The Weekend In Movies: You're seeing Ratatouille.

Happy Canada Day Weekend everyone! I hope you have something fun planned for this weekend and enjoy another great birthday for this awesome country we call home.

And to celebrate you wacky Victoria residents, you're going to get off your bums, go down to the Capitol 6, Star Cinema, Silvercity, Caprice or University 4, walk up to the box office and demand tickets for...

Ratatouille - **** One of the most joyous cinematic experiences this year (besides Grindhouse, of course), Ratatouille is the story of a lovable rat named Remy who wants nothing more than to cook at the prestigious eatery Gusteau's in Paris, and the relationship that he makes with a "garbage boy" who works at the eatery that is losing its star rating.

This film is for anyone who loves not just a great story but a great cinematic experience (and it's also the first animated film I've ever seen that has left me HUNGRY as the credits were rolling). Not only that, Remy is one of the most beautifully realized characters in a film this year and it will only take you five minutes to fall in love with him. The story and themes are universal, the animation is so good that you'll forget about computers and digital trickery and go along with the visual beauty, the voice casting is top notch and the film finalizes on a sequence so wonderful and just bizarre enough that you'll never want it to end.

I want you to see this film so much, in fact, that I'm posting the showtimes right here for your convenience:

Capitol 6 - Daily @ 12:40, 3:30, 7:00 & 9:40
Silvercity - Daily @ 12:45, 3:45, 7:00 & 10:00
Star Cinema - Daily @ 7:00pm. Additional Friday & Saturday @ 9:15; Matiness Sat-Thu @ 2pm
University 4 - Daily @ 1:00, 3:50, 7:00 & 9:30
Caprice - Fri, Tue & Wed @ 2:00, 7:00 & 9:25; Sat - Mon @ 1:00, 3:30, 7:00 & 9:25

Don't know how to get there? Google Maps will help you. So you have the showtimes and the maps. You now officially have no excuse.

Here's the film you are seeing this weekend. I don't want to hear about how busy you are, or how you're not interested in an animated film or how you would rather see Evan Almigthy. No, you're going to this lovable, wonderful movie. Trust me, I guarantee you will love it.

Full review on efilmcritic.com this friday.

Sicko (***1/2) -- Surprisingly, this excellent new documentary from Michael Moore is not getting as wide of a release as anticipated. Only scheduled on one screen at the downtown Odeon, you still have access to Moore's take on how dreadful and careless the health care system is down in the United States.

Live Free or Die Hard -- While it opened on Wednesday, here's another mention of the long-delayed Part Four to the Die Hard series. Not sure exactly how badly we need a fourth entry into this series, but nevertheless I'm curious to see how director Len Wiseman (Underworld) handles a PG-13 Die Hard. (Silvercity, Odeon, University 4)

Evening -- I want to tell you to go see this unapologetic weeper of a family story that spans a few generations. I want to tell you that I'm a fan of director Lajos Koltai (Fateless) and can shoot a beautiful picture from a mile away. I want to tell you that I have had a massive crush on Claire Danes and can't wait to see her in Cinemascope. And I'll see it, because it's my gig and I see everything except for Nancy Drew. But for you, the moviegoer that goes to one movie a week, if that...you're going to Ratatouille, I'm sorry. (Capitol)

The Transformers -- Fuck Michael Bay. That is all. (Silvercity, Odeon, University 4)

Wild Safari: The IMAX Experience - FINALLY shuffling up the dull-as-nails IMAX schedule (and even moreso on 7/13 when Spidey 3 opens in the blown-out 'MAX format) is yet another doco that pretty much explains itself in the title. It's wild! It's safari! What, you thought this was about the Isreal-Palestine conflict?

Also:

With all the big movies opening this weekend and that Brad Bird movie I'm urging you to see, the fine Vancouver-based film Everything's Gone Green screens at UVIC Cinecenta on Sunday. This is Douglas Coupland's first foray into screenwriting and he does a great job.

Also, if you're up for an interesting experience on Monday, swing by the Eric Martin Pavillion and check out The Journals of Knud Rasmussen playing at Movie Monday. From the director of The Fast Runner, this is another look at the arctic life that you'll otherwise never get to see.

Bon appetit.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Top 10 Films of 2007...So Far!

I finally found some free time in my crazy schedule and published my annual mid-year Top 10 on efilmcritic.com. This has been one hell of a great year so far for movies, and I look forward with great eagerness to see what the rest of the year holds in store.

