Toronto Film Festival: 'The Martian,' 'Room' get critics talking
Some of the films that have recently screened at the Toronto Film Festival and that have piqued reviewers' interest include the films 'The Martian,' which stars Matt Damon, and 'Room,' which stars Brie Larson.
'Room' stars Brie Larson.
Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP
As the Toronto Film Festival continues, more movies are piquing critics鈥� interest and already getting buzz as possible Oscar contenders for later this year.聽
The film 鈥淭he Martian,鈥� which stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and is directed by science fiction legend Ridley Scott, is getting many positive reviews after having screened in Toronto. The film co-stars many well-known actors, including Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Michael Pe帽a, and Donald Glover.聽
The movie is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Andy Weir and is set to be released in theaters this October. That鈥檚 a release month that led the 2013 sci-fi movie 鈥淕ravity鈥� to box office success.
From Toronto, of "Martian," 鈥淸Matt Damon鈥檚 character] Watney鈥檚 [survival] tactics offer a constant sense of excitement,鈥� 鈥渟martly made 鈥� constantly absorbing rather than outright exciting,鈥� and 鈥渆nthralling鈥�. [I]t could conceivably rekindle interest in the space program and inspire a new generation of future astronauts.鈥�
However, one found the characters who make up the crew on Earth trying to get Mark Watney home to be 鈥渟tock characters tossing around technical language with no semblance of interior lives鈥� and called the movie鈥檚 ensemble 鈥渁 galaxy of stars 鈥� with very little to do.鈥�
Meanwhile, reviewers were also intrigued by 鈥淩oom,鈥� a movie starring Brie Larson that鈥檚 adapted from the novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue. The film, which is directed by Lenny Abrahamson, centers on a woman and her son who are kept captive for years. The son has never experienced anything beyond the small space in which they live. One writes that the film is 鈥渋nvolving and moderately heartwarming here and there, even if doesn鈥檛 reach the higher levels of psychological insight and emotional profundity to which it aspires鈥� although Larson and Tremblay give 鈥渟trong performances.鈥�
Others were more won over by the movie as a whole as well as the lead actors, with calling the film 鈥渟uspenseful and heartrending" and calling Larson "superb,鈥� while another wrote, 鈥淟arson is a revelation alongside stunning newcomer Jacob Tremblay鈥�. [The movie is] relentlessly compelling.鈥澛�
Reviewers are also paying attention to the movie 鈥淭he Danish Girl,鈥� which stars last year鈥檚 Best Actor Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, formerly Einar Wegener, who underwent what is believed to be one of the first sex reassignment surgeries.聽
Many reviewers seem to agree that Redmayne delivers a great performance, with he 鈥済ives the greatest performance of his career so far鈥� and is 鈥減owerful鈥� and 鈥渦ndeniably affecting.鈥� Some, however, were less enamored with the actual film, with it 鈥渟lightly stiff 鈥� somewhat stodgy鈥� and 鈥渁 determinedly mainstream melodrama that doesn鈥檛 really offer new perspectives [on] its theme.鈥�
History shows that this year鈥檚 Best Picture Oscar winner may be one of the films currently being screened in Toronto for movies.聽The importance of Toronto in the Oscars race has increased over time. The 1999 eventual Best Picture winner 鈥淎merican Beauty鈥� got a lot of attention in Toronto and is often credited with being one of the first movies to receive buzz there that it was able to carry to the Oscars. Since then, recent Best Picture winners like 鈥�12 Years a Slave,鈥� 鈥淎rgo,鈥� 鈥淭he Artist,鈥� and 鈥淭he King鈥檚 Speech鈥� all appeared at the festival (last year鈥檚 Best Picture winner, 鈥淏irdman,鈥� did not).