Movie Dearest MySpace Friend of the Week: Disgruntled Stormtrooper

We've all been there ... the evil intergalactic corporation you work for goes belly up thanks to a pesky do-gooder rebellion, and you find yourself without a job. It's enough to make anybody a little cranky; just take a look at our pal, the Disgruntled Stormtrooper.

Since the fall of the Empire, ol' Stormie here has tried his hand at various odd jobs (Burger King, used car salesman, Hooters) and even landed the odd movie role or two (Saturday Night Trooper, Troopsie, Brokeback Trooper). His ever-continuing quest for a steady paycheck has gained him his own little niche of celebrity, however, allowing him to collaborate with such musical superstars as Aerosmith, Elton John and Dolly Parton. Stormie even has met a few of his personal heroes, including David Hasselhoff, Don Johnson and Mr. Steven Seagal.

Alas, with all that fame and no fortune to show for it, he still lives up to his name. But cheer up, Disgruntled Stormtrooper! You are this week's Movie Dearest MySpace Friend of the Week!

And while you're over at Stormie's space, stop by The Official Movie Dearest MySpace Page to check out the latest Weekly Recap, including MySpace exclusive picture for all of last week's big stories!

Film Art: Orange Rain

Some more Crazy 4 Cult art, fresh from the Gallery1988: Charles Cochran's Warholian mash-up of A Clockwork Orange and Singin' in the Rain. "Oh, what a glorious feeling" ... except when you're getting kicked in the gut by a droog.

TIFF'08 Pre-Fest Vlog#2 - Picking Up Your Pass Order

Here is my TIFF'08 pre-fest Vlog#2. Discussed is the advance order process, pick up, exchanges, single ticket purchases and more random festival insights

Note from Vlog: When I say "exchange" this includes making selections for if you have any leftover tickets on your pass. For example, if you only got 18 of your 20 picks you can "exchange" the last 2 at the times I say "exchange".

Important Dates:

Monday September 1, 2008 10AM:
Processed advance orders are available for pick up at the Festival Box Office at the Toronto Life Square at Yonge & Dundas. Bring your pick up voucher and any/all things noted in the Vlog.

Wednesday September 3, 2008 at 7AM:
Single tickets for non -Premium screenings go on sale at Festival Box Offices at Toronto Life Square at Yonge & Dundas, Manulife Centre and Roy Thomson Hall. These three box office accept cash, debit and Visa.

Update: Want to know more about the pick up process? Check out this post at TIFF Talk for a detailed description. Also check out their link to TIFF Reviews forum where people have posted screenings they did not get into through the advance lottery process - this is great information to have for planning your back up selections.

Schedule Changes:
Here are the details about the changes to screenings. This was copy/pasted from the email send from Customer Service:

"Important information about schedule changes.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, several screenings listed in the Official Film Schedule and the Order Book have schedule changes, which may have affected our ability to fully process your order.
We apologize for the inconvenience. If your order has been affected, you will be able to make substitutions when you pick up your order. Please note the following changes:

Saturday Sept 6 at Varsity 8
MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA
Screening has been cancelled

Wednesday Sept 10 at Ryerson
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Correct start time is 3:15pm

Friday Sept 12 at Scotiabank 4
IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME
Correct start time is 11:45am

Friday Sept 12 at Varsity 8
NEW YORK I LOVE YOU at 6:00pm
Screening has been cancelled

Friday Sept 12 at AMC 3
BLOOD TRAIL
Correct start time is 8:15pm

Saturday Sept 13 at Varsity 2
MESRINE is not playing at 6:45pm
(as listed in the Official Film Schedule calendar)
Correct title for this slot is
SIN TREGUA (aka UNWANTED WITNESS)

Title changes:
UNWANTED WITNESS is now known as SIN TREGUA
MESRINE aka PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE, PART 1 is now known as L’INSTINCT DE MORT

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be only one screening of PARIS, NOT FRANCE: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6pm, Ryerson.

An additional public screening of LYMELIFE will replace the second public screening of PARIS, NOT FRANCE: Thursday, Sept. 11, 3pm, Ryerson. An additional public screening of LOVELY, STILL will replace
the third public screening of PARIS, NOT FRANCE: Saturday, Sept. 13, 5:45pm, AMC 2."

As always, check the official TIFF'08 site for all information on policies, procedures and up to date inforamtion.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Monthly Wallpaper - September 2008: High School Movies

It's back to school time at Movie Dearest, and what better way to show your school spirit then by downloading this month's calendar wallpaper dedicated to High School Movies!

With this all-star class of cinematic students, all through the month of September you can ponder such burning questions as: who would win the student council election, Tracy Flick or Pedro? Who's a better dancer, Danny Zuko or Tracy Turnblad? Who has a better prom dress, Carrie White or Gabriella Montez? Which is the cattiest clique, the Heathers or the Plastics? Who's better at channeling school spirit, Torrance Shipman or Riff Randell? Will you get extra credit if you join the Breakfast Club? And, most important of all, who will be the class valedictorian, Jeff Spicoli or Cher Horowitz?

Just click on the picture above to enlarge it to its 1024 x 768 size, then right click your mouse and select "Set as Background", and you're all set. If you want, you can also save it to your computer and set it up from there, or modify the size in your own photo-editing program if needed.

Toronto After Dark 2008 - 8 Titles Announced!

Earlier this week The Toronto After Dark Film Festival made several announcements for the upcoming third festival that hits the Bloor Cinema in Toronto the October. The excitement is unleashed as 8 titles are revealed, information about the rockin' VIP passes is available and key dates noted to add to your calendar. For those who have not had the scary pleasure of attending the Toronto After Dark Film Festival if you are into horror, sci fi, fantasy, action, thriller, cult and bizarre films - this is a festival for you. The fans are fanatic and it is truly one of the most fun festival experiences around. Where else can you end up in line with a zombie? Want to know more about what the experience is like? Check out my coverage of the 2007 festival.

