Film Fan Fridays for Friday December 9, 2011

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday December 9, 2011! Second release week of December and starting to get more awards-y films out. I recently caught up with some nomination announcements here with both The Spirit Awards & The People's Choice Awards nominations, which feel odd together but are both ones I love because they stay so true to each of their visions.

In limited release this week we have most of our releases of the week with 5 films to choose from and quite a selection they are starring of with the classic Hollywood film The Artist set turning the time of films turning from silent to talkies which looks stylistically gorgeous and I think this will be a big awards film this year too, film honouring film certainly piques my interested! We also have the Sleeping Beauty from first time feature filmmaker Julia Leigh (who also wrote the book The Hunter) following a university student who appears to fall into a world of desires - although it's not very clear whether or not they are her own, I have mixed feelings on this one but I know I have to see it; stars Emily Browning (Sucker Punch). Then we have the Australian drama The Eye of the Storm starring Charlotte Rampling & Geoffrey Rush; based on the book by Patrick White which was *this close* to making it into this years Book to Film Club but I couldn't confirm a release date - and it just popped up a few weeks ago! Ah, well we have it now! And rounding up our limited releases we have 2 documentaries: Into the Abyss from Werner Herzog centred on a death-row inmate and bio/documentary Paul Goodman Changed My Life.

In wide release this week we have just have 2 films hitting many multiple screens including the holiday-centric stars-everyone (billing includes 18 actors!) flick New Year's Eve which feels odd to be so much *before* actual New Year's. We also have the Jonah Hill comedy The Sitter proving to be a new installment in the rather underused babysitting micro-genre.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Special Screening

Japanese Film Screening
FREE Screenings
Friday December 8 - 10, 2011 at The Royal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Remaining screenings include Linda Linda Linda, The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones and Always: Sunset on 3rd St. 2

Friday December 9, 2011 Releases

The Artist
Writer/Dir: Michel Hazanavicius (OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d'espions, OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus)
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle
France/Belgium
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Eye of the Storm (2011)
Dir: Fred Schepisi (Last Orders, Six Degrees of Separation, A Cry in the Dark)
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling, Dustin Clare
Australia
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Into the Abyss
Dir: Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Encounters at the End of the World, Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979), Grizzy Man, Fitzcarraldo)
Documentary
Germany/Canada
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

New Year's Eve
Dir: Garry Marshall (Valentine's Day, Runaway Bride, Frankie and Johnny)
Cast: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Paul Goodman Changed My Life
Dir: Jonathan Lee - feature film directorial debut
Documentary
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Sitter
Dir: David Gordon Green (Your Highness, Pineapple Express, All the Real Girls)
Cast: Jonah Hill, Max Records, Ari Graynor, JB Smoove, Sam Rockwell
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Sleeping Beauty (2011)
Writer/Dir: Julia Leigh - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie, Peter Caroll, Chris Haywood
Australia
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of December 9, 2011**