@MovieJay's Review of Machine Gun Preacher



Machine Gun Preacher
details the improbable but true evolution of Sam Childers, a Pennsylvania ex-con and drug addict who is born again as a missionary and eventually finds himself a mercenary in war-ravaged Sudan. Yes, you read that correctly; it's a mouthful of plot and boy does this movie have a lot of plot. If indeed there is a greater power unknown to us until after we perish, they truly do move in mysterious ways in the case of Childers who in the opening scene is being released from prison.

Back home with his wife Lynn and their daughter, Sam is infuriated to find the fridge empty of beer and that Lynn has given up her gig as a stripper at the local night-club in favor of a day job that gives her benefits and self-respect. "Better that you lost her to the Lord than to the milkman", notes Sam's best friend Donnie (Michael Shannon). Together, Sam and Donnie pick up their rock 'n roll ways, wreaking havoc, boozing and drugging all leading to one terrifying sequence where they cheat a murder rap that appears to hang over them after an episode with a hitchhiker they've picked up turns brutally violent. Lynn awakens in the middle of the night to find Sam in the bathroom washing blood from his clothes. Ashamed, Sam joins Lynn and their daughter to Sunday mass where Sam starts the process of being born again.

Things start to look up for Sam.  He fits well into his new life and starts growing into the role of father and provider through a new job on a construction site. In his spare time, he drafts up a plan to construct a church near their home designed particularly for bad-ass sinners of his ilk; strippers, addicts, etc. With a week to go on the contract, the sermon that Sunday at church is given by a Christian missionary preacher who has worked in the Sudan. "I reckon they could use some help", admits Sam at the dinner table that evening as he announces to his family his intention or rather, his calling to work in the African country.

His first trip to Sudan is an eye-opener as he learns about Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, a terror-based outfit that has forced young boys to take up arms, used girls as sex slaves, raped women, killed hundreds of thousands and burned entire villages out of existence. He dives eagerly into his new calling while on a ride north with freedom fighters and visits a make-shift hospital filled with wounded victims of the LRA. In another scene, Sam runs to the rescue of a boy whose legs have been blown off by a landmine.

Undeterred, Sam flies  back to the U.S. to raise more capital for his plan to buy some land in the Sudan and continue on with his project to help children there. He begins to deliver the sermons at his church in PA and the speeches begin to take on an angry, self-righteous tone. He invokes the Lord as a God who wishes not for peaceful lambs who follow his every word, but for wolves with sharp teeth who are willing to carry out his work.

Back in Africa, in a harrowing late-night scene where the LRA is setting fires and attacking the small safe-haven Sam has helped to build at which point the teachings of his former life comes in hand as he picks up arms and starts fighting back. In fact, since that time, Sam Childers has continued to fight back despite criticism of local freedom fighters who have since dismissed him from their movement altogether. He's played by that most dependable of recent physical actors, Gerard Butler (300, the Bounty Hunter) in a high-octane, headstrong performance that goes for broke. Michael Shannon is in top-form as usual as his heroine-addicted pal Donnie, and Michelle Monaghan equals Butler's intensity with her sharp and knowing performance as his wife Lynn.

But the performances don't make or break Machine Gun Preacher, it's the way the movie sees it's protagonist that matters and on that note, Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball, Quantum of Solace) renders a misfire here in a movie that at every step isn't sure about what it's trying to say. Todd Hertz, film critic at Christianity Today wrote, "Provocative, faith-affirming, and challenging, it models what Christian-made films could be. Childers' Christianity is shown as the dynamic and intricate force that it is." I couldn't disagree with him more. This film is not faith-affirming, in fact it is the opposite as it is a perversion of the tenets of Christianity by showing a man whose religious conversion is questionable at best. It is the nature of his spirituality that is called into question and that we simply can't ignore in this movie. It's problematic and troubling because Childers seems governed more by his own rage than by following God's words in th is narcissistic misadventure that leaves us with far more troubling questions than it ever wanted to deliver.

Machine Gun Preacher is a very confused and conflicted movie about a man who does not deserve to be celebrated or mythologized as a real-life Rambo.

**1/2 out of 4

Posted

@MovieJay's Review of Ides of March

The Ides of March, George Clooney's fourth outing as a director, brings the Beau Willimon 2008 play "Farragut North" to the big screen with sharp performances and taut, classic Hollywood storytelling. Too bad the subject matter, stuff that would have been more relevant in the Clinton-era scandal-plagued late 90's, doesn't have the same sheen as every other facet of the film, but it's a small inconvenience in a movie that provides real thrills and real honesty for it's entire 98-minute running time.

The set-up: A week out from the highly contested Democratic primary of Ohio, Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) is the more liberal candidate running neck-in-neck with the more centrist candidate Senator Pullman, played by Michael Mantell. In a small but pivotal role, Jeffrey Wright plays Senator Thompson, a contender who is no longer in play to win the nomination but carries with him enough delegates to play kingmaker to either of the front-runners.

The Morris team's campaign manager is Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), while the other side is headed by Paul Giamatti as Tom Duffy. Those characters alone could make an effective political drama, however the movie centers around Stephen Meyers, Morris' campaign's press secretary in a sharply-observed performance by Ryan Gosling that transforms this behind-the-scenes drama into a potboiler driven by tension generated from its characters and the way their chess-like po litical wars are played out.

Gosling plays Meyers as an idealist among cold-hearted realists who are all weary of the game of hardball politics they have been playing for far too long. He's 30 years old, focused, concentrated, and almost always appears to be in-thought. It is through his interaction with a reporter, played with brash intelligence by Marisa Tomei, that he  has played an active role in more election cycles than most political activists a decade older which might explain the maturity.

Political campaigns are a grind, and the fallout from the stress of campaigns such as a presidential one like this is that staffers get close and sometimes sexual intimacy is understandable, even if it's wrong. Enter Molly, played by the luminous Evan Rachel Wood, a young intern on the campaign, who gets herself noticed by Meyers in a scene that is deftly acted and teeming with furtive-eroticism in just the right moments as we say the intern flirt with and then picks up Meyers. They have important, time-consuming jobs, and the urgency of the sexual tension between them is palpable later on over drinks on a visit to the hotel where Molly is staying.Eventually this coupling leads to complications that rock the Morris campaign, but I will let you dear reader, discover those for yourself.