Looking ahead to the 2008 line up, there is certainly a lot to look forward to. Three of the films caught my attention very quickly. First is the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In which played at Tribeca and received a love of love at Fantasia film festival winning multiple awards. It does look rather dark, but what vampire film isn't? Another film that looks fantastic is Mirageman, a Chilean superhero/action film. What really stuck me about Mirageman, is that it places the superhero in a current day non-fantasy setting which bring a whole new tone to the genre. Plus, the action is kick-butt! Next up on the happy excitement train is Repo! The Genetic Opera, because you have to have a musical right? Only musicals that include collection agents for delinquent organ replacement recipients and have the stellar cast including Anthony Stewart Head (Giles on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'), Sarah Brightman and Paul Sorvino. I'm ready to rock out to that I'll tell ya!

More titles include the highly anticipated Japanese gore-fest Tokyo Gore Police on the line up, along with the animated Idiots & Angels and Canadian mockumentary Who is KK Downey?. We also have Red, a compelling thrilled based on the Jack Ketchum novel starring Brian Cox, Tom Sizemore and Robert Englund. Rounding out the titles is Trailer Park of Terror filling in the zombie requirement.

Want to get ready for the festival? VIP passes are now on sale and early birds get a fantastic deal: $99 gets you into all 17 screenings (which works out to less than $6/film), parties and priority entrance to seating. Price goes up to $119 after September 24, 2008 so don't delay. It's one of the best deals around! There are limited quantities of the VIP passes so if you know you are going to go, better snatch one up!

Complete line up and schedule will be released September 24, 2008. Can't wait that long? Well you will have to, but to keep the excitement going you can check out this video from Renerd.com with an interview with Adam Lopez, Festival Director & Founder.

On to the details for all of the films. Below you will find information on each of the eight titles that have been announced including links to trailers (with spoiler warnings), IMDb pages and official film sites if available.

Idiots and Angels
Dir: Bill Plympton
Animated, USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer - spoiler free until halfway point

Let the Right One In / Låt den rätte komma in
Dir: Tomas Alfredson
Cast: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson
Sweden
IMDb Page, Trailer - spoiler free until halfway point, I stopped watching after that as I've already heard a fair amount about the film. Really looking forward to seeing it!

Mirageman
Writer/Dir: Ernesto Espinoza
Cast: Mark Zaror
Chile
IMDb Page, Trailer - spoiler free, and awesome to boot!

Red
Dir: Trygve Diesen & Lucky McKee
Cast: Brian Cox, Robert Englund, Amanda Plummer, Richard Riehle, Tom Sizemore
USA
IMDb Page, Trailer - spoiler free until 2/3rds through

Repo! The Genetic Opera
Dir: Darren Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV)
Cast: Anthony Stewert Head, Alexa Vega, Sarah Brightman, Paul Sorvino, Bill Mosely, Paris Hilton
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays music), IMDb Page, Trailer - very cool trailer, you get the gist of the film by the halfway point

Tokyo Gore Police / Tôkyô zankoku keisatsu
Dir: Yoshihiro Nishimura
Cast: Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, Tak Sakaguchi
Japan
IMDb Page, Trailer - Lots of violence and gore in this trailer. First half it mostly spoiler free and atmospheric, but the second half shows a lot of the really gory stuff and special effect which in this type of film I would consider a spoiler.

Trailer Park of Terror
Dir: Steven Goldmann
Cast: Nichole Hiltz
Official Film Site (autoplays music), IMDb Page, Trailer - spoiler free until 2/3rd through

Who is KK Downey?
Dir: Darren Curtis and Pat Kiely
Cast: Darren Curtis, Matt Silver, Kristin Adams, Pat Kiely, Dan Haber
Canada
IMDb Page, Trailer - spoiler free

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2008 runs from October 17-24/08 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Poster Post: Passion in the Outback

As you can tell, we're a little excited about Australia, Baz Luhrmann's epic romantic adventure starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. And now it seems that we are going to have to wait just a little bit longer for it, as the release date has been pushed back, from November 14 to the 26 (damn you, Harry Potter!). Although I suppose it will be nice to have a visit with Hugh and Nicole for Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, you can check out the film's official website, including an array of stunning photos and a host of behind-the-scenes podcasts.

Summer Under the Stars: Spencer Tracy

Movie Dearest concludes our daily previews of Turner Classic Movies' month long "Summer Under the Stars" celebration:

Now Playing Star Profile for Spencer Tracy - Stardates: Born April 5, 1900, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; died 1967. Star Sign: Aries. Star Qualities: Rugged attractiveness, mastery of craft, naturalness, total empathy with camera. Star Definition: "Spence is the best we have, because you don't see the mechanism at work." -- Humphrey Bogart. Galaxy of Characters: Manuel Fidello in Captains Courageous, Father Flanagan in Boys Town, Adam Bonner in Adam's Rib, Macreedy in Bad Day at Black Rock.

TCM's 2008 edition of their "Summer Under the Stars" comes to a close tomorrow with one of my personal favorite actors, Spencer Tracy. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, he won two of them (in consecutive years), for Captains Courageous and Boys Town (also airing tomorrow).

In the former (based on the classic Rudyard Kipling novel), he plays Manuel Fidello, a brave Portuguese fisherman who teaches some important life lessons to spoiled rich kid Freddie Bartholomew. Tracy was not too keen on the role at first, mostly because he had to curl his hair (Joan Crawford told him he looked like Harpo Marx). He even said that his performance was one of his worst; Oscar begged to differ.

Captains Courageous airs tomorrow on TCM at 8:00 PM EST as part of their Essentials, Jr. series.

Legends of the FAIL, Take 3

As this video clip shows, I guess she wasn't such a good witch after all ...

Out in Film: T.R. Knight

Idol worship: T.R. Knight, actor.

- As Dr. George O'Malley on Grey's Anatomy, he has received nominations for Emmy and Satellite Awards and won a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the ensemble of the popular medical drama. The series returns for its fifth season September 25.

- He made his film debut in the indie drama Garmento and also starred in the comedy The Last Request.

- His first television role was on the short-lived Nathan Lane sitcom Charlie Lawrence. Other TV appearances include guest spots on Frasier, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

- On stage, he has starred in the Tony Award nominated Noises Off and Tartuffe on Broadway, and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for the Off-Broadway production of Scattergood.

- He very publicly came out two years ago following reports of an on-set altercation between two of his Grey's co-stars; perhaps you heard about it.

