/* 26 dogs */ - time is fleeting in Waltz with Bashir on Day ONE of TIFF08

DAY ONE
Thursday Sept 4, 2008

WALTZ WITH BASHIR
9 pm
RYERSON

Ari Folman is the director of his own personal story of life during wartime doing the Lebanon in 1982 - but the story is universal - this could be any soldier's story - only an animated movie could encompass the wide range of memory loss, the transience of memory, the insanity of war, the pain of lost love, and coming to terms - Waltz with Bashir is therapy. The movie is both funny and poignant but war like life is like that. The music albeit loud in the Ryerson theatre [hopefully they can fix that] scored by Max Richter lends the soignee and melancholy and pulse and drive of the movie. The vibrant Enola Gay adds that 80s touch aboard the "Love Boat", and PIL's This Is Not A Love Song is perfect heartbreak music for a soldier's loss of his girlfriend. This movie whose genesis was back in the Hot Docs competition 3 years ago at TIFF, is slated for release by Seville.

/* Don't panic ! */ - The Hitchhiker's Guide to TIFF08

I'm sick, you're tired
let's dance dance dance
- Metric, Calculation Theme

After your head has exploded after trying to figure out your final schedule - your work has paid off.

The festival is on!



Quick survival tips:
No matter what, bring a light jacket for the times when the sky is dark.
Coffee Crisp makes a nice light snack.
And above all:
Always feel free to kick, throw coffee at or severely injure anyone who tries to talk about a movie you have not seen yet.
Don't forget your towel.

/* Overture dim the lights this is it */ - TIFF starts today !

We're already feeling nervous again.

There's nothing like first day to set the tone. Last year we were already in our first star sighting with Jodie Foster in black at Ryerson for The Brave One. But no luck in scheduling Persepolis. Two strange movies to start us off this year at Ryerson: Amos Gitai's Plus Tard Tu Comprendras followed by the animated Waltzing with Bashir.

This should be a good day. (But of course we have to survive the daything first).

TIFF08 minus 1 day ! /* Mirror mirror on the wall show me where the bombs will fall */

With a certain hesitation and regard we await the opening day of TIFF08



Surely there will be gems amongst your choices - and no matter of catty comments or nasty asides should spoil your TIFF experience. Even those terse reviews in your local paper or entertainment weekly should not detract from your ultimate enjoyment.

After all, this is your Toronto International Film Festival.



all the words will lose their meaning
- Arcade Fire Black Mirror

But just in case you forgot why you want to see movies first at TIFF

8/19/2008| Toronto International Film Festival Announces Over 500 Guests For 2008 Event


Toronto - The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival welcomes over 500 international stars and special guests. These filmmakers, actors, and industry insiders, connected to Festival films and other Festival programming, represent the finest in film talent from around the world.

The following guests are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:

