Film Festival Gets a Double Dose of Star Power

Movie stars. Can’t reside with them. Can’t accept a blur anniversary afterwards them.

Above, from left, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and George Clooney at a Toronto account appointment on Friday for “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” which stars Mr. Clooney, below.
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Times Topics: Toronto International Blur Anniversary | George Clooney

Laura Magruder/Overture Films and Westgate Blur Services

Dale Robinette/Paramount Pictures

George Clooney and Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air,” to be apparent at the Toronto International Blur Festival.

As of backward endure week, a hardly agitated army of flat executives, publicists and agents in Los Angeles was still annoyed through the intricacies of George Clooney’s accepted attendance at the Toronto International Blur Festival.

Would there be just one account conference, on Friday, for his Overture Films movie, a abstruse banana thriller, “The Men Who Stare at Goats”? Or would there be a second, for his Paramount picture, “Up in the Air,” which was appointed for a accessible screening the next day?

Would Mr. Clooney accomplish the Overture affair on Friday night? Would there be time for reporters? Cast and aggregation dinners? Or just smiles on the red carpeting and a few bows from the stage?

Somehow, it formed out. Because there was Mr. Clooney, appropriate on cue at 3:45 p.m. on Friday, aflame his Cary Grant beam for the media gaggle.

If he had a abstruse ability in absolute life, asked one changeable anchorman in the army of about 100, what would it be?

“I’m accomplishing it appropriate now,” Mr. Clooney said with a leer. “Wow! Congratulations!” His appropriate hand, he explained, was captivated in a array of white bandages because he had airtight a car aperture on it.

“I apparently should accept accepted in my apperception I would do that,” he said.

If all goes according to plan, Mr. Clooney will go through the ringer afresh on Saturday at a analogous account appointment for “Up in the Air.” That cine opens in theaters on Nov. 13, just a anniversary afterwards the bartering admission of “Men Who Stare.”

Ostensibly, blur festivals are all about films. But the big festivals, and Toronto’s is one of the biggest, get their activity from cine stars, the bigger the better. Yes, Vera Farmiga is here, accomplishing her bit for both “Up in the Air” and “The Vintner’s Luck.” Abbie Cornish fabricated it in from the set of “Sucker Punch,” which is just starting assembly in Vancouver, to advice bung her “Bright Star.” Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, a husband-and-wife team, absolved the red carpeting afore an opening-night presentation of their Charles Darwin movie, “Creation,” on Thursday.

“We did our architecture together,” said Ms. Connelly, casting off a tidbit for the video crews.

But annihilation matches the action that comes with one of Hollywood’s accurate royals, abnormally if he or she has a brace of pictures on the line.

And Mr. Clooney is in fact continued beyond three films this season.

“The Men Who Stare at Goats,” which is directed by Grant Heslov and began screening actuality on Thursday, finds Mr. Clooney in appearance as Lyn Cassady, an accessible of the First Earth Battalion of analytic warriors who try to annihilate goats just by staring at them.

The cine is darkly comic, as is “Up in the Air,” which is directed by Jason Reitman and has the spotlight on Saturday night. In that one Mr. Clooney’s Ryan Bingham is a accumulated adviser who builds a near-perfect activity about battlefront people.

Also somewhat dark, and somewhat comic, is Mr. Clooney’s articulation plan as Mr. Fox in the administrator Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” an beastly allegory based on Roald Dahl’s children’s book of the aforementioned title. The film, from 20th Century Fox, is not screening in Toronto, but it is assuming at a blur anniversary with the added two in London and has added to the appeal for Mr. Clooney’s casework at accurate gatherings about the world, in beforehand of an aperture on Nov. 13.

Possibly the hardest affair for any brilliant is to apperceive if admirers will accept had enough, or, worse, a bit too much. That is an abnormally awkward botheration for Mr. Clooney, who is about bold if it comes to announcement his films, abundant like Brad Pitt, with whom he appeared actuality endure year on account of “Burn Afterwards Reading,” or Matt Damon, who is on duke this year with “The Informant!,” directed by Mr. Clooney’s old business partner, Steven Soderbergh.

The almighty continued awards season, continued by the Oscars’ move from backward February to a March 7 advertisement date, will analysis the absolute for any star. Endure year Kate Winslet seemed on the border of cutting out her admirers with the connected appearances on account of “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader.” But she came up with an Oscar for her achievement as Hanna Schmitz, the above German affected guard, in “The Reader.” This year, with no blur in contention, she has accustomed it a rest.

“I don’t anticipate that’s absolutely been planned yet,” Mr. Reitman said of the continued promotional booty that may lie advanced for both himself and Mr. Clooney this year. (Mr. Reitman is aswell a ambassador of “Jennifer’s Body” and an controlling ambassador of “Chloe,” which are both screening in Toronto.)

When it came to cutting “Up in the Air,” said Mr. Reitman, alive with Mr. Clooney in fact was not abundant altered from his acquaintance with hardly beneath beaming stars like Aaron Eckhart on “Thank You for Smoking” and Ellen Page on “Juno.”

But things do get brighter on the promotional side. On abiding to Los Angeles from the Telluride Blur Anniversary on Tuesday, Mr. Reitman said he was afraid to see a afire cyberbanking advance for “Up in the Air,” with Mr. Clooney’s name sparkling on top.

“I’ve never had an alfresco advance for one of my movies,” he said.