hot docs - vinyl

http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/vinyl

part of the reason i was wanted to live in toronto was to have access to the entertainment it has to offer.  more recently was the hot docs film festival.  there were many films and i had no idea how to choose.  i'm not saying i don't know how to sit at a computer and read names of documentaries with the corresponding descriptions, i didn't know how to pick.  spoiled for choice.  which may be the reason i've missed out on many events in toronto.  i don't know what to see, when to go or who to go with and before i know it, the whatever it is has come and gone.

i was getting ready for work in the morning, listening to the radio as i often do and that's when i heard about vinyl.  vinyl is a documentary that came out in 2000 about record collectors.  i was delighted to find out it was playing at the royal as a part of the hot docs festival.    for someone as indecisive as myself it was like winning the lottery.  i bought the tickets and that was it.  sometimes you have to bite the bullet.  (also, the tickets were $14 dollars and that isn't too hard of a bullet to bite)

the night started off with dinner at utopia which isn't too far from the theatre.  dinner was delicious and the film was fantastic.. [alliteration intended]... it was introduced by the director (and star) alan zweig.   i don't know how to describe the film and do it justice.  but i'll try.  alan himself is an obsessive record collector.  the film includes a series of interviews with record collectors, friends of alan's and strangers alike [including harvey pekar].  the interviews are seperated by some fairly dark, and also humourous confessions about his own collection and his life.  the confessions are filmed by pointing the video camera at a mirror.  the mirror is surrounded with items related to whatever he is talking about.  the other characters are varied, and so are his questions.  he has a way of getting people to show vulnerability on camera which i don't think is easy.

after the film he answered questions and left a box of records at the front of the stage for the audience to pick at.  i picked up an unfamiliar bruce cockburn album that i have yet to listen to.  on the way out i wanted to meet him.  i shook his hand and said i wanted to tell you that i really enjoyed the film. he took a look at the record in my hand and said let me see what you've got there, i showed him the album and his response was, meh.  at which point i laughed and felt a bit embarrased and mike and i left and walked home.

also of note: anytime i told someone i was seeing a hot doc they thought i was saying hot dog.  no confusion here though, right?