Aaron Poole, Aaron Woodley, Abraham Ravett, Adam Del Deo, Adam Garnet Jones, Adolfo Alix Jr., Adria Petty, Adrian Sitaru, Adrien Brody, Agnès Varda, Aida Begic, Akin Omotoso, Akshay Kumar, Alan Alda, Albert Serra, Alec Baldwin, Alessandro Nivola, Alex Flores, Alexander Sebastien Lee, Alexis Alexiou, Alicia Keys, Amariah Faulkner, Amos Gitaï, Amos Kollek, Andrea Zambelli, Andreas Dresen, Anees Bazmee, Angèle Coutu, Ann Marie Fleming, Anna Boden, Anne Anglin, Anne Fontaine, Anne Hathaway, Annie Bradley, Anthony Arnove, Anthony Fabian, Anthony Mackie, Anthony Wong, Antoine L'Écuyer, Anton Yelchin, Antonio Banderas, Antti-Jussi Annila, Ari Folman, Arnaud des Pallières, Arnaud Desplechin, Arne Glimcher, Arsinée Khanjian, Assane Kheiro, Astra Taylor, Astrid Ofner, Atom Egoyan, Augustus Prew, Avital Ronell, Baayork Lee, Babz Chula, Baltasar Kormákur, Barbet Schroeder, Barmak Akram, Barry Jenkins, Beatriz Rico, Ben Barnes, Ben Kempas, Ben Kingsley, Benicio Del Toro, Bent Hamer, Bill Maher, Bill Sales, Bob Martin, Bohdan Sláma, Brad Pitt, Breno Silveira, Brian Goodman, Brian Stockton, Brianna Scarfone, Brigitte Pogonat, Brillante Ma. Mendoza, Brittany Allen, Bruce McDonald, Bruno Barreto, Bryan Brown, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cameron Labine, Camille Sullivan, Candice Day, Carina Caputo, Carl B. Dorvil, Carl Bessai, Carlos Sorín, Carly Pope, Caroline Dhavernas, Carolyne Eisenberg, Caroline Link, Casey Manderson, Chai Vasarhelyi, Charles Martin Smith, Charles Officer, Charlie Cox, Charlie Kaufman, Charlize Theron, Charlotte Legault, Chi McBride, Chick Reid, Chris Chong Chan Fui, Chris Evans, Chris Gehman, Chris McCarroll, Chris Moore, Christian Petzold, Christina Collins, Christine Brubaker, Christophe Barratier, Christopher Walken, Chus Gutiérrez, Claire Danes, Claire Denis, Clark Johnson, Claudel Poirier, Clive Holden, Clovis Cornillac, Colin Farrell, Colin Firth, Constant Mentzas, Cornel West, Costa Tavaroniski, Craig Alan Edwards, Cynthia Nixon, Cyrus Nowrasteh, Dakota Fanning, Dan Popa, Dan Stone, Dana Nachman, Daniel Brière, Daniel Brühl, Daniel Burman, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Daniel Hendler, Daniel J. Gordon, Daniela Thomas, Danny Boyle, Darren Aronofsky, David Gatten, David Huband, David Koepp, David Ludwig, David Oyelowo, David Schwimmer, David Siegel, David Weaver, David Woroner, Davis Guggenheim, Debra Winger, Declan McCarthy, Deepa Mehta, Delphine Chuillot, Denis Villeneuve, Derek Luke, Derick Martini, Des Walsh, Don Hardy, Don McKellar, Donna McKechnie, Dorothee Wenner, Douglas Goodwin, Duane Hopkins, Duraid Munajim, Dylan Everett, Dylan Moran, Ed Harris, Eddie Cahill, Edward Norton, Elena Hudgins Lyle, Elizabeth Banks, Elizabeth Lazebnik, Ella Lemhagen, Emmanuelle Beart, Emmanuelle Devos, Eric Schlosser, Erika Loic, Eriko Sonoda, Ethan Coen, Ethan Hawke, Eva Amurri, Eva Sørhaug, Evan Rachel Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Fabrice Du Welz, Fabrice Luchini, Federico Veiroj, Félicité Wouassi, Félix Beaulieu-Duchesneau, Félix Dufour-Laperrière, Fernando Meirelles, Ferzan Ozpetek, Fien Troch, Frances McDormand, Francesco Munzi, Francis Ducharme, Francis Leclerc, Franck Vestiel, François Dupeyron, François Girard, François Velle, François Verster, Frank Erl, Gabor Csupo, Gabriel Medina,Gbrielle Néron, Gabrielle Rose, Gadi Harel, Gael García Bernal, Gavin O'Connor, Gaylen Ross, Geetika Sharma, Geneviève Ouellon, Geoffrey Rush, Geordie Dobson, Georgina Reilly, Gerard Butler, Gerardo Naranjo, Gick Grewal, Gil Bellows, Gilles Bourdos, Gina Prince- Bythewood, Gina Sylvester, Glenn Ligon, Götz Spielmann, Gracie Otto, Greg