Reel Green™ presents
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING

The first 100 people to arrive will receive a free medium popcorn.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING (Avi Lewis, 2015 / 89 mins / PG) A look at seven communities around the world with the proposition that we can seize the crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman. Nominated for four Oscars - including Best Picture and Best Actor for Timothée Chalamet, scribe James Ivory took home the little man for Best Adapted Screenplay. One of 2017's best, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME is a quiet, sumptuous tale centred on a blooming romance.

It's the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Chalamet), is a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family's 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia. Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father, an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella, a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio's sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

"One of the year's most romantic movies, and also one of the best." (Toronto Star)

"First love is as much about hesitancy as it is about exuberance, and Ivory and Guadagnino perfectly capture that sweet turmoil. This isn't just an instant LGBT classic; this is one of the great movie love stories, for audiences of all stripes." (The Wrap)

Wednesday, June 18 - Encore Screening!
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (Luca Guadigno, 2017 / 132 mins / 14A) It's the summer of 1983, and precocious 17-year-old Elio Perlman is spending the days with his family at their 17th-century villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, a handsome doctoral student who's working as an intern for Elio's father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of their surroundings, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

Join us at the Rio Theatre for The Saving Soles Soirée: The Dayton Boot Factory Fundraiser to benefit and help support the rebuilding of the Dayton Boot Factory and its East Van Artist community after the recent, devastating fire that knocked them down on April 23, 2025.

This isn’t just about rebuilding a building—it’s about reviving a community. The Dayton Boot Factory has been a proud piece of Canadian history since 1946, and with your help, we’ll keep it a thriving home for East Van’s artists, makers, and musicians. Thank you for standing with us to raise this landmark from the ashes. We can’t wait to see you at the event—let’s make it a night to celebrate our resilience!

Thursday, June 19
Doors 7:30 | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Even better? Each dollar spent on tickets to this fundraiser will be MATCHED with a Dayton Boot Gift Card of equal value that can be used at a future date on any regular priced merchandise!

General Admission $19.46 + s/c
Add an additional donation before checking out!

Featuring:

SNRK - Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Vancid
Bob Sumner
Elliot C Way
Estelle Honeywell
Cousin Harley
Murfitt & Main
Lonesome Town Painters
Son in Law

Hosted by Charlie Demers

The Fairy Creek (Ada’itsx) valley sprawls across Pacheedaht First Nation territory on southwestern Vancouver Island and its old growth forest ecosystem thrives with lush foliage, ancient tree trunks, and a variety of wildlife. However, the decimating chainsaws and tractor machinery of the Teal Jones lumber corporation disrupt this equilibrium as they demolish an environmental haven into pavement for their road-building project. Amidst the tumult, Jen Muranetz’s FAIRY CREEK captures the vast collective protests against this destructive logging operation: a movement which has spawned both the largest demonstration of civil disobedience in Canadian history and the mass arrests of 1200 people.

The film offers visceral front-line footage of activists faced with an RCMP-enforced injunction, protesting from ground to sky as blockaders form barriers with their bodies and tree-sitters’ forest canopies are assailed by officers deployed from helicopters. FAIRY CREEK is an urgent portrait of resistance, documenting an assembly of protestors organizing together despite varying backgrounds, ideologies, and tactics. Director Muranetz highlights the rapture of a united eco-activist community, coinhabiting the earth, dancing together, and cherishing biodiversity. At the same time, this breathtaking documentary tremors with the challenges of political consciousness in an age of rampant extractive capitalism, where industries working with governments eviscerate everything in their path, including the last pristine ecosystems. FAIRY CREEK depicts a historic struggle to defend Canadian old growth forests as an experience of absolute devotion, thrust between whiplashes of triumph and heartbreak.

Producer / DP Sepehr Samimi will be in attendance for post-show Q&A, moderated by the Sierra Club of BC

Co-presented by Sierra Club BC

Friday, June 20
Doors 2:45 pm | Movie 3:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

FAIRY CREEK (Jen Muranetz, 2024 / 77 mins / NR) In a last-ditch attempt to stop old growth logging, some impassioned forest defenders put up more than 12 blockades across the pristine Fairy Creek valley in Vancouver Island. History repeats in a deja-vu of the iconic Clayoquot Sound blockades in the 90s, this time with higher stakes amidst a climate emergency. A deep dive into the complex encounters of the settler activists, local First Nation members, loggers, and RCMP officers, this character-driven feature documentary chronicles the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.

CJ The X: You're Not God, I Am!
The Case Study of the Century

Our taboo desire for social status, the anthropomorphization of God, and the most pivotal rap beef of our generation.

CJ The X is an independent interdisciplinary artist and an autodidactic philosopher. They have been making music since 2015, releasing videos since 2021, writing essays since 2023, and performing lectures since 2024. Their philosophy focuses on religion, art, technology, community, relationship and love.

CJ The X’s work is crowdfunded through Patreon, where they host a book club, powerpoint parties, and Q&As.

Friday, June 20
Doors: 7:00 pm | Event 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

For first access to tickets subscribe to their mailing list @ cjthex.com/subscribe
cjthex.com
youtube.com/cjthex
patreon.com/cjthex

From the visionary mind of Ari Aster (HEREDITARY, BEAU IS AFRAID) comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairytale, where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight...

MIDSOMMAR remains one of our favourite arthouse horror films of the past few years, and what better way to pay homage to the start of summer than with a screening of this modern horror classic than with this particular work of nightmare fuel?

Even better? We're wrapping this screening up into our Friday Late Night Movie series, and tickets are two-for-one!

Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. With Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor.

"'Midsommar' is a dark horror (though shot in bright sunlight), full of disturbing images that will follow you home and possibly inhabit your nightmares." (The National Post)

"'Midsommar' isn't just a great horror movie... It is also one of the best movies ever made about living with mental illness." (Salon.com)

Friday, June 20
Doors 11:00 pm | Movie 11:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

MIDSOMMAR (Ari Aster, 2019 / 147 mins / 18A / In English & Swedish with subtitles) A young couple travels to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown and attend its mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly descends into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

The Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party is returning to the Rio Theatre with a Spring Break event featuring an all-new lineup of retro TV goodness covered in sugary cereal. It's Volume VIII!

