TIFF Red Carpet: Peep World

My last red carpet of TIFF was this one.

Michael C. Hall of Dexter and Six Feet Under fame shows up over an hour before the premier, which is fine with me because we were way down and he was the only star to make his way down to us. He was super nice and signed for just about everyone. He signed by second season of Six Feet Under. I told him it was the best show that's ever been on TV. "AWWWW, thank you" he said, eerily like David.

I have this strange sort of crush on Taraji P. Henson. She was, as you'd expect, spunky and funny.

From behind.

Sarah Silverman signed for a lot of people and took a lot of pictures. When she was done she didn't know who's marker she had taken so in typical Sarah Silverman fashion she shrugged and tossed it randomly back into the crowd.

Judy Greer is cute and funny. I didn't recognize her at first but there she is.

TIFF Red Carpets: The Debt

Sam Worthington has a stern look about him but he is actually very soft spoken and polite. He signed for just about everyone and was generally very nice. I didn't have anything for him to sign but I got an autograph for some guy who had a Clash of the Titans picture.

Helen Mirren was super classy. She was nice a spunky and signed for just about everyone. "Oh dear don't push," she said to the crowd. "Just raise them up high and I'll get them." She signed my copy of The Long Good Friday, one of her first movies.

The publicist came over and asked us if anyone wanted to meet the director. We certainly did. I didn't have anything for John Madden to sign but I got this picture with him and told him I really loved Proof. "Oh, thank you very much," he said in that proper British way.

TIFF Red Carpet: The Black Swan

Other than Saturday, Monday was the biggest day for celebrities at Roy Thompson Hall. We had shown up earlier to catch a glimpse of Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu the former of which left my copy of Belle De Jour unsigned and the latter being a no show. However it didn't matter because what everyone was really watching for were the people from Black Swan.

Vincent Cassel managed to zip by, only stopping briefly. Unfortunately it wasn't to sign my copy of La Haine.

The guy I was with was eagerly awaiting Winona Ryder as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands are his favourite movies. I also had a copy of Age of Innocence, that most hated and misunderstood Scorsese film. However, Ryder was sweeped away by her publicist despite chants for her to come back. She kept looking back like an innocent little school girl as if she wanted to come over but couldn't. I later read somewhere that she's one of the worst autographers.

I knew Barbara Hershey was in this movie but apparently didn't do my research properly because she's in one of my favourite movies: Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters. Oh well, next time.

 Here comes Darren Aronofsky

That is Darren Aronofsky grabbing my pen to sign my copy of Requiem for a Dream. I told him he was the next Scorsese and he smirked. I said he was one of my favourite directors and he said "Oh, only one of them?" I think he was joking but this is clearly a man who knows he's good.

It could be pure coincidence but as Aronfosky walked off with wife Rachel Weisz I yelled out "The Shape of Things," which is what I wanted her to sign and she looked back. Not sure if that was what she was looking back about but they both happened at the same time.

Everyone went nuts for the super petit Natalie Portman. She missed my copy of Closer but then her publicist (the girl behind who looks like Sophie Coppola) grabbed it and got her to sign it. She signed for a lot of people but then the guy I was with heard her say "Is that enough now?" to her publicist.

Dominic Cooper showed up for no reason in particular. Mila Kunis was a no show.

TIFF Red Carpets: The Town

Having come unprepared the day before and focusing solely on getting snapshots of the stars, Saturday was when I started getting a taste of autographs instead, which ultimately meant more time begging for stars to come over and less time snapping pictures (I missed John Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Hall). Regardless, there are still some good ones to come.

Chris Cooper was the first to arrive. I don't think I saw him stop for anyone even though a few people called for him. He just walked on and smiled. He looks to me like someone's kind old grandpa.

Rachel Lefevre showed up unexpectedly and the Twilight fans went wild. Personally I had no idea who she was at first

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck showed up together and went in opposite directions. She headed right for the press but (seen here) assured the screaming masses that she would be back and she held to her word. She also favoured the people on the ends who usually get overlooked, which means I didn't get anything from her but that was nice of her anyway.

I think Ben Affleck was born with a pen in his hand. He motored through the crowd, signing just about everything. Even the picture of him that appeared in the newspaper the next day of him out and about town was of him signing something. He signed my copy of Good Will Hunting.

The crowd went nuts for Blake Lively, who blew through giving autographs so quickly it was nearly impossible to get a good picture of her. Unfortunately my Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants DVD got missed by an inch for the second time that day

TIFF In Retrospect

Although I have yet to finish posting all of my pictures and although the Toronto International Film Festival still runs until Sunday, for my purposes, it's all over. I was planning on going down today to maybe catch an autograph from Kevin Spacey or Kelly Preston but the rain and the feeling of an oncoming sickness forced me to hang back at home.

Oh well, for five days, despite how exhausting, time consuming and expensive it got, I've just finished living a dream of sorts. Not in the sense that now my life feels complete but in the sense that I felt like I was in the middle of something important. How many people, after all, get to tell one of their favourite director's that he's the next Scorsese and have him respond to it, or tell Michael C. Hall that Six Feet Under was the best show that's ever been on TV and have him thank you? Not a lot.

