in an out-of-the-park movie, but it's rare that a low-budget comedy--marketed with lots of medical marijuana jokes--grabs the attention of critical movers-and-shakers.

The Help, too, has been long expected to make a strong showing in awards season, and its five nominations attest that this was one of the best movies an adult could have seen this summer. The historical drama was nominated in the drama category, despite its many lighter moments--enough to have placed it in the comedy section if that field was more of a lock. Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain all earned acting nominations, with the latter two in the supporting category.

I think Young Adult deserved more than its single nomination for Charlize Theron as Best Actress. Maybe it could have earned more votes if the movie's heroine followed a path to redemption, instead of ending up the same. The Descendants, which also features a hero in a time with crisis, fared better. It earned five nominations, tying with The Help with the second-highest number.

In general, this year has been a inconclusive one for awards-seeking films. There is no single movie ending up with double-digit nominations--and I doubt there will be. There's a flip side to this, at least in critical roundups. I've been more interested in which small independent movies made "top" lists (like NY Times' and Slate's) and less interested in which of the mostly B+/A- mainstream movies ended up in the running. There are many films to check out this awards season, but no one film will generate all the noise. And that might be a good thing.

'Twilight' lingers, with a third week in the top spot

By Sarah Sluis

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I kept its spot in first place for the third week in a row. The vampire romance earned another $16.9 million for a total of $247 million. That puts the blockbuster slightly behind the previous two installments, but a second sequel tracking just 5-10% less is actually cause for celebration.

The Muppets grabbed second place by sinking 61% to $11.2 million. The modestly budgeted movie has already earned $56 million in total, more than the reported production costs. However, this weekend consisted solely of holdovers from Thanksgiving, so the family film should have held much better.

Hugo had a quiet start in just 1,277 theatres. This week it added 563 locations while dipping just 32% to $7.6 million. With a 94% positive rating, good word-of-mouth should be forthcoming. This weekend, I ran into someone who went to see Hugo last weekend, only to decide against buying a ticket because it was only showing in 3D, and she'd never seen a 3D film. Another friend quickly jumped in to explain that the 3D is a big reason why the movie is so great--word-of-mouth. Still, this shows that a certain segment of adults who like quality films by auteurs like Martin Scorsese haven't warmed to the idea of 3D.

Besides The Muppets and Hugo, four other family-targeted movies crowded the box office. Arthur Christmas fell 39% to $7.3 million. Happy Feet Two earned $6 million with a 55% drop. Jack and Jill defied its 4% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating and stayed in sixth place with a 45% dive to $5.5 million. Finally, Puss in Boots is hanging on in ninth place with $3 million and a 60% decline.

Awards season films are in full swing. The NC-17 drama Shame debuted with $36,000 per screen in ten locations. The strong debut indicates that maybe the NC-17 rating isn't the death knell it used to be. Sleeping Beauty, which also focuses on the seedy aspects of sex, earned $5,000 per location in two places, a much softer opening.

The Weinstein Company is working its magic on The Artist, which earned .2% more than last week as it moved from four to six locations. Its $34,000 per-screen average indicates that its silent, black & white throwback isn't as hard of a sell as everyone thought. The distributor's other release, My Week with Marilyn, topped $1.1 million by pulling in a $4,800 per-screen average in 244 locations.

The most successful of the specialty releases right now is The Descendants. The George Clooney-starring dramedy earned $5.2 million and the seventh-place spot, while still playing in just 574 theatres.

This week will add just two more wide releases, New Year's Eve and The Sitter. The specialty field will be more crowded, with Young Adult, W.E., We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy joining the fray.

Telluride Film Festival hints at this year's Oscar contenders

By Sarah Sluis

The Telluride Film Festival is known as a festival for people who love movies. Not many sales come out of the Labor Day weekend event, but in recent years audience reactions to movies at the festival have predicted which films end up crowned at the Oscars. Both Slumdog Millionaire and The King's Speech first screened there, and they both ended up with the Best Picture Academy Award. This year a number of highly anticipated end-of-year films screened at Telluride. I've picked out ones that may end up making waves--or just a splash--come awards season.

The Descendants: Starring George Clooney as a father who reconnects with his children after their mother falls into a coma after a jet skiing accident, this Hawaii-set tale is the first effort from director Alexander Payne since Sideways. Payne hasn't gotten his full critical due yet, so I think this movie could receive a lot of play come awards time. IndieWire thinks so too, predicting that the movie is "sure to gain major momentum when it screens for hundreds of journalists and movie fans at the Toronto film fest this coming weekend."

The Artist: I think the future of this movie is a tossup purely because it is silent. Many people feel that no audiences will see a silent movie, making the movie too obscure to receive attention come awards season. Another camp--and this may include awards seasons experts Weinstein Co., which picked up the movie for distribution--knows the historical film hits a sweet spot. Movies about the industry, like Singin' in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard and A Star is Born, have done very well come awards season, and voters may be suckers for a film that salutes their business.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: This movie, which is on my to-see list, is the first English-language film of Tomas Alfredson, who directed the haunting Let the Right One In. Hollywood Reporter came out mostly in favor of the movie ((based on a well-known John le Carr novel), with critic Deborah Young noting "it is one of the few films so visually absorbing, felicitous shot after shot, that its emotional coldness is noticed only at the end, when all the plot twists are unraveled in a solid piece of thinking-man's entertainment for upmarket thriller audiences." Alfredson's Let the Right One In could also be described as emotionally cold, when in fact its coldness stokes the film's emotional impact. I hope Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy falls into the same category. Regardless, Alfredson is on a two-hit streak and will be a director with many projects to choose from in the future.

Shame: The second feature from Steve McQueen, who directed Hunger a couple of years ago, Shame tells the story of a sex addict (Michael Fassbender) and his sister (Carey Mulligan) in New York City. IndieWire praised it as a "a powerful, beautifully acted sophomore film," but also had some reservations, namely its "conventionally moralistic" ending. This movie hasn't even been picked up for distribution yet, though that is expected to happen at the Toronto Festival, so there is a chance it will show up in next year's awards season.

The Telluride response confirms that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Descendants are candidates for one of the (up to) ten Best Picture spots. I think Shame and The Artist will be tougher sells, but both are in the game. Other findings of the festival? Midwestern butter-carving comedy Butter will not be a Juno, and A Dangerous Method could also end up seeing action come awards time, particularly for performances. Reactions of critics at Toronto will help solidify the direction many of these movies are going. It's only September, many opinions abound, and the Oscar race is just beginning.