If you live in Canada, you’ve probably seen those back to school ads that feature the Andy Williams classic, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” but whenever I see those ads I can only think of one thing: it’s almost time for the film festival.

“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” pretty much sums up how I feel about the Toronto International Film Festival too, and every September I look forward to the movies, the stars, the red carpets, the press conferences, and of course, the parties.

From the Canadian Film Centre’s annual BBQ, to the opening night party, and of course, all of the random parties for the films and stars, TIFF is a socialite’s dream each September. For ten days the city is packed with interesting people from across Canada and around the world. (And if you’re a star, it’s also a chance to schmooze through dozens of gift lounges, but so far I haven’t had the fortune of getting in on that gravy train.)

Otherwise though, I’m lining up my invites and the list of events and trying to fit those around the interviews, red carpets, and the press conferences. I really can’t complain; Toronto has become a world class party city during TIFF, and while I care a lot more for the movie screenings and interviews, I won’t be turning any party invites down if I can help it.

Since my last post I’ve been a bit under the weather, falling victim to my usual film festival cold, but this time it came during TIFF, as opposed to after it. That left the end of the festival a bit of a downer, but I can’t help saying that this was still a fantastic year all the same.

I lived off a veritable buffet of bad food, including muffins, fries, and street food, fortified by two bottles of Vitamin Water a day, and only managed to eat two actual meals during the whole festival, but there were a lot of greats again this year. I had five stellar interviews, met the one and only Hugh Hefner, attended press conferences for Men Who Stare At Goats and Jennifer’s Body (that’s right, I was in a room with Megan Fox for something like 45 minutes), and I was on the red carpet for five great film, including Creation, Chloe, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, Jennifer’s Body, and of course, Precious.

Maybe the most important part to me though was the fact that I attended eight film screenings, for some of the best films I’ve seen in 2009. There was the Coen brother‘s A Serious Man, the sexploitation film Bitch Slap, Ruba Nadda‘s Cairo Time, the Charles Darwin film Creation, two Midnight Madness films – Daybreakers and Jennifer’s Body, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, and my favorite out of all of them, Up In The Air starring George Clooney.

Overall, I have to say thanks to the folks who organize TIFF, all of the myriad publicists who work so hard to arrange interviews, all of the other press who handle the event with dignity, and of course, all of the stars and filmmakers who come to Toronto to meet with fans and the media.

Sunday was a decent day at the festival, but another one of those days where I realized there are just too many great things going on during the Toronto International Film Festival to make anyone feel accomplished. No matter how much I do, I’m missing ten other amazing events.

For instance, Sunday I had the choice to go check out Creation, or Defendor, both of which were screening at the same time. While I definitely wanted to see Defendor more (with Woody Harrelson playing a wannabe crime fighter beside Kat Dennings), the serious buzz was on Creation and Paul Bettany‘s tortured portrayal of Charles Darwin, so that’s what I ended up seeing.

The film wasn’t exactly disappointing, but it failed to capitalize on all of the story elements that should have been far more poignant. Bettany is very good as Darwin, and Jennifer Connelly plays his religious wife very well, but the crux of the story is whitewashed with a pretty standard biopic rendering. The story is worth watching, but it’s vastly disappointing considering it was a massive moment in history. To give the film credit though, it has beautiful, dynamic cinematography, a very strong supporting cast, and a nicely non-linear plot.

After the film, I did a quick interview for AM 640′s Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, talking with Arlene Bynon and Christopher Heard about some of the great hotspots in Toronto to experience during the festival. As I said to them, my favorite during the day has to be in and around Yorkville, including hanging out at one of the local coffee shops, like Starbucks. At night though, I’d really recommend grabbing a drink at the Windsor Arms Hotel, or going down to Queen West for some time at the Drake Hotel.

My afternoon was spent posting content before I went over to my interview at the Intercontinental with the Spierig brothers, who directed Daybreakers.

