TIFF prediction #1: Sweeney Todd

As you know, Tim Burton has often brought his films to the festival - we saw Corpse Bride in 2005 and you can see my silly pic with Johnny Depp on the homepage of haikugirl.com.

This year I predict TIFF will screen Tim's latest production Sweeney Todd reuniting Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and I will be DYING to see it. Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen are also on board so there will be plenty of star power. I bet it will be at the VISA Screening room (or possibly GALA) but unfortunately now we will have to vie for tickets with the riffraff since we declined to buy the VISA series this year (as we have done for the past 3 years) because they jacked up the price from $185 to $325 for 8 movies!!! If it does end up at TIFF, it will definitely be one of my picks.

ABCs of Cancer Prevention & Star Lake Pilgrims

My dad kindly sends me links to interesting articles. This one from the Life Extension foundation highlights practical ways we can all reduce our cancer risk.

Also, on Bastille Day (July 14) my parents visited a friend's cottage at Star Lake in Manitoba for an afternoon BBQ. Here is a photo of all the party revellers. Everybody looks GREAT!

Ted Fisher Film School (TFFS)

Didn't sign up for last weekend's 48 hour film Toronto Film Challenge since I decided I would rather sit on a patio and drink beer. However, I am planning to do some shooting in the next 2 weeks so I thought I'd sign up for my summer course at the Ted Fisher Film School (TFFS). Thanks Ted for the amazing filmmaking tips and for laying them out so beautifully on your blog!

Now, this is a distance learning program with field work (i.e. you have to read Ted's blog Actualities then go out and apply your new learning). However, now that I've printed out and reviewed his key blog entries, I feel I am ready to plan, POINT, SHOOT and CUT (all with purpose, not prejudice, course).

A Few Notes on One-Person Documentary Production
Ted's Ten Ideas on Editing
Cutting (to the) Chase

Ted - do you issue certificates? ;-) Seriously, this is awesome, man. Way to go! And after such a busy weekend in New Hampshire too. YOU TOTALLY ROCK!!!

And visit Ted's Other blog for more photos and film links...

Ted Fisher's Film School
Follow Ted's tips to shoot and
cut your next great film!

Toronto is festival capital

Just read a review on blogTO about the Titanic Exhibition at the Ontario Science Centre. Sounds fascinating and I definitely plan to go - thank goodness it's on till January 2008 which gives me enough time to get up there. The summer has been frantic and we haven't even planned our vacation yet. Plus as a native Toronto blogger I think I need to get something posted on blogTO - n'est-ce pas?

According to the ReelheART festival, Toronto is festival capital and it's tough to get your film festival known. Maybe that's why I just found out about the Toronto Film Challenge Summer 2007 which is a 48-hour film challenge taking place in town next weekend. The filmmakers FAQ gives you an idea of the competition rules and it's all happening this weekend: July 13th to 15th. For 48 hours of madness, I'm willing to pay the $250 entry fee (for a Producer/Director credit, naturally) - so who wants to be on my team of 10??? Post your comments today - there isn't much time. Shout out to Tamara. Ted and Jan - can't you fly in? Call me - mmp/haikugirl

48 hours:
a crappy feature but a
great short film contest

10K on Canada Day!

I did all 4 of my speed laps at last Tuesday's tempo training - YAY! But more importantly, I have been sporting my ultra-cool HBC 10K Run for Canada AWESOME MEDAL (it weighs a ton and looks very professional) - Double YAY! Had a backyard BBQ to celebrate and it was a glorious day.

With my 10K run tomorrow I will have put in the requisite runs/miles for this week. Getting closer and closer to committing to the full marathon in DC on October 28th.

Tonight is an exciting reunion with some dear former co-workers - should be delightful. Tomorrow is another 10K run starting at 7am (tough after martinis on Friday night but we will manage...)

Getting Serious

My marathon training is starting to get serious. I am officially running 3x a week and the Tuesday night run actually involves intensity training, called tempo training. That means we run faster than our easy talking pace (which we do on our long runs Saturday morning) but not too fast that we can't talk at all. Don't worry if this isn't clear because I'm still trying to make sense of it myself (and DO it!)

For tempo training, we run around Queen's Park (a beautiful shady park behind our provincial legislature). This is the same place where my running partner and I do our weekly runs together. We have to run a total of 8 laps around Queen's Park and each lap is .8km. We do the first 2 laps an an easy pace, then the next 4 laps at the faster tempo pace (with a short recovery walk in between each lap) then 2 more laps at the slower running pace to cool down. The first night I could only do 3 of the 4 fast laps. Then I just did my cool down (total of 7 laps). Next week I will do better but I didn't get home till after 9 which makes for a long day on a work night.

