Documentary Done before Emergencies Act Decision Released

Rebel News has out done itself again.  A full 2 hour documentary called “Trucker Rebellion: Trudeau on Trial” is now online at https://www.rebelnews.com/trucker_rebellion_trudeau_on_trial

It’s thorough and very detailed and exposes the Fiberals completely, just by using their own testimony recorded during the Public Order Emergency Commission held over 6 weeks in Ottawa this past Fall.

It truly leaves no stone unturned (despite the heavy redaction of documents by government), thoroughly investigating all possible justifications for invoking the Emergencies Act for the first time in history on the most peaceful event that may have ever occurred in Canada.

Of course, it doesn’t reveal whether Justice Rouleau has violated the law by giving the Federal Cabinet a copy of his decision (Turdeau demanded it for yesterday) in advance of it becoming public on February 20, 2023.

I urge you to give this documentary a full viewing so that you, yourself, can judge whether invoking an Act reserved for wartime and threats to national security in order to end 3 weeks of bouncy castles, hot tubs, and celebration of being Canadian had any justification whatsoever.  The lawyers have already confirmed that the legal threshold was clearly not met.  This film will help you decide if totalitarianism is something you welcome-or reject.

Dave

PS. It may be behind a paywall; if this is the case, you can easily subscribe for only $8 per month and get full access to all their films and daily shows and news reports…a bargain at twice the price!

Sweetgrass

This landmark film has no verbal narrative, no soundtrack and much of it is comprised of long takes from a stationary camera. The main players – cowboys – are mic-ed so you’re in for a different perspective on life (and the full gamut of swear words!).

My 15 year old daughter described this monumental film as “sad”. I think she was referring to many aspects of the sheep and human stars of the film, which depicts the last time thousands of sheep were herded out of a ranch and up into the mountains of Montana.

The visuals are stunning: masses of sheep in movement and incredible mountain vistas.

I can only hope that the few that speak up for bears manifested the end of this century old tradition of invading their territory…but perhaps it was the cowboys who seemed to have a hard time enduring the daily routine away from civilization.

In any case, you have until Thursday (Dec. 3) to catch this feature film online via the Cinematheque at https://thecinematheque.ca/films/2020/sweetgrass

It kept us glued to the screen…hope it does the same for you.

Predictable, but Fun, Swedish Film

Next Sunday (November 22), Britt-Marie Was Here will be unlocked for you to enjoy in this year’s online European Union Film Festival.

It’s a somewhat predictable story, but very fun with a typical Swedish deadpan humour throughout.

In a nutshell, a 63-year-old housewife decides to change her life after 40 years or more of the same daily routine, and well, you can imagine the turmoil that could unleash.

The smart part of the film was how it brought race and class into the story subtlely and then disappeared them just as subtlely. Of course, it’s a simple tale told simply, which allows us to have fun with it all.

In a time when feel good films are more needed than ever, this one achieves it with realism and honesty. And in a way that brings us together…imagine that!

åtnjuta!

European Union Film Fest Online this year!

Now you can enjoy Europe from the comfort of your own home…or office…or wherever you find yourself.

The what-would-be 37th Annual European Union Film Festival is now the 1st (Annual?) Online Festival of Film from 27 different countries.

Each film plays “once”, meaning you can unlock it according to the online schedule, then you have 36 hours/3 days to start watching it…and after you start watching, you can pause it up to 24 hours.  So you can take that phone call or go pee whenever the urge hits without missing a scene.  And if you miss a subtitle, you can simply rewind back to it!

So even if you’re not near Downtown Vancouver or don’t want to go out in this November rain, anyone can access these films this year!

Starting right now (Friday, November 13), you watch a giant German hit, All About Me (see review just below).

Tomorrow, the Greek and Italian films come online, followed by two more each day until Sunday, November 29th.

Each film is $12 plus there’s a 5-film Bundle for $50 AND a Full Festival Pass for $100 (plus taxes).