Kids today may not realize the significance of the Saturday morning ritual, but once upon a time, we had to wait a whole week to get our cartoon fix, and when we got it, we tended to binge. Well – welcome to The Saturday Morning All-You-Can-Eat Cereal Cartoon Party - that special time when kids and kids-at-heart get to relive the exciting Saturday Morning ritual of non-stop retro cartoons, and binge on the multi-colored sugary cereals that used to be a part of every “balanced” breakfast!

The cartoon lineup is always a mystery, but expect to see monsters, sci-fi, sleuths, superheroes and all kinds of 2D silliness, both faves and obscurities spanning the '30s through the '90s, all punctuated with vintage commercials, PSAs and station IDs for a 3-hour trip down memory lane! So get ready for a sugar rush and an explosion of nostalgia all wrapped up in one candy-coated package.

Curated by David Bertrand

Dairy-free options available! Compostable bowls and spoons will be provided. We encourage guests to bring their own NON-BREAKABLE (ie, not ceramic) bowls and spoons.

Saturday, June 21
Doors 10:00 am | Event 10:30 am *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Adults $20
Kids Pricing (13 and under) $14

Through a series of vignettes - some tragic, some funny, all a little bizarre - the unique animated feature documentary ENDLESS COOKIE explores the complex bond between two half brothers, one Indigenous, one white, spanning bustling 1980s Toronto to the present day isolated First Nations community of Shamattawa.

The film's distinct, hand-drawn illustrations (courtesy of co-director Seth Scriver) offer their own surreal style, creating a humorous and often bizarre depiction of the brothers' lives, punctuated by everyday sounds, and the voices of their families and pets. ENDLESS COOKIE delves into their contrasting upbringings by exploring themes of identity, race, and Indigenous resistance to colonization.

"A zany, rambling, bustling portrait of a big family’s cramped, loving, chuckling life in icy Shamattawa." (AV Club)

"As Seth burns through a pile of public money to his brother’s stories, the adventure provides a cathartic laugh. The film shares the importance of humour in keeping a community spirit alive and healthy." (POV Magazine)

"Underneath the lowbrow fart jokes and images of caribou mating, the Scrivers’ “Endless Cookie” honors the legacy others left behind through their experiences so that it can help each new generation piece together their understanding of the embattled present." (Variety)

This film is screening as part of National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

Saturday, June 21
Doors 2:05 pm | Movie 2:25 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

ENDLESS COOKIE (Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver, 2025 / 97 mins / In English and Cree) Two half-brothers, one Indigenous and one white, embark on a journey through time and place. They travel from their remote home in Shamattawa to the vibrant urban landscape of the 1980s.

Chu is a master chef who has lost his sense of taste. He has three daughters with very different personalities: the eldest daughter, Jia-Jen, is a Christian, and since her mother's death, she has taken up her mothe's duties as the eldest daughter and dedicated herself to her family; the second, Jia-Chien, is a high-ranking executive of an airline company and is smart and capable, inherited with her father's culinary skills, but she does not go into her own kitchen, and only wants to buy a house and leave her home; The youngest daughter, Jia-Ning, is a college student starting to explore romance . For the weekly family dinner, Chu prepares a sumptuous meal, but his daughters have their own problems, and the conflict between the two generations always comes to the forefront. When Mrs. Liang, the mother of neighbor Jin-Rong, returns from the United States, everyone's lives gradually change.

Saturday, June 21
Doors 4:15 pm | Movie 4:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

飲食男女 Eat Drink Man Woman
2K数字修复版(Digital Restoration)
李安Ang LEE｜1994｜Colour｜127min | PG | English subtitles

获奖情况
1994亞太影展｜最佳影片獎、最佳剪輯
1994 Asia Pacific Film Festival Best Film Award, Best Editing
1994金馬獎｜傑出製片人特別獎、提名最佳劇情片、最佳女配角、最佳原著劇本
1994 Golden Horse Awards Outstanding Producer Special Award, Nominated for Best Feature
Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay
1995奧斯卡金像獎｜最佳外語片提名
1995 Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film Nomination
1995金球獎｜最佳外語片提名
1995 Golden Globe Award Best Foreign Language Film Nomination

旦夕书店成立于2018年，是一家位于多伦多的独立中文线上书店，致力于为北美读者提
供纸质书籍的阅读选项。 全北美发货，多伦多热门社区免运费pickup服务。旦夕书店专
注书籍，读书会，艺术，电影，与阅读相关的其他。

AMOMENT BOOKS, founded in 2018, is an independent online Chinese bookstore based in Toronto. Dedicated to providing reading options for readers across North America, the store offers shipping service in Canada & US and free pickup services in popular Toronto neighborhoods.

AMOMENT BOOKS focuses on books, reading clubs, art, film, and all things related to the reading life.

In 1999, our pal Kevin Smith and some friends released DOGMA to the masses, which has become a grade-A cult classic over the years. The film has been stuck in limbo due to rights issues, but last year, those rights have now reverted back to Kevin Smith and his team. This film was only available through physical media from old DVD and Blu-ray releases in the 2000s (predating streaming rights). Now with the film available once again, Kevin Smith is happy to offer the special 25th anniversary 4K remastered re-release of DOGMA: Resurrected! A 25th Anniversary Celebration for the original audience to see on the big screen - and for a new generation of fans to experience it for the first time in movie theatres.

DOGMA is a satirical fantasy comedy that follows two fallen angels, Bartleby and Loki, who discover a loophole that would allow them to return to Heaven, which would inadvertently undo the creation of the universe. A woman named Bethany, who is struggling with her faith, is tasked with stopping them before their plan succeeds. Along the way, she is joined by various characters, including a muse, a seraphim, and a group of unlikely allies, all as they battle against the forces of heaven and hell. A genuine cult-classic, DOGMA combines dark humor, theological questions, and absurdity to explore topics of faith, redemption, and religious mythology.

"Deliriously funny!" (Hollywood Reporter)

"Dogma is a raucous, profane but surprisingly endearing piece of work, a funny and lively film of ideas." (Los Angeles Times)

Saturday, June 21
Doors 7:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Please note: This screening will not include bonus feature content.

DOGMA (Kevin Smith, 1999 / 135 mins / 18A) Two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise find themselves banned in Wisconsin. They are now headed for New Jersey where they find a loophole that can get them back into heaven. The only catch is that it will destroy humanity. A group bands together to stop them.

"Oh, hi Mark!"

