The busy week at the Tribeca Film Festival continues. I have only seen two more films since my last post -- one was Josh Sternfeld's debut feature "Winter Solstice" (in the NY, NY features section at Tribeca) and the other was the Italian drama "La Spettatrice" (The Spectator) in features competition. "Winter Solstice" was quite impressive, especially as a debut film. I thought it was remarkable in its restraint -- the filmmaker left quite a lot unsaid, which is always a gamble (in this case it worked). It stars Anthony LaPaglia as Jim Winters, a suburban landscaper trying to raise his two sons as a widower. (LaPaglia recently got stuck in the not-so-great festival circuit flick "Happy Hour" so I'm glad to see him back in a good one!) One son, Pete (Mark Webber, "Storytelling") is struggling with school problems, while the other, Gabe (Aaron Stanford, "Tadpole") is threatening to move away from home. Allison Janney of "West Wing" fame plays the family's new neighbor, with Ron Livingston ("Office Space") as Pete's summer-school teacher. The cast was really remarkable. "Winter Solstice" captured a dysfunctional family in a non-cliched, emotionally honest way that you don't see often. An acquisitions deal is said to be in the works.

Earlier today, I saw the Italian melodrama "The Spectator," which opens with a premise that's eerily similar to another Italian flick -- "Facing Windows" or "La finestre del fronte" as they called it in Karlovy Vary -- that hits theaters this summer from Sony Pictures Classics. Both films open with an attractive young Italian woman becoming obsessed with a handsome neighbor who they spy on (through apartment windows) as the men go about their daily routines. In "Facing Window" a rather predictable turn of events happens (well, maybe not predictable but at least not totally far fetched). In "The Spectator," the woman notices the man has moved to Rome so she moves there to follow him (despite the fact that they've never spoken). She jumps in front of his girlfriend's car so that she can enter their lives. All the characters are in emotional vacuums, which is perhaps why the film is filled with jarring melodramatic classical music, to add a little drama! I won't spoil the ending but you can probably guess that they don't end up in a "Dreamers"-like threesome. This film was mostly head-scratching but in a way I liked that...more interesting than a by-the-numbers romance. And the characters were mostly unlikable, which does stir things up for the audience.

As for the parties, Wednesday was a big party night -- although I was so tired from Tuesday that I only had one glass of wine all night (yes, you read that correctly). Anyway, I started at the Wellspring party at Thom, which was a lovely soiree with indieWIRE's favorite appetizer, meat on a stick. Then it was over to Sugar where the "Lipstick and Dynamite" gang was gathering for Cinco De Mayo margaritas. The elderly lady wrestlers featured in the film were glammed up in sequinned tops, and they were quite feisty. The top party of the festival, and hell, the year, so far, was UA's party for Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes" at City Hall restaurant. (And at this point I should say how I think he's not only a great filmmaker but also quite the silver fox, love that hair). Bill Murray and Jarmusch were mingling with the commoners, Meg White's cleavage was overflowing, and they were serving pigs in a blanket. What more could you want? I'm just pissed I left before Jarmusch took his posse for an after party at Niagara. But I was exhausted...a girl's gotta sleep sometime.

Other Tribeca activities in the past two days include interviewing (and, let's face it, flirting with) Scott Speedman, enjoying free lunch in that hospitality tent, and making use of my laptops' new airport card.

Tonight=my first trip to Nobu!