Movie Box Review

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 29, 2008! We have lots of excitement this week. First off, The Oscars! Although it was a pretty calm show, it was still a lot of fun to watch and with no clear sweeper the most awards went to No Country for Old Men whom picked up 4 statues (see all winners here). Enjoyable overall, but I will admit I was not so thrilled that the Canadian nominee's didn't have any wins. Canada has its turn to shine with week with the Genie's. Sandra Oh is set to host and the Genies and the broadcast will be this Monday March 3rd, 2008 at 10pm EST on E! and IFC.

Speaking of Genies, out in limited release this week is Continental, un Film sans Fusil / Continental, a Film Without Guns which received 5 Genie nominations including Best Picture, it is also part of Canada's Top Ten 2007 and one of my favourite films of 2008 so far. We also have The Counterfeiters, Oscar winner for this year for Foreign Language film, City of Men, a remake of a mini series of the same name and from the producers of the highly acclaimed City of God. The last of our limited releases is the 70's set swingers film, Viva.

The wide releases for this week include Penelope which looks like a Disney inspired Twilight Zone episode, Will Ferrell sports comedy Semi-Pro and The Other Boleyn Girl, which is the same premise as the television series "The Tudor's".

Have a great week!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
Human Rights Oriented films including Taxi to the Dark Side, Chop Shop and others
February 28-March 5, 2008 at various locations, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Special Screenings

Music for the Screen
Series of music films showing Canada Music Week
Including: Great World of Sounds, The Golem, Songs from the Soul, D Tour
March 5-8, 2008 at The Royal, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

World's Best Commercials
2007 London International Advertising Awards
March 1 & 2, 2008 at The Bloor Cinema

Friday February 29, 2008 Releases

City of Men / Cidade dos Homens
Dir: Paulo Morelli (Viva Voz / Speaker Phone, O Preço da Paz)
Cast: Douglas Silva, Darland Cunha, Jonathan Haagensen, Rodrigo dos Santos
Brazil
Limited Release
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler-free until 1/2 way point

Continental, un film sans fusil / Continental, a Film Without Guns
Writer/Dir: Stéphane LaFleur - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Réal Bossé, Marie-Ginette Guay, Fanny Mallette, Pauline Martin, Gilbert Sicotte, Marie Brassard, Dominique Quesnel
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site (French, autoplays trailer), Telefilm Link, IMDb Page, French Trailer

The Counterfeiters / Die Fälscher
Dir: Stefan Ruzowitzky (All the King's Men, Anatomie / Anatomy)
Cast: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach
Austria/Germany
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
You get the gist of the film by the 2/3rds point

The Other Boleyn Girl
Dir: Justin Chadwick (Sleeping with the Fishes)
Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess
UK/USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer shows a fair amount, I stopped watching 1/3rd of the way in and felt like I knew too much

Penelope
Dir: Mark Palansky - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Reese Witherspoon
UK/USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 3/4 way through

Semi-Pro
Dir: Kent Alterman - directorial debut
Cast: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Maura Tierney
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
You get the gist of the film by the 1/2 way point

Viva
Writer/Dir: Anna Biller (The Hypnotist)
Cast: Anna Biller, Bridget Brno, Jared Sanford, Chad England
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer (select 'View Trailer' at top left)
Trailer & Site are pretty racy.

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 29, 2008**

Well, the Academy Awards have come and gone for yet another year. It was a lot of fun to twitter though and participate in Row Three's live chat. Overall, I think it was a pretty calm year and most of the shoe-in's got their shoe in and I know many people will be happy with the Coen Brother's 4 victories for No Country for Old Men, including Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Actor in a supporting role. There was a lot of sharing the love this year, many films going home with just 1 award but there are 2 perfect prizes in my book for The Bourne Ultimatum and Once, as both films won all categories they were nominated in.

Kudo's to CTV for great Red Carpet coverage, and for chatting with all the Canadian nominee's.

Here is the list of winners, first by category and then by film. Enjoy!

