The nation-spanning travelling roadshow that is TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival hits Halifax this week, with a week of free screenings at the Central Library. I haven’t seen any of the films that are on offer, but if forced to pick a top three that I hope to see:

• Philippe Lesage’s The Demons has gained some remarkable reviews—featuring recurring favourable comparisons to Michael Haneke.
• Mina Shum’s doc Ninth Floor comes advertised as a fearless interrogation of racism in Canada as well as a resurfacing of a remarkable, forgotten moment in the nation’s history.
• There seems to be a critical consensus that the latest whimsy from Winnipeg’s Guy Maddin (with co-director Evan Johnson), The Forbidden Room, is even more fun than usual.

There’s also a screening of Les êtres chers, which played Carbon Arc a couple of weeks ago, and Guantanamo’s Child, the Omar Khadr doc, previously screened by CBC in a shortened version—the full version is coming up May 16 on Documentary Channel.

The Dalhousie Art Gallery Wednesday noir series returns this week with The Sniper, a San-Francisco-set psycho-assassin tale directed by Edward Dmytryk.

Across Canada tonight there are screenings of Purple Rain, in memory of Prince—the Halifax screening is at Park Lane. It wasn’t so long ago that The Thrillema screened this, kicking off with a memorable intro.   And this Sunday, Cineplex Park Lane and Dartmouth Crossing have Classic Film Series matinee screenings of Rocky.

There are a number of notable films on Cineplex screens this week, including the well-reviewed Green Room, director Jeremy Saulnier’s follow-up to the remarkable Blue Ruin, and the first English-language film from esteemed young Danish director Joachim Trier, Louder Than Bombs.

I can strongly recommend one of last year’s festival favourites, the (really) darkly humorous The Lobster, which has arrived at the Oxford for a Halifax engagement. It is also playing in Liverpool this Wednesday at the Astor Theatre.

In Wolfville, Fundy Cinema has the Chilean documentary The Pearl Button on Wednesday, and the drone thriller Eye in the Sky, on Sunday.

• In theatres, seen & recommended:
  • 10 Cloverfield Lane, Dan Trachtenberg, USA, 2016, 103 minutes — Halifax screening times
• In theatres, new/notable:
  • The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ireland/UK/Greece/France/Netherlands, 2015, 118 minutes — Halifax screening times
  • Green Room, Jeremy Saulnier, USA, 2015, 95 minutes — Halifax screening times
  • Louder Than Bombs, Joachim Trier, Norway/France/Denmark, 2015, 109 minutes— Halifax screening times
  • Everybody Wants Some!!, Richard Linklater, USA, 2016, 116 minutes — Halifax screening times
  • Miles Ahead, Don Cheadle, USA, 2015, 100 minutes — Halifax screening times
• Halifax area screening picks for this week:
  • Monday (May 2) — Purple Rain, Cineplex Park Lane, 9:30pm, $6.99. Albert Magnoli, USA, 1984, 111 minutes.
  • Tuesday (May 3) — Our Loved Ones (Les Êtres Chers), Central Library, 6pm, free. Anne Émond, Canada, 2015, 102 minutes.
  • Wednesday (May 4) — The Forbidden Room, Central Library, 6pm, free. Guy Maddin & Evan Johnson, Canada, 2015, 119 minutes.
    — The Sniper, Dalhousie Art Gallery, 8pm, free. Edward Dmytryk, USA, 1952, 88 minutes.
  • Thursday (May 5) — Guantanamo’s Child, Central Library, 6pm, free. Patrick Reed & Michelle Shephard, Canada, 2015, 80 minutes.
  • Saturday (May 7) — Ninth Floor, Central Library, 4pm, free. Mina Shum, Canada, 2015, 82 minutes.
  • Sunday (May 8) — Rocky, Cineplex Park Lane & Dartmouth Crossing, 12:55pm, $6.99. John G. Avildsen, USA, 1976, 119 minutes.
    — The Demons, Central Library, 1:30pm, free. Philippe Lesage, Canada, 2015, 118 minutes.
• Annapolis Valley screening picks for this week:
  • Wednesday (May 4) — The Lobster, Astor Theatre (59 Gorham Street, Liverpool), 7pm, $8. Yorgos Lanthimos, Ireland/UK/Greece/France/Netherlands, 2015, 118 minutes.
    — The Pearl Button, Acadia Cinema’s Al Whittle Theatre (450 Main Street, Wolfville), 7pm, $9. Patricio Guzmán, Chile/France/Spain, 2015, 82 minutes.
  • Sunday (May 8) — Eye in the Sky, Acadia Cinema’s Al Whittle Theatre (450 Main Street, Wolfville), 4pm & 7pm, $9. Gavin Hood, UK, 2015, 102 minutes.