Movie Box Review

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday March 16, 2012! We have a heck of a lot of films out in release this week and it's an especially good lot for documentary (and Sesame Street!) fans with The Bloor Hot Docs cinema opening it's doors for it's first week of regular releases.

In limited release this week we have 9 limited releases and I'm chopping at the bit to see King of Devil's Island / Kongen av Bastøy with Stellan Skarsgård set in prison in the early 20th century Norway which is playing at the Carlton. Then we hot over to The Bloor which re-opens it's doors with the documentary goodness of Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey centred on on Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash (I almost wrote "Muppeteer") as well as Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel a documentary on prolific independent B-movie filmmaker Roger Corman. There are more documenataries to go around including Jennifer Baichwal's Payback, which is based of the Margaret Atwood book Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, Jiro Dreams of Sushi following a master sushi chef and The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jane following the transformation of Genesis P-Orridge and Lady Jaye Breyer P'Orridge to become more and more like each other. Getting to the more fictional we have Being Flynn which is actually based on a true story and then Off World which looks amazing and heartbreaking, and our comedy of the limited releases is Casa de mi Padre starring Will Ferrell.

In wide release this week we have 2 releases and the biggie is 21 Jump Street, a reboot of the 1980's TV show about cops going undercover to suss out the drug scene in high school and this new version starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill certainly is going for comedy as it's a approach and looks pretty good. Rounding out the releases is Jeff, Who Lives at Home starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms; directed by The Duplass Brothers (Cyrus, Baghead).

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Canadian Music Week Film Festival
March 21 - 25, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Nepali Film Festival
March 17, 2012 at Innis Town Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday March 16, 2012 Releases

21 Jump Street
Dir: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs)
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jane
Dir: Marie Losier - feature film directorial debut
Documentary centred on Genesis P-Orridge, Lady Jaye Breyer P'Orridge
USA/Germany/UK/The Netherlands/Belgium/France
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey
Dir: Constance Marks (Green Chimneys)
Documentary on Elmo Puppeteer Kevin Clash
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Being Flynn
Dir: Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, American Pie)
Cast: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby, Lili Taylor, Wes Studi, Julianne Moore
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Casa de mi Padre
Dir: Matt Piedmont
Cast: Will Ferrell, Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Genesis Rodriguez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr.
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
Dir: Alex Stapleton - feature film directorial debut
Documentary on Roger Corman
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Dirs: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass (Cyrus, Baghead)
Cast: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Dir: David Gelb - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

King of Devil's Island / Kongen av Bastøy
Dir: Marius Holst (Blodsbånd, Tito är död)
Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Benjamin Helstad, Kristoffer Joner
Norway/France/Sweden/Poland
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Off World
Writer/Dir: Mathieu Guez (Late Fragment)
Cast: Marc Abaya, Irma Adlawan, Marco Morales
Canada/Philippines
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Payback
Dir: Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God)
Documentary
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of March 16, 2012**

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares the glory of The Genies, and provides spoiler free reviews of theatrically releases of John Carter and Let the Bullets Fly plus details DVD releases for the past 2 weeks including reviews of NEVERLost, The Son of No One & Dragonage Redemption. And there might even be a funny story in there too.

0:00 - 0:40 Intro
0:40 - 8:40 Genies 2012
8:40 - 16:15 John Carter
16:15 - 22:15 Let the Bullets Fly
22:15 - 25:30 Lancelot du Lac
25:30 - 29:10 March 6 2012 DVD releases including Dragon Age - Redemption Review
29:10 - 37:40 March 13 2012 DVD releases including NEVERLost & The Son of No One Reviews
37:40 - 38:40 Coming up Next Week
38:40 - 40:18 Outro

Show Notes:

• See this years Genie Winners
• See DVD releases for March 6, 2012 and March 13, 2012
• I mention the Cinéfranco Film Festival
  
• See recent Theatrical releases in my weekly Film Fan Fridays & DVD Releases in my DVD Tuesdays Post

Movie Moxie Podcast - A 100% spoiler-free film review podcast
You can also subscribe to the Movie Moxie Podcast here:
Subscribe through iTunes here.

