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

I'm finding the double bills of The Help and Drive at the Fox Theatre a truly divisive combination. The former is a weak adaptation that drops any culturally relevant points the original material was trying to make about race relations in the deep south in the 60's, while the latter is an homage to a dead genre that succeeds on all counts against most odds.

The European Union Film Festival which is hosting free screenings all week at the Royal has some real winners, one of which I'm highlighting, and the Lightbox continues to offer some gems from their Wages of Fear and Icy Fire programmes.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22ND / LITTLE TERRORS / THE PROJECTION BOOTH / 8PM
Rue Morgue and Unstable Ground's popular genre film series is back with another set of films to thrill and chill, all neatly prepackaged into an easy to digest small dose of cinema. This month's theme is "reanimation" and films that feature beings that fall within that category, whether they be androids, zombies, genetically modified humans or aliens. The highlight this month is Fantasia Film Festival favourite CrĂŠpuscule, an erotic stop motion thriller about a couple who find themselves in danger after infiltrating a world full of independent creatures they never should have looked upon in the first place. Select filmmakers will be in attendance for a question and answer period after the films. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the cinema..

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22ND / DIABOLIQUE / TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX / 6:30

Double crossing a woman can be dangerous but double crossing two? A deadly mistake in Clouzet's Diabolique. Screening as part of The Wages of Fear: The Films of Henri-Georges Clouzot, Diabolique features two scorned women doing the unusual, banding together to punish the philanderer instead of waging war with each other. The pair are the wife and mistress of a tyrannical headmaster at a less-than-reputable boarding school, instead of at least attempting to hide his indiscretions, he flaunts his affair and emotionally batters and physically abuses both of his paramours. That is, until they can't take it anymore and plan for his untimely demise. Unfortunately, plots for murder don't always run smooth. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online or at the cinema.

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 23RD / LAPLAND ODYSSEY / ROYAL CINEMA / 6PM

This Finnish "contemporary Odyssey" finds our hero with more in common with Harold and Kumar or the gang from the Hangover than Odysseus. Janne is a bit of a dud, he lives in a country with staggering unemployment, has few prospects on the horizons and lives in a place where there isn't much sun. After a few years of complacency, his girlfriend Irina decides the ultimate test of his longevity will rest on whether he brings home a digital conversion box for their television, something he's promised for years. After yet another night spent wasting his money on liquour, she gives him an ultimatum, the box or their relationship. With little choice, Janne sets out on the adventure of a lifetime, meeting murderous lesbians, drunken Russians searching for a reindeer and his girlfriend's highly successful ex. Tickets are free and are handed out one hour before showtime at the cinema.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25TH / WINGS OF DESIRE / INNIS TOWN HALL / 7PM
Wings of Desire is a whimsical fantasy about the city Berlin that is populated with invisible angels, the nice, traditional type of angels who attempt to help and listen to those on earth, while walking alongside them. After a lifetime of helping others, a job that began before Berlin was Berlin, one angel Damiel falls in love with a local trapeze artist and sacrifices his immortality for humanity and a chance to woo her.

The film uses a unique perspective for the angels, they see the world monochromatically while the humans see in full colour, an interesting contrast that characterizes Damiel's pursuit of humanity. Wings of Desire finds itself on multiple lists as one of the best films of all time, with acclaim from Siskel AND Ebert. Trivia time! Wings of Desire was the inspiration for the emotionally stunted City of Angels that starred Nic Cage in the late 90's. Presented by the Cinema Studies Student Union, this is a free screening as part of the Free Friday Films series. The screening is free but fills up quick!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27TH / TAKE SHELTER / REVUE CINEMA / 9:30PM

I was a bit surprised to see this film in the rep cinemas so soon, but any chance for others to view this contemporary masterpiece is better than nothing. Take Shelter is a creepy, slow-burning thriller about anxiety and madness. In an insecure economic time where jobs can be lost, homes can be torn down and relationships destroyed, the film is a commentary on the current state of the world where things can be blown away in an instant. Jessica Chastain plays a slightly different character than her Tree of Life role, portraying a concerned woman whose husband is showing all the signs of schizophrenia. Unfortunately, her husband (Michael Shannon) seems to think his visions are more of the Biblical type than a mental illness and struggles with binding himself to reality, or everybody else's definition of reality.

To cope with his increasingly crippling dreams, he builds a storm shelter 'just in case' the worst were to happen, such as a tornado or perhaps a rapture? Problems ensue. This film has a startling 94 per cent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but avoid the reviews if you don't want any spoilers. Tickets are $10 for non-members and can be purchased at the cinema. Take Shelter is also playing at the Fox Theatre.

ADDITIONAL SCREENINGS

• The Peanut Butter Solution - Innis Town Hall - Mon Nov 21 - 7pm
  
• Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Revue Cinema - Mon Nov 21 through Nov 23
  
• Fish &Chips - Royal Cinema - Wed Nov 23 - 8:30pm
  
• Pretty in Pink - TIFF Bell Lightbox - Fri Nov 25 - 9pm

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Still from Diabolique