The best films of 2007 so far:

1. Grindhouse
2. The Lives of Others
3. Paris Je T'aime
4. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
5. Knocked Up
6. Bridge to Terabithia
7. Vitus
8. The Lookout
9. Breach
10. Away From Her

Worst films: 1. Because I Said So, 2. Love and Other Dilemmas, 3. Wild Hogs, 4. The Reaping, 5. The Ex.

This list is current until June 15th. I really wanted to showcase Away From Her which is a knockout film from Ms. Sarah Polley. Ratatouille opens on Friday and will give this whole list some shaking up. Not to mention a LOT of press later this week.

Click HERE to read the whole article.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

It's just an AFI list, people.

The folks down at the American Film Institute have updated their "100 Years, 100 Movies" list with a new Top 100 based on critics and filmmakers who have voted for their favorite American films. Citizen Kane has taken the cake, as it has in the past (and should), and all I'm thinking is "What, no GRINDHOUSE?"

Of course I'm kidding. But since people are more drawn to complain rather than to embrace, this list has immediately drawn fire from people who automatically think that since THEIR movie isn't on the AFI list, immediately the list is worthless. "How can they put X movie on there when Y movie is better?" Then along comes someone else going "How can they put Y movie on there when X movie is better?" It reminds me of the Oscars, where everyone suddenly thinks they're the authority on the awards, everyone disagrees and nothing is resolved except for a lot of useless pissing and moaning from people who secretly like to detest film. The act gets old and tired pretty damn quick, and people forget that we all bring our own attitudes towards film. We should be asking ourselves what we love about this medium if all we do is be so cynical.

This reminds me of why I enjoy going to the Vancouver Film Festival every year. No one agrees on anything. "Paris Je T'aime" and "The Lives of Others" were my favorites of VIFF '06, yet you could find as many people who detested it as much as people who adored them. The annual visit to this festival is a powerful reminder to think for yourself and not to let someone "higher" in power sway your opinion. You just think differently than they do. And that's good.

When I saw the AFI list back in 1998, I didn't need to agree with it. What I took from the show was its underlining power: "Hey, here are some good looking films that I need to go check out on DVD!" And I did. And for any aspiring film students or avid filmgoers who are looking to see some better movies in this day and age of Shrek The Third, this can be a great benefit. It is also a benefit to have interviews with established filmmakers, writers, actors and film scholars to give their reasons for why they adored each film.

If anything, the AFI, -- which in itself is a great film institution -- does a lot of good (I have a few friends enrolled there currently), and I think these lists and shows that air on TV are a good thing. If I can offer a critisicm, however, I really feel that the shows should stay as far away from giving away the endings to a lot of the movies being profiled. The clips for Citizen Kane, for example, explains Rosebud and plays the very last shot of the film. Offensive, to say the least.

For wit, here is my personal Top 10 Favorites of All Time and how they stack up on the AFI list:

#1. Apocalypse Now - AFI #30
#2. 2001: A Space Odyssey - AFI #15
#3. The Apartment - AFI #80
#4. Stop Making Sense - N/A
#5. Woodstock - N/A
#6. Grave of the Fireflies - N/A, since it is a foreign film
#7. Network - AFI #64
#8. Grand Illusion - N/A, since it is a foreign film
#9. The Godfather Part II - AFI #32
#10. Magnolia - N/A

Haven't seen any of those? Well, start renting some DVD's!

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Grindhouse should have had an intermission.

Before the freakin' SIXTH time (I'm addicted) I was about to sit down and partake in the Rodriguez and Tarantino Double Feature (this time at UVIC Cinecenta), a staffer at the cinema approached the audience and told us that there would be a brief, two minute break in-between the shows, as they wound Planet Terror and Death Proof onto separate platters. "Cool", I said to a nearby filmgoer as we chatted briefly about what we were going to see.

Planet Terror came and went as per usual, and what was interesting was how the projectionist simply let the film tail out of the projector, letting every last frame of film dance through the projector. For the kind of scratched, banged up film this was, it was kind of a cool effect. (Not only that, the "faded white stock" that was seen in-between all the trailers at the start of PT was repeated at the end of reel 6, but it's been cut out of every print I've seen to date.)

