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Movie Mondays: Fiction Filmmaking FTW
As a means of rounding up Toronto’s various cinematic goings-on each week, Movie Mondays compiles the best rep cinema and art house screenings, special presentations, lectures, and limited engagements.
Did you miss us? Now that all those pesky documentaries are out of town and Toronto’s rep houses are back to their regularly scheduled programming (more or less), we can get back to giving you our favourite picks for the week. And what a week! We’ve got the return of Jane Eyre, some free dinosaurs, another excellent New Auteurs retrospective, and something we’re not even sure how to describe.
You know, they say that never was there a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo. But what about ol’ Jane Eyre, eh? Not exactly the least woeful tale in the books. Life was no cake walk for her, what with the evil aunt and the strained romances and everything else. Sure, she never poisoned herself or anything. But it wasn’t all rainbows and cupcakes and corsets.
And if you’ve never read Jane Eyre, we’ve got some good news. You don’t have to! Because Cary Fukunaga made an excellent film adaptation, which is entering its second run at the Fox this week. Starring Mia Wasikowska as the fiery-spirited governess and Michael Fassbender as the dapper Edward Rochester, Fukunaga’s film captures the brooding Victorian gothic atmosphere of the novel, and ditches the Masterpiece Theatre vibe that’s defined many other film adaptations. Catch it at the Fox at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 and see for yourself. Because who reads anymore anyhow?
So we’re not even really sure what this thing is, but it sounds pretty cool. Thursday, May 12 at 9 p.m., the Revue is hosting something called The New Flesh. And that makes us think of Videodrome. And that’s good!
Described as “Experiments in audio video performance exceeding all reason!” and “Avant garde video in the omega age,” the evening appears to be some sort of medium-mixing bazaar of experimentation, hosted by Toronto video artist Tasman Richardson. Featuring a slew of performances by bands from as far as France and Germany. And when’s the last time you’ve seen a real-life German person in the flesh? So if you’re into weird stuff, like video art, and live German people, this might be up your alley. And long live the New Flesh!
Following up on their retrospective look at the work of Quebec’s Denis Côté, this week TIFF cues up another New Auteurs program exploring the work of American indie queen Kelly Reichardt. While the keystone of the program is arguably the Toronto theatrical debut of Reichardt’s latest, the exceptional Meek’s Cutoff, there are plenty of other gems in her crown.
Take, for example, 2008’s Wendy and Lucy. Trailing a young woman (Michelle Williams) waylaid in Oregon (thanks to a busted car and a lost dog) en route to a fresh start in Alaska, Wendy and Lucy took Best Actress and Best Picture awards from the Toronto Film Critics Association in 2008, in addition to finding its way onto a whole mess of year-end lists. And as it should. Because it’s excellent. And humble and austere and a whole bunch of other good things. So see it, Saturday, May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Lightbox. And see the rest of the New Auteurs: Kelly Reichardt program, while you’re at it.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since the Toronto Underground Cinema opened its doors, and since we used the horribly clever headline “Big Turnout In Little China as Toronto Underground Cinema Opens Its Doors” to report on it. (Because they were screening Big Trouble in Little China. And because the theatre’s kind of in Chinatown. And, you know what? Nevermind.)
But it has been a year. Exactly one. And this Sunday, May 15, the gang at the Underground are celebrating their one year anniversary the same way they celebrated their grand-opening, with a free double-bill. This time around, the Underground will be screening the campy whodunit classic, Clue at 7 p.m., followed by the dinosaur theme park classic Jurassic Park. And, hold onto your butts, both are totally free. So you have literally no excuse not to come.