The Green Ray

France 1986. Dir: Eric Rohmer. 96 min. DCP

Dates and Venue 2 - 30 June | The Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street

This was an enjoyable film. The first part was a bit boring and trivial, as there was a lot of chatter on boyfriends, food, and other trite matters. However, towards the end, we find out Rohmer's inspiration from Jules Verne, and all the little clues, ie, green clothes, tarot cards, and the last place Delphine (Marie Riviere) visits, as she wanders about not knowing what to do with her summer vacation, has a store named Rayon Vert--then everything fits together. That just shows the genius of Eric Rohmer in this charming film about summer love.

Certain Women

USA 2016. Dir: Kelly Reichardt. 107 min. DCP

Dates and Venue 19 - 25 May | The Cinematheque, 1131 Howe Street

Despite the stellar cast composed of Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern and Michelle Williams, this film based on three Montana-set short stories by Maile Meloy doesn't quite make the grain. The idea of making a film about ordinary women with their ordinary regular lives, a kind of slice of life, gets boring halfway through the show.

I noticed some audience members walking out around halfway through the film. Why? I guess film is basically entertaining and if you bore an audience with ordinariness, there's no point in making a film. On the other hand, the film represents an anti-thesis to all the "fast and furious" (using an example of a current blockbuster film), movies in commercial theatres.