Tuesday, November 10, 2009

In The Loop Reviews

Rottentomatoes.com gave In The Loop a 95% approval rating. What did our moviegoers think? Let's find out:
  • Very witty and pithy! Exactly what I would expect from a British movie. I'm all smiles. - Curtis
  • Such witty cursing! One of the best movies ever! - Daniel
  • It made an art of cursing. - Shalome
  • Easily the most swearing I've ever seen in a movie but also some of the best. The plot was wonderfully fast-paced (matched only by the dialogue) and full of "laugh out loud" moments. Not for the timid. - Kirk
Incidentally, it's now available on DVD as well, so if you missed it tonight, you can still watch it at home.

Special thanks to the Monday Night Movies Series for organizing this showing! To find out more about upcoming indie movies, check out http://culturalproduct.com/ and http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=3550750175.


Posted by Out @ the Movies at 6:50 PM 0 comments Labels:

Friday, November 6, 2009

November 6: The week ahead...

Hey moviegoers!

Time for our weekly look at some of the film and movie screenings that are playing in Halifax this week (starting on Monday the 9th).

In The Loop
Cost: $10
Date/Time: Monday, November 9th @ 6:30 p.m.
Location: Park Lane (5657 Spring Garden)
Behind the Scenes: Part of the Atlantic Filmmakers Co-operative's Monday Night Movies program.
And it's our next Out @ the Movies event!
The Movie: The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees that war is a good thing. The US General Miller doesn't think so and neither does the British Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster. But, after Simon accidentally backs military action on TV, he suddenly has a lot of friends in Washington, DC. If Simon can get in with the right DC people, if his entourage of one can sleep with the right intern, and if they can both stop the Prime Minister's chief spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker rigging the vote at the UN, they can halt the war. If they don't... well, they can always fire their Director of Communications Judy, who they never liked anyway and who's back home dealing with voters with blocked drains and a man who's angry about a collapsing wall.

No Mans Land & Canvas of War, The Art of World War II
Cost: AGNS cost of admission ($10/adult)
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 10th @ 3 p.m.
Location: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (1723 Hollis)
Behind the Scenes: In honour of Remembrance Day, the AGNS hosts two special screenings.
The Movie:
  • Canvas of War, The Art of World War II - During World War II, a select group of Canadian artists created thousands of powerful paintings. Canvas of War is a documentary about these images and of the war artists who went into combat to paint them. It is a highly visual and personal account of their experiences on the swa, in the air and on the battlefields of World War II.
  • No Mans Land - This program features a powerful collection of war paintings by Canadian artist Mary Riter Hamilton. This remarkable woman spent three years in the battlefields of Europe after First World War Armistice to paint the scenes of destruction left behind by the war. She dedicated her work to the Canadian soldiers who fought and died in the 'Great War'. The haunting images on her canvasses are combined with archival footage of war-torn Europe. Describes the life and legacy of an artist largely unknown in her own country. Part of the Never Again! series.
This So-Called Disaster
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 10 @ 5 p.m.
Location: Dalhousie Art Gallery (6101 University)
Behind the Scenes: Part of the Dalhousie Art Gallery's Wednesday film series
The Movie: After the American playwright and actor Sam Shepard had played the role of the ghost in Michael Almereyda's Hamlet, Shepard invited the filmmaker to document rehearsals for his The Late Henry Moss, that he staged with Nick Nolte and Sean Penn in leading roles. Almereyda and his crew filmed the last three weeks before the première. The film combines interviews with Shepard, his actors and staff with images of the rehearsals. The result is both a portrait and a unique glimpse of top actors seeking their way through the material. The film also offers a survey of the career of Shepard, including a report of his stormy relationship with his father, who died in 1984.

Frekuensia Kolombiana
Cost: Free?
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 10th @ ?? [Sorry folks; no time that I could find. I'll update the blog if/when I find out.]
Location: Room 307, Dalhousie Student Union Building (6136 University)
Behind the Scenes: Brought to you by NSPIRG.
The Movie: Frekuensia Kolombiana explores the traditional forms of Colombian music and their relation to hiphop. By way of interviews, events, situations and landscapes, the documentary uncovers a youth that constructs from exclusion a movement of hope and truth. As we witness their efforts to self-produce, organize and multiply their knowledge, we realize their necessity to perpetuate, communicate, give and exist. Through the lyrics of Camajan Club, Por Razones de Estado, Zona Marginal and others, we discover the lucid consciousness of a youth that, through art, seeks to awaken and rewnew its society. This documentary is a representation of the voice of the Colombian street.


