metroguide cinema
MARCH 2014
TIM’S VERMEER /// BEST OF THE BRITISH CINEMA /// VERDI’S LES VEPRES SICILIENNES
metrocinema at the Garneau 8712 - 109 Street, Edm AB T6G 1E9 www.metrocinema.org
The Black Dog Freehouse - 10425 Whyte Ave. Open daily until 2am.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious family fun!
2007 TONY AWARD WINNER
MARCH 15 - APRIL 20/14 A MUSICAL BASED ON THE STORIES OF P.L. TRAVERS & THE WALT DISNEY FILM ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS BY RICHARD M.SHERMAN & ROBERT B.SHERMAN BOOK BY JULIAN FELLOWES NEW SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC & LYRICS BY GEORGE STILES & ANTHONY DREWE CO-CREATED BY CAMERON MACKINTOSH DIRECTED BY MICHAEL SHAMATA
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march 2014 SCHEDULE Music Docs///
Provincial Archives Pre-show/// Escape the mid-winter cold with archival footage of trips to warm climates from the Provincial Archives of Alberta. This month, we are featuring home movies from road trips to Florida, home movies of a trip to Southeast Asia in the 1950s, and footage from Kenya-Uganda Safari by Alberta naturalist and filmmaker Edgar T. Jones.
Canada’s Top Ten: Rhymes for Young Ghouls Canada 2013, 85 min, Digital, Dir: Jeff Barnaby Feb 28 @ 7PM, 3 @ 9PM, 4 @ 9:15PM
Set against the backdrop of the residential schools tragedy - when thousands of Aboriginal children were separated from their families, culture, and language, Rhymes centres around Aila, who at only 15 years old, has taken over the drug business of her father while he serves a stint in prison. His return signals an abrupt end to her reign as the reservation’s drug queen; it also piques the interest the reserve’s corrupt and sadistic Indian agent. The bloody tragedy that unfolds becomes an angry and poetic howl for lost lives, lost opportunities and lost loved ones - a fever dream whose terrifying fictions are grounded in even more terrible fact.
The Act of Killing (Director’s Cut) Denmark/ Norway/ UK 2012, 159 min, Digital,Dir: Joshua Oppenheimer 1 @ 1PM, 2 @ 8:45PM
Nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar, this chilling and inventive documentary examines a country where killers are celebrated as heroes and the filmmakers challenge unrepentant death squad leaders to reenact their real-life mass-killings in the style of the American movies they love. The hallucinatory result is a cinematic fever dream, an unsettling journey deep into the imaginations of massmurderers and the shockingly banal regime of corruption and impunity they inhabit.
The Broken Circle Breakdown Belgium/ Netherlands 2012, 111 min, Digital, Dir: Felix Van Groeningen Flemish & English w/ subtitles 1 @ 9:30PM, 2 @ 2PM
A Best Foreign Feature Oscar contender, this film about inked-up tattoo artist Elise who meets gentle, a banjo-playing bluegrass musician Didier, and falls in love. Despite some considerable differences, their lives quickly become inextricably intertwined. A passionate and moving love story scored to a glorious soundtrack of traditional and original bluegrass compositions.
A monthly film series featuring music documentaries, from classic to contemporary. Curated by Tim Rechner, and co-presented with CJSR and Blackbyrd Myoozik.
Filmage: The Story of Descendents/ All Inside Llewyn Davis USA/ UK/ France 2013, 104 min, Digital, Dirs: Joel & Ethan Coen 1 @ 4PM, 2 @ 6:45PM, 8 @ 7PM, 11 @ 9PM
Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles - some of them of his own making. Living at the mercy of both friends and strangers, scaring up what work he can find on an odyssey to audition for a music mogul, Llewyn’s misadventures take him from the basket houses of the Village to an empty Chicago club and back again. A musical cornucopia featuring performances by Isaac, Justin Timberlake, and Carey Mulligan, as well as Marcus Mumford and Punch Brothers, Inside Llewyn Davis is infused with the transportive sound of another time and place. See next page for the Metro Retro Spotlight on the Coen Brothers!
Global Visions Film Festival presents: Finding Vivian Maier USA 2013, 83 min, Digital, Dirs: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel 1 @ 7PM
With the discovery of 100,000 photographs hidden in storage lockers decades after they were taken, the mysterious nanny who secretly took them is now considered among the 20th century’s greatest photographers. Maier’s strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never before seen photographs, films, and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her. Advance tickets: Eventbrite $12, Rush tickets at Metro box office the day of the screening, $12.
Canada’s Top Ten: Gabrielle Canada 2013, 104 min, Digital, Dir: Louise Archambault, French w/ subtitles 2 @ 4:15PM
Archambault’s tender drama follows a developmentally challenged young woman’s quest for independence and sexual freedom. Living in a group home for developmentally disabled adults, the musically talented Gabrielle finds love with her fellow choir member Martin, but the couple’s desire to explore their feelings for one another physically is forbidden by the home’s staff. Convinced that living alone will allow her to have the intimate relationship she craves, Gabrielle valiantly sets out to prove she can be independent.
