Bread and Tulips / Pane e Tulipani

Director: Silvio Soldini (Le Acrobate, Made in Lombardia)
Cast: Licia Maglietta, Bruno Ganz, Giuseppe Battiston
Italy/Switzerlang, 2000
Italian

Seen: Summer 2002

Reason to see: My apartment was too hot, needed to go somewhere with air conditioning.

Great Italian film about oddball people finding home with each other. The crowd in the theatre was actually shushing those of use that were laughing, and there was a lot funny in it so I found that strange. Some of the visuals seems a bit odd to me, but the rest was great. How often do you get to see a boat hotel and a sparkly accordion?

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I would watch it again
I would recommend it

Donnie Darko

Writer/Director: Richard Kelly (Visceral Matter, The Goodbye Place)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore
USA, 2001

Seen: on video sometime in 2002

Reason to see: Looked creepy, indie and was reccomended by a film buff friend

Very good. Very very good. Spooky. My first thought was that my Mom has to see this as it deals with math, time, physics and being able to manipulate them with your mind.

The sound & images still creep me out though, even thinking about them after the fact.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I would buy it
I highly recommend it

The Scorpion King

Director: Chuck Russell (Eraser, Nightmare on Elm Street 3)
Cast: The Rock, Steven Brand, Kelly Hu, Michael Clarke Duncan
USA/Germany, 2002

Seen: Early July 2002 at the Kingsway (Rep) Theatre on a Sunday afternoon
Reason to see: no idea

Thoughts: Much better than I was expecting, very fun, great action and no crappy gender stuff.

After being impressed with this I went and watched The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns. I found that The Scorpion King was the best of the three by leaps and bounds.

Shannon's Overall View:
I quite enjoyed it
If I don't already own this movie, I will buy it
I would recommend it as a fun action/adventure movie

Burr.......it's chilly out!

AH, the snow.... it comes and then dissapears so fast. Here it is on a wall.. isn't it pretty?

Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 24, 2006

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!!

Week after week I am astonished by the volume of films being released, this week we have 9 films being released. This week three of our films are releasing with critical acclaim Dear Wendy, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Little Fish, one animated Doogal, one family Spymate, and more!

How is one to choose?

For me I often find the determining factors aren't necessarily based on what I want to see the most, but based on time - in two ways. First, I love when anything starts around 5 or 5:30. I can go after work, often its still considered a matinee and still feel like I have the night left after. This often results in a dinner consisting of tea & popcorn, and has added films like The Hunted, Phone Booth and The Good Thief to my seen list so it isn't always the best way too choose. The second time factor for me is my guessimate on how long something will last in its theatrical release. If its something that won't last long, I try and get out there and see it before it's gone.

So my picks for this week are: Night Watch, I don't know if I can resist a film that is described as "Action/Fantasy/Sci Fi/Thriller/Horror/Mystery" and has character names such as: owl, young vampire neighbour and mage-transformer. It was hugely successful when released in Russia, in very limited release but it looks pretty scary. My second pick would have to be Metal: A Headbanger's Journey its Canadian, its about metal music, and well need I say more?

Have a great weekend!!!

Shannon

New Releases for Friday February 24, 2006

Dear Wendy
Dir: Thomas Vinterberg (Its All About Love, Festen / The Celebration)
Cast: Jamie Bell, Bill Pullman, Chris Owen, Alison Pill, Danso Gordon
Denmark/France/Germany/UK
Limited Release

Doogal
Writer/Director: Butch Hartman
Voices: Jimmy Fallon, Judi Dench, Whoopi Goldberg, William H. Macy
France/UK/USA

Little Fish
Dir: Rowan Wood (The Boys <1998>, Farscape)
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Sam Neill, Noni Hazlehurst
Australia
Limited Release

Madea's Family Reunion
Writer/Dir: Tyler Perry - directorial film debut
Cast: Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield
USA

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Dir: Sam Dunn, Scot McFayden, Jessica Joy Wise - directorial debuts
Featuring: Tony Iommi, Dee Snider, Slayer, Alice Cooper, Keke Palmer
Documentary
Canada

Night Watch
Dir: Timur Bekmambetov (Gladiatrix / The Arena, Night Watch II)
Cast: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Valeri Zolotukhin
Russia
Russian

Running Scared
Dir: Wayne Kramer (The Cooler, Crossing Over, Blazeland)
Cast: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri
Germany/USA
Limited Release

Spymate
Dir: Robert Vince (MVP: Most Valuable Primate, MVP 2)
Cast: Chris Potter, Richard Kind, Emma Roberts, Michael Bailey Smith
Canada

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Dir: Tommy Lee Jones - film directorial debut
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, January Jones, Melissa Leo
USA/France
English/Spanish

**please note list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 24, 2006**

Personal Velocity: Three Portraits

Director: Rebecca Miller
Cast: Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey, Fairuza Balk
USA, 2002

Seen: at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sat Sept 7, 2002 - 9AM. Rebecca Miller, Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey and cinematographer Ellen Kuras were there for the introduction and the Q&A - how cool is that?

I was intrigued to see this film as it was described as 3 different stories as poems.

I enjoyed the story of the segment with Fairuza Balk the best. The cinematography of the first segment with Kyra Sedgwick was fascinating. A lot of images were slowed or stills and on thier own could look like they were from a children's picture book, however they were capturing very real and scary situations that were more adult oriented. I found it rather striking that it was very female oreinted but did not feel very feminist. It did portray 3 very different women in very interesting situations and the storytelling was good. The coolest thing for me in terms of the experience of the film was that the people involved were there... and walked not 4 feet away from me. That was absolutely thrilling.

Shannon's Overall View:
It made me think and I liked some images
I would watch it one more time
I would recommend it to those interested in different types of women's stories

Self Portrait Tuesday - All of Me 2

These are my well loved pair of 10-hole Provider's. I have had them for well, longer than my cat whom I got in '99 so were are talking 7 years or more. I love boots. I particularly love these boots as they have kept my feet warm and dry for most of those 7+ years. When I was taking this picture and I noticed how nice and shiny black they are (mostly) and also, how worn down the heel's are and how scuffed the toes are. Then to my horror I noticed that the sole of one of them is almost about to come right off.

I literally am wearing them into the ground. Sure I waterproof my boots. Once a year. I don't shine them like... ever. Maybe for a special occasion. Would I even know how to get something like this repaired? Not a clue. Will I stop wearing them? Nope. I will wear them until that heel comes right off and end up walking home with one side being a good inch taller than the other.

I do this with my footwear, my clothes and also with myself. I wear my clothes completely through. I actually had a homeless guy laugh at the state my jeans were in one day. I stay up too late, I drink to much caffiene, I don't dress warm enough, my salt intake is too high, I really like chocolate, I always have salad with dressing and I always order fries if its an option. I also overfill my schedule, often having 2 jobs, and sometimes even 3. At one point I was working full time, had a part time job and was registered as a full time student. During festivals I try and pack in seeing as much as possible, so I don't 'miss' anything. But I do 'miss' stuff, I miss out on feeling rested or feeling well balanced, cuz I'm busy doing other stuff or on the way to something else or spend time about worried about not having enough time. .. which is ironically, a real waste of my time.

