Recently I was having a discussion with a friend about the fall of 2007, which we both agreed was one of the most exciting seasons for film in the past several years and how this added to our overall frustration with the dearth of adequate releases in 2008 so far. But after all my hemming and hawing about the "best of the worst" film of 2008 so far, I realized that one of the better ones is actually being released this weekend!

The film is Son of Rambow and it was an audience favourite at TIFF last year, as well as one of blogTO's favourite films of the festival. Son of Rambow follows Will Proudfoot, a young boy raised in a puritanical religious community who becomes fascinated with a bootleg copy of Rambo: First Blood and begins seeking out classmates and friends to create his own action films with. The film not only revisits the 80's in fashion, cinema and hair but comes with a killer soundtrack to boot.

This week also comes with a few Canadian releases. One is The Rise and Fall of the Grumpy Burger screening tonight at the Cinematheque, which was recently a part of the Hot Docs film festival. The film blurs the line between documentary and farce in an attempt to identify the true originator of the idea for fast food restaurants and was compared as a Canadian take on Ed Wood by Steve Gravestock. The other Canadian film finding release this week is The Stone Angel, the adaptation of the Margaret Laurence novel which was previously featured at the Female Eye Film Festival which I've had more than a fair share of people inquire about ever since.

The Revue Cinema is hosting a free community screening care of NDP MP Peggy Nash, and this time it's about the crushing weight of debt and suffocating interest rates. The film is entitled Debt/trap and will be screened Monday May 12th at 7pm. The most interesting thing about these free screenings is usually the Q+A afterwards, where the floor is open and people are more than eager to air their grievances publicly.

Another free screening next week can be found at Innis Town Hall on Wednesday May 14th. The Cinema Studies Union at U of T will be hosting a free advanced screening of the documentary film American Teen at 8pm. The screening is not only your chance to get an early glimpse of the film which has a release date of August 1st, but the director will also be in attendance to answer your burning questions.

And last but not least, this week features two showcases of young film talent in Toronto with The Ryerson University Film Festival (RUFF) and OCAD'S 'I Made This For Class' student showcase. If you're interested in attending RUFF, it will be going down at the Royal Cinema at 7pm tonight and tomorrow evening with tickets being sold at the door for $10. OCAD's screening will be Wednesday May 14th, 7pm at the Bloor Cinema for $5.

For your viewing pleasure, I bring you the trailer to OCAD's 'I Made This For Class', while not for everybody, I'm sure it will bring a smile or bewilderment to your face.

Image: Son of Rambow from Celluloid Dreams