Best of the Fests: Telluride Goes Global

With a dearth of homegrown product, the Telluride Film Festival has gone for an international flavor this year. Only two American films -- Paul Schrader's Holocaust survivor drama Adam Resurrected (starring Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe and Derek Jacobi) and Tim Disney's racial conflict drama American Violet (starring Alfre Woodard, Michael O'Keefe and Tim Blake Nelson) -- are on the schedule for the 35th annual fest, which starts today and runs through Monday.

Other notable features set to appear include Kim Ji-Woon's "Asian spaghetti western" The Good, the Bad and the Weird, Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky, Steve McQueen's Cannes winner Hunger, Philippe Claudel's I've Loved You So Long (starring a French speaking Kristin Scott Thomas) and Ari Folman's animated documentary Waltz with Bashir.

Also screening this weekend is David Fincher's director's cut of Zodiac; the director will also receive a Silver Medallion award from the fest, along with actress Jean Simmons (Spartacus, Guys and Dolls), Scandinavian filmmaker Jan Troell (The Emigrants) and film critic Richard Schickel, who will screen his documentary You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story. For more information, see Variety's preview of the festival.

In related news, Turner Classic Movies will air a 24-hour marathon of films honored by the Telluride Film Festival on Monday, beginning at 8:00 PM EST. Scheduled movies include Steamboat Bill, Jr.; Sophie's Choice; Sunrise; Au Revoir, Les Enfants, Touch of Evil and the original 3:10 to Yuma.

UPDATE: Cinematical's Kim Voynar has a great wrap up of this year's Telluride fest, including buzz on the transgender-themed documentary Prodigal Sons, the well received, unscheduled screening of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, and Jeff Goldblum's Oscar chances for Adam Resurrected.

Summer Under the Stars: Katharine Hepburn

Movie Dearest continues our daily previews of Turner Classic Movies' month long "Summer Under the Stars" celebration:

Now Playing Star Profile for Katharine Hepburn - Stardates: Born May 12, 1907, Hartford, Connecticut; died 2003. Star Sign: Taurus. Star Qualities: Ravishing bone structure, distinctive speech patterns, independent spirit, glowing presence. Star Definition: "She has tremendous integrity, a superb sense of humor, self-discipline, courage, generosity. And above all she is a great professional." -- Director Anthony Harvey. Galaxy of Characters: Susan Vance in Bringing Up Baby, Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, Patricia Pemberton in Pat and Mike, Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond.

In the classic screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby, Hepburn plays Susan Vance, a flighty heiress whose eccentricities include keeping a leopard (the "Baby" of the title) as a pet. She crosses paths with Cary Grant's uptight paleontologist Dr. David Huxley, who finds himself in this scene trapped in Susan's house with nothing but a frilly woman's robe to wear. Desperately searching for a pair of trousers, he is interrupted by a knock on the door, where a stuffy dowager (May Robson) says he looks ridiculous and asks him why he's wearing such an unlikely outfit. Completely flustered by this point, David blurts, "Because I just went gay all of a sudden!"

Arguably the first time the word "gay" was used on screen to mean "homosexual", it is certainly the most famous early example. Speculation has it that the slang term, which had just came into use during the late 1930's, wasn't familiar to the censors at the time. Otherwise, it most likely would have been cut. Legend also has it that it was Grant who came up with the line as an ad-lib, which only adds to the long-persistent rumors that he himself "went both ways".

Bringing Up Baby airs tomorrow on TCM at 2:30 PM EST.

TIFF'08 Advance Lottery - Box #9 wins!

I've never been to the advance lottery box selection before, it was pretty cool. They actually show you each and every number that they drop in which is awesome but takes a fair amount of time considering there were 78 boxes. Box 9 was selected (It's a little hard to see but that was the selection).

Remember, regular orders are processed after all the donors at the Benefactor giving level and above (gifts of $250 or more). So, after all those order are processed, then they will process orders from Box 9, then Box 10, then all the way to 78, then Boxes 1-8.

For information on what happens next, check out this post.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Box #9

The official box is #9 for the Advance lottery for TIFF'08. There were a total of 78 boxes this year. I'm so excited, my order is in Box 10! After the line up I endured last year of 6 hr and 15 min this feels like sweet justice. I am so thrilled to be close to the beginning of the line. I hope you all did well! Pics and vid will be added later today.

To toggle your memory, last year the box selected was 66 and there were 75 boxes total.

Now it's a waiting game. The orders will be processed over the weekend and you will get an email once you package is processed. Last year you were also able to see your order online in the box office site once it was processed, just in case you don't get an email.

You can pick up your processed orders Monday Sept 1/08 (yes, that is Labour Day) at 10am at the Yonge & Dundas box office. People line up early, this is the longest one of the year. I know I've said this before but I'll reiterate that if you gotten all or most of your selections I would not recommend going Monday morning - there are so many people there!

For those looking for single tickets, Premium tickets for screenings at Roy Thomson Hall and the Elgin "Visa Screening Room" are currently onsale. Single tickets for the remaining venues go on sale Wednesday September 3, 2008. Tickets can be purchased on the TIFF'08 site (red 'Buy Tickets' button on the upper right. Check the Box Office page for box office locations, hours and methods of payment.

As always, check the official TIFF'08 site for all information on policies, procedures and up to date inforamtion.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 29, 2008!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday August 29, 2008! Well it is officially getting to the end of summer, August is almost gone, warm days are cheered for in an almost anticipatory nostalgic sense, the CNE has been open for ages and the pre-festival ticketing process for the Toronto International Film Festival has begun.

The weeks releases feature an odd hodge-podge of 'get those suckers out before the end of summer' and minimal limited releases. In terms of watching the trailers, it was not the most inspiring week! But as always, I'm sure there are some gems in there.

In limited release this week we have just two films. First up is Outsourced, a 2006 TIFF selection centred on a US call centre employee that must go to India to train his replacement. Interesting premise, but I get a little leery of 'cross cultural connections that include comedy' but this one has received high praise and looks pretty sweet in nature. Next up is Goal II: Living the Dream which is a sequel to the film Goal! released in the UK in 2005 but never released in Canada. It focuses on a footballer (soccer for us North Americans) trying to make it big.