To get you started, today’s/tonight’s feature, All About Me, opens this year’s Festival with a bang.  Hape Kerkeling is one of Germany’s most famous comedians and the film is based on his autobiography.  Oscar-winning Carline Link directed this box-office hit that takes us back to Hape’s childhood at the tender age of 12.

For me, this is more a story of family than a famous personality.  Hape’s (or Hans-Peter as he was known as  boy) family is full of characters with big personalities, which make for great fun.  But his grandparents really shine in this story.  Their love for Hans-Peter is more than palpable and you’ll see that they get him through some serious times that will soften even the hardest of hearts.

Set in 1972, TV is continuing its mercurial accent in civilized culture and this German film shows that aspect well.  The sets and props do well to remind anyone that lived during the 70’s of that era.

This one is definitely for more than for German speakers…it’s a great way to start your European Vacation From Home!
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Next week, I highly recommend another film: Pause from Cyprus.  It will become accessible on Thursday, November 19.

It’s an urban tale of a woman at the onset of menopause.  But it’s much more subtle than that and is truly a brilliant film debut from writer-director Tonia Mishiali.

Portraying an abusive relationship is likely not the most inspiring theme for writers, but this story continually gives you just enough to keep you locked to the screen and using your brain (unlike most Hollywood offerings).

The surprising finish seals this special film for its understated approach in portraying a complex character with a bleak history…unfortunately, she is all too common, anywhere in today’s civilized world.
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And next Friday, the Slovenian film, Don’t Forget to Breathe, is unlocked.  This story of adolescence features 15 year old Klemen who has a very close relationship with his 18 year old brother, Peter.

When Peter falls in love with a girl, Klemen’s world turns upside down and the film does well to show the inability of young teenagers to handle such dramatic change in a way that meets even their own needs.

I was a bit disappointed with the acting of Klemen’s character, but it certainly passes for unemotive teens.  I just think the subtleties of teenage emotions, even when held in and not expressed, could have been explored more and acted better.  But the supporting cast does very well.
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I’ll have more reviews along the way so check in regularly to Reel Life, Real Ideas: Movies and more…

Enjoy the Festival!

Buster’s Best

Starting tonight at Vancouver’s Cinematheque, you can enjoy two feature films and a fully engrossing documentary of the one and only Buster Keaton.

Almost a hundred years ago, Buster was the biggest star in the film world.  And then it all changed…talkies arrived and he signed with MGM.  The improvisational genius of Buster, bred into him when he was only 3 years old on stage with his Vaudevillian Ma and Pa, was taken away by MGM’s uber control.

Peter Bogdanovich’s 2018 film, The Great Buster, is a monument to this amazing star of film and later TV.  My 13 year old daughter was so engrossed by the amazing physical humour, she could recall most of his life’s details two days later.

The Great Buster is hilarious as it documents his up and down career; it even shows Buster’s journey across Canada to film a series of CN passenger rail commercials.

It also suggests that the two other films in the Cinematheque’s Buster Trio are his best features: The General (making fun in the middle of war) and Steamboat Bill, Jr..

I think Buster, aka Stoneface, may have been the genesis of knock-down, physical humour, and the fact that he never used a stunt double is astounding, especially after you see what happens to his body!

You can check it out all this week and weekend at the Cinematheque:

The Great Buster (PG)
Thursday, March 7 – 6:30pm
Friday, March 8 – 8:10pm
Saturday, March 9 – 6:30pm
Sunday, March 10 – 8:00pm

The General (G)
Wednesday, March 6 – 8:15pm
Friday, March 8 – 6:30pm
Saturday, March 9 – 8:30pm

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (G)
Thursday, March 7 – 8:30pm
Saturday, March 9 – 4:00pm
Sunday, March 10 – 6:30pm

European Film Fest starts Friday at the Cinematheque!

It’s one of my favourite times of the year: the 21st Annual European Film Festival at the Cinematheque in Downtown Vancouver.

It starts Friday, November 23 and runs until December 4, so don’t delay.  Each film plays only once so there’s no second chances.

