TORONTO — From Ryan Gosling’s coffee house surprise to Xavier Dolan’s letter to Leonardo DiCaprio, there was plenty to keep people talking at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Here are some highlights of the fest, which wraps Sunday:

Standout Films:

“A Star is Born“: All hype aside, Bradley Cooper’s glossy directorial debut makes a strong case for his talent on both sides of the camera lens. His remake of the legendary Hollywood tale, told and retold over the years, pulses with energy at every turn. But it’s Cooper as country musician Jackson Maine and Lady Gaga playing aspiring singer Ally who steal the show as two forlorn souls with instant chemistry. That leaves many of the film’s other thrilling performances still to be discovered by audiences when it hits theatres next month. Sam Elliott is already a serious bet for a supporting actor Oscar nod for his role as Jackson’s brother, while Dave Chappelle and Andrew Dice Clay are almost unrecognizable in smaller parts.

“First Man“: Director Damien Chazelle provides an intimate and thrilling look into the life of Neil Armstrong and his moon-landing journey with the Apollo 11 through extreme close-ups and a powerful score from Justin Hurwitz. Ryan Gosling embodies Armstrong’s stoic, steely nature while Claire Foy deftly portrays the fear and frustration brewing beneath the surface of his wife, Janet. Although we already know the outcome of the 1969 lunar mission, Chazelle’s storytelling will have you on the edge of your seat. See it in Imax for the full experience.

“If Beale Street Could Talk“: Director Barry Jenkins follows up his 2016 best-picture Oscar winner “Moonlight” with a poetic look at an African-American family fighting for justice in 1970s New York. KiKi Layne stars as a 19-year-old fighting to free her falsely accused husband, played by Toronto native Stephan James, from prison before the birth of their child. Regina King is a standout as the teen girl’s mother desperately trying to find evidence to support her son-in-law’s case. The drama is an intoxicating blend of style and substance, with artful shots, a sharp script and harrowing archival photographs depicting racially charged police violence from the time.

“Roma“: With an astounding debut acting performance from Yalitza Aparicio and expertly crafted black-and-white shots, Alfonso Cuaron’s semi-autobiographical drama is an arresting experience that will linger long after you’ve left the theatre. Aparicio stars as a live-in maid for an upper-middle-class family in 1970s Mexico City, delivering a heartbreaking vulnerability that perhaps only a newcomer can. As the story follows her character for a year, capturing the intimate details of her daily routine and the struggles she faces on and off the job, one can’t help but feel deeply connected to her and greatly affected by her journey. Bring tissues. And try to see it in the theatre before it hits Netflix, if possible.

“Firecrackers“: Canadian director Jasmin Mozaffari’s debut feature is a marvel of cinematic images that captures the ignorance of youth and the troubling circumstances that sometimes keep young women away from their dreams. Set in a run-down Ontario town, the story follows best friends Lou and Chantal as they plan to make their escape into an adulthood of freedom in the big city. Unfortunately, those plans are quickly cut short, opening the film to a sharp examination of how gender roles influence expectations, and the way money restricts dreams. It’s a startling and potent portrayal of how the Instagram generation isn’t necessarily living their best life.

Most Polarizing Films:

“American Dharma“: Lauded documentarian Errol Morris has waged tête-a-têtes with consequential figures including two former U.S. defence secretaries, but the director was the one who found himself on the defensive with his latest project on Steve Bannon. Some questioned whether Morris should’ve provided the former strategist to U.S. President Donald Trump with a cinematic platform to share his controversial views. Critics were split on whether Morris gave Bannon too long a leash during their one-on-one discussions — or just enough rope to hang himself.

“Vox Lux“: Director Brady Corbet’s story of a pop star with a troubled past left audiences unsettled, but also left some critics wondering if Natalie Portman delivered the kind of performance that could earn the film accolades and major cult status.

Standout Performances:

Yalitza Aparicio: While she had never acted before taking on the starring role of a Mexican maid in “Roma,” Aparicio delivers a mind-blowing sense of truthfulness and sensitivity that should easily secure her an Oscar nomination. Her performance is even more remarkable when you see the emotionally charged scenes she had to lead, not to mention the pressure she faced in having to portray a character who is based on director Alfonso Cuaron’s real-life childhood nanny.

