Friday, September 05, 2008

#33

The 33rd Toronto Film Festival started last night. But for me, it really starts today.

This is the one I've worked, whined and nagged towards for the last 4+ years, finally convincing T. to let me "do it up right". The initial plan was always to go full-time, making the most of 10 days and whatever 50+ films I could squeeze and schedule into that period. In time and with the pressure of two kids, I've compromised to what amounts to a half-time slate: 30 or so movies over 5 or 6 days. In truth, it's feeling like it will turn out to be 35 films (including 2 regular admissions) spread across this weekend and most of the second half of the week. (There's symmetry to that number: 35 movies as a gift in my 35th year.)

At any rate, it seems an awful shame to go hard in the theatre for the next 7 or 8 days and not keep some record of progress. After all, the biggest question people have about crunching 35 movies in such a short period is "how do you keep them straight?" I'm actually hoping everything *does* bleed together, but in the meantime I'm going to keep notes on what works, what lights me up and what gives me the brief opportunity to nap. The impressions will be sort of half-cooked; I intend to mostly jot down ideas between films, before the next film eclipses the one that came before. Catching up on 35 movies at the end of the week isn't really an option.

The line up, which is 95% firm, is as follows:

Thurs (9/4)
Passchendaele





Wed (9/10)

Thurs (9/11)

Fri (9/12)

Missing in action, and titles which I desperately hope to pick up in the days to come (as late-breaking tickets become available) are Wendy and Lucy and more importantly, Slumdog Millionaire which sounds like it might be the winner this year.

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