Up next week: Cinéfranco Preview!

Images: John Carter Poster (Early Version) / Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Courtesy of Alliance Films

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday March 9, 2012! It's a bit of a quieter week of releases this week but there is big news on the Canadian film front with The Genies Awards last night where Monsieur Lazhur when home with 6 awards including Best Motion Picture, director, adapted screenplay, editing and 2 acting awards. A Dangerous Method picked up 5 awards including best supporting actor to Viggo Mortensen (who was in attendance!) and fan & critic favourite Café de Flore went home with 3 awards. Now let's a look at what's new in theatres this week.

In limited release this week we have just one release, which is highly unusual here in Toronto! That film is Salmon Fishing in the Yemen from Chocolat director Lasse Hallström starring Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and I have to say it actually looks quite quirky and sweet.

In wide release this week we have several films to choose from including the epic science fiction/adventure/action/sword & sandal-ish film John Carter which is just getting thrashed by advance reviews but I'm not going to let that stop me making up my mind for myself and heading out to see it, especially as it's on my most anticipated films of the year. Next up we hve 'in the style of a single take' horror film Silent House. Now, I'm always up for a good horror film but I have red flags pop up in my brain when the promo says stuff like it's like nothing you've ever experienced before!! And then find out it's a remake of the Spanish film La casa muda. I'm not saying that it isn't '88 minutes of terror', only that trying to pull the 'new' card on the horror crowd will be received with raised eyebrows as we've seen a lot. Of course I'll still likely see it. Also out in wide releases is the critically acclaimed comedy Friends with Kids, Bollywood film Kahaani and Eddie Murphy comedy A Thousand Words.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Continues until March 9, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Irish Film Festival
March 9 - 10, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Special Screening

Spirited Away: The Films of Studio Ghibli
March 10 - April 13, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Bloor Reopening Free Open House
The Bloor is on the brink of re-opening it's doors as the newly renovated The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, and in celebration they are having a free open house on Monday March 12 & Tuesday March 13, 2012 with screenings of the documentary Waste Land. Find out the details on the open house here. The Bloor will re-open next week Friday March 16, 2012 with tons of interesting documentaries, special events and more - see schedule here.

Friday March 9, 2012 Releases

Friends with Kids
Writer/Dir: Jennifer Westfeldt
Cast: Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox, Edward Burns
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

John Carter
Dir: Andrew Stanton
Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Hayden Church, Willem Dafoe
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Kahaani
Dir: Sujoy Ghosh,
Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
India
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Dir: Lasse Hallström (Chocolat)
Cast: Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas
UK
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Silent House
Dir: Chris Kentis, Laura Lau
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen
USA/France
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

A Thousand Words
Dir: Brian Robbins
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Kerry Washington, Cliff Curtis, Clark Duke, Allison Janney
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of March 9, 2012**

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday March 2, 2012!

In limited release this week we have an exciting mix of films from near, far and real including 2 documentaries with Family Portrait in Black and White and recent Oscar winning Undefeated, Canadian teen gambling thriller The Odds, comedy Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie and crime/drama Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. But, I think my pick of the week is going to be between these two: either the Japanese book to film adaptation of Norwegian Wood or Hong Kong action/western Let the Bullets Fly set in the 1920's and starring Chow Yun-Fat. So many exciting choices!

In wide release this week we have 2 films to choose from with the 3D animated comedy of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and the teen comedy centred of making the best party ever! in Project X.

