My picks are in

I stayed up late Wednesday night, and then got up early Thursday to finish making my picks. It was grueling. For those of who are curious, I'll tell you how it works. For those of you who aren't, you can skip the next paragraph.

The full schedule and film details go on-line on the second Tuesday before the festival starts. For locals, that's when they can pick up their film guides and other materials. For us out-of-towners, our materials are delivered by the friendly FedEx driver Wednesday morning. You have to fill out your schedule and FedEx it back by late Thursday afternoon, kind of a quick turnaround. Every year, I tell myself that I'm going to make more time, get organized, blah blah blah. Never works out that way.

So here's my schedule. The movies in parentheses are "second choice" selections. If there are no tickets available for my first pick, they'll try to get me a ticket to the second pick flick. I don't make many second picks, because there either aren't other movies showing at the same time that I want to see, or I just want to see my first pick really bad. I will "rush" for those movies if I don't get them (more on rushing another time).

Saturday, Sept. 8
6:00 No Country for Old Men - The latest from the Coen Brothers, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson.

8:45 Nothing is Private - From one of the creators of Six Feet Under and set during the Gulf War.


Sunday, Sept. 9
9:15 Lust, Caution - Ang Lee does sexy intrigue. Who could pass that up?

1:00 Religious: A Conversation with Bill Maher and Larry Charles - not actually a movie, but actually a live conversation on stage, with perhaps a preview of a movie Bill Maher is connected with. Gotta be good for some laughs.

5:30 Joy Division - A documentary about the band I mentioned in an earlier post. Hardly a replacement for Control, but I'll take it.

9:15 Just Buried - Quirky black comedy about a funeral home. Can't beat that for fun!

(9:00 Chaotic Anna) - I don't know why I picked this movie out of Spain. I'll probably get a ticket to Just Buried, so it hardly matters.


Monday, Sept. 10
3:00 Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Actress extraordinaire Cate Blanchett and director Shekhar Kapur are back together for what I assume is a sequel to Elizabeth.

7:00 The Savages - I picked this movie for Philip Seymour Hoffman. I'm a little afraid, because it was filmed over a year ago, and won't be released in theatres until February 2008. That's generally not a good sign.

(6:30 The Last Mistress) - Some French flick I picked as a backup in a sleep deprived state of delirium. The French movies I pick never turn out well.


Tuesday, Sept. 11
3:45 Sleuth - This was one of the last movies to make it on the schedule. Mystery directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Michael Caine and Jude Law. Probably decent, but I doubt anything special.

6:45 Dr. Plonk - Strange movie from the land down under. I'm rolling the dice on this one. A silent movie, it's a comedy about the end of the world.

9:00 Walk All Over Me - One of my selections from our neighbors to the north, starring Leelee Sobieski. Boy, she's cute.


Wednesday, Sept. 12
11:00 Cassandra's dream - Woody Allen's crime drama starring Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor.
(12:15 Cleaner) A crime drama starring Samuel L. Jackson, among others.

3:30 M - A thriller out of South Korea. I've enjoyed most of the movies out of South Korea. Their film makers seem to have a good sense of humor.

8:00 Mad Detective - Another wild ride from Johnny To. I saw one of his movies last year, and had a blast. He has quite a following in Toronto. It will be a raucous crowd compared to most screenings, to say the least.


Thursday, Sept. 13
3:30 The Babysitters - What starts out looking like a creepy movie about a middle aged man (John Leguizamo) getting involved with his teenage babysitter turns into a dark comedy about a babysitter who starts a call-girl service for married men.

6:15 The Trap - Serbian film noir. This is a wildcard pick.

9:00 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead - Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke play brothers that attempt to rob their parents' jewelry store. I'm guessing it doesn't turn out well.


Friday, Sept. 14
9:30 Reservation Road - Based on a book by John Burnham Schwartz, who wrote a book I once read. I almost bought this book once, but forgot about it. I figured I'd catch the movie. It's a thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix and Mira Sorvino, among others.

12:30 The Tracey Fragments - Another Canadian flick. The director won the award for Most Outstanding Canadian Film at the festival way back in the late 80's. This is will not be an "upper".
(12:30 Flashpoint) - A selection from the "Midnight Madness" programme (notice the Canadian spelling), this is a wild martial arts flick.

9:30 Weirdsville - Strange movie (who would have guessed it) from Allan Moyle, who long ago made a movie called Pump Up the Volume . This one is about a couple stoners who get into trouble when they try to dump a girlfriend's dead body. Sci-fi/horror/comedy. I'll need that level of weirdness after The Tracey Fragments.


And that's all, folks! I'll be back when my picks are processed, probably toward the end of next week.