9-7-2002: DAY TWO (Pt. 2)

Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore's newest documentary, was THE hot ticket of the festival. It sold out almost immediately and the "rush line" (people waiting for last-minute seats before the screening) was H-U-G-E. The film is about gun culture in America and it was brilliant. The audience LOVED it, laughing uproariously throughout...except during the heartbreaking sequences that had many in tears. Michael Moore also stayed for a Q&A after the film - which has never been done at this particular theatre (due to its screening schedule) EVER before. Very cool. He also answered at least eight or nine questions *after* the moderator said, "Okay, we have time for one more."

The movie, Michael told us, has already been banned by Regal Cinemas in the U.S., but will get country-wide distribution in Canada. He also informed a Michigan teacher in our audience that they would be making videotapes of the film available to any school in the States that wanted one. It's a movie all Americans should see... in the opinion of this Canadian.

Parker Posey rocks because not only did she come to the screening of Bowling for Columbine, sit with the regular folk and walk right past me (yay!) en route to the washroom, but she stayed for the Q&A! Also during the screening: my sister looked past me and quietly but excitedly said, "It's Harrison!"

No, no, not Mr. Ford, but Christopher Gorham, who played Harrison on the TV series Popular, which I LOOOOVED. I'm almost not sure who I was more excited to see - him or Parker Posey. I actually made an audible *gasp!* when he walked past me (seemingly in search of seats!) and I was seriously thinking about being a huge dork and telling him how much I loved his now-cancelled show. I opted to remain safely distanced, lest I blather on like an idiot.

The reception given to Bowling and its subsequent kick-ass Q&A (Michael Moore always impresses me with his knowledge of Canadian politics and the social situation in our country, our province and our town) meant my final film of the day (in the same theatre) started 20 minutes late.

Not only did it start 20 minutes late, but almost EVERY SINGLE ROW in the theatre, save for the first few (right in front of the screen) and the last two, was marked "reserved." All of 'em. I have never seen anything like it. Worse, the seats were being reserved for the corporate sponsors and the yuppie-like twenty- and thirtysomethings who make up the Film Crew, a fundraising offshoot of the Film Festival Group (basically, they throw film-themed parties a few times a year to raise cash). So in filed all these mildly tipsy, very well-dressed partygoers, and all the "regular people" who had waited in line outside were shunted to the crappiest seats in the joint. Mine was so far back that the screen was obscured by the lip of the balcony overhead, so the top of the picture was perpetually cut off.

The movie, Laurel Canyon, was okay, but I found it to be a bit of retread of director Lisa Cholodenko's earlier film, High Art. Once again, a strait-laced and, perhaps, somewhat naive young woman (Kate Beckinsale) finds herself drawn into the loose, hazy world of a (by comparison) wild older woman (Frances McDormand). This isn't another lesbian love story, though, because this time both women are... mostly... straight. But they do share a few lusty liplocks. ;-) Despite centering on the Beckinsale character and her relationship with her significant other (Christian Bale), the movie's star is Frances McDormand, who tears up the screen as a weed-smoking, sex-loving, incredibly successful record producer. I think the main reasons I didn't enjoy the film more were: my lousy seats, the late hour and having just finished a film that was wonderfully fantastic so anything immediately following it was bound to suffer.

Oh, I also ran into some friends from high school and elementary school at various points today - it's funny how everyone in the city, regardless of when I knew them, knows where to find me this time of year. ;-)

Five movies tomorrow. FIVE. I think I may need to freebase caffeine.

— Vickie

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:

Parker Posey (yay!), Frances McDormand, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Gorham, Tonya Lee Williams (yawn...she's always here)

ROGER EBERT SIGHTINGS:

Still nuthin'! Dammit!