USA 2013, 90 min, Digital, Dirs: Deedle Lacour, Matt Riggle 4 @ 7PM
Long before Green Day and Blink 182 inflicted punk-rock’s puncture wound on the map of mainstream music, the Descendents were in a garage concocting the perfect mix of pop, angst, love, and coffee. Filmage follows band leader/ drummer/square-peg Bill Stevenson and his “caffeinated retardedness” as he pushes his rotating door of bandmates to “achieve ALL”his philosophy of going for greatness at all costs. Stevenson is a force to be reckoned with, proving that not even a grapefruit-sized brain tumor can keep him down. Interviews with the band, along with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Mike Watt (Minutemen), Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion) and many more reveal the story of a band - if not THE band - responsible for pop-punk as you know it. Live Music Performance by POT COP. Music: 6:30pm, Film 7pm.
Pecha Kucha Night 18 6 @ 7PM
Presented by Edmonton’s NextGen, Pecha Kucha Night 18 (PKN 18), features presentations of local ideas, projects and musings in the 20 slides at 20 seconds per slide format made popular worldwide by Tokyo’s Klein Dytham Architecture. More than 175 presentations have been given at Edmonton PKNs to date on wide-ranging topics, from lighting up Edmonton’s bridges to spelling bees and everything in between. Doors @ 6:30. Tickets: $17, $15 StudentS. Online tickets: pechakuchanight18.eventbrite.ca.
Omar Palestine 2013, 96 min, Digital, Dir: Hany Abu-Assad, Arabic/ Hebrew w/ subtitles 7 @ 7PM, 8 @ 9:15PM, 9 @ 1PM, 12 @ 9:30PM, 13 @ 9PM
Ever since the concrete Separation Wall divided their West Bank town, childhood friends Omar, Amjad, and Tarek must surreptitiously climb over the wall - risking their lives - just to hang out. Omar has an additional motive for dodging the punishing watch of the Israeli military and their bullets: he is in love with Nadia, Tarek’s younger sister. When Rami, an Israeli military intelligence officer investigating the killing of an officer posted at a checkpoint, becomes aware of Omar’s love for Nadia (a secret kept from her brother), he draws Omar into the hell of conflicted loyalties. Masterfully paced, the film boasts compelling performances from its young cast ... Omar is set to become an Arab noir classic. (TIFF)
Metro Retro: The Films of the Coen Brothers/// Taking the Coen Brothers’ latest film, the 2013 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize- winning Inside Llweyn Davis, as our point of departure, Metro Cinema veers into the off-kilter universe of Joel and Ethan Coen this March with a sixfilm retrospective (two of which are featured by our monthly series, Crime Watch and Cult Cinema) that showcases the unique and irresistible body of work of two of the most consistently entertaining, inventive, and thought-provoking contemporary filmmakers. From the body in the woodchipper in Fargo, to the haircut from hell in No Country for Old Men, there’s definitely no shortage of unexpected twists, distinctive characters, and memorable scenes in the Coens’ films. Metro invites you to rediscover your favourite moments in our celebration of two outstanding filmmakers and their work.
Raising Arizona USA 1987, 94 min, Digital, Dir: Joel Coen 3 @ 7PM
Ed (Holly Hunter) is a cop devastated by the discovery that she’s unable to have children. Her husband, H.I. (Nicolas Cage), is an ex-con who wants nothing more than to make his wife the happiest woman in the world. So if she wants a baby, she’s going to have a baby, one way or another. Heading up the supporting cast of bizarre characters are John Goodman and William Forsythe as crazy cousins who have just busted out of prison, Sam McMurray and Frances McDormand as Ed and H.I.’s swinging friends, and Randall “Tex” Cobb as a motorcycle madman hired to rescue the baby. Carter Burwell’s score, replete with infectious yodeling, is relentless: Barry Sonnenfeld’s cinematography is beautifully wacky; and the manic dialogue is some of the brothers’ most quotable.
Denmark/ Sweden/ Greenland 2013, 90 min, Digital, Dir: Daniel Dencik 7 @ 9PM, 9 @ 9:30PM, 10 @ 9:15PM, 13 @ 7PM
Miller’s Crossing USA 1990, 115 min, Digital, Dir: Joel Coen 24 @ 7PM
This is the Coens at their genre-revisionist best, creating a film that is both a commentary on and an exemplar of the gangster-movie genre. Tom (Gabriel Byrne), a tight-lipped tough guy with a strict moral code, finds his loyalty to Irish crime boss Leo (Albert Finney) put to the test when Leo goes out on a limb to protect the bookie brother (John Turturro) of his mistress (and Tom’s long-term secret lover) Verna (Marcia Gay Harden) from a rival mobster. When Tom reveals his and Verna’s affair to Leo in an effort to avoid a destructive gang war, Leo kicks him out of the organization, forcing Tom to play both sides of the street if he’s going to make it out alive. Elevating crime-movie archetypes to the level of myth, Miller’s Crossing is “a superb, languid fantasia on the theme of the gangster film that repays endless viewing” (David Thomson).
