There are a lot of films out this week, and a lot of them played at TIFF. In fact, we caught a few of them at TIFF after their public screenings, so let's take a break from our usual format and give them proper capsule reviews! Blindness (Fernando Mereilles) – It was written by local legend Don McKellar, so we had high hopes for this adaptation of José Saramago's novel, particularly as we've enjoyed......

ART: "Off Camera" is an exhibition at the new Filmport Studios, featuring more than 200 works from 50 artists currently working in the Toronto film industry. The reception tonight will include musical performances and a silent auction, and did we mention you get to go inside Filmport Studios? Filmport Studios (Studio 7, 225 Commissioners Street), 6 p.m.–1 a.m., FREE. WORDS: Ruckus Magazine, a new online magazine for student artists in the GTA, is celebrating......

THEATRE: Hart House Theatre's 2008–2009 season officially begins this evening with Shakespeare's King Lear, which runs until October 18. This production of the classic tragedy stars Peter Higginson as Lear and is directed by Jeremy Hutton. Hart House Theatre (7 Hart House Circle), 8 p.m., $12–$20. FILM: There is a free advanced screening of Guy Ritchie's new film, RocknRolla, presented by U of T's Cinema Studies Student Union tonight at Innis Town Hall. The film—which......

Thanks to YouTube, everyone is subjecting everyone else to their home movies and loving it, in stark contrast to how it used to be, when you had to watch the home movies of relatives you barely knew and grit your teeth the whole time. Still, if you've got any fond memories still trapped on celluloid (or even video), you can call the Film Reference Library (416-967-1517) before the end of the week to ask for......

Well, we're suffering from our "festival cold" two weeks after the festival ended, which is kind of odd. It probably isn't even a festival cold at all, just a lame cold we didn't catch from a visiting celebrity or hot-shot Hollywood producer. Actually, wait, god knows what you could catch from those people, so forget our complaint. We could complain about the generally uninteresting selection of films this week, however. This week's most heavily......

FILM: There are a couple of film screenings today. Patti Smith: Dream of Life, Steven Sebring’s new documentary about the singer/songwriter/artist, opens today and will screen until October 2 at the Royal Cinema (608 College Street, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Mixed Greens, the monthly environmental film series at the Gardiner Museum, will be screening Marie-Monique Robin’s documentary, The World According to Monsanto. The film is presented in association with the upcoming Planet in......

When we emerged from Funky Forest: The First Contact, our friend asked us what we thought of it. We found ourselves unable to form a sentence in reply and just spontaneously burst out in giggles. "I told you, man," said our friend, "that movie makes you high." This was at the inaugural Toronto After Dark festival in October 2006. Everybody who came out of the screening of the epic Japanese sketch comedy knew that......

Feature-length movies that play at the Toronto International Film Festival can broadly be divided into a few categories: those that will be released to theatres within the following five months (i.e. Oscar season); those that will be released to theatres within the next six months to two years; those that skip theatres and, sooner or later, go straight to video; those that never have a life outside of the festival circuit and their region......

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city. Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Remember how huge it was? No doubt you remember seeing how prominently the Danforth was......

The Bloor Cinema is a fun place for a party. Perhaps that goes without saying, as certain screenings regularly generate a festive atmosphere. But in this case, we're talking about parties in and of themselves, without the pretense of a movie component, at least not in the traditional sense. Put simply, the Bloor is a fun place to drink and hang out, and the sound system—while not great for movies—is perfectly awesome for the......

Urgh, with only a week since TIFF ended, who wants to talk about film again now? Paradoxically, we wanted to talk about TIFF again yesterday, but we're fickle like that—perhaps now it's just the realisation that most of our Film Fridays are only going to talk about films that played at this year's TIFF. Instead we'll lead with something from last year's TIFF and probably one of the most welcome releases we can think......

ART: As part of the continuing Manifesto Festival of Music and Art, there will be an opening party tonight at the Well and Good Art Space for “Us & Them,” a four-section art expo that will run until September 30. One section will showcase the work of artists who over the last ten years have been a part of Canada’s largest street art organization, them.ca (Dstrbo, Fauxreel, Omen, and Specter, to name just a......

By all accounts, Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire was one of the most striking films of this year's TIFF (so striking, in fact, that Roger Ebert was literally hit on the head during a screening) and has been announced as the winner of this year's People's Choice Award. As a result, if you head down to the Elgin Theatre for 7 p.m., you might be able to grab tickets (provided on a first-come, first-served basis; one......

Today's Listings: 12:15 p.m. – The Sky Crawlers (Scotiabank 2) 12:30 p.m. – Tony Manero (Scotiabank 3) 1:00 p.m. – Treeless Mountain (AMC 3) Review 3:45 p.m. – Eden Log (Varsity 3) 6:00 p.m. – Of Time and the City (AMC 1) 7:00 p.m. – Plastic City (Varsity 2) Review 9:30 p.m. – All Around Us (Varsity 3) Review 11:59 p.m. – Chocolate (Ryerson) After the jump, a review for today's screenings of Tony......

Today's Listings: 2:15 p.m. – Tokyo Sonata (AMC 7) 2:30 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 5 (AMC 3) 2:45 p.m. – Good (Scotiabank 1) 3:30 p.m. – Liverpool (Varsity 5) Review 5:00 p.m. – Pontypool (Varsity 8) 6:00 p.m. – Coopers Camera (AMC 6) 6:15 p.m. – Not Quite Hollywood (Varsity 2) 8:00 p.m. – Achilles and the Tortoise (pictured above; Varsity 8) 8:30 p.m. – Vinyan (AMC 7) Review 9:00 p.m. –......

Today's Listings: 12:00 p.m. – The Brothers Bloom (Ryerson) Review 3:15 p.m. – The Dungeon Masters (AMC 10) 3:30 p.m. – The Burrowers (Scotiabank 4) Review 5:00 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 4 (AMC 3) Review 6:15 p.m. – 24 City (AMC 2) 7:15 p.m. – Tokyo Sonata (Isabel Bader) 8:00 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 5 (AMC 3) 8:00 p.m. – Detroit Metal City (Varsity 4, 5) Review 11:59 p.m. –......

Today's Listings: 2:45 p.m. – Cooper's Camera (pictured above; AMC 2) 3:30 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 3 (AMC 3) Review 4:45 p.m. – Plastic City (Isabel Bader) Review 6:45 p.m. – Acolytes (Scotiabank 1) 7:00 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 4 (Jackman Hall) 9:30 p.m. – Liverpool (Jackman Hall) 9:15 p.m. – Good (Ryerson) 9:15 p.m. – Tears for Sale (Scotiabank 1) 11:59 p.m. – Martyrs (Ryerson) After the jump, reviews......

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city. We liked Mean Girls the first time we saw it, when it was called Heathers. But then we realized that the......

Today's Listings: 2:30 p.m. – Not Quite Hollywood (AMC 7) 2:45 p.m. – Flame & Citron (Scotiabank 2) 3:15 p.m. – 24 City (pictured above; AMC 1) 3:30 p.m. – Vacation (AMC 3) 4:00 p.m. – Of Time and the City (AMC 2) 4:30 p.m. – Pontypool (Varsity 7) 5:30 p.m. – The Dungeon Masters (AMC 9) 8:30 p.m. – A Film With Me In It (AMC 7) 9:30 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada......

Today's Listings: 3:00 p.m. – Ashes of Time Redux (Ryerson) 3:15 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 2 (AMC 3) Review 5:00 p.m. – Deadgirl (AMC 2) 6:00 p.m. – The Hurt Locker (pictured above; Ryerson) 6:15 p.m. – Tulpan (Scotiabank 4) 8:30 p.m. – Good (WinterGarden) 9:30 p.m. – Plastic City (AMC 6) 9:45 p.m. – Tears for Sale (Scotiabank 1) 11:59 p.m. – Acolytes (Ryerson) After the jump, reviews for today's screenings......

