Post by mllemass on Sept 11, 2017 3:17:20 GMT
This is what I did last night:
The movie was supposed to begin at 9:30, so I thought I'd head out at 7:00. The George Clooney movie was at 6:00, and they said they'd clear out the fans in between movies. I took a taxi from the hotel, but it really wasn't too far. It was a totally different setup from 2014. The area was totally closed to traffic, but they were letting people walk in the street until the limos arrived and the barricades went up. In other words, I had no idea where to stand for the next 2 1/2 hours.
They had a section put aside for "superfans", which was empty. I asked about it, and they said that up to 250 fans would be able to stand there for the red carpet. You had to get in line and hope to get a bracelet. I saw way more than 250 people in line waiting, so I didn't bother going there. By the way, that section is what gets officially filmed and photographed by TIFF - the celebrity stands in front of the screaming crowd, waving. It's all set up and fake, fake, fake!
I wandered over to the area I stood in the last time. A young girl standing nearby asked if I was a tourist. I told her I was visiting Toronto for the day, but I was from the area. I asked her if she was a tourist, and she said she was from Korea but living in Winnipeg. She had come to Toronto for TIFF. We overheard some guy who seemed in charge saying that the barricades were going to be set up at the red line, and anyone in front of it would have to leave. So my new Korean friend and I moved to the red line. And waited. There was another group of loud, chatty girls who stayed where they were, despite the warnings. So when the barricades went up, they just walked backwards and stood in front of us. And did I mention that these girls were giants? The woman in charge of the barricades come over and yelled at them to move behind the red line. I said "We are behind the red line" and my new friend and I didn't budge. The barricade woman yelled for everyone to take two steps back, and the barricades went up. I put my new friend in front of me (she was a bit shorter), and we had a great spot on the red carpet! The group of loud, giant girls kept shoving so the barricade woman came over to yell at them. The giant girl beside me kept putting her arms around her friend in front of her, and in doing so kept elbowing me in the face. So I told her, nicely, that she should really stop doing that or that lady would come over to yell at them again. They all laughed (thank goodness!), but they did stop the shoving.
Time passed and still no limos. Finally, the first group of the George Clooney audience came out! Still no limos. More time passed. The theatre doors opened and the rest of the George Clooney audience started coming out. And then the first of the limos arrived. The first three cars had men in suits, but they went right in so I suppose they weren't actors. It was after 9:00 when Benedict's limo showed up. I took some pictures, but in the dark all you can see is a grainy Benedict-shaped glob. But I know it's him, so that's all that matters!
Although he was getting closer and closer, I was worried about the time. When buying the ticket, we were told not to arrive too late or we might be refused seating. I asked one of the volunteers whether the ticket-holders had gone in yet, and she said to me, shocked "You have a ticket and you're over here?!". Then she looked at her watch and said there was no way I'd make it on time. It was 9:15. I would have to push my way through all those people behind me, cross the street, and push my way to the other end of the block to the ticket line. Panic!
So I turned around, said "I'm sorry, but I have to get out of line" and started my journey. After I had crossed the street, I was lucky to find myself walking beside a woman yelling at people to keep walking. When one guy yelled back at her that they were walking, she said "No you're not. You're just standing there watching. Get moving!" I laughed and wanted to kiss her! I finally reached the ticket-holder line at 9:20. It had taken 5 minutes to walk that short distance! I asked the volunteers there if the line was going in, and they said no, it would be a while before they went in, but I could just wait there with them rather than going all the way down the street to the end of the line. We had assigned seating anyway, so it's not like cutting in would be an advantage. So I hung around with them, trying not to cry that I was missing out on seeing Benedict up close and possibly getting another autograph.
I asked one of the volunteers if the celebrities go out a different door at the end of the evening. She said "I'm sorry. Even if I knew, there's no way I could tell you", all the while casually raising her hand and pointing behind her. Ha! She was so nice and so funny! So yes, the "talent" leave from a back entrance near the parking lot. Good to know in case I need a back-up plan. I wasn't going to give up so easily!
