Although it's too early to call a masterpiece, Bela Tarr's The Man from London is the Hungarian master's leanest, most realized and plot-driven film to date. This monochromatic genre film -- that is at once obedient to the rules but also manages to be anti-genre -- is still monumentally dense and challenging.

The opening scene is astonishing in its pure bravado, an orchestration of movement and space so complex, it rivals that of any ever wrought by the Russian "sculptor of time" Andrei Tarkovsky. In it, our hero Maloin, a burly laconic railway worker, becomes a witness to a heist and a murder. Yet what Tarr does with this conventional plot setup is remarkable: in a single unending shot, the mise-en-scene somehow morphs into a point-of-view, then to an over-the-shoulder, and back out to a master shot again. Lasting what seems like an eternity, the camera swings back and forth, and glides without boundaries -- at times, I swear it goes through walls. Anyone with a vested interest in the mechanics of filmmaking may likely ponder: how the hell is he pulling this off?

A look at the news and events surrounding the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and a very quick look at one Canadian short film every day.

Day Three

Yesterday, while waiting in line to see Juno, I ran into a young lady that works in a studio in LA and travels to festivals for most of the year. Asking her what she thought of the festival this year, she said, "I love Toronto because at this festival, I actually make friends. Everywhere else in the world, I make excellent business contacts, but when I come to Toronto, I make friends. Something about this city makes people much nicer and happier." True story.

TIFF continues to chug along, heading into its first weekend - traditionally the home of the glitz, the glam, and the high profile Hollywood crap. As usual, Midnight Madness provides the antidote, with the premiere of Xavier Gens' degenerate riot, Frontière(s).

After a five-film day (I even snuck away from the fest for a couple of hours to catch Shoot 'Em Up), the adrenaline rush of Frontière(s) was exactly what I needed. Beware the faint of heart, however: this sucker's about as gruesome as Midnight programming ever gets.

Not unlike last year's Midnight closer, Sheitan, Frontière(s) is about a group of dipshit French kids (okay, this time they're actually criminals on the run from a shooting spree gone bad in the city) who travel out to the countryside, only to be set upon by a group of lunatic backwater hicks. This time, the hicks in question are neo-Nazis, and the equivalent of Vincent Cassel's lead Sheitan role is taken on by his Pacte des Loups counterpart, Samuel le Bihan. Score one for Frontière(s): I'll follow le Bihan anywhere.

A look at the news and events surrounding the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and a very quick look at one Canadian short film every day.

Day Two

I'm used to people stopping me on the street upon seeing my TIFF press pass and asking me about the celebrities that I've had the chance to see at the festival. However, over the last few days, the only questions I have been getting from strangers in our city so far have revolved around Paris Hilton sightings. With all the other celebs in town, I wonder what Toronto's Paris Hilton obsession says about our city...

There's a lot to love about the Toronto International Film Festival, but the deepest, darkest adoration in my heart will always belong to Colin Geddes' slam-bang Midnight Madness programme, which brings the biggest and the weirdest from all over the world before the eyes of chanting insomniacs at the Ryerson Theatre every night at 12:00 a.m. In many cases, these end up being the films you might not necessarily call high art at any other time of the day... but in that glorious corridor between midnight and 2 a.m., they're the best thing happening in the city.

Dario Argento's The Mother of Tears was chosen as this year's inaugural MM entry, and coming first in the line bears a responsibility for over-the-top zaniness all its own. (Last year's opening number? Borat.)

The Argento fans were out in force tonight, giving Dario a standing ovation as he took the stage, and singing Happy Birthday at 12:01 a.m. (September 7th is the director's birthday). Aside from the braintrusts at the Ryerson Theatre scheduling a fire drill for the film's midway point (!), Midnight Madness '07 kicked off without a hitch... unless you were watching the film.

The celebrities have returned, and so have crowded Yorkville sidewalks filled with amateur paparazzi, celebrity hunters and bystanders caught in the contagious excitement of "isn't that someone famous?" and "Oh my god, I think I just saw Jude Law!"

Waiting outside a hotel or restaurant to get a glimpse or photo of a celebrity isn't for everyone, but something about it attracts massive crowds. Have you ever stood around hoping to spot a star? Do you bring your camera to TIFF events just in case there are famous people? What do you think of the throngs of people who do? Would there be a celebrity you would wait for hours in hopes of getting a glimpse or photo?

I talked to a number of camera-carrying Yorkville visitors hoping to capture a star yesterday. Their goal, who they photographed and the gear they used below...