Away We Go
Directed by Sam Mendes
USA 2009
98 minutes
Rated 14A (sexual content, coarse language)
The voices of writers Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida (famous for their involvement with the McSweeney’s publishing subculture) come to the screen in Away We Go, a big-hearted road movie about family-focused thirtysomethings. Anticipating the birth of their first child, Burt (John Krasinski of The Office) and Verona (SNL’s Maya Rudolph) are living in close proximity to Burt’s parents, and looking forward to sending out a grandparent S.O.S. from time to time. Burt’s parents (played perfectly by Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) have a different idea—they announce a sudden need to move to Belgium! With their family ties snipped and transportable jobs, the expectant couple realizes they are free to hit the road in search of an ideal place to raise a family. From Arizona to Wisconsin to Montreal Burt and Verona encounter the oddities and eccentricities of old friends, former colleagues, and oddball families. This is a brainy comedy of ideas, satirical urban caricatures, and late blooming. The cast also features Allison Janney and Maggie Gyllenhaal. It’s recommended, so get a sitter and get out of the house for a real treat. (Sept 8-11) AwayWeGoMovie.com

Bright Star
Directed by Jane Campion
UK/Australia 2009
119 minutes
PG (mature theme)
Bright Star is a strong and confident piece of work that heralds a return to form for director Jane Campion. You may remember Ms Campion set the film world abuzz with her 1990s films Sweetie; An Angel at my Table; and The Piano. Bright Star is a portrait of romance—as much about time, place and society, as it is about the English poet John Keats and his beloved Fanny Brawne. Call this one visual poetry as Ms Campion’s camera captures the lush, verdant surroundings and the tightly constrained social mores of Hampstead Village, North London in the early 1810s. She creates a visual and aural landscape to match the sights and sounds that so inspired the young poet’s writing. Ben Whishaw stars as the fragile poet who died early at age 25, and Abbie Cornish is a revelation as Keat’s adored Fanny Brawn—her spellbinding performance proudly announces the arrival of a screen talent. Bright Star’s release marks the end of a summer of loud blockbusters, TIFF’s completion and the beginning of a new film “season”. For those who enjoy thoughtful, literate, beautiful and artful films, Bright Star is Highly Recommended.
(Sept 25-Oct 8)

The Cove
Directed by Louie Psihoyos
USA 2009
92 minutes
Rated PG (language may offend, disturbing content)
The Cove traces the incredible exploits of Louie Psihoyos, former dolphin trainer Richard O’Barry and a stealth team of technicians, divers and activists dedicated to exposing the illegal and morally questionable practices of some Japanese fishermen. Mr Psihoyos and his crew employ state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to sneak into the cove where thousands of dolphins are caught and later sold to aquariums or slaughtered and sold in the highly lucrative Japanese fish markets. Constantly under threat of arrest and physical attack, The Cove’s makers put their own lives at risk to create an activist, underwater documentary that feels like a Jason Bourne film. Because of and in spite of the disturbing content, The Cove is Recommended. Guelph author Leah Lemieux will be in attendance at the Thurs, Sept 24 screening to talk about her own work to educate her readers about the planet’s Dolphin cultures. (Sept 18-24)

Easy Virtue
Directed by Stephen Elliot
UK/USA 2009
98 minutes
Rated PG (mature theme, nudity)
Impulsive, young John Whittaker (Ben Barnes) returns to his family home in England with his new bride on his arm: the brash and beautiful (and American) Larita (Jessica Biel). Larita represents the influence and allure of America in the Jazz Age but she proves no match for the steely matriarch of the Whittaker family played by Kristin Scott Thomas. While Larita and Mr Whittaker (Colin Firth) enjoy thumbing their noses at the ever-so British need for etiquette, Mrs Whittaker rules the roost with her regal comportment and acidic wit, delivering some of Mr Coward’s nastier, barbed comments aimed to diminish the “vulgarity” of Yankee influence on her son and England. The jaunty musical score features Cole Porter sharing the bill with tunes by Prince and Queen, reworked in a Flapper style. Easy Virtue is recommended for those who enjoy the wit of Shaw Festival favourite Noel Coward, and those who have an eye for the rich details of a period piece set in an immaculate English country estate. Bravo! to the fine British cast. (Sept 16, 17)

Enlighten Up!
Directed by Kate Churchill
USA 2009
81 minutes
Rated PG
Filmmaker Kate Churchill is a devout believer in and practitioner of yoga. Her film aims to prove that yoga can transform anyone. She enlists 29-year-old New Yorker Nick Rosen and challenges him to seek a teacher, no matter the place, where he can find the yoga that will transform and enlighten him. Along the way we meet gurus and teachers as diverse as BKS Iyengar, Dallas Page, Sharon Gannon and Sri K Pattabhi Jois as we follow Nick from NYC to India. This is an eye-opening journey for pragmatic and empirical Nick, a true test of faith for Ms Churchill and a thoroughly entertaining film for anyone who practices, has practiced, or is just plain curious about yoga. (Oct 27-29)

Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action
Directed by Velcrow Ripper
Canada 2009
97 minutes
Rated PG (violence)
Toronto filmmaker Velcrow Ripper follows his film Scared Sacred, which opened the Guelph Festival of Moving Media’s 2004 festival season, with the powerful and curious Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action. It’s a call for spiritually conscious activism that develops from a fully-realized sense of meaning in a human life. Opening with the 2006 killing of American journalist Brad Mills by government troops in Mexico, the film then takes us to Washington DC, South Africa, South Central Los Angeles and Quebec City for stories from the spiritual vanguard. Mr Ripper talks with authors, politicians and all kinds of people motivated to bring good change to the world through their activism. Among those interviewed for the film is rabble.ca maven Judy Rebick, who will be on hand to introduce the film and read from her latest book, Transforming Power. Come for both the film and author event, or meet the group in the eBar after the film to participate in an informal Q&A with the author. (Oct 14)

Fifty Dead Men Walking
Directed by Kari Skogland
UK/Canada 2009
118 minutes
Rated 14A (coarse language, graphic violence)
Ottawa native Kari Skogland went to Ireland to film this movie inspired by Martin McGartland and Nicholas Davies’ novel of the same name. Jim Sturgess (Across the Universe) plays Martin, a street-smart youth in Belfast during the late 1980s version of The Troubles. Martin is recruited by Fergus (Ben Kingsley), a British Intelligence officer, looking to buy information about the IRA. With no job prospects, no allegiances to the IRA and his girlfriend Lara (Natalie Press) pregnant, Martin signs on. Fifty Dead Men Walking is a sweaty-palmed, nail-biting story that puts us in Martin’s shoes while he tightrope-walks between two dangerously violent forces. The title refers to the number of lives Mr McGartland claims to have saved. Ms Skogland has created a top-notch film that is laden with the desperate realities of the situation, but buoyed by a great script and a stellar cast. It is recommended to those who enjoy a smart, tension-filled political thriller. (Sept 11-17)

Food Inc.
Directed by Robert Kenner
USA 2009
93 minutes
Rated PG (mature theme)
Robert Kenner’s new documentary has been considered essential viewing for anyone who eats…. Part cautionary tale, larger part wake-up call, Food Inc. exposes viewers to the behind-the-scenes realities of where the food in our supermarkets and restaurants comes from, and how corporate agriculture has changed the way crops are grown, harvested and sold. To make his points Kenner interviews farmers, consumers, researchers and authors like Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma). Kenner’s got a strong stance and if you know these two books you’ll have a good idea of how the director feels towards Big Food. As a first step towards changing the way our planet is used for agriculture or just for your family’s health and well being, Food Inc. is Highly Recommended. Teachers, you might want to bring the whole class: 519 821-3311 x106 for bookings.
(Sept 25-Oct 1 & Oct 17-22)

The Hangover
Directed by Todd Phillips
USA 2009
100 minutes
Rated 14A (coarse language, crude & sexual content)
Before getting married last summer there was the mandatory “guys weekend,” the stag, the last chance to cut loose before settling down. I think it was Vegas. It was hot, must have been Vegas, there were showgirls, drinks, some kind of circus act, more drinks, some action at the casino, some more drinks and I just remember ... whoa ... maybe I’m not sure about that. Then there’s the tiger in the bathroom, somebody’s baby crawlin’ around and Ed keeps moaning about a lost tooth, I dunno. Somebody said repeated viewing might help to figure things out. (Sept 2-6)

The Hurt Locker
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
USA 2009
130 minutes
Rated 14A (violence, disturbing content)
Already one of the most highly acclaimed films of the year, The Hurt Locker puts us alongside the US Army’s Bravo Company, charged with the task of defusing bombs in Iraq. Jeremy Renner stars as James, Bravo Company’s newest member who turns out to be a bit of a cowboy-type complete with loose screw and short fuse (sorry). Most agree that Bigelow has captured the essence of this military situation by focusing on the bomb squad, which is at the core of the conflict where IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) are the worst threat to civilians and military personnel. The film’s tensions rise at an incredible rate as each day brings Bravo Company closer to either a ticket home or the last day of their lives. Without overtly arguing the merits or politics of this military engagement, The Hurt Locker peers into the hearts and minds of the men and women on the front lines of the conflict. For those of you who like to watch all the nominees and titles on the year’s Top Ten Lists, it is highly recommended that you watch it now. (Sept 18, 19 & 22-24)

