Blue Valentine

Tis’ the season for two awesome film festivals within a ridiculously close distance to me. While the Gold Coast Film Festival kicks off tomorrow night, the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) got a rockin’ when it opened on the weekend. There is seriously a colossal collection of international, Aussie, foreign language and classic flicks playing and I will mention only a few here.

A major highlight for me is the film that took this year's Sundance by storm - Blue Valentine (above). The low-budget indie flick stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as a dysfunctional married couple and features a score by indie rock favourites Grizzly Bear. There’s a meaty line-up of Australia features in store including shark thriller The Reef and Red Hill, starring True Blood hunk Ryan Kwanten, Claire van der Boom and Steve Bisley. Kwanten and writer/director Patrick Hughes will introduce the film and I will be interviewing them on Friday so stay peeled.

Other flicks include the shock hit from Cannes, Leap Year, Venice Film Festival award-winner Life During Wartime, political thriller Fair Game starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, gay romantic comedy I Love You Phillip Morris with Jim Carey and Ewan McGregor and the acclaimed Welcome To The Rileys starring Kristen Stewart and The Sopranos James Gandolfini.

Going out with a bang, BIFF wraps up on Sunday, November 14 with animated kids flick Megamind, the legendary John Woo's latest actioner Reign Of Assassins and Sofia Coppola's charming Somewhere.