In a parallel narrative, Stephen is having to stave off Tomei's reporter on a leak she's picked up from an anonymous source that says he took an interview with the opposing side's campaign, in a move that could indicate that the Morris campaign is losing. He did meet with Tom Duffy from the opposing side, but who told? Or is she making it up? Later, in the film's best sequence, the "loyalty" scene, Stephen is taught the hardest of political lessons as he gets torn to shreds by Zara. Philip Seymour Hoffman is so good in this scene, it's a toss-up between this role and his baseball manager of the A's in last month's Moneyball that'll see him earn yet another well-deserved Oscar nomination. Paul Giamatti could be in line for another nomination as well, in a performance that mirrors Hoffman's in it's cold, hard precision.

What we know for sure is that nowadays it's impossible for a presidential candidate to campaign that long and that hard and not come out of it with some form of exhaustion, but the greater point of the film is how it sees the compromises that are made by candidates and their campaigns and that it's equally impossible for them to stay true to all of their values.

There are stronger films in this genre with similar subject matter, such as Mike Nichols' wonderful Primary Colors built from events during the Clinton campaign for President, as well as The Contender just a few short years later focusing on Joan Allen's past as she is nominated mid-term to the VeeP slot. Those were great films, that snapped, crackled and popped with the urgency of the topics of their day. Perhaps Ides of March would be more in league with those had it been made a decade ago, but it's still a worthwhile exercise in league with the very good The Candidate, that early 70's film with Robert Redford as a last-minute entry into the senatorial race in California, who upon his surprising come-from-behind victory can be heard to say, "What do we do now?"

George Clooney's direction is flawless as usual. Along with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night & Good Luck, and the football comedy Leatherheads, he appears to have the same gift for efficient, economical storytelling that Clint Eastwood has mastered in the last act of his career. Both of them actors' directors and in Ides of March the actors here turn this from a conventional film into an observant, tense and always honest one. Good movie.

*** out of 4

Posted

TIFF Celebrate Nuit Blanche and Culture Days

It's that time of year again in Toronto. Well that second other time of the year. The TIFF Festival is done, however the greatest city in the world doesn't just simply stop after the festival. Right around the corner we have Nuit Blanche and Culture Days. A time when the city embraces it's cultural soul while also turning into an all-night Art Gallery.

The folks at TIFF are not staying out of it by offering a great program of events.

Oh Look! A Press Release:

TIFF CELEBRATES NUIT BLANCHE AND CULTURE DAYS

Toronto â€" On October 1 from 7:00 pm â€" 7:00 am TIFF Bell Lightbox will take part in the City of Toronto’s 6th annual Scotiabank Nuit Blanche with an action-packed all-nighter of interactive programming that will have visitors of all ages singing, acting, making music and seeing Toronto in a whole new way. To celebrate Culture Days on October 1 and 2, TIFF presents a full weekend of interactive activities at TIFF Bell Lightbox from 11:30 am â€" 3:30 pm a with a variety of activity stations.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche activities include:

  • The Movie Studio Playhouse: A collaboration between TIFF and the Canadian Film Center Media Lab, the Movie Studio Playhouse is an interactive installation that allows participants to make and play with moving image stories in real time. As participants act in spontaneously-created films, the images they create will be projected live onto various surfaces at TIFF Bell Lightbox . VJs will then mix, manipulate, mash, and multiply these live video streams and turn them into moving digital paintings.
    Drop-in, runs from 7:00 pm â€" 7:00 am
  • The Royal Canadian Chiptunes Orchestra: TIFF's all-night salute to the music of the video game kicks off with exciting performances by the Royal Canadian Chiptunes Orchestra playing on custom-hacked Gameboys and homemade circuit-based instruments. In addition, a thrilling line-up of top chiptunes artists will fill the giant stage and screen of TIFF Bell Lightbox's Cinema 1 to the brim with bits, bytes, and beats as a mix of live music and scheduled sessions of giant-screen video games come together on stage.
    Runs from 7:00 pm â€" 7:00 am
  • Singin’ in the Dark: ’80s Edition: Visitors will have the time of their life as stand-up/cabaret artist/professional ginger Shawn Hitchins hosts a full night of sing-alongs to ’80s classics like Fame, Footloose, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing.

Show begins every hour, on the hour from 7:00 pm

  • Man With A Movie Camera: Local artist Darren Copeland performs a live digital re-scoring of Dziga Vertov’s iconic city symphony, setting Vertov’s kaleidoscopic depiction of bustling 1920s Russia against the sounds of Toronto circa 2011.
    Live performances at 7:00 pm, 10:00 pm, 1:00 am and 4:00 am. Recorded performances at 8:30 pm, 11:30 pm, 2:30 am and 5:30 am

Culture Days activities include:

 

  • Be in the Scene:  offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in some stunning film scenes through the magic of green screen technology.
  • Buttonography:  visitors become their very own buttonographers by capturing a film scene of their choice on a button and having it made on site.
  •  Wonders and Wardrobes:  a fun costume activity that will get visitors ready for the paparazzi .

TIFF is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC and BlackBerry, and Major Supporters the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of Toronto.

 

About TIFF
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $170 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family  (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels ), The Daniels Corporation, Major Sponsor and official bank RBC, Major Sponsor BlackBerry and Visa†. For more information, visit tiff.net.

-30-

Posted

Disney to release every cool movie they have done in 3D

This should not be a surprise at all. Hot on the heels of the buckets-load of money that Lion King 3-D made, Disney has just announced that it will be releasing Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and the Little Mermaid in 3D.

While I am not a huge fan of 3D and the craptastic elements it brings to certain films, I am a huge fan of it being used it Animated movies. I have always maintained that 3D technology should only be used with animated films and certain types of documentaries. It looks like the market might be leaning towards that.

I for one will be watching all of these when the come out. Partly because I really want to see how the 3D plays out and partly because I have never actually seen Little Mermaid..like ever.

Can you believe that?

