Alice Eve as Dr. Carol Marcus in Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Photos – Alice Eve Star Trek Into Darkness

Alice Eve stars as Dr. Carol Marcus in the latest Star Trek flick, Into Darkness.

More Alice Eve Star Trek Into Darkness photos:

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Image from The Ghosts in Our Machine by Jo-Anne McCarthur.

DOXA film festival reviews – Google and the World Brain, Occupy the Movie, Great Hip Hop Hoax, Fire in the Blood

- by Julia Brown

The Ghosts in Our Machine – Liz Marshall’s The Ghosts in Our Machine takes the viewer on a tour into the world of Toronto-based animal rights activist and photographer Jo-Anne McArthur.

Marshall gives us a multi-faceted view of the animals that McArthur photographs – we see them both through the lens of the documentary film camera as well as through the lens of McArthur’s still photography.

This layered viewpoint adds immense power to the images in the film. Most people already know, even though most do not want to really think about it, that millions of animals are abused and mistreated by our modern profit-driven Western “machine” for meat, milk, skin, fur, and research/testing purposes. Both Marshall and McArthur are trying to make these invisible animals – the “ghosts” – visible in a way that is new, and will hopefully provoke us to rethink our relationship to the non-human animals that inhabit this planet with us.

This new view involves seeing each animal as a unique individual. Both Marshall and McArthur focus on the animals’ eyes (for the eyes are the window to the soul) and the result is profoundly moving; when you see the sadness and confusion in a factory farm cow’s eyes, or fear and despair in the eyes of a fox who has been left in a small cage with no water, it is impossible to deny their status as sentient beings. Indeed, after looking into those eyes throughout the film, it seems very appropriate that the animals are given credit by name at the end.

To add to the emotional impact and increase the viewer’s sense of empathy, Marshall gives us a chance to experience the tender relationship McArthur has with many of the animals she photographs. McArthur does not view her role as one of saviour, but rather to bear witness and document what is happening. She has obviously seen many horrible things, and she has the PTSD to prove it. She is quiet and unassuming, but the film makes clear that she is haunted by the ghosts of the animals she has taken pictures of over the years, and that gives her a kind of grim determination. In many ways, the film is as much about McArthur as it is about the animals; she functions as the audience’s conscience – the part of our minds that will not and cannot look away.

The Ghosts in Our Machine is a difficult film to watch, not only because of the subject matter, but because it changes how the viewer sees, and thus thinks about, the animals that we as a society use up and then throw away. It is not as much a call to action as it is a call to change how we think about animals in general. The first step towards that end is that we acknowledge or “see” them, period – and this film does an excellent job of getting that message across. It’s a definite must-see film in this year’s DOXA line-up. (The Ghosts in Our Machine screens Thursday May 9 at 6 p.m. and May 10 at 12:30 p.m. at Vancity Theatre. Click here for tickets.)

Google and the World Brain - It’s not exactly a surprise that Google’s insanely ambitious “Google Books” project (which had the goal of scanning every book ever in order to form a massive online digital library) would be a tad controversial. In fact, Google’s representatives in the US refused to comment on Google Books for the film, due to ongoing litigation.

In discussing into the controversy behind Google Books, Ben Lewis’ Google and the World Brain also explores key topics of 21st century conversation. Online privacy, copyright in the Internet age, the role of libraries in shaping culture and furthering human knowledge, and artificial intelligence are all discussed. A wide variety of commentators, from France’s National Library head Jean-Noel Jeanneney (who reacts like any good snobby Frenchman by essentially declaring war on the young Google execs for daring to even ask him for access to his library) to commentators who see the triumph of the screen over paper books as both preferable and inevitable, weigh in.

In many ways, though, the film itself suffers from a bit of over-ambition. When you stop to contemplate that it is indeed possible for Google – or some other entity or group – to digitize the world’s cumulative knowledge, the ramifications of doing so are breathtaking. It is the kind of utopian vision that can’t help but shade into dystopia on some level, simply because no one can really say what would happen if we did develop that kind of online “world brain.” How would it be regulated – if it is a good idea to regulate it, that is. Who would own and/or control it? And perhaps most importantly, who would be making money off of it and exactly how would that money be made? These are not questions with simple answers, and while Lewis does a good job of touching on these things in his film, it is impossible to delve that deeply into any one area of inquiry in a standard 90-minute documentary.

Despite the fact that Google and the World Brain can only really serve as a conversation-starter, the films shows us that it is still an important conversation to have, as evinced by the highly reactive response to Google’s project from all corners of the world. The film is definitely worth screening if you want a sneak peek into how human knowledge might evolve in this digital age. (Google and the World Brain screens Wednesday May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Vancouver Playhouse. Click here for tickets.)

Fire In the Blood - Dylan Mohan Gray’s Fire in the Blood is by turns shocking, compelling and downright rage-inducing. The film examines how major Western pharmaceutical companies effectively blocked access to affordable AIDS drugs in Africa in the late ’90s and early ’2000s, resulting in the preventable deaths of literally millions of people. It is also a tribute to the people who fought valiantly to find a way to get the life-saving medicine to Africans and others in the developing world.

Fire in the Blood does not pull any punches when it comes to its criticisms of Big Pharma, but the film is still balanced and thoroughly researched. It is very difficult to watch people dying in hospital beds while doctors explain that there is nothing they can do to help, solely because the drugs that could save their patients are out of reach due to exorbitant pricing and drug patent laws. Indeed, when you start to absorb the facts presented in the film, your anger at the drug companies really starts to build.

