8 movies in 8 nights, the last of which spilled off the reel last night at the elgin.

• between strangers wasn’t the best movie of the festival, but it provided the biggest buzz in the theatre. the lineup was much bigger, people were begging to buy tickets outside, ans the cameras were thick and plentiful. there were loads of stars in this one, including mira sorvino, pete postlethwaite, deborah kara unger, malcolm mcdowell, klaus maria brandauer and wendy crewson. but most of the excitement, of course, was for sophia loren. a longer standing o than coppola got (toronto loves their italians) and the cameras went nuts, but once sophia got down the stairs without her dress falling off the film got underway. it wasn’t, as i said, a great movie, but there were some very good performances (especially loren and sorvino and, as always, postlethwaite) and people enjoyed seeing toronto so honestly portrayed rather than doubling for new york or chicago. a good film, not a great film.

the final rankings?

1. dirty pretty things
2. assassination tango
3. laurel canyon
4. the emperor’s club
5. 8 femmes
6. talk to her
7. between strangers
8. adolphe (really, putting this movie in the 8th spot is misleading. i’m very emphatically placing it dead last. i’m certain this movie, in a past life, was some old sick nazi guard dog)