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Comely Comedia by MATTHEW
HAYS It seems JFL types want to make Comedia a launch pad for new celluloid comic gems. This year, with Parc programmers Don Lobel and Mitch Davis brought on board, the event boasts a 25-film roster, including a documentary section, and the films definitely look more intriguing than in previous years. Among the offerings: Christina Ricci stars in Pumpkin, a darker-than-dark comedy about a young woman who falls desperately in love with a mentally-deficient young man, despite the scorn heaped upon them by friends and family. Also in the mentally-disabled vein, How’s Your News? The Feature is an expansion of the popular short film that screened at Fantasia three years ago. Filmmaker Arthur Bradford proceeds to trek across America with his How’s Your Newsteam in tow, who ask perfect strangers how they feel about fried chicken. As well, Troma freak Lloyd Kaufman has documented taking his show on the road, namely to Cannes, the highfalutin’ Euro film fest which this sleazemeister crashes with glee. The fun’s all packed into a feature doc on the Troma team’s antics, titled All the Love You Cannes. Back again are the Eat My Shorts and Eat My Twisted Shorts film fests (thank-you, Jean Guerin!) and a Comedy Classics roster screening at the Cinémathèque québécoise. The fun begins, alongside the live Just for Laughs shows, on July 11. A rare opportunity to see what is easily one of the most stunning films ever made on the big screen arrives this week, as the Cinéma du Parc runs a restored print of Beauty and the Beast starting this Friday, June 28. The legendary Jean Cocteau made the film with none of today’s much-touted special effects, but the achievement remains remarkable to this day. Cocteau cast his lover and longtime collaborator Jean Marais in the lead, to great effect. In conjunction with the Jazz Festival, the Cinémathèque québécoise is again presenting an anthology of films related to jazz. This year will see The Connection, the ’61 film about a group of junkies waiting for their delivery of heroin, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (the 1920 version starring John Barrymore) unreel. The latter film will include a special treat: live piano accompaniment by Jean Beaudet. See rep listings for showtimes. A number
of students worked with local filmmakers to create a series of short films,
all of which will screen this Wednesday, July 3 at Théâtre
de Verdure at Parc Lafontaine at 8:45 p.m. Titled L’École
buissonnière, the films include collaborations with Jean Beaudry,
Denis Chouinard, Julie Perron and Nelson Henricks. The following night,
Thursday, July 4, the same venue will feature Les grrrls, a series of
films by local women directors. Both events are presented by Vidéographe.
: COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com |