Gray takes great care to address some common objections to offering affordable medicines to the Third World; after all, one could argue that pharmaceutical companies are simply businesses that exist to make a profit. But even the most conservative, right-wing, pro-big-business viewer would be forced to concede that what the drug companies did in Africa was not only highly questionable from a fair business practices POV, but actually bordering on genocide. Indeed, there is a segment in the film showing that even George W. Bush took a stand in favour of the people of Africa during his 2003 State of the Union address.

The film also features well-reasoned and passionate commentary from those who fought (ultimately successfully) for Africa’s access to the cheaper, generic forms of the much more expensive patented/brand name antiretroviral AIDS drugs. These include William F. Haddad, who is an advocate for generic drug trade, Zackie Achmat, an AIDS activist who refused to take any medicine himself until everyone in the developing world had access to cheaper drugs, and Yusuf Hamied, an Indian scientist who managed to find a way to bring the cost of the AIDS cocktail down below the symbolic dollar-a-day threshold. They were the front-line fighters against the biggest big business in the world, and their commitment to the cause is obvious. At one point, the seemingly very stoic Haddad is so overcome with emotion that he asks for filming stop for a moment while he regains his composure.

The message of Fire in the Blood is conveyed with quiet conviction, in a way that is highly emotional yet also rational and objective. It is not an understatement to suggest that this movie should be required viewing because, as the film clearly shows, what Big Pharma did during the AIDS crisis in Africa is just the tip of the iceberg; that it is not only the citizens of developing nations who are being seriously affected by their profit-above-people approach to business, but humanity in general. (Fire in the Blood screens Sunday May 4 at 2:30 p.m. at the Rio Theatre and Thursday May 9 at 6:30 Cinematheque. Click here for tickets.)

Scene from Fire in the Blood, at DOXA 2013.

The Great Hip Hop Hoax – This is one of those documentaries that you could be forgiven for thinking was pure fiction disguised as documentary. In fact, despite evidence to contrary, I am still a bit unsure as to whether or not the film itself is a hoax, versus just documenting a hoax.

After suffering the indignity of being called “the rapping Proclaimers” by some A&R execs, Scottish BFFs Billy Boyd and Gavin Bain decide that their talent might be better appreciated if they pretended they were from America (California, to be exact). Reinvented as Silibil n’ Brains, they manage to sign to a major label and start living the high life in London on the label’s dime while they make their debut album.

What follows is a classic morality tale with a modern urban twist. At one point, Gavin aka “Brains” descends into what could be described as madness, due to the weight of bearing such a big secret. The old line about tangled webs and deception come to mind repeatedly while viewing the film. Not only do they have to worry about their Scottish accents accidentally slipping out while out on the town drinking, they can’t “be real” in any way – even with each other, eventually.

Director Jeanie Finlay tells the story of Silibil n’ Brains with a mix of narrated, animated pieces, interviews and footage the boys shot themselves during their grand adventure. It adds up to a fast-paced, entertaining movie, but again, it is hard to shake the feeling that we as the audience are still not getting the full story. Especially during one of the interview portions, you wonder, for example, if their claim that the whole thing started as a joke is really true. Because at other points in the film, they also claim that they always intended it to prove a point about the image-driven aspects of the recording industry. So which is it: purposeful deceit with a higher purpose, or a joke that went too far?

In other words, Gavin and Billy’s motivations are murky, and that uncertainty is not really cleared up by the end of the film. And while it not necessarily a bad thing to leave a film audience wondering – things are rarely tied up neatly in a bow with documentary filmmaking – it is hard to know what to think and feel about these two characters. Are they just lying jerks who took everyone for a ride? Or guys who really just wanted to show the world their talent and make music and did what they needed to do to make it in an industry that values image over talent?

Overall, The Great Hip Hop Hoax tells a tale stranger than fiction about the fictions we choose buy into as a culture in the name of entertainment. It is definitely worth a viewing, even though you may be left with more questions than answers. (The Great Hip Hop Hoax screens Sunday May 4 at 8:45 p.m. and May 9 at 12:45 p.m., at Vancity Theatre. Click here for tickets.)

The Great Hip Hop Hoax. Goetz Werner photo.

Occupy The Movie - DOXA 2013′s opener examines the Occupy movement that took on Wall Street in 2011. Part economics lesson, part love letter to the Occupy movement and social justice movements in general, Vancouver director Corey Ogilvie’s doc gives a good overview of why people took to the streets to protest the greed and corruption of Corporate America.

Unfortunately for Ogilvie, both the economic system that gave rise to the Occupy movement and the movement itself are highly complex subjects. I say “unfortunately” because in trying to cover all of his bases, Ogilvie tends to skim over quite fruitful areas of inquiry that could use a more in-depth look.

Occupy The Movie is not a bad film, but it could be so much more if it had only tried to be a little bit less. For instance, a couple of the de facto leaders of the movement who are interviewed are compelling characters that you can’t help wanting to know better. Why did they feel the need to get so involved in the movement, sacrificing day jobs and time with their families? What led them to take up the social justice banner with such passion? Because Occupy the Movie tries to cover so much ground in 90 minutes, many questions are left unresolved. In the end, key subjects become talking heads along with the economics experts explaining how the U.S. banking system works. Or try to – the doc only gives us the tip of the infographic when it comes to the workings of the Federal Reserve.