 

Oh Look! A press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DISNEY AND DISNEY•PIXAR FAVOURITES POISED TO RETURN TO THEATRES IN 3D
‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘Finding Nemo,’ ‘Monsters, Inc.’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’ Will Make 3D Theatrical Debut in 2012 and 2013

BURBANK, Calif. â€" October 4, 2011 â€" On the heels of the phenomenal success of The Lion King 3D â€" which will cross the $80 million mark at the domestic box office today â€" The Walt Disney Studios has announced limited theatrical engagements for four of its classic films for the first time in 3D. The following titles from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios w ill be released in 2012 and 2013:

• Beauty and the Beast â€" January 13, 2012
• Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo â€" September 14, 2012
• Disney•Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. â€" January 18, 2013 (Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, arrives in theaters in Disney Digital 3D on June 21, 2013)
• The Little Mermaid â€" September 13, 2013

“Great stories and great characters are timeless, and at Disney we’re fortunate to have a treasure trove of both,” said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. “We’re thrilled to give audiences of all ages the chance to experience these beloved tales in an exciting new way with 3D â€" and in the case of younger generations, for the first time on the big screen.”

Originally released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast is a classic “tale as old as time” that follows the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman imprisoned in the castle of a mysterious beast and his enchanted staff, who must learn the most important lesson of all â€" that true beauty comes from within. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film ever nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture, earning an additional five Oscar® nominations and winning two. It has grossed $380.4 million worldwide.

First released in 2003, Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo takes audiences into a whole new world in this undersea adventure about family, courage and challenges. When Marlin, an overly cautious clownfish living in the Great Barrier Reef, helplessly watches his son get scooped up by a diver, he must put aside his fears of the ocean and leave the safety of his coral enclave to find Nemo. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory, a forgetful but relentlessly optimistic fish, Marlin finds himself the unlikely hero in a seemingly impossible land-and-sea rescue. Finding Nemo won an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for three others. With a total of $867.6 million worldwide, it was the second highest-grossing film of 2003.

In 2001, Disney•Pixar released Monsters, Inc. Lovable Sulley and his wisecracking sidekick Mike Wazowski are the top scare team at Monsters, Inc., the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis. But when a little girl named Boo wanders into their world, it’s up to Sulley and Mike to keep her out of sight and get her back home. Monsters, Inc. shattered every DVD-era home entertainment sales record when 11 million DVD/VHS copies were sold during its first week of release. It won an Academy Award® for Best Song and has grossed $526.9 million worldwide.

Released in 1989, The Little Mermaid, stars Ariel, a fun-loving and mischievous mermaid, off on the adventure of a lifetime with her best friend, the adorable Flounder, and the reggae-singing Caribbean crab Sebastian. But it will take all of her courage and determination to make her dreams come true and save her father’s beloved kingdom from the sneaky sea witch Ursula. One of the most celebrated animated films of all time, The Little Mermaid was nominated for three Academy Awards®, winning two. It has grossed $228.9 million worldwide.

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Posted

Cineplex is bringing us the man, the myth, the legend - William Shatner to the big screen.


I've been looking forward to this one for awhile.  The Captains is one of the greatest ideas for a documentary I have heard in a long while. Take away the fact that I am a huge Trek fan, watching the Big Kahuna in one of the biggest pop-culture phenomenons interview others who have followed him and help shape the legend that is Star Trek is going to be a fascinating watch.

I know that Cineplex is having a one-night special screening in Toronto that I will be sure to be at and I hope to see you there.

Oh Look! A press release:

 

Cineplex Beams William Shatner’s The Captains into Movie Theatres Across Canada
Star Trek original takes on his Captain peers and fellow actors in a revealing
documentary that speaks to fandom of Trekkies

TORONTO, ON October 6, 2011 â€" Star Trek fans, set your phasers to stun! William Shatner’s new documentary, The Captains, lands in participating movie theatres across Canada on Thursday, October 13 at 7 p.m. (local time) for a one-night only presentation. This special event, presented by Cineplex Entertainment’s Front Row Centre Events and Ballinran Entertainment, is the final frontier to see this highly anticipated documentary in theatres.

The Captains is a feature length documentary that “boldly goes where no man has gone before,” giving viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the most durable and profitable franchises in entertainment history, and the men and women who made the Star Trek brand an international phenomenon since 1966. The Captains is written and directed by William Shatner.

“Movie theatre seats across the country are the closest fans can get to the Captain’s chair on this voyage that looks at the iconic role of a Star Trek Captain,” said Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. “Trekkies will not want to miss this one-night only event.”
The Captains is produced by Canada’s Ballinran Entertainment and Le Big Boss Productions in association with Movie Central, a Corus Entertainment Company; EPIX; The Movie Network, an Astral Media Network; and Les Chaines Tele Astral - a division of Astral Broadcasting Group; with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Media Development Corporation Film and Television Tax Credit.
Tickets can be purchased at participating theatre box offices, through the Cineplex Mobile Apps and online at www.cineplex.com/events or our mobile site m.cineplex.com.
The Captains can be enjoyed at the following theatres across Canada on Thursday, October 13th at 7 p.m. local time:

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Burnaby
SilverCity Metropolis Cinemas, 4700 Kingsway Avenue
Chilliwack
Galaxy Cinemas Chilliwack, 8249 Eagle Landing Parkway
Coquitlam
SilverCity Coquitlam Cinemas, 170 Schoolhouse Street
Kamloops
LANDMARK â€" Paramount, 503 Victoria Street
Kelowna
LANDMARK - Grand 10 Kelowna, 940 McCurdy Road
Langford
Cineplex Odeon Westshore Cinemas, 2945 Jacklin Road
Langley
Colossus Langley Cinemas, 20090 91A Avenue
Nanaimo
LANDMARK - Avalon Cinema Centre, 6631 Island Highway North
North Vancouver
EMPIRE Esplanade 6 North Vancouver, 200 West Esplanade
Prince George
Famous Players 6 Cinemas, 172-1600 Fifth Avenue
Richmond
SilverCity Riverport Cinemas, 14211 Entertainment Way
Surrey
EMPIRE Studio 12 Guildford, 15051 101st Avenue
Vancouver
Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver, 900 Burrard Street
Vernon
Galaxy Cinemas Vernon, 2306 Highway 6

ALBERTA
Calgary
Cineplex Odeon Sunridge Spectrum Cinemas, 400-2555 32nd Avenue
Scotiabank Theatre Chinook, 6455 Macleod Trail SW
Empire Theatres Shawnessy, 100-16061 MacLeod Trail SE
EMPIRE Studio 16 Country Hills, 300-388 Country Hills Blvd NE
Edmonton
Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton Cinemas, 1525-99th Street NW
Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton , 8882-170 Street
EMPIRE Theatres City Centre Edmonton, 10200 102nd Avenue
Grande Prairie
LANDMARK - Jan Cinema, 9820 - 100TH AVENUE
Lethbridge
Galaxy Cinemas Lethbridge, 501-1st Avenue SW
Red Deer
Galaxy Cinemas Red Deer, 357-37400 Highway #2

