Today was the official start of my TIFF ’09 moviegoing and, to mark the occasion, I decided to walk to my inaugural screening. I chose a route right through the heart of festival central – Yorkville – and, thus, encountered not one but TWO celebrity swarmings en route to the AMC.

The first happened near the Four Seasons. A couple of blocks away, I could already hear the distinctive, high-pitched screeching of tween girls in a full-on lather, so I figured there was a young, cute, famous boy (or boys) around somewhere. I knew the Jonas Brothers were staying at that hotel – thanks to extensive TV coverage of their comings and goings – and, as I got closer and could gauge the median age of the screamers (answer: about 13 years old), I knew it was Jo-Bro-induced mayhem I was about to behold.

And behold it I did as, no joke, several dozen of these girls came stampeding along the sidewalk right at me, wielding cameras and cellphones, because an enormous SUV containing one or more of the Jonas boys was stopped at a stoplight beside me. May I just say: these girls are nuts! I mean, freaky nuts. They descended upon that vehicle and practically swallowed it whole, screaming the entire time and literally pawing at, and pounding on, the windows! That said, I did find the whole scene hugely entertaining.

No more than 15 minutes later, I stumbled upon my second herd of fans surrounding a high-profile TIFF guest: George Clooney, who’d been making his way out the side entrance of the Sutton Place when he was met with a throng of admirers looking for photos and autographs. This crowd was comparatively more sedate, likely due to the fact that their median age was more like 28, but no less expansive in size. I didn’t actually manage to see GC myself, but I know it was him at the center of the huddle because one person after another emerged from the tangle on a cell phone, excitedly telling someone on the other end of the line some variation on, “OMIGOD!!!! I just saw GEORGE CLOONEY!!!!!!”

Anyhoo...

I carried on to my first film, which was screening at the AMC. Now, if you recall, there were problems a’plenty at that venue last year, ranging from my own experience with Grabby Glenda to the ongoing issue of line cutters sneaking in as ticketholders ascended a thousand escalators to get to the theaters. There were whispers that the festival would be adopting some kind of new, cutter-proof system this year, so I was eager to see what it might be.

When I arrived at the theater, there were no lines to be seen anywhere outside. A big sign at the foot of escalator #1 said the ticketholders’ lines were upstairs. Interesting. I followed the signs, and found myself on the food-court level... where audience members had been herded into holding pens! The spaces used for last year’s box office and merch rooms have been transformed into terrariums for ticketholders! Sadly, I wish the terrarium analogy was an exaggeration, but it isn’t – the space I was in was enclosed with big, glass windows facing south and west, which meant it had heated up quite nicely. Cram a couple hundred people into that space for half an hour and it gets TOASTY. Most peoples’ faces were flushed, and there was a lot of sweat dripping in there, and I kind of wonder if it might turn into a nice petrie dish for the H1N1 virus should anyone happen to start coughing or sneezing as they stand in wait.

BUT...

Huge kudos go to the pint-sized line wrangler who managed the proceedings last night! She was this wee spitfire with a big voice and a big personality, making regular announcements and, just before leading us all up to the theaters, reminding everyone VERY CLEARLY that it is OUR responsibility to ensure “NO ONE CUTS IN FRONT OF YOU IN LINE AS YOU GO!”

We were on it after that and, when I spotted her later, I actually congratulated her on her awesome wrangling. I don't know what her name is, but I'm inclined to call her Super Susie. Not only that, but the AMC was so OVERstaffed with people, all being super-diligent and efficient, that it felt like a military operation... which, in my mind, is always fantastic when it comes to TIFF. It’s like someone somewhere actually paid attention to everything that went awry at that venue last fest, and actually implemented effective changes to prevent them from recurring. Biggest bonus of all? Everybody was cheerful! Who knew?

My sole screening for the day was Snowblind (6/8), a solid and occasionally moving documentary about Rachael Scdoris, a 23-year-old Oregonian and Iditarod racer who’s legally blind. Tracking her preparation for, and participation in, the 2008 trail race, the film examines the trials she faces, both from the competition itself and from the mushing community, who feel perhaps she doesn’t belong among them because of her need for a guide. There’s some really beautiful cinematography, Scdoris makes for a compelling subject and the film thankfully never reverts to any kind of maudlin or condescending “wow, she is a hero to us all!” manipulation. It’s an interesting story, and I challenge anyone not to sit right on the edge of their seat when one of Scdoris’ (lovely and adorable husky-pointer cross) dogs suddenly collapses while racing or (seriously) a helicopter nearly crashes on top of her. Some pretty great stuff.

Oh, and I know I’ve said this every year but, apparently, it bears repeating since people clearly aren’t getting the message: BREATH MINTS. Honestly, just keep some with you, especially if you’re the kind of person – like the guy sitting next to me last night – who’s a constant mouth breather. It was not pleasant. The world thanks you for your cooperation.

TIFF 2009

TIFF officially kicks off tomorrow with the opening-night film, Creation, which is getting mixed buzz. I’ve picked up my tickets, and still have a few left to redeem. I remain undecided as to what I should see.

