The members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences choose the Oscar candidates by going to the Academy theaters for pre-release screenings throughout the year. They may even pay to see a few with real people at real movie houses. Then they catch up with the ones they've missed by going to other private showings or seeing some on DVD screeners the studios send them. It's practically a full-time job, if you take it seriously. Why, the valet-parking costs alone could mount into the low four figures.

 

Anybody else could see most of the Oscar nominees by spending 10 days in Toronto.

 

The Toronto International Film Festival, which opened its 33rd edition on Thursday, is many things to the 100,000 or so cinephiles who each year make it the premier movie bash in North America. TIFF, as it's known, is a gourmand's glut of international product, a one-stop shop for documentaries, a gallery for experimental films. To sustain the pride of the locals, there's also a barrage of Canadian movies. Movies, movies and more movies.

 

Whereas Telluride's festival, the Rocky Mountain redoubt that runs before Toronto, and New York's, which starts in late September, put only a few dozen films on display, TIFF has hundreds. Even if a Toronto cinemaniac were to get no more than a few hours' sleep a night and renounce all food except popcorn, he or she would be able to see eight or 10 pictures a day — less than a third of the festival offerings.