When Texan tough guy, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), stumbles upon the bloody aftermath of a drug deal turned deadly, he grabs the swag and keeps his mouth shut. But his clean getaway soon proves to be anything but. When an unusually coiffed killer, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), is dispatched to recover the money, a deadly, cross-country game of cat-and-mouse ensues, observed from afar by weary, philosophical old sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, No Country for Old Men once again sees the Coens creating a strikingly original kind of American fable, where the moral certainties and rugged individualism of yesteryear (represented by Bell and Moss) collides with the chilling force of destruction embodied by Chigurh.... (TIFF)
Aboard a three-mast schooner loaded with artists, scientists, and ambitions worthy of Noah or Columbus, we set off towards the end of the world: in this case, the rapidly melting ice massifs in North-East Greenland. It’s an epic journey during which the intrepid sailors become acquainted with imaginary tent pitches, polar bear nightmares, and entirely new species. But throughout their encounters with the unknown parts of our world, the crew - ranging from the artists Tal R and Daniel Richter to the geologist Minik Rosing - addresses a number of questions of a fundamental, existential nature. Curiosity, pathos and a liberating splash of humour come together in this documentary, whose succession of iconic images seduce us far beyond and deep into the historical footnote that is humanity.
The Room USA 2003, 99 min, 35mm, Dir: Tommy Wiseau 7 @ 11:30PM
The film widely considered to be the “Citizen Kane of bad movies” is back! And so is the ever popular monthly screening of Tommy Wiseau’s masterpiece. You’re my favourite customer. Thanks a lot! Bye. Audience participation is encouraged. Please respect the theatre and fellow patrons.
Reel Family Cinema///
No Country for Old Men USA 2007, 122 min, Digital, Dirs: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen 17 @ 7PM
The Expedition to the End of the World (Ekspeditionen til verdens ende)
Fargo USA 1996, 98 min, Digital, Dir: Joel Coen 31 @ 7PM
Desperate for cash, Minneapolis car salesman Jerry (William H. Macy) hires goons (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to kidnap his wife in order to extract a ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. When the scheme goes predictably pear-shaped and things turn bloody, pregnant local police chief Marge (Frances McDormand) gets on the case, methodically and inexorably following the trail all the way back to the increasingly frantic Jerry. Getting great comic mileage out of the down-home peculiarities and distinctive patois of the filmmakers’ home state, this snow-capped noir also features one of the Coens’ greatest creations in the unforgettable Marge, who - despite her cheerful demeanour - proves to be as indomitable a hero ... (TIFF)
Saturday matinees for the whole family! Curated by Erin Fraser and Laura O’Connor.
Space Jam USA 1996, 88 min, Digital, Dir: Joe Pytka 8 @ 2PM
In an attempt to save his failing theme park, Moron Mountain, Mister Swackhammer (voiced by Danny DeVito) sends his gang of Nerdlucks to capture the Looney Tunes so he can enslave them and use them as an attraction. Once captured, Bugs Bunny cleverly challenges the aliens to a basketball game in a bid to ensure the gang’s freedom. But the Nerdlucks quickly gain the talents of many of the NBA’s top athletes to secure a victory. Faced with the possibility of becoming a life long amusement park attraction, the Tunes turn to the recently retired Michael Jordan to improve their game. Space Jam combines the animated insanity of the Looney Tunes with the real life skill of Jordan to deliver a faceoff that is truly out of this world. Admission is free for children under 12!
AGA Film Series/// Herb & Dorothy 50X50 Girl Rising USA 2013, 101 min, Digital, Dir: Richard Robbins 8 @ 4PM
Celebrate International Women’s Day 2014 with Girl Rising. The film documents the struggles and triumphs of nine girls across the developing world as they demonstrate inspiring strength and spirit against all odds to achieve their dreams. Girl Rising is now a global movement with a simple message: educate girls and you will change the world. Join us for the film, discussion, and a celebration of courage! Presented in partnership with the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, the Indo-Canadian Women’s Association, and YWCA Edmonton.
Fly Fishing Festival 2014 World 2013, 110 min, Digital, Dir: Various 9 @ 3:30PM The International Fly Fishing Film Festival, IF4 for short, consists of a collection of short and feature length films produced by professional and amateur filmmakers from all corners of the globe, showcasing the passion, lifestyle and culture of fly fishing. The variety of films at this event are sure to peak the interest of all anglers. IF4 contains exclusive content not available in any other fly-fishing film event. Tickets: $15 advance, $18 at the door. For info & online tickets: http://flyfilmfest.com/IF4/.
