The Toronto film festival may be chronologically half way over, PopWatchers, but if we’re counting by the sheer numbers of screenings, stars, roughed-up rock stars and autograph seekers, this year’s Canadian shindig is well into its final turn down the home stretch. Whereas Sunday was a whirlwind of screenings, parties, interviews and fancy dinners, with so many skipping town at the end of the weekend, Monday was all with the low-key — aside from preparing for our upcoming News & Notes festival report in Friday’s magazine, I only took in two screenings: Uncertainty with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and The Hurt Locker with Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later) and Guy Pearce. Which means I finally have time in today’s Toronto vlog to talk about something I’ve wanted to discuss since the first day: The difference between the press screenings and the public ones.
Before you click below, though, a quick disclaimer: You may notice at the end I promise one final video blog coming your way tomorrow. That, alas, is a lie. I hadn’t realized our EW.com video mastermind/savant/genius/wunderkind/savior Jason Averett (who knows how to teach these vlogs the language of the interwebs) was heading home tomorrow morning. So instead on Wednesday I’ll be back to the good ole written word for my final reports from the fest. Forthwith, my last vlog — at least, from the wilds of Canadia.
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I think it’s better to go with Joe Public, as we got Thandie Newton wanting to ‘Shag the lot of us’ and then Guy Richie wanted to f#@k us all when we were done with Thandie… now you can’t pay for that kind of stuff! I also got to see Ed Harris get teary eyed when he spoke about his Dad being in his movie! now seriously, how cool is that experience!
I’ve covered Toronto for eight years (I’m not there this year), and I have to admit I love the benefit of the press pass merely for the fact that you can see as many as six or seven films in a day if you plan your screenings right (and pack a lot of food in your bag). So for the sheer volume, give me the press pass. However, I always made sure to hit a handful of public screenings so I could be reminded of who these films are actually for — the general audience. After days on end in darkened theaters surrounded by self-important PR people (and some self-important journalists) who are slaves to their BlackBerries and cell phones, it’s refreshing to be at a screening with people who are truly grateful for the film, the interaction with the filmmakers and the festival experience in general.
canadia…do you mean canada?
I was at the same screening of the Hurt Locker and even though I’ve lived in Toronto my whole life this was the first time I have watched a movie at TIFF. I thought it was really interesting to get to see the director and actors answer questions, since that is not something you’d ever get at a regular night at the movies. I’m planning on seeing another movie at this year’s fest and next year I’m hoping to see a bunch more. But even though this was a public screening it didn’t stop the guy beside me from checking his Blackberry every few minutes! Arrrr!