Summer traditionally beckons thoughts of beaches and iced cream, of swimming in outdoor pools and sunning next to outdoor pools because there are children in there and you’d rather not swim in urine. You know, the pleasant stuff.
This summer, however, we’ve had fairly limited sun, and many days of rain and murky weather have nullified the above activities. But don’t worry, kids, there’s another traditional summer activity that is as much fun in and out of the rain: the summer blockbuster. For your education and entertainment, we present:

The Four Kinds of Summer Movies
(and some examples, and why you should see them)

The Fun Movie
Remember in your childhood when going to the movies was pure, uncomplicated fun? Pepperidge Farm remembers, and so do we. Since then your expectations have probably changed; you probably now want your movies to be clever and original, and possibly also insightful and with some message about social change. These are good things, yes, but sometimes there’s nothing better than suspending your grown-up expectations and watching a movie just for the enjoyment of it. Take, for instance, Man of Steel, probably the most anticipated blockbuster of the summer. It’s a retelling of the Superman story, beginning with the eponymous hero’s birth on the planet Krypton, his upbringing in heartland America, his dalliances with reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams!), and his fight to save the world from genocidal aliens. I was treated to an advance screening of Man of Steel, and I can tell you that it’s the epitome of a fun flick. Plus, there’s an even amount of explosive violence and shirtless Henry Cavill, making Man of Steel a perfect date movie for couples divided.
Also worth considering: World War Z, This is the End, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Heat.  

The Interesting Film
As a student, you probably know the importance of connotation, and why someone might call one thing a “movie” and another a “film.” A film is a little more deliberate than a movie; rather than strive towards a goal like fun or romance, it asks complex questions and sometimes, if you’re lucky, answers them. Interesting films might not thrill the way fun movies do, but they stay with you a little longer. Mud, for instance, has proven immensely resonant in the days since I saw it, popping up in my head whenever I experience something that reflects its story: two children in the Deep South, interacting with the vagrant who mysteriously appeared near their community.  Interesting films are especially good for conversation, so they’re well-seen by groups of friends.
Other interesting films: Before Midnight, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Kings of Summer, The Painting.

The ‘Oh, You Haven’t Seen It?!’
These kinds of films take interesting and turn it on its head. They’re usually documentaries, foreign films, or art-house pieces, and they rarely see wide release. These films may be enjoyable, but the guaranteed appeal is being able to bring them up and conversation and follow with “oh, you haven’t seen it?!”

“I saw this fabulous documentary about homosexuality in Uganda. I really enjoyed the director’s use of personal storytelling to blur the lines of personal and political. What did you think? Oh, you haven’t seen it?!”

Of course, non-pedants see these kinds of films as well, they’re just not me. Recommendations are difficult to offer (because I, um, haven’t seen many) but if you’re looking for quality cinema you should check out independent theatres like Bloor Hot Docs, TIFF Bell Lightbox, and the not-independent-but-very-affordable Carlton Cinema.

The Television Show
Well, duh, of course it’s not exactly the same as cinema, but we are in the golden age of TV dramas – and the summer is when they really shine. Mad Men wraps up soon, but Nurse Jackie is still in full swing. And, as the internet reminds us every day, Breaking Bad is coming back for its final episodes. These shows might not mirror movies in terms of production quality and star power, but the medium offers unparalleled suspense and continuity.
Some other awesome summer TV shows: Veep, The Newsroom, and the first season of Graceland.

LEFT is this weekend!

TCAF is over and summer classes have officially begun. To you summer school students, this means that, among other things, however much the sun might shine, however balmy the breezes might be, however sweet cold drinks might taste as you enjoy them in the blistering heat, you can never fully escape thoughts of homework and midterms and reading. But don’t despair, dear reader: we at blogUT are committed to providing you with information on all the best, most obscure ways to beat the summer school blahs. This past month alone we’ve given you a tip on some awesome theatre, an unusual contest, and the comics event of the year. Today, we’re following up on that grand tradition with the Lost Episode Festival Toronto.

The Lost Episode Festival Toronto (LEFT) is an artist-run, non-profit film festival which showcases independent productions of lost episodes. Artists’ projects are screened for the public in the weekend-long festival at the historic Bloor Cinema, where their creativity and quirkiness can be appreciated by all. For only $5, students get in to both days of the festival, June 1 and 2.

