Jack, Finn, Gugu, and More are All Starred Up

Year in Review: The Breakthroughs & Debuts

Though pop culture could probably stand a little less emphasis on the NEW in that endless meat grinder of fame, it happens for a reason: new stars are intoxicatingly shiny things, fresh of face, full of spirit, vivid with hunger for work, and free of the emotional baggage that comes with our longterm pop culture love affairs. They can even surprise you onscreen since they haven't used up all their tricks and haven't been over-worked just yet.

It's impossible to predict anyone's showbiz future -- it's a tough and very weird industry full of lucky and unlucky breaks -- and some new stars each year become quickly forgotten flings. The luckier ones inspire love affairs with the public of varying degrees of passion and the very luckiest of them all settle down with the public for good, till death do us part.

We're still in the dating phase with these actors. So let's have a Beauty Break after the jump. How many of these actors and actresses are you eager to keep seeing? 

BREAKTHROUGHS
Some of these performers aren't completely "new" -- some already made a name on TV or in foreign film -- but they had big years overall (I required them to be in a key movie to qualify). Their careers aren't likely to be the same from here. 

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TIFF Jury of One: Nathaniel

Channing & Chastain hit TIFFAnd now, a superfluous but fun-to-write "awards" wrap of the 25 films I saw at TIFF to close out the coverage. I did a little wrap post for Towleroad as well, focused on the LGBT content and the celebs, but if you're a TFE regular I know what you like: awards and lists!

I had intended to see 40 films but with only 8 days of actual screening time (travelling the other 2 days) that proved ridiculous to even try for, impossible really. Especially since I was planning to AND DID write up everything I saw before the festival actually ended. I've never written this quickly so excuse the typos (yeesh).

If you were reading along the whole time this might feel redundant but who doesn't love to box their experiences up in list format? In a festival with hundreds of films everyone has a different experience so this was mine... with nominations only. Don't even ask me to pick winners because I like things to marinate. It's good to get a little distance before bold decrees of "THE BEST!"

BEST PICTURE
links go to the reviews 

Xavier Dolan and Anne Dorval on the set of "Mommy"

• Force Majeure (Sweden) -Magnolia Pictures. Opens October 24th
• Mommy (Canada) - Roadside Attractions will release. When though? Unfortunately they aren't exactly a swift distributor. (A headscratcher addendum: Xavier Dolan's Tom at the Farm, which debuted last year at TIFF is still without a US distributor. US audiences just can't jump on the Dolan train without hitting festivals. Maybe that will change with all three of his first features currently winning new fans on Netflix Instant now)
• A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden) - Currently without US distributor
• Wild (USA) - Fox Searchlight. Opens December 5th
• Wild Tales (Argentina) - Sony Pictures Classics will release. When though?

My favorites at the fest turned out to be this eclectic mix of two Swedish comedies, one hyperstylized the other realistic and intellectually provocative, one Canadian melodrama about a bad seed and his wild mommy, one Oscar bound US solo hiking trip, and an exciting Argentian anthology mixing revenge, thrills and comedy.

Favorite Scenes and Performances After the Jump

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