Film Fan Fridays for Friday October 17, 2008!

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday October 17, 2008! After a brief bout of nice weather it appears it's time to be chilly again. I know I'll be retreating to the theatre this week, how about you?

In limited release this week we have Mike Leigh's latest comedy Happy-Go-Lucky, which truly does look happy go lucky from the trailer. In a not as happy note we have the star studded Battle in Seattle a film based on the 1999 demonstration in Seattle to protest the World Trade Organization. Two of our limited releases are documentaries on water, but from different angles. Flow: For Love of Water focuses on water and the implications and effects of less of it being available. Morning Light is on the water bringing us a documentary about a bunch of inexperience sailors participating in a race.

I love when I have the opportunity to say we have a Canadian film in release and it is all th more sweet when it is in wide release as we have this week with Paul Gross' World War I film Passchendaele. We have a few more highly anticipated releases is this week including Oliver Stone's W. starring Josh Brolin in the title role. There is also the video game-to-film Max Payne which looks like what would happen if you started from the The Bourne Ultimatum and landed in the world of Watchmen. If drama is more your taste we have The Secret Lives of Bees which looks quite touching. For comedy your options are the internet-meets-road-movie Sex Drive.

It is surprizing for it to be October and no horror films have been released. Have no fear as the Toronto After Dark Film Festival is here, and you can get your fill of horror, sci-fi, action and cult films. Be sure to check out my daily coverage of the festival here at Movie Moxie from October 17 - 24, 2008.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Est Docs
Estonian Documentary Film Festival
October 17 - 24, 2008 at various locations, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
Celebrating works of Indigenous peoples from around the world
Continues until October 19, 2008, at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Macedonian Film Festival
October 18-19, 2008 at Innis Town Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
See reviews of 2 festival films: I Am From Titov Veles and Shadows

Planet in Focus Film Festival
International Environmental Film and Video Festival
October 22 - 26, 2008 at various locations, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto After Dark Film Festival
Horror, Sci-Fi, Action & Cult Film Festival
October 17-24, 2008 at the Bloor Cinema, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Special Screening

Home Movie Day Saturday October 18, 2008 from 12noon-5pm at Jackman Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Curated by the Film Reference Library

Friday October 17, 2008 Releases

Battle in Seattle
Writer/Dir: Stuart Townsend - directorial debut
Cast: Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Martin Henderson, Ray Liotta
USA/Canada/Germany
Limited Release
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Spoiler free until 2/3rds through

Flow: For Love of Water
Dir: Irena Salina (Ghost Bird)
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is spoiler free

Happy-Go-Lucky
Writer/Dir: Mike Leigh (Vera Drake, All or Nothing, Topsy-Turvy)
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman
UK
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 3/4 the way through

Max Payne
Dir: John Moore (Flight of the Phoenix, Behind Enemy Lines)
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Beau Bridges, Ludacris, Chris O'Donnell
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer feels pretty spoiler free

Morning Light
Dir: Paul Crowder (Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who) & Mark Monroe - directorial debut
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 3/4 of the way through

Passchendaele
Writer/Dir: Paul Gross (Men with Brooms)
Cast: Paul Gross, Caroline Dhavernas, Joe Dinicol, Gil Bellows
Canada
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 3/4 of the way through

The Secret Life of Bees
Writer/Dir: Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball)
Cast: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany
USA
Official Film Site (autoplays trailer), IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer spoiler free until 3/4 of the way through

Sex Drive
Dir: Sean Anders (Never Been Thawed)
Cast: Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, James Marsden, Seth Green
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer is spoiler free

W.
Dir: Oliver Stone (Nixon, JFK, The Doors, Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon)
Cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, James Cromwell, Ellen Burstyn, Scott Glenn, Jeffrey Wright, Ioan Gruffudd
USA/Hong Kong/Germany/UK/Australia
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Trailer 1b is spoiler free

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of October 17, 2008**