You may recall I wrote about Paul Haggis’ “Third Person” back in May after I saw an early cut. Yesterday Haggis presented his final version in Toronto and it is even better, a sort of magnificent jigsaw puzzle that combines “Crash” and “Memento.” I can’t wait to see who buys it. “Third Person” is a big winner.

Like “Crash,” “Third Person” is a group of stories interlinked. Like Chris Nolan’s “Memento,” it’s also about clues. You will want to see this movie a couple of times to figure out what you missed.

Basically, Liam Neeson plays a writer who’s moved to Italy or is at least workin there. His wife, played by Kim Basinger, is in the U.S. They are grieving the loss of a child. Olivia Wilde arrives at Neeson’s hotel; she’s his mistress and she has a lot of secrets. That’s the main story and these actors are terrific. It’s Liam Neeson’s best work in years.

But then there are other stories that include Adrien Brody and (stunning) newcomer Moran Atias, Mila Kunis and James Franco, and Maria Bello. How the stories link up, the relationships, all of it is really fascinating. I don’t want to give away the story (if I’ve even cracked it) for now. Suffice to say, “Third Person” is the most clever film of this festival. If it’s marketed correctly, I expect it will take off like crazy.

And just to praise Haggis: not just Neeson but everyone seems like they’re on their game here. Adrien Brody is sensational. And Mila Kunis has never been better. Franco benefits from letting someone else tell him what to do. And it’s a pleasure to see Kim Basinger. Maria Bello– I can’t be objective, I think she’s great.

So good news from a totally independent project.

Toronto: on a long day, the good news was that my final Toronto film was John Curran’s “Tracks.” The Weinstein Company, in an effort secure 2015 Oscars, bought this before the Venice Film Festival. Produced by the guys who brought us “The King’s Speech”– Iain Canning and Emile Sherman– “Tracks” is absolutely stunning. Mia Wasikowska stars as real life adventurer Robyn Davidson.

In 1977, Davidson trekked across the Australian desert with her dog and four camels. National Geographic sent photographer Rick Smolan, who dropped in and out of the two year, 1700 mile journey. They had a little fling, but mostly it was professional. The result was an award winning report that turned into a bestselling book and now this movie.

“Tracks” probably won’t get released until a year from now, which is too bad. Wasikowska is utterly brilliant as Davidson, and Adam Driver of “Girls” – who’s in a bunch of movies– is perfect as Smolan. He also looks just like him. The camels are outrageously charismatic, too. Davidson had a wonderful dog with her, too, who is so winning that the dog actor who plays him should get a Best Supporting Actor nomination. We were told, however, that there were two dog actors, and they were very difficult. They will not be doing press junkets.

Earlier in the day I walked right out of “The F Word” starring the very likeable  Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan as friends who keep denying a romance. Rafe Spall co-stars. All the actors were fine. But the language in this movie– the utter coarseness of it– was so inappropriate and grating that I actually said out loud, “Stop talking. Please stop talking” to the screen.

Why? WARNING There was extensive talk of blow jobs, dicks, and some other act that I can’t include here about pleasuring a woman expressed in the most vulgar way. Look, I can’t do it. I have too many years of higher education. I really don’t think twentysomethings speak this way to each other except in some idiot screenwriter’s fantasy. It’s the laziest sort of writing. It’s unacceptable in a romantic comedy for any generation.

This is what a screenwriter should say to himself: “If Woody Allen, Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, Jim Jarmusch, Ethan Coen, Jerry Seinfeld, etc won’t do it, than I won’t do it. Period.”

The F in The F Word is for fail. Plain and simple.

Cate Blanchett has a little bit of competition this morning for Best Actress. Blanchett has been the front runner all summer for “Blue Jasmine” and she remains very strong. But Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival two previous Oscar winners jumped into the race.

First: Dame Judi Dench stars as “Philomena” in an extremely clever British movie about a woman searching, fifty years later, for the little boy who was stolen from her by evil nuns in an abbey. The nuns were selling children to Americans from their orphanage. Steve Coogan, in a rare restrained piece of acting, plays the journalist who helps Philomena figure out what happened.

The movie is a character study. We’ve already seen Dame Judi running around in James Bond movies. And she won her Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare in Love.”

Here’s the thing about Judi Dench: like Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, Blanchett herself and maybe Viola Davis, she is simply flawless. As Philomena she is captivating. The character is sometimes ambivalent, always apprehensive, and frequently surprising.

In the elegant screenplay, Philomena says while describing a romance novel she’s read, “I didn’t see that coming.” And indeed, the twist in the story is one we don’t see coming either. Dench is so nuanced with the material that she manages to keep the audience on it toes.

The other actress who will be added to the Oscar list in lead is Sandra Bullock. “Gravity” was described from Venice as a masterpiece and it is to this extent– the technical achievement are wondrous. As a 3D breakthrough, “Gravity” is this year’s “Avatar,” albeit with a stronger script.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are basically in a two-hander. Clooney’s role is much smaller however. Bullock is the real story, and her Dr  Ryan Stone is tailor made for her: plucky, resilient, with a sad back story and the will to live. She also looks, frankly, unbelievable. It doesn’t hurt that in real life Bullock is incredibly likable. She conveys it on screen.  We are always rooting for her.

“Gravity” is otherwise a tremendous potential hit on IMAX and for the best 3D screens. It should erase all of Warner Bros.’s financial flops from the past year because it’s short and to the point. It is also reminiscent of the Ray Bradbury short story I mentioned a couple of weeks ago called “Kaleidoscope.” The story has been turned into an excellent short film by Brett Stimely. That film is making the festival rounds, too.

The films are similar in many ways. But the genius of “Gravity” was turning the main character into a woman, and casting Bullock. Those are the masterstrokes here.

PS China will love “Gravity.” I can’t give it away, but the Chinese space program figures importantly.