Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
Cairo Time (14A)

(Canada/Ireland, 2009; 90 minutes; in English and Arabic)

  Writer-director Ruba Nadda has fashioned a beautifully acted and photographed prize-winning performance, likened to Lost in Translation and Before Sunrise. Cairo Time picks up the story of a Canadian magazine writer Juliette (as in Romeo and Juliet, get it?), played by Patricia Clarkson (THE STATION AGENT), as she arrives in Cairo for a vacation with her diplomat husband, Mark (Tom McCamus). When Mark is unexpectedly delayed at a refugee camp in Gaza, he asks an old friend and former colleague, Tareq (Alexander Siddig, SYRIANA), to collect Juliette at the airport and give her a tour of the city. Time-and-a-half passes and Mark finds himself still stuck in Gaza on government business, with Juliette left to her own devices. But after a chance meeting with Tareq at a local café, the couple embarks on a series of day trips to see the sights of Cairo and friendship blossoms.

  This is not a story of a middle-aged, happily-married woman who finds social and sexual rejuvenation in an unexpected fling in some exotic locale. It’s a story of restraint, not abandon: no secretive hand-holding or stolen kisses; not a passionate love affair but rather a chronicle of coming to terms with a strange environment without the familiarity and taken-for-granted comforts of one’s normal companions and surroundings. As Juliette, Clarkson manages the difficult trick of evoking sympathy as someone teetering on the verge of betraying a long-term and solid marriage. And the critics seem to be agreed that British-raised Siddig — best known for his seven-year stint on Star Trek: Deep Space 9 — holds his own against Clarkson, turning in a compelling performance that captures every nuance of inner conflict.
  And then, of course, there is that other star of the movie: the city of Cairo itself. Cinematographer Luc Montpellier, while avoiding some of the noisier and nastier quarters, captures the mood and bustle of Cairo’s streets: the hooka bars, jewellery shops and its outdoor markets in all their vibrant colour — plus, of course, the Nile and the pyramids — providing an authentic background for the slowly developing relationship between Juliette and Tareq.

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
Coco Avant Chanel (14A)

(France, 2009; 105 minutes; in French with English subtitles)

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE, BEST COSTUME DESIGN

  The story of Coco Chanel's rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world. Several years after leaving the orphanage to which her father never returned for her, Gabrielle Chanel finds herself working in a provincial bar both. She's both a seamstress for the performers and a singer, earning the nickname Coco from the song she sings nightly with her sister. A liaison with Baron Balsan gives her an entree into French society and a chance to develop her gift for designing increasingly popular hats. When she falls in love with English businessman Arthur Capel, her opportunities — and life — become ever-more complicated.

Wednesday, March 3, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
O'Horten (PG)

(Norway/Germany/France, 2009; 90 minutes; English subtitles)

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE, BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  A picaresque tale. Odd Horton is dependable and contained: he's a train engineer retiring after 40 years of service, living a simple life. His idea of adventure is to fly from one city in Norway to another. Starting on the night of his retirement dinner, Odd has a series of dislocating experiences: a boy insists that Odd sit by his bedside while he falls asleep; misadventure causes Odd to miss his last run; he witnesses an arrest; he assists an old man and makes a friend; he takes a trip with a blindfolded driver; he adopts a dog; he takes stock late one night at the roundhouse; he revisits his mother's disappointment in him. How should he live the rest of his life?

Wednesday, March 17, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (PG)

(Canada/U.K., 2009; 122 minutes)

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST ART DIRECTION AND COSTUME DESIGN

  Director Terry Gilliam continues the trippy tradition he began with inventive films such as "Time Bandits" and "Brazil." This time, he re-teams with Heath Ledger of "The Brothers Grimm," Christopher Plummer of "12 Monkeys," and Tom Waits of "The Fisher King." Endearingly packed to the rafters with ornate anachronistic artistry, "Imaginarium" is a great place to get lost for a spell.

  The powerful and true-life tale of Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) and the most explosive idea in history - The Origin of Species. A world-renowned scientist, and a dedicated family man, he finds himself caught in a battle between faith and reason, love and truth. It tells of a global revolution played out in the confines of a small English village; a passionate marriage (to his real-life wife Jennifer Connelly, 9) torn apart by this provocative idea; and a theory saved from extinction by the logic of a child.

  In line for the British throne at seventeen, Victoria (Emily Blunt, THE WOLFMAN) is the object of a royal power struggle. Everyone is vying to win her favour, but she is kept from the court by her overbearing mother, the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson, DAMAGE), and her ambitious advisor, Conroy (Mark Strong, SHERLOCK HOLMES). Her mother and King Leopold of Belgium, arrange for a visit by his nephew, Albert (Rupert Friend, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE). Both tired of being manipulated by relatives, they talk openly and become friends.

Wednesday, April 28, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
The Last Station (14A)

(U.K., 2009; 112 minutes)

NOMINATED FOR TWO ACADEMY AWARDS:
HELEN MIRREN, BEST ACTRESS
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

  Fact and fiction converge in this talent-driven drama based on Jay Parini's novel about Leo Tolstoy, which focuses on the marriage between Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer, 9; THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS) and his wife Sofya (Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN) in its final years. James McAvoy (ATONEMENT) stars as a young man who works for the couple, while Paul Giamatti (JOHN ADAMS) plays an advisor to the writer who fights his wife over financial issues.

"Beautifully crafted, and sensationally well acted, it overflows with romance, heart and intelligence." -- Christopher Tookey, The Daily Mail

  Tomas, a frail, shy eight-year-old boy, has been living a solitary life in a drab orphanage — sad, friendless and alone. Then a joyous burst of colour comes into his world: Maire O'Donnell introduces Tomas to the wonders of his world. A story about the transformational power of love — about finding acceptance, discovering magic, and about realizing that rainbows are all around you — and within you.

  Welcome to Lytton, population 350, "Home of the World Famous Gold Rush Days" — and not much else. Twenty-two-year-old Cole feels trapped by his rigid life, unable to fulfill his writing dreams. When opportunity knocks, he jumps at the chance to escape his broken family. Feeling guilty for his abandonment, he returns home, followed by a girl from school — with an unexpected impact on the town.

Wednesday, June 9, 7:30 pm only
La Donation (14A)

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM - SPECIAL JURY CITATION,
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (2009)

(Canada, 2009; 96 minutes)

  Dr. Rainville, an aging country doctor with a deep attachment to his patients, is about to retire and is looking for a successor. Jeanne Dion, an emergency room doctor from Montréal, agrees to go to Normétal to replace him for a few weeks, with no plans for an extended stay in the economically moribund region. When Dr. Rainville suddenly dies, Jeanne must decide if she'll take over the job, and its inherent responsibilities. The final part in Québec director Bernard Émond's trilogy about faith, hope and charity.

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