OH CANADA!

Toronto has never been a city synonymous with excitement, which is why it is such a great place for a film festival. There has never been much competition for the excitement dollar. So far this year, however, the Toronto International Film Festival has mirrored its host city in terms of cinematic thrills. When I ask guests, critics, filmmakers and the ilk on the sidewalks and escalators around town what they have liked so far, I am more often than not greeted by a range of guttural sounds, which translates more or less into, “I don’t have a clue.” Then most people will grimace and say, ““not a whole lot.”

It is not that the films are bad; just not exciting. Last night’s screening of Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration felt like eating a slightly stale eclair. You knew exactly what its pleasures would be — Guest and company (Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, Parket Posey, Catherine O’Hara, etc.) vamping — but there was nothing remarkable in its production. The only change is that this is not a mockumentary, just a comedy about the ridiculousness of Hollywood. Talk about shooting fish in a barrel.

For me, the festival has begun to feel a bit like a Christopher Guest comedy, with the films, guests and city playing out their cliches with perfect pitch. Torontonians, usually known for the high-toned approach to film culture, descended into the realm of “Entertainment Tonight” as crowds clogged the streets around Four Seasons Hotel and the Hotel Intercontinental, straining to catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt (here with Babel) or Wyclef Jean (here with Ghosts of Cite Soleil). Or maybe there were out for the other celebs up here for no other reason than to get photographed being here, like ex-’N Sync, now-out Lance Bass.

And the films fell into categories that seemed, while perfectly fine, somewhat expected. There was that European art film about the sexual hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie (Stefan Krohmer’s Sommer ’04 an der Schlei). And the high-concept star-studded Hollywood comedy (Marc Forster Stranger than Fiction with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson). The bloated “quality” picture (this year’s would have to be Sir Ridley Scott’s A Good Year with a seemingly contrite Russell Crowe). The return of the master (Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn).

And yet as dawn’s rosy fingers spread over the bland cityscape of Toronto this morning, I can’t help admit that I am excited to get up and go see movies.