The Vancouver-made film aims to make a weighty statement about the nature of the Occupy movement and the genuinely important issues in our society that led to such a movement, but it just misses the mark. Still, if you are curious to hear about the experiences of the Occupy insiders, then this film is your chance. (Occupy the Movie screens Tuesday May 7 at 12:30 p.m. at Vancity Theatre and May 11 at 9:15 at Cinematheque. Click here for tickets.)

Occupy the Movie opens the 12th annual DOXA film festival tonight (May 3).

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He-Man and Skeletor at Fan Expo Vancouver April 20 2013. Kirk Chantraine photo.

Photos and recap – Fan Expo Vancouver 2013 April 20-21

- by Joy dela Cruz

Nerds, geeks, fans – whatever you call them, people from various TV, film and literary fandoms came together on Saturday for the second annual Fan Expo Vancouver. The event was far more than just a nerd convention, however. It was, in fact, a multimedia sensory overload that any self-respecting pop culture aficionado could truly appreciate.

For a convention virgin like myself, it would seem overwhelming to figure out exactly how to tackle such an massive event. So here are few tips to think about before heading out for Day 2 today, or if you’re planning to go next year.

DO plan your day ahead. Lineups were not uncommon, especially for the most sought after celebrity sessions. Be prepared to wait in line for more than a few minutes – if not hours – and plan the day around that. Comic book legend and Spider-Man creator Stan Lee was the biggest draw of the day, with queues for his Saturday-only photo op, autograph and Q-&-A sessions snaking all the the way around the Vancouver Convention Centre halls. Other celebrity guests, like James Marsters (Angel, Torchwood), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), Tia Carrere (Wayne’s World, Relic Hunter) and Samwise Gamgee himself, Sean Astin (The Lord Of The Rings, The Goonies), drew equally big crowds.

Interview – David Prowse (Darth Vader) comes to Fan Expo Vancouver 2013

DON’T forget to bring cash… or your credit card. Fan Expo featured an dizzying array of comic book, gaming, anime/manga, and general fandom retailers. Whether it’s that rare comic book issue, that missing set in your sci-fi DVD collection, or just another vinyl toy, there was no shortage of booths, some locally-based, to get your geek retail fix. A hot commodity this year: anything Doctor Who.

DO wear the appropriate attire. There were costumes everywhere you looked. From stormtroopers, to superheroes, to anime characters, hundreds of cosplayers, both amateur and professional, flaunted their stuff at the event. It is the hallmark of any sci-fi/fantasy convention, and something you shouldn’t miss out on. Don’t be shy, and get a photo taken with a cosplayer, or dress up as one yourself.

DON’T forget about the other events. There was far more to this event than just autograph sessions and buying stuff. Celebrity Q & A sessions allowed fans to directly interact with their favourite TV, film and comic book stars. In Sean Astin‘s session, he talked about his hopes and plans to direct a feature film (he urged people to support him through Kickstarter), his involvement with Sunday’s Vancouver Sun Run, and swore the entire audience into becoming Goonies. Other attractions include a massive LEGO exhibition area, the Rue Morgue Festival of Fear (for horror buffs), the Canadian Videogame Awards, and the Back To The Future time machine Delorean.

Continuum’s Rachel Nichols, Victor Webster and Jennifer Spence on a panel at Fan Expo Vancouver 2012. Ryan Ingram photo.

DO bring friends…or meet new ones. “Try to get someone’s phone number, that’s how you can connect with people,” Marsters said to a first-timer during one of the autograph sessions. And that’s what the whole day was all about. Fan Expo gave people with similar interests a platform to simply come together and celebrate what their passionate about. And that is what will bring people back here again next year.

Fan Expo Vancouver 2013 photos:

Coverage from Fan Expo 2012:

Photos – Fan Expo Vancouver 2012 costumes

Recap – Fan Expo Vancouver 2012

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Victoria Bidewell in Derek Franson’s Comforting Skin.

Interview – actress Victoria Bidewell on Comforting Skin

- by Melissa Wade

We all want to feel comfortable in our skin. But what if that skin was so inviting that it became your sole companion, your lover – and a jealous, possessive and demanding one at that?

That’s the premise behind Comforting Skin.

Written directed by Derek Franson, the new Vancouver indie horror flick stars Victoria Bidewell as Koffie, a girl with a tempestuous tattoo. The movie is definitely worth a viewing – it screens Sunday April 7 at the Rio Theatre (more info here) – and part of that reason is Bidewell’s convincing portrayal of a vulnerable young woman, struggling to feel comfortable in her own skin.

The role demanded a lot from the Saskatoon-born Bidewell, who was awarded the Best Actress at the 2012 Fantaspoa Film Festival for her portrayal of the vulnerable Koffie. I spoke with her about her connection with the character, her co-star Tygh Runyan, and why every woman should try Pop Rocks instead of bath salts in the tub.

Melissa Wade: What attracted you to this role?

Victoria Bidewell: Well, it’s an actresses dream isn’t it? Have you seen the movie?

MW: Yes, I watched it yesterday.

VB: Oh, great. Well, it was a great script, a great part, and a very demanding and challenging role, and those are the kind of roles I’m interested in. It scared me [laughs]. I was just excited by it and fell in love with the part right away. I felt a connection to the character. I felt I understood her. I felt the part really captured the things that women in their twenties go through, not necessarily to the extent of the character’s mental issues, but the insecurities.

MW: How did you get into that very fragile state of mind?

VB: It’s just a matter of staying open. I try not to place any judgments on any character, and I think that helps me to really drop into my character. I had to spend a lot of time by myself doing a lot of self-reflection, and trying to connect to my own vulnerability.