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

Best animated feature film of the year
Ratatouille - Brad Bird

Achievement in art direction
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Achievement in cinematography
There Will Be Blood - Robert Elswit

Achievement in costume design
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Alexandra Byrne

Achievement in directing
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men

Best documentary feature
Taxi to the Dark Side - Alex Gibney and Eva Orner

Best documentary short subject
Freeheld - Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth

Achievement in film editing
The Bourne Ultimatum - Christopher Rouse

Best foreign language film of the year
The Counterfeiters - Austria

Achievement in makeup
La Vie en Rose - Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
Atonement - Dario Marianelli

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
Falling Slowly from Once Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

Best motion picture of the year
No Country for Old Men

Best animated short film
Peter & the Wolf - Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best live action short film
Le Mozart des Pickpockets / The Mozart of Pickpockets : Philippe Pollet-Villard

Achievement in sound editing
The Bourne Ultimatum - Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg

Achievement in sound mixing
The Bourne Ultimatum - Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis

Achievement in visual effects
The Golden Compass - Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood

Adapted screenplay
No Country for Old Men - Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Original screenplay
Juno - Written by Diablo Cody

Awards by number of wins

No Country for Old Men (4)
Best motion picture of the year
Achievement in directing - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Adapted screenplay - Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Performance by an actor in a supporting role - Javier Bardem

The Bourne Ultimatum (3)
Achievement in film editing - Christopher Rouse
Achievement in sound editing - Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
Achievement in sound mixing - Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis

There Will Be Blood (2)
Performance by an actor in a leading role - Daniel Day-Lewis
Achievement in cinematography - Robert Elswit

La Vie en Rose (2)
Performance by an actress in a leading role - Marion Cotillard
Achievement in makeup - Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

Michael Clayton (1)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role - Tilda Swinton

Ratatouille (1)
Best animated feature film of the year - Brad Bird

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1)
Achievement in art direction - Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (1)
Achievement in costume design - Alexandra Byrne

Taxi to the Dark Side (1)
Best documentary feature - Alex Gibney and Eva Orner

Freeheld (1)
Best documentary short subject - Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth

The Counterfeiters
Best foreign language film of the year - Austria

Atonement (1)
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) - Dario Marianelli

Once (1)
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)- Falling Slowly Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

Peter & the Wolf (1)
Best animated short film - Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Le Mozart des Pickpockets / The Mozart of Pickpockets (1)
Best live action short film - Philippe Pollet-Villard

The Golden Compass (1)
Achievement in visual effects - Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood

Juno (1)
Original screenplay - Written by Diablo Cody

See the Oscars site here

Get your live Oscar updates from Movie Moxie on Twitter. Red Carpet arrivals have already begun. Less than 2 hours to the awards show!

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Also check out Row Three for more live Oscar fun!

Only one day away from the big event! As a reminder I will be twittering be through the show announcing all the winners. So, if you aren't going to be watching you can still hear all the news! Or you can twitter along too! Row Three announced they will be live blogging during the awards, and I will definitely stop by there as well.

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Row Three

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**

Well, it has been an interesting week. I got out to a two films in the theatre, Up the Yangtze and George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead. Odd duo, that is for sure but both films were great. Up the Yangtze is a powerful and moving documentary which I highly recommend seeing. It was also great to catch George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead, which is in fact the first of his films that I've seen and it was a lot of zombie fun I had a great time seeing it, and only have to cover my eyes a few times.

In a gentler mood, being Valentine's this past week I decided to try a romance that has been sitting on my shelf collecting dust. The 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright (Atonement) and staring Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen. It was fine, but about 1/2 way thought I realized I did know the story from the 2004 Bollywood-inspired Bride & Prejudice so that took the whole trying to figure it out piece away. I don't think romances are my thing. At least not British period romances.



On to another genre! I'm still catching up on some western that didn't find their way to me during the blitz last November and in general, still enjoying them. I saw For a Few Dollars More, the 2nd of The Man With No Name Trilogy. It was quite good with compelling characters and great acting. It was pretty violent but not as much as The Wild Bunch, which I also started to watch but ended up turning off. The last western of the week was John Wayne's Oscar winning performance picture, True Grit. Definitely not his best film but it was quite good and the dialogue was fantastic between the three primary characters, one of which is a spitfire girl which was awesome to see.

I also caught up on the French short, The Red Balloon which was delightful. I was curious to see it, although it would probably have been better to see it before Hou Hsiao-hsien Le Voyage du ballon rouge, which I saw at TIFF 07. I also caught up with the Canadian Who Loves the Sun, starring Molly Parker in a Genie nominated performance. The film is a little uneven but does successfully capture the atmosphere of family drama.

