Cinematheque Series: The Way Back
Wed 30 to Thurs 31 April, 7:00pm (1:30pm mat on Thurs)
I'll put it out there straight up, I'm a fan of this type of thing.
If you don't hang out with a lot of Aussies, then you may not be familiar with the name Peter Weir. Recognize it? He's not really a "name" director but he sure has been at the helm of a heck of a lot of good films - Master and Commander not being one of the better ones... But you may have heard of Dead Poets Society (1989), that was Weiry (Aussie slang - add a 'y' on the end of everything), Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975), Weiry again and The Truman Show (1998), you betcha, that was Weiry too! He’s one of those guys that can make any type of film and still have it work. His latest, The Way Back (2010), traces the journey of a group of escaped POWs in WW2 as they flee on foot from Siberia to India, enduring some of nature’s harshest conditions. Makes the West Coast trail sound easy eh? Starring Jim Sturges, Colin Farrell and powerhouse Ed Harris, the film can only be described as epic. With recent global news events this comes as a timely man-versus-nature movie.
Starting tonight at the Patricia Theatre this is one to see on the big screen!
Cinematheque Series: Incendies
Wed 30 to Thurs 31 April, 7:30pm (2pm mat on Thurs)
The most acclaimed Canadian movie of the year, Incendies, finally finds its way to the Raven's Cry theatre tonight. That should be enough to make you want to see it, but then again, it doesn't feature curling or a trailer park and it certainly doesn't feature Charlie St. Cloud... so who knows how motivated you're going to be. It's hard to pick Canadian audiences sometimes, especially with Quebecois films! But don't let any of that put you off going. The film rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes - need I say more?! Aside from that, it's also won a ton of awards including Best Film by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.
Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play about Canadian twins who search for their family in the Middle East, Denis Villeneuve's drama (which is in French and Arabic with English subtitles no less), is a stunning masterpiece with the makings of a Greek tragedy.
To say that “Incendies” is an intense film would be a gross understatement. It is a disturbingly painful film that is difficult to shake off. It is filled with compelling and powerful performances that showcase humanity at its worst, but also – remarkably – at its best, even in the midst of great darkness. Violence, war, deep-rooted hatred, and... love - it's all in there. It might be hard to shake it off but you'll be glad you made the effort.
See Raven's Cry Theatre for ticket details and information.
