A Look Ahead At Movies Premering In Toronto, Venice Festivals
NICOLE KIDMAN, "THE HUMAN STAIN": I see you</s>ANTHONY HOPKINS, "THE HUMAN STAIN": You never know.</s>ANNOUNCER: From Miramax Films...</s>FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. If there is Anthony Hopkins in it, it's probably creepy, huh? But good. It seems a little premature, though, to talk about Oscars right now, when they're not going to be handed out until next spring. But two film festivals are previewing the movies that could take center stage on Academy Awards night. "In Touch" magazine editor Tom O'Neil is in New York listening to the buzz being generated in both Toronto and Venice. Good to see you, Tom.</s>TOM O'NEIL, "IN TOUCH" MAGAZINE: Same here, Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. So we've got two festivals ongoing right now. One started a couple of days ago, the other one got kicked off this weekend. Why are the film festivals in Toronto and Venice so important to watch, especially when thinking about the Oscars?</s>O'NEIL: Because this is where movies like "American Beauty" break out of the pack and suddenly emerge as frontrunners, when they may not have been on the radar screen before that. And why this happens is because these two festivals not only come at a good time, September, just a few months before the big Oscar season begins, but also it's those rare times when the film industry leaders, the insiders, get together with the film critics and see these movies for the first time. So buzz is coming out now about some of these movies we'll talk about in a second here. That's very exciting.</s>WHITFIELD: Do these two festivals attract very different films from one another?</s>O'NEIL: In a way, yes. The Venice festival has a lot more international films. And what really is happening at these festivals is that distribution deals are being made while these films are funded in their domestic countries. They want to make money, of course, beyond. So that's why they're showcased here. Toronto here in North America is easily the top festival. And then Sundance would be number two. But that's how important Toronto is right now. And it opened just last night.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about the ones to watch then. We saw just a second ago as we opened up this segment with a clip with Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins in "The Human Stain." What's so compelling about this movie?</s>O'NEIL: This touches on a lot of issues, from race to religion. Anthony Hopkins plays a New England professor whose secret life comes out. And while his secret past is explained, not only that. He's having this affair with Nicole Kidman, who is not in the sophisticated role that we're used to seeing her. But she's very good here as kind of a floozy trailer park gal. And what's interesting is that this is the opposite that we've seen her in the past. But also, she's so good in this movie, she's generating a lot of Oscar buzz. And she may be competing against herself in the movie yet to be released called "Cold Mountain."</s>WHITFIELD: Wow. She's hot this year, huh, with "After Hours" as well?</s>O'NEIL: Yes, that's what it is.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk about Bill Murray. We usually associate him with images from like "Caddy Shack." And now he's in something called "Lost in Translation," and there's talk about him and an Oscar already?</s>O'NEIL: Can you believe it?</s>WHITFIELD: No.</s>O'NEIL: Bill Murray, comedienne? But this is no joke. This movie is just taking critics and everybody's hearts by storm. He plays a has-been American movie star who goes to Japan to make a whiskey commercial. And he happens to have one of those all night affair encounters.</s>WHITFIELD: And this is a Coppola film, isn't it? But Sophia Coppola?</s>O'NEIL: Yes. Sophia Coppola, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola. And of course her break-out movie a few years ago was "Virgin Suicides.: So this is her follow-up to this, and it's even better.</s>WHITFIELD: Wow. "Matchstick Men," Nicholas Cage, always the quirky Nicholas Case. And this time he's getting attention for something rather bizarre, isn't he?</s>O'NEIL: Well, this time -- see, he's the same kind of neurotic character that we're used to seeing. But in this case, what's different is he's a con artist. He's not a heroic character, like we're used to seeing. And it's kind of a "Paper Moon" situation. He teams up with his young teenage daughter to pull off these scams. And so you have a very odd family bonding movie happening here.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Tom O'Neil, a lot to look forward to this fall, and that's good news, because I don't think a whole lot of folks were that impressed with the summer movie season. So maybe around Thanksgiving, Christmas, we'll all have a good reason to go to the theaters, huh?</s>O'NEIL: Yes. Well, I'll remain optimistic with you.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. We'll have you back. Thanks very much, Tom. USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com Festivals>