The Cowichan Valley film series is back on track with a stellar slate of films starting in September.
Last year was a bit of a mixed bag for Reel Alternatives. After two years off, it was heartening that season ticket holders returned in droves to enjoy the monthly Monday night movies that raise money for Cowichan Hospice.
However, not every movie last season was a crowd favourite, including a run of three movies from January through March that triggered several complaints from patrons about sound quality and film selection. Some people had trouble deciphering the British accents in “Ali & Ava” and despite both being Oscar nominees, “EO” and “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” generated complaints about subject matter and tone. In response, the Reel Alternatives committee has made some changes. Movies with strong accents will be subtitled going forward, movies with a big disparity between critic and audience review scores will be flagged, and whenever possible committee members will review entire films and not just the trailers.
The Reel Alternatives committee, chaired by Robert and Leslie Liston, makes its selection from a list provided by the Toronto Film Festival, and is excited that the list of available films for the upcoming season is more than double what it was last year, including many that seem perfect for the local audience.
The series kicks off on September 25 with “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” an adaptation of the Judy Blume classic that has been a big hit with committee members. It will be followed on October 30, with the documentary “Blind Ambition” that tells the incredible story of four Zimbabwean refugees who become champion sommeliers. On November 27, the series offers “Past Lives,” a heartwarming romantic drama about two childhood friends in South Korea who reunite decades later in New York City. Then on December 18, a taxi ride in
Paris becomes a life-changing experience for both the cabbie and his 92-year-old passenger in “Driving Madeleine.”
The fall series concludes on January 15 with “Blackberry,” a Canadian biographical comedydrama about the rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone. The Globe and Mail considers it one of the top three Canadian comedy
films ever made. Tickets for individual films are $17, with the fall season of all five films available for $70. Get them at the ticket centre at 250-748-7529 or go to cowichanpac.ca. All films start at 7 p.m.