THURSDAY I have tapes and stuff, and a small nagging health situation.

Watch Lynne Ramsay’s Ratcatcher, which I admired for its
single-mindedness the first time I saw it but didn’t actually like.
Looking at it a second time, I realize that I entirely missed the point,
giving far more weight to the film’s Celtic miserabilism than to its
magic realism. (I’m interviewing Ramsay on Friday.)

Spend some time thinking about what I’m going to ask James Spader, who
"wants to concentrate on the film (Secretary) and not do a 'life and
career thing.'" Well, we actually have no idea what Spader wants, aside
from not to be sitting around talking about a movie when he’s in town
shooting another movie until 4 in the morning. We have this from the
publicist, who probably has it from Spader’s LA publicist. I’m
interviewing Spader Friday morning.

Off to Swimfan. This, of course, is non-festival. See review elsewhere.

Home. Watch Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, her new film. Think about
questions to ask her. Hope her Scottish accent isn’t so thick as to be
incomprehensible. Wonder whether it would be gauche to ask her to sign
my copy of the Ratcatcher DVD.

Did not attend the opening-night screening.

Check my e-mail. Go to bed.

FRIDAY Up, check my e-mail. An unusual amount of porno spam, and not the
good kind.

Off to the Intercontinental and into the meat grinder.

The glamorous job of entertainment journalist during the film festival
can be seen in the halls of the Intercontinental. It’s mostly standing
around in low-ceilinged hallways waiting to be led into "the presence"
for one’s allotted 20 minutes. For print journos, it’s waiting for the
photographer. For TV people, it’s waiting for the cameraman and makeup
person. It’s having publicists talk about you as if you weren't standing
2 feet away. There’s more of it every year, and the interviews get
shorter every year.

James Spader is either naturally charming or I ask good questions. We
have an amiable 20 minutes (the interview will appear in NOW on
September 19) and, just as the conversation starts to get interesting
and wander into the "career and life" stuff, the time's up.

Back to the office to write this. Later today I’m talking to Lynne
Ramsay and LeeLee Sobieski, then off to a movie – I can’t remember
which one. Jet Lag, maybe, and Four Feathers in the morning. I may go to
a party tomorrow night for films from Atlantic Canada. It may be light
on A-list celebs, but I’m assuming there's a bar.