Yesterday (Saturday) I ran 11K for the first time - YAY! And at the end I ran all the way up the hill in High Park for the first time without stopping - DOUBLE YAY! I was pretty tired and a fellow runner kindly gave me a lift all the way home. Thanks Karen!! I also got a lot of great visualization tips from Lynn - the Marine Corps route will be up on my wall for inspiration starting this week. Plus, I really miss my running partner - Hardish I can't wait to see you on Sunday!

Last night we saw Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End. It was fun but long. I think 1 lap around Queen's Park is longer than Keith Richards was in the entire movie. Even with my 2 hour nap in the afternoon I couldn't wait to hit my pillow at 11.

Ocean's Thirteen

Danny Ocean's gang
not as strong as the first two
George and Brad are hot

Saw Ocean's Thirteen Saturday night at the Varsity with my film club and my parents joined us as honorary members. Some good lines and great shots of Vegas and the boys looked good but I have to say I didn't like it as much as Eleven or even Twelve for that matter (don't know why everyone's slagging it). Richard thought Thirteen was ludicrous (especially the part with the chunnel digger). Today I did buy Ocean's Eleven and Twelve for only $5.99 each at HMV to add to my DVD collection. For some bizarre reason I can watch them both over and over and I just get sucked in every time. Same thing happens with (don't laugh) Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon. One of these phenomena I can't explain.

NOTE: AVOID VARSITY (massive construction - the escalators are completely torn out - you have to take the stairs everywhere.) We'll have to find our next film club picks at Cumberland or the Beaches since it is not fun to be in a construction zone.

Happy Anniversary and the ROM

... to MM and Rich. Five years... WOW! We had a wonderful dinner with MM's parents at reds and Rich enjoyed his birthday gifts (80G iPod, case, Nike running shirt and Lee Iacocca's memoir)

Mom, Dad & I went to the ROM to see the naked Daniel Liebeskind crystal (it's only open for a week and then closed for another 6 months to install the exhibits and bring in the dinosaurs.) It's officially called the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal and was very impressive and engaging. However, the views on Bloor are nothing to write home about (McDonalds, Pizza Hut) and the angles get tiresome after Level 4 so I'm looking forward to seeing the curves of the Frank Gehry project at the AGO whenever they're ready. At the ROM we also saw lots of wonderful exhibits in the old building including treasures from ancient Peru and the perennial kids favourite: the Bat cave (plus a stuffed version of the raccoon who's taking over my garbage.)

Tomorrow I run 11K starting at 7am. I'll let you know if I make it (a chest cold is settling in, after 2 winters of being cold-free.) Ciao bellas... MM/haikugirl

Once

Richard took me to see Once - a beautiful little movie featuring Glen Hansard, lead singer of Richard's favourite band The Frames. The movie is lovely and romantic. Two unlikely people connect in Dublin and experience a real electricity and then decide to return to the regular paths of their lives. Touching and sentimental, this is a perfect date movie. Or at least a perfect soundtrack. I think R has already bought his download at e-music. Two enthusiastic thumbs up from Roeper and guest AND from us. Here's another interactive Once website. The songs are a revelation.

IDC at Dokufest

Good news - we just heard the IDC Finalists Showcase of 12 films that screened at hot docs has been accepted into Dokufest, a documentary film festival in Kosovo. The festival takes place this August. I won't be planning a summer visit but it's nice to know.

Also - all 84 films submitted to the competition are currently being reviewed by several broadcasters and distributors. Keep your fingers crossed!

Festival de Cannes & Sarah Polley

Well it really is Sarah Polley's year. Accomplished, award-winning actress turned director with a critically acclaimed movie in theatres AND she's on the 2007 Cannes Festival Jury with President Stephen Frears. Unbelievable.

And she's only 28 years old. WOW!

Back to Cannes. Such a scene - wish I were there again (I was actually a passholder at the 1984 Cannes Film Fest while I was taking a summer course. It was colder than I expected in May but definitely exciting). Lots of great shots on the website.

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en

Memory lane

Got this shot of our old apartment on a walk home from work one day. "This is where we used to live" as the Bare Naked Ladies would sing. The balconies were just redone which looks good but not as good as the AMAZING work Richard has done on our place during his recent 2-week vacation. Hard to believe we've been at our home almost 5 years now.

My resident super trouper spent his entire 2-week vacation fixing up our place. Week 1 he installed 19 halogen pot lights in the basement (holy ambient light batman) and week 2 he painted our main floor living room/dining room (bringing Deacon's Bench to our corner of the world). Stay tuned for shots of the new paint colour...

New School Doc Premieres

My friends at the New School Documentary Certificate Program in New York are screening their end of year 30-minute documentary projects in June. I wish I could go down and support them but my parents will be visiting TO from Winnipeg for a very important occasion: my Dad's 80th Birthday!

