Monday, September 18, 2006
THE FIRST FEW DAYS
The film festival is in full swing and I've been very busy attending the screenings and other fabulous events. On Thursday everyone came out for the opening ... drinks at Charles' and then to Argyle Street for the party. Everyone was dressed to kill for the red carpet, and Joseph and I got our picture taken with Jill Barber, one of my favourite local talents.
Friday night was Strangers With Candy. A fun film with some hilarious moments (and a very surprise appearance from Sarah Jessica Parker), yet it didn't quite live up to the hype for me. It started out good but got a little cookie cutter, teenage movie-esque towards the end. There was a great party afterwards at Ryan Duffy's Speakeasy. My celebrity cousin, Ron Hynes even made an appearance.
Saturday night was the documentary Small Town Gay Bar accompanied by the short documentary Confessions of a Drag Queen. Confessions was funny and light, which was good because STGB was anything but. It was a great documentary and I enjoyed it, but it certainly is not the type of film you want to see on a Saturday night before going out! That being said, watching the intense reality of living as a homosexal in the Southern U.S. really heightened my appreciation for the freedom I have here in Canada.
Sunday I saw On the Road with Mary, a rather poorly assembled documentary that tried to make a statement about faith and the cruelty and blindness of society. Unfortunately, it just didn't make sense and at times, was a bit of snooze fest. I did enjoy some of the commentary from the very real people being interviewed though.
The highlight so far, definitely has to be Sarah Polley's directorial debut, Away from Her. It was a beautiful and moving film that left me in tears. My favourite line from the film ... "People are too demanding. We expect to be in love every day." Sarah sat right behind us during the screening. She is raw talent in every sense of the word. I envy the vision and drive she has at such a young age. I was especially impressed by how poised and articulate she was during the Q&A session.
Tonight's film is Volver, starring Penelope Cruz, and I have a full schedule of movies and parties for the duration. It's going to be a busy week ...
:: posted by Ray of Delight, 10:00 AM
