I’m having a fine time at the Toronto International Film Festival so far. I saw four movies Thursday, five Friday, and so far the tally is six good or great, one meh, and only two lousy. Believe me, that’s a great score for a film festival.

I’ve decided I’m not going to do the daily diary thing like I do for Sundance and South By Southwest. As I feared, TIFF doesn’t have much of a “scene.” All my screenings so far have been in the same eight-screen multiplex, so it’s not like I’m on shuttle buses overhearing people, or standing in public-screening lines making fun of tourists. TIFF also isn’t nearly as party-oriented as Sundance and (especially) SXSW are.

Another problem with doing the daily diaries: I have no idea when I would write them. There’s barely a free moment between screenings, and then at night I have to do my “real” work for my “real” employers. So far, those employers have not harped on the fact that I have yet to actually produce anything for them, but that goodwill surely will not last much longer.

But! I am accumulating lots of good material for a Toronto-themed “Snide Remarks” column after I get back. And I’ll start telling you about the movies within the next couple days, as I start writing about them for Film.com and Cinematical. So stay tuned.

The only wide release this week is “Bangkok Dangerous,” starring Nicolas Cage in a mullet, and for some reason Lionsgate didn’t feel comfortable letting critics see it before it opened. Imagine that.

So “In the Dark” is light this week, though it does have a review of a fine French thriller called “Tell No One.”

Toronto is nice so far! It’s smells like New York!

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