TIFF Days 8-10 and the BLUE JAYS

There it is…TIFF is done for another year. Saw four more films to roundout TIFF13 and even went to a Blue Jays game…I am tired and very content.

Here’s a bit about the last four films I caught.

Annette Bening

The Face of Love

Mom and I got to enjoy the Face of Love premiere starring Annette Bening. The woman is stunning and absolutely cute and hilarious. The film was directed by once Torontonian Arie Posen who introduced the film by saying, “To my family who has come to see the world premiere of my film, thank you. To everyone else, welcome to my family reunion.” Super cute! Annette Bening plays a widow opposite Ed Harris who happens to look exactly like her (deceased) husband. When a TIFFgoer asked Annette how she dealt with acting with one actor who played two characters, Annette responded, “(Big Sigh…) I have a huge crush on Ed Harris…”

Palo Alto

So Gia Coppola hopes you don’t see this film because of her famous name (she is Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter and Sophia’s neice), but really, you ARE going to see it because she is. You’re also going to see it because it’s based on James Franco’s book of short stories. You’re going to enjoy it though, cause it’s very coming of age in the digital world and Emma Roberts is a sweetie. I saw this film at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. It’s right beside one of my fave coffee joints, Aroma, and this TIFF line was perhaps the most hipster one I’d seen at the festival this year…just sayin’. Oh and, just in case my line friends Jenna and Jessa see this, hey you two! Great to meet and enjoy TIFF13 with ya! Party on in Aurora!

Cameron Bailey

Can a Song Save Your Life

No TIFF experience is complete without seeing Cameron Bailey and Piers Handling. I mean, they are the Kings of TIFF. I saw Piers opening weekend at ScotiaTheatre but it wasn't until Day 10 of TIFF that Cameron made his appearance in my TIFF13 experience at Ryerson Theatre, introducing this film.

I was so excited to see this film because it was written and directed by John Carney, who did the film Once (2004). And Can a Song is great…just a little Hollywood. Which isn’t bad or anything, it’s just that the film wraps itself up in a beautiful bow, leaving not much to the imagination. I’m a fan of “not knowing” what happens to the main characters of the film and “choosing my own adventure.” This film doesn’t do it, but it’s great, and sweet and totally feel good. Mark Ruffalo and Kiera Knightly play the main characters in this sweet film with beautiful beautiful music.

Bad Words

I was a tad nervous about this one, it received mixed reviews over the week…but in the end it was a GREAT way to end TIFF13. Bad Words stars Jason Bateman who also makes his directorial debut! Jason plays the lead character, a 40 year old man, who, through a loophole of the system, manages to get in, and compete, in a children’s spelling bee. The film is smart and witty, politically incorrect at times, and definitely raucous! Rohan Chand plays the lead child in this film and is amazing!

FINAL TIFF13 Rundown

1.     Third Person – True love must be experienced to be understood.

2.     American Dreams in China – best friends go into business and live the “Chinese Dream”

3.     Bethlehem – the struggle between trust and betrayal between an Israeli secret service agent and his young informant

4.     Can a Song Save Your Life – Beautiful music accompanies a neatly wrapped story

5.     The Face of Love – How love or the need to be loved can make us a tad crazy

6.     Exit Marrakech – wanderlust, relationships, and coming of age in Morocco

7.     Ilo Ilo – A nanny from the Philippines changes home relationships in Singapore

8.     Bad Words – Dark and funny spelling bee

9.     Palo Alto – Coming of age in the digital age

10. The Dinner – the lengths we go through to protect those we love

Me and Bean

SO ends TIFF13…and we once again find ourselves with a major league ball team that will not make the play offs…but you know what? We go to the game and we love it…with over 25 of my brother’s best friends and our family!

Will, Christopher, Duane

We got a (great big, gigantic party) skybox thanks to some favours and strings being pulled (thanks sooooo much Mark!) and we absolutely loved it. We ate like kings and queens and danced and screamed really loudly…yet somehow, we still didn’t make it on the jumbotron.

Our boys in blue didn’t win this aft. But we got PIZZA cause of the 7 strike outs had by the Jays. (Don’t forget to bring your tickets in tomorrow get a free slice guys!)

The WHOLE group!

Jays aren't winning, we are perturbed!

The Jays game was a GREAT way to end the weekend and 10 days of TIFFing!

...and that's a wrap TIFF12!

Home before 10pm.
It’s the first time in 11 days.
TIFF12 had taken a hold of my life, as it had for the past 10 years or so...
Every year is the same.
For 11 days in September I live off Starbucks, get 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night, and eat absolutely horribly (popcorn, street meat, fast-food burgers...oh my!).
And every year it is absolutely worth it!

I love how full the streets of Toronto are.
I love the endless amounts of tourists in the city.
I love the amazing vibe Toronto gets.
TIFF is simply amazing for the city.

On Day 11 of TIFF12 I walked in the middle of Queen St West, just because I could. The streets are empty on Sunday mornings and I was out there early...due to the 9:15am screening of Disconnect.

Disconnect had a great story for our times. No matter how connected we are with our laptops, cellphones, text messages, facetime, and chat rooms, we are not emotionally connected. Jason Bateman and Alexander Skarsgard are awesome in this film!

And closing TIFF for me this year was Zaytoun. And anyone who knows me knows my connection to the middle east. So Zaytoun was going to be special to me no matter what! First of all Stephen Dorff aged quite well...he makes a perfectly handsome Israeli soldier. His Hebrew is okay...but I will overlook it! :) Zaytoun is about an Israeli soldier and how a very unlikely young Palestinian boy helps him to safety. Forget about politics. This is about the friendship that grows between the two. 
OH! And treat of all treats! Even on the last day of TIFF we were given the opportunity to have a Q&A session with Zaytoun’s Oscar winning producer Gareth Unwin! AWESOME!
Fun facts: Zaytoun means olives in Arabic. Zayteem means olives in Hebrew. Zaytoun won 2nd runner-up for the People's Choice Awards at TIFF12 (that means...GO SEE IT!!!)





Tomorrow life goes back to normal...I welcome it. Back to hot yoga, long walks and cuddles with my pup, dinner with friends and time with the fam... (OH and I should probably detox from all the horrible food and drinks I've consumed!)

Til next year TIFF! (And in the meantime, I will begin my search for all the amazing films I didn’t have time to see...Laurence Anyways, Silver Linings Playbooks, Bad25, Antiviral, etc. etc.)


And the final TIFF12 ranking according to me:

1. The Gatekeepers - documentary about Israel’s internal intelligence agency, just absolutely incredible
2. White Elephant (Elefante Blanco) – a very powerful film about two priests in the slums of Buenos Aires
3. Zaytoun - stop focusing on politics. This film is about the friendship that builds between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian boy.
4. Imagine - a beautiful film set in Lisbon about a school for blind children and their very unconventional teacher
5. 7 Boxes (Siete Cajas) - a super fun film from Paraguay about a teen who must guard 7 boxes with his life!
6. Twice Born (Venuto Al Mundo) - Penelope Cruz relives her past in Sarajevo. Heavy and amazing.
7. The Paperboy - Deep south 1969 America. Murder and sexual tension, weird combo, but it works.
8. Disconnect - A “Crash” like film that reminds us even through our “connections” we aren’t really connected emotionally at all.
9. First Comes Love - documentary about a 41 year old woman who decides to have a child on her own
10. Bright Day – Finding yourself in India
11. Le Capital - an French “Hollywood” type film with a dramatic lead played by a stand up comic! (after finding that out, totally made it for me!)
12. Viola -  A masterful combination of 7 Shakespearean plays, all with the most beautiful Argentinian Spanish