My top films of 2018

I think my list is unique in that it has several films that have been left off the list of more well known critics and film enthusiast. I know what I like and I include those films on my top 10. I do feel 'obligated' to have one in particular on the list because it is so beloved and is expect to win Best Picture. But I truly believe there are nine other films that were more entertaining, and left more of an impression upon me.

My Top Films of 2018:
1. First Man
2. Annihilation
3. Bohemian Rhapsody
4. Beautiful Boy
5. A Quiet Place
6. Cold War
7. If Beale Street Could Talk
8. Hereditary
9. Mission Impossible: Fallout
10. Roma pic.twitter.com/aKQExDs0L7

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) December 30, 2018

Quick Film Grade: Mary Poppins Returns (A-)

Mary Poppins Returns was quite fun and charming. Pure escapism for kids and especially adults who want to be a kid for 2 hours. If Emma Stone can win an Oscar for La La Land, so can Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. Loved her. Grade: A- pic.twitter.com/GSBnj5qj9l

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) December 19, 2018

Quick Film Grade: If Beale Street Could Talk (A)

If Beale Street Could Talk is a great American film. Very important to watch during these times. A rare glimpse into an urban setting soul-mate love story during times of proud and blatant oppression. A solid Grade (A). https://t.co/EJRjyvEsL5

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) December 7, 2018

Quick Film Grade: Bohemian Rhapsody (A-)

Pleasantly surprised at how entertaining Bohemian Rhapsody was. It highlighted the rise of Queen due to the eccentric talent and dreams of Freddie Mercury, brilliantly played by Rami Malek. Ignore critics! If you love the music of Queen, you'll love this film! Grade: A- pic.twitter.com/d5zWN0dvmL

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) November 7, 2018

Film Review: Beautiful Boy (A-)

Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell in Beautiful Boy (Amazon Studios)

My first screening of Felix Van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy was at the Toronto Int'l Film Festival four weeks ago. After spending nearly 6 hours along the red carpet for the world premiere, and then going to the screening an hour later, I was too exhausted and overwhelmed by the film to write a fair review. Living in LA affords me the opportunity to see it for a second time (Oct 4th) before the film's limited release this Friday, October 12th, to allow me to write a more precise review. Even after reading David Sheff's same titled book, in which the film is based on, along with a portion of his son, Nic Sheff's book, Tweak, the film proved to be an emotional whirlwind that welcomes a second viewing to fully appreciate what it's trying to do. And what is that? Tell a harrowing tale that all too many families experience; a loved one trapped in the downward spiral of drug addiction, but in this case, the worse of them all, meth addiction.

The film starts off with David, played by the great Steve Carell while he's trying to do research on drug addiction because of his son. Immediately the viewer will watch this story unfold through the non-linear narrative lens in past and present to see the before and after effects of the devastating emotional, mental, and physical abuse that harms a close knit family. Nic Sheff's life, played by two younger actors and the brilliant Timothée Chalamet, from a 6 year old to a college age student, delicately weaves back and forth throughout the entire film as we watch how the breakup of his parent's marriage, and him being torn between two homes, hundreds of miles apart, may have been one of the reasons that lead to Nic becoming enchanted with using drugs. 

Relapses are incredibly painful, the next fix will take care of the pain.

Although there could have been other triggers in Nic's life that made him seek out drugs, but the film barely scratches that surface, and instead, give us a key scene where he's having dinner at a girlfriend's house and Nic appears to be having difficulty connecting with people and becomes withdrawn and nervous.  This is the first time we see him using pills from a medicine cabinet to calm his nerves, and to make him feel relaxed and good. And once that feeling assures and empowers him, he needs more. He needs to feel good like that again, to like himself better, but pills aren't good enough anymore, he needs something harder, something to inject. At this point in the film, Timothée Chalamet as 18 year old Nic is permanently etched into our minds as the actor for this role. The moments of angst, sorrow, self-doubt, hunger, and guilt of developing a constant craving for drugs can be seen in his face throughout the film. And that's how the flashbacks work so well in this film; the steady build up to how Nic's dependency on getting his next high changes this beautiful boy into a reckless, lying, manipulative kid that his father doesn't recognize anymore.

Beautiful Boy goes into deeper territory about drug addiction that most mainstream films miss focusing on:  The subtle changes over time in how drug addiction of a beloved child affects the parent and the rest of the family. Luckily for Nic, his parents are upper class and can pay for his rehab, but for how long, and even some rehab programs were too expensive for the Sheffs. When Nic comes home for a weekend visit, his father and his stepmother, Karen, played by Maura Tierney, are tense about his visit, but happy he's there. Nic seems a little off and distant, and when some money comes up missing and he's asked about it, Nic lies and goes off in a rage of denial and screaming paranoid defense for himself  'You're suffocating me!", and leaves his family under a dark cloud. That very cloud, like the painful relapses of drug addiction, fades and follows Nic throughout the course of the film. Even if you read the books, the film is so compelling and so tense you wonder if the next excruciating relapse will be Nic's last. 

