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

—————————————–

Theatre of Life

January 13th – 16th & 19th | The Vancity Theater, 1181 Seymour Street | DETAILS

In 2015, Michelin Star master chef Massimo Bottura took over an Italian soup kitchen to transform food destined for the dumpster into beautifully crafted, healthy meals for Milan’s hungriest and most disadvantaged. Along with the help of Bottura’s friends – who just so happen to be some of the world’s most celebrated chefs – connections with an underprivileged community are forged through incredible food. The film is an insightful one-two punch, tackling issues of social justice and the devastating effects of food waste through the lens of an inspired palate.

One More Time with Feeling

January 16th | The Vancity Theater, 1181 Seymour Street | DETAILS

While Andrew Dominik is known for his work on fiction features,‘One More Time with Feeling’ finds the masterful visualist pivoting into documentary. Literally playing one more time at the Vancity Theatre, the film explores Nick Cave’s recording process for Skeleton Tree, his soul-crushing album (let’s face it, when is Nick Cave not crushing souls?) and the tragic death of Cave’s teenage son which inspired the album. Featuring performances by the Bad Seeds captured in a stunning black-and-white and Cave’s free-form ruminations, this film is meant to be experienced with big sound and picture in the dark where no one will see you cry.

It’s Only the End of the World

January 20th, 21st & 22nd | The Cinematheque, 1311 Howe Street | DETAILS

Hailed as an art house darling, French Canadian director Xavier Dolan began his enviable reputation for being a visionary began at the tender age of 20 when his debut feature premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to a standing ovation. Seven years later, ‘It’s Only the End of the World’ marks the prolific director’s 6th film and his most mature movie to date. It’s a familial drama about Louis, a terminally ill writer who returns to his family after abandoning them for a decade to announce his impending death. Boasting an impressive cast of French heavyweights including Marion Cotillard, Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux, Dolan’s films are stylistic gems bursting with a youthful exuberance. Catch it along with some of the country’s finest as part of the Toronto International Film Festival’s touring festival, ‘Canada’s Top Ten’

Tampopo

January 26th to February 2nd | The Cinematheque, 1311 Howe Street | DETAILS

As essential as ramen itself, Juzo Itami’s ‘Tampopo’ is a food cult classic that has been unavailable for decades. At the end of the month, The Cinematheque presents a freshly minted, 4K restoration of this essential Ramen Western (Japan’s take on the Spaghetti Western genre) about a widower cluelessly running her deceased husband’s struggling ramen joint. When encountering two cowboy truckers, she sets off on a quest to master the perfect bowl of noodles with the help of her new friends. Tampopo is an irreverent romp full of googly-eyed moments that foretold some of our most fetishistic modern relationships with food. Make sure to give yourself extra time after the movie, Tampopo have you clamouring to the nearest ramen joint before the ending credits roll.