A Taste of TIFF

I wasn’t going to write about TIFF 14, but my NYC Broadway show buddy Jen suggested this blog. So here are my impressions of my first Toronto International Film Festival.

I knew TIFF was a big production from my years of watching reports on entertainment programs.  Experiencing it while living in the Toronto gave me some perspective on the magnitude of this festival. For weeks leading up to TIFF, the local news programs created the buzz. And once the TIFF got into full swing, TV stations had live hits each evening from the many red carpets.

I haven't been much of a movie-goer in recent years, but the excitement of TIFF got me back into the cinemas. I saw four films over the last week.

A Second Chance: A Danish drama about a cop who makes fateful decisions involving a pair of junkies and a baby. Set in winter around Christmas, the film had many foreshadowing scenes of frigid, grey waters off Denmark’s coastline.  Academy Award-winning director Susanne Bier and star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau were on hand for a Q and A at this world premiere.

 

Cut Bank:  This film, set in Cut Bank, Montana (said to be the coldest spot in the USA), is about a crime scam gone wrong.  Performances by veterans Bruce Dern and Billy Bob Thornton were highlights in an otherwise basic movie. It didn’t help that I nodded off during this 10 p.m. showing and missed a few minutes where there was an important plot development.

Kill Me Three Times:  From Australia, this black comedy was engaging and entertaining. Lots of plot twists, schemes and scams in this murder tale, but all is logically linked. Of note is the cinematography described as “sun-punched.”

Cake:  I’ve never seen Jennifer Aniston in a dramatic role.  I was impressed with her performance (a departure from romantic comedies) as a woman dealing with physical and emotional trauma.

The only star I saw on the red carpet was John Travolta, on my way home along King St. on Friday night. I joined the crowd and took some Smartphone photos, just like every other star-spotter!

 

 

Thanks to @erin_braincandy for arranging all the tickets and being my #TIFF14 viewing partner.

It's Christmas Time in the City

The first real blast of winter (technically still fall on the calendar) hit Toronto this weekend with 20 cm of snow.

Believe in Santa Claus

 
How can one not get into the Christmas spirit when watching the 1947 holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street -- on the big screen!  Having seen this film dozens of times on TV, it was great to enjoy it with the reactions of a live audience at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The five-storey complex on King St. W. has five cinemas and other galleries and studios.



Christmas lights in Little Italy on College St.

Watching this movie on a Sunday afternoon took away the disappointment of visiting Little Italy on a snowy Saturday afternoon in search of Baccala (salted cod fish, an Italian tradition for Christmas).  I had called one market and asked if they had baccala. The guy said they don't carry Greek desserts.  So, trudging along College Street, I, and my friend Agnes, searched the shops. 

In the end, it wasn't a speciality shop that had what I was looking for. Thank goodness for Metro (a grocery store chain) for carrying salted cod from Alaska. A nice cappuccino at the Sicilian Sidewalk Café helped this situation.

Here are a few other random photos below to illustrate the winter weather and Christmas time in Toronto.

Holiday shopping at Eaton Centre.

King St. West after the winter storm.

Lake Ontario after a week of sub-zero temperatures. Ferry making its way to Toronto Island.