Kinnear, Guillermo Arriaga, Guka Omarova, Guy Édoin, Guy Ritchie, Haile Gerima, Hajime Kadoi, Hal Hedley, Hans Steinbichler, Haoua Abakar, Helen Lee, Hélène Loiselle, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Hollman Morris, Howard Zinn, Hrant Alianak, Ian FitzGibbon, Iannis Smaragdis, Inés Efron, Ing K, Ingrid Veninger, Isabelle Blais, Isabelle Huppert, J.T. Petty, Jack White, Jacob Switzer, Jacques-Rémy Girard, James Benning, James D. Stern, James Downing, James McBride, Jamie Jay Johnson, Jamie M. Dagg, Jan Troell, Jason Issacs, Jason Jones, Jason Phin, Javier Cámara, Javor Gardev, Jay Baruchel, Jean-Francois Richet, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Jean-Marc Barr, Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Jeff Goldblum, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Goldberg, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Reeves, Jeremy Irons, Jeremy Northam, Jeremy Piven, Jeremy Renner, Jerry Zaks, Jerzy Skolimowski, Jessica Biel, Jessica Booker, Jessica Haines, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Jia Zhang-ke, Jija Yanin Vismitananda, Jill Hennessy, Jim Jennings, Jim Sturgess, Jimmy Page, Joan Dupont, Joan Richards, Joana Hadjithomas, Jodie Markell, Jodie Whittaker, Joe Balass, Joe Dinicol, Joel Coen, Joel Thomas Hynes, John Breglio, John Crowley, John Malkovich, John Stockwell, Jon Abrahams, Jon Hart, Jon Hewitt, Jonathan Demme, Jordan Canning, Jorge Luis González, Josef Bierbichler, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Joshua Jackson, Josué Méndez, Juan José Lozano, Juan Pablo de Santiago, Julia Ormond, Julianne Moore, Julie McCarthy, Jung Woo-sung, Juraj Lehotský, Justin Chatwin, Justin Simms, Karen LeBlanc, Karen Oganesyan, Kari Skogland, Karim Dridi, Karin Lernbeiss, Karl Geary, Karl Lemieux, Karoline Herfurth, Kat Dennings, Kate Beckinsale, Kate Mara, Kathryn Bigelow, Katrina Kaif, Kazik Radwanski, K.C. Collins, Keb' Mo', Keira Knightley, Kelly O'Neill, Kelly Reichardt, Kenichi Matsuyama, Kenneth Ward, Keven McAlester, Kevin Papatie, Kevin Rafferty, Kevin Smith, Kevin Zegers, Khalil Joreige, Khayar Oumar Defallah, Kieran Culkin, Kieran Kennedy, Kim Jee-woon, Kiran Bedi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kornél Mundruczó, Kristen Thomson, Kristian Levring, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kristin Trembinski, Kristine Cofsky, Kristopher Belman, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Lakis Lazopoulos, Lance Daly, Larry Charles, Laura Linney, Lauren Graham, Laurence Carbonneau, Laurent Delbecque, Laytrel McMullen, Laz Alonso, Léa Pool, LeBron James, Lee Byung-hun, Leon Geller, Leonardo de Armas, Liam Neeson, Liane Balaban, Lichuan Yin, Lina Roessler, Lisa Houle, Lisandro Alonso, Liu Fendou, Louise Bourgoin, Luc Bourdon, Luc Dardenne, Lyne Charlebois, Lynn Collins, Mabrouk El Mechri, Macarena Gomez, Macarena Gomez, Madeline Piujuq Ivalu, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Malcolm Rogge, Malgoska Szumowska, Marc Abraham, Marc Bendavid, Marcel Sarmiento, Marco Kreuzpaintner, Marco Pontecorvo, Marcus Vetter, Margaux Williamson, Maria Deschamps, Maria Govan, Maria Heiskanen, Marie-Hélène Cousineau, Marisa Tomei, Mark Doherty, Mark Hartley, Mark Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Mark Van de Ven, Martha Burns, Martha Nussbaum, Martin Provost, Martina Gusman, Marty Montgomery, Mathew Kaufman, Mathieu Bourguet, Matt Aselton, Matt Damon, Matt Dillon, Matt Gordon, Matt Hopkins, Matt Tyrnauer, Matteo Garrone, Matthew Newton, Matthew Rankin, Max Färberböck, Meadow Wells-goudie, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Megan