Author Archives: James Robert Shaw

12.13.14
by

Must See Movies for December 12 – 18, 2014

HobbitFiveArmiesIf Christmas is a time for ballet in the form of Tch Nutcracker then why not in the form of Wagner’s opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Live from the Metropolitan, this almost six hour performance will be conducted by James Levine and stars Johan Reuter. ArtSpring on Salt Spring Island will be receiving this broadcast on December 13th at 9:00 am.

But if ballet is still where your heart is then ArtSpring has this covered too. If you can’t see the Winnipeg Ballet production of The Nutcracker this year, December 21st at 9:55 am ArtSpring will receive a live broadcast of The Nutcracker as performed by the Bolshoi Ballet.

There is one more drive-in movie left this month to see in the back parking lot of the Archie Browning Sports Centre. On Saturday, December 13th at 6:30 pm you’ll have the chance to bring the whole family to watch The Santa Clause.

Continue reading →

12.05.14
by

Must See Movies for December 5 – 11, 2014

Christmas4If you are planning to see a movie at UVic’s Cinecenta, there is just two weeks left before they close for the holidays. Cinecenta will close from Dec 21st until the new year. Some of the final movies shown for the month will be Elsa & Fred, Hundred-Foot Journey, Boyhood, Magic In the Moonlight, Love Actually, and Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

If you missed the Dec 5th Christmas drive-in movie which was shown around the back of the Archie Browning Sports Centre, then fear not because there is one more movie left this month to see. On Saturday, December 13th at 6:30 pm you’ll have the chance to bring the whole family to watch The Santa Clause.

Starring Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold and Wendy Crewson, Tim plays Scott Calvin, a man who inadvertently kills Santa Claus on Christmas eve and finds that he is recruited to take his place.

Continue reading →

11.29.14
by

Must See Movies For Nov 28 – Dec 4, 2014

MommyArtSpring of Salt Spring Island will be hosting a re-broadcast in HD of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Carmen. The broadcast is scheduled for Sunday, November 30th at 10 am.

Richard Eyre’s mesmerizing production of Bizet’s steamy melodrama returns with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature role of the ill-fated gypsy temptress. Aleksandrs Antonenko plays her desperate lover, the soldier Don José, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the swaggering bullfighter, Escamillo, who comes between them. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the irresistible score, which features one beloved and instantly recognizable melody after another.

For more information on ticket prices, you can visit ArtSpring’s official website.

Continue reading →

11.25.14
by

The Vancouver Island Holiday Events Guide

Christmas Hammy 4Christmas is coming,
the Blokes are getting fat
please do put some money
in the food bank’s hat
if you haven’t got some money,
a food donation will do
if you haven’t got a food donation
than God bless you!

It’s not the exact lyrics to “Christmas Is Coming,” an American Christmas carol, but I thought I would give it a West Coast Canadian twist instead. The holidays are fast approaching (although some may dread it), but do keep in mind that the holidays shouldn’t be about commercialism. What truly matters is to spend this time of year with your family, your friends, and to have enough food on the table to share it with them.

If you believe in exchanging gifts, I would say keeping it simple is the best way to go about it. Avoid maxing out your credit card, pay cash for simple gifts. And if you can’t afford something, then price isn’t the be all and end all, it is the thought that counts. When buying a gift, I try to make my purchases at locally owned shops. This means buying from an independent store and not from a corporate owned or franchise. Doing so ensures your money stays on the West Coast rather than being sent to a company in a Eastern capital city or the United States.

Continue reading →

Pages: 1 2 3
11.21.14
by

Must See Movies For Nov 21 – 27, 2014

MockingjayNext week the Archie Browning Sports Centre is hosting something a little special for you movie-goers. Bring your car and perhaps some blankets on the night of Friday, November 28th because you’ll be treated to a trip back in time with a holiday drive-in movie.

The film to be presented will be Tim Burton’s family classic The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, and tries his best to get the residents of his town to forsake Halloween in the name of this bright holiday. But Jack and the residents of Hallowentown don’t quite understand the holiday’s concept or its true meaning.

Starring the voices of Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, and Greg Proops.

This film is rated PG in Canada, the USA, and the UK.

Continue reading →

11.14.14
by

Must See Movies for Nov 14 – 20, 2014

EternityTheMovieCinecenta is hosting their annual ‘Mystery Movie’. What is so mysterious about it is that it is a film that has yet to be released in Victoria. You pay for the ticket, enter the theatre, and find out what the surprise will be. The film could be a drama, comedy or documentary. It could be in English or in another language with subtitles.

The fun of Mystery Movie is in the not knowing and perhaps you’ll watch a new film you’ll come to love.

Pender Islands ‘Mother Bear’ Community Hall of Bedwell Harbour will be hosting a movie night Saturday, Nov 15th. The film that night will be Calvary starring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, and Game of Throne’s Aidan Gillen.

Father James is a good priest who is faced with sinister and troubling circumstances brought about by a mysterious member of his parish. Although he continues to comfort his own fragile daughter and reach out to help members of his church with their various scurrilous moral- and often- comic problems, he feels sinister and troubling forces closing in, and begins to wonder if he will have the courage to face his own personal Calvary.

Continue reading →