TIFF - Party Time: CFC BBQ

So I was totally kidding about the VIP invites the other day when alas, I managed to snag myself onto the VIP list somehow to the invite only Canadian Film Centre BBQ hosted by Norman Jewison (Moonstruck, The Hurricane). Of course, now knowing how many people I bumped into at the BBQ, I don't feel so VIP anymore, but whatever, I got in, had my free drinks, ate my free food, drank my free Fiji Water, and left.

Basically an assortment of people like me that somehow managed to get in and I don't know why, and a few minor Canadian celebrities (and when I say minor, considering how major our major celebrities are, minor is REALLY minor). I literally bumped into Zac Efron (who I was planning to stalk anyways on the Hairspray set) and Elijah Kelly, but by the time I clued into who it was, it was too late to grab that photo as they were long gone in the crowd.

Here's a few pics of the place, one of the Ashmore's (Shawn or Aaron? hmm... I think it WAS Iceman. DAMNIT) and the charming dude from Touch of Pink and who also played Wayne Gretzky in that recent TV movie.

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Shameless Plugs

Here's another shameless plug for friends and coworkers:


Hollywoodland opens today and seems to be getting generally good reviews with its stylish noir classic Hollywood feel (especially noted since it was all shot in Toronto! Impressive sets and "art direction" no?).

I think I liked the original title better though, Truth, Justice and the American Way.

Funny note: a commercial ad I saw recently made absolutely no mention of Ben Affleck. hmm...

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Guilty Frustrations - Big Brother 7: All Stars

aw CRAP... Boogie won HOH... aw CRAP... so much for the best week EVER in Big Brother All Stars, with crying Boogie and an ousted Will. Sigh...

AW CRAP...

Now I just don't care WHO wins cause NEITHER deserve it. If anybody, at least Will who was the brains behind Chilltown. UGH...

EWWWWWW... Erika and Mike Boogie are kissing again... be right back, need to go hurl right now...

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Let Tiff Begin so let's do a quick Fall Movie Preview

It's Fall, the Toronto International Film Festival starts tonight (and ahem... where are my VIP party tickets? I assume they got lost in the mail?) and before I get carried away with the jam packed TV Season (again, since these past few years, seems like TV has overtopped movies for the place of quality entertainment), here are some of the fall movies (in alphabetical order) that I'm excited about (and hopefully won't disappoint), many which are showing at TIFF (and no, I'm not gonna have time to see anything yet again cause I actually have to work to keep from not starving).

A Good Year (Nov 10) - Russell freaking-phone-thrower Crowe back in a light(er) comedy. Basically a male version of Under The Tuscan Sun. Luckily, I actually loved Under the Tuscan Sun and I'm one of the few that still sort of loves Russell Crowe (on film at least) and thought he shines well in these dramedy rolls (see The Sum of Us).

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Babel (Oct 27) - No idea what its about yet but I'm a sucker for these interweaving stories and this time set in three different countries in several different languages with an international cast including Brad Pitt and Gael Garcia Bernal!

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Bobby (Nov 17) - Mighty Ducksman Emilio Estevez directs his own script, so this could be horrendously bad or a new star in the making (uh, I don't really count him as a star right now), but it has another huge cast (again, me, big casts, total sucker) surrounding the assasination of Bobby Kennedy. Big cast in 60's period costumes. Totally suckered in.

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Casino Royale (Nov 17)- with Cheese but damn does it look good. Maybe it won't be that satisfying, much like McD's, but this darker back to the beginning with Daniel Craig actually looks like fun! Plus Dame Judy Dench is back as M. Love that!

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The Departed (Oct 6) - While I think Scorcese is sometimes overated, this remake of HK's Infernal Affairs with Matt Damon and Scorcese's new fav Leonardo DiCaprio could be quite exciting and a well made Hollywood actioner with some smarts. Let's hope.

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Dreamgirls (Dec 21) - I think Jamie Foxx is annoyingly cocky, was never completely charmed over by Beyoncé, Eddie Murphy is now a joke, and I always hated Jennifer Hudson back on American Idol. Still, I cannot WAIT for this new movie version of the classic musical Dreamgirls to come out, if only to hear that belting.

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Fast Food Nation (Nov 17) - Richard Linklater turns the non-fiction fact based book into a full fledged movie with storylines (let's hope) and another huge cast of characters including the lovely Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ethan Hawke, Greg Kinnear etc etc etc. Heard it's not the A movie we want it to be but it's not bad either. I'm kinda excited either way.

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For Your Consideration (Nov 17) - Seems to be the one movie that is on everybody's list at the TIFF and probably because it'll be the most reliable in delivery an entertaining romp for 2 hours in the cinema. Christopher Guest and his crew are at it again, sending up Hollywood this time. While that's been done billions of times before, this is a top notch crew and I simply cannot wait.

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The History Boys (Nov 24) - The movie version of the award winning stage play that is still running on Broadway (though not for long so try to catch it if you can) with the original cast from London (in both versions, Broadway and film). Since the play was fantastic, if not a little blurred with the quick and heavy English accents, it'll be great to see it again on film to catch the great dialogue that I might have missed from the theatre version.

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Running With Scissors (Oct 20) - Augusten Burroughs novel about his own life, crazy mother and family are brought to life by (yet another) top notch cast in what could be a slightly campy, slightly silly yet completey devastatinly disturbing delightful look into another typical crazy family. It's been done but I'm holding hope for this one.

