January 13: Our Man In Tehran
Directors: Larry Weinstein, Drew Taylor
With: Ken Taylor, Joe Clark, Flora MacDonald, Tony Mendez
Year: 2013
Runtime: 85 minutes
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating: PG
The film Argo shows how six U.S. diplomats escaped from Iran while dozens of their colleagues were being held hostage in the American Embassy. It makes CIA agent Tony Mendez the hero of the story, contrary to what we were told back in the day, once the escapees were safely out of Iran.
Our Man in Tehran confirms that the first version was indeed the correct one. Canada’s ambassdor to Iran, Ken Taylor, his wife Pat, and other members of the Canadian Embassy staff, especially John Sheardown and his wife Zena, made the six Americans welcome in their homes despite the danger to themselves. Taylor and other staff members did quite a lot of reconnaissance work, too.
Canada created new identities for the six Americans, and provided the passports they needed to get out of the country. Other ID papers, business cards, sales receipts, etc., were made to further create Canadian identities.
Our Man in Tehran features archival footage and relatively recent interviews with the escapees, Ken and Pat Taylor, Joe Clark, who was prime minister at the time, Flora MacDonald, who was Secretary of State for External Affairs and CIA agent Tony Mendez himself.
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| Drew and Larry with Clare behind |
With: Ken Taylor, Joe Clark, Flora MacDonald, Tony Mendez
Year: 2013
Runtime: 85 minutes
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating: PG
The film Argo shows how six U.S. diplomats escaped from Iran while dozens of their colleagues were being held hostage in the American Embassy. It makes CIA agent Tony Mendez the hero of the story, contrary to what we were told back in the day, once the escapees were safely out of Iran.
Our Man in Tehran confirms that the first version was indeed the correct one. Canada’s ambassdor to Iran, Ken Taylor, his wife Pat, and other members of the Canadian Embassy staff, especially John Sheardown and his wife Zena, made the six Americans welcome in their homes despite the danger to themselves. Taylor and other staff members did quite a lot of reconnaissance work, too.
Canada created new identities for the six Americans, and provided the passports they needed to get out of the country. Other ID papers, business cards, sales receipts, etc., were made to further create Canadian identities.
Our Man in Tehran features archival footage and relatively recent interviews with the escapees, Ken and Pat Taylor, Joe Clark, who was prime minister at the time, Flora MacDonald, who was Secretary of State for External Affairs and CIA agent Tony Mendez himself.
Even now, decades later, you can still feel the chill when former CBC reporter Carole Jerome says that looking into the Ayatollah Khomeini’s eyes was like “looking into the abyss.”
The venerable Joe Schlesinger, another former CBC reporter, contributes his memories and his gravitas to the film as well.
The venerable Joe Schlesinger, another former CBC reporter, contributes his memories and his gravitas to the film as well.
January 27: Gabrielle
Best Film and Best Actress at the Canadian Film Awards!!
Director: Louise Archambault
Cast: Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Alexandre Landry, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin
Year: 2013
Runtime: 104 minutes
Country: Canada
Best Film and Best Actress at the Canadian Film Awards!!
Director: Louise Archambault
Cast: Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Alexandre Landry, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin
Year: 2013
Runtime: 104 minutes
Country: Canada
Language: French (English subtitles)
Rating: 14A
Living in a group home, musically talented Gabrielle (Gabrielle Marion-Rivard) has found love in Martin (Alexandre Landry), a fellow member of her choir. They want to explore their feelings for one another physically, but are not allowed. Convinced that living alone will allow her to have the intimate relationship she so desperately craves, Gabrielle tries valiantly to prove she can be independent.
As she did with Familia—which won Best Canadian First Feature at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival—Archambault displays her keen ability to distill the emotional currents of families at a crossroads. Gabrielle’s rock is her sister Sophie (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin; Incendies), who tries to help her but knows that full independence will never be possible. Meanwhile, Sophie is facing her own life-altering decision. Unlike the troubled relationship the women have with their mother, Sophie and Gabrielle find immeasurable strength and inspiration in each other.
At the core of this film is the heartfelt performance by Marion-Rivard (who has Williams syndrome in real life). Gabrielle’s effusive giddiness is contagious, her drive unrelenting. As the choir works towards its big performance with Quebec music legend Robert Charlebois, this turbulent, moving journey is furthered by Mathieu Laverdière’s ethereal cinematography. Gabrielle is a captivating film about tolerance and finding happiness, but, above all, it is a story of love.
Watch the preview of the film. Click on the right side of the screen.
To hear the excellent interview on CBC Q with the filmmaker, Louise Archambault, regarding the making of the film, click here.
