Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 26, 2010

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 26, 2010! Feature film directorial debut week with 5 of our 8 releases coming from new directors, at least in the feature film.

In limited release this week we have award inspiriting film and lots of docs. The Maid multiple award winning film including several awards for actress Catalina Saavedra's performance and writer/director Sebastián Silva and The Messenger which is up for 2 Oscar: Original Screenplay and Actor in a Supporting Role for Woody Harrelson. Our three documentaries of the week are all from first time feature film directions. First up is the highly acclaimed and gorgeous looking Inferno / L'enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot, then the journey of Last Train Home and then music doc The White Stripes Under Great White North.

In wide release this week we have 3 films, and let's start with one of my most anticipated films of 2010: The Crazies, which is a remake of 1973 George A. Romero film of the same name, this time starring Timothy Olyphant (Hitman) & Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black) who live in a town where people appear to go... crazy! Also out is Kevin Smith cop buddies-that-don't-really-like-each-other comedy Cop Out and teen drama To Save a Life.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Cinéfranco Youth & Family Program
Celebration of International Francophone Cinema
March 1 - 10, 2010 at The Bloor Cinema in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Reel Artists Film Festival
Continues until February 28, 2010 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Taiwan Cinema Yesterday and Today Film Festival
February 26 - 28, 2010 at Innis Town Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Continues until March 6, 2010 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Special Screening

Oscar Shorts!
With the Oscars just around the corner there is a special opportunity to get to see the shorts before the awards on March 7, 2010. Here in Toronto the Live Action shorts are playing on Monday March 1, 2010 and the Animated shorts are playing on Thursday March 4, 2010 at select theatres (Scotiabank & Varsity plus several others). Be sure to check your local listings for more information.

Friday February 26, 2010 Releases

Cop Out
Dir: Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy)
Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Seann William Scott, Michelle Trachtenberg, Rashida Jones
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Crazies
Dir: Breck Eisner (Sahara)
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson
USA/United Arab Emirates
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Inferno / L'enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot
Dir: Serge Bromberg & Ruxandra Medrea - feature film directorial debuts
Documentary / edited from Henri-Georges Clouzot 1964 film L'enfer
France
Limited Release
Official Film Site & French Trailer, IMDb Page

Last Train Home
Dir: Lixin Fan - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
Canada/China/UK
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Maid
Writer/Dir: Sebastián Silva (La vida me mata)
Cast: Catalina Saavedra, Claudia Celedón, Mariana Loyola, Alejandro Goic
Chile/Mexico
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

The Messenger
Dir: Oren Moverman - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone, Samantha Morton
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

To Save a Life
Dir: Brian Baugh - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg, Joshua Weigel, Steven Crowder, Kim Hidalgo
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights
Dir: Emmett Malloy - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of February 26, 2010**