Not many special movie screenings next week (just the one listed below that I could find). So I've also included some movies that are opening next week. You should also check empiretheatres.com for hours; they close early on December 24th for example.
It's a Wonderful Life
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 22 @ 7 p.m.
Location: Veith House (3115 Veith Street)
Behind the Scenes: Presented by Safe Harbour Metropolitan Community Church (http://www.safeharbourmcc.com). Safe Harbour is a Christian Church with a special welcoming and affirming ministry for the Rainbow Community.
The Movie: George Bailey spends his entire life giving up his big dreams for the good of his town, Bedford Falls, as we see in flashback. But in the present, on Christmas Eve, he is broken and suicidal over the misplacing of an $8,000 loan and the machinations of the evil millionaire, Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family and friends would turn out if he had never been born. George meant so much to so many people; should he really throw it all away?
Thanks to those of you who came out to see Gremlins!
The weather was a bit cold, so there weren't as many attendees as we might've hoped. Those who came had a great time with this "classic" Christmas film! It's easy to forget both how scary and funny that movie can be! One of my favourite parts of the film is what's happening in the background and all the nods to other movies. For example, the "Flashdance" Gremlin in the bar. Pretty good considering Flashdance had only come out the year before. The best sight gag, hands down, was in the background of the scene where Billy's dad is at an "invention convention." We see Dad on the phone and in the background, from 1960's Time Machine is... the time machine! As Dad talks, the machine starts to rev up and smoke begins to appear. Cut back to Billy's mom on the other end of the line for a moment. When we come back to the convention, the time machine is gone and there are people investigating a small burn mark on the floor.
And let's talk about Billy's mom for a moment, shall we? Mom doesn't take no guff from those rowdy Gremlins! She takes out three of the little monsters all on her own (and that was half the total population of the little demons at the time!). How does she do it?
What appears to be an automatic mixing bowl. ...This was the moment when, as a child, I had to leave the room.
A big, sharp, kitchen knife.
Microwave.
You can watch the scene on YouTube (not the greatest quality).
And Billy?
I had kind of forgotten that I had a crush on Mr. Zach Galligan. Something about those big beautiful eyes. And, oh yeah, he's kind of hot without his shirt on!cTake a look at 20-year-old Zach with Corey Feldman in the foreground:
So how is it that a 1984 horror/comedy/holiday film came to be airing at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia on a cold December evening? The event was a fundraiser for the #HalifaxChicks team for the Bust-A-Move fundraiser. Bust-A-Move is an event to raise funds for mammography equipment for local hospitals to help with early diagnosis of breast cancer.
Let's take a look ahead at January! Our next movie outing will be on Tuesday, January 19th. The poll will open in the first few days of 2010. The tentative line-up of nominees are:
Let's take a look ahead at the movies and films showing in Halifax between December 14 and 20. What can you look forward to? A mix of Christmas-themed movies and ... strangeness.
The Rape of Europa
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Tuesday December 15 @ 5 p.m.
Location: Dalhousie Art Gallery
Behind the Scenes: The Dalhousie Art Gallery offers the longest-running fine art and repertory Film and Video Program east of Montreal.
The Movie: The Nazis' obsession with art is the focus of this feature-length documentary that zeroes in on what actually happened to many of the western world’s masterpieces when war threatened theft and destruction.
The Movie: A young boy lies awake in his room one snowy Christmas Eve, excited and alert. Breathing silently. Hardly moving. Waiting.He's listening for a sound he's afraid that he might never hear--the ringing bells of Santa's sleigh. The time is five minutes to midnight. Suddenly, the boy is startled by a thunderous roar. Clearing the mist from his window he sees the most amazing sight--a gleaming black train rumbles to a stop right in front of his house, the steam from its powerful engine hissing through the night sky and the softly falling snowflakes. The boy rushes outside, clad only in his pajamas and slippers, and is met by the train's conductor who seems to be waiting just for him. "Well, are you coming?" the conductor inquires. "Where?" the boy asks. "Why, to the North Pole--of course. This is the Polar Express!" What unfolds is an an adventure which follows a doubting young boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
Location: Public Archives Building (6016 University)
Behind the Scenes: The #HalifaxChicks are a collection of Halifax women involved in social media. They are participating for "Bust a Move" - raising money for new digital mammogram equipment for local hospitals.
