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  • DVD Review: Of Two Minds

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    Director: Douglas Blush, Lisa J. Klein (What A Ball, Cult Culture: The Poseidon Adventure)
    Producers: Kristin Chambers, Lisa Klein
    MPAA Rating: NR
    Running time: 89 min.


    Illness is never easy to deal with but mental illness is particularly difficult. Here’s an illness that has no easy fix. It doesn’t manifest as a rash you can treat and there’s no little pill that will make a sufferer feel better but often it can manifest in very physical ways. Douglas Blush and Lisa J. Klein’s Of Two Minds sets off to explore the tricky rollercoaster world of bipolar disorder.

    Focusing on a handful of individuals, Klein and Bush delve into the manic highs and suicidal lows of the disorder one that, for many of the individuals interviewed, was not diagnosed until later in their adult lives. Cheri Keating explains how she was diagnosed at a free clinic in LA and her experience living her youth as a sufferer and not knowing what she was suffering from. Journalist Liz Spikol and architect and artist Michael Peterson share similar stories of rollercoaster emotional highs and lows that often brought them to the brink of death.

    Of Two Minds follows these individuals as they share their stories. They recount their lowest moments and also the highs, the manic energy that makes you feel invincible and alive and capable of doing anything and how those moments of high energy can also be the most dangerous. While in this state the mind loses reservations and people will do things that they generally wouldn’t, causing them to end up in compromising situations that they sometimes don’t remember or would rather not remember when they finally come down. It’s interesting and heartbreaking that the sufferers, all of whom hail from different walks of life, share such similar experiences.

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  • DVD Review: 7 Days In Havana

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    Directors: Benicio Del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Médem, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noé, Juan Carlos Tabío, Laurent Cantet
    Screenplay: Leonardo Padura
    Producers: Laurent Baudens, Didar Domehri, Álvaro Longoria, Gaël Nouaille, Fabien Pisani
    Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Daniel Brühl, Emir Kusturica, Elia Suleiman, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Jorge Perugorria
    MPAA Rating: PG-13
    Running time: 129 min.


    The anthology love letter to a city lives on this time in Havana.

    7 Days in Havana follows in the footsteps of the much loved Paris, J’Taime and its predecessors, bringing together seven filmmakers to tell seven individual stories all of which take place in Havana. What’s particularly interesting about these anthologies is the diverse group of filmmakers that are involved and 7 Days is no exception gathering together French luminaries Laurent Cantet and Gaspar Noé with Israeli actor/director Elia Suleiman, Cuban master Juan Carlos Tabío and Benicio Del Toro making his debut behind the camera.

    As is typical with shorts compilations, the results are varied. Del Toro’s Monday adventure has a young American actor (Josh Hutcherson) in town for a few days at the local acting school. Wanting a more authentic experience, he convinces his driver to take him around after hours to the driver’s favourite hangouts which results in an interesting finish to the actor’s day. Del Toro’s mix of tourist Havana and day-to-day life Havana is one that comes up often throughout 7 Days and always through the eyes of an outsider. Though Del Toro’s is quite good, the best of the bunch is Suleiman’s in which the director stars as a wonderer/observer of the city. Though it’s almost completely dialog free, Suleiman’s short is also one of the more interesting ones, featuring long steady shots and out of sequence editing which gorgeously captures the various moods of the city.

    Unsurprisingly, Noé’s wordless tale of forbidden romance is both the darkest and most adventurous of the entries. It also happens to be only one of two stories which focus on religious practice. Noé’s exorcism of demons is beautiful and haunting but it’s also dripping in sexuality. It’s dark and beautiful and lush and sweaty and exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from Noé.

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  • After the Credits Episode 127: May Preview

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    The release of Iron Man 3 and The Hangover 3 is a clear marker that the summer movie season is officially kicking off and while we couldn’t muster up much energy for either of those titles, Dale (Letterboxd), Colleen and I (Letterboxd) did spend more time than necessary waxing poetic on the the Fast & Furious franchise, pondering on the possibility of Khan in the Star Trek Into Darkness and salivating over the return of the “Vengeance Trilogy” to Vancouver.

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    We can also be contacted via email – marina@rowthree.com!

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  • DVD Review: Silver Linings Playbook

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    Director: David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, The Fighter)
    Screenplay: David O. Russell, Matthew Quick (book)
    Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon,
    Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Matias Varela, Dragomir Mrsic, Lisa Henni
    MPAA Rating: R
    Running time: 122 min.


    I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment I saw Three Kings. It didn’t sound like much, another war movie this one with a comedic angle, but David O. Russell delivered an interesting and uncompromising look at the “business” of war with all its ugliness and occasional hilarity. I haven’t cared much for Russell’s movie’s since then but I’ve kept watching, hoping for another little gem. I never imagined a romantic comedy would be the movie to deliver it.

    Silver Linings Playbook emerged as a bit of a surprise. Sure, it had calibre (director, well loved book, fantastic cast) but it feels like the swell was slow building. World of mouth screenings followed by praise for nearly everyone involved and then an Oscar win. I saw it pre-awards and it was busy but the busy screening was nothing compared to the sold out Monday night outing after Jennifer Lawrence’s award win. Apparently the Oscars do count for something – in some instances at least.

    The premise is pretty standard stuff. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall for each other. Boy and girl pretend they don’t like each other but end up working together towards something bigger than both of them before finally coming together in a happily ever after. In this case a medicated happily ever after since both Pat and Tiffany are suffering from their own personal demons. But as sweet as this romance is and regardless of what anyone tells you this is indeed very sweet, it’s the kind of quirky sweetness that works. Mostly it works because of the performances – both Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (who’s been having a fantastic couple of years) are fantastic – but also because it’s the story of two damaged people who find love in an unlikely place and both of whom take some pretty big risks to eventually end up together.

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  • Trailer: Filth (NSFW)

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    I was already in love with James McAvoy but it’s official: I’m not madly in love with him.

    The versatile actor, from Atonement to Wanted, is always great to watch and this year is proving to be The Year of McAvoy, appropriate since last year was The Year of Fassbender. And while this fan awaits the reunion of McFassy, here’s a little something to keep us all entertained. In addition to Trance, Welcome to the Punch and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: His (and Hers), there’s Filth.

    Adapted from Irvine Welsh’s novel by writer/director Jon S. Baird, McAvoy stars as Bruce Robertson, a bigoted, bipolar cop, who is trying to get a promotion and win back his wife and daughter and from the looks of things, it doesn’t seem to be going particularly well.

    No American distributor yet but I’m sure that’ll all change pretty quickly. Our UK friends will have a chance to catch up with the badassness in September.

  • After the Credits Episode 126: April Preview

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    We recorded last week which means we’re not in the loop to talk about the passing of the great Roger Ebert however, Dale (Letterboxd) and I (Letterboxd) (Colleen was a was too busy on the roller derby track to join us this month) did manage to get together to look ahead at the April line-up which is looking pretty good. Bring on TC!

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  • DVD Review: Easy Money

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    Also be sure to check out Kurt’s review from TIFF!

    Director: Daniel Espinosa (Safe House)
    Screenplay: Daniel Espinosa, Jens Lapidus (book)
    Producer: Fredrik Wikström
    Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Matias Varela, Dragomir Mrsic, Lisa Henni
    MPAA Rating: R
    Running time: 124 min.


    It’s ridiculous to me that it’s taken three years for it to finally arrive but here we are, in 2013, long after we first posted the trailers for Daniel Espinosa’s Easy Money and we finally have a DVD release. Crying won’t help matters any, neither does the thought that the third movie in the franchise is nearly ready for release while most of the world is only now being introduced to the goodness that is Espinosa’s adaptation of Jens Lapidus’ novels but as they say, better late than never.