Film reviews, impressions, etc are inc

I've recently come across a film journal I kept from Sept 02-May 03 which has lots of commentary and opinion! Oh what fun this is for me as I was planning on posting such things but I was humming and hawing over format, style, rating systems but alas I am saved and I can just type!! Some are long, some are short, all of them are at least a few years old, and some .. well .. its handwritten and some I can barely read, but I will share what I can.

Splat!!

Ok, its kinda freaking me out that most of my pics I have right now, digital ones that is, are all... nature? I don't think of myself as a nature girl but what is with these flowers and swans and grass, its all very very strange.

I like this pic, although I feel bad for the .. the.. um.. I have no idea what this is. Plant? Flower? Weed? My Mom once said that the definition of a weed is something you don't want in your garden. Well it sure looks like this fella was a weed to someone! But its so perfectly round and pretty I just can't help but like it.

Oscar Nominations - Full List

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote"
Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow"
Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain"
Joaquin Phoenix in "Walk the Line"
David Strathairn in "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
George Clooney in "Syriana"
Matt Dillon in "Crash"
Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man"
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain"
William Hurt in "A History of Violence"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents" (The Weinstein Company)
Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica" (The Weinstein Company and IFC Films)
Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice" (Focus Features)
Charlize Theron in "North Country" (Warner Bros.)
Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Junebug"
Catherine Keener in "Capote"
Frances McDormand in "North Country"
Rachel Weisz in "The Constant Gardener"
Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain"

Best animated feature film of the year
"Howl's Moving Castle" - Hayao Miyazaki
"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" - Tim Burton and Mike Johnson
"Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit" - Nick Park and Steve Box

Achievement in art direction
"Good Night, and Good Luck."
Art Direction: Jim Bissell -Set Decoration: Jan Pascale
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
Art Direction: Stuart Craig - Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"King Kong"
Art Direction: Grant Major - Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Simon Bright
"Memoirs of a Geisha"
Art Direction: John Myhre - Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau
"Pride & Prejudice"
Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood - Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

Achievement in cinematography
"Batman Begins" - Wally Pfister
"Brokeback Mountain" - Rodrigo Prieto
"Good Night, and Good Luck." - Robert Elswit
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - Dion Beebe
"The New World" - Emmanuel Lubezki

Achievement in costume design
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - Gabriella Pescucci
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - Colleen Atwood
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" - Sandy Powell
"Pride & Prejudice" - Jacqueline Durran
"Walk the Line" - Arianne Phillips

Achievement in directing
Ang Lee - "Brokeback Mountain"
Bennett Miller - "Capote"
Paul Haggis - "Crash"
George Clooney - "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Steven Spielberg - "Munich"

Best documentary feature
"Darwin's Nightmare"
- Hubert Sauper
"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"
- Alex Gibney and Jason Kliot
"March of the Penguins"
- Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau
"Murderball"
- Henry-Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro
"Street Fight"
- Marshall Curry

Best documentary short subject
"The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club"
- Dan Krauss
"God Sleeps in Rwanda"
- Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman
"The Mushroom Club"
- Steven Okazaki
"A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin"
- Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson

Achievement in film editing
"Cinderella Man" - Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"The Constant Gardener" - Claire Simpson
"Crash" - Hughes Winborne
"Munich" - Michael Kahn
"Walk the Line"- Michael McCusker

Best foreign language film of the year
"Don't Tell" - Italy
"Joyeux Noël" - France
"Paradise Now" - Palestine
"Sophie Scholl - The Final Days" - Germany
"Tsotsi" - South Africa

Achievement in makeup
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - Howard Berger and Tami Lane
"Cinderella Man" - David Leroy Anderson and Lance Anderson
"Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" - Dave Elsey and Annette Miles

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Brokeback Mountain" - Gustavo Santaolalla
"The Constant Gardener" - Alberto Iglesias
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - John Williams
"Munich" - John Williams
"Pride & Prejudice" - Dario Marianelli

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"In the Deep" from "Crash”
Music by Kathleen "Bird" York and Michael Becker - Lyric by Kathleen "Bird" York
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from"Hustle & Flow"
Music and Lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard
"Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica”
Music and Lyric by Dolly Parton

Best motion picture of the year
"Brokeback Mountain"
"Capote"
"Crash"
"Good Night, and Good Luck."
"Munich"

Best animated short film
"Badgered"
"The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation"
"The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello"
"9"
"One Man Band"

Best live action short film
"Ausreisser (The Runaway)"
"Cashback"
"The Last Farm"
"Our Time Is Up"
"Six Shooter"

Achievement in sound editing
"King Kong" - Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - Wylie Stateman
"War of the Worlds" - Richard King

Achievement in sound mixing
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
Terry Porter, Dean A. Zupancic and Tony Johnson
"King Kong"
Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
"Memoirs of a Geisha”
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline and John Pritchett
"Walk the Line"
Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill and Peter F. Kurland
"War of the Worlds"
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ronald Judkins

Achievement in visual effects
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney and Scott Farrar
"King Kong"
Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers and Richard Taylor
"War of the Worlds"
Dennis Muren, Pablo Helman, Randy Dutra and Daniel Sudick

Adapted screenplay
"Brokeback Mountain" - Screenplay by Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
"Capote" - Screenplay by Dan Futterman
"The Constant Gardener" - Screenplay by Jeffrey Caine
"A History of Violence" - Screenplay by Josh Olson
"Munich" - Screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth

Original screenplay
"Crash" - Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco, Story by Paul Haggis
"Good Night, and Good Luck." - Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov
"Match Point" - Written by Woody Allen
"The Squid and the Whale" - Written by Noah Baumbach
"Syriana" - Written by Stephen Gaghan

The flip side to getting more sleep....

Ok, I admit it. I don't usually get a lot of sleep. Long time insomnia+someone who schedules to do to much=less sleep. We're talking 5-6hrs/night for, well... years. Except Saturday's I sleep in and oh it is such heavenly bliss.

So after being sick of hearing myself complain that I'm tired and being not very coherent for a good chunk of the early part of the day I though I would try and be sensible and go to bed earlier. All set to be happy dappy and chipper and energitic and all that jazz .. until...

I had completely forgotten that more sleep means I'm more likely to remember my dreams. Before this week I can't remember the last dream I remember and now, wow. Lots. And well, they are kinda scary! And freaking me out! Which isn't part of the whole 'happy dappy more energy' plan when I wake up freaked out after having dreams of floating in the air or walking along the edge of a very high building or (this one is kinda funny) marrying a zombie/ghoul or vampire whom already had 2 ghoul children. I mean come on!! What the hell!! Where are the dreams of like.. I dunno sunshine & daisies? I dunno... just seems kinda freaky to me!! Maybe more sleep isn't all its cracked up to be!

The beginning of the madness....

