It's over. Almost.

Today is the last day of the Toronto International Film Festival, and honestly, I spent my night partying the festival away last night, so that's why this update is a little late. Apologies.

It has been a good festival for partying, I'll admit that. Whether it was a good festival for everything else has yet to be decided.

Eye Weekly's blog has an article asking if this year's TIFF was the "worst film festival ever" and Tim was interviewed by CTV asking if the festival has become too elitist. The verdict by most: a resounding yes.

That's why I can understand — not excuse, mind you, just understand — Lou Lumenick's mindset when he allegedly thwacked Roger Ebert with a binder. When your nerves are on edge and someone starts poking you, it's hard to keep your composure. (Of course, after this incident, I've lost whatever little respect I ever had for Lumenick. Tired as you are, you have to keep your cool.)

Today is the second-to-last day of the festival, so things are winding down slowly. For those of you that still have some energy and want to watch more movies, I've heard that you might still be able to get a seat for Soderbergh's 4.5-hour epic, Che. For those of you that are a bit tired of festivaling, get some rest and eat some homemade food — you need to be fresh for the last bit of TIFF fun tonight and tomorrow.

(Apologies for the background noise. It gets a bit difficult finding quiet spaces at the Sutton Place Hotel during festival time.)

I am referring to, of course, the TIFF volunteers.

You've seen them out and about with their green shirts, showing you where to go, checking your tickets, and in general making the festival a much more pleasant experience for everyone. And it's not just your movie nerds that are donning the green shirts. Mary, a volunteer that has been helping out at TIFF for eight years now, told me that she's been having more fun this year than any other because of the diversity of both the audiences and the volunteers.

Jason, a first-time volunteer, was in awe of the sheer amount of work and organization that goes into making the festival happen: "I've always heard of TIFF, but I never realized just how big it really was until I decided to volunteer." His volunteer experiences as a theater usher have been nothing but positive: "I'm so glad I had the chance to volunteer. I've met people that I never would have met before, and everyone is really grateful of the work we're doing. And it's a lot of fun."

Fun aside, volunteers are the lifeblood of the festival. To Mary, Jason, and everyone else volunteering at the festival, thank you from all of us at blogTO.

Martyrs has been brought in to fit the bill, a neo-horror picture so extreme, Midnight programmer Colin Geddes described it as "a suckerpunch." And if you can suckerpunch that guy, you've certainly earned a place in the program. After disappointing with Deadgirl and The Burrowers but hitting the nail on the head with Acolytes, how did Martyrs fare?

We tend to forget too often — as press or as the movie-watching public — that for many filmmakers, showing at TIFF is not just something they have to do in order to get a distribution deal. For many filmmakers, the festival gives them an opportunity to see and understand the impact that their films have on people from around the world.

Okay, that's enough sentimentality from me for today. (And if you haven't seen Lymelife yet, check out one of its final two screenings. It's a gem.)

In this edition of TIFF: Reviewed, five very special reviews by Tim and special guest critic Matthew Price: Hunger, The Real Shaolin, Lymelife, Slumdog Millionaire, and Me and Orson Welles.

And that, folks, is how silly celebrity spotting has become. Do people really care how skinny someone is? Apparently, they do. Because of the lack of Oscar-buzzworthy films at TIFF this year, most of the festival-related headlines around the web have more to do with celeb lifestyle than with film. Sad.

Entertainment Weekly has gone so far as saying that the Academy Awards and the Toronto International Film Festival have officially broken up. Now, most people might think that's a bad thing, but I think, in the long run, the decreased focus on Hollywood flicks will be good for cinephiles who will have better access to smaller, independent and foreign films.

Regardless, I've had good luck so far. Read further for mini-reviews of Treeless Mountain, All Around Us, and Sauna.

I'm no mathematician, but his idea seemed like another way to highlight American dominance and show how Canada was underperforming, until I realized that in his model, countries like Canada and Germany actually shine based on the business they've been doing at TIFF this year. Look out for France to make a late charge.

Special guest critic Matthew Price chimes in once again with his amazing reviews. This time, he takes a look at A Film With Me In It, It Might Get Loud, Vinyan, and Religulous.

In town to promote the More Than A Game — a film that tracks the trials, challenges, and successes of a high school basketball team from Akron, Ohio, and which also happens to be the team where LeBron James first received national attention before his NBA stint — James took some time out to host a slam dunk exhibition in Dundas Square before Youssou Ndour's performance.

While everyone loves a slam dunk expo, the movie itself was actually pretty good, garnering a standing ovation from the crowd and causing LeBron James himself to greet the audience in tears.

Programmer Colin Geddes has been calling Wednesday night's Martyrs "one of the most controversial titles in the history of Midnight Madness," but it was this evening's Deadgirl that had the most on-the-ground buzz for its queasy, I-don't-know-if-I-want-to-see-that subject matter. Hardly surprising: the film's potentially awesome, potentially awful, definitely troubling premise concerns two teenage boys who discover the body of a dead, naked girl... and proceed to "take advantage of the situation."