当TIFF 2009两周内正式拉开帷幕,I won't be lined up trying to get into the new Coen Bros' movie. Oh no. This year I'm reading the enormous Program Book, drawing up a schedule, and deciding who to stalkbeforethe September 10th film festival opening.

Some modest and foreign films in the lineup might fail to charm distributors and will never be seen again in Toronto. So is it best to catch the latest fromMichael MooreandTerry Gilliamor to gamble on something new? And of course Matt Damon will be here for the opening of Soderbergh'sThe Informant!, but what about stars we actually want to see?

Star Gazing

Midnight Madness headlinerJennifer's Body, penned by acclaimedJunoscreenwriter Diablo Cody, is likely to kick off with the hot demon-possessed cheerleader (Megan Fox) and her cute nerdy friend (Amanda Seyfried) in attendance, as both are on the official TIFF guestlist. Tilda Swinton leads the cast ofI Am Love, an aristocratic family drama set in an Italian mansion, while Natalie Portman is probably the main attraction for anyone buying tickets toLove and Other Impossible Pursuits.

Heartthrobs are also being served up on the red carpets. Clooney gets top billing in two promising films: he is a consultant whose main passion is banking up travel miles in Jason Reitman'sUp In The Airand is a mustached "secret" soldier and the subject of a washed up journalist (Ewan McGregor)'s story inThe Men Who Stare At Goats. Clive Owen is in forThe Boys Are Backand Micheal Cera continues to redefine the romantic leading man inYouth in Revolt.

Half the cast of Joel Schumacher'sSt. Elmo's Fire(1985) are in town, which fits in nicely with my half baked prediction that John Hughes memorials will stir up some interesting comebacks. Demi Moore (paired with David Duchovny) is in a suburban consumerist culture comedyThe Joneses, Rob Lowe plays Ricky Gervais' rival inThe Invention of Lying, and Ally Sheedy is likely to taking on a bold role inLife During Wartime, the latest from Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse,Happiness).

The Masters

Werner Herzog is one of the most inspired filmmakers of all time, period. Why one director with a large body of celebrated works ends up in TIFF's "Masters" section and another doesn't, is a mystery that might be explained when we finally get to seeBad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans(see the trailerhere). Herzog has made it clear that the film is not a remake and not a sequel to the 1992 corrupt cop flick starring Harvey Keitel.

Even if this update is a total disaster, Herzog and Nicholas Cage are scheduled to appear at the opening screening - and I wouldn't miss a Q&A for this one. In an equally strange pairing, David Lynch on as Executive Producer for Herzog's second entry in the festMy Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, starring Willem Dafoe and ChloĂŤ Sevigny.

I'm counting onThe White Ribbonnot being nearly as dull as it sounds. Michael Haneke (Funny Games,CachĂŠ)'s latest, set in a small farming village on the eve of World War I, took the prestigious Palme d'Or for best film at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

That brings me toAntichrist. The trailer might give us a hint as to why it was the most talked about film at Cannes, but I plan to attend to hear Lars von Trier's explanation (via live video feed because the man is afraid of flying). Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe are in a "graphic nightmare vision about gender relations" in this one. Following the death of their child, they head out to an isolated cottage and get violent with each other.

Made In Canada

Local editor-turned-director Reginald Harkema has a fresh take Charles Manson's trial inLeslie, My Name Is Evil, his follow up to the acclaimedMonkey Warfare. And from Montreal, Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder,Knocked Up) believes that he is the reincarnation of the Russian revolutionary inThe Trotsky. Colm Feore is in this one too.

There are 29 homegrown features and 44 shorts in this year's lineup, including Carl Bessai'sCole, Atom Egoyan'sChloe, and Sherry White'sCrackie.

．．．更可能的高hlights: Neil Young appearance at a free Yonge-Dundas Square screening of Jonathan Demme's concert filmThe Neil Young Trunk Show, the first edition of TIFF's newCity to CityProgramme on Tel Aviv, and Corneliu Porumboiu (12:08 East of Bucharest)'sPolice, Adjective.

Stills: Nicholas Cage inBad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleansand Jay Baruchel isThe Trotskycourtesy of TIFF.