planet in focus film festival

I spent the weekend at the Planet in Focus film festival. I saw over ten films this weekend and they were all really well done. I found they all had varying degrees of relation to the environment and their messages were quite varied. I saw a number of films about our food supply, I've never been one to think too much about my food but this weekend really opened my eyes. Other films were about the destruction of wild life and natural resources around the world.

There was one thing I really liked about this film, often times with documentaries, regardless of their topic, you can often feel helpless after watching them. The filmmaker has done an excellent job of explaining the problem but sometimes the answers on the solutions may seem unfathomable. It can seem like we are powerless against the issue but Planet in Focus did a great job of empowering the audience. On their site, each of the film's have their own page, and on this page there are action items. Each one has one or two items you can do to help the problems addressed in the film, it can be signing a petition, or join an organization. It was a great way to engage the audience without everything seeming so hopeless. It is also a great way for you to get involved if you missed the film but are still concerned about the issues addressed.

If you would also like to get involved in the film festival throughout the year, they are offering a membership to their "Salon Verte" screenings that occur every month at the AGO. Memberships start a $50 and help bring environmental film to schools.

I really enjoyed my weekend at the film festival, I would really recommend checking out this amazing program in Toronto.

last week of planet in focus giveaways

This week is my last giveaway for the Planet in Focus film festival. I'm giving away two closing night tickets to one lucky winner. Don't forget, the Planet in Focus film festival runs from November 21-24  and tickets for each screening are $15 or $10 for seniors and students. The festival takes place at two great venues in the city, TIFF Lightbox and the AGO. Be sure to check back on the blog for updates about the festival and follow my twitter, I'll be live twitting from the screenings all weekend!

Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

week two of planet in focus giveaway

It's week two of my giveaways for Planet in Focus! This week I've got 4 sets of two tickets to Fest Forums. Each Fest Forum film is followed by a discussion with the director of the film. Two events will be at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and two will be at the AGO.

The Fest Forum films will be:
Burning Ice followed by a climate change discussion with director Peter Gilbert
GMO - OMG followed by a GMO Discussion with director Jeremy Seiffert
Bidder 70 followed by an activism discussion with directors George and Beth Gage
Carpe Diem followed by a great lakes discussion with director Charlotte Engel

You can win two tickets to one of the Fest Forum by using the Rafflecopter below, contest closes Saturday night at 11:59pm. Best of luck to everyone! a Rafflecopter giveaway

planet in focus: canada's largest environmental film festival

I'm really excited to be an ambassador for Planet in Focus. Over the next few weeks I will have a few giveaways related to film festival!

Planet in Focus is an annual environmental film festival, now in its 14th year. The festival takes place at two venues this year, it will be split between the TIFF Lightbox and the AGO. The festival runs from November 21-24th. The goal of Planet in Focus is to raise awareness about the environment through film. The festival showcases movies from Canada and the world with a focus on the planet. The organization has over 3,000 films and videos in their archives. Planet in Focus is run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors; Dr. David Suzuki and Vandana Shiva are both Honorary Patrons.

The Opening Night film will be "The Arctic Defenders". Directed by John Walker, this 2012 film investigates how the Inuit become the Arctic Defenders of Canada. The story begins in 1968 and follows the development and creation of the territory Nunavut. Thanks to Planet in Focus, I'll be giving away two tickets to Opening Night at the TIFF Lightbox. Contest runs from tonight until 11:59pm on Saturday, November 1st. Winner will be announced on Sunday, November 3rd. Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


You can check out the entire film and discussion schedule here. You can purchase tickets and passes here. $2 from every ticket with be used to plant a tree in the PIF Forest through The Carbon Farmer program. Be sure to check back on the blog next weekend for the next giveaway. 

movie review: don jon

Two movies this week! Crazy. 

Last night was Don Jon, which I have to say I really enjoy. I like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, not really sure why, something I can put my finger on, maybe its just a childhood crush from his "Third Rock from the Sun" days. So when I first saw the strange but captivating trailer for this movie, I knew I had to see this movie. This is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's writing and directing premiere and according to his interview with Howard Stern, he has been working on the film since 2008.

