Toronto film picks for TUESDAY DECEMBER 14 through SUNDAY DECEMBER 19, 2010.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 14 / THE BOOK REVUE PRESENTS THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO / REVUE CINEMA / 6:45PM
Poor Stieg Larsson. Just when everyone had finally moved on from the posthumous career output of Tupac Shakur, the Swedish author comes along and drops dead - leaving the adult equivalent of the Harry Potter franchise in his wake. It ain't easy, being dead and rich. And as easy as it would be to dismiss the bestselling Millennium Trilogy as popular book club lit, the novels are a surprisingly intelligent exploration of the misogyny in Swedish society, organized crime, and human trafficking. The Revue will be presenting the film adaptation of the Larsson's first novel in the trilogy as part of their monthly Book Revue series, and the discussion preceding the film (hosted by the Toronto Star's Geoff Pevere) should be interesting, to say the least. $8/$10 at the door for members and non-members respectively, $7 advance (at the cinema or Another Story Bookshop).

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 15 / PROJECT GRIZZLY / NFB MEDIATHEQUE / 4PM

The NFB Mediatheque will be closing out their Free Favourites at Four series with a screening of Peter Lynch's 1996 critically-acclaimed documentary Project Grizzly, about "close-quarter bear researcher" Troy James Hurtubise and his homemade grizzly-proof suit of armour. A rumoured favourite of Quentin Tarantino! And it's free! Seating is first come, first serve. For adults 18 years and older. Check the website for additional details.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 16 / HOWL / BLOOR CINEMA / 7PM
Somewhere in between writing his book, finishing his eighteen degrees and playing studly serial killer "Franco" on General Hospital, James Franco took the time to star in this sturdy (if somewhat obtuse) biopic on American poet Allen Ginsberg and his 1957 obscenity trial. The film shifts unevenly between a variety of cinematic formats, including "interviews" cobbled together from the writer's own words, animated sequences and reenactments of the trial, but Franco's performance is solid. Worth a look. Members $7.00, Non-Members $10.00, Seniors & Children $5.00.

FRIDAY DECEMBER 17 / BLACK CHRISTMAS / TORONTO UNDERGROUND / 9:30PM
Film critics tend to celebrate Halloween for kick-starting the 70's slasher craze and for spearheading techniques like killer point-of-view, but Carpenter's flick owes a lot to this gem of a Canadian horror film about a mysterious psychopath offing a group of sorority sisters at Christmas. Watch Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder and Canada's own Andrea Martin (in an oddly serious turn) get stalked and murdered on UofT's campus. A personal favourite, and the perfect antidote to holiday shopping, awkward family gatherings, and all of that "good will towards all men" nonsense. (And let's pretend that the awkward Michelle Trachtenberg remake never happened, okay? Why must she insist on ruining everything?) Tickets $8.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 18 / 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY / TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX / MULTIPLE SHOWINGS

Before he was smashing pianos and impregnating Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea starred in this small film about apes, monoliths, and artificial intelligence. The Lightbox flexes some serious screening muscle with a brand new print of Stanley Kubrick's science-fiction masterpiece, shown as part of an ongoing 70mm Presentations program. The exclusive engagement started on the 9th and runs until January 5th, so if you don't get a chance to watch it before the holidays, you could always watch it hungover on New Year's Day. Just wait until you get to those last ten minutes. Regular $15.00, Student/Senior $12.00, Children & Youth $9.00. Additional ticket info available at the TIFF website.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 19 / RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE / THE ROYAL / 9PM
If Black Christmas didn't provide you with enough holiday mayhem, the Royal will be offering a little counter-programming in the form of the brand new Finnish horror film Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. From the press release: "It's the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and an 'archeological' dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn't the one you want coming to town. When the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being. Santa's elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity." The film features a cannibalistic Santa! If only they'd gone with the tagline: "This holiday season, eat more than your feelings." Sign me up. For ticket information, call (416) 466-4400 or visit the Royal's website.

Find more films to watch on the big screen in our Movie Listings section. There you'll find complete showtimes by movie and theatre as well as trailers and other info.