…until, New York let me down. Truly, it was a reality check — mesmerized by the streets that looked like Paris spiked with North America, caught up in the people that started conversations because they had nobody to talk to at home, captivated by the zeal of people’s lives….Just like that, I was entranced by New York and just as quickly jolted back to reality.

(more…)

Truthfully, there are three HotDocs 2010 documentaries I’d been most eagerly awaiting: “And Everything is Going Fine,” on monologist Spalding Gray, “Anne Perry - Interiors,” about the crime writer’s murder past,  and “Blank City,” an exploration of punk rock in 1970s New York.

So far, I’ve caught only one out of the three films — “And Everything is Going Fine,” Steven Soderbergh’s tribute to Gray using interview clips and excerpts from performances. Using the timeline of his life to tell Gray’s story, Soderbergh captured him in many introspective moments, some in which one would imagine the man would want to be left on his own. He was, however, a poetic journalist, as he put it — always documenting everything for the public to see.

(more…)

Yesterday was the first time I’ve gone grocery shopping in Dubai. Previously, I’d quickly grabbed snacks at Spinneys and stopped off at the Carrefour for necessities, but nothing more. And, though Spinney’s is apparently good for meats, the rest of the items are overpriced. So we headed onwards to Lulu Hypermarket and started picking at the oh-so-many goodies there. I was literally salivating in the fruits and vegetables section. (more…)

Anyway, one of the writers, who is also a cinematographer, was sitting beside me. I engaged him in a lengthy discussion on everything from feature film-making to documentary film-making (as you know this is the industry in which I work on a more regular basis) and acting. For his bread and butter (and what sweet, filling bread and butter it must be!), he works as the man behind the camera in those spaces we all dread and yearn for — the casting room. So he sees all the inner workings of  casting directors at auditions and, often, the director, writer, producer and their moms. This guy works for one of the top casting ladies in Toronto and I had some questions to ask him about what goes on behind the scene. Some of you might already know the answers to these things, but I thought I’d share some wisdom for the audition room: (more…)

(more…)

(more…)