February 10: Cas & Dylan
Director: Jason Priestley
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Tatiana Maslany
Year: 2013
Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: Canada
Language: English
Director: Jason Priestley
Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Tatiana Maslany
Year: 2013
Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating:
Life on the road has been the subject of some of the most poignant works in Canadian cinema history, from Goin’ Down the Road to Highway 61 to One Week. Smart, funny and heartfelt, Cas & Dylan, the feature directorial debut from actor-turned-filmmaker Jason Priestley (television’s Call Me Fitz, Beverly Hills 90120), can now be added to that collection of memorable films.
Screen legend Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl, Jaws) stars as Dr. Cas Pepper, a curmudgeonly surgeon whose only companion in life is his small dog. Faced with some unexpected news, Cas makes the abrupt decision to leave Winnipeg and drive west to British Columbia—and to an uncertain future. Before departing, he meets an aspiring young writer named Dylan (newcomer and TIFF Rising Star Tatiana Maslany; television’s Orphan Black, Picture Day) who possesses a life-altering secret of her own, and wouldn’t mind coming along for the ride. The two unlikely companions hit the road, encountering a series of bizarre twists and turns along their cross-country journey. And it isn’t long before they realize that, in searching for an escape route, they may have found their place in the world.
Beautifully shot against the visually stunning backdrop of the Canadian Prairies and Rocky Mountains, Cas & Dylan is a breathtaking voyage of discovery. Priestley’s wealth of experience as an actor is obvious in the performances he extracts from his two leads. Boasting a terrific soundtrack featuring Canadian artists such as Jenn Grant and Old Man Luedecke, Cas & Dylan will appeal to audiences young and old.
Life on the road has been the subject of some of the most poignant works in Canadian cinema history, from Goin’ Down the Road to Highway 61 to One Week. Smart, funny and heartfelt, Cas & Dylan, the feature directorial debut from actor-turned-filmmaker Jason Priestley (television’s Call Me Fitz, Beverly Hills 90120), can now be added to that collection of memorable films.
Screen legend Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl, Jaws) stars as Dr. Cas Pepper, a curmudgeonly surgeon whose only companion in life is his small dog. Faced with some unexpected news, Cas makes the abrupt decision to leave Winnipeg and drive west to British Columbia—and to an uncertain future. Before departing, he meets an aspiring young writer named Dylan (newcomer and TIFF Rising Star Tatiana Maslany; television’s Orphan Black, Picture Day) who possesses a life-altering secret of her own, and wouldn’t mind coming along for the ride. The two unlikely companions hit the road, encountering a series of bizarre twists and turns along their cross-country journey. And it isn’t long before they realize that, in searching for an escape route, they may have found their place in the world.
Beautifully shot against the visually stunning backdrop of the Canadian Prairies and Rocky Mountains, Cas & Dylan is a breathtaking voyage of discovery. Priestley’s wealth of experience as an actor is obvious in the performances he extracts from his two leads. Boasting a terrific soundtrack featuring Canadian artists such as Jenn Grant and Old Man Luedecke, Cas & Dylan will appeal to audiences young and old.
Watch the preview.
February 24: The Invisible Woman
Director: Ralph Fiennes
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas
Year: 2013
Runtime: 111 minutes
Country: UK
Language: English
Rating:
Nelly (Felicity Jones), a happily-married mother and schoolteacher, is haunted by her past. Her memories, provoked by remorse and guilt, take us back in time to follow the story of her relationship with Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes), with whom she discovered an exciting but fragile complicity.
Dickens—famous, controlling and emotionally isolated within his success—falls for Nelly, who comes from a family of actors. The theatre is a vital arena for Dickens, a brilliant amateur actor—a man more emotionally coherent on the page or on stage than in life.
As Nelly becomes the focus of Dickens' passion and his muse, for both of them secrecy is the price, and for Nelly, a life of "invisibility."
Official Trailer
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Director: Ralph Fiennes
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas
Year: 2013
Runtime: 111 minutes
Country: UK
Language: English
Rating:
Nelly (Felicity Jones), a happily-married mother and schoolteacher, is haunted by her past. Her memories, provoked by remorse and guilt, take us back in time to follow the story of her relationship with Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes), with whom she discovered an exciting but fragile complicity.
Dickens—famous, controlling and emotionally isolated within his success—falls for Nelly, who comes from a family of actors. The theatre is a vital arena for Dickens, a brilliant amateur actor—a man more emotionally coherent on the page or on stage than in life.
As Nelly becomes the focus of Dickens' passion and his muse, for both of them secrecy is the price, and for Nelly, a life of "invisibility."
