"THE SOCIAL NETWORK" WINS BIG AT TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCATION AWARDS

Still from The Social Network

No surprises here. The Toronto Film Critics Association announced their year’s best this morning and again David Fincher’s The Social Network cleaned-up. The movie based on the rise of Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, won Picture of the Year in addition to awards for Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin), Best Director (Fincher), Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg) and in a bit of a shocker, Best Supporting Actor (Armie Hammer).  His co-stars Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield actually have been getting a bit more buzz so this comes as a bit of an upset.

Best Actress went to Jennifer Lawrence for her breakthrough performance in Winter’s Bone.  She also was awarded the same honour by the Los Angeles Film Critics this weekend. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld who before this weekend was known more for her appearance on a K-Mart ad and some Teen Flicks, was Best Supporting Actress for her turn in The Coen Brothers’ True Grit – another breakthrough performance.

Runner-up for Picture of the Year was Cannes’ Palme D’or Winner Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives and also Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.

Read more here about Toronto’s Winners.

(Photo credit: Sony Pictures)

WALT DISNEY'S "TRON: LEGACY 3-D" TO PREMIERE AT TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Jeff Bridges in Walt Disney's TRON: Legacy 3-D

Tokyo, I envy you!    The other TIFF, the Tokyo International Film Festival, will be the first to premiere Walt Disney's TRON: Legacy 3-D this Saturday, October 23, 2010 as the film will be shown as a Special Presentation.  Stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde are confirmed to be doing Press also at the Festival. Our dear friend MiT will do her best to get us some photos of the excitement!

Other titles - many which premiered in Toronto last month - to be making the rounds in Tokyo include:

THANK YOU, JENNIFER LAWRENCE.

If you haven't seen the chilling film Winter's Bone yet, you're missing one of the biggest breakthrough performances from an actress in quite some time.  Newcomer Jennifer Lawrence is an absolute sweetheart to have posted me this in the mail today after I dropped her a line congratulating her on her wonderful work and all the acclaim she's getting of late.  She's currently in Ottawa filming a thrilled The House at the End of the Road alongside Oscar-nominee Elisabeth Shue.  Thank you, Jennifer!  Although people look at me confused when I mention your name now, we both know in a year this will all change. 

xW

p.s. Check out these gorgeous photos of Lawrence in the September issue of W Magazine.

WINTER'S BONE REVIEW

At only 20 years of age, actress Jennifer Lawrence delivers a performance in much-acclaimed Winter's Bone far beyond her youth. The story which follows a 17 year-old girl Ree (Lawrence) who is on a mission to locate her Drug-dealing father through the Ozarks, trying to gather clues to his whereabouts from dangerous members of his network and estranged family members. Her father had used their family home a deposit for his Bail, then failing to show-up for his hearing as promised. Ree, who cares for her disabled Mother, younger Brother and Sister has no choice but to take ownership of the matter in order to save their home.  But will she make it without paying a price for those bridges her father burned?

Screenwriter/Director Debra Granik craftily paints a picture of Ree's father through some excellent storytelling and multi-layered performances from the supporting cast. Standouts in the cast of relative unknowns include Dale Dickey who plays Merab, the no-nonsense wife of powerful Ranch Owner and John Hawkes as Teardrop, the tough-talking uncle of Ree who in ways fills the fatherly void. 

WINTER'S BONE WINS CRITICS OVER

Although I'm sure many of us haven't heard much about it yet Director Debra Granik's Winter's Bone based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell, has been causing a commotion with critics everywhere.  At the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, it won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Dramatic Feature.

The drama which centers are a 17 year-old girl from the Ozark Mountains (Central U.S.) who goes on a dangerous journey to find her Drug Dealer father.  The film, distributed by Roadside Attractions, will be in limited release as of Friday, June 18, 2010.  Expect the buzz to carry through to Oscars season, with its critical consensus at Rotten Tomatoes weighing in at an eye-popping 92% rating, making it one of the highest rated films of 2010.  Visit the film's official website here.