9-9-2002: DAY FOUR

You know, I'm not sure who decided that *all* the festival volunteers would be issued official "Festival Volunteer" T-shirts in the same god-awful size (evidently, XXXL), but I think it's kind of cruel. Seriously, you have hundreds of people, freely giving of their time and energy, and they're "rewarded" by being forced to wear these gigantic tents that, quite honestly, are flattering on no one. One-size-fits-all is just a nice way of saying "shirts so huge they'll fit anybody."

My day started a little later than usual, with my first screening kicking off at noon. It was Secretary, the strangely twisted, comic, S&M love story between a nebbish lawyer (James Spader) and his meek secretary (Maggie Gyllenhaal, who was amazing!!). The movie kicked ass, literally and figuratively, and posed a unique question to its audience: how do you define affection, and who is anyone to judge the love and affection between anyone else... regardless of the form it takes? The Q&A following the film featured only its director, Steven Shainberg, who seemed a little cocky, like maybe the buzz and hype surrounding his film is starting to go to his head a smidge.

I followed that with The Last Great Wilderness, which bears the distinction of being The First Un-Great Movie I Didn't Like at this year's fest. I still don't really know what it was about. There were two guys (one who's running from some other guys and one who's going to burn down his ex's house) and their car runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere. They seek refuge at a small, isolated country inn where the owners and guests are all kind of weird and mysterious and do things like take pictures of you while you're sleeping. There's also a ghost with long blond hair, a guy who stalks deer, a funeral that requires the men dress as women, and vice versa, and a delightful eye-gouging scene. My attention span shrunk as the film wore on, and I don't even remember how it ended. Needless to say, I didn't bother to stay for the Q&A.

It was, however, at that screening where I learned another valuable festival tip! If you want to guarantee you'll have an empty, "buffer" seat beside you for a film, just make sure the person on the other side of that buffer seat is an irritating wannabe Hollywood player who's talking loudly on his or her cell phone for all the world to hear. Works like a charm! No one, and I mean NO ONE, wants to voluntarily plunk down next to that kind of display of self-important lunacy.

Then I decided to take an end-of-the-day stroll through the twelve or so city blocks that make up the core of the festival activities. It was just after 9 pm by then, and the streets were all a'buzz. It's hard to convey exactly what Toronto is like during the festival to anyone who isn't here to witness it in person. Words don't do it justice, and even photos can't capture the energy, the vibe, the electricity that's in the air. Everywhere you turn, you see people will plastic I.D. tags around their necks, talking on cell phones and arranging meetings and coordinating screenings and scheduling lunches. Limos and expensive cars line the streets alongside promotional vehicles from the studios and distributors (like Hummers painted to advertise upcoming movie releases). People checking out other people becomes the new citywide hobby, because everyone kind of looks like they might be someone who could be famous or know someone famous or know how to spell the word famous. Is that guy somebody? Who's she? Who's the couple in sunglasses and hats who just darted into that ritzy store? And, truly, you never know whom you might run into or spot. The air is thick with, well, smog of late... but also cologne and perfume and expensive food being whipped up at countless exclusive restaurants with umbrella-laden patios. Flashbulbs go off left and right and crowds gather outside theaters and hotels to see who's arriving, and more often than not they get an eyeful of all kinds of colorful folk - famous and not. Tonight, there was some kind of deafening display of motorcycle madness when a trio of men on huge-ass Hogs with engines revving LOUDLY s-l-o-w-l-y made their way through Yorkville (the most expensive area of Toronto and where I was strolling with my Frappaccino). It was a sight, and sound, to behold and at that moment I thought, "It's things like this that make the festival such a blast."

I should also point out that earlier tonight marked the official world premiere of the fabulous Moonlight Mile, and I am beside myself with glee to report that Ellen Pompeo (my new favorite soon-to-be-a-superstar actress, see review) is HERE. In Toronto. Here!!! Good lord, I might run into her on the street somewhere! (Yes, I really am a huge nerd.) In fact, the entire cast... all of 'em... came to town. I am now anxiously awaiting the press-conference coverage for the film, mentally preparing myself for the possibility that I may have to track down the annoying moderator and smack him if he acts like a jerk with the cast.

Okay, raise your hand if you're even still reading these entries anymore.

;-)

— Vickie

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS:

No one at any of the screenings, but I did see Michael Moore, Aidan Quinn, Scott Bairstow and Wes Bentley around town. And I'm *pretty* sure Julianne Moore or Julianna Margulies (or some other famous woman with long, dark hair) was with Mr. Quinn. I didn't get a good look, but there were plenty of people with cameras in their faces so it must have been someone of note.

ROGER EBERT SIGHTINGS:

Alas, only on TV. They showed him arriving for last night's screening of 8 Mile. This is getting depressing!