TIFF 2018 Finale. Jury of One: Nathaniel

OKAY WRAPPING UP TIFF NOW. Unless you are on an actual jury at a festival, you see a different set of films than everyone else attending (with a handful of crossovers) so I couldn't corral votes with my festival roomies (Nick, Joe, and Chris -- instead we did a podcast). So I thought it might be fun to share my favorites from the festival in 'nominee' Oscar style. These are not, of course, Oscar predictions or even Film Bitch ballots because not all of the films are guaranteed eligibility this year and we've had 8 months of good movies before these and we'll have 3 months of hopefully good movies afterwards that they'll have to compete with. But here's the achievements within traditional awards categories that thrilled me most at TIFF during that 29 film screening marathon.

They're listed in alpha order (by film) except the actors (by name) and links go to our festival reviews if we managed one -- a few more reviews are half written but we need to wrap up TIFF so expect more on A Star is Born, Beautiful Boy, Border, and more soon as they'll be in theaters within the next few weeks.

TEN BEST FILMS I SAW AT TIFF

"Roma" is rich with endless details and emotional punch

• Border (Sweden)
• First Man (US)
• Museo (Mexico)
• The River (Kazakshtan)
• Roma (Mexico)
• A Star is Born (US)
• Transit (Germany)
• Widows (US)
• Wildlife (US)
• Woman at War (Iceland)

Runners up: Cold War (Poland)

Lots more after the jump including best performances, best visuals, best dogs (yes, really), best original songs and more...

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Queer TIFF: "Vita & Virginia" and "Tell It To the Bees"

Nathaniel R trying to catch up on those festival reviews! 

Herewith two films about married women breaking out of their heteronormative bonds for passionate lesbian affairs. And what I thought were two movies written by famous actresses though, in fact, only one was...

What would Virginia Woolf make of the multiple cinematic attempts to capture her enigmatic persona in two hours flat? Hell, what did the literary icon make of the movies themselves since they were invented in her lifetime? If I'm ever able to interview Woolf expert, actress/writer Dame Eileen Atkins, I plan to ask her. Woolf was most famously played onscreen by Nicole Kidman in The Hours in which Atkins had a small role. Now it's the ever bewitching Elizabeth Debicki's turn in Vita and Virginia, written by Atkins from her play of the same name...

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Link Buzz

← TODAY'S MUST LISTEN. Nick and I joined Joe Reid and Chris Feil on their new podcast "This Had Oscar Buzz" this week for a special episode. If you haven't yet heard their podcast they generally cover one major failed Oscar bet each time and discuss that year as well. But this episode ignores the usual formula since we recorded in Canada and talked TIFF movies. We covered many of the films which currently have Oscar buzz like Widows, If Beale Street Could Talk, Wildlife, and  A Star is Born. 

Okay on to links! We probably missed a whole lotta news while we were away in Canada but here are a few random links for ya!

• IndieWire Critics rank of the best performances and films from TIFF. This list is completely nuts. Lady Gaga makes the list but Bradley Cooper doesn't? Whaaaa. FTR Gaga is solid with the acting but Bradley Cooper, a great actor already, tops his own previous career best. It's no contest. Maybe the odd results are that they only let us vote for one thing per category, so no rankings or anything else. But still.
• Feedspot "30 Best European Movie Blogs" Somehow The Film Experience made the list even though we aren't really European... (well a couple of contributors are!). And we do cover Eurofilms. But we're in good company so thank you Feedspot.
• Broadway.com had readers vote for which current TV series should be stage musicals. Weird poll but I can definitely see a few of them working
• THR Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding was added to the A Simple Favor poster after the fact to capitalize on his new stardom
• THR Bryan Singer in talks to direct Red Sonja. Somehow he's still going to be paid top dollar despite being fired from his last picture for frequently not showing up on set!

If Beale Street Could Talk & First Man

by Nathaniel R

Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy are a dream together in "First Man"

Festival season is a relentless sprint. NYFF screenings are already underway and Middleburg is right after that so herewith a few quick notes on two TIFF movies whose directors are coming off of their most successful film yet two years ago and an Oscar year where they competed against each other quite famously though both left with Oscars (Barry Jenkins for writing Moonlight and Damien Chazelle for directing La La Land). I personally loved both of those movies but I think Barry Jenkins won the first round and Damien Chazelle takes the second . I realize they're not actually competing with each other. They're friends. Prizes for everyone! Yay for talent. We just like talking awards. It's a sickness. Okay, quick takes here we go...

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TIFF: Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma" Triumph

by Nathaniel R

Alfonso Cuarón's jaw-dropping Roma is inspired by his childhood in Mexico but it's no traditional memoir. Rather than focusing on his own life, he spins a slow-burn fictional memoir, imagining the emotional space occupied by the live-in maid/nanny who helped raise him...

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