Finally, we were allowed in. Along the way, I was asked to have my purse unzipped, ready for inspection. That was new! It wasn't much of an inspection - a girl glanced inside - and then I entered the building. They had a line of volunteers telling us to keep going to the right. When I looked to the left, I caught a peek of Michael Shannon being interviewed!I was reminded again to go to the right. I thought it was strange to go to the right when my seat was on the left side of the audience. And sure enough, they were letting everyone in from the same door, no matter where your seat was. As I made my way to my seat, I noticed that the first few rows all had "TIFF" covers on the seat backs. There were also seats scattered around with "Reserved" signs on them. My seat was at the very end of the row, and the seat beside me remained empty the whole time (two armrests - yay!). I sat down and looked around.
(Note: This next section has nothing to do with the premiere, but it was significant for me so I'm including it. Sorry to bore you with this part!)
There were lots of people walking around looking for their seats. One guy in particular caught my attention because he sort of resembled someone I knew. But then he looked at me and smiled and came over. He's someone who I worked with a couple of times a year in a job I used to have. He and I started out doing the same job - for different employers - but he kept moving up and is now a big name. He totally deserves it, too. He's not only gorgeous, but he's smart and funny and nice. All the women, and some men, at work had a crush on him. I remember walking around with him at a conference one time, and everyone looked at him like he was a movie star. And he really does look like a movie star! I'll call him Mark (not his real name). When he came up to me, I got up and we hugged. My only thought at that moment was that everyone in that theatre was seeing me hug this gorgeous man and probably thinking "How does she know that handsome movie star?" Really, he could easily have been mistaken for a celebrity. We chatted and caught up a bit. He said he'd seen me crossing the entire theatre to go to my seat and wondered if it was me, so he came over to find out. Isn't it funny how things work out just right sometimes? If the timing had been different or I had been able to enter from a different door, Mark never would have spotted me. After we hugged goodbye, he went back to his own seat. It then dawned on me that I was in the same room with both Benedict and Mark. I was in heaven. Never in a million years would I have imagined that happening. I can't wait to tell my friends about this. They will freak!
Ok - so back to the report!
To the left of my seat, there was a door with a bunch of official-looking people standing in front of it. I was still wondering why they hadn't let us use that door to come in. Then the door opened, and in walked Karon! I had to resist the urge to call her and wave. I sometimes forget that I may know who she is, but she doesn't know me. And then I thought "Where there's a Karon, there's a Benedict!' and I kept watching her, looking for him. More people came in from that door and stood with her. Then she spoke with someone and they made their way into the audience, and she sat in one of the "reserved" seat, one or two rows ahead of mine, but a little closer to the middle. I could see her head from my seat.
Finally, someone went to the microphone on stage and welcomed us. He introduced the guests and they came out from back stage. The actors were last - and Benedict was the last actor - and finally Harvey Weinstein. Either the writer or director said not to be surprised if some the scenes are changed when the movie comes out. Then they left the stage and the lights dimmed. The movie didn't start right away, though. There were several TIFF promo videos first. While that was happening, I noticed a commotion to my left. That door opened and several people entered silently. And there he was - Benedict was standing a few feet away! Someone came over to him and whispered something, and he followed her into the audience. If I had had a decent camera, that would have been a beautiful shot - his distinct, perfect profile in silhouette against the lit screen. Again, I had to restrain myself from calling out to him as he passed a few rows ahead of me. Instead, I gasped and pointed to him, and I could see the people around me raise their cameras. He was taken to the seat beside Karon, and the rest of the guests were also taken to various "reserved" seats. And then we watched the movie. I was watching a movie with Benedict - with Benedict!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, when the movie ended, the audience applauded. Benedict and the other special guests got up and left through that door near me. This time, Benedict's gorgeous profile was removing his glasses as he passed in front of me to leave. As the credits rolled, the lights came on. Most of us sat there, but a few people left. Then the same moderator went to the microphone and started talking. The people who were standing or heading out returned to their seats. The moderator introduced all the guests again and they came onstage. For some reason, Benedict didn't come out right away when he was introduced - maybe he had to make a bathroom stop? Harvey didn't join them onstage for the Q & A.
I wish I could tell you what was asked and answered, but my brain turned to mush with Benedict right there looking gorgeous! He was even conveniently standing on the left side of the stage. And I FINALLY got to hear him speak! I don't know what he said, though. It's as if my brain wouldn't allow both hearing and seeing to function at the same time. Luckily, I managed to record some blurry snippets of video so I can listen to a few seconds of what he said.