    Though it’s not new, few things are anymore, I love the concept behind Easy Money, a crime thriller that is more focused on the people involved with the crimes than in the crimes themselves, exactly what separates crime dramas from great crime dramas.

    Joel Kinnaman, in a star making role that brought him to the attention of international producers, stars as JW, a young, handsome smart guy looking to elevate himself far beyond his economic means. He comes from a middle class family but you’d never tell by looking at him. He’s sharply dressed, he has expensive tastes and friends with money to burn and it’s his inability to keep up financially that sets him on the wrong path. He finances his parties and sharp looking closet by writing papers for others and driving a cab for some shady characters. He’s been pitching a money making scheme to his boss, who seems completely uninterested and who instead offers JW an opportunity to make some quick cash by simply following a guy. Of course, when you’re mixed up with a mob, just following a guy could get you into serious trouble.

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  • Hot Docs 2013: Blood Relative Trailer

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    Blood Relative

    Filmmaker Nimisha Mukerji erupted onto the documentary scene a few years ago with the release of the 65_RedRoses (review) which documented the heartbreaking story of Eva Markvoort, a young woman fighting Cystic Fibrosis whose story inspired many. Mukerji turned her lens on a disease that’s hardly spoken of and in the process, created more awareness than any campaign the Cystic Fibrosis Association has presented in the past. Now Mukerji is turning her eye to another misunderstood illness.

    Blood Relative follows Indian activist Vinay Shetty, a man who is trying to save children suffering from Thalassemia Major, a genetic blood disorder which causes children to suffer from severe anemia and stunted body development. Without treatment, a combination of blood transfusion and drugs, Thalassemia can lead to early death. Mukerji follows Shetty as he fights to secure free access to healthcare for Iman and Divya, two individuals suffering from Thalassemia, and in the process, Shetty and Mukerji gain unprecedented access into the inner workings of India’s healthcare system.

    Blood Relative has already played to accolades and taken home a few prizes but the documentary will make it’s Toronto premiere at Hot Docs in April.

  • DVD Review: Foreverland

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    Director: Max McGuire (Crossing the Wake)
    Screenplay: Max McGuire, Shawn Riopelle
    Producer: Trish Dolman, Aaron L. Gilbert, Christine Haebler
    Starring: Max Thieriot, Laurence Leboeuf, Sarah Wayne Callies, Juliette Lewis, Thomas Dekker, Matt Frewer
    MPAA Rating: PG
    Running time: 93 min.


    Will Rankin is young, handsome and dying. He suffers from cystic fibrosis, a debilitating genetic disease that makes it difficult for him to breathe nevermind have any sort of active life. He spends his days taking the pills and doing the executrices necessary to keep his lungs working with the occasional stop in at the hospital to talk to interns. In his spare time Will visits the local mortuary to shop for the perfect casket. He’s been there so much he’s made friends with the salesman Mr. Steadman.

    Then Bobby dies.

    A friend from days spent at the hospital, Bobby leaves behind a final request for Will: drive his ashes to a little church in Mexico and there, with the help of a priest, spread them over the land. At first sceptical, Will eventually finds himself giving into the road trip and along with Bobby’s sister Fran, the two take on the long road from Vancouver to Mexico.

    Max McGuire’s Foreverland is the kind of story of hope and redemption that plays so well on Sunday afternoons. It’s a sweet story about a young man who has been living his life in preparation for death only to discover that there’s more to living that dying. There’s nothing particularly ground breaking or earth shattering about the story and McGuire’s direction isn’t exactly memorable but the movie succeeds solely on the performances of the two leads.

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  • DVD Review: The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond

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    The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond

    Director: Troy Szebin
    Screenplay: Troy Szebin
    Producer: Jeanette Pugliese
    Starring: Margaret Pellegrini, Rob Marshall, Donald Saddler, John Badham
    MPAA Rating: NR
    Running time: 50 min.


