9-11-2005
There’s nothing like trying to navigate Toronto’s transit system at
7:45am on a Sunday. Subways don’t start running until 9am, so those of
us commuting to the fest are stuck riding the surface routes… a colorful
experience, to say the least, when you’re trucking along with folks
still buzzed from their late-night out. Walking is an option, sort of,
depending on where you’re early-morning screening is taking place, but
the people you run into on foot are even sketchier than those using
“the better way.”
Anyway…
I started the day with the comedy Thank You For Smoking,
the directorial debut of Jason Reitman (son of Ivan). Aaron Eckhart
stars as Nick Naylor, a tobacco lobbyist and “Sultan of Spin,” who
fronts the Academy of Tobacco Studies and is the spokeman for a
smoke-full America. Based on the novel by Christopher Buckley,
Smoking skewers the ideology at its core and makes for a biting
satire that has a distinct anti-smoking undertone. The supporting cast
includes Maria Bello and SNL alum David Koechner (he’s the guy I
saw on the street yesterday!) as, respectively, a liquor lobbyist and
gun-toting NRA type; William H. Macy as Nick’s nemesis, a flustered
senator from Vermont; and (gag) Katie Holmes as a libidinous journalist
profiling Nick in an article and nailing him at home.
The movie is sharp, smart and very funny. Jason Reitman arrived to
introduce the film (no small feat for a 9:15am screening on a Sunday!),
and returned afterwards for a Q&A… with Aaron Eckhart! They were both
entertaining, and I think everyone in the audience was pleasantly
surprised that they both showed.
I had a two-hour gap between movies, so I went home to eat, check email
and watch a few press conferences. I tuned in for Brokeback
Mountain, which was plagued by horrible sound – I had to crrrrrrank
the volume on my TV and Jake was still barely audible. No doubt
terrifying the cast was everyone’s favorite troll-like moderator, who’s
returned for another year with longer hair and an even surlier mood.
Thankfully, TIFF is spreading out moderator duties amongst several
people, so at least Henri won’t be tormenting all the visiting
glitterati.
My second film was… Imagine Me & You. Yes, again. I
couldn’t resist. And I’m glad I saw it a second time. It was worth the
effort and it gave me a chance to watch the film through less manic
eyes. Happily, it was just as good the second time around.
I high-tailed over to the Ryerson afterwards for my final film of the
day, The Mistress of Spices, an ethereal British film
co-starring Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott. It’s the big-screen
adaptation of the novel of the same name, and centers on a magical
woman (Rai), who runs an Oakland spice shop where she dispenses advice,
guidance and essential spices to an array of local customers while
adhering to the strict “rules” set out by her mentor (namely: don’t
ever set foot outside the store and don’t ever touch the skin of
another person). But things change when she meets Doug (McDermott),
becomes distracted by budding feelings and copes with the consequences
of both. The film is gorgeously shot and nice enough, overall, but was
a little dull.
A somewhat sluggish Dylan McDermott was among the players who attended
the screening (along with the director, the novelist and co-producer
Gurinder Chadha), but it was explained that his wife had just had a
baby several days ago. So perhaps he’s a little tired.
Tomorrow, the four-movie days begin (and don’t end until the fest is
over)… along with a mini-heatwave that will send temperatures into the
high-80s and low-90s at least until Wednesday. Time to break out the
flip-flops!
Celebrity Sightings: Aaron Eckhart, Jason Reitman, Gurinder
Chadha, Dylan McDermott and Padma Lakshmi.
Roger Ebert Sightings: I promised myself I wouldn’t panic if I
didn’t see him over the weekend… *gulp*
Line Buzz: Mediocre reviews for Neverwas, so-so buzz for
Seven Swords and a couple of people crapping all over
Shadowboxer, which I’ll be seeing on Friday.