David doesn't give Nic money, so Nic lashes out at him and blames him for his problems.

In a pivotal scene between David and Nic, many weeks go by since they last saw each other. Drug addicts always need money and give any excuse but the truth as to why they need it. David now realizes that he has to stop enabling his son and tell him no. He offers food and a hotel room, but no, Nic needs the money for drugs and he yells at his father and tells him off and blames his dad for his problems. Timothée and Steve did a wonderful job during this scene in showing opposing viewpoints of a family wrecked by addiction. Both are in pain and don't know what to do to fix this. Rehab is difficult and scary for addicts because as Beautiful Boy demonstrate, all these drugs, especially meth, change the chemistry in the brain making the addict constantly looking for the next fix, while rehab is painful due to the ravishing punishment that detoxing does to the body. Drugs = feel good; Detox = horrible pain. 

The second viewing of this film was important because I was better able to appreciate the back and forth flow of the film which relied heavily on using two younger actors to play Nic. He was a seemingly happy and normal beautiful boy growing up until after his father created a new family. Nic and David Sheff were very brave to share their story, and they should be proud of what Timothée and Steve have done to bring their story to life. This film could have been even more grittier, but I think that would have been distracting, and the tension experienced in this film already, was enough to get the point across. I had to literally unclench my jaw for one scene near the end of the film... even on the second viewing, that's how whipped you are by the end of  this powerful film. However, misery porn can only go so far in film before you lose your audience in shock or in disbelief. Thankfully, Beautiful Boy knew just how far to push it.

The journey to this point is gut wrenching.

The brilliant young Timothée Chalamet will certainly receive an Oscar nomination in Supporting for his performance, and he will certainly deserve to win, especially since he still has so much good will 'awards karma' from the previous awards season. The physical transformation that he went through, losing 20 lbs on an already very slender body was noticeable, and demonstrates his commitment to showing the real effects of a young drug addict. The withdrawals, the mood swings, the glazed over eyes and drugged induced euphoria, and general overall unkempt looks took a beautiful boy and made him into a sad mess that we empathized with because so many of us know, or knew, someone like him.

 

Post-TIFF Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor Race

Timothée Chalamet in Beautiful Boy (Amazon Studios)

Now that the Toronto Int'l Film Festival is over, the official (even though it's still September) Oscar season begins, and with that, Oscar prognosticator's speculations of who makes it into the first round of Oscar buzz lists. The only category I have a horse in is the Best Supporting Actor which Timothée Chalamet will be in due to his brilliant performance as meth addict, Nic Sheff in Beautiful Boy. The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg was in Toronto and he released his first list of possible nominees for the Oscars. Based on following Scott on Twitter for so many years, and making note of his positive impressions about Timothée, and the wonderful podcast he had with the actor earlier this year, Scott did root for Timmy, but, the stars were aligned and pre-designated for Gary Oldman last year as he too left TIFF 2017 on a high note from The Darkest Hours. Fast forward a year later, it appears that Timothée is on a similar trajectory buzz akin to Oldman's.

Plan B and Amazon Studios are being smart in getting Timothée out there and promoting the film at industry screenings in LA (SAG-AFTRA earlier this past week), and he's now at the Santa Barbara Film Festival before he takes off for Spain for the San Sebastian Film Festival and other festivals throughout October, including London's BFI film festival. Surely they are aware of the buzz and they want to capitalize on it and do as much press and interviews prior to the limited release of Beautiful Boy on October 12th. Timmy has generated so much good will and PR from his historic nomination as Best Actor for Call Me By Your Name earlier this year, that it can only help him this time around in actually winning. But, one day at a time as many more supporting actor performances have yet to be seen. However, as of right now, it's looking very good for Timothée - he's off to a great start. The key is to build up and continue this momentum without over exposure and marketing fatigue. The timely issue of the devastating effects of meth addiction to the addicted and their family is a universal matter and a pressing concern for millions of people around the world. Timmy's frank portrayal of the downfall of this addiction is something to see as it will stick with you and haunt you!

Scott Feinberg predictions Sept. 14th 

Timothée Chalamet TIFF Red Carpet & Elgin Screening for Beautiful Boy

Timothée Chalamet about to sign my copy of Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

Note: Review of Beautiful Boy will be posted the week of Oct 12th. Hint, I give it an A- and yes, Timmy will get an Oscar nomination.

{Click on an image to see it on full screen and to scroll through all images}

Part I: The Red Carpet

At the end of this article, there are over a dozen exclusive images taken by me from covering the red carpet World Premiere of Timothée Chalamet's Beautiful Boy at the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall, and the Q&A at the Elgin theatre on 7 September. Firstly, I must admit that I went into Toronto kind of nervous that all the money I put into attending TIFF this year was going to be a waste. So as you can imagine, I'm so thankful that everything related to Timmy and Beautiful Boy was perfect! It was such a hassle getting tickets to one of the three Beautiful Boy screenings (see below) that I knew the red carpet would be in high demand and because I have avoided Roy Thomson Hall red carpets for the past five years or so, I was uncertain as to the logistics of the fan area and the sweet spot time to line up.

