Speculation about the March 10 Academy Awards is still in the news, so I’ll start with five opportunities to see Oscar contenders, plus two “also-rans.” Then, I’ll tell you about two other new films and finish by recommending a diverse bunch of older ones.
But before I do—late-breaking news! The ByTowne has scheduled The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for Family Day (Monday, February 19).
Perfect Days is Japan’s entry into the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category. It faces stiff competition from four other films, including The Zone of Interest (more on that film in a moment), but it’s the one I’m pulling for, despite not yet having seen it. Directed by the German Wim Wenders (Paris Texas, Wings of Desire, Buena Vista Social Club, Pina), a director who is equally at home in fiction and documentary, Perfect Days is fiction in a documentary style about a Tokyo man who cleans public toilets and achieved a remarkably happy life. Why am I delighted that the ByTowne programmed this film? Because The Globe and Mail’s reviewer Johanna Schneller calls it “the most delicate, transcendent meditation on how to live that you will ever see.”
I praised The Zone of Interest in my last two Magic in the Dark articles, and I’ll double down on my praise in this article. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes and is nominated in a slew of important Oscar categories. See for yourself at the ByTowne why all the accolades.
Hayao Miyazaki’s thought-provoking and much-praised animated masterpiece The Boy and the Heron continues at the Mayfair. I was first enthused about it in December and have seen it twice. It deserves multiple viewings.
Folks sometimes forget that Oscars are awarded for live-action and animated short films. You can check out the five contenders in both categories at the ByTowne. I’ve seen one of the live-action ones—the amusingly quirky The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch and is directed by Wes Anderson and Steven Rales—and it lived up to my expectations of its creators. I can’t wait to see its competition and all the animated shorts.
Two quite different films made the shortlist, but not the final cut, for Best International Feature Film Oscar: one about 19th-century gourmet chefs and the other about Bhutan’s first democratic elections. Both are at the ByTowne.
The French deliver gorgeous food-centric films (think Babette’s Feast and Délicieux). The latest delectable offering is La passion de Godin Bouffant (The Taste of Things). Juliette Binoche is a brilliant chef who works with Godin Bouffant, a gourmet obsessed with new recipes. During their decades-long relationship working together in his kitchen (she says, “We’ve spent more time together than most married couples.”), she has consistently turned down his marriage proposals. And yet, perhaps… Having seen the trailer’s mouth-watering depictions of food, I advise you to see this film after a fine meal or plan on one immediately afterwards. For once, the ByTowne’s excellent coffee and buttered popcorn won’t suffice.
The film The Monk and the Gun from Bhutan intrigues me! In 2006, Bhutan was about to embark on its first democratic election. To instruct the population, a mock election would be held. To “set things right” and restore harmony, an elderly lama instructs a young monk to obtain a gun. Meanwhile, an American antiques collector is searching for a valuable rifle. All this unfolds in Bhutan’s stunningly beautiful landscapes. At the ByTowne.
The last two new films I recommend aren’t nominated for Oscars, but are worth your consideration.
Ru has been breaking box office records in La Belle Province. It’s a compelling story about the wartime trauma and wrenching dislocations refugees face. You can read more about it in my recent Magic in the Dark. At the ByTowne.
There are traumatic incidents of an entirely different kind in How to Have Sex. Three British teenage girls go on a wild holiday in Crete, intent on drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what they expect will be their best holiday ever. That’s not how things turn out, especially for shy Tara, intent on losing her virginity. The film won the Un Certain Regard at Cannes, At the Mayfair.
Let’s look at some older films.
The ByTowne is continuing its homage to George A. Romero with the third film in his Dead Trilogy, Day of the Dead. Zombies roam the earth while humanity survives underground. Gore, terror, and social critique from the master of the zombie flick.
The Mayfair’s tribute to famed Canadian director Norman Jewison continues with two different films—the near future dystopian Rollerball and the glamorous thriller The Thomas Crown Affair. The former nightmarish noir stars James Caan as a rollerball “warrior,” while the latter heist/romance bagatelle has Steve McQueen as a wealthy bored bank executive (sharp bespoke suits and polo ponies!) who engineers an art heist and Faye Dunaway as a sexy insurance investigator.
Amélie has one more showing at the ByTowne. This delightful Parisian fairy tale is a must-see for romantics. You can read more about it in my recent article.
Last, but certainly not least, is one of my favourite screwball romcoms, The Philadelphia Story, as part of the ByTowne’s Sunday Afternoon Classics series. With a witty script and three of Hollywood’s greatest stars—Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart—I guarantee you’ll leave the cinema smiling.
Dates, times and tickets for the ByTowne are at www.bytowne.ca. The ByTowne publishes its calendar at least three weeks in advance. Dates, times and tickets for the Mayfair are at www.mayfairtheatre.ca. The Mayfair announces next week’s schedule on Tuesdays, so check its website for the latest info on the next week and the “coming soon” films.
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