You see I grew up in a small town of around 5,000 people where citizens and family members cared more about cars and farm equipment than movies. When I told my high school co-op coordinator that I wanted to co-op at a newspaper because I one day wanted to be a movie critic he laughed, and not a good laugh either. Five years later, with the decline of newspapers, I'm still no closer to being a famous film critic than I was back than, or even an unfamous one making money, but I at least now feel like I've been one step closer to the things I truly love.

At first I went down to the red carpets with the sole purpose of snapping some celebrities to show off to the people I know. And then it became about getting autographs. But I wasn't one of those people who stand at the red carpet to get anyone with a pulse who walks by to sign their sheets of paper, I wanted to go and show the actors and filmmakers that I respect that I continue to support them and continue to love them. I even started taking DVD covers to their less popular work: A Scanner Darkly for Keanu Reeves, La Haine for Vincent Cassell, Thief for James Caan, The Long Good Friday for Helen Mirren. Sometimes they got signed, sometimes they didn't. That's life, but it was fun the whole way through. It was an experience that let me meet those people who, until now, have only been projections at 24 frames per second, and realize that most of them are just like us and can only hope that someone will recognize them and show them some love (I still haven't decided if John Madden's publicist coming over and asking if we wanted to meet him was more funny, tragic or just English modesty).

In the end, if I never go back again, it will have been worth all the moments of being pushed, the aching feet, the yelling at the top of your lungs. But who am I kidding, I'm already counting down the days till next September.

TIFF Red Carpets: The Conspirator

Saturday was the biggest day in terms of sheer star power. Unfortunately we missed Hillary Swank, Sam Rockwell and Tony Goldwyn at the Conviction premiere because we instead decided to stroll around Yorkville and saw no one other than Roger Ebert. Guess we either came too late or the stars keep a low profile on the busy weekend days. Regardless The Conspirator was a film I certainly wanted to check out, not simply because it has a great cast or because I think obert Redford's A River Runs Through It is one of the best American films ever made, but because I have read the script and thought it was a masterpiece.

The writer, James Solomon, was the first to show up. I didn't know who he was but the guy who he was signing for apparently did. He was nice and funny and took pictures for anyone who wanted them. "Don't worry guys," he said to some screaming fans, "I'm just the writer." Nice guy.

This is around the moment that I scream "Holy crap it's Alexis Bledel" prompting my girlfriend, a huge Gilmore Girls fan, to almost have an aneurysm. We didn't expect her, she got there before almost everyone else and showed up in a car and not the trademark SUV. I had my Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 DVD in hopes of catching Blake Lively later on in the day but Alexis only signed for a few people, missing us by about an inch.

Yeah, apparently she must have been saying something to someone because Alexis is looking kind of weird in this one.

One more from the side.

I didn't know what to expect from James McAvoy. Sometimes young stars like to sign one of two autographs to show that they care about the fans but really they just want to run to the press (*cough* Jeremy Renner *cough*), but McAvoy was the real deal. He started out at one end and disappeared right down to the other end. He was gone so long we didn't even realize he hadn't gone in yet and was still signing on his way back as seen here. Unfortunately I didn't have anything for him to sign.

Robin Wright was glowing. Not only did she generally seem to enjoy being amongst her fans but she walked those heels of hers all the way to the end of the line, signing, joking, just being all around lovely. Didn't have anything for her to sign but wish I would have.

Justin long appeared out of nowhere. He only signed a few autographs but he really worked the crowd anyway. This guy could charm just about anyone.

I don't mind if celebrities don't sign autographs as long as they give the fans something to take home. Kevin Kline didn't sign one autograph but he really played to the crowd. He got out, blew kisses to the crowd as if he was royalty and walked over to the press. While there people were calling for him to turn around, which he did, humorously for just a second before snapping back. It was a reminder of why he is one of the few to have won an Oscar for a comedy role.

The one man who I really wanted an autograph from, not surprisingly, didn't sign anything, didn't wave, didn't even act like there were hundreds of people there simply to see him. Oh well, that was a pretty hip scarf Robert Redford was sporting.

The floating head of Robert Redford enjoying his producers more than his fans.

TIFF Red Carpets: The King`s Speech

I've been dormant for too long. I have half a Going the Distance review to still write but I've been spending almost all of my time downtown since last Thursday. I'm not a festival guy. I didn`t get caught up in reporting on the Toronto International Film Festival because I don`t have time or money to go see the movies. Instead, what I care about is going and standing on the red carpets and getting a glimpse of the stars. I can see the movies in theaters when they come out, but really, when can I tell Darren Aronofsky that he`s the next Scorsese to his face. That`s where the magic is anyway. There`s a feeling of excitement as stars pull up in those black Cadillacs, guessing who it could be, hoping to get an autograph before they are whisked away to the press by their publicists.



So anyway, over the next couple of days I will be posting pictures and telling stories from the red carpet. If you want actual coverage of the fest go check out Mad Hatter at The Dark in the Matinee who is making the rounds, or Black Sheep Reviews where Joseph got accepted to be on the You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger red carpet. But if you want pictures of the stars, well darlings, I have them.



The first thing that is shocking about seeing any celebrity is the realization that they are not all ten feet tall. I always expected Geoffry Rush to be a tall guy. He`s quite the opposite actually. This was my first red carpet ever. We came unprepared without anything to sign so this one was fairly tame for us. The King`s Speech is an interesting title for me because I have read the script and enjoyed it very much.