TIFF a bust | 13 days till Scotiabank Half

Ran 16K on Saturday morning before having breakfast at Fran's then saw RocknRolla, Guy Ritchie's new film. That last burst was the best of the fest for me, next to Les Plages d'Agnes and The Secret Life of Bees. I like the impressions of Agnes' film by a fellow blogger. More of haikugirl's reviews to come. TIFF '08 was frankly a bust. Now to see the ones I missed this fall (coming soon to a theatre near you!)

My half-marathon race is less than 2 weeks away and I fell behind in my training during the fest but back at it now. Have a look at the gorgeous marathon medals for this year's event. I'll be getting the silver antique finish one on the right... provided I run 21K on Sept 28th!

TIFF 2 for 3

For our 10th Anniversary year, TIFF08 feels like a washout. Saw Synecdoche, New York last night at the WinterGarden. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener were there along with writer/director Charlie Kaufman who stayed for Q&A. Kaufman was the screenwriting genius behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (directed by the filmmaking genius Michel Gondry) and Adaptation (directed by gifted Spike Jonze). Synecdoche was Kaufman's directorial debut. In the hands of a visionary director, this film's premise could have been brilliant. Instead, it was a disappointing, endless piece that underutilized everyone in the cast except PSH and drove my friends crazy.

At the start of Q&A someone asked "Can you talk about the burning house?" to which he replied: "No." Then he tried to justify it by saying his interpretation doesn't matter, he did it for us and what matters is what we take from it. Later, a member of the audience asked: was it your intention to let the film spiral downward deeper and deeper into despair? Everyone laughed. Serves Kaufman right for refusing to answer the first question. I think even Cameron Bailey was surprised at the guy's 'tude during the Q&A.

Listen Charlie, being glib doesn't work with seasoned TIFF moviegoing audiences. The question was fair, and your response was arrogant and insulting, along with most of the rest of what you had to say. Your feeble attempt to backpedal at the end didn't win you any new friends. Stick to writing in your turret, find a publicist to handle questions and leave the directing to somebody else.

haikugirl works!

haikugirl is busy, busy, busy at Showcase Ontario downtown attending a FANTASTIC learning session on blogs, microblogs, podcasts and videoblogs. Her colleagues Sameer V and his co-host Cullen S are excellent facilitators and it's a great hands-on workshop! Now if we can just make it all work in the OPS! Learning a lot while checking out videoblogs and the new apple iPhone.

Tonight is our group pick at TIFF: Synecdoche, New York with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener at the beautiful WinterGarden Theatre. First: dinner at the new Milestones at Yonge & Dundas' Toronto Life Square .

I declare "Martini"

Martini: On-Set Term; the last shot of the day. Preceded by Abby Singer (the second to last shot of the day) and followed by the first drink of the evening.

For more cryptic expressions to impress your friends at the next TIFF cocktail hour, visit the Project Greenlight Movie Terms page.

TIFF Final Schedule

Box 9 was selected and we were Box 23 out of 78 so we managed to get all our first picks! Unfortunately, my Friday Sept 12 screening of New York, I Love You was inexplicably cancelled so I am seeing my second choice that day. My final schedule is:

Thurs Sept 4 - Run 5K

Fri Sept 5 - The Burning Plain

Sat Sept 6 - Run 12K then attend Linda & Tom's Wedding

Sun Sept 7 - The Secret Life of Bees

Mon Sept 8 - Run 5K

Tues Sept 9 (Group Pick) - Synecdoche, New York

Wed Sept 10 - Run 5K then dinner with Les Boys?

Thurs Sept 11 - Les plages d'Agnès

Fri Sept 12 - $9.99

Sat Sept 13 - Run 15K then see RocknRolla

Looking forward to all the fun, film and friends at the fest!

TIFF Submissions

After 2 days of agonizing over what TIFF films to see with my 10 tickets, I finally have a plan! Here are my first and second choices:

Fri Sept 5
1st: The Burning Plain 2nd: Me and Orson Welles

Sun Sept 7
1st: The Secret Life of Bees 2nd: A Film With Me In It

Tues Sept 9 (Group Pick)
1st: Synecdoche, New York 2nd: The Brothers Bloom

Thurs Sept 11
1st: Les plages d'Agnès 2nd: 24 City

Fri Sept 12
1st: New York, I Love You 2nd: $9.99

Sat Sept 13
1st: RocknRolla 2nd: Genova

THANK YOU IVANA for kindly dropping off EVERYONE's completed picks this afternoon at the box office. You and Matteo ROCK!