Yep, this + highligher & tea = happy me

Film Fan Fridays for Friday February 17, 2006

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!!

Lots of releases this week, including three count 'em three documentaries! I am oddly surprized to find myself most drawn to the Disney film Eight Below about a team of dogs in Antarctica. The preview really got me and it was nice to see animals in a film that aren't CGI'd to bits and talking and doing goofy things. I unfortunately haven't gotten to cross off many of my 'too see Oscar' films, but did sneak out to see Underworld Evolution and I was sadly disappointed. If you want just an action flick, it could be considered ok but I thought from the first one there was a lot more potential story wise as well as stylistically.

I'm currently working on compiling a list of all the films I've ever seen and I'll tell you its quite the task! I think it all started years ago when I bought the Film Review Year Book for, I believe, 2000 which included every film reviewed and rated out of 5. The funny thing is, its a British mag so the release dates are not in sync with ones I'm used to but in a way that is fun .. you get a preview to British stuff that will be coming out, a very good overview of foreign film and very different viewpoint of Hollywood film. The 2006 edition came out this week and I'll tell ya, I had fun sitting down with a cuppa tea, highlighting everything I've seen and planning out what I still want to see. I can't wait to get the back issue from last year that I missed!

Have a great weekend,

Shannon


New Releases for Friday February 17, 2006

Date Movie
Dir: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer - directorial debuts
Cast: Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, Jennifer Coolidge, Eddie Griffin
USA

Eight Below
Dir: Frank Marshall (Congo, Alive, Arachnophobia)
Cast: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Jason Biggs
USA

Freedomland
Dir: Joe Roth (America's Sweetheards, Coupe de Ville)
Cast: Julianne Moore, Samuel L. Jackson, Edie Falco, Ron Eldard
USA

A Good Woman
Dir: Mike Barker (To Kill a King, Best Laid Plans, The James Gang)
Cast: Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Tom Wilkinson Spain/Italy/UK/Luxembourg/USA
Italian & English
Limited Release

Solntse / The Sun
Dir: Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark, Father and Son, Diary of St. Petersburg)
Cast: Issey Ogata, Robert Dawson, Kaori Momoi, Shiro Sano
Russia/France/Italy/Switzerland
English/Japanese/Russian
Limited Release

Through the Fire
Dir: Jonathan Hock - directorial debut
Documentary on basketball player Sebastian Telfair
USA
Limited Release

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Dir: Michael Winterbottom (9 Songs, 24 Hour Party People, Wonderland)
Cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Keeley Hawes, Shirley Henderson, Jeremy Northam
UK
Limited Release

What the Bleep!? - Down the Rabbit Hole
Dir/Writer: Willian Arntz, Betsy Chasse, Mark Vincente
Documentary
USA
Limited Release

Why We Fight
Dir: Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger, The Opponent)
Documentary
USA/France/UK/Canada/Denmark
Limited Release

**please note list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 17, 2006**

Self Portrait Tuesday – All of Me

First post for Self Portrait Tuesday, February challenge is to embrace all of yourself.



Last winter I was talking with my sister’s in the kitchen over tea and we were discussing who the side of ourselves that we don’t often share with people. The kicker is: you yourself don’t say what this is, you just accept the title given. And yes, my title was:

Care Bear

I was like NO WAY! I’m rough & tumble. I’m crazy! I’m tough as nails. I’ll take you all on! I wear big stompin’ boots & heavy black make up. I’ve shaved my head. I growl at people that make me mad! All that is true .. but…. This is as well…

This is a picture of me, icing a cake at my sister’s after taking care of her after her surgery last fall. I was laughing so hard that of course the picture is blurred. There are many pictures where it’s blurred because I’m laughing or talking or gesturing or talking directly to the person taking the picture about what they are doing. I’m in that moment, whatever it is. I forget to spot and pose, and I will again. And lets take a closer look there.. yes, that is me icing a cake. I like to make cakes & cupcakes, especially for people on their birthdays. I like to take care of people. I bring home treats for no reason other than that they are treats. I like to share. I like to help, I think helping is fun. I hope everyone has a nice day. I smile. I bump into things and then I giggle. A lot. So much so that I get tears in my eyes. I’m even sometimes giddy.

And the oddest thing about this is everyone seems to know all this, but .. me.

‘til now.

Tagged again

What were three things when you were little you wanted to be when you grew up?
I honestly can't think of any

You can live one day over again from your childhood. What day will it be?
I wish someone had directly expressed to me when I was 8 or 9ish that it isn't quite appropriate to wear red to a funeral.

You have two minutes (and a mover with you if you need heavy lifting help!) to grab 5 things from your home before it morphs into a polka dotted hobgblin and hops away. What will you take?
Can I keep the hobgoblin instead?

You have to paint one quote on your kitchen wall. What's it going to be?
Measure twice, cut once

What is one thing you want to have accomplished by the end of this year? (I have at least 2)
Be Divorced
Be Debt-Free

You are moving to the moon for one year and can only bring one flower with you. What kind will you bring?
I get to go to the MOON!! Talk about cool!! I would bring a gerber daisy.

You just received word that aside from one flower, you can also bring five books with you too! Your choices?
Daughter of the Lion - Jennifer Roberson
The Guiness Book fo World Records
Some kinda of Survival Guide
Some kind of Astronomy Guide
Sketchbook & Charcoal - can you imagine the kind of shadows you would get on the Moon???

Its a jungle out there!

Been slackin' on posting pic's so here is one.

Genie Nominations

Genie Awards: Monday March 13, 2006

Genies Nominations

BEST MOTION PICTURE
C.R.A.Z.Y. - Pierre Even, Jean-Marc Vallée FAMILIA - Luc Déry
IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG - Elizabeth Yake, Allan Niblo, James Richardson
SAINT RALPH - Michael Souther, Teza Lawrence, Andrea Mann, Seaton McLean
WATER - David Hamilton

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
MICHEL PROULX - Aurore
PATRICE VERMETTE - C.R.A.Z.Y.
DEANNE ROHDE, RICARDO ALMS, SHAWNA BALAS - Seven Times Lucky
DILIP MEHTA - Water
PHILLIP BARKER - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
FRANCESCA CHAMBERLAND - Aurore
GINETTE MAGNY - C.R.A.Z.Y.
ANNE DIXON - Saint Ralph
FRANCESCA CHAMBERLAND - Le Survenant
DOLLY AHLUWALLIA - Water

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
PIERRE MIGNOT - C.R.A.Z.Y.
ANDRÉ TURPIN - Familia
BALAZS BOLYGO - It's All Gone Pete Tong
BERNARD COUTURE CSC - Le Survenant
GILES NUTTGENS - Water

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
LUC PICARD - L'Audition
JEAN-MARC VALLÉE - C.R.A.Z.Y.
LOUISE ARCHAMBAULT - Familia
MICHAEL DOWSE - It's All Gone Pete Tong
DEEPA MEHTA - Water

