Film Fan Fridays for Friday May 14, 2010!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday May 14, 2010! Looks like we are off to a big start to the summer season with the high grossing box office smash last week with Iron Man 2, although the reviews seemed a little lukewarm. Perhaps people will like this weeks Robin Hood better, straight from it's premiere at Cannes? Now that's an odd sentence. There are lots of choices this week for any film fan, in almost every genre.

In limited release this week we have 2 releases, starting with the South Korean drama/urban road movie My Dear Enemy / Meotjin haru that is not only visually stunning but also features subtle and beautiful performances from Jeon Do-Youn (Secret Sunshine) and Ha Jung-Woo (The Chaser). We also have the highly acclaimed Mother and Child (84% on Rotten Tomatoes and 65 on Metacritic) starring Annette Benning, Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson.

In wide release this week we have 5 releases starting with the release of the hilarious Canadian film The Trotsky, which stars Jay Baruchel as a Montreal high school student who is convinced he is the re-incarnation of Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. I kid you not. Next up is Mao's Last Dancer, a breathtaking biopic of dancer Li Cunxin (played by Chi Cao), based on the autobiography of the same name. Seeing the trailer alone can move me to tears. I had a chance to see Mao's Last Dancer at TIFF'09, which included a great introduction and Q&A with writer Jan Sardi that you can see here. Also in release is the sweet drama/romance Letters to Juliet starring Amanda Seyfreid and the ever lovely Vanessa Redgrave. Also out in wide release is the basketball themed romcom Just Wright starring Queen Latifah & Common and of course the biggie of the week is Ridley Scott's Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe & Cate Blanchett.

New theatre alert: Toronto Underground Cinema
Located at 186 Spadina (Queen & Spadina) and underground as the title would indicate, we have a new theatre in T-dot. Grand opening is tonight, Friday May 14, 2010 with a double bill of Clue and Big Trouble in Little China. Now, these are my kind of people, and we are in good company with over 1000 RSVP's to the 700 seat theatre according to their Facebook group. Sunday night is a Jim Henson appreciation night featuring Muppets Take Manhattan and Labyrinth. I look forward to hearing what else they dream up and of course, checking out the theatre itself!

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Inside Out
20th Annual Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival
May 20 - 30, 2010 in various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ryerson University Film Festival
5th annual presentation of films by the graduating class at Ryerson University
May 14 - 16, 2010 at The Royal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Russian Film Festival (TRFF)
May 14 - 16, 2010 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday May 14, 2010 Releases

Just Wright
Dir: Sanaa Hamri (The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2)
Cast: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, Pam Grier
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Letters to Juliet
Dir: Gary Winick (Bride Wars, 13 Going on 30)
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Egan, Gael García Bernal, Franco Nero
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Mao's Last Dancer
Dir: Bruce Beresford (Evelyn, Black Robe, Crimes of the Heart)
Cast: Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Joan Chen, Amanda Schull
Australia
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page, Trailer

Mother and Child
Writer/Dir: Rodrigo García (Passengers, "In Treatment")
Cast: Annette Benning, Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson, Eileen Ryan, Jimmy Smits
USA/Spain
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

My Dear Enemy / Meotjin haru
Dir: Lee Yoon-ki (Ad Lib Night / Aju teukbyeolhan sonnim, Love Talk / Reobeu tokeu)
Cast: Jeon Do-Youn, Ha Jung-woo
South Korea
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Robin Hood (2010)
Dir: Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator)
Cast: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Oscar Isaac, Mark Strong, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, Alan Doyle, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Eileen Atkins, Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Addy
USA/UK
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Trotsky
Writer/Dir: Jacob Tierney (Twist)
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Saul Rubinek, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Michael Murphy, Taylor Baruchel, Colm Feore, Geneviève Bujold, Kaniehtiio Horn, Ricky Mabe
Canada
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of May 14, 2010**