Crime Watch/// From thriller to comedy and classic to contemporary, Crime Watch offers a diverse and provocative glimpse into the cinematic criminal world. Curated by Laura O’Connor.
Blood Simple (Director’s Cut) USA 1984, 97 min, Digital, Dir: Joel Coen 10 @ 7PM
“I ain’t done nothin’ funny.” Blood Simple, the Coens’ debut film, is anything but. Texas bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) hires a private detective (M. Emmett Walsh) to murder his cheating wife Abby (Frances McDormand) and her lover Ray (John Getz). But when the detective makes a slight change to the plan everything quickly spirals out of control.”The genius of Blood Simple is,” in Roger Ebert’s estimation, “that everything that happens seems necessary... The movie’s a bloodsoaked nightmare in which greed and lust trap the characters in escalating horror. The plot twists in upon itself. Characters are found in situations of diabolical complexity. And yet it doesn’t feel like the film is just piling it on. Step by inexorable step, logically, one damned thing leads to another.” As part of Metro Retro’s Coen Brothers retrospective, Crime Watch invites you to see the film that started it all.
USA 2013, 87 min, Digital, Dir: Megumi Sasaki 11 @ 7PM
The follow-up film to the acclaimed Herb & Dorothy (2008), 50X50 captures the last chapter of the Vogel’s extraordinary life and their gift to the nation, raising various questions on art, and what it takes to support art in today’s society. In 2008, the legendary art collectors made an announcement that stunned the art world. Known and loved as a retired postal worker (Herb) and librarian (Dorothy) who built a world-class art collection on their humble salaries, the Vogels launched a national gift project with the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington DC that would constitute one of the largest gifts in the history of American art. Having worked their whole lives as civil servants, their wish was to simply to give back. $2 off for AGA Members.
Edmonton Opera/// Memoirs of a Geisha USA 2005, 145 min, Digital, Dir: Rob Marshall 12 @ 6:45PM
Based on the acclaimed novel, Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of Chiyo (Zhang Ziyi), a girl who is sold to a geisha house in early 1930s Kyoto, where becoming a geisha can be a woman’s single path to both wealth and independence. Although abused by the bitterly jealous head geisha, Chiyo overcomes this and many other obstacles to become Sayuri, the most famous geisha in the nation. She is sought after by seemingly every man alive; yet her heart’s one true desire, The Chairman (Ken Watanabe), remains elusive as the realities of the Second World War force Sayuri to leave behind the life she has worked so hard to create and confront an uncertain future.
DEDfest/// Knights of Badassdom USA 2013, 86 min, Digital, Dir: Joe Lynch 14 @ 9PM
After years of development hell, DEDfest is happy to finally be able to bring Knights of Badassdom to the big screen. Join three best friends (Peter Dinklage, Steve Zahn, and Ryan Kwanten) and dedicated LARPers as they take to the woods to reenact a dungeons and dragons - like scenario fresh out of the mythical Middle Ages. Trouble arises after they unwittingly conjure up some serious evil in the form of a bloodlusting Succubus! Fantasy and reality collide on the Fields of Evermore in an all-out epic battle of make-believe wizards, demons and assorted mythical creatures.
Best of British Cinema 2013 From David Lean and Danny Boyle to Hammer Films and Aardman Animations; from The Rank Organization and Merchant Ivory, to James Bond and Harry Potter - the wealth of British filmmaking talent and cinematic icons is seemingly inexhaustible. Metro Cinema presents two of the most acclaimed British films of the past year that have added to this legacy: The Selfish Giant and A Field in England.
The Selfish Giant UK 2013, 91 min, Digital, Dir: Clio Barnard 15 @ 2PM, 15 @ 7PM, 16 @ 4PM, 16 @ 9PM, 17 @ 9:30PM
An official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, The Selfish Giant is a contemporary fable about 13 year old Arbor and and his best friend Swifty. Excluded from school and outsiders in their own neighbourhood, the two boys meet Kitten, a local scrap dealer. Wandering their town with just a horse and a cart, they begin collecting scrap metal for him. Swifty has a natural gift with horses while Arbor emulates Kitten, keen to impress him and make some money; however, Kitten favours Swifty, leaving Arbor feeling hurt and excluded, and driving a wedge between the boys. As Arbor becomes increasingly greedy and exploitative, tensions build, leading to a tragic event that transforms them all.
