Though I'm still recovering from TIFF, I thought it seemed incomplete unless I were to do quick rundowns of the rest of my festival. So here is what my brain can currently muster:
Total films watched (all 11 days): 28
Favourites: Cloud Atlas, The We and the I, Much Ado About Nothing
Day 8(actual): Nicholas Lopez and a member of his cast weren't able to stay for a Q&A for Aftershock so they did a humourous Q&A BEFORE the screening instead. It set a good tone and the movie was fun. After that was the aforementioned Asian Night at the Thieves, there has to be one Asian get together at a movie every year. Think they spoke like 5 different languages in that film.
Day 9: Night out at the Bloor with Jason and Sachin for The Brass Teapot (which we liked) and Spring Breakers (which was mind-altering), we were joined by others for each individual show, tried out seats in balcony and main floor, and took advantage of the Bloor's liquor license (trust me, it's best to watch Spring Breakers with a drink in hand...or acid)
Day 10: Mission 10 movies in 2 days begins with What Richard Did with Mike, surprisingly engrossing despite being a quieter, slower film - wasn't that hard to stay awake for despite it being a 9am show. I was clearly not the target audience for Jayne Mansfield's Car and that's prob why I was in the theatre without friends. Made up for it with The We and the I, which I liked better than Michel Gondry's last 3 features (still dunno why it's getting bad reviews). Made the dash up to Bloor cinema again for the delightful Frances Ha and the back down to Rye to finish the night with Jack at Bad 25. (I liked Bad 25, but had I known it was already on TV I would've gone to iLL Manors.)
Day 11: Finally caught a couple more films with mom starting with Disconnect, squeezing in The Suicide Shop with Jack and Veronica in between, then the very enjoyable What Maisie Knew (was so out of my mind from exhaustion that I didn't even know I'd scheduled an Alexander Skarsgard day for myself, that was awesome). Took a leisurely walk up to Bloor for Sightseers (I was previously told by J that it's a "sweet love story", now I'm hesitant to introduce girls to him... that aside tho I thought it was a good time) then capped off the festival with the aptly titled Fin (The End) (not perfect but I enjoyed very much regardless).
For those who have me on facebook, TIFF12 photos are starting to surface (day 1-4 at this point, but that is the bulk of the photos) Stay tuned for more details on the individual films that I watched:
Dial M For Murder
Pusher
Perks of Being A Wallflower
Painless
90 Minutes
Silver Linings Playbook
Much Ado About Nothing
Writers
Byzantium
Stormsurfers 3D
Antiviral
Cloud Atlas
3
Here Comes the Devil
No One Lives
Aftershock
The Thieves
Brass Teapot
Spring Breakers
What Richard Did
Jayne Mansfield's Car
The We and the I
Frances Ha
Bad 25
Disconnect
The Suicide Shop
What Maisie Knew
Sightseers
Fin (The End)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Festival Mash-Up on TIFF Day 8
The sun is shinning and temps are rising for day 8 of the Toronto International Film Festival... and I am stuck behind a desk until 5pm *sigh*
So far I have watched 14 films, clocked about 32 hours of volunteering time, and only been turned away from one Rush film. Yesterday was the first time I caught myself nodding off during a pivotal point in a film I was enjoying (I don't feel bad if I fall asleep during a boring movie at this stage of the festival), though my ability to speak in complete coherent sentences has been wavering for a couple days now. I look forward to receiving that package of t-shifts I ordered from Threadless because I suspect I might be running low on clean whimiscal t-shirts.
There is many a tale to tell about my festival so far, from film reviews, to close encounters with celebs, to random reunions. However with the current state of my brain, I think it's best to grab my recaps from various social media sources that I've made updates on over the past week:
[one of my fav pics to take every year... the troop of volunteers at the Elgin/Winter Garden theatre]
http://t.co/xojkgbEY
[re: cloud atlas - you can also read my full review HERE]
[after a 7.5 volunteers shift on Day 5]
@palindr0me I saw u in the rush line am yelled ur name!!!!
So far I have watched 14 films, clocked about 32 hours of volunteering time, and only been turned away from one Rush film. Yesterday was the first time I caught myself nodding off during a pivotal point in a film I was enjoying (I don't feel bad if I fall asleep during a boring movie at this stage of the festival), though my ability to speak in complete coherent sentences has been wavering for a couple days now. I look forward to receiving that package of t-shifts I ordered from Threadless because I suspect I might be running low on clean whimiscal t-shirts.
There is many a tale to tell about my festival so far, from film reviews, to close encounters with celebs, to random reunions. However with the current state of my brain, I think it's best to grab my recaps from various social media sources that I've made updates on over the past week:
[about my first film of the fest]
Ada
@palindr0me - Hitchcock even does 3D better! It was a great movie to start my fest with!
[truism]
Ada
@palindr0me - Perks of Being a Wallflower teaches us that geeks and weirdos make the best kind of friends.
http://t.co/xojkgbEY
[re: cloud atlas - you can also read my full review HERE]
Ada
@palindr0me - #TIFF12 film 12 Never thought "what?" so many times while enjoying a film so much
[after a 7.5 volunteers shift on Day 5]
Ada
@palindr0me - So tired and on auto-pilot that I just thanked my security guard for saying hi to me !
