Films | Cinema Salon

Once a month, Melanie Friesen invites a distinguished guest to present his/her favourite film. After the screening, audiences and guests will have the opportunity to discuss the film over drinks and snacks in our spacious lounge.

As the Vancity Theatre will be hosting the Slovak Representative House during the Vancouver 2010 Games, there will not be a Cinema Salon in February. Although Cinema Salon is usually the first Tuesday of every month, it will be the second Tuesday of March on March 9. Check back for details on the guest presenter and the film in mid-February!

The ticket price of Cinema Salon is now $12.

Past Events

Gabor Maté presents
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

Tuesday January 5 // 7:30

Director: Darren Aronofsky // USA 2000 // 102 min // 35mm // Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans

Set in Brooklyn, Requiem for a Dream begins with four people - Sara, a widowed Jewish woman, her junkie son Harry, his best friend and his girlfriend on their quest for satisfaction in life ­ desperate to escape a dull existence - and the effects that drugs and various addictions have on each of them. This is not strictly a drugs movie. Instead, it shows how anything can become addictive, whether it's a TV show, an unrequieted dream or line of cocaine. An extraordinary take on a story of hopes and dreams shattered by drug addiction, this is cutting-edge film-making.

Presenter: Gabor Maté Gabor Maté M.D. is a physician, author, seminar leader and public speaker. He is a former medical columnist for The Vancouver Sun and The Globe and Mail. The most recent of his four bestsellers is In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. For twenty years Dr. Maté had a family practice, and for seven years was Medical Coordinator of the Palliative Care Unit at Vancouver Hospital. For eleven years he has worked in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by hard core drug addiction, mental illness and HIV.

HAL WAKE presents
YOL (THE ROAD)

Tuesday December 1, 7:30 pm

Directors: Serif Gören and Yilmaz Güney // Turkey-Switzerland 1982 // 114 min // DVD // Starring: Tarik Akan, Serif Sezer, Halil Ergün, Necmettin Çobanoglu

Five Turkish prisoners are given home leave for a week and through their travels and relationships, Yol (The Road) shows us a portrait of the country that is bleak and troubled, but also full of scenic wonders and cultural fascination. Director Yilmaz Güney, considered by many the best Turkish filmmaker, "directed" Yol from prison (where he was held for leftist beliefs), with the help of his assistant, Serif Gören. The parallels between incarceration and the fearful life of Turkish free citizens at that time are clear. The soundtrack is outstanding, capturing a vivid variety of indigenous Turkish sounds and music. BUY TICKETS

Presenter: Hal Wake Hal Wake has been involved with the literary community in Canada for more than 30 years. He was the book producer for CBC Radio's Morningside with Peter Gzowski and has hosted or moderated hundreds of literary events at festivals in Canada, the US and Australia. His reviews have appeared in the Georgia Straight and The Vancouver Sun. He is currently the artistic director of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival.

Larry Campbell presents
THE BIG LEBOWSKI

Tuesday November 3, 7:30 pm

Director: The Coen Bros., Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Philip Seymour Hoffman // USA // 117 mins

Given the choice between a plot and Jeff Bridges, we get Jeff Bridges, which is just fine. Bridges is The Dude, Jeff Lebowski, the laziest man alive. His LA lifestyle is mostly about choosing between smoking a joint, drinking a few White Russians (made with half-and-half) or going bowling... until someone else turns up with the same name.

The film is basically about mistaken identity, eccentric characters, and a soiled rug. The Dude takes being a stoned slacker to an art form; but for my money, the show stealer is John Turturro at the bowling alley in a hairnet and purple spandex jumpsuit with "Jesus" embroidered on the front, bowling a perfect strike. If nothing so far lures you to the screening, be advised that the Norwegian publicity for the film carried these words on the posters: "anbefales av norsk bowling forbund" (recommended by the Norwegian Bowling Association).

Presenter: Larry Campbell Senator Larry Campbell established Vancouver’s first District Coroner’s Office in 1981 and becoming the Chief Coroner for British Columbia in 1996. He became the inspiration behind the popular CBC drama Da Vinci’s Inquest, as well as its spin-off, Da Vinci’s City Hall. In 2002 he was elected Mayor of Vancouver, spearheading the approval and establishment of North America’s first legal safe injection site and championed the Four Pillars Drug strategy. In addition to drug and crime prevention, he was also instrumental in the successful Vancouver bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. In August 2005, Campbell was summoned to the Senate of Canada. As a Senator, Campbell has continued his work on drug policy, mental health, and aboriginal issues.

Fred Lee presents
THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT

Tuesday, September 1, 7:30 pm

Director: Stephan Elliott // Australia, 1994 // 104 minutes // Cast: Terence Stamp, Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving

Presented by Fred Lee

Australia's most entertaining film blitzed overseas box offices, caused a near riot at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Oscar for Best Costume Design. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, is fun, daring, over-the-top and unforgettable - a road movie with attitude and the occasional frock, featuring a transsexual and two drag queens driving across the Australian outback (a place less tolerant to such a spectacle than Sydney) in a bus named Priscilla.

Dress-up is optional - but we heavily encourage gala dress of tacky gowns, feather boas, eye shadow galore, magnificent wigs, ruby slippers plus any look-alikes for Mae, Marlene, Madonna or Marilyn. Sing along with Abba and Gloria Gaynor and if you don't know the lyrics, just yell, "Shrimp on the barbie!"

Fred Lee's fabulous sense of humour and unique style makes him our 'Man About Town.' The Social Butterfly steps out with Rick Cluff every Monday morning on CBC Radio One’s Early Edition to share all Vanhattan's A-list happenings, red carpet parties, must-attend galas and fabulous fundraisers. Fred's weekly social column 'Urban Landscape' appears in the Vancouver Courier Wednesdays and Fridays and his National Post 'City Life' column appears every Saturday

Squire Barnes presents GET SHORTY
Tuesday August 4 // 7:30 pm
Director:  Barry Sonnenfeld // USA 1995 // 105 min
Cast: John Travolta, Danny DeVito, Rene Russo, Gene Hackman

Presented by SQUIRE BARNES

Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty is a wise-guy comedy that combines a love of the film industry with gangland crime - two topics that Leonard knows well. The glitter is low-grade and an effortlessly seductive John Travolta hasn't been this cool since Saturday Night Fever, even though Danny DeVito, as an ego-mad megastar, steals the show when ordering lunch à la Hollywood. With Gene Hackman as a desperate producer of schlock movies, Rene Russo as a jaded, B-movie scream queen and a pre-Soprano James Gandolfini as a bearded ex-stuntman with a southern accent, Get Shorty wins my vote as the best comedy of its decade.

CINEMA SALON
Max Reimer presents DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
Tuesday July 7 // 7:00 pm
Dir: David Lean//USA 1965 //197 minutes
Cast: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Rod Steiger, Tom Courtnay, Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson.

Presented by MAX REIMER

Based on the controversial novel by Boris Pasternak, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO follows its characters from the decadence of fin de siècle Russia, through the revolution of 1905, World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 until the purges of Stalin’s government. Against this backdrop, Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif), a married Moscow physician, is conscripted into the medical corps, meets and falls in love with army nurse Lara (Julie Christie) as they care for the wounded and dying soldiers from the front. Winner of five Academy Awards, the story is the hell of war and the smallness of the individual when caught up in the vast political upheaval of 1900 – 1935 Russia.

Max Reimer is the Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse where his directorial debut was last year’s award-winning hit, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE. Previously, Max was the Managing Director of Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius, the Artistic Director/General Manager at the Huron Country Playhouse, a member of the Stratford Festival and an actor, choreographer and co-director at the Charlottetown Festival.

CINEMA SALON
Vicki Gabereau presents HOBSON'S CHOICE
Tuesday June 2 // 7:30 pm
Dir: David Lean // UK 1954 // 107 min
Cast: Charles Laughton, John Mills, Brenda de Banzie, Prunella Scales, Daphne Anderson.

Presented by VICKI GABEREAU

Lost in the dementia of drink and myopia, Charles Laughton (Hobson) is in full sail playing a rare comedic role directed by British master David Lean (Brief Encounter, Lawrence of Arabia). Adapted from the 1915 play by Charles Brighouse, the film features Hobson forcing his three daughters to run a shoe shop without wages until the eldest ropes his hapless cobbler, William (John Mills) into marrying her and establishing the competition.  Disappearing even deeper into his cups and chasing the moon's reflection in puddles while his other two girls consider their escape, Hobson finally settles into his fate.

Vicki Gabereau has produced and presented television and radio talk shows with the CBC, TV Ontario and CTV. Winner of numerous awards, and board member of four prominent organizations, Vicki also champions BC's Knowledge Network. She published an autobiography, This Won't Hurt a Bit, and a cookbook collecting favourite recipes sent in by CBC radio listeners.

CINEMA SALON
Stan Douglas presents COCKFIGHTER
Tuesday May 5 // 7:30 pm
Dir: Monte Hellman // USA 1974 // 83 min //
Cast: Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Ed Begley Jr, Patricia Pearcy, Troy Donahue, Richard B Shull.