MANITOBA
Winnipeg
SilverCity Polo Park Cinemas, 817 St. James Street

SASKATCHEWAN
Moose Jaw
Galaxy Cinemas Moose Jaw, 1235 Main Street N
Prince Albert
Galaxy Cinemas Prince Albert, 2995 2nd Avenue
Regina
Galaxy Cinemas Regina, 420 McCarthy Boulevard N
Saskatoon
Galaxy Cinemas Saskatoon, 347 2nd Avenue

ONTARIO
Ajax
Cineplex Odeon Ajax Cinemas, 248 Kingston Road
Barrie
Galaxy Cinemas Barrie, 72 Commerce Park Drive
Belleville
Galaxy Cinemas Belleville, 160 Bell Boulevard
Bowmanville
Cineplex Odeon Clarington Place Cinemas, 111 Clarington Boulevard
Brampton
SilverCity Brampton Cinemas, 50 Great Lakes Drive
Brantford
Galaxy Cinemas Brantford, 300 King George Road
Brockville
Galaxy Cinemas Brockville, 2399 Parkedale Avenue
Cornwall
Galaxy Cinemas Cornwall, 1325 Second Street E
Guelph
Galaxy Cinemas Guelph, 485 Woodlawn Road W
Hamilton
SilverCity Hamilton Mountain Cinemas, 795 Paramount Drive
Kingston
Cineplex Odeon Gardiners Road Cinemas, 626 Gardiners Road
Kitchener
EMPIRE Theatres Kitchener, 135 Gateway Park Drive
London
Cineplex Odeon Westmount & VIP Cinemas, 755 Wonderland Road S
SilverCity London Cinemas, 1680 Richmond Street
Milton
Galaxy Cinemas Milton, 1175 Maple Avenue
Mississauga
EMPIRE Studio 10 at Square One, 100 City Centre Drive
Newmarket
SilverCity Newmarket Cinemas and XSCAPE Entertainment Centre, 18151 Yonge Street
Niagara Falls
Cineplex Odeon Niagara Square Cinemas, 7555 Montrose Road
North Bay
Galaxy Cinemas North Bay, 300 Lakeshore Drive
Oakville
SilverCity Oakville and VIP Cinemas, 3531 Wyecroft Road
Oshawa
Cineplex Odeon Oshawa Cinemas, 1351 Grandview Street N
Ottawa
Coliseum Ottawa Cinemas, 3090 Carling Avenue
SilverCity Gloucester Cinemas, 2385 City Park Drive
EMPIRE 7 Ottawa, 111 Albert Street, 3rd Floor
Owen Sound
Galaxy Cinemas Owen Sound, 1020 10th Street
Peterborough
Galaxy Cinemas Peterborough, 320 Water Street
Sarnia
Famous Players Lambton 9 Cinemas, 1450 London Road
Sault Ste. Marie
Galaxy Cinemas Sault Ste. Marie, 293 Bay Street
St. Catharines
EMPIRE Theatres Pen Centre, 221 Glendale Avenue
Stratford
Stratford Cinemas, 750 Palace Street E
Sudbury
SilverCity Sudbury Cinemas, 355 Barrydowne Road
Thunder Bay
SilverCity Thunder Bay Cinemas, 850 North May Street
Toronto
Cineplex Odeon Eglinton Town Centre Cinemas, 22 Lebovic Avenue
Cineplex Odeon Queensway Cinemas, 1025 The Queensway
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, 259 Richmond Street W
SilverCity Fairview Mall Cinemas, 1800 Sheppard Avenue E
Vaughan
Colossus Vaughan Cinemas, 3555 Highway 7 W
Windsor
SilverCity Windsor Cinemas, 4611 Walker Road

QUEBEC
Brossard
Cineplex Odeon Brossard Cinemas, 9350 boul. Leduc
Kirkland
Coliseum Kirkland Cinemas, 3200 rue Jean Yves
Laval
Colossus Laval Cinemas, 2800 rue Cosmodôme
Montreal
Scotiabank Theatre Montreal, 977 rue Ste-Catherine O
Sherbrooke
Galaxy Cinemas Sherbrooke, 4204 rue Bertrand-Fabi
Ste.Foy
Cineplex Odeon Ste. Foy Cinemas, 1200 boul. Duplessis

NEW BRUNSWICK
Fredericton
EMPIRE Studio 10 Regent Mall, 1381 Regent Street
Moncton
EMPIRE 8 Trinity Drive, 127 Trinity Drive

NOVA SCOTIA
Halifax
EMPIRE 8 Park Lane, 5657 Spring Garden Road
Sydney
EMPIRE Studio 10, 325 Prince Street

NEWFOUNDLAND
EMPIRE Studio 12, 48 Kenmount Road

P.E.I.
Charlottetown
EMPIRE Studio 8 Charlottetown, 670 University Avenue

For additional information on The Captains, please visit www.thecaptainsdocumentary.com.

Filed under  //  Arts   Canada   Cineplex Entertainment   London   Movies   Sheppard Avenue   Theaters   Toronto   film   nerdiness   pop-culture   tumblrize   xavierpop  
Posted

Cineplex is bringing us the man, the myth, the legend - William Shatner to the big screen.


I've been looking forward to this one for awhile.  The Captains is one of the greatest ideas for a documentary I have heard in a long while. Take away the fact that I am a huge Trek fan, watching the Big Kahuna in one of the biggest pop-culture phenomenons interview others who have followed him and help shape the legend that is Star Trek is going to be a fascinating watch.

I know that Cineplex is having a one-night special screening in Toronto that I will be sure to be at and I hope to see you there.

Oh Look! A press release:

 

Cineplex Beams William Shatner’s The Captains into Movie Theatres Across Canada
Star Trek original takes on his Captain peers and fellow actors in a revealing
documentary that speaks to fandom of Trekkies

TORONTO, ON October 6, 2011 â€" Star Trek fans, set your phasers to stun! William Shatner’s new documentary, The Captains, lands in participating movie theatres across Canada on Thursday, October 13 at 7 p.m. (local time) for a one-night only presentation. This special event, presented by Cineplex Entertainment’s Front Row Centre Events and Ballinran Entertainment, is the final frontier to see this highly anticipated documentary in theatres.