[One of the reasons TIFF12 Day 4 was one of the best in TIFF history]
Ada
@palindr0me - Aaaand Colin Farrell just walks down the aisle past
us at the Ryerson! Didn't think this day could get any more awesome!!!
[re: TIFF gastronomy]
Ada
@palindr0me - "Enjoying" my first cereal bar of the festival, this will be replaced by "choking down" come day 10
Sachin Hingoo
@flashyMcflash - I am having a normal lunch but my breakfast was a handful of licorice allsorts #tiffdiet #tiff12
[twitter love]
“@palindr0me: Feet are killing post volunteer shift. Yay for #timberland eco cab ride!” U deserve a ride more than anyone #TIFF12 #volunteer
[re: me being deaf & blind]
[Day 7 progress on TIFF Bingo]
The Day by Day rundown (via facebook):
Day one in the books with just one movie but have 2 P&I's planned in
the morning, 8 hours of volunteering, and might join the stalkerazzi at
Seven Psychopaths. Today's celeb sightings include a glimpse of Joseph
Gordon Levitt, Emily Blunt's hair, and John Krasinski. Apparently I
was looking elsewhere when Tom Green walked by at the Lightbox.
Day 2: Successfully rushed 2 P&I
films and made it thru the usual hectic first Friday night at the Elgin.
Ran into a friend from university, a friend from the raver days, and
naturally several TIFF friends. Celebs I glimpsed included Jude Law♥,
Kiera Knightley and Christina Hendrick's profile. Never met a pair of 5"
heels I didn't like until I saw Elle Fanning's tonight. Can't believe I
missed Joss Whedon! More volunteering and movies tomorrow starting at
9am!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
TIFF 2012 - One Sleep Away!
Speaking of sleep, that is one thing I did not get enough of leading up to this year's festival. Can't believe it all kicks off tomorrow! My laundry's all done, there's no food in my fridge that requires more than 10 mins to cook, and my vitamin C and Echinacea is sitting out ready for daily maintenance consumption. My day-to-day bag is packed with the usual and I have 21 hard tickets to start the festival with.
This past weekend was our annual urban camping trip, at least that's how I refer to my annual camp-out outside the festival box office for the first day of single tickets sales. The crowds have thinned over the years thanks to online purchase options, but as of right now, those of us with lots of volunteer vouchers to redeem still need to show up in person. In order to be first in line, you still need to get there pretty early, this year it was 20+ hours early. Easily the most hours I've ever lined up for anything! The boys and I set up camp (read: a few fold-up chairs and a cooler) around 3pm on Saturday afternoon in David Pecault Square, at 19 hours before box office opened we knew we would not be first when sales began at 10am on Sunday morning but it was about all the dedication we could muster. We had Jason joining us for the first time, and Brenda (who's done the line-up before) chose to team up with us as well.
Some of the greatest movie discussions I have each year takes place while I'm waiting in this line-up, also some of the weirdest. Seems I always walk away from these nights with random to do (or "to download") lists, this year Sachin/Jason/J/John have inspired me to download Breaking Bad, re-watch The Faculty, look into some higher quality ear plugs, and buy a region-free blu-ray player. I will, however, not be purchasing the video game in which you can beat Burt Reynolds to death with a dildo bat. (Please refer to "weirdest discussions" comment at the start of this paragraph. Yes, this topic happened.) Most importantly it gave us all a chance to finalize our film lists and even plan a night of screenings and food trucks together at the Bloor Cinema.
As the night progressed, we saw many of our usual visitors to the line, some of whom have lined up with us in years past. Also resourceful line-up veteran Marc Levy came prepared with extension cords and power bars so that we could all tap into Pecault Square's power and recharge our devices for the long night ahead. My sole antic this year was roasting marshmallows on the Eternal Flame of Hope in the Square, something I've been tempted to try on more than one occasion. Word of advice, you'll need a very long stick if you don't want to get your feet wet. It was pretty hilarious and a true camping experience though.
Normally we don't bother with sleeping in the overnight line but this year was an exceptionally long wait, so we all passed out at some point. All in all, it didn't feel that long for 19 hours. I'm not entirely convinced the 2 box office system (separate box offices for members and public) is a good idea, I thought last year's system worked a little better. After a bit of waiting (I know 40 mins of waiting is nothing to complain about, but considering I'd been there for 19 hours...) I did manage to get most of my top choices. My friends and I bade each other a groggy farewell, I staggered home, sent out the last of my tweets, and slept for 18 hours over the next day.