What would be a week without catching some scary flicks? No fun I say! That is why I watched the 1960 classic Village of the Damned. Heh, I just realized I meant to get the 1995 John Carpenter version, but I'm sure I'll run across that another day. The film was freaky and totally creeped me out, although some of the effect feel a little off at times it is still quite a gem. Last but not least is Terry Gilliam's Brazil. I had not even considered watching this film as I knew it was disturbing. I'm not sure what changed my mind, but overall I'm gald I took a chance on it as it was a wild film. Highly creative in the world it creates and it's connection to out own, the production & art design are fantastic but it is quite disturbing in terms of imagery and even ideas.

Speaking of disturbing, on my way home from George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead I came across, the following. How fitting, and bizarre.



Odd preview of the week: Caramel. The film looks interesting for sure, but it feels like they are trying to 'hide' the fact that it's not in English by having an English voice over and mostly showing people laughing of saying words that require no translation. In my experience people have a strong opinion on subtitled films, so I don't think 'hiding' is a great choice. Here's the trailer (watch only 1/2 half is sensitive to spoilers)



This coming week I'm planning on seeing: The Band's Visit, Enchanted, The Hidden and hopefully 3-Iron.

How was your week in film?

Writer/Dir: George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead)
Cast: Michelle Morgan, Joshua Close, Amy Ciupak Lalonde, Shawn Roberts, Philip Riccio
USA, 2008

Seen: January 22/08 at Scotiabank

Reason to see: Zombie movie!!!!! I missed it at TIFF 07

It is always fun to watch a good zombie movie, and this one pairs the classic horror elements in with the current flavour of today but without the banality that has hovered in many horror flicks of late. The style of the film has an impressive fluidity to it considering it incorporates multiple camera points of view which in some cases could be jarring but here it works very well. The scares are there with many jumps and eye covering moments, but it also plays with the question that can be a lot more scary which is what will people do. What would you do? Oh, what would you not do? When is being indifferent, being different from everyone else. Is it easier to record the horror than to engage in your current reality?

Warning: Violence, gore, some shaky-cam

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'd buy it
I'd recommend it to zombie, horror and current culture fans

8 minutes of preshow including 4 commercial and 2 previews: Shutter and The Midnight Meat Train

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Dir: Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars, Once Upon a Time in the West)
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè, Klaus Kiniski
Italy/Spain/West Germany/Morocco, 1965

Seen: February 10, 2008 thanks to the Toronto Public Library

Reason to see: Western, and I loved Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The / Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo which is part of the same trilogy

I know I continually refer to not enjoying films that are basically about people doing bad things for money but this one seems to me an exception. Considering the story follows bounty hunters, the film includes its fair share of violence and human indifference. That being said it has a strong story, fantastic characters and great interplay between those characters. Both Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef bring stellar performances with this film as men whom share the same goal, but little else. A classic spaghetti western which includes a chilling score, gunfights galore and great lines.

Warnings: Violence, some is quite disturbing

Shannon's Overall View:
I thought it was good
I'd watch it again
I'd recommend it to western fans

Side note: I almost didn't watch it as it was a dubbed in English VHS version. My preference is always to see films in their original language with English subtitles, and I hope to see this film in that way in the future.

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Writer/Dir: Yung Chang - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
Canada, 2008

Seen: February 11, 2008 at the Cumberland

Reason to see: Canadian

This is an astounding documentary that focuses on the affect of the creation of the Three Gorges Dam megaproject in China. The project to create the dam is so vast, that seeing it is overwhelming and seeing the direct impact on the people is not only tragic but also laced with irony. We all know that the only constant is change, but this kind of change is heartbreaking. Thankfully, the unimposing style of the film guides us gently through the many lives and stories shifting the focus between main story of Cindy Yu Shui and her Family, to the director's own story, to individual moments and even our own experience of the film itself. The pacing is seamless, and the emotional connectivity is very strong though the highs and the lows. Engaging and important, this is a film not to be missed.

The film focuses mainly on the Yu Family, who are still affected by this situation. Support for them can be made here.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'd watch it again
I highly recommend it

7 minutes of preshow including 2 commercials and 3 previews: Sex in the City: The Movie, Caramel and City of Men.