Edit: Late add for London Paris New York which also was released on March 2, 2012.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival
February 29 - March 9, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday March 2, 2012 Releases

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Dir: Chris Renaud
Voices: Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Betty White
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Family Portrait in Black and White
Dir: Julia Ivanova
Documentary
Ukraine/Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Let the Bullets Fly / Rang zidan fei
Dir: Jiang Wen (The Sun Also Rises)
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Jiang Wen, Ge You, Carina Lau, Feng Xiaogang
China/Hong Kong
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Norwegian Wood / Noruwei no mori
Dir: Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya)
Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara
Japan
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Odds
Writer/Dir: Simon Davidson - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Tyler Johnston, Julia Maxwell, Calum Worthy, Jaren Brandt Bartlett
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Three Monkeys, Climates, Distant)
Cast: Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Project X
Dir: Nima Nourizadeh - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
DirS: Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim - feature film directorial debuts
Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly, Robert Loggia, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte, William Atherton, Erica Durance
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Undefeated
Dirs: Dan Lindsay & T.J. Martin (Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of March 2, 2012**

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday March 2, 2012!

In limited release this week we have an exciting mix of films from near, far and real including 2 documentaries with Family Portrait in Black and White and recent Oscar winning Undefeated, Canadian teen gambling thriller The Odds, comedy Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie and crime/drama Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. But, I think my pick of the week is going to be between these two: either the Japanese book to film adaptation of Norwegian Wood or Hong Kong action/western Let the Bullets Fly set in the 1920's and starring Chow Yun-Fat. So many exciting choices!

In wide release this week we have 2 films to choose from with the 3D animated comedy of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and the teen comedy centred of making the best party ever! in Project X.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival
February 29 - March 9, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday March 2, 2012 Releases

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Dir: Chris Renaud
Voices: Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Betty White
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Family Portrait in Black and White
Dir: Julia Ivanova
Documentary
Ukraine/Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Let the Bullets Fly / Rang zidan fei
Dir: Jiang Wen (The Sun Also Rises)
Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Jiang Wen, Ge You, Carina Lau, Feng Xiaogang
China/Hong Kong
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Norwegian Wood / Noruwei no mori
Dir: Tran Anh Hung (The Scent of Green Papaya)
Cast: Kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara
Japan
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Odds
Writer/Dir: Simon Davidson - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Tyler Johnston, Julia Maxwell, Calum Worthy, Jaren Brandt Bartlett
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Three Monkeys, Climates, Distant)
Cast: Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Taner Birsel, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan
Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Project X
Dir: Nima Nourizadeh - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
DirS: Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim - feature film directorial debuts
Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, John C. Reilly, Robert Loggia, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte, William Atherton, Erica Durance
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Undefeated
Dirs: Dan Lindsay & T.J. Martin (Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of March 2, 2012**

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares spoiler free review of recent release Gone and chats about the recent Academy Awards. Plus a look at DVD releases including reviews of Bounty Hunters and Sympathy for Delicious.

0:00 - 0:50 Intro
0:50 - 15:45 Oscars
15:45 - 26:00 Goon Debackle & Gone review
26:00 - 27:20 DVD releases
27:20 - 29:25 DVD Review Bounty Hunters
29:25 - 33:30 DVD Review Sympathy for Delicious
33:30 - 37:00 Looking ahead to next week & Genie Awards
37:00 - 38:05 Outro

Show Notes

• I mention the Academy Award winners
• Info on the Goon poster controversy and Goon at the Box Office
• I chat about the Silent House trailer
  
• I mention War of the Arrows which I reviewed on a previous podcast
• I mention Starbuck winning the Golden Reel Award
  
• See DVD releases for February 28, 2012
• See recent Theatrical releases in my weekly Film Fan Fridays & DVD Releases in my DVD Tuesdays Post

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares spoiler free review of recent release Gone and chats about the recent Academy Awards. Plus a look at DVD releases including reviews of Bounty Hunters and Sympathy for Delicious.