MW: Did you discover new things about yourself through this role?

VB: Yes! I discovered that I’m not a victim. There’s always a need for love, to go out and get love, and find love, and that propels me every day, that keeps me pushing forward. I think that character does that. She has a lot of hope, and a very strong need to be loved, and I really related to that.

MW: What scene did you enjoy filming the most?

VB:  Definitely the scenes when I’m alone with the tattoo. I had a lot of fun. We did some crazy stuff. I’ve never done anything where I had to do special effects. It was a real learning experience. They would tell you where the tattoo was, and I had to imagine that.

And every scene with Tygh. He made me laugh.  He’s a really great, talented actor and I was very lucky that he played Nathan. I just had a blast with him.

MW: I could tell he was funny…

VB: Yeah, he’s just a really open, really fun actor to work with, very adventurous.

MW: What scene did you have a hard time with? Were there any in particular that you struggled with?

VB: A lot of the times when we were shooting outside, and it was very cold [laughs]. But the emotional stuff wasn’t a struggle. Once you’re in the character it just happens. But, I would say that sometimes it was very, very cold.

MW: I have to ask you about the scene with the Pop Rocks in the bathtub.  When I watched the scene I couldn’t believe it and thought to myself: I have got to try this one day. How did it feel?

VB: I laughed so hard. It feels like little tickles on your skin. I recommend every woman try it instead of bath salts [laughs]. It was a really fun thing.

MW: I’m wondering if I’m off with my interpretation of the film, so I’m going to ask you what you think. Do you think Koffie’s relationship with her skin is a metaphor for a woman’s relationship herself, ultimately?

VB: I’ve never heard it interpreted that way, but I really like that. I would say that it is. It’s such a hard time for us to get into our comfort zone and to really feel good about ourselves, looks-wise and body image-wise, to find that happiness and that self-love. I really think the film has a strong message there, without it really planning to have that message. It’s really beautiful.

MW: Yeah, I didn’t find it forcing any kind of message, but the subtext was there.

VB: Yeah, it’s like, here I am. I’m alive, and I want to have the best time in this body, in this design that I’ve been given and how can I do that.

VB: Well, thank you.

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Spring Breakers is definitely a trip worth taking

- review by Jesse Carp

And by “trip”, I mean that in every possible sense of the word.

I’m sure I’m not the first (nor the last) to refer to Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers as some kind of drug-addled, neon fever-dream but that characterization comes with its own baggage that might diminish both the film’s satirical aspirations and craftsmanship. Oh, and let’s not overlook just how enjoyable the viewing experience is. Yes, I’m using the word “enjoyable” to describe a film from the writer-director of Gummo, Julien Donkey-Boy and Trash Humpers.

As you can probably gauge, I don’t have the most affectionate relationship which Korine’s past work. Kids (a film he wrote when he was still a teen, directed by Larry Clark) was an odd right of passage for my generation and I vividly remember being both fascinated and repulsed by what I was seeing on screen. It wasn’t my experience of youth and yet something about the rawness rang true.

Somehow, perhaps because of some kind of arrested development or his marriage to Rachel Korine - one of the four young stars of the Spring Breakers - the experimental filmmaker has managed to keep his finger on the pulse of the current culture and deliver a film that’s as real and socially relevant as he did 18 years ago. However, as biting and/or irreverent as Spring Breakers often gets, it’s also undeniably his most accessible film to date as well as being his biggest (and first real) commercial success.

But don’t mistake commercial success for commercial or mainstream filmmaking because, even though Spring Breakers is dressed up like an R-rated teen sex-comedy and features some well known young starlets, the result is anything but conventional. From the ostentatious aesthetic to the purposefully repetitive narrative, Korine creates the ultimate embodiment of YOLO- and celebrity-obsessed culture before pushing it to the extreme. And the result is scary, not to mention hypnotic and incredibly engrossing.

The casting of former Disney princesses like Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens is no coincidence. However, they end up bringing more than just their image to the table. Gomez’ portrayal of the not-so-subtly-named Faith anchors the film opposite her increasingly more dangerous group of girls, including Rachel Korine, Hudgens and Amber Benson, as well as James Franco as the local thug named Alien.

The women ooze enough or excessive sexuality to make you question leering at these young bodies. But Franco is the real stand-out and deserves all the statues come awards season. One scene in particular is likely to become an instant classic and quoted endlessly.

Korine, his crew and many of the other creatives also deliver phenomenal work. Cliff Martinez and Skrillex contribute a brilliant and truly original score and Douglas Crise excels of editing.

Spring Breakers will not be for everyone and there is also the danger that some who love it will do so for the wrong reasons. Lost in the glitz, glamour and girls, some will surely miss the point all together. However, Korine tries to ensure that those reactions will be few and far between by pushing the story to its irreverent extreme. Actually, it seems that a lot of the target(ed) demographic – i.e., the late teens/early twenty somethings depicted in the film – have not been impressed with Spring Breakers and the backlash from that generation may be the ultimate sign of Korine’s vision succeeding. When forced to look in a mirror, sometimes you don’t like what you see.

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Emmy Rossum in Beautiful Creatures.

Photos – Emmy Rossum Beautiful Creatures

Actress Emmy Rossum the Young Adult fiction zone by playing a villainess in Beautiful Creatures. In cinemas now.

More Emmy Rossum photos:

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Emmy Rossum in Beautiful Creatures.

