JAWS (4K Restoration)

“We’re gonna need a bigger screen.” Steven Spielberg‘s original summer blockbuster, JAWS, is still cause for maritime terror over 50 years after its release in 1975. Based on Peter Benchley‘s novel of the same name, Spielberg‘s JAWS forever changed the cinematic landscape, setting a whole new bar for mainstream horror. Masterfully directed with artful yet … Read more

Jawbreaker (25th Anniversary Screening!)

High school. A time of sweet innocence. Untainted youth. Goal-oriented teenagers. NOT! Life at Reagan High School involves moments of feeling, like, super awkward and discovering who you are while also  trying to fit in with everyone else. Belonging to a “clique” is a life or death matter, especially when that clique rules the school. … Read more

Jane

Drawing from over 100 hours of never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives for over five decades, acclaimed director Brett Morgen (THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE, COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK) offers one of 2017’s most compelling documentaries with this profile of legendary primatologist Jane Goodall. JANE offers an absorbing … Read more

James (North American Premiere): OFF-VIFF 2025

Utopia Films, Stupid Co and the Rio Theatre present the second annual OFF-VIFF – a platform for the underground. Featuring the North American Premiere of JAMES, the royal return of KING BABY, the Vancouver Premiere of STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR, and a screening of the soon-to-be Canadian cult-classic, THE PEE PEE POO POO MAN. Plus … Read more

Jacob’s Ladder (2025 Restoration)

Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), a Vietnam War veteran plagued with troubling hallucinations and traumatic flashbacks, struggles to maintain his sanity as his terrible past invades his waking life. As girlfriend Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña) and chiropractor friend Louis (Danny Aiello) try to help him find balance, Jacob only descends further into madness and despair. This restoration … Read more

Jackie Brown (25th Anniversary Screening)

“I sure hope you didn’t do anything stupid, Jackie.” Join us at the Rio Theatre on Wednesday, December 28 for a very special 25th Anniversary screening of what many people consider to be iconic writer-director Quentin Tarantino‘s most under-appreciated film, JACKIE BROWN. Based on Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel “Rum Punch,” the film stars legendary actress … Read more

Jack Frost

Michael Keaton stars in this fantasy adventure about a man who becomes a real father to his son after returning to life. A year after his father’s death on Christmas Day, a young boy builds a snowman and dresses it with his father’s hat, scarf and gloves. That night, the boy’s wish comes true: His … Read more

J.T. LeRoy

Based on the memoir, “Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT Leroy” by Savannah Knoop, writer-director Justin Long’s J.T. LEROY (co-written by Knoop) tells the story of one of a genuinely bizarre, captivating tale, going beyond the headlines to tell the story of the most compelling literary ‘hoax’ of our generation. Laura Albert (Laura Dern) … Read more

Itzhak

From Schubert to Strauss, Bach to Brahms, Mozart to… Billy Joel, Itzhak Perlman‘s violin playing transcends mere performance to evoke the celebrations and struggles of real life; “praying with the violin,” says renowned Tel Aviv violin-maker Amnon Weinstein. Alison Chernick‘s enchanting documentary looks beyond the sublime musician to see the polio survivor whose parents emigrated … Read more

It’s Never Over: Jeff Buckley

IT’S NEVER OVER: JEFF BUCKLEY, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (DELIVER US FROM EVIL, JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE, WEST OF MEMPHIS), covers the life of the rising young star with an otherworldly voice and boundary-pushing artistry, who left the ’90s music world reeling when he died suddenly, at age 30, after the release of … Read more