0:00 - 0:50 Intro
0:50 - 15:45 Oscars
15:45 - 26:00 Goon Debackle & Gone review
26:00 - 27:20 DVD releases
27:20 - 29:25 DVD Review Bounty Hunters
29:25 - 33:30 DVD Review Sympathy for Delicious
33:30 - 37:00 Looking ahead to next week & Genie Awards
37:00 - 38:05 Outro

Show Notes

• I mention the Academy Award winners
• Info on the Goon poster controversy and Goon at the Box Office
• I chat about the Silent House trailer
  
• I mention War of the Arrows which I reviewed on a previous podcast
• I mention Starbuck winning the Golden Reel Award
  
• See DVD releases for February 28, 2012
• See recent Theatrical releases in my weekly Film Fan Fridays & DVD Releases in my DVD Tuesdays Post

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 24, 2012! It is a busy week for film fans with not only having The Oscars this weekend (see my handy three different detailed Oscar lists: detailed list by category, a film list with detailed nominations by film, and a simple film list with # of nominations), but we also have 12 new films hitting theatres and five of those are Canadian or Canadian co-pros! Busy times, and great choices.

In limited release this week we have 7 films in releases including 4 Canadian releases starting with Doppelgänger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself) (see podcast review here) which is really funny, intelligent dark comedy that not only got me laughing but also had me thinking about interesting ideas about identity, artistic ownership, and of course doppelgängers. We also have Snow, a documentary style film following a woman who comes to Canada after a tsunami, Donovan's Echo starring Danny Glover and Bruce Greenwood and the 3D animated film The Prodigies 3D with a gaming feel but also teens-on-revenge theme which looks pretty interesting and I'm surprized it's only opening in 1 theatres. More limited releases this week include Rampart, a 1999 Los Angeles set film following a renegade veteran cop played by Woody Harrelson, biography documentary Shalem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness and The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale as a man who pretends to be a priest in 1937 Nanjing.

In wide release this week we have 5 releases including the Canadian co-pro Hockey film Goon which follows a player whose literally there to be a fight instigator and this one got tons of press yesterday about the controversy to take down these posters with Jay Baruchel for Goon here in Toronto. It got people talking about a Canadian film so... there is that :) Also out in wide relases we have Gone starring Amanda Seyfried as a non-often believed survivor who is up against all odds to save her own sister from the man she escaped from, Act of Valor which is going with a real-feel being based on real events, but still narrative film about SEALs, CIA and terrorists. Also out in wide releases is Tyler Perry's Good Deeds and Jennifer Aniston/Paul Rudd comedy Wanderlust.

Have a great Oscar weekend! I'll be live-tweeting & Facebook-ing throughout the show, so come & say Hi or follow along for winner (and pretty dress) updates.

Edit: 2 late adds that I missed the first time round: Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya & Jodi Breakers. I look carefully for the Bollywood films, but sometimes they miss the first pass. I'm happy I found them in the listings!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Reel Artists Film Festival
February 23 - 26, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival
February 26 - March 9, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday February 24, 2012 Releases

Act of Valor
Dir: Mike McCoy & Scott Waugh - feature film directorial debuts
Cast: Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Donovan's Echo
Dir: Jim Cliffe - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Danny Glover, Bruce Greenwood, Natasha Calis, Sonja Bennett
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Doppelgänger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself)
Dir: Kris Elgstrand and Dylan Akio Smith (The Cabin Movie)
Cast: Brad Dryborough, Tygh Runyan, Ben Cotton, Matty Finochio
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Flowers of War
Dir: Zhang Yimou (House of the Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower / Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia)
Cast: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi
China/Hong Kong
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Gone
Dir: Heitor Dhalia (Adrift, Drained)
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Daniel Sunjata, Wes Bentley
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Tyler Perry's Good Deeds
Dir: Tyler Perry (I Can Do Bad All By Myself, My Did I Get Married?)
Cast: Tyler Perry, Thandie Newton, Brian White, Gabrielle Union, Eddie Cibrian
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Goon
Dir: Michael Dowse (Fubar, Fubar II)
Cast: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Marc-André Grondin, Eugene Levy
Canada/USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Prodigies 3D
Dir: Antoine Charreyron
Voices: Jeffrey Evan Thomas, Lauren Ashley Carter, Moon Dailly
UK/Canada/Belgium/India/Luxembourg/France
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Rampart
Dir: Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Sigourney Weaver
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Shalem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness
Writer/Dir: Joseph Dorman (Arguing the World)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Snow
Writer/Dir: Rohan Fernando (Trudeau's Other Children)
Cast: Sobaz Benjamin, Himaly Fernando, Mohan Fernando
Canada/China
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Wanderlust
Dir: David Wain (Role Models)
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Malik Ackerman
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 24, 2012**

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 24, 2012! It is a busy week for film fans with not only having The Oscars this weekend (see my handy three different detailed Oscar lists: detailed list by category, a film list with detailed nominations by film, and a simple film list with # of nominations), but we also have 12 new films hitting theatres and five of those are Canadian or Canadian co-pros! Busy times, and great choices.