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Dir: Sam Peckinpah (Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, Major Dundee)
Cast: William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Bo Hopkins
USA, 1969

Seen: February 10, 2008 thanks to the Toronto Public Library

Reason to see: Often labelled 'one of the best westerns', and it's #9 rated western on imdb

This is a Non-Review, as I turned the film off 17 minutes in.

I was very surprized that I turned off this film, I was looking forward to seeing it as I've enjoyed many westerns recently. This one was too harsh for my tastes and felt like a tale of bad people doing bad things. I do think it is a quality film with strong acting and successfully creates an atmosphere of tension, fear and trepidation. That being said, it also depicts horrific and inhumane actions from almost all of the characters be they the bad guys, the good guys and even children. That was when I knew it was not a film for me.

Warnings: Violence

Shannon's Overall View:
It turned me off
I'd not watch it again
I'd recommend it to people who like gangster-style westerns

Return to Film Reviews

© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Earlier this week I received DIY Book Club package! Late last year I noticed often in my reviews I would indicate 'I'd buy it' in my overall view when I would consider it a repeat viewing film that was really good. But, I realized I rarely buy DVD's. Hence the DIY Book/Entertainment Club and now I can walk the talk! I got creative with my budget and slotted $50/month to build my library. My sister Jamie is also doing this, see her post here.

I originally thought of this as a book club, then an Entertainment Club with the idea of 1 book 1 CD and 1 movie. But then again, why should there be rules? Other than my budget, which I'll stick to without a doubt, I think I'll just pick whatever suits my fancy that month. Oh my, did I just plan spontaneity? Well, gotta start somewhere!

February's choices pictured above are:

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters DVD
I loved this film, it was one of my favourites from last year. I am really looking forward to watching all the extras on the DVD. (amazon.ca link)

In the Mood for Love DVD
I adore this movie, and thought it would be fitting considering the whole February/Valentine's Day thing. (amazon.ca link)

Chronicles of the Cheysuli Volume I & II Books
I love this series by Jennifer Roberson, but I don't have all 8 of the books so I'm working on completing the set. I prefer the original cover art but those ones are hard to find now. (amazon.ca link)

Hmmm, nothing was 'new to me' this time around. I'll have to consider that when I'm being spontaneous in March.

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 15, 2008! It's been a while since I can say that all of the releases for the week look really good. I guess mid February is when the year gets back on track!

Limited releases this week are bountiful, starting with the highly acclaimed The Band's Visit, which looks like a great film expressing human nature with dry wit. I am really forward to seeing that, even though I do find it odd when there are subtitles when the spoken language is mostly English. It continues to be year full of documentaries with two more being released with week: The Ants and Garbage Warrior. Both focus on 1 person and an issue, with The Ants the issue is Japanese soldiers whom were forced to stay in China after WWII and Garbage Warrior focuses on sustainable housing. Our final release of the week I will admit my surprize that is a limited release and the film is George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead. It's hot of the tails of Cloverfield, another film shot in the first-person style. However, not only does Diary of the Dead have zombies, they are running a contest where you can submit your short horror film for a chance for it to be on the DVD release of the film, and the shorts are to be judged by Mr. Romero himself. How cool is that. Check out the films MySpace page for more details, it notes the contest runs until Feb 29/08.

No new wide releases this week, but all the carry over films from last week are: Jumper, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Step Up 2 the Streets and Definitely, Maybe.

Additions There were two previously released films I had not yet noted here: Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both World's Tour a 3D concert film was released Feb 1, 2008 and the Canadian A Winter Tale set in Toronto's Parkdale came out February 13, 2008. More details below.

Have a great week!