The Captains is a feature length documentary that “boldly goes where no man has gone before,” giving viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the most durable and profitable franchises in entertainment history, and the men and women who made the Star Trek brand an international phenomenon since 1966. The Captains is written and directed by William Shatner.

“Movie theatre seats across the country are the closest fans can get to the Captain’s chair on this voyage that looks at the iconic role of a Star Trek Captain,” said Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. “Trekkies will not want to miss this one-night only event.”
The Captains is produced by Canada’s Ballinran Entertainment and Le Big Boss Productions in association with Movie Central, a Corus Entertainment Company; EPIX; The Movie Network, an Astral Media Network; and Les Chaines Tele Astral - a division of Astral Broadcasting Group; with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Media Development Corporation Film and Television Tax Credit.
Tickets can be purchased at participating theatre box offices, through the Cineplex Mobile Apps and online at www.cineplex.com/events or our mobile site m.cineplex.com.
The Captains can be enjoyed at the following theatres across Canada on Thursday, October 13th at 7 p.m. local time:

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Burnaby
SilverCity Metropolis Cinemas, 4700 Kingsway Avenue
Chilliwack
Galaxy Cinemas Chilliwack, 8249 Eagle Landing Parkway
Coquitlam
SilverCity Coquitlam Cinemas, 170 Schoolhouse Street
Kamloops
LANDMARK â€" Paramount, 503 Victoria Street
Kelowna
LANDMARK - Grand 10 Kelowna, 940 McCurdy Road
Langford
Cineplex Odeon Westshore Cinemas, 2945 Jacklin Road
Langley
Colossus Langley Cinemas, 20090 91A Avenue
Nanaimo
LANDMARK - Avalon Cinema Centre, 6631 Island Highway North
North Vancouver
EMPIRE Esplanade 6 North Vancouver, 200 West Esplanade
Prince George
Famous Players 6 Cinemas, 172-1600 Fifth Avenue
Richmond
SilverCity Riverport Cinemas, 14211 Entertainment Way
Surrey
EMPIRE Studio 12 Guildford, 15051 101st Avenue
Vancouver
Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver, 900 Burrard Street
Vernon
Galaxy Cinemas Vernon, 2306 Highway 6

ALBERTA
Calgary
Cineplex Odeon Sunridge Spectrum Cinemas, 400-2555 32nd Avenue
Scotiabank Theatre Chinook, 6455 Macleod Trail SW
Empire Theatres Shawnessy, 100-16061 MacLeod Trail SE
EMPIRE Studio 16 Country Hills, 300-388 Country Hills Blvd NE
Edmonton
Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton Cinemas, 1525-99th Street NW
Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton , 8882-170 Street
EMPIRE Theatres City Centre Edmonton, 10200 102nd Avenue
Grande Prairie
LANDMARK - Jan Cinema, 9820 - 100TH AVENUE
Lethbridge
Galaxy Cinemas Lethbridge, 501-1st Avenue SW
Red Deer
Galaxy Cinemas Red Deer, 357-37400 Highway #2

MANITOBA
Winnipeg
SilverCity Polo Park Cinemas, 817 St. James Street

SASKATCHEWAN
Moose Jaw
Galaxy Cinemas Moose Jaw, 1235 Main Street N
Prince Albert
Galaxy Cinemas Prince Albert, 2995 2nd Avenue
Regina
Galaxy Cinemas Regina, 420 McCarthy Boulevard N
Saskatoon
Galaxy Cinemas Saskatoon, 347 2nd Avenue

ONTARIO
Ajax
Cineplex Odeon Ajax Cinemas, 248 Kingston Road
Barrie
Galaxy Cinemas Barrie, 72 Commerce Park Drive
Belleville
Galaxy Cinemas Belleville, 160 Bell Boulevard
Bowmanville
Cineplex Odeon Clarington Place Cinemas, 111 Clarington Boulevard
Brampton
SilverCity Brampton Cinemas, 50 Great Lakes Drive
Brantford
Galaxy Cinemas Brantford, 300 King George Road
Brockville
Galaxy Cinemas Brockville, 2399 Parkedale Avenue
Cornwall
Galaxy Cinemas Cornwall, 1325 Second Street E
Guelph
Galaxy Cinemas Guelph, 485 Woodlawn Road W
Hamilton
SilverCity Hamilton Mountain Cinemas, 795 Paramount Drive
Kingston
Cineplex Odeon Gardiners Road Cinemas, 626 Gardiners Road
Kitchener
EMPIRE Theatres Kitchener, 135 Gateway Park Drive
London
Cineplex Odeon Westmount & VIP Cinemas, 755 Wonderland Road S
SilverCity London Cinemas, 1680 Richmond Street
Milton
Galaxy Cinemas Milton, 1175 Maple Avenue
Mississauga
EMPIRE Studio 10 at Square One, 100 City Centre Drive
Newmarket
SilverCity Newmarket Cinemas and XSCAPE Entertainment Centre, 18151 Yonge Street
Niagara Falls
Cineplex Odeon Niagara Square Cinemas, 7555 Montrose Road
North Bay
Galaxy Cinemas North Bay, 300 Lakeshore Drive
Oakville
SilverCity Oakville and VIP Cinemas, 3531 Wyecroft Road
Oshawa
Cineplex Odeon Oshawa Cinemas, 1351 Grandview Street N
Ottawa
Coliseum Ottawa Cinemas, 3090 Carling Avenue
SilverCity Gloucester Cinemas, 2385 City Park Drive
EMPIRE 7 Ottawa, 111 Albert Street, 3rd Floor
Owen Sound
Galaxy Cinemas Owen Sound, 1020 10th Street
Peterborough
Galaxy Cinemas Peterborough, 320 Water Street
Sarnia
Famous Players Lambton 9 Cinemas, 1450 London Road
Sault Ste. Marie
Galaxy Cinemas Sault Ste. Marie, 293 Bay Street
St. Catharines
EMPIRE Theatres Pen Centre, 221 Glendale Avenue
Stratford
Stratford Cinemas, 750 Palace Street E
Sudbury
SilverCity Sudbury Cinemas, 355 Barrydowne Road
Thunder Bay
SilverCity Thunder Bay Cinemas, 850 North May Street
Toronto
Cineplex Odeon Eglinton Town Centre Cinemas, 22 Lebovic Avenue
Cineplex Odeon Queensway Cinemas, 1025 The Queensway
Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, 259 Richmond Street W
SilverCity Fairview Mall Cinemas, 1800 Sheppard Avenue E
Vaughan
Colossus Vaughan Cinemas, 3555 Highway 7 W
Windsor
SilverCity Windsor Cinemas, 4611 Walker Road