Rock Bottom: Gay Men & Meth
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Friday, November 13th @ 7 p.m.
Location: Youth Project (2281 Brunswick)
Behind the Scenes: OUT! Alive & Addiction Prevention & Treatment Services Presents 'Rock Bottom: Gay Men & Meth.' Just us for some education, conversation and refreshments in recognition of National Addiction Awareness Week.
The Movie: "Rock Bottom" follows the journeys of seven gay men struggling with meth addiction and recovery against a backdrop of an emerging second wave of HIV infection. From grappling with the drug's effects on their physical and mental health to wrestling with their darkest sexual desires, Rock Bottom delivers a chilling portrait of a community in crisis. With an unflinching eye the film captures their stories over a two-year period, from sex clubs to hospitals to family gatherings. It takes enormous courage to face these demons, and even more to allow the world to watch.
Please note: Due to the graphic nature of subject matter, content and language, there is a recommended viewer age of 18 for this event.

Hawaii, Oslo
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Sunday, November 15th @ 2 p.m.
Location: Royal Bank Theatre, Halifax Infirmary
Behind the Scenes: ...No word on if there is subtitling....
The Movie: A story of a handful of people who cross each other's paths without necessarily knowing each other, during the hottest day of the year, in Oslo.


The Edible Schoolyard: Film and Discussion on School and Community Gardens
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Sunday, November 15th @ 2:30 p.m.
Location: Keshen Goodman Library (330 Lacewood)
Behind the Scenes: Watch the film by Slow Food Nova Scotia, then find out how you can get planting at your school or in your community. For more information (and a lineup of speakers)
The Movie: The Edible Schoolyard shares the inspirational story of the students, staff and friends of Dr. Arthur Hines Elementary School and their community garden. It documents the school yard's transition from pavement to green space, and the gradual change from bagged lunches to healthier, freshly-picked options.

Posted by Out @ the Movies at 10:20 PM 0 comments Labels:

Thursday, October 29, 2009

October 29: The week ahead

Hey moviegoers!

What's ahead in Halifax's movie-sphere over the next seven days? Read on...
But before you do! Don't forget to read up on Out @ In the Loop!

World Animation Day
Cost: Free!
Date/Time: Sunday, November 1 @ 2
Location: The Company House (2022 Gottingen)
Behind the Scenes: In honour of World Animation Day, the NFB has organized a cross-Canada tour of screenings and workshops called Get Animated
The Movie:
  • 2 pm: Special presentation with Cordell Barker: Chris Landreth shows his latest short film, The Spine (previewed below). He will also talk about what he calls “psychorealism,” a way of using computer graphics to show the realism of his characters’ complicated, messy and very human lives.
  • 4 pm: Animation Feast — NFB New Visions Program: Discover latest works by NFB award-winning filmmakers – including Oscar®-winner Chris Landreth and two-time Oscar®-nominated Cordell Barker.



The Darien Dilemma
Cost: Free!
Date/Time: Monday, November 2 @ 7
Location: Pier 21 (1055 Marginal)
Behind the Scenes: A documentary screening as part of Holocaust Education Week 2009. A discussion following the film will be led by Mark David, Campaign Administrator for the United Jewish Appeal of Atlantic Canada.
The Movie: The Darien Dilemma follows a father and his filmmaker son as they explore the previously untold Holocaust story of 1,000 Viennese Jews stranded on the frozen Danube River in 1941 awaiting rescue by Ruth Klieger, a senior agent of Mossad.
For more info... http://www.pier21.ca/

Antonio Gaudi
Cost: Free!
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 3 @ 5
Location: Dalhousie Art Gallery (6101 University)
Behind the Scenes: Part of the Dalhousie Art Gallery's Wednesday film series
The Movie: Woman in the Dunes director Hiroshi Teshigahara wordlessly explores the art and buildings of the great Catalan designer Antonio Gaudí as a testament to organic form.

