Style: Heroes and villains

Oliver Stone is often regarded as a leftist conspiracy monger, but any fair reading of his movies reveals him to be less of a firebrand than his reputation suggests.

For instance, he was criticized for being too empathetic to President George W. Bush in his 2008 film W. and his 2006 film World Trade Center was a respectful, patriotic event that earned praise from Republicans like Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki. So his treatment of the polarizing Edward Snowden — hero of liberty or opportunistic traitor, depending on your point of view — could be very interesting. Especially with a solid actor like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead.

But even if Snowden isn’t one of the year’s best films, it raises the lid on this year’s award season. Our Piers Marchant reports from the Toronto International Film Festival on some of what we can look forward to later this — or maybe early next — year. And Dan Lybarger has the scoop on Bridget Jones’s Baby — which features Renee Zellweger returning to the role after a 12-year absence — and the Eddie Murphy drama Mr. Church.

Also arriving in theaters is Blair Witch, in which the much younger brother of the girl who went missing in the 1999 viral sensation goes back into the woods looking for answers. Sounds like a plan.

All in this Friday’s Style section in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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