It's that time of year again folks. Doc Soup, the always entertaining monthly documentary series run by the folks at Hot Docs starts the countdown to next year's festival. The screening series opens with Bonnie Sherr Klein's candid, funny and unique film, Shameless: The ART of Disability, screening Wednesday October 4th at the Bloor with shows at 6:30pm and 9:30pm (The late screening is free to students with proper I.D. or $12)

Klein first made waves with her feminist exploration of the pornography; Not A Love Story, hadn't made a film in 18 years after suffering a stroke. Using the structure of her struggle to make a film regardless of her disability she introduces us to a colourful cast of the most unpretentiouslyinspiring people your likely to see on screen ever.

The music video has gone from being merely a marketing tool to an art form in and of itself. In the format of the music video artists like Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze harnessed their skills before going on to blow our minds cinematically with their features, so it's with that in mind I give you Video Vault; a showcase of local and international music videos.

Starting off we have local wunderkid and Hidden Cameras alumni Gentleman Reg with Over My Head. The video is directed by Sara St. Onge an amazing unique new Canadian director who has also done enchanting videos that flirt with quirky indie animations and concepts for The Diableros and Final Fantasy. With dreamy snowy visuals and a tongue in cheek play on Canadiana this video is the perfect playground for our favourite local albino dandy with the creamy vocals.

It's been six years since director Darren Aronofsky brought to the screen the controversial and captivating "Requiem for a Dream", and the question most people have on their minds is, if his newest film was worth the wait. After years of troubled scripts, studio shifts and even one time lead Brad Pitt dropping out after filming more than half the script, "The Fountain" finally had it's debut as a part of this year's TIFF program.

The film centers on Tom Verde (Hugh Jackman) who works as a pioneering cancer researcher fighting for the cure to save his wife Izzie (Rachael Weisz) who is slowly dying from a brain tumor. Izzie meanwhile is exploring her own mortality through the writing of a book entitled "The Fountain" about a Spanish conquistador searching for the Mayan Tree of Life in order to defeat the menacing Inquisator and live forever with the Queen he loves.

Does anyone remember when the Cinematheque in Paris was shut down causing protests and riots in the 60's?

I miss the time when film was considered such an radical part of the human expression through art and was a medium to be constantly analyzed, discussed and dissected by great film theorists like Andre Bazin. These theorists weren't concerned about stars, thumbs or any other ratings but chose an academic high road in understanding how the medium breathes and functions not simplifying things for sound bites and in turn became famous, respected and timeless.

Sophie Finnes's documentaryA Pervert's Guide To Cinema harkens back to the days where classic films burned with undiscovered dialogues waiting to be tapped by thirsty minds.

I've always been drawn in by the flashy epic nature of opera and there's nothing more epic than the Canadian Opera Company's remount of Wagner's 4 part Ring Cycle in conjunction with the opening of their new, historic and pristine Four Seasons Opera Hall.

Unable to pass up the opportunity to to see some of the finest theater to hit Toronto in years and the chance to sit in million dollar box seats, I decided to check out COC's production of Siegfried.

So on my bike ride home I was shocked to find a bunch of Cowboys/girls with horses and wagons just hanging out. It was a publicity stunt for the History Television's broadcasting of Deadwood Season 1 on Monday's at 9pm. I hate advertising as much as the next kid but Deadwood is some solid TV time and well I got to pet horsies in the middle of the night on Queen St...Neigh Neigh Horray.