Only about two or three minutes passed as I again talked to the nearby filmgoer, adjusted in my seat and stretched. A few people got up and made a quick run for the bathroom and made it back. To help matters, Cinecenta was smart enough to attach a trailer for one of their upcoming movies before the "Fake trailers" and DP began.

None of this would be worth mentioning if not for the fact that the audience participation was dramatically improved because of this. The few minutes of breathing room gave them a bit more time to adjust and they sat through the dialogue sequences with nary a twitch. And those final, insane twenty minutes of Zoe the Cat going nuts on Stuntman Mike drew applause and cheers (mostly from myself) much more so than my previous screenings.

This is my only minor criticism of the otherwise miraculous Grindhouse experience: there's no intermission and there should have been. All 12 reels have been ordered by the filmmakers and studio to play out straight, forcing anyone who chooses to hit the commode to go at the "fake previews" and miss half of them. And there's no cool down from PT, either, which is unfortunate. For exhibitors, this could be a godsend for anyone who wants to hit up some refills at the concession stand.

I'm not saying that ALL longer films should have an intermission; Magnolia needs you to hold on for those 189 minutes, for example. But since double bills in these old Grindhouses gave you a quick break to pee and load up on goodies, they should have figured out a way to include a five minute rolling stock clip ("Let's all go to the lobby!") or split the film onto different platters, as this cinema did tonight. The quick break made the film even better than it already was.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Go to the Oceans or Go To The Ocean. Better yet, go visit Le Seine.

As we're finally starting to get rid of those blockbuster behemoths that hogged all the screens around town last month, a few new films open this weekend, one of which you must make priority if you plan to go filmgoing on le weekend.

Paris Je T'aime (****) -- A joyous film featuring 19 filmmakers each doing a 5-10 minute segment on the city of love. Featuring work from Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron, Tom Tykwer, Sylvian Chomet, Gerard Depardieu and Vincenzo Natali, among many others, each short segment contribute to a glorious whole and is a flat out love letter to filmmaking. I am thrilled that the Odeon in Victoria booked the film and I do hope that it finds an audience here. (Odeon)

Hostel Part II -- I was not a fan of Eli Roth's first Hostel (however I did quite like his Cabin Fever from a few years back), so I am unsure as to whether or not to see his horrific followup. (Silvercity, Capitol 6)

Ocean's 13 - The enormously watchable gang is back and there's another heist to be had, with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin jumping onto the cast list. I adored the first two films and hey, it's directed by Steven Soderbergh so that alone has sold me a ticket. (Silvercity, Capitol 6, Star, University 4, Caprice)

Surf's Up -- I quite admired the theatrical trailers for the film which frames the story as a documentary about penguins entering a surfing competition. Not only does the film have some jaw dropping animation, it looks like a whole load of fun, even though I am already tired of movies featuring those damn penguins! (Odeon, Silvercity)

What else:

Grindhouse (****) gets a last-chance, final screening at UVIC Cinecenta on Friday and Saturday, so if you have not seen the film thus far, drop whatever you are doing and check out this awesome double slam of fun. And if you've already seen it, why not give it another go and watch Zoe the Cat kick some ass?

The Namesake (***1/2) also screens at Cinecenta on Sunday night, which is Mira Nair's beautiful story about an Indian family that moves to New York and the hardships the youngest son faces as he finds love against the wishes of his parents.

Also, if you're around Cinecenta on Tuesday, by all means park your butt in a seat and watch Truffaut's The 400 Blows, by way of a new print from Janus films. It is the start of an every-tuesday-for-six-weeks screening series which also include Carne's Les Enfants du Paradise, Bergman's Summer With Monika and Ozu's Tokyo Story.

Elsewhere, Away From Her and Waitress rage on at the Odeon, Knocked Up is laughing up the box office and is playing all over town, After The Wedding hits up a third week at the Vic and Hot Fuzz is double billed with the lousy Blades of Glory at the Roxy. And if after all of this you decide to see Shrek The Third this weekend, double donkey shame on you.

Showtimes are up at Tribute.

Jason


Jason
efilmcritic.com

Lazy Sunday Short Ends: Computer a Troublin, New Photo and Pirates BOFFO BOX OFFICE! Because that's all that matters.

Well, Lazy Sunday wasn't much of one, as I was working. An anti-Lazy Sunday if you will.

At your left is a picture that I took from a moving bus on my way into Victoria last weekend. Pictured is a neighborhood gas station near the Dean Park area, where I grew up. The weekly quotes I enjoy to glance at on my ride into town every week.

