TIFF - Day 1

Hello from Hogtown - Thursday I got into town around 1pm, stowed my bags at the front desk (too early for check-in) and made my first dumb decision. I went to the new box office at Toronto Life Centre, rather than Manulife. I suspect Manulife would have had a less confusing and shorter line - but at least now I know to avoid the new box office like the plague. Others coming in after me, please avoid the plague that is the Toronto Life Centre box office. I did it so you don't have to, inadvertent martyr that I am convincing myself I am.

So, I didn't get back to the hotel until 4 (I did grab lunch beforehand, so those 3 hours weren't entirely on the line, although most were). Then it was check in, unpack, change (I thought I was leaving hot humidity behind me - nope!), and pretty much I was off again, this time to try to meet up with some friends from the internet on the Elgin line for the Opening film. Okay, so when you're meeting people you've never seen before, from among a crowd of, oh, 600 -it's really important to be insanely specific. It helps if one of you has seen a photo of the other. Also helpful are both of you having cellphones. Second dumb thing I did - I got so carried away in my planning for the trip, I forgot to make sure I was prepared for the 'how to meet internet friends in RL' bit. Do I need to tell you how this story ends? Yeah, never met up.

But wait! There's a surprise ending to the evening. As I was standing in the side street that the Elgin dumps its audiences out into, going for a last ditch effort to spot or be spotted by the internet folks, who do I see but Chlotrudis friend Kish, all decked out in a perfectly tailored suit. He was with Jen, a coworker at what has to be the most gracious and friendly talent agency ever - because everybody we've met there is so wonderful and generous. We did a slow version of the Aaron Sorkin 'walk and talk' as we strolled west, taking us past the City Hall. They would eventually head to the Opening Night party at the Drake - Kish, sweetheart that he is, started to invite me, but 1) that's too TIFFy for my blood and 2) I was in my beat up canvas sneakers. Besides which, as he realized as he spoke, that's not a 'she's with me' kind of party. Does the CEO of the Lead Sponsor want to talk with me? Yeah, not so much. So I ended my night with the words 'thanks I'd love to go but I have to wash my sweaters get up early in the morning', a surreal coda to the evening, but there you are. Oh, I did get introduced to (and shook hands with) friends of Kish who I found out after the fact were one of Atom Egoyan's producers and, uh, Brian DePalma. So I have that going for me...

No I won't just be babbling in my entries and yes I will be reviewing films - but speaking of films I've got to dash off for my day's allotment. It's an earlyish night, though, so upon my return I will be bringing Cat Judgment down on Day 1 and Day 2's films.