Friday, August 31, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 31, 2007

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 31, 2007! Regular releases, sneak previews and festival madness this week - there is so much to cover! We have four releases this Friday plus the mid week release already in theatres Balls of Fury. When researching Balls of Fury I came across an actor with I believe has the most roles I've seen on imdb - count 'em at 313. The actor in question is James Hong, whom my strongest memory of him is as David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China where he had some great lines such as "Shut up Mr Burton! You were not brought upon this world to get it!".

Our limited releases this week are Lady Chatterley based on DH Lawrence novel and Greg & Gentillon which reminds me slightly of "Flight of the Conchords", but comedians instead of musicians.

In wide release it's a lot of darkness for the last weekend of the summer with Death Sentence which is a front-runner of 'preview shows you the entire film' award and our second wide release is the Rob Zombie directed Halloween, which comes to us almost 30 years after the original. I'm surprized at the timing of the release of Halloween, it's quite a while before the holiday itself.

I'm also suprized there is no family fare being released this week in anticipation of the long weekend. Perhaps barbeques and lawn chairs are favoured over dark theatres.

As many of you know it's TIFF time of the year. I will be attending this year and seeing around 40+ films. I will be documenting my festival experience by updated my newest film blog daily during the festival from Sept 6-15/07. Feel free to check it out at: http://moviemoxie.blogspot.com/

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Ukrainian Zabava Festival

August 31-September 3, 2007 at Studio Theatre at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com

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

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

Holy smokes, there are 3 sneak previews this week! That's a record for sure.

3:10 to Yuma starring Christian Bale and Russell Crowe, directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line, Identity) has a sneak preview this Sunday September 2, 2007 at 7:00pm at the Scotiabank Theatre, Silver City Yonge & Eglinton and various other locations in Toronto.

The Brothers Solomon starring Will Arnett, Will Forte and Kristen Wiig, directed by Bob Odenkirk (Let's Go to Prison) has a sneak preview on Wednesday September 5, 2007 at 7:00pm at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto.

Shoot 'Em Up starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci, written & directed by Michael Davis (Monster Man, 100 Women) has a sneak preview this Saturday September 1, 2007 at 10:00pm at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto.

3:10 to Yuma, The Brothers Solomon and Shoot 'Em Up are all scheduled for regular release September 7, 2007

Wednesday August 29, 2007 Releases

Balls of Fury
Dir: Ben Garant (Reno 911!: Miami)
Cast: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walker, Maggie Q, Masi Oka, James Hong, George Lopez
USA

Friday August 31, 2007 Releases

Death Sentence

Dir: James Wan (Dead Silence, Saw)
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kelly Preson, Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman
USA

Greg & Gentillon
Dir: Matthiew Klinck - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Thomas Michael, Louis Durand
Canada
Limited Release

Halloween
Dir: Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses)
Cast: Tyler Mane, Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Sheri Moon, Udo Kier
USA

Lady Chatterley
Dir: Pascale Ferran (L'Âge des possibles)
Cast: Marina Hands, Jean-Louis Coullo'ch
Belgium/France/UK
Limited Release

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 31, 2007**

Friday, August 24, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 24, 2007

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 24, 2007! Well, I hate to break it to you but the summer is winding down. The breeze that used to bring a nice sigh of relief now is backed by a bit of a chill. In movie terms, I realized it when seeing The Bourne Ultimatum as I realized it was the last film I was anxiously awaiting seeing, and therefore could relax and watch the previews instead of being prepped look away in case of spoilers. All in all it feels like it's been a good summer and we've had some great flicks along with the third Bourne, fifth Harry Potter, Hairspray and one of the front runners of this year so far for me: Sunshine.

Enough memories, what is in our future? Well our one limited release is about just that: The 11th Hour is an environmental look at our planet and what we can do to help. It' s one of the two films this week that has multiple directions. The other of which falls in our wide releases with The Nanny Diaries.

Also in wide release is a sport flick Resurrecting the Champ, comedy Mr. Bean's Holiday and the action star madness of Jet Li & Jason Statham in War. I had to search through my archives to find the quote regarding Jet Li because if memory serves I thought he was not going to do more action films. Alas, the quote used during the promotion of Fearless was "Jet Li's final martial arts epic". Seeing as War is present day and a 'normal' (?) action flick I dare say that quote still stands the test of time. My original post on such topic is in this newsletter back issue. The final wide release is Balls of Fury which opens next Wednesday.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Bicycle Film Festival
August 23-26, 2007 at The Royal, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.blogger.com/www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/

Taiwan: Ilha Formosa Festival
August 24-26, 2007 at the Studio Theatre in Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/

Rue Morgue Festival of Fear
National Horror Expo
August 24-26, 2007 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.blogger.com/www.rue-morgue.com/festival.php

Friday August 24, 2007 Releases

The 11th Hour
Dir: Nadia Conners & Leila Conners Petersen - directorial debuts
Narrator: Leonardo DiCaprio
USA
Limited Release

Mr. Bean's Holiday
Dir: Steve Bendelack (The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse)
Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Emma de Caunes, Willem Dafoe
UK/France

The Nanny Diaries
Dir: Shari Springer Berman (American Splendor) & Robert Pulcini (American Splendor)
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Nicholas Art, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti
USA

Resurrecting the Champ
Dir: Rod Lurie (The Contender, The Last Castle)
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, Teri Hatcher
USA

War
Dir: Philip G. Atwell - directorial film debut
Cast: Jet Li, Jason Statham, John Lone, Luis Guzmán, Steph Song
USA

Wednesday August 29, 2007 Releases

Balls of Fury
Dir: Ben Garant (Reno 911!: Miami)
Cast: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walker, Maggie Q, Masi Oka, James Hong, George Lopez
USA

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 24, 2007**

Friday, August 17, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 17, 2007

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 17, 2007!

