The selection process for Toronto International Film Festival remains as ulcer-inducing as ever. I'd redeemed my 20 film Flex Package earlier in the week and topped them up with a few extra films this morning, which was TIFF members single ticket purchase window. Outage issues galore at the TIcketmaster website (I only pulled out my hair just a little), but it seems I'm squared away now.

Well, 24 movies in 9 days ain't that bad, is it? (My eyeballs!) There are folks who are watching 40+ films during the fest. When and if they have time to eat and sleep is a mystery.

Basically the only film I desperately wanted to see was a "The Shape of Water", Guillermo del Toro's genderflipped cold war mermaid fairy tale and I managed to snag a ticket for that (woo!). There are other interesting-sounding films among the lot I got -- "Manhunt", which is the new John Woo action movie, the new Martin McDonaugh/Frances McDormand, Alexander Payne's "Downsizing", "Death of Stalin" from Armando Iannucci, who was behind The Thick of It and Veep, and the William Moulton Marston biopic hot in the heels of Wonder Woman.

Downsizing has had some excellent reviews. I'm dead jealous.

Oh, that's good to hear. I'm of two minds as to whether to read reviews coming out of Venice and Telluride Festivals that are going on right now. I mean, I've got the tickets so I'm going regardless (although I did hear the new Annett Benning movie "Films Stars Don't Die In Liverpool", which premiered in Telluride last night, wasn't All That, which made me pick "A Fantastic Woman" in its place this morning. Seems an A++ pick now that I've watched the trailer: [link]

Basically the only film I desperately wanted to see was a "The Shape of Water", Guillermo del Toro's genderflipped cold war mermaid fairy tale and I managed to snag a ticket for that (woo!)

Oh, you lucky thing! I'm so excited for that.

This morning I read the first two lines of one of the reviews of its Venice premiere, and it said something to the tune of how it might be as good as, or possibly even better than, "Pan's Labyrinth." I hyperventilated and breathed out "shut UP" at the screen then closed the window without reading the review, hahaha.

(Basically I think "Pan's Labyrinth" is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius and del Toro's best film by FAR and now I have crazy expectations, which is sometimes not a good place to be.)

Good luck, Vonnie! Have fun, don't forget to sleep!

It's hella hot here this weekend, and we have all this family in town, so a bunch of us went to see Atomic Blonde today in a nice air-conditioned theater. That was pretty fun, and very much basically a Bond film but with Charlize Theron in the lead. Not much spycraft, just big fight scenes with lots of punishing stunts, and Theron swanning about in a bunch of unlikely dramatic outfits. Plus Ewan MacGregor as a scumbag and an obligatory romance with a French spy of uncertain loyalties.

And the SOUNDTRACK. Holy crap so right. I came out of the movie singing David Bowie songs.

I saw Close Encounters of the Third Time for the first time last night, and...I guess it was fine? There was a lot about the end that I thought was a load of crap, and I was 1000% unsympathetic to the main character, which I assume was not the plan? Also I found the score to be overly intrusive, but I wonder if any of that was just in the remastering or whatever for the re-release.

Jesse, I hated it when it came out. Never got the hype.

Yes! I wasn't sure if it wasn't too late to appreciate it for the first time, but I am glad to know that was always true, at least for you.

Never got the hype.

This is how I've always felt about E.T. I like Close Encounters but, like most Spielberg films, it needed a stronger editorial hand.

I was 1000% unsympathetic to the main character, which I assume was not the plan?

I saw someone recently (on Twitter maybe?) say how Close Encounters was a basic quest narrative, and therefore about the fantasy of leaving your family behind, but was honest about it.