Presented by STAN DOUGLAS

"If you talk to a really good American actor working today, like Dennis Hopper, Harry Dean Stanton or Ed Harris, and ask who they think is the best American actor, living or dead, it is quite likely they're not going to say Marlon Brando. They'll tell you it's Warren Oates!"
- Alex Cox (Repo Man)

Based on the novel of the same name by Charles Willeford, Cockfighter presents arguably Warren Oates' best performance as Frank, a drifter torn between the sport he knows and loves and his feelings for the woman who adores him.

The opposite of the blowhard he played for director Monte Hellman in Two Lane Blacktop , Frank maintains a vow of silence for most of the movie. Even so, like the previous character, Frank travels down many roads, literally and spiritually. The scenes of cockfighting are disturbingly realistic - though they are not in fact real - and they're the perfect image of Frank's inner struggle and obsession. Like Raging Bull, Cockfighter is a story about a man whose worst enemy is outside the ring: himself.

Magnificently shot by Nestor Almendros in rural Georgia - his first American film after working with Truffaut, Rohmer, Chabrol and Schroeder - the film has a quasi-documentary look, and the unique stamp and idiosyncratic humour of cult director Monte Hellman.

Stan Douglas is a visual artist who lives and works in Vancouver. Since 1990, his film, video and photography have been exhibited internationally including Documenta IX , X and XI and three Venice Biennales. A survey of his work to date, Past Imperfect: Works 1986-2007 , was mounted by the Württembergischer Kunstverein and the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart in 2007. The Vancouver Art Gallery will be mounting a solo exhibition, Stan Douglas: Klatsassin , May 30-September 13, 2009.

FILM EXTRAS

Melissa Holbrook Pierson on Warren Oates

Charles Willeford's Cockfighter Journal

Cinema Salon: Chris Haddock presents HIGH AND LOW
Tuesday, APRIL 7 // 7:00 pm

Dir: Akira Kurosawa // Japan 1963 // 142 min // In Japanese with English subtitles

Based on the book, “King's Ransom”, by tough-guy crime novelist Ed McBain, High and Low casts Kurosawa favourite Toshiro Mifune as an industrialist racing against time to pay a ransom for his son – until he discovers his chauffeur's boy has been abducted by mistake. Kurosawa twists the noir genre to depict social issues in Japanese society and direct one of the greatest suspense stories on film.

"High and Low illuminates its world with a wholeness and complexity you rarely see in film. As Akira Kurosawa weaves together character study, social commentary and police procedure, he combines what might have been a whole series of movies for another, lesser director… Pure film pleasure." – Paul Attanasio, The Washington Post

PRESENTER: Chris Haddock

Chris Haddock is founder of Haddock Entertainment, a writer, director and producer of film and television. His TV producer credits include 4REAL, INTELLIGENCE, DA VINCI'S CITY HALL and DA VINCI'S INQUEST. 

Cinema Salon: Brett Butt presents MILLER'S CROSSING
Tuesday, MARCH 3 // 7:30 pm

Dir: Joel Coen // USA 1990 // 115 min

A moody mixture of the Coen brothers' drama, suspense and dark comedy, the Capone-era set Miller's Crossing follows a crime boss's aide trying to play both sides while in love with the boss's gal. Strong performances by top Coen regulars including Director of Photography Barry Sonnenfeld, composer Carter Burwell and cast members John Turturro and Steve Buscemi.

PRESENTER: Brent Butt
Brent Butt is a stand-up comedian and the creator, star, and executive producer of Corner Gas, the most successful Canadian sitcom in history. The show has become a staple of Canadian television and has won countless Canadian Comedy, Gemini, and Writers Guild of Canada awards.

Cinema Salon: Joy Coghill presents CHILDREN OF PARADISE
Tuesday, February 3 // 7:00 pm

NOTE EARLY START TIME!

Dir: Marcel Carné // France 1945 // 191 min

The French cinema masterpiece Children of Paradise is set in 19th century Paris on a street nicknamed the "Boulevard of Crime" after the crime melodramas that are presented on the stages of its theatres. Shot during the Nazi occupation, the story revolves around a beautiful courtesan loved by four different men in their murky world of starving street actors, pickpockets, underworld characters, bullying police and unrequited dreams.

Presenter: Joy Coghill
Joy Coghill, Canadian actor, director, and writer, co-founded Canada's first children's theatre company, Holiday Theatre. In 1994, Coghill founded Western Gold, a theatre company for older professional actors. She holds honorary degrees from SFU and UBC.

Cinema Salon: Bill Richardson presents ALL ABOUT EVE
JAN 6 // 7:30 pm

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz // USA 1950 // 138 minutes

All About Eve is the story of ambition and betrayal in the land of theatre. When Margo Channing (Bette Davis) lets it rip with, "Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy night," the rubber hits the road. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards and winner of six, All About Eve excels with its dialogue, performances, psychological insights and proof that all the world's a stage.

Click here to see past event from 2008.