Stephan James: Remember his name, because this Toronto native is storming Hollywood. James blew away critics with his performances in two high-profile projects at TIFF this year — the Barry Jenkins film “If Beale Street Could Talk” and the Amazon series “Homecoming” with Julia Roberts. Both are vastly different stories that prove James, who was named a TIFF Rising Star in 2015, has depth and a leading-man presence.

Anthony Ramos: After playing dual roles in “Hamilton” on Broadway — starring as both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton — the 26-year-old actor showed his versatility on the big screen at TIFF with two starkly different characters. Ramos portrayed a responsible family man thrust into a life-changing scenario when he records a black man’s death at the hands of police in “Monsters and Men.” His turn as Lady Gaga’s campy gay best friend in “A Star is Born” showcased a much lighter side and his uncanny ability to shine even in the shadow of the pop singer’s superstardom.

Memorable Moments:

BITS AND FIGHTS: Festival opener “Outlaw King” could’ve attracted buzz for its ultra-violent historical action sequences, but it was two full-frontal nude scenes by Chris Pine that stole the show. The actor’s crown jewels dominated headlines about the star who during the festival press conference proclaimed, “I don’t want this film to be all about that moment.” Whether or not the tale of Scotland’s legendary Robert the Bruce will be remembered best its brief nudity, it’s safe to say more than a few viewers will stream the movie on Netflix upon its release in November to see what the fuss is about.

COFFEE RUN: Ryan Gosling caused a stir when he dropped by a small cafe that was a good 20-minute drive from the festival strip where most celeb-sightings take place. It was the culmination of a weeklong social media campaign by Joelle Murray, owner of Grinder Coffee, to get the “First Man” star to swing by. She says he was as charming as expected, taking time to greet each customer and shake their hands.

JOYFUL JULIA: Julia Roberts gave one fan an experience of a lifetime during a Q-and-A for the Amazon series “Homecoming.” When she learned he’d flown in from Indonesia to see her, the star went into the audience, gave him a hug and brought him onstage for a photo-op. “I’m in love with you!” she declared into the microphone for everyone to hear.

WEIGHTY ROLES: Joel Edgerton nibbled on a bowl of fresh berries and a plate of sliced bananas after skipping breakfast to swim laps in the hotel pool. The actor, who worked double duty as director on the gay-conversion therapy drama “Boy Erased,” was still trying to shed the pounds from his recent turn as Falstaff in Netflix’s upcoming “The King,” starring Timothée Chalamet. “He’s so slight he made me look bigger anyway,” Edgerton confided. “I was cultivating this big beard and growing my belly out. It was kind of fun to sit on the couch and let myself go.”

“HI LEONARDO“: Thus begins the letter that Montreal filmmaker Xavier Dolan wrote to Leonardo DiCaprio as a child, which he read aloud at the premiere of his first English-language film, “The Life and Death of John F. Donovan.” Eight-year-old Dolan tells DiCaprio that he’s also an actor, and he hopes they can work together if the “Titanic” star shoots a film in Montreal. Now the director of a film centring on the correspondence between a young fan and an actor, the grown-up Dolan told the crowd that DiCaprio’s work revealed a world of film “beyond what we imagine as children.”

Canadians aren’t keeping up with the need to protect their homes against catastrophic events made more common by climate change, says a coast-to-coast study from the University of Waterloo.

“Homeowners can do a lot themselves to reduce risk of flooding,” said Natalia Moudrak, study co-author and researcher at the university’s climate adaptation centre.

Climatologists have long warned that extreme weather, including floods, will become more common as temperatures warm.

Insurance payouts on the rise

The Insurance Bureau of Canada reports that insurance payouts from extreme weather have more than doubled every five to 10 years since the 1980s.

The Waterloo study reports that property and casualty payouts averaged about $405 million a year from 1983 to 2008. Since then, payouts have more than quadrupled to $1.8 billion, mostly from flooding.

That’s not inflated by rising real estate values.

“All of this data is corrected for inflation and it’s corrected for wealth creation,” said co-author Blair Feltmate Thursday. “This is an actual increase in the amount of money being paid out.”

Earlier: Trudeau calls N.B. community’s response to flooding “inspiring.” Story continues below.

At the same time, the study found a large number of Canadians are vulnerable to flooding. It concluded about 1.7 million households representing about 20 per cent of Canada’s population are at risk.