We are in Box 23 out of 78. Wishing everybody good box karma! Update on Monday once TIFF sends us our final selections via e-mail.

My Favourite Time of Year!

Just got back from Toronto Life Square on the NE corner of Yonge & Dundas. Picked up my TIFF 2008 Festival Programme Book and complimentary bag. It's better than a race kit - I even got a mini Stella Artois glass chalice. (They know me so well! ;)

Will have to sit down and read the book and film schedule and fit in my runs and other commitments. We MUST plan a 10th anniversary dinner and a movie with Les Boys!

Visit my TIFF archive for links to past festival blogs and check back here to see my evolving TIFF film schedule (final picks confirmed on Labour Day Monday!)

Cagey TIFF VISA programmers

Seems TIFF has decided to recycle its best Roy Thomson Hall GALAS at the VISA Screening Room at the Elgin the next day (Burn After Reading, Rachel Getting Married). TIFF is also showing Che Part 1 and Che Part 2 on separate days. Hmmm, why not take a 4+ hour movie (258 minutes at Cannes) and screen it over 2 nights and we'll have 1 less movie to program. BRILLIANT! They have also put Darren Aronovsky (The Fountain, ugh!) and Ghost Town (c'mon) in this year's VISA lineup. Ghost Town? With Ricky Gervais? Saw the trailer yesterday when we saw Tropic Thunder and only Ricky Gervais thinks he is as great as he thinks he is. WHERE IS W. by Oliver Stone? Why don't this year's VISA subscribers get the privilege (pain) of seeing another high-budget Canadian co-production like Beowulf & Grendel which Ivana and I suffered through in 2005? It was so captivating we walked out after 25 minutes! Grrrrr TIFF programmers Grrrr. You'd better have some decent movies in the general schedule for me to use my 10 tickets for, or else I'll only be able to sign up for Tiburzi 2 and The Hips of JW Deux. We'll see tomorrow (Tuesday) when the complete film schedule is published. Stay tuned fair readers!

No VISA this year
Unless we pay forty bucks
Spend it at Winners?

TIFF 2008 is coming Mr. Anderson!

Just saw Jason Anderson's Festival fever article in this week's eye weekly. I just met Jason this weekend and after reading his TIFF sneak peeks I am looking forward to more TIFF recommendations. Ivana and I got our tickets straightened out at the Box Office and will have to submit our choices next week. TIFF has announced the full lineup of films and of course the best ones seem to be Premium tickets (i.e. Roy Thomson Hall GALAS or VISA Screening Room seletions at $40 bucks a pop) This year we can't use our tickets for VISA (a shocking first) but maybe we'll splurge if decide we can't live without seeing a top film or the sexy stars in tow. Like maybe Burn After Reading on Friday night after an awesome $$$$$ dinner at Reds or Canoe? It's our 10th Anniversary of TIFF with Les Boys so we will need to splurge at least once. Even the Closing Night Gala looks good this year and the cast is stellar (lately there have been some real dogs on closing night.) Mr. Anderson?

Ready for TIFF and TUFF

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) tickets went on sale Monday, July 7 and I've bought my 10-ticket package for $167 (and one for Ivana when she gets back). This year, they're telling us we can't use our tickets to bid for VISA Screening Room movies, even though we've done that every year since 2002. VISA Screening Tickets are $45 (the 8-film package is already sold out at $350+GST) and I paid that last year for 2 individual VISA tickets but we will have to see how they lay everything out in the order form in August.

Every year TIFF increases its prices and adds more rules. Visit haikugirlmovies for my latest RANT about TIFF. I don't think the TIFF founders wanted this "people's festival" to become out of reach for the average Toronto filmlover. They are offering student and senior pricing this year and a new student daypass but what about the diehard non-students like haikugirl & friends who've been going and supporting this festival for years?

I also submitted my TIFF for TUFF 1 minute movie into the Toronto Urban Film Festival. It's a photo montage of the stars I've seen at TIFF through the years. Cross your fingers for me! If I'm a finalist you'll see my movie on the ONESTOP screens in most subway stations - over 1 million people can view it during TIFF in September and vote online!

I'm back

My dear friends and blogwatchers. Humble apologies from haikugirl. September has been crazy in life and work, and blogging fell lower in the priority list than sleep. Now it's 3:30am and I thought I'd catch you up on what's been happening...