Although I tried my best to give tips to fellow Timmy stans at this thread at Club Chalamet, it was just guidelines and advice from my experience as a festival goer, and not an actual insider. So I had to roll with the flow once I arrived in Toronto at the crack of dawn on Friday morning. Upon my arrival into downtown Toronto, I contacted one Timmy stan at 8:30am, and she informed me that people were already lining up. Just insane. I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet from the red eye flight. So that's when I walked over to RTH to assess the lineup situation. There were already about 20 people in line and people slowly coming each passing moment. After further consideration, I decided to not go to my 12:30 film, Vox Lux, as I would jeopardize getting a good spot on the red carpet. This was literally the reason why I spent so much money to be there; to be in prime position to report back to my readers and fellow Timmy stans, a clear view of the red carpet and seeing Timmy, if just for 15 seconds. I couldn't check into my hotel at 9:45am, but they allowed me to use the ladies locker room of the gym to shower, change, and fix myself up for a long day of the red carpet and the following screening at the Elgin at 8pm. As planned, I arrived back at the red carpet by 11 am ready to hold fort until the red carpet started around 5pm.

Getty Image of me in burgundy jacket w/ Timmy and fans

Security permitted us to line up along the red carpet early so that we could get a good spot, and thankfully, we selected a spot at the end of the fan section and it turned out to be the perfect spot. There were three "fan" sections: I was in the regular camp out all day fan group, and the other two fan pits were lottery winners of the sponsored section. By 5pm, the crowds swelled in the fan pit and it was getting uncomfortable because people think that by pushing you into the barricade, you will evaporate and thus, allow them to stand in the front. It's amazing what you put your body through in order to get a glimpse of a genius, and this may be my only shot doing this for Timmy. The first big screams came as the co-stars of the film, and authors of the books, David and Nic Sheff arrived. But none of them signed autographs, they just smiled and walked down the red carpet knowing that everyone was there for Timothée. Then, the real screams began as a black SUV dropped off Timmy looking absolutely gorgeous in his Haider Ackerman 2018 Mens Collection suit. So many stans were worried about what would Timmy look like with a bowl cut sans his beautiful curls. But to those who doubted, they were quickly put at ease as Timothée Chalamet looked like he strutted off a Paris fashion runway! It was complete pandemonium, and Timmy deserved all the screams and adulation thrown his way.

Screams from burger girl brought Timmy over to us

As he is known to be, Timothée made a great effort to meet as many fans as possible as he criss crossed each fan section signing books and pictures, taking selfies, and signing food! There were times when it looked like he was delightfully flabbergasted by the shear volume of fans, and signing so many things, but I'm sure he was having blast, so bless his heart! Luckily for me, I stood next to the big mouth burger girl. I knew her big mouth and spastic energy would get Timmy and his people's attention and come over to me/us. As per the image above, Timmy is just about to sign that damn greasy hamburger (I don't even eat red meat), and after he signed it, he signed my book. I didn't even get a chance to say hi or anything as his people were guiding him away, so I'm LUCKY I got him to sign my Beautiful Boy book, and that's what I wanted to accomplish with this Timmy close encounter. Timothée loves his fans and appreciate our support, and that's why he spent so much time with us. And like that, it ended, he was whisked off to take official TIFFy photos and talk to the press. Thank you for this Timmy!

Hanging out at the red carpet is a test of endurance and patience, but we all managed, and got to see/meet the loveliest and most celebrated young actor working today!

Timothée and Steve Carell at The Elgin Q&A

Part II: The Elgin Screening and Q&A

After the stress from hanging out at the red carpet, we headed over to the Elephant & Castle pub for a drink of cranberry juice and vodka - and it helped calm the nerves! We then made our way to the Elgin and our seats were on the left side, 6th row. Very nice seats considering the madness in getting them. As the screening was to begin, the director, Felix Van Groeningen came out to briefly speak and introduce his film and to confirm a Q&A after wards. Now, of all the screenings, The Elgin was my preferred screening because I was the most sure that a Q&A would occur there with a 100% certainty. It was the Ryerson that was more of a 95% chance (and as it came to be, Timmy did not attend Ryerson the following morning). Why? Who knows, but it's a crap shoot for talent to put their all into a huge red carpet world premiere the night before, attend the actual screening at RTH,  and then go to a Q&A at the second screening on Friday night, and then attend premiere party(ies) where I heard he happily partied into the early morning. So it's no shock that he did not attend Ryerson, he most likely was catching up on rest in order to be prepared for other interviews for the rest of the weekend. Ryerson is a good back up to The Elgin, but because there's too much time commitment involved in lining up for hours in order to get in first to get a good seat, and if your preferred talent doesn't show up, it can suck.

I will write a review of Beautiful Boy and release it the week it comes out in limited release. Because I live in LA, I know I will get a chance to see a screening of Beautiful Boy and I want to see it again before I write a review. I was just too much on a red carpet high when watching the film, but of course, I thoroughly enjoyed it enough to give it an A- grade, but I would like to write more about its non-linear storytelling, and the roller coaster ride that the brilliant Timothée went on to share Nic Sheff's story in a realistic and heartbreaking way.