Shannon

Previously Released - Friday February 1, 2008

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both World's Tour
Dir: Bruce Hendricks - feature directorial debut
Cast: Miley Ray Cyrus
3-D Concert Film
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Previously Released - Wednesday February 13, 2008

A Winter Tale
Dir: Frances-Anne Solomon (Peggy Su!, What My Mother Told Me)
Cast: Peter Williams, p! Barrington, Dennis "Sprangalang" Hall, Valerie Buhagiar, Nicole Stamp, Bobby Del Rio
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
First half of the trailer is spoiler free

Friday February 15, 2008 Releases

The Ants / Ari no heitai
Dir: Kaoru Ikeya (Daughter from Yan'an / Enan no musume)
Documentary on Japanese soldiers whom after WWII were 'volunteered' to stay in China
Japan
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page

The Band's Visit
Writer/Dir: Eran Kolirin - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Uri Gavriel, Sasson Gabai, Imad Jabarin, Ronit Elkabetz, Salah Bakri, Shlomi Avraham
Israel/France/UK
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is pretty spoiler free, but if very sensitive I'd say watch first 2/3rds only

Garbage Warrior
Dir: Oliver Hodge - directorial debut
Documentary on Michael Reynolds, an architect committed to sustainable housing
UK
Limited Release
VIFF link, Hot Docs Link, IMDb Page

George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead
Writer/Dir: George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead)
Cast: Michelle Morgan, Joshua Close, Amy Ciupak Lalonde, Shawn Roberts, Philip Riccio
USA
Limited Release
Film MySpace Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
I chose not to watch the trailer, so watch at your own risk!

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 15, 2008**

Welcome to my week in review! Starting off with a fun morning enjoying TCM with a set of classic science fiction films. I watched Forbidden Planet, which I hadn't seen in years and dialogue cracked me up as it is so tongue-in-cheek. I also watched Them!, which I hadn't seen before and was a great classic monster movie.

All Hat was the surprize delight of the week. This unimposing and cleverly crafted Canadian film was well worth braving the snow on Wednesday. I stayed and watched Love & Other Dilemmas making it a Canadian double bill night, but I was disappointed at this film it pulled in a lot of different themes and some were funny but almost none were plausible. Even so, it has some cute moments.




Although I've decided not to watch all the Oscar nominated films this year, I am taking the opportunity to see the ones I wanted to see and missed, which is how I caught up on seeing La Vie en Rose / La Môme. The performance of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf is stellar, and it is a very strong film. I had no idea she had such a challenging life. My only grr moment is that the songs were not subtitled, and I really wanted to know the words. Other than that it was fantastic, but sometimes sad, film.

Continental, un film sans fusil / Continental, a Film Without Guns was without a doubt the highlight of the week. The screening was at Cinematheque as a part of Canada's Top Ten. Not only was is a beautiful film attended by a engaged audience, but the director Stéphane LaFleur and Cinematographer Sara Mishara were in attendance and there was a delightful Q&A after the film. What a treat! As a bonus, I've now seen all of the Best Motion Picture nominees for The Genies. Yay!

I caught up with a hidden gem, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring / Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom. When I took it out at the library they asked me about it and all I could think to say was that it's highly acclaimed (if you are Rotten Tomatoes fan you will know this is true, it has an extraordinary high score). I am still not sure how or when I heard about it but I am glad I did, completely loved it. Rich in symbolism, and beautiful overall.

The Big Lebowski was the only meh moment of the week. It's the first film in quite a while that I turned off. I'm not a Coen brothers fan to begin with, and any film that has someone urinating as part of the plot holds no interest in it what so ever.

Last but not least I finally saw The Lookout with Joesph Gordon-Levitt. It was not what I expected at all thinking it would be a crime-thriller, which technically it is but it reads for the majority of the time as a drama and quite simplistic. It is worth watching, presenting interesting and solid acting by Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels and Matthew Goode.

This coming week I'm hoping to see, Up the Yangtze, Enchanted and catch up on a few westerns The Wild Bunch and For a Few Dollars More.

What did you see this week?

Writer/Dir: Ki-duk Kim (Bin-jip / 3-Iron, Hae anseon / The Coast Guard)
Cast: Yeong-su Oh, Ki-duk Kim, Young-min Kim, Yeo-jin Ha, Jae-kyeong Seo
South Korea/Germany, 2003

Seen: February 2, 2008 thanks to the Toronto Public Library

Reason to see: critical acclaim

It's not very often I see a film and immediately want to see everything the director has done, and this is one of those times. Gentle pacing paired with stunning visuals bring this film to be more than just a simple viewing experience but an experience in it of itself. A personal journey that isn't always easy to watch but always feels like it is getting closer and closer to the truth. This is a gem of a film.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I'll buy it
I highly recommend it

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© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Dir: Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Barton Fink)
Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, David Huddleston
USA/UK, 1998

Seen: February 2, 2008 thanks to the Toronto Public Library

Reason to see: General critical acclaim, renewed buzz after the release of No Country for Old Men and it really is just one of those films everyone talks about

This is a Non-Review, as I turned the film off 20 minutes in.