Before the interview though I ran into Chris Alexander, writer for Metro Toronto and Fangoria magazine. We spent our time chatting about the festival, some of our favorite films, and then had our interviews with the directors.

Although I can’t speak for Chris, the guys were pretty interesting, but very different. For the most part Peter was very open and talkative, while it seemed to be a bit harder to get Michael to open up. At the end I also complemented them on the film, to which Michael asked if I really meant it. As he said, a lot of times critics say they love something to a filmmakers face, but when they write their review, they actually rip it to shreds.

The thing is, I just can’t imagine why you would go out of your way to say you loved a film, when you don’t. Interviews can be weird, and you’re often rushed in and out before you get time to adjust, but there’s just no reason to fake your opinion. To put it honestly, Daybreakers is a lot of fun, and it’s overall pretty fresh and exciting. As I said to them, I had some problems, but overall I love it. I certainly wish the middle had been as well crafted as the beginning and end, but the action, characters, and storyline carry the film all the same. I also really appreciate that the film puts a very unique spin on a very old genre concept, placing the vampires in the future, and making humans the underground species.

After the interviews Chris and I ran to the screening of Bitch Slap, which was just starting to roll as we walked in. Chris already did an interview with the ladies from the film, but I’ve got an interview lined up for tomorrow.

Billed as a big action/b-movie dwelling among the land of the classic exploitation films of the 60s and 70s, Bitch Slap certainly is odd, but I won’t deny it’s fun too. With lots of skin, some cat fights, blood, and then some more blood and skin thrown in for good measure, the film could have been better, but I still enjoyed it for what it is – a seriously tongue-in-cheek action adventure.

When that was done, I ran down for the red carpet arrivals of Atom Agoyan‘s Chloe at Roy Thomson. In attendence were stars Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Agoyan’s wife Arsinée Khanjian, and Ivan and son Jason Reitman.

As I already mentioned in another blog entry, I then stayed for the second Roy Thomson red carpet, the Oprah Winfrey-produced film, Precious. It was easily the biggest red carpet happening at this year’s festival, and I think I got some pretty great shots. I only wish that Oprah and Mariah Carey had stayed out with the crowd a bit longer.

And that brings us up to today, which has been a bit quiter. I screened Ruba Nadda‘s drama Cairo Time first thing in the morning, chatted with Talk 820 about the festival so far, worked for a couple of hours on typing up interviews and fixing photos, and then met with Ruba for an interview.

The sad thing is really that it’s all down hill from here. The festival always starts with a massive bang, and goes out with a whimper. There are still some cool stars around over the next few days, but things really taper off quickly.

While I’m still fighting to get caught up on posting coverage, I had a chance this morning to chat with Mike Nabuurs at Hamilton’s Talk 820 about some of my highlights so far during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Take a listen to the segment below, and you can hear me again on the show this Thursday at 9:30 AM.

What’s that, more photos you say? Yes, indeed. Interviews and other goodies are coming, but after waiting for over four hours for this event I had to post some teaser photos from Oprah Winfrey‘s red carpet for the film Precious by author Sapphire.

The night was jam-packed, and there were a couple of surprises on the red carpet, including the appearance of Mr. Robert DeNiro, but the point of it all is that this film is going to be huge. Massive. Oscar talk already, including for Mariah Carey.

A full gallery will follow soon, but for now here are a few highlights of the night:

Yesterday was an entertaining day at the Toronto International Film Festival, and kind of a big deal for me. I mean, all of the festival is a big deal, but this was a big deal.

First off I interviewed Sam Neill for Daybreakers, which was actually my second interview with him (I was lucky enough to have chatted with him last year for Skin).

He was fantastic once again, although I happened to be doing the interview at a roundtable with one journalist who thought he’d rather talk to Neill than hear what he had to say. That’s an unfortunate trend here at some TIFF events, but I bare him no ill will, I just got tired of hearing the guy take a minute to get to a question as he discussed his own views on film.