As the film ended, the audience gave a glorious and hearty applause for the film. Then we all quieted down as we realize that Timothée's voice was reading a chapter from Nic's book. We were all spellbound. I never experienced anything like that. It was really an incredible grand finale voice over performance that greatly complemented the conclusion of this emotionally raw film. Kudos for Timothée for doing that! When the lights came up, the cast and creative force behind Beautiful Boy came out to glorious applause. Timothée received thunderous applause, and Steve Carrell received a grand applause too. I think had Maura Tierney attended the premiere, she would have received a warm applause too. But the standing ovation was reserved for David and Nic Sheff whose bravery in being so forthcoming in their books to chronicle the devastation that Nic's drug addiction had on him and his family, which became worse when he got hooked on Meth. To be so honest about this disease is just flat out brave because they opened themselves up so much to the world, but in an effort to help educate us all about how literally anyone can become addicted to this stuff and ruin their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

The Q&A was moderated by one of the TIFF film curators and she asked about a dozen questions which allowed everyone on the stage to respond to a question. I would have liked if the audience was given a chance to ask a question, but sometimes when time is tight, it's best just to limit the Q&A to questions asked by the moderator. Timothée answered a few questions and he came across very grounded, humbled, and just so proud of the work he did to bring David and Nic's story to life. Steve Carell summed it up perfectly when he said that Timothée gave the best audition in the history of the world, and that he cannot imagine anyone else playing Nic with such respect and dedication to the role. So far, critics agree and I strongly believe that Timothée, at the age of 22, will garner his second Oscar nomination, and dammit, this time, he should win it!

Ticket purchase fiasco:

As a member of TIFF, I was greatly disappointed in the trouble I experienced in trying to purchase tickets to the Elgin or Ryerson via proper channels of my window purchase time, and during the member pre-sale. I came up short both times and it was incredibly frustrating and disheartening. I was able to easily secure the other 5 films, but Beautiful Boy was in overwhelming demand. I refuse to pay over $1500 to be a higher level member in order to have an earlier purchasing window. There's still no guarantee. You have to be at the uber higher levels to be so comfortable in your elite status of securing all the tickets you want. And the way TIFF slowly releases tickets throughout the sales period, forces people like me to look to StubHub to secure a ticket, often at inflated prices. Although I managed to get a ticket at a 100% markup, it just pissed me off that someone on the same damn day of the screening, got tickets even closer to the stage at face value. What.the.actual.fuck? And they weren't even a TIFF member!! So, I'm angry that I spent more money at TIFF in an effort to see the one film I really wanted to see. But at the end of the day, I think karma hooked me up, and I have to accept that I was willing to pay the money and I met my goals in getting a good spot along red carpet, getting great 'zoom zoom' images of Timmy, seeing him up close for 28.4 seconds, attending his screening, sitting in reserved 6th row, enjoying the film, and listening to the lovely Q&A. I did alright this year. However, due to the expense of this year's TIFF, I'll skip TIFF next year, Timmy or no Timmy because I have other obligations. But this quick trip to Toronto proved to me that I can visit TIFF in the future for a 2-4 day visit, and I'll maintain my membership so that I can increase my window purchase time for my next TIFF I attend.

Now, enjoy the rest of my photos in chronological order from red carpet to the Q&A! I took so many more, but these are the best! If you want to use my images, please credit 'Theatre of Zen', that's all I ask.

First peak of Timmy on the red carpet

David and Nic Sheff

He's getting closer

Closer

My altered Beautiful Boy book with Timmy's face

Signed by Timothée Chalamet!

Timmy just came out on stage at The Elgin

Camera zoom pretty good at this angle!

David Sheff speaking

The actors and their real life characters

Director Felix Van Groeningen

Quick Film Grade - The Wife: B+

I just saw The Wife starring Glenn Close as a woman suffering in creative silence as she watches her husband take all the literary glory that she secretly ushered in for him. I believe it's time to give Ms. Close her Best Actress Oscar. Grade: B+ pic.twitter.com/15tT2gqyLd

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) August 26, 2018

Lot's of Fun Times Coming Up for Me!

When I think of all the fun activities I will be participating in within the next 11 months, I am gobsmacked of just how lucky I am to be living my new life in So California, and having the means to do the things I want. Life is still far from perfect, but, with baby steps, it's going to get there! After a low keyed June and July have passed, I now look forward to a very active year ahead. And just as I wonder if it's all just too much, having too much upcoming planned fun, I think about the years I was seriously underemployed and worked at jobs beneath me - but were still legit jobs to pay bills but not be able to afford to do anything else; the time I was studying for my graduate degree in which I didn't do anything but study; and the last year before I made my big move to LA, I worked several jobs to save up for the move. All of these difficult, stressful, lean years were exactly in the past 10 years... years that I felt a dark cloud singled me out and lingered over me, poking me, reminding me of the constant bad luck streak I was suffocating in. There were a few moments of joy, but they were fleeting and rare.