    It will probably come as no surprise that the magic of Oz hasn’t always equalled greatness and if the trailer for Sam Raimi’s prequel Oz The Great and Powerful wasn’t enough of an indication that the movie was going to be a disaster of $300 million dollar proportions, perhaps this scathing review from Film Freak Central will guide you in the right direction. But let’s assume for a moment that in your infinite wisdom you’ve prepared for Raimi’s spectacle by watching The Wizard of Oz and now you want more. You could do far worse than catching up with The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond.

    First released in 2008 and now making a re-appearance, this short documentary, it clocks in at just 50 minutes, provides a great backgrounder to the history of Oz, beginning with an introduction of author Frank L. Baum and ending with The Wiz. With the help of Oz historian Carlos Larkin and interviews with everyone from cast members to Saturday Night Fever director John Badham (if you don’t already know his connection to the world of Oz you’ll have to watch to find out what he’s doing here), director Troy Szebin has created a great documentary for the uninitiated.

    There are tales of Baum’s early attempts to transfer the successful series to other mediums including radio plays, unsuccessful ventures that led to his filing for bankruptcy, and his later creation of the Oz Film Manufacturing Co. which was responsible for a few early adaptations of Baum’s books.

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  • Win Passes to “Hit ‘n Strum” [Vancouver]

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    Kirk Caouette’s Hit ‘n Strum is almost a one man show. The former stunt actor left behind a life of setting himself on fire and jumping in front of cars for other people in order to do it for himself and the result is very positive.

    Couette wrote, directed, composed and stars in the movie as Mike, a busker living on Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside. Stephanie (Michelle Harrison), a young career woman, hit Mike and takes off just as he’s getting up and when she sees Mike again the following day playing outside her officer, she stops and listens. This marks the beginning of an unlikely friendship between Mike and Stephanie.

    Hit ‘n Strum open on Friday, March 8th at the Fifth Avenue Cinema and we’ve got an opportunity for you to win double passes to see the movie during its run next week. To enter, simply tweet the following:

    @hitnstrum at Fifth Avenue Cinemas in #Vancouver! Inspiring local film with amazing soundtrack.

    The good folks with the movie’s promo team will contact winner directly via twitter.

    You can listen to some of the movie’s soundtrack, which is quite good, here while the movie’s trailer is tucked under the seats.

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  • DVD Review: Collaborator

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    Director: Martin Donovan
    Screenplay: Martin Donovan
    Producer: Luca Matrundola
    Starring: Martin Donovan, David Morse, Olivia Williams
    MPAA Rating: NR
    Running time: 87 min.


    One room dramas are tricky things. If the story isn’t compelling the movie is boring and if one of the performances isn’t up to snuff, the entire thing goes to the dogs. In the case of Martin Donovan’s debut behind the camera, it’s not the acting that’s the problem but the story.

    Donovan plays triple duty on Collaborator, also starring as Robert Longfellow a once celebrated playwright whose career has stalled. His last few plays have been poorly received and his most recent was massacred by critics before closing after only a two week run. Needing to recharge he returns home to visit his mother and there he sees Gus, an old high school acquaintance whose life doesn’t seem to be in any better shape than Longfellow’s though Gus never did get famous. When Longfellow finds himself cornered into a reunion with a man who appears to be the exact opposite of himself things get… interesting.

    The reunion begins well enough with the two sharing memories of their youth and catching up on the years they’ve been apart. Longfellow has found great success and acclaim in his career but Gus is an ex-con whose life never really took off. The two are completely at odds with each other but over a few drinks they find a common interest: Longfellow’s life. The good times end almost as quickly as they start when Gus pulls a gun and shortly after, the police arrive on their door. What started off as an awkward reunion very quickly turns into an equally bizarre hostage taking. It’s never clear what Gus wants from Longfellow though from the flow of the conversation it seems he just wants to know what it’s like to be successful and appreciated and perhaps to share in a little of the playwrights spotlight.

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