Now that the V.F. team has returned from three big fall festivals—Venice, Telluride, and Toronto—those reviewing films on the ground there—deputy editor Katey Rich and film critics K. Austin Collins and Richard Lawson—have sat down for a chat about what they saw, and what it might tell us about the season to come. Once you’re done reading, take a look at our photo portfolio featuring some of the biggest stars at Toronto.

Richard Lawson:

Whew! We made it. Via planes, trains (I don’t know, did any of us take a train anywhere?), and a few really slow boats, the three of us have taken in a huge sampling of fall movies soon to come, at the Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals. There have been highs (Jennifer Lopez pole dancing to a Fiona Apple song, folks) and lows (I ate half-frozen pretzel bites while waiting for Judy to start), and everything in between. It’s a lot to talk about, so in the interest of efficiency, let’s filter all these movies through our favorite lens: the Oscars!

As is tradition, many awards campaigns began at one or two or all three of these festivals. (Netflix’s Marriage Story hit every single one.) Some are heading off into autumn with full sails, while others are leaving Canada a bit deflated. To me the biggest narrative of all was maybe Joker, a super-villain origin story that ended up winning the top prize in Venice, where it had a very buzzy world premiere. Though its momentum certainly slowed in Toronto—where critics, I think feeling a sense of overhype, dismissed the film’s supposed darkness and danger—Todd Phillips’s film still seems destined for the Dolby in some form. Certainly the film’s star, Joaquin Phoenix, is in the hunt for best actor.

Which is a very crowded field this year. You’ve got Adam Driver in Marriage Story, the guys from Just Mercy, the guys from Ford v Ferrari, the guys from Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, and potentially the guys from The Irishman, as well as Jonathan Pryce from the Telluride hit The Two Popes and Eddie Murphy’s ovation-earning performance in Dolemite Is My Name. It’s a lot of dudes to sift through. Still, Phoenix remains at the top—or at least near the top—of the pile.

But I’m less interested in that whole scramble than I am in what’s happening over in supporting actress. Because that’s where, after nearly a quarter century of megawatt stardom, Jennifer Lopez could finally collect her prestige trophy. Or at least get a nomination. She’s just that good in Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, making a killer entrance and more than holding that attention straight through to the perfect final scene. It’s a terrific performance in a great movie—but it’s in theaters starting today, meaning that the film has to sustain its awards-y aura for months. If anyone has that kind of fortitude, though, it’s Lopez. The trick will be getting her to campaign. (J. Lo doesn’t beg for awards! Awards beg for J. Lo!)

I feel pretty confident about Lopez’s chances, but she has some stiff competition in the form of one of Gay Twitter’s most powerful gods, Laura Dern. Her performance in Marriage Story (she’s also got Little Women coming up) is a true supporting role; there will be no category fraud here. She plays a fiery lawyer to Scarlett Johansson’s character, and gets both a killer monologue and a great tête-à-tête with Ray Liotta. That should be enough to put her in contention, coupled with the fact that everyone just plain loves Laura Dern. Some may think it’s finally Her Time.