Join us at the Rio Theatre for a very special screening of one of the best experiences you can have in a darkened theatre: Tommy Wiseau's epic, pop-culture masterpiece THE ROOM.

What a story! A marvel of modern cinema, Tommy Wiseau's THE ROOM is so powerful that it will, literally, "tear you apart." (Or, maybe just your brain. And occasionally your eyeballs.) In the pantheon of you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it, best-worst movies, it's quite possible that nothing tops THE ROOM. It's the CITIZEN KANE of bad movies! And truly, truly, the best (trust) way to experience this "masterpiece" is in the dark, on the big screen, and with a packed audience of confused (and enthused!) lovers of director Wiseau's bizarre cinematic oddity that has morphed into a pop-culture phenomenon.

Fun Fact: In 2014, while James Franco was in town shooting THE INTERVIEW, he came to the Rio Theatre for a screening of THE ROOM and a live reading from THE DISASTER ARTIST, hosted by Greg Sestero. Franco was so taken by Greg’s memoir and the rapturous response of the crowd, that they shook on the making of the feature that very night!

THE ROOM is easily the Rio Theatre audiences' all-time, hands-down forever favourite "so bad, it's good" movies. In fact, among our collective guiltiest cinematic pleasures, it may just be the bestest "best-worst" films of all time!

Saturday, June 21
Doors 10:30 pm | Movie 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE ROOM (Tommy Wiseau, 2003 / 99 mins / 18A) Johnny is a successful banker with great respect for and dedication to the people in his life, especially his future wife Lisa. The happy-go-lucky guy sees his world fall apart when his friends begin to betray him one-by-one.

In this stop-motion-animated film from writer/director Wes Anderson, an outbreak of canine flu in Japan leads all dogs to be quarantined on an island. A boy (voice of Koyu Rankin) journeys there to rescue his dog Spots (Liev Schreiber), and gets help from a pack of misfit canines who have also been exiled. His quest inspires a group of dog lovers to expose a government conspiracy. The voice cast also includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Bob Balaban, Greta Gerwig, and Yoko Ono and features the music of Alexandre Desplat.

"Wes Anderson’s animated feature 'Isle of Dogs' might be the most lyrically disjunctive movie ever made: Nothing fits together and everything harmonizes, magically." (Vulture)

"It's gorgeous-filled with so many bits of visual whimsy and imaginative detail that it would take several viewings to fully catch them all. And it's idiosyncratic and witty and dark." (Baltimore Magazine)

"So effortlessly cinematic and inventive, it's best in show." (Richard Crouse)

Sunday, June 22
Doors 12:15 pm | Movie 12:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

ISLE OF DOGS (Wes Anderson, 2018 / PG / 101 mins) When, by executive decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.

From the World Series of Board Games on the Vegas strip and dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, THE HOBBY: TALES FROM THE TABLETOP is an affectionate, character-driven portrait of the massive and diverse subculture of board games. With a fascinating cast of charming subjects – including the “Roger Ebert of board games”, a rock-climbing board game philosopher, and a birdwatcher who created an unlikely smash hit – players share personal stories of competition, compulsion, creativity, and connection. THE HOBBY: TALES FROM THE TABLETOP explores the value of leisure time and uncovers the deep meaning found in “meaningless” pursuits.

Directed by Simon Ennis (LUNARCY!, YOU MIGHT AS WELL LIVE) THE HOBBY enjoyed a world premiere at SXSW, and more recently at DCPH:DOX in March. It explores the value of leisure time and uncovers the deep meaning found through affectionate, character-driven portraits of those who enjoy, build and collect modern board games.

"From the eclectic crowds that populate gaming conventions like Gen Con to the designers behind beloved new-wave board games such as Wingspan and Sagrada, the allure of the subculture’s scope is quickly apparent." (POV Magazine)

"Demonstrates that gaming is for everyone." (Elements of Madness)

"In addition to being a fun ride, this film also serves as an informative look at a community that exists just outside the mainstream." (CinemaDaily US)

"Footage and vetted personalities contribute to an interesting topic, a type of geek subculture that keeps this billion-dollar business constantly churning." (Film Threat)

Director Simon Ennis and the designer of 'Wingspan,' Elizabeth Hargrave. will be joining us in-person for intro and Q&A.

Sunday, June 22
Doors 2:45 pm | Movie 3:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive.

THE HOBBY: Tales From The Tabletop (Simon Ennis, 2025 / 95 mins / PG) Are games the meaning of life? 'THE HOBBY: Tales From The Tabletop' is a funny, affectionate, character-driven portrait of the surprisingly massive subculture of modern board games, featuring a fascinating and diverse group of subjects who find deep meaning in “meaningless” pursuits.

In Wes Anderson's 2004 cult-comedy, renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou's past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor. With Anjelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett.

"It is such a brilliant idea, and everything looks so great, especially the way the film is constructed on Cousteau-esque lines, with the calm deliberation of a nature documentary from a more innocent age." (The Guardian)

"Orson Welles said a film studio was the best train-set a boy could have, but 'The Life Aquatic' is something else: Anderson uses the sound stages of Cinecittá like a kid playing with toy boats in the bath. He makes one hell of a splash." (Independent on Sunday)

Sunday, June 22
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (Wes Anderson, 2004 / 119 mins / PG) While working on a documentary, Steve Zissou's partner gets killed under mysterious circumstances by a shark. Steve and his crew set off on an expedition to hunt it down.

With DEAD MAN, his first period piece, American auteur Jim Jarmusch (STRANGER THAN PARADISE, DOWN BY LAW, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE) imagined the nineteenth-century American West as an existential wasteland, delivering a surreal reckoning with the ravages of industrialization, the country’s legacy of violence and prejudice, and the natural cycle of life and death. Accountant William Blake (Johnny Depp) has hardly arrived in the godforsaken outpost of Machine before he’s caught in the middle of a fatal lovers’ quarrel. Wounded and on the lam, Blake falls under the watch of the outcast Nobody (Gary Farmer), who guides his companion on a spiritual journey, teaching him to dispense poetic justice along the way.

Featuring austerely beautiful black-and-white photography by Robby Müller and a live-wire score by Neil Young, DEAD MAN is a profound and unique revision of the western genre. With Gary Farmer, Crispin Glover.