Movie review – Beautiful Creatures

- by Julia Brown

Beautiful Creatures is not as bad as one might assume. Which may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but considering that I am personally way outside the film’s intended tween/teen audience demographic, you could interpret the fact that I did not want to flee the theatre halfway through as high praise indeed.

The movie is based on the first book of the same name in a young adult fiction series called the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. That means, of course, that this film is only the beginning of a series as well; after all, we are living in the post-Twilight Saga era, where Hollywood producers are hip to what makes young, mostly female audience members hearts flutter (the film industry also gets the boyfriends as part of the deal, since they invariably get dragged to opening night).

What is especially clever, film-marketing-wise, is that the relatively unknown stars (Alice Englert as witchy female lead Lena and Alden Ehrenreich as her beau and mere mortal Ethan) are bolstered by better-established actors. The fairly impressive supporting cast lends an air of legitimacy to the film that it otherwise would lack. I mean, if Emma Thompson, Jeremy Irons and Emmy Rossum agreed to be a part of the whole deal, how bad can it be?

Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert in Beautiful Creatures.

Again, it’s not that bad. For one thing, the ending is not your typical Hollywood ending. Lena as a character also has more in common with the Girl Power goths in 1996’s The Craft than Bella in the Twilight series. In one scene she takes on the mean girls in her school by shattering the classroom windows through the power of her mind and/or emotions. Wimpy and passive Lena is not.

The references to various classic works of literature are also integrated nicely into Beautiful Creatures. Ethan is stuck in a small, conservative Southern town, and by reading certain “banned” books he opens the door to a larger world – a world where anything is possible, including the likes of Lena.

Sure, the supernatural elements of the story are a bit cheesy and the romance between the lead characters predictably star-crossed. But neither element drowns the film in the shallow end, which is an accomplishment that many films aimed at adult audiences cannot boast.

If supernatural teen romance films are not your preferred film genre, you should probably give Beautiful Creatures a pass. However, if you have a teenager you’d like to drag to the movies, or you are a teen yourself, it is definitely one of your least-worst options for Valentine’s Day entertainment.

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Movie review—Rust and Bone

- by Elana Shepert

Boldly melodramatic, Rust and Bone investigates a story that is anything but romantic, yet is crushingly sentimental.

The latest movie from director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, The Beat That My Heart Skipped), Rust and Bone stars Marion Cotillard (most recently seen on North American movie screens in The Dark Knight Rises) as Stephanie, a marine biologist whose passion for life dissolves after she loses both legs in a tragic accident.

Desperate, she calls Ali, a bouncer and underground fighter played by Matthias Schoenearts, best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as a boxer in Bullhead (2011), whom she’s met only once. Hustling to make ends meet for his young son, he has little time for anyone, and he lacks any measure of empathy for her situation.

Taunting us to cringe and squirm, Rust and Bone dissects the lives of these two broken spirits. The result is gripping, disturbing and ultimately satisfying. Cotillard’s portrayal of childlike-wonder and profound grief intimately connects us to Stephanie, who is forced to rediscover everything after the accident, including herself. Likewise, with the build of an ox and a penetrating stare, Schoenearts commands rage with flair.

While the acting is great, there are numerous holes in the plot. Feeling her amputated limbs for the first time, Stephanie’s horror is difficult to behold, and her pain feels very real. What feels less conceivable, however, is her lack of company. For someone who worked at a popular aquarium alongside many colleagues, all fully aware of the tragedy, she seems rather destitute. She also had a live-in boyfriend prior to the ordeal, and he never makes an appearance. Other than dutiful visits from a close friend, she’s completely alone, and no one really appears to care for her.

While the lack of support makes little sense, it makes her sullen phone call to Ali seem less far-fetched, but only somewhat. When they originally met, he pulled her out of a bar fight, which she instigated, and then drove her car home. They spoke for a bit, but nothing particularly significant happened. We don’t fully understand why she calls him, but her apparent isolation allows for some room in this logic. What really doesn’t add up, however, is why he responds back. So far, he’s a deadbeat dad, an awful brother, and a chauvinist with little interest in relationships of any kind. So, why does he make an exception for a woman he hardly knows?

While answers to these questions are never revealed, they are easily forgotten, as the characters themselves are so engrossing. Stephanie’s journey through emotional purgatory draws us in, and Ali’s unsavory companionship keeps us at her side, praying for her salvation.

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Jonsi at the Vogue Theatre, April 6 2010. Catherine Carmichael concert photo

Preview – film finalists for Sigur Ros’ Valtari at Vancity Theatre Dec 8 2012

- by Elana Shepert

In September Sigur Ros asked fans, video directors, and filmmakers alike to craft videos for songs off their new album, Valtari. With a modest budget and complete artistic freedom, 12 filmmakers created pieces based on whatever they felt listening to the tracks. Screening on all seven continents, including Antarctica, the short films premiere from Dec 7 – Dec 9, and in Vancouver at the Vancity Theatre on Saturday, Dec 8.

In a similar competition five years ago, the band received 57 entries. This year, the Icelandic group was overwhelmed by 834 film submissions. Directors include John Cameron Mitchell (Rabbit Hole, Shortbus), Rahmin Bahrani (At Any Price, Goodbye Solo) and Alma Har’el ( Beirut‘s “Elephant Gun” video, Bombay Beach), but the overall winner was based on the song “Fjogur Piano”, directed by amateurs Anafelle Liu (Director), Dio Lau (Art Director) and Ken Ngan (Photographer). Commenting on the piece, Liu said, “Skinned is a restless self sculpturing of one’s body. It is a glimpse of the corporeal unconscious, forever trapped in lacan’s double sided mirror”. In addition to global exposure and new connections, the winners receive $5,000, a sold-out extremely limited edition Valtari design icelandic ‘festival’ blanket, an album, an art print, and a t-shirt.