In wide release this week we have four releases the most interesting one I would have to say is Babylon A.D. which was anticipated to be released back in Feb 2008 and the strong buzz on it was the upset that the US rating would be PG-13. Now, it's finally here with a 14A in Ontario and well I'm still interested despite all that because it's action/sci-fi movie starring Vin Diesel and also has Michelle Yeoh in it. Traitor is another wide release this week, it stars Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce and unfortunately I don't know much more than that as the trailers show too much too fast that it's hard to determine much other than possible conspiracy which you get from the title alone. Looks interesting, but not enough non spoiler information is available to form an opinion on it. This leaves us two more films in release: College and Disaster Movie which is odd to see them released in the same week as they appear to have the same target market. College feels like a bit of an anomaly as its a film is about high schools pretending to be college students, not people starting college which makes the release time feel a little odd. It's also rated R in the States, so will their target market be able to see the film? No rating information found in terms on Ontario classification. Disaster Movie is another spoof movie, but I have to say it is quite a feat the turn around time into the theatre considering that it spoofs almost all of the big summer blockbusters from this year. It also provided me with the funniest piece of trivia of the week, one of the working titles for it was Meet the Spartans 2: The Story of McLover & The Kingdom of the Crystal Beer Can. That almost makes up for watching the trailer. Almost.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Ashkenaz Festival 2008
A festival of New Yiddish Culture
Festival runs August 26 - September 1, 2008
Films screenings are from Aug 30-Sept 1/08 at the Studio theatre in Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto International Film Festival
September 4 - 13, 2008 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Be sure to check out daily coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival at Movie Moxie with polls, reviews and vlogs.

Friday August 29, 2008 Releases

Babylon A.D.
Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz (Gothika, Les Rivières pourpres / The Crimson Rivers)
Cast: Vin Diesel, Mélanie Thierry, Michelle Yeoh, Gérard Depardieu
USA/France
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free for first third, major spoilers in last third

College
Dir: Deb Hagan - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Drake Bell, Andrew Caldwell, Kevin Covais
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 2/3rd in

Disaster Movie
Writers/Dirs: Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer (Meet the Spartans, Epic Movie)
Cast: Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker, Crista Flanagan, Matt Lanter, G. Thang
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Entire trailer is spoilers

Goal II: Living the Dream
Dir: Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax <2005>)
Cast: Kuno Becker, Anna Friel, Stephen Dillane, Leonor Varella, Rutger Hauer
UK
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page
Trailer spoiler free for first third

Outsourced
Dir: John Jeffcoat (Bingo! The Documentary)
Cast: Josh Hamilton, Ayesha Dharker
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer (autoplays music - pause is on bottom right) IMDb Page
Trailer spoiler free until 3/4 the way through

Traitor
Writer/Dir: Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Hollywood Palms)
Cast: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough, Archie Panjabi)
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Both Trailer 1 & 2 have spoilers, I stopped watching them almost immediately

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

MD Poll: The Boys of Summer 2008

Now that the summer of 2008 is almost past, it is time to reflect on the movies we have seen, the important themes they expressed, the fine acting on display, the quality of their production and, most importantly, which one had the best man candy.

That's right, the latest MD Poll asks the burning question, "Who is the Hottest Summer Movie Hunk of 2008?" Reflect on the choices wisely, for this may be the most important vote you place all year. Once you make your informed and balanced opinion, place your vote in the sidebar to your right, and check back in two weeks for the final results.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed. Click here to see the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: The Way We Are Feeling

It was a close race for the battle of the fake movie musical sequels in the last MD Poll, and in the end, only one vote separated second best from the ultimate victor: Grease 3: High School Reunion. Perhaps the news that Paramount is indeed developing a direct-to-video Grease 3 helped it to edge past the faux follow-up to this year's hit Mamma Mia!, the Big Edie inspired Grandma Mia!, which was in the lead for most of the poll's running time. (See the full stats for the poll in the comments section below.)

In honor of the Grease upset, here are two out-of-the-ordinary video tributes to two of the original movie's most memorable songs, "Summer Nights" and "You're the One That I Want".

And as an extra bonus, here are some more movie musical sequel ideas to ponder (they either didn't make the original cut, were suggested by readers or I thought of them too late):

• Annie Get Your Other Gun
• Beauty and the Beast II: Saved by the Belle
• Hit the Deck 2: Back from the Bayou
• Little Evita: The Prequel
• Little Shop of Horrors II: The Revenge of Audrey II
• Love Me Tomorrow Night
• Meet Me in St. Olaf (starring Betty White)
• More Singin' in the Rain
• My Fair Wife
• The New Gay Divorcee (set in modern day California)
• Newsies: Boys 2 Men
• On a Cloudy Night You Can't See Anything
• Rent: Overdue
• The Sound of Music, Part II: The Von Trapps in Vermont
• Seven Babies for Seven Brides
• Son of a Beach Blanket Bingo
• Sweeney Todd: The Lost Years
• Thoroughly Retro Ruthie
• Twice (think about it)
• Yentl 2: Only in America

UPDATE: Mamma Mia! hottie Dominic Cooper talks the possibilities of a sequel.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

The Latest in Theaters: Summer's Last Gasp

It's Labor Day weekend, a.k.a. Hollywood's dumping ground, a.k.a. just go see The Dark Knight again. For better or worse, here are this week's new releases:

• Babylon A.D.: Vin Diesel stars in this low-rent Children of Men sci-fi thriller that has its own director (Mathieu Kassovitz) calling it "pure violence and stupidity". Michelle Yeoh, Gérard Depardieu and Charlotte Rampling also star.
• Disaster Movie: The only thing funny about this latest crappy spoof from the Meet the Spartans guys is this: our pals at The Gays on Film sit down for a dishy interview with the movie's stars Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian.
• College: A university-set would-be comedy that sounds as generic as its title and looks as tasteless as its poster.
• Traitor: An international political thriller starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Jeff Daniels based on a story by ... Steve Martin?
• Ballet Shoes: Emma Watson's first non-Harry Potter movie is actually a 2007 made-for-BBC period film about a trio of orphans whose dreams come true. Aww.
• Sukiyaki Western Django: Quentin Tarantino is a gun-wielding stranger in this hyper-stylized Spaghetti Western parody.
• And finally: one worthwhile alternative to these choices (or if you are experiencing Batman burn out) is the Sing-Along Mamma Mia! These special screenings come complete with onscreen lyrics; you'll have to bring your own silver platform shoes though.

