Free film series is back Wednesday nights July 3 to– Aug. 28
All films are free and are screened every Wednesday night from July 3 – to Aug. 28 at approximately 9 p.m. on the WestJet Stage (rain or shine).
With top films selected by NOW Magazine’s film critic Norm Wilner, this year’s theme of Invented Worlds explores films that were created by the imaginations of notable film directors and writers.
Whether they'’ve been built on a sound stage, shot in an urban landscape or photographed one frame at a time on a miniature set populated by hand-made figurines, these are stories that could not have been told without the element of fantasy.
Kicking off the series on July 3 is Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors – Director’s Cut, which follows a nerdish florist who finds success and romance with the help of a giant bloodthirsty plant who demands to be fed.
In the following eight weeks, Free Flicks features films that stretch audiences’ imaginations including Galaxy Quest, Top Secret!, Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit and much more.
The public can also vote for the final to be screened on Aug. 28. Audiences can choose from the following three films at harbourfrontcentre.com/freeflicks:
- Fantastic Mr. Fox – An animated stop-motion film featuring an urbane fox and his woodland adventures.
- Moulin Rouge! – Baz Luhrmann’s stylish musical about the love between a writer and a performer in France’s hottest nightclub.
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – After giant robots attack New York City, a plucky reporter and a resourceful flying ace team up to find the mastermind behind them.
Free Flicks Lineup
Wednesday, July 3 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, John Candy, Bill Murray and Steve Martin
Directed by: Frank Oz
A nerdish florist gets his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant, Audrey II, who demands to be fed. Frank Oz’s film brings this original stage show to life, not just in the animatronic magnificence of Audrey II, but in his convincing creation of a 1960s Skid Row on the soundstage. Harbourfront Centre present’s the recently restored director’s cut with the original ending deemed too downbeat by preview audiences.
Galaxy Quest (PG)
Wednesday, July 10 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell and Tony Shalhob
Directed by: Dean Parisot
The cast of a space-themed TV show are forced to play their roles in real life, when an alien race desperately needs their help in an interstellar war. This film is an amusing imitation of Star Trek fandom and an exceptional tribute to the original series.
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (PG)
Wednesday, July 17 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Clay-animated film featuring the voices of Peter Sallie, Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham-Carter
Directed by: Steve Box and Nick Park
Beloved claymation hero Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden saboteur that devastates their village and threatens the annual vegetable growing contest. Wallace and Gromit face an infestation of bunnies, a vainglorious hunter and a rampaging monster in Nick Park’s Oscar-winning epic in which every character, prop and costume was built by hand.
Top Secret! (AA)
Wednesday, July 24 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif and Michael Gough
Directed by: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker
A parody of WWII thrillers and Elvis films in which American rock and roll sensation, Nick Rivers, becomes involved in a mission to rescue a scientist imprisoned in East Germany. This film features song parodies that are reminiscent of the 1950s.
Streets of Fire (AA)
Wednesday, July 31 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Michael Paré, Diane Lane, Rick Moranis and Willem Dafoe
Directed by: Walter Hill
In this post-apocalyptic adventure, built on essential rock iconography, a mercenary goes after his ex-girlfriend, a singer, who is kidnapped by a gang. Streets of Fire features some of the greatest rock numbers ever made.
The Triplets of Belleville (G)
Wednesday, Aug. 7 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Béatrice Bonifassi and Lina Boudreault
Directed by: Sylvan Chomet
Told almost entirely without dialogue, Sylvain Chomet’s lovingly hand-drawn feature follows a fierce grandmother and her dog as they search for her grandson, a cyclist named Champion, after he is abducted by a mob of despicable gangsters. Without any money, Madame Souza and Bruno the dog are befriended and taken in by three eccentric elderly women, who were once the renowned jazz singing group, The Triplets of Belleville. This film is one of Canada’s finest animated works.
That Thing You Do! (PG)
Wednesday, Aug. 14 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry and Charlize Theron
Directed by: Tom Hanks
A Pennsylvanian band scores a hit in 1964 with the help of its manager. Not only does Tom Hanks re-create the summer of 1964 in his lively debut as writer-director, but he imagined a pop landscape where the British invasion never quite happened and American pop evolved along a slightly different spectrum. The result is an album’s worth of terrific original songs accompanying the tale of a group of four friends whose hit single launches them to fame and fortune.
Josie and the Pussycats (PG)
Wednesday, Aug. 21 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, Alan Cumming and Parker Posey
Directed by: Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan
Writer-directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont use the Pussycats as a launching pad to comment on pop stardom, subliminal messaging and the lurking evil of corporate interference in the arts.
Audience Choice to be screened Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013 at 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
The public will choose one of the following three films:
The public will choose one of the following three films:
Wednesday, Aug. 28 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Animated stop-motion film featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwarzman and Bill Murray
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book constructs an entire world out of fur, cloth and stone. This film explores a universe in which animals struggle with social and financial problems similar to people.
Moulin Rouge! (PG)
Wednesday, Aug. 28 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan MacGregor and Jim Broadbent
Directed by: Baz Luhrman
Baz Luhrman’s lavish musical fantasy is a glorious tale of love and loss in 1899 Paris, where everyone is so brilliant they’re singing songs that haven’t even been written yet. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are ideally matched as an aspiring author and the enticing nightclub siren.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (PG)
Wednesday, Aug. 28 at approximately 9 p.m. (WestJet Stage)
Starring: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie
Directed by: Kerry Conran
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’s alternate universe is digitally generated. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law and Angelina Jolie act on empty stages while director Kerry Conran fills in the elaborate, heavily stylized world around them with computer-generated imagery. The result, inspired by the pulp serials of the 1930s, is a visually striking, occasionally jaw-dropping, cinematic experience.
ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE SUMMER SEASON
Harbourfront Centre is a Canadian charity operating the 10 prime acres of Toronto's central waterfront as a free and open public site. We celebrate the multiplicities of cultures that comprise Canada and enliven the city through the creative imaginations of artists from across the country and around the globe. Harbourfront Centre attracts more than 17 million visits to its site each year to experience 4,000 diverse public events and activities. Harbourfront Centre receives operational support from the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto and program funding from all levels of government, the private sector and individual donors.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment