Thursday, July 29, 2010

Colossus Vaughan Cinemas Celebrating 'Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore' With A Mini Carnival


This Saturday (July 31, 2010) the Colossus Vaughan Cinemas will be hosting a mini carnival in celebration of the release of the Warner Bros. family film, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (pictured).

Between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. kids (and their families) will have the chance to get their faces painted, enter giveaways, and participate in a variety of other events and activities before attending one of the screenings of the film in either 2-D or 3-D.

In case you never saw the original Cats & Dogs (2001) the sequel follows the same talking animal formula. Here's the official description from Warner Bros.:
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore gets inside the eternal battle between cats and dogs, as one crazed feline takes things a paw too far. Faced with the immediate and unprecedented threat of Kitty Galore, cats and dogs will be forced to work together for the first time in history in an unlikely alliance to save themselves—and their beloved humans—from global cat-astrophe. A blend of live action, state-of-the-art puppetry and computer animation in 3-D, the film stars Christina Applegate, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes, James Marsden, Bette Midler, Nick Nolte, Joe Pantoliano, Katt Williams, Chris O’Donnell, Jack McBrayer, Fred Armisen and Paul Rodriguez.
Show times for Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore at the Colossus Vaughan Cinemas on Saturday, July 31 are below.

11:30 a.m. (3-D)
1:00 p.m. (2-D)
2:00 p.m. (3-D)
3:30 p.m. (2-D)
4:30 p.m. (3-D)
6:20 p.m. (2-D)
7:10 p.m. (3-D)
9:00 p.m. (2-D)
9:40 p.m. (3-D)

Know of any other interesting movie-related news? Email tips@criticizethis.ca and let us know.

Open Roof Films Coming to Amsterdam Brewery


For seven nights in August non-profit organization Open Roof Films will be hosting an outdoor movie and music series at the Amsterdam Brewery. The series launches on August 6 with a screening of the hit documentary The Parking Lot Movie (which played at this year's Hot Docs festival) and a performance by the Toronto-based band Little Girls (there's also a conversation with a working director about the Canadian film industry and an exclusive after party guests can stick around for).

Tickets are $15 per screening. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. on the night of the event. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, visit openrooffilms.com.

Schedule of films/bands:

Friday, August 6
Film: The Parking Lot Movie
Band: Little Girls

Thursday, August 12
Film: This Movie is Broken
Band: Little Black Dress

Friday, August 13
Film: Selected short films from the CFC’s Worldwide Short Film Festival
Band: Girls on Stilts

Thursday, August 16
Film: Lovers of Hate
Band: Michael Kulas

Friday, August 20
Film: Winnebago Man
Band: The Marcus Walker Quartet

Thursday, August 26
Film: Selected Bravo!FACT productions
Band: Alright Alright

Friday, August 27
Film: Tiny Furniture
Band: Elos Arma

Know of any other interesting movie-related news? Email tips@criticizethis.ca and let us know. 

Top image: A scene from This Movie is Broken. Courtesy Alliance Films.

E1 Entertainment is now Entertainment One

I received a press release last week from E1 Entertainment informing me that they are now Entertainment One (or eOne for short). While this news means absolutely nothing to 99% of the movie-going population it does affect the studio as it will be moving from London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) to the Main List of the London Stock Exchange. And since this is more of a public service announcement it does affect the industry to a degree as each of eOne's divisions are changing identities and branding (new logo pictured above).

Below are the new titles of each of eOne's divisions:

E1 Entertainment -- Entertainment One (eOne)
E1 Television -- Entertainment One Television (eOne Television)
E1 Film -- Entertainment One Film (eOne Film)
E1 Music -- Entertainment One Music (eOne Music)
E1 Distribution -- Entertainment One Distribution (eOne Distribution)

Know of any other interesting movie-related news? Email tips@criticizethis.ca and let us know.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

TIFF 2010: More Details on 'Biutiful', 'Buried', and 'Made in Dagenham'


More details on films screening at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) keep pouring in after yesterday's Galas and Special Presentations announcement by TIFF. As with Warner Bros. sending extra info on Ben Affleck's The Town, Maple Pictures has followed suit with further blurbs, images, and trailers on their films Biutiful, Buried, and Made in Dagenham. Check it all out below.

TIFF 2010: A Closer Look at Ben Affleck's 'The Town'


After the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced some of the selected films screening in the Galas and Special Presentations programmes at TIFF 2010 yesterday, I was contacted by Warner Bros. with further details on Ben Affleck's crime drama The Town, which thy are releasing in North America on September 17.

As a huge fan of Affleck's 2007 film Gone Baby Gone I'm quite excited to see The Town. From the trailer and amazing cast (which includes Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, and Affleck himself) it looks like it's shaping up to be a gritty and intense ride. Full press release and trailer below.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

RIP Maury Chaykin (1949 - 2010)


Award-winning actor Maury Chaykin passed away today, which also marks his 61st birthday.

