“I’m at a place called vertigo”
-Vertigo, U2

I’m also very sick. It’s all catching up to me now. The lack of sleep, fast food diet, and way too much excitement. But nothing can stop me for U2 day and the rest of the fest. Sunday is the day of rest.

I really am quite sick and if this had been a normal week where nothing was happening in the city, then I would have stayed home in bed watching TV and bemoaned my illness to anyone who would listen. Instead, I must keep going! It is U2 Day part 1. I also think I may have overdosed on expired Sudafed, but that’s a problem for another day.

I’m actually not that excited about the concert right now. I think it’s the illness that’s clouding my judgment. I down some more Red Bull later. I’m just not at fever pitch mode (although I do have a fever) like I was for the last concert in Montreal in Oct. 2001. And we all know the best concert is always the last one, so I’ll get excited for Saturday. But the show sounds/looks good from what I’ve heard so far. I never doubt the lads anyway.

Now for the festival recap:

Tuesday, September 13, 2005:

Films Screened:
Thumbsucker

Celebs spotted:
Keanu Reeves
Mike Mills (director, not the guy from REM)
Lou Pucci (star of Thumbsucker)
2 girls in the film whose names I didn’t catch.

I was disappointed with this one. It wasn’t that great. It wasn’t bad either, mind you, but I don’t think I would see it again. The central character, Justin, the thumbsucker, is well acted by Lou Pucci but I found the story never really went anywhere and was a predictable teen drama at certain points. It started out promising with a few comic bits, but I felt that Tilda Swinton and Vincent D’Onofrio’s characters ran out of things to do and their story arcs were never really completed- like D’Onofrio’s character never confronts his wife or follows up to see if she is in fact hooking up with patient Benjamin (I don’t like him) Bratt (we know she’s not, but that means taking a drug addict’s words as the truth), and Swinton’s character never actually evolves. Bratt’s participation is basically a glorified cameo. Keanu is the comic centre of the film and the one who got the most laughs. He’s also much more attractive in person than on screen. And no, he didn’t say “whoa.”

It’s the middle of the festival, and I only have 4 more films to see, one of which I may skip (The Cabin Movie) if I don’t feel better tomorrow. The ones I was most excited to see are now over and done with, so we’ll have to see how promising the rest are.

I also met some very nice Irish guys on the street across from the Elgin theatre who stopped to ask me what was going on (they had just arrived in the city). Then they asked if I heard of Neil Jordan because he was here at the festival. He was delighted when I told him I had already seen the movie (Breakfast on Pluto) and Cillian Murphy, Bono, and Liam Neeson. Now they think that all Canadians love Ireland, and that there are always celebrities here.

"Swinging to the music"