Inglourious Basterds
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
USA 2009
150 minutes
Rated 14A (coarse language, violence)
America’s maestro of geek-chic is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of minute cinematic details and stylized ultra-violence. This time QT delivers a rambling WWII movie epic with a decidedly European art-film flare that even includes subtitled dialogue. He has enlisted A-List superstar Brad Pitt to play Aldo Raine, the leader of a band of Jewish soldiers on a Nazi scalp-hunting mission, but it is the multi-lingual Austrian actor Christoph Waltz who steals the show as the nasty Nazi Col. Hans Landa. As we have come to expect of all Tarantino creations, Inglorious Basterds is sure to shock, offend and entertain. In English, German, French and Italian with subtitles. (Oct 27-29)

In The Loop
Directed by Armando Iannucci
UK 2009
105 minutes
Rated 14A (coarse language, crude content)
In the Loop is a scathingly funny political satire with similarities to other BBC comedies like The Thick of It (also from Mr Iannucci) and Yes Minister. The kindling in Hell’s furnace is ignited when a bumbling British cabinet minister makes an off-hand remark about an “unforeseeable” conflict. When his remark is misread by the peaceniks and warmongers on both sides of Parliament and Capital Hill, Washington puts on the rubber boots and steps in. A misstated retraction from the minister also fails dismally, fanning the flames higher and heating to boil a stew of rhetoric and PR maneuvres. Comedic pandemonium visits 10 Downing St, The White House and The Pentagon. In the Loop is recommended for fans of satiric comedy aimed at the egos and motivations of the political animal. But beware, this ain’t The West Wing—it’s hot within these corridors of power where things are fast-paced (with many hand-held camera shots) and laced with foul-mouthed dialogue sharp enough to peel wallpaper. (Oct 9-16)

It Might Get Loud
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
USA 2009
98 minutes
Rated PG
Three guitarists; three generations of sound. Director Davis Guggenheim has miraculously arranged a summit with hammer-of-the-gods-wielding Led Zeppelin axeman Jimmy Page; soft-spoken, effects-driven guitar player for supergroup U2, The Edge; and young, American, blood ‘n blisters, no pain no gain school of rock graduate Jack White (from The White Stripes and Dead Weather, among others). These three titans gather at a large studio space fully-stocked with the tools of their trade, to talk about music, guitars, techniques and inspirations. Interwoven with the chat is some great concert footage and lots of spontaneous riffs. Just watch Jack’s and The Edge’s faces light up when Jimmy Page stops mid-sentence to unleash the opening chords of “Whole Lotta Love”. But this film is not just aimed at guitar geeks. It’s got heart, history, humour and tons of musical highlights. This is one of the most entertaining docs I’ve watched in ages. Recommended with conditions: you’ll have to be careful of other theatre patrons when cranking out the power chords on your air guitar. And, uh, … it will get loud. (Oct 16-22)

Julie & Julia
Directed by Nora Ephron
USA 2009
122 minutes
Rated PG (language may offend)
Put on your apron and get someone to set the table. This charming culinary film combines Julia Child’s discovery of French cuisine with a contemporary writer’s attempt to recreate all 524 recipes in Ms Child’s, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in one year of blogging. It’s a film inspired by two books: Julia Child’s My Year in France, and Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia. Amy Adams is charming and competent as Ms Powell, but she can’t help but fall under the shadow of La Streep, who now adds Julia Child to her already incredible list of characters portrayed. The woman is amazing! Stanley Tucci is impeccable as Julia’s husband, Paul. For Meryl’s Julia, Stanley’s Paul and the hundreds of mouth-watering recipes, Julie and Julia is recommended. Bon Appetite! Bring your movie ticket stub to the bookstore anytime during the month of October and receive a 20% discount on any of Julia Child’s books (Oct 2-15).

