TORONTO \u2013 It’s that time of year when Hollywood and its Oscar-ready movies heed the call of the Tim Hortons maple-glazed doughnut and the Great White North.<\/p>\n
Celebrating its 50th iteration, Toronto International Film Festival<\/a>\u00a0has been a major launching pad for\u00a0best picture winners<\/a>\u00a0like \u201cParasite,\u201d \u201cNomadland\u201d and \u201cSpotlight” \u2013 and it was also a stop along the way for “Anora” in capturing the Academy Awards’ biggest prize earlier this year. So who might the choice candidates be in 2025? Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”<\/a> looks to be one, after making a major splash at Venice Film Festival. The Norwegian film “Sentimental Value,” starring Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and Elle Fanning, has buzz and accolades, as does Dwayne Johnson<\/a>‘s MMA movie “The Smashing Machine.”<\/p>\n Join our Watch Party! <\/strong>Sign up to receive USA TODAY’s movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n 1<\/span> of 29<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Toronto Film Festival 2025<\/a> is bringing all the best Oscar-bait movies and A-list stars. Scroll through to see the biggest names on the red carpet, starting with Sydney Sweeney, who waved to fans at the premiere of \u201cChristy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We’re on the ground at the fest (which runs through Sept. 14<\/a>) watching as many films as possible. Here are the best we’ve seen so far, ranked:<\/p>\n Alan Ritchson plays an escaped convict on a quest for vengeance in the 1970s-set action thriller “Motor City.”<\/p>\n The ideal action thriller for those who think there\u2019s way too much chit-chat on \u201cReacher.<\/a>\u201d In a 1970s-set crime drama with almost no dialogue but plenty of period tunes, Alan Ritchson continues his rise as a two-fisted, rough-and-tumble juggernaut, playing an ex-con recently engaged to his sweetie (Shailene Woodley). He\u2019s sent back to the slammer after being framed by a local drug kingpin (Ben Foster), and when he escapes, our jacked hero goes on a quest of ultraviolent, bone-breaking vengeance. It makes up for what it lacks in words and character development with gritty style and Ritchson\u2019s beefy brooding.<\/p>\n Sydney Sweeney plays boxer Christy Martin in the sports biopic “Christy.”<\/p>\n Boxing movies often involve some sort of scrappy underdog coming from behind for a rousing victory, so presenting Sydney Sweeney<\/a>‘s title pugilist as a rather unlikable punch-out queen who leaves everybody in her dust is certainly a choice. Sweeney is both brash and vulnerable in a biopic that follows Christy Martin from West Virginia teen to most famous female boxer in the world. The sports stuff very much leans into formula and clich\u00e9s, though David Mich\u00f4d’s film finds its way depicting the gripping, toxic marriage of Christy and her detestable trainer\/husband Jim (Ben Foster in a Donald Trump<\/a> wig) and the nuanced relationship between Christy and fellow boxer Lisa (Katy O’Brian).<\/p>\n Home video captures John Candy in the documentary “John Candy: I Like Me.”<\/p>\nSee Sydney Sweeney, Ryan Reynolds arrive at Toronto Film Festival 2025<\/h2>\n
4. ‘Motor City’<\/h2>\n
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3. ‘Christy’<\/h2>\n
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2. ‘John Candy: I Like Me’<\/h2>\n
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