The Movie: A man buys a Mogwai as a Christmas present for his son. The young boy is told to keep the pet away from water, out of the light and never to feed it after midnight. Inadvertently, the creature is dampened and almsot instantly, produces half a dozen furry replicas of itself -- which continue to multiply and turn the small town upside down.
Behind the Scenes: The 10th Annual Atlantic Filmmakers Co-operative SUPER-DUPER-SUPER-8 Handmade Holiday Screening. This is an entertaining evening of holiday fun as the films from AFCOOP's annual holiday-themed film challenge are revealed!
The Movie: A sweeping story of the battle of good against evil is told through an anthology of short animated films about a glowing green orb (the Loc-Nar) that is the personification of ultimate evil in the universe. Based loosely on the French magazine "Heavy Metal."
Location: Empire 17 Cinemas Bayers Lake (190 Chain Lake Drive)
Behind the Scenes: The 3rd Annual Holiday Charity Screenings series. Donate a Non-Perishable food item for Feed Nova Scotia and receive free admission to the screening. Cash donations will also be happily accepted.
The Movie: In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) attempts to create a picture-perfect, old-fashioned Christmas for his family and invites his extended family to celebrate the holidays at his home. But a festive supporting cast (including Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Juliette Lewis and Doris Roberts), 25,000 lights on the room, an exploding turkey on the dining room table and a SWAT team taking siege outside soon help Clark realize that more does not always mean merrier.
The Cost: $5 - minimum donation to support the Halifax Chicks in their fundrasing efforts for Bust-A-Move
The Movie: A man buys a Mogwai as a Christmas present for his son. The young boy is told to keep the pet away from water, out of the light and never to feed it after midnight. Inadvertently, the creature is dampened and almsot instantly, produces half a dozen furry replicas of itself -- which continue to multiply and turn the small town upside down.
The Plan:
We'll meet at 6:30 (look for Kirk - the guy in the orange baseball cap) and grab seats.
After the movie: We'll head to the Starbucks at the corner of Robie & Spring Garden (in the Professional Centre) for some post-movie discussion and drinks.
It's time to vote for which movie we'll be seeing in December. This month's poll is going to be a little bit different. There's a different time and place for almost each movie; so pay extra attention before voting at the poll below!
Our first candidate is a slightly twisted take on consumerism, Christmas and horror movies. I speak, of course of: GREMLINS The Time: Wednesday, December 16 @ 6:30 The Place: Public Archives Building (6016 University) The Cost: $5 to support the Halifax Chicks in their fundrasing efforts for Bust-A-Move The Movie: A man buys a Mogwai as a Christmas present for his son. The young boy is told to keep the pet away from water, out of the light and never to feed it after midnight. Inadvertently, the creature is dampened and almsot instantly, produces half a dozen furry replicas of itself -- which continue to multiply and turn the small town upside down. The Reasons:
A great alternative to the "traditional" Christmas movie
Retro fun!
A great cause!
The Trailer:
Our next movie is also a bit on the dark side but has nothing to do with Christmas. There's not even any seasonal music. Unless you happen to like...
HEAVY METAL The Time: Friday December 18 @ 11:30 p.m. The Place: Empire 8 Park Lane (5657 Spring Garden) The Cost: $6.99 ($9.99 including regular popcorn and drink) The Movie: A sweeping story of the battle of good against evil is told through an anthology of short animated films about a glowing green orb (the Loc-Nar) that is the personification of ultimate evil in the universe. Based loosely on the French magazine "Heavy Metal." The Reasons:
A cult classic
Awesome animation
The "midnight movie" feel
The Trailer:
Looking for something a little more traditional for this time of year? Well, there is, of course, the beloved classic: NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION The Time: Saturday December 19 @ 10 a.m. The Place: Empire 17 Cinemas Bayers Lake (190 Chain Lake Drive) The Cost: Donate a Non-Perishable food item for Feed Nova Scotia and receive free admission to the screening. Cash donations will also be happily accepted.
