It’s no secret that I love movies, I’ve already planned which ones I need to see from now until December… seriously. It’s not shocking then that Boyfriend is a writer/director or that we plan dates around movie times. So it will come as no surprise to you that my favourite TIFF moment wasn’t gawking at the gorgeous specimens walking the red carpet, although that was fun too, it was meeting Kevin Smith for the first time.
Boyfriend and I were lucky enough to score tickets through work to the TUSK pre-party and midnight screening. Side note: go to a midnight screening at TIFF at least once in your life, it will be the most unique and entertaining movie going experience of your life.
I’ve been following Kevin’s career for as long as I can remember, I’ve seen everything he’s ever put to film; while some of those films might be epic works of flawed brilliance he’s never lost my love for even a minute. I frequently quote Chasing Amy to strangers. Who says hymen to strangers? Someone who really loves Kevin Smith, that’s who. Having been raised Catholic I can’t get enough of the delicious blasphemy that is Dogma. But the thing that cemented my love for Kevin’s unique comedy was An Evening With Kevin Smith followed by An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder.
When I was in first and second year my best friend and I used to get home from the bar more than a little wasted; we’d make white cheddar KD and we’d watch Kevin do his thing until we’d literally laughed ourselves silly. I fell off the couch from laughing so hard, more than once. We did this so often that Kevin started to feel like an old friend. But until last weekend I had never met the man himself.
Last Saturday knowing that Kevin would likely be at the pre-party I brought along a stuffed walrus so that if I did see him I’d be able give it to him; Boyfriend thought that my purse walrus was several kinds of weird but I knew Kevin would get it. And guess what? He totally did! When he showed up at the party sporting a TUSK hockey jersey (movies AND hockey… this man is my fucking hero) I took a deep breath and approached him with my strange purse walrus in hopes that he wouldn’t laugh in my face.
There was laughing. Thankfully it was more with me than at me and it was probably because he was surprised that I quoted him to him. I shouldn’t have done that, I bet it’s super weird to hear your own words spoken back to you by a fangirl, even if he did take it all in stride. He said that it was nice to find a fan who wanted to talk about Evening because there is so much of HIM in that piece. No shit, standing on a stage staring down a bunch of college students can’t be easy. Unfortunately, you can’t send them away just by screaming, “Swiper, no swiping.” Although I’m sure there are plenty of profs who wish that were possible.
So that’s it, my best TIFF moment, ever, was standing next to my favourite writer/director (sorry Boyfriend) and shooting the shit, after I gave him a stuffed walrus.
TUSK will be in a theatre near you Friday, September 19. If you like weird shit, walruses, Justin
Long, Michael Parks and Canadian jokes you should see it.
My Shananigans 