When it was over, we applauded again and they all left the stage. When I got up to leave, I saw Harvey getting up from his seat. I think he was in my row! I made my way out of the theatre and walked around the block to the back of the building - along with a whole lot of other fans! They had barricades up, so no one was able to get very close. Benedict got into the first car with some other people, and Karon sat in the front, beside the driver. While the back door was still open, I could see Benedict smile and wave to the fans. Then the doors closed and the car drove off.
So, with my evening over, I walked toward the main road to get a taxi back to the hotel. Although it was now after 1:00 a.m., there was so much traffic and noise and chaos all around. As I kept looking for an available taxi, I spotted a big black car stuck in traffic. Those celebrity limos all look alike, except this one had Karon in the front seat! The front windows aren't tinted, so it became really easy to keep walking and keep watching the car. Even when it got ahead, it kept having to stop for lights so I could catch up. At this point, I didn't even know if I was headed anywhere in the direction of my hotel. All that mattered was following that car! I heard some voices laughing behind me and turned to find two girls also looking at the car. I took a chance and said "Isn't that . . .?" but I didn't need to finish because they said yes. I then realized that I recognized one of the girls. I asked her "Aren't you Janet?" Yes, it was Janet Fong! The girl from Hong Kong who travels the world following Benedict! You may remember her from the episode of Graham Norton when she was in the audience and was hugged by Benedict. She said to me "Oh, you know who I am?" and I told her I recognized her. Her friend asked me where I recognized her from, and I said it was from Twitter. At this point, the three of us were on the sidewalk right beside Benedict's car that was stopped in traffic. Karon looked towards us and we all waved to her - and she smiled and waved back! Janet's friend and I tried to encourage her to walk over to the car. The back windows were tinted, but he would have been able to see us and certainly he would have known Janet after the million times she's met him! But she was mortified and tried to hide her face, and wouldn't walk further until the car got ahead of us. We then parted ways and I resumed my search for a taxi. When one driver indicated he was available, I went over and asked if my hotel was anywhere close by. It was just around the corner, so I walked the rest of the way. At least I had managed to wander in the right direction! On a side note, I saw on twitter that Janet Fong finally did get to meet Benedict today. Of course she did!
So that was my adventure. There was no meeting or touching this time, but it was exciting and wonderful anyway!
When I got back to the hotel, I was exhausted but I started reading some of the reviews for the movie. It makes me so sad to read some of those comments because they're just not true. I will do my own review tomorrow!
The movie was supposed to begin at 9:30, so I thought I'd head out at 7:00. The George Clooney movie was at 6:00, and they said they'd clear out the fans in between movies. I took a taxi from the hotel, but it really wasn't too far. It was a totally different setup from 2014. The area was totally closed to traffic, but they were letting people walk in the street until the limos arrived and the barricades went up. In other words, I had no idea where to stand for the next 2 1/2 hours.
They had a section put aside for "superfans", which was empty. I asked about it, and they said that up to 250 fans would be able to stand there for the red carpet. You had to get in line and hope to get a bracelet. I saw way more than 250 people in line waiting, so I didn't bother going there. By the way, that section is what gets officially filmed and photographed by TIFF - the celebrity stands in front of the screaming crowd, waving. It's all set up and fake, fake, fake!
I wandered over to the area I stood in the last time. A young girl standing nearby asked if I was a tourist. I told her I was visiting Toronto for the day, but I was from the area. I asked her if she was a tourist, and she said she was from Korea but living in Winnipeg. She had come to Toronto for TIFF. We overheard some guy who seemed in charge saying that the barricades were going to be set up at the red line, and anyone in front of it would have to leave. So my new Korean friend and I moved to the red line. And waited. There was another group of loud, chatty girls who stayed where they were, despite the warnings. So when the barricades went up, they just walked backwards and stood in front of us. And did I mention that these girls were giants? The woman in charge of the barricades come over and yelled at them to move behind the red line. I said "We are behind the red line" and my new friend and I didn't budge. The barricade woman yelled for everyone to take two steps back, and the barricades went up. I put my new friend in front of me (she was a bit shorter), and we had a great spot on the red carpet! The group of loud, giant girls kept shoving so the barricade woman came over to yell at them. The giant girl beside me kept putting her arms around her friend in front of her, and in doing so kept elbowing me in the face. So I told her, nicely, that she should really stop doing that or that lady would come over to yell at them again. They all laughed (thank goodness!), but they did stop the shoving.