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
PAUL JUTRAS - C.R.A.Z.Y.
STUART GAZZARD - It's All Gone Pete Tong
JEREMY PETER ALLEN - Manners of Dying
COLIN MONIE - Water
SUSAN SHIPTON - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE
BYRON WONG - Lie With Me
ÉRIC PFALZGRAF - Manners of Dying
GEOFF BENNETT, LONGO HAI, BEN JOHANNESEN - Sabah - A Love Story
MYCHAEL DANNA - Water
MYCHAEL DANNA - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG
DANIEL BÉLANGER - L'Audition - Tourner
MATT MURPHY, MICHAEL MABBOTT - The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico - Just a Show
MATT MURPHY, MICHAEL MABBOTT - The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico - Make Believe
GLENN BUHR, MARGARET SWEATMAN - Seven Times Lucky - When Wintertime
SYLVAIN COSSETTE, MICHEL CORRIVEAU, ROBERT MARCHAND - Le Survenant - Comme une plume au vent

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
LUC PICARD - L'Audition
MICHEL CÔTÉ - C.R.A.Z.Y.
MARC-ANDRÉ GRONDIN - C.R.A.Z.Y.
PAUL KAYE - It's All Gone Pete Tong
ADAM BUTCHER - Saint Ralph

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
DENIS BERNARD - L'Audition
RÉMY GIRARD - Aurore
BERNARD STARLIGHT - Hank Williams First Nation
CAMPBELL SCOTT - Saint Ralph
GORDON PINSENT - Saint Ralph

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
MACHA GRENON - Familia
SYLVIE MOREAU - Familia
ARSINÉE KHANJIAN - Sabah - A Love Story
GINA CHIARELLI - See Grace Fly
SEEMA BISWAS - Water

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
SUZANNE CLÉMENT - L'Audition
MARIANNE FORTIER - Aurore
DANIELLE PROULX - C.R.A.Z.Y.
MICHELINE LANCTÔT - Familia
BABZ CHULA - Seven Times Lucky

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND
YVON BENOÎT, DANIEL BISSON, LUC BOUDRIAS, BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL - C.R.A.Z.Y.
GREG STEWART, MICHAEL THOMAS - It's All Gone Pete Tong
DANIEL PELLERIN, JOHN HAZEN, JAN RUDY, BISA SCEKIC - Lie With Me
LEON JOHNSON, BRUCE LITTLE, HOWARD RISSIN - Seven Times Lucky
CHRIS MUNRO, JOHN HAZEN, DANIEL PELLERIN - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
OLIVIER CALVERT, DIANE BOUCHER, SIMON MEILLEUR, FRANCINE POIRIER, JEAN-FRANÇOIS SAUVÉ - L'Audition
MARTIN PINSONNAULT, MIRA MAILHOT, SIMON MEILLEUR, MIREILLE MORIN, JEAN-FRANÇOIS SAUVÉ - C.R.A.Z.Y.
MICHAEL MCCANN, CHESTER BIALOWAS, TONY GORT, ROGER MORRIS - It's All Gone Pete Tong
BRUCE LITTLE, RUSS DYCK - Seven Times Lucky
ALICE WRIGHT, VALÉRY DUFORT-BOUCHER, ALEXIS FARAND, JACQUES PLANTE, CHRISTIAN RIVEST - Le Survenant

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
LUC PICARD - L'Audition
JEAN-MARC VALLÉE, FRANÇOIS BOULAY - C.R.A.Z.Y.
LOUISE ARCHAMBAULT - Familia
MICHAEL DOWSE - It's All Gone Pete Tong
DEEPA MEHTA - Water

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
LUC DIONNE - Aurore
NATHALIE PETROWSKI - Maman Last Call
DAVID CHRISTENSEN - Six Figures
DIANE CAILHIER - Le Survenant
ATOM EGOYAN - Where the Truth Lies

BEST DOCUMENTARY
SCAREDSACRED - Velcrow Ripper, Tracey Friesen, Cari Green, Harry Sutherland
LES VOLEURS D'ENFANCE / THIEVES OF INNOCENCE - Paul Arcand, Denise Robert

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA
THE BIG THING - Carl Laudan
LES DERNIERS JOURS - Simon Olivier Fecteau, Guillaume Lespérance, Jean-François Lord MARDI MATIN...QUELQUE PART / TUESDAY MORNING...SOMEWHERE - Hélène Bélanger Martin, Antonello Cozzolino
MILO 55160 - David Ostry, Matthew Cervi NOISE - Greg Spottiswood, Jason Charters, Liam Romalis BEST
ANIMATED SHORT CNOTE - Chris Hinton, Michael Fukushima DEHORS NOVEMBRE - Patrick Bouchard, Michèle Bélanger
RUZZ ET BEN / RUZZ AND BEN - Philippe Jullien, Marcel Jean, Jean-Pierre Lemouland

Film Fan Fridays for Friday Feb 10, 2006

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

This week we have a totally bizarre release this with comedy, action, thriller, animated, concert and international film! Its just plain crazy!

Also, it's nomination madness!!! The Genies nominations have been announced and the ceremony will be held Monday March 13/06. Full list of nominees after this weeks new releases.

Have a great weekend!
Shannon

New Releases for Friday Feb 10, 2006

Curious George
Dir: Matthew O'Callaghan (The Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Voices: Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy
USA

Final Destination 3
Dir: James Wong (The One, Final Destination)
Cast: Ryan Merriman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
USA

Firewall
Dir: Richard Loncraine (Winbledon, Richard III, Brimstone & Treacle)
Cast: Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, Beverley Breuer
USA

Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Dir: Jonathan Demme (The Manchurian Candidate <2004>, The Truth About Charlie)
Concert Film
USA

The Pink Panther
Dir: Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen, Just Married)
Cast: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Henry Czerny
USA

Salt
Writer/Dir: Bradely Rust (Boys Life 3, Hitch <2000>, Flutter)
Cast: Thora Gudnadottire, David Orn Halldorsson
Icleand/USA
Icelandic
Limited Release

New Releases for Wednesday Feb 15, 2006

Solntse / The Sun
Dir: Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark, Father and Son, Diary of St. Petersburg)
Cast: Issey Ogata, Robert Dawson, Kaori Momoi, Shiro Sano
Russia/France/Italy/Switzerland
English/Japanese/Russian
Limited Release

**please note list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the week of Feb 10-16, 2006**

Genie Nominations

BEST MOTION PICTURE
C.R.A.Z.Y. - Pierre Even, Jean-Marc Vallée
FAMILIA - Luc Déry
IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG - Elizabeth Yake, Allan Niblo, James Richardson
SAINT RALPH - Michael Souther, Teza Lawrence, Andrea Mann, Seaton McLean
WATER - David Hamilton

ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
MICHEL PROULX - Aurore
PATRICE VERMETTE - C.R.A.Z.Y.
DEANNE ROHDE, RICARDO ALMS, SHAWNA BALAS - Seven Times Lucky
DILIP MEHTA - Water
PHILLIP BARKER - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
FRANCESCA CHAMBERLAND - Aurore
GINETTE MAGNY - C.R.A.Z.Y.
ANNE DIXON - Saint Ralph
FRANCESCA CHAMBERLAND - Le Survenant
DOLLY AHLUWALLIA - Water

