TORONTO, Canada -- The hectic junket schedule continues at Toronto. I have a few hours set aside for "Miracle at St. Anna" -- the new Spike Lee (right) movie about the contribution of African-American troops in World War II.

This is the movie, remember, that caused Spike Lee to criticize Clint Eastwood about the lack of African-American troops in his two World War II movies from 2006, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima," which in turn caused Clint Eastwood to say Spike Lee should "Shut his face." All rather awkward; and Spike quite clearly does not want to go into it again with me.

Regardless, we have a good time during my whopping 20 minute time slot with him. He talks about shooting the film in Italy; filming a war epic -- and what moved him about the story.

I also ask him about a rumor I'd heard that when Barack Obama told Spike his first date with Michelle was to see "Do the Right Thing" -- Lee's 1989 story of a scorchingly hot day in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn where hatred and resentment spills into violence -- Spike apparently said: "Well, thank God I made it or you'd have had to take her to "Soul Man" or "Driving Miss Daisy" and she'd never have wanted to see you again."

Spike laughs it off and says Obama did take Michelle to "Do the Right Thing" and to Baskin Robbins after -- but he refuses to go into any more detail. Hmmm...

-- From CNN's Katie Walmsley

Labels: barack obama, clint eastwood, do the right thing, flags of our fathers, letters from iwo jima, miracle at st anna, spike lee, toronto film festival

TORONTO, Canada -- We wait around two-and-a-half hours for the "Brother's Bloom" junket , finally give up and head to Guy Ritchie's "RocknRolla." Then we traipse back down to "Brothers Bloom," where they seem to have sorted themselves out a bit.

"Brothers Bloom" is a terrific new film by Rian Johnson -- a sort of semi-fantastical and very funny story of two conmen and their worldwide journey of elaborate lies.

Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody play the two brothers, while Rachel Weisz plays their victim, an eccentric woman who has barely ever left her mansion.

Interviewing Brody, I found myself wanting to ask things like: "How are you such a good actor? How do you do it? How does your mind work?" But I had to content myself for practicality's sake with just asking him what it is about acting that he loves.

Brody says he loves to try on different hats and that doing comedy is great for him because as quite a serious person it's something different. I compliment him extravagantly on the film (which I genuinely think is brilliant) and he seems happy.

Weisz and I both bond over being north London girls who went to sister schools and now live in almost the same area of Manhattan. She is absolutely stunning in person and also extremely warm and friendly. She tells me about the process she went through with the director for pulling some of the weirder clothes out of her wardrobe to try and create a "look" for her character, Penelope, including giant lace-up Victorian clown shoes. Why did she have those in the first place?

-- From CNN's Katie Walmsley in Toronto

Labels: adrien brody, mark ruffalo, rachel weisz, rian johnson, the brothers bloom, toronto film festival

TORONTO, Canada -- Press kicked off early on Thursday morning with the "Appaloosa" junket. It's a Western based on Robert B. Parker's novel, which stars and is directed by Ed Harris. Harris has cast Viggo Mortensen as his fellow hired gun, Jeremy Irons as a local thug and Renee Zellwegger as a mysterious widow.

The movie is the kind of subtly written and acted work you would expect of Harris -- and it is a great showcase for both his talents and Mortensen's.

Mortensen in person is modest bordering on shy -- and quite earnest, but in a way that mostly suggests he has very personal feelings about the film.

Ed Harris is, aside from being extremely attractive, quietly excited about the film, which has clearly been a passion project for him. Jeremy Irons talks about watching Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" during filming and realizing his accent in "Appaloosa" and Daniel Day Lewis' in "There Will Be Blood" are basically the same.

They all clearly enjoyed the experience of filming a western in the desert near Santa Fe, New Mexico. It sounds like a grown-up version of playing cowboys and indians but with really expensive props.

-- From CNN's Katie Walmsley in Toronto

Labels: apaloosa, ed harris, renee zellwegger, toronto film festival, viggo mortensen, western

LONDON, England -- Many hacks, paps, critics, and movie industry types have upped sticks from the Lido and climbed aboard planes to Toronto, Canada where this one of this year's big film festivals has just kicked off.

Notable premieres include: Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna," about a group of African-American U.S. soldiers in Italy in World War II; "The Lucky Ones," about returning Iraq War veterans on a road trip home starring Tim Robbins; and "The Secret Life of Bees," which stars Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah in an adaptation of the Sue Monk Kidd best seller.

Labels: toronto film festival