This Week in Rep Cinema: Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Source, Amal, Marina Abramovic, The Artist is Present, Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Latest Videos

This Week in Rep Cinema features second-run and classic film selections from cinemas such as the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, The Fox, The Revue, The Royal, the Projection Booth, TIFF Bell Lightbox, and more.

While it's a quieter week on the second-run circuit (I blame Thanksgiving) there are still some gems and must-sees. From classic holiday humour with Planes, Trains and Automobiles, to a second-run smash hit with Beasts of the Southern Wild, there are several films to choose from if you want to drown out the sound of electric knives, turkey basters and the ever-threatening whispers of Christmas carols.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 2 / BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD / REVUE CINEMA / 7PM
This fantastical film treads a fine line between embracing the colourful imagination of five year-old Hushpuppy, daughter to an alcoholic single father, and the stark reality of the world where she lives, a place threatened by Hurricane Katrina. The interesting thing though is how little the film focuses on the latter. Instead we're treated to a world through the eyes of a child, a bleak world full of violence, uncertainty and fear but also one that is full of adventure and a harsh kind of love. A huge award winner at both Cannes and Sundance, this is definitely a major contender for Best Picture next year. Tickets are $11 and can be purchased at the cinema.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 / THE SOURCE / BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA / 6:30PM & 9:15PM
The Doc Soup film this month follows the strange "utopia" of the Source Family, a spiritual commune that was revered for its rock 'n roll lifestyle, the family-run restaurant, and the bevy of beautiful women that followed. Famous for their outlandish diets and unconventional lifestyles, many of the extremes they followed in the seventies are common-place beliefs today. Cult or spiritual experiment? Watch the film and decide. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the cinema or online.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 4 / AMAL / TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX / 8:30PM
Richie Mehta's touching film about a complicated kindness shows both the best and worst of its characters in a short period of time. Our hero is the everyman Amal, an honest cab-driver who is trusting to the point of being naive, but has a genuine heart of gold despite less than ideal living conditions. When his honesty is finally recognized in the form of a large will in his name, the greed of others threatens to destroy the lives of all those involved. Actor Naseeruddin Shah will introduce the film before it screens. Tickets are $11 and can be purchased at the cinema.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 6 / MARINA ABRAMOVIÄ: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT / PROJECTION BOOTH / 7:30PM
This documentary grants rare access to the 'grandmother of performance art' Marina Abramovic during her preparation for The Artist is Present, her blockbuster retrospective at the MOMA in 2010. During that period, she would silently sit opposite a stranger at the MOMA for as long as the sitter wished to stay. Some lasted a few short minutes while others lasted hours, and the internet ate it up. Now you can too. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the cinema.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 7 / PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES / BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA / 9PM
Just in time for Thanksgiving comes Steve Martin and John Candy's clever comedy about a pair of mismatched travellers--a stiff ad exec and a shower curtain salesman-destined to take the misadventure of a lifetime together. One of the best holiday buddy-comedies of all-time, Planes, Trains & Automobiles puts all those contemporary turkey flicks to shame. Penned, directed and produced by John Hughes, the film proved he wasn't a one-trick teen-angst pony and led to some great collaborations with John Candy (including Uncle Buck!) Tickets are $11 and can be purchased at the cinema.