To find out what films are playing in your area, visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

Poster Post: Not in Kansas

Nicole Kidman returns to Oz -- along with her Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann -- in this fall's Australia.

Summer Under the Stars: Marlon Brando

Movie Dearest continues our daily previews of Turner Classic Movies' month long "Summer Under the Stars" celebration:

Now Playing Star Profile for Marlon Brando - Stardates: Born April 3, 1924, Omaha, Nebraska; died 2004. Star Sign: Aries. Star Qualities: Animalistic appeal, bigger-than-life persona, revolutionary approach to screen acting. Star Definition: "His performance in On the Waterfront is the best male performance I have ever seen in my life." -- Elia Kazan. Galaxy of Characters: Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Col. Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now.

Following his On the Waterfront Oscar win in 1954, Brando must have felt he could do anything -- even sing. Alas, that wasn't the case ... at least consistently; his songs for the 1955 film version of the Tony Award winning Broadway hit Guys and Dolls were actually edited together using the usable portions of his recordings. Nevertheless, his version of "Luck Be a Lady" placed at #42 on the American Film Institute's top 100 Movie Songs, not to mention his "I'll Know" has one very famous fan. And if Barbra likes his singing, that's good enough for me.

Additionally, due to Frank Sinatra's recording contract at the time, a complete soundtrack for Guys and Dolls was never officially released. However, a four track LP of Brando and Jean Simmons' songs from the movie (the above two, plus "A Woman in Love" and "If I Were a Bell") was issued. That album can be found as bonus tracks on this CD versionof the original Broadway cast album.

Guys and Dolls airs tomorrow on TCM at 2:30 PM EST.

See more pictures of Marlon Brando in The Back Room (NSFW).

Intervention: The Musical!

If you ever wanted to hear Kristin Chenoweth, the pint-sized and perky Tony Award winning Wicked witch and Emmy nominated star of Pushing Daisies, sing about crystal meth addiction, oral sex and Craigslist, then here's the video for you. And, believe or not, it's NSFW.

UPDATE: The fabulous Miss Chenoweth chats with The Advocate about Tina, Olive and her upcoming Christmas album.

Thanks to Dean for the heads up.

TIFF'08 - Pass/Program/Package Pick up and Drop Off

The main TIFF box office this year is the "Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square" at Yonge & Dundas up on the third floor. The building is on the north east corner of Yonge & Dundas. The first day to pick up your pre-purchased festival pass, official film schedule and program was Tuesday August 26/08. Even though the box office was on the third floor we actually waited outside at and up Victoria street (one block E of Dundas off of Yonge). Below is the scene at 8:30am on Tuesday August 26/08.



I was anticipating the line to be re-directed upstairs to the third floor, however it was actually done outside. Good choice there as it was a nice day, and it made the process very smooth. They started delivering the goods to folks at 9am. I was about 100 or so people back in line and it only took about 25 minutes to get my package. Here they are being handed out to us happy campers, including me!


Some of my line buddies made it into this picture - I hope you guys get your picks!


Happy day! Finally - the schedule and advance order forms.

As I was one of the folks that pre-purchased a program book and went first thing to pick it up, I got one of the 'bag of goodies'. Some nice additions this year were the beer stein, coffee grounds and pizza gift certificate (of a 'surprize' amount). Old stand bys were chocolate and the much needed yellow & green highlighter. Here's a picture of the lot:


Pretty good stuff! If you want to see what last years was like, check here.

So, after getting all of the needed equipment it was all about making the film choices. I did this in record time this year selecting 40 films (in 3 hours) and then filling out the order forms (1 hour). I hmm'ed and haw'ed and ate some chick pea salad deciding on whether or not to make second choices. The decision was yes. Time it took for the second choices was a lot faster (1 hour) but filling out the selections to the same as the first time (1 hour). So all in all that was 6 hours start to finish which started with plotting in my 'must see's', then basically looking at each time slot which to fill in the blanks. I double and triple checked my selections from the time-graph on paper I created to the advance order book form. Then I re-checked each order book form to make sure that the picks met the criteria for that type of pass (i.e. no after 5:01 pm selections for daytime pass, and also that I met the exact number of total tickets with my first selections). Overall it took 6 hours, during which I 'listened' to The Bourne Identity, Stigmata and Serenity. Funny how mainstream those all are in comparison to what ended up being my first picks.

So, how that that was done it was time to make my way to the drop off location back at Yonge & Dundas. I went on Wednesday August 27/08 around 4:50pm. Headed up the second escalator to the third floor.



And look to your left to see the tucked away (but really right in front of you) location to drop off your passes. This will also be the place to eventually purchase merchandise, as a TIFF employee mentioned to me.



One note, there are lots of festival staff around (look for clipboards and headsets) the Yonge & Dundas location as of Wednesday. I saw them at all the first three escalator landings and also in front of the actual box office, pictured below, which is on the third floor and to your right as you get off the escalator.



But all I wanted that day was to hand in my selections. Which I did - into Box 10. There it is in the box:



Fingers crossed that Box 10 is on or near the beginning of the processing. A new thing they added this year was that donors of a certain level get their orders processed first. They had boxes for them as well, but so far they didn't look very full.



Remember to be part of the advance lottery your selections are due by Friday August 29/08 at 1pm at the Yonge & Dundas locations.

Pick up of orders begins Monday Sept 1/08 (yes, that is Labour Day) at 10am at the Yonge & Dundas location. This is by far the longest line I've encountered at TIFF. They email you when your packages have been processed - so make sure you check that to see how your selections turned out. If you got all your picks I'd highly recommended picking up your tickets at another time to save waiting in line.

Want to know more?
I vlogged about the pick up process here.
My first film selections are noted here.
Unsure how to fill our your order forms or how the advance lottery works? Check out this fantastic post over at TIFF Talk where it is explained in detail, with pictures!

