HOLLYWOOD -- Much has been written about the Toronto International Film Festival's reputation for launching Oscar contenders by kick-starting that crucial awards-season buzz.
But TIFF is also quietly gaining a reputation of a different sort -- one concerning the resurrection of careers believed to have been past the point of salvation.
Just ask Mickey Rourke and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Both had been relegated to being the punch lines of late-night talk show hosts for so long now, the notion of either of them ever being considered contenders again was well beyond the realm of possibility.
After all, it had been more than 25 years since Rourke has been hailed as the next James Dean, thanks to his memorable turn in Diner, and a good 15 years since "The Muscles from Brussels" was kicking up impressive international box office returns in action hits such as Universal Soldier and Time Cop.
More recently, the downward trajectory of their careers converged in the clunker, Double Team, in which they shared the screen with one Dennis Rodman (!)
But, suddenly, the future's looking awfully bright for Mickey and J.C., thanks to a pair of Toronto entries.
The Wrestler, in which Rourke plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up professional wrestler who was one of the big deals back in the '80s, was the talk of Toronto.
Granted, it had also just won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival, but you know how those wacky Europeans can be -- just ask the French about Jerry Lewis.
While that's welcome news for director Darren Aronofsky, whose previous film, The Fountain, stumbled at the Festival a couple of years ago, it's Rourke who's shovelling in the biggest accolades, and they're all variations on "the performance of his lifetime" and "surefire Oscar contender."
There was a previous sign of life left in the old career in Sin City, but that, after all, was based on a graphic comic book.
As for Van Damme, the movie making everybody think twice about those low-rent Arnold references is JCVD, an entry in the Festival's Midnight Movies section, in which Van Damme essentially plays himself, Being John Malkovich-style.
The entertaining French import has emerged as a pleasant surprise, but the biggest revelation has been the film's more poignant side, prompting astonished cries of "Oh, my God, he can really ACT!"
Regular moviegoers will soon be able see what all the hoopla's about since both films are slated for release later this fall.
In the meantime, maybe it's time or TIFF to rethink its priorities.
After all, it's really not that big a deal to be able to take a distributor's best bets and start the Oscar ball rolling.
It's a far more impressive accomplishment to be able to breathe life into once-burgeoning careers thought to have long ago met their best-before dates.
Never mind Brad Pitt or Keira Knightley or No Country for Old Men or Walk the Line.
How about rolling out the festival red carpet for Steven Seagal?
Or Sean Young?
Or Pauly Shore?
Okay, just kidding about that last one.
