2010 Official Line-Up and Dates
July 23 - Dirty Dancing
About the film
Headstrong 17-year-old Baby Houseman hardly expects her family's usual summer vacation in the Catskills to be momentous. But then Baby spies Johnny Castle, the resort's dance instructor from the wrong side of the tracks. When his dance partner is forced to quit suddenly, Johnny is left to be a solo act -- until Baby agrees to take her place. Johnny teaches her the choreography's sexy, seductive moves, the two fall in love. But Baby's father believes that Johnny is up to no good, and he furiously orders Baby to end the relationship. Will Baby prove her father wrong?
AFF Staff Recommendation:
"Patrick Swayze in his heyday, what's not to love? I wish my summer camp experiences unravelled the way Baby's did, but YMCA camps were never sexy in that way..."
- Lia Rinaldo, AFFA Festival Director
Rain Date: Satuday, July 24
July 30 - Easy Rider
About The Film:
Two young "hippie" bikers, Wyatt and Billy sell some dope in Southern California, stash their money away in their gas-tank and set off for a trip across America, on their own personal odyssey looking for a way to lead their lives. On the journey they encounter resistance from small-town communities who despise and fear their non-conformism. However Wyatt and Billy also discover people attempting 'alternative lifestyles' who are resisting this narrow-mindedness, there is always a question mark over the future survival of these derelict groups.
WARNING: Mature themes and violence depicted in this film.
AFF Staff Recommendation:
"Easy Rider completely revolutionized filmmaking of the era, and it goes without saying that both Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper were at their finest in this classic."
- Glen Halfyard, AFFA Sponsorship and Sales Manager
Rain Date: Satuday, July 31
August 6 - Annie (1982)
About the Film
A red-haired mop-top orphan, yearning to break out of her dreary life in an orphanage run by an iron-fisted, boozy matron, charms billionaire Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks into adopting her--but what she really wants is to find her real parents.
AFF Staff Recommendation
"Legendary director John Huston (The African Queen, The Maltese Falcon) tackles the beloved Broadway hit with all the needed brio and unbridled optimism necessary to transfer the stage to the big screen. Powered by a gaggle of singing and dancing orphans--set in the middle of the Great Depression, no less--and littered with great supporting actors like Carol Burnett, Albert Finney and Tim Curry, Annie is further proof that great comic strips can indeed make wonderful family-friendly entertainment."
- Ron Foley MacDonald, AFFA Senior Programmer
Rain Date: Satuday, August 7
August 13 - Sixteen Candles (1984)
About the Film
Samantha's life is going downhill fast. The fifteen-year-old has a crush on the most popular boy in school, and the geekiest boy in school has a crush on her. Her sister's getting married, and with all the excitement the rest of her family forgets her birthday! Add all this to a pair of horrendously embarrassing grandparents, a foreign exchange student named long Duc Dong, and we have the makings of a hilarious journey into young womanhood.
AFF Staff Recommendation
"No one has ever understood the teenage condition better than filmmaker John Hughes. Sixteen Candles is a sentimental and funny look at the trials and awkwardness of being a teen. Plus, I'd challenge anyone to come up with a better 80s heartthrob than 'Jake Ryan'. He's still my ideal!"
- Cristin Fraser, AFFA Communications Officer
Rain Date: Satuday, August 14
August 20 - The Karate Kid (1984)
About the Film
Daniel is new in town, and is getting picked on by the local bullies, who all are adept in karate. Determined to stick up for himself, Daniel begins to teach himself karate, only to discover that the caretaker at his apartment, Mr. Miyagi, seems to be a grand master in karate. Agreeing to teach Daniel, Mr. Miyagi shows Daniel that karate is not about senseless violence, and perhaps the best way to solve the problem he has with the bullies is in the All Valley Karate Championship.
AFF Staff Recommendation
"The film that launched a thousand Dojos is back in the public consciousness thanks to the re-imagining being released this summer. But that "remake" is all about celebrity nepotism and Kung-Fu, so shun it like the new kid from Jersey and return to the fish-out-of-water tale of Daniel Russo, who when relocated to California by his mom, meets the most badass superintendent on the face of the planet, learns Karate, gets the girl and beats the bully. The film itself is pure pop culture: Crane Kicks, "Sweep the leg", Cobra Kai, "Wax on, wax off" that's Karate Kid, and that's why I still love it 26 years later. My youthful Karate aspirations may have been dashed long ago, but I still dream about delivering a perfect Crane Kick to Johnny's face."
- Mark Flindall, AFFA Programming Coordinator
Rain Date: Satuday, August 21
August 27 - Clue (1985)
About the Film
Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with a gun? Miss Scarlet in the billiard room with the rope? Or was it Wadsworth the butler? Meet all the notorious suspects and discover all their foul play things. You'll love their dastardly doings as the mystery and the laughs pile up before your eyes.
AFF Staff Recommendation
"With more wordplay and clever turns of phrases than you can shake a candlestick at, the movie adaptation of the CLUE board game gets a another stab at who done it - on the waterfront - with the projector..."
"This is your opportunity to dress up as your favourite CLUE character and revel in the delightfully absurd attempts of a seemingly random group of dinner guests trying to make it to the last course, alive. Anchored by a brilliant performance by Tim Curry as Wadsworth the Butler, CLUE has remained a staple favourite in my dvd collection much to the annoyance of my socialist friends."
"Upon it's theatrical release, depending on what city you lived in, you would get Ending A, B, or C. alFresco filmFesto will play all scenarios for one big conclusion where we learn, of course, that Communism is just a red herring... I could go on, but just come see it"
- Andrew Murphy, AFFA Programming Manager
Rain Date: Satuday, August 28