The Movie: In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) attempts to create a picture-perfect, old-fashioned Christmas for his family and invites his extended family to celebrate the holidays at his home. But a festive supporting cast (including Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Juliette Lewis and Doris Roberts), 25,000 lights on the room, an exploding turkey on the dining room table and a SWAT team taking siege outside soon help Clark realize that more does not always mean merrier. The Reasons:
For many people, this is THE Christmas movie
Who can't relate to a challenging family?
Chevy Chase has never had a better role than that of Clark Griswold
The Trailer:
And just to throw in one major release:
AVATAR The Time: Sunday, December 20 @ 2:45 p.m. The Place: Empire 8 Park Lane (5657 Spring Garden) The Cost: $8.99 The Movie: "Avatar" is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.
[Special note: this is NOT a 3-D screening; Park Lane is not showing the 3-D version.]
The Reasons:
Awe. Some.
All-star cast with an all-star director.
Years in the making!
The Trailer:
So which movie do you think we should see? Vote now! Poll closes on Thursday.
Let's take a look ahead at the movies and films showing in Halifax between December 7 and 13.
Taxi to the Dark Side
Cost: Free
Date/Time: Tuesday December 8 @ 7:30
Location: Room 224, Student Union Building, Dalhousie University (6136 University)
Behind the Scenes: Organized by Halifax Peace Coalition, Student Coalition Against War, NSPIRG and SALSA.
The Movie: Winner of the 2008 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature as well as a 2008 Peabody Award, Taxi to the Dark Side takes a disturbing in-depth look at the highly questionable interrogation practices used by United States military guards on prisoners in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay in the years following 9/11. Beginning with the story of an innocent young Afghan taxi driver named Dilawar, who was killed while being held in Bagram prison in 2002, Taxi to the Dark Side tells the grim, cautionary saga of how the U.S. government, desperate to draw out information from a top Al Qaeda leader detained in Guantanamo Bay, approved the use of cruel and unusual interrogation techniques that bordered on torture - which were systematically imported to other US prisons abroad. In examining the interrogation practices used in Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the film includes shocking photos, archival footage, expert commentary, and interviews with several soldiers stationed at prisons in Afghanistan and Iraq. These guards admit to using unorthodox techniques - including isolation, ceiling handcuffing, sleep deprivation, strip humiliation, "water boarding," threats by menacing dogs, sexual abuse and more - that they say were condoned and even approved by their superiors, despite being in clear violation of the humanitarian rules outlined in the Geneva Conventions.
Location: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia 91723 Hollis)
Behind the Scenes: Organized by the Nova Scotia Environmental Network (http://www.nsen.ca). Co-sponsored by MLA Leonard Preyra (http://www.preyra.ca). A talk on climate change will follow the screening.
The Movie: ‘The Age Of Stupid’ is the new cinema documentary from the Director of ‘McLibel’ and the Producer of the Oscar-winning ‘One Day In September.’ This enormously ambitious drama-documentary-animation hybrid 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?
Location: Empire 17 Cinemas Bayers Lake (190 Chain Lake Drive)
Behind the Scenes: The 3rd Annual Holiday Charity Screenings series. Cash donations will be accepted at the door for IWK Children's Hospital.
The Movie: A young boy lies awake in his room one snowy Christmas Eve, excited and alert. Breathing silently. Hardly moving. Waiting.He's listening for a sound he's afraid that he might never hear--the ringing bells of Santa's sleigh. The time is five minutes to midnight. Suddenly, the boy is startled by a thunderous roar. Clearing the mist from his window he sees the most amazing sight--a gleaming black train rumbles to a stop right in front of his house, the steam from its powerful engine hissing through the night sky and the softly falling snowflakes. The boy rushes outside, clad only in his pajamas and slippers, and is met by the train's conductor who seems to be waiting just for him. "Well, are you coming?" the conductor inquires. "Where?" the boy asks. "Why, to the North Pole--of course. This is the Polar Express!" What unfolds is an an adventure which follows a doubting young boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
