9-8-2002: DAY THREE (Pt. 2)

Spellbound, the fourth film of the day, will easily wind up as one of my favorites of this festival. It's a fantastic documentary tracking eight American children as they vie for the national spelling-bee championship. It was wickedly entertaining and was as gripping as watching any kind of sporting event - our hearts pounded as these kids were asked to spell words most of have never even heard of, and you could hear the collective "awwwww!" when any of them were eliminated from competition.

There was a Q&A session after the film, at which point the producer revealed that one of the kids in the movie was actually present in the theater. I swear to you, it was like he told us Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt had showed up. The entire audience gasped with frenzied anticipation. Who??? WHO?!? WHICH KID?!?!? Emily Stagg, now 17, stepped onstage with her mom and got applause and cheers so enthusiastic you'd think she was an international superstar. I was actually really touched by the moment. The filmmakers don't yet have distribution for their kick-ass movie, so keep an eye out in case it swings into a festival near you.

Finally, I went to the latest (hour of the day) screening I'll have this year - a 10 pm showing of Real Women Have Curves. There's been a bunch of positive buzz on the film for the past few months and, thankfully, it was worth the wait. It centers on a 17-year-old girl (America Ferrera) as she struggles with family expectations, body image her own dreams for the future. It's a great story with a terrific cast and, despite the fact that the clock was nearing midnight, there was a great Q&A afterwards.

I didn't wind up freebasing caffeine today, after all - the only caffeine I ingested came in the form of a mini-Frappaccino (sp?) being handed out by the friendly folks in the Starbucks van.

I wonder how the screening of 8 Mile (presented as a "work in progress") went tonight?

And is it just me, or does The Four Feathers (the new Heath Ledger/Kate Hudson period film) look like the most boring movie ever?

I get to sleep in tomorrow. First movie's not until noon. Ahhhh.

— Vickie

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:

Not many. The only actors who showed up for my screenings today were America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros. Although, my sister saw Willem Dafoe and Michael Caine this afternoon, so I'll list those.

ROGER EBERT SIGHTINGS:

Zip. Crap!