Vancouver Canada

MOVIE Q&As Archive


Mi-Jung Lee

Lorne Mayencourt

Linda Cullen
Jurgen Gothe
Christopher Gaze


Q&A: DAVE DICKENSON


Thanks to the BC Lions' Western Conference loss, film fan and QB Dave Dickenson will now have plenty of time to catch up on all the new releases. Movies for Breakfast spoke with the star QB and genial family man.

MFB: Are you a moviegoer or a movie renter?

DD: Honestly, before we had our baby girl, my wife and I used to do a movie every Friday. We'd do a ‘dinner and a movie' night. It was kind of like a date night. Now, definitely a renter. We've gone to one show in the last 19 months. Two or three weeks ago we went to that You, Me, and Dupree. It was all right, but I wouldn't say it was classic.

MFB: How many movies a month would you say you rent?

DD: Well, honestly, we get all the movie channels. We probably watch at least parts of four or five movies a week. [DD emailed later to correct this to 3 per week.] We're TV freaks. As far as renting, we may only rent two a month. But I'm the type of guy that'll watch the first hour here and then a couple of days later I'll rewatch what I see and then try to catch the end. That sort of thing.

MFB: What's the last movie you saw on TV?

DD: Well, we watched Cinderella Man just the other night and I liked that quite a bit.

I like a lot of the sports shows. I'm more partial to baseball shows. I find that there's more of a story, whereas football ones, the actual action and all that, I guess they try to make it as realistic as possible, but since I play the game I find a lot of stereotypes. I like the sports shows that have more of a plot.

MFB: Do you have a favourite baseball film?

DD: Probably my favourite is Bull Durham, and it's really not even about the sport. I could watch that any time. And For the Love of the Game with Kevin Costner is good. And I like Tin Cup. A lot of those to me aren't really about the game as much as the actual writing and the script.

MFB: What is your favourite movie genre?

DD: We probably like suspense. My favourite books are by James Patterson. I like movies like Silence of the Lambs and murder mysteries. Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourites. I like the Harrison Ford character in Clear and Present Danger and Patriot Games.

They're not the fastest moving shows, but they're the ones I like. Every now and again, just to get the stress out of your life, I need a comedy that everyone seems to be watching these days.

MFB: Did you like the movie of James Patterson 's book Along Came a Spider? [shot in Vancouver ]

DD: I didn't like it as well as the book. I didn't think they went into as much depth in the plot. These days, Hollywood special effects sometimes make the show, for me, not as enjoyable. I just kind of chuckle when I see them. I pretty much have read every one of James Patterson's books featuring the Morgan Freeman character, Alex Cross. I didn't see Kiss the Girls because I thought the book was so good.

MFB: Do you have a favourite actor?

DD: I like Ed Harris. I don't know if he's in the popular genre. I do like Mark Wahlberg. I think he's very versatile. I like the way he can play any part. For female actor? That's always hard for a man, ‘cause we like the ones that we look at. Let's see. I like Jennifer Aniston. I'd probably just stay with her for now.

MFB: Least favourite type of movie?

DD: I've never got into the Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill Quentin Tarantino movies. I didn't mind Reservoir Dogs, but some of those things are a little bit too out there for me.

MFB: The dream scenario: BC Lions are in the Grey Cup . You can give one actress a pair of primo tickets to the game. Who would it be?

DD: [Laughs] One actress. I'd try to pick a sports lady. You know, I kind of like Angie Harmon because she married a football guy. [Jason Sehorn]. She hasn't been in a lot of movies. She seems to me just normal. I kind of like that. I like more of a true sports fan than one that just kind of likes the light and the show.

MFB: And then she'd bring Jason to the game.

DD: Well, that's what I was thinking. Since I'm married, I've got to pick a married lady to bring to the show [laughs].

MFB: Here's the serious question. Do you think movies can change the world?

