The Carlton Cinemas will close after a 28 year run at the corner of Yonge and Carlton. Management and staff were told of the news this past weekend by owner Cineplex Odeon who have decided to shut down the cinema rather than sign a new lease with the building's landlord. The last day will be December 6th.

Those who have attended the The EU Film Festival know that it's all about the movies. No red carpets. No pitch sessions. No industry conferences. Pretty novel, eh?

Toronto-based embassies, consulates and cultural centers put on this non-commercial event every year, simply to showcase the latest crop of acclaimed films coming out of Europe.

Eh!U Meet the Europeans Film Festival runs for a full two weeks from November 19 to December 3, 2009 and every night a new country will be in the spotlight with most screenings taking place at the Royal Cinema. Best of all, cultural export budgets are at work here, meaning there is no charge for admission!

The Bloor Cinema has been a cultural institution and an Annex icon for decades. Many, many decades. Built in 1905 as a vaudeville theatre called The Madison, it has seen days as a 1940's movie palace, a 1960's grindhouse, and a 1970's porn theatre (that incarnation was put out of business by the low prices of a neighbouring adult theatre, the Metro.) The Bloor, as it's known today, now stands as one of Canada's largest independent cinemas.

To celebrate the theatre's centennial in 2005, Peter Kuplowsky and I made a documentary about its storied past. The Bloor premiered to a full house on the building's 100th anniversary and includes interviews with current and former staff members as well as an up close look at architectural drawings, posters and photos of the building from the past and present.

The Reel Asian International Film Festival is due to hit Toronto screens in two days (from November 11th to 15th). Not so surprisingly, Reel Asian covers a large scope in its 13th annual run -- from a farming community in rural Thailand to a gay community in San Francisco.

Never knowing what to expect next, I was drawn into watching one preview DVD after another. And having voluntarily skipped the sunny weekend to screen Real Asian picks, I can confirm that there are definitely a few movies worth checking out in this year's lineup.

The 17th annual Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival unfurls tonight with the film Clara at 7pm. It's being presented at the new home of Workman Arts, 651 Dufferin Street (the former Equity Showcase Theatre).

The festival is unique in that it doesn't focus on any one type of film (short, documentary, feature) or a cultural group (like 'The Jewish Film Festival', 'Reel Asian', etc); the only strand that ties the films together is that all the stories deal with mental health and addiction in one way or another. Following every film there is a lively panel discussion featuring filmmakers and mental health professionals, during which they discuss the issues and behaviour the film has portrayed and brought to the surface.

Another intriguing thing about the festival is that many of the screenings will be hosted inside the Centre For Addiction And Mental Health (CAMH) on Queen West instead of at a typical movie theatre.

The KinoArt Film Festival, which runs from November 5th until November 8th, features new(ish) works from Russia. But it's not the only film fest on the horizon.

By the looks of things on the Toronto festival circuit, film buffs will have more flicks to choose from than time this month. The November movie blitz kicks off on Wednesday with the Regent Park Film Festival's annual community showcase, and some crazy tales will be on at the Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival. But for Russophiles (such as myself) the KinoArt Festival is a priority.

Though this year's lineup is heavy on period pieces and literary adaptations, may I recommend a few mysterious and oddly compelling gems?