Films on TMN in July

Every month when the TMN (The Movie Network) guide comes in the mail, I can't wait to sit down with a cup of tea and highighter in hand to see what films are on this month and what I plan on seeing. What hits my to watch list is often a combination of big titles, festival favourites, Canadian film and almost always a few guilty pleasures. Instead of keeping these picks to myself, I thought why not share some of my picks with you? I hope you enjoy the selections!

Must-see's:

• Black Dynamite - Michael Jai White stars as Black Dynamite (Dy-no-mite! Dy-no-mite!), a competent cool cat kung fu chopping anti-drug, pro-lovin' beefcake in this hilarious pitch perfect blaxsplotation comedy. It's truly the funnest films I've seen in a long time, so much so that I have to keep watching it to catch parts I miss because I'm laughing so hard. Don't miss it.
• Every Little Step- documentary of the auditions and casting of the revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. A must-see for anyone who loves the performing arts, especially dance. Bonus must-see if you are familiar with A Chorus Line (film or stage), but knowledge of that isn't required. This film makes me cry, in a good way, every time I see it.
• Moon - Sam Rockwell delivers a fantastic performance in this sensational science fiction film. It's one you really don't need to know anything about going in, and it's hard to discuss unless you've seen it so I never reviewed it but it is one of my favourite films from 2009 and I highly recommend it. Feature film directorial debut from Duncan Jones, I can't wait to see what he does next!
  

Highly Enjoyable:

• Coco Avant Chanel - biopic about the one and only Coco Chanel, before she became Chanel. Must-see for fashion lovers, the clothing is ... ridiculous. Great performance by Audrey Tautou (Amélie) in the title role.
• Paranormal Activity - one of the scariest films I've seen in years! Plus, it's a little indie film that could. Low budget, but not low class, this using what it has to a tee using first person and stationary recordings to it's benefit with a solid story and big scares. Well worth a watch.

Guilty Pleasures

• Bandslam - Caught this one just a few days ago and absolutely loved it. Has a very very 'known' structure as a base (reads quite like a dance film, but substitute school rock bands for dance), but elaborates nicely on it incorporating the power of music, friendship and family. Really quite touching.
• Sorority Row - Watched this last night and made me laugh, a lot. It's not a comedy though, it's a horror film of the slasher variety and set in a Sorority so you get your paint-by-numbers party scenes and what you'd expect to go along with that. But, I have to say it kept me guessing which is kind of embarrassing because I couldn't figure it out, but it was way more engaging, and funny, than I'd ever imagined.

My To Watch List:

• Armoured - Bank heist? I'm in!
• Astro Boy - Can't help but be curious
• Final Destination - I oddly like this crazy series of films, but waited to see it in it's non-3D glory
• Flame & Citron - purely for the Mads Mikkelsen factor
• The Invention of Lying - I've heard good things about this Ricky Gervais comedy
• Love & Savagery - Canadian historical romance ... I dare say, that's a must-see genre for me! I didn't even realize that until I wrote it.

New Series
The Pillars of Earth - political turmoil in 12th century England? Sounds interesting to me. Casting includes Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell and Allison Pill. Starts July 23, 2010 (see more info here).

For the Twi-Fans
Lucky month for Twi-fans as the they will be showing not only The Twilight Saga: New Moon starting this month but also 2 Twilight-ish-centric documentaries: Robsessed which looks at the popularity and obsession people have with actor Robert Pattinson and Twilight in Forks: The Saga of the Real Town which title says it all. I've actually not see either documentary, so they technically also fall under 'guilty pleasure' for me as I know I'll be checking them out. If you want to see the whole kid & caboodle, you can - on July 24, 2010 they are having a bit of a marathon going showing Robsessed, Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Twilight in Forks: The Saga of the Real Town all in one go started at 5:35pm EST. Fun times!

Popular Titles
Disaster flick 2012 premieres along with dystopic animated film 9, Michael Moore's documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Mann's period crime film Public Enemies and the scifi thriller Surrogates starring Bruce Willis.

These are just some of the highlights I've picked out of what is new this month on TMN. They have loads more titles and you can check them out all over at the TMN website.