DD: I would say yes. There are certain shows that I watched that I'm very glad I've watched, but that I certainly don't think are feel-good shows, like Schindler's List. And I just saw Flight 93. I really think that you almost need to see some of these shows. I want to watch Stephen Spielberg's Munich. I like history. I'm not that old and a lot of history has taken place well before me. Obviously, I think you have to be careful that you don't take everything in movies like it's fact, but I think there are a lot of those good shows like that that that need to be seen. I just watched the documentary on Enron [Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room] the other day just to see it. It's amazing what you can learn. I don't want people to think that's the only way they can get information, but for our generation I think it's one that helps.

MFB: You can be any film star for a weekend. Who would you want to be?

DD: [Laughs] I actually probably like Michael Douglas. He's had as many envious roles as any actor that I can think of. And he's got a good life: he's got what he wants, he's got a good family, a beautiful wife, he likes to play golf, which I do, and he's been very, very, successful.

MFB: Anything else about movies you want to get off your chest?

DD: I wish I could go to more. I will say the best movie I've seen lately is Lucky Number Slevin. I don't know why I haven't heard anyone talk about that show, but I watched it on a road trip about a month ago with my roommate Buck Pierce. I'm going to try to get the word out because I thought it was excellent. It's got good actors. Bruce Willis and Lucy Liu and all that. I thought it was kind of in that mode of Guy Ritchie films. I thought it was the best movie that pretty much no one talked about in the last 6-8 months.

September Q&A: MI-JUNG LEE
Notable folks tell movie buffs what film means to them.

If you're shopping for new fall fashions or having a late supper around Robson and Burrard in the near future and chance to bump into Mi-Jung Lee away from the anchor desk she occupies weeknights on CTV News at 11:30, ask her if she's seen Snakes on a Plane yet. No, the veteran broadcaster is not a horror fan ("It's probably my least favourite type of movie"). Yet it makes sense for Lee to attend a screening of the phenomenally-hyped summer fright flick. For one thing, it's playing a mere city block down the street from her place of employment. For another, SoaP is destined to become a cult classic. More importantly, in a move sure to endear her to thrill-seeking frat house inhabitants everywhere, Lee herself is in the film! (We're not telling if she's a snake snack or not.)

When Movies for Breakfast chatted over the phone with the friendly anchor/producer recently, we did ask Ms. Lee about her other movie preferences. But her role as an on-air TV professional in the Vancouver-shot SoaP was uppermost in our mind.

Movies for Breakfast: How fun was that?

Mi-Jung Lee: It was good. I did it last summer, and they put these palm trees behind me to make it look tropical. We were actually by the Fraser River. Of course, at that time I had no idea what this movie would be like or how it would have this life of its own. I don't think anybody realized. I did my reporting stint and then, eventually, I kept hearing about Snakes on a Plane. It was interesting to see how it evolved. I haven't seen it yet. It sounds extremely intriguing and I have to see it for a variety of reasons obviously (laughing). They asked if they could use my own name and I thought, 'that's great! Why not?'

"Mi-Jung? You are going to want to see this."

MFB: You've been in a few films where you've played an anchor person. How do you get those gigs?

MJL: I've done quite a few of them. I did X-Men II and then the director asked me to do X-Men III, so I was in both of those. So that helps. I get a call and my agent asks if I want to do a third movie. We're lucky that they shoot so many movies here in Vancouver that the opportunities do come up once in a while.

MFB: Who's the biggest movie star that you've met here?

MJL: You know what? It's funny. I don't usually get to meet the big stars because they usually shoot the reporter scene very first or separately. So I haven't met Samuel L. Jackson unfortunately, but I've met the woman who won an Academy Award for Pollock. She was Pollock's wife. She has dark brown hair. She's very classy.

MFB: Marcia Gay Harden.

MJL: Yes. I chatted with her in the make-up room one day and she was very interested in journalism. We just had a nice chat. She's a great actress.

Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River

MFB: Are you a moviegoer or a movie renter?

MJL: I'm a movie cable boxer. [Laughing] We have the cable package that lets you buy the movies. We don't go as often as I'd like because we've got kids, and it's just easier when you can hit the pause button and go get something to eat. We like just relaxing at home. But I do like going to theatres once in a while too.

MFB: How many movies, on average, would you say you see in a month?

MJL: Maybe one a month.

MFB: What was the last movie you saw?

MJL: X-Men III. [Laughing] That was at the theatre at Tinseltown. I think we went on opening night. I took my own personal fanclub that included my family, my mom, a few friends and their kids. We took up one long row and I made them sit there until my name showed up on the credits and then the kids clapped for me. [Laughing] It was kind of fun.

MFB: What's your favourite genre?

MJL: Movies with a good story and movies that make you think. I liked Syriana. Finding Neverland. But I also love comedies too. I love Ben Stiller. Meet the Parents is one of my favourite movies.

MFB: Do you have a favourite movie of all time?

MJL: Do you know what? I used to say Babette's Feast. That's so long ago. Now I think that's one of my favourites.

MFB: Which actor or actress would you trust most to baby-sit your children for an evening?

MJL: Gee, how about Meryl Streep? She seems like an amazing woman who can juggle career and family, and she's just so talented and yet she's so warm too.

I would throw Sandra Oh in there too. I love her. I interviewed her a long time ago when she was starting out in her career and I was just drawn to her energy. And she's got such life and spark, and onscreen she's just an amazing presence. She just has a realness about her.

Sandra Oh of Grey's Anatomy passes the babysitter test.

MFB: Is she like that in real life?

MJL: Yeah, she was down to earth, she was funny . We're both Korean-Canadians.

MFB: Who would you least trust to baby-sit your kids? We don't have to malign anyone. Your answer can be based on your perception of that person.

MJL: Let me think about that. Okay, how about Tom Cruise because of all his shenanigans.

MFB: No offense to your husband intended, but if you were playing an anchor in another movie and the male lead was required to pick you up in his arms and rescue you, who would you want it to be and why?

MJL: Okay, you have some tough ones. He'd have to pick me up in his arms and rescue me... Let's see. Of course it's George Clooney.  He's awesome, funny, witty, and gorgeous!

I'll drink to that.

MFB: You can be any film star for a weekend. Who would you be?

MJL: Oh, let's see. I don't really aspire to be anybody else.

MFB: If it were against your will, who would be the least offensive person for you to be?

MJL: I'd say Sandra Oh. I think that she's done so much. She's put Asian actresses on the map.

MFB: Do you think that movies can change the world, either in a small or big way?

MJL: I think they can change people. And if they can change people, then they can make a small dent in changing the world.

MFB: Is there a movie you would like to see made, or is there an issue out there that could be addressed in a movie in a way that you don't see being done?

MJL: Yeah. I'd definitely like to see more movies that show visible minorities in just a normal light rather than in a stereotypical light—I don't know that I could think of one story—especially in a country like Canada. It's so multicultural and yet most of the movies that you see it's still predominately white people as the protagonists and the antagonists and everything in between. So I'd like to see more stories that just reflect the diversity of our society.

Mi-Jung Lee anchors the CTV News weeknights at 11:30 pm on channel 9, Vancouver. She is currently also on the big screen, as herself, in Snakes on a Plane.


August Q&A: Lorne Mayencourt
Notable folks tell movie buffs what film means to them.

Politicians, like filmmakers, can't please all of the people all of the time. Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt's efforts to deter aggressive panhandling were received in some quarters like Rocky and in others like Battlefield Earth. His determination to combat homophobia and other bullying in schools was as popular as Boys Don't Cry. Currently, the founder of the Vancouver Friends for Life Society has three major projects on the go. He's working on a homeless outreach program; is active in HomeSafe, a program that will make it possible for very low income families to buy their first homes, and is involved in creating an alcohol and drug rehabilitation community where people will live and work.