Opening this year’s festival, to honour the EU’s current presidency, is the Austrian film Mademoiselle Paradis (Licht).  It’s mostly German with some French and is set back in 1777 when wigs were tall and the bourgeoisie had servants for everything.

The star of this feature based on historical fact, is Maria Theresia von Paradis, a blind harpsicordist who dazzles the nobles (and us) with her incredible playing.

Enter Dr. Mesmer and you’ll learn where the term Mesmerize comes from…Mademoiselle Paradis begins to see again (or does she?) but fails to find that elusive happiness that evades most of the civilized.

The film does very well is showing the brutal class divisions and subtly shows the sexism/sexual abuse that the elite still get away with.

If you love period pieces and wonderful wardrobes, you’ll love this film.  Wacky wigs are also front and centre.  Not exactly uplifting, but the music is as amazing as the acting and the story.

Mademoiselle Paradis (Licht) opens the festival on Friday, November 23 at 6:30pm.

Tonio kept me glued to the screen from start to finish.  And it wasn’t because it’s a tale of a cyclist in Holland.

It’s based on a well-known Dutch writer’s tragic loss of his adult son and the parents are more than convincing.  The pain of anyone on a bike being killed by a car is immense; the film does well to show how much more that pain is magnified when it’s your only child.

This movie oozes suspense and takes full advantage of its medium.  It’s far from a Hollywood ending (nobody comes back to life) but it will leave you satisfied that even someone who lives in his brain can finally allow himself to feel and move on somehow.

Tonio plays Sunday, November 25 at 4:30pm

Speaking of movies that go well beyond the traditional use of its medium, Mother Knows Best will leave you laughing, too.  Although Portuguese, it reminded me of the matriarchy of Italy, where no one questions your mother.  Simply set, and espousing traditional values galore, it even crosses into other dimensions…or so it seems.

The last laugh may be that we’ll never know, since the remote fell into the hands of a devoted sports fan just when we were about to get a lesson on parallel universes…

Mother Knows Best plays Monday, November 26, 2018 at 6:30pm

If you’re usually alone for Christmases, this one is definitely for you!  Wonderland is the humorous tale of two types: the ideologues that do the right thing and those that are lost and looking for meaning in their life.

I loved the portrayal of the sociologists that moved out of the city to own and run an organic farm: they have no idea what they’re doing (including parenting a delightful 5 year old) but are quick to lecture their lonely guests that come to spend Christmas with them.

The guests are floundering in their own lives, left alone for their most important holiday of the year, but discover in each other the spark that’s been missing for quite some time.

The Finns certainly love their humour dry and alcohol aplenty, but this film is a refreshing look at love from a female perspective…and will leave you wondering where Wonderland really lies.

Wonderland plays Monday, November 26, 2018 at 8:20pm

I’ll post more reviews as the festival goes on at ReelLife.wordpress.com so check back often and enjoy the trip across the pond!

A different kind of documentary

I’m going to be adding a new twist to the next few reviews that I’ve been sending now for well over a decade.

Throughout February, I’ll send you some links to online videos that are both well-made and incredibly informative.  Not so much documentaries (although today’s link will take you to a documentary series), but more like online learning resources.

Jeff Walker is an entrepreneur that has revolutionized the way online businesses find success, and he has primarily used video throughout his decade long journey.  He, and the Product Launch Formula he created, has become a sensation, for many reasons:

• He gives away an amazing amount of free stuff
• Others have used his formula to make hundreds of millions of dollars in a very short time
• He made and probably still makes most of his videos (and he’s made hundreds) himself!

And his Product Launch Formula is likely the reason there is so much free online content today!  I know everything was free on the Internet at first, but once things started getting commercialized, the trend was to commodify as much as possible.  Now, it’s easy to find how to do just about anything for free and with the series that I’ll send you next week, you can learn enough to do product launches with just his free stuff!