"Part revisionist Western, part social commentary, and part hallucinatory dream." (Film Frenzy)

"Jim Jarmusch's most stunning achievement." (Slant Magazine)

"What was obvious in 1995-and the last quarter century has made increasingly clear-is that Dead Man, aside from merely being a quiet masterpiece, is one of the best American films of the late '90s." (PopMatters)

Sunday, June 22
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

DEAD MAN (Jim Jarmusch, 1995 / NR / 120 mins) On the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Native American man named Nobody who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.

Run N Gun Film Festival & Competition is BACK for its 10th year with 158 short films debuting over a 4 Day festival packed with screenings and events.

Each night has TWO themed short film screenings for the price of ONE ticket! You don’t want to miss these funny, wild, silly, scary, and heartfelt shorts screened at the much-beloved Rio Theatre.

Screening 1: Starting Off Short - Kick off the festival with a burst of energy! “Starting Off Short” showcases fun, upbeat films with a focus on emerging young filmmakers. Expect a mix of genres that makes the perfect start to a week of screenings.

Screening 2: Monday Night Mayhem (PG) Let the Mayhem begin! This block features action thrillers, fantasy and experimental films and stories that tug at your heartstrings and leave you in awe. A powerful way to conclude the first day, this block is packed with unforgettable experiences.

Monday, June 23
Doors 5:30 pm
Early Show 6:30 pm *Start times subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Late Show 8:30 pm

Tickets on sale June 4 at 8:00 am

Run N Gun Film Festival & Competition is BACK for its 10th year with 158 short films debuting over a 4 Day festival packed with screenings and events.

Each night has TWO themed short film screenings for the price of ONE ticket! You don’t want to miss these funny, wild, silly, scary, and heartfelt shorts screened at the much-beloved Rio Theatre.

Screening 3: High Art Are you ready for a wild ride? “High Art” offers a mix of hilarious, trippy, and out-of-this-world films. With animation, ambitious storytelling, and even a rap video, this eclectic block is unmissable.

Screening 4: Trippy Tuesday Hold onto your butts! “Trippy Tuesday” features wacky, and out-of-control films that would feel right at home on Adult Swim. These shorts will transport you to other dimensions for laughs, adventures, and just a touch of heartfelt love. You may want some “Fresh air” before this block of shorts.

Tuesday, June 24
Doors 5:30 pm
Early Show 6:30 pm *Start times subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Late Show 8:30 pm

On sale June 4 at 8:00 am

Run N Gun Film Festival & Competition is BACK for its 10th year with 158 short films debuting over a 4 Day festival packed with screenings and events.

Each night has TWO themed short film screenings for the price of ONE ticket! You don’t want to miss these funny, wild, silly, scary, and heartfelt shorts screened at the much-beloved Rio Theatre.

This night is hosted by the Horror Queen Gigi Saul Guererro, so you know it’s going to be hype.

Screening 5: Cursed Cuts Dive into the dark side of cinema. “Cursed” takes you on a journey through sci-fi, horror, comedy, thriller, and any excuse to have blood on camera. Buckle up Buckaroos, and bring a hunky hand to hold!

Screening 6: A Nightmare on East Broadway. End the Run N Gun Rio Screenings with a bang! This block is our iconic After Dark block, pushing boundaries with provocative and frightening films. Expect blood, animation, gore, and themes that make you *deeply* uncomfortable.

Wednesday, June 25
Doors 5:30 pm
Early Show 6:30 pm *Start times subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Late Show 8:30 pm

On sale June 4 at 8:00 am

The Vancouver Burlesque Co. welcomes you to the finale show of their Spring 2025 Season. Join us as we celebrate our student's accomplishments, onstage in a sizzling season wrap-up! Prepare yourself for amazing large group acts, and some stunning soloists. These shows are pure magic, sparkle and fun, and we can't wait to share the evening with friends, family and fans.

Featuring group performances by the classes of instructors Androsia Wilde, Ariel Helvetica, Cherry OnTop, Gigi Lavande and La Dame Derriere. Keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of our soloists and guests!

Hosted by Miss Kiss

Thursday, June 26
7:00 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

General Admission $30+ s/c | $35+ s/c at the door

Please note: These shows tend to sell out well in advance - buy tickets sooner than later to avoid disappointment!

"We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!"

The Rio Theatre's series of Summer Classics continues with one of our favourite genres - movies about movies (and, by extension, Hollywood).

One of the greatest commentaries on 'the biz' comes from master filmmaker Billy Wilder, and his impeccably dark film noir SUNSET BOULEVARD. Featuring the glorious (if not perfectly cast) Gloria Swanson as the iconic Norma Desmond as a former silent film star who finds herself "aged out" of the Hollywood galaxy. Refusing to accept that her star burns dark, Desmond hires a young screenwriter named Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help secure her movie comeback. Gillis believes he can manipulate Norma - but he soon finds out he is wrong when his ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to an inescapable descent into a fantasy world of violence, madness, and death.

Winner of three Academy Awards, Wilder's orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, SUNSET BOULEVARD is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Swanson as an aging silent film queen, and Holden as the struggling writer who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of cinema's most memorable characters. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot in unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances. With cameos from Cecil B. DeMille, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.

"Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's masterpiece SUNSET BOULEVARD is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, black comedy, and character study." (Rotten Tomaotes)

"Still the best Hollywood movie ever made about Hollywood." (The New York Observer)

"One of Billy Wilder's finest, and certainly the blackest of all Hollywood's scab-scratching accounts of itself." (Time Out)

Friday, June 27
Doors 3:00 pm | Movie 3:25 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SUNSET BOULEVARD (Billy Wilder, 1950 / 110 mins / G) Aging silent-film star Norma Desmond ensnares a young screenwriter in this poison-pen valentine to Hollywood.

Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, as Craig's attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives. With Tim Robinson, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Paul Rudd.

"It suggests not just a subversion but a putrefaction of the Ruddy-comedy genre -- a portrait of male loneliness so totalizing, and so scarily close to the bone, that laughs and screams all but bleed together." (The New Yorker)

"Director Andrew DeYoung’s exploration of broken masculinity and middle-aged isolation manages to be the funniest — and the cringiest — film of the year." (LA Weekly / Village Voice)

"The funniest buddy comedy of recent memory. Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd are the Jekyll and Hyde of modern male bonding." (Boston Movie News)

"This anarchistic comic take on bad bromance is also a startlingly effective comment on 21st-century loneliness." (Winnipeg Free Press)

Friday, June 27
Doors 5:30 pm | Movie 6:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

FRIENDSHIP (Andrew DeYoung, 2025 / 100 mins / 14A) A man tries to befriend his charismatic new neighbour, but it soon threatens to ruin both of their lives.

"Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with Samurai swords."

There is no better way to appreciate the Hattori Honzo level of precision greatness in Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL 1 & 2 than seeing them back-to-back, and on our big screen.

The films reunite Tarantino with actress, muse, and co-writer Uma Thurman, whose soaring performance as a back-from-the-dead Bride hell-bent on revenge marks an all-time career high. In addition to a predictably killer soundtrack, fantastic one-liners and some of the most ornately stylized martial arts sequences in recent memory, Tarantino assembled an all-star roster of supporting actors including Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Vivica A. Fox.

Friday, June 27
KILL BILL: Volume 1
Doors 8:00 pm | Movie 8:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Single V1 and Double Bill Tickets available. Double Bill guests will receive a wristband upon entry.

(Break)

KILL BILL: Volume 2
Movie 10:45 *As this is a double bill, this is an approximate start time.

KILL BILL: Volume 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003 / 111 minutes / 18A) An entire wedding party is slaughtered during a dress rehearsal in a rural chapel: the pregnant woman in the blood-splattered wedding dress is Black Mamba, better known as The Bride. The assassin, Bill, and his circle known as The Vipers left The Bride for dead, but unluckily for them she was merely comatose. Four years later, The Bride suddenly awakens from her coma and realizes what has been done to her. She sets off on a ferociously focused mission, setting out to seek revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of assassins. One by one, she kills the various members of the assassin group. She saves Bill for last.

KILL BILL: Volume 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004 / 137 minutes / 18A) The Bride picks up where she left off in volume one with her quest to finish the hit list she has composed of all of the people who have wronged her, including ex-boyfriend Bill, who tried to have her killed four years ago during her wedding to another man. Leaving several dead in her wake, she eventually tracks down Bill in Mexico. Using skills she has learned during her assassin career, she attempts to finish what she set out to do in the first place.

"Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with Samurai swords."

There is no better way to appreciate the Hattori Honzo level of precision greatness in Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL 1 & 2 than seeing them back-to-back, and on our big screen. The films reunite Tarantino with actress, muse, and co-writer Uma Thurman, whose soaring performance as a back-from-the-dead Bride hell-bent on revenge marks an all-time career high. In addition to a predctably killer soundtrack, fantastic one-liners and some of the most ornately stylized martial arts sequences in recent memory, Tarantino assembled an all-star roster of supporting actors including Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Vivica A. Fox.

KILL BILL: Volume 2
Movie 10:45 pm *As this is a double bill, this is an approximate start time.

KILL BILL: Volume 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004 / 137 minutes / 18A) The Bride picks up where she left off in volume one with her quest to finish the hit list she has composed of all of the people who have wronged her, including ex-boyfriend Bill, who tried to have her killed four years ago during her wedding to another man. Leaving several dead in her wake, she eventually tracks down Bill in Mexico. Using skills she has learned during her assassin career, she attempts to finish what she set out to do in the first place.

College student Hana falls in love with a “wolf man” and together they have two half-human, half-wolf children, Ame and Yuki. The young family’s happy but humble life comes to an abrupt end when the father is tragically killed during a hunt. After struggling to raise her children in the busy city, Hana boldly decides to move to a dilapidated house in the countryside, in hopes that her children may one day decide their own path to happiness – whether “human” or “wolf.”

This heart-wrenching modern fairy tale is a staggering work of beauty and emotion from Academy Award®-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda. Rich with gorgeous animation and set to a poignant musical score, WOLF CHILDREN is a sweeping tale about self-discovery and the bonds of family.

"The film works as the simplest of fairy tales, so scrumptious you'll want to devour it whole." (London Evening Standard)

"It's a fairytale in a real-life setting, photorealistically drawn in shifting light that rivals Monet or GTA5." (Guardian)

"It is an exceptionally beautiful film, with the lingering glory and magisterial quality that recalls Miyazaki's greatest work." (The Tyee)

"Judging from his last three films, I count Hosoda Mamoru as the true hope of quality anime in the future. Because he dared to make The Wolf Children a film which is, first and foremost, for the parents!" (ScreenAnarchy)

Saturday, June 28
Doors 1:00 pm | Movie 1:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

WOLF CHILDREN "Ôkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki" (Mamoru Hosoda, 2012 / PG / 117 mins / Japanese w. EST) After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a young woman must find ways to raise their werewolf son and daughter while keeping their trait hidden from society.

Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef star in Sergio Leone’s masterpiece, a “spaghetti Western” that is generally considered to be the most influential (if not thoroughly entertaining!) in the genre. Set in a mythologized "old West" during the Civil War, the film follows Joe (Eastwood) and a Mexican outlaw named Tuco (Wallach) joined in a bounty hunting scam - Joe turns in the bandit for the reward money, then rescues him just as he is being hanged. When Joe's shot at the noose goes awry during one escapade, a furious Tuco tries to have him murdered. The men re-team abruptly, however, to beat out a sadistic criminal and the Union army and find $20,000 that a soldier has buried in the desert.

"Sergio Leone's grandiose 1966 western epic is nothing less than a masterclass in movie storytelling, a dynamic testament to the sheer, invigorating uniqueness of cinema." (Time Out)

"Of all the great films of the 1960s, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is one of a fistful that can be truly appreciated only on the big screen." (Detroit Free Press)

Saturday, June 28
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 4:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” (Sergio Leone, 1966 / 179 mins / 18A) While the Civil War rages between the Union and the Confederacy, three men – a quiet loner, a ruthless hit man and a Mexican bandit – comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing $200,000 in stolen gold.

Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, as Craig's attempts to make an adult male friend threaten to ruin both of their lives. With Tim Robinson, Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Paul Rudd.

"It suggests not just a subversion but a putrefaction of the Ruddy-comedy genre -- a portrait of male loneliness so totalizing, and so scarily close to the bone, that laughs and screams all but bleed together." (The New Yorker)

"Director Andrew DeYoung’s exploration of broken masculinity and middle-aged isolation manages to be the funniest — and the cringiest — film of the year." (LA Weekly / Village Voice)

"The funniest buddy comedy of recent memory. Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd are the Jekyll and Hyde of modern male bonding." (Boston Movie News)

"This anarchistic comic take on bad bromance is also a startlingly effective comment on 21st-century loneliness." (Winnipeg Free Press)

Saturday, June 28
Doors 7:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

FRIENDSHIP (Andrew DeYoung, 2025 / 100 mins / 14A) A man tries to befriend his charismatic new neighbour, but it soon threatens to ruin both of their lives.