Prior to that, I had a brief power outage last night and I couldn't get this lousy computer of mine to work properly. Which is partly my fault as this current PC is an absolute mess thanks to years of downloading, writing and burning archives and I look forward to getting it restored -- or possibly replaced -- soon.

Aww, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. You didn't break Spider-Man 3's monetary record, but you came close. Watch as Disney will tabulate the weekend numbers and say it's "The Biggest Pirates of the Caribbean Opening on Memorial Day Weekend Ever!"

And what a sluggish movie it is! Unbelievably overlong at 168 minutes, there were so many zigs-and-zags, far too many characters and pacing problems that had me checking my watch for nearly half the running time. It looks great, of course, and you can never take your eyes off of Keira Knightley, but this was dull and forgettable as Dead Man's Chest was, just in a different way.

Before the film, I was blown away to see that there's an upcoming sequel to one of the worst films of 2004, just in time for the holiday season! Not even the radiant Diane Kruger will get me into the moobyplex for this one.

Already this summer season is a dreary and boring one. Why can't people flock to some better movies in their area instead?

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Fuckin' A, Stuntman Mike!

As excited as I am about the prospect of getting to see Death Proof on its own in a director's cut, in another way I'm a bit saddened to think that the great version that exists as the better half of the Grindhouse experience may be ignored after this comes out. It won't by me, that's for damn sure.

Thankfully, Mr. Snake Plissken agrees. He's in Cannes promoting the director's cut and isn't too happy with the reaction to the film over here. Here's the news feed from IMDB Pro:

Source: WENN

Kurt Russell has warned U.S. cinemagoers [and Canadian s too!] they will regret not savoring the recent Grindhouse movie because there will never be a cinema experience like it again. The double bill helmed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez aimed to replicate the grindhouse experience of the 1970s by showing fake trailers between the two movies - but the films will be released separately for its European theatrical release after a poor showing at the U.S. box office earlier this year. And Russell, who starred in Tarantino's installment Death Proof, is saddened by the audience's response. Speaking at Cannes Film Festival, he says, "There will be no movies made in the next five years like Planet Terror and Death Proof. These two movies are going to go off with a life of their own, but my prediction is that 20 years from now, you'll want the Grindhouse experience. You won't want them separately. For the full effect, the other experience is something bizarre that I've never experienced before and I like the short version."

I've seen Grindhouse five times. I'm one happy repeat customer, and will go check out the 192-minute, 12-reeler with all the missing reels, scratch marks and watch Zoe the Cat until I get sick and tired of it all (which is a long way's away). I'm more than positive that the director's cut of Death Proof will be great, but we can't ignore what is already there.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Short Ends: Lazy Qualicum Beach Sunday

Yay, I was sick again. After getting back from Austin and then getting a cold, I found myself trying to get back to the swing of things by going to movies, being an extra in a music video (see below post) and working hard again. Allergies kept me from updating this blog (yeah, another excuse, I know) but I've still been keeping busy.

So right now I'm sitting in my lazy jogging pants and my Issac Hayes Badass Cinema T-Shirt, drinking tons of coffee as I'm going between blog updating and talking with the parents. Relaxing in good 'ol Qualicum Beach on a beautiful and lazy Sunday morning.

New reviews on efilmcritic.com: The #1 movie of the weekend, Disturbia, as well as Grindhouse, doco We Feed The World & the godawful Canadian picture Love and Other Dilemmas. I also have an upcoming SxSW review of The Unforseen and the recent Canadian doco Sharkwater.

Also my pal William Goss and myself posted an article on why the North American populace doesn't get the recent, amazing Grindhouse experience. With a underwhelming first-weekend box office take, I am truly saddened that this great experience and love letter to cinema is going ignored by easily led automotons that would rather see Will Ferrell and Jon Heder skate gay and PG-13 horror films than inexplicably play on the first night of South By.

What else: Laura Kyle has an interesting new blog that's worth checking out (it reminds me a bit of Go Fug Yourself). Also, if anyone has thoughts on this kickass new camera from Canon, do let me know as I'm obsessed with getting a new camera prior to this year's VIFF.

I also still have an article on the Alamo Drafthouse experience to be posted this week, a bit delayed due to the fevers and coughing. Hopefully the exposure will help open up a few of these up north. *Cough* Vancouver *Cough*

Until next time,

Jason
efilmcritic.com