The pace of celebrity sightings slows ever so slightly as new distribution deals start finalizing, all in tonight’s recap.
CELEB SIGHTINGS
Nicolas Cage told reporters today that he was once awoken at two in the morning by “a naked man wearing my leather jacket eating a Fudgesicle in front of my bed. I know it sounds funny … but it was horrifying.” The actor appeared in support of his new film Trespass, due out on October 14. (Reuters) (Above: Jason Merritt/Getty Images.)
Star sightings in the past 24 hours: Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Garner, Paul Williams, Johnny Rotten, Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Adam Brody, Greta Gerwig, Analeigh Tipton, Ashley Greene, Alicia Silverstone. (National Post, Torontoist, Toronto Star, Toronto Life.)
MOVIES.COM COVERAGE
Fred Topel spoke with Chloe Moretz, who is in Toronto to promote the controversial Hick, in which the young actress plays a girl “who escapes her alcoholic parents but meets even more dangerous people on the road.” Moretz is sanguine about how her fans may react: “I’m proud of it and I love what I did. If they don’t like it then they don’t like it.” As far as filming the more intense scenes, “the minute they say ‘cut’ it’s back to Chloe and you’ve got to go and listen to Britney Spears and watch Disney movies and you’ve got to get back in your mindset of the 14-year-old girl.”
Christopher Campbell describes Moneyball as “a feel good movie of the highest order, upbeat and positive, more of a really well done yet piece-of-cake puff profile than a great film. But I do think it’s mostly hopeful and happy for viewers who are only casual fans of baseball, like myself, who do not follow stats and rankings and enjoy a single game on its own now and again (just enjoy the show).” Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill star.
Daniel Walber rounded up and reviewed seven short films from Canada, “ranging from creepy fiction to experimental documentary, in both French and English, made in recent years and as far back as the early 1950s. All Canadian.” And, I might add, all embedded in the post, so you can enjoy a film festival in your home, all without leaving the comfort of your couch. The shorts really are remarkably diverse, and worth setting aside time to enjoy.
Monika Bartyzel caught Ten Year, which features an all-star ensemble and found it wanting: “In many ways it’s Can’t Hardly Wait ten years later, a swarm of social types comparing notes and angst ten years later. Unfortunately, it does so without the same magnetic pull.” Ultimately, it makes for an “occasionally charming experience, but not a cohesively enjoyable one.”
Missed any of our coverage from previous days? One way to find out: click this link and enjoy catching up with our reviews, interviews, and daily highlights.
DEALS
My Sister’s Sister, Lynn Shelton’s comedy about a love triangle involving Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, and Rosemarie DeWitt, has been acquired by IFC Films, which plans a “traditional summer release rollout for 2012.” (Variety)
4:44 Last Day on Earth, an ensemble drama directed by Abel Ferrara that stars Willem Dafoe, Shanyn Leigh, Paz de la Huerta and Natasha Lyonne, has also been picked up by IFC Films. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold’s dark new adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel, has been acquired by Oscilloscope Laboratories, which plans a 2012 theatrical release. (Deadline)
This is Not a Film, a documentary by Jafar Panahi that “depicts the [Iranian] filmmaker at home awaiting news of his prison sentencing,” sold to Palisades Tartan. (indieWIRE)
The Incident, a horror film by Alexandre Courtes that reportedly provoked fainting spells by two attendees, has been acquired by IFC Midnight. The deal was first reported by Deadline and then confirmed by Screen International.
HASHTAG HIGHLIGHTS
What we’re seeing on Twitter:
@ChloeGMoretz: “ahh!!! the #Hick premiere’s tonight! #TIFF2011 so excited
@ebertchicago: “The helpful and patient TIFF Volunteers are the pride of Canada.”
@davnr: “‘Love is a motif for emancipation’ – from the Q+A at the end of #Habibi. See this film!! #TIFF2011.”
@AugustinaBambi: “If ur complaining about TIFF tiring u out and u don’t work in the industry, pls, imagine if you HAD to go out every night…stuff.”
BLOGS AND NEWS PIECES
In light of numerous complaints by press and industry members, The National Post wonders whether the new Bell Lightbox complex is good or bad for the festival.
Looking for more reviews, reactions, and interviews?
An extravagance of coverage is provided by Twitch, with so many reviews that I’ve lost count. (Full disclosure: I also write for Twitch; however, none of the TIFF reviews are mine.)
Mubi features many roundups by David Hudson, most focusing on a single film and daily reports by Dan Sallitt, plus additional coverage.