For those of you who have view access to my google calendar, you'll be able to see the details of the films I'd like to see (this is down from my list of 54 and out of which I can only realistically fit in 29. Regretfully I will fall short of my goal of 30 even if I make it to all my films, it was a timing issue and lack of vacation). For the rest of you, here is the list of what I hope to catch in the coming 11 days:
Aftershock
Antiviral
Bad 25
The Brass Teapot
Byzantium
Cloud Atlas
Dial M for Murder (in 3D! For once I actually looking forward to a 3D show)
Disconnect
Fin
Frances Ha
Greetings from Jeff Buckley
Here Comes The Devil
Jayne Mansfield's Car
The Last Supper
Much Ado About Nothing
90 Minutes
No One Lives
Painless
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Pusher
Quartet
Sightseers
Silver Linings Playbook
Springbreakers
The Suicide Shop
The Thieves
3
The We and the I
What Maisie Knew
What Richard Did
Writers
Let's be realistic here, there won't be too many opportunities for me to blog while TIFF is in full swing. Depending on whether you're a TIFF-er yourself or not, this is either going to be easiest 11 days of the year to see me, or hardest 11 days to get ahold of me. Also most of the year my social media home is Facebook, but during TIFF I switch over to Twitter (with most of my tweets still populating on Facebook). So follow me on Twitter to catch the up to the minute details of what my friends and I are up to.
Get as much sleep as you can, remember to eat at least a couple times a day, stay hydrated, and have a very happy TIFF!
This past weekend was our annual urban camping trip, at least that's how I refer to my annual camp-out outside the festival box office for the first day of single tickets sales. The crowds have thinned over the years thanks to online purchase options, but as of right now, those of us with lots of volunteer vouchers to redeem still need to show up in person. In order to be first in line, you still need to get there pretty early, this year it was 20+ hours early. Easily the most hours I've ever lined up for anything! The boys and I set up camp (read: a few fold-up chairs and a cooler) around 3pm on Saturday afternoon in David Pecault Square, at 19 hours before box office opened we knew we would not be first when sales began at 10am on Sunday morning but it was about all the dedication we could muster. We had Jason joining us for the first time, and Brenda (who's done the line-up before) chose to team up with us as well.
Some of the greatest movie discussions I have each year takes place while I'm waiting in this line-up, also some of the weirdest. Seems I always walk away from these nights with random to do (or "to download") lists, this year Sachin/Jason/J/John have inspired me to download Breaking Bad, re-watch The Faculty, look into some higher quality ear plugs, and buy a region-free blu-ray player. I will, however, not be purchasing the video game in which you can beat Burt Reynolds to death with a dildo bat. (Please refer to "weirdest discussions" comment at the start of this paragraph. Yes, this topic happened.) Most importantly it gave us all a chance to finalize our film lists and even plan a night of screenings and food trucks together at the Bloor Cinema.
As the night progressed, we saw many of our usual visitors to the line, some of whom have lined up with us in years past. Also resourceful line-up veteran Marc Levy came prepared with extension cords and power bars so that we could all tap into Pecault Square's power and recharge our devices for the long night ahead. My sole antic this year was roasting marshmallows on the Eternal Flame of Hope in the Square, something I've been tempted to try on more than one occasion. Word of advice, you'll need a very long stick if you don't want to get your feet wet. It was pretty hilarious and a true camping experience though.
Normally we don't bother with sleeping in the overnight line but this year was an exceptionally long wait, so we all passed out at some point. All in all, it didn't feel that long for 19 hours. I'm not entirely convinced the 2 box office system (separate box offices for members and public) is a good idea, I thought last year's system worked a little better. After a bit of waiting (I know 40 mins of waiting is nothing to complain about, but considering I'd been there for 19 hours...) I did manage to get most of my top choices. My friends and I bade each other a groggy farewell, I staggered home, sent out the last of my tweets, and slept for 18 hours over the next day.
For those of you who have view access to my google calendar, you'll be able to see the details of the films I'd like to see (this is down from my list of 54 and out of which I can only realistically fit in 29. Regretfully I will fall short of my goal of 30 even if I make it to all my films, it was a timing issue and lack of vacation). For the rest of you, here is the list of what I hope to catch in the coming 11 days:
Aftershock
Antiviral
Bad 25
The Brass Teapot
Byzantium
Cloud Atlas
Dial M for Murder (in 3D! For once I actually looking forward to a 3D show)
Disconnect
Fin
Frances Ha
Greetings from Jeff Buckley
Here Comes The Devil
Jayne Mansfield's Car
The Last Supper
Much Ado About Nothing
90 Minutes
No One Lives
Painless
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Pusher
Quartet
Sightseers
Silver Linings Playbook
Springbreakers
The Suicide Shop
The Thieves
3
The We and the I
What Maisie Knew
What Richard Did
Writers
Let's be realistic here, there won't be too many opportunities for me to blog while TIFF is in full swing. Depending on whether you're a TIFF-er yourself or not, this is either going to be easiest 11 days of the year to see me, or hardest 11 days to get ahold of me. Also most of the year my social media home is Facebook, but during TIFF I switch over to Twitter (with most of my tweets still populating on Facebook). So follow me on Twitter to catch the up to the minute details of what my friends and I are up to.
Get as much sleep as you can, remember to eat at least a couple times a day, stay hydrated, and have a very happy TIFF!
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