March Pick: Where to Invade Next

 

Fans of Michael Moore's unique point of view as expressed in his documentaries, including Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 911, Sicko and Capitalism: A Love Story won't want to miss his latest: Where to Invade Next.

Movie Club members will be seeing the film at the Varsity Cinema (Manulife Centre, Bloor & Bay) on Tuesday, March 1. Screen time is 1:20.

SYNOPSIS: To study what can be learned from other countries about more equitable social and commercial policies and practices, compared with prevailing conditions in the United States, Michael Moore playfully "invades" Italy, France, Norway, Germany, Tunisia and elsewhere. He comes away with a startling conclusion - which will NOT be revealed here. In his trademark style, which combines humour with gut-wrenching realities, what Moore reveals is both inspirational and envy-inducing.

TRAILER:  http://www.tribute.ca/trailers/where-to-invade-next/20744/


TORONTO STAR REVIEW: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2016/02/25/where-to-invade-next-is-an-invasion-of-great-ideas-review.html

February Pick: The Lady in the Van

Maggie Smith. Those two words suffice as a green light to most of our members. If she's starring in a movie, we want to see it. Right? 

Well, we're in luck because The Lady in the Van arrived in time for this month's outing, which will be on Tuesday, February 9, at the Varsity Cinema (ManuLife Centre, Bloor & Bay). Screen time is 2:25, so let's try to meet near the box office about 20 minutes earlier. As always, if you don't see me or other club members, just go in and we'll meet up near the escalators after the film. Then those who wish to have a bite and a natter will go down to our usual spot, Scaccia.

The Lady in the Van is based on the true-life relationship of an eccentric woman down on her luck and prolific writer/playwright Alan Bennett, who rescued her from homelessness by allowing her to park her van the driveway of his London home. The arrangement was meant to be temporary, but stretched to 15 years and gave Bennett a book, a play and now a movie.

Those are the bare bones of the story, but NOW Magazine's Susan G. Cole, who gave the movie a good review, made these intriguing remarks: "This is a piece as much about a writer's ethics as it is about a high-born woman reduced to living in a van... Along the way, the film looks at ambivalence, timidity and a writer so intent on avoiding an emotional life that he has only his alter ego as a partner." 

TRAILER: http://www.cinemaclock.com/ont/toronto/movies/the-lady-in-the-van-2015/videos/200817