At this year's Festival...

Super

The Toronto International Film Festival is one of the most (if not the most) popular film festivals in the world, and certainly the most important one when it comes to promoting films for Oscar season. This year is no different from the last. My review of this year’s festival will take you through all the ups and downs you get from going to TIFF. First off, getting the tickets was certainly not an easy process, although they try and make it seem like it is, sending you an email listing the easy 200 steps there are to getting your tickets. Most tiff-goers know that Tiff is the furthest thing from simple and organized, but we still wait in line for up to 2 hours because we know it will be worth it and it certainly is. Not only 

It's Kind Of A Funny Story

were most of the films I saw exceptional, but also hearing some directors speak so well and introduce their film so wonderfully was just as good. For example, the legendary Danny Boyle, who is by the way, very charming in person, introduced every member of the film so nicely and uniquely to make sure we, as the audience knew how important they were. Writer/Director Dustin Lance Black did the exact same for his movie, What’s Wrong with Virginia. Something I found out about the festival this year is that whether it’s a gala screening (higher priced screening where cast and director attend) or just a regular screening, if it’s the first screening at the festival, the celebrities of the movie will be there. So, I luckily ended up seeing a lot of cool people. What I sometimes found the most enjoyable about the experience was the Q and A’s of the films. To be specific, I attended the midnight madness screening of Super, starring Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page. Since it was midnight madness, the Q and A went on longer than most because it was 2am and they didn’t need the theatre for 

127 Hours

another movie afterwards, which made it quite an enjoyable experience. Rainn Wilson was hilarious in person and it felt like you got a second show with your ticket because of how entertaining it was. Other Q and A’s, like the one for It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, were cut extremely short. The Q and A for 127 Hours was the most special for me because the real person the film is about, mountain climber, Aron Ralston was there in person, talking about what he went through. That was the most emotional part of the whole experience for me. In total, I saw seven films at the festival this year. All in all, my experience at the festival was pretty successful. There were certain films that didn’t rise to my expectations, like It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, but I still really enjoyed them. The best film I saw this year at the festival, and the possibly the best film I will see this year was hands down, Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. I’ll only say that it was one of the most emotional and intense movie experiences I have ever had and will be, in my opinion, taking some Oscars home in March. I also really enjoyed, first time director’s Daydream Nation, starring Kat Dennings. Dustin Lance Black’s What’s Wrong With Virginia, starring Jennifer Connelly was extremely dark, and even though I loved it, I found it hard to watch at times. Through all the steps, and all the waiting, I couldn’t have been happier with what I got out of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.