Although they already have some awesome-looking projects on the docket, including the Canadian premiere of Star Trek Continues and lost episodes of The Twilight Zone and Batman, LEFT is still looking for submissions. If you have some time, a camera, some friends, and an idea, you should totally give it a shot.

 * This contest is closed. Congratulations to Sarah for winning tickets to see THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE in theatres *

BlogUT wants you and a friend to win tickets to see
THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE, now playing in theatres. In the comment section below, tell us the name of the Canadian star who plays Steve Gray in this movie!

Superstar magicians Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) have ruled the Las Vegas strip for years, raking in millions with illusions as big as Burt’s growing ego.  But lately the duo’s greatest deception is their public friendship, while secretly they’ve grown to loathe each other.
Facing cutthroat competition from guerilla street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey), whose cult following surges with each outrageous stunt, even their show looks stale.  But there’s still a chance Burt and Anton can save the act—both onstage and off—if Burt can get back in touch with what made him love magic in the first place.

For more information on the movie, check out the trailer below!
THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE is now playing in theatres !To stay up-to-date with Warner Bros Pictures Canada releases, follow them on Facebook  and Twitter !

 

So, I just finished watching The OC and, I must say, I was skeptical about the show near the beginning. I even got bored at certain points but, now that I’ve finished it, I realize how much I truly loved the show. For those who haven’t watched, it’s about a 14-year-old kid named Ryan, whose mother is an alcoholic and whose Dad and brother are in jail.

The show begins with public defence lawyer Sandy Cohen bailing Ryan out of jail (Ryan’s brother forced him to help steal a car) and, after seeing how hopeless Ryan’s situation is, he decides to bring him home. Sandy lives in Newport Beach, where everyone is extremely rich: they all have huge mansions and all the teenagers have their own cars. Soon, Ryan becomes part of the Cohen family and bonds with Sandy’s son, Seth, who is a social outcast until Ryan comes into his life. From there on, Ryan meets Marissa, who is a popular and attractive girl. Things get especially complicated as Marissa’s boyfriend starts getting into fights with Ryan. By the end of the show, you see how much everyone’s lives (including Ryan’s) have been impacted because of Ryan’s arrival to Newport.

This show does a believable job of presenting the class issues involved in having a “poor kid” move in with a “rich family”. Others have pointed out that it avoided the initial cliché by having Ryan and Seth become friends, but later episodes have shown that, in spite of their friendship and common interests (like comic books), there are still deeper issues of class and sexuality that show how different their worlds really are.

Finally, I was surprised to see that the writers were actually able to make me care about the problems of the rich characters! (The adults, anyway.) For too many nighttime soap operas, portraying the “problems of the rich” are just a way to get us “unwashed” types to sneer at the problems that money brings (“I wish I had those problems!”). In The OC, the writers actually explore questions of money, class, and love in the various adult couples in a way that brings Jane Austen to mind; we can relate to the struggles the characters are going through even if their day-to-day lives are completely foreign from our own.

If you haven’t watched this show or still feel skeptical, I suggest you watch the first 5-6 episodes. I’m sure you’ll be hooked.

********* CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED.*********

BlogUT wants you and a friend to win advance screening tickets to see BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. In the comments section below, enter the name of the lead actress in the movie for your chance to win tickets to this awesome movie!

A supernatural love story set in the South, “Beautiful Creatures” tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers:  Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena (Alice Englert), a mysterious new girl.  Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.

For more information about the movie, check out the trailer below.
BEAUTIFUL CREATURES hits theatres February 14!

********* CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED.*********

To start the new year off right, blogUT wants you and a friend to win advance screening tickets to see GANGSTER SQUAD. For your chance to win, comment below with who you think has the best on-screen chemistry with Ryan Gosling and why.

Synopsis:

Los Angeles, 1949. 

Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago.  And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control.  It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop… except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

Under the direction of Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”), “Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.  The film stars Oscar^® nominees Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “True Grit”) and Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson,” “Drive”) as the LAPD’s Sgt. John O’Mara and Jerry Wooters, and Academy Award^® winner Sean Penn (“Milk,” “Mystic River”) as real-life mobster Mickey Cohen.  The film also stars Oscar^® nominee Nick Nolte (“Warrior,” “Affliction”) as LAPD Chief “Whiskey Bill” Parker, and Emma Stone as Grace Faraday, Cohen’s moll and the object of Wooters’ attention.

