VIFF - Canadian Films

Itching for some Canadiana at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival?

Inch'Allah looks like an emotional tour-de-force and possibly Oscar-bound. Set against the backdrop of Palestine and Israel, this modern day journey into war may be a sell-out at the festival!



Laurence Always is the new film from director Xaviar Dolan (Heartbeats, J'a Tue Ma Mere). Filmed in Dolan's stylistic aesthetic, it tells the story of a man named Laurence who tells his girlfriend that he wants to become a woman. Judging from the trailer, the film looks beautiful inside and out and I can't wait to see it!



One Canadian film that's been getting buzz is Antiviral, mainly because the director is Brandon Cronenberg, son of David Cronenberg. It looks twisted and creepy!



Another disturbing looking film is Blackbird, about a young boy who is accused of plotting a school shooting. It looks heavy, but I'm definitely gonna try to make it for this one!



Local Vancouver (or Vancouver-related) Films!

Crimes of Mike Recket - directed by Bruce Sweeney

Random Acts of Romance - directed by Katrin Bowen

Camera Shy - directed by Mark Sawers (this film centers around a corrupt Vancouver city councillor, hmm, I wonder where he got the idea for that!?)

In No Particular Order - directed by Terry Miles & Kristine Cofsky

The Film Festival would not be complete without their documentaries. Here are some from Canada that might be worth taking a look at:

Lunarcy! - a film about those who love/are obsessed with the Moon! Just in time for this month's Harvest Moon Festival!

The Last White Knight - this one peaked my interest, as it's about a man who was assualted by a KKK member in the 60s and now years later, the two have met up to discuss that event.

Occupy Love - a film about the Occupy movement.

The Carbon Rush - Environmentalists will flock to this film about how projects around the world are destroying our Earth

The End of Time - This film looks trippy. It's a meditation on time.

High Five : An Adoption Saga - a film on one family's struggle to adopt 5 brothers and sisters from Ukraine

Check out the Canadian Images page on the VIFF website for more info!

Tobias Wong exhibit at Museum of Vancouver

On Wednesday night I attended the opening reception of a retrospect on art wunderkind and Vancouver native, the late Tobias Wong. During the reception, there were speeches made, including one from his mother, Phyllis. However, in true Tobias Wong style, instead of a short Asian woman heading up onto the stage, we got a tall Caucasian man (my friend Peter) speaking instead. This was a wonderful little tribute to when Tobias had a tall Caucasian man accept an award on his behalf, pretending to be him.

 
 I knew Tobias back in the day on a personal level and when he moved to New York and made a splash in the art scene, he allowed me to interview him for an article in Ricepaper Magazine. During one of my visits to New York, he invited me to an art opening in SoHo that he was a part of, and I was honoured to have the privilege to attend.

Here's a personal photo I have of him:
 

There was always a bit of cheekiness to him, a humour and wit that was intelligent and biting, and I believe that comes across in his work. Here are some of my favourite pieces that are currently on display at the Museum of Vancouver.

 
 
 
 

This marks the third time I've seen his work featured in a museum. The first time was at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and he had his bulletproof broach and bulletproof duvet cover there. This was when he was still alive.

After his death, I saw the exhibit that was done at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and I remember it being really small. It was exciting to see all his work together like that, but at the same time I felt slightly disappointed by how it was presented.

Now, here in his hometown, I can honestly say without bias that this show is splendidly done! It's in-depth, well-rounded, and informative. Each piece is accompanied by a little story from a collaborator, friend, or fellow artist. There are three rooms dedicated to his work, and each piece is fascinating to look at. This is the perfect showcase for Tobias Wong and his work.

Oh and here's a tip for when you go! When you get to the piece about his pop-up shop that never opened, be sure to pick up the telephone receiver underneath the picture and take a listen!! 

Object(ing): The Art/Design of Tobias Wong is on now at the Museum of Vancouver until February 24, 2013. To find out more about Tobias Wong, you can do a Google search and read the many articles written about him, and you can also visit his now defunct website BrokenOff.com

 

VIFF - Focus on Youth

At the Vancouver International Film Festival, there are always films that are open to all ages in an effort to encourage youth and families to attend!