Doneman, Megan Jones, Melanie Schnell, Meredith Bailey, Meredith Cheesbrough, Michael Cera, Michael Ealy, Michael Fassbender, Michael McGowan, Michael Peña, Michael Winterbottom, Michel Gomes, Mickey Rourke, Miguel Martí, Mijke de Jong, Mika Kaurismäki, Mikael Persbrandt, Mike Beaver, Mike Leigh, Mike Maryniuk, Mohammad Bakri, Mozhan Marnò, Nakhee Sung, Nandita Das, Nate Parker, Nathalie Richard, Nathan MacIntosh, Nathaniel Dorsky, Nati Baratz, Neil Burger, Neil Burns, Neil Fraser, Nicholas Pye, Nick Ashdon, Nick McKinlay, Nick Oceano, Nicolas Brault, Nigel Cole, Nik Fackler, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Noah Segan, Noam Jenkins, Ole Christian Madsen, Olivier Assayas, Omar Benson Miller, Oscar Martínez, Pablo Agüero, Pablo Larrain, Pablo Trapero, Pamela Farrauto, Paolo Sorrentino, Pascal Laugier, Pat Mills, Patrice Dubois, Patrick Gambuti, Patrick Gazé, Patrick Goyette, Paul Bettany, Paul Cronin, Paul Dano, Paul Gross, Paul Schrader, Peace Anyiam- Fiberesima, Perla Haney-Jardine, Peter O'Toole, Peter Singer, Peter Sollett, Phawat Panangkasiri, Philip Haas, Philippe Claudel, Philippe Falardeau, Pierfrancesco Favino, Prachya Pinkaew, Prakash Raj, Preity Zinta, Priyadarshan, Queen Latifah, Rachal Blanchard, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, Rafaël Ouellet, Ralph Fiennes, Ram Bergman, Ramin Bahrani, Randall Cole, Randall Okita, Randy Quaid, Rashid Masharawi, Rebecca Baron, Réjean Lefrançois, Renee Zellweger, Rian Johnson, Richard Eyre, Richard Linklater, Richard Parry, Ricky Gervais, Rinko Kikuchi, Rithy Panh, Robert Carlyle, Robert Joy, Robert Kenner, Robert King, Robert Koehler, Robert Randolph, Robert Todd, Rod Lurie, Rodrigo Santoro, Rodrigue Jean, Romain Duris, Rory Culkin, Roschdi Zem, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ruth Williamson, Ryan Fleck, Ryosuke Hashiguchi, Sabrina Grdevich, Safy Nebbou, Sam Neill, Samantha Bee, Sami Khan, Samira Makhmalbaf, Samuel Chow, Sara St. Onge, Sarah Fortin, Saul Dibb, Scott Campbell, Scott McGehee, Scott Speedman, Scott Wills, Semi Chellas, Semih Kaplanoglu, Sergey Dvortsevoy, Sergi Lopez, Sheila Heti, Sheila Pye, Sherry White, Sherry White, Shiloh Fernandez, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Sholem Krishtalka, Sima Urale, Simon Reynolds, Sir Michael Caine, So Yong Kim, Soledad Porta, Solongo Galbadrakh, Song Kang-ho, Sonja Bennett, Sook-Yin Lee, Sophia Bush, Sophie Okonedo, Spike Lee, Srinivas Krishna, Stefania Hristea, Stefanie Eby, Stephan Elliott, Stephen Belber, Stephen McHattie, Steve Jacobs, Steve McQueen, Steve Zahn, Steven Soderbergh, Sudz Sutherland, Suhail Abdul Hussein, Susan Coyne, Susan Sarandon, Suzanne Clément, Suzie LeBlanc, Sylvie Drapeau, T. Marie, TaeinPark, Tantoo Cardinal, Tatia Rosenthal, Tea Leoni, Tenzin Zopa, Terence Davies, Terry Miles, Thandie Newton, The Edge, Thomas Borch Nielsen, Thomas Woschitz, Thure Lindhardt, Tiffany Lyndall Knight, Tilda Swinton, Tim Braddock, Tim Dowler, Tim Hamilton, Tim Robbins, Tim Roth, Timo Torikka, Timothy Hutton, Tinsel Kovey, Toa Fraser, Tom McCamus, Tom Shu-Yu Lin, Tom Wilkinson, Tony Massil, Toshio Lee, Tracey Heggins, Tracy Wright, Tristan Wilds, Tygh Runyan, Tyler Labine, Uberto Pasolini, Uros Stojanovic, Valdís Óskarsdóttir, Valentina Cervi, Vanessa O'Neill, Vansh Bhardwaj, Vera Farmiga, Vicente Amorim, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, Vincent D'Onofrio, Warren P. Sonoda, Werner Schroeter, Willa Holland, William Forrest, Wong Kar Wai, Wyatt Cenac, Yanna McIntosh, Yesim Ustaoglu, Yolande Moreau, Young-seok Noh, Youssou Ndour, Youssouf Djaoro, Yu Lik-wai, Yulene Olaizola, Zac Efron, Zooey Deschanel.