The movie revolves around Jon, a macho man who is addicted to pornography. He even claims that he prefers porn to having sex with a girl. The character makes us reflect on how porn has created unrealistic expectations for sex and relationships. On the flip side, he meets a gorgeous woman (Scarlett Johansson) who creates unrealistic expectations of relationship and men through the love stories she watches. It is an interesting commentary on how people create expectations based on completely ridiculous premises. The film also looks at how our world has become so sexualized, mocking the Paris Hilton burger commercial. The movie was a bit repetitive but I think it was a way to build on his character, show that he was very one-dimensional and how he lived his life essentially on repeat. Most of the characters were over-stereotyped people from New Jersey, which could get to be annoying but I think it was meant to be a bit satirical (at least I hope it was). It was also pretty neat that he was able to get some big names for this small budget film.

I really enjoyed this film. I laughed out loud quite a bit but I also cared about the characters which is really important when I'm watching a film. If I don't care what happens to them, I don't want to waste my time watching it. I would recommend this movie if you're looking for an adult comedy with a little bit of substance but still some pretty ridiculous situations. What's your favourite low-budget film? Let me know in the comments. Happy watching! 

movie review: the family

Tonight I went with my family to see "The Family". The best way I could describe this movie is a critique of gangster movies but to be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure. I haven't seen a lot of advertisements for it, the only time I remember seeing a trailer was at the beginning of a YouTube video and to be honest, I skipped it so I didn't really know what to expect. 

The movie stars Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfiefer and Tommy Lee Jones. There are a few other characters you'll likely recognize but needless to say, this movie brings in some pretty big names. The movie starts violently, and we're introduced to the family. Robert DeNiro is a gangster under witness protection, and his entire family, including the children are aware of the "business" he is in. The plot was a little weak, and there were only a couple of laughs, mostly at how ridiculous the situation or the dialog was. I often worry when I see gangster movies that its going to be overly violent, I hate unnecessary violence, I don't need to see every gory detail to understand what happened so I was quite happy that this movie was fairly mild. Of course people are shot and there's a few explosions but nothing too torturous that left me nauseous. 

If you're looking to watch the next Oscar worthy film, don't go see "The Family", I don't think it will be up for any large awards anytime soon. This movie was fine for a Sunday afternoon, with a group of people who don't often have a lot of movies they can enjoy together. If you've seen it, let me know what you thought in the comments, maybe you figured it out better than I did! 

jobs: the movie

I checked out the steve jobs movie tonight in what appeared to be a sold out theatre.

Ashton Kutcher did a good job of playing the infamous jobs. There was some continuity issues with jobs' mannerism but it was still well done. The story focused more on the development of the company than jobs' life. I found the ending lacked an ending. The soundtrack was absolutely fantastic, it really made the movie. It was an interesting story, and interesting to see Ashton Kutcher in a more serious role.

we're the millers

A mildly offensive comedy about a fake family smuggling drugs from Mexico to the USA.

The film was a bit predictable but that can be expected with most comedies. This is the first film I've seen Jason Sudeikis star in so I wasn't too sure going in how he would fair as a leading man, and he did a pretty good job. I've been an SNL fan for years so it was nice to see him taking the next step. I like Jennifer Aniston and really enjoyed her in this role.  Will Poulter was really funny as the awkward Kenny Rossmore. The fake daughter played by Emma Roberts was also entertaining.

The minor characters in this movie were cast absolutely perfectly. Ed Helms plays the perfect evil drug lord, Kathryn Hahn is a hilarious as the stereotypical mom and Nick Offerman, is well, Nick Offerman and requires no explanation. I think these minor characters really made the movie better.They supported the story perfectly. 

If you're looking for a funny, uncomplicated movie, I would suggest "We're the Millers". It won't be on the shortlist for the Oscars but it will make you laugh for an hour and a half.