Thankfully, that's all in the past. I truly believe that even for good people like me, you have to deal with bad shit, a continuous stream of bad luck in order to rise above it and gain control over your life so that you can live a life of happiness. So with those dark days in the deep recesses of my mind, I find myself planning grand adventures for myself so that I can treat myself and show the love that I have for myself. Below is a list of events that I'm looking forward to.

September: Updated 8/17: After a last minute change of plans just two weeks ago, I will be attending the Toronto Int'l Film Festival for the weekend of Sept 7-9. For the first time, I'll be flying in and out of Toronto to attend TIFF. It will be a quick visit, but it's also a test run for future short visits for this festival. If all goes well, I may consider shifting my annual family visit to October so that I can take the Friday off to fly to Toronto. But for this year, the weekend visit will suffice with what I want to see there.

Another film festival starts on 9/20 and ends 9/28 is the LA Film Festival. Last year I volunteered there and watched a few shorts. I don't know if I'll volunteer for them this year, but I do want to attend the festival to see a few films during the first weekend. I'm getting the sense that LAFF won't be in direct competition with TIFF, so if I want to experience fancy world premiere events, TIFF may demand my presence in the future.

The weekend of September 29th is my birthday weekend and I'll drive down to Dana Point in Orange County for the Ohana Festival featuring Eddie Vedder. At first I was just going down for that Saturday, but I decided that if I leave work 2 hours earlier, I can get a jump on traffic and arrive there Friday night to check into the hotel and enjoy my beach view for that evening. Then on Saturday, hang out on said beach for the all day music festival.

October: This will be the month that special screenings for Oscar bait films really begin so I will take advantage of as many as I can. Additionally, on the 12th, I'll see Nine Inch Nails in concert for the first time in nearly 5 years. So overdue!

November/December: Continuing to be home bound and enjoy the beginning of awards season. I don't know what my Christmas plans are yet. Maybe nothing since I'll be...

January: Attending the Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival. I purchased my 6 pack last week and I'll be able to select my films in mid-December. Again, attending for the first weekend only and driving there Friday evening Jan 4-6.

Feb/March: Nothing planned, but neck deep in the height of Oscar season.

April: I'm going to Weekend One Coachella 2019!!! I still can't believe it. This will be my first time and I'm going all out. I'm sure I'll love it, but if this will be my only time, I'm going to act as if it will be. It'll be a blast. And the weekend before, my family will be visiting me in LA so I will be busy with that too.

May: My trip to Italy!!!! I'll be visiting Milan, Crema, and Venice. I've always wanted to visit Italy and I know I will visit it again in a few years because I'll be breaking it up into two phases: Northern Italy 2019, and Southern Italy TBA within next five years.

June: Recuperate.

July: I am trying to attend the San Diego Comic Con in 2019, which will be its 50th anniversary, and it's expected to be even in more demand. Although I have booked a hotel for 3 nights, I don't know if I'll even be selected to qualify to even TRY to buy a badge. Yes, it's that intense. If I'm not selected to attend, I'll cancel the hotel, no big deal. This event is a want, not a NEED like the film festivals.

So as you can see, for the next 11 months, I have a fun busy calendar ahead and I'm so excited and grateful to be in this position at this point in my life. I couldn't do most of this if I didn't take a gamble with my life and moved to So Cal.

Quick Film Grade: Blindspotting (A-)

@BlindspottingMv is a great, fresh, moving drama with perfectly timed funny bits on the serious topic of the plight of a young man maturing from his past mistakes and the fresh wound of PTSD after witnessing a police shooting of man running the cops. Grade: A- pic.twitter.com/gD8oZJFw42

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) July 29, 2018

Quick Film Grade: Hot Summer Nights (B)

It was not my intentions to watch this film when it was first announced that it would be released this summer. But as my interest in Timothée Chalamet developed, I wanted to see this film, especially after the trailer. It's a decent film, Timmy's character, Daniel Middleton is slightly underdeveloped for the turns that his character takes which would help us understand and justify his actions, but in all, it's a good film and Timmy showcases a talent that we have come to expect from him.

@hotsummernights Timothée Chalamet is the highlight of this surprisingly decent film about a boy drug dealer trying to make up the void in his life after his father's death. A solid, sometimes tense, but fun summer flick starring the hottest young actor right now. Grade: B @A24 pic.twitter.com/sZqSs52EbY

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) July 29, 2018

Quick Film Grade: Mission Impossible:Fallout (A+)

@MissionFilm Fallout is NON-stop action and the best of the MI series! Amazingly, Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt is a dangerous, but empathetic IMF agent that literally can save the world with a motorcycle & helicopter, in extraordinary chase scenes! Excellent supporting cast! Grade: A+ pic.twitter.com/LCk98t0TrQ

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) July 28, 2018

I'm Going to TIFF 2018

If you asked me this past Saturday if I was going to the Toronto Int'l Film Festival, I would have said, 'Nope, not this year, maybe in a couple of years'. I've been attending TIFF every year since 2004, up until 2016 when a month later, I moved to California. So last year was the first year I missed TIFF, and I really missed it, but, needed a break from it due to all the craziness related to the expense of attending the festival. But on Monday, once I learned that Timothée Chalamet's anticipated follow-up role post-Call Me By Your Name, Beautiful Boy, is going to have its World Premiere at Toronto, I started to think... hmmm, is it possible for me to fly in and out of Toronto and not miss work? And the answer is: Hell Yes!

