The Weekend In Movies: Pottermania Happens.

This weekend signals only two new releases in the city of Victoria, mostly because we're still in the thick of the summer movie season and everyone but Warner Brothers is scared to open up against that shrill, big wall of noise known as Transformers. There are also a handful of other great films to be seen in the city, and I'm hoping that you put your money towards that instead.

What's new:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Silvercity, Star, Capitol 6, University 4, Caprice) -- Thanks to Warner not screening this in advance last week, I have still not seen the latest chapter in the Potter franchise. Potter gets darker and more menacing this time around, and with every film it becomes less kid-oriented and instead focused on the darkest channels of our souls. Opening Wednesday to get a few more dollars before the final The Deathly Hallows book takes over every Potter fan, this film has already scored an insane amount of money and it WILL be busy this weekend, so plan your cinematic attack early.

Captivity - For the five of you out there who still think "Wow, Roland Jofee has a new film out? Awesome! Can't wait to see it!", you might want to remember that he did the godawful Goodbye, Lover a few years ago and hasn't done a good movie since The Mission in 1986. Now, here he is with a long-delayed movie that has been confirmed as two hours of "torture porn" by James Berardanelli. Not even the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert will make me want to see this filth.

What else you should be seeing:

Ratatouille -- If you're a bit too spooked to see Harry Potter or are scared off at the huge lines, why not see what I am still considering one of the year's best films? Pixar films refuse to age, and this one is no exception. You can still see Remy cook, Linguini dance and let your heart dance to the sights of Paris.

Once -- I'm finally seeing this on the weekend and still recommend that you check out this Irish music film while it's still in town. And grab that soundtrack while you're at it!

La vie en Rose -- Also seeing this weekend is the big widescreen story of Edith Piaf brought to life. Still Oscar talk on Marion Collitard as Piaf.

Knocked Up -- Hey, were you one of those fools who saw License To Wed last weekend and want to rectify that mistake with a REAL comedy? Check out Judd Apatow's flick, still the funniest of '07 and STILL playing at the Odeon. That's an order.

Away From Her oddly double billed with Shrek The Third at Roxy -- If you still haven't seen director Sarah Polley's wickedly awesome directorial debut, feel free to skip the year's lousiest and most pointless sequel and check out the Oscar-worthy Julie Christie.

And if you are up for a funny movie on Monday night, The Matador plays at Movie Monday at the Eric Martin. Check out Pierce Brosnan in one of the funniest performances of his career as a tired-and-weary hitman.

Oh, and fuck the Transformers. I've fought all week with people who desperately want to see two and a half hours of shit blowing up. People, you're better than this garbage. It wouldn't bother me as much if the shots lasted more than two seconds, heavy filters weren't utilized so much by cinematographer Mitchell Amudsen and Michael Bay would keep the damn camera still. Spinning your big 'ol Panavision camera isn't cool anymore. (It wasn't even cool THEN.) Oh, and how about giving us something, ANYTHING to care about? And by that, I don't mean black people running through windows and uber-hot Australian code-crackers who probably own The DaVinci Code on DVD. The film made me woozy, tired and desperately wanting a Red Bull afterwards. It's one of those fanboy films that I think even the fanboys will hate when the mass hysteria over the flick dies down and they realize how lousy all of it is. A monumental waste of time, although Megan Fox is kinda cute in a porn star kind of way.

Will be back next Thursday when I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Hairspray are scheduled to open.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Once Is It.

The first weekend I'm out of town in nearly three months and there's one hell of a cinematic lineup upon us. I'll be playing catch-up next weekend when all of these are playing (as well as Pottermania along with Spider-Man 3 in IMAX) giving me one hell of a busy weekend.

Once (Odeon) -- FINALLY opening in Victoria -- after some confusion on whether the Vic or the Odeon was going to open it -- is this universally acclaimed Irish musical film about an unlikely friendship over the course of song in Dublin. The trailer is enough to make you fall in love with movies again, and here's hoping it will find an audience in the music-loving city of Victoria.

