[Reellife] VIFF enters the home stretch! 4 more days of film...

[dave olsen]

The 32nd Annual Vancouver International Film Festival is down to the last 4 
days...the last full day is Friday, Oct 11.

There are still so many films available to see, I'll continue to post daily 
reviews on Reellife.wordpress.com <http://reellife.wordpress.com> to help you 
find the films you'll love.

This year's film fest is following the general trend in Vancouver of providing 
viable cycling infrastructure.  Still not plentiful, in most cases, it's been 
adequate.  With a venue in the Woodward's building, you can find _covered_ bike 
parking at most of the entrances to the Atrium, with the theatre just outside to 
the west.

The Centre for Performing Arts has its own covered bike parking and when that 
fills up, there's on street parking and plenty of racks across the street at the 
Library.  Much of the time, you'll also find free yogurt being served up just 
outside the theatre.

The Playhouse has limited bike parking and a bunch of posts nearby, too.  The 
Cinematheque and Vancity theatres have limited parking but lots of posts nearby 
as well.  International Village and the Rio utilize what the City offers for the 
most part.

Getting to the Playhouse is the safest since it's right on the Dunsmuir 
separated bike lane.  The Centre is not far off, while the Cinematheque is just 
off the Hornby separated bike lane and at the end of the new Comox Street 
bikeway which is mostly separated from cars and trucks.  The Rio is a block away 
from two bikeways and the Vancity is just off Granville which is partly car and 
truck free. International Village is a block away from the Carrall Street 
bikeway and on Pender, which has old school bike infrastructure.

So it's definitely easier and safer to bike to the Film Fest this year, but 
there's still much more that the City can do to improve this further.

In the meantime, you can immerse yourself in the other worlds that the Film Fest 
brings you via the big screens around Vancouver. Here's a couple of suggestions:

Big Men <http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7893-big-men>

Rachel Boynton spent 7 years on the trail of Big Men 
<http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7893-big-men> from both West Africa and the 
USA.  Her film achieves an intimacy that only someone who has been so close to 
the action for so long could.

Although my understanding of the term Big Men 
<http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7893-big-men> comes from Africa, I 
appreciate how Rachel applies this term to all the men in the film.  Certainly 
the American ones try to cover up this ambition, but her exposé makes clear that 
the ambition is universal to all civilized men.

But there are many succinct insights that jump out throughout.  One is when the 
President and CEO of one of the companies involved in the first Ghanian oil 
field takes us to his home, the ranch in Texas that he grew up on.  When he 
shows us his ancestors' graves, he is asked if he is the first to venture into 
the oil business and whether he thought his father would be proud.  His answer 
shows the deep wounds of his childhood and illuminates why civilized people do 
what they do to try to achieve what every child needs, well after they've "grown 
up".

If you've wondered what the scene looks like behind the oily curtain, this film 
opens those drapes slightly, giving us a glimpse of what we already suspect and 
loathe.  Greed knows no boundary in the civilized world.

Big Men <http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7893-big-men> plays one more time: 
Friday, Oct 11 @ 12:15 pm in the Cinematheque

---

Gloria <http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7607-gloria> is a Chilean film but 
it could have been made in Hollywood.  The ending is all about leaving the 
audience with a soundtrack in their head (most seem to enjoy this; I don't) and 
the storyline could be set anywhere.

Gloria <http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7607-gloria> is a grandmother who 
seeks enjoyment outside of her family. There's no indication, other than a 
divorce, that her family wouldn't have her and she has one pre-verbal grandson.  
Her son is now a single parent and she could easily seek fulfillment in 
supporting both son and grandson.

Instead, she frequents the senior's upperclass dating scene, finding love for a 
night, until one man claims to fall in love with her.  The ups and downs of that 
relationship provide many laughs but little fulfillment.

Gloria <http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7607-gloria> does well to show that 
contemporary discontent is not limited to younger folks.  But aside from 
glimpses of unrest and an intellectual conversation, there is little of what I 
come to see Chilean cinema for.  Instead, this film enters the world of the 
mainstream, both onscreen and off.  It certainly pleased the full house who came 
to honour the recent passing of Waldo Briño, but it left this viewer 
disappointed and empty, aside from the predictable musical self-tribute.

Gloria <http://www.viff.org/festival/films/f7607-gloria> plays again Wednesday, 
Oct 9 @ 6:30 pm in the Centre for Performing Arts

-- 

Warmly,
dave/
//
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/http://humanpowered.wordpress.com <http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/>

Movie and Theatre lovers who know a saner world is possible may enjoying reading 
and sharing their thoughts on Reel Life, Real Ideas: Movies and more... 
<http://reellife.wordpress.com/>

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