Friday, September 28, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 28, 2007

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 28, 2007! It's bizarre to see films that had huge buzz at TIFF 07 come out so quickly, and then to be in such limited release, and for the limited releases of those for to be the American films. Wild. A clear half of the releases this week are hot of the festival trail. With a sizable eight releases this week, there should be something for everyone.

Our limited releases this week include the occult under toned Puffball, hot buzz Sean Penn directed film Into the Wild, and click flick The Jane Austen Book Club.

Wide releases this week include the Canadian Shake Hands with the Devil, a docudrama based on the autobiographical book by General Romeo Dallaire and his experience during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. What stuck with me the most about this film was during the Q&A, director Roger Spottiswoode said that when Dallaire watched the film he commented that for the first 5 minutes he was watching Roy Dupuis, and after that he was watching himself. Now that is some amazing acting. Other wide releases include Feast of Love, The Game Plan, Silk and long time coming release of The Kingdom - for which previews have been shown since January and have had at least two very different tones.

Festival Watch

Commffest
Community Film Festival
September 27-30, 2007 at Rainbow Cinemas, 80 Front St E, Toronto, Ontario
www.commffest.com

Friday September 28, 2007 Releases

Feast of Love
Dir: Robert Benton (The Human Stain, Nobody's Fool <1994>)
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Greg Kinnear, Radha Mitchell, Selma Blair
USA

The Game Plan
Dir: Andy Fickman (She's the Man)
Cast: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Madison Pettis, Kyra Sedwick
USA

Into the Wild
Dir: Sean Penn (The Pledge)
Cast: Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone
USA
Limited Release

The Jane Austen Book Club
Writer/Dir: Robin Swicord - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Lynn Redgrave
USA
Limited Release

The Kingdom
Dir: Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, The Rundown)
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, Ali Suliman
USA

Puffball
Dir: Nicolas Roeg (Two Deaths, Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell To Earth)
Cast: Kelly Reilly, Miranda Richardson, Rita Tushingham, Oscar Pearce, Donald Sutherland
UK/Ireland/Canada
Limited Release

Shake Hands With the Devil
Dir: Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies, The 6th Day, Shoot to Kill)
Cast: Roy Dupuis, James Gallanders, Michel Mongeau, Owen Lebakeng Sejak, Deborah Kara Unger
Canada

Silk
Dir: François Girard (The Red Violin, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould)
Cast: Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Alfred Molina, Koji Yakusho, Mark Rendall, Miki Nakatani
Canada/Italy/Japan/UK/France

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 28, 2007**

Friday, September 21, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 21, 2007!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 21, 2007! I'm trying to get back into the groove of regular releases as well as days not spent in back to back screenings and I tell ya - not so exciting! Bring me Q&A's, line ups and concession food any day! Well, maybe not concession food...

Our limited releases this week included 2 of the hottest tickets from TIFF: In the Valley of Elah as well as one of the most descriptive titles in ages, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Limited releases don't end there, we also have space themed documentary In the Shadow of the Moon and long time coming to regular release Sunflower.

Wide releases for this week include a modern telling of Snow White with Sydney White, the possibly most successful film series based on a video game (is there more than one?) Resident Evil: Extinction, and the 'comedy' Good Luck Chuck.

Seeing as TIFF has come and gone it seems only normal for Oscar buzz to start up. With that we have the announcement of the 2008 Oscar show will be Jon Stewart reprising his 2006 role. I am not overjoyed, but I know people will be. Every year is a gamble!

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

.....................sneeky sneeky............

The Game Plan starring The Rock and Kyra Sedgwick, directed by Andy Fickman (She's the Man) has a sneak preview this Saturday September 22, 2007 at 7:00pm at the Scotiabank Theate, Empire Theatres and various other locations in Toronto.