It also seems that my festival downsizing has to do with more than just my ticket purchases: this year, I’ve only seen a tiny handful of pre-fest screenings. Three, to be exact. So, as you prepare for the circus to open its doors and ten days of craziness to begin, I can tell you about:

A Shine of Rainbows (3/8), which I had very much been looking forward to seeing, turned out to be a hugely overwrought, lame drama with some of the worst Irish accents I’ve ever heard. Oh, and one terribly fake-looking animatronic seal. Connie Nielsen stars as Maire, a woman so a’glow with love that she practically glows, who adopts red-headed orphan Tòmas (John Bell) and brings him to the remote island home she shares with her gruff, humorless husband, Alec (Aidan Quinn). John is a nervous eight-year-old who stutters, but he slowly comes out of his shell thanks to Maire’s warmth and tenderness. Too bad Alec can’t stand the kid. Worse, though, is the fact that the story is painfully predictable and uninteresting, with a final quarter that feels so syrupy and falsely emotional that I kind of cringed. And I say that as someone who loves cinematic syrup.

Vincere (4/8) defines “uneven.” With an insanely over-the-top score, and a completely confusing first third, the film tells the true story of Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno, very strong), the unknown first wife of a young Benito Mussolini (Filippo Timi, chewing all the scenery he can find), who bore him a son but who was nonetheless exiled from Il Duce’s life and eventually imprisoned in an insane asylum to keep her quiet. Festival director Piers Handling calls the film “brilliantly directed” in the official program book, but I found myself struggling to follow the narrative (especially in the beginning when it inexplicably jumps around in time), squinting to see the actors amid the profoundly dark cinematography and wondering why the meat of the film – Ida’s life and her struggles – is actually given secondhand treatment when, I thought, the film is meant to be about her.

Jennifer’s Body (7/8), meanwhile, totally and completely lives up to all the hype it’s been getting. Funny, sexy and smart, the horror-lite film – directed by Karyn Kusama (Girlfight) and scripted by Diablo Cody (Juno) – centers on the titular high-schooler (Megan Fox), who becomes possessed by a demon and starts chowing down on her male classmates while her best friend (Amanda Seyfried) tries to thwart her efforts. Comparatively low on graphic gore (given the subject matter) and as steamy as it is scary, the film features excellent work from both Fox and Seyfried. It’s a hugely entertaining ride that sidesteps clichés, maintains its sense of humor and kicks the genre up a notch with its (albeit twisted) girl-power-driven narrative. I loved it. (Full review will be up on the ‘Pie on Sept. 18th.)

TIFF 2009

For those of you who have been Moviepie readers for a while, you’ll know that, for the past seven years, I’ve covered the Toronto International Film Festival extensively with an annual day-by-day diary.

Well, that time of year has arrived once again but, unfortunately, coverage in 2009 will be rather limited.

For starters, I almost broke up with TIFF last year.

My experience at the fest in 2008 blew. From the horrible ticket lottery to being manhandled by a staffer to seeing far less than the 35 films for which I paid, it was one big, long, exhausting, frustrating, VERY expensive headache, and one which I really wasn’t interested in repeating this year.

For a while last fall, I actually debated whether I would attend TIFF 2009 at all.

Of course, time eventually heals all wounds (or scabs them over well enough), and I will be hitting the festival in a couple of weeks... but with a drastically slashed film slate (only ten films for me this go-round, plus whatever press screenings I can manage) and minus my Moviepie partner-in-crime-and-bad-cinema, Eric.

There won’t be day-by-day coverage in ’09 because, frankly, there will be days where I don’t see anything. And, really, in rereading the blog entries from TIFFs gone by – especially from the past couple of years – all I see is bitterness. Who wants to read 10 days of angry ramblings? Not me and, I would guess, not you. Besides, there are a TON of people blogging about TIFF nowadays, so I will happily turn the reins over to them.

Instead, I may drop in occasionally with some capsule reviews, or stories of anything wildly funny or infuriating that I experience.

And, I have to say, the back-to-basics approach I’m adopting this year – it’s been more than a decade since I saw fewer than 30 films at a fest – is wonderfully liberating. I don’t have to spend hours and hours trying to organize 35 films, nor will I have to re-organize them if I’m junk-punched by the lottery again. Seeing a mere ten movies allows for a huge amount of freedom and is much more recession-friendly, budget-wise. I don’t have to buy two meals each day for nine days, I don’t need to get a Metropass... I can walk to and from my sole screening of the day and eat at home. More importantly, I won’t have to stay up until 1am writing my coverage at the end of a long day of moviegoing.

So, there you have it.

For more on TIFF 2009, check out the official website.

For info on the films screening this year, peruse the TIFF film list.

For details on the how, when and how much of tickets, visit the online box office.

Happy TIFFing to us all... fingers crossed...!

Note: For those of you looking for TIFF Diaries from 2007 or previous, please visit the old Moviepie blog. When we relaunched the 'Pie this past spring, we lost much of our archives and will be re-uploading them over time. For now, TIFF 2008 is done, and older years will follow eventually. Oh, and sadly your comments (thank you!) from the old blog didn’t survive the transition, either. Apologies.

TIFF 2009