The Top 10 things about the Toronto International Film Festival '08

PopMatters.com (MCT) - 1. Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"

In what could have been an offensive joke of a performance, Rourke captures hearts with his tender, tough portrait of a man coming apart. Will he capture the Oscar?

2. "The Burning Plain"

You either love the styles of writer-director Guillermo Arriaga or you hate them (he is responsible for the equally polarizing "Babel" and "21 Grams"), but you cannot deny he is writing more expansive women's roles than just about any other writer-director out there. He should be applauded, as should Charlize Theron and a career-best Kim Basinger.

3. Cultural hybridity

Almost all of the films I saw, whether they were period pieces, biography films, or simply daring original works, explored the intersecting themes of borders opening; of lines on the maps being erased. They were beautifully humanist takes on what it's like to live in a world where everyone's concept of home is shrinking, and where cultures are bleeding into one another. It's comforting to see that our modern master filmmakers are perceptively mirroring this global, transient realism onscreen.

4. Star wattage and accessibility

Where else are you going to be 2 feet away from Viggo Mortensen but at TIFF? More than I have seen before, the big guns were brought out for promoting films, for selling films, and for getting the word out there. Be it in the form of press conferences (where I sat directly in front of powerhouses like Queen Latifah stumping for "The Secret Life of Bees"), or just walking down the street, there were actors and directors practically littering Yonge Street. Also, the graciousness of these actors and directors to do question and answer sessions with large festival audiences, as well as the frenzied red carpets, and just being present in general at screenings is unparalleled.

5. France

Alors! Staggering in their artistic consistency and integrity, the films from our great French directors at TIFF this year (Olivier Assayas, Phillip Claudel, Claire Denis, Arnaud Desplechin, and Agnes Varda), proved that the country sets the bar much higher for their popular entertainment than we do here, they have a standard of excellence that needs to be emulated. The French directorial vision is typically beautifully art-directed; stunning acted and has, across the board, an emotional pull that is sorely lacking in the American entries this year.

6. Volunteers and employees

Mostly all friendly and knowledgeable, these tireless enthusiasts had to wrangle not only the public, but the celebrities and the press and industry crowd. A thankless job, where they are paid nothing, but they do it with a smile on their face, for the love of film.

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7. Talking to strangers

Whether it was in line, or on the street to get directions, Canadians are friendly. You are standing in line sometimes for hours to get a decent spot, and are forced, in many ways, to chat up your neighbors. The shocker? They are usually extremely pleasant, excited, and just as knowledgeable about film as you are. A refreshing element to the proceedings that can sometimes be more fun than the films themselves.

8. That "Blindness" did not stink

People tore this adaptation of Jose Saramago's novel to pieces at Cannes, and critics had their knives sharpened for it here in Toronto, but Fernando Meirelles pulled it off. Don't be fooled by those who would dissuade you from seeing it; "Blindness" is brutal, yet powerfully undeniable filmmaking. And between this and "Savage Grace," Julianne Moore shows (again) that she is the bravest American actress working.

9. The Queen Mother restaurant

Canadian food is hit or miss, and that's being polite (poutin, anyone?). Thank god for the Lao-Thai fusion at this quaint cafe in the best neighborhood in the city. Affordable, delicious, fresh food and no-nonsense, friendly service (inside or out on the patio) makes this the go-to spot for all visitors. Of note, particularly is their phenomenal brunch. I am not even going to tell you how many times I ate there this week.

10. The return of Debra Winger

She was only in about four scenes of Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married," but in her scant screen time, she conducted a master class in scene-stealing as the mother of the title character and Anne Hathaway's noxious Kym. Yes, it may be the "mother" role, but Winger is understatedly elegant, and rock-solid. Here's to hoping this high-profile release gains her some traction on the awards circuit, in tandem with Hathaway. It's a small, quietly fuming turn that should be lauded for its poetic simplicity.

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THE THINGS I DID NOT LOVE ABOUT TIFF '08

1. Jerks on BlackBerrys and I-Phones

Since everyone at the press and industry screenings are apparently so important they couldn't turn off their phones for five seconds, other people who were actually trying to work during the festival got treated to a sea of tiny illuminated screens that never went off and, when in combination, produced an obnoxious glow that distracted everyone from everything. At one especially terrible session, a young woman sitting next to me was actually texting on an I-Phone with one hand, and scrolling through her favorite Web content with her other hand. This is not an exaggeration.

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2. The lack of prestige films

Toronto has been unquestionably known as the launching pad for Oscar nominees. Last year it showed "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Juno" and "Atonement" (among a score of others), to smashing success and a parade of little gold men. In previous years, they brought out such Oscar war horses as "Chariots of Fire" and "American Beauty" and led the way to glory. This year, none of the movies shown here look primed to be contenders. No one really loved the lineup.

There's always hope for next year.

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