Coriolanus and MGP to be shown at TIFF

Full article here:
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/07/26/toronto-international-film-festival/

Toronto International Film Festival announces 2011 line-up
by Grady Smith

The Toronto International Film Festival, which has become an increasingly important platform for awards-seeking titles in recent years (Both The King’s Speech and Black Swan played there last year), announced its 2011 line-up this morning.



Special Presentations

Coriolanus Ralph Fiennes, North American Premiere
Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.

Machine Gun Preacher Marc Forster, World Premiere
This inspirational true story, Machine Gun Preacher is about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the savior of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe®-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption.

Early buzz seems to suggest that a possible Oscar nod for MGP is a real possibility. I sure hope so. With all the rom-com junk he's been choosing lately, it's easy to forget that Gerry actually is a very good actor. He needs quality films like this more often to showcase what he can really do. If he's not careful, he will forever be thought of as an action or rom-com star, and he won't be offered these juicy roles as often. I really hope he blows everyone away with his performances in MGP and Coriolanus, and that they lead to more work like these two. I think he has a real chance of turning his career back in the promising direction it started in if he gets Oscar or Golden Globe attention for MGP. I think it would also help a lot if Coriolanus got the same award recognition, even if Gerry isn't one of the nominees for it. Even appearing in a Shakespearean film with Oscar buzz could be enough to give him some artistic cred, whether he's a nominee or not.