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
PIERRE MIGNOT - C.R.A.Z.Y.
ANDRÉ TURPIN - Familia
BALAZS BOLYGO - It's All Gone Pete Tong
BERNARD COUTURE CSC - Le Survenant
GILES NUTTGENS - Water

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
LUC PICARD - L'Audition
JEAN-MARC VALLÉE - C.R.A.Z.Y.
LOUISE ARCHAMBAULT - Familia
MICHAEL DOWSE - It's All Gone Pete Tong
DEEPA MEHTA - Water

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
PAUL JUTRAS - C.R.A.Z.Y.
STUART GAZZARD - It's All Gone Pete Tong
JEREMY PETER ALLEN - Manners of Dying
COLIN MONIE - Water
SUSAN SHIPTON - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE
BYRON WONG - Lie With Me
ÉRIC PFALZGRAF - Manners of Dying
GEOFF BENNETT, LONGO HAI, BEN JOHANNESEN - Sabah - A Love Story
MYCHAEL DANNA - Water
MYCHAEL DANNA - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG
DANIEL BÉLANGER - L'Audition - Tourner
MATT MURPHY, MICHAEL MABBOTT - The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico - Just a Show
MATT MURPHY, MICHAEL MABBOTT - The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico - Make Believe
GLENN BUHR, MARGARET SWEATMAN - Seven Times Lucky - When Wintertime
SYLVAIN COSSETTE, MICHEL CORRIVEAU, ROBERT MARCHAND - Le Survenant - Comme une plume au vent

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
LUC PICARD - L'Audition
MICHEL CÔTÉ - C.R.A.Z.Y.
MARC-ANDRÉ GRONDIN - C.R.A.Z.Y.
PAUL KAYE - It's All Gone Pete Tong
ADAM BUTCHER - Saint Ralph

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
DENIS BERNARD - L'Audition
RÉMY GIRARD - Aurore
BERNARD STARLIGHT - Hank Williams First Nation
CAMPBELL SCOTT - Saint Ralph
GORDON PINSENT - Saint Ralph

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
MACHA GRENON - Familia
SYLVIE MOREAU - Familia
ARSINÉE KHANJIAN - Sabah - A Love Story
GINA CHIARELLI - See Grace Fly
SEEMA BISWAS - Water

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
SUZANNE CLÉMENT - L'Audition
MARIANNE FORTIER - Aurore
DANIELLE PROULX - C.R.A.Z.Y.
MICHELINE LANCTÔT - Familia
BABZ CHULA - Seven Times Lucky

ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND
YVON BENOÎT, DANIEL BISSON, LUC BOUDRIAS, BERNARD GARIÉPY STROBL - C.R.A.Z.Y.
GREG STEWART, MICHAEL THOMAS - It's All Gone Pete Tong
DANIEL PELLERIN, JOHN HAZEN, JAN RUDY, BISA SCEKIC - Lie With Me
LEON JOHNSON, BRUCE LITTLE, HOWARD RISSIN - Seven Times Lucky
CHRIS MUNRO, JOHN HAZEN, DANIEL PELLERIN - Where the Truth Lies

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
OLIVIER CALVERT, DIANE BOUCHER, SIMON MEILLEUR, FRANCINE POIRIER, JEAN-FRANÇOIS SAUVÉ - L'Audition
MARTIN PINSONNAULT, MIRA MAILHOT, SIMON MEILLEUR, MIREILLE MORIN, JEAN-FRANÇOIS SAUVÉ - C.R.A.Z.Y.
MICHAEL MCCANN, CHESTER BIALOWAS, TONY GORT, ROGER MORRIS - It's All Gone Pete Tong
BRUCE LITTLE, RUSS DYCK - Seven Times Lucky
ALICE WRIGHT, VALÉRY DUFORT-BOUCHER, ALEXIS FARAND, JACQUES PLANTE, CHRISTIAN RIVEST - Le Survenant

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
LUC PICARD - L'Audition
JEAN-MARC VALLÉE, FRANÇOIS BOULAY - C.R.A.Z.Y.
LOUISE ARCHAMBAULT - Familia
MICHAEL DOWSE - It's All Gone Pete Tong
DEEPA MEHTA - Water

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
LUC DIONNE - Aurore
NATHALIE PETROWSKI - Maman Last Call
DAVID CHRISTENSEN - Six Figures
DIANE CAILHIER - Le Survenant
ATOM EGOYAN - Where the Truth Lies

BEST DOCUMENTARY
SCAREDSACRED - Velcrow Ripper, Tracey Friesen, Cari Green, Harry Sutherland
LES VOLEURS D'ENFANCE / THIEVES OF INNOCENCE - Paul Arcand, Denise Robert

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA
THE BIG THING - Carl Laudan
LES DERNIERS JOURS - Simon Olivier Fecteau, Guillaume Lespérance, Jean-François Lord
MARDI MATIN...QUELQUE PART / TUESDAY MORNING...SOMEWHERE - Hélène Bélanger Martin, Antonello Cozzolino
MILO 55160 - David Ostry, Matthew Cervi
NOISE - Greg Spottiswood, Jason Charters, Liam Romalis

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
CNOTE - Chris Hinton, Michael Fukushima
DEHORS NOVEMBRE - Patrick Bouchard, Michèle BélangerRUZZ ET BEN / RUZZ AND BEN - Philippe Jullien, Marcel Jean, Jean-Pierre Lemouland

I've been tagged!

I'm not entirely sure what this means, but I've been tagged by my sister, and looks like a fun questionnaire thingy (LOVE questionnaires) so I am more than happy to answer!! It was very interesting to go through this as there are some catagories that I could write about til the cows come home and then some where I was staring & chairing for a while (vacations? you mean people take vacations???).

Four Jobs I've Held
Deposit Centre Co-ordinator
Dicta-typist (lasted 2 days, lol)
General Manager & Artist in Residence of a theatre company
Bartender

Four Movies I'd Watch Over and Over (oh my this could be a lot more than four...)
The Running Man (for which I am still teased about to this day)
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone
Gidget
Star Wars

Four Places I've Lived (all Toronto)
The Annex
College West
Queen West
Parkdale

Four TV Shows I've Watched
Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel
Star Trek (all by Enterprise)
Cornation Street
Project Runway

Four Places I've Vacationed
One of the Disney's when I was young but all I remember is that now I don't like mirrors
Cedar Point
Quebec City on a trip in Grade 8
Mexico - I actually can't remember where, it was a resort

Four of my Favourite Dishes
My sister's Lasagne
Turkey with mashed potatoes at holiday dinners
'The Breakfast' at KOS
French onion soup

Four Sites I visit daily
Gmail
My Sister’s Blog - Starshyne Productions
My Sister’s Blog - Spooky Suzie
Thottbot


Four Places I Would Rather Be
At the movies
A place where homework didn't exist!
Somewhere with clear warm water to swim in and no animals that bite
Planet Shannon!

