9-6-03
It was a banner day today! Breakfast with Roger Ebert, lunch with
Jennifer Tilly and dinner with Katie Holmes! Okay, not really, but kind
of (see below).
First, I just want to touch upon something I wrote about yesterday:
Mouthy Martha. I realize it might have seemed too coincidental or
somehow made up, but I swear to you it's 100% true. I mean, of all the
people to run into on a dimly lit Toronto side street.... UNBELIEVABLE,
but it happened. As did all previous Mouthy sightings, and any yet to
come.
Moving on...
I started the day attending a nearly empty press screening for
Underworld, the slick new vampires vs. werewolves flick starring
Kate Beckinsale as the coolest PVC-clad, gun-toting, ass-kicking female
character this side of Sydney Bristow or Trinity. The screening itself
wasn't notable, and the movie was entertaining if somewhat heavy on
style over substance (and story), but the real treat was who greeted me
upon my arrival at the theatre: Roger Ebert! As I rode the escalator up
to the cinemas in the early morning, I looked towards the top and there
he was, standing as if to personally welcome me like a Chicago-y beacon
of goodness! Turns out he was just calling down to his wife in the
lobby, but still, I had my Roger Ebert sighting and that was all that
mattered. He wound up sitting right in front of me for the screening,
too, which is kind of cool considering the spacious theatre had exactly
ten of us sitting in it. (It's like he KNEW how I valued his presence. ;-))
As I said, the movie was good—kind of like The Matrix meets
An American Werewolf in London meets Buffy meets
Seven. And, really, that many derivatives don't necessarily
equal a flawless film. Stylistically it was outstanding, with
breathtaking cinematography and set design, but its story—of a
centuries-old feud between the two clans of toothy immortals and said
feud's relevance to the life of a young doctor (Scott Speedman)—was
muddled and confusing. So were the fight sequences, which were so
heavily overedited that it was near impossible to tell who was fighting
whom. Plus, it was always dark and raining, which added to the mood but
made me feel all clammy.
I then trucked over to the Uptown 1 for Bon Voyage, a French
comedy about a group of assorted French folks (a writer, an actress, a
student, a politician, a criminal and much more!) at the start of WWII.
It stars Gérard Depardieu, Isabelle Adjani and Virginie Ledoyen as a
few of the characters whose lives intersect after an unfortunate
murder. Unfortunately, about an hour into the movie, I found my mind
wandering. I started looking around at the packed house in the dark. I
looked at all the fixtures in the theatre and started wondering what
might be salvaged before it's leveled. Would they save the giant red
curtains, I wondered? And how? Would the two enormous hanging light
fixtures be taken down or simply left to be crushed by the wrecking
ball? By the time I snapped out of it, the film was nearly over. I'm
sure it was very good, I just completely stopped paying attention and
lost interest. There was, however, a woman sitting one seat away from
me who insisted on having EXTREMELY vocal reactions to *anything* that
happened onscreen. She laughed at everything, gasped whenever anything
remotely jarring occurred, and so on. It was annoying, but also helpful
in that she'd inadvertently snap me out of my daydreams with her
signals that something was happening in the film.
Mouthy was there for this one, plopped down in her favorite seats.
Imagine my sheer delight when she also showed up at my third and fourth
films of the day. All Mouthy, all the time today. Priceless. I wonder
if she knows she an object of scorn and derision? Anyway...
I dodged the annual "Yay Jesus!" parade (not its actual name, but it's
something like that and it happens every year at this time) of hundreds
that was snaking around the entire festival village to grab some lunch
(spring rolls) before heading to the (still) bee-infested Isabel Bader
Theatre for Hollywood North, a cheeky Canadian comedy about the
problem-filled making of a Canadian film in 1979. Jennifer Tilly
co-stars (with Matthew Modine, Alan Bates and John Neville) in the film
and was in attendance for the screening, offering up some wonderfully
comic anecdotes and commentary before and after the movie. Even more
shocking than Jen's skin-tight black dress, though, was the behavior of
the ubiquitous Mouthy and her moviemate prior to the screening. Get
this...
There was a delay (shocking, I know) before the movie started, so
Mouthy's pal—and I SWEAR to you this is absolutely true... I have
witnesses!—got out of her seat, LAY DOWN IN THE AISLE ON THE FLOOR OF
THE THEATRE AND DID STRETCHES while Mouthy stood by chatting to her.
Right there, on the carpeted floor of the Isabel Bader Theatre like it
was her own personal yoga class! NeverMIND the fact that she was right
in front of the doors and in people's way. I kept hoping someone would
come in and step on her, and maybe hip-check Mouthy just for good
measure. Alas, that did not happen. Better luck next time.
After a horrible dinner (a grilled-chicken sandwich that was very much
like a well-aged piece of dried-out leather) and a quick hop home to
refuel, I made my way to the star-studded screening for Pieces of
April, the new Katie Holmes drama from writer-director Peter
Hedges. The movie was excellent, with spot-on performances from its
cast and a smart little story about familial dysfunction. It will
easily make my best-of-the-fest list, if not my best of the year. I
*loved* it. And almost every single cast member was in attendance:
Katie Holmes (with boyfriend Chris Klein in tow), Patricia Clarkson,
Oliver Platt and Derek Luke, along with newcomers Alison Pill (a
Toronto gal!) and John Gallagher Jr.
The pre-film intro was very touching because Peter Hedges actually got
all teary and choked up talking about the film and casting it.
Awwwwwwww! *sniffle* And the Q&A session afterwards was spirited and
fun, despite the fact that no one in the cast seemed to want to say
anything. They all stood to the side in a silent clump, staring blankly
when they were encouraged to participate. But it was fine, because
Hedges did a fantastic job on his own. Plus, he talked a lot about
screenwriting and his own processes, which was interesting for me.
Several of my friends (who have read these pages) were also at the
screening with me and had the opportunity to behold Mouthy Martha in
the flesh. I'm sure it was a treat they shall not soon forget... you
know, what with her hateful image permanently burned into their retinas
and everything. They were particularly taken with her saucer-like metal
earrings which, my friend Denette pointed out, were so big that they
actually reflected light.
Ah, good times.
By the way, for the handful of you actually reading what I'm writing, I
just wanted to let you know that full-length reviews for many of the
films I'm seeing will be written and posted as soon as possible. I just
need to get home early enough to write them so that I can finish before
I'm overwhelmed by the Sleep Monster.
Which is happening right now...
;-)
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS: Heaps! Jennifer Tilly, Katie Holmes, Bill Pullman
(between screenings at the Uptown), director Deepa Metha (strolling in
Yorkville), Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, Peter Hedges, Chris Klein
and Don McKellar (a name likely only Canadians will know, but still)
ROGER EBERT SIGHTINGS: Bingo!
LINE BUZZ: Some good buzz for Lost in Translation, which I'm seeing tomorrow. And, of course, the freakin' Bader bees!
— Vickie
