Film oases for FRIDAY DEC 4 through THURSDAY DEC 10

FRIDAY (Premiere) / H2OIL (dir. Shannon Walsh, 2009) / 76 min.
You owe it to yourself to check out Shannon Walsh's latest flick opening tonight at Cinema Parallele (once known as Ex-Centris). It's a rude awakening to all Canadians who believe we are among the most environmentally progressive countries out there. The truth hurts. While the film does not mention it, we emit (per capita) the most greenhouse gas emissions of any developed nation, and the tar sands projects are one of the major contributors. H2Oil asks the important question: whether the unfettered development needed to extract oil is worth more than the gallons of fresh water such an undertaking consumes. More on this film in the coming days. Cinema Parallele / 3536 boul. St. Laurent / 2:45, 6:00 Starts Friday / $8-11 More info

FRIDAY-SUNDAY / 3RD EUROFEST: ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL
Including films by Alexandru Tatos, Stere Gulea, Nicolae Margineanu and other contemporary Romanian filmmakers. This year's theme is a reflection on the legacy of the fall of the Berlin wall and its impact on Eastern Europe historically and how it has lead to current realities. Romanian 'new wave' film has been making large leaps across the seas with hits by Puiu and Mungiu. NFB Cinerobotheque / 1564 St-Denis / $7-10 More info

FRIDAY-SUNDAY / 9TH ANIMATION SUMMIT
For a large collection of local and independent animated shorts, look no further than the Animation Summit. 'Nuff said. Cinematheque quebecoise / 335 De Maisonneuve East / $6-7 More info

FRIDAY-TUESDAY / EARTH KEEPERS (dir. Sylvie Van Brabant, 2009) / 65 min.
H2Oil may highlight one of the many ecological cruxes we have gotten ourselves into. On the flipside, Earth Keepers has a positive output, highlighting individuals who are attempting to improve the way we commune with nature. These include John Todd, a Canadian who has created the 'new alchemy' movement. While historically alchemy has involved the transmutation of metals to gold or other precious materials, his ecological alchemy involves changing waste into renewable resources. Cinema du Parc / 3575 Parc Ave. / 7pm / $5-10 More info

FRIDAY-THURSDAY / CLASSICS AT THE DOLLAR CINEMA
$2 tickets. $1 snacks. This week enjoy some truffle shuffling with The Goonies, have Breakfast at Tiffany's, watch ze original Pink Panther and experience The Shining. Cinema Dollar / 6900 Decarie Blvd. / $2 More info

SATURDAY / CINEMA AT ESPACE 4001 ART VENUES
Film can be so common, predictable, straight-laced and unexciting. Some prefer their film to be experimental, radical, multi-layered and non-traditional. Thankfully various art venues and groups are gathering for a mix of multi-disciplinary cinema experimentation. Contributors include Studio XX, RCAAQ (Regroupement des centres d'artistes autogeres du Quebec), Groupe Intervention Video and more. Best of all, the three-floor event is free. 4001 Berri / Free More info

FILM EVENT OF THE WEEK! SATURDAY-SUNDAY / LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (dir. David Lean, 1962) / 216 min Oh, what's the big deal right? Film event of the week? You're saying, "I can rent this on DVD and watch it at home. Hell, I can even take bathroom breaks for its insanely long run time." True enough. But unless you have a wall-length projector and have pulled a few strings, you will rarely get to experience Lawrence of Arabia in a pristine 35mm print. David Lean's epic was meant for the big screen, and was meant to be watched in its original form to appreciate the detail of each desert scene. What on television looks like a long sequence of desert - on film is actually a distant figure swaying in the mirage, being slowly revealed. It's a mesmerizing experience, a darn good film, and the unmissable film event of the week. Cinema du Parc / 3575 Parc Ave. / 1:15pm / $5-10 More info

MONDAY / THE SARI SOLDIERS (dir. Julie Bridgham, 2008) / 90 min.
"Filmed over three years during the most historic and pivotal time in Nepal's modern history, The Sari Soldiers is an extraordinary story of six women's courageous efforts to shape Nepal's future in the midst of an escalating civil war against Maoist insurgents, and the King's crackdown on civil liberties." (Cinema Politica) Concordia University / 1455 de Maisonneuve Ouest H-110 / 7:30pm Free More info

MONDAY / THE YOUNG VICTORIA (dir. Jean-Marc Vallee, 2009) / 100 min.
Some will scream, "Traitor!" Jean-Marc Vallee is best known for C.R.A.Z.Y., easily the strongest Quebecois film of the last few years. He then disappeared: left for England to make a film about royals. What for him may be a good career opportunity was unfortunately seen as the loss of an emerging local auteur. I say, don't judge him until you've seen his sophomore effort. It premieres Monday for a limited engagement. Cinema du Parc / 3575 Parc Ave. / 7pm / $10 More info

TUESDAY / UNWANTED WITNESSES (dir. Juan Jose Lozano, 2008) / 90 min.
Winner of the Human Rights Watch Defender award, director Lozano's film reveals the corruption and human rights violations occuring in Columbia. Being shown in Spanish with French subtitles, this is a Quebec premiere and is playing in collaboration with FFDPM (Montreal Human Rights Film Festival). NFB Cinerobotheque / 1564 St. Denis / 7pm / $5-7 More info

WEDNESDAY / GDP WEB DOCUMNETARY & DISCUSSION
I covered this one a few weeks back. While the project is available to watch for free online, the NFB will be showing select episodes followed by a discussion with those involved in the production of GDP. NFB Cinerobotheque / 1564 St. Denis / 7pm / Free More info

THURSDAY / 10 YEARS OF KINO MONTREAL
"Do well with nothing, do better with little and do it now!" This is the motto of Kino Montreal. Launched in 1999, the project involves coordinating productions between local filmmakers who are light of wallet in order to produce works of film art. To celebrate their tens years, Kino is releasing a compilation DVD of their best works, and the party gets started at the Cinematheque. Cinematheque quebecoise / 335 De Maisonneuve East / 6:30pm / $6-7 More info

Above image from David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia.