MONTREEL-X

The Montreal Cinematic Experience

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The 10th Montreal Underground Film Festival is starting this week !

4 days of experimental and underground films. Come join us !

Opening night, May 21 2015, with a performance by Sacral Nerves.

Programmes, schedule & info HERE.

(Poster by Bradley Colbourne)

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What are you doing this weekend? Check out the MUFF for some underground loveliness! MR-X will be there, will you?

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Picks of the week - March 16-22

It’s finally “warm” enough to go outside and do stuff, and it’s that sweet spot where midterms are over and the finals crush is still a week or two from starting. There’s some interesting stuff happening this week that doesn’t involve green beer, and a lot of it is budget-friendly, so treat yo self.

At Ciné-club caserne 45 tonight, March 16th, previous MRX pick of the week Deux jours, une nuit screens at 7pm, entry $3. If you want to get a head start on your St. Patrick’s Day festivities after, Monsieur Smith, Le trèfle, the Blind Pig, and L’espace public are all a very short walk (in a straight line).

Also tonight, Cinémagique has a preview screening of White God at the Parc. If you like puppies and obvious metaphors in your art film, this may be the thing for you.

Ciné-campus U de M has four screenings of local production Félix et Meira this week, all presented by the director and his co-writer, $4 with student ID. Over at Excentris, The Price We Pay and Gett screen until the 19th. Both look good, but The Price We Pay in particular seems very timely.

And finally, if the quiet week also coincides with the week where there is just no money left at all, check out the World of Matter show at the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery. With some striking large-scale data visualizations in the entry, the show features six different documentary projects, including a few multi-channel projects, an amazing iPad app, and looped projections of Episode of the Sea. Free entry for all.

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Feeling bad for not having watched all the films at the 2015 Oscars... Get started for next year - Picks of the week Feb. 23rd - Mar. 1st

Concordia's reading week – or spring break (though this remind me too much of the movie) – officially began last Friday. Whether you had all your midterms before or after the break, you should definitely take some time off and enjoy yourself. There is so much happening this week, especially for the Nuit Blanche, that I can't only choose five events. Instead, I offer you a list of the films a cinephile might want to look at. Here's what Montreal has for you this week:

This week at Cinéma du Parc:

Isao Tkahaka's The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014)

Maxime Giroux's Félix & Meira (2014)

Damien Chazelle's Whiplash (2014)

Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

This week at the Excentris:

Bruno Dumont's P'tit Quinquin (2014)

Andrei Zviaguintsev's Leviathan (2014)

Jean Rodrigue's L'Amour au Temps de la Guerre Civile (2014)

Monday, Feb. 23rd at Cinema Politica - Concordia (7pm)

Dominic Champagne's Anticosti: The Hunt for Extreme Oil (2014). "This doc captures the tensions and contradictions inherent at every ground zero of environmental exploitation."

Saturday, Feb. 28th (NUIT BLANCHE) at the Cinématèque Québécoise (11pm)

This David Cronenberg special screening presents two of the best films to came out of the Canadian tax-shelter era (1970s-1980s). Both produced by John Dunning and Andre Link's Cinépix, Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977) were shot in Montreal by a local crew. Shivers, the precursor to Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), is Cronenberg's first feature film. The third film to be screened that night will be Scanners (1980). All three in 35mm; an event not be missed! 

Saturday, Feb. 28th (NUIT BLANCHE) at the Phi Centre (7pm)

Jeff Barnaby's Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013) represents the new wave of indigenous cinema. Barnaby made an engaging film with a very poignant aesthetic. A must see! (FREE SCREENING) 

Selected by Bruno Ladouceur

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Picks of the week - Feb. 16-22

Tonight at Ciné-Club Caserne 45: Tokyo Fiancée. I'm not convinced the story won't somehow be wildly offensive, but the cinematography looks great, and for $3 it's worth rolling the dice.

Cinema Politica has two great screenings this week, both by donation: tonight at Concordia, The Family Farm & 3 Acres in Detroit, both offering radical, thoughtful perspectives on our food system. TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard screens at McGill on the 18th, and that's also worth a look, especially if you've ever considered desperate measures for your film fix. No judgement here.

Also on Wednesday the 18th, Excentris screens Red Army as part of the Docville series. Hockey fans and Cold War geeks alike will want to check this out.

Over at the Parc, Out in the Night has a screening this Friday the 20th, as part of the Massimadi: International Afro-Carribean LGBT Film Festival. I caught this a few weeks ago in another venue, and it's definitely worth the trip. Sidenote: If it doesn't make your blood boil, then you have some serious reflecting to do. 

Still at the Parc, it's your last chance to catch Oscar-nominated films Still Alice, Whiplash, and Birdman, as well as a compilation of all the nominated short films, running until the 19th. They'll also be broadcasting the Oscars ceremony on Sunday the 22nd (free entry). 

If you'd rather watch the Oscars in francophone company, the bar at Cinémathèque Québécoise will be screening it as well, as part of a Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois event. There's lots of great programming at RVCQ this week as well, including student films, shorts compilations, Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Juanicas, Mommy, and God Save Justin Trudeau.

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Top 5 of the Week: Feb. 9th - 15th

Hello readers,

If the weather doesn't inevitably kill you or freeze the hair right off your body (one of my roommates came home with a beard full of icicles today), here is a list what to see this week: 

La Cinématéque Québécoise:

Thursday, February 12th at 7:00pm: Brett Kashmere's From Deep (2014)

Thursday, February 12th at 8:30pm: René Vautier's Avoir 20 ans dans les Aurés (1972) in 16mm

Friday, February 13th at 6:30pm: Roy Calnek's Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926) in 35mm

Saturday, February 14th at 7:00pm: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's Les Révoltés de l'an 2000 (¿Quién puede matar a un niño?) (1976) in 16mm

Cinema de Parc:

From Monday, February 9th at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, and Tuesday, February 10th to  Thursday February 12th at 1:00, 3:00, and 7:00pm: Maxime Giroux's Félix and Meria (2014)

From Monday, February 9th to Wednesday February 11th at 1:30, 5:00 and 6:45pm and again on Thursday February 12th at 1:30 and 5:00pm: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland's Still Alice (2014)

And if any of you are like me and have yet to see Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) will be playing on Friday, February 13th

And just in case today is any indication of what the weather has in store for us for rest of the week, Spike Lee's Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) is available on Vimeo on Demand along with some other interesting titles should you be so inclined to stay indoors (no one would blame you).  

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Top 5 of the week: Feb. 2nd - Feb. 8th

Hello dear readers,

Amidst the artic colds battering our fair city this week, here are a few cinematic rays of sunshine that should, if nothing else, help you escape for a few hours.

Wide Release:

J.C Chandor's A Most Violent Year (2015)

La Cinématèque Québécoise:

Thursday, February 5th starting at 16:00pm: Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957)

Friday, February 6th starting at 20:30pm: Maurice Pialat's Police (1985)

Saturday, February 7th starting at 21:00pm: Francois Truffaut's Les deux Anglaises et le continent (1971)

Phi Centre:

Tueday, February 3th starting at 19:30pm: Harmony Korine's Gummo (1997)

Cheers!

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Netflix Top 5 - February

Well, it’s that time of the year again. It’s a time where we celebrate the achievements and contributions, history, culture and excellence of black peoples. And just like how the first of February signals this celebration, so too does it signal the inevitablequestion: “Why isn’t there a WHITE history month?” Yes people, it’s Black History Month! As such, the Netflix Canada Top 5 will exclusively showcase the works of Black filmmakers and actors, who during every other month of the year are excluded, forgotten, or simply unknown to white society.

Now this list was a little tough to bring together seeing as though the majority of Black films on Netflix Canada are either Tyler Perry movies or have Kevin Hart in them. Nonetheless, I think I managed to pull together a pretty good list of films:

Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler, 2013): In case some of you have forgotten about Ferguson or the never ending string of Black deaths at the hands of White cops, I suggest Fruitvale Station. The film dramatically renders the story of Oscar Grant, a young Black man that was murdered by Oakland police officers back in 2009. What is so important about this film, besides the fact that it brings awareness to this senseless murder, is that like much of the coverage surrounding Grant's death--which only sought to vilify and implicate him as a thug who deserved to have his life ended--the film does not hide these accusations by creating an outstanding citizen, but rather confronts them head-on. However, the film does not allow such traits to be the defining characteristics of Oscar. Indeed, the film suggests that Oscar Grant was not a victim or a villain, but a young man who deserved to live. 

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Benh Zeitlin, 2012): Though Zeitlin's film has been praised for its wonderful cinematography and fantastical storyline, so much so that it was nominated for an Oscar back in 2012, the film itself is problematic. Like other films that feature Black characters, and in this case Black female characters, Beasts fails to break away from the strong, suffering Black woman stereotype and instead chooses to instill these qualities into a six year old girl. The film enacts various scenes of emotional and physical violence against her and continues the myth that Black people are somehow more animalistic or have a better connection to the land because of their blackness. Indeed the film aligns Hushpuppy's strength to her innate ability to find solace in the film's wild landscape. So why pick this film for the Top 5? I chose this film because the ideas that society has about race rely heavily on myth. And Beasts certainly contains many myths constructed about Black people. My hope is that you watch this film, whether it's your first time or not, with these ideas in mind. I also chose this film because Quvenzhané Wallis's performance is amazing despite the film's various representation problems. 

And just in case you mispronounced her name as you were reading this cause I know you did:

Thunder Soul (Mark Landsman, 2010): Thunder Soul is a documentary about a high school band teacher named Conrad "Prof" Johnson who took the students from his school's jazz band and transformed them into a legendary funk powerhouse that rocked America. The film also discusses the lasting influence he has had on his now adult students. I have not watched this documentary, however music is not only a big part of Black culture, but it is also a huge part of American history and culture. So much so that you can take almost any musical genre today and connect it back to the music of Black Americans. 

Belle (Amma Asante, 2013): The film is a period drama that focuses on the life of the half black half white daughter of a British admiral, Dedo Elizabeth Belle. Belle is another film that I have yet to see, but has been on my list ever since I saw the poster of it in the Forum two years ago. What caught my attention about the poster was the fact that a female Black character was the only person featured on the poster. Moreover, I also noticed that the film was directed by a woman, who I would later find out is also Black. So of course when I discovered that Netflix Canada had added this film to their cache, I had to put it on the list. 

The Boondocks (Aaron McGruder, 2005-2014): I am sure that many of you are aware of this amazing animated TV series that sadly came to an end last year. However, one cannot make a list of Top Black anything and not include The Boondocks (that would be blasphemy!). The show, unlike most media that deals with race as its primary topic, successfully uses the controversy of explicit and confrontational racial storytelling to not only provoke critical thought about politics, modern life in America, and racial issues, but also laughter. Indeed, The Boondocks is an amazing example of how satire is supposed to be. None of this "Oh you didn't think that my racist, homophobic, sexist, Islamophobic, etc. comment was funny? Well you just don't get satire!" nonsense that these white boys love to toss around the moment people find their humour to lack any basis in social commentary. Though I encourage everyone to watch the show in its entirety, I would recommended that you start with one of my favourite episodes "The Return of the King," since it discusses the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King in a way that is often neglected when his name is dropped--especially during Black History Month. 

Happy Black History Month people, 

Brice Smither

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Top 5 of the week: Jan. 26th - Feb. 1st

Hello dear readers,

The new MontReel-X board had its first meeting and we are all pleased to announce that there is some big changes to come, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here's what you should be watching this week. 

Concordia - Cinema Politica

Monday, January 26th starting at 7:00pm: Gabriele Del Grande, Antonio Augugliaro, and Khaled Soliman Al Nassiry's On the Bride's Side (2014)

La Cinématèque Québécoise:

Tuesday, January 28th starting at 8:30pm: Rob Epstein's Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)

Wednesday, January 29th starting at 8:30pm: Rob Epstein's Lovelace (2013)

Friday, January 30th starting at 6:30pm: Oscar Micheaux's Body and Soul (1925)

Saturday, January 31th starting at 7:00pm: Duncan Jones' Moon (2009)

Phi Centre:

Tuesday, January 28th starting at 7:30pm: Alonso Ruiz Palacios' Gueros (2014)

Enjoy your week!

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Top 5 of the Week: 19th-25th

It looks like 2015 will be a good year for cinephiles,

It is so hard to come up with only five events that can really reflect Montreal's cultural scene. The Cinématèque Québécoise has outdone itself again this week, but Cinema Politica keeps coming back with documentaries that deserve our attention. For this week, here's a list of films that you might want to check out. 

At the Cinématèque Québécoise:

Wednesday, January 21st: Rob Epstein's The Celluloid Closet (1996) in 35mm.

Thursday, January 22nd: Ken Loach's The Spirit of '45 (2013).

Friday, January 23rd: Charlie Chaplin's Gold Rush (1925) in 35mm.

Friday, January 23rd:  Four Chris Maker's films on the aesthetic of the resistance.

Saturday, January 24th: Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity (2013)

At the Phi Centre:

Monday, January 19th: Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

Tuesday, January 20th: Claude Jutra's À Tout Prendre (1963)

Wednesday, January 21st: Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen (1991) – This is a free screening. 

Saturday, January 24th and Sunday, January 25th: Frederick Wiseman's National Gallery (2014)

At Cinema Politica: 

Monday, January 19th: Cullen Hoback's Terms and Conditions May Apply (2014) is playing at Concordia

Thursday, January 22nd: Nishtha Jain's Gulabi Gang (2012) at McGill

This week we have an eclectic screening program, but I couldn't emphasize more on the importance of going to one of these independent screenings instead of the big mainstream theatres which will charge you double the price. Apart from the price, I can assure you that you will feel intellectually stimulated by these screenings which all present, in their own way, a certain politics of resistance.

Let us know which one you attended to! 

By Bruno Ladouceur

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Top 5: Jan. 12th through the 18th

It's good to be alive in Montreal on this Sunday,

Tomorrow we are starting the second week of our winter semester and we can't wait to reconvene for our first meeting of 2015. We will review our activity during the past 4 months and hopefully integrate some new content in the following weeks. In the meantime, you should definitely check out these events.

1- You haven't seen them yet! Some of the best movies of 2014 made it through 2015. Here's what you can see this week:

Birdman (2014): Cinéma Du Parc

Whiplash (2014): Cinéma Du Parc

Foxcatcher (2014): Cinéma Excentris

Inherent Vice (2014): Cinéma Du Parc

Selma (2014): Forum

Mr. Turner (2014): Forum

Citizenfour (2014): Forum

2- NOT TO BE MISSED: HIV/AIDS Concordia invites you to their 22nd Annual Community Lecture Series on HIV/AIDS featuring Rob Epstein. This is happening on Thursday, Jan. 15th/ 7pm in Concordia's Hall Building H-110.

3- Maxime Giroux's Félix Et Meira (2014) is playing this Friday, Jan. 16th/7:30pm at the Phi Centre. Addressing Montreal's multiculturalism, this film takes you into Meira's journey, an Hassidic Jew, who meets Félix, a francophone who has no money and a dying father. The clash of their two cultures will bring them to evolve in this new contemporary drama.

4- Throughout the week, you can go check out one of Rob Epstein's movies at the Cinématèque Québécoise. Here's a list of the projections: 

Thursday Jan. 15th: Paragraph 175 (2000)

Friday Jan. 16th: The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

Saturday Jan 17th: Howl (2010)

5- Michael Powell's Peeping Tom playing this Sunday, Jan. 18th/ 6:30pm at Concordia VA-114. This event is held by The Cine-Club Film Society and is presented by Maude Michaud (M.A. Media Studies, Concordia University) who is specializing in the Horror Genre. This ought to be a very interesting projection. 

We welcome feedback and if you would like to share an event with us or invite us to review one of your screenings we will be pleased to do so. You can contact us through the menu bar option which allows you to send us emails.  

By Bruno Ladouceur

Suggestions by Kristi Kouchakji 

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Top 5 of the week - Jan 5-11

Whether you have a few days of vacation left or you're already desperate for a distraction, we've got you covered:

For the terminally broke (hello my people!), Ciné-campus at U de M is showing Xavier Dolan’s Mommy January 6th, 7th, and 8th, with free admission if you like their Facebook page in advance.

The Cinémathèque québécoise kicks off its winter programming with memorial screenings for both Roger Racine and Mike Nichols, including screenings of Jeunesses musicales and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Wednesday the 7th.

Cinéma du Parc has both Sundance-winner Whiplash (all week) and PT Anderson’s Inherent Vice (starting Friday the 9th). I’m not sure I’m mentally equipped to handle a PT Anderson adaptation of Thomas Pynchon, but Julien listed Whiplash as one of his top ten films of 2014.

Also on Friday the 9th, Deux jours, une nuit, starring Marion Cotillard, opens at Ex-Centris. Émile really liked it, and it seems like it might be a nice, light way to start thinking about labour issues ahead of the Cinémathèque’s Esthetics of Resistance series starting later this month.

Finally, if you’d prefer not to break both your ankles leaving the house if you don’t need to, there’s always the internet. Aside from good old Netflix, which just added a certain monster hit sitcom on the Canadian side too so you don't need to worry about being blocked forever, there's also CBC player, which is full of great documentaries like Transgender Parents, as well as CBC's amazing digital archives, including this 1984 clip featuring Roch Carrier reading The Hockey Sweater on Morningside.

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An attempt to narrow it down to 10 films...

With barely three months of active contribution on this social media platform, MontReel-X is proud to present his first awaited top 10 films of the year. As our readers may have noticed through the diversity of films and events we have covered, it is almost impossible to come up with only one list that would reflect each and everyone's cinematic preferences. That being said, here is how we compiled the data.

We have nominated 35 films this year from which 10 had to be selected as the 2014 crème de la crème based on points that were attributed according to their rank. This is why Linklater's Boyhood occupies the first position with 19 points and Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel is second with 16 points. Inarritu's Birdman, which is a surprisingly energetic film, may have won your hearts, but ends up third with 15 points. Other films such as Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin, Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive, Christopher Nolan's Interstellar or Damien Chazelle's Whiplash had to be left out against Fincher's Gone Girl which was nominated twice. Since we thought it would be unfair to display only one list, you can find our favourites of the year in the following lists: 

Bruno: 

Boyhood (Richard Linklater)

Adieu au Langage (Jean-Luc Godard)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)

The Iron Ministry (JP Sniadecki)

Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch)

Birdman (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

A Most Wanted Man (Anton Corbijn)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

Cathedrals of Culture (Wim Wenders, Robert Redford, Michael Madsen, Karim Ainouz, Michael Glawogger, Margreth Olin)

Her (Spike Jonze)

Kristi:

The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer)/ I touched all your stuff (Maira Buhler and Matias Mariani)

Transgender Parents (Remy Huberdeau)

The Secret Trial 5 (Amar Wala)

Sol (Marie-Helene Cousineau and Susan Avingaq)/ Intersexion (Grant Lahood)

Maidan (Sergei Loznitsa) 

Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence)

Offshore (Brenda Longfellow and Glenn Richards)/ Circa 1948 (National Film Board of Canada)

Julien:

Birdman (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

Boyhood (Richard Linklater)

Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)

Gone Girl (David Fincher)

22 Jump Street (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)

The Lego Movie (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)

Edge of Tomorrow (Doug Liman)

Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)

Frédéric

The Immigrant (James Gray)

The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki)

Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait (Wiam Bedirxam and Ossama Mohammed)

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

Gone Girl (David Fincher)

Miss Granny (Dong-Hyuk Hwang)

Hard To Be a God (Aleksey German)

Journey to the West (Stephen Chow and Chi-Kin Kwok)

The Suspect (Won Shin-Yeon)

From these lists you can get that we all divergent interests. Bruno and Julien are grounded in the typical American film industry. Whether mainstream or independent, their choices are representative of a certain audience. However, some films like The Iron Ministry and Whiplash stand among some of the big names of the film industry (Richard Linklater, Jim Jarmusch and Christopher Nolan), showing that both milieux interact with each other. This is something that we can also observe in other Top 10 list such as Time Magazine or in daily newspapers.

As for Kristi, her list is deeply grounded in the documentary genre with a slight slip for Hunger Games, but she decided to give more importance to films that have been screened only in small venue such as Cinema Politica. 

Frédéric's list is what we might call a perfect blend of international chef d'oeuvre. Bound for USA, Japan, South Korea, Syria or Russia, his top 10 will take you in every corner of the world where life may be embellished or where filmmakers decided to show you how precarious it can be. 

In collaboration with Julien Garon, Frédéric St-Hilaire, and Kristi Kouchakji 

By Bruno Ladouceur

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Christmas is ruined: The one where Bruno and Kristi attempt to compile a Top Ten list of holiday films

Ed. Note: This special holiday feature replaces our usual weekly top 5 events list. We’ll be back at it for the week of January 5-11, and in the meantime, we’ll be binge-watching all of the stuff below, and then some. Happy Holidays!

(A Christmas Story, 1983)

Bruno’s Top 5:

Bridget Jones’s Diary (Sharon Maguire, 2001)

Friends: The One With the Holiday Armadillo (2000)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Selick, Burton, 1993)

The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)

Merry Christmas Mr. Bean (John Birkin, 1992)

Kristi’s Top 5:

Bruno poached half my list, so it’s like I get a top 8. Which I’m cool with. So in addition to The Apartment, Merry Christmas Mr. Bean, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, I’d say:

A Christmas Story (Bob Clark, 1983)

It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)

Miracle on 34th Street (George Seaton, 1947)  

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Chuck Jones, 1966)  

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah Chechik, 1989)

And one more, in the spirit of the DGAF holiday which it celebrates: Seinfeld: The Strike (aka the Festivus episode) (Andy Ackerman, 1997)

Read how we got to this point after the jump.

(Au Clair de la Lune, 1983)

BL: So far this is what I would argue for,

The Nightmare Before Christmas (Selick, Burton, 1993)

Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003)

Friends (episode on Christmas time)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Ron Howard, 2000)

Mon Oncle Antoine (Claude Jutra, 1971)

Au Clair de la Lune (André Forcier, 1983)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Bill Melendez, 1965)

KK: Love Actually? Actually? Are you kidding? These are some of the most despicable human beings ever created for the screen. They have no concept at all of love or compassion. They are the worst, and this is the worst. THE WORST.