RUNNING: During the filmfest I did run my 80K in 10 days. Last Saturday was 27K and tomorrow we run 31K so our half marathon (21K) next Sunday, September 30 is actually a fallback run. I never thought I'd read that in print so you may be as stunned as I. The 27 took about as much time as the 24 the previous week because we were more disciplined and stuck to more consistent speed (close to 8K an hour). Based on our time last Saturday, we are more confident about making the bridge at mile 19 in Washington so there was much to celebrate. Last night (Thursday) we were out at the newbie BBQ for JeansMarines. It was a wonderful event and heartwarming to meet everyone's partners. Definitely put us in the spirit for our upcoming races.

TIFF: Saw a total of 9 movies at TIFF this year (had to work screening times around my agressive running schedule). Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. I didn't see it because he drives me crazy - even though as a former Winnipegger I am supposed to like him (I gave last year's Brand Upon the Brain 1 out of 5 (but 5 for foley). Perhaps I will see My Winnipeg eventually as an hommage to my old home town. I also plan to see David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises, which won the Cadillac People's Choice Award and is already out in theatres. I also want to see Run Fat Boy Run which is coming soon as a laugh before my upcoming races. I have added new posts with the rest of my TIFF movie reviews so please scroll down.

WORK: My runs take so long that it's like another part-time job (12 hours/week with travel and prep time) and the pace at work has picked up dramatically in September. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and hope my Dad can visit us in Toronto.

haikugirl is back!
running and blogging take time
Thanks for your patience...

Chacun son Cinema

Chacun son cinema was the perfect way to end the fest! Went at 5:00 to the Elgin after a long week's work and got into the VISA Lounge (downstairs), had a Stella, got my favourite seat upstairs, and saw this wonderful hommage to Cannes' 60th Anniversary to wrap up my TIFF festival experience. Like Paris, je t'aime last year, I enjoy these compilations of short films. This one included 33 short films by 33 wonderful directors, some of whom are my all-time faves (and no Guy Maddin!) People have been talking about David Cronenberg's short (the title alone says it all At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World) and I thought it was okay but my favourite was Walter Salles' film 8944 km from Cannes featuring 2 Brazilian rappers outside an abandoned theatre talking about the Cannes Film Festival. It was hilarious!! Thank God for the English subtitles for the Portuguese. I also liked the one by the Coen Brothers with Josh Brolin ("What is lay reggles du jou about?"), Nanni Moretti (Diary of a Moviegoer), and Elia Suleiman (He was so deadpan and looked like an older Robert Downey Jr. I was recounting the exploits to a friend and that made me laugh even more!) Many were recognizable by the director's style (Amos Gitai, Wong Kar-wai, Atom Egoyan). I would love to have this on DVD so I could just go to the ones I really liked and watch them over and over. A perfect way to end the week and gear up for my 27K run on Saturday morning. MMMM

Married Life

This was the weakest film I saw at TIFF this year. Rachel McAdams seemed out of her depth (and plucked from the wrong generation) to star in this film. Chris Cooper was good and Patricia Clarkson is always fantastic. Pierce Brosnan was his usual dreamy self. Someone said his hair was not from the era and it might have looked too Remington Steele. Other than that, it was kind of like A Simple Plan meets Match Point (and fans of haikugirl know that A Simple Plan is her most despised movie of all time, which is more objectionable than simply being a bad movie, which is just a bit of a failure.) A Simple Plan was insulting and baseless. Unlike my married life, this one and its characters just seemed tired and going through the motions. The set designer was the true hero of the picture. But it was nice to see all the stars. Wait for the video. Mm

The good thing about this screening was seeing our friends Mike and Suzanne from New Jersey. They have been coming for several years and we met them in our seats at The Elgin (they like the right side near the front too!) I will post photos soon but it was lovely to reconnect with them. See you next year!

Lars and the Real Girl

This film was a delight and the press conference was even funnier. Ryan Gosling plays Lars who "meets a woman on the Internet" - she's a blow up doll but he treats her like she's real and the whole town plays right along because they want Lars to be happy. It is charming to see this film and in the press conference the cast talks about the reverence everyone had when Biance was on set. The earnestness and playfulness are inspiring. I loved seeing the director and cast at the screening at Ryerson. MMMM

This was the night we had arranged to meet Les Boys for dinner at The Keg York St. It was a real reunion since they had not seen Keith in years. Great martinis and wine, great steaks and great company. Next year is our 10 year anniversary and Joe and Shawn are starting to plan already! Vive Les Boys!

