In preparation for the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) on Sept. 24-28, there are two fantastic animated films from the vault in the first half of September. There are also some acclaimed classics, including the film that started the whole summer blockbuster trend. Plus new releases, including an Ottawa premiere.
The first of the two animated feature films is Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, the beloved tale of two little girls who form a friendship with a huge, gentle forest spirit. Its exquisitely beautiful animation and the delightfully realistic little girls will stay with you for a long time. It’s at the Mayfair. Suitable for ages 6 to 96.
The second of the two animated films is Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Gumshoe detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is on the case in both Hollywood and Toontown (where the animated characters live). He hates toons—that is, until he meets Jessica Rabbit, a curvaceous toon who whispers, “I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way.” He gets mixed up with her fast-talking toon husband, Roger Rabbit. Their paths cross with the cigar-smoking, foul-mouthed Baby Herman, Benny the Cab, the sinister Judge Doom and more. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the cleverest animation and live-action mix I’ve ever seen. At the ByTowne in their Klassic Kids series (it’s PG). Adults will love it, too!
The Mayfair’s First Ladies of Film festival wraps up with a dandy George Cukor screwball comedy, Born Yesterday, which I recommended in August’s Magic in the Dark. If you’ve never seen comedienne Billie Holiday, this endearing film is a must-see.
Summertime for filmgoers means blockbusters, and it all started 50 years ago with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. I suspect you know the storyline: A great white shark unleashes chaos on a vacation beach community. It’s up to the local sheriff (who is afraid of the ocean), a geeky marine biologist, and a man’s man seafarer to kill the beast. Jump scares are guaranteed. Despite what most of us now know about real sharks, after seeing Jaws, I bet you’ll think twice the next time you go for a swim in the ocean. At the Mayfair.
You may think that the 1969 Woodstock festival epitomized the counterculture ’60s. But two years before Woodstock, during the Summer of Love, there was the Monterey Pop Festival. Cinéma vérité documentary filmmaker D.A.Pennebaker was there. You can see his Monterey Pop at the ByTowne and revel in a “who’s who” of the ’60s music scene. Here’s a partial list: Jimi Hendrix, The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, Hugh Masekela, The Who, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, and Ravi Shankar.
1967 was when another landmark film was made—a very different (though no less subversive) one. French actor/filmmaker Jacques Tati made what many consider his masterpiece, Playtime. It’s a gloriously and meticulously choreographed film of the (mis)adventures of Monsieur Hulot (Tati) in a baffling ultra-modern Paris. A nearly wordless comedy that gently but incisively satirizes our uniformity and technology, Playtime garnered an astounding 99 on Metacritic. At the ByTowne.
Speaking of masters and their masterpieces, some critics consider Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon his best film. This huge (185 minutes) historical drama is Kubrick’s most elaborate tale. It relates the many (mis)adventures of an incorrigible rogue named Redmond Barry who escapes life on a modest Irish farm and, through a series of dangerous escapades, climbs the slippery 18th-century social ladder. Because of external circumstances and chance, he reaches his goal by marrying wealthy Lady Lyndon, assuming the name Sir Redmond Barry Lyndon. Then his vices and chance cause his downfall. This film is particularly famous for its mise-en-scène and cinematography. The painterly aspect of so many scenes will have you swearing that you’ve seen the scenery, rooms and clothing in paintings at an art gallery. Kubrick’s use of natural light–especially the candlelit gambling dens and soirees–is magnificent. At the ByTowne.
Some fine newly released films may interest you.
Early in August, I recommended Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, the autobiographical story of the violent Bush War in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) as seen through her eyes as an eight-year-old white girl. It’s now back at the ByTowne.
Buzzy Splitsville has its Ottawa premiere at the ByTowne. It’s billed as an “unromantic comedy.” The marriage of a recently married couple, Carey and Ashley, seems to be splitting asunder: Ashley confesses to having been unfaithful multiple times and asks Carey for a divorce. Distraught, Carey begs their best friends, a married couple named Julie and Paul, for advice. They claim that their marriage is successful because it’s “open.” Carey ends up sleeping with Julie, they both tell their spouses and then… Well, if you’ve seen the film’s poster and trailer, you know things do not go amicably.
BONUS! To encourage post-film discussions with your date, while Splitsville is playing at the ByTowne (Aug. 29 to Sept. 11), if you show your Splitsville ticket at any Zak’s Diner location, you’ll get 15 per cent off your bill.
If you love Hayao Miyazaki’s films from Japan’s Studio Ghibli, you’ll immediately see the resemblance in Usman Riaz’s animated film The Glassworker from Pakistan. It’s a tale of first love, family, war and staying true to your art. At the ByTowne.
Good news for cat lovers! The 2025 Cat Video Festival is still playing two more times at the ByTowne.
I hope you’ll enjoy many of these and other films at the Mayfair and the ByTowne, seeing films as they should be seen—with an audience on a big screen.
Dates, times, and tickets for the ByTowne are at www.bytowne.ca. You can also buy tickets at the box office. The ByTowne publishes its calendar several weeks in advance. Dates, times, and tickets for the Mayfair are at www.mayfairtheatre.ca. The Mayfair finalizes its upcoming films’ schedule weekly, which it posts online and advertises via email. Both provide information about the films for future weeks. You can buy tickets via their weekly email and at the box office.