TIFF08 minus 2 days - /* it's too quiet Jim */

As of 7 am on the other side of midnight the rest of the festival is released to the outside world as the individual tickets go on sale.

These are the other tickets the pass holders could not get their hands on - so it is now or never to get that movie you want to see. Mind you those individual tickets are on the order of 25$, and the Gala tickets are $44 [ more or less ]. We used to stand in that line for the three or four hours winding around College Park or going up and down the stairs at the Eaton Centre 2 below. It was simpler back then when all you wanted to see was maybe one or two movies - and even 10 if you could afford it. Then one year we made it all the way up to 13 movies - and this was standing in rush lines outside the Uptown to try to buy tickets for Personal Velocity or Heaven or Secretary, or standing on the last night of the festival outside the Varsity hoping for such exciting titles as being introduced to Vince Gallo's Trouble Every Day, (then later going on to discover Buffalo 66 and the hit of the festival The Brown Bunny on our first fullblown Festival 50 coupon pass). It all starts so simply, then you are hooked. There has to be some reason why we all endure the line-ups that TIFF subjects us to, and besides, they want the line-ups. And we endure because Toronto just loves their movies.

TIFF07 lives on

While Toronto looks forward to and braces itself for the pending Toronto International Film Festival 2008, last year's 2007 version still lives on in the theatres.

While it may be a pleasurable experience to see a director or a star present at your film of choice at the festival itself, sometimes if you wait long enough the films will come back.

Even now at AMC Yonge and Dundas Boy A from last year is playing along with Up The Yangtze and Mongol and at other repertory theatres such as the Regent The Counterfeiters, Le Balon Rouge which we were delighted with last year with the fabulous Juliette Binoche and of course over at the Carlton where films go to die last year's TIFF sexsation and the PControversial Young People F*(**** [ in YPF it was people acting with their clothes off and a much better viewing than the year before that Shortbus ].

While Hellboy 2 itself was not a TIFF selection, the film continued the strong visual and artistic style that is Guillermo del Toro's present in Pan's Labyrnth.

And if you wait long enough - you might even see an indie movie such as Blindness actually make it to a movie theatre! Imagine that! The trailer for Blindness is already on The Tracey Fragments DVD with the awesome Ellen Page that we are watching to get back into the swing of TIFF while we are wearing out TIFF06 cap - it was either that or Juno again. [And fans of Regenesis should note Showcase is back in the season one Ellen Page Lilith episodes].

TIFF08 minus 3 days - /* 03:24:18 */

Monday, Sept 1, 2008

Can it be September already?

Usually there is some movie at TIFF where some time of day is in the title that portends something ominous or climactic. Instances include the great movie 11:14 [which never saw the light of day in theatre but in the compact comfiness of the Uptown Bloor 2 everyone in the place was just laughing at the sheer bizarreness of all the antics onscreen - and the comely Rachael Leigh Cook as well - and Hilary Swank ! post Boys Don't Cry ] , or there is the melodramatic high school Australian movie 2:18 [ check title later ] which was a worthy follow-up to the likes of Gus Van Sant's Elephant [ who actually mentored the director ] .

So this year we had our own version of 03:24:18 - the total time from start to finish from when we landed at the end of the line-up to pick up the tickets for TIFF08 to the time we made the last switch of tickets and coupons and resolved all time conflicts and double scheduling and said to ourselves at the food court tables outside the Toronto Life Box Office that at last ! our schedule was done.

Our Final Schedule /* ha ! */

So here is the schedule we have shaped with much sweat and blood and furrowed brow and hope for the best - and we actually look forward to this. Note of course that not everything was possible to attain or schedule - being in Box 50 did not helpMany thanks to the great site TOFilmfiest which is devoted to getting out the TIFF schedule every year along with star ratings and reviews in advance to make the selection process just that little bit easier.

Just to rewind for a second and first things first: the Festival Lite pass is good for 30 tickets outside the galas - big change from last year - the Festival Lite pass itself is a change from last year when it was not there at all - so it was 50 or 10. So we bought the Festival 50 last year and took the whole festival off from the outside world. However, this year is different - outside world by day - festival by night. This is not going to be pleasant. Nonetheless, we are going to enjoy TIFF08 to our utmost. Sleep? who needs it.


