Behind the Screens 6: TIFF Party Round-up

Productivity is down across the city today as many recover from a TIFF party weekend to remember (or not).

The Star details the weekend’s biggest star-studded event — the A Dangerous Method after party at the Grey Goose Soho House — as well as the best of food, music and more from a sampling of the dozens of parties that have taken place since Thursday. 

Best party to make you feel like you were in a dream sequence: Grey Goose Soho House pop-up party, Saturday night

Albert Brooks, Ryan Gosling and George Clooney at the Grey Goose Soho House party Saturday. (Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images for GREY GOOSE Vodka)

It wasn’t just the effect of vodka cocktails — by 1 a.m., there were so many A-list celebrities circulating one’s sense of reality got a little shaky. A-listers don’t often outnumber the rest of us.

On Saturday night Bono, George Clooney (and rumoured lady friend Stacy Keibler), Ryan Gosling, Keira Knightly, David Cronenburg, Evan Rachel Wood, Jon Hamm and girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt, Anna Faris, Jonah Hill, Bryan Cranston, Emily Blunt, Kirsten Dunst, Neil Young, Albert Brooks, Alexander Skarsgard, Emile Hirsch, Sarah Gadon, Kate Mara, Jimmy Kimmel, and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and wife Régine Chassagne all partied in the entertainment district warehouse building. Highlights included:

— Seeing Clooney and Keibler head over to where three ping pong tables were set up hand-in-hand. For one promising moment, it seemed we were about to see the competitive side of Keibler, a former wrestler, and be treated to a game (sadly, they were just finding the back entrance to make an invisible escape).

— Watching Hill, bottle of Stella in hand, bob his head approvingly as DJ Zen blasted “Empire State of Mind,” and Wood fidget with that black hat she wore all weekend.

— Seeing Cranston with hair (for Breaking Bad fans, it’s a bit of a shock).

— Talking to a now grown-up, but still baby-faced, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, better known as the adorable, drum-playing child of Liam Neeson in Love, Actually. At TIFF with his new film Death of a Superhero, it was Brodie-Sangster’s first time in Toronto.

— Woman’s washroom banter that indicated this was no regular party: including “Is that a Fall ’09?” and “Who’s your agent?” being asked on the assumption everyone at the party was an actor.

— Wendy Gillis

Best food: No surprise here. With dozens of booths all around the sprawling Windsfield Park grounds, the noshing was best at Sunday’s Canadian Film Centre barbeque. Those in attendance could start off with pulled pork sandwiches and skewers of shrimp served in shot glasses from Per Sé catering, move on to barbequed Lick’s burgers, then finish it off with mini cupcakes or cups of gelato. The alcohol was great too — Jackson Triggs, Stoli and Mill Street among the providers — but it being the Sunday of the first TIFF weekend, coffee and water were overwhelmingly the drink of choice.

— Wendy Gillis

Best live music: This might be a little early, considering that Festival Music House, the Canadian music industry showcase, starts up tonight, but so far, Cee Lo Green's performance at the Alliance Films party on Friday night is our best of fest. Brought in with a partnership with AOL, he was backed by a DJ Rashida on the turntables, the Crazy artist belted through an hour long set, which of course, ended with F--- You and had the very well dressed crowd singing along.

— Raju Mudhar

Best sweets: The Woman in the Fifth afterparty at Roosevelt Room. Sure, Ethan Hawke was a treat for the eyes, but bonus points go to David Rocco for throwing Portuguese custard tarts into the mix. The celebrity chef’s finger food menu also included beef crostini with red cabbage and soaked applewood cheddar, thai style shrimp roll and salmon tartar.

— Wendy Gillis

Best place to dance with no one watching: Post-premiere party for Paul Williams’ Still Alive. Great oldies tunes (Ticket to Ride and Empty Heart were among the playlist) and a small crowd at Cherry Cola’s Rock ‘n Rolla caberet and lounge made for a good place to break out the Twist. It would have been even better if the open bar hadn’t ended a good 25 minutes earlier than promised.

— Wendy Gillis

Best place to dance with everyone watching: As per usual, the Drake remains a place to see and be seen throughout TIFF. At Sunday night’s Rising Stars party — featuring a foursome of up-and-coming Canadian talent, including A Dangerous Method’s Sarah Gadon, as well as TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey — a large crowd of 20-something dolled-up hipsters made for great dance partner selection.