As always, check the official TIFF'08 site for all information on policy & procedures.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toon Talk: Finloose

Disney’s direct-to-video sequels are largely ignored and/or reviled by most hardcore Disney enthusiasts. And while there has been some quality examples (Bambi II, The Lion King 1 ½), the majority have been mediocre at best, completely deserving of their bad reputation at worst. Falling into the latter category is 2000’s The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. With its shoddy animation, contrived storyline and unappealing new characters (there’s a reason why Ariel’s daughter Melody never joined the princess line-up), I would even go so far as to say it is the worst of the worst (yes, even more than The Return of Jafar and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II).

So it is ironic that, as the video sequels are slowly dying down at Disney (while increasing at other studios such as Paramount and Universal), the studio has gone back under the sea to produce a mermaid tale that makes up for the previous blasphemous blunder. That movie is The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning,new to DVD this week. (Click here to watch the trailer.)

Wisely ditching any thoughts of a direct follow-up to Return to the Sea, Ariel’s Beginning returns to the sea anyway … and stays there; save for one brief sequence on the surface, the story mostly takes place in and around the undersea kingdom of Atlantica. Additionally, for the bulk of the action, the clock is turned back to roughly one year before the events of the original Little Mermaid feature. Prior to that, though, a prologue shows us the joyful … and tragic … early days of our favorite mermaid and her family.

A young King Triton (voiced by ace imitator Jim Cummings, stepping in for the absent Kenneth Mars) is seen with his happy brood of adorable toddler daughters and, for the first time, his beautiful queen, Athena (Lorelei Hill Butters). Their blissful lives are filled with love and music, until the fateful day when the queen is taken from them. Overwhelmed with grief, Triton bans all music from the kingdom (shades of, of all things, Footloose), lest it remind him of his lost love.

Cut to ten years later, and the daughters of Triton have grown into dutiful princesses, overseen by their ambitious governess Marina Del Rey (voiced by Sally Field, although the two time Academy Award winner’s name is oddly absent from all promotional materials). Restless under the rule of their strict father and his second-in-command crab Sebastian (Samuel E. Wright), it is the youngest, Ariel (Jodi Benson) who develops a rebellious streak (no big surprise there).

Ariel soon meets her future BFF Flounder (Parker Goris), who unknowingly leads her to the secret, speak easy-type Catfish Club, where music is king … and Sebastian is the master of ceremonies. Exposed to the wonders and magic of song and dance once more, Ariel is reinvigorated, and anxious to share the experience with her sisters.

However, the devious Marina -- who wants Sebastian’s job -- tells all to King Triton, who promptly closes the joint down and imprisons Sebastian, Flounder and their be-boppin’ buddies (in the jail sequence, movie buffs will get a kick out of some unexpected homages to The Shawshank Redemption and Dog Day Afternoon).

Meanwhile, Ariel and her sisters are confined to the castle, but that doesn’t stop our heroine from escaping, her new friends in tow. Sebastian leads them to a secluded spot that may hold the answers to all their problems, but an enraged Marina, along with her vicious pet electric eels, are soon on their tail.

Click here to continue reading my Toon Talk review of The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning at LaughingPlace.com.

Best of the Fests: Venice Begins

The 65th Venice Film Festival opens today with the world premiere of the Coen Brothers' quirky crime caper Burn After Reading (starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt). Other notable films screening at the fest -- and building their early Oscar Buzz -- include:

• The Burning Plain: A mother-daughter drama starring, respectively, Academy Award winners Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger.
• The Hurt Locker: Yet another Iraq war film, this one directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes.
• Inju: The Beast in the Shadow (a.k.a. Inju, la bête dans l'ombre): Tokyo set thriller from French director Barbet Schroeder.
• Ponyo on the Cliff: A tale of a boy and a goldfish princess, this is the latest animated fantasy from the master of such things, Hayao Miyazaki.
• Rachel Getting Married: Word has it that Anne Hathaway may finally get noticed by Oscar for this dysfunctional family drama, directed by Jonathan Demme.
• Valentino: The Last Emperor: Documentary look at legendary Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani.
• The Wrestler: The story of a retired professional wrestler named Randy "The Ram" Robinson (and played by ... Mickey Rourke!) at first doesn't sound like much ... except that Darren Aronofsky, of Requiem for a Dream fame, directed it.

The Venice Film Festival continues through September 6. For a quick look at the full line up, visit Screen Daily.

Woman We Love: Judith Light

Object of our affection: Judith Light, actress.

- She first gained fame (and two Daytime Emmy Awards) for playing desperate housewife-turned-prostitute Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live. While on the show, she met her future husband, Robert Desiderio. More fame came with the long-running sitcom Who's the Boss, in which she played working mom Angela Bower.

- Other TV appearances include memorable guest spots on St. Elsewhere, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Family Guy, plus starring in the short-lived series Phenom and The Stones; she currently co-stars in her Emmy nominated role as rich socialite-turned-ex con Claire Meade on Ugly Betty. She has also starred in several popular made-for-television movies, including The Ryan White Story, wherein she played Ryan's mother, Jeanne White.

- On stage, she has starred in acclaimed productions of Richard III, A Doll's House and Wit.

- In addition to her acting career, she is a longtime advocate for GLBT rights and HIV/AIDS causes. In 1997, she helped her former Who's the Boss son Danny Pintauro come out publicly. The following year, she received the Vision Award from the GLAAD Media Awards.

- Up next for the busy, multi-talented actress: the third season of Ugly Betty (starting September 25) and the gay-themed feature film Save Me (in limited release September 5), which she co-produced and co-stars with Chad Allen and Robert Gant.

Summer Under the Stars: Charlton Heston

Movie Dearest continues our daily previews of Turner Classic Movies' month long "Summer Under the Stars" celebration:

Now Playing Star Profile for Charlton Heston - Stardates: Born October 4, 1924, Evanston, Illinois; died 2008. Star Sign: Libra. Star Qualities: Imposing physique, commanding voice and chiseled profile, all perfect for epic heroes. Star Definition: "So intelligent, so knowledgeable, so professional, so exciting -- exploring the full content of a scene and context of the intent." -- Janet Leigh. Galaxy of Characters: Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, Major Amos Charles Dundee in Major Dundee, General Charles "Chinese" Gordon in Khartoum, Detective Robert Thorn in Soylent Green.