Movies for Breakfast recently enjoyed chatting with the long-time West End resident and Vancouver-Burrard MLA about his taste in movies.

Movies for Breakfast: What was the last movie you saw?

Lorne Mayencourt: It was the one about the shoes. The drag queen shoes. Kinky Boots.

MFB: Are you a moviegoer or a movie renter?

LM: I'm more of a goer.

MFB: How many movies do you see in a month?

LM: Three.

MFB: Are you happiest going to movies alone or with friends?

LM: I think I like going with friends, but I don't know why. [Laughing] Because it's like you never really talk to each other.

MFB: Has there been a particular movie that's had a profound impact on you?

LM: Field of Dreams. There was something about it that was about finding your way home and reconnecting with people that are in your life or that aren't there anymore.

MFB: If a director were given a few hundred million dollars to remake a famous film and he or she wanted you to play the lead, which film would you hope he'd make?

LM: I'd love to be Billy Elliott. What a brilliant film.

MFB: Has there been a movie that you've disliked enough that you would tell people not to see it?

LM: In general, movies that are really violent I just hate. I was watching Raging Bull a little while ago, and it got to the point where he's in the ring and he's breaking someone's nose and his jaw, and the vividness of it—I had to turn it off.

MFB: What summer film's cast would your friends or political colleagues say you would fit in with best?

LM: Devil Wears Prada [laughing]. I just love Meryl Streep. I think she's just a fabulous woman and I think that she pushes the envelope. I just think it would be a lot of fun to see that up close.

MFB: Brokeback Mountain—thumbs up or thumbs down?

LM: I loved it. I loved the photography in it. I loved the notion of a forbidden love—same time, same place, next year.

MFB: Being a politician, do you gravitate towards movies about politics?

LM: I really am a nut for "The West Wing", although it's not a movie. I loved Primary Colors. But in general I'm not much for political movies.

MFB: What is your favourite genre?

LM: Stories about people struggling to be accepted for the things that they love, like Billy Elliott was about dance, Bend it Like Beckham was about soccer, Strictly Ballroom was about dance. Those kinds of films really speak to me. I think they're funny, because we have all sorts of barriers between ourselves and people that we love. The irony is that all of the people that we love only want us to be happy, and sometimes, while we're doing something that we're happy doing, we get this judgment about "that's wrong." The irony of those kinds of films really appeals to me and I always feel real good when they come out.

MFB: What film personality would you most like to share a bottle of wine with at your favourite West End restaurant?

LM: Meryl Streep. [Laughing] I think I would talk to her about her, and how it's been to be a woman in the film industry. I mean, she's managed to be a great star and play all kinds of different characters in very convincing ways. I don't know how she does it!

MFB: You can be any film star for a weekend. Who would it be?

LM: Clint Eastwood.

MFB: Why is that? He's old.

LM: Yeah, well, so am I [laughing]. Because he's a real true kind of guy. He's a modest guy, with a very strong, quiet personality.

Go ahead, make my schools safe

Lorne Mayencourt news and constituent services can be accessed at: http://www.lornemayencourtmla.bc.ca/

July Q&A: LINDA CULLEN
Notable folks tell movie buffs what film means to them.

Vancouver-born Linda Cullen, with partner Bob Robertson, was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2004 in recognition of the duo's popular, long-running radio and TV comedy programs Double Exposure. As with those shows, Cullen now proves every week in her irreverent 24 Hours "Double Take" humour column that she's a natural wag—cracking up readers as she has listeners and viewers. As Brian Mulroney discovered to his chagrin, Cullen speaks her mind without first editing for Prime Ministerial correctness. Movies for Breakfast learned she hasn't changed. That said, Cullen's girly enough that she freaks out over snakes and poses for comely photographs that eventually adorn Q&A pages on movie websites. Movies for Breakfast recently enjoyed a rollicking phone call with the engaging political satirist about her taste in film.

