By far, VanRamblings’ four favourite films so far are Pure, The Sandman, Corpo Celeste and Michael. Utterly original directorial visions, with revelatory performances, fully realized creations, disturbing, humane, so challenging they leave you unsettled, rattled to your core, these four films are in a category by themselves, each of the films tour-de-force cinema.

Continue reading VIFF 2011, Day 5: A Revelatory Day at The Vancouver Film Festival →

While waiting on Howe Street for the bus to take us home after another 5 film day
at the Vancouver Film Festival, we were treated to an impromptu Robson Square concert

Since the outset of the Festival, the rains have fallen from the skies only once, and then only briefly. Sunday didn’t bring a deluge, but rather a constant smattering of cooling autumn rain, dampening the sidewalks and those of us standing in line, but hardly dampening the spirits of the thousands of Festival-goers who are attending VIFF30 each and every day.
Day Four of VanRamblings’ Festival was yet another day of spectacular filmgoing, where we were turned on our head over and over again.
Bullhead was a revelation, Headshot was a tour-de-force, Restoration was moving and one of our Vancouver Film Festival favourites so far, Innocence was twisty and turning while emerging with a sense of justice, and Granito: How to Nail a Dictator may be one of the most heartrending documentaries we’ve ever screened (the interview with the daughter of a one of los desaparecidos, now a lawyer, is the single most powerful scene we’ve ever encountered in a non-fiction film). All and all, a great day at our Film Fest.

Continue reading VIFF 2011, Day 4: And The Rains Fell From The Heavens →

Truth to tell, VanRamblings finds ourselves a bit tuckered, what with the five movie a day regimen, so we took it a little easier on ourselves on Saturday, arising a bit later than we usually do, enjoying a good breakfast at home, and thereafter meeting with the inimitable Showbiz Shayne in the languorous ticket line-up outside VIFF’s ‘home’, the Empire Granville 7.
On the schedule, and screened, here are today’s capsule film reviews:

Continue reading VIFF 2011, Day Three: A Quietening, Warming Day at the Festival →

From here on in, VanRamblings and Showbiz Shayne will schedule more tried-and-true Festival fare, and although we’ll continue to screen the ‘darker’ films on offer at VIFF30, to some greater degree we’ll turn our attention to more of VIFF’s insightful ‘cinema of the world’ family dramas, or the many warm and irresistibly humane black comedies, the challenging noir thrillers, or the sumptuous South American ‘travelogue’ films.
Two days into VIFF30, where ‘deeply disturbing‘ has turned into an early ‘theme’ of the 30th VIFF for Mr. Know It All and Showbiz Shayne, we are ready for a break from violence, anomie and the psychologically wounding, physically devastating film fare that has defined our Festival thus far.
Still, it hasn’t all been devastating, deeply disturbing pitch black dark fare:

Continue reading VIFF 2011, Day Two: 30th Annual VIFF Off To A ‘Disturbing’ Start →