TIFF – Page 2 – This Had Oscar Buzz

138 – All the King’s Men

We’re finally getting around to one of the most notorious of aughts era failed awards plays, Steven Zaillian’s All the King’s Men. A remake of the former Best Picture winner and originally heavily predicted in the 2005 season, the adaptation was unceremoniously punted into the following year. The next September, the film had a disastrous debut at TIFF and was in and out of theatres within a month. Incoherent and uninspired with a barking Sean Penn at the center, the film is a soup of accents and flat convolutions that makes for a flop that is more boring than cringeworthy.

Zaillian has yet to direct a film since, but we look back at his other directorial efforts like Searching for Bobby Fisher, as well as a writing career that’s paired him with a top tier of directors. This week, we look at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival packed with successful Oscar plays and remembered for its thwarted Borat premiere. And we discuss The Departed and Scorsese’s winding road to Best Picture, almost again blocked by a stealth Clint Eastwood. Mark Ruffalo quiz alert!

Topics also include Kate Winslet’s odd lineup of 2006 titles, why Jude Law is better when not playing a traditional leading man, and the traumatic cinema experience that is Jack the Bear.

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BONUS – And From Canada, Virtual Festival (A TIFF ’20 Recap)

BONUS EPISODE ALERT! Though physically returning to the Toronto International Film Festival this year proved impossible, we are delighted to bring you a special dispatch from the virtual festival. This year, TIFF went online (while still providing in-person screenings for Canadian viewers) and we unpack the awards potential from the lineup! We get into heavy hitters and possible acting nominees such as Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, Regina King’s One Night in Miami…, and Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in The Father. Topics also include our May miniseries subject Naomi Watts, the fest’s strong slate of documentaries, and films that might not make it into the awards conversation but should.

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TIFF ’18 BONUS – We’re Far From the Scotia Now

We’re taking a break from our usual dives into thwarted Oscar buzz this week and taking a look at all the films we saw at the Toronto International Film Festival! Not only are Joe and Chris in the same room for once, but we also have our very first guests: The Film Experience’s Nathaniel Rogers and Film Comment’s Nick Davis!

Though none of us saw the eventual winner of that bellwether of Oscar buzz, Grolsch People’s Choice Award, Green Book (from Osmosis Jones director Peter Farrelly), we still have lots to discuss regarding Oscar and festival ephemera. Listen along as the four of us dive off the deep end to talk our favorites of the festival, our disappointments, and what at the festival we think will lose Oscar steam. Topics include: the ubiquitous love for A Star is Born, Juliette Binoche’s High Life sex braid, and a stacked Foreign Language field led by Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma.

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BONUS – If Queen Street Could Talk

We’re going to TIFF! If you haven’t seen, the first titles for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival lineup have been revealed. Joe and Chris couldn’t wait to talk about it, so we are treating you to a special bonus episode to discuss what’s to come from what many people consider the official start of the Oscar season. We’ll be discussing the films and performances we’re most anticipating, those that make us nervous, and what we hope will be announced at a later date!

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