Political thriller, comedic drama lead Toronto buzz

Bradley Cooper tries to start afresh after a stint at a mental institution in Silver Linings Playbook.

Ben Affleck’s political thriller Argo and David O. Russell’s comedic drama Silver Linings Playbook are winning widespread praise at the midpoint of the Toronto International Film Festival, with early sluggish sales beginning to pick up.

A bunch of titles go in with hype and then only a couple of them really deliver

Toronto, along with recent festivals in Venice and Telluride, traditionally launches the movie industry’s major awards season.

Some of the more hyped films heading into the festival have won over critics and audiences while others have divided film buffs, suggesting possible box office and awards disappointments.

“A bunch of titles go in with hype and then only a couple of them really deliver,” said David Laub, co-president of New York based indie film distribution company Oscilloscope.

Laub cited Argo and Silver Linings Playbook as gaining early awards buzz among the bigger premieres so far. “Now they start their journey to the Oscars – and then some are a bit more muted,” he said.

Those that so far have not quite lived up to their high expectations include several of the eagerly anticipated literary adaptations – Anna Karenina and Midnight’s Children – while Cloud Atlas, co-directed by Tom Tykwer and The Matrix trilogy sibling team, divided critics with its complex multiple storylines.

Argo, starring and directed by Affleck, is considered one of the safer bets for awards nominations, including one of the 10 best film Oscar slots and a possible directing nod for Affleck’s third effort in a turn away from previous Boston stories The Town and Gone Baby Gone.

Affleck, 40, whose film tells the true story of how the CIA helped smuggle six American diplomats out of Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis using a fake Hollywood production, declined to speculate about award potential and whether a film that both pokes fun of and celebrates Hollywood might appeal more than usual to Oscar voters.

In making the film, he said, his greatest issues were smooth transitions from the tense Iran scenes to the more humorous moments, which have gained buzz for Alan Arkin playing the role of veteran Hollywood producer.

“How often do you get to make a movie on this subject matter, particularly in a world where some of the war films that had been made had been a little too depressing for audiences over the last 10 years?” Affleck said.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master continued to impress critics and audiences in Toronto, especially for its lead actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, who was last seen by audiences in the mockumentary 2010 I’m Still Here which chronicled his supposed “retirement” from acting to pursue a hip-hop career.

Bill Murray has also gained attention for his turn as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park on Hudson, while Jennifer Lawrence has stirred talk of a best actress nomination for Silver Linings Playbook as a sexually forward widow fighting depression.

The film, by The Fighter director David. O. Russell and centred around a mentally ill man played by Bradley Cooper trying to rebuild his life, is being talked about as a possible contender in several categories.

Among smaller films, Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha has also won over critics.

From a strong non-fiction line-up, both The Gatekeepers, about Israeli security agency Shin Bet, and Alex Gibney’s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, about the Catholic church’s sex abuse scandals, won enthusiastic audience applause.

On the red carpet, Johnny Depp attracted one of the festival’s biggest crowds to support West of Memphis.

Sarah Polley’s autobiographical non-fiction film about family secrets Stories We Tell was one of the early sales at a festival that saw sluggish business activity in the first half of the festival which started September 6 and ends September 16.

The only early big acquisition title was The Place Beyond the Pines by Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance and starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper.

It was bought for roughly €1.9 million, according to media reports, and unlike the other films sold the day following its premiere.