"Sometimes, I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion."

Before STRANGER THINGS combined science fiction, Spielbergian touches and ‘80s nostalgia to much acclaim, Richard Kelly set the high-water mark with his debut feature, DONNIE DARKO. Initially beset with distribution problems, it would slowly find its audience and emerge as, arguably, the first cult classic of the new millennium.

In a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time's Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny. Also starring Jena Mallone, Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Katharine Ross, and a giant bunny.

Restoration courtesy of Arrow Video and the American Genre Film Archive.

“If revisiting an old movie is a bit like going back in time, that sense of disorientation is doubled in DONNIE DARKO. A haunted miasma of youthful alienation, suburban malaise, cosmic upheaval and 1980s pop-cultural infatuation, writer-director Richard Kelly’s captivatingly strange 2001 debut plays more than ever like its own suspended-in-time artifact.” (Justin Chang, L.A. Times)

"A stunning technical accomplishment that virtually bursts with noise, ideas and references." (Salon.com)

Saturday, June 28
Doors 10:00 pm | Movie 10:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
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DONNIE DARKO (Richard Kelly, 2001 / 113 mins / PG) Donnie Darko, an awkward teenager, befriends Frank, a figure in a bunny costume only he can see, who informs Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

June is Pride month across North America and the Rio Theatre is joining in the celebration with the groundbreaking, and first of its kind in contemporary Hollywood mainstream films, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN: 20th anniversary screening.

The film is set in a fictitious yet picturesque location, Brokeback Mountain, and chronicles the lives of two cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist who are hired by Joe Aguirre in 1963 for sheep-herding. Slowly, the men develop a close, intimate relationship, but the values instilled in them by the heteronormative society prevents them from embracing their true feelings. They part from one another with heavy hearts, only to meet again, four years later. Ennis is married to the young Alma and has children of his own while Jack has a son with the wealthy daughter of a farm businessman, Lureen. Jack and Ennis rekindle their passion and frequently escape on romantic getaways under the pretext of fishing trips.

"To my mind, Brokeback Mountain (2005, Ang Lee) is a landmark film, a film that utterly deconstructs the “cowboy” (hypermasculine, patriarchal, phallocentric) ideology, while also revealing how horribly destructive such normalizing ideologies as hypermasculinity, patriarchy, heteronormativity, and Christianity/Protestantism are to identity. (Your Film Professor)

"Intimate and emotionally stirring, the film can be evaluated on multiple levels. It is important to note that despite there being quite a few LGBTQ+ films, Brokeback Mountain has cemented its position in cinematic history and is often considered the “go-to gay movie”. (faroutmagazine.co.uk)

Sunday, June 29
Doors 3:00 pm | Film 3:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (Ang lee, 2005 / 134 mins / 14A) In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.

"We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!"

The Rio Theatre's series of Summer Classics continues with one of our favourite genres - movies about movies (and, by extension, Hollywood).

One of the greatest commentaries on 'the biz' comes from master filmmaker Billy Wilder, and his impeccably dark film noir SUNSET BOULEVARD. Featuring the glorious (if not perfectly cast) Gloria Swanson as the iconic Norma Desmond as a former silent film star who finds herself "aged out" of the Hollywood galaxy. Refusing to accept that her star burns dark, Desmond hires a young screenwriter named Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help secure her movie comeback. Gillis believes he can manipulate Norma - but he soon finds out he is wrong when his ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to an inescapable descent into a fantasy world of violence, madness, and death.

Winner of three Academy Awards, Wilder's orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, SUNSET BOULEVARD is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Swanson as an aging silent film queen, and Holden as the struggling writer who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of cinema's most memorable characters. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot in unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances. With cameos from Cecil B. DeMille, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.

"Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's masterpiece SUNSET BOULEVARD is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, black comedy, and character study." (Rotten Tomaotes)

"Still the best Hollywood movie ever made about Hollywood." (The New York Observer)

"One of Billy Wilder's finest, and certainly the blackest of all Hollywood's scab-scratching accounts of itself." (Time Out)

Sunday, June 29
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SUNSET BOULEVARD (Billy Wilder, 1950 / 110 mins / G) Aging silent-film star Norma Desmond ensnares a young screenwriter in this poison-pen valentine to Hollywood.

"I'm a dancer, not a whore."

Las Vegas... Running from a troubled past and possessed of a raw and riveting dancing talent, Nomi Malone is soon introduced to the arena of the sensual, pulsating stage shows on the legendary Strip and the powerful men and women who run them. One of those drawn to Nomi's beauty and talent is Zack, the ambitious entertainment director at the Stardust. Another is Cristal, the glamorous, coke-snorting star of the stage show "Goddess," who may make her... or break her. As the complex bonds of passion, jealousy and love form between them, Nomi is drawn deeper into the world she so desperately desires and the allure of the spotlight she craves. It's a world of passion, power and personal moral choices where everything- and everyone - has a price. With Elizabeth Berkley (TV's Saved By The Bell), Kyle MacLachlan and Gina Gershon.

Lovingly restored for its (glittery) 30th Anniversary, Paul Verhoeven's notoriously provocative showstopper is a bona-fide camp-classic - a heel-clicking, pole-licking, mother-strutting glitz fit that showcases the Vegas Strip as a vivid and voluptuous fever dream of neon, nails, and Nomi.

"'Showgirls'... is one of those delirious, hilarious botches that could be taught in film schools as a How Not To." (Time Magazine)

"Berkley's feature film debut is a joy, if you can call it acting: she jumps up and down a lot to indicate excitement." (The New Yorker)

Sunday, June 29
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

SHOWGIRLS (Paul Verhoeven, 1995 / 128 mins / 18A) Nomi, an attractive drifter, arrives in Las Vegas with plans to become a dancer. Soon she gets a job stripping at one of the lesser joints on the strip, but eventually catches the eye of talent scouts who hire the performers for a big revue at a casino. She works her way into the cast, and eventually sets her sights on taking the starring role.