— Wendy Gillis

Most improved celebrity wrangling: Entree to the George Stromboulopoulos party at The Hazelton Hotel was much more civilized than last TIFF, which was a total clustergrope. Last year, celebs were literally pushed through the huddled masses on the sidewalk by handlers to gain admittance to the party at One. Most just gave up. This year, they had cordoned off a red-carpet area well, policed by muscular security and guests entered unmolested through a side door.

— Rita Zekas

TIFF’s big partier: Maybe it’s just his big presence (he actually played ping-pong on Saturday) but it seemed Dave Matthews was everywhere, from The Woman in the Fifth (which he produced) afterparty at Roosevelt Room, to the Vitamin Water rooftop lounge (hanging with Colin Farrell) and of course, at Soho House, along with every other celebrity in town.

— Wendy Gillis

Monday's party picks

Mongrel Media Party – The Canadian film distributor holds their annual bash in the Distillery District’s Boiler House restaurant, and will feature a performance from The Sheepdogs. The company has many films in the fest including Take This Waltz (Michelle Williams, Sarah Silverman) and The Women in the Fifth (Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas), and cast members still in town may attend.

Diet Coke TIFF party – Estelle, best known for her Kanye collaboration "American Boy", is performing at this soda-sponsored event at The Hoxton.

Festival Music House – In its sophomore year, this Canadian music showcases moves up to the Mod Club, and runs for the next three nights. Artists performing on the first night include K’Naan, The Midway State, Hannah Georgas, Dinosaur Bones and Hooded Fang.

The Lady Event – At the Roosevelt Room, this film about Burmese activist and political prisoner Aung San Suu Ky will have director Luc Besson and star, Michelle Yeoh.

-Raju Mudhar

Indie music gets its moment

Popped by the Festival Music House Monday for the first night of its three-night showcase. Looked like the changes to the old Canadian Music Café were having a desired effect.

Previously, the CMC was in the middle of the afternoon and many filmmakers couldn’t make it because it conflicted with screenings. Now organized by local record label Arts & Craft, the buzz factor has definitely been taken up a notch and it was a pretty packed house at the Roosevelt Room.

We caught Chilly Gonzales’ and Couer de Pirate’s set. Gonzales, best known for collaborating with Feist (who was in the house), gave an interesting performance wearing a plaid bathrobe. He had no problem interacting and antagonizing the talking audience. He rapped a song about not being able to get arts grants – but said he didn’t mean it, if someone in the house had the power to get him one. It was a pretty amusing audience, and a bit of an interesting and provocative choice for a music industry showcase.

Meanwhile Couer de Pirate’s set was rather lovely. Also known as Beatrice Martin, and the 20-year-old French singer played solo, and easily won over the crowd.

The organizers were adamant that the showcase is not about celebrities, and for the most part, it seemed to be curious industry folks. There were some Canadian celebs in house, though, including Trigger director Bruce McDonald and Michael Riley and Joanna Douglas from Being Erica.

--Raju Mudhar

The Insider for Sept.14

It’s all hail The Boss as Bruce Springsteen hits Roy Thomson Hall at 8:15 p.m. for a rare red carpet appearance on behalf of The Promise: The Making of Darkness On the Edge of Town.

The doc captures Springsteen with his E Street Band during the recording of their pivotal 1978 album. Extensive, never-before-seen footage of home rehearsals and recording sessions are combined with new interviews for an unprecedented close-up of the everyman rocker.

Also on the manly man tip, Ryan Reynolds makes the scene at Ryerson Theatre at 8:15 p.m for Buried. Star critic Peter Howell dubbed the claustrophobic thriller which stars Vancouver-born Reynolds as a U.S. trucker in Iraq whose convoy is ambushed by insurgents a “pulse racer.” The protagonist awakes to find himself beneath the desert in a wooden box planted six feet under, with oxygen running out and sand pouring in.

Yikes!

Speaking of pulse racer - Keanu Reeves is slated to walk the fan plank at 8:15 p.m. at Elgin/Winter Garden Theatre for Henry’s Crime. The romantic comedy which also stars Vera Farmiga, James Caan and Judy Greer finds Reeves playing a toll booth operator who trades his humdrum life for a new career in armed robbery. The afterparty for the film and whatever kind of facial hair Reeves is currently sporting is at Brassaii.

The big I’ll-sell-my-grandmother-for-a-ticket shindig tonight is the InStyle soirée at The Windsor Arms Hotel.

-Ashante Infantry

Party of five anyone?

TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey has tweeted a special offer today for ticketbuyers: buy four, get the fifth one free. In person or by phone only. No reason stated for the offer not being offered on the TIFF website, though the site has already crashed once, last Friday under the weight of online orders.