A Field in England UK 2013, 90 min, Digital, Dir: Ben Wheatley 21 @ 9:30PM, 22 @ 4:15PM, 24 @ 9:15PM, 26 @ 9PM
During the Civil War in 17th-Century England, a small group of deserters flee from a raging battle through an overgrown field. They are captured by an alchemist (Michael Smiley), who forces the group to aid him in his search to find a hidden treasure that he believes is buried in the field. Crossing a vast mushroom circle that provides their first meal, the group quickly descends into a chaos of hostilities and paranoia. And as it becomes clear that the treasure might be something other than gold, they gradually fall victim to the terrifying energies trapped inside the field. A Field in England is a psychedelic trip into magic and madness. “A most original and stunning cinematic experience.” (Martin Scorsese)
1Pm Omar 3:30Pm Fly Fishing
7Pm CRIME WATCH/ COEN BROS/// Blood
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7Pm COEN BROS/// Raising Arizona 9Pm CANADA’S TOP TEN/// Rhymes For Young Ghouls
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2Pm Broken Circle Breakdown 4:15Pm CANADA’S TOP TEN/// Gabrielle 6:45Pm Inside Llewyn Davis 8:45Pm The Act of Killing (Director’s Cut)
monday
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tim’s vermeer
sunday
tuesday
Wednesday
7Pm AGA/// Herb & Dorothy 50 X 50
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7Pm MUSIC DOCS/// Filmage: The Story of Descendents/ All 9:15Pm CANADA’S TOP TEN/// Rhymes For Young Ghouls
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L’avventura Private event
6:45Pm EDMONTON OPERA/// Memoirs of
12
5
the rocket
mArch 2014 schedule
enjoy the films, Metro cinema’s programming team
7Pm Tim’s Vermeer 9Pm DEDFEST///
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7Pm Omar 9Pm The Expedition to the End of the World 11:30Pm The Room
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2Pm The Selfish Giant 4Pm Tim’s Vermeer
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2Pm REEL FAMILY CINEMA/// Space Jam 4Pm INTERNATIONAL WOMEN`S DAY/// Girl Rising 7Pm Inside Llewyn Davis 9:15Pm Omar
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1 1Pm The Act of Killing (Director’s Cut) 4Pm Inside Llewyn Davis 7Pm GVFF/// Finding Vivian Maier 9:30Pm Broken Circle Breakdown
7Pm CANADA’S TOP TEN/// Rhymes for Young Ghouls 9:15Pm Inside Llewyn Davis
saturday
Metro cineMa .org
Feb 28
Friday
adult six pack $50 student/senior six pack $40 Friends of metro $12/year (for $2 off per screening) silver screen $200
PAsses
adult $10 (Matinee $8) student/senior $8 (Matinee $6) children under 13 $6
Admission
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Facebook facebook/metrocinema
7Pm The Expedition to the End of the World
13
FaX 780 428 3509
emaiL metro@metrocinema.org
teL 780 425 9212
8712 - 109 street, edm ab t6g 1e9
metrocinema at the garneau
7Pm Pecha Kucha Night 18
6
thursday
in addition to this, we’ll screen two of britain’s best films of 2013:the selfish giant and a field in england; over 25 films from around the world, from palestine to canada’s Maritimes, denmark to laos; and the continuation of our new opera in cinema series with verdi’s les vepres siciliennes. we hope you’re as excited as we are about the line up for March, and that you’ll be able to drop by as often as you can, because, hey - we’re all part of one big cinematic family.
on that note, the coen brothers offspring are just as pleasurable to visit, although they display tell-tale signs of delinquency and abnormality. so, we’ll also take another page from the filmmaking family album to bring you a choice array of the coen brothers iconic, and somewhat idiosyncratic cinematic offspring. throughout March, we’ll be spotlighting the outstanding films of Joel & ethan - from their first, blood simple, to their latest, inside llewyn davis.
a foundational master of italian neorealist cinema, Michelangelo antonioni once said of his paternal relationship with his works: “i feel like a father towards my old films. you bring children into the world, then they grow up and go off on their own. from time to time you get together, and it’s always a pleasure to see them again.” this month, Metro invites you to visit two of the filmmaker’s children of the sixties: l’avventura (1960) and blow-up (1966) - part of our on-going commitment to bring classic world cinema and film retrospectives to edmonton’s big screens.
hi everyone///
7Pm COEN BROS/// Fargo 9Pm ANTONIONI/// Blow-Up
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7Pm COEN BROS/// Miller’s Crossing 9:15Pm A Field In England
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Metro cineMa is a non-profit society devoted to the exhibition and proMotion of filM and video as an art forM. to this end, Metro presents a varied palette of independent, international and canadian cineMa 7 days a week.
