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Upcoming Screenings Strike Poses, Endure Banality And Marvel At The Net

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Cinema Usher is a new Scout column dedicated to detailing some of the best films playing in theatres with the when, where and why you should give a damn. 

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LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF A CONNECTED WORLD

August 5th – 11th & 13th | The Vancity Theater, 1181 Seymour St. | DETAILS

From the farthest reaches of Antarctica to the chaos of the Amazonian jungle and the cavernous site of some of the oldest cave drawings in recorded history, Werner Herzog’s documentaries invite us along as sidekicks on his worldly, wide-eyed adventures. His new film ‘Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World’ takes us somewhere familiar: the past, present and future of the internet. Herzog ambitiously navigates the complexities of modern technology through the awestruck eyes of a curious Luddite, weaving an eccentric tapestry of history, technologic parable and speculative science fiction, fully furnished with Herzog’s earnestly poetic narration. In a world of double-clicks and swipes, Lo and Behold is timely so catch it at The Vancouver Film Center before it becomes a Pokemon Go location.

HOW HEAVY THIS HAMMER

August 12th – 14th | The Cinematheque, 1311 Howe Street | DETAILS

In expanding the reputation of Anglophone Canadian cinema, Kazik Radwanski is one of the most interesting up-and-coming filmmakers worth watching. His “How Heavy This Hammer” is a quiet, cerebral character study of Erwin, a doughy, middle-aged man stuck in the chrysalis of a monotonous life. Framed in oppressive, drifting close-ups, Erwin retreats to video games as an escape from the banality of life. Will Erwin escape mundanity? Find out during the film’s limited run at The Cinematheque!

KIKI

August 21st | The Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St. | DETAILS

Before Beyonce, New York’s ballroom subculture was ground zero for being fierce, throwing shade and the empowering affirmation of “Yaaaaas Queen!” The vibrant scene of Vogueing, originally introduced to the world through Jennie Livingston’s 1990 film ‘Paris is Burning,’ has found a long-overdue update in Sara Jordeno’s debut documentary ‘Kiki.’ The film explores the evolution of this unique artform as salvation for many at-risk, LGBTQ youth of colour who’ve adopted ball culture as a safe haven in a socially and politically charged New York. While Livingston’s film from the 90’s is a curious tourist floating through flamboyant Harlem dance floors, Jordeno collaborates with Twiggy Pucci Garcon, an eminent “house mother” who takes viewers through the enclaves of the Kiki scene. Jordeno’s synergetic spirit with Garcon empowers a collage of energetic voices therein. With over two decades of vibrant resistance flaunted since ‘Paris is Burning,’ ‘Kiki’ refocuses the frame at the evolution of Vogueing in a time where the ever-heating spotlight of the Black Lives Matter movement and Transgender rights are an essential part of North American landscape. Catch it as part of the Queer Film Festival at the Vancouver Playhouse.

TRAILER // New Film on the Rise and Fall of the West Coast’s ‘Donut King’

Ted Ngoy embodied the American Dream by ruling the West Coast's donut scene until his gambling addiction caught up with him.

‘Ramen Heads’ And ‘Summer Vacation’ Among Cool Films Screening In July

Popcorn With Psychopaths, Chameleons And Long-Awaited Beach Breezes

Canadian Horror, Obsessive Love, French Mystery And The Fates Of Cities