QUEBEC
Brossard
Cineplex Odeon Brossard Cinemas, 9350 boul. Leduc
Kirkland
Coliseum Kirkland Cinemas, 3200 rue Jean Yves
Laval
Colossus Laval Cinemas, 2800 rue Cosmodôme
Montreal
Scotiabank Theatre Montreal, 977 rue Ste-Catherine O
Sherbrooke
Galaxy Cinemas Sherbrooke, 4204 rue Bertrand-Fabi
Ste.Foy
Cineplex Odeon Ste. Foy Cinemas, 1200 boul. Duplessis

NEW BRUNSWICK
Fredericton
EMPIRE Studio 10 Regent Mall, 1381 Regent Street
Moncton
EMPIRE 8 Trinity Drive, 127 Trinity Drive

NOVA SCOTIA
Halifax
EMPIRE 8 Park Lane, 5657 Spring Garden Road
Sydney
EMPIRE Studio 10, 325 Prince Street

NEWFOUNDLAND
EMPIRE Studio 12, 48 Kenmount Road

P.E.I.
Charlottetown
EMPIRE Studio 8 Charlottetown, 670 University Avenue

For additional information on The Captains, please visit www.thecaptainsdocumentary.com.

Filed under  //  Arts   Canada   Cineplex Entertainment   London   Movies   Sheppard Avenue   Theaters   Toronto   film   nerdiness   pop-culture   tumblrize   xavierpop  
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Melanie's Review of Real Steel

This movie is good. In fact, it’s really good. Is it going to be an Oscar contender? Absolutely not, and that’s totally cool with me. Sometimes I don’t want to watch a movie that makes me think too much. Sometimes, I just want to sit down and be entertained. Real Steel is a very entertaining movie. Was it kinda predictable?  Sure, but I don’t care. For 127 minutes I forgot about all of the stresses in my life, and had some fun.

The movie is set about 20 years in the future where a blood-thirsty public no longer enjoys watching people beat the crap out of each other, but rather prefers to watch giant robots tear each other apart â€" literally. I describe the movie as Rocky meets Transformers meets The Champ.

Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Van Helsing, Kate & Leopold) plays Charlie Kenton, a down-on-his-luck former boxer who tours the country with fighting robots to make ends meet. You get a sense that Charlie is a bit of a player/gypsy who breaks hearts wherever he goes. He finds out that a woman he had a child with has passed away leaving his 11 year-old son parentless. Having no interest in becoming a real father but seeing an opportunity to make some money, he takes his son in for the summer in exchange for a cash payment.

Charlie’s son Max, played very aptly by Toronto-born Dakota Goyo, is your typical child who’s been deserted by his dad and raised by his mom â€" he’s tough, strong-willed, too mature for his age, and a bit of a pain in the butt. Dakota actually reminds me of another child actor, Jake Lloyd, who played young Anakin Skywalk in The Phantom Menace - the main difference being that Dakota can actually act.

Without giving too much away, father and son go looking for parts for a broken fighting robot and discover one of the original sparring robots that has been left for trash. Max decides to keep the robot and discovers that it can actually fight. The robot, named Atom, reminded me at times of Wall-e - in the sense that you end up falling in love with this machine and you have no idea if it’s even aware.

The third star of this film are definitely the fighting robots â€" all of them. I’m not usually one to go ga-ga over a bunch of over-sized children’s toys, but they really did an amazing job creating these machines. They didn’t miss any details  â€" the unique designs, the colours, the sounds, and the imposingness of them all worked. These machines seemed to take on a life of their own which helped to create  an unbelievable boxing world full of flash and glamour. If you have a boy between the ages of 13 and 18, take them to see this movie â€" they’ll lose their minds!!!

This movie pretty much belongs to Hugh, Dakota and Atom, the robot Max brings back from the dead, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the supporting actors. One of the main “bad-guys” is an arrogant jerk named Ricky, played by Kevin Durand (Smokin’ Aces, Wolferine, Robin Hood) â€" I wasn’t sure where I’d seen him before, however after watching Real Steel I won’t forget him anytime soon. Not only is he a great actor, he is a great guy (and from Thunder Bay no less). Another Canadian in the film is Evangeline Lilly (Hurt Locker and TV’s Lost). She plays Charlie’s friend, business partner, and former love. Lilly did an excellent job playing Bailey Tallet, the daughter of Charlie’s dead boxing coach, who Charlie has been taken advantage of for a number of years.

I must give kudos to Montreal-born director, Shawn Levy, for creating yet another fun feel-good film. He seems to be the go-to guy for that genre having directed both Night at the Museum films, Date Night, and Cheaper by the Dozen.

I give Real Steel 4 stars out of 5, and look forward to seeing it again when it comes out in theatres on October 7th.

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TIFF Celebrate Nuit Blanche and Culture Days

It's that time of year again in Toronto. Well that second other time of the year. The TIFF Festival is done, however the greatest city in the world doesn't just simply stop after the festival. Right around the corner we have Nuit Blanche and Culture Days. A time when the city embraces it's cultural soul while also turning into an all-night Art Gallery.

The folks at TIFF are not staying out of it by offering a great program of events.

