I saw three movies

(Added after I checked my links: If you click on a picture, you get that horrible black background with picture thing. To get back to the blog, you don't click the back arrow, but you have to X out the picture page: top right-hand corner. Oh, change....) 


The Toronto International Film Festival, or TIFF to us insiders, is a big annual film fest. Lots and lots of movies, movie stars all over the place (so I hear, anyways)... and I usually just let it pass me by. (My dentist's receptionist literally bumped into Sylvester Stallone one year, or so she says!)

This time around, a friend had some extra tickets. She had got a packet of 20 vouchers for shows that start before 5 pm, but this year her kids are not just both up the street at daycare as they were last year, but one is at school over heeeeere and one is in daycare up theeeeeere and what with dropping off and picking up and, I assume, making a stab at doing her regular job, she had some extra vouchers she couldn't use.

Wednesday, I saw Peace, Love and Misunderstanding, a movie with Jane Fonda, directed by Bruce Beresford. You will hear more about this one! It takes place in Woodstock NY and is full of hippy rainbows and drums and rallies. Lucky for us, Jane Fonda has a blog, so you can see some pictures. Fun fun fun. The actors were great, including Elizabeth Olsen and the other newbie kids. Catherine Keener was brilliant as well, as the conservative lawyer daughter of the Jane Fonda character.

Guess what? It has a happy ending.

Thursday I was back in line to see Jeff, who Lives at Home. Again, funny, charming, exciting, with the brilliant Susan Sarandon as the mom of Jeff and his slightly more socially capable brother. Jeff goes in search of his destiny, and a buddy movie/comedy/family angst movie follows. Wow, said I, that was great!

Jeff gets the phone call that sets the day in motion.

Then, Friday: it's hard not to use the word "climax" for Hysteria. It was the best of the three, for sheer enjoyment and fun. Who wants a troubling movie at 11 in the morning? Not me.

Costume drama, romantic comedy, walk in the park.

Next year, I might just get more tickets! Or maybe volunteer! Anyways, I am keen!

And I must tell you about my in-line knitting project! Clearly, standing in line for an hour before each movie gave me lots of time, but I was standing in line, so there was no pattern-reading or colour-changing or cable-making. Circular needle, simple pattern, stash yarn.

It was to be a big circular cowl/scarf, like the Gaptastic, but maybe not so huge. But right at the very beginning, I made a fatal error: "join, taking care stitches are not twisted." This is what happens if your stitches are twisted but you keep on knitting without realising:

I kind of wonder how it will look if I do keep going. I think I will not take it off the needles just yet, but keep it in hand in case I'm looking for ... a scarf with a twist in it!

I made my friend a loaf of banana bread, but maybe she deserves a scarf... Too bad I couldn't finish this one for her, in line!