Film Fan Fridays for Feb 3, 2006

Hello Film Fans an Fanatics!!

Its a big week this week, with Oscar Nominations announced Tuesday morning!! Moments after printing the list of nominees I was armed with my trusty orange highlighter and making my predictions! Over the years I have found this method to be the most successful way to pick the winners. It doesn't mean that is who I want to win, just who I think will win. The leader of the pack is Brokeback Mountain with 8 nominations. Other films with a lot of nominations include: Capote, Crash, Good Night and Good Luck, Walk the Line and Memoirs of a Geisha. I have been a bit of a slacker and have only seen 7 of the total 54 films (27 if you don't include animated/foreign/documentary and shorts). That is a lot of movies!! I have 17 on my really want to see list, 7 that I'm on the fence about and 2 that I think I will leave out as I am not fond of the content or theme of the films. Of course, after figuring out which films you want to see, then it becomes a matter of not only plotting the time to see them, but figuring out where if anywhere are they showing. Looks like I'll be at the Carlton a fair amount, which works for me as they have good tea there and its by the subway :)

First up we have this weeks releases, YAY for Cancon with A Simple Curve. I am also seeing some familiar titles from the film festival with Fateless and Vers le Sud. Oh, I remember getting corrected more than one time on how I pronounced that title...

Canada's Top Ten continues until Feb 5/06. For more information go to: http://www.topten.ca/

Full Oscar nominations listed after this weeks releases.

See ya at the movies, & have a great weekend!
Shannon

Friday Feb 3, 2006 Releases

Fateless / Sorstalansag
Dir: Lajos Koltai - directorial debut
Cast: Marcell Nagy, Aron Dimeny
Hungary/Germany/UK (Hugarian/English/German)
Limited Release

Imagine Me and You
Writer/Dir: Ol Parker - directorial debut
Cast: Piper Perabo, Lena Headey, Darrne Boyd, Matthew Goode
USA/UK/Germany

A Simple Curve
Dir: Aubry Nealon (In Memoriam, Abe's Manhood, House Arrest)
Cast: Kris Lemche, Michael Hogan, Matt Craven
Canada
Limited Release

Vers le Sud / Heading South
Dir: Laurent Cantet (L'Emploi du Temps, Ressources Humaines)
Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Karen Young, Louise Portal, Menothy Cesar, Lys Ambroise
France/Canada (French/English)
Limited Release

When A Stranger Calls
Dir: Simon West (The Sailmaker, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Con Air)
Cast: Camilla Belle, Brian Geraghty, Katie Cassidy, Clark Gregg
USA

**please note list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of Feb 3, 2006**

Oscar Nominations

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote"
Terrence Howard in "Hustle & Flow"
Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain"
Joaquin Phoenix in "Walk the Line"
David Strathairn in "Good Night, and Good Luck."

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
George Clooney in "Syriana"
Matt Dillon in "Crash"
Paul Giamatti in "Cinderella Man"
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brokeback Mountain"
William Hurt in "A History of Violence"

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Judi Dench in "Mrs. Henderson Presents" (The Weinstein Company)
Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica" (The Weinstein Company and IFC Films)
Keira Knightley in "Pride & Prejudice" (Focus Features)
Charlize Theron in "North Country" (Warner Bros.)
Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line" (20th Century Fox)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Junebug"
Catherine Keener in "Capote"
Frances McDormand in "North Country"
Rachel Weisz in "The Constant Gardener"
Michelle Williams in "Brokeback Mountain"

Best animated feature film of the year
"Howl's Moving Castle" - Hayao Miyazaki
"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" - Tim Burton and Mike Johnson
"Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit" - Nick Park and Steve Box

Achievement in art direction
"Good Night, and Good Luck."
Art Direction: Jim Bissell -Set Decoration: Jan Pascale
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"
Art Direction: Stuart Craig - Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"King Kong"
Art Direction: Grant Major - Set Decoration: Dan Hennah and Simon Bright
"Memoirs of a Geisha"
Art Direction: John Myhre - Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau
"Pride & Prejudice"
Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood - Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

Achievement in cinematography
"Batman Begins" - Wally Pfister
"Brokeback Mountain" - Rodrigo Prieto
"Good Night, and Good Luck." - Robert Elswit
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - Dion Beebe
"The New World" - Emmanuel Lubezki

Achievement in costume design
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - Gabriella Pescucci
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - Colleen Atwood
"Mrs. Henderson Presents" - Sandy Powell
"Pride & Prejudice" - Jacqueline Durran
"Walk the Line" - Arianne Phillips

Achievement in directing
Ang Lee - "Brokeback Mountain"
Bennett Miller - "Capote"
Paul Haggis - "Crash"
George Clooney - "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Steven Spielberg - "Munich"

Best documentary feature
"Darwin's Nightmare"
- Hubert Sauper
"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"
- Alex Gibney and Jason Kliot
"March of the Penguins"
- Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau
"Murderball"
- Henry-Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro
"Street Fight"
- Marshall Curry

Best documentary short subject
"The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club"
- Dan Krauss
"God Sleeps in Rwanda"
- Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman
"The Mushroom Club"
- Steven Okazaki
"A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin"
- Corinne Marrinan and Eric Simonson

Achievement in film editing
"Cinderella Man" - Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"The Constant Gardener" - Claire Simpson
"Crash" - Hughes Winborne
"Munich" - Michael Kahn
"Walk the Line"- Michael McCusker

Best foreign language film of the year
"Don't Tell" - Italy
"Joyeux Noel" - France
"Paradise Now" - Palestine
"Sophie Scholl - The Final Days" - Germany
"Tsotsi" - South Africa

Achievement in makeup
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" - Howard Berger and Tami Lane
"Cinderella Man" - David Leroy Anderson and Lance Anderson
"Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" - Dave Elsey and Annette Miles

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Brokeback Mountain" - Gustavo Santaolalla
"The Constant Gardener" - Alberto Iglesias
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - John Williams
"Munich" - John Williams
"Pride & Prejudice" - Dario Marianelli

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"In the Deep" from "Crash"
Music by Kathleen "Bird" York and Michael Becker - Lyric by Kathleen "Bird" York
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from"Hustle & Flow"
Music and Lyric by Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard
"Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica"
Music and Lyric by Dolly Parton

Best motion picture of the year
"Brokeback Mountain"
"Capote"
"Crash"
"Good Night, and Good Luck."
"Munich"

Best animated short film
"Badgered"
"The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation"
"The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello"
"9"
"One Man Band"

Best live action short film
"Ausreisser (The Runaway)"
"Cashback"
"The Last Farm"
"Our Time Is Up"
"Six Shooter"

Achievement in sound editing
"King Kong" - Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn
"Memoirs of a Geisha" - Wylie Stateman
"War of the Worlds" - Richard King

