Whether you are in Vancouver or following along at home, here is a menu of resources to peruse and enjoy (unless of course you are instead watching the Canucks hockey season kick-off tonight instead with the rest of Vancouver except for the people at the Whitecaps vs. Timbers soccer playoffs).

Westender’s Precious Spector

Vancouver’s WestEnder arts and culture magazine provides MOVIES: Top picks for this year’s VIFF.

WE tag ‘The Agony and The Ecstasy of Phil Spector‘ saying, “He is, of course, a convicted murderer and the proud owner of many ridiculous wigs. But Phil Spector is also one of the most visionary musical minds of the 20th century — the sonic architect whose “Wall of Sound” production style gave pop music in the 1960s the scale and sophistication of high art.”

Plus the celeb-buzz-laden ‘Precious‘ complete with extended title and Oprah’s blessing. Missed the gist, here it is: “It’s Harlem in 1987, and Claireece ‘Precious’ Jones is pregnant for the second time by her father, treated like a slave by her mother, and on the verge of getting kicked out of high school.” MovieSet caught some of the early attention lavished on this Precious (AK A Push) film at Cannes.

‘Precious’ Press Conference in Cannes featuring Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz

How many will Row 3 see?

Our pal (and uber-Twi-Hard) Marina Antunes is plenty prepared – well maybe too prepared with a huge list of wanna-sees. Catch her kickoff in After the Credits podcast Episode 70 – VIFF Preview 2009 follow her Twittage @themarina. Her VIFF reviews are already piling up along with her Row Three cohorts.

Brews and Movies

Like they did at TIFF, the beer-maker Stella Artois is flowing the VIFF payola to some savvy bloggers providing streetlevel discourse including contest winner Gavin Thompson who recommends Ninja Assassin and Horse Boy plus esteemed director/education Peter D. Marshall and the aforementioned Marina and noted Miss604 as well as some local film pundits and schools.

You Go Girl on the Go

Miss 604 preps for the VIFF Gala 2008

Gal about town Rebecca Bollwitt (aka Miss604 likewise on Twitter @miss604) is covering VIFF cause she covers *everything* in Vangroovy from Peace confabs to hockey games. Oh yeah, she writes for EOnline too.

Expect her to chime in as our embedded reporter and check Miss 604’s VIFF blog tag for continuing coverage – coz she never sleeps! She even awarded passes as prizes but you are too late for that sucka!

Her preview gives as good of an overview as you need so I’ve repurposed it for your benefit:

“The Vancouver International Film Festival returns October 1 and for 15 days it will entertain the city with over 375 films showing on 640 screens.

This year’s line up is thoroughly impressive as 70 countries will be represented. VIFF got me hooked on documentaries last year and also re-kindled my love of Canadian film.”

Straight Talk for Rock

Georgia Straight – the venerable arts and entertainment weekly has their usual VIFF preview and punditry + they got their Tweet on @georgiastraight. One of their picks is ‘Ashes of American Flags: Wilco Live’ this seminal American roots rock band is a staple with hipper-then-a-hipster music geeks who even recorded the missing Woody Guthrie songs with Billy Bragg.

Glenn Gould, classically Canadian

Excerpt says: ”One of the best concert films ever, this beautifully shot doc offers a few tunes each from different venues on last year’s cross–U.S. tour, interrupted by unusually salient observations from Jeff Tweedy and the gang …” Alas Wilco’s estranged multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett died a few months back leaving unclaimed emotional baggage (& lawsuit) with the band.

Nods also go to the other film called ‘Eclipse’ (not to be confused with Twilight phenom sequel Eclipse filming in Vancouver) – this one is about Irish ghosts, not vampires in Forks – and ‘Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould’ – a staple of CBC Radio, Gould an eccentric piano prodigy. The Straight don’t skimp and give you the low-down on dozens more.

Sun for Stalkers

The local big newspaper Vancouver Sun gives the celeb-spotters something to chew on: Festival putting on the glitz with a raft of parties – Okay, all you party crashers and star gazers, here is your chance.

Excerpt: Invited international stars, currently filming in Vancouver, include John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover and Ashley Judd. Lead casts from local productions, including the L Word and Stargate Atlantis, are also among the evening’s selected guests.

Confirmed guests to date include the entire cast of the The Guard — Steve Bacic, Sonya Salomaa, Jeremy Guilbaut, Teryl Rothery, Gordon Woolvett — and Eve Harlow and Aaron Ashmore of Smallville. Hot young tenors Paul Ouellette and Joey Niceforo from Destino will also be attending.

Comment: Party crashing and celeb stalking is *so* not Vancouver – we’re way to cool for that.

Vancouver Sun manages to offer some info about a controversial film:

Brightlight’s co-production Fifty Dead Men Walking, starring Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess and Rose McGowan, will be shown at VIFF. It got great reviews and stirred up some controversy at the Toronto International Film Festival when Martin McGartland, the key subject of the movie that focuses on “the troubles” in Northern Ireland, objected to some of the scenes.

He is the former British security agent from Belfast who threatened to capsize the film until a last-minute legal deal was reached. Further fanning the flames, McGowan said she would have joined the Irish Republican Army had she lived in Belfast during the tumultuous times of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Mock-u-mentary Mania

For our part, ace correspondent Quinn Bender will be meeting up with Warren Sonoda who is jetting in from the set of ‘Unrivaled‘ in Toronto. We feel like we know this affable filmmaker from the engaging clips from the set he publishes to MovieSet so we expect a rollicking interview.