In limited release this week we have 7 films in releases including 4 Canadian releases starting with Doppelgänger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself) (see podcast review here) which is really funny, intelligent dark comedy that not only got me laughing but also had me thinking about interesting ideas about identity, artistic ownership, and of course doppelgängers. We also have Snow, a documentary style film following a woman who comes to Canada after a tsunami, Donovan's Echo starring Danny Glover and Bruce Greenwood and the 3D animated film The Prodigies 3D with a gaming feel but also teens-on-revenge theme which looks pretty interesting and I'm surprized it's only opening in 1 theatres. More limited releases this week include Rampart, a 1999 Los Angeles set film following a renegade veteran cop played by Woody Harrelson, biography documentary Shalem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness and The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale as a man who pretends to be a priest in 1937 Nanjing.

In wide release this week we have 5 releases including the Canadian co-pro Hockey film Goon which follows a player whose literally there to be a fight instigator and this one got tons of press yesterday about the controversy to take down these posters with Jay Baruchel for Goon here in Toronto. It got people talking about a Canadian film so... there is that :) Also out in wide relases we have Gone starring Amanda Seyfried as a non-often believed survivor who is up against all odds to save her own sister from the man she escaped from, Act of Valor which is going with a real-feel being based on real events, but still narrative film about SEALs, CIA and terrorists. Also out in wide releases is Tyler Perry's Good Deeds and Jennifer Aniston/Paul Rudd comedy Wanderlust.

Have a great Oscar weekend! I'll be live-tweeting & Facebook-ing throughout the show, so come & say Hi or follow along for winner (and pretty dress) updates.

Shannon

Festival Watch

Reel Artists Film Festival
February 23 - 26, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival
February 26 - March 9, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday February 24, 2012 Releases

Act of Valor
Dir: Mike McCoy & Scott Waugh - feature film directorial debuts
Cast: Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Donovan's Echo
Dir: Jim Cliffe - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Danny Glover, Bruce Greenwood, Natasha Calis, Sonja Bennett
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

Doppelgänger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself)
Dir: Kris Elgstrand and Dylan Akio Smith (The Cabin Movie)
Cast: Brad Dryborough, Tygh Runyan, Ben Cotton, Matty Finochio
Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Flowers of War
Dir: Zhang Yimou (House of the Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower / Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia)
Cast: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi
China/Hong Kong
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Gone
Dir: Heitor Dhalia (Adrift, Drained)
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Daniel Sunjata, Wes Bentley
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Tyler Perry's Good Deeds
Dir: Tyler Perry (I Can Do Bad All By Myself, My Did I Get Married?)
Cast: Tyler Perry, Thandie Newton, Brian White, Gabrielle Union, Eddie Cibrian
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Goon
Dir: Michael Dowse (Fubar, Fubar II)
Cast: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Liev Schreiber, Marc-André Grondin, Eugene Levy
Canada/USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Prodigies 3D
Dir: Antoine Charreyron
Voices: Jeffrey Evan Thomas, Lauren Ashley Carter, Moon Dailly
UK/Canada/Belgium/India/Luxembourg/France
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Rampart
Dir: Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Sigourney Weaver
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Shalem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness
Writer/Dir: Joseph Dorman (Arguing the World)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Snow
Writer/Dir: Rohan Fernando (Trudeau's Other Children)
Cast: Sobaz Benjamin, Himaly Fernando, Mohan Fernando
Canada/China
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Wanderlust
Dir: David Wain (Role Models)
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Malik Ackerman
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 24, 2012**

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares spoiler free reviews of recent releases The Secret of Arrietty, Doppelgänger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself), Journey 2: Mysterious Island, Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance plus chats about the experiential nature of watching the trailers in the theatre. The reviews keep coming with triple awesome DVD reviews of Café de flore, Chalet Girl and London Boulevard plus chats live chatting plans of The Oscars on this weekend.