I will say that I did get a sense of cleverness in this film, mostly in the dialogue and going for the unexpected at moments but overall I couldn't see it though. Mean people, intimidation, gender crap... are all out in full force. It isn't for me.

Shannon's Overall View:
Of what I did see, I didn't like
I'd not watch it again
I'd not recommend it

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© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Dir: Olivier Dahan (Crimson Rivers 2, Ghost River)
Cast: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Jean-Pierre Martins
France/UK/Czech Republic, 2007

Seen: February 5, 2008 on Rogers Direct

Reason to see: The clip shown at the Golden Globes captivated me

I went into seeing this film knowing almost nothing about the life story of Edith Piaf on which it is based, and I think you can get a lot from it without foreknowledge of her life. The strongest element of the film is the performance by Marion Cotillard, whom shows such a range of acting skills it's hard to believe it was all one person. There has been many music biopics in the past few years and it is understandable considering what interesting, although hard, lives that they tend to lead and this film is no different. Having talent by the bucketload, but not necessary luck we watch with hearts on our sleeves and fingers crossed as the film plays though. A fascinating portrait of a phenomenal woman.

My one reservation was that the songs were not subtitled, and my French is nowhere near being able to understand them. I'm sure they were picked to be played at poignant moments, but the meanings had to be conveyed by intuition rather than understanding so that was a bit of a challenge.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'd watch it again (especially if there were subtitles during the songs!)
I'd recommend it to music fans

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© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Writer/Dir: Scott Frank - directorial debut
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, Laura Vandervoort
USA, 2007

Seen: February 9th, 2008 on TMN

Reason to see: This film seemed to get good buzz, and after watching Brick, I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one to watch.

I will admit this film wasn't quite what I expected, going in I thought it would be just another crime/heist movie. Although that is the setting I don't necessarily think that is the message . Are you going to accept the life that was dealt to you, or strive for more? Whose opinion will you take to heart? Who are really your friends, and what would you do or not do for them. I think these are much more interesting questions that a simple heist film would not normally go into. Loyalty is a common them in them for sure, but this brings something more. One thing it certainly brings is good performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels and Matthew Goode.

Shannon's Overall View:
It surprized me
I'd watch it again
I'd recommend it

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© Shannon Ridler, 2008

Dir: Gordon Douglas (Stagecoach, Young at Heart)
Cast: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, James Arness, Onslow Stevens
USA, 1954

Seen: February 2, 2008 on TCM

Reason to see: Classic monster movie fun!

I was impressed with this film. Expecting only a fun film, and there was so much more. Successful creation of tension that was almost Hitchcock like. A solid story backed by great characters, including a woman scientist which rocks considering it was released in 1954. And of course, there were monsters which is always fun! As a side note, I was surprized how many themes and ideas in the film that have popped up in other films including: Alien, Aliens, Men in Black and The Host / Gwoemul.

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'd watch it again
I'd recommend is as classic monster/sci-fi fun

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© Shannon Ridler, 2008

The BAFTA's sure spread the love this year with many films getting just one win. The sweeper is La Vie en Rose with 4 awards, followed by No Country for Old Men with 3 and then the Atonement and The Bourne Ultimatum with 2 each. It's a little surprizing that Atonement won best film considering it only won 2 awards overall. In the acting categories we can looks at the winners and most nod along with shoe in's, and then for supporting actress we have Tilda Swinton! I didn't see that coming. She is so excellent that I'm very happy to see it, just surprized. Congratulations to all the winners!

