Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 16, 2011

Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!

Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday September 16, 2011! I'm still in the throws of TIFF but we do have regular releases to enjoy as well. Let's see what's hitting the theatres this weekend.

In limited release this week we have the sole release of Gainsbourg, a biopic on French singer Serge Gainsbourg, starting from the 1940s in Nazi-occupied Paris through success in the 1960s and beyond. Quite week for limited releases but there is also a special screening of the music documetnary Pearl Jam Twenty on Tuesday September 20, 2011 for a one-night one-showing experience (see showtimes here).

In wide release this week we have just a handful of releases and I'm easily most looking forward to Drive from director Nicolas Winding Refn (The Pusher Trilogy, Valhalla Rising, Bronson) and it follows a stunt man (Ryan Gosling) who becomes involve in heists and it's been getting great buzz. We also have I Don't Know How She Does It based on the novel by Allison Pearson and the film version stars Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City 2) as a woman who can do it all, family, job, kids and breadwinner to boot. One I'm not likely to see is the thriller Straw Dogs (2011), a remake of the 1971 film of the same name and is set in deep south where a couple (played by James Marsden & Kate Bosworth) return to one of their hometown and tension mount with menacing locals including Alexander Skarsgård ("True Blood"). Last up for wide releases is actually a re-release of the 1994 Disney film The Lion King returns to theatres with a 3D treatment for 2 weeks before it's Diamond Edition BluRay and DVD release on October 4, 2011.

I'm still festivalling this week so be sure to check out my daily coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival here at Movie Moxie from September 8-18, 2011. You can also follow me on Twitter & Facebook for insights, reactions & ramblings throughout the festival.

Have a great weekend!

Shannon

Festival Watch

Caribbean Tales Toronto Film Showcase
Continues until September 17, 2011 at Harbourfront Centre

Toronto Independent Film Festival
Festival of Independent Filmmaking
Continues until September 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto International Film Festival
Continues until September 18, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Urban Film Festival
Collection of 1 minute silent films shown on the TTC
Continues until September 18, 2011 on TTC subway platforms in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Friday September 16, 2011 Releases

Drive
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn (The Pusher Trilogy, Valhalla Rising, Bronson)
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaacs, Bryan Cranston
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Gainsbourg / Vie héroïque
Dir: Joann Sfar - feature film directorial debut
Cast: Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Laetitia Casta
France
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

I Don't Know How She Does It
Dir: Douglas McGrath (Nicholas Nickleby, Emma)
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Munn, Seth Meyers, Kelsey Grammer
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

The Lion King 3D
Dir: Roger Allers (Open Season) & Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little)
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jim Cummings, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Whoopi Goldberg
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

Straw Dogs
Dir: Rod Lurie (Nothing But the Truth, Resurrecting the Champ)
Cast: James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård, Dominic Purcell, Laz Alonso, Willa Holland, James Woods
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer

**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of September 16, 2011**