Instead of relying on a train or just a tank of gas, I now have to fly to Toronto, and I'm flying from Los Angeles. Once I made the decision to go, I determined that I could only fly out on the Friday redeye so that I could arrive bright and early Saturday, check into hotel, and be ready for a day of watching films. I would then leave 6pm on Sunday and arrive back in LA around 8:30 pm. I would be home by 11, just in time to go to bed and wake up fresh for work the next morning. Easy peasy! So it is done. Hotel booked, flight booked!

Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell in Beautiful Boy

Although I won't be able to attend the gala for Beautiful Boy, I will try to get tickets to the second screening which is usually scheduled between 11 am and 3 pm on Saturday when the gala is on a Friday night. I'll be in town by then and can see it sometime that day. This year, I purchased the Flex 6 pack which will allow me to pick six films. I don't know if I'll be able to see six films that weekend as I'll want to hang back and enjoy my beloved Toronto and meet some new Club Chalamet friends, but I will see at least 3-4 films. I'm also a member of TIFF, so this will permit me the opportunity to secure tickets a little earlier before the general public.

I've definitely come a lonnnnnng way with TIFF. My first few years were a struggle to get tickets to screenings I wanted to see; affording accommodations (one year had to stay in a hostel); then about 5 years under the generosity of a host who is now a dear friend; to now - affording to attend TIFF under my own terms and financial affordability, and I like this evolution. I've been irritated with TIFF in the past few years of attendance with the long lines, general admission seat wars, not being able to see the red carpet, not a good selection of films, etc. I needed a break from TIFF after 13 straight years of attending. With the new changes at TIFF, I hope I'm able to enjoy it without it being a hassle and being reminded that I'm not a deep pocketed beloved VIP. I'm just a film lover doing what I can to attend a film festival.

Quick Film Grade: The First Purge (B)

#TheFirstPurge is a timely analogy about the heartless, radical ideas of an American political party declaring little or no value of 'others' for the "greater good" of the nation, per God. Hmmm, where have we heard that before? Too realistic brutality. Grade: B pic.twitter.com/VhHUZMWErR

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) July 8, 2018

Quick Film Grade: Sicario 2 - Day of Soldado (B+)

Sicario 2 - Day of Soldado: A timely sequel which focuses on another horrible flaw in the policing of the border with Mexico. Testosterone overdrive + lots of guns + one damsel in distress = bloody action packed thriller that makes you wince way too often. Grade: B+ pic.twitter.com/JAKK4DwYZW

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) July 1, 2018

Introducing Club Chalamet

After I closed down a blog in May that I have been the editor of since 2008, and deleted the Facebook page, I told myself that I would not manage another fan community ever again. I would just sit my ass along the sidelines and just support a celebrity and enjoy the labor of love from another admin type fan/stan. But alas, it's not even two months after this proclamation, and here I am again, an admin of a message board for Timothée Chalamet! Danggit! LOL!

But before you roll your eyes in exasperation at me, allow me to explain. This past Wednesday, I just felt that the private DMs I was having with fans of Chalamet on Twitter required more space to be more free flowing in thoughts like permitting a fine bottle of red wine to breathe after uncorking and before drinking and sharing it with friends. Relying on DMs (direct message) as a way to engage in deep discourse about an actor was also very limiting in that I was only conversing with one person, and not several to get different points of views. So on Wednesday, 27 June, I had an epiphany to create a community message board for fans of Chalamet. Since the closing down of the previous fan community, I missed chatting with fans, and in that particular fandom, it has been at least 9 months since I had participated in a hearty, fun, and positive conversation with anyone on that topic. So I personally was missing out on being a part of an active discussion with like minded fans on a topic we were enthusiastic about.

I shared my idea with a few twitter friends and they supported my message board idea, and I quickly created a community name, Club Chalamet. I wanted the title to convey that it was for a group of Timothée Chalamet fans to all come together and support him. Although my focus is on the fan base that is older, 35+, the community is welcoming to all fans who are mature in their thinking and support of Timmy. I had been frustrated with some of the attitudes and behaviors of Timmy's younger fans (and even the older ones who should know better on how to act), and I just yearned for a place where a fan like me can publicly engage with other mature fans of Timmy.