Plus Tard, Tu Comprendras THU 9/4/08 06:00pm Ryerson

Waltz with Bashir THU 9/4/08 09:00pm Ryerson

Three Wise Men FRI 9/5/08 05:30pm AMC 6

Wendy and Lucy FRI 9/5/08 07:45pm AMC 7

Zift SAT 9/6/08 09:15am Scotiabank 3

Detroit Metal City SAT 9/6/08 12:00pm Scotiabank 2

Un Ete Sans Point Ni Coup Sur SAT 9/6/08 03:00pm Scotiabank 4

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist SAT 9/6/08 06:00pm Ryerson

Katia's Sister SAT 9/6/08 08:45pm AMC 4

35 Rhums SUN 9/7/08 09:15am Scotiabank 4

The Burning Plain SUN 9/7/08 09:45am Scotiabank 2

La Fille de Monaco SUN 9/7/08 12:15pm Scotiabank 1

Is There Anybody There SUN 9/7/08 03:00pm Ryerson

Le Silence de Lorna SUN 9/7/08 06:00pm Scotiabank 1

Genova SUN 9/7/08 08:30pm Wintergarden

The Hurt Locker MON 9/8/08 06:00pm Ryerson

Gigantic MON 9/8/08 09:45pm Isabel Bader

Nuit de Chien TUE 9/9/08 06:15pm Scotiabank 2

The Brothers Bloom TUE 9/9/08 09:00pm Ryerson

What Doesn't Kill You WED 9/10/08 06:30pm Ryerson

Good WED 9/10/08 09:15pm Ryerson

Uncertainty THU 9/11/08 06:30pm AMC 6

Revanche THU 9/11/08 08:45pm AMC 5

Control Alt Delete FRI 9/12/08 06:00pm AMC 1

Deadgirl FRI 9/12/08 09:00pm AMC 6

The Wrestler SAT 9/13/08 09:00am Ryerson

It Might Get Loud SAT 9/13/08 12:00pm AMC 6

Martyrs SAT 9/13/08 04:00pm AMC 3

Once Upon a Time in Rio SAT 9/13/08 07:00pm AMC 3

The Other Man SAT 9/13/08 09:30pm Isabel Bader

Just in from TIFF - Sunday night and back to the drawing board

Our Schedule (click here) from TIFF came in this weekend - and we were not entirely pleased. 27 out of 30 with 3 duplicate films, 2 time conflicts and 3 coupons to redeem.

Waltz with Bashir THU 9/4/08 09:00pm

Three Wise Men FRI 9/5/08 05:30pm

Wendy and Lucy FRI 9/5/08 07:45pm

Detroit Metal City SAT 9/6/08 12:00pm

Nick and Norah's Infinite... SAT 9/6/08 06:00pm


Katia's Sister SAT 9/6/08 08:45pm


Nick and Norah's Infinite... SUN 9/7/08 09:30am


The Burning Plain SUN 9/7/08 09:45am


La Fille de Monaco SUN 9/7/08 12:15pm


Wendy and Lucy SUN 9/7/08 12:45pm


Le Silence de Lorna SUN 9/7/08 06:00pm


Genova SUN 9/7/08 08:30pm


The Hurt Locker MON 9/8/08 06:00pm


Gigantic MON 9/8/08 09:45pm


Nuit de Chien TUE 9/9/08 06:15pm


The Brothers Bloom TUE 9/9/08 09:00pm


What Doesn't Kill You WED 9/10/08 06:30pm


Good WED 9/10/08 09:15pm


Uncertainty THU 9/11/08 06:30pm


Revanche THU 9/11/08 08:45pm


Control Alt Delete FRI 9/12/08 06:00pm


Deadgirl FRI 9/12/08 09:00pm


The Wrestler SAT 9/13/08 09:00am


Genova SAT 9/13/08 12:00pm


Martyrs SAT 9/13/08 04:00pm


Once Upon a Time in Rio SAT 9/13/08 07:00pm


The Other Man SAT 9/13/08 09:30pm

TIFF08 minus 5 days - shock

I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!



In rehearsal mode for TIFF, descended back into the world of the AMC 24 at Yonge and Future Shop and it was not totally unpleasant. Comfortable seats - good sound system for sure - pristine prints - the downside was the presence of other sapiens sitting in the theatre as well and acting as if they expected to stay here too. This is not the regular home theatre experience - so girls in short skirts and flipflops propping their feet on the chairs ahead of them munching on popcorn which is another thing - some people know how to chew popcorn quietly and others are just plain rude about it.

