Screening as a part of Hot Docs's Doc Soup series this Wednesday at 6:30pm and 9:15pm at the Bloor Cinema $12 at the door and free for students with I.D. for the 9:15pm show only.

One of the most notorious events of the late 70's was undoubtedly the tragedy of the Jonestown Massacre. On November 18, 1978 in the wilds of the Guyanese jungle over 900 members of the People's Temple lead by their paranoid leader Jim Jones drank poisioned kool aid in what is still known as the largest mass suicide in world history.

Stanley Nelson's riveting and often unsettling documentary on the history of the People's Temple from Jim Jones's roots as a rising preacher on the gospel rival circuit to the events that lead to that horrible day is a must see.

Opening Friday Febuary 9th at the Royal Theatre

If you love skateboarding and the loose sensibilities of directors like Richard Linklater and Harmony Korine then Wyeth Clarkson's fresh from Sundance flick Sk8 Life is totally for you.

Sk8 Life falls somewhere in between an expertly made Can-con skate trick flick and a low-budget naturalistic urban drama. The thin plot centers on real Vancouver skater Kris Foley and a group of Vancouver skater kids who all live at his notorious Crash Pad with his wife over one summer. When increasing property taxes threaten the fate of the house Kris tries to pull in old debts, rush together a skate video and even beg favors in order to save his legendary house.

Some of my favorite documentaries of all time have been portraits of the artist and now finally Toronto has it's very own festival the Reel Artist Film Festival which showcases documentary work about some of the world's most amazing visual artists.

My picks would definetly include "Annie Pootoogook" a portrait by Marcia Connolly of the up and coming contemporary Canadian Inuit artist who recently wowed people with her show at Toronto's Powerplant and who won the $50,000 Sobey Art Award. Also check out "Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis" a doc about the legendary underground queer filmmaker dubbed "Irresistible" by Time Magazine.

I always hear people complaining about the fact that curators, film festival heads, gallery owners ect. are hard to get face to face time with. What better time to get one on one sloppy and have some holiday fun then at the annual Toronto Artist Run Center Holiday Quickie Party..

A combined holiday party for tons of A.R.C. like Lift, VTape, CFMDC, imagineNative Film Festival, InsideOut Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Pleasuredome, Images Film Festival and more.

To people who dare say there isn't an arts community in this city, I laugh in their face with my festive rum and eggnog breath. Come early for the inter-organization COOKIE BAKE OFF and bring your MP3 and a mini playlist to join in the group DJ process. Ever year I go to this and ever year I come home with a pocket full of business cards, a stomach full of booze and a total art-on.

Wednesday Dec. 6th
The Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen St. W
7PM -12AM
PWYC or Non perishable food items for the Food Bank

I'm always astounded at the number of film festivals that happen in a given year here in our fair city of Toronto. The Planet in Focus Film Festival that happens from Nov 1-5th is one of the more interesting of the bunch to be sure.

With a solid slate of films, the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival also runs events like an Eco Fair, A Green Film Pitch Contest, Workshops on Activist Filmmaking and even a Organic Pancake Brunch on Saturday. (see site for times)

Here is a preview of some of the highlights screening at this year's festival.

I am absolutely in love with this video. I was already a fan of local indie rockers, The Germans so throw in stop motion animation techniques and a nod to old school technology and I'm totally sold.

The video tells the touching story of old MacIntosh Plus computers roaming the streets of Toronto just looking for some friends to rock out with.

Directed by Billions Koper with Gruge2 Productions, this video proves these kids know how to make something simple into something priceless. Pay close attention to the analog vomit because it's what nerdy animation dreams are made of.