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[Victoria Film Festival ’14] Just What is The Congress About? An Analysis

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The Congress Movie Poster

Directed by Ari Folman
Screenplay by Ari Folman

A dystopian future is firmly presented in the movie, The Congress and not everyone, including audiences, will realize it. Here, it weaves both satire and science fiction into one superlative Alice in Wonderland style narrative with elements of Yellow Submarine, Cool World and The Matrix weaved in. Maybe on a second viewing, audiences can fully appreciate this film for what it is.

For most of the first act, this movie superbly pokes fun at the Hollywood system about how it treats its own people. From its producers, stars and cinematographers, they are nothing but cogs in a wheel. Back in the Golden and Silver Age of filmmaking, these products were being developed in a formulaic manner. But in the early days when cinema was fresh out of the womb, filmmakers were allowed to express themselves because the rules were not established. But when the business of making a film became more prominent, it had to follow a system.

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[Victoria, BC] The Victoria Film Festival from a Geek’s Perspective

Half of the Otaku no Culture team is definitely getting excited for the Victoria Film Festival, running from Feb 7th to the 16th at various venues, for the huge variety of films offered. On my Friday night wish to hit list is The Congress, a sci-fi product that looks like it blends elements of Cool World, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Matrix together. When actress Robin Wright (The Princess Bride) plays herself as a starlet struggling to help her young son, she gives up her rights to be on film for a digitized version. Just what happens is a look into a not too distant future if Hollywood has their say. Il Futuro is a must since it features Rutger Hauer. It’s been a long time since I last saw him on-screen. I remember him best in Blade Runner, so what I’m after to see, based on my geeky interests, are consistent.

I would like to see the gala film, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, that night in hopes Colm Meany might be in town. He’s one of those underrated stars that I can truly appreciate and I like to meet him and say I really enjoyed all the work, like Law & Order the The Commitments, he has done outside of the Star Trek universe, but that’s unlikely. When considering this film played in European theatres last year and it’s not a world premiere, the chances for the stars to show up is very slim, but the director might be around.
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[Victoria, BC] Family Hijinks At Winterlab!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Winterlab 2014 is a nearly week-long show in Victoria, BC that is in full swing, with plenty of fun for fans of live theatre. It takes place at the Intrepid Theatre Club, Metro Studio and even a “secret location” to make those cold nights seem warmer with the exercise going on. But to understand more about what this program is all about, all anyone has to do is to ask theatre-goers who are familiar with what Fringe theatre is.

In this case, The most innovative theatre artists from across the Great White North take over spaces both traditional and unconventional with work that will stretch the imaginations, engage the senses and spark conversations. Multi-disciplinary artists from Halifax, Vancouver, Whitehorse and Victoria converge on the city to share amazing live performances and inspire curious artists of all ages to create their own. Puppets, projections, popcorn, parties and spacesuits.

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