Official Trailer
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March 17: Great Beauty
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Cast:: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli
Year: 2013
Runtime: 142
Country: Italy/France
Language: Italian (English subtitles)
Rating: 14A
Paolo Sorrentino's work becomes freer and more daring with each film he makes. Il Divo, his brilliant, kaleidoscopic portrait of the politician Giulio Andreotti, and This Must Be the Place, a film about a man roaming the world in search of his past, were bold, individualistic pieces of cinema. From the striking opening shot of his new film — a shell being blasted from a cannon, followed by the party of all parties set above Rome's Colosseum — we know we are in for a special ride. Sorrentino's subject extends well beyond the crisis his sixty-five-year-old protagonist is undergoing, for The Great Beauty is determined to look into the very soul of Italy.
Concentrating on world-weary journalist Jep Gambardella as his cipher and muse, Sorrentino scrapes away the veneer of this character to explore his disappointments, not just as a failed novelist who never married and has no children, but also as a man who has surrendered to cynicism. Whilst remembering moments of purity in his past, he also admits to the compromises he has made and the emptiness that surrounds him.
Compulsive partying, shallow conversations, and casual sex keep the void at bay, but Jep is too sensitive to his plight to enjoy these diversions without self-awareness. As Sorrentino's camera moves through a nocturnal Rome, after the parties and the conversations are over, it settles on the timeless beauty of the city's monuments and statues, which act as wordless reminders of a different kind of past. The Great Beauty is a grand indictment of a man, and a society, that has lost its way. Toni Servillo, as always, dazzles in the lead role, serving Sorrentino's grandly ambitious vision perfectly.
March 31: Twenty Feet From Stardom
Director: Morgan Neville
Cast::
Year: 2013
Runtime: 89
Country: USA
Language: English
Rating:
Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (Beauty is Embarrassing, Pearl Jam Twenty)returns with his compelling new documentary, Twenty Feet from Stardom, an Official Selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. In his latest foray into the subject of rock ’n’ roll history, Neville shines a spotlight on the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the late 20th century, taking an unprecedented look at the moving personal journeys of these normally uncelebrated artists and paying tribute to their indelible role in popular music.
Although few, if any, of these singers become household names, their work has defined countless songs and records that remain hallowed in rock’s collective memory. Helping to set the record straight, Neville juxtaposes interviews with industry legends (Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, Sting, and Bette Midler) with the relative unknowns who support them—a list that includes such talents as Merry Clayton (who sang on The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”), Táta Vega (notable for her duets with Michael Jackson and Lou Rawls), and Darlene Love (a discovery by producer Phil Spector). As each backup singer demonstrates their unquestionable talent, and the unique blend of intuition and skill needed to support lead vocals, they also reveal their own struggles to find careers as solo artists, and their disappointment in a music industry that has only propelled them so far.
Triumphant and heartbreaking, Twenty Feet from Stardom is a tribute to the unsung voices that changed the sound of popular music, and a reflection on the conflicts, sacrifices, and rewards of a career spent harmonizing with others and standing next to the spotlight.
Although few, if any, of these singers become household names, their work has defined countless songs and records that remain hallowed in rock’s collective memory. Helping to set the record straight, Neville juxtaposes interviews with industry legends (Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, Sting, and Bette Midler) with the relative unknowns who support them—a list that includes such talents as Merry Clayton (who sang on The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”), Táta Vega (notable for her duets with Michael Jackson and Lou Rawls), and Darlene Love (a discovery by producer Phil Spector). As each backup singer demonstrates their unquestionable talent, and the unique blend of intuition and skill needed to support lead vocals, they also reveal their own struggles to find careers as solo artists, and their disappointment in a music industry that has only propelled them so far.
Triumphant and heartbreaking, Twenty Feet from Stardom is a tribute to the unsung voices that changed the sound of popular music, and a reflection on the conflicts, sacrifices, and rewards of a career spent harmonizing with others and standing next to the spotlight.
Director: Roger Michell
Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan
Year: 2013
Runtime: 93 minutes
Country: UK
Language: English
Rating:
Numerous films of late have turned their attention to the romantic lives of older people, but many do so in an “isn’t that charming” manner that verges on the condescending. Bracing, prickly, and full of passion, Le Week-end, the new film from director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Hyde Park on Hudson), sheds the cozy comfort of retiree rom-coms for an altogether more interesting love story: the ups and downs of a romance 30 years in the making.
Meg (Lindsay Duncan) and Nick (Jim Broadbent) have been together forever. For their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they've chosen to return to Paris, where they honeymooned. It's not long before the city of light begins reflecting the couple's conflicts right back at them.
Rejecting their first, depressingly beige, hotel for an impossibly expensive choice, Meg then begins rejecting her husband. "Can I touch you?" he asks, tentatively. "What for?" she snaps. Although they would never stoop to acting them out physically, this relationship has emotional contours the Marquis de Sade could embrace. When Meg and Nick run into their insufferably successful old friend, played with pure delight by Jeff Goldblum, their squabbles rise to a register that's both emotionally rich and very funny.
