Double Stars

In the blink of an eye, two-thirds of the 35th Toronto International Film Festival has passed. With only three days remaining, the annual grand event is nearing its end. As the second half of the festival unfolded, it finally reached a long-awaited peak!

First, "Buried" unexpectedly became a hot topic, surpassing "The Town" to become the focal point of attention. This led to a surge in calls for additional screenings, and the Toronto International Film Festival committee responded promptly by adding one more screening to meet the audience's demand. Although it was just one extra screening, it was a breakthrough and especially valuable.

Following this, "127 Hours" captured the entire North American spotlight. Some viewers experienced adverse reactions, including vomiting and fainting, during the scene where the protagonist uses a knife to amputate his own arm. This intense reaction from multiple viewers sparked heated discussions and drew more attention and curiosity towards the film. More importantly, the film itself received unanimous praise from critics, who regarded Danny Boyle as delivering another Oscar-worthy work after "Slumdog Millionaire."

Next, the Danish film "In a Better World" had its global premiere, sparking a media frenzy. Alongside "Incendies," it formed a strong foreign film alliance, instantly becoming the top contenders for the Best Foreign Language Film in this year's award season, drawing much attention.

Each day seemed to bring new highlights, gradually pushing the atmosphere of the Toronto International Film Festival to its peak. Today, the premiere of "Black Swan" is imminent, causing a collective mobilization among people.

This film features a heavyweight lineup from the director to the cast, attracting significant attention even during its preparation stage. After receiving unanimous acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, the crew arrived in Toronto to the highest level of welcome. Audiences have been eagerly awaiting the North American premiere of this work, making it an exciting moment.

Under the shining spotlight of the "Black Swan" premiere, discussions about "Buried" and "127 Hours" have also ignited a passionate response among audiences.

The two films share many similarities: both are independent films, both are stories of survival against the odds, both are solo performances, and both are showcases of the brilliance of the directors and leading actors.

Despite "127 Hours" being larger in scale, with about two-thirds of it being a solo performance and featuring more supporting actors, and having a production cost roughly six times that of "Buried," people couldn't help but compare the two films after their consecutive premieres. Especially after the praise for James Franco's performance began to rise.

In the official program reviews for "127 Hours," seven out of ten media outlets gave positive reviews, two gave neutral reviews, and one gave a negative review, making the overall reception slightly better than that of "Buried." This aligned with Renly's opinion, as critics also consistently praised Danny Boyle, believing that he once again delivered an outstanding piece, successfully adapting a seemingly impossible story for the big screen. James Franco's performance received recognition as well, although the director and screenplay diverted some attention.

The "Hollywood Reporter" stated, "The talents of Boyle and Franco guarantee the film's success."

The "Wall Street Journal" noted, "Franco undoubtedly needed immense courage to portray this role, and the result is delightful."

Among them, the "Los Angeles Times" gave the most direct praise, "This is the finest performance of Franco's acting career! Every expression on his naturally comical face brings the character to life."

Although Danny Boyle overshadowed him somewhat, James Franco still garnered considerable acclaim, with some local Toronto media even exclaiming, "Franco is on his way to the Oscars!"

Naturally, Renly and James were frequently compared:

Both are young actors, although James, at 31 this year, is still considered young in the Oscar Best Actor selection process. Both are the sole leading roles in their respective films, carrying the entire weight on their shoulders, displaying extraordinary courage and nuanced performances under the camera. Moreover, both received unanimous praise from the media, with mentions of potential Oscar nominations. This means that they might become direct competitors in this year's award season.

In the Oscar selection process, there is an unspoken bias against younger actors, especially in the Best Actor category. Although a young or newcomer actor might appear on the nomination list every few years, this recognition is often considered a victory in itself. Having two young actors nominated simultaneously is extremely rare.

In other words, the chances are high that only one between Renly and James will be nominated—if any. 

Additionally, the selection for acting awards at the Oscars is not a mathematical equation with a fixed formula. It's often a result of professional judgment and psychological inclination. For instance, last year's win for Jeff Bridges combined merit votes and guilt votes, along with widespread critical acclaim. Academy members might have voted for Jeff without even watching "Crazy Heart." This situation isn't unusual. When "Brokeback Mountain" lost to "Crash," many admitted they had never seen "Brokeback Mountain."

Typically, to win a nomination, one must either deliver an outstanding performance that overshadows an average film, like Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady," or be part of an excellent film where the actor's performance, while not groundbreaking, is commendable, such as Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams in "Spotlight."

Simultaneously fulfilling both criteria is rare in Oscar history, with only a few films achieving this standard.

Renly and James face such a situation. "Buried" has a slightly weaker overall composition, but Renly's performance received more praise. On the other hand, "127 Hours" had higher overall quality, though James's brilliance was somewhat overshadowed by Danny Boyle.

This leads to the same result: the Academy is likely to choose between Renly and James.

Moreover, the award season has yet to unfold, and the real strong contenders haven't emerged. By October, the buzz around these two young actors might fade, with nobody remembering their presence at the Toronto Film Festival. So, if it comes down to choosing one, who should it be?

"I haven't watched '127 Hours' yet, but I believe James is an outstanding actor. Personally, Renly's performance in 'Buried' was shocking to me," said Ryan Gosling in an interview. When asked about "Blue Valentine" and its chances this award season, Ryan laughed, "Thank you for remembering this washed-up actor. But between Renly and me, I'd choose Renly."

Joe Hamm also shared his opinion, "No doubt, James Franco is an excellent actor. Whether in 'Pineapple Express' or 'Milk,' his talent shines. This time, Danny Boyle gave him a platform, and he stunned everyone. And we can't forget 'Howl' this year."

Unintentionally, more people began discussing this topic. Stars at the Toronto Film Festival were asked for their opinions. Naturally, James, who has been in Hollywood for a decade, garnered the most support. Only a few mentioned the recent Emmy Awards, expressing high expectations for Renly's performance. Of course, nobody took it seriously; it was just a casual topic adding some fun to the festival.

However, the speed at which this topic gained traction far exceeded expectations. After the additional screening of "Buried," the discussion heated up even more.

Audience reactions to "Buried" far surpassed expectations, with many finding the film more exciting and thrilling than anticipated. Especially when the official program gave more accolades to "127 Hours," the roller-coaster experience of "Buried" won over the audience. "127 Hours" spent much time on flashbacks and character building, making "Buried" a smoother watch. This earned "Buried" a strong reputation.

With the buzz, Renly became the center of every discussion: "Amazing! Truly amazing!" "It's hard to believe he's a newcomer." "I think he's the sole reason for the film's success." 

Some viewers even compared Renly and James: "I think Renly edges out; his performance has more layers." "I loved Renly's performance; it was powerful." "I like James, but Renly's performance was truly stunning this time."

From a visual impact and script structure perspective, Renly's completely solo performance indeed had some advantages. More importantly, what started as casual talk at the festival spread quickly. The double-star shine of Renly and James even overshadowed Ryan.

With this momentum, "Buried" successfully attracted more public attention again. How spectacular is Renly's performance? Can the film compare with "127 Hours"? Are the discussions genuine or just hype? These questions remain unanswered.

Because the Toronto Film Festival has no more screening slots left.

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