Die Woelfe (The Wolves)
Cost: Free!
Date/Time: Tuesday November 3, Wednesday November 4 and Thursday November 5 @ 7
Location: Saint Mary's University McNally Theatre (923 Robie)
Behind the Scenes: Part of the Wall's Echo: A series of multimedia presentations exploring life before, during, and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Die Wölfe (The Wolves) is a film trilogy produced by the German Television, ZDF, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. The three-part movie will be screened over three consecutive evenings.
The Movie: New Year's Eve 1989: whilst the whole of Berlin is intoxicated by the dream of reunification, a young couple, a girl from West Berlin and a boy from the Eastern part of the city, are about to say I do. But only at the altar does it become apparent that the parents of the engaged couple and their friends are bound together by a complex and tragic history that reaches back decades into the past. They are all forced to realise that they are inseparably linked to one another through their common experiences of everyday life in post war Germany, including the rubble women (women responsible for clearing away the rubble in post war Germany) and the black market, through their shared experience of growing up, through young love and jealousy, loyalty and mistrust.

Fossil Fools Film Fest: Home
Cost: $2
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 4 @ 7
Location: The Hub (1673 Barrington, 2nd floor)
Behind the Scenes: Presented by Ecology Action Centre's Energy Issues Committee.
The Movie: A documentary tracing the impact of human activity on the environment and calling for action to avoid irreversible harm.

Both Sides of the Wire
Cost: Free!
Date/Time: Thursday, November 5 @ 6
Location: CBC Radio Room (1599 South Park)
Behind the Scenes: Presented by the Atlantic Jewish Council in partnership with Linda Joy Media Arts. A part of Holocaust Education Week. The filmmaker Neal Livingston, will be in attendance. A question and answer session will follow the film.
The Movie: An hour long documentary which chronicles the experiences of Austrian and German refugees, the majority of whom were Jewish, that had come to England to escape Nazi oppression, only then to be deported and interned in Canada as "dangerous enemy aliens."



Sharkwater
Cost: Free!
Date/Time: Thursday, November 5 @ 7
Location: Potter auditorium, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building (6100 University)
Behind the Scenes: Hosted by Dalhousie University's College of Sustainability; a range of exciting lectures, seminars and activities are offered through the College of Sustainability, building a shared sense of community around environment and sustainability-related issues.
The Movie: Filmmaker Rob Stewart's love for sharks prompts him to undertake a dangerous journey in an effort to save sharks from extinction. The result is Sharkwater. In Sharkwater Rob unearths the reality about sharks' behavior and discredits the popular perception that sharks are fearsome predators.

Beverly Hills Cop
Cost: $6.99 (or $9.99 which includes a reg. popcorn & reg. drink)
Date/Time: Friday, November 6 @ 11:30 & Saturday, November 7 @ 11:30
Location: Park Lane (5657 Spring Garden Rd)
Behind the Scenes: Empire Fan Favourite is a film series hosted by Empire 8 Parklane dedicated to bringing classics back to the Big Screen. These are original 35mm prints, not re-mastered DVDs!
The Movie: A freewheeling Detroit cop pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.


MET Opera: Turandot
Cost: $24.80
Date/Time: Saturday, November 7 @ 2 p.m
Location: Dartmouth Crossing (145 Shubie Dr) & Park Lane (5657 Spring Garden Rd)
Behind the Scenes: A broadcast of a live performance of New York's Metropolitan Opera. Approximate Running Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes - includes 2 intermissions.
The Movie: Director Franco Zeffirelli’s breathtaking production of Puccini’s last opera is a favorite of the Met repertoire. Maria Guleghina plays the ruthless Chinese princess of the title, whose hatred of men is so strong that she has all suitors who can’t solve her riddles beheaded. Marcello Giordani sings Calàf, the unknown prince who eventually wins her love and whose solos include the famous “Nessun dorma.”

See you at Out @ In the Loop!
Posted by Out @ the Movies at 10:45 PM 0 comments Labels:

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Out @ In The Loop

Q: Where will you be on November 9th?
A: In The Loop

Our first movie outing for November will be to see Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative's Monday Night Movies' presentation of the hit indie British comedy In The Loop.

What's it all about?
"The film tracks the lies, misunderstandings, good and bad intel, and PR blunders that escalate into a full-blown (fictional) crisis in the Middle East over the course of a few days, in a few conversations and meetings, in a few corridors of British and American power. Though played for laughs, the movie demonstrates how the most incidental factors (leaked papers, hastily spoken soundbites) and players (aides, interns, and low-level government officials) can influence the course of history. "

If that description didn't help, take a look at the trailer:


Why see it? Because it's going to be hilarious! And that's practically fact: it has a 95% approval rating on RottenTomatoes! With comments like those of Lou Lumenick from the New York Post ("In the Loop is certainly the smartest and funniest movie inspired by the Iraq war."), you know you're curious!

