TIFF 2013 Roundup: the best, worst and weirdest from this year’s festival

TIFF 2013 Roundup: the best, worst and weirdest from this year’s festival

TIFF 2013 Roundup: Winners and Losers
From left: Emma Thompson (Image: Christopher Drost); Liam Neeson (Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

After eleven hectic days, 288 feature films and enough glitzy red carpets and parties to leave us verging on celebrity fatigue, we’ve emerged on the other side of TIFF 2013. We’re exhausted, yes, but also ready to award some distinctions (and recognize a few flubs). Here, the best, worst and weirdest from this year’s festival.

Most Delightful Ham: Emma Thompson
Between her 100% bubblegum-pink TIFF wardrobe and disarmingly flamboyant red carpet behaviour, the self-deprecating actress gave a master class in fan-appreciation—and made us love her even more.

Biggest Grump: Liam Neeson
Apparently, being sociable isn’t part of Liam Neeson’s particular set of skills. The Taken star hightailed it down the press line at the Third Person premiere, and then spent the film’s presser complaining about the Italian paparazzi while his castmates gushed about shooting on location in Rome.

Most Awkward in Public: Colin Hanks
Someone sign this man up for some basic modelling lessons. The spawn of Tom Hanks managed to appear alarmed, uptight and borderline animatronic in every single photograph we came across.

Worst Movie Title: August: Osage County
Signs that your proposed movie title is a bad idea: (1) it has 25 per cent more vowels than consonants; and (2) it’s near-impossible to say three times fast. Yet another travesty that could have been prevented if more people had just watched 30 Rock.

Cutest Couple: Mia Wasikowska and Jesse Eisenberg
The quirky-cute couple took their romance live during TIFF, posing together on the red carpet, strolling around town hand-in-hand and getting their PDA on at the after-party for their film, The Double. Aww.

Best Besties: Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal
The pair exhibited all the signs of a burgeoning bromance, including late-night tête-a-têtes, giddy red carpet horseplay; and even online declarations of affection.  Aww2.

Splashiest A-List Party: Harvey Weinstein’s Soho House Bash
You know things are getting good when Ralph Fiennes is shimmying across the dance floor and Julia Roberts is herding Taylor Swift into a photo booth. Other celebs spotted getting down at Harvey Weinstein’s epic after-party for August: Osage County: Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Jason Bateman and Juliette Lewis.

Biggest Splurge: Can A Song Save Your Life
Super-producer Harvey Weinstein paid $7 million for the rights to the modern musical (more than twice as much as last year’s priciest flick) and agreed to a $20 million advertising commitment.

Most Intense Ninja-Warrior: Keanu Reeves
Only Keanu Reeves hears “high-profile film festival” and thinks: “Awesome, a totally appropriate opportunity to dress in head-to-toe black, drop into random ninja poses and display rock-on horns whenever the impulse arises.” Oddly, this makes us like him even more.

Most Unfortunate Red Carpet Blunder: Mia Wasikowska’s See Through Dress
Sometime sheer can be sexy. Other times, it can’t.

Most Half-Assed Gala: Parkland
We’re glad Paul Giamatti and crew were able to slip away from their secret double lives as dour, mid-level insurance salesmen to hit up the red carpet for Parkland.

Happiest Shopkeeper: Magic Pony
In a reverse Pretty Woman scenario, the owner of Queen West kids’ store Magic Pony was more than happy to sell Julia Roberts some Christmas presents. Of course, the actress wasn’t wearing thigh-high hooker boots, so that made things easier.

Most Ingenious PR Move: Hudson Kitchen
Someone on the west-end restaurant’s PR team needs a raise. The yet-to-open spot hosted an impressive cadre of celebs during the festival, including Brad Pitt, Colin Firth and Jennifer Aniston. Well played.

Biggest Overreaction: The Critic Who Called Wolf
A lesson to all: dialing 911 is rarely the appropriate response to irksome movie-watching behaviour.

Biggest Fan of Toronto (Burgers): Daniel Radcliffe
The former Harry Potter star wishes he lived in Toronto, if only for The Burger’s Priest: “It’s quite simply the best burger I’ve had,” he told reporters for Yahoo Canada.

Biggest Trooper: Jennifer Aniston
Festival closer isn’t a coveted spot in the TIFF lineup, but the former Friends star gamely promoted heist flick Life of Crime and even celebrated at Hudson Kitchen, the same restaurant ex-hubby Brad Pitt hit up just days earlier. How grown-up.