The movie also stars Anthony Mackie (“The Adjustment Bureau”) as Coleman Harris, a switchblade-wielding cop who proudly patrols one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city; Giovanni Ribisi (“Avatar”) as the force’s Conwell Keeler, an electronics expert who takes as much pleasure in fixing his son’s bike as he does tinkering with experimental, military-grade equipment; Michael Peña (“Battle Los Angeles”) as Officer Kennard’s over-eager sidekick, Navidad Ramirez; Robert Patrick (“Flags of Our Fathers”) as Officer Max Kennard, a deadly cop who patrols the Olvera Street beat; and Mireille Enos as O’Mara’s wife, Connie.

The screenplay is by Will Beall (TV’s “Castle”), based on the book Gangster Squad by Paul Lieberman.  The film is being produced by Dan Lin (“Sherlock Holmes”), Kevin McCormick (“The Lucky One”) and Michael Tadross (“Arthur”).  The executive producers are Ruben Fleischer, Paul Lieberman and Bruce Berman.

Joining Fleischer behind the scenes are the director’s regular collaborators, production designer Maher Ahmad and editor Alan Baumgarten (“30 Minutes or Less,” “Zombieland”), as well as editor James Herbert (the “Sherlock Holmes” films), Academy Award^®-winning director of photography Dion Beebe (“Memoirs of a Geisha”) and Oscar^®-nominated costume designer Mary Zophres (“True Grit”).  The film’s composer is Steve Jablonsky (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”).

For more information about the film, check out the film’s trailer below.
GANGSTER SQUAD hits theaters January 11!

Amnesty International Toronto Presents the 7th Annual Reel Awareness Film Festival

Taking place at the Carlton Cinema from November 15 to 18, the festival features inspiring and heartbreaking stories that promise to enrich our understanding and awareness of the world around us.

The festival kicks off with A Whisper to a Roar - a feature-length documentary focusing on the compelling personal stories of democracy activists in Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe, as they struggle against oppressive regimes to bring freedom to their people.  Shot over the span of three years, the film is a deeply affecting and inspiring portrait of the struggle for justice.. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Ben Moses

The highlight of the festival is You Don’t Like the Truth: 4 Days Inside Guantánamo - a compelling documentary based on recently declassified security footage of Omar Khadr’s interrogation at Guantánamo Bay. Screening on Friday, November 16, the film offers a disturbing inside look at Khadr’s imprisonment and analyzes the political and legal implications of the polarizing case.

Saturday and Sunday’s programs each feature four hard-hitting documentaries that examine human rights issues in Israel, Palestine, Mexico, Egypt, and Canada and focus on topics ranging from corporate responsibility and torture to women and Aboriginal rights.

Many of the films will be followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers, community activists, and human rights experts. Amnesty International will also be on-hand to provide further information about the issues raised by the films, as well as to provide opportunities to take action on these issues.

“This is an outstanding lineup of films that address major global issues and show deeply compelling personal struggles against difficult odds,” said Elena Dumitru, organizer of the festival. “We hope the Reel Awareness Film Festival can help spark constructive discussion on global human rights issues and inspire Torontonians to take an interest in such issues.”

The opening reception of the festival will be held at 6:30 pm on Thursday, November 15, prior to the first screening at 7:30 pm.

Film details and the festival schedule can be found here.

WHEN: Thursday November 15- Sunday November 19, 2012

WHERE: Carlton Cinema, 20 Carlton Street

WHAT: Amnesty International Toronto celebrates its 7th annual Reel Awareness Film Festival with four days of some of the best human rights documentary and feature films shown around the world. The 2012 program features compelling films, guest speakers, panel discussions, the opportunity to take action on a variety of human rights issues.

COST: Pay-what-you-can at the door (suggested donation $5).

Tickets are available for $15.00 for the Opening Night reception and screening of the film A Whisper to a Roar.

For more info on the festival, to purchase tickets for the opening night reception, films and schedule please call 416 363 9933 ext 333 or check athttp://www.aito.ca/reelawareness.