Killers, thieves and gumshoes – Cinematheque’s Film Noir series is back!

The iconic image from the Coen brothers' Blood Simple.

The iconic image from the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple.

Each year, Vancouver’s premiere arthouse Cinematheque presents a festival of dark shadows, lonely streets, tough guys and tougher dames. This year’s Film Noir festival (Aug. 4-22) includes not only seminal works from the genre’s postwar heyday, but also “neo-noir” selections from the sixties and the eighties, too.

All told, Cinematheque (1131 Howe St) is screening 13 films, nine for the first time. Here are some highlights.

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Killers, thieves and gumshoes – Cinematheque’s Film Noir series is back!

‘Cat stuck in a vase’ and other cinematic classics at Just for Cats Festival 2016

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Just some of the cat action at this year’s fest.

“You love them. You mock them. But one thing you can’t do is stop watching them. Yes, we’re talking about Internet cat videos. Which either represent the pinnacle of human creative achievement, or a sign that the apocalypse is nigh. Or both.” —Los Angeles Times

Since 2012, the Walker Arts Center has been compiling its Internet Cat Video reel. While not on the scale of the Manhattan Project, it is an 80-minute compilation of cat hilarity in videos ranging from six-second Vine videos to short films and everything in between.

For the second year in a row, Vancity Theatre, in conjunction with the BC SPCA, is bringing the Just for Cats Festival to Vancouver on June 26.

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‘Cat stuck in a vase’ and other cinematic classics at Just for Cats Festival 2016