Friday September 21, 2007 Releases

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Dir: Andrew Dominik (Chopper)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker
USA
Limited Release

Good Luck Chuck
Dir: Mark Helfrich – directorial debut
Cast: Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler
USA

In the Shadow of the Moon
Dir: David Sington - feature film directorial debut
Documentary on the Apollo space program visit to the Moon
UK/USA
Limited Release

In the Valley of Elah
Dir: Paul Haggis (Crash <2004>, Red Hot)
Cast: Tommy Lea Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, James Franco
USA
Limited Release

Resident Evil: Extinction
Dir: Russell Mulcahy (Swimming Upstream)
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr, Ali Larter, Ian Glen, Ashanti Douglas
France/Australia/Germany/UK/USA

Sunflower / Xiang ri kui
Dir: Zhang Yang (Quitting / Zuotian)
Cast: Joan Chen, Sun Haiying, Liu Zifeng
Hong Kong/China/The Netherlands
Limited Release

Sydney White
Dir: Joe Nussbaum (Sleepover, George Lucas in Love)
Cast: Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton, Matt Long
USA

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 21, 2007**

Friday, September 14, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 14, 2007!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 14, 2007! Quick newsletter this week and I'm still completely immersed in TIFF 07, and in fact three of this weeks releases are a part of TIFF this year: Across the Universe, The Brave One and Eastern Promises. Sidenote to those heading out to the theatre this weekend - make sure you check listings carefully for showtimes on Friday and Saturday, as many theatres in the downtown core will still be showing TIFF films.
Our limited releases this week are the 60's romance Across the Universe as well as the critically acclaimed Eastern Promises. I have to say I am mighty surprized to see Eastern Promises is only showing at one theatre, perhaps that will expand to more theatres next week.

Wide releases for this week included revenge flick The Brave One, war journalist drama The Hunting Party and Mr. Woodcock which is being billed as 'comedy'.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Toronto International Film Festival
September 6-15, 2007 at various locations, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.tiff07.ca/

Friday September 14, 2007 Releases

Across the Universe
Dir: Julie Taymor (Frida, Titus)
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson
USA
Limited Release

The Brave One
Dir: Neil Jordon (Breakfast at Pluto, The Good Thief, The End of the Affair)
Cast: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Nicky Katt
USA/Australia

Eastern Promises
Dir: David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Naked Lunch, Spider)
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel
UK/Canada/USA
Limited Release

The Hunting Party
Writer/Dir: Richard Shepard (The Matador)
Cast: Richard Gere, Terrence Howard
USA/Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina

Mr. Woodcock
Dir: Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl)
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Saradon
USA

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 14, 2007**

Friday, September 07, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 7, 2007!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 7, 2007! It's so hard to concentrate on this week's regular releases with the festival in town! We actually have a healthy selection for this time of year - usually it's only one or two films.

We have one limited release this week with Hatchet, which appears to be quite the gorefest film from Coffee & Donuts director Adam Green.

If this weeks wide releases sound familiar that's because they were all sneak previews last week? But, if you didn't get out to them then here is your chance to see: 3:10 to Yuma, The Brother's Soloman and Shoot 'Em Up. 3:10 to Yuma is a remake of the 1957 original, and I would recommend it as it's a compelling story and has great acting as well.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Toronto International Film Festival
September 6-15, 2007 at various locations, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.tiff07.ca/

...............sneeky sneeky..................

The Hunting Party starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard, written and directed by Richard Shepard (The Matador) has a sneak preview this Saturday September 8, 2007 at 7:00pm at the Beach Cinema, Silver City Yonge & Eglinton, Silver City Mississauga and various other locations in Toronto.

Friday September 7, 2007 Releases

3:10 to Yuma
Dir: James Mangold (Walk the Line, Identity)
Cast: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda
USA

The Brothers Solomon
Dir: Bob Odenkirk (Let's Go to Prison)
Cast: Will Arnett, Will Forte, Kristen Wiig
USA

Hatchet
Writer/Dir: Adam Green (Coffee & Donutes)
Cast:Joel Moore, Kane Hodder, Robert Englund
USA
Limited Release

Shoot 'Em Up
Dir: Michael Davis (Monster Man, 100 Women)
Cast: Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, Monica Bellucci
USA

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 7, 2007**