7Pm TURKEY SHOOT/// Westworld 9Pm A Field In England
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7Pm GATEWAY TO CINEMA/// Election 9:15Pm METRO BIZARRO/// Killer Condom
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a Geisha 9:30Pm Omar
28 7Pm The Rocket 9:15Pm ANTONIONI/// Blow-Up
7Pm EDUCATED REEL/// Pomegranates and Myrrh
6:45Pm ANTONIONI/// L’avventura 9:30Pm A Field In England
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Knights of Badassdom
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6:30Pm SCIENCE IN THE CINEMA/// It’s Kind of a Funny Story 9:15Pm Tim’s Vermeer
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9Pm Omar
7Pm FAVA GALA
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1:30Pm ANTONIONI/// L’avventura 4:15Pm A Field In England 7Pm The Disappeared 9:15Pm ANTONIONI/// L’avventura
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7Pm The Selfish Giant 9Pm Tim’s Vermeer
Metro cineMa also receives support froM alberta Media arts alliance /// eMergence by design /// iatse 210 /// Magic lantern theatres /// seMandra inc /// vue weekly /// webcore labs
Metro cineMa also receives funding for equipMent froM these funders:
Metro cineMa receives ongoing support froM these arts funders:
6:30Pm ANTONIONI/// L’avventura 9:15Pm CULT CINEMA/ COEN BROS/// The Man Who Wasn’t There
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7Pm GRAPHIC CONTENT/// Tank Girl 9:15Pm Tim’s Vermeer
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9Pm Inside Llewyn Davis
kyle armstrong: president Julio munhoz: executive director Pete harris: programming Manager sam sheplawy: operations Manager Laura o’connor: Marketing & Communications Coordinator allan mulholland: facility brad sime: booth Manager/ projectionist maggie hardy: house Manager/ projectionist John ray, Les hall: projectionists tola adeshina: assistant to operations/ house Manager ramneek tung: house Manager dan nielsen, tola adeshina, tim rechner, rose eva ForguesJenkins, katie hartfeil, dylan howard, natalia knowlton, brad ambury, Jonathan stonehouse, Joseph hartfeil: front of house Jill Watamaniuk: program editor/ programmer shirley combden: financial officer
metro oPerations ///
1:30Pm ANTONIONI/// Blow-Up 4Pm The Rocket 7Pm ANTONIONI/// Blow-Up 9:15Pm The Rocket
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1:30Pm The Disappeared 3:15Pm ANTONIONI/// L’avventura 6:30Pm OPERA IN CINEMA /// Verdi’s les Verpes Sicilennes
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7Pm COEN BROS/// No Country for Old Men 9:30Pm The Selfish Giant
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2Pm Tim’s Vermeer 4Pm The Selfish Giant 7Pm Tim’s Vermeer 9Pm The Selfish Giant
Simple 9:15Pm The Expedition to the End of the World
Film Fest 6:45Pm EDM MOVIE CLUB/// Jaatishwar 9:30Pm The Expedition to the End of the World
Graphic Content/// Curated by Matt Bowes and Erin Fraser, presented by Metro Cinema and Warp One Comics and Games. graphiccontent.org
Tank Girl Tim’s Vermeer USA 2013, 80 min, Digital, Dir: Penn & Teller 14, 16 @ 7PM, 15 @ 4PM & 9PM, 16 @ 2PM, 18, 20 @ 9:15PM
Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did 17th century Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer (Girl with a Pearl Earring) manage to paint so photo-realistically -- 150 years before the invention of photography? The epic research project on which Jenison embarks in order to test his theory is as extraordinary as what he discovers. Spanning eight years, Jenison’s adventure takes him to Delft, Holland, where Vermeer painted his masterpieces; on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney; and even to Buckingham Palace to see a Vermeer masterpiece in the collection of the Queen.
USA 1995, 104 min, Digital, Dir: Rachel Talalay 18 @ 7PM
In the year 2033, the Earth is a desert wasteland and water is the most important substance on Earth. The oppressive Water & Power corporation, lead by the sadistic Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell), controls the world’s reserve. Rebecca, aka Tank Girl (Lori Petty), roams the Australian countryside stealing water and helping communities in need. But when she and her gang are attacked, she’s forced to take her fight straight to W&P and bring them down once and for all. Based on the cult classic British comic series by Alan Martin and Jaime Hewlett (of Gorillaz fame), Tank Girl is a post-apocalyptic girl power Western. Join Graphic Content and their special guests, the equally zany ladies of the Boozy Boob Tube, for outrageous fashions, killer ‘90s tunes, and mutated kangaroos.
A girl mysteriously disappears on a yachting trip. While her lover and her best friend search for her across Italy, they begin an affair. Antonioni’s penetrating study of the idle upper class offers stinging observations on spiritual isolation and the many meanings of love. Initially greeted with jeers and confusion upon its debut at Cannes, L’avventura was then awarded a Special Jury Prize for “the beauty of its images, and for seeking to create a new film language.” Fifty years on, it has long since established itself as a landmark in modern cinema and one of the most influential films ever made. This classic from Janus Films, is presented on a new 35mm print, struck from a restoration negative.