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ET Canada’s Festival Central lounge on the rooftop of a Yorkville parking garage had a few inaugural spots of bother over the weekend.

The site, converted by the Liberty Entertainment Group into a tented fairytale land for pampered celebs and VIPs, offers various kinds of swag and “ET branded” golf carts to whisk them from ground level to the roof (and away from the hoi polloi and, possibly, competing media). Saturday night saw spirits dampened by a heavy downpour while a generator breakdown took some of the sizzle out of Sunday night.

Still, it’s a better location than Casa Loma, where the ET celeb lovefest has operated in past years.

From Bruce DeMara

An after-party with a purpose

The Monday night official TIFF after-party for Girlfriend by freshman filmmaker Justin Lerner will donate all proceeds to motionball, a non-profit group that supports Special Olympics Canada.

The cover for the party at Brant House, 522 King St. W. is $20, all of which goes directly to motionball.

In the film, Evan Sneider plays a young man with Down Syndrome caught in a love triangle.

--Bruce DeMara

The Insider for Sept.13

However you like your movie babes, TIFF’s got something for everyone today – from seasoned and elegant Catherine Deneuve and Helen Mirren, to hip and foxy Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman to, well, the unfortunately nipped and tucked Nicole Kidman.

Catherine Deneuve arrives at Roy Thomson Hall at 5:15 p.m. for French farce Potiche. She portrays a bourgeois housewife who takes on a rough union leader (Gerard Depardieu) sparking a comic war between the sexes, and the classes.

Our favourite cinematic queen Mirren hits the red carpet at the Elgin/Winter Garden at 7:15 p.m. for Brighton Rock. She plays a wise and world-weary boss in the British drama about young working-class thugs inspired by the 1938 Graham Greene novel.

Portman makes the Black Swan premiere at Roy Thomson Hall at 8:15. It’s a psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet, starring as a dancer locked in a web of competitive intrigue with a new rival at the company. Word is the Harvard grad began dating ballet dancer and Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied after they met on the set. After the gala, the cast, which includes Barbara Hershey and Mila Klunis, heads to a late dinner at Opus.

Red hot mama Uma Thurman is expected for the Ceremony showing at Isabel Bader at 5:45 p.m. before getting into the party groove at the film’s Brassaii party. She plays a publisher who gets an offer from a nerdy romantic as she’s about to marry a self-important documentary filmmaker.

Nicole Kidman makes the scene for Rabbit Hole at 8:15 p.m. at the Elgin/Winter Garden. She plays wife to Aaron Eckhart as a couple who fight to save their marriage after tragedy.

-Ashante Infantry

Burgers and burnout

 

Norman Jewison was in a bubbly mood at the CFC bbq.

“Here we are again, and the rain’s held out” proclaimed Norman Jewison at this year's Canadian Film Centre barbecue. The annual fete remains a pretty big draw for the Canadian industry, and despite grey skies, the turnout was strong as usual. TIFF burnout was being grumbled about my many, usually followed by an immediate beeline to the food stations – the Lick’s Burgers were a hit — as plenty of folks were out until the wee hours, but dutifully got up and made their way there.

Jewison spoke about how the CFC now has 1,300 alumni, with 40 of them being involved with films in this year’s fest. As well, they should have been in a celebratory mood, as Michael Chan, Ontario’s Minister of Tourism and Culture announced $9 million in funding for the CFC.

There were several Canadian celebs in the house including Gordon Pinsent, Kathleen Robertson, Tara Spencer-Nairn and Deborah Kara Unger. The music was provided by Whaletooth and “the” Tokyo Police Club. All in all, a fine, fun afternoon.

Raju Mudhar

 

TIFF Bell Lightbox opens

Piers Handling, centre, the director and CEO of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), cuts the ribbon at the opening of the TIFF Bell Lightbox film complex during the 35th Toronto International Film Festival September 12, 2010. REUTERS / Adrien Veczan

Too Far, Old Duck?

How else to explain the sparse slate of celeb sightings at the very cool Drake Hotel way, way out on Queen St. West on the cusp of Parkdale, the new enclave of the indie Bohemian (read: poor artist) scene in Toronto.

Stars spotted, as reported by Rock-It Promotions, include David Cross (the balding odd-ball brother-in-law from Arrested Development), Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek, Stuart Townsend (ex of actual star Charlize Theron) and Lauren Conrad (television personality celebutante, according to Google, formerly of The Hills.) Sunday a.m. saw the lovely and talented native Torontonian film/TV star Mia Kirschner (The L Word) having a breaknast nosh.

Bruce DeMara