Movies for Breakfast: Are you a moviegoer or a movie renter?

Linda Cullen: Mostly movie renters in a big way. When we [Cullen and partner Bob Robertson] go to rent, we never come away with less than two—in case one's a stinker. At least four a week, but probably on average more like six.

MFB: What was the last movie you saw?

LC: [Cullen calls to Robertson so they can put their heads together on the question]. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Freedomland.

MFB: What movies could you watch over and over again?

LC: Fifth Element, Defending Your Life, Shakespeare in Love. And What Planet Are You From? There's a scene—I think he's [Garry Shandling] out in front of the airport—and he starts vibrating. His penis starts vibrating and he starts whacking himself in the crotch. I just about peed myself.

MFB: Movie you'd like to wipe off the face of the earth.

LC: Anything with Tom Green. And any movie where somebody yells out, “After all, I am the president of the United States.” We shut off Crash because Brendan Fraser— he's running for re-election as D.A. or something—says to her [Sandra Bullock's character], “Am I not the Los Angeles District Attorney?” And I said to Bob , “sorry,” and we shut it off.

MFB: If you were given the money to remake any film, with the proviso that Prime Minister Stephen Harper be cast in the lead, what film would you make?

LC: Okay. I'm going out on a limb, but I'm picking Weekend at Bernie's and Stephen Harper would be the corpse. Not because of the terrorist thing. But because he's got as much energy and liveliness as a corpse.

MFB: Bob Robertson would say you blend in best with the cast of what 2006 film: The Da Vinci Code, X-Men: The Last Stand, Snakes on a Plane, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Devil Wears Prada, or Superman Returns?

LC: I'm gonna go with Snakes on a Plane. Because I'm not the most relaxed of fliers, so I'm thinking that, you know, to have snakes on a plane would fit with me because I'd already be nervous. And now I'm worried about snakes.

Photo credit: James Dittiger, New Line Productions

MFB: Which actor would you most trust to look after your two cats for a week?

LC: Meryl Streep. Because she's a very normal person, and she is fantastic at everything she does, and I think she takes it all very seriously. So when I give her all the instructions about the food, and combing them, and doing their teeth, and what happens if they start getting fussy, she would follow those instructions and wouldn't start giving them snacks all the time like their grandmother does. And she'd probably entertain them. She'd probably read her lines to them.

MFB: Who would you least trust to look after your cats?

LC: Halle Berry. Because she played Catwoman and it was such a dog that I don't think I would trust her around my cats. She'd be exercising all the time.

MFB: Who's the sexiest James Bond?

LC: Sean Connery. I think his toupee fit the best. I think he just had a better way with the toss-off line, which doesn't necessarily make him sexy but it sure made him funnier. I think Sean Connery had a little more fire burning underneath.

MFB: What Canadian politician (past or present) best embodies the spirit of James Bond?

LC: Well, I have to go with Jean Chretien because he obviously was never afraid to take down an opponent or evil, as we saw with the guy with the toque—he put him in a chokehold and threw him to the ground. Plus, he wasn't worried about allowing a woman to handle the fighting, like Aline with the Inuit carving.

MFB: A male movie star strolls by and sees that you are painting your hallway. He insists you accept his offer to finish the job for you. Who would you choose? Why?

LC: Harrison Ford. Because he was a carpenter.

MFB: That's practical.

LC: Of course it is. There are obvious bonuses to go along with it. But he wouldn't make a mess of it. “You wouldn't say, “he's good to look at but look at all the marks on the ceiling!”

MFB: You can be any film star for a weekend. Who would you be?

LC: I picked Tom Cruise, because then I would find out what the hell is going on with him. I'd know what is wrong with Tom.

MFB: California has Arnold Schwarzenegger. What actor would you like to become premier of BC?