As recounted by author Gore Vidal in the documentary The Celluloid Closet, director William Wyler brought him on to the production of Ben-Hur to work on the troubled script, specifically the relationship of Judah Ben-Hur (Heston) and Messala (Stephen Boyd). To make the animosity between the two characters more believable, Vidal added some homoerotic subtext to their back-story, that when the pair was younger they were lovers, but Ben-Hur ultimately rejected Messala. Wyler okayed the idea and had Vidal discuss it with Boyd, but nothing was said about it to Heston, whom Wyler felt would reject the whole idea. The resulting scenes in the film are heavy with sexual tension, due largely to Boyd's performance.

When this whole story came out years later, Heston himself denied it, even saying that Vidal had very little to do with the script of Ben-Hur ... even though he had wrote in his autobiography that Vidal had authored much of the final shooting script.

Ben-Hur airs tomorrow on TCM at 4:00 PM EST.

First picks for TIFF'08

Here are my first choices for films this year. Well, not my actual 'must see' list but these are the films I have submitted as my selections. I'm going to drop off my orders later today. I did make second picks but the irony is they were usually more hyped films - I wouldn't recommend that method, but I did feel compelled to but in a second pick so sometimes it was something like The Wrestler or RocknRolla.

1st picks:

24 City
A Film with Me in It
Achillles and the Tortoise
All Around Us
Ashes of Time Redux
Biggest Chinese Restaurant in the World, The
Blind Loves
C'est pas moi, je le jure!
Chocolate
Dernier Maquis
Derriere Moi
Detroit Metal City
Dungeon Masters, The
Eden Log
Empty Nest
Every Little Step
Fear Me Not
It Might Get Loud
JCVD
Katia's Sister
Kisses
Martyrs
Ocean Flame
One Week
Patrik, Age 1.5
Pontypool
Radio Love
Real Shaolin, The
Sauna
Secret of Moonarce, The
Sky Crawlers, The
Still Walking
Toronto Stories
Tokyo Sonata
Un ete sans point ni coup sur
Universalove
Vacation
White Night Wedding
Winds of September

Program Breakdown:
So far the program breakdown in CWC and Midnight Madness heavy - which I expect. I'm a little surprized to see so many Vangaurd selections - when the program first came out I steered clear of it due to pretty intense content, but over the years I have seen some stelllar films from it (Chyrsalis, Boy A). I wish I got at least one Canada First! in there, but so far my Canadian selections have been through other programs.

10 Contemporary World Cinema
6 Vanguard
5 Midnight Madness
5 RTR
5 Special Presentations
2 Discovery
2 Masters
2 Visions
1 Sprockets
1 Gala

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

First Look: I Love You Phillip Morris

Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey get cozy on the beach in this first look at the upcoming "romantic dark comedy" I Love You Phillip Morris, due in theaters next spring.

Pre-fest Vlog #1

Clicking the play button to hear my views on the TIFF pick up, ticket and schedule process so far! Static pic is a little scary - very strange!



A few notes:
The box office I refer to is called "Festival Box Office at Toronto Life Square" at Yonge & Dundas as opposed to the various name incarnations I came up with.
This is my first ever vlog attempt, I hope you enjoy it!

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Poster Post: Adventure Down Under

Hugh Jackman is featured in the first poster image of Baz Luhrmann's upcoming romantic epic Australia, in theaters November 14.

Not sure how to fill out the TIFF'08 forms?

I know at first look it feels confusing, but check out this fantastic post over at TIFF Talk to guide you through filling out the forms, as well as the advance lottery process.

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Summer Under the Stars: Tony Curtis

Movie Dearest continues our daily previews of Turner Classic Movies' month long "Summer Under the Stars" celebration:

Now Playing Star Profile for Tony Curtis - Stardates: Born June 3, 1925, Bronx, New York. Star Sign: Gemini. Star Qualities: Curly black locks, killer smile, sharp timing. Galaxy of Characters: Tino Orsini in Trapeze, Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success, John "Joker" Jackson in The Defiant Ones, Joe/Josephine/Junior in Some Like It Hot.

As with Sidney Poitier, Jack Lemmon and Kirk Douglas in, respectively, The Defiant Ones, Some Like It Hot and Spartacus, Curtis ends up overshadowed by his co-star in Sweet Smell of Success. Not surprising considering it is Burt Lancaster as the sharp-penned, acid-tongued gossip columnist J.J. Hunsecker, arguably the star's greatest screen performance.

Sweet Smell of Success airs tomorrow on TCM at 10:15 PM EST.

The Latest on DVD: What's This?

Christmas ... and Halloween ... are coming a little early this year, at least for fans of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.The stop motion animated classic returns to DVD in a two-disc collector's editiontoday. The set includes brand new bonus features (including a look at Disneyland's "Haunted Mansion Holiday") plus an extra disc featuring a digital copy of the film, so you can watch Jack and Sally on the go.

Nightmare Before Christmas also makes its high-def debut on Blu-Raytoday. Plus, the standard format DVD is also available in an "Ultimate Collector's" deluxe gift setcomplete with a hand-painted bust of Jack Skellington:

With all these ghastly goodies, it will take me a little longer to get my Toon Talk review to you, so in the meantime, you can pay a visit to Dr. Finklestein's lab.

Check out the Latest on DVD widgets located in the sidebar for more of this week's new DVD releases available today from Amazon.com.

TIFF'08 - Scheduling Considerations and First Film Selections

Tomorrow the public film schedule will be announced for TIFF'08 - are you ready?

I certainly thought I would but after lots of print outs, a numbering system and a spreadsheet later I'm feeling a little more lost than normal. Last year I wrote about How to pick the pics, How I picked my pics and finally Why I picked my pics, and the info there all still stands up well.

Initially my plan was to see all the Midnight Madness, Canada First! and as much other Canadian, Asian film as I could and of course, anything martial arts or science fiction that is included in the line up. That was my plan when I applied for media accreditation, but I didn't get in this year so we are back to no limitations. I think I'll still hold true to most of that pattern but likely will not see 'all' of any one program. There are also many more documentaries that I'm interested in that I had anticipated. Although

First, lets look at some considerations in terms of scheduling/timing.

Sunday morning - Subway opens at 9am
If you are travelling by TTC, remember that the Subway opens approximately 9:00am on Sunday mornings. If you are planning to go to an early screening make sure you can get there. There are many 24 hr streetcar routes including the 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton.