Time passed and still no limos. Finally, the first group of the George Clooney audience came out! Still no limos. More time passed. The theatre doors opened and the rest of the George Clooney audience started coming out. And then the first of the limos arrived. The first three cars had men in suits, but they went right in so I suppose they weren't actors. It was after 9:00 when Benedict's limo showed up. I took some pictures, but in the dark all you can see is a grainy Benedict-shaped glob. But I know it's him, so that's all that matters!
Although he was getting closer and closer, I was worried about the time. When buying the ticket, we were told not to arrive too late or we might be refused seating. I asked one of the volunteers whether the ticket-holders had gone in yet, and she said to me, shocked "You have a ticket and you're over here?!". Then she looked at her watch and said there was no way I'd make it on time. It was 9:15. I would have to push my way through all those people behind me, cross the street, and push my way to the other end of the block to the ticket line. Panic!
So I turned around, said "I'm sorry, but I have to get out of line" and started my journey. After I had crossed the street, I was lucky to find myself walking beside a woman yelling at people to keep walking. When one guy yelled back at her that they were walking, she said "No you're not. You're just standing there watching. Get moving!" I laughed and wanted to kiss her! I finally reached the ticket-holder line at 9:20. It had taken 5 minutes to walk that short distance! I asked the volunteers there if the line was going in, and they said no, it would be a while before they went in, but I could just wait there with them rather than going all the way down the street to the end of the line. We had assigned seating anyway, so it's not like cutting in would be an advantage. So I hung around with them, trying not to cry that I was missing out on seeing Benedict up close and possibly getting another autograph.
I asked one of the volunteers if the celebrities go out a different door at the end of the evening. She said "I'm sorry. Even if I knew, there's no way I could tell you", all the while casually raising her hand and pointing behind her. Ha! She was so nice and so funny! So yes, the "talent" leave from a back entrance near the parking lot. Good to know in case I need a back-up plan. I wasn't going to give up so easily!
Finally, we were allowed in. Along the way, I was asked to have my purse unzipped, ready for inspection. That was new! It wasn't much of an inspection - a girl glanced inside - and then I entered the building. They had a line of volunteers telling us to keep going to the right. When I looked to the left, I caught a peek of Michael Shannon being interviewed!I was reminded again to go to the right. I thought it was strange to go to the right when my seat was on the left side of the audience. And sure enough, they were letting everyone in from the same door, no matter where your seat was. As I made my way to my seat, I noticed that the first few rows all had "TIFF" covers on the seat backs. There were also seats scattered around with "Reserved" signs on them. My seat was at the very end of the row, and the seat beside me remained empty the whole time (two armrests - yay!). I sat down and looked around.
(Note: This next section has nothing to do with the premiere, but it was significant for me so I'm including it. Sorry to bore you with this part!)
There were lots of people walking around looking for their seats. One guy in particular caught my attention because he sort of resembled someone I knew. But then he looked at me and smiled and came over. He's someone who I worked with a couple of times a year in a job I used to have. He and I started out doing the same job - for different employers - but he kept moving up and is now a big name. He totally deserves it, too. He's not only gorgeous, but he's smart and funny and nice. All the women, and some men, at work had a crush on him. I remember walking around with him at a conference one time, and everyone looked at him like he was a movie star. And he really does look like a movie star! I'll call him Mark (not his real name). When he came up to me, I got up and we hugged. My only thought at that moment was that everyone in that theatre was seeing me hug this gorgeous man and probably thinking "How does she know that handsome movie star?" Really, he could easily have been mistaken for a celebrity. We chatted and caught up a bit. He said he'd seen me crossing the entire theatre to go to my seat and wondered if it was me, so he came over to find out. Isn't it funny how things work out just right sometimes? If the timing had been different or I had been able to enter from a different door, Mark never would have spotted me. After we hugged goodbye, he went back to his own seat. It then dawned on me that I was in the same room with both Benedict and Mark. I was in heaven. Never in a million years would I have imagined that happening. I can't wait to tell my friends about this. They will freak!
Ok - so back to the report!
To the left of my seat, there was a door with a bunch of official-looking people standing in front of it. I was still wondering why they hadn't let us use that door to come in. Then the door opened, and in walked Karon! I had to resist the urge to call her and wave. I sometimes forget that I may know who she is, but she doesn't know me. And then I thought "Where there's a Karon, there's a Benedict!' and I kept watching her, looking for him. More people came in from that door and stood with her. Then she spoke with someone and they made their way into the audience, and she sat in one of the "reserved" seat, one or two rows ahead of mine, but a little closer to the middle. I could see her head from my seat.
