It’s just after 3am at the internet cafe. ‘All Out of Love’ by Air Supply is on the radio. I never thought gamers and idiots like me would want to listen to EZ Rock at 3am, but apparently we do. At least I do.

Today will not go down as one of the more successful TIFF days I’ve ever had. It was the first day that TIFF reared her ugly head and smacked me with the rolled up newspaper of vengeance. Right on the nose as if to say “Bad dog! Bad dog!” No, I don’t know what I’m talking about either, I think it’s just the overload of sugar and caffeine I’ve had this week.

After I posted yesterday’s blog I stopped in a 7-Eleven for some snacks before I settled down to watch some episodes of 30 Rock. I picked up a rather large chocolate bar. Before I knew it I had polished the damn thing off and it’s just wrecked my stomach today.

My first film was the new one starring Sigourney Weaver called the Girl in the Park. I’d love to tell you what it was about but I got the start time wrong and showed up at the theatre one hour late. Good times. I headed back into the subway only for an elderly women to wipe out on the platform, hit her head and fall back into me and the guy standing next to me. I had to drop the soda I was carrying too. The woman was okay, she just cut her head, but I stuck around until paramedics arrived and I didn’t laugh once. See? I’m not always a horrible person. Sure…if it was a kid I would have wet myself, but in this case…I proved I have a heart somewhere. Mind you, it’s not like I was ready with CPR. I sort of just stood there.

Up next was the new film from Kenneth Branagh called Sleuth. It was based on Anthony Schaffer’s play and was also a remake. This one starred Michael Caine and Jude Law. Caine plays a writer named Andrew Wyke, who’s wife wants to divorce him to be with a hairdresser/actor named Milo Tindle. So, Wyke invites Tindle over to talk. In an effort to get out of paying alimony, Andrew proposes to Milo the idea of ‘robbing’ him. Milo gets a safe full of jewels and the girl, while Andrew gets the insurance money and they go their separate ways. However, since neither of these men like each other they cannot resist the urge to one up the other as the plot takes many twists and turns and the advantage shifts between Milo and Andrew. I’m a fan of Jude Law and he and Michael Caine both put in some good performances. I thought Michael Caine was exceptionally good and then I found out why. He appeared in the original with Laurence Olivier back in 1972 playing the role of Milo and apparently there was another movie that was loosely based on the play starring Caine and Christopher Reeve. I know that there are those that think Kenneth Branagh is a pretentious douche and they may be right. This movie was kind of weird and I thought the visuals of the film took much away from the acting.

I decided to switch it up and instead of another film, I scheduled in the Blue Jays-Yankees game. Since, I’m a fan of the Orioles and am used to seeing a team get beat up, it wasn’t all that difficult to watch the Jays get hammered 9-2. The salty pretzel I ate was the highlight.

To end the evening I had the new film from acclaimed action/horror director Takashi Miike. Sukiyaki Western Django is the name. Set during “The Genpei Wars” at the end of the 1100s, the Heike Reds and the Genji Whites face off in a town named Yuda, while a deadly gunman comes to the aid of the townsfolk. The movie was full of bullets, swords, blood, and violence and was quite enjoyable to watch. The Japanese cast speaks English throughout the film, but it was an oddly phonetic version of it. Miike borrowed heavily from Sergio Leone and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and he even casts a famous supporter of spaghetti westerns in a small role as a gunslinger – Quentin Tarantino. If you haven’t experienced Takashi Miike yet, pick up Audition or Ichi the Killer. Both are good times.

Three films tomorrow including Run Fatboy Run. It is not a film about me.

Greg’s 2007 Toronto Film Fest Report: Day 3
Greg’s 2007 Toronto Film Fest Report: Day 2
Greg’s 2007 Toronto Film Fest Report: Day 1

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