La vie En Rose (The Vic Theater) -- The life of Edith Piaf from beginning to end, in this much anticipated french import that is garnering Oscar talk for lead Marion Collitard (who you may have seen last year as Russell Crowe's ridiculously hot love interest in A Good Year) who disappears into the part.

The Transformers (Odeon, Silvercity, Caprice, University 4) -- Again, fuck Michael Bay. I should be either munching popcorn or suffering through this Bay picture sometime this week to get a glimpse of a whole lot of visual effects blowing up on the screen. There have been some good reviews (Ebert himself gives it 3/4) to go along with the bad ones, so who knows.

Licence To Wed (Silvercity, Odeon) - With a whopping 10% on the Tomatometer and some crushingly unfunny TV spots, this "comedy" with Robin Williams and Mandy Moore about pre-marital shenanigans will mostly appeal to the morons that forgot that Knocked Up was still in theaters. As much as I admire director Ken Kwapis (who has directed many episodes of the U.S. version of "The Office" along with "Freaks and Geeks"), this may just be another Beautician and the Beast for the guy.

Also:

The long-awaited release of David Lynch's nightmare epic Inland Empire is playing at UVIC Cinecenta on Friday and Saturday. If you miss this show, the DVD will be out in early August, but theatrical Lynch is just not the same.

Ken Loach's heartbreaking Irish film The Wind That Shakes The Barley is also at Cinecenta on Sunday, and you must check it out, but you might want to plan ahead if you're going to get there by car and don't like construction.

What else you should be seeing:

If any of the above don't interest you, how about seeing the little animated masterpiece known as Ratatouille this weekend? This great Pixar film did well last weekend and I'm hoping will continue to wow audiences as its theatrical release continues.

If you're still looking for a laugh, Knocked Up is STILL bringing in audiences and should be the first film you think about seeing if you even have an inkling to see Licence To Wed. Oh, and it is doing another week at the beloved Star Cinema in Sidney.

Also, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix has been pushed (smartly) to Wednesday, to grab a few more dollars before every Pottermania. A midnight show is scheduled at the Capitol for Tuesday night, and perhaps Silvercity Tillicum will announce one soon as well.

UPDATE (9:18pm): There will also be a midnight show at the University Cinemas 4, but still no word on whether or not Silvercity will pony up. If they're smart and want to make a few grand, they will.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

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 Weekend in Movies: Summer's Too Busy for Jim Carrey.

Honestly, people, why the hell do you want to see Shrek The Third? Pirates of the Caribbean? Fantastic 42? You all keep whining about how bad movies are and how you want to see better stuff, yet you keep emailing or coming up to me and asking about these lousy summer sequels, and completely ignore me when I recommend you try something a little different from your cinematic junk food diet. Are you THAT afraid to try something new once in a while?

There are so many great films playing in the city of Victoria this weekend, but none of you will see them. Instead, you'll ignore this post and go watch an Ogre yell at you for 90 minutes. Or you'll spend your dollars on a movie that has Steve Carell in it this time, since Jim Carrey was smart enough to realize you don't sequel-ize a God Comedy.

Victoria is slowly but surely getting its art house back, I'm noticing. With the success that the French Film Festival has been having over at the Ridge this past month, we have opened some great new films locally. I'm hoping the trend continues (and it does, we open the Irish musical "Once" on the 29th while the Oscar-worthy Edith Piaf film "La vie en Rose" screens on July 6th).

So what have we got this week:

A Mighty Heart (Odeon) - Wall Street columnist Daniel Pearl was abducted in Pakistan in 2002, and this story is about his wife, Mariane (Angelina Jolie) who risks great emotional pain to find him. This story is based on Mariane's autobiography about her husband Daniel, and the film is directed by British indie-guru Michael Winterbottom, who is no stranger to films depicting our post 9/11 hell (check out his 2005 film "The Road to Guantanamo" sometime).