Repairs can be expensive. The average cost to homeowners for flood damage in the Greater Toronto Area is estimated at $43,000.

And for some, insurance is out of reach.

“Increasingly,” said Feltmate, “people cannot get insurance for their homes because they have experienced one or more floods or they live in an area that’s designated high-risk and the premiums that the insurers would have to charge are off the charts.”

Many subsidy programs confusing, difficult to apply for

At the same time, householders aren’t doing everything they can to protect themselves and their homes — even when subsidies are available for measures such as sump pumps.

“The uptake for these subsidies is quite low,” said Moudrak. “On average across Canada, the uptake on these subsidies is below 10 per cent, even in the really bad flood-prone areas.”

That’s partly because many of the programs are confusing and difficult to apply for, said Feltmate, although he added municipalities are fixing those problems.

The report points out easy and inexpensive ways to make homes more floodproof.

Installing a sump pump with backup power is one of the best moves, it says. Backwater valves can prevent nasty backflows from overloaded sewer systems from surging into basements.

The report recommends walking around a house during a rain to see how and where water is draining, then regrading areas where moisture pools near foundations. And leaves should be prevented from plugging street drains.

“Homeowners need to take a more active role in protecting themselves,” Moudrak said.

The report also looks at municipalities. Feltmate said communities are taking steps to adapt to new weather coming with a shifting climate, but the rate of change is outpacing efforts.

“We have an adaptation deficit growing in Canada right now,” he said.

Money laid out ahead of time pays off, said Feltmate. The study suggests every dollar spent on preparing for a flood or other weather catastrophe saves between $3 and $12 in cleanup costs.

“It’s a lot cheaper not to have the problem,” he said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story indicated that one of the study’s authors was David Feltmate. His name is Blair Feltmate.

ROCHESTER, Minn. – For the second consecutive season, Rock Valley (Ill.) defeated Herkimer (N.Y.) in the NJCAA Division III Softball Championship Game. This year’s edition saw the top-seeded Golden Eagles hold off a seventh-inning push from the No. 2 seed Generals for a 3-2 victory.

Spurring Rock Valley on to victory was freshman pitcher Morgan Adolph. For her dominance throughout the tournament, she was named the championship’s Most Valuable Player and received the Most Outstanding Pitcher award.

Sophomore catcher Vivi Marquez excelled as well for the Golden Eagles, earning the Most Outstanding Offensive Player award. Rock Valley sophomore first baseman Kaytee Keefe received the Marucci Elite Hitter award, while sophomore third baseman Haley Love was tabbed Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the tournament. The trio was joined by Golden Eagles freshman pitcher Katie Starkey and freshman left fielder Abby Kissack on the all-tournament team.

Rock Valley began its quest for the championship with an 18-0 run-rule victory over Allegheny County-South (Pa.) in the opening round. The Golden Eagles defeated St. Cloud Tech (Minn.) 4-1 in the quarterfinals before topping Herkimer for the first time in the tournament with a 2-1 win in the semifinals.

Rock Valley finished off the season with a 52-5 record after the title game victory. Herkimer dropped to 38-9 for the year with both of their only two losses DIII opponents coming at the hands of the Golden Eagles.

— Courtesy of NJCAA.org

Here’s your first look at a trailer for Prodigy, a new comic book from Netflix’s Millarworld comic company. The trailer introduces super-genius Edison Crane and sets the stakes as he’s faced with the first problem he may not be able to solve, and if he doesn’t, it could mean the end of the world.

Check it out:

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Prodigy is written by Mark Millar and drawn by Rafael Albuquerque.

When Netflix acquired Millar’s comic book company Millarworld earlier this year, the streaming giant announced plans to create movies based on Millar’s Empress, Sharkey the Bounty Hunter, and Huck as well as TV series for Jupiter’s Legacy and American Jesus. In addition, Millar has been working on creating new movies and shows for Netflix, some of which will be getting comics. The Magic Order (written by Millar with art by Olivier Coipel) was the first of these comics and up next is Prodigy, out next week. A Prodigy movie is currently in production for Netflix. A comic for Sharkey the Bounty Hunter from Millar and artist Simone Bianchi is on the way in February 2019.

Check back on IGN next week for our interview with Millar where he talks about the inspiration for Prodigy and gives a status update on all of his Netflix projects.