This week on the Movie Moxie Podcast Shannon shares spoiler free reviews of recent releases The Secret of Arrietty, Doppelgänger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself), Journey 2: Mysterious Island, Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance plus chats about the experiential nature of watching the trailers in the theatre. The reviews keep coming with triple awesome DVD reviews of Café de flore, Chalet Girl and London Boulevard plus chats live chatting plans of The Oscars on this weekend.

Book to Film Club February Film Selection: The Secret World of Arrietty

Our first official* film of the 2012 Book to Film Club is the February film selection is The Secret World of Arrietty based on The Borrowers by Mary Norton, and it is many firsts for us. It's our first animated film, our first major title change from book to film and our first Japanese film (although in the UK, Australia & North America it's been voiced in English). The book it's based on is a children's fantasy novel about tiny people that live in the floorboards of the houses of humans and borrow little things like sugar and such but need to remain unseen by human eyes.

I was so excited to hear about this film as it was an early-in-the-year-releases adaptation which mean we would have something to read and set the year off right. I actually saw the trailer for it before I even anything else about it, and so from that I always had sense of what it was about. The book The Borrowers is the first in the series, however the film is an adaptation of just the first novel which was nice as we only read the first book. The film adaptation into The Secret World of Arrietty, an animated film from Japan from Studio Ghibli, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and was released on February 17, 2012.

The film has been known by other names including Kari-gurashi no Arietti in Japan, Arriety the Borrower in the UK and Arriety in Australia, and has had different voice casts in different areas. The voice cast for North American version includes Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the characters, the story, the gorgeous animations and also seeing a particularly adventurous young, female protagonist.

Here are some things to ponder when thinking, writing and/or journaling about the film:

• Did you enjoy the film?
• Was the film what you expected from reading the book?
• How did you feel about the tone of the film?
• Were the characters what you expected?
• Did you enjoy the animation?
• Which version did you see?
• Were there characters, moments or ideas you liked better in the book? If so, what were they?
• What was your favourite thing about the book?
• Were there characters, moments or ideas you liked better in the film? If so, what were they?
• What was your favourite thing about the film?
• Was there anything you understood more after seeing the film?
• Was there anything you felt was missing from the film?
• Did the film capture the spirit of the book?
• Who would you recommend the book to?
• Who would you recommend the film too?
• Are you happy you read the book before seeing the film?
• Would you recommend people read the book before seeing the film?
• What was the impact of reading the book before seeing the film?

The Movie Moxie Book to Film Club is going strong here in 2012, and we are currently reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien in anticipated for it's December (Part 1) 2012 release. You can join in the fun at any time. For title announcements, Book to Film Club news and monthly selections you can sign up for email updates here.

*we also had The Woman in Black earlier this month, although it was technically part of the 2011 Book to film Club

Book to Film Club February Film Selection: The Secret World of Arrietty

Our first official* film of the 2012 Book to Film Club is the February film selection is The Secret World of Arrietty based on The Borrowers by Mary Norton, and it is many firsts for us. It's our first animated film, our first major title change from book to film and our first Japanese film (although in the UK, Australia & North America it's been voiced in English). The book it's based on is a children's fantasy novel about tiny people that live in the floorboards of the houses of humans and borrow little things like sugar and such but need to remain unseen by human eyes.

I was so excited to hear about this film as it was an early-in-the-year-releases adaptation which mean we would have something to read and set the year off right. I actually saw the trailer for it before I even anything else about it, and so from that I always had sense of what it was about. The book The Borrowers is the first in the series, however the film is an adaptation of just the first novel which was nice as we only read the first book. The film adaptation into The Secret World of Arrietty, an animated film from Japan from Studio Ghibli, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and was released on February 17, 2012.

