In the Heat of the Knight

Actually, it's not so curious when you pause to consider that women — like many other minorities — are so chronically underserved and underrepresented by Hollywood (even in an era that has seen many studios and production companies run by women) that when a movie finally comes along unapologetically targeted at them, it almost doesn't matter whether it's any good. The mere fact that it's there is enough. Call it the Tyler Perry syndrome — certainly a subject deserving of further exploration.

But we'll save that for a later date, because now, as the mercury drops and many in the industry head north for that unofficial fall-movie-season kickoff party known as the Toronto International Film Festival (September 4-13), Hollywood will put away its action figures for a little while and indulge in another seasonal pastime — the Oscar derby. Already the Internet is abuzz with rumors and prognostications, most of them based on movies that even their own makers haven't seen yet. So the hype begins.