BL: Although I strongly agree that the depiction of men is not very flattering and representative of the contemporary male attitude toward love, it is still a fun film to watch if you take it as a mere entertainment. I just love Hugh Grant… OK! To be honest, I haven’t watched the film for at least 10 years now, but all that is important to remember is the cheesy “romantic” scenes where one guy holds a sign with a radio outside the girl’s house or Hugh Grant sitting in the backseat of a car with that kid disguised as a frog. Romance that would make any young boy cries.

(Love Actually, 2003)

KK: No, that scene with the guy at the door is what I remember as the best example of these being terrible, terrible people. The guy goes over to his best friend’s house and pressures his wife, who he has been stalking, into leaving her husband for him? At Christmas? Seriously? No. This is terrible. And it’s representative of contemporary male attitudes of entitlement to women, if you want to go down that path. I will admit that Hugh Grant with the kid in the frog costume might have done something for me, but otherwise, no. These people all get lumps of coal in their stockings.

Re: Ron Howard’s version of the Grinch: The second worst. Please see below.

BL: Well I didn’t think of Chuck Jones’ original cartoon, and it would obviously be better than Jim Carrey as the Grinch. Though the film might not be great, the reason I included it in my list is that I remember watching it with my mother when I was younger and I think of it as a feel-good movie. Therefore I couldn’t restrain myself from including it. 

(How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 2000)

KK: Ok, well that’s mostly a fair argument. So much of this is wrapped up in nostalgia for everyone that I think we all get a freebie on at least one.

BL: Just like your pick of It’s a Wonderful Life, though to be fair it is known to be a holiday classic…

KK: Absolutely. Re: Friends: The one where I want to agree with you, but I’m not sure which one specifically you’re talking about. Unless you mean all of them, in which case, co-signed. 

BL: I didn’t have one episode in mind when I first sent you the list, although The One With the Holiday Armadillo is by far a classic. This is funny because just a few months ago I was looking into academic analyses of Friends and it is surprising how hard it was for the writers to slowly develop characters while not shocking their audience. Like how Rachel finally decided to have a baby on her own or the In-Vitro pregnancy of Monica or Phoebe’s struggle to become a surrogate mother. When you look at the ideas they were pushing through television in order to make them socially acceptable, no wonder they call it a tool of mass communication. The same thing happened with The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air where Will Smith embodies a divergent character, but he managed to make it on his own even though he was from the street. I feel like not a lot of work has been published on tv shows and it’s a shame because most of them are not simply entertainment but a mirror of how our society evolves and is shaped by conventions. (This is not very Christmasy) 

(Friends: The One With the Holiday Armadillo, 2000)

KK: The One With the Holiday Armadillo is great. What's not festive about an armadillo? You know the whole series comes to Netflix January 1st, right? 

I have a hard time with Friends because on an immediate level so much of it is such wildly impossible fantasy-land stuff, but they hit some really interesting emotional notes along the way, especially (for me at least) when Chandler and Monica first got together. And some of the comedy is really strong, too. I feel like I should have a lot to say that tears it down, but if we’re just being honest, it’s still a sick day go-to for me.

As for things not being Christmasy, I think in a way that’s OK. A lot of the films on my list below aren’t specifically Christmas movies, but have pivotal moments taking place around holiday events. I feel like in a way this gives a lot more insight into cultural traditions around the holidays than making an explicit performance of those traditions the main point of the film, but maybe that’s just me.

I totally agree with you about TV being worth some kind of academic consideration, and to that end, I'd like to insert a little precursor to my list: 

Seinfeld: The Strike (Andy Ackerman, 1997). This is better known as the Festivus episode - a Festivus for the rest of us, and forever in my heart.

(The Strike, 1997)

In no particular order, the rest of my list:

A Christmas Story (Bob Clark, 1983) – “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid. Ho, ho, ho.” I’m not wild about the indulgent, nostalgic veneer on the racist bit at the end, but everything else about this film, I love.

BL: I haven’t seen it yet, but just from the trailer it looks like the ultimate Christmas movie. I will watch it before giving ample comments.

KK: It is such a fun film. I can’t wait for you to see it.

(Die Hard, 1988)

Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988) – “Now I have a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho.” Little Ralphie’s German pen pal, a young, pre-emo Severus Snape, visits New York for the holidays. Also featuring Bruce Willis’ self-cleaning undershirt, an early prototype of smart fabric wearable tech.

BL: I was hesitant as to whether or not I should include this one in my list, but then I felt like if I do I would have to include Taxi 3 (Krawczyk, 2003) (the one with all the Santas) and there is no way this movie is going to find a place in my list. Just to remind myself of what Christmas theme Die Hard exploited I found the trailer on YouTube (this phrasing makes it look hard to find anything on YouTube…which it is not). It reminded me of The Towering Inferno (Guillermin, 1974) which is all about a big event not happening because of some disaster. In this Die Hard, Christmas is ruined (with Stewie's pronunciation) and Bruce Willis will try to make it better for everyone. 

KK:  I’m always on the fence about it, but at the end of the day, sometimes you just need to see a bad 1980s action film where everything gets blown up and someone cynically re-appropriates Santa’s catchphrase. Ho. Ho. Ho.

BL: I TOTALLY AGREE!

It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946) – Fun fact: This was originally released as a summer movie, and did not do well at the box office. I used to get really annoyed at my mother for making me watch this every year while wrapping gifts and signing the tags “from Santa” (yes, that’s how I found out), and now every year I watch it with a decent bottle of wine in her memory.

(It's a Wonderful Life, 1946)

BL: I don’t remember seeing that movie ever… Silly isn’t it? I feel like I’ve seen it, but I didn’t. I’m on it!

KK: It’s another example of a film that isn’t really a Christmas film, but has a key event taking place at the holidays, and over the years it’s come to be the Christmas film for a lot of people. It may make you oddly nostalgic for a middle class that at some point at least paid lip service to the idea of solidarity, knowing your politics, but it’s another one to not overthink too much.