Anyway, Neill had some interesting points, including how the Spierig brothers (Michael and Peter), who directed Daybreakers, are actually identical twins, and the only way he could tell them apart was that one brother is about three or four pounds heavier because he has a girlfriend who cooks for him. That, and when I asked Neill who his favorite villain was from film or literature, he said it would have to be Jean-Baptiste Grenouille from the novel Perfume.

After that, I was off to the Elgin theatre for the main event of my day: the screening of Brigitte Berman‘s documentary, Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel.

Normally, when I cover red carpets, I head right for the photographer’s area because there are so many media outlets competing for interviews, but I was not going to miss the chance to meet Hugh Hefner, who was actually in town for this event.

Arriving about two hours early, I spent the time leading up to Hef’s arrival thinking about what I was going to ask him. Time was tight, so I wanted a good question. When he showed up, with his three blond girlfriends I might add, he zoomed through the red carpet at a brisk pace, so I barely had time to let it all sink in before he was in front of me, shaking my hand.

First of all, I try to keep my cool throughout the festival, but all I could think was, “Hugh Hefner, the Hef himself, the man behind one of the most well-known iconic, pop culture establishments in the world, just shook my hand.” I didn’t even offer to shake his hand, I thought it would be rude. He just stepped up to me with that wry smile, and shook my hand.

I digress. Jumping into it, I asked him how he felt people’s perceptions of him had changed over the years, and what he thought the future held for Playboy. He gave decent answers, but with time short, I think it was a tough spot to answer in-depth.

When the interviews ended, I then had the chance to go in for the screening of the film, which was packed, and kind of buzzing around Hef’s presence, like he was some sort of King bee, in fact. People were very excited, especially when they found out he was doing a Q&A after the film.

What I appreciated right off the top was that, when the pre-roll segment ran showing a historic film moment from Toronto, to celebrate the city’s 175th anniversary, there were quite audible ‘Ohhs’ and ‘Ahhs’ when the credit ran explaining that they had just seen a clip from the 1920 Santa Claus Parade. Having seen a number of films with the press, it was wonderful to finally see one of these clips run for an audience, most likely an audience that was also mostly made up of Torontonians.

The film itself was kind of a unique documentary, and Berman clearly spent a lot of time putting it all together. It’s an historic account of the man’s life, and after seeing it I am a bit shocked to realize that we don’t give him enough credit. There could have been more included to properly weigh out some aspects of his life and career, but I think the point was simple; Hefner contributed a lot to social change, and some of that is much bigger than just sex, nudity, and even free speech.

Dr. Ruth, in fact, makes an appearance in the film, and she makes one of the more memorable points in saying that, perhaps Hefner would be more respected for his accomplishments if his personal life hadn’t gotten quite so tied up in the image of his company and, more specifically maybe, the magazine.

More coverage to follow. I’ll try and get something online about today before my next interview and the Precious red carpet tonight. Video, interview pieces, and other longer items will go up throughout the week.

It’s almost a day later, and I’m just getting back online to talk about everything that’s been going on at the Toronto International Film Festival. The only other bad thing is that last night did not go as planned.

I arrived two hours before anyone was set to show up on the red carpet for the Midnight Madness screening of Jennifer’s Body and got a respectable spot in the line of photographers. That said, it was a tight fit, and people started piling in as arrival time neared.

Things got bad though when the cast and filmmakers arrived, with a lot of “cling-ons” I might add, and promptly filled up the red carpet. It was wall-to-wall people, and no one seemed interested in bringing the stars to the photographers, especially not in the case of the big names. What was worse was that two photographers with red carpet access, who can actually walk around the carpet, were given multiple chances to get some great shots. As you can imagine, this did not go down well with the assembled photogs.

All in all, a very disappointing experience, and I walked away with only a dozen decent photos, and none of those were of people I really went for. Definitely a fail for the red carpet, and if I had known I could have been at the opening night party instead.

Ah well, such is life. Basically, that also means that if you’re wondering where my shots are from last night, you’re not going to see very many.

