Here’s an awesome little event. Eisenstein’s first feature, Strike, is playing at the centre for socialist education free today at 7 o’clock.
And Thin Man’s playing at the Vancity Theatre on Wednesday, I’m so excited!
Hi,
I wish you were in Vancouver, Washington … only 9 hours south!
Damn Joshua, that sounds like a sick deal. Too bad I work or I’d likely go.
Great city, which I have called home for many years. It has a diversity of cultures – with a strong Asian connection – and is wonderful for its ethnic restaurants, diverse and vibrant music and theatre scene, and its lively and informed arts community. We are also called Hollywood north because we have films or series shooting here on a regular basis. I just want to mention Videomatica, as it was a great source for me of unusual, classic, and foreign films when vhs was coming out. It was my home away from home. I went there – although on the opposite end of town from me at the time – often on a sunny day, and would rent two or three films, all due back the next day. True film lovers know what this is like – an obsession to see films even if the weather was nice and you lived in a beautiful city. I made many discoveries in the course of exploration there or at the many arthouse or repertory theatres in the city. A vibrant, tolerant, multi-cultural city that is second to none – and first in my heart.
Well said Mr. Stutsman.
Great post, Bob. I have only begun to take advantage of the resources this city can offer me. I recently subscribed to Videomatica’s rental by mail service which has been fantastic.
What day are you going, Adam? I’m definitely going to Amarcord at some point.
Thursday night
Are there more people here from Vancouver than Toronto?
I’m not sure…I’ve certainly noticed more people from Vancouver but that is probably because I am from Vancouver.
Personally. I haven’t been able to see a lot of films at Pacific Cinemateque since I’m only seventeen, but I was able to a screening of Blade Runner: Final Cut at Vancity last year, which was pretty amazing. However, I’m pretty sure that the June 17 screening of Vertigo at Cinemateque is all ages, because it’s one of their “Silver Screening” shows.
I think the “Silver Screening” of Vertigo is on the 16th
It will be screening on June 13th as well, as part of their free open house
Wasn’t the Blade Runner thing at Granville 7 rather than Vancity?
When are you gonna hit up Amarcord, Josh?
It might have been, but I saw it at Vancity, as part of their sci-fi/special effects retrospective. Other movies like 2001 and Jason and the Argonauts were playing as well.
@Moshkito
I’m probably 9 minutes south (driving fast at midnight) of Vancouver, WA. You know, in that city. I think our metro area needs a thread. I mean it’s the same basic population as Vancouver BC. ;p
A rivalry is born
I don’t want to intrude but i must say Vancouver seems very enticing to me- is it modern, cosmopolitan, clean, with a positive ethnic and cultural mix, quite progressive values, decent architecture and in a setting of spectacular scenery, with a sizeable amount of rainfall?
I’d really like to know what’s so great about Vancouver. I don’t mean that in a snide way – I am genuinely curious. I’m rapidly growing bored and frustrated of Toronto and I was thinking of Montreal but that seems to be a more obvious answer for me personally. I wonder if Vancouver would be a better choice.
Ah, Toronto is the one Canadian city i’ve been and i found the people very friendly and left with good impressions all-round. Jeffrey Archer the writer-politician got done for shoplifting in the fancy shopping centre in a the very shop i bought a coat i understand. I may be wrong – don’t want to be sued for libel. But i’d have loved to take a Trans-Canadian rail journey across the Rockies to Vancouver. I was surprised the road round the lake from Toronto to Niagara was flatter and less picturesque than i expected, i’ve always had such grand visions of Canada and its majestic peaks and forests etc.
Edit; ah, i see Archer was detained but not charged over the alleged shoplifting
Adam, I was thinking of going Friday.
To be honest, Vancouver is a neat place. It’s got a lot of things going for it, other than the ascent in rent. It sucks.
Moving to Van for school soon. I wasn’t in town the week they were showing Pulp Fiction in the Granville cinema. I do love that seedy used DVD/CD (etc.) shop on one of those streets. It’s the place that has exchange rates on it. I swear I have contributed to almost all of their Criterion purchases every time I am in there.
Charlie’s Music City
No idea if you are right Adam but it sounds familiar. I love, love, love that place.
I lived in Vancouver for 13yrs before moving back to Toronto. I really do miss my two favourite independently-run video stores, aka Black Dog Video (on Cambie and 18th) and Happy Bat (just off Main and 15th). Awesome selections of Criterion at both, and pretty much anything else weird, wonderful, rare and cool you can think of…(and if you go into Black Dog Video, you can see the very cool Japanese poster for “Shadow of the Vampire” that I donated to them before leaving). The staff at each place are good people too.
I definitely miss some things about the city, eg. the summer jazz fest and folk fest, the beaches, the bike rides around Stanley Park or in Pacific Spirit Park near UBC, bars like the Railway Club and Main Street in general. I’d like to go back for a visit to hang out with some good friends I made there – maybe next year post Olympics.
Still, I’m happy to be back in Toronto – the arts scene in general is that much more eclectic and happening here.
Me and Adam have expounded on the benefits of Charlie’s before, the place is amazing. As for Black Dog and Happy Bats, I’m not a renting fan and have had some irksome meetings with the staff at Black Dog, but that’s a different story. Decent selections at both places, although I miss Monster Gallery on Hastings which just shut down a few months ago. The city is a-changing.
I just won a 10 dollar gift certificate for Black Dog from the Blue Velvet screening at the Rio (everyone knows who Rossellini’s mother is!) and I’m also a guy who hates renting; so I’m curious do they sell used/new dvds also? thanks.
Charlie’s is quite excellent. I found The Vanishing, Robocop and numerous other Criterions I have been looking for, even got the Godfather trilogy and Planet Earth on Blu-Ray for about $45 each there. The only thing they haven’t had is Battle Royale.
I’m not sure Battle Royale has a Region 1 release, the one I have is most definitely a bootleg, as are all I’ve seen. I’d like to say Charlie’s is immutable when it comes to bootlegs, but they have a version of Ken Russell’s Gothic there that’s just laughably absurd looking. Pixelated cover and everything.
Adam Cook
This is a thread for those of us residing in or from Vancouver, BC, Canada.
I’ve noticed there are quite a few of us, so here is a thread for us to talk about the Pacific Cinematheque, Vancity Theatre, VIFF, the joys of Videomatica, or whatever local or global concerns us Vancouverites may have.