Germany/ Switzerland 1996, 107 min, Digital, Dir: Martin Walz, German w/ subtitles 19 @ 9:15PM
Something is biting off penises at the Quicky Hotel and it’s up to detective Luigi Mackeroni to find out what it is before it strikes again. No, this isn’t a headline in the latest issue of The Weekly World News, it’s the plot for Metro Bizarro’s next foray into weirdo cinema. Join us as we travel to New York via Germany, where we delve into the kinkiest, kookiest, most outrageous crime comedy to come out of the motherland of sausage - in all its myriad forms, apparently. Featuring creature consultation by the famed visual artist and sometime designer of vaguely phallic monstrosities, H.R. Giger, and written by underground gay comix artist, Ralf König: Killer Condom brings you the rubber that rubs you out!
Presented by The Gateway, official student newspaper at the University of Alberta.
Michelangelo Antonioni redefined the concept of narrative cinema as he challenged the accepted notions at the heart of storytelling, realism, drama, and the world at large. As an artist, he offered a new perspective on how movies looked and the way in which we look at the world. He presented us “as spiritually displaced human beings, adrift in the alien landscape of modern life. Antonioni’s cinematic cartography of the void achieved stylistic heights of sensualized despair.” (Kathleen Murphy) Metro is proud to present two of his masterworks from the 1960’s.
L’avventura
Killer Condom (Kondom des Grauens)
gateway to Cinema///
Antonioni in the Sixties
Italy/ France 1960, 143 min, Newly restored 35mm print! Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian/ English w/ subtitles 21 @ 6:45PM, 22 @ 1:30PM, 22 @ 9:15PM, 23 @ 3:15PM, 25 @ 6:30PM
Metro Bizarro/// A monthly foray into the weird, wild, and wonderful world of fringe cinema. Curated by Maggie Hardy.
Election USA 1999, 103 min, Digital, Dir: Alexander Payne 19 @ 7PM
Blow-Up UK/ Italy/ USA 1966, 111 min, Digital, Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni 30 @ 1:30PM & 7PM, 31 @ 9PM, april 2 @ 9PM
Set in the “swinging London” of the midsixties, Blow-Up has not dated, but instead seems richer, more complex and enigmatic than ever. Antonioni’s first film in English and certainly one of his masterpieces, the film stars David Hennings as a disaffected young fashion photographer who stumbles upon a murder while taking pictures of a couple making love in a secluded park. Or so the blown-up photographs of the tryst seem to suggest. The film’s narrative ambiguities and irresolutions amplify this question, along with exploring the idea of whether “seeing is believing”. Featuring an incandescent performance by Vanessa Redgrave as Jane, the film also includes appearances by Sixties icons Jane Birkin and Veruschka.(James Quandt)
Wildly ambitious Tracy (Reese Witherspoon) is running for council president unopposed until dedicated but flawed civics teacher Mr. McAllister (Matthew Broderick) decides she must be stopped. In Alexander Payne’s hands, this high school student council election becomes a tool for skewering the American political system in general, and the election process in particular. As in Payne’s previous effort, Citizen Ruth, no side of the political spectrum is spared. Everyone’s foibles and hypocrisy are shown, to great effect. Witherspoon gives an energized performance, while Broderick is excellent as the respected, conflicted mentor with a touch of Ferris Bueller in him. (Videohound) Admission is free for students with valid ID.
Science in the Cinema/// It’s Kind of a Funny Story USA 2010, 101 min, Digital, Dirs: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck 20 @ 6:30PM
It’s nearly the end of the school year and the stress level is getting high for young adults to get those grades and succeed. How fitting then, that It’s Kind of a Funny Story be Science in the Cinema’s last offering of the season. Starring Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, and Emma Roberts, the film chronicles the journey of a clinically depressed high achieving teenager after he checks himself into a psychiatric ward. The film will be introduced by Dr. KJ Aitchison, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, U of A, and Alberta Centennial Addiction & Mental Health Research Chair. She will be assisted by Dr. S Sivapalan, Resident in Psychiatry, U of A. After the film, they will discuss current research into biological and psychosocial factors that contribute to depression and suicide in young adults, with time for a Q & A. Admission is free and includes a small popcorn.
The Disappeared Canada 2012, 86 min, Digital, Dir: Shandi Mitchell 22 @ 7PM, 23 @ 1:30PM
A poignant story of a crew adrift in the North Atlantic Ocean after their fishing boat has sunk. The crew have escaped in two dories and are running low on supplies and have been drifting further and further from where they sank. There is no sign of rescue. These men are the husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and lovers of those left on shore. Each of them understands the risks of their vocation and knows others who never saw land again. Mirages of rescue appear and disappear as they fight to overcome hunger, thirst and pain. In their struggle to survive they come to realize it is not only the ocean they must conquer, but also themselves. Although originally from the prairies, director Shandi Mitchell has managed to capture both the beauty and brutality of the ocean in all its terrible majesty.
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opera in cinema///
educated reel///
From the Royal Opera House in London, Metro Cinema presents big screen encores of the season’s best live productions.