In order to make the competition a complete mystery, the directors did not communicate with one another, and Sigur Ros had no input on the content. Instead, the videos reflect how the group feels about their music.

“We never meant our music to come with a pre-programmed emotional response. We don’t want to tell anyone how to feel and what to take from it. With the films, we have literally no idea what the directors are going to come back with. None of them know what the others are doing, so hopefully it could be interesting.” -Sigur Ros

Tickets to Sigur Ros Valtari at Vancity Theatre

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Daniel Radcliffe with Calum Hardy Mishaw and Ethan Donohoe (L) at Millenium Place Nov 30 at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

Photos—Daniel Radcliffe and Kristanna Loken at Whistler Film Festival 2012

- photos courtesy UPI/Heinz Ruckemann

The 12th annual Whistler Film Festival wrapped up this past weekend. UPI photog Heinz Ruckemann was kind enough to share some photos of actors Daniel Radcliffe and Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3, Burn Notice, Love Orchard), as well as Rachelle Lefevre (Barney’s Version, The Twilight Saga: New Moon) and Caroline Dhavernas (Hannibal, Off the Map).

Actors Rachelle Lefevre (L) and Caroline Dhavernas (R) congratulate fellow actress and producer Kristanna Loken (centre), whose team “Scar Tissue” finished with the best combined time in the Celebrity Challenge Ski Race during the awards luncheon at Steeps Grill atop Whistler Mountain in Whistler, British Columbia, December 1, 2012 during the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

This years’ winners were announced at the Awards Brunch on Dec 2. Director Kate Melville of Toronto won the prestigious $15,000 Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film, which is the largest cash prize in Canadian film, with her coming-of-age story, Picture Day. The plot centers on a rebellious teenager named Claire, who is forced to repeat her last year of high school. The jury praised the director, noting that, “This year, we are delighted to recognized a filmmaker whose work is revolutionary: universal in its specificity, soulful, heartfelt, raw, intelligent, profoundly human and so much fun!!! Kate, Philip Borsos is smiling.”

The jury also commented on Tatiana Maslany, who stared in Picture Day and won WFF’s new Best Performance in a Borsos Competition Film Award. They described her as “fearless, honest, unapologetic, heartbreaking, and hilarious… and, in our opinion, is a force of nature.”

This year’s other Borsos Competition finalists included: All That you Posses (Bernard Edmond), Blood Pressure (Sean Garrity), Fair Sex (Martin Laroche), Home Again (Sudz Sutherland), Mad Ship (David Mortin), My Awkward Sexual Adventure (Sean Garrity) and Still (Michael McGowan).

The documentary jury included the Sundance Institute’s Bird Runningwater, actress Sarain Boylan (Bon Cop, Bad Cop, Rookie Blue), and Brian D. Johnson, movie critic for Maclean’s magazine. Describing the history of the women’s movement, the World Documentary Award to Status Quo? directed by Karen Cho, from montreal.

Requiem for Romance (Jonathan Ng), received the $1,000 Canadian Shortwork Award, presented by Kokanee. The International Shortwork Award went to Poland’s Marcin Bortkeiwicz’s Drawn from Memory, which sensitively depicts a grandson’s devotion to his his grandmother and her dreams. SFU student Jon Thomas won the $500 Shortwork Student Award, presented by Capilano University film centre, for his filmPlating. John Ornoy won the MPPIA Short film Award for True Love Waits, which has a $15, 000 cash prize and up to $100, 000 in servies.Marie-Evelyne Lessard won the Jury Special Prize for her film Les Maneges Humains/Fair Sex. 

Actress Rachelle Lefevre warms up for the first of three runs in the Celebrity Challenge Ski Race on Whistler Mountain in Whistler, British Columbia, December 1, 2012 during the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

Kristanna Loken (R) warms up for the first of three runs in the Celebrity Challenge Ski Race on Whistler Mountain in Whistler, British Columbia, Dec 1, 2012 during the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

Kristanna Loken at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival, Dec 1. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

Daniel Radcliffe with George Stroumboulopoulos at Millenium Place in Whistler, British Columbia, Nov 30, 2012 at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

Daniel Radcliffe signs a Harry Potter book for seven-year-old friends Calum Hardy Mishaw and Ethan Donohoe (L) at Millenium Place Nov 30 at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. UPI Photo /Heinz Ruckemann

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Suraj Sharma as Pi and tiger in Life of Pi

Movie review—Life of Pi

-By Elana Shepert

At heart, Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi is a spiritual story. Ang Lee’s (Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon, Lust/Caustion, Brokeback Mountain) film adaptation beautifully visualizes aspects of the story, but does not match the depth of the Canadian author’s words.

The film follows the same outline as the book. It transitions back and forth from scenes in Canada, India, and the open sea. In Canada we meet the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan), who regales a young writer (Rafe Spall), with the story of his life. In India, a young Pi (Suraj Sharma), grows up in an lovely zoo nestled in the French port of Pondicherry.

In this delightful place, Pi, short for Piscine, develops a profound appreciation for animals, as well as religion. He does not discriminate between faiths, or between species. As the young Pi tells his father, “Animals have souls – I can see it in their eyes.” When Pi’s family embarks on an overseas journey to Canada, a violent storm destroys their ship, leaving Pi stranded on a lifeboat in the company of a few wild animals—one of whom happens to be a spectacularly ferocious bengal tiger.