To everyone on Team Blind Faith - Congratulations on completing your docs! Wish I could be there but we'll have to catch up at your next screening - no doubt at an international festival in some exotic location! WAY TO GO FILMMAKERS!!

P.S. There is a beautiful photo on Ted's blog of 3 of the New School Doc grads. Great shot Laura!

My Friend Ted is an Internet TV SUPAHSTAH

My friend Ted Fisher (one of our fellow competitors in the New School Doc Certificate team at IDC) appeared on an ABC News Nightline segment about digital technology's effect on the family album. Ted is interviewed by Kate Snow for Sign of the Times and shows her how to digitally alter some of her old family photographs.

It's a short piece (less than 4 minutes) but it annoys me that I have to watch a Slimfast commercial first and can't fast forward to get to the segment. Also interesting that the web anchor is Martin Bashir who did the in-depth Michael Jackson interview a while back. Guess this is his new gig.

Ted - Congratulations on the piece! I think you look and sound terrific. I also think you remind me of Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies (but with darker hair). Read more on Ted's blog at (http://actualities.blogspot.com/ or find the direct link in my Links menu to the right.

Seven Wonders of Canada

You are invited to vote on the short list of 52 nominees for the Seven Wonders of Canada! It's so cool to see the list of what was nominated and think of how many you know or have seen. I smiled to see the Montreal Bagel and Grand Beach, Lake Winnipeg on the list. Of course I'm voting for the Rockies and the Manitoba Legislative Building since I was a tour guide there in the summer of '83 (hard to believe it was that long ago...) Yay Golden Boy!

Check the list and start planning your summer vacations!!! I want to know your picks...

The only footnote is: I wish we could vote on 7 man-made AND 7 natural or ancient wonders of Canada - and have more winners! (like the beautiful mosaics in the lobby of the Empire State Building - check the virtual tour)

Spiritual Cinema Circle

A friend at work put me in touch with this website. Spiritual Cinema Circle is a non-profit foundation created by two Hollywood producers who - after a flash of inspiration during meditation - came up with the following idea:

"There are wonderful, inspiring movies being made by creative filmmakers all over the world, but hardly anybody is getting to see them because Hollywood isn't distributing them... Why don't we scout the film festivals, find the great spiritual-themed movies Hollywood is ignoring, and bring them to people at home on DVD?"

Why don't they indeed! Check out their website - http://spiritualcinemacircle.com
I think we should send them a copy of Marathon Women

Sante Wine Festival

Sante Wine Festival
Awesome Pangea food with
Le Sommelier wines

Enjoyed a delicious dinner at Pangea Restaurant on Saturday night as part of the Sante Wine Festival. Exquisite food by chef Martin Kouprie and delicious wine pairings from 3 wineries available through Le Sommelier: Diemersdal from South Africa, Nichols from Paso Robles, California and our perennial favourite Dog Ridge Vineyards from McLaren Vale, Australia. Had lots of fun at the table talking with visitors Richard and Patrick from Ohio. See you all again next year!

Facebook

Last week my employer made the news for banning the use of Facebook at work. I'm still chuckling. Read what Don Tapscott - author of Wikinomics - has to say.

And I now have 20 friends on Facebook, so there.

We Will Rock You & Avant-premiere

Took this shot of Sam & Steve in Dundas Square before we headed out for dinner at the Savoy (formerly the Senator) on Victoria St and on to We Will Rock You at the Canon Theatre. I really liked the show: fantastic music by Queen, amazing staging and fun little quips between songs. My cohorts were less impressed and somewhat disgruntled about the lack of plot.


What do you expect? It was way better than Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express which I saw in London in the 80s. Plus, I'm sure I enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed Blue Man Group. Somehow, I'd rather listen to 3 hours of amazing Queen music & lyrics and see exciting staging than watch 2 hours of drumming by 3 guys who refuse to talk. Maybe it's just me.

Ran 6K this morning - felt great. Tonight is the world premiere of Marathon Women at hot docs. Will update after the screening.

Hot Docs Day & Facebook

Today I took a day off work to hang out at hot docs. What a terrific day! Met Jonathan from current.tv who wants to work with new filmmakers and have them contribute video to their 24hr global news station (and internet site) which is funded by Al Gore. Very cool! I'd love to get involved.


We even met one third (Dana and Laura) of the New School team that created the short doc Blind Faith as part of the same International Documentary Challenge that Tamara and I entered. They're GRRREAAAAAAAT!! Can't wait to meet the rest of Team Blind Faith!

Saw 4 Elements - an interesting experimental doc about Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Very quiet, intriguing and stylistic. The film was quite poetic and took 4 years to make, in Siberia, Alaska, Kazakstan and Germany.

Plus, I have 14 friends on Facebook. So there.