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China

Coming back to Downton Abbey, Brad Pitt on a space trip in Ad Astra and Robbie Robertson’s tales of The Band

Also: some angry race relations, a cool Miles Davis, a Chinese surprise and a 5th from John Rambo

A new look for Ryan Reynolds, a new impression of Rudolph Nureyev and four of DOXA’s best

Also: con artistry from the female side, old women who think they’re cheerleaders and two other new films

Us, an artful horror movie, also three good ones back in town from the film festival

They would be Woman at War, from Iceland, Ash is Purest White, from China and the Hummingbird Project, made in Quebec

A new tale of Winnie the Pooh, a spy comedy in need of laughs and Scotty’s sordid tales of old Hollywood

Also how Elvis reflects America and what a Surrey filmmaker reveals about China

Impossible Tom Cruise stunts, teen life in Eighth Grade and real journalism in Shock & Awe

Plus class and race issues in Blindspotting, three good ones at the VanCity, and, for the kids, Teen Titans playing around with the movies

Finding help for a new mother, battling a rich creep and cruising the big issues in DOXA’s documentaries

The Avengers are still hogging the audience. That’s why there are only two new films to write about this week, and this unexpected plus: extra space to consider some of the documentaries playing at...

Miss Canada uses beauty pageant to fight China on human rights

Anastasia Lin says when she first learned about allegations the Chinese government was harvesting organs from religious prisoners to fuel its transplant industry, she decided to use an unconventional...

Political lobbyists in America, a French woman re-building her life and two critical swipes at China

Also serious music for a rough neighborhood in Brazil in The Violin Teacher

Seven new VIFF picks take us to dramas in Massachusetts, Paris and Belgium

… and then on to Hollywood, Italy, Hong Kong and more

Snowden’s entire story, Bridget Jones’s latest chapter and The Beatles’ tales of touring

Also the Blair Witch, as filmed in our own woods, and two Buddhist films from China