Fall is Film time

It’s a frenzy. There’s a ton of good films out there – you’ve just got to find them!  And there’s literally something for everyone.

Movies are not only an escape from daily life (sometimes good, sometimes not) but many are insightful, you can learn something,  or maybe you just want to be totally entertained, or shocked, or frightened, or moved or infuriated or turned on and so forth….that’s the beauty of it all.

It’s like feast or famine for me (and not just with movies).  I binge watched ALL the Academy Award nominated movies for the last awards show….after not having been to a movie theatre in a very  loooong time.

I mean who has time to watch a ton of movies all at once when there are fashion shows to attend and foodie/wine events to go to?

Oh and I forgot about binge watching Stranger Things & Bates Motel on Netflix.  There’s a lot of stuff on my plate now.. besides food.

So now I’m attending a handful (actually two handfuls) of movies not yet released in theatres – all part of the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). So many to choose from in all genres.

THIS YEAR they’ve divided the festival guide into categories.  Panorama, focusing on contemporary world cinema, Ignite, showcasing inspired works emerging from the creative nexus that is British Columbia, True North, celebrating extraordinary creativity by Canadian storytellers, Impact, uncompromising films and discussions that spark action and change the way we see the world, Gateway, a journey into a compelling cinematic world of East Asia’s most adventurous artists, M/A/D (Music, Art, Design) and Style in Film and ALT (Altered States) – Short Films.

I’ve managed to pick at least one from each category to watch and review.  The first thing I do is to look at each title.  If the title intrigues me then I read the blurb about the film and mark it as either YES or NO.  This is a challenge in itself because most of these films (if not all) are being reviewed for the very first time as they are not yet released.  So I thought I’d try my hand as a movie critic…of sorts.  Keeping in mind that I only choose movies that intrigue me and that I’m going to like… or at least hoping to like.  So I’m very unlikely to give a bad review having carefully gone over all critical criteria beforehand.

Finding time to fit these films into your schedule….now that can be a challenge.  There are a few I want to see but cannot.  There are others that overlap and a few which are several hours apart from each other, so you have to figure out what to do in the time in between.  Sigh…….And you know your life is full when you must choose between seeing a movie totally filmed in the Arctic complete with dog sleds and igloos vs taking a fermented cooking class.  Choices!

Time in between can be spent eating, shopping, walking the dog again, going to a yoga class or just….meditating.

Such is life in the world of cinema and all us crazy film buffs (even if we’re only part -timers).

That’s all to say that up until October 14^th (maybe beyond) you’ll be hearing about these movies.  But then you won’t….possibly for quite some time.  So enjoy it (or not) while you can!

Are there any movies you’re anxious to see? Are there any that intrigue you to go and see from my notes on this blog?