Videos

12.11.16
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Vic Film Fest Brings Tidings of Joy and a Look at What to Expect for 2017

vff2017logoChristmas comes early to film lovers in the form of the Victoria Film Festival. The annual event, established in 1994, has released a snippet of what entries are being offered in the new year long after the presents have been unwrapped and the bottle of Sheri has been thoroughly emptied.

The Victoria Film Festival will take place February 3-12, 2017 in the seaside city of Victoria, British Columbia (BC). The capital of BC is known for many things including the annual Chalk Festival, International Busker Festival, and the Fringe Festival. To learn more about VFF 2017, visit their official website at http://www.victoriafilmfestival.com/ Continue reading →

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07.31.16
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Harry Potter & the Cursed Child Midnight Release Party in Victoria, BC!

cursedThe love for Harry Potter has never waned for many a fan, and people of all ages lined up Saturday night for the midnight release of J.K. Rowling’s look at the adult life of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. No spoilers are going to be offered about this book, as it’s fresh in this author’s hands who decided not to look at any info online leading up to this release. While I would love to see the play, not everyone can afford to travel to London just for a show. As much as I’d like to, well, if only magic was real so I could apparate there!

Bolen Books at Hillside Centre in Victoria held its own celebration, and they had the Paper Street Theatre Company, an improv theatre group and the University of Victoria Valkyries Quidditch Club, playing a short game, to entertain 400 folks here for this book. A local stage magician appeared to entertain the masses with his tricks and may have been the same person who demonstrated his talent previously at Cherry Bomb Toys. Unfortunately he disappeared before I could get his name! The enthusiasm was everywhere and the excitement shows we still love the boy who became … well, and adult. Now a new generation is going to the school and I suspect the tale will be about him growing up under the shadow of a very famous father. At the same time, the energy is there for another item of note. All three Pokemon GO teams were vying for control of the virtual gym that existed at the bookstore. The battle was intense, and even I tried to participate. The battle for wireless is just as competitive as my cell could not decide between Telus and ShawOpen.

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05.12.16
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You Don’t Have to Be Afraid of “Bugs on the Menu” at The Vic Theatre May 13th!

Bugs_on_the_Menu_-_The_Vic_Poster_for_Web_2_250f94b0a36d369d5b4497e974f0aed8Plays at The Vic Theatre
808 Douglas Street.
Victoria, BC

May 13, 2016, 7pm
May 15, 2016, 7pm

Food samples will be offered before the screening of this film.

Director Ian Toews and Producer Mark Bradley will be present for a Q&A afterwards.

If you give me a home where edible bugs roam, I can easily snack on them all day like popcorn. Not everyone is keen on the concept, but I’m open to the idea of nibbling on mealworms or crickets. Some folks think of it as just a gimmick to add to the gross factor, but when the apocalypse comes and most of the traditional livestock are gone, irradiated, just what else can a person eat? It’s almost as simple as digging in one’s back yard!

Or you better know the difference between edible fungi and the poisonous ones. Eating insects should not be a shocker. I point out one famous scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where Dr. René Belloq had some bug climb into his mouth and it never came out. Not even in editing did Steven Spielberg consider cutting that scene out or using a different take (who knows how many times that moment was filmed). If actor Paul Freeman was ever asked about that one scene, I’m sure he’d say it was delicious!

The documentary Bugs on the Menu looks at a new movement of cultivating sustainability in the food market that’s taking place all around the world. Instead of the traditional meats and “the harm” animal rights advocates are opining about, humanity can find a new way of sustaining itself by growing certain bugs for human consumption. People can’t randomly capture them in the wild for concerns over what kind of toxins may be in them, so they have to be raised. Documentarian Ian Toews travels to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana to learn about what’s being farmed. From Mopane caterpillars to termites, the thought of trying to eat the latter will have some folks gagging at the thought. No, I doubt Indy would have been able to eat his way out of a red soldier ant brigade, but the fourth (and lamented) film in this series did come to mind.

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12.18.14
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Must See Movies for Dec 19 – 25, 2014

Whiplash

Cinecenta

Cinecenta is located in the thriving community of the University of Victoria (UVic) campus in Saanich. The theatre offers more than a reasonable rate for general admission while giving discounted rates for UVic students, faculty, staff and alumni. Discounted rates are also available to seniors and children 12 and under. Matinées are $4.75 for all seats. Second evening shows at Cinecenta are $4.75 for all UVic undergrads.

It’s a Wonderful Life
(USA – 118 mins)

Director: Frank Capra
Writer(s): Philip Van Doren Stern (story), Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra (screenplay), Jo Swerking (additional scenes), and Michael Wilson (contributor to screenplay)

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12.13.14
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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.

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12.05.14
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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.

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