This week in film rounds up the most noteworthy independent screenings and cinema-related events happening in Toronto.

TUESDAY JULY 12TH / LABYRINTH / REVUE CINEMA / 9PM
Playing as part of the Cult Favourites program running this summer at the Revue Cinema, this personal favourite of mine can get a free pass whenever and wherever pretty much for eternity. Infamous for showcasing the young talent of Jennifer Connolly as well as whatever talent is stuffed into the pants of David Bowie, this film is a permanent favourite of mine. The story of a teenager attempting to best the Goblin King in his labyrinth to find her kidnapped younger brother, the film is directed by Jim Henson and is full of a multitude of muppets who help and hinder Sarah in her quest. Featuring memorable musical sequences and numbers, it's a toe-tapping film about friendship, fantasy and, in a way, growing up. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the cinema.

WEDNESDAY JULY 13TH / BROKEN FLOWERS / ROYAL CINEMA / 9PM
Broken Flowers, the Bill Murray film by the formidable Jarmusch is about a life-long bachelor who after his most recent break up with a woman half his age decides to give dating a rest. As he resigns himself to a romantic retirement, filled with old movies and classical music, he is intrigued by a letter from a woman claiming he may have an adult son from a previous girlfriend looking for him. His journey almost feels like the Odyssey in reverse, as he relocates old flames in an attempt to locate the fruit of his loins. With each meeting more difficult than the last, he begins to wonder if rehashing all this awkwardness and pain is worth a son he may never find or even begin to know. Tickets can be bought at the cinema.

THURSDAY JULY 14TH / BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S / REVUE CINEMA / 7PM
The Audrey Hepburn vehicle that launched her into the stratosphere is the story of two young 'prostitutes', of a sort. Audrey plays Holly Golightly, a young, fashionable socialite who has as many boyfriends as clothes and a sordid connection with a mob boss, relaying messages from his cronies to him in prison. Her upstairs neighbour is the aspiring writer Paul, a handsome writer with a patron who desires much more than a few written words every now and again. Despite their hardships, the two begin a strange sort of relationship together, eschewing conventional dating patterns in favour of fire-escape serenades and visits to shops they can barely afford to walk into. (i.e Tiffany's!) But it's not all songs and smiles as Holly's mob connections threaten her safety and somebody from her past catches up to her. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at the cinema.

FRIDAY JULY 15TH / HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON / DOWNSVIEW PARK / 9PM
Sidenote: This was one of my favourite family films released in the past few years, up there with Wall-E and Up, if you haven't seen it, give it a shot. How To Train Your Dragon is one of the most popular Dreamworks films after the Shrek series (but way way way better) based off of a popular series of books. Our protagonist is the young and intelligent viking teen Hiccup, an unusual viking in that he usually thinks before he smashes things to smithereens. Despite creating an interesting assortment of devices such as cannons that make his village more technologically advanced and cool, he's low on the totem pole because he lacks the brawn which is viking currency. When he befriends a dragon, a dreaded enemy of the vikings, Hiccup becomes torn between learning more about the misunderstood creatures and impressing his father and his village. Tickets are free, it's first come first serve for seating and be sure to bring your own towel or chair.

SATURDAY JULY 16TH / TETSUO: IRON MAN / TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX / 11PMYet another installment of the Best of Midnight Madness retrospective playing all summer, late Saturday evening at TIFF is one of the most disturbing films in the retrospective, hands down. Tetsuo: Iron Man is a disturbing tale of transformation and mutation as a form of punishment for murder. The basic premise is that an unnamed salaryman kills another in a hit and run accident and ends up sleeping with the girlfriend of the deceased man. After which he begins to transform into an amalgamation of flesh and metal, with his extremities being turned into mechanical implementations, even in a sexual manner. This is not a film for the faint of heart as images from this film still pop into my head after half a decade of seeing it last. A truly extreme selection. Tickets are $12.50 and can be purchased at the cinema or online.

SUNDAY JULY 17TH / I CONFESS / TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX / 1PM
It wouldn't be a proper Sunday matinee at the TIFF Bell Lightbox if there wasn't murder, betrayal and a touch of film noir in the air and this Sunday is no exception to the rule. This week the story in question is Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess a difficult mystery about Father Logan who is privy to the confession of a killer but as a priest, is bound by religious oath and unable to divulge the identity of the culprit to the authorities, even to clear his OWN name of the crime. As the evidence piles more and more in favour of his conviction, Father Logan struggles with the question of whether it is more important to retain your beliefs or your life. Tickets are $12.50 and can be purchased at the cinema or online.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Still from Broken Flowers