Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 24, 2010

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 24, 2010! Well it was a quiet two weeks but after famine there is feasting to be had. We have over 2 days 14 release. 14! Yikes. Talk about a lot to choose from!

In limited release this week we have one of my most anticipated films of the year with Never Let Me Go, based on the phenomenal book by the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro and starring Carey Mulligan (An Education), Andrew Garfield (Boy A, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Keira Knightly, Sally Hawkins, Charlotte Rampling, directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo), and I'm going to leave it at that it feels like the less you know the better. Continuing with fiction centric films we have Australian feel good comedy/musical Bran Nue Dae, Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut from Jack Goes Boating and A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop, Zhang Yimou's remake of Blood Simple. We have lots of documentaries this week including I Am Comic, Whatever It Takes and indie-biggie Catfish, a documentary about 2 friends documenting the online-instigated romance of their friend has been shrouded in mystery and telling us that they aren't telling us everything. Interesting idea there. And blurring the lists of life, documentary, art and fiction we have the Casey Affleck directed I'm Still Here starring actor Joaquim Phoenix. And I say 'starring' not 'featuring' on purpose as the film was initially presented as a documentary about Joaquim Phoenix's transition into being an aspiring rapper, but it has been revealed by director Casey Affleck that it isn't a documentary but that a "ruse was necessary to ensure audience experienced the film's narrative, about the disintegration of celebrity, without the clutter of preconceived notions" (source). Wow. I'm undecided if I think that is gutsy, or crazy, or both - although with this being the case it's a shame the ruse was unveiled before it hit regular theatres.

We also have the Bell Lightbox (TIFF's new home base, theatre space & more) showing 3 limited releases of several films with as of Thursday September 23, 2010 including Xavier Dolan's latest Les Amours Imaginaires / Heartbeats, the highly acclaimed A Film Unfinished and the Palme D'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives from director Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

In wide release this week we have just 3 releases, which seems of so very pale in comparison to the other 11 films we are seeing, but I know there are on many peoples anticipated films lists, especially Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps a 23-year-later sequel to 1987 film Wall Street. This time round we have Michael Douglas back reprising his role as Gordon Gekko and added to the cast is Carey Mulligan and Shia LaBeouf. Next up is Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole which is from director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), and is and animated (and in 3D) film about owls kidnapped and brainwashed to be soldiers. Every time I see the commercial it just seems stranger and stranger to me. Last up for wide releases is You Again where high school drama flairs after the fact when a woman realizes her brother is marrying her old nemesis.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Brazilian Film Festival of Toronto
September 23 -26, 2010 at The Bloor location in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

COMMFFEST
(Global) Community Film Festival
September 23 -26, 2010 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Thursday September 22, 2010 Releases

Les Amours Imaginaires / Heartbeats
Writer/Dir: Xavier Dolan (J'ai tué ma mère / I Killed My Mother)
Cast: Xavier Dolan, Niels Schneider, Monia Chokri, Anne Dorval
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

A Film Unfinished
Dir: Yael Hersonski - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
Germany/Israel
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Writer/Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Syndromes and a Century)
Cast: Sakda Kaewbuadee, Jenjira Pongpas, Thanapat Saisaymar
Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Spain/Netherlands
Limited Release
No Official Film Site Found, IMDb Page, Trailer

Friday September 23, 2010 Releases

Bran Nue Dae
Dir: Rachel Perkins (Radiance)
Cast: Rocky McKenzie, Jessica Mauboy, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins, Geoffrey Rush
Australia
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Catfish
Dir: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman - feature film directorial debuts
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

I Am Comic
Dir: Jordon Brady (Waking Up In Reno)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

I'm Still Here
Dir: Casey Affleck - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Joaquim Phoenix
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Jack Goes Boating
Dir: Philip Seymour Hoffman - feature film directorial debut
Cast: John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Amy Ryan, Philip Seymour Hoffman
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
Dir: Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen)
Voices: Hugo Weaving, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Helen Mirren, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess
USA/Australia
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Never Let Me Go
Dir: Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo)
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightly, Sally Hawkins, Charlotte Rampling
UK/USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Dir: Oliver Stone (Wall Street, Alexander, JFK, The Doors)
Cast: Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan, Shia LaBeouf, Frank Langella, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Eli Wallach
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Whatever it Takes
Dir: Christopher C.C. Wong - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
Dir: Zhang Yimou (Curse of the Golden Flower, Hero, House of the Flying Daggers)
Cast: Xiao Shenyang, Sun Honglei
China
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

You Again
Dir: Andy Fickman (Race to Witch Mountain, The Game Plan)
Cast: Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Jimmy Wolk, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Betty White
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of September 24, 2010**