Midnight Madness films - Subways close approximately 1:30am
If you are going to check out the Midnight Madness screenings (and you should - they are a lot of fun!) remember to plan your trip home. If you are a TTCer, make note that the subway closes approximately 1:30am daily. There are many 24 hr streetcar routes including the 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton.

Know what you can and can't see as per your pass
Many of the patrons who purchased passes have noticed that there pass will not get them into premium screenings. This includes Roy Thomson Hall (same as last year) and the Elgin "Visa Screening Room" (change from 2007). If your pass has limitations, and most of them do (i.e. 1 ticket per screening, 4 tickets per order, start time is prior to 5:01pm), make sure you know what they are so you can get the full benefit of your pass. Read everything that comes with your tickets and packages.

Decide what you want to see / what experience you want to have
Everyone will have a different TIFF experience, so think about what you are looking for. Do you want to see the filmmakers? Then try to see those films early in the festival. Looking for celebrites? Roy Thomson Hall and the Elgin have the big names at their screenings. Want to see things that are obscure so you can wow your friends? Browse the lists until you find it! Want a wild and crazy crowd? Go to Midnight Madness - there is nothing like it!

Know your strenghts and limitations:
If you aren't an early bird, this likely isn't the time that you can change your pattern so schedule films not first thing in the morning. Some thing with piling on the films in one day, if you don't think you can do more than two - don't! Enjoy those two and save the rest for later. But, if you know you can sit through a whole day at one theatre, go for it. If you are willing to run out during the credits then schedule films tightly, but if you want some flex time to stay for Q&A's give yourself more of a buffer between films.

Now, the next big question is - what to see?
What I did was went through a printable film list by program from over at TOfilmfest and gave each film a number based on interest and how available I thought the film would be:

1 - Must See
2 - Strongly interested
3 - Mildly interested
4 - Wouldn't not see
5 - No, due to content or assumed tickets not available.

The plan was to only have about 5 must see's but currently the number is sitting closer to 25. I'm planning on seeing about 40 films so it seems unlikely to get all 25 of those in just in terms os scheduling constrants alone - but I'm open to the possibility.

A little explantion for "Wouldn't Not See" means that the films didn't grab me, but there was no indication that the film included content that I would find disturbing or regret to see later.

Here are my current 'must see's'. All may change in a mere few hours when the scheudle is available but here's to hoping! The rationale is a mix of films that will likely only be available to see at a festival, a strong leaning to Canadian films and Midnight Madness films. I also like to see a film from a country that I've not seen any films from before. I also like to take a chance on a few films that I know almost nothing about because you never know when you will find a gem. I've excluded the majority of Gala/Special Presentations as they appear to be mostly screened at Roy Thomson/Elgin which I can't see on my pass.

Must-See List:

The Good, The Bad, The Weird
Dir: Kim Jee-woon
I've been talking about this kimchi western for ages and I do not want to miss the opportunity to see it. The trailer is awesome.

Ashes of Time Redux
Dir: Wong Kar-wai
I'm a huge Wong Kar-wai fan and therefore really looking forward to his latest film. My only hesistation is that I've not seen the original Ashes of Time.

Adoration
Dir: Atom Egoyan
I'm not sure there will be an available screening for this but I can always hope. Atom Egoyan films always thought provoking as well as beautiful, which is a lovely combination.

Valentino
Dir: Matt Tymauer
Anything about fashion will peak my interest. Again, I'm not holding my breath that the film will be available to passholders.

Achilles and the Tortoise
Dir: Takeshi Kitano
This is the third film in Takeshi Kitano's trilogy which also included Takeshis' and Glory to the Filmmaker - both films I saw at previous TIFF's so I can't imagine letting this one pass by without seeing it.

White Night Wedding
Dir: Baltasar Kormakur
This is my 'country to explore' choice as it's from Iceland.

Été sans point ni coup sûr / No-Hit No-Run Summer
Dir: Francis Leclerc
French Canadian film set in 1969 starring Roy Dupuis from the director of Looking for Alexander / Mémoires affectives in a film about family and baseball,

Toronto Stories
Dirs: Sook-Yin Lee, Sudz Sutherland, Davide Weaver, Aaron Woodley
You can't get more Toronto than a film about Toronto. I'm really looking forward to this one which is a film of four stories each shot by a different Toronto director.

Pontypool
Dir: Bruce McDonald
Small town Ontario zombie movie by Bruce McDonald. Need I say more? Didn't think so.

Vacation
Dir: Hajime Kadoi
Japanese film about a prision guard who goes on vacation.

Only
Dirs: Ingrid Veninger, Simon Reynolds
Two 12 year olds in Northern Ontario embark on a journey. Sounds good to me!

Blind Loves
Dir: Juraj Lehotsky
Documentary on blind people finding love.

At the Edge of the World
Dir: Dan Stone
Eco-warriors on a pirate voyage. Current day. Yep, I'm in.

Dungeon Master
Dir: Keven McAlester
Documentary on 3 D&D players. Films about gaming are an automatic 'yes' for me.

It Might Get Loud
Dir: David Guggenheim
Documentary on guitar players Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White.

Mémoire des anges / Memories of Angels
Dir: Luc Bourdon
Documentary of the NFB and their role in Canadian film and including numerous clips from NFB films.

Real Shaolin
Dir: Alexander Sebastien Lee
Documentary following four students as they go through training in the Shaolin temple in China.

Yes Madam, Sir
Dir: Megan Doneman
Documentary on th efirs woman police officer in India: Karin Bedi.

JVCD
Dir: Mabrouk El Mechri
Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as himself in a comeback story that appears to blend truth and fiction. Opening night Midnight Madness Film.

Burrowers
Dir: J.T. Petty
Western with possible supernatural tendencies, in a reinvention of John Ford's The Searchers.

Eden Log
Dir: Franck Vestiel
Midnight Madness + Science Fiction = yes.

Chocolate
Dir: Prachya Pinkaew
Woman martial artist Jija Yanin kicks butt, from the director who brought us Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior and The Protector / Tom yum goong. Closing night Midnight Madness Film.

Those are my front runners! How about you, any must sees itching on your list?

The Toronto International Film Festival 2008 runs from September 4-13/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.