Nightwatching

Nightwatching poster

Now Playing in Vancouver, BC at:

Cinemark 12 – Vancouver
88 West Pender Suite 3000
Vancouver, BC - Map
12:45  3:55  7:05  10:15

By Lucia Santiago Dantes

 

The film focus on Rembrandt and the creation of the painting commonly known as “The Night Watch”, the painter’s most famous work. In the film Greenaway suggests that the militiamen posing for the paint were part of a conspiracy.

 

 

     As many of Peter Greenaway’s films, the director explores the audience, the actors and how it is perceived this cinematic world. Nightwatching has a lot of influences from “Le bebe de Mâcon” (1993) were Greenaway explores the audience acknowledge or awareness of watching something that’s not real, were like a painting a model is like an actor “pretending not being watched”.
Greenaway fans will be very pleased with Nightwatching. All the elements of his style like “ The Draughtsman’s Contract “, Le Bebe de Mâcon”, The Pillow Book, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, are there. From the corporal material elements, the artist as an outsider, love, fear, angst, the semiotic use as an artist, but also the filmmaker’s own semiotics in the film.

Visit the official website: www.nightwatchingthefilm.com

Monsters Vs. Aliens

 

Monsters vs. Aliens

Review by Lucia Santiago Dantes
Loved Monsters vs. Aliens! It has a good mix of fun, adventure, good jokes and cool characters like The Missing Link, B.O.B. or cute but humongous Insectosaurus!

 

The story follows Susan Murphy(Reese Witherspoon) a “next door” girl who’s got hit by a meteor on her wedding day. She literally becomes a very large version of herself and is locked on a top-secret government facility underground. Over there she meets the most intriguing characters she’d ever seen like “The Missing Link” (v. of Will Arnet), B.O.B (v.o. Seth Rogen) and Dr. Dr. Cockroach (voice of Hugh Laurie, better known for his character Dr. Gregory House) Oh! And don’t forget Insectoraurus!

The movie is about how Susan tries to overcome her new size in order to be back with her family, friends and fiancé weatherman Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd, I love you man). But first she has to defeat alien invader Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) who’s trying to destroy humankind.

Will Susan be able to rescue the world and get back her normal life and fiancé?

What’s in it for me?

For grown up audiences, the movie has a lot of references from other sci-fi movies, while kids will be delighted with all the jokes, action and flamboyant characters. I had a lot of fun watching the movie, specialy when Gallaxhar clones himself in mass quantities to repopulate Earth (or so he believes). This kind of movies all about fun, and accepting yourself just how you are.

 

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Knowing

Knowing

Review by
Lucia Santiago Dantes

 

If you like the work of Director Alex Proxas like The Crow (1994), Dark City(1998) I, Robot(2004) you’ll like Knowing, starring Nicolas Cage. The story follows a teacher James Koestler, who discovers a piece of paper with numbers that predicts mayor disasters, some already happened and some of about to happen. James is a widower with one son who happens to discover this piece of paper buried in a time capsule on his elementary school. I must say the story is very intriguing and captured my attention from beginning till end thanks to all the references to collective paranoia should we say? Nowadays, like: end of the world, prophecies, angels, shadow people, the end of the world and so on. Although the trailers and buzz might suggest the classical and always predictable “save the world hero” kind of movie, I should say in part it is, in part it isn’t. Technical point of view, Knowing has several interesting scenes like the plane crash in the middle of the high way. As for the use of sound, even though it was intended to create a dramatic response in the audience it backfired, because some people realized it was a little bit too loud and intimidating.