The only bright side of the night was that Mr. PR from Fox, Peter, invited me to stay for the screening, but I had a column to write, so I had to pass. Still, definitely appreciated the offer.

That brings us to today, which has been very, very good. Right off the top of the morning I caught the screenings of the Coen‘s A Serious Man and then Jennifer’s Body.

A Serious Man was seriously contemplative, clever, funny, but maybe a little plodding. Great cast though, and a very challenging ending too. It’s hard to sum it up in a few words, but it was definitely a great film. The Jewish focus is also very refreshing for a goy like myself, and the character actors used throughout are brilliant as well, but I think the amazing part is how lean the film is, never wasting a moment. It’s a definite must see, especially for film fanatics.

Jennifer’s Body on the other hand has what I consider the spark of genius, but stumbles at some of the best moments. The layers of beauty on top of horror (or vice versa) are intriguing, and it has a decent sense of humour, but it almost needed to be funnier to flow better. It also seems like the director, Karyn Kusama, just wasn’t a strong enough filmmaker to pull off this ballsy script by Diablo Cody. Cody also could have been a lot more clever with her script, mind you, but in the right hands I think it could have been an exceptional horror-hybrid.

After that, I went to Fox’s junket-style press conference for Jennifer’s Body, which was divided into two segments with the filmmakers (Karyn Kusama, Diablo Cody, and Jason Reitman) coming out first, followed by some of the cast (Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, and Adam Brody).

While I think the most interesting part of the press conference was listening to Cody talk about her inspiration, and the general making-of moments the three filmmakers got into, the actor’s portion of the event was pretty impressive. For starters, Megan Fox is very disarming, and she is also surprisingly self-depricating, and well-spoken. She had some interesting things to say about her career, which I’ll definitely be posting soon.

And lastly, at least so far, I went to the Men Who Stare at Goats press conference with George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges, among others. Clooney was entertaining as always, but more often than not he was deflecting questions. That said, when the right questions came along he dove right in. Unfortunately, a lot of the others up there didn’t get to say nearly enough, but it was a great look behind the scenes of how the film came together. Author Jon Ronson also had some entertaining contributions about the surprising realities mentioned in the story.

Now, I’m just downloading photos before I go to a party for Ontario filmmakers, featuring some really cool directors and talent. After that, there’s the Suck red carpet and party, and then if all goes well I’ll be home in time to post some photos.

Wish me luck, and stay tuned for updates tomorrow about any on-the-spot interviews I get. I’ll also be on Planes, Trains, and Automobiles on AM 640 talking about the festival tomorrow at approximately 11:30 AM.

This will be a quick update, but I just wanted to post some info about my night so far. Yes, the fun has begun and I’m just in-between my gigs for the first night of the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.

A little over an hour ago I left Roy Thomson Hall where they were holding the red carpet for the gala opening film, director Jon Amiel‘s Creation, which examines the life of Charles Darwin. In addition to Amiel, stars Jennifer Connelly and her real-life husband Paul Bettany walked the red carpet, not to mention the great-great-grandson of Darwin, Randal Keynes.

So, now I’m recharging on a coffee while I charge up my laptop for the two-hour wait ahead of me on the red carpet for Jennifer’s Body, where I’ll be getting photos of Megan Fox and Adam Brody.

After that I’ll have one more update for the night, and then I have a jam-packed day scheduled tomorrow… which I’m still sorting out. The basic plan is to see one or two movies (Maybe the Coen brothers‘ A Serious Man and Jennifer’s Body), plus there are press conferences for two or three films I want to catch, a party hosted by the OMDC where Hugh Hefner will make an appearance, and then more red carpets and the party for Rob Stefaniuk‘s Suck. Whew.

This is pretty much it. Take a deep breath and dive in, because for the next ten days the city of Toronto is going to be filled with wonderful mayhem.

If you’re not tripping over red carpets, or lineups for some of the 273 feature-length films, you’ll probably see a crazy festival-goer running from one event to another, or perhaps even an international celebrity on their way to one of said events.