Best known for his work in the 1994 Canadian film Whale Music (which he won a Genie for) and for his recurring role as studio exec Harvey Weingard on HBO's Entourage (the character was based on film mogul Harvey Weinstein), Chaykin was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to an American father and a Canadian mother before moving to Toronto, Canada after graduating college, where he has resided ever since. Recently Chaykin was starring in the HBO Canada series Less Than Kind and appeared in Dilip Mehta's Cooking With Stella last year (according to the IMDb he has appeared in over 150 films and TV shows and will next be seen on the big screen in Casino Jack, premiering at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival). Chaykin leaves behind his wife, actress Susannah Hoffmann, and his daughter Rose.

I had the opportunity to meet Chaykin during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival where he was appearing in both Atom Egoyan's Adoration and Fernando Meirelles's adaptation of Blindness (watch the interview I shot below). He was a sweet and funny man and the experience stayed with me ever since. He will surely be missed by many.



Top image: Chaykin with his Less Than Kind co-star Wendel Meldrum. Photo credit Brian McKechnie.

TIFF 2010 Announces Galas and Special Presentations


At a press conference in Toronto today, 15 Galas and 35 Special Presentations were announced for the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and with new films from Robert Redford, Michael Winterbottom, Guillaume Canet, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Mike Leigh, Julian Schnabel, and Woody Allen having their world or North American premieres, it’s ramping up to be one of the most diverse line-ups in the festival’s history.

“The richness and diversity of this year’s Galas and Special Presentations programmes reflect the abundance of exciting works from established and emerging filmmakers in the world of cinema,” Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF, said.

TIFF 2010 runs from September 9 to 19. The list of titles released are below. More films screening in the Gala and Special Presentation programmes will be announced in the coming weeks. For full descriptions of the films, and to purchase tickets, visit tiff.net/thefestival.

New On DVD: July 27, 2010


The new Clash of the Titans (pictured) got a bum rap during its theatrical release earlier this year mainly because of the shoddy fake 3-D conversion Warner Bros. decided to give it. Compared to the terrible 1981 original, and without the distraction of bad technology, the remake is a much more solid film than credited for though and the action scenes are great (even if the dialogue is laughable at times). Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson star. Available on Blu-ray (which also comes with a regular DVD and digital version of the film) and DVD.

Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

Durham County: Season 2 (DVD/Blu-ray)
Repo Men (DVD/Blu-ray)
Operation: Endgame (DVD/Blu-ray)
Fuel (DVD)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Blu-ray)
Batman: Under the Red Hood (DVD/Blu-ray)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

New On DVD: July 20, 2010


The Runaways is a fun biopic of the '70s all-girl teenage rock band that consisted of members Joan Jett (guitar, vocals), Cherie Currie (vocals), Sandy West (drummer), Lita Ford (guitar), and Jackie Fox (bass). Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning shed their good girl images in their portrayals of Jett and Currie, respectively, and both deliver excellent performances. Directed by Floria Sigismondi (best known for her work in the world of music videos) the film is more style than substance but in the end should please fans of the band. Available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:

The Losers (DVD/Blu-ray
Cop Out (DVD/Blu-ray)
Mother (DVD)
Jersey Shore Uncensored: Season One (DVD)
Love the Beast (DVD)
Barking Dogs Never Bite (DVD)
A Town Called Panic (DVD)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

'Green Zone' Paintball Event (or How Universal Home Entertainment Almost Killed Me)


A few weeks ago Universal Home Entertainment put me on a bus and shipped me, and about 15 other people in the media, off for tactical paintball training to promote the release of Matt Damon's Iraq war movie, Green Zone, on DVD and Blu-ray.

I had never done paintball before and was not ready for what was in store by the highly trained (and competitive) guys at CQG Tactical Paintball & Training Academy. By request of Universal they had prepared a training mission for us that matched what Damon would have gone through (to a degree) in his preparation for the film.

Under the hot summer sun, in a jumpsuit that didn't quite fit right and wearing a mask that stunk worse than a hockey bag, I was handed a paintball gun, shown how to shoot and not get shot, and then put on a team with the rest of the members of the press to battle the CQG guys. As the battle started I instantly realized how out of shape I am and could have drank a gallon of water I was so dehydrated after about ten minutes of running, shooting, and trying to avoid being killed by a flying paint bullet.

In the end I was in pain and wanted to die but I loved the experience and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet tried paintball yet. I also have a new respect for actors like Damon who put themselves in roles that involve a great deal of training or physical activity.

So, to the guys at CQG and the team at Universal, I thank you for a fun day (even if you almost killed me). Now I can go and watch Green Zone again in a whole new light.

Top image: Members of the media and the CQG guys after our paintball war. Photo credit: High Road Communications.

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