Evan Almighty (Silvercity, Caprice, Odeon, Star) - Now Steve Carell is god. Bruce (Jim Carrey) is nowhere to be found. And now he has to build an ark by Mr. Morgan Freeman's request. There's just something so inherently wrong with this concept that I don't know where to begin. The trade reviews have been awful and only five year old kids have laughed at any footage (when I saw "Ratatouille" last week, The trailer is woefully unfunny, and it pains me to see Lauren Graham, now no longer Lorelai Gilmore, in such films like this.

1408 (Silvercity, Capitol) - The promotions for this film REALLY want you to know it's based on a story by Stephen King. Forget the fact that John Cusack, a wonderful and gifted actor, is in the lead, or workaholic Samuel L. Jackson is seen giving strong support in this story of a travel writer who decides to stay in a hotel room that has had a history of being haunted. The trailer certainly intrigued me.

Day Watch (Capitol) -- I still haven't seen the sequel to the Russian hit "Night Watch", a film which didn't do very well in these parts so I'm surprised that the Capitol 6 picked it up. This whole "Lights vs. Darkness" battle in Moscow is pretty big back home, and if you've seen and liked the first I very much recommend checking the sequel out on the big screen.

Live Free or Die Hard (Starts Wednesday at Odeon and Silvercity) -- Since these series blog posts go up on Thursday, I'll quickly mention Die Hard 4.0, a project that has been in production limbo for over a decade. Since Die Hard originator John McTiernan has shot himself in the foot with so many bad films over the year and thus not allowed to direct anymore (what a shame!), Underworld auteur Len Wiseman has been brought in to helm with the countless script rewrites over the years. And watch out for that Kevin Smith cameo!

Also:

Not much in the city this week for special or rep house screenings, but if you haven't seen the very good pro-shark documentary Sharkwater, you get a chance to check it out at UVIC Cinecenta on Sunday night. The doco very much changed my mind about those great white creatures, and it should for you too.

What else you should be seeing: Waitress, Paris Je'T'aime and Away From Her STILL rock on at the Odeon, the delightful Ocean's Thirteen is dealing aces everywhere, Knocked Up is still laughing up audiences all over town, while the war epic Black Book goes into its second weekend at the 'lil Vic Theater. And you tell me there are no good movies to see right now...

Showtimes, as always, at tribute.ca

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Forget What's Fantastic and Go French.

It's sequel and adaptation week at the 'plexes in Victoria, yet all I'm thinking about is how well represented French cinema is in town right now. Both in live action short form and animated from the good folks at Pixar (for one night only!). Yet I get the sinking feeling the majority of Victoria filmgoers will ignore my pleas to watch these and instead settle on another noisy, joyless sequel like...

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Odeon, Silvercity, University 4, Caprice) -- I flat out HATED the first Fantastic Four film -- four drab superheroes and not one of them are the least bit interesting -- and yet I'll probably see this anyways as a "job" screening to kill a Saturday afternoon (at least it is mercifully short at 92 minutes). What is also bizarre is that the first film made money yet was detested by most, and suddenly people who I have talked to "like" the first one since there's a sequel coming out and it has a money-shot trailer. What is going on here?

Nancy Drew (Silvercity, Capitol) -- Emma Roberts is adorable and she looks primed to be a movie star one day, although I didn't grow up reading the adventures of the female sleuth detective (Hardy Boys, bitches!) so I have no idea if it will be a faithful representation of the source material or a teeny-bopper comedy with a Hot New Soundtrack (I'm assuming the latter). Since Warner doesn't screen movies in advance in Canada now, I was unable to see this last week with my local press friends and heckle the film with them.

Black Book (The Vic Theater) -- Paul Verhoeven goes back to his roots with this WWII film from the Netherlands, a surprise since he has been a staple of pushing the envelope with splatter studio pictures for over the last decade. A hit in its Vancouver release a month ago, it should find some curious souls down at that wee little Vic theater downtown that seriously needs to book better films (and faster!).

