ike a trailer for the Oscars, each year's Toronto International Film Festival line-up typically previews the will-be nominees and winners of naked golden statues. Past fest heroes have included American Beauty, Tsotsi, The Cider House Rules, A History of Violence, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Babel, the Wind that Shakes the Barley, City of God, and Lost in Translation. Here's a Coles Notes roundup of the films that lived up to the hype and those that took a Peter McNeeley -style beating (did anyone get that reference? Look it up). Beware: the following could contain prophetic Oscar spoilers and office pool hints.

David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises, a vaguely topical Russian-mob-in-London, fish out of water story- wait, disregard the fish part - with DC's trademark violent touch, has garnered some of the fest's most fervent critical adoration. Similarly, the Coen brothers' stark No Country for Old Men, an adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, drew raves both for its unsettling tonality and for deft performances from Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin (seriously). Other standout work came from the reliably brilliant Ryan Gosling for his man-meets-blowup-doll romantic comedy (sort of), Lars and the Real Girl . Another young actor, Control's Sam Riley, has been heavily lauded for his star-making interpretation of doomed Joy Division singer, Ian Curtis. For Reservation Road, perennial Oscar favourite, Joaquin Phoenix, has reaped scribe love. So have both Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman for their brother and sister (not in the order) dramedy, The Savages.

A surprise festival hit and international animation tour de force - those are the best kind of surprise festival hits - Persepolis left viewers astonished with a mix of stunning black and white animation and its candid fictionalization of writer/director Marjane Satrapi's childhood struggles.

Conversely, not all big-hype films managed to wow audiences. Julie Taymor's eagerly anticipated Beatles karaoke/60s nostalgia flick, Across the Universe endured a heavy-as-a-serial-killer's-garbage bag panning. Regardless, come Academy Award office pool season you should remember Taymor's name for set design. Trust me. Also, the sequel to Elizebeth, Elizabeth Takes Manhattan - sorry, Elizabeth: the Golden Age - failed to generate the expected cinephile love. On the other hand, Cate Blanchett as No Looking Back-era Bob Dylan - in Todd Haynes quasi biopic, I'm Not There - instantly redeemed the nearly infallible actress.

Now that the fest has ended and Yorkville is awash in discarded tickets and picked-out popcorn kernels, the always-heated autumnal Oscar hunt is in full swing. As Fest faves begin to flood the theatres you can take your time checking out the best celluloid fare, get a couple of acting gigs, obtain a SAG card, and vote for your favourites, AA (i.e. Academy Awards, not the other AA)-style. -S.T.