Smoking. It kills you. It causes lung cancer and other cancers. Ads for cigarettes are considered verboten in 2015.

In the movies, smoking always made people look sexy and cool. Until it didn’t, and then it mostly disappeared.

Alas, if the Toronto Film Festival is any indication, smoking is back big time. After the last couple of days in theaters, I’ve started to smell like a virtual ashtray.

Naomi Watts smokes up a storm in “About Ray,” but she’s under a lot of stress. In Jay Roach’s excellent “Trumbo,” set in the 1950s, there’s a cloud of smoke hovering over the Black List. Dalton Trumbo is almost never seen without a cig. Of course Keith Richards smokes in his totally enjoyable documentary, “Under the Influence.” And I do mean cigarettes.

There’s plenty of smoke in the Hank Williams bio, “I Saw the Light.” That’s also set in the 1950s, so they have an excuse. Alicia Vikander plays a painter who smokes through one of those long, glamorous cigarette holders in “The Danish Girl.” I’m pretty sure cigarettes are what keep most of the people going in “Our Brand Is Crisis.”

Ironically, smoking is the only vice Lance Armstrong doesn’t seem to have in “The Program.” Performance enhancing drugs? Why, yes! But smoking, you know, is bad for you.

Ha ha.

Can Eddie Redmayne. win a second Oscar in a row? It’s quite possible as Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl made a stunning premiere tonight in Toronto. Hooper extends his streak from The King’s Speech and Les Miserables, making an exceptionally well crafted piece of cinema. Redmayne and costar Alicia Vikander are headed to all the awards and may even jump out as the lead candidates.

Ridley Scott’s made one of his very best movies with “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The crowd went crazy for it last night at the Toronto film Festival premiere at Roy Thompson Hall. If Matt Damon doesn’t get an Oscar nomination I’ll be very surprised. He is all over this movie, and has never been better or more charming. Keep an eye on him because played right, Matt could finally score Best Actor some 20 years after co-winning Best Screenplay for “Good Will Hunting.”

“The Martian” is also the first ever 3D movie ever shown at the Toronto Film Festival. I’m told a new technology was installed at Roy Thompson Hall. It did look beautiful and the glasses were comfortable for a change!

Jessica Chastain shines as the commander of the space craft who elects to leave Damon’s Mark Watney, a botanist and astronaut behind on Mars. I don’t want to give too much away. But Jessica told me after the screening how proud she was that her character, Melissa Lewis, makes the hard decisions in space and is also quite the intergalactic daredevil.

Jessica, ever gracious, introduced me to Tracy Dyson, a NASA astronaut who consulted on the film and gave Jessica serious instruction. Tracy is 46. She looks about ten years younger– but she’s spent a total of 189 days in space. I realize now that’s why she looks so good! Anyway, Dyson told me she approves of “The Martian.” She had in her posse one of the builders of the real space station, and he also gave thumbs up to the station in the movie.

“The only thing we may have stretched,” said Jessica, “is the storms. I’ve been told Mars’s atmosphere is too thin for the kinds of storms we have.” Okay, fair enough. Otherwise this highly technical, science- heavy film is spot on.

“The Martian” could do “Jurassic World” type business. It’s that good. But it also hinges on Damon, who is alone for some time on Mars in a kind of “Home Alone” scenario. Even though the script has jokey moments, they are only to counter the heaviness of Damon’s predicament. That part is serious. And so are the set design and cinematography.

This is the third time Damon has been sent into space — “Elysium” and “Interstellar” were earlier and didn’t work as well. The third time’s a charm. He’s how (wait for it) My Favorite Martian.

More reviews midday Saturday from some other excellent films– “Our Brand Is Crisis,” “Youth,” and “Miss Sharon Jones.”

Michael Moore opened the 40th Toronto Film Festival with his most optimistic, upbeat movie yet. Where to invade next. The title reflects a humorous travelog as Moore “invades” several countries to find the best in education, women’s rights, nutrition, and so on. Moore’s critics may be disarmed by his positive take on how America could learn lessons from the world. At the same time he doesn’t slap the U.S. but points out how areas could be improved. It’s funny too. Good work.

Moore joked before and after the screening- which received a massive standing ovation and cheers- that this was the first time he’d made a film without a distribution deal. He wanted to start the auction right away. Reps from all the movie companies were in the audience, and many — even studios like Paramount– were scrambling to see if they could make “Invade” their Oscar nominee this year in the documentary category.

The movie is a huge crowdpleaser. Unlike Moore’s investigative work in “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 911” this film takes a mellower, gentler approach. Moore sweeps the Western world looking for social improvements created but abandoned by the U.S. The movie is more about how America has lost its way and can find one back from looking at how other countries were inspired by us.

There are no “Gotcha” moments but Moore does get his digs in. Goldman Sachs’ Lloyd Blankfein gets a little zetz, and corporate America is certainly upbraided.