When you live in downtown Toronto, you quickly become accustomed to the people calendar -- when the streets will be silent, and when they'll be buzzing. It starts when school lets out -- young kids hit the playgrounds while the college kids head home and free up the late-night sidewalks. Every third person is now a tourist, stopping every few feet for pictures or to look at a map. On the weekends, the city often becomes a ghost town, as hordes head up north to cottages. But then it's back to school, often marked by the eager new engineers running around the city painted purple.

And just a few days later, they're joined by slick stars and a million press badges as the Toronto International Film Festival gears up. The stars are out, as are the press, the movie lovers, and the eager onlookers. Teeny boppers buzz like packs of bees around the Four Seasons and other Yorkville haunts for a peek at someone famous. It's movies and fans everywhere.

But reviews don't give you a taste of the city, nor do quick glimpses in films like Chicago and Urban Legend. You can see it retro-style with SCTV, but that city is in the past. The best way to get a taste of Toronto without being here is through Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar. Between the films he's directed and those he's acted in, you can get many tastes of this town, from exotic women to last nights on Earth. In honor of the fest, and of the wonderful T-Dot, I offer you: Childstar and Monkey Warfare.

Cinematical has just received the first trailer for Nights and Weekends, written, starring and directed by Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig. The film, which first premiered during this year's South by Southwest Film Festival (or SXSW), follows one couple struggling to maintain a long distance relationship, and all the ups and downs that go along with that. Not only does it rank among Swanberg and Gerwig's best to date, but, as I said in my review, both "do a tremendous job tapping into everything we love about our relationships, as well as everything we hate – and they do this with moments, glances, kisses and tears. No score. No set pieces. No set up and payoff."

Like most films that carry the Swanberg and Gerwig name, it's experimental and it definitely takes risks in the way it conveys the story -- but that's also what makes it unique and a pleasure to watch. Instead of searching for plot points, you're forced to share this couple's most intimate moments together -- and not only does it feel raw, fresh and funky, but also satisfying and somewhat therapeutic.

IFC Festival Direct will bring Nights and Weekends to your living room via On Demand beginning September 24, and the film will also enjoy a theatrical run at New York's IFC Center beginning October 10th. Check it out, and let us know what you think. See the trailer below ...

The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival is officially underway, and as always Cinematical is your one-stop-shop for all things TIFF. Our reviews, galleries, interviews and scene coverage will begin to populate the main page soon, but in the meantime we've been sharing some great exclusive clips, images and posters from some of the more talked-about flicks screening in Toronto this year. Below, feast your eyes on a clip from Picasso & Braque Go To The Movies, produced and narrated by none other than Martin Scorsese. The film, from art dealer-producer-director Arne Glimcher (The Mambo Kings) delves deep into the relationship between film and the visual arts, and it features folks like Scorsese, Chuck Close and Julian Schnabel. For more on Picasso and Braque, see the film's official summary over on the TIFF website.

Cinematical is very excited to bring you this exclusive clip from the new flick JCVD, which, surprisingly, has watched a tremendous amount of buzz build around it since it first screened at this past Cannes Film Festival. Now, as part of the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival midnight slate (it premieres tonight!), JCVD will receive a more proper introduction (or should I say, re-introduction) to the world. JCVD, of course, stands for our good friend Jean-Claude Van Damme, star of such action flicks as Kickboxer, Timecop, Universal Solider (first bootleg I ever watched), Double Impact, Death Warrant ... shall I go on?

From what I understand, JCVD follows Van Damme (who stars as himself) as he travels back to his home country in an attempt to find peace and tranquility after whatever was left of his career seemed to vanish. We'll have a review coming up very soon, but in the meantime check out this very funny clip below as it should give you an idea of the vibe this flick is going for. Dare I say this might be one of my most anticipated films of the fall season? JCVD will also play Fantastic Fest before arriving in theaters (in limited release) on November 7.

(If the version above doesn't work, here's the proper Quicktime link.)

To paraphrase an IM conversation I just had with a friend regarding the trailer for Gus van Sant's forthcoming biopic, Milk: he thought the trailer was "incredible", whereas I felt it painted openly gay elected official Harvey Milk in a bit too saintly a light, at least within those two-and-a-half minutes, much to his chagrin.

I'm not saying that the real-life Milk wasn't a key figure in the fight for gay rights; I'm not saying that he deserved to be assassinated by Dan White (Josh Brolin); I'm not saying that Sean Penn doesn't look or sound just like the guy (that, I cannot speak for) and won't turn in an impressive performance. All I can speak for is the trailer itself and how I felt towards it.