He’ll be showing Cooper’s Camera [The people who brought you the very sharp (if little-seen) mockumentary Ham & Cheese return with a painfully accurate study of a dysfunctional family's meltdown on Christmas Day, 1985.] and Puck Hogs [The Canadian obsession with hockey is farcically explored in this mockumentary, following the lives of a group of aging everyday Joes whose passion for the game hilariously transcends their talents.] which seems custom made for me (a huge fan of both hockey and pigs).

Eyes on the Goods

Besides Sonoda’s flicks, this blogger is personally and professionally keeping an eye on:

At the Edge of the World

In late November 2006, a documentary crew accompanied 46 international volunteers from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they embarked on their third Antarctic campaign to stop Japanese whaling. What emerged was At the Edge of the World, an intrepid record of modern-day piracy and the high-stakes battle between commerce and ecological survival.

Whaling and a boat named for Farley registered in Belize - I'm there!

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

MovieSet has followed this film since the untimely demise of Heath Ledger and subsequent platoon replacement. Vancouver gets its first look at visionary Terry Gilliam’s new mind-bender with an ensemble cast including mini Vern Troyer in a film partially made in YVR.

AntiChrist

This doesn’t really need any more buzz cause of course AntiChrist is bound to cause some commotion and demand attention after winning the big Palm at Cannes - Lars von Trier is not for the squeamish but bound to stretch some minds with this incursion into the recesses of his warped psychology with Willem Dafoe (who is notably odd).

HomeGrown

Though this is Vancouver … this isn’t about skunky grow-ops. The fest blurb says: Is this the future? A father and his three children, living next to an enormous Los Angeles interchange, cultivate their small plot of land to the tune of 6,000 pounds of food per year… Robert McFalls’ remarkable documentary is a testimony to the skills, patience and ingenuity of this remarkable family.

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction

Zombies – nuff said. Always. Better. Than. Vampires.

Why are Zombies so misunderstood?

Taqwacore – The Birth of Punk Islam

Another film which sounds made for Vancouver where multi-culturalism, DIY ethic and punk rock are the well … normal. ‘ I can’t help but to recall a band called Shelter – no one rocked harder than these Hare Krishna punks ~ really.

And finally …

We Live in Public

About a “dotcom mogul’s sometimes sadistic “social experiments” evidence that he was well ahead of the curve in recognizing and exploiting the fact that a) we love to watch and b) we love to be watched.” The filmmakers recently hosted a live streaming event for bloggers (yeah!) – ergo: live stream showing of the film specifically for bloggers. They have gotten special dispensation from The Academy to do this, so as not to disqualify the film from doc consideration. Check the We Live in Public site after checking this trailer:

More VIFF

Of course on Twitter, follow the #VIFF tag and VIFF Facebook & VIFF Twitter.

Now go see a movie.

‘50 Dead Men Walking‘ is an independent film which has been doing the festival circuit since 2008, it was finally picked up and released in theaters this week.

Starring Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess, the film won the top award at the 2008 Vancouver Film Festival. Its a CIA/IRA spy thriller sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Check out the trailer from the movie and keep reading if you want to see more interviews and clips!

In the 1980s when the Irish civil conflict was at its most treacherous, 22 year old Martin McGartland was recruited by the British police to infiltrate and spy on the IRA. He lived his life under constant threat of exposure and subsequent guaranteed torture and death yet he continued because his information saved many lives. He enjoyed the buzz until one day he was discovered and had to escape against all odds. Inspired by a true story, to this day he is on the run. Marty McGartland is a 22-year-old street hustler from Ireland, living in the 1980s.

He gets noticed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army|Irish Republican Army, but thinks their cruel justice is no good. The British want to use Marty as well, because of his connection to the community undetected. The British police want him to infiltrate and spy on the IRA. Marty decides to work for the police because of his IRA dislike. He soon forgets his political preferences when his powerful position takes over. Despite fearing that the IRA will find out about his spying, he builds up a new sense of self esteem. Afraid his family and friends will be murdered if they are informed, Marty starts to lead a double life.

Even his new girlfriend Lara knows nothing of his work. Things start to take their toll when the British sell them out. They explain their system could fall down and reveal Marty was their bait all along. The IRA capture and torture Marty, but he is able to escape. His best friend and former British police colleague finds Marty and decides to help him hide. Marty knows the IRA will turn to his family and is forced to make a decision, saving himself or his beloved ones. – In Theaters July 31st, 2009.

More ‘50 Dead Men Walking’

Read a review of ‘50 Dead Men Walking’

Read an interview with the movie’s director Kari Skogland

Read an interview with the film’s star, Jim Sturgess

Jim Sturgess talks about his role in the movie

Don’t like to read? Watch Videos…

Watch an interview with Kari Skogland (Part 1)

Watch an interview with Kari Skogland (Part 2)

Check out a scene from the movie

Make sure and check out the ‘50 Dead Men Walking’ Sitelet for more news clips and pictures from the movie.

Kari Skogland’s Fifty Dead Men Walking lit up audiences when it ran this past September at the Vancouver and Toronto Film Festivals. The film tells the true story of Martin McGartland (played in the film by Jim Sturgess), then a 22-year-old young man living in Ireland at the height of its civil war. McGartland infiltrated the IRA and fed strategic information about the Army to U.K. authorities (whose contact is played by Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley.) Skogland’s film chronicles Martin’s dark journey through this complex battlefield and of the constant level of fear and danger that he faced every hour of every day.

Skogland visited the MovieSet HQ where she gave us an exclusive interview about the making of the film and how she approached adapting McGartland’s experiences as a feature film. To find the right path in getting the complete story on the screen, Skogland not only drew from the first-hand account of Martin McGartland but also sought the input of the Irish community including members of the IRA.

MovieSet now has the first two parts of our exclusive video interview with Fifty Dead Men Walking director Kari Skogland, with two more slated to arrive in the near future. A 2009 release is anticipated.