This upcoming series of launch videos may just get you thinking about expanding/changing your current business or even starting one from scratch.  In fact, one video is all about starting from scratch, so it’s imminently doable!

If you’re curious and want to get a glimpse of what will be coming in a week, you can check out an existing series now.  In it, Jeff shares 31 days of daily videos on his lessons learned in his first 20 years of business. in this playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJy86ffG9Hc&list=PLwGsKFM2lnRnDP4HtbyE3PD39wCREm5mY

I hope you enjoy Jeff’s work as much as I have.  I doubt that I’ll ever be the multi-millionaire that Jeff has become, but we both have humble beginnings so I certainly can relate to that!

Geek Girls

The Cinematheque in Downtown Vancouver is about to show a new documentary by Canadian Gina Hara entitled Geek Girls.

It’s an interesting journey since Gina grew up in Hungary and there’s no word for geek in her native tongue.  She’s always identified as different but didn’t have a label that made sense…until she learned English and discovered the world of geeks and nerds.

The sad part of this film is that it clearly shows that as different as these folks feel they are, they are no different than any other women in many respects, especially when it comes to being bullied.

There are few areas of civilized life where women dominate and its culture gives them priority: the world of geeks and nerds is not one of them.

Gina searches for and convinces only a few other geeks and nerds to share their story, because the others just don’t feel safe.  Despite this, Gina does well to portray a diverse range of women in the film, both physically and interest-wise.  If you collect, dress up, play games or program, you’ll find someone to admire in her film.  And if you’re a geek or know a geek, this is an intimate peek into your/their world.

Geek Girls plays 4 times over the next 2 weeks:
Friday, January 26, 2018 @ 6:30pm
Saturday, January 27, 2018 @ 8:20pm
Sunday, January 28, 2018 @ 6:30pm and
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 @ 8:20pm

A Life Lived More Consciously

PIVOT Legal Society is hosting a special screening of The End of the Road at the Vancity Theatre in Downtown Vancouver tonight (Sunday, August 27) at 7pm.

The film is a lovely ride back in time to the Hippie invasion of Lund, BC, literally at the end of the road on the mainland going north from Vancouver and Powell River.

It’s a thoughtful trip with lots of archival images and flashbacks.  Americans escaping the Vietnam war, Canadians escaping conformity, all met in a place that had no electricity, running water, sewers, or any of the comforts of civilized life.

But it had so much potential: virgin forests, clean running water, no rules, and a small working class (fishers, loggers) population.  And they found many treasures: more conscious living as well as themselves.

The film doesn’t hide the fact that they also recreated some of what they ran away from: patriarchy and rules.

But the overwhelming message is love.  All of us are loving beings deep down, even if our outer selves do their best to hide that reality.  These folks trusted this knowledge and at least tried to work through all the dysfunctional behaviours they brought from their childhoods.  Their children speak honestly and eloquently to this beauty, which shines through on the big screen in this wonderful film.

Tonight only, a benefit for the PIVOT Legal Society, including a Q&A with the filmmakers: 7pm at the Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour St, Vancouver.

Call Me Dad

The Cinematheque in Downtown Vancouver has a monthly series, co-presented with The Institute of Mental Health, UBC Department of Psychiatry called Frames of Mind.

If you get this soon and are nearby, run, don’t walk to the Cinematheque and catch what you can of Call Me Dad, a brilliant documentary about family violence.

It looks at 3 men who are part of an amazing group that are part of a behavioural change program aimed at abusive fathers.  Make no mistake, this work is just as relevant for abusive mothers, just as the parallel women’s support group is for men.

The film had me in tears constantly, as these men expose their childhoods of abuse and ultimately acknowledge that everything they do is a choice.  It had me standing and cheering when a mother sent her partner packing as soon as she found out he hit their son.

This film hides nothing and shows that even hardened abusers can change if they want to and rely on the support they need.  Truly inspirational and like a fountain of hope, the film is all about creating healthier lives for the children of today…and tomorrow.

My only regret is that this didn’t get to you sooner!