The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960) – Aka, How to drink at the office party and not be That Guy, featuring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine at their best. Also contains amazing lifehacks on coping without a pasta strainer, psychological care, or respect for women.

(The Apartment, 1960)

BL: I have to agree with you. Billy Wilder is a great director and he has never disappointed me. From Some Like it Hot (1959) to Double Indemnity (1944), there is a certain consistency on how female characters are treated or used so as to portray socially constructed stigmas. Of course in Some Like it Hot, Marilyn Monroe’s character embodies the apotheosis of a female masquerade, however it is contrasted with the two men disguised as women, so it is justified and useful. The female characters have more to offer in Wilder’s film than in other films of the period as they are independent, capable of thinking and acting, but most importantly they are not mere objects of sexual desire, and if they are it is to comment on the heteronormative American conventions. I don’t know why I didn’t include it in my list.

KK: I think maybe people don’t find the suicide and adultery particularly festive, so they don’t think of this as a holiday film. Go figure. I’m not wild about Shirley MacLaine’s character being written as needing a man to give her life meaning, but at least she’s shown having a happier ending than just being punished for being sexually active, and Fred MacMurray is pretty clearly left miserable and disrespected for his decisions, which also doesn’t always happen in midcentury adultery stories.

Bridget Jones’ Diary (Sharon Maguire, 2001) – The turkey curry buffet is such a brilliant, heightened performance of middle-class Britishness that I’m surprised it isn’t an actual thing. Perfect viewing for January 2nd, when you realize you’ve already broken every one of your resolutions in a hungover stupor.

BL: I was going to argue against this movie, but then I watched the trailer and realized that… Hugh Grant is playing in it. Oh Lord! (This shows just how bad my memory is) Alright I’m a tad joking right now, but yes clearly this is a very good movie before, during, and after Christmas. Refill your alcohol cabinet and your freezer with ice cream and repeat the exercise for New Year. Would it be pushing too far to ask for a Hugh Grant marathon… Probably! I am aware that he is a despicable human being. I remember that one time he was on the British news because he hired a prostitute or something… 

KK: He got caught with a transvestite prostitute in the back of a car in LA in 1995, and basically admitted to the whole thing in his charming, floppy-haired way on Letterman, and after a few weeks the punch line got old. Really the only thing that put me off is it was in the back of a car – you’d think after Four Weddings and a Funeral, buddy could’ve afforded a hotel room. In a way though having a big sex scandal actually shifted his persona enough that he was perfect for the Daniel Cleaver role in Bridget Jones, since the character is meant to be the updated version of that scoundrel, Mr.Wickham. 

Also: Colin Firth as Darcy. You can never go wrong with Colin Firth as Darcy, in any period.

(Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001)

Miracle on 34th Street (George Seaton, 1947) – Despite, or maybe because of, the Wonderful Life incident, the idea of using government bureaucracy to irrefutably prove the existence of Santa is deeply appealing to me. It’s also a pretty interesting, non-cynical demonstration of what I guess someone today would call disruptive marketing.

BL: One of the few flaws on my film record… I haven’t seen it. Shame on me.

KK: It took me until a few years ago, no shame. Both this and the 1994 remake are on Netflix, but this one’s better.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Chuck Jones, 1966) – The only version that matters. 

BL: I have to agree with you… I did watched it a long time ago, and while I was in New York earlier this semester I went to the Moving Image Museum in Astoria and guess what… An exhibition of Chuck Jones. It was unbelievable! 

KK: When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner, 1989) – Granted, the film has some huge, heteronormative problems, and New York has never looked so very white, but at the same time, the dynamic between Harry and Sally is everything that I love about the relationship between Jerry and Elaine on Seinfeld, and that New Year’s Eve party is fancier than any wedding I’ve been to this year.

BL: Is this film even about Christmas? I mean I haven’t seen it but where is Santa? No but really is it a Christmas movie or just a movie that you like to watch over Christmas? Either way it looks like an awesome movie.

(When Harry Met Sally, 1989)

KK: Not really, but holiday rituals are part of how we see the characters’ relationship evolve, and the big climax really plays into a lot of our cultural mythology around New Year’s Eve, so I count it. 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Jeremiah Chechik, 1989) – Chevy Chase with the Christmas lights: #thestruggleisreal.

(National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 1989)

BL: I haven’t seen it, but from the trailer I feel like it’s a bit like A Christmas Story, though the jokes in the latter seem less absurd and serve a more well-constructed catharsis.

[Update] I forced myself to sit in front of the television to watch this film and I must say that was time well spent after all! It is just as absurd as I had imagined it, but nonetheless very Christmasy. It should make its way on the preemptive Top 10 list because it deserves a chance to be acknowledged. 

KK: I wouldn’t have added it to my top 5, but you poached so much of what I would have that it’s up there now in your honor. Also because I finally put up my lights today and could not stop thinking of this the whole time. 

Merry Christmas Mr. Bean (John Birkin, 1992) – Need I say more? 

(Merry Christmas Mr. Bean, 1992)

BL: No need to say more! We should make a parallel with the episode where Joey’s head get stuck in the turkey… Though I think it was for Thanksgiving.

KK: I’m also pretty sure Joey’s head in the turkey was a Thanksgiving episode, but at the same time, I almost feel like US Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows should count in holiday listings, despite the fact that I refuse to acknowledge Christmas until December 5th. But you’re right, there is definitely a parallel to be made, especially when you consider how non-verbal Joey becomes when he’s eating.