You can sort of find out more at the movie's official site http://www.intheloopmovie.co.uk/ but you might be better off with the IMDB page.

THE PLAN:
We'll meet on Monday, November 9th for 6:30 when we'll head in to grab seats before the movie starts at 7. We'll meet by the tables in front of the arcade. In honour of the British/American theme, why not dress in red, white and blue? I'll wear my typical orange ballcap of course.
Tickets are $10 and are available for purchase starting at 6 that night.

After the movie, we'll head out to the Second Cup for some post-movie discussion and drinks!

You can RSVP to the facebook event (http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171273910842) or share the blog with this quick link: http://bit.ly/3dI6gG.
Posted by Out @ the Movies at 8:19 PM 0 comments Labels: ,

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Other October Movies

Hey moviegoers!

I'm working on the next Out @ the Movies outing right now but in the meantime, it seems like there are tons of choices of movies for the next few weeks. So check these out!
Japanese Film Festival
Cost: Free! (but first-come, first-served)
Date/Time: Thursday, October 22nd @ 3 and 6 p.m.
Location: Park Lane
Behind the Scenes: Each fall the Consulate General of Japan and the Japan Foundation are pleased to offer free screenings of Japanese films in local communities. These films are in Japanese with English subtitles. Please note that limited seating is available on a first come first served basis.
The Movies:
  • 3:00 pm - "The Milkwoman", Directed by Ogata Akira - From IDMB: "This is a story of a long and awkward love. The daily life of a woman of 50 years old and some people around her is depicted. Her daily life is so ordinary and routine that I doubted who was the real lead character in the beginning. Then the audiences know that the woman and a man who was her high-school class mate had very tiny connection. The woman has been doing the same job - a milk-woman and a supermarket casher - so long. There are so many slopes that delivering milk bottles is a very hard job. The man had married another woman, who is now dying of cancer. He works at the City Hall and devotedly cares her at home. They never look straight nor talk each other, but they never forget each other. "
  • 6:00 pm - "Dog in a Side Car", Directed by Negishi Kichitaro - From IMDB: "The dysfunctional family drama is such an easily forgettable sub-genre that it is certainly a joy when a film like DOG IN A SIDECAR comes along, proving that you can make a thoughtful, entertaining film without insulting the audience's intelligence. Providing a strong foundation of strong acting, skilled direction and intelligent writing, this admittedly small but very rewarding film is excellent viewing, showing the ups and downs of a family in a way that never seems forced or contrived. Hana Matsumoto is extraordinary as 10 year old Kaoru, who suddenly has to get used to a new way of life when her mother walks out on her family. Things seem to get stranger when Yoko (Yuko Takeuchi, who is excellent)turns up on her doorstep, who has become her father's new lover. What could have been a typical family comedy/drama turns into something quite different, as director Kichitaro Negishi concentrates on the small details of Kaoru's new situation, making for a fresh, involving film. As we see Yoko and Kaoru's father's relationship develop, we can also see why Kaoru's mother left in the first place. DOG IN A SIDECAR is a subtle, natural film, and a complete charmer, showing you don't have to use hysterics and melodrama to convincingly portray a family who don't exactly fit the norm."

Link: http://www.montreal.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/en/Culture/events.htm


The Age of Stupid
Cost: Free! (but limited seating)
Date/Time: Thursday, October 22nd @ 6 p.m.
Location: SMU - Burke Building Theatre A (923 Robie)
Behind the Scenes: Join us following the film for a public discussion forum with Dr. Cathy Conrad, Director of the Community Based Environmental Monitoring Network (CBEMN) and Associate Professor of Geography at Saint Mary's University. Event hosted by the Citizen Science project through the financial support of CIDA in partnership with Saint Mary’s University’s Department of Geography.
The Movie: This film stars Oscar nominated Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055, watching ‘archive' footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change while we had the chance?
Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=176072576456 or http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/Event?oid=1344106