Our limited releases are soaring with music as El Cantante based on the true story of salsa singer Hector Lavoe and Gypsy Caravan follows 5 Romani groups on tour. Rocket Science rounds out our limited releases this week.

Our wide releases include one film that the remakes of it alone make it something to talk about, you've guessed it: The Invasion. It's the fourth version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the original was released in 1956 with remakes following in 1978 and 1993. It will be interesting to see how this one holds up in comparsion. The historical adventure flick The Last Legion and teen comedy Superbad are also in wide release this week.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Filipinos Making Waves Festival
Films screenings on August 17, 18 & 19, 2007 at the Studio Theatre in Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/

Friday August 17, 2007 Releases

El Cantante
Dir: Leon Ichaso (Piñero, Sugar Hill)
Cast: Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Bernard Hernandez
USA
Limited Release

Gypsy Caravan
Dir: Jasmine Dellal (American Gypsy: A Stranger in Everybody's Land)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release

The Invasion
Dir: Oliver Hirschbiegel (Das Experiment, Downfall / Der Untergang)
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright
USA

The Last Legion
Dir: Doug Lefler - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Colin Firth, Aishwarya Rai, Ben Kingsley, Thojmas Sangsta, Kevin McKidd
USA/UK/France

Rocket Science
Writer/Dir: Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound)
Cast: Reece Daniel Thompson, Anna Kendrick, Nicholas D'Agosto, Vincent Piazza, Aaron Yoo
USA
Limited Release

Superbad
Dir: Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers)
Cast: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
USA

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 17, 2007**

Friday, August 10, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 10, 2007

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 10, 2007. This week we truly have a little of everything with biopics, comedies (romantic & action-oriented although not in the same film, shucks!), horror, drama and fantasy!

In limited release this week we have the Canadian A Stone's Throw. Go Canadian film! It's been a bit since we saw a new Canadian release. If you are looking for artist biopics, look no further with two to choose from this week: Klimt and Moliere. Rounding out the limited releases, Julie Delpy wears multiple hats by directing, writing and starring in this week's release of 2 Days in Paris. Julie Delpy is likely best known for her acting roles (Before Sunset & American Werewolf in Paris), however this film is her second feature as director.

In wide release, and I dare say my pick of the bunch, is Stardust based on Neil Gaiman novel. It looks quite interesting and I'm a sucker for Fantasy, alternate worlds and ideas? Bring it on. The remaining wide releases are the werewolf flick Skinwalkers and Brett Ratner's third installment in the Rush Hour films with Rush Hour 3. Am I the only one that gets Brett Ratner mixed up with Brent Spiner? Every time I hear he is directing in my mind I hear "Data is directing a film!". Perhaps, perhaps not.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Hot & Spicy Food Festival
Films screenings on August 11 & 12, 2007 at the Studio Theatre in Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/

Filmi South Asian Film Festival
August 9 - 12, 2007 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario
http://www.filmi.org/

Wednesday August 8, 2007 Releases

Daddy Day Camp
Dir: Fred Savage
Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae
USA

Friday August 10, 2007 Releases

2 Days in Paris
Writer/Dir: Julie Delpy (Looking for Jimmy)
Cast: Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Marie Pillet, Albert Delpy
Germany/France
Limited Release

Klimt
Dir: Raoul Ruiz (Días de campo, Les Âmes fortes)
Cast: John Malkovich, Saffron Burrows, Veronica Ferres
Austria/France/Germany/UK
Limited Release

Moliere
Dir: Laurent Tirard (Prête-moi ta main / I Do: How to Get Married and Stay Single)
Cast: Romain Duris, Laura Morant, Fabrice Luchini, Ludivine Sagnier
France
Limited Release

Rush Hour 3
Dir: Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand, Red Dragon, The Family Man, Rush Hour)
Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Vinnie Jones, Noémie Lenoir, Max Von Sydow
USA

Skinwalkers
Dir: James Isaac (Jason X)
Cast: Rhona Mitra, Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Kim Coates, Natassia Malthe
USA/Germany

Stardust
Dir: Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake)
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Ricky Gervais, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole
UK/USA

A Stone's Throw
Dir: Camelia Frieberg - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Kris Holden-Reid, Kathryn MacLellan, Lisa Ray, Aaron Webber
Canada
Limited Release

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 10, 2007**

Friday, August 03, 2007

Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 3, 2007

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 3, 2007: A Dragnet Version! Just the facts this week, enjoy.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Friday August 3, 2007 Releases

Arctic Tale
Dir: Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson - feature film directorial debuts
Documentary
Narrator: Queen Latifah
Limited Release
USA

Becoming Jane
Dir: Julian Jarrold (Kinky Boots, Some Kind of Life)
Cast: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters
Limited Release
UK/USA/Ireland

The Bourne Ultimatum
Dir: Paul Greengrass (United 93, The ourne Supremacy)
Cast:matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julie Stiles, David Strathairn
USA

Bratz
Dir: Sean McNamara
Cast: Nathalia Ramos, janel Parris, Skyler Shaye, Chelsea Staub
USA

Hot Rod
Dir: Akiva Schaffer - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Andy Samberg, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek, Ian McShane
USA

Underdog
Dir: Frederik Du Chau (Racing Stripes, Quest for Camelot)
Cast: James Belushi, Peter Dinklage
USA

Your Mommy Kills Animals
Dir: Curt Johnson
Documentary on the animal rights movement
USA
Limited Release

Wednesday August 8, 2007 Releases

Daddy Day Camp
Dir: Fred Savage
Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Rae

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada August 3, 2007**