LC: Well, the only person I could thing of was Chiwetel Ejiofor —he was in Dirty Pretty Things and in Love Actually. He's in Kinky Boots. [Laughs] I picked him just ‘cause I thought he's nice to look at and he's got a lot going on in his face. I wasn't thinking of good policy. I'm sure he'd come up with some. But he'd be a lot more interesting to watch than Gordon.

Photo courtesy Miramax Films and BBC FIlms
Chiwetel Ejiofor, next premier of British Columbia--if Linda Cullen has her way.

Read Linda Cullen's humour column every Wednesday in 24 Hours.

June Q&A: Jurgen Gothe
Notable folks tell movie buffs what film means to them
.

Jurgen Gothe, food and wine journalist, triple gold-medal winning program host of CBC Radio's classical music show DiscDrive, and cat lover, is currently touring with his new cookbook DiscCookery: The DiscDrive 20th Anniversary Cookbook. He's also putting together a one-man, cabaret-style theatrical show called Up Your Glass that is scheduled to play in the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival in March 2007. And yet he of the dulcet tones was generous enough to pause and share his thoughts on film.

Movies for Breakfast: What's your favourite movie?

Jurgen Gothe: Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's good Hollywood. And it's corny. But it's fun and it's pretty. Audrey Hepburn is attractive. George Peppard is attractive. New York looks good. There's an orange cat. What more do you want?

MFB: Do you have time to go to films?

JG: I actually haven't been in the theatre for years. Most of the films I see are either on airplanes or at home. I'm no longer a moviegoer. I'm a movie bringer. I'm much happier with the small screen, sitting at home. I get increasingly intolerant of other people, and it's an effort to line up and buy tickets. I generally look forward to Robert Altman.

MFB: Will you see Altman's A Prairie Home Companion ?

JG: I'm interested to see what he's done with it. Just from a technical standpoint more than anything.

MFB: Any plans to see The Da Vinci Code?

JG: Maybe as a point of research. I'm not a big fan of Tom Hanks. I enjoyed the book. I think the book is terrific airplane reading. But it's sort of like they're reviewing Panago Pizza as if it were Feenie's. Give it a break. It's trash. It's good trash.

MFB: If you could pair a wine with a genre of film, the way you can with a type of food, what would you serve with comedy?

JG: The obvious thing would be to say champagne.

MFB: The Omen ?

JG: Whisky. I wouldn't drink wine with that.

MFB: The Da Vinci Code?

JG: It would have to be cheap, cheap, cheap red.

MFB: X-Men: The Last Stand ?

JG: It would certainly be red.

MFB: The Break Up?

JG: Maybe that's a Chardonnay.

MFB: Which female actor would you most like to go on a wine-tasting tour with through the Okanagan and why?

JG: Jeanne Moreau. ‘Cause she'd know something and she's sexy. I don't know if she's still alive!

MFB: Being a classical music expert, are you ever distracted by a film's score?

JG: Oh yeah. All the time. Two things: if the soundtrack is overly loud and if it's disjointed, it gets in the way. I can't tell you the name of a good soundtrack composer anymore. I think the days of good soundtrack composers like Bernard Herrmann [Psycho, Taxi Driver] are long gone. They wrote soundtracks that really worked with the scenes and visuals. The thing that really annoys me is the cheap trick where you set your movie in 1965 and you just look at what was on the soundtrack in 1965.

MFB: Do you have a favourite piece of film music?

JG: I think Henry Mancini was one of the last great soundtrack composers to come out of Hollywood. Even the Pink Panther, for froth, I think he did that very well. And Days of Wine and Roses. I think he understood that you don't just throw music out. Like in French restaurants, I'm so sick of hearing Edith Piaf.

MFB: What's your final word on Sideways ?

JG: It's a nice little film that got blown way out of proportion. If the wineries hadn't picked up on it, it would have disappeared. It presented something that people identified with because they know people like those guys. I enjoyed it very much, but the definitive wine film is still to be made.