The film has been known by other names including Kari-gurashi no Arietti in Japan, Arriety the Borrower in the UK and Arriety in Australia, and has had different voice casts in different areas. The voice cast for North American version includes Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett. I really enjoyed the portrayal of the characters, the story, the gorgeous animations and also seeing a particularly adventurous young, female protagonist.

Here are some things to ponder when thinking, writing and/or journaling about the film:

• Did you enjoy the film?
• Was the film what you expected from reading the book?
• How did you feel about the tone of the film?
• Were the characters what you expected?
• Did you enjoy the animation?
• Which version did you see?
• Were there characters, moments or ideas you liked better in the book? If so, what were they?
• What was your favourite thing about the book?
• Were there characters, moments or ideas you liked better in the film? If so, what were they?
• What was your favourite thing about the film?
• Was there anything you understood more after seeing the film?
• Was there anything you felt was missing from the film?
• Did the film capture the spirit of the book?
• Who would you recommend the book to?
• Who would you recommend the film too?
• Are you happy you read the book before seeing the film?
• Would you recommend people read the book before seeing the film?
• What was the impact of reading the book before seeing the film?

The Movie Moxie Book to Film Club is going strong here in 2012, and we are currently reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien in anticipated for it's December (Part 1) 2012 release. You can join in the fun at any time. For title announcements, Book to Film Club news and monthly selections you can sign up for email updates here.

*we also had The Woman in Black earlier this month, although it was technically part of the 2011 Book to film Club

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 17, 2012! It's another week of exciting release here in Toronto and I'm excited because it's also our 2nd week in a row of Book to Film Club releases as last week we had The Woman in Black (see podcast review here) and this week we have The Secret World of Arrietty / Kari-gurashi no Arietti based on The Borrowers by Mary Norton. But before we get to the super big films, let's have a look at our limited release titles.

This week in limited release this week we have a whole slew of interesting films including Puppet, which really caught my eye as it's a documentary on puppeteering that looks like it takes head on both the love and criticism of the craft. And seriously, I had no idea there was criticism of it, I mean.. really? Who doesn't like puppets? Puppets are awesome. Another film that was already on my radar and now excited to see in release is the Love (2012), a Taiwan/China co-pro that's a really sweet looking romantic comedy which I actually saw the trailer for earlier this year in the theatre when I went to The Viral Factor. I love how many international films we have the opportunity to see here in Toronto, and that continues even mre with this weeks releases of highly acclaimed and Oscar-nominated WWII biopic film In Darkness, South Korean romantic comedy Dancing Queen and Bollywood film Ekk Deewana Tha.

In wide release this week we have our first of the 2012 Book to Film Club releases with The Secret World of Arrietty / Kari-gurashi no Arietti based on the kids book The Borrowers and the film version is from Japan, although it's re-voiced here with North American actors which will be interesting to see, and hear! I'm really looking forward to it and I really enjoyed the book. We also have Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which my first instinct is just to rag on it as I didn't like the first one (and I don't think I was alone in that), but when I honestly take in my own reaction to the trailer to this new one, I have to admit it looks like fun, although it also does look like a frighteningly close possibly pseudo sequel to Drive Angry. Last up for wide releases is This Means War which has some special screening releases for Valentine's Day, but 'officially' opens today.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Reel Artists Film Festival
February 22 - 26, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday February 17, 2012 Releases

Dancing Queen
Dir: Lee Suk-Hoon
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Um Jung-Hwa, Jung Sung-Hwa, Ra Mi-Ran
South Korea
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Ekk Deewana Tha
Dir: Gautham Menon
Cast: Prateik Babbar, Amy Jackson, Sachin Khedekar
India
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Dir: Brian Taylor & Mark Neveldine (Gamer, Crank)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Violante Placido, Ciaran Hinds, Idris Elba, Fergus Riordan, Anthony Stewart Head
USA/United Arab Emirates
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

