May's special events
From free Bugs Bunny, to film fests, to medieval music at The Revue
by Staff
Check out these special screenings and performances at your local theatre.
Tuesday, May 24, 7 p.m.
Roads to Perdition: Critic and author Kevin Courrier presents his last of five lectures on film noir, focusing on what the genre, which emerged in the 1940s, looks like today. As a companion screening, we’re showing The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers 1998 cult favorite to complement the theme. Lebowski, starring Jeff Bridges, has a plot similar to Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. Also screening is True Grit, the Coen brothers’ latest movie, also starring Jeff Bridges. Compare and contrast! $10 members, $12 non-members.
Saturday, May 28, 4 p.m.
Clean Up Your Act: Local filmmaker Andrew Nisker presents his documentary Chemerical, in which a family gets rid of all toxic household chemicals and personal-care products, and starts making their own.
Sunday, May 29, 4 p.m.
Mystic Genius: Abbess, herbalist, healer, musician, artist, writer – medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen was an astonishing, creative force. Soprano Krystina Lewicki performs some of Hildegard’s compositions and award-winning author Teri Degler introduces Vision, a film about Hildegard. $10 members, $12 non-members.
Tuesday, May 31, 6:45 p.m.
The Book Revue: Geoff Pevere introduces Gomorrah, the powerful 2008 film that shows life in an environment controlled by the Neapolitan crime syndicate Camorra. It’s based on the best-selling book by Roberto Saviano, who went undercover to get his story.$10 members, $12 non-members
Completed:
Sunday, May 1, 4 p.m.
Silent Sunday: Strike (1925), which displays director Sergei Eisenstein’s revolutionary montage editing, is perfectly themed for May Day with its story of a pre-revolutionary-era factory revolt. Pianist Bill O’Meara also accompanies Charlie Chaplin, as a paper hanger (imagine the potential for gags!) in Work(1915). $10 members, $12 non-members.
Sunday, May 1, 7 p.m.
Remembering Sidney Lumet: The great director, who made more than 50 films, starting with Twelve Angry Men, died April 9. Critic Geoff Pevere discusses his work and introduces the 1976 film Network, which seems increasingly relevant in this age of cable news and unfocused anger. Its mantra, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore,” still resonates.
Monday, May 2, 6:45 p.m.
Bleacher Features: Our baseball series returns at 7 p.m. with Major League, a 1989 film starring Charlie Sheen. Introduced by theScore.com’s Dustin Parkes. $10 members, $12 non-members.
Sunday, May 8, 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Hot Docs: The Revue is thrilled to welcome Hot Docs. At 4:30 p.m., Mighty Jerome uses archival footage and re-enactments to tell the remarkable story of 1960s track star Harry Jerome, one of Canada’s finest and fastest athletes. At 7 p.m., The Team poses the question: Can a soap opera save a country? Kenyans scramble to produce a series about an ethnically diverse soccer team in a bid to unite a nation teetering on the brink of conflict. http://www.hotdocs.ca
Wednesday, May 11, 7 pm.
Drop Your Shorts: The Revue’s own non-juried short film fest returns. For just a tooney, you can see the work of many local filmmakers. (Note that’s Wednesday for May, not the usual Thursday.) To submit your film, on a first-come basis, bring it to the cinema on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 12, 9 p.m.
Video Avant Garde:. This event, called The New Flesh, displays cutting-edge audio video performance from international artists. Experience techniques like cathode ray tube hacking, circuit bending, feedback, synthesis, live jawa cut ups, compression glitch. (Thursday May 12, 9 p.m.) Performers include: Botborg (Germany / Australia),
Nohista (France),
Rybn (France),
Rko (France),
Skeeter (Canada),
Mandelbrut (Canada),
The Nod (Canada),
Tasman Richardson (Canada). This is video that demands your presence, in the flesh – until midnight! For more information, check www.tasmanrichardson.com, or the facebook event page here. $10.
Friday, May 13, 7 p.m.
Inside Out Toronto: This LGBT film and video festival, in its preview series, presents Undertow (Contracorriente), a production from Peru and Colombia. It earned the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance in 2010 for its portrayal of a couple, Miguel and Mariela, about to become parents, and Miguel’s clandestine relationship with a handsome painter in a homophobic town (Friday, May 13, 7 p.m.). $8 members, $10 non-members.
Saturday, May 14, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Free Community Screening: Celebrate spring with a free matinee, sponsored by the Roncesvalles Village BIA. Feature: The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie, a 1981 compilation of cartoon favorites. (Pay what you can for Bugs Bunny on Sunday, 2 p.m.) For more information about Roncesvalles' celebration, click here.
Sunday, May 15, 4 p.m.
Unknown Heroes: Three Stories from Galicia pays tribute to people in this Eastern European region who rose above prejudice and fear to do the right thing during World War II. Sponsored by the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter and the Ukrainian Canadian Research and Documentation Centre. (Sunday, May 15, 4 p.m.) Tickets are available in advance at the UCRDC office, 620 Spadina Ave., 2nd floor, 416-966-1819. $10.