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Stranger Than Fiction (Nov 10) - Emma Thompson and Will Farrell in a movie together. What more do you have to say? Emma plays the narrator that narates Will Farrell's characters life. Only he actually hears it. Totally Charlie Kaufman script only not actually involving Charlie Kaufman.

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Volver (Nov 3) - New Pedro Almodovar movie! Very excited!After Ang Lee, Almodovar has shown up the most in my the top spot of my best of movies of the year list. Penelope Cruz back with the director who knows what's best for her!

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So basically, November looks like it will be a busy month. What with November Sweeps on TV and what looks like a month packed with the most interesting of movies.

I know a missed a few so I'll be back soon with another batch of Fall Movie's that I'm excited about.

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Premieres Tonight - Thurs. Sept 7th

Fox's new comedy block at Thursdays at 8pm of 'Til Death and Happy Hour is apparrently BAD... REAL BAD. Oh well. Not like I was planning to turn away from the Big Brother tonight (although bad news, apparently Boogie won round two of the 3 part HOH competition), and not like I don't have enough things to watch already in the Thursday 8pm slot once The Office, My Name is Earl, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy (in Canada) and Survivor starts up later this month.

So are we predicting Happy Hour to be the first show cancelled of the season though? Shall we put our hard-earned money down (woohoo. thank god it's payday)? I like Eddie Kaye Thomas from his American Pie days but never thought Brad Garrett or Joely Fisher were ever particularly that funny.

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Guilty Pleasures - Big Brother 7: Janelle Star Edition

Did I not tell you that girl is the BOMB!!! YOU GO JANELLE!
See ya lata' Willtown (and now let's hope Chilltown).

Man, I cannot WAIT to see the reaction from the Jury House. They need a second show just for that.

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Premieres Tonight - Tues. Sept 5th

House Season 3 Premiere - Fox 8pm, Global 9pm
Standoff - Premiere - Fox 9pm though even it's with Ron Livingston (Office Space, Sex and the City) and Gina Torres (Firefly, Alias), word is it's only okay at best.

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Step Up – Movie Review

Here’s another lower budget film with another clichéd story (what movie isn't these days?). Boy on wrong side of tracks meets richer girl, learn to dance, fall in love, obligatory silly stumbling block, then finally get together and perform fantastic routine together and we all smile. Well, at least it works almost everytime. This time, Disney seems to be having a pretty good summer with the underdog movies and along with Invincible, seem to have two of the bigger breakout hits of the summer (the third being Prada).

What sets Step Up apart is the fact that it’s actually filmed in rougher looking locations giving it much more realism, and using horrible lighting that doesn’t glossify the events. Taking hold of the stories are a set of unknowns, Jenna Dewan (also in Take the Lead, though pretty much all her speaking parts were cut and all we were left with was her great finale dance, left a little unmoving since we didn’t get to know her character), and Channing Tatum (who, with this movie, She’s the Man, and the new untitled Kimberley Pierce project, seems to have gotten this summers up and comer boy slot). The two have a naturalism (if not the greatest vocal dramatizations) that along with filming in the city Baltimore, gives the fairytale plot much more grit. While I don’t think he’s as handsome or hot as all the girls around me though, Channing Tatum has an intensity to him that makes him shine. His baggy grey eyes and imperfections add to the likeable portrayal of the “good boy on the bad side of the blocks trying to do good but not knowing how”. Jenna is refreshingly cute without being cloying (though I thought she looked better in Take the Lead, but alas, that’s what grit gives you), and though I wonder how good her agent is, it was kinda fun to see Rachel Griffiths in something that wasn’t heavy and about death.

In the end, much like it’s Disney cousin Invincible (except replace great dancing shots for great football shots), Step Up tells a familiar tale but with heart and hard work that makes it transcend its genre into a movie that I finally caved and bought into.

7.5/10 or a B

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Little Miss Sunshine – Movie Review

I love my indie movies and I love my quirky casts but this little indie-movie-that-can is a cute enjoyable time with an excellent cast of favourites (Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear and Steve Carrell, all favourites of mine) but still not the summer movie breakout I was hoping it would be (or that everyone is telling me that it is).
Now that we’ve established that indie movies have their own clichés, with the quirky characters with the quirky ticks, and slightly depressed mopey attitudes, and a simpler storyline usually more about growth of the characters than anything actually happening, I expect much more depth or emotion or soul or laughter. Little Miss Sunshine offers a parting glance at some depth and it has some good laughs, but its’ strength is in the actors fleshing out what really are just caricatures in a another “crazy” family road movie/make-fun-of-beauty pageants-because-we-are-oh-so-much-better-than-that, which really, is all just too easy. Steve Carrell particularly stands out in a great cast, but in the end, I found the movie as a cute trifle but nothing more. Though the running scenes while pushing the Volkswagen Van was always hilarious (as seen in the poster).

7/10 or a B-

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Premieres Tonight - Wed. Aug. 30th

Bones is back for Season 2 tonight on Fox at 8pm/Global at 9pm.
Justice premieres tonight on Fox/CTV at 9pm
Weeds starts in Canada (finally) for season 2 tonight on Showcase at 10pm.

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