I have lots of films to recommend to you at the ByTowne and the Mayfair for the first half of July, including films in several dandy series at both cinemas. Let’s start with those…
At the ByTowne, Hayao Miyazaki’s film series completes with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I recommended this magical epic of a plucky girl’s quest in my last article. You have one more chance to see it.
The ByTowne has a neat horror/sci fi series this summer called “Don’t Go Into the …”. The place you shouldn’t go into on July 4 is the woods, and the film is The Blair Witch Project, which I recommended for scare-seekers last month.
Over at the Mayfair, their Mad Max Marathon wraps up with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. George Miller’s splendid prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road tells the backstory of Furiosa, the best badass heroine to ever hit the silver screen. Kidnapped as a young girl from the Edenic matriarchal Green Place, this is how she grew up to be an accomplished warrior who could survive in the uber-macho post-apocalypse world she found herself in, and whose single goal was to return to the Green Place of Many Mothers. Must be seen on a big screen!
Their Roger Corman retrospective continues with Rock ’n’ Roll High School. As I said previously, it’s a rockin’ high school rebellion from the ’70s.
The Mayfair’s new series is devoted to one of Hollywood’s most well-known mid-century stars—Humphrey Bogart. This is a great opportunity to see some hard-boiled classics, starting with 1944’s To Have and To Have Not and then 1946’s The Big Sleep. The first film was adapted from a Hemingway story; the second adapted from a Raymond Chandler novel.
Both were directed by the legendary Howard Hawkes. And both costar the luminous, very sexy Lauren Bacall. Matter of fact, she and Bogie became a couple during the filming of To Have and To Have Not. You can see why when you see their scenes together! Both films rate a Metacritic “must see”.
Another new series is devoted to the director Sam Peckinpah, starting with one of his most famous films—The Wild Bunch. An aging gang of outlaws try for “one last score” as the Wild West they knew disappears around them. The gun battles are particularly memorable—often copied, never equalled. This film garnered a rare “98” Metacritic score.
Here are several films which aren’t part of a series…
There’s a James Bond flic, Tomorrow Never Dies, at the Mayfair. It has all the tropes Bond aficionados have come to expect—sharp one-liners, fast cars, incredible stunts, gorgeous women. It stars Pierce Brosnan as Bond, but in my opinion the best reason to see this is Michelle Yeoh whose witty delivery and amazing athleticism make me wish she had been cast in more action films. Note that this showing is a fund-raiser for the Ottawa Rowing Club.
The 40th anniversary 4K restoration of the concert film Stop Making Sense is playing at the Mayfair. It’s another Metacritic “must see”—a rarity for a concert documentary.
To round out the films from the vault, one of the best paranoid sci fi thrillers ever made: the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, starring the great Donald Sutherland in one of his best roles. Just in time for World UFO Day on July 2 at the ByTowne!
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing four recently released films, so I’m glad you can still see them at our repertoire cinemas.
First up, two delightful films about seniors which demonstrate that there’s terrific acting talent available in the pool of actors who have reached their “golden years”. The films are Thelma (see my most recent article) and The Great Escaper (which I recommended in early June) Thelma is at both cinemas; The Great Escaper is at the ByTowne.
Then there’s Wicked Little Letters which has returned to the ByTowne. I first saw it ‘way back in April—it still makes me smile.
The fourth film I saw in June that I recommended in my last article, Challengers, is at the Mayfair. It lived up to the reviews I’d read. It’s a Metacritic “must see” that’s full of sexual foreplay and tennis. Lots of tennis.
As I said in my last Magic in the Dark, I’m eager to see Hit Man and Fancy Dance, both of which are still playing at the ByTowne. Both are Metacritc “must see” films. (Sorry for the repetition, folks, but the professional film critics and I seem to share the same tastes.)
And finally, a film I HAVEN’T recommended in a previous article! Ghostlight (another Metacritic “must see”!) is a drama about an ordinary lower middle class family which is falling apart due to a recent tragedy. The father finds redemption, accidentally, by joining a community theatre group which is putting on Romeo and Juliet. This is a love letter to the power of theatre, of art, to heal. And it’s another Metacritic “must see” film, and it’s at the ByTowne.
Enjoy this cornucopia of fine films, old and new!
Dates, times and tickets for the ByTowne are at www.bytowne.ca. The ByTowne publishes their calendar at least 3 weeks in advance. Dates, times and tickets for the Mayfair are at www.mayfairtheatre.ca. The Mayfair usually publishes the coming week’s schedule midweek and adds to their “coming soon” list, so check their website and emails for the latest updates.
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