The University of Alberta Alumni showcases captivating films and engaging speakers.
Verdi’s Les vepres siciliennes
Palestine 2008, 95 min, Dir: Najwa Najjar, Arabic, English & Hebrew w/ subtitles 27 @ 7PM
UK 2013, 230 min w/ 2 intervals, Digital, Singers: Bryan Hymel, Marina Polavskaya, Erwin Schrott, and Michael Volle 23 @ 6:30PM
Verdi’s grand opera Les vepres siciliennes is presented for the very first time at London’s Royal Opera House. Paris in 1855, the year the opera was first performed, provides the starting point for Verdi’s tale of revenge, family relations, and patriotism. Set to an impassioned, dramatic score, embracing the elaborate style and traditions of French grand opera, this interpretation by celebrated Norwegian born director, Stefan Herheim, also features the opera ballet, with dancers from The Royal Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet. Opera in five acts, Sung in French with English subtitles. Composer: Giuseppe Verdi. Conductor: Antonio Pappano. Special admissions in effect: $17 Adults, $14 Seniors/ Students. No Metro Passes.
Cult Cinema/// A monthly series of eccentric classics curated by Jeff Noel.
The Man Who Wasn’t There USA 2001,116 min Digital Dir: Joel Coen 25 @ 9:15PM
It’s 1950s California, and Billy Bob Thornton is Ed Crane, a disillusioned barber who decides to take a chance on a new idea: dry cleaning; but at what cost? A man of few words, Crane says as little as possible while his life unravels around him as a result of his actions, as he embezzles, murders, and lies his way towards an unrealizable dream. Winner of the Best Director award at Cannes, The Man Who Wasn’t There is a black & white existential mystery. Cult Cinema rounds out Metro’s Coen Brothers retrospective with one of their most somber and sumptuous works.
turkey shoot/// A monthly celebration of aesthetically challenged films, hosted by Dave Clarke and Jeff Page and featuring live comedic commentary.
Westworld USA 1973, min, Digital, Dir: Michael Crichton 26 @ 7PM
This month, Turkey Shoot continues its “Awesome or Awful?” series, which has included Top Gun, The Warriors and the original Friday the 13th. In this classic, which we remember fondly - albeit as 10 year olds - Yul Brynner plays the Gunslinger, a robot programmed to draw but not kill. Uh-oh. Guess what happens? Dave and Jeff fear being stalked by a faceless Brynner to this day! Josh Brolin’s dad utters the immortal line “He … shot me.” Faceless robots get in free. Obviously.
Pomegranates and Myrrh
Life within the Palestinian diaspora is reconstructed through the eyes of a newlywed couple torn apart by political upheaval. Kamar and Zaid’s short-lived honeymoon ends abruptly when Zaid is arrested by Israeli forces for refusing to give up land in the occupied territories. Amid the chaos, Kamar, a dancer, is paired with Kais, a Palestinian returnee, and their natural chemistry simmers during a passionate, emotional dance. Kamar’s life is thrown into turmoil as she becomes increasingly attracted to Kais, caught in the dilemma posed by her desire to dance and apprehensions about breaking the familial and social taboos surrounding her role as the prisoner’s wife. Join the film’s composer and University of Alberta alumna, Amritha Vaz, ‘97 BA, ‘02 LLB, for a discussion afterwards.
The Rocket Australia/ Thailand/ Laos 2013, 96 min, Digital, Dir: Kim Mordaunt, Lao w/ subtitles 28 @ 7PM, 30 @ 4PM & 9:15PM, Screenings continue into April
Ahlo, a 10 year old boy who is believed to bring bad luck, is blamed for a string of disasters in Laos. When his family loses their home and are forced to move, he meets the spirited orphan Kia and her eccentric uncle Purple. In a plea to prove he’s not cursed, Ahlo builds a giant explosive rocket to enter the most lucrative but dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival. Gripping yet heart-warming, The Rocket is a deeply personal story about the determination of a boy who has the odds stacked against him, set against the epic backdrop of a war-ravaged country on the brink of huge change. With remarkable access to real rituals and festivities in the mountains of Laos, the film is a unique view into a world never seen on film before.
FAVA Gala 29 @ 7PM
Independent film meets grassroots glamour! FAVA celebrates independent media art in style giving away over $10,000 of production and excellence awards. The show starts with a live collaboration between filmmaker Wes Miron and classical pianist Cameron Watson commissioned by FAVA and the Alberta College Conservatory of Music with the support of the Universiade ‘83 grant. They’re thrilled to screen 6 one-minute silent films commissioned by FAVA for the Gotta Minute Film Festival (a new festival coming this fall to Edmonton’s LRT screens co-produced by Pattison Onestop and FAVA). The night culminates with a great party including The Wet Secrets live at 11pm. Break out your best duds and mingle with local filmmakers! Admission is by cash donation, valued at $40.