movie monthly

Movie Monthly: Breaking Boundaries

Submitted by RA on Mon, 01/09/2012 - 21:11

Two films are due to open this month that bring the wizardry of digital cinema to the arthouse with stunning results. Firstly there's Wim Wenders Pina 3D (due out on 27th), a portrait of the work of the celebrated German choreographer Pina Bausch.

Movie Monthly: We've Thrived, But Can We Survive?

Submitted by RA on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 13:58

One of the main criticisms levelled at the Occupy movement has been that it is unclear what it is about. Critics have pointed to a plethora of issues – corporate greed, government debt, indigenous rights, unemployment, homelessness, ecological destruction, GMOs, climate change, and more – that seemed to be jostling for people's attention. Of course, many or all of these issues are interconnected, although it seems we are still struggling to find the wherewithal to express just how.

Movie Monthly: Finding Oneself

Submitted by RA on Sat, 11/05/2011 - 22:09

Often, when watching a feature film, the shaping hand of the director is barely noticeable. There's a certain sameness, particularly with Hollywood stuff, in the tone and the treatment of the subject, which itself is often a rehashed or plagiarised storyline. The movie could have been made by any number of directors. There's no chance of that watching The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito), a most bizarre story of twisted obsession, which recently opened VIFF.

Movie Monthly: More VIFF Reviews

Submitted by RA on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 19:53

A second batch of reviews of movies showing at VIFF this October, focussing on the environmental strand.

Movie Monthly: Planet Hollywood

Submitted by RA on Wed, 07/13/2011 - 08:08

Earth and its inhabitants are in trouble. Oceans are acidifying and sea levels rising at the fastest rate in 2000 years. Biodiversity is in freefall, ecosystems stressed to breaking point, and like a deer caught in the headlights, humankind is watching this tragedy of its own making unfold, paralysed by indecision and greed.

Movie Monthly: Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Submitted by RA on Mon, 05/09/2011 - 12:21

Morgan Spurlock, who shot to fame with his Big Mac burgerthon Supersize Me takes another comical adventure in his latest documentary looking at the sly, insidious, and highly effective practice of product placement in television and movies.

Movie Monthly: DOXA Documentary Film Festival

Submitted by RA on Sun, 05/01/2011 - 11:51

DOXA, Vancouver's purely documentary film festival, marks its 10th anniversary this year with 95 films showing between 6th and 15th May, the festival's biggest programme yet.

Movie Monthly: Drop Your Cable

Submitted by RA on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 03:03

I just caught Ron Mann's Grass, his manifesto for legalising pot. Okay, so I'm a little late to the party. It originally came out in 1999. Drug laws in North America might have eased a little since then, and the hysteria surrounding “reefer madness” that informed early US drug policy looks even more hilarious through the telescope of time a decade on. But this cheeky, pop history of pot is still relevant, and entertaining as it cruises through significant cultural and political landmarks in stoner history from Cheech and Chong to George Bush Snr.

Movie Monthly: OF Gods and Men

Submitted by RA on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 22:12

To stay or not to stay? That is the question at the centre of slow-burn, immersive drama Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes et Des Dieux). The men are eight monks living harmoniously in a local community in Muslim North Africa. As Cistercian-Trappists, they refrain from all proselytism, practising a devotional life within their minimalist monastery, farming, and providing support – in particular medical - to the local village.

Movie Monthly: The Illusionist

Submitted by RA on Tue, 01/11/2011 - 12:40

Screenwriter-director Sylvain Chomet chose to go the old-school route when he adapted French comedy legend Jacques Tati's previously unmade script into an animated feature.

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