Foxcatcher

Foxcatcher

Who is going to win the 2015 Oscar for Best Picture? By the time that the Toronto International Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival have closed, we usually have a good idea who will be in the race and which film is the favourite.

However, the two festivals have ended and we are no closer to predicting which film is going to walk away with the biggest prize.

In recent years, the Toronto crowd have got behind films like Argo and Silver Linings Playbook - both of whom scooped nominates and wins at the Oscars.

12 Years A Slave and Slumdog Millionaire won the People's Choice award at the festival in the past before enjoying Oscar glory - does this give The Imitation Game the edge?

Foxcatcher is a movie that just about everyone has been talking about since it made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

It is going to play at the London Film Festival, and it is the film on the programme that I am most excited about seeing. Not only does is mark the return of Bennett Miller to the director's chair, but a great cast has been assembled.

Steve Carell has been winning rave reviews for his central and creepy performance as John du Pont, while Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Vanessa Redgrave are also on board.

Miller is no stranger to Oscar success with Capote and Moneyball picking up nominations and wins in recent years: Capote saw Philip Seymour Hoffman win the Best Actor gong.

The Imitation Game is the movie that walked away with the People's Choice award at Toronto, and is a film that has been tipped as an early Oscar contender for some time.

The movie follows the story of Alan Turing and his role in cracking the Enigma Code during the Second World War - we all know how much the Academy love a good biopic.

Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the central role of Turing, and his performance did gain a lot of praise when the film was screened last week.

However, this could well be a movie that is recognised for the acting performances, rather than the movie as a whole.

However, the People's Choice Award has a great record of picking the Best Picture winner: 12 Years A Slave, Slumdog Millionaire, and The King's Speech have all win in recent years.

Much like Foxcatcher, The Imitation Game is another movie that will be screening at the BFI London Film Festival - it will open the festival - where it will no doubt gain even more support.

The Theory of Everything is another biopic film that was warmly received when it was screened at Toronto. In fact, Eddie Redmayne's central performance was perhaps the most praised of all of the leading male roles.

Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking in a movie that explores the relationship he had with his first wife Jane Hawking: whom he met during his days at university.

James Marsh is no stranger to Oscar success, with his film Man On Wire scooping the Best Documentary gong. However, The Theory of Everything sees him return to live action for the first time since Shadow Dancer.

Sadly, UK audiences will have to wait a little longer to see The Theory of Everything, as it doesn't hit the big screen until January 1st.

Birdman is another film that is whipping up a storm on the festival circuit, after screening in Venice a couple of weeks ago.

Birdman did not show at Toronto - instead opting to close the New York Film Festival after playing at Telluride.

The movie sees Alejandro González Iñárritu back in the director's chair for the first time since Biutiful, while Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts will all star.

As well as Birdman bagging a Best Picture nod, Keaton, Norton, and Stone could also find themselves in the mix at the beginning of next year.

And while there are a handful of films that could be Oscar contenders, we are yet to see the likes of Interstellar, Gone Girl, and Inherent Vice; all of which could quite easily be in the Best Picture.

Mr Turner was another film that was a hit at Cannes - Timothy Spall won the Best Actor award for his performance as painter Turner. The Grand Budapest Hotel and Boyhood have already hit the big screen and could be outside chances; perhaps both of these movies have been released a little too early.

The 2015 Oscar nominations will be announced on January 15th.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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