Here are the results:

Best Film - Atonement
Best British Film - This is England
The Carl Foreman Award * - Matt Greenhalgh, writer, Control
Director - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
Original Screenplay - Diablo Cody for Juno
Adapted Screenplay - Ronald Harwood for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Film Not in the English Language - The Lives of Others
Animated Film - Ratatouille
Leading Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Leading Actress - Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Music - La Vie En Rose, Christopher Gunning
Cinematography - No Country for Old Men, Roger Deakins
Editing - The Bourne Ultimatium, Christopher Rouse
Production Design - Atonement, Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer
Costume Design - La Vie en Rose, Marit Allen
Sound - The Bourne Ultimatum, Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/David Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg
Special Visual Effects - The Golden Compass, Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Wood
Make up & Hair - La Vie en Rose - Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne
Short Animation - The Pearce Sisters, Jo Allen/Luis Cook
Short Film - Dog Altogether, Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine
The Orange Rising Star Award (public vote) - Shia LeBeouf

*special achievement by British director, writer or producer in their first feature film

Full listing of nominees and winners here on the BAFTA site.

Filmmakers The Booth Brothers Live from Las Vegas National Association of Television Program Executives. NATPE is a global, non-profit organization dedicated to the creation, development and distribution of televised programming in all forms across all mature and emerging media platforms. NATPE develops and nurtures opportunities, both commercial and educational, for buying, selling and sharing of content and ideas. Courtesy of the Tonight Show and Spooked TV.

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 8, 2008! This is almost a double issue considering in addition to the films being released today, we also have numerous releases for next Thursday February 14th so that all the lovebirds will have something to watch (or ignore) if they chooose to cuddle in the theatre on Valentine's day.

Starting today we have six films to choose from and with that there is an even split of three limited releases and three wide releases. Two of the limited releases are Canadian and both are heavyweights. First up is Up the Yangtze, a documentary focused on the affect of the Three Gorges Dam and I am most certainly going to see this one, it looks amazing. Our second Canadian film if Normal, a drama by Carl Bessai exploring grief with powerful performances with a cast including Carrie-Anne Moss, Callum Keith Rennie and Kevin Zegers. The third limited release is Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show, a documentary that follows a comedy troupe for 30 shows in 30 days.

Wide releases this week are all comedies of one kind or another, starting with Fool's Gold, the romantic-comedy-adventure film which preview did not impress me at all but Andy Tennant is directing and he did bring us Hitch and Sweet Home Alabama, both of which were quite charming. Next up is In Bruges, a crime-comedy of hitmen on vacation but we all know hitmen are never really on vacation, are they? Last up is Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, the latest Martin Lawrence comedy which I could barely make it through the trailer. Slapstick, physical comedy and many "Oh no you didn't!" moments will be present.

Just before next week's releases we have a slew of wide releases on Valentine's Day. It is a surprize that none appear to be full-on romances. Definitely, Maybe is the closest as a drama focusing on a father/daughter relationship and reminiscing of past loves. It is followed by outr second dance film of the year Step Up 2 the Streets which has almost no recognizable connection to the original Step Up, but I will see nonetheless because, yes, it is a dance film. Next up is Jumper, which looks promising to be a fun spin on action style films, and the last of the Valentine's Day release is the kid's adventure flick The Spiderwick Chronicles.

If that isn't enough, award's season is still in full effect, the BAFTA's (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) will be held this Sunday February 10th, 2008.

Have a great week & a Happy Valentine's Day!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Reel Politik Film Festival
Showcasing political films that address global concerns
February 7-9, 2008 at Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility
1 Devonshire Pl, in the Munk Centre South House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday February 8, 2008 Releases

Fool's Gold
Dir: Andy Tennant (Hitch, Sweet Home Alabama, Anna and the King, Ever After)
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena, Ewen Bremner, Ray Winstone
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer shows a fair amount of the movie, you get the gist of if just after the 1/2 way point

In Bruges
Writer/Dir: Martin McDonagh - feature film directorial debut, Oscar winner for short live action film Six Shooter
Cast: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes
UK/Belgium
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer safe til about the 1/2 way point

Normal
Dir: Carl Bessai (Unnatural & Accidental, Severed, Emile)
Cast: Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Zegers, Callum Keith Rennie, Tygh Runyan, Camille Sullivan
Canada
Limited Release
Mongrel Media Link, IMDb Page, Unable to locate a trailer

Up the Yangtze/ 沿江⽽上
Writer/Dir: Yung Chang - feature film directorial debut
Documentary centred around the affect of the creation of the the Three Gorges Dam megaproject in China
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is spoiler free, and captivating

Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show
Dir: Ari Sandel - feature film directorial debut
Documentary following a 30 city in 30 nights comedy tour featuring Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Sebastian Maniscalco and Bret Ernst
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is spoiler free