To complement the message board, I created a Club Chalamet Twitter account to help promote and market the community. So in general, that's the update I have at the moment about my ongoing fan community admin support hobby gig. I'm quite excited about this venture because unlike my previous community, the message board truly will be a community endeavor, completely reliant upon fans joining and adding in their two cents to help the community thrive, while I will be the principle person marketing the community on twitter to help it grow. I will use this blog to write film reviews of Timmy's movies and film premieres/screenings/awards. I also anticipate huge news from Timothée within the next 8 months or so, and I want a community in place to provide the 100% support for him that I think he'll need and deserve. 

Quick Film Grade: Jurassic World (A-)

I signed up with Atom Tickets to buy my ticket to Jurassic World this weekend. It's a great new app for film lovers to purchase their film ticket in advance and buy their concession treats as well. Just use the barcode via the Atom Tickets app on your phone when you go to the theater. First time users get $5 off their first ticket!

#JURASSICWORLD had that one scene that made me fight like mad to hold back tears. Kept thinking, it's a CGI dinosaur, don't cry! The Jurassic franchise came full circle with an excellent action packed emotional film that shows that dinosaurs are more human than humans. Grade: A- pic.twitter.com/cr3Uslhg8L

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) June 25, 2018

Quick Film Grade: American Animals A

#AmericanAnimals was a fantastically tense, and funny heist thriller starring breakout Irish actor @BarryKeoghan and #EvanPeters as college students with ambitions of easy money on a crazy poorly planned robbery. Great merging of present/past to explain the insane saga. Grade: A pic.twitter.com/ugI9pXWvVe

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) June 17, 2018

Quick Film Grade: Hereditary A-

@HereditaryMovie is a shockingly disturbing horror film that may go down in horror history in the Top 10. Gruesome imagery & death + witchcraft/supernatural elements, are the perfect ingredients necessary to completely turn upside down, an already dysfunctional family. Grade: A- pic.twitter.com/DkDLzgDa4M

— Simone Cromer 🌊 (@TheatreofZen) June 10, 2018

Blue Apron Meals at Home

I'm not one to follow many celebrities on Twitter, but I follow a few cool ones, and one of them is Chrissy Teigen. I find her to be funny, smart, and politically savvy. I bumped into her at the Avalon Hotel during the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2016, she's very pretty and sweet in real life. So today I was just reading my Twitter feed and I noticed that a Blue Apron subscriber tagged Chrissy in a post because she made a meal that Chrissy created as a recipe for Blue Apron as part of a six week meal preparation celebrity promotion. I loved the simple prep look, and the high delicious/nutritional value of the shrimp and broccoli meal so much that I immediately signed up for Blue Apron on a three week discount promotion. I subscribed to the 2 meals a week for 2 (they don't have a meal plan for us single folk so I can turn the two meal portions into two separate meals for me - making that four meals a week).

The timing of subscribing to Blue Apron comes when I'm already spending $30-40 a week on microwave meals and fruit and nuts, OK, and some cakes/cookies and salty crap, on top of the money I spend to go out and eat lunch maybe 2-3 times a week. My salt intake is much higher than normal and I'm noticing a difference in how it's affecting my health and that's not cool. When you sign up for Blue Apron, you get to select if you want vegetarian meals, fish/poultry, or red meat/pork. I don't eat the latter, so it's very convenient to order the type of meals tailored to your dietary preferences. My first box arrives on June 16th and every Saturday after that. I'll see how it goes, I may even add in a recommended bottle of wine to complement a meal. I need to train my palate to tolerate wine, especially red wine as I plan my trip to Italy next year.

By the way, after I treated a thanks to Chrissy for bringing Blue Apron to my attention, she liked my tweet! Huzzah! It's the little things.

I'm Going to Coachella 2019!

As an update regarding my recent visit to London, I had the most fun, it was such an awesome trip 'home' to London. I hung out with friends, did some carefree shopping, saw a great play, and, really enjoyed myself at the historical event of attending the royal wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex! I was especially pleased with my flight with Virgin Atlantic and I can't wait to fly with them again. Due to my being so busy in London, the jet lag took a few more days longer than usual for me to recover as I had to go back to work the day after I came back home.

I don't have any other major plans for the rest of the year, so this will give me time to save up for Italy next year, and today, I was one of the lucky ones to buy a Weekend One pass for Coachella 2019! I can't believe I'm going! Just this past Wednesday, I read a tweet from @Coachella announcing that the 2019 pre-sale would start at 11am PST on Friday, June 1st. I have always enjoyed reading about the events and adventures of the Coachella shows and especially while I was living in Michigan, it was a dream that once I got settled in SoCal, to try to go to Coachella, if at least on a day pass. And with the 2019 Coachella being it's 20th anniversary, I think it's going to be an extra special music festival.

I had the past two days to plan my Coachella experience. I immediately knew I wanted to go to Weekend 1, which is April 12-14, so I booked a hotel in Palm Springs for those days. Hotels very close to the shuttle lot were already booked, so I was lucky to get a hotel just an 8 minute walk down the road from the drop off lot. The VIP pass was just too steep at $999 for a first timer like me, even with the 7 month payment plan, I just couldn't justify paying that money. So I opted for the General Admission pass with the shuttle at $499. I also wanted a poster which was $15, and I went back and forth in deciding if I wanted to splurge on Saturday night of the weekend to attend the Outstanding in the Field desert dining experience at $255. It's basically a gourmet 4 course meal served in the VIP Rose Garden (which I'll have access to all day Saturday). I figured, why the hell not? So my plan was to purchase these for my first Coachella experience.