Today's Listings: 12:45 p.m. – Wendy and Lucy (Scotiabank 2) 1:30 p.m. – Treeless Mountain (AMC 3) Review 3:00 p.m. – All Around Us (AMC 4) 4:00 p.m. – Waltz With Bashir (AMC 3) 6:00 p.m. – The Silence of Lorna (Scotiabank 1) 7:00 p.m. – A Film With Me In It (AMC 5) 8:15 p.m. – Cooper's Camera (Varsity 7) 9:15 p.m. – Of Time and the City (pictured above; AMC 6) 9:30......

Today's Listings: 12:00 p.m. – Detroit Metal City (Scotiabank 2) Review 3:15 p.m. – Vinyan (Scotiabank 2) 6:00 p.m. – Flame & Citron (pictured above, Scotiabank 2) 8:00 p.m. – Pontypool (AMC 6) 8:15 p.m. – Cold Lunch (Varsity 3) 9:00 p.m. – Wavelengths: Horizontal Boundaries (Jackman Hall) 9:30 p.m. – Short Cuts Canada Programme 1 (AMC 3) 9:30 p.m. – Hunger (Scotiabank 1) 11:59 p.m. – Deadgirl (Ryerson) After the jump, reviews for......

ART: There are two cool art openings today. The first is StreetSpeaks, a new photo exhibition by May Karp, a 30-year advocate of expression through street art. The exhibit showcases the street art photographed by Karp while travelling through France, Portugal, Miami, New York, Spain, the Canary Islands, and Toronto. Until September 27 (The Moore Gallery at 404-80 Spadina Avenue, 2 p.m., FREE). The second is The Artillerist, an installation by Pixel Immersive Gallery,......

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival doesn't start at the Bloor until October 17, but they've announced eight of their films this week, perhaps as a quick spoiler for the Midnight Madness crowd revving up for this year's TIFF (starting next week). The slate includes Toronto premieres of self-explanatory titles such as Tokyo Gore Police, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and Trailer Park of Terror, and though they won't announce their complete line-up until September 24,......

With TIFF ‘08 kicking off next Thursday, most of Toronto’s reviewers are turning their attention towards the 300-plus films that will be taking over the city’s theatres over the following two weeks. Predictably, there’s not much else worth talking about opening this week. The non-festival film generating the most buzz is Traitor, starring Don Cheadle as a former US Special Operations officer who may or may not have begun working on behalf of one......

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city. Contrary to rumours, this is not a frequent sight in Elora Oh, the things we do for our art. It is......

FILM: Tonight marks the last of this year's free summer films in Yonge-Dundas Square. This summer's theme has been Romantic Reels, and whoever picked these films truly saved the best for last: Casablanca. Yonge-Dundas Square, 9 p.m., FREE. FILM: BAFTA award-winning director Rex Bloomstein's new documentary, An Independent Mind, is having its North American premiere this evening at Innis Town Hall. The film investigates freedom of expression today, sixty years after its enshrinement in......

THEATRE: This evening, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is presenting Electro-Alice: Adventures in the Underground. A new techno-opera by Torontonian Noah Henne, Electro-Alice explores what would happen if Alice had taken a bunch of MDMA before proceeding down the rabbit hole. The Facebook event describes it as "an experimental-techno-opera-costume-ball-acid-trip-mind-fucking-spiritual-dance-party for the 21st century." 2008 Toronto Drag Idol winner Daytona Bitch stars as Alice. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (12 Alexander Street), 10 p.m., $10. FESTIVAL:......

It was 363 days ago that Torontoist trekked down from North York to the NFB Cinema at John and Richmond for a 9:00-on-a-Monday-morning press screening of Boy A, ahead of its world premiere at TIFF. It was worth the schlep. Surprised to learn from the credits that it was a TV movie produced for Britain's Channel 4, we said of the drama about a young adult being assigned a new identity upon his release......

FESTIVAL: HobbyStar's annual Fan Expo returns today. The largest of its kind in Canada, the event has grown exponentially since its inception in 1995. The Comic Book Expo, Science Fiction Expo, CNAnime Expo, Gaming Expo, and Rue Morgue Festival of Fear are all happening at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the next three days. There are some pretty hilarious and fun things happening, like a masquerade ball where the best World of Warcraft–themed......