This Week in Film: May 1st 2008

Welcome to the triumphant return of This Week in Film! It's been an extremely busy April and the cinematic offerings keep ramping up as the summer blockbusters roll in and more film festivals open every week. But whether it's documentaries in wide release, local film challenges, music/horror films or Robert Downey Jr. doing his thing, be sure to check back here to see what Toronto has to offer for cine-maniacs each week.

Even if you missed certain films at Hot Docs, don't fret! Our city is so documentary friendly that many of the films recently featured at the festival have release dates already. For example, The Forgotten Women, the documentary filmed by Dilip Mehta about Indian widows created at the same time that his sister was filming her feature film Water, was released at the Varsity last week. Also, Errol Morris's Standard Operating Procedure which delves into the Abu Ghraib torture incidents can be seen at the Cumberland Cinema this weekend.

Film racing rears its head in Toronto this week, with the finished products of last week's 24 Hour Film Challenge. Watch the highs and lows that come from a lack of sleep, the inevitability of poor time management, and the sheer passion for film-making that these challenges usually elicit. The final results will be screened tomorrow at the Bloor Cinema at 7pm with tickets costing $10.

The spring season is soon coming to a close at the Cinematheque Ontario with tonight giving Toronto cineastes another chance to see the Romanian film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and the bizarre von Sternberg film The Shanghai Gesture taking center stage Saturday evening.

The Over the Top Festival is this weekend and not only features amazing music but an interesting film component. Yesterday was Day 1 of the festival with the documentary I Think We're Alone Now which Roger wrote about the other day. The remaining films range from murderous clowns to Crispin Glover, and my personal favourite, The Machine Girl. Blood, guts, clowns, laughs, what's more to ask for?

And no, I'm not avoiding the elephant in the room. The latest comic book adaptation film, Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. is being released tonight at midnight at select theatres such as the new AMC. The reviews for the film have been surprisingly fantastic with the director being none other than Jon Favreau, yes the actor and also the director of the also surprisingly funny Will Ferrell comedy, Elf. Whether you love it or hate it, the summer blockbusters have begun.

Image: Iron Man from Iron Man Movie