Achievement in sound mixing
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
Terry Porter, Dean A. Zupancic and Tony Johnson
"King Kong"
Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peek
"Memoirs of a Geisha"
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, Rick Kline and John Pritchett
"Walk the Line"
Paul Massey, D.M. Hemphill and Peter F. Kurland
"War of the Worlds"
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ronald Judkins

Achievement in visual effects
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney and Scott Farrar
"King Kong"
Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers and Richard Taylor
"War of the Worlds"
Dennis Muren, Pablo Helman, Randy Dutra and Daniel Sudick

Adapted screenplay
"Brokeback Mountain" - Screenplay by Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
"Capote" - Screenplay by Dan Futterman
"The Constant Gardener" - Screenplay by Jeffrey Caine
"A History of Violence" - Screenplay by Josh Olson
"Munich" - Screenplay by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth

Original screenplay
"Crash" - Screenplay by Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco, Story by Paul Haggis
"Good Night, and Good Luck." - Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov
"Match Point" - Written by Woody Allen
"The Squid and the Whale" - Written by Noah Baumbach
"Syriana" - Written by Stephen Gaghan

Oscar Nominations - The "To See" List

Oscar Nom’s – Seen
Brokeback Mountain
Crash
King Kong
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
The Squid and the Whale
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Batman Begins
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
March of the Penguins
Mrs Henderson Presents
War of the Worlds

Oscar Nom’s – To See
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Memoirs of a Geisha
Capote
Walk the Line
Pride & Prejudice
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Hustle & Flow
Transamerica
Junebug
The New World
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
Murderball

Oscar Nom’s – Undecided
Munich
Cinderella Man
Syriana
Match Point
Howl’s Moving Castle (Miyazaki)
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Paradise Now

Oscar Nom’s – Will Most Likely Not See
Crash - saw it anyway
North Country

Oscar Nom’s – Viewing Availability Unknown
Don’t Tell
Joyeux Noel
Sophi Scholl – The Final Days
Tsotsi
Darwin’s Nightmare
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Street Fight

Oscar Nomination List by # of Nominations

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (8)
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (6)
CRASH (6)
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (6)
MUNICH (5)
CAPOTE (5)
WALK THE LINE (5)
PRIDE & PREJUDICE (4)
THE CONSTANT GARDENER (4)KING KONG (4)
WAR OF THE WORLDS (3)
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (3)CINDERELLA MAN (3)
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2)
HUSTLE & FLOW (2)
SYRIANA (2)
NORTH COUNTRY (2)
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS (2)
TRANSAMERICA (2)
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (1)
JUNEBUG (1)
MATCH POINT (1)
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (1)
BATMAN BEGINS (1)
THE NEW WORLD (1)
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1)
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH (1)
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE - Hayao Miyazaki (1)
TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE - Tim Burton and Mike Johnson (1)
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (1)
DON'T TELL – Italy (1)
JOYEUX NOèL - France (1)
PARADISE NOW - Palestine (1)
SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS – Germany (1)
TSOTSI – South Africa (1)
DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE (1)
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM (1)
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (1)
MURDERBALL (1)
STREET FIGHT (1)
THE DEATH OF KEVIN CARTER: CASUALTY OF THE BANG BANG CLUB (1)
GOD SLEEPS IN RWANDA (1)
THE MUSHROOM CLUB (1)
A NOTE OF TRIUMPH: THE GOLDEN AGE OF NORMAN CORWIN (1)
BADGERED (1)
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION (1)
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO (1)
9 (1)
ONE MAN BAND (1)
AUSREISSER (THE RUNAWAY) (1)
CASHBACK (1)
THE LAST FARM (1)
OUR TIME IS UP (1)
SIX SHOOTER(1)

2006 Releases

Complete listing of films released in theatres in Toronto during 2006 which is a total of 317 films release, 40 of which are Canadian (notated with *, includes co-productions), and 3 are re-releases of previously released films.

