The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Cast: Kyle Catlett, Helena Bonham Carter, Judy Davis 105 mins. Fr/Aust/Can
A ten-year-old cartographer secretly leaves his family's ranch in Montana where he lives with his cowboy father and scientist mother and travels across the country aboard a freight train to receive an award at the Smithsonian Institute.
But no one there suspects that the lucky winner is a ten-year-old child with a very dark secret. This is everything you expect from Jeunet: playful filmmaking, a fanciful story, strange plot twists, delightfully eccentric characters and a lot more seriousness than it appears on the surface.
I’ll See You in My Dreams
Dir: Brett Haley USA, 2015 92 mins Cast: Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott
This is a funny, touching, and romantic comedy-drama that follows a retired schoolteacher as she discovers new friendships, adventures and
heartaches in her twilight years.
Taking advantage of a rare leading role, the marvellous Danner endows Carol with a lifetime’s worth of wisdom and experience, and her outstanding work is matched by the rest of the sterling supporting cast. Sensitive, nuanced and affectingly sincere, I’ll See You in My Dreams is a revelatory tale about love among the not-so-young.
The trailer:
Cinema CNC presents...
FILMS FOR FALL
This series of eight films, four in October and four in November, brings the best of art house and international cinema to Prince George.
All screenings are in 1-306 at the College of New Caledonia.
Showtimes are 7 pm and 9:30.
Passes are $48 for eight films; they are available at Books and Company and at the CNC Bookstore.
Single tickets are $8 regular, $7 for students, seniors, and unemployed folks.
I will make a separate page for each film, so you can check out descriptions and trailers.
SEPTEMBER 30: 9:10 PM
TUG OF WAR! Director: Nobuo Mizuta Japan, 111 minutes Starring: Yôko Asaji, Toshiki Ayata, Akiko Chûbachi
Chiaki Nishikawa (Mao Inoue), who works in the Public Relations Department of Oita City Hall, has a problem: Oita City has, in the past, been the women’s tug of war champion, and Chiaki is charged with reviving this glory. There is little interest, as tug-of-war is not a prestigious sport; however, she hatches a plan.
When Chiaki starts to recruit members, she meets little success. Meanwhile, Chiaki’s mother, Yoko, is faced with the closure of her workplace, the school meal distribution center. In an attempt to reverse the decision, Yoko brings her workmates to City Hall to negotiate directly. Seeing this, Chiaki comes up with an idea. She makes a deal with the Mayor to recruit the school meal distribution center workers as Tug of War team members, on the promise that if the team makes it to the national finals, the decision to close the center will be revoked.
The members of the Tug of War Team are a motley cross section of Oita’s female population. Yoko’s best friend, Kazue, is always skipping practice to go on dates. Housewife Emi is struggling with a rebellious son. Reiko has a crush on a shop assistant in the pet shop. Mika has her plate full with compulsive eating and looking after her senile father. Kaoru is hooked on bicycle racing, and Saori can’t quit smoking.
While this is a comedy, it is a real glimpse at issues of personal attachment to the workplace and the pride one can find there.
SEPTEMBER 30: 7 PM
LEAVING ON THE 15TH SPRING: [Taidachi no shimauta]
Director: Yasuhiro Yoshida Japan, 114 minutes
Starring: Kaoru Kobayashi, Ayaka Miyoshi, Rena Tanaka
Fifteen-year-old Yuna lives on Minami-Daito, a small island located 360 km east of Okinawa. The island’s isolated population [just over 1000] can’t support a high-school, so students have to decide whether to stay at home to help their families [usually in agricultural work] or to board the ship for Okinawa.
Director Yauhiro Yoshida documents Yuna’s final year, showing the beauty of the landscape, the richness of tradition, and the closeness of community, all while maintaining a compassion for his characters. The decision that must be made is difficult, and it shows.
Yuna is lucky: she can live with her mother when she goes to school, but she worries about her father, who will be left behind when she leaves. This is a touching coming-of-age story that also serves as a cultural introduction to the landscapes, music, custom, and heart of Japan’s southern islands.
THE TRAILER [only in Japanese, but the film will, I assure you, have English subtitles... you can see how beautiful it is, if you don't understand Japanese]
