A festival first for me this year: Seeing the same movie twice. I normally have a hard rule about not doing exactly that, because there's so much to see and you miss a ton of great films as it is. But what can I say? "The Answer Man" has a strange and powerful hold on me. The second time around, I took my mother, so I felt justified in a) creating a new festival-goer and b) sneaking in some family bonding time during the fest. My justification muscle is getting good exercise this week.

After getting in my daily dose of Jeff Daniels, I headed downtown to the State for a screening of "Waterlife." This was one of the films I was anticipating most at the festival, and it didn't disappoint. Kevin McMahon captured some of the most spectacular images of the Great Lakes you'll ever see on film. He instills a newfound awe and respect for the backyard waters we all enjoy - and then punches you in the gut with the undeniable tragedy of their rapid deterioration. In his opening comments, Kevin called "Waterlife" an aquatic road trip and "a biography of all of us who live here on the lakes." He also gave major props to the festival, saying: "I keep telling people, I've been to the other film festivals, and I can honestly say TCFF is the best in the world. Not only is this an incredibly beautiful city, but the people here are so nice. And I am overwhelmed by this exquisite theater." Comments like Kevin's are ones we've heard often over the years from the filmmakers, but it's always a great reminder of what a gift we have in attending movies in the State Theatre, during this festival, in this city. La vita et bella.

Kevin McMahon

I finished out the day with "Big Fan" at Lars Hockstad. Patton Oswalt was charming and funny as always, asking the crowd before the screening if it was "possible to get anything else with cherries in it." He riffed: "I got some chocolate-covered cherries, the pants made out of cherries, apples made from cherries….do you perhaps have any cherry oxygen?" He commented on how nice it was "to see all these hippies running around" the city, and gave props to Top of the Ninth, the local comic book store. Fun stuff.

"Big Fan" is not a comedy per se - more of a dramedy, as much as I hate that schlocky word. I can't talk about the film without referencing the ending, which has to be one of the most memorable I've seen in a TCFF film. The audience went from one extreme end of the emotional spectrum to the other in a span of about 30 seconds. Ask anybody about the movie, and the words "bathroom scene" are almost always the first thing to come up. If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil the ending, but can tell you that it alone is worth the price of admission.

Patton Oswalt

Stay tuned for a recap of Day 4 (yesterday), which for me was a triple-hitter film-wise: "The Cove," "In the Loop" and "Mary & Max." Also, photos and quotes from tonight's 5K Costume Run and Filmmakers Party will be up tomorrow. Check back soon!

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