And the final shock - trailers! trailers for movies that were about to open and we were planning to see at TIFF08 ! Burn After Reading ! An indie Coen brothers movie ! Really ? a movie that would be individually 45 $ for one ticket or one of the 8 for $350 Gala pass ! Appaloosa ! An Ed Harris movie with a trailer ! This was going into shellshock territory. And movie posters ! Rocknrolla ! a gala movie denied to anyone without the Gala pas. The Day The Earth Stood Still ! And finally Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist - the next Michael Cera movie everyone is falling upon as the next Juno for some reason - a movie we picked three times for our TIFF list and hoping for the best. And if you read the freebie magazine you would find out that Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a P*rno would actually be in a movie theatre in October !

So there it is in a nutshell - a movie that you pick at TIFF may actually be seeable in the near future

TIFF08 minus 6 days

How did it come to all this madness - with its maddening lineups, its maddening scheduling riddled with spacing and conflicts, the maddening days of too little sleep nights, the maddening realization at 3 in the morning that the selections have to be handed in the morning and the realization that those last few picks and desired movies will just not fit or the decision on what those are in the first place ? And because the decision was made to not skip the employment and instead see TIFF at night during weekdays and weekends and purchase the Festival *Lite* package of 30 tickets. Yet it ends up going into work late so that you could [ and see below ] anyway end up on this final day to get the selections in before the 1 p.m. deadline, racing downtown in the morning on The Better Way [ knows as take the car to all the propagandists ] to the box office gives an appreciation to what it is to not to have to make that daily commute downtown. And still the necessity to buy that one more cup of A&W coffee in the Eaton Centre Food Court and open up the advanced schedule book to make the final markings of first and second choice and still taking another hour to complete the book with yellow first choice and green second choice and end up making way too many yellow markings and hoping for the best that the conflicts will play themselves out to a model daily schedule of movie watching perfection then to get to the Toronto Life Building across the scrambled crosswalk and fly past the volunteer pointing up to the escalator to the final destination - only to see another lineup just to drop off the envelope into the dropbox - and to be floored by the sight of people huddling at steel tables in the food area still poring over pieces of paper and now you know the rest of the story.

[ The lineup - at the end of it was a table of more TIFF volunteers to meet and have them ask if any last minute help was needed in going over the book to which the reply was what could possibly go wrong now - and then the envelope is handed over and being told that it is going into Box 50 ]

[ Then the race to get back north up the TTC way to the place that pays for all this movie mania in the first place. Fun? Wow ]

This just in from TIFF - oh oh

Aug 29 - Box #9 has been selected as the first to be processed in the Advance Order Procedure. There were 78 boxes in the draw. Completed orders can be picked up only at our Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square, starting Monday, September, 1 at 10am.

Lucky 50

The lucky box is number 50 at 10 am

It has to be

( song of the moment - Joy Division Disorder )

The Lucky Ones

It seems the lucky ones to see
The Lucky Ones will be the gala types after all.

This is a reversal of procedure from last year - it seems only the elite few who can shell out the $45 for the gala ticket can enter the Elgin now.

http://tiff08.ca/images/films/luckyones.jpg

/* Here's looking at you kid */ - Casablanca bringing the crowd together at Toronto Life Square

August 26, 2008

On a perfect cool summer evening in Toronto but still with fashionable strappies and shorts in abundance - and the feel of real downtown - Toronto International Film Festival 2008 opened up for serious business - today was the first day to pick up the big programming books and the schedule is online - and now comes the pondering and the grr-ing as we head towards that Friday at 1 p.m deadline. The evening was jacket and sweater type of cool in Toronto - and down at Toronto Life Square in the outdoors it was a perfect night - standing under the big lit advertising signs - holding the TIFF bag full of all the programming goodies - including chocolates, Starbucks coffee and a box of TARDIS filled with a Stella Artois glass - and a marker pen and a penlight - and the programming book - and the just out Best Buy exclusive Heroes box complete with season 2 and a Kensei helmet ! [ we had to buy that separately - that's not part of TIFF ]

But we digress - for this summer eve was devoted to Summer Romance - on the theatre screen in on the stage at Toronto Life Square - amidst the hubbub of Toronto's busiest tourist intersection that is Yonge and Dundas and the glare and the glow of the overhead billboards lighting the evening - especially one touting the Traveling Pants 2 and the Sisterhood looking so fetch - the screen sprang to life with the story of German couriers in Africa during the Second World War carrying two exit visas - and three people.