Starting tomorrow, and going until September 19, being in downtown Toronto is going to make it hard to ignore all of the buzz. It’s intoxicating, and invigorating, but it’s also a festival that invites everyone to take part.

Take, as one of the best examples, some of the amazing things happening at Yonge & Dundas Square.

Starting tomorrow, September 10, at noon you can check out dozens of concerts and film screenings, and it’s all free. On the opening day alone you can catch the film Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, the silent film Steamboat Bill Jr., a live feed from the gala red carpet for Creation (which is taking place at Roy Thomson Hall), and a concert put on by DJ Champion and hosted by Measha Brueggergosman.

That’s really just the start of it – there is a lot going on this year for anyone who wants to come out, and if you’ve got a few minutes, or a few hours, I highly recommend checking something out.

Personally, I’ll be down there on Saturday, September 12 for the Toronto Zombie Walk, which is going to recognize George A. Romero, and his new 2009 TIFF film Survival Of The Dead. Although I didn’t find a lot of details on this, you can check out www.torontozombiewalk.ca for more info, which confirms the walk will gather at 3:00 PM at Alexandra Park (Bathurst/Dundas) and finishes at Yonge & Dundas Square at 6:00 PM in time for a free screening of the classic Night of the Living Dead.

I’m also seriously excited that U2: Rattle & Hum will be playing on Thursday, September 17, and there’s going to be a roller-derby event on Sunday, September 13 (with some of the film’s stars) in honour of Drew Barrymore‘s movie Whip It.

Stay tuned to The GATE for more festival info and coverage, or follow us on Twitter.

As my last post confirmed, this is indeed my favorite time of year, hands down. That’s because I just got back from the Canadian press conference for the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, which takes over the city from September 10 to 19. It’s like Christmas for film fanatics like myself, mainly because it gives me a chance to dine on my love of film for ten straight days, and meet a number of cool filmmakers who will be debuting their latest films.

Today’s press conference was packed with a number of filmmakers I admire, and a long line of films I’m dying to check out. It was also a great chance to catch up with some folks I only seem to see around this time of year, like actress Kristin Booth, who once again appears in two films this year: Crackie, and Defendor.

In terms of the films, I’m going to write a bigger news piece on this, but to tide you over here’s some of what I found out today.

Quebec director Jean-Marc Vallée will debut The Young Victoria, which gets the honour of closing this year’s festival. The film is a period drama that looks back on Queen Victoria as she took the throne in 1840, but also covers the appropriate concept of becoming an instant celebrity.

Other notable debuts include Atom Egoyan‘s Chloe, Terry Gilliam‘s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Sook-Yin Lee‘s Year of the Carnivore, Brigitte Berman‘s Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel, and Peter Stebbings‘ film, Defendor.

However, there are two films I really want to talk about, mainly because I adore the directors and think the ideas sound incredible.

Rob Stefaniuk was the hit of the festival a few years back when he debuted Phil The Alien, and this year he’s back with the “rock’n'roll vampire spoof”, Suck. Starring Rob as the lead singer of failing band The Winners, the story gets weird and wonderful when the band finally finds success after their bass player, played by Jessica Paré, is turned into a vampire. Other stars include Malcolm McDowell as Van Helsing, Dave Foley as the band’s manager, plus cameos by Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Henry Rollins, and Moby.

Meanwhile, there is Ruba Nadda‘s film, Cairo Time. I first interviewed Ruba when I started The GATE and was distributing it as a zine, so it’s seemed very appropriate to catch up with her once again at TIFF. Nada debuts her new film which stars Patricia Clarkson as Juliette, a magazine editor who travels to Cairo to meet her husband, but finds herself falling in love with both the city and her guide, Tareq, played by Alexander Siddig.

More to follow on this year’s festival, but I had to pass along a bit of the news right away. Thanks as well to all of the fantastic PR folks who make covering TIFF a wonderful, action-packed adventure.