馬歇爾凡恩之老人叨絮
Marshall Fine
Author and film critic, www.hollywoodandfine.com
Posted: September 11, 2009 07:04 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-fine/live-from-the-toronto-fil_b_283176.html
If it's the Thursday after Labor Day, then I must be in Toronto, queuing up with hordes of Canadian (and American) press for press screenings at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival (hereafter: TIFF), an event I've been attending on-and-off (off years being due to mostly to the whims of idiot editors I've worked for in the past) since 1984.一個勞工日之後的週四，我必須到多倫多，跟一群加拿大與美國的記者朋友們一起排隊，為了參加這個我從1984年起就跑遍了的多倫多影展。
Like all things, TIFF suffers from its own success and, of course, entropy. It has become a massive, sprawling showcase - the launch pad for the fall Oscar season (and the place where the best of what will be at the New York Film Festival gets seen first).
跟任何事物一樣，多倫多影展飽受他的成功與混亂之苦，它變成一個大規模的、近乎失控的展場，因為它是奧斯卡季節的起跑點。
I only took in a couple of screenings Thursday - more on those in a minute - but a pet peeve already has presented itself.
我週四只有去看幾場放映而已，大多只看幾分鐘，但已經足以惹惱我了。
Specifically: too many damned commercials before the start of each film, placed there obviously because they advertise sponsors of the festival. Yes, I know, no sponsors, no festival - that's the way of the world. But get a grip: I counted six of them at one point before one of the films I saw today - for Bell, Cadillac, Blackberry, Cineplex, some bank and the ever-present back-patting for volunteers. And of course, at least one for the festival itself.
特別是：每部影片開始前都有那該死的廣告，而且放在超級明顯的地方，為了討好影展的贊助商。當然，我知道他們是影展的衣食父母，舉世皆然。但是要知道，我今天要看一部電影之前，至少得看到它們六遍，Bell啦、Cadillac啦、Blackberry啦、Cineplex啦、某銀行啦，甚至連志工的背上也有廣告，當然啦，他們也沒忘記為影展本身做了點廣告。
Sure, each one is only 15 seconds or so. But at least when I'm watching TV, I can use the DVR to skip them. Here, you're a captive audience - and if you're seeing four or five movies a day, well, I have a feeling I'll be able to recite them by heart by Saturday.
而這些廣告每個至少都要來個15秒。拜託，我在看電視的時候，都可以用錄放影機跳掉廣告，但在這裡呢？卻得乖乖坐在這裡動彈不得。如果我一天看個四、五部片的話，這樣到禮拜六的時候，對這些廣告我肯定可以倒背如流。
Allow me a moment of in-my-day musing: I remember the glorious '80s, when a press badge got you into any film, anytime. You could walk into any public screening, even before the people with tickets were allowed in. Of course, almost all of the theaters where those public showings were held have vanished behind waves of urban renewal. The biggest of them is now a massive Pottery Barn on Bloor Street. And the venues, rather than being concentrated in the Yonge & Bloor neighborhood, are scattered all over downtown, making quick egress from one show to the next virtually impossible.
請容許我作個短暫的回想。想當年輝煌的八零年代，我只要掛個記者證便暢行無阻，愛看多少片子，想在什麼時候看都沒問題。可以參加任何的公開放映，甚至連賣票給觀眾的那種場次也行。但大部分的戲院都在都市更新之後消失了，以前最大的那幾家，現在已經變成了布魯爾街上的陶瓷廠。然後以前的評審場合，都不是集中在永吉和布魯爾這附近，而是散佈在市區那裡，想要輕易的從這場跑到那場，簡直是不可能的事。
Ahh, the good old days, when being a critic was actually a big deal. Now a press badge doesn't even get you into a press screening - at least not the dreaded "priority press" screenings, where we mere "regular" press have to line up so that priority press - whoever they may be; no one seems able (or willing) to answer that question - can be sure to get seats first. Then the rest of us ink-stained wretches (there's a phrase that dates me) are allowed in. It's a little too much like high school for my taste, with the masses waiting until the cool kids get their pick of seats.
啊，好漢別再提當年勇了，以前當影評真爽。現在呢，就算你有記者證，都還不一定進的去記者試映會呢，尤其是我們這種「一般的」媒體，還得先讓那些「高貴的」媒體先入座，等他們問完問題之後，才輪的到我們這些可憐蟲進去。
On the bright side, in acknowledgement of just how far it can be from screening to screening, this year for the first time the festival has provided us in the press with a free transit pass, which allows us to hop the ultraclean, quiet and upholstered subways to those far-flung venues. That's a real boon and one that I'm thankful for.
來講點正面的，今年主辦單位終於正視了每個場次之間要跑很遠這件事，因此首次發給記者免費通勤證，可以搭乘超乾淨、安靜又有座墊的地鐵，來解決穿梭展場這件事，我真的非常感謝主辦單位的恩惠。
So, on to the movies.
所以，好好看電影吧～
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