I’m starting this article a little differently, with a strong recommendation for one of the greatest film noir classics—The Third Man. This 75-year old gem, in a new 4K restoration, was directed by Carol Reed with an original screenplay by Graham Greene. It has some of the most striking black-and-white cinematography you’ll ever see, and theme music that’s a real earworm. It stars Orson Welles as the smooth operator Harry Lime and Joseph Cotton as his naïve pulp novelist friend. It takes place immediately after WWII in Vienna, when the city is divided into four zones, each governed by Allied troops (the Americans, the British, the French and the Russians). And Harry Lime has disappeared or perhaps died, mysteriously. The Third Man has one of the highest Metacritic scores I’ve ever seen. Don’t miss the opportunity to see it on a big screen at the ByTowne.
If you haven’t seen all the Oscar nominees (hey, even I haven’t seen all of them!), you can still catch several at the ByTowne and the Mayfair.
Let’s start with Perfect Days, Japan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. I wrote about it a month ago and after I saw it, I doubled down on my praise. An excellent film! At both the ByTowne and the Mayfair.
I’m really excited to see Poor Things. It won a bunch of Oscars, including Best Actress for Emma Stone. The critics’ reviews have been passionate—both for and against (mostly “for”), with the passion due to the frequent sex scenes. And the trailer is gorgeous. It will be at the ByTowne later this month.
There are lots of other new films to see, too.
La passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Taste of Things) is another film I have already written about. I concur with the reviewer in Original Cin: “The Taste of Things is rare, with a depth and maturity we don’t often see on screens anymore.” A beautiful film and a Metacritic must-see. At the Mayfair.
Next, I recommend three films about refugees:
I’ve never been disappointed in a film made by an Iranian filmmaker, so I plan to see Shayda when it comes to the ByTowne. Based on the director’s own experiences, it’s about a young mother who escapes an abusive husband and takes refuge in an Australian women’s centre with her little daughter.
I’ve not yet seen One Life, but as I wrote in my last article, it’s about an unassuming British businessman who saved hundreds of Jewish children in 1938–39 by creating the Kindertransport. The phrase “one life” refers to a Jewish expression: “Save one life, save the world.” At the ByTowne.
Ru, a story about a Vietnamese refugee family settling in Granby, Quebec, set box office records in that province. As I wrote earlier, it’s time for the rest of Canada to discover this film. Continuing at the ByTowne.
After reading about it when it played at TIFF, I’m looking forward to seeing the Inuit film Tautuktavuk: What We See. It blends fiction and documentary styles as two sisters, one in Nunavut and one in Montreal, meet via Zoom during COVID to discuss the domestic abuse one sister has recently fled. They and their Northern community are seeking healing.
All you dog lovers out there can see the 2024 New York Dog Film Festival at the Mayfair WITH YOUR DOG! Yup, it’s a bring-your-pup screening! A portion of every ticket goes to either Freedom Dog Rescue or Rocky Road Rescue.
Apt613’s Sonya Gankina wrote a dandy article about the Canadian Film Institute’s International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO). I plan to catch several of the IFFO films, some of which are at the ByTowne and the Mayfair. See here for IFFO’s complete list of films. Most of these won’t be shown again in Canada, due to a lack of a contract with a Canadian distributor. Most won’t turn up on streaming services or YouTube, either, so this may be your only chance to see them. Browse the selection—you’re sure to find something that appeals to you.
I’ll finish with three films that were very popular when they were released.
Beverly Hills Cop is the film in the ByTowne’s monthly Drunken Cinema series (an interactive movie game series with a customized game card and prop, to quote the ByTowne’s website). This Eddie Murphy buddy cop classic beat out Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Ghostbusters at the box office in 1984. Come see why.
On Easter Sunday you can see Jesus Christ Superstar, the 1973 film version of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Broadway hit rock opera about Christ’s last weeks on earth. Director Norman Jewison filmed the entire thing in Israel. It’s the kind of film to see on a big screen with a great sound system such as the ByTowne’s.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show returns to the Mayfair. If you know nothing about this film, you owe it to yourself to experience it in a (very) live)audience. For the rest of you, “it’s just a jump to the left.” Right?
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.
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