By turns sharply comic and deadly serious, Le Week-end is full of surprises. The dialogue has both the heart and the crackle of Richard Linklater's Before…series, delving deep into the tensions that shape this couple's relationship while holding nothing back. Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Hyde Park on Hudson) has shown us the pleasures of complicated romance before, but never has his filmmaking felt freer. From the charged scenes at the hotel, to Goldblum's delicious intervention, to a clever nod to Jean-Luc Godard at the end, this is one of the most enjoyable love stories we've seen all year.
Numerous films of late have turned their attention to the romantic lives of older people, but many do so in an “isn’t that charming” manner that verges on the condescending. Bracing, prickly, and full of passion, Le Week-end, the new film from director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Hyde Park on Hudson), sheds the cozy comfort of retiree rom-coms for an altogether more interesting love story: the ups and downs of a romance 30 years in the making.
Meg (Lindsay Duncan) and Nick (Jim Broadbent) have been together forever. For their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they've chosen to return to Paris, where they honeymooned. It's not long before the city of light begins reflecting the couple's conflicts right back at them.
Rejecting their first, depressingly beige, hotel for an impossibly expensive choice, Meg then begins rejecting her husband. "Can I touch you?" he asks, tentatively. "What for?" she snaps. Although they would never stoop to acting them out physically, this relationship has emotional contours the Marquis de Sade could embrace. When Meg and Nick run into their insufferably successful old friend, played with pure delight by Jeff Goldblum, their squabbles rise to a register that's both emotionally rich and very funny.
By turns sharply comic and deadly serious, Le Week-end is full of surprises. The dialogue has both the heart and the crackle of Richard Linklater's Before…series, delving deep into the tensions that shape this couple's relationship while holding nothing back. Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Hyde Park on Hudson) has shown us the pleasures of complicated romance before, but never has his filmmaking felt freer. From the charged scenes at the hotel, to Goldblum's delicious intervention, to a clever nod to Jean-Luc Godard at the end, this is one of the most enjoyable love stories we've seen all year.
April 28: The Lunchbox
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Year: 2013
Runtime: 104 minutes
Country: India
Language: Hindi (English subtitles)
Rating: G
Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire) stars alongside the radiant Nimrat Kaur in Ritesh Batra's delightful feature debut, in which a mistaken lunchbox delivery paves the way for an unlikely romance. In Mumbai, home to over 18 million people, more than 5,000 famously efficient dabbawallas — lunchbox couriers — navigate chaotic streets to deliver lunches, lovingly prepared by housewives, to working men across the city.
Ila (Kaur) is a housewife living in a middle- class neighbourhood with a husband who ignores her. Saajan (Khan) is a beaten down widower about to retire from his number-crunching job. After Ila realizes that Saajan is receiving the meals meant for her husband, the two begin sending each other letters through the lunchbox.
What starts as an innocent exchange about Ila's cooking gently develops into something more. Outside the space of their daily lives, both Ila and Saajan feel free to express themselves in new ways, leading them both to question how they might find happiness.
Batra's The Lunchbox paints a nuanced portrait of life in contemporary Mumbai, effortlessly weaving themes of gender values, social class, and generational differences into its core love story. Batra's beautifully penned characters — including Aslam (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), the eager trainee preparing to take over Saajan's job — and gentle, precise direction simply envelope you.
Whether it's the cooking of a meal, the reading of a letter, or the riding of a crowded train, the film's small moments culminate in big impact. In a word: enchanting.
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Year: 2013
Runtime: 104 minutes
Country: India
Language: Hindi (English subtitles)
Rating: G
Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire) stars alongside the radiant Nimrat Kaur in Ritesh Batra's delightful feature debut, in which a mistaken lunchbox delivery paves the way for an unlikely romance. In Mumbai, home to over 18 million people, more than 5,000 famously efficient dabbawallas — lunchbox couriers — navigate chaotic streets to deliver lunches, lovingly prepared by housewives, to working men across the city.
Ila (Kaur) is a housewife living in a middle- class neighbourhood with a husband who ignores her. Saajan (Khan) is a beaten down widower about to retire from his number-crunching job. After Ila realizes that Saajan is receiving the meals meant for her husband, the two begin sending each other letters through the lunchbox.
What starts as an innocent exchange about Ila's cooking gently develops into something more. Outside the space of their daily lives, both Ila and Saajan feel free to express themselves in new ways, leading them both to question how they might find happiness.
Batra's The Lunchbox paints a nuanced portrait of life in contemporary Mumbai, effortlessly weaving themes of gender values, social class, and generational differences into its core love story. Batra's beautifully penned characters — including Aslam (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), the eager trainee preparing to take over Saajan's job — and gentle, precise direction simply envelope you.
Whether it's the cooking of a meal, the reading of a letter, or the riding of a crowded train, the film's small moments culminate in big impact. In a word: enchanting.