Milk DVD

  

 

 

Milk DVD

 

 

By Lucia Santiago Dantes

“40 years Old, and I haven’t done a thing I’m proud of” This is the triggering though that sets up Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) on a personal journey to become Harvey Milk the activist, politician, and leader of the gay community who fought for their rights to be treated equally in the U. S. Directed by Gus Van Sant (Last Days, Elephant, My Own Private Idaho) the movie starts with archival images of the Castro District in San Francisco CA, following by Harvey Milk on the subway and meeting for the first time with what it would be his partner for several years Scott Smith (James Franco). The couple moves to San Francisco looking to become part of the counterculture movement alive in the area. They moved to the Castro District, where Milk decides to open a Camera shop. Realizing the district is abused by homophobic policemen and neighbors. Milk decides it’s time to do something about living an openly gay life. As soon as he decides to run for district supervisor, the threats begins…but Milk always believed that ”If a bullet should enter my brain, let the bullet destroy every closet door” Distributed in Canada by Alliance Atlantis, the DVD includes subtitles (English, Français and Español), also very interesting Bonus Features like: Deleted Scenes Hollywood Comes To San Francisco and Remembering Harvey are bonus features focused on the people who Knew Harvey Milk but are in the movie as part of the extras and giving substantial information about the times and characters. Marching for Equality is about how some people who lived the time and days of Harvey actually showed up for the recreation of the March and rallies. Just a few movies have the power inspire people like Milk, the biopic that took 2 Oscars this past february for Best Original Screenplay and Best Male in a leading Performance. Sean Penn becomes Harvey Milk, America’s first openly gay man elected to public office.

The Wow Signal

The Wow! signal was a strong, narrowband radio signal detected by Dr. Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977 while working on a SETI project at the Big Ear radio telescope of Ohio State University. The signal bore expected hallmarks of potential non-terrestrial and non-solar system origin. It lasted for 72 seconds, the full duration Big Ear observed it, but has not been detected again. It has been the focus of attention in the mainstream media when talking about SETI results. Amazed at how closely the signal matched the expected signature of an interstellar signal in the antenna used, Ehman circled the signal on the computer printout and wrote the comment “Wow!” on its side. This comment became the name of the signal.

John Titor

El Vigilante shares this audio posted in youtube but originally broadcasted a while ago on the popular radio show Coast To Coast AM with George Noory, who recently came to Vancouver. In this Audio Noory discusses with guest speaker Oliver Williams about John Titor, a time traveler who appeared on the internet in the year 2000 Creating a huge controversity about the real existence of John Titor, believe it or nor, I mean, after all anyone can create a page and tell whatever he/she wants on the internet, but what is amazing about John Titor is that some of his predictions came true, also Titor discussed some technical data about time traveling which are intrigingly possible to what we scientifically know right now… that leads to the conclussion that John Titor undestood physics to say the least about this enigmatic character…This is just the First of the 12 parts posted on the internet.
For more information about John Titor, here is the link:
http://www.johntitor.com
http://johntitor.strategicbrains.com

Confessions of a Shopaholic

 

Confessions of a shopaholic

 

By Lucía Santiago Dantés

 

   Confessions… is, and always will be a chick flick! but not because of that, is not worth watching it on a Theatre!  Confessions of a Shopaholic is hilarious! this is the first time I see boys (as well as girls) laughing at a chick flick movie! The movie is simply worth watching just to see all the situations Rebecca (Isla Fisher) put herself into when she overloads all her credit cards buying  designer’s clothes. Things get a little too complicated when she loses her job and  debt collectors are literally knocking on her door.  By accident, Rebecca ends up on a financial magazine giving economical advice to the readers under a pseudonym  called “The Girl in the Green Scarf”.  

 

   The movie explores the addiction that is shopping but it can be related to any kind of addiction, because even though you may think this is a “minor addiction” it isn’t! all addictions are dangerous if you get it to the extreme, it can ruin your life before you even notice. On the bright sight, Confessions of a shopaholic give us a lesson without making us feel bad, it is very cathartic, and give us a good feeling when we see Rebecca’s parents and friends help her with her problem. By the way, her parents are played by John Goodman and Joan Cusack, while her best friend and roommate Suze is played by the talented actress (Krysten Ritter)