Thank God my work load on Friday was medium and my immediate supervisor was out of the office. I anticipated that it would be crazy getting tickets, but I did not think that I would wait in the queue for 1 hour 57 minutes and 28 seconds to buy my package. To my amazement, once it was my turn, it was a breeze to make my selection and I checked out in less than 3 minutes! I was so thrilled, I tweeted about it immediately and I had to go take a walk to calm down and release the anxiety of the process. It appears that Weekend One sold out just minutes after I placed my order because people were tweeting just seconds after me that they waited for 2 hours only to have Weekend 1 be sold out, and they were livid. Whew! I'm glad that whatever karma I had stored up, it covered me today. As I write this update, tickets for Weekend 2 are still available. Update: Weekend 2 is now sold out.

I have said this before, but there was many a time while living in Michigan where I was simply not able to enjoy the most basic form of entertainment, besides going to see a matinee on a Sunday morning. So to be living in Southern California, the epicenter of the entertainment world, I'll be damned if I deny myself the pleasure of at least experiencing a festival event of this scale. I'm making up for lost time and I don't feel guilty at all! I deserve this.

Lastly, this evening, I pulled the plug on a message board forum that I created in early 2017 in support of Meghan Markle as she transitioned from little known actress to HRH Duchess of Sussex. It has been a thrill following her through all that time, but the community was stale and was losing interest, and I did not make friends there. So I closed it down today and I have taken a pledge to not create another fan community forum again. I will happily just be a member of an established community and give my POV when I feel like it.

Traveling to My Home Away From Home

The month of April flew by so quickly, I forgot to meet my at least one post a month quota! I did a lot of cool things, however, the biggest one was hanging out in Palm Springs with my buddies Glenn and Brian, and then going to Joshua Tree. Based on our proximity to the Coachella vibe, I have decided to try to attend one day next year. Just get it out of my system and to say that I went there. So now, the month of May has some great things in store for me! Firstly, I want to acknowledge that I'm closing down my other blog which focused on a formerly active actor. If I have the desire to write about him again, which is likely because he really is talented, I will write a quick blurb about him here at ToZ. There just comes a time when you have to cut the cord and refocus your attention on things that will bring you happiness. I wasn't happy anymore maintaining the other blog, hence my relief that I finally made that decision.

Moving on, I'm excited about my upcoming trip to London and I have a full itinerary. I planned this visit to coincide with the royal wedding! The Type A planner that I am jumped on booking my holiday as soon as the wedding date was announced. Try as I might, I was hoping I would befriend an interesting person at a Meghan Markle forum I'm a member at, but no one had the ability or true interest to tag along with me on this historic day in Windsor. So as usual, my best company will be myself. It's just as well so that I can do exactly what I want.

Here are the top activities I'll be doing on my 12th trip to London, 17 May - 22 May:

First night in town on the 17th, I'll see the play, The Inheritance at the Young Vic. Actor Timothée Chalamet is in London prepping for his next role, and he was spotted in the audience at both parts of the play. I can only view Part I, which is fine, and I got the last 10 quid ticket. Perfect!

The Inheritance

On Friday the 18th, me and my dear sister-friend Lucinda will see Killer Joe play starring Orlando Bloom. We're going there to have fun on the town! Lucinda and I became friends from an Orlando Bloom fan page way back in 2007, and we've been dear friends ever since. Going to this play, the second play we'll see together featuring Orlando, is just for shits and giggles down memory lane for an actor that allowed us to befriend one another. As disappointing as that fandom was, I'm grateful that I have a life friend from it.

Then on Saturday the 19th is the Royal Wedding Day! I will take a train from Paddington to Windsor at 6:30 am GMT and make my way along with thousands of other people to this historic event. I doubt I'll be able to actually see the royal couple, but it's going to be fun just being there!

Prince Harry and future Duchess, Meghan Markle

I look forward to writing a lot about future HRH Duchess Meghan Markle. She's an American girl living a real fairytale life, and I will happily live vicariously through her.

On Sunday, I'll spend all day with Lucinda and her family, and she has also invited me to their spa club where I can hang out with them. This will allow me to use my new swimsuit that I purchased a few weeks ago for Palm Springs. We're going to have dinner and dessert and just relax with my English family.

And on Monday, one of the highlights will be my 2 pm booking at a posh Afternoon Tea at a nice hotel that is walking distance from Harrods. I have jokingly posted tweets inviting Timothée Chalamet to join me if he was free.

Afternoon tea for one please!

I will never tire of visiting London. I plan to make the most of this trip because I will skip it next year in favor of Italy next May. But then, hey, maybe I'll squeeze in a visit during Thanksgiving 2019 just for the hell of it!