Starting with the restoration of China's most "lauded animated feature" we have The Monkey King - Uproar in Heaven in 3D.



From France, there's Ernest et Celestine, which looks absolutely charming, non?



For youth under 18, VIFF has compiled the following list of films that may be of interest:

Come As You Are - Belgium

Crocodile in the Yangtze - USA/China

The Iran Job - USA/Germany/Iran

I Am Not a Rock Star - Canada

Kinasha Kids - Belgium/France/Congo

Off-White Lies - Israel

Two Little Boys - New Zealand

Becoming Redwood - Canada

Teen Tales and the Reel Youth Film Festival - compilation of shorts

Then there's The Unlikely Girl from France/USA which looks full of suspense, for a youth-oriented movie!



Student Ticket Packs are available online, as well as the VIFF High School Program.

Vancouver International Film Festival - Sept 27 - Oct 12

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) begins next week!! I am so stoked for this because it is just another reason why I love Autumn! It's definitely my favourite time of the year! Film festing!



I'll be devoting much of the next two weeks to VIFF! Are you heading down to catch some amazing films? Have you gotten your tickets, your pass, your program guide? You can check out the Sneak Preview guide online, as well as surf the VIFF website to see all the films.

One film I am totally looking forward to is the Closing Gala, HOLY MOTORS, which stars Kylie Minogue!!



What films are you looking forward to?

Baldwin House

I'm on an Arthur Erickson kick lately, and for some reason I can't believe that I haven't blogged about Baldwin House before. Situated at Deer Lake in Burnaby, this mid-century dwelling is probably my favourite Erickson design in Vancouver. I'd love to get a group of friends together and rent it out for a weekend just to take in the breathtaking view and interior design. Check out these awesome photos of Baldwin House that I scoured from the net:













Baldwin House is available for rentals, so does anybody want to chip in with me and just go hang out there for a week? :)

Jericho Park Rabbits

Did you know that Vancouver has its own live version of Watership Down just over by Jericho Park? It's true! Apparently this became a dumping place for unwanted bunny rabbits, and now the population of these lapines has exploded because you know what rabbits like to do! Multiply! (And I'm not talking about the times table!)





So head on down there to visit these wild feral bunnies, bring a carrot with you or lettuce, or any form of vegetable really. Check out more information on them on the Venture Vancouver website.




(photos from Flickr)

Clybourne Park at the Stanley Theatre

Last night I went to see Clybourne Park at the Stanley Theatre.



Maybe it's because I had high expectations? A friend of mine who had seen this in Toronto had said, "It's sooooooo good! You HAVE to see it!" and thus, the play was hyped. Not to mention the fact that it's also won the Tony Award and the Pulitzer. It HAD to be amazing, yes?

Meh. I was completely underwhelmed. The production itself is fine, and the cast were wonderful. But the story just didn't scream out Pulitzer to me. Not to my companion. We were both befuddled and left scratching our heads. This won the Tony and the Pulitzer? Really? This?

A brief summary of the plot: Act One features a white family in the 50s who have sold their house to a black family, and the community is outraged. Act Two skips to the present day and things are reversed, with a white family moving into a black neighbourhood. So race is still an issue in this day and age, yeah I got that. For me, it wasn't groundbreaking. Maybe it's because I am a person of colour and this play is just stating the obvious. Meh.

The start of each act I found to be slow and boring. There was a lot of yelling, but is somewhat balanced out by the forced attempts at humour. Things do pick up as each Act closes, and I definitely enjoyed Act Two more.

And check out Colin Thomas' (much more articulate) review from the Georgia Straight, who also wasn't too keen on this play.

I try to stay positive on this blog, so the bright side of this is that I do applaud the Arts Club for bringing shows like this to Vancouver audiences. If I missed something on Broadway, it's great to be able to see it reincarnated on a Vancouver stage for us. And the cast were terrific:



Clybourne Park runs to October 7 at the Stanley Theatre.