In Darkness
Dir: Agnieszka Holland (Julie Walking Home, The Secret Garden (1993))
Cast: Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Fürmann, Agnieszka Grochowska
Poland/Germany/France/Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Love (2012)
Dir: Doze Niu (What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?!)
Cast: Wei Zhao, Mark Chao, Eddie Peng, Amber Kuo
Taiwan/China
Limited Release
Official Facebook Page, IMDb Page, Trailer

Puppet
Dir: David Soll
Documentary - feature film directorial debut
Canada/US
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Secret World of Arrietty / Kari-gurashi no Arietti
Dir: Hiromasa Yonebayashi - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, David Henrie, Moises Arias
Japan
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

This Means War
Dir: McG (Terminator Salvation, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Charlie's Angels)
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Til Schweiger
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 17, 2012**

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 17, 2012! It's another week of exciting release here in Toronto and I'm excited because it's also our 2nd week in a row of Book to Film Club releases as last week we had The Woman in Black (see podcast review here) and this week we have The Secret World of Arrietty / Kari-gurashi no Arietti based on The Borrowers by Mary Norton. But before we get to the super big films, let's have a look at our limited release titles.

This week in limited release this week we have a whole slew of interesting films including Puppet, which really caught my eye as it's a documentary on puppeteering that looks like it takes head on both the love and criticism of the craft. And seriously, I had no idea there was criticism of it, I mean.. really? Who doesn't like puppets? Puppets are awesome. Another film that was already on my radar and now excited to see in release is the Love (2012), a Taiwan/China co-pro that's a really sweet looking romantic comedy which I actually saw the trailer for earlier this year in the theatre when I went to The Viral Factor. I love how many international films we have the opportunity to see here in Toronto, and that continues even mre with this weeks releases of highly acclaimed and Oscar-nominated WWII biopic film In Darkness, South Korean romantic comedy Dancing Queen and Bollywood film Ekk Deewana Tha.

In wide release this week we have our first of the 2012 Book to Film Club releases with The Secret World of Arrietty / Kari-gurashi no Arietti based on the kids book The Borrowers and the film version is from Japan, although it's re-voiced here with North American actors which will be interesting to see, and hear! I'm really looking forward to it and I really enjoyed the book. We also have Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which my first instinct is just to rag on it as I didn't like the first one (and I don't think I was alone in that), but when I honestly take in my own reaction to the trailer to this new one, I have to admit it looks like fun, although it also does look like a frighteningly close possibly pseudo sequel to Drive Angry. Last up for wide releases is This Means War which has some special screening releases for Valentine's Day, but 'officially' opens today.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Reel Artists Film Festival
February 22 - 26, 2012 at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday February 17, 2012 Releases

Dancing Queen
Dir: Lee Suk-Hoon
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Um Jung-Hwa, Jung Sung-Hwa, Ra Mi-Ran
South Korea
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Ekk Deewana Tha
Dir: Gautham Menon
Cast: Prateik Babbar, Amy Jackson, Sachin Khedekar
India
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Dir: Brian Taylor & Mark Neveldine (Gamer, Crank)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Violante Placido, Ciaran Hinds, Idris Elba, Fergus Riordan, Anthony Stewart Head
USA/United Arab Emirates
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

In Darkness
Dir: Agnieszka Holland (Julie Walking Home, The Secret Garden (1993))
Cast: Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Fürmann, Agnieszka Grochowska
Poland/Germany/France/Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Love (2012)
Dir: Doze Niu (What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?!)
Cast: Wei Zhao, Mark Chao, Eddie Peng, Amber Kuo
Taiwan/China
Limited Release
Official Facebook Page, IMDb Page, Trailer

Puppet
Dir: David Soll
Documentary - feature film directorial debut
Canada/US
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Secret World of Arrietty / Kari-gurashi no Arietti
Dir: Hiromasa Yonebayashi - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, David Henrie, Moises Arias
Japan
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

This Means War
Dir: McG (Terminator Salvation, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Charlie's Angels)
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Til Schweiger
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 17, 2012**