Film Fan Fridays for Friday March 21, 2008!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday March 21, 2008! It appears as the snow is (finally!) melted and we have reached the first day of spring, we have also had a turn around with film releases to include a larger amount of quality in the mix. We also kick off into festival season here in Toronto with two film festivals this week and then at least one a week for a good three months. See a rundown of Spring film festivals here. I'm really looking forward to the Canadian Film Fest up next week, it promises a rockin' variety of films and all are are brimming with home grown talent.

In limited release this week we have a whopping six films to explore. First up is the latest from Denys Arcand Days of Darkness / L'Âge des ténèbres, one of the selections for Canada's Top Ten (2007). We have two period pieces, Married Life set in the 1940's with a stellar cast including Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. The next period we visit is the 1810's with The Duchess of Langeais based on the Balzac novel. This film has a very interesting alternate title: Don't Touch the Axe. I wonder what that is all about. If you'd rather have some giggles, the checking out The Grand could be more your scene with it's mockumentary style and casino setting looks like it could be some good fun. I admit my curiosity is piqued strictly to see Werner Herzog in it with an over the top performance. Snow Angels is coming out this week, and I'm a bit perplexed on what exactly it's about but considering it's coming from David Gordon Green who brought us the wonderful treasure that is All the Real Girls, I think it's worth a shot. The last limited release is the latest from Guy Van Sant, the skateboarder tale Paranoid Park. I had the opportunity to see Paranoid Park at TIFF 07 and was not impressed with it overall and especially with the depiction of apathy, that being said it is getting high acclaim and if you are a Van Sant fan (especially Elephant), I think this could be up your alley.

We have three wide releases this week, first up is Drillbit Taylor starring Owen Wilson as a 'Budget Bodyguard' that high school kids hire to ward off bullies. Did I forget to mention it's a comedy? Yeah. Hmm. Ok, next up is Shutter a US horror film that is a remake of a 2004 Thai film of the same name. I'll admit it looks scary but also quite similar to other films by the noted 'Executive Producers': The Grudge & The Ring. Finally we have the newest from Tyler Perry with Meet the Brown's which looks rather endearing and stars Angela Bassett.

Have a fantastic long weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Canadian Film Fest
Celebrating exclusively Canadian film
March 25 – 29, 2008 with screenings at The Carlton and Varsity, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Queer 2 Fly Film Festival
Celebrating Canadian queer film
March 22-23, 2008 at Innis Town Hall, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sneak Preview

The upcoming comedy Run Fatboy Run directed by David Schwimmer, starring Simon Pegg, Dylan Moran, Thandie Newton and Hank Azaria has a sneak preview this Saturday March 22, 2008 at 7pm at Varsity, Silvercity Yonge/Eglinton, Sheppard Grand, Eglinton Town Centre and others. See the trailer here, you get the gist of the film about 1/3 way through, some pretty big spoilers in the rest of it.

Thursday March 20, 2008 Releases

The Duchess of Langeais / Ne touchez pas la hache
Dir: Jacques Rivette (Va Savoir, Paris nous appartient)
Cast: Jeanne Balibar, Guillaume Depardieu, Michel Piccoli, Bulle Ogier
France/Italy
Limited Release
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer

Paranoid Park
Writer/Dir: Guy Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Gerry, Elephant)
Cast: Gabe Nevins, Jake Miller, Taylor Momsen, Daniel Liu
France/USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site (UK site), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer containers a fair amount of the film, I'd say only watch the 1st half if at all

Friday March 21, 2008 Releases

Days of Darkness / L'Âge des ténèbres
Writer/Dir: Denys Arcand (The Barbarian Invasions / Les Invasions barbares, The Decline of the American Empire)
Cast: Marc Labrèche, Diane Kruger, Sylvie Léonard, Caroline Néron, Rufus Wainwright
Canada
Limited Release
TIFF 07 Link, IMDb Page, French Trailer

Drillbit Taylor
Dir: Steven Brill (Mr Deeds, Little Nicky, Without a Paddle)
Cast: Owen Wilson, Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, Ian Robers
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays clips from the film), IMDb Page, Trailer

The Grand
Dir: Zak Penn (Incident at Loch Ness)
Cast: Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Dennis Farina, Cheryl Hines, Richard Kind, Chris Parnell, Werner Herzog
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer

Married Life
Dir: Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue)
Cast: Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams, David Richmond-Peck
USA/Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Big spoilers at 1/3rd and 2/3rd of the way through

Shutter
Dir: Masayuki Ochiai (Kansen / Infection, Saimin / Hypnosis)
Cast: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, Megumi Okina
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is pretty scary, and spoiler free until 3/4 the way through

Snow Angels
Writer/Dir: David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls)
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Michael Angarano, Jeanetta Arnette
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Spoiler free until the hit the 1/3rd point, I stopped watching 3/4 way through

Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns
Writer/Dir: Tyler Perry (Why Did I Get Married? Madea's Family Reunion)
Cast: Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, David Mann, Tamela J. Mann, Tyler Perry
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Spoiler free til the 3/4 point

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of March 21, 2008**