From Venice to Toronto, we're officially deep in festival season, which means the Oscar frontrunners are starting to reveal themselves. Films can absolutely lose steam on the long sprint to the Academy Awards, but here's what everyone's buzzing about right now. I Play Rocky, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Rocky, has become one of the season's most talked-about titles.
Considering the source material took home Best Picture in 1976, don't sleep on it. Tom Cruise's Digger is another hot property: Cruise has never won an Oscar and by all accounts is ready to campaign hard for it. Tech is having a moment, too, with Andrew Garfield playing Sam Altman in Artificial and Jeremy Strong playing Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning.
On the international side, the competition is just as fierce. La Bola Negra made major waves at Cannes. Sandra Hüller is doing double-duty with Rose and Fatherland.
And Fjord has become the thriller nobody can stop talking about. Festivals tend to produce eventual Best Picture winners, but plenty of already-released films are still very much in the conversation. The Odyssey leads that pack, with Project Hail Mary, Obsession and Toy Story 5 close behind.
And let's not forget Dune: Part Three, still on the horizon. This race is wide open and any of these films could take it. Buckle up, it's shaping up to be a long season.
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