Also:

Ratatouille sneaks at Silvercity this weekend, which is a surprise as I can't recall the last time Disney screened an animated film two weeks ago, let alone a film from Pixar! Not only am I excited to see this "rat becomes chef in Paris" story which is also Brad Bird's followup from the awesome The Incredibles, but I'll get to take a peek at it two weeks ahead of the game.

And a quick aside: Disney is on a freakin' ROLL this year. With the outstanding Bridge To Terabithia earlier this year and the delightful Meet The Robinsons (which I just saw recently), this has been a solid year of cinema from the Mouse House. Now they just have to add vintage shorts to all their films and they'll be on my A-list.

If you haven't seen it yet, go see Paris Je T'aime at the Odeon, now in its second successful week. This short film ode to the City of Love is so joyous, so life-affirming that your heart will leap while you watch it. I was blown away by local critic Michael D. Reid for giving this a lousy 2.5/5 rating. This is one of the best films of 2007 and I urge you to see it.

Also playing in town is another one of the very best films of 2007, the Oscar-winner The Lives of Others, which plays at Cinecenta Friday and Saturday night. If you have missed this masterful look at a love story amidst fierce German politics and law in the 80's, here is your chance to go out and take a look.

If you're around Cinecenta on Sunday night, check out a screening of either The Painted Veil or The Host at Cinecenta. The former is a beautifully filmed love story set in 1940's China during the second world war with Edward Norton and the intoxicatingly beautiful Naomi Watts, while the latter is a creature feature box office smash from South Korea that is a lot of fun. Both are great in their own ways.

Ocean's Thirteen is also a delightfully funny film and might very well be the best in the series. It may not contain Soderbergh's best cinematography (that belongs to Part Twelve), yet it is his most breezy, most entertaining Ocean's film yet. (It's playing at Silvercity, Capitol, University 4, Star Cinema and Caprice.)

Waitress and Away From Her also rage on at the Odeon (the latter is also getting a run at the Star Cinema in Sidney this weekend), Knocked Up is still laughing up screens all over town, and the funny animated penguin comedy Surf's Up is recommended for the family.

This is one busy weekend! Stay away from the ogres, the pirates and Eli Roth. There are so many better movies that you can be seeing right now. For showtimes, click yourself to tribute.ca.

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

The Weekend In Movies: Don't let Mr. Brooks Knock You Up to Death.

Hey, look ma, another addition to my Blog Series! This one is a brief rundown of what's opening in my home town of Victoria, what I'll be seeing, and my thoughts on each. Bonus points if I've seen them already, and in this case I've already seen two!

Mr. Brooks (* 1/2) - Imagine A History of Violence but Viggo's bad guy has an imaginary friend following him around, and, how's this for irony, he's played by William Hurt! This lousy, clunking bore of a thriller picture casts Kevin Costner as businessman by day, killer by night, and also throws in Demi Moore as a rich cop who's out to get him. (Odeon, Silvercity)

Knocked Up (****) -- The year's funniest film -- brought to you by Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) -- and by far an event film for the summer. Watch the hilarious Seth Rogen accidentally impreginate Katherine Heigl (from Gray's Anatomy). Watch Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann own the film as a bickering married couple. Watch some of the best comedic timing and writing of any film you'll see this year. (Odeon, Silvercity, University 4)

Bug (N/A) -- For some odd reason, Lions Gate didn't get this film to Vic until this weekend, but I'll still be happy enough to check out William Friedkin's new film, which looks equal part spooky (it helps that Mr. Spook himself, Michael Shannon, is cast here) and a lot of fun. Here's hoping! (Odeon)

What else: The Roxy is double-billing Meet The Robinsons and Blades of Glory starting at 7:15. I'll be attending the former as I still haven't seen the latest Disney picture (which got good reviews), but forget the Will Ferrell is Gay Skate Comedy as I could hardly watch it the first time.

What else you could see that's playing this weekend: After The Wedding at the Vic, Hot Fuzz at the Capitol, Zodiac at UVIC Cinecenta, Away From Her and/or Waitress at the Odeon. Failing all of that, how about catching a series of food documentaries at the UVIC international Food Conference this weekend?

Jason
efilmcritic.com