While Lee’s 3D imagery has gimmicky moments, the tiger—named Richard Parker—seems completely lifelike. Using a real tiger named King to form a composite, the crew matched all ten-million hairs from the feline’s body to those on the 3D model. Indeed, the tiger looks very real and quite frightening. At one point, when Pi first embarks on the lifeboat, Richard Parker leaps from beneath the deck and literally into the audience.

During these initial scenes, the animals on board are literally terrifying, and their interactions with one another involve a great deal of raw tension. Each of the animals has a well developed character, like the orangutan called Orange Juice, who gets too sea-sick to eat, or the hyena, who menaces everyone onboard with aggressive yelps and snarls. In a scene with flying fish, the 3D perspective transports us onboard, ducking between the rapidly sailing assailants in an all out frenzy.

While the animals are remarkably realistic and engaging, other 3D effects are not as successful. Some of the strongest moments in the novel are Pi’s introspective moments at sea, as Martel poses metaphysical quandaries to the reader. Unfortunately for Lee, conveying deep, spiritual awakening requires more than mere images, and star-spangled waters are lovely but fail to grasp the depth of divinity. At times, Pi will gaze down into the ocean and see a variety of pictures and constellations, but they look absurdly fake and ridiculously contrived. Instead of adding a layer of spiritual depth, these visuals cheapen the emotional worth of Pi’s experience.

Thankfully, Suraj Sharma, who plays a teenage Pi and dominates the majority of the film, breathes life into the script. As portrayed by the former unknown, all of the teenage Pi’s emotions are tangible and moving.  Irrfan Khan, as the elder Pi, is also convincing. However, Rafe Spall’s portrayal of the writer is a disappointment.  Scenes in which Khan delivers intense emotional passages seem lost on the character as Spall merely nods his head blankly.

While the movie doesn’t offer the spiritual depth of the novel, it is at times a beautiful cinematic experience. Lee’s animals are extraordinary characters, realistic and captivating, and the film is worth seeing for them alone. This movie is a ray of metaphorical hope, and looks fantastic on the big screen.

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Outside at the Whistler Film Festival

Whistler Film Festival announces highlights, nominees, and jury members

- by Elana Shepert

The 12th Annual Whistler Film Festival has announced its nominees, as well as a star-studded array of attendees.

The event takes place from Nov 28-Dec 2 on the slopes of one of B.C.’s premier alpine destinations. The Whistler Film Festival Society plays a leading role in the development and production of Canadian film and new talent through charitable support, which culminates in the annual year-end festival. This year’s theme:  prepare to be inspired. 

The spotlight is on Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. On Nov 30, the fest will honour the British actor’s career, which includes a return to London’s infamous West End Stage in The Cripple of Inishmaan, as well three hotly awaited films. In Kill Your Darlings, which dramatizes a murder that purportedly ignited the Beat movement, he portrays a young Allen Ginsberg. He also costars with the adorable Zoe Kazan in the romantic comedy The F Word, and is currently filming an adaptation of Joe Hill‘s novel Horns in Vancouver.

Besides honouring Radcliffe, this year’s WFF will present its annual Trailblazer Award for Acting and Scriptwriting to Rashida Jones, for showcasing her aptitude in both comedic and dramatic roles, as well as establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming screenwriting talents. Variety’s Executive Editor Steven Gaydos will present the honor on Nov 29. Afterward, the film fest will screen Celeste and Jesse Forever, a 2012 romantic comedy co-written and co-starring Jones. Actor and co-writer Will McCormack will attend the screening and join in the evening’s discussion.

Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg – Celeste and Jesse Forever

In addition to saluting Jones, the WFF will present the Trailblazer in Animation Award to Eric Beckman, founder and CEO of New York-based indie GKIDS. His company is responsible for distributing alternative and intelligent non-studio animated fare world-wide, including Francois Laguionie’s The Painting, which the fest screens Dec 1.  

As well as granting individual honours, the Whistler Film Fest hosts Variety’s 10 Best Screenwriters to Watch, presented by Amazon Studios and Variety. Screenwriters include Kate Dippold (The Heat), Patrick Aison (Wunderkind), Reid Carolin (Magic Mike), Scott Rothman and Rajiv Joseph (Draft Day), Ted Melfi (St Vincent De Van Nuys), Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed), Bill Dubuque (The Judge), Chris Terrio (Argo), Kelly Marcel (50 Shades of Grey), and Ken Scott (Starbuck). On Dec 1, attending screenwriters will share their personal experiences in film, and discuss their challenges in the current film market. On Dec 2 Variety will present the screenwriters with an award at the WFF Awards Brunch.

Lastly, eight films will compete for the prestigious $15,000 Phillip Borsos Award for best Canadian feature. It is the second largest cash prize in Canadian film after  the Toronto International Film Festival’s award for best feature, and the jury includes acclaimed actor/director Helen Shaver, producer Martin Katz, and actors Rachelle Lefevre (Omerta, Barney’s Vision) and Liane Balaban (One Week). 

Score early-bird passes to the opening gala and find out information about the festival here

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Saleem and Parvati in Midnight’s Children

Movie review – Midnight’s Children

- By Elana Shepert

Midnight’s Children is one of the most ambitious films of the last decade. Based on Salman Rushdie’s epic novel, the narrative includes the colonization of India by the British, the birth of India and Pakistan, and the resulting bloody feud between nations. With an intricate  plot, which includes an endless number of characters and themes, the 1980 novel was considered unfilmable. But with a screenplay by Rushdie himself, director Deepa Mehta (Water,  Fire,  Earth), along with a cast and crew of thousands, almost pulls it off.