Tune in to Jurgen Gothe when he discusses classical music on CBC Radio's DiscDrive, 105.7 FM every weekday from 3:00-6:00 pm (PDT). You can read his views on wine every Thursday in the Georgia Straight.

May Q&A: CHRISTOPHER GAZE
Notable folks tell movie buffs what film means to them.

As Bard on the Beach gears up for its 17th season, Kitsilano resident Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director and Founder of Vancouver's professional Shakespeare Festival, takes time away from treading the boards to chat with www.moviesforbreakfast.com about emoting on the silver screen.

Movies For Breakfast: What was the last movie you saw?

Christopher Gaze: Joyeux Noel at the Fifth Avenue. I wanted to see that because I've done a lot of work with the [Vancouver] symphony over the years where [conductor] Bramwell Tovey plays and I sing the song of the First World War soldier who participated in what they [and the film] called ‘the miracle' of that night. And Tsotsi . It was frightening—the callousness of that main character, and his breakdown. Haunting.

MFB: What is your favourite movie of all time?

CG: A movie I used to love and can see again and again is There's a Girl in My Soup, starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. There are lines I find beguiling.

MFB: Who's your favourite actor?

CG: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Gregory Peck

MFB: Who's the ‘biggest' star you've met?

CG: Katharine Hepburn [Gaze had a part in Hepburn 's 1988 Vancouver-lensed TV movie “Laura Lansing Slept Here.”]

MFB: As a Shakespeare devotee, are you drawn to or repelled by the Bard's works being brought to the silver screen?

CG: I believe fundamentally they work better on stage; however, you can do some fantastic work. Kenneth Branagh has done a great service to Shakespeare. I thought his Henry V was fabulous. I loved his Much Ado About Nothing. Also, I loved Shakespeare in Love. I could watch that again and again and again.

MFB: Richard Burton in Taming of the Shrew, Sir Anthony Hopkins in Titus, Sir Ian McKellen in Richard III, or Mel Gibson in Hamlet. You can only watch one of them. Which one?

CG: You won't add Laurence Olivier as Richard III?

MFB: Okay.

CG: For my money, what I think turned me on, really, to the wonder of Shakespeare on film and made it appealing to me as a boy—a young man—was Laurence Olivier as Richard III. I'd like to see Titus again. I guess we will produce it one day. It's a pretty disgusting piece.

MFB: If you were to glance out at the audience on opening night of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” and spot three famous film actors, from any era, applauding in the front row, who would you like them to be?

CG: What a beautiful thought. Well, I'd love Kenneth Branagh to be there. I'd love him to sit there and enjoy it. That would be a treat. Ralph Fiennes. Katharine Hepburn.

MFB: What film actors or actresses would be in your dream cast of a Bard on the Beach production?

CG: Kenneth Branagh, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming—he's naughty and fun—Brian Bedford from Stratford, and Seana McKenna from Stratford .

MFB: Any pet peeves about movies?

CG: I'm looking forward to seeing The Da Vinci Code. The wham bam things don't interest me very much. I don't think they should try to dumb them down or make all things for all people.

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This year's Bard on the Beach runs from June 1 to September 24 at Vancouver's Vanier Park. The 2006 line-up includes A Midsummer Night's Dream”, “Measure for Measure”, “The Winter's Tale”, and Troilus and Cressida”. For information call 604-739-0559 or 1-877-739-0559 (outside Lower Mainland)

BC Lions Quarterback Dave Dickenson
[photo by team photographer Kim Stallknecht]

 

 

 

 


Photo by team photographer Kim Stallknecht

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorne Mayencourt: Two thumbs up for Billy Elliott.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda Cullen: "You missed a spot, Harrison."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jurgen Gothe: a movie bringer, not a moviegoer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

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Last updated August 10, 2006