It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Only two days till the films start...are you excited yet?

Yesterday was probably the most relaxing Labour Day I've spent in years. Why? Because I got an email from the festival on Saturday letting me know that I got all my film picks; okay one got screwed up but why quibble? With this foreknowledge, I was able to sleep in yesterday, casually make my way over to the box office around noon, and avoid the resubmit line that I spent 4 hours in last year.

Once again, I've reactivated the Film Fest blog, so you have a chance to read about what your friends have seen, and contribute your own opinions on some of the films you've seen.

To get the ball rolling, here are the films I'm seeing this year:

Hana
7 ans
Paris, je t'aime
Beauty in Trouble
Woman on the Beach
Reprise
Un Crime
Quelques jours en Septembre
Il Caimano
L'intouchable
The Banquet
Fay Grim

Looking at my list, which is the usual French and Asian melange, I think the one that has the biggest question mark is Hal Hartley's Fay Grim. His last few films have been, um, terrible, so it will be interesting to see if this one represents a return to form (I stick with him) or a continuation of the downward spiral (I jump off the bandwagon). Parker Posey is consistently great so it's got that going for it, at the very least.

Derek, I know you mentioned that 'The Fountain' was one of the films you were most looking forward to this year. Hopefully, you won't have the same reaction as audiences in Venice. On a brighter note, one of your other picks, 'Volver' was given big love in San Sebastien (a few stories down the page).

At any rate, I do hope you'll have some time to contribute to the blog this year, even if it's only a few bullet-point observations, random nonsequiters with bad grammar (cough, stuart), or a list of what you're planning to see.

Post early, post often, post your list (don't worry about providing links) of films. See you in line.