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth was gorgeous and gripping and great. Cate Blanchett embodied the role and the character is so strong (GIRLPOWER!), it was a delight to watch. Director Shekhar Kapur was there for Q&A and warmly shared lots of stories about writing and filming this epic and some of the creative licenses he took. (i.e. some historical events were out of sequence, England's defeat of the Spanish Armada took 3 months, not overnight as it seemed in the movie) "but then, I would have used up all my budget... and we'd all be speaking Spanish".

Shekhar wants to make a third film but only if Cate is willing. She had to be convinced to do this one. In one movie magazine it says: "Clive Owen is doing it, and Geoffrey (Rush) is coming back again so I thought, I'm just being churlish if I say no to this." This summer I learned about the word churlish from my UK running partner Hardish so I knew exactly what Cate meant. I think Elizabeth is probably my favourite film at this year's fest for its sheer spectacle and the inspiration of this enduring character. MMMM

The Assassination of Jesse James

Saw this movie at 11:00am Monday at the Elgin and liked it. It's more of a psychological drama than a western (read: a lot of talking) and Brad Pitt is perfect in the role. Possible nomination. I think Casey Affleck also does a good job and really the story is about him and how he wants fame and recognition. The director was asked lots of comments in Q&A about what the film says about celebrity then and now. There are interesting parallels. The film was shot in Alberta and Winnipeg and I was scanning crowd scenes looking for my brother Steve who was an extra. I thought I saw him but he'll have to see it to know for sure. The train robbery at night was dreamily shot. MMMm

Le Deuxieme Souffle

This is a 2 and a half hour French gangsta epic shot beautifully with perfect casting. The director Alain Corneau was on hand for questions and was so sweet. It was like a film noir class in 10 minutes. Saw the press conference on Bell Expressvu (channel 307) and Monica Bellucci looked beautiful as always. In the film - set in the 60s - she was blonde and looked alot like Sharon Stone in Casino (but more curvy, confident and resolved). Very violent with a lot of fast-paced, dense dialogue. See this if you'd always wanted to see a film like Godfather II, but in French. MMm

Then She Found Me

Director Helen Hunt was on hand for the second screening of Then She Found Me at the "beautiful and historic Elgin Theatre". This film was funny and touching: Helen Hunt as the baby-obsessed schoolteacher, and Colin Firth as the wacky single father of one of her students are delightful together. Bette Midler's turn as April's birth mother is note perfect and Matthew Broderick is the despicable ex you love to hate. She said she has interest in North American distribution from ThinkFilms so you should be able to see this funny film sometime this winter. Enjoy it - especially the cameo. How many women can say "Salman Rushdie is my OB GYN."?? MMMm

Then She Found Me is
delightful and charming
just like its characters

In Bloom

Saturday night's film was my favourite so far. In Bloom by Vadim Perelmen was beautifully shot, brilliantly constructed and the premiere was replete with stars: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri, plus the Director, Screenwriter and Production Designer. From the opening frame, the DOP and Director created this amazing, surreal world for the characters to inhabit and the performances they delivered were outstanding. The audience was almost in shock after the ending and - like Mulholland Drive - it's the kind of movie that begs for a second viewing so you can go back and piece together all the director's thoughtful choices and echos.

As of Saturday night, there was no North American release date for In Bloom and we were the very first audience to see it EVER. The Director and cast were gracious during Q&A (Uma couldn't stay but Evan's friend Marilyn Manson was also in the audience to support her and Evan answered my question.) See this when it comes out - I'll be seeing it again! MMMMM

The women In Bloom
are gorgeous and the film is
utterly brilliant

Ed. Note: This film was renamed The Life Before Her Eyes and only released the following year.

Disengagement

Went with Mary and Pavlina to see this Amos Gitai film. They are veterans but this was my first of his. Juliette Binoche and the director were both there. I appreciated the film despite its slow pacing and enjoyed the sparseness of it. Her adopted brother joins her in Avignon for their father's funeral (she is quite provocative in some sexually charged scenes with him in the flat) then she follows him to Israel where she goes into the occupied territory to meet the daughter she abandoned at birth. Meanwhile her brother is leading the army to remove the settlers. Very emotionally charged. MM

Then we went to dinner at Vaticano in Yorkville. Got to run 24K Saturday morning.