The story begins with hundreds of children born around midnight on the eve of India’s independence. Each has a unique power. The most powerful is Saleem Sinai. With his magical nose, he can telepathically communicate with all the children. His antagonist is Shiva, the fighter. The two boys are switched at birth, thus condemning Shiva to a life of poverty while Saleem lives a life of fortune. Their fates continue to intermingle as they struggle to find their way amidst the chaos of the aftermath of  Indian independence.

Besides writing the screenplay, Rushdie narrates at critical points with a few choice words, which help make the story intelligible. When Saleem’s mother, Amina, weds her new husband, we are told, “But love is a rare thing.”  The facade of love is sorrowfully unveiled, as each proceeding moment in her new marriage betrays a profound longing. Her proceeding disillusionment is a slow, painful heartbreak. She will never love him, or anyone, like she loved her former husband, a sentimental poet, and the audience is privy to a masterful depiction of the unraveling of choice.

While it is crucial for the novel’s success, Rushdie’s voice isn’t enough to carry the film. On the night India officially becomes independent, his voiceover fails to explain a nurse’s reason for switching the two babies. Such an extraordinary decision seems psychotic without a motive. We have no idea who she is, why she loves a mysterious man who leaps into her window, or really anything at all.

Saleem and his son in Midnight’s Children

Other parts of the film are also poorly handled. Conjured up by Saleem’s mystical nose, the midnight’schildren meetings have potential to be incredibly cinematic—but they feel like corny staged theatre, and almost all the characters lack enough screen time to be noteworthy. Moments of strife between Shiva and Saleem feel comical and out of place, more reminiscent of a brawl out of Grease or West Side Story than a supernatural congregation.

Other interactions and scenes can stand on their own, without the back story included in the novel. Although they have only met previously in the magical meetings, the reunion between Saleem and Parvati, his love interest, carries convincing passion. Her gypsy-like allure pulls a disconcerted and bemused Saleem from the sidelines of a parade and onto a colourful float where she is dancing. Their union helps him regain composure, and rescues the narrative, which had been flailing amidst confusing war scenes.

The main issue in Midnight’s Children, however, is time. There are too many characters, and too many themes in the novel, for a coherent translation, even in a movie that is two-and-a-half hours long. Yet the parts that do work are captivating, and it is possible to get lost in the enchantment. This is in part due to Satya Bhabha, an English actor whose resume includes Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. As Saleem, he is remarkable, and he carries the emotional weight of the script. His charming earnestness communicates his sense of wonder, creating depth in his strange magic and ethereal love.

Fans of the novel may be disappointed by this faithful, flawed take on the book’s epic scope. Others, however, may enjoy the movie for what it is – a magical romance set against a historical backdrop.

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Who is the best Catwoman?

In The Dark Knight Rises, Anne Hathaway steps into stilettos previously occupied by Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt and Michelle Pfeiffer. And, uhm, oh yeah, Halle Berry (better not to talk about that unfortunate, filmed-in-Vancouver stinker). But who is the best Catwoman?

The star of Love & Other Drugs and One Day plays Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman in the last installment of director Christopher Nolan‘s “dark” Batman franchise. The movie goes into wide release this Friday July 20 2012. The New York Daily News calls her performance “super coy.”

Anne Hathaway looking “super-coy” in handcuffs.

But how does Anne measure up to the women who have played Catowoman in the past?

Julie Newmar (pictured below) had a great quote recently. In an interview with The Yo Show, she said she wasn’t so fond of The Dark Knight Rises.

“I remember sitting back in the fight scenes,” she said in the interview. “Catwoman would just kind of sit there in the fight scenes and she just sort of file her nails like that. She couldn’t be bothered with all that nonsense.”

Which, really, when you think about it, is exactly what a Catwoman should do.

Julie Newmar from the ’60s Batman TV series.

Eartha Kitt put a different spin on the character – she brought more Eartha to the role.

A singer, actress and cabaret performer, Kitt is probably best know for her Christmas song “Santa Baby”. According to Wikipedia, Orson Welles once called her “the most exciting woman in the world.” And, as we know, Welles was never one given to hyperbole (sarcasm).

But is she the best Catwoman?

Eartha Kitt as CW, also from the TV series

Former Miss America Lee Meriwether played Catwoman in the 1966 Adam West-Burt Ward Batman movie. This movie has to be seen to be believed (although we could say the same about Bat Pussy – but better you read Adrian Mack‘s review of that tawdry slice of ’70s superhero porn).

Lee Meriwether as Catwoman from the 1966 movie Batman.

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman from the 1992 movie Batman Returns.

Halle Berry as Catwoman from the titular 2004 movie. Is it just us or is the costume getting worse with each iteration?

Leave it to the 2010 porn parody version of the 60s Batman TV series to bring it on home with Tori Black wearing a close approximation of the original outfit.

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Katharine Isabelle as Mary Mason in America Mary (2012).

American Mary follows up Soska Twins’ Dead Hooker in a Trunk

A one-minute trailer has been released for American Mary. The movie is the second from Twisted Twins Productions, the film company run by Vancouver’s Jen and Sylvia Soska, and follows their 2009 release Dead Hooker in a Trunk. The movie stars Katharine Isabelle as Mary Mason, a medical student who performs underground surgeries.

Movie trailer – American Mary:

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