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
Writer/Dir: Malcolm D. Lee (Roll Bounce, Undercover Brother, The Best Man)
Cast: Martin Lawrence, James Earl Jones, Margaret Avery, Joy Bryant, Cedric the Entertainer
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is spoiler free

Thursday February 14, 2008 Releases

Definitely, Maybe
Writer/Dir: Adam Brooks (The Invisible Circus, Almost You)
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, Derek Luke, Elizabeth Banks
UK
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free to the 1/2 way point

Jumper
Dir: Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Swingers)
Cast: Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Premise is unveiled in the first 1/3 of trailer, if you are intrigued I'd say stop watching there and catch the rest in the theatre

The Spiderwick Chronicles
Dir: Mark Waters (Just Like Heaven, Mean Girls, The House of Yes)
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays images from film), IMDb Page, Trailer
You get the gist of the film just after the 1/2 way point after which is shows a fair amount of content

Step Up 2 the Streets
Dir: Jon Chu (When the Kids are Away, Silent Beats)
Cast: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Telisa Shaw, Will Kemp, Adam G. Sevani
USA
Film MySpace Page (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
All the trailer gives away, is that there isn't really much to give away...

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 14, 2008**

Every year I seem to be faced with a few moments of hesitation to see films because they are a book to film adaptation when I've not read the book, or sequels/remakes where I've not seen (or it's been a long time since I've seen) the original.

This year, I am planning a pre-emptive strike! I'm planning my books to read and films to revisit well ahead the time to no longer will I be faced with those "I want to see that but..." moments. Here are is my plan so far.

New Film: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Homework: Prince Caspian: Return to Narnia by C.S. Lewis *
Estimated release date: May 16, 2008

I loved the first Narnia film, and hope to enjoy the second just as much. I only read the first book as a child so hoping to enjoy the series as it continues.

New Film: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Film Series: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Estimated Release Date: May 22, 2008

I think I might make a triple-bill weekend to get ready for this one. These films are by no means personal classics so re-watching is a must to get on the up-and-up for the Crystal Skull. My strongest memory of them was seeing Temple of Doom for my brother's birthday and that it really scared me, particularly one of the dinner scenes. After reading parental advisory link (contains spoilers) on imdb, it's pretty surprizing it was PG here. I'm sure now I'll be able to take it, or at least know when to cover my eyes.

New Film: The Road
Book: The Road by Cormac McCarthy *
Estimated release date: 2008

I have a friend whom said she read this all in one go at an airport, talk about the sign of a good book. After discussing it more, I decided I wanted to read it. At the time I had no idea it was the same author of "No Country for Old Men". Bizarre, I had no interest in that film at all but really want to read this.

I'm thrilled that all of these titles are available at the library (yay!). That's what will be keeping me busy here and there. How about you, any film homework in the works?

*book links are to amazon.ca (Canadian site)

Every February I look forward to this day, the day which I get to pick up the Film Review Year in Review Yearbook. I first got this back in 2001 (is that long enough ago to even say 'back in'?), when I was seriously getting into film due to taking a GenEd Film class while studying fashion. I missed the 2005 issue (grr!!), but otherwise have all issues since then and plan on always getting them.

It's a magazine from the UK, so the release dates are completely different than here in Canada, which is one reason I like to get the issues in succession. I also love that it doesn't feel the need to bow down to Hollywood films and says what is what. It goes without saying that it is a great resource for UK films. Out of all the reviews, I often add their 5/5 reviews to the every growing 'must see list'. There were only 27 5/5 reviews (excluding re-releases) so I think I'll consider picking out some of the 4/5's this year.It is also a great resource to hear about films that haven't gotten a lot of coverage here, this issue had 113 films I've never heard of which floored me considering I write about new releases every week!

It's one of the best days there is, I love to read though the reviews with tea and highlighter in hand, plotting and planning and listing away!

NAGS's Comment:

"I have seen this and recommend itto anyone who is interested in the paranormal,believe me when I truly say, is worth watcing, very fascinating, and very well put together.... Our hats go off to everyone who was involved in its making!!!!!! Good work Guys!!!! Loved the story behind the case's, very interesting as well as very sad. can't wait to see more.

Hugs ANITA AND MEL TALLBULL"