Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 22, 2008!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 22, 2008! Well it is time to dust off the tiara's and bring out the snazzy outfits as The Oscar's are only 2 days away. I am delighted that there will be a live broadcast this Sunday February 24th, 2008 at 8PM EST/ 5PM PST. I'll be twittering through the awards announcing the winners, commenting on the speeches and all the pretty dresses so feel free to read along or twitter too! Looking for Oscar lists? Detail list of all names and nominations here, printable ballot from the Oscar's website here.

On to this week's releases. In limited release we have the Lebanese romantic comedy Caramel and 2 of the Oscar nominated documentaries Taxi to the Darkside and War Dance. They all appear to be very promising films.

The wide releases for this week have all been hyped a lot so I have a feeling the titles will be familiar to you. First up we have multiple point-of-view mystery/thriller Vantage Point. We also have the videotapes gone awry comedy Be Kind Rewind. Last but not least Charlie Bartlett, starting Anton Yelchin whom is slotted to play Chekov is the upcoming Star Trek prequel.

If none of this week's releases suit your fancy, I can recommend George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead for all the zombie & horror fans out there. Polar opposite recommendation would be for The Band's Visit which is a lovely understated film about cross cultural connection.

Have a great week!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Canadian Art Reel Artists Film Festival
Film festival focusing on film about visual artists
February 21-24, 2008 at various locations, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

OzFlix Australian Film Weekend
Showcasing Australian features, documentaries and shorts
February 22-24, 2008 at Royal Ontario Museum – Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre
100 Queen’s Park Circle, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Small Gauge Film Festival
Super 8 and small gauge films
February 22-23, 2008 at Trash Palace, 89B Niagara, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Previously Released * - Friday February 15, 2008

Jodhaa Akbar
Dir: Ashutosh Gowariker (Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India)
Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan
India
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page
'First Theatrical Trailer' spoiler-free until 2/3 of the way through

Be Kind Rewind
Writer/Dir: Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dave Chappelle's Block Party)
Cast: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
You get the gist of the film by the 1/2 way point, which is all I watched

Caramel / Sukkar banat
Dir: Nadine Labaki - directorial debut
Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmin Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisèle Aouad, Siham Haddad, Aziza Semaan, Fatme Safa, Fadia Stella, Adel Karam
France/Lebanon
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Spoiler-free until 3/4 of the way through

Charlie Bartlett
Dir: Jon Poll - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis, Robert Downey Jr., Kat Dennings
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
You will get the gist of the film by the 1/2 way point, spoiler free until about 3/4 point

Taxi to the Darkside
Writer/Dir: Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room)
Documentary about detention and the use of torture in locations such as Guantanamo Bay
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
I didn't watch trailer, I find this topic too disturbing

Vantage Point
Dir: Pete Travis (Omagh)
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Signourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, William Hurt
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free for the first 1/3, remaining shows what appears to be the whole film

War Dance
Writers/Dirs: Sean Fine & Andrea Nix - directorial debuts
Documentary following children from a Ugandan refugee camp as they compete in a national competition
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 2/3 point

*Jodhaa Akbar was released Friday Feb 15/08, however received so little coverage that it didn't make it in with the releases last week. It is currently playing in theatres in Toronto.

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 22, 2008**