Hard for me to believe, but this is the second anniversary of Magic in the Dark. I’ve encouraged you to see films at the ByTowne and the Mayfair for two years. I’ve enjoyed doing so, and I can hardly wait to see what’s in store for us in the future!
In my last article, I raved about the Japanese animated feature The Boy and the Heron. I’ve now seen it at the ByTowne and am doubling down to encourage you to see this exquisite film. It may be the ByTowne’s most popular film since Amélie. And as Chris Knight says in Original Cin, it’s “a treat for the eyes, the ears and the mind. Or the soul, if you prefer.”
I’m looking forward to Monster, another Japanese film. Its director Hirokazu Kore-eda, has made two films I’ve enjoyed—the award-winning Shoplifters and Broker. Monster is another film in which he explores families. He looks at the lives of an 11-year-old boy acting strangely, his single mother, and his schoolteacher. Is bullying involved in the boy’s odd behaviour? Or is it physical and verbal abuse from the teacher? Or something else? What’s the truth? At the ByTowne.
I recently enthused about Denys Arcand’s latest film Testament, a delightful satire set in a Québecois seniors residence. You can still catch it as it’s now at the Mayfair.
There’s more CanCon at the Mayfair still screening Relax, I’m From The Future, a sci-fi comedy about a seemingly harmless visitor from the near future.
The Mayfair has made a bold programming choice with Society of the Snow scheduled for Christmas week. It’s a grim survival drama based on a real-life disaster. A plane carrying a high school rugby team crashes on a glacier in the Andes. The survivors of the crash face a brutal environment and heartrending choices.
Last time, I recommended Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s biopic of Leonard Bernstein. Now, having seen it, I think it’s less about his musical life and more about his long unconventional marriage to the actress Felicia Montealegre, who is played by Carey Mulligan. Her performance is outstanding; she’s probably a shoo-in for an Oscar Best Actress nomination. There’s a brilliant dream sequence using one of Bernstein’s compositions from the Broadway musical On the Town. But I was disappointed at how little of Bernstein’s music there was. Maestro is now playing at both cinemas.
What have we got from the vault for the last half of December?
How about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World from the director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead? This high-energy rom-com/live-action comic book stars Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, Brie Larson, Jason Schwartzman, Alison Pill, Ellen Wong, Brandon Routh, Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, and Mae Whitman. And everyone has a juicy, over-the-top part as Scott Pilgrim (Cera) romances Ramona Flowers (Winstead) while battling her seven evil ex-boyfriends. And it’s set in Toronto! At the ByTowne.
As you know from my last Magic in the Dark article, I’m looking forward to ByTowne’s annual showing of Love Actually. This year it’s a slumber party with a holiday cocktail.
I was about to write that Love Actually may be the ultimate rom-com, but there’s another contender for that title. The ByTowne has cleverly programmed When Harry Met Sally… for New Year’s Eve! What can I say but, “I’ll have what’s she’s having!”
Would you like to sing along to some old favourites? You’ve got two chances to do so. At the Mayfair, there’s the sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. It’s a fundraiser for A Company of Fools, Ottawa’s oldest Shakespeare company (and the only Shakespearean clown company that I know of!). And there’s White Christmas at the ByTowne in its Sunday Afternoon Classics series. Did you know that recordings of the song “White Christmas” have topped 100 million?
How about something for the kids? The ByTowne is having a Kids Holiday Cartoon Party with cartoons from the early days of animation right up to the present day.
You can still catch the most famous Christmas movie of them all—Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s moved over to the Mayfair.
I wish you all a joyous holiday season and a new year full of great films.
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 their website for the latest info on the next week and the “coming soon” films.
