Entertainment, Movies - Navy Times

Star-studded Toronto Film Festival previews a few Oscar-worthy flicks

If it’s stars you want, it’s stars you’ll get at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Among the celebrities scheduled to make an appearance at the festival, which includes 312 movies from 64 countries and runs through Sept. 13: Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston (not together), Keira Knightly, Charlize Theron, Michael Caine, Spike Lee, the Coen brothers, Viggo Mortensen, Ricky Gervais and Kevin Smith.

There are the stars. So where’s the buzz?

Some have complained about the lack of one at this year’s festival. To which we say: Bah. If fewer possible Oscar contenders come out of this year’s batch — the word on the street — there are still plenty of films to be excited about. Here are some we’re especially looking forward to. We’ll create our own buzz, thank you very much.

• “Burn After Reading”: The Coen brothers return after picking up Oscars for “No Country for Old Men” with a dark comedy starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand. CIA intrigue, all that.

• “Miracle at St. Anna”: Spike Lee’s story of black soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in Italy is a project perfect for the director. When Lee’s passionate, he’s especially good, and he’s passionate about this.

• “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”: And you know what? Evidently, they really do, in Kevin Smith’s comedy about a couple of friends (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks) who resort to making adult films to make money. Smith behind a film like this? The mind reels (as it does at the thought of Rogen ... never mind).

• “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist”: Michael Cera is always a welcome presence. Here he persuades Kat Dennings to briefly pose as his girlfriend; romance blooms as the night goes on.

• “New York, I Love You”: 12 short films from 12 directors about love in, well, New York. The directors include Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Brett Ratner; the enormous cast includes Shia LaBeouf, Rachel Bilson, Portman, Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, Olivia Thirlby and James Caan.

• “Synecdoche, New York”: Philip Seymour Hoffman is a theater director moving from the sticks (see title) to Broadway. The cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener and Hope Davis. How can this not be good?

• “Goodbye Solo”: A Senegalese cab driver (Souleymane Sy Savane) working in Winston-Salem, N.C., realizes his fare (Red West) plans to kill himself. Solo sets out to change his mind. Very good buzz.

• “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond”: Bryce Dallas Howard stars as a ‘20s socialite in Memphis. Based on a screenplay by Tennessee Williams.

• “Ghost Town”: Ricky Gervais sees dead people. Lots of them, all over New York, a city they evidently, uh, haunt. One ghost in particular, Greg Kinnear, is insistent that Gervais keep his former wife (Tea Leoni) from marrying. Leoni, by the way, scratched a planned appearance after real-life husband David Duchovny went into rehab for sex addiction.

• “Religulous”: Bill Maher can be a blowhard, but his documentary about the current state of religion was directed by Larry Charles, who also directed “Borat.” That’s a very good thing.