Finally, someone went to the microphone on stage and welcomed us. He introduced the guests and they came out from back stage. The actors were last - and Benedict was the last actor - and finally Harvey Weinstein. Either the writer or director said not to be surprised if some the scenes are changed when the movie comes out. Then they left the stage and the lights dimmed. The movie didn't start right away, though. There were several TIFF promo videos first. While that was happening, I noticed a commotion to my left. That door opened and several people entered silently. And there he was - Benedict was standing a few feet away! Someone came over to him and whispered something, and he followed her into the audience. If I had had a decent camera, that would have been a beautiful shot - his distinct, perfect profile in silhouette against the lit screen. Again, I had to restrain myself from calling out to him as he passed a few rows ahead of me. Instead, I gasped and pointed to him, and I could see the people around me raise their cameras. He was taken to the seat beside Karon, and the rest of the guests were also taken to various "reserved" seats. And then we watched the movie. I was watching a movie with Benedict - with Benedict!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, when the movie ended, the audience applauded. Benedict and the other special guests got up and left through that door near me. This time, Benedict's gorgeous profile was removing his glasses as he passed in front of me to leave. As the credits rolled, the lights came on. Most of us sat there, but a few people left. Then the same moderator went to the microphone and started talking. The people who were standing or heading out returned to their seats. The moderator introduced all the guests again and they came onstage. For some reason, Benedict didn't come out right away when he was introduced - maybe he had to make a bathroom stop? Harvey didn't join them onstage for the Q & A.
I wish I could tell you what was asked and answered, but my brain turned to mush with Benedict right there looking gorgeous! He was even conveniently standing on the left side of the stage. And I FINALLY got to hear him speak! I don't know what he said, though. It's as if my brain wouldn't allow both hearing and seeing to function at the same time. Luckily, I managed to record some blurry snippets of video so I can listen to a few seconds of what he said.
When it was over, we applauded again and they all left the stage. When I got up to leave, I saw Harvey getting up from his seat. I think he was in my row! I made my way out of the theatre and walked around the block to the back of the building - along with a whole lot of other fans! They had barricades up, so no one was able to get very close. Benedict got into the first car with some other people, and Karon sat in the front, beside the driver. While the back door was still open, I could see Benedict smile and wave to the fans. Then the doors closed and the car drove off.
So, with my evening over, I walked toward the main road to get a taxi back to the hotel. Although it was now after 1:00 a.m., there was so much traffic and noise and chaos all around. As I kept looking for an available taxi, I spotted a big black car stuck in traffic. Those celebrity limos all look alike, except this one had Karon in the front seat! The front windows aren't tinted, so it became really easy to keep walking and keep watching the car. Even when it got ahead, it kept having to stop for lights so I could catch up. At this point, I didn't even know if I was headed anywhere in the direction of my hotel. All that mattered was following that car! I heard some voices laughing behind me and turned to find two girls also looking at the car. I took a chance and said "Isn't that . . .?" but I didn't need to finish because they said yes. I then realized that I recognized one of the girls. I asked her "Aren't you Janet?" Yes, it was Janet Fong! The girl from Hong Kong who travels the world following Benedict! You may remember her from the episode of Graham Norton when she was in the audience and was hugged by Benedict. She said to me "Oh, you know who I am?" and I told her I recognized her. Her friend asked me where I recognized her from, and I said it was from Twitter. At this point, the three of us were on the sidewalk right beside Benedict's car that was stopped in traffic. Karon looked towards us and we all waved to her - and she smiled and waved back! Janet's friend and I tried to encourage her to walk over to the car. The back windows were tinted, but he would have been able to see us and certainly he would have known Janet after the million times she's met him! But she was mortified and tried to hide her face, and wouldn't walk further until the car got ahead of us. We then parted ways and I resumed my search for a taxi. When one driver indicated he was available, I went over and asked if my hotel was anywhere close by. It was just around the corner, so I walked the rest of the way. At least I had managed to wander in the right direction! On a side note, I saw on twitter that Janet Fong finally did get to meet Benedict today. Of course she did!
So that was my adventure. There was no meeting or touching this time, but it was exciting and wonderful anyway!
When I got back to the hotel, I was exhausted but I started reading some of the reviews for the movie. It makes me so sad to read some of those comments because they're just not true. I will do my own review tomorrow!