Well now, thanks to Sony Pictures, nostalgic twenty somethings everywhere will be able to enjoy these pseudo literary tales with their children, girlfriends, and little friends with the Big Brothers Program. Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, screenwriters of Man on the Moon, Agent Cody Banks, and Ed Wood, are hired to write the scripts. Is it just me or would you rather see big screen adaptations of Eerie Indiana and Are You Afraid of the Dark?? Was anybody out there actually a fan of these books?

Check out the trailer below and if you thirst for more knowledge on the subject, go here to read an interview with Flow’s director Irena Salina. Now in hopes of lightening the woe that accompanies the end of the world as we know it, check out the relevant clip from Penn and Teller’s HBO show Bullshit on the truth about bottled water. I promise you will not be disappointed.

The TIFF started in 1976 and now draws close to 300,000 attendees. With the following list of movies, this year’s TIFF shames Sundance, SXSW, Berlin, Tribeca, and any other film festival out there, so if you are in the Toronto area go ahead and get your tickets.

The Brothers Bloom, Rian Johnson
The brothers Bloom (Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo) are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they’ve decided to take on one last con - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress (Rachel Weisz) the time of her life with a romantic adventure that carries them around the world. The Brothers Bloom also features Rinko Kikuchi, Maximilian Schell and Robbie Coltrane.

Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle
From acclaimed director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) comes a story about a kid with nothing, who has everything to lose. Jamal Malik, an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s Who Wants to be A Millionaire? Arrested on suspicion of cheating, he tells the police the amazing tale of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. But what is a kid with no interest in money doing on the show? And how does he know all the answers?

Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Kevin Smith
Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star in this bawdy tale of love and friendship from Kevin Smith. Lifelong friends and roommates Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) are facing hard times and a mountain of debt. When the electricity and plumbing get cut off, the two seize upon the idea of making a homegrown porno movie for some quick cash, enlisting the help of their friends. The two vow that having sex will not ruin their friendship; but as everyone starts “doing” everyone, what started out as a friendly business proposition turns into something much more.

Che: Part One, Stephen Soderbergh
On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro - to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. Che: Part One tracks Che’s rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.

Che: Part Two, Stephen Soderbergh
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice and idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Che: Part Two explores how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman
Worried about the transience of his life, theatre director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leaves his home behind and sets out to construct a massive artistic enterprise. Gathering an ensemble cast into a warehouse in New York City, he hopes to create a work of brutal honesty. He directs them in a celebration of the mundane, instructing each to live out their constructed lives in a growing mockup of the city outside. The years rapidly fold into each other, and Caden buries himself deeper into his masterpiece but the textured tangle of real and theatrical relationships blurs the line between the world of the play and that of Caden’s own deteriorating reality. Synecdoche also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Dianne Wiest, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson and Hope Davis.

The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky
Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of die-hard wrestling fans in high-school gyms and community centres. Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans; but when he suffers a heart attack after a match, he is forced into retirement. He begins to evaluate the state of his life but the allure of the spotlight and the passion for his sport threatens to pull him back inside the ring. Directed by Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, TIFF 2006), The Wrestler also stars Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Judah Friedlander and the Necro Butcher.

According to IMDB, “Phoebe in Wonderland” is “The fantastical tale of a little girl who won’t - or can’t - follow the rules. Confounded by her clashes with the rule-obsessed world around her, Phoebe seeks enlightenment from her unconventional drama teacher, even as her brilliant but anguished mother looks to Phoebe herself for inspiration.”

I have always thought of the Olympic opening ceramonies as a little overdramatic and dare I say cheesy. Well thanks to a 300 million dollar budget and the artistic vision of renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, 2008’s Bejing ceremonies were legendary - despite the frequent flood warnings and technical difficulties interrupting the broadcast thanks to my local NBC affiliate. But don’t listen to me, check out the commentary of film critic Roger Ebert on his blog here
In an insightful review, Ebert gives his take on “Certainly the most expensive theatrical spectacle in history,” which such poignant statements as, “The closest sight I have seen to Friday night’s spectacle, and I mean this objectively, not with disrespect, is the sight of all those Germans marching wave upon wave before Hitler in “Triumph of the Will.”

Below is the trailer for “Dance of the Dead” (premiering in October) and “Jack Brooks - Monster Slayer” (premiering mid-August). No need to waste precious internet space going into the plot details on these two flicks, other than they both explore countless ways to kill the undead. I guess that is what makes horror such a good fit with independent cinema. Fake blood, makeup, and severed limbs are cheap and easily accessible, noteworthy acting and award winning screenwriting are unnecessary, and unique ways of killing zombies are plentiful and always appreciated by audiences. Be forewarned, both trailers are red band material.

Bret Easton Ellis strikes again; Wayfarers, New Order, drugs, sex, and rich LA brats. Welcome to the first look at “The Informers”, the film adaptation of Ellis’s 1994 novel of the same name in which he also wrote the screenplay.

“The drama is set over the course of a week in 1983, in the chillingly nihilistic world of Ellis’ youth in Los Angeles. Seven storylines intersect, involving movie execs, rock stars, a vampire and other morally challenged characters.”

Now, I have to admit that of Ellis’s work, I have only read “American Psycho”, and have never been a fan of his film adaptations (”American Psycho”, “The Rules of Attraction”, “Less Than Zero”) . I can however say that, in its favor, “The Informers” has a decent cast including Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brad Renfro in his last film appearance before his death. And if you ask me, all of these actors are a step up from Ellis’ previous star ensembles including Jams Van Der Beek, Jessica Biel, Andrew McCarthey, and James Spader.

The trailer below is most definitely “R’ rated so beware before you take a look. Then be sure to let me know what you think. Are Ellis’s films worthy? Will “The Informers” surprise audiences?

In the 1950’s Hollywood was producing around forty westerns per year, that number fell to twenty during the 60’s, around ten per year in the 1970’s through 90’s, and in the new millennium, we are lucky to get five westerns each year. But when those westerns are of the caliber of 2007’s “3:10 to Yuma”, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”, and “No Country for Old Men”, quality over quantity is clearly the appropriate adage.

Since 2008 has already graced us with South Korea’s “The Good, The Bad, and The Weird”, I was surprised to see how amazing today’s trailer for “Appaloosa” looks. The film is co-written, directed, and co-starred in by Ed Harris who shares the screen with Viggo Mortensen. And if there is anybody out there who neglected to see “A History of Violence” let me just say, these two were destined to play alongside each other. “Appaloosa” is based on a 2005 Robert B. Parker novel of the same name and also stars Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons.

IMDB lists the plot as “Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow”. Check out the trailer below or go to MSN to see this trailer in HD. Expect an October release date for “Appaloosa”.

In these five short youtube videos, Cunningham takes you through the struggle, comedy, heartache, empowerment, and his own personal triumph caused by Ralph Macchio’s most famous film. This documentary is by no means perfect, but its about as close as you are going to find on youtube. So without further ado, I present “Bonsai: The Karate Kid Fan Documentary”