In their first ever feature documentary nearly sixty years after they met as teenagers before the British Invasion music scene, The Zombies tell their story of navigating the tumultuous music industry over the decades and making one of the most influential albums of all time, Odessey and Oracle. “She’s Not There” made them the first British band after The Beatles to reach #1 in the US. After years of touring and many missteps in the 60s, sadly the band missed out on their biggest moment yet, when “Time of the Season” hit #1 and became a global success, inspiring new generations each year. The band looks back on their journey, where true friendship led them to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Director Robert Schwartzman will be joining us via Zoom for Q&A after the film.

"'Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary' doesn't care about stardom or stats. It cares about the soul of music, the kind that takes root, disappears, then returns like a ghost at the edge of memory." (Film Threat)

"It’s the time and season of the resurgence of The Zombies. I thought this was a wonderfully illuminating look at the talented 60s rock band, that any fan or lover of music should visit." (Film Inquiry)

#MusicMonday, June 30
Doors 5:50 pm | Movie 6:20 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

HUNG UP ON A DREAM: THE ZOMBIES DOCUMENTARY (Robert Schwartzman, 2023 / 116 mins / NR) British Invasion icons The Zombies reflect on paving 60 years and counting of their musical path from teenage friends to legends in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Same as it ever was…

The greatest concert film of all time, STOP MAKING SENSE brings to the screen Talking Heads at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983: David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison, alongside an ecstatic ensemble of supporting musicians. Renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme ('Silence of the Lambs') captures the band at their exhilarating best, in this new and complete restoration for the film's 40th anniversary.

Newly restored in 4K, Demme's 1984 film is considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time. In addition to the core band members, the ensemble includes Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt.

Shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983, the movie is notable for being the first made entirely using digital audio techniques. STOP MAKING SENSE has been hailed by Leonard Maltin as “one of the greatest rock movies ever made," and Pauline Kael of The New Yorker described it as “…close to perfection.”

One thing's for sure, though... This ain't no disco, but it is a party! (One that's best enjoyed with us. On our big screen, and with our even bigger sound!)

#MusicMonday, June 30
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

STOP MAKING SENSE (Jonathan Demme, 1984 / 88 mins / G) | Director Jonathan Demme captures the frantic energy and artsy groove of Talking Heads in this concert movie shot at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in 1983. The band’s frontman, David Byrne, first appears on an empty stage, armed with only an acoustic guitar, and is gradually joined by bassist Tina Weymouth, drummer Chris Frantz, keyboardist Jerry Harrison and a cadre of backup singers as they perform the band’s hits, culminating in an iconic performance featuring Byrne in an enormous suit.

"Earth women who experience sexual ecstasy with mechanical assistance always tend to feel guilty!"

We're celebrating Canada Day with a prime time screening of one of the ultimate, hands-down best hoser animated cult-classic of ever, HEAVY METAL. This cinematic slice of 80s-era superhero sci-fi Canadiana (we're talking John Candy, Al Waxman, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty et all) is best appreciated on the big screen (and with our big sound!).

Based on the popular magazine of the same name, HEAVY METAL interweaves six visionary stories of science fiction and erotic fantasy with a killer soundtrack that features Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo, Donald Fagen, Grand Funk Railroad, Sammy Hagar, Journey, Nazareth and Stevie Nicks.

"Regardless of its dated stylishness (which still holds up remarkably well a decade plus later), Heavy Metal was a pioneering film in 1981 and remains a pivotal and influential body of art today." (Film.com)

Tuesday, July 1
Doors 6:45 pm | Movie 7:15 pm*Start time subject to change Please arrive on time.

Canada Day Pricing! All Tickets $12!

HEAVY METAL (Various, 86 mins / 1981 / 18A) A glowing green orb (the Loc-Nar - the personification of ultimate evil in the universe) terrorizes a young girl with a collection of stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror in this sweeping story of the battle of good against evil, told through an anthology of short animated films. Based loosely on the American magazine "Heavy Metal," and the French magazine "Métal Hurlant".

"We are Sex Bob-Omb and we are here to make you think about death and get sad and stuff."

Produced, directed, and co-written by Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, THE WORLD'S END) and based on the cult graphic novel series 'Scott Pilgrim' by Bryan Lee O'Malley, SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD is a rare beast indeed - a successfully adapted film embraced by both fans of the original text and movie-lovers alike.

Michael Cera shines as the sweetly aloof Torontonian Scott Pilgrim, a floundering bass guitarist forced to battle his girlfriend Ramona's seven evil exes who all want him dead. With Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Alison Pill, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman.

"The speedy, funny, happy-sad spirit of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is infectious." (New York Times)

Tuesday, July 1
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change.

Canada Day Pricing! All tickets $12.

SCOTT PILGRIM vs. THE WORLD (Edgar Wright, 2010 / 112 mins / PG) As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers skates into his heart, he finds she has the most troublesome baggage of all: an army of ex-boyfriends who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors.

Now in its 14th year, the smash hit epic comedy THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW returns to the Rio Theatre's stage on Wednesday, July for another night of dork-filled humour.

Prepare yourself for a generous dose of laughter and snorting out loud, as some of Vancouver’s best comedic performers grace the stage in a night featuring some of this City's most intrepid players on a gallant quest for comedy glory (and more snacks!) in a hilarious adventure saga that has been running continuously since 2012.

Spanning over 100 live performances in both Canada and the United States, two years of “at-home” streaming, and frequent festival appearances, THE CRITICAL HIT SHOW is one of the longest running comedy shows around. #DNDLive is an improvised adventure that takes its inspiration from tabletop role-playing games, fantasy film and TV, and (most importantly) you!

Whether you’re a longtime fan, you’ve been enjoying our live streamed shows, or you’re brand new to the experience - you’re going to have a great time.

Wednesday, July 2
Doors 6:15 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Please arrive on time. Start time subject to change.
Tickets $17 +s/c | $20+ s/c at the door

THE ADVENTURERS

Eric Fell as The Dungeon Master
Ian Boothby as Benoit the Anointed, the Half-Elf Cleric
Joanna Gaskell as Freya, the Elf Warlock
Barbara Beall as Ingrid, the Halfling Fighter
Ellen MacNevin as Belle Strummer, the Half-Elf Ranger
Allen Morrison as Spitz Lube’n, the Human Wizard
Shaun Stewart as Brask Hellbeard, the Dwarf Bard

More monsters! More Magic! More Mayhem! More Off-Brand soda!

