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Photo courtesy Roadside Attractions

Photo courtesy Saban Films

Photo via henrymancini.com

Our City Tonight

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 12:50 PDT, Mon August 19, 2024

Spotlight on great viewing & great listening

THE VIEW – A Penguin Friend

We have always loved actor, Jean Reno, who first caught our attention as a hitman in 1994’s The Professional, which also marked the film debut of a young actress named Natalie Portman. Since then, he has continued to impress us with his range and film choices. Now comes, well, a different Jean Reno, in the family film, My Penguin Friend. Based on an emotional, true story, Reno plays a heartbroken fisherman named Joao, a lonely man who has been shut out from the world and his wife (Oscar nominee, Adriana Barraza) after a tragedy. But his life is about to take a turn when he discovers an oil-soaked penguin drifting alone in the ocean. Could these two lost souls help each other? What follows is the story of an unlikely bond and love that grows. We should add, this film is enhanced by the beautiful scenery—in this case, the coastlines of Brazil and Argentina. In theatres Aug 16. roadsideattractions.com

THE VIEW #2 – Duchess

Unlike our first viewing choice, Duchess is definitely not for the whole family. So after the kids have gone to bed, settle in and enjoy this story of a small-time crook (played wonderfully by Charlotte Kirk) who falls in love with a bigtime gangster, lives the good life for a little while, then is left for dead after a diamond trafficking deal goes wrong. She recovers and focuses on one thing: vengeance and retribution of epic proportions. If you’re a fan of director, Guy Ritchie and his violent but dark-humoured British gangster films, then you’ll certainly enjoy Duchess, which also benefits from a solid, cast including Neil Marshall, Colm Meaney, Colin Egglesfield, Sean Pertwee and Stephanie Beachum. Duchess is available on digital and On Demand Aug. 9. sabanfilms.com

THE MUSIC – The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions: Henry Has Company

Thirty years after his death at the too-young age of 70, legendary music composer, Henry Mancini, is getting another well-deserved tribute, which times with what would’ve been his 100^th birthday. The music he created for film is timeless—think Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses (which gained him and lyricist, Johnny Mercer, back-to-back Oscars in 1962/63), or the theme from The Pink Panther. For TV he was equally prodigious—think the theme from Peter Gunn, among many others. Now comes The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions: Henry Has Company, a seven-track album with guest appearances by Vancouver’s own, Michael Buble (who also appeared at the Hollywood Bowl tribute to Mancini), as well as Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Dave Koz, Cynthia Erivo and Mancini’s own daughter, Monica. For us, Mancini will always be the artist who turned movie and TV scores into a popular art form and in doing so created music the world is still listening to and always will.