A strong lineup of winter releases and festival goodies should keep us off the phone and in the theatre.
Despite the assertion recently made by Netflix’s Ted Sarandos that people will “love Roma on their phone”, do note that the streaming giant still elected to open Alfonso Cuarón’s instant classic in select cinemas—including Vancouver’s Vancity Theatre. The big-screen movie house will always rule. Here are some of the titles we can look forward to seeing this winter inside their natural habitat.
Coming to a theatre near you
AQUAMAN The scaliest of the Justice Leaguers gets his own fish-out-ofwater tale, with Jason Momoa starring alongside Amber Heard and his own triumphant head of hair. December 21 SHOPLIFTERS Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s acclaimed drama about a poverty-stricken Tokyo clan was a big favourite at VIFF. December 21 WELCOME TO MARWEN Steve Carrell stars in this based-on-a-true story that with Robert Zemeckis behind the camera, is sure to be a BIG CINEMATIC EVENT. December 21
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK Following his Oscar winner Moonlight, Barry Jenkins is reportedly looking at another statue or three for this adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel. December 25
VICE Will Ferrell’s writing partner Adam Mckay continues on his surprise journey as social-commentating Oscar heavyweight with his insanely buzzy portrait of a certain Mr. Cheney. Merry Christmas, Dick. December 25 CAPERNAUM To be clear: Nadine Labaki’s gut-wrenching tale of a hardened Lebanese preteen who sues his horrible parents is not a Middle Eastern remake of the 1984 Drew Barrymore/ryan O’neal/ Shelley Long romp Irreconcilable Differences. January 11
REPLICAS Keanu Reeves takes on the government, common morality, and nature itself when he tries to resurrect his family after everyone is wiped out in a road accident. January 11 GLASS Director M. Night Shall-i-goon brings together 2000’s Unbreakable with 2016’s Split and, whoa—do you think it’ll have a crazy twist ending? January 18
STAN & OLLIE The trailer looks great, but they already had us at Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly heavily made-up and presumably brilliant playing Laurel and Hardy in their declining years. January 18
COLD WAR Another VIFF (and Cannes) winner; bring your hankies for this masterful black-and-white love story pitched over 16 years against Europe’s darkest days. January 25 SERENITY Anne Hathaway comes to ex-husband Matthew Mcconaughey for help with her abusive partner in this pedigree thriller written and directed by Steven Knight (Locke, Peaky Blinders). January 25 FLARSKY Reuniting with both 50/50 director Jonathan Levine and his beard, Seth Rogen plays a journalist whose childhood babysitter becomes a powerful political player. Charlize Theron joins the fun along with Andy Serkis and Bob Odenkirk. February 8 THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART It’s Emmett to the rescue when Bricksburg is trashed beyond recognition by the bastard Duplo invaders and everything is anything but awesome. February 8
WHAT MEN WANT While Mel Gibson ponders his Wild Bunch remake (please don’t), Taraji P. Henson is among the gender-swapping bunch riffing on the mad Australian’s romcom from 2000. February 8
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL Artifice triumphs over art as Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron team for a CGI– heavy adaptation of Yukito Kishiro’s manga. February 14
ISN’T IT ROMANTIC? The romcom goes meta after movie fan Rebel Wilson sustains a bump to the noggin. The big questions: will this movie survive Wilson’s recent tangle with the woke Stasi of America 2018, and why does anybody ever go on Twitter anyway?? February 14 NEVER LOOK AWAY Art, love, and 20th-century totalitarianism form the backdrop to director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s highly regarded latest. February 22 RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR This wild Hungarian effort is surely the only animated feature ever built around classic 20th-century art and CIA mind-control experimentation. February 22
CAPTAIN MARVEL It’s Brie Larsen’s turn to get sucked into the MCU’S tireless service to the MIC. March 8 US Writer-director Jordan Peele returns to the “social horror” genre following his phenomenal debut, Get Out. Lupita Nyong’o, Elizabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker star. March 15 BODY AT BRIGHTON ROCK The debut feature from horror upstart Roxanne Benjamin (who scripted Southbound) concerns a park ranger trying to protect a remote crime scene. Expectations are high for this one! Release date unknown
Special screenings, festivals, and deep cuts
TOKYO GODFATHERS An article linked on the Vancity Theatre’s website argues that this tale of three fringe-dwellers and the abandoned baby they find is “the best Xmas film of all time”. It’s a good read. Better still is actually catching Satoshi Kon’s animated spectacle, first released in 2003, when it screens in time for the holiday break. December 21 and 22; all-ages show December 24
FANNY AND ALEXANDER—THE COMPLETE VERSION In the words of Ingmar Bergman, “the sum total of my life as a filmmaker” is presented by the Cinematheque for the first time in Vancouver in its fivehour cut. December 23 and 27
BEST OF 2018 Your experts at the Vancity Theatre round up 10 of their favourites, starting with Phantom Thread and hitting Foxtrot, First Reformed, and… er, Paddington 2 along the way! December 27 to January 3 CHILDREN OF MEN In the wake of the mighty Roma, Alfonso Cuarón’s stunning sci-fi downer from 2006 receives two screenings at the Vancity Theatre. December 28 and 30 PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK The Cinematheque bridges the holiday season with five screenings of Peter Weir’s gauzy mystery film, seen here in its 1998 director’s cut. December 28 to January 2
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS With everything coming up Orson Welles these days, the Vancity Theatre starts the new year with the great man’s (slightly compromised) second masterpiece. January 1 VANCOUVER ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL Among the goodies is the full 250-minute cut of Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, getting its Vancouver premiere at the Vancity Theatre. January 4 to 12
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