9-5-03
At last! My first official day of moviegoing at the festival this year.
And what a gorgeous day it was! Beautiful sunny skies, warm—but not
hot—temperatures, dozens and dozens of duly accredited film folk and
countless hangers-on milling about the Yorkville area trying to look
important. And lots of bees.
What?
Yes, bees. I don't know why but, along with celebrities, international
press and would-be starlets, the annual film festival seems to awaken
droves of the stripey drones... who invariably wind up finding
bee-phobic me in whatever line-up they can. So, when I queued up for my
first film late this afternoon, actor Adam Goldberg's directorial
effort I Love Your Work, there they were. I have no idea if
someone strolled around the Isabel Bader Theatre earlier in the day
with a baseball bat and soundly struck every hive they could find, but
there were bees (wasps, hornets, whatever) all over the place, along
with assorted other flying insects.
Once we were finally let into the theatre, we were treated to a TWENTY
MINUTE DELAY. We waited. We waited some more. People started to get
restless. Someone shouted, "Start the movie! We have other movies to go
to tonight, you know!" Cue applause. More waiting. Someone else yelled,
"When IS the movie going to start?!" More claps. And all the while I
kept checking my watch. This movie was supposed to have started at
6:30pm. It was to run for approximately one hour and 35 minutes. My
next movie would be starting at 9pm. Factoring in director + cast
intros before the movie, and the Q&A afterwards, I didn't have any time
to spare.
The cast members started to filter in and sat down two rows ahead of
me. Christina Ricci was there, looking teensy as ever. Giovanni Ribisi,
in a hoodie and jeans, sat with his pals and was videotaping the night
for posterity. Franka Potente was wielding a disposable camera and
snapping shots of the other cast and crew in attendance. I thought it
was kind of sweet that they were obviously that invested in the film
that they were this excited (I mean, a disposable camera?!) about its
world premiere. Anyway, at 6:50pm festival programmer Kay Armatage took
to the stage and started rambling on about the merits of the movie we
were about to see. I felt like screaming, "Hey Kay! Shut your piehole
and run the film already! No one cares why you liked it, we just want
to SEE it!!" Clearly, she was not taking my scheduling needs into
consideration. She introduced Adam Goldberg, who offered a quick hello
and then rolled his film.
The movie itself is a twisted, cameo-laden psychological drama that
turns the tables on obsession and stalking when a celebrated movie star
(Ribisi) starts to emotionally unravel due to his perception of the
emptiness of his life. He's unhappy with his actress wife (Franka
Potente), his work and himself, so he slowly becomes wholly absorbed in
the life of one of his fans (Joshua Jackson). There are elements of
fantasy and reality interwoven throughout, and the audience is never
sure whether what's onscreen is a dream, a memory or an imagined
future. It's a weird little movie, blessed with a great performance
from Ribisi (who's developing a niche for himself by consistently
playing freaky, disturbed or just plain odd characters) and some
beautiful cinematography. As mentioned, it also boasts a bevy of
bit-part turns by the likes of Vince Vaughn, Jason Lee, Kathleen
Robertson and Elvis Costello. (Yes, Elvis Costello.)
When what seemed like the world's LONGEST closing credits finished (by
now it was nearing 8:40pm), I was desperate to bolt. But I also wanted
to stay to see who else from the film was present. Turns out the only
cast member I missed when they'd initially arrived was Jared Harris, so
once they all walked onstage I tore off into the night. I had about
five minutes to sprint to my next screening at another theatre several
blocks away. I'm bummed that I missed the Q&A, but I'm hoping to get
the low-down—specifically what Goldberg's vision was—sometime in
the coming days.
So. I ran. Ran out of the theatre into the crowd of autograph seekers
waiting outside. I ran along the VERY dimly lit Charles Street as fast
as my legs would carry me. It was a little surreal, moving that fast
when I wasn't entirely sure what was around me, but I ran nonetheless.
I was on a mission to make my 9pm movie AND find a decent seat, and
nothing was going to stand in my way.
Until I saw her.
Even in the poor lighting, I recognized her immediately. That hair,
that grin, those shoulder pads. There, in the dark before me, was
Mouthy Martha.
(cue dramatic thunderclap)
She was walking along the sidewalk towards me, and as I slowed to pass
- because God forbid she step aside a bit so I could keep running! - I
distinctly heard her mutter "walk" in a disdainful tone. WhatEVER,
Mouthy, I'm on a mission! I'll deal with you later... in the daylight.
I did make it in time for my second (and last) film of the day,
Touching the Void, a docudrama chronicling the ambitious, if
dreadfully ill-fated, 1985 climb attempted by mountaineers Joe Simpson
and Simon Yates. The duo set out to ascend Siula Grande, a 21,000+ peak
in the Peruvian Andes and quickly found themselves fighting for their
lives. Intercutting astoundingly realistic reenactments with
documentary interviews with both Simpson and Yates, the film tells
their harrowing tale of survival against the steepest odds. Simpson
showed up after the screening for what turned out to be a lengthy Q&A,
likely due in part to festival director Piers Handling, a climber
himself, who moderated the screening.
And then, I came home. I've got a quartet of films on the docket for
tomorrow, bookended by two decidedly different chick flicks - Kate
Beckinsale's Underworld in the morning, and Katie Holmes'
Pieces of April in the evening.
Oh, and just to make my night complete: I flipped on some press
conference coverage when I got home and Henri Béhar, the annoying
little moderator, is back for another year. Argh.
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS: Christina Ricci, Giovanni Ribisi, Franka Potente,
Shalom Harlow, Jared Harris, Adam Goldberg
ROGER EBERT SIGHTINGS: None. And seeing him is more pressing than usual
this year, since he's only in town for the fest's first few days.
Roger, where are you???
LINE BUZZ: Oddly enough, today it was ACTUAL buzz (see: bees). Still
too early in the festival to get any kind of movie-related rumblings
yet.
— Vickie