It was a perfect day and night - chill in the air - sitting on the ground on a carpet or lucky enough to bring a chair - the people sitting under the stars drawn together by the chemistry of the stars and the on screen magic that is movies.

Have a great Festival !

music of the moment = Trembling Blue Stars Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise

The schedule is up !

08TIFF

It's the final countdown

The schedule is online now and out to the world !

Now begins the most hectic 75 hours of your life - trying to juggle all your movie choices into the precious little time that is ten days and nights - and make that schedule.

Good luck!

[ ... more to come ]

/* Are you in or you out? I'm in */

I'll go pack my stuff


It's that time of year to dive again into the heady world of Toronto International Film Festival - the 08 edition.

Somehow the thought of those undeserving dimwits at E! Canada et al [ nice guy al but a dimwit ] covering the red carpets while we remained at home just did not sit well in the tummy. Even though it might not be possible this year due to the outside world to attend all 50 tickets on the Festival pass - we still have to be there.

First things first. Where do you buy the pases this year and where do you pick it up?

What are the top 20 fun movies to see for now ? Feel free to let us know - and drop by TOfilmfest '08 - a good place to be.


For relaxing times make it Suntory time

/* Oh Max */ - Would you believe Get Smart is smart fun

The new 2000s Get Smart movie delivers the spirit of the original television show of the incomparable Don Adams role Maxwell Smart without the original chaos or KAOS. At best Steve Carrell [ from The Office and Little Miss Sunshine amongst other things ] channels the mannerisms of Don Adams without strictly imitating his iconic gestures and Anne Hathaway embodies the independent strength of Barbara Feldon's 99 and is smoking hot to boot. And even she gets to deliver her trademark "Oh Max."

Aside from all that notwithstanding the moving nods to its predecessor, the movie Get Smart really bears little resemblance to a Get Smart episode but gets by on sheer fun and personality. Some new nuances are the duo of Heroes Hiro and a super bad virgin. The Chief's sidekick Larabee was never this annoying or bumbling - played as a Vince Vaughn type wannabee by David Koechner. And Fang was a mutt. The quick backstory is Maxwell Smart is a field analyst in CONTROL who yearns to be an agent in the field - and the day finally comes where he is promoted to Agent 86. There are obviously elements that harken the show: the Cone of Silence is de rigeur and Agent 13 jammed in some tiny nook or cranny - and the passageway of the doors - and that great theme song. Alan Arkin is the put-upon Chief who suffers the slings and arrows of misfortune - sorry about that Chief - but he is no Edward Platt [ yes he of Rebel Without A Cause ] .

Just sit back and enjoy the ride - and follow the development of the chemistry between 86 and 99 onwards to see Get Smart again?

Smart People - smart and witty viewing

Ellen Page as the arch conservative Republican with the arch wit fits in well with this small ensemble cast of Dennis Quaid who delivers a very curmudgeonly professorial persona which given the circumstances fits him to a T.

/* Unfortunately she drank too much and passed out */ - My Sassy Girl - Elisha Cuthbert sassy to the end

Write well.

The tale of an accidental prone relationship between Charlie Bellows and Jordan Roark [ with two syllables ] told in narrative by the boyfriend looking back upon his first love.

The movie's charm relies on the cute as a button Elisha Cuthbert - the love at first glance with a sassy spirit and a penchant for aggressive behaviour as she starts drinking too much which is part of her zest for living. Charlie played quite affably by Jesse Bradford who is once caught up in the net of an attractive girl a la Swimfan.

Studious Charlie is trying to follow in his father's footsteps trying to move ahead in the company - only this time by going through college and moving forward through management ranks. But one day in the subway and trying to be gallant and noble, he saves the drunken girl from mishap and the course of his life is changed.

I wish you a story with a happy ending.

Mad Detective

Mad Detective seen at TIFF 2007 is making a slow release in the US at the moment.

A bizarre film of a detective with an unconventional method of "profiling" - without giving the whole story - he gets inside people's heads. Recommended if you have the patience for letting the movie unravel and getting through the plotline and subtitles. The lead is not the nicest character on the block so give the story time.