(The One With All the Thanksgivings, 1998)

I feel like I should also mention the Downton Abbey Christmas special, where the writers get a full 90 minutes to fix all the things they messed up in the previous season and deal with whichever performers’ contracts not being renewed before production starts on the next, and it’s quickly becoming a British holiday tradition at least. It’s always a gloriously rendered shitshow of narrative loose ends, and a perfect excuse to binge-watch the most recent season before sitting down to this.

BL: I think the top ten we made is a good mix of both our lists. Instead of commenting on the movies I will provide a rationale behind my new inclusive Top 5 list. 

I think this is the movie we both agree on. For one Hugh Grant is playing in it… the original version of Renee Zellweger… Also another reason why I chose to position it as our number one is that it is a film that appeals to both genders, and whether or not you are a film buff it is a film that will entertain you.

If you watch these ten movies in quick succession, this episode of Friends is a good break from longer features and prepares you for the following four. 

As I am writing this message, my brother is watching it at his primary school. You have to agree that this is an all-time classic. Either for Halloween or for Christmas, this is not to be missed. Here it occupies the third rank, only because of its versatile quality. KK: I have to confess to never having seen The Nightmare Before Christmas. I think this and Au Clair de lune are the only ones from your original list that I haven’t seen though, so I feel less bad than maybe I should,

Great movie! Can’t be among the top because Billy Wilder’s films are more subtle and the Christmas aesthetic is not out there. Though The Apartment is one of those movies that gives you faith in humanity while being pure entertainment. KK: I don’t know about faith in humanity, but I strongly disagree about a lack of Christmas aesthetic. Although maybe that’s from having had my share of unfortunate office parties (but never quite to this extent).

It wasn’t easy to place this one last since I really love Mr. Bean, but some choices needed to be made. What I can is that Bridget Jones’ Diary is by far more complex than any Mr. Bean’s. This British slapstick comedy falls into the nostalgic feel-good category whereas the other one stands on its own. 

KK: I didn’t rank my top 5 picks at all, and to be honest you actually did me a favor with yours because there’s no way I could have picked just five, so thanks for giving me the extra list space. Ho. Ho. Ho.

[montreelx]

Canadian Netflix Subscribers, there is not-so-hidden treasures waiting for you just one click away!

It's official! Everyone has submitted their papers and passed (hopefully) their exams, so now you can slowly walk to your TV and sign in to your Netflix's account and enjoy the Christmas' vacation while it lasts (without shame or regrets). You've done your best and you deserve a break, but you also deserve good company. And what is better than your favourite meal and alcohol? Movies.

Without further ado, here it is:  

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013): Scarlett Johansson improvises some scenes as she lures men into her car. Her strange metaphoric character lets our imagination wanders in a deep intellectual imagery accompanied by a beautifully constructed soundtrack that will bring you into Glazer's world while rediscovering what it means to be a human being. Amongst my favourite film of 2014. Rating: 4.5/5

Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013): This is literally the best vampire movie I have seen so far, though I haven't seen A Girl Walk Alone At Night (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014). Adam, the male protagonist, is having an existential crisis and seek the help of his wife, Eve. In this new Jarmusch, the revitalization of the Genesis only adds to the pristine aesthetic and narrative which drowns you with ample references to literature and music. Rating: 5/5 P.S. If you like vampire movies, check out Let the Right One In (Thomas Alfredson, 2008) Rating: 4/5

Nymphomaniac: Volume One and Two (Lars Von Trier, 2013): Well this isn't very Christmasy, but it never ceases to amaze me when I stumble upon this kind of movie on Netflix. Von Trier does not need to be introduced. Go watch it!  

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014): Again, Wes Anderson has outdone himself with this colourful comedy. It is interesting to note his use of aspect ratio to enter and leave different storylines is ingenious and ought to be used again in other work. Rating: 4/5

Shame (Steve McQueen, 2011): Steve McQueen proved to the world that he could make incredible movies such as Hunger (2008) Rating: 4.5/5 and 12 Years of Slave (2013) Rating: 5/5. Although I haven't seen it, Shame as his second feature film will probably not disappoint you.

And here's a few more that you might like: 

Laurence Anyways (Xavier Dolan, 2012)

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)

The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick, 1998)

The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)

For those of you who want more of David Lynch's work you should definitely check out Twin Peaks (Season One and Two) which is also on Netflix. The third season is scheduled to air in 2016, 25 years after season 2 ended in 1991. 

Moonrise Kingdom (2012), another chef-d'oeuvre by Wes Anderson, is also available on Netflix. 

Merry Christmas to all! 

By Bruno Ladouceur

[montreelx]

Top 5 of the week - Dec. 15-21

There’s literally something for everyone in this week’s roundup – without further ado: 

1 – Film nerds and 70s revivalists will want to hit Cinémathèque Wednesday the 17th for a screening of Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now, in 35mm no less.

2 – Iran’s first Vampire Western/feminist horror film, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, screens for one night only at the Centre Phi Thursday the 18th.

3 – Heading back over to Cinémathèque, they’re running a Terry Zwigoff restrospective from the 18th-21st. Their programmers seem most excited about Louie Blue, I’m most excited about Crumb, and I think we can all get excited about Bad Santa.

4 – Also ongoing, in case you missed out during RIDM (or just can't get enough), is Vox’s James Benning exhibit, featuring his One Way Boogie Woogie 2012 installation and screenings of his feature Stemple Pass at oddly specific times.

5 – Bruno may bar me from ever doing these lists again for this, but It’s a Wonderful Life is showing at the Scotia on the 20th, 22nd, and 24th. Granted, it’s a digital projection at a multiplex, but for $6 or 100 Scene points, and taking into account the proximity of an SAQ, the new Myriade, and the Ogilvy’s Christmas window, it’s a good cheap date waiting to happen (and nothing says “class” like spiking your hot chocolate in the doorway at Louis Vuitton). 

