by Forest Lightbody
As a current resident of Toronto’s west end, I get on the eastbound streetcar. It is relatively quiet for a Friday night. Sitting at the back as I usually do, playing a zombie video game and killing off many. It often requires a death toll to keep my interest.
The crowd on the streetcar begins to grow as it approaches the downtown core towards Toronto’s busiest corner at Yonge and Dundas. Two stops to go, I turn off my game and make my way through the packed streetcar to make sure I get to the exit. The new crosswalks on the corner make the crowds even more unbearable as the congestion grows and the frustration in my head mounts. It has taken 9 minutes for the streetcar to even make it those two stops.
Once off the streetcar I am faced with even more crowds. The corner looks like it is trying too hard to be Times Square with thousands of advertisements and hordes of people. It’s all moving at a comatose rate, with chattering about which stores to visit first, all too reminiscent of the zombie game I’d been playing throughout my journey. However I know that if you look intimidating and angry as I do, the majority of people will move out of your way.
I cross the street, past the entrance of the new AMC theatre where they show the majority of the biggest films for TIFF. Rounding the corner I can’t see the end of the line and my concern for my seat in the theatre has once again distracted me. There is a small break in the line so I cut in, not to jump the line. I stop for coffee and yet another line.
Walking outside and through the line I hear a man asking “Do you think that Brad
Pitt and Jennifer Aniston will get together when they are in Toronto? “Thank Christ
I’m not in this line,” I think to myself as I hurry away towards the Ryerson Theatre,
where the line up is shorter and seems less frazzled.
For me, the Toronto International Film Festival has always been about Midnight Madness where they showcase the newest foreign horror films. In previous years, I have seen The Grudge and Saw. For this year, I saw two films, ‘DeadGirl’ Directed by Marcel Sarmiento & Gordi Harel, which has generated some interesting and controversial talk, and the western/horror cross genre film ‘The Burrowers’ Directed by J.T. Petty.
http://www.deadgirlmovie.com/sneak/index.html
The line moves quickly, giving me not enough time to finish my coffee. So I toss it in the garbage before entering the theatre. I head to the balcony in the less than full theatre and grab a seat. As I wait for the short introduction and the lights to dim, a slight rush of excitement rises.
Finally the death toll can begin, and I can begin my horror experience, but nothing is as horrifying as the line-ups, the gossip and the frustrating frenzy that has plagued TIFF in recent years.
Speaking of zombies…
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