Oh Look! A Press Release:

TIFF CELEBRATES NUIT BLANCHE AND CULTURE DAYS

Toronto â€" On October 1 from 7:00 pm â€" 7:00 am TIFF Bell Lightbox will take part in the City of Toronto’s 6th annual Scotiabank Nuit Blanche with an action-packed all-nighter of interactive programming that will have visitors of all ages singing, acting, making music and seeing Toronto in a whole new way. To celebrate Culture Days on October 1 and 2, TIFF presents a full weekend of interactive activities at TIFF Bell Lightbox from 11:30 am â€" 3:30 pm a with a variety of activity stations.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche activities include:

  • The Movie Studio Playhouse: A collaboration between TIFF and the Canadian Film Center Media Lab, the Movie Studio Playhouse is an interactive installation that allows participants to make and play with moving image stories in real time. As participants act in spontaneously-created films, the images they create will be projected live onto various surfaces at TIFF Bell Lightbox . VJs will then mix, manipulate, mash, and multiply these live video streams and turn them into moving digital paintings.
    Drop-in, runs from 7:00 pm â€" 7:00 am
  • The Royal Canadian Chiptunes Orchestra: TIFF's all-night salute to the music of the video game kicks off with exciting performances by the Royal Canadian Chiptunes Orchestra playing on custom-hacked Gameboys and homemade circuit-based instruments. In addition, a thrilling line-up of top chiptunes artists will fill the giant stage and screen of TIFF Bell Lightbox's Cinema 1 to the brim with bits, bytes, and beats as a mix of live music and scheduled sessions of giant-screen video games come together on stage.
    Runs from 7:00 pm â€" 7:00 am
  • Singin’ in the Dark: ’80s Edition: Visitors will have the time of their life as stand-up/cabaret artist/professional ginger Shawn Hitchins hosts a full night of sing-alongs to ’80s classics like Fame, Footloose, Flashdance and Dirty Dancing.

Show begins every hour, on the hour from 7:00 pm

  • Man With A Movie Camera: Local artist Darren Copeland performs a live digital re-scoring of Dziga Vertov’s iconic city symphony, setting Vertov’s kaleidoscopic depiction of bustling 1920s Russia against the sounds of Toronto circa 2011.
    Live performances at 7:00 pm, 10:00 pm, 1:00 am and 4:00 am. Recorded performances at 8:30 pm, 11:30 pm, 2:30 am and 5:30 am

Culture Days activities include:

 

  • Be in the Scene:  offers visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in some stunning film scenes through the magic of green screen technology.
  • Buttonography:  visitors become their very own buttonographers by capturing a film scene of their choice on a button and having it made on site.
  •  Wonders and Wardrobes:  a fun costume activity that will get visitors ready for the paparazzi .

TIFF is generously supported by Lead Sponsor Bell, Major Sponsors RBC and BlackBerry, and Major Supporters the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of Toronto.

 

About TIFF
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $170 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family  (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels ), The Daniels Corporation, Major Sponsor and official bank RBC, Major Sponsor BlackBerry and Visa†. For more information, visit tiff.net.

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And now for something completely Awesome!((tag: xavierpop, film, pop-culture, nerdiness, tumblrize,1983 Cannes Film Festival,Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life,Holy Grail,Jonathan Pryce,Monty Python,Monty Python and the Holy Grail,Monty Python's Life

TIFF has come and gone but if you think that the good folks who run the world's most important film festival are going to rest on their laurels and chill, you are very wrong my friend.

Armed with a shiny new building, the good folks at TIFF have put together quite the heavy programme of really wonderful and quite awesome things. Right out of the gate we have an in-depth exhibition on Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco. Just before that, I am absolutely thrilled to announce that there will be a Terry Gillam retrospective.

For those who don't know the name, Gillam graduates from the extremely school of Monty Pythos and went to also direct 12 Monkeys, Time Bandits and Brazil

The retrospective is to mark the restoration of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian to their original 'murky glory'.

Try and stop me from attending.

Oh Look! A Press Release:

Late Night: Python in Excelsis

October 8 to December 10

TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto

 

 

On the occasion of the restoration of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian to their original murky glory, this season’s Late Night series surveys the Python boys’ ventures into the cinema, as well as the solo directorial outings of their mad animation genius Terry Gilliam. Films in the series include Gilliam’s most ambitious and visionary film Brazil (1985), a darkly funny vision of a dystopian future starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro; a restored print of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), the Pythons’ rain-soaked, mud-covered and insultingly low-budget first original feature funded by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd; and a restored print of Python’s biggest box-office hit Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979), which was picketed in the US by fundamentalist Christian groups who condemned it as blasphemous.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Dirs. Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones
| UK 1975 | 91 min |14A
Horselessly galloping across the land to the thundering sound of coconut shells, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table traverse Dark Age England in their quest to find the Holy Grail, encountering fearsome warriors, eccentric enchanters, insulting Frenchmen, anarcho-syndicalist peasants, killer rabbits, itinerant shrubbers, the fair horny maidens of Castle Anthrax, vexed questions about avian migratory habits and, of course, the Knights Who Say "Ni." Funded by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd (and reportedly the favou rite film of Elvis Presley), the Pythons' rain-soaked, mud-covered and insultingly low-budget first original feature "makes Ben-Hur look like an epic," as its ads proudly proclaimed. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table gallop horselessly across the land to the thundering sound of coconut shells in the Pythons' majestically murky send-up of the Grail legend.
Saturday, October 8 at 11pm and Saturday, December 3 at 11pm

Monty Python's Life of Brian
Dir. Terry Jones | UK 1979 | 94 min | R

Born a bastard in the manger next door to Jesus, young firebrand Brian Cohen joins a Jewish terrorist organization to drive the Romans from Judea, unwittingly finds himself hailed as the Messiah â€" though his harridan mother insists that he's just a very naughty boy â€" and is shuffled off to Calvary by a lisping Pontius Pilate prior to a merry sing-a-long to "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" with his fellow crucifixees. Python's biggest box-office hit was picketed in the US by fundamentalist Christian groups who condemned it as blasphemous.

Saturday, October 15 at 11pm and Saturday, December 10 at 11pm

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
Dir. Terry Jones | UK 1983 | 107 min | PG
Returning to the team's sketch origins, The Meaning of Life offers a haphazard meditation on the Big Question through a series of episodes involving birth, death, war, religion, live organ transplants, epic musical numbers about sperm, a jolly game of "Find the Fish," hardcore classroom sex-ed, and a literally stomach-churning survey of the gastronomic habits of one Mr. Creosote. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.

