Thoughts on TIFF Day 3 & 4

One of Brainwash’s installations outside of Roy Thompson Hall commisioned by The Festival

That first weekend of TIFF is always a tornado. Year to year, it never fails that just four days in I already feel gassed even though I’ve barely scratched the surface of my progamme. The first weekend is always stockpiled with sexy screening options, and of course with everybody being off work (not just kooks like me that use vacation time) many friends start joining in on the action.

By the time Monday morning comes, I find myself moving a bit slower…but never you fear – Day Five promises enough awesomeness to keep me from losing that spring in my step anytime soon.

Saturday was a four screening day, which may seem like lunacy to the uninitiated, but I assure you it’s very manageable. The movies were nicely staggered, with one at 11am, one at 2pm, one at 8pm and the final one at midnight. The first order of the day was THE IDES OF MARCH at The Visa Screening Room. At this point, I feel like I should offer a word of advice to all lookee-loo’s who come to screenings like this in the hopes of seeing someone famous (and there were a lot of ’em on Saturday): Take a look at the TIFF schedule. If the celebrity you’re hoping for had a premiere last night at 9, and it’s before noon – the odds of them showing up are 50/50 at best. So in this case kids, No Clooney, No Gosling.

Director Cameron Crowe introduces PEARL JAM TWENTY at The Princess of Wales Theatre

 From there, I zipped over to the Princess of Wales Theatre for the premiere of PEARL JAM TWENTY. As was to be expected, the crowd at this show was made up almost entirely of Pearl Jam fans (guilty!), and sometimes collections like this can get a bit off-putting. Happily though, this collection of rockers were great to watch a movie with, and we all had a great time as the walls shook to the sounds of Eddie, Mike, Matt, Stone, and Jeff.

Funny thing though – this is the first year TIFF has used the Princess of Wales as a venue, and there’s a weird disconnect happening between the TIFF Staff/Volunteers and the theatre staff. Ordinarily, when a ticketholder line is let in to a venue, they can go right in and take their seats. At Wales though, besides the fact that they are funnelling everyone through only one of the two entry points for the house, they don’t have the house doors open as the line clogs up in the lobby. I’ve heard it happen a few times since my experience, and I really hope it’s something that can get sorted out soon.

Eddie Vedder at the Pearl Jam Twenty press conference.

After the movie, I was lucky enough to get in on the press conference where the band and director Cameron Crowe talked about the project and reflected on the band’s twenty year career. Crowe mentioned that he used Martin Scorsese’s NO DIRECTION HOME as inspiration, but admitted that he wasn’t out to make a four-hour comprehensive tome like Scorsese did. He mentioned that “The Find” where footage for the doc was concerned, was the snippet we see of Eddie Vedder slow dancing with Kurt Cobain at the MTV Awards. It was a moment that few had witnessed, many questioned, and had never been seen on tape before.

Where their career was concerned, Eddie noted that compromise was a big key to their longevity. “Ever try to order a pizza with four other guys?” he asked “It’s difficult, right?”. Happily, he noted, the band has been able to talk with one another for a long time, so decisions like “no extra cheese” where a record is concerned is an easy compromise.

One last thing – I might not be what you’d call a hardened pro of a journalist, but even I know that it’s bad form to get autographs at a press conference. To those that did (who mostly seemed to be new media folk like myself), you’re making the rest of us look bad.

Director Nacho Vigalondo fields questions after the premiere of EXTRATERRESTRIAL

Sunday was a bit tricky, because after attending Midnight Madness on Saturday night, and staying up until 3am to write a bit, I was a little less than daisy fresh. Making things trickier was the fact that both films on Sunday required a certain level of concentration. First came the capital-A-arty KEYHOLE, which I’ll be writing about later today. Five minutes in, it was abundantly clear that we were in that film: The one that’s very strange, very arty, and you either roll with or bail out right there. I chose to go with it, and now I sort of wear it like a merit badge.

That night, it came time for EXTRATERRESTRIAL, and I don’t think I’ve been at a screening yet where I knew more people in the same room. The evening was conducted by director Nacho Vigalondo, who comes stockpiled with energy and a goofy charm. I could sense a slight unease in the room that the film the audience had gathered to watch wasn’t exactly what they had expected…but such surprises are part of the TIFF experience. Like the weird arty stuff – you either roll with it, or you bail.

So that was the weekend! Today promises to be just as intense, but I’ll cover that later. Check back later for reviews of KEYHOLE and EXTRATERRESTRIAL, along with the first “Wicked Little Town” episode of The Matineecast posting later today.