Official selection • Toronto International Film Festival 2011       Emily Blunt, Rosemarie Dewitt and Mark Duplass star in YOUR SISTER`S SISTER, a new comedy about romance, grief and sibling rivalry. A year after his brother Tom`s death, Jack (Duplass) is still struggling emotionally. When he makes a scene at a memorial party, Tom`s best friend Iris (Blunt) offers up her family cabin on an island in the Pacific Northwest so Jack can seek catharsis in solitude. Once there, however, he runs into Iris` sister Hannah (Dewitt) who is reeling from the abrupt end of a seven-year relationship and finds solace in Tom`s unexpected presence. A blurry evening of drinking concludes with an awkward sexual incident, made worse by Iris` sudden presence at the cabin the next morning. A twisted tale of ever-complicated relationships is set in motion with raw, hilarious and emotional performances from the all-star cast.

Any movie with the sublime Emily Blunt is a good movie sez JBNBlog & so Your Sister’s Sister is a treat by definition. It continues at the Hyland Cinema, home of the hits. Director Lynn Shelton’s Humpday did not light up when borrowed from the LPL but now that JBNBlog finally gets the title joke (film is approximately about efforts to make a gay porn epic), maybe it’s time to get out the library card again . . . Shelton’s method, twisted Chekhov for our time & many smallbig moments, is a hit with the threesome in  Your Sister’s Sister . . . among the intelligent insights is the measure of a person through movies affecting their lives. A friend foolishly eulogizes the film’s ghost — the Duplass character’s brother — as a man deeply touched by Hotel Rwanda and so determined to  do good in the world.

Not so counters a surly Duplass. My brother was much more deeply affected by Revenge of the Nerds — which he, a bully, saw as proof his bullying ways would not work when he confronted clever nerds & so he would try being a nicer person instead. This is an admirable enough misreading of Nerds – where the bullies do pretty well for most the action & would logically continue to dominate in a real world — to be convincing as a character insight.

So that’s a cleverness. Watching half-sisters Blunt and Dewitt spar with cruel ploys about bad dates (any hairs but these) and butter in the taters to torture the vegan is great stuff & even if a bicycle must be mistreated to advance the plot, so be it.

Not that this fan is complaining but Sister is the second Hyland flick in a row (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the other) with Blunt where she falls for a definitely off-beat, sweet, good-cooking guy  . . . . either there is hope for all of us, brothers, or she will have to make a film with Sarah Polley. Who didn’t hold back & has Michelle Williams switch off her sweet fella for the neighbourhood rickshaw-pulling hunk.

So. Get down to the Hyland. Enjoy. The parking lot has been fixed & the construction baffles around the building are gone.

This may (0r may not) be the medal Ontario recipients of the jubilee honour are to be awarded. More details from others who have received them etc. would be gratefully received, too . . . it looks lovely. Courtesy of news4u.net

There are many remarkable Londoners who are recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal . . . JBNBlog is honoured & humbled to be in such company. Wow.

The invitation to the Aug. 23 ceremony from MPP Deb Matthews says it’s for “the great work you have done in our community.” Which is of course v. flattering. Wow. Again.

My profound thanks to many board members, staff, steering committee colleagues & co-workers who encouraged me over the years in various volunteerism undertakings . . . London is the great place it is because of so many generous, hard-working & big-souled people like you. My v. belated thanks to Nathan Garber, then ED of Information London, & to the board members of that fine organization who helped me in my first tentative efforts at being a volunteer board member decades ago. There was a lot to learn — there still is — but you inspired me to keep at it.

Knowing of the nomination was an honour in itself. To receive it is humbling . . . & if there has to be a recount or any reconsideration, that’s fine, too. As Elvis said: Reconsider Baby.

Seriously, it’s a thrill.

PS. JBNBlog remains committed to the republican (pls. note lower case ‘r’) cause but is v. happy about all this.