Moon
Directed by Duncan Jones
UK/USA 2009
97 minutes
Rated 14A (coarse language)
In the near future, Sam (Sam Rockwell) is the lone man working a mining operation on the moon. It’s solitary and repetitive work, so as he nears the end of his three-year stint, Sam eagerly anticipates returning home to his family. It’s in these final two weeks of his contract that he begins experiencing hallucinations, then he feels his strength diminishing, and then he crashes his moon vehicle. Suddenly another person appears—one who looks exactly like Sam, but fitter and stronger. Is he a clone meant to replace Sam? A hallucination? Yes, it’s lonely out in space where Sam’s greatest mission is holding onto his sanity. With its stark, white interiors and Sam’s robotic assistant Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey), there will be comparisons to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. And appropriately enough, Moon will appeal to audiences favouring a cerebral space/fantasy film over a flesh-eating alien shootout vehicle. (Sept 12-15) moonthemovie.com

My Sister’s Keeper
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
USA 2009
106 minutes
Rated PG (mature theme, disturbing content)
Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) brings Jodi Picoult’s bestselling novel to the screen. The life of the Fitzgerald family changes forever when their daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is diagnosed with leukemia. Kate’s parents, Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian (Jason Patrick), are devoted to her well-being, even when it’s to the detriment of Kate’s younger sister Anna (Abigail Breslin), who is more deeply involved in Kate’s illness. As the dedicated donor of bodily fluids and bone marrow Anna is literally Kate’s lifeline. Attempting to “sue for her freedom”, Anna hires a lawyer (Alex Baldwin) to take her case to court. With Anna’s freedom and Kate’s life at stake, My Sister’s Keeper explores moral and ethical issues that are guaranteed to tug on heartstrings and open tear ducts. Get out your handkerchiefs. (Aug 28-Sept 1)

Paper Heart
Directed by Nicholas Jasenovec
USA 2009
88 minutes
Rated PG (language may offend)
Actress/comic Charlyne Yi’s project begins documentary style with her asking people on film if they think that true love really exists. She started with celebrity friends like Seth Rogen and Demetri Martin before moving to interviews with men or women in the street. Then the documentary takes a twist, changing direction when Yi is introduced to Michael Cera at a party. A romance buds and the two lovebirds find that as they flit and glide on love’s currents they are constantly under the gaze of (and finding it difficult to elude) her camera crew. Paper Heart combines the deadpan humour of the mock-documentary with the style and charm of such current romantic films as Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist or Juno. (Oct 23-26)

Rashomon
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Japan 1951
88 minutes
Rated PG
Nearly sixty years after its initial release, Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, remains one of cinema’s most influential films. It was awarded a special citation at the Oscars and won the Venice Film Festival’s top prize. It introduced actor Toshiro Mifune and opened the door to international distribution for fellow Japanese directors, Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi. The film is set in feudal Japan, when a samurai and his wife are attacked by a bandit. The wife is raped and the samurai husband is murdered. At the bandit’s trial, four people tell their versions of the event, each one immensely different. Groundbreaking stuff for its time—and the “Rashomon effect” has since become a recognized vernacular for filmmakers who play with subjectivity and story-within-story perspectives. This restored print is touring Canada on loan from the American distributor Janus Films. It must return to the US following these screenings, so accept our recommendation that you take the opportunity to view this film classic in your own local theatre. In Japanese with subtitles. (Sept 20, 21)

Taking Woodstock
Directed by Ang Lee
USA 2009
120 minutes
Rated 14A (nudity, substance use, coarse language)
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee takes a break from his heavier themed films (Lust, Caution; Brokeback Mountain) for this more comic, youth-inspired look back at the summer of love. The film is based on Elliot Tiber’s book, Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert and a Life, and it recounts Mr Tiber’s involvement in the fest’s beginnings. With the festival about to collapse under the weight of a heap of legal issues, Elliot steps in to volunteer his parents’ aging motel as a command centre for festival organizers. This harkens the arrival of an experimental theatre troupe, a cross-dressing ex-Marine, a very mellow couple willing to share some acid and the accommodations in their VW van, and a sea of people that grows to 500,000 strong on Max Yasgur’s farm. Very trippy, man. I mean, can you dig it? Demetri Martin stars as Elliot, with Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano and Kelli Garner along for the trip. Really though, can you dig it? Peace, man. (Aug 28-Sept 10)

The Time Traveler’s Wife
Directed by Robert Schwentke
USA 2009
107 minutes
Rated PG (mature theme, language may offend)
Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star in the film version of Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 bestselling novel of the same name. It’s the story of one couple’s enduring love and one woman’s patience and fortitude in dealing with her lover’s time-traveling disappearances. And you thought your relationship had problems…. Recommended for fans of the book, and romantics with a strong sense of imagination. (Oct 23-26)