[montreelx]

It all started (and ends) with the hippos: A review of I Touched All Your Stuff

This deeply engrossing story, which spans several years and countries, is essentially one of obsession with a mysterious woman referred to as V, and it does actually start with Pablo Escobar’s hippos. Chris’ statement to that effect - “It all started with the hippos” - is spoken over a dreamy image of a hippo gliding underwater. While this shot is taken from a short National Geographic webdoc, the dreamy quality of it is carried through the film’s reconstructions of V. Through the bulk of the film, V is shown only in blurry photos, usually with her head turned or hair covering her face, and in two very brief video clips whose style is best described as Instagram chic, again with her face not in the frame. While two of Chris’ friends claim to have met her, their impressions of V are that she was as unknowable to them as she is to the viewer, and as she became to Chris.

That V’s presence in the film is largely constructed through her absence from it is one of several reminders that, while she is a major player in the story being told, it is ultimately Chris’ story. As he describes his obsession with V becoming a form of madness, we see a series of files, images, email exchanges, and IM sessions saved on Chris’ hard drive. While this makes for some dull visuals that already look severely dated, considering the files and operating systems in question are from the mid-2000s, the sequence is so briskly edited that the viewer’s focus is entirely on keeping up with the increasingly byzantine narrative, making several hints at what may really be going on easy to miss. What does stand out here though is the subtle shift in Chris’ tone as he talks about V, both in his narration and in the IM exchanges shown on-screen: Rather than the words of a shy, smitten geek, they take on a sense of both entitlement to and disregard for V, ultimately coming across as the words of a pickup artist denied, and this is echoed in his increasingly disturbing actions. (Unsurprisingly, a regrettable Google search after the screening revealed that Chris’ other major interview about the V story is actually with a pickup artist website.)

While this shift in tone is an obvious clue that not all is what it seems, that Chris is in jail as he tells this story is the most glaring sign that there’s more to this story than just a romance gone bad. The precise, concrete reason for Chris’ incarceration passes by so quickly in the much more interesting story of Chris’ obsession with V that it’s easily missed, but it’s also easily assumed by about the two-thirds point of the film. In essence, Chris was in a Brazilian jail for much the same reasons that African hippos came to be roaming rural Columbia, a parallel which can be extended to the idea of a potentially dangerous mass hidden under a calm surface, hence the film’s Portuguese title (which translates to “The Secret Lives of Hippopotamuses”) and the early emphasis on Chris’ sweet, innocent demeanour. Meanwhile, the film’s English title, taken from a note left at the scene of a prank whose punchline is worth waiting for, is, in retrospect, a big indication that what Chris reveals about himself in recounting the prank is key to unlocking the film. This is perhaps the film’s greatest strength: By letting Chris dominate the narration, while including a multitude of hints and subtle inconsistencies in both the narration and the choice of visual materials, the filmmakers have crafted something so intoxicating that it’s not until the credits roll that the effect wears off and the subtext coalesces into a clearer picture of what’s hidden beneath Chris’ calm surface. 

[montreelx]

Gaspé 1, Paris 0: A side-by-side review of La marche à suivre and La cour de Babel

La cour de Babel, which follows an integration class for new immigrants at a Parisian high school, amounts to bad ethnography that ultimately subordinates the students’ concerns in favour of glorifying their teacher. While it is not immediately apparent that the entire film is shot from the teacher’s perspective, since the camera angle is set to film the students dead-on from across the teacher’s desk, it becomes obvious in the film’s last act, when the film shifts from what, until this point, has been a series of fairly intimate portraits of the students to being about the teacher’s relationship to the group and all she has done for them. This is also reflected in the administrative approach to the students’ issues: Solutions are dictated by the teacher, rather than developed with the student, and are based on the student simply changing their behavior in class rather than productively addressing any underlying issues, with the teacher frequently cutting students off as they attempt to share their perspectives on these issues. Furthermore, the film’s emotional climax is almost entirely about the group’s reaction to the news that their teacher is giving up teaching to become a school board administrator, with the students’ own plans being secondary to this.

Given the prevailing political climate in France, it’s generally hard not to suspect the film of an underlying colonial saviour complex, and the ending’s emphasis on the teacher and her perceived achievements really only highlights that.

La marche à suivre, by contrast, is entirely about its adolescent subjects. This time set at a high school in Gaspésie, the film follows high schoolers dealing with a variety of behavioural, emotional, and learning challenges. With only one very early appearance by the school’s educational specialist, the film’s emphasis is entirely on the students as they unpack their individual issues and develop their own plans for dealing with them with the specialist’s support, rather than having plans dictated to them as in La cour de Babel.

Nearly identical to La cour de Babel on a formal level, with the camera again set at the teens’ level and cutaways to the school yard as seen from above to indicate the passing of time, La marche à suivre stands out for its shots of the students at play. Beautifully composed, these wide, static shots again emphasize the students themselves as they move through the frame, again reflecting that the students here are given full agency to determine how they move through their high school years and how they overcome obstacles.

La marche à suivre also makes a point of including a sequence showing what the students do with their summers, calling attention to the fact that these are young human beings who exist outside the institution. In La cour de Babel, the only indications of the students having lives beyond the school’s walls are the presence of their parents at some of the meetings with the teacher, which nonetheless take place in the teacher’s office and in which the parents are subjected to the same kinds of demands for conformity as the teens. Even in a sequence intended to pass for showing the students at leisure, attending a student film festival where they have entered a short documentary they made as a group, it is clear that the outing nonetheless takes place within an institutional framework. It is this utter lack of freedom that makes La cour de Babel so dispiriting, and shows that by contrast, the students in La marche à suivre have a far better chance of discovering who they are as people and learning to navigate the world in general.