So, as I go to put the 1984 Oscar-winning doc The Trials of Harvey Milk in my Netflix Queue, in the name of knowing better, would any of you care to attest for both the accuracy and anticipation behind this project?

For those folks out there who've been dying to see a) Lindsay Lohan in a new movie and/or b) Lindsay Lohan fake a pregnancy in order to keep a job, then you simply must watch the new trailer for Labor Pains. (Too bad this sucker couldn't hit on Labor Day! HA! Not funny.) We've told you about the flick before; in it, Lohan plays a secretary who's about to be fired when she suddenly decides to say she's pregnant in order to stay employed. Hilarity ensues when she needs to keep it up -- going so far as to create a fake belly and take on pregnant woman activities, such as lamaze class.

The trailer claims the film is still in post production, so one imagines this is just a little teaser to whet your appetite. Directed by Lara Shapiro, Lohan stars opposite Cheryl Hines, Chris Parnell and Luke Kirby. The trailer voiceover definitely gives it a nice direct-to-DVD touch, and the comedy seems targeted toward the teen-to-pre-teen crowd. Not exactly the perfect follow-up to I Know Who Killed Me, but I'd say La Lohan is heading in a slightly more watchable direction. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think. Will this make it to theaters?

The latest wacky work from Ethan and Joel Coen, Burn After Reading, is headed to screens next week. As you might have seen from the trailer, the flick has brought together the awesome collection of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand. But this is certainly not the first Coen movie that Frances has graced. In fact, they jump-started her career in 1984 with Blood Simple.

Above, you can check out the trailer for the film, which follows love triangles and murder. McDormand's Abby is married to Julian (Dan Hedaya), but having an affair with Ray (John Getz). To make matters messier, her lover works for her husband. Julian finds out and wants murderous revenge. But deals with sketchy characters will always be that -- sketchy -- so things don't go according to plan. If you need to know more, check out Peter's great retro review.

It's not really a primer for Burn After Reading, which is definitely more in the Coens' goofy sea, but it is a look at how far McDormand has come over the years. Thank God Joel found her and married her! Can you imagine all those films, especially Fargo, without McDormand?

Star Whores!

It's the film I've been waiting to see my entire life! Yay for Star Whores! A brand new red band trailer for Zack and Miri Make a Porno has landed over at Rotten Tomatoes (those damn pervs) -- and good news is this trailer is friggin' hysterical. (I'm sorry, but Seth Rogen was born to star in a Kevin Smith flick.) Really funny stuff. You can watch it after the jump, but, of course, I have to warn you that there's plenty of foul language, but no nudity ... yet. Need to go watch it a few more times, but I think I'm loving "Bubbles" and am really glad Jeff Anderson and Craig Robinson nabbed roles in this. I really think they're going to be the unsung heroes of the flick and steal every scene they're in. Heck, they practically steal the damn trailer!

Okay, enough typing ... more watching. Check out the red band trailer after the jump and let us know what you think. Zack and Miri Make a Porno hits theaters on October 31, but premieres this month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

"Good teacher ... he really seems to care. About what, I have no idea."

Earlier this morning I was Twittering (Tweeteling? Tweeting?) about how much it has to suck for those kids going back to school today. Not sure what the days are in your city or state, but here in New York today marked the first day of school for kids across the city. After a long, hot summer, some kids might look forward to a little structured learning (nerds!), while others simply adore showing up to a new year of school in whatever slick, expensive outfits their parents bought for them last month during that dreaded "We're going to the mall to buy you new clothes and you're going to shut up and like it" sorta trip.

In honor of this glorious time of the year (it'll be alright freshman -- just get through the first couple of weeks, and it's smooth sailing from there), your friends at Cinematical want to share a clip from one of our beloved back to school flicks called, well, Back to School. Chances are you will get at least one nutty teacher this semester (or next), and so in order to feel better about the whole thing, watch Sam Kinison at work here. Guaranteed your teacher ain't half as crazy as this lunatic.

How many days until winter break?

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the new film Management, starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn and Woody Harrelson. Written and directed by Stephen Belber (this is his feature debut), Management follows the quirky relationship between a traveling art saleswoman (Aniston) and the motel worker (Zahn) who crushes on her. In the clip below, watch as Aniston asks Zahn whether he'd like to touch her butt (that should be enough to tease you in). I actually really enjoy Aniston when she lets her hair down and takes on a quieter indie, and, well, who doesn't love the antics of Steve Zahn? Together this duo should certainly do a good job of managing our attention for a coupla hours on the big screen. Don't ya think?

Management is set to premiere during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival this month, and you bet we'll be back here with an early review real soon. Additionally, check out another photo and the film's official synopsis after the jump.