Radiant City
Cost: Free! (but limited seating)
Date/Time: Thursday, October 22nd @ 7 p.m.
Location: Kenneth C Rowe Management Building (6100 University)
Behind the Scenes: The Environment, Sustainability and Society Thursday Evening Lecture Series continues with this narrative about suburban sprawl, directed by Gary Burns and Jim Browns and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
The Movie: Since the end of World War II, one of kind of urban residential development has dominate how cities in North America have grown, the suburbs. In these artificial neighborhoods, there is a sense of careless sprawl in an car dominated culture that ineffectually tries to create the more organically grown older communities. Interspersed with the comments of various experts about the nature of suburbia, we follow the lives of various inhabitants of this pervasive urban sprawl and hear their thoughts. However at the end, there is a twist that plays on the falseness of the world in they live.
Link: http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/Event?oid=1320129

Halifax Film Explosion
Cost: $8
Date/Time: Starts Friday, October 23rd at 6 p.m. and continues until Saturday, October 24th at 10 p.m.
Location: Park Lane
Behind the Scenes: Presented by The Halifax Pop Explosion.
The Movies:

  • Director Penelope Spheeris’ (The Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne’s World) influential Suburbia (Friday, 6:30pm), a tale of counter culture and rebellion set in the 80’s LA Punk scene.
  • Jay Buim’s directorial debut, Todd P Goes To Austin (Friday, 8:30pm). The film shows legendary DIY promoter Todd Patrick as he ventures to South By Southwest and exposes what life is like for musicians living and touring at the indie level.
  • Double bill of We’re All Dying to Live and RIP: A Remix Manifesto (Saturday, 6:30pm). We’re All Dying to Live is a composite of segments from over 50 public domain films edited into narrative form by RIch Aucoin and synchronized to his highly anticipated album, Public Publication. Directed by Brett Gaylor, RIP: A Remix Manifesto explores on the issues around music piracy by focusing its sites on controversial mash-up artist, Girl Talk.
  • Bob Byington’s Harmony and Me (Saturday, 8:30pm). Starring Justin Rice of indie rock act Bishop Allen, the film is the tale of Harmony, a young Austin based lyricist that is unable to recover from a crushing break-up.

Link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141000310977


An American Werewolf in London
Cost: $6.99 (or.$9.99 which includes a Reg. Popcorn & Reg. Drink!)
Date/Time: Friday, October 23 @ 11:30 p.m.
Location: Park Lane
Behind the Scenes: This 1981 classic is presented by Empire Fan Favourites' Thriller month.
The Movie: Two American students are on a walking tour of England and are attacked by a Werewolf. One is killed, the other is mauled. The Werewolf is killed, but reverts to it's human form, and the townspeople are able to deny it's existence. The surviving student begins to have nightmares of hunting on 4 feet at first, but then finds that his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he find a way to die to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural death.
Link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30134442529 or http://www.empiretheatres.com/movie/american-werewolf-london

Astro Boy
Cost: $8.99/adult, $6.99/child/senior
Date/Time: Sunday, October 25th @ 1:30 p.m.
Location: Empire 18 Bayers Lake Industrial Park
Behind the Scenes: On Sunday October 25th, Empire Theatres and E1 Entertainment will be donating the proceeds from the 1:30 PM screening of Astro Boy to Kids Help Phone.
The Movie: Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma. Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it means to be a hero.
Link: http://www.empiretheatres.com/movie/astro-boy-kids-help-phone

Ghostbusters
Cost: $6.99 (or.$9.99 which includes a Reg. Popcorn & Reg. Drink!)
Date/Time: Friday, October 30 11:30 p.m.
Location: Park Lane
Behind the Scenes: Presented by Empire Theatres Fan Favourites' Thriller month.
The Movie: After being kicked out of their university, parapsychology professors Spengler, Stantz and Venkman decide to go into business for themselves by trapping and removing ghosts from haunted houses. After some initial skepticism, business is soon booming as The Ghost Busters rid New York of its undead. When a downtown skyscraper becomes the focal point of spirit activity linked to the ancient god Gozer, however, the problem may be more than the team can handle.
Link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=30134442529 or http://www.empiretheatres.com/movie/ghostbusters

The Exorcist
Cost: $10
Date/Time: October 31st at 11:59 p.m.
Location: Oxford Theatre (6408 Quinpool )
Behind the Scenes: Finish your Halloween off right with head-spinning, vomit-spewing, devil-girl terror. A fundraiser for LunaSea Theatre Company.
The Movie: A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.
Link: http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/Event?oid=1343292

Posted by Out @ the Movies at 10:10 AM 1 comments Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)