Saturday, October 22 at 11pm

 

Jabberwocky

Dir. Terry Gilliam | UK 1977 | 105 min | PG

Terry Gilliam's first solo directorial effort after sharing credit on Monty Python and the Holy Grail returned him to that film's picturesque vision of medieval mud, blood, gloom and fog. In the reign of good King Bruno the Questionable, bright-eyed proto-capitalist Dennis Cooper (Michael Palin) journeys from his home village to the capital city, which is being terrorized by a fearsome beast. Much ribaldry, fornication and defecation ensues, along with a cameo by Python alum Terry Jones as an unlucky poacher and some gleefully disgusting dismemberments that rival the fate of Holy Grail's stubborn Black Knight.

Saturday, October 29 at 11pm

12 Monkeys

Dir. Terry Gilliam | UK 1995 | 127 min | PG

In a post-apocalyptic future, prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis) is recruited for a time-travelling experiment to discover the source of the virus that has killed off most of the world's population. Landing in a psycho ward in 1990 Baltimore, Cole encounters a fellow patient (Brad Pitt) who might have something to do with the future outbreak. Along with his skeptical doctor (Madeleine Stowe), Cole sets out to prevent the future he left behind from ever happening â€" and in the process discovers the secret of a childhood memory that has haunted him his entire life. Terry Gilliam's mind-bending, critically lauded remake/extrapolation of Chris Marker's classic La Jetée seamlessly combines Hollywood thrills with Gilliam's eccentric and grotesque vision, while Pitt's antic, fidgety performance brought him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Saturday, November 5 at 11pm

Brazil

Dir. Terry Gilliam | UK 1985 | 132 min | 14A

Terry Gilliam's darkly funny vision of a dystopian future focuses on Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce), a meek clerk in a collapsing, retro-fitted and stiflingly bureaucratic Orwellian state who is only free in his dreams, where he becomes a winged warrior saving a maiden in distress. When he attempts to correct an administrative error that resulted in the arrest and execution of an innocent man, he gets drawn into an underground resistance movement involving a rebel repairman (Robert De Niro) and a young woman who is the very image of his dream girl. Hilarious and horrifying in equal measure, Brazil remains Gilliam's most ambitious and visionary film.
Saturday, November 12 at 11pm

  

And Now for Something Completely Different
Dir. Ian MacNaughton | UK 1971 | 88 min | PG
The first Python film belies its title by featuring the team re-enacting some of the best sketches from their groundbreaking TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus. Highlights include the Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook, the Ministry of Silly Walks, the Lumberjack Song, Hell's Grannies, Self-Defense Against Fresh Fruit, the Townswomen's Guild Recreation of Pearl Harbor, the Upper-Class Twit of the Year competition, and the immortal Dead Parrot sketch. (Sadly missing is the Fish-Slapping Dance.) A flop in North America on its original release, the film was re-released in 1974 to strong business after Flying Circus began showing on PBS and gave Americans their first Pythonian education.
Saturday, November 19 at 11pm

 

Time Bandits
Dir. Terry Gilliam | USA 1981 | 116 min | PG

Terry Gilliam's time-tripping fantasy follows a young boy as he travels through a space-time rift located in his closet and joins forces with a renegade band of dwarves for an adventure that spans centuries and continents, meeting such figures as Robin Hood (John Cleese), Napoleon (Ian Holm) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) as he and his new companions try to keep their precious time-travelling map out of the hands of Evil (David Warner).
Saturday, November 26 at 11pm

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Melanie's Review of Moneyball


I can’t say enough about this film.

Moneyball is what movies are supposed to be. It is an exceptionally written, directed and acted piece of mastery.

The movie is based on the true story of how Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s, changed the way baseball recruits its players. Since half the North American population already knows something about what he did, I needn’t struggle to evade revealing too much.

The synopsis for this film alone would have put me to sleep normally but positive buzz lead me to viewing what I now consider to be the front-runner in the “best film” category at this year’s Oscars. I would actually put money on it. I also think Brad Pitt might actually get his third Oscar nomination for playing Billy Beane the failed ball player, turned scout, turned general manager.

I believe Brad to be my generations Robert Redford and he proved it with his performance in this movie.  It was so subtle, so nuanced, and never over-done. I must admit that sometimes I forget how talented he is.

I must also admit that I was pretty shocked to hear that Jonah Hill was co-starring in this film. Having starred in the raunchy comedies Superbad, Get Him to the Greek, and The Sitter, I figured that he’d remain a ‘one-trick pony’ and that eventually people would get sick of him and move on. Moneyball seemed to be so far outside of his scope of ability, but I gotta say… this is also very much his movie as it is Pitt's. This is the movie that will change the course of his career. Jonah Hill can actually act. His portrayal of Peter Brand, the completely green, recent economics grad from Yale who invented the new system of creating a baseball team, was so spot-on.

Also headlining in Moneyball is Philip Seymour Hoffman. I’m not sure why his name is on all of the posters, given that he’s in the movie for all of five minutes… not that I’m complaining. I love Seymour Hoffman â€" the man is a genius. However, his role of Art Howe, the head coach for the Oakland A’s, was pretty small. I would have loved to have him in the movie more. He probably did the film as a favour to the director Bennett Miller, who also directed him in Capote (which coincidentally is the only other film that Miller has directed).

In order to avoid boring all of you with a list of other bit parts in the film, I will simply state that the actors that were chosen to play all of the team’s players and employees were excellent - they all brought heart and depth to the film.

The only area in Moneyball that lacked for me was Brad’s chemistry with his on-screen daughter played by Kerris Dorsey. Although she’s a lovely girl who is a TV veteran at the ripe old age of 13 - and possesses an almost angelic singing voice - she never seemed to connect with Brad as her dad. Not sure if it was her acting, or if it was the script. Their relationship just never worked for me.

Next to the main two actors, the best part of the film to me was the beautifully crafted script. As a West Wing addict, I can spot Aaron Sorkin’s work anywhere. Sorkin has an incredible gift with words and a knack for sculpting characters that you fall in love with. The script was co-written with Steven Zaillian, who happens to be the screenplay writer to some of my favourite movies (Awakenings, Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Schindler’s List). So for me it is a match made in heaven. And it worked very well, as the audience laughed out loud at so many points during the movie that I lost track of how many times. Sorkin and Zaillian took a potentially dull topic and breathed dazzling life into it.

Moneyball is one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. It is the kind of film that Hollywood should strive to make more often. Do yourself a favour… go see this film. I enjoyed it so much, that I’m planning on going to see it again as soon as I can â€" which is saying a lot since I don’t even know who Billy Beane is.

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