3 Needles *
12 and Holding
16 Blocks
Accepted
Akeelah and the Bee
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker
All the King’s Men
American Dreamz
American Hardcore
Annapolis
Ant Bully, The
Apocalypto
Aquamarine
Art School Confidential
Ask The Dust
ATL
Babel
Basic Instinct 2
Barnyard
Beerfest
The Benchwarmers
Beowulf and Grendel *
Big Momma's House 2
Black Christmas *
Black Dahlia, The
Black Eyed Dog *
Blood Diamond
Bloodrayne
Bobby
Bon Cop Bad Cop *
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Boynton Beach Club, The
The Break-Up
Brick
Cache / Hidden
Cars
Casino Royale
Catch A Fire
Charlotte's Web
Cheech *
Clerks II
Click
Children of Men
Covenant, The
Confetti
Conversations with God
Conversations With Other Women
Crank
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul
CSA: The Confederate States of America
Curious George
Curse of the Golden Flower / Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia
Da Vinci Code, The
Date Movie
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Dear Wendy
Death of a President
Deck the Halls
Déjà Vu
Deliver Us From Evil
Departed, The
Descent, The
Devil and Daniel Johnston, The
Devil Wears Prada, The
District B13 / Banlieue B13
Don't Come Knocking
Doogal
Down in the Valley
Dreamgirls
Dreamland
Driving Lessons
Eight Below
Employee of the Month
L'Enfant / The Child
Eragon
Eve and the Fire Horse *
Everyone's Hero *
Failure to Launch
Familia *
Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, The
Fast Food Nation
Fateless / Sorstalansag
Final Destination 3
Firewall
Flags of Our Fathers
Flicka
Flushed Away
Flyboys
For Your Consideration
Fountain, The
Free Zone
Freedomland
Friends with Money
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus
Gabrielle
Garfield: A Tail fo Two Kitties
Glory Road
Good German, The
Good Shepherd, The
Good Woman, A
Good Year, A
Grandma's Boy
Gridiron Gang
Grudge, The
Guardian, The
Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, A
Guy X *
Half Nelson
Hamster Cage, The *
Happy Feet
Hard Candy *
Harsh Times
Hate Crime
Heart of the Game, The
Hills Have Eyes, The
History Boys, The
Holiday, The
Hollywoodland
Hoodwinked!
Hoot
Hostel
House of Sand / Casa de Areia
How to Eat Fried Worms
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Idiocracy
Idlewild
Illusionist, The
Imagine Me and You
Inconvenient Truth, An
Infamous
Inside Man
Into the Great Silence / Große Stille, Die
Invincible
Jackass Number Two
Jet Li’s Fearless / Huo Yuan Jia
John Tucker Must Die
Journals of Knud Rasmussen, The *
Joyeux Noel
Just My Luck
Kamataki *
Kardia
Karla
Keane
Keeping Mum
Keeping up With the Steins
The King
Kinky Boots
Lady Vengeance / Chinjeolhan geumjassi
Lady in the Water
The Lake House
Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Last Holiday
Last King of Scotland, The
Last Kiss, The
Last Trapper, The / Le Dernier Trappeur *
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Let's Go to Prison
Libertine, The
Limb Salesman, The *
Little Children
Little Fish
Little Man
Little Miss Sunshine
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Lost City, The
Lucid *
Lucky Number Slevin
Madea's Family Reunion
Man of the Year
Manufactured Landscapes *
Marie Antoinette
Marine, The
Matador, The
Match Point
Material Girls
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey *
Miami Vice
Mission Impossible III
Mistress of Spices
Monkey Warfare *
Monster House
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Nacho Libre
Nanny McPhee
Nativity Story, The
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
The New World
Niagara Motel *
Night at the Museum
Night Listener, The
Night Watch / Nochnoy Dozor
Notes on a Scandal
The Notorious Bettie Page
Omagh
The Omen
On A Clear Day
Only Human / Seres Queridos
Open Season
Over the Hedge
Painted Veil, The
Paperback Hero * - re-release
Pan's Labyrinth
Passenger - re-release
Peaceful Warrior
La Petite Jerusalem / Little Jerusalem Phat Girlz
The Pink Panther
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
Prairie Home Companion, A
Prestige, The
Promise, The / Wu ji
Proposition, The
Protector, The / Tom yum goong
Pulse
Pure *
Pursuit of Happyness, The
Queen, The
Quiet, The
Quinceañera
R. V.
Rainbow Raani
Return, The
Rhinoceros Eyes
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles / Qian li zou dan qi
Road to Guantanamo, The
The Rocket / Maurice Richard *
Rocky Balboa
Running Scared
Running with Scissors
Salt
Santa Clause 3: The Escape, The
Saw III
Scanner Darkly, A
Scary Movie 4
School for Scoundrels
Science of Sleep, The / La Science des rêves
Scoop
Secret Life of Words, The / La Vida Secreta de las Palabras
See No Evil
Sentinel, The
Shadowboxer
Shaggy Dog, The
She's the Man
Shooting Dogs
Shortbus
Shut Up and Sing
Silent Hill
Simple Curve, A *
Six Figures *
Sketches of Frank Gehry
Sleeping Does Lie
Slither *
Snakes on a Plane
Snow Cake *
Something New
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Souvenir of Canada *
Spymate *
Stay Alive
Step Up
Stick It
Stranger than Fiction
Strangers With Candy
Sun, The / Solntse
A Sunday in Kigali / Un dimanche à Kigali *
Superman Returns
Switch Off / Apaga Y Vamanos
Take the Lead
Tales of the Rat Fink *
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Thank You For Smoking
These Girls *
Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The
Three Times / Zui hao de shi guang
Through the Fire
Tideland
Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D
Trailer Park Boys: The Movie *
Tristan & Isolde
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Trust the Man
Tsotsi
Turistas
Typhoon / Taepung
U-Carmen Ekhayelitsha
U.S. vs. John Lennon, The
Ultraviolet
Unaccompanied Minors
Underworld: Evolution
United 93
Unnatural & Accidental *
V for Vendetta
Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj
Vers le Sud / Heading South *
Volver
Wah-Wah
War Within, The
We Are Marshall
What the Bleep!? - Down the Rabbit Hole
When Do We Eat?
When A Stranger Calls
The White Countess
Who Killed the Electric Car
Whole New Thing *
Why We Fight *
Wicker Man, The
The Wild
Wordplay
World Trade Center
The Worlds Fastest Indian
X-Men: The Last Stand
Year in the Death of Jack Richards, A *
You, Me and Dupree
Zoom

*incidates film as Canadian or Canadian co-pro

please note list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of December 29, 2006

What makes you want to see a film?

I often wonder to myself: what determinds if I'm interested in seeing a film?

There are a lot of things that can contribute to it, seeing a preview of course, the previous works of the people involved, a recommendation from a friend or maybe even a print ad. Oh, and theme of course... I'll pretty much go see anything scifi/fantasy/epic.. but that goes without saying no?

I get stuck on reviews, previews and even discussing films at all as I hate spoilers. HATE them. And so often people will start off a sentence saying "This won't tell you anything..." or "This isn't that important...." And I look for a handy dandy visual representation of a stop sign. Don't tell me! Please do not tell me!! You think that doesn't give away anything? Really? Oh.. well now I know he loses his job after diagnosed with something really bad but does pull through in the end due to the sacrifice made by the best friend - which wasn't revealed until the very end of course. Sure sure.. laugh away... but it happens! In some ways I can't help it, I try and pretend my mind isn't working overtime to analyze everything I've seen and heard about the film but .. it just... has a mind of its own! I can't control it! I do also realize that not everyone is as insane about this as I am.

Well, now that is the kicker - how do you write a review without giving away something about the film? I've thought about writing them but wonder, is it even possible? I remember sitting in Paramount waiting so see the 12th or so film at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and there was a couple near me that were discussing the films they had seen. Something along the lines of "Oh, there was a boy and he was unhappy and he got a dog but missed him when he went away to school and the family had a BBQ...." and I was like WHAT are you talking about?? Here you are seeing some amazing films and you are talking about the stinkin' plot? About a kid and his dog? I almost fell off my chair. I mean, the plot is important and all but is that the only thing you walk away with?? What was the mood? What was the message? What was the theme? How did you feel? Was there an amazing use of colour or sound? What was the experience of seeing the film? Were you close to the front? back? What was the theatre like? Did you see it with someone? Did you have similiar or conflicting reactions? Were you bored? excited? confused? pfft. Plots. Some of my favorite movies I'm not even sure if there was a plot. Then again there are plot based films and non plot based films.

All in all I think I'm drawn to films that spark my curiousity. What is that about? Who is doing that? Where was it filmed? Do people like it,.. do I have same taste as them?

That being said if I do write about a film (in a non-Film Fan Friday's post) I will most likely be discussing details that would be considered spoilers. So I guess this is my spoiler alert for any like minded souls out there.

The Fin in Fashinilmamends

The Fin stands for Finance, one of the things I am focusing on at the moment. I'm currently taking a Bookkeeping class, which feels slightly bizarre to me considering that I have always had and affinity for working with numbers and money. I'm always the one who gets to figure out the bill at the end of the night, I calulate tax in my head before I get to the register at a store, my personal budget records are shall we say, ... very detailed. The only jobs I can think of where it didn't involve math or numbers of some kind I only did for 3 weeks or less. Most of the jobs I've held were very focused on the figures, from selling balloons to manually calculating payroll deductions.

So, its kinda funny after all this to now be taking this class. And even more funny is that a lot of it is really dry and really simple. But then sometimes, I'm like..... what does he mean? I don't get it!! That makes no sense! Then a while later its like ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, ok.. I can see it that way now. Its kinda cool that it really makes all the numbers fall into place, which is honestly one of the things I love about math is.. it makes sense... there is an answer. In most cases, only 1 answer. And you can prove it. And there is a method to prove it. It's just like a jigsaw puzzle and that is what appeals to me because I think of it like a game. You need to find that missing piece and solve the puzzle!!

Of course, that isn't what I say in an interview. Well, I did once.. and they still hired me!