Twitter: @critshow
www.criticalhitshow.com
www.facebook.com/dndlive

Two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (THE SHAPE OF WATER) delivers a profound, if not deeply deranged performance in the domestic nightmare BRING HER BACK, the latest from Australian filmmaking twins Danny and Michael Philippou (2022's TALK TO ME). This unsettling mystery-thriller tells the tale of a brother and sister who uncover a terrifying, gruesome ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

"Horrific perfection." (Chicago Reader)

"The filmmakers want to jolt folks, for sure. But they also want to bring you to a place where the emotional after effects of that juddering linger long after the jump scares have faded away." (Rolling Stone)

"Sally Hawkins is a boundlessly talented actor, and it’s fun to watch her turn those powers to evil by playing a former counselor who understands children so well that she’s fantastically good at manipulating them in pursuit of her grand scheme." (New York Magazine / Vulture)

"In the devilish hands of Australian filmmaking brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, evil has been concentrated into an exceptionally and impressively nasty 104 minutes." (Globe and Mail)

"I’m not sure what happened to the Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou that explains why their horror movies are swollen with grief. And I don’t need to know. What matters is how expertly, and jarringly, the Philippous show us how grief feels." (Los Angeles Times)

Wednesday, July 2
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

BRING HER BACK (Danny and Michael Philippou, 2025 / 104 mins / 18A) A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

Beloved scholarly pop culture podcast, Material Girls, is coming to the Rio Theatre for a one-night-only live show. Featuring familiar segments from the show, as well as some new shenanigans, the night is sure to be a hoot!

Join co-hosts Hannah McGregor and Marcelle Kosman for an evening of playful banter, deep(ish) academic dives, and visual gags only possible in person! Better yet? The show will feature friends of the pod and podcast royalty, Helen Zaltzman and Martin Austwick (The Allusionist). Come for the bits, stay for the insights!

To learn more about Material Girls check out their website or Patreon!

Thursday, July 3
Doors 6:30 pm | Show 7:15 pm

$25+ s/c Early Bird (Until June 27)
$30+ s/c General Admission

Meet Big and Little Edie Beale: mother (Edith Bouvier Beale) and daughter (Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale), high-society dropouts, and reclusive cousins of the Jackie Onassis. The two manage to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, New York, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot. An impossibly intimate portrait, this 1976 documentary by Albert and David Maysles, codirected by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen.

"As tender and revealing as it is completely bonkers." (Times)

"Edith and Edie are like a toxic vaudeville team, joined not just by blood but affinity. They're three parts folie a deux to two parts shtick." (Boston Globe)

"Richly detailed and boundlessly evocative, even at its most claustrophobic." (Village Voice)

Friday, July 4
Doors 5:15 pm | Movie 5:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

GREY GARDENS (Ellen Hoyde, Albert Maysles & David Maysles, 1975 / 95 mins / NR) Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.

"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman turn in career-high performances as two men who forge a profound, lifelong bond while searching for humanity and moral decency against the backdrop of an American prison in director Frank Darabont's THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.

Adapted from Stephen King's novella "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," the film tells the story of upstanding banker Andy Dufresne (Robbins), framed in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover. As Andy begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. Over the course of his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red (Freeman) -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

Considered something of a box-office "flop" upon its release in 1994, the film nevertheless garnered seven Oscar nominations (the most for any film adapted from Stephen King's canon), and has grown into its cult status, while being widely considered one of the top films of the 1990s.

Vancouver's own Gil Bellows - who memorably appears in the film as Tommy - will be joining us in-person to introduce the film and for a post-show Q&A.

"In the lead roles, both Robbins and Freeman are outstanding, layering their performances with snippets of individuality: Their small, daily sustenances and minor triumphs are wonderfully inspiring." (The Hollywood Reporter)

"If you don't love SHAWSHANK, chances are you're beyond redemption." (Empire Magazine)

Friday, July 4
Doors 7:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm*Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Want even more Bellows both on the big screen and LIVE on our stage? Then make it AN EVENING WITH GIL BELLOWS double billed with LOVE AND A .45 for one sweet price here: https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/36341-an-evening-with-gil-bellows-the-shawshank-redemption-love-and-a-45

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Frank Darabont, 1994 / 142 mins / 18A) Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

What July 4th would be complete without a tongue-in-cheek tribute from your friendly, neighborhood Rio Theatre. We are very excited to bring to you, local Vancouver actor, AN EVENING WITH GIL BELLOWS. Gil will be live on our stage to intro Frank Darabont's THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (featuring Mr. Bellows as 'Tommy'), followed by a post screening Q&A and then a live intro of his 1994, bad boy, thriller LOVE AND A .45 where Gil played lead, 'Watty Watts' opposite 'Starlene' (Renée Zellweger).

Friday, July 4
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Doors 7:30 pm | Intro & Film 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Post screening Q&A with GIL BELLOWS

Brief Intermission

LOVE AND A .45
Intro & Film Approx. 11:15 pm *Start time subject to change as this is part of a double bill.

Tickets just $22!
Single film tickets available at www.riotheatretickets.ca

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Frank Darabont, 1994 / 142 mins / 18A) Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

LOVE AND A .45 (C.M. Talkington | 1994 | 101 mins | 14A) Small-time criminal Watty Watts attempts to rob a convenience store with his drug-addict buddy, Billy Mack Black. The robbery, however, leads to murder, and soon Watty leaves Billy behind and goes on the run with his beloved girlfriend, Starlene. Heading toward Mexico, the fugitive couple gets plenty of media coverage, until there are even more people on their trail. Can Watty and Starlene make it south of the border without getting caught?

Small-time criminal Watty Watts (Gil Bellows) attempts to rob a convenience store with his drug-addict buddy, Billy Mack Black (Rory Cochrane). The robbery, however, leads to murder, and soon Watty leaves Billy behind and goes on the run with his beloved girlfriend, Starlene (Renée Zellweger). Heading toward Mexico, the fugitive couple gets plenty of media coverage, until there are even more people on their trail. Can Watty and Starlene make it south of the border without getting caught?

"Jean-Luc Godard’s dictum that “all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun” is proven once again in “Love and a .45,” a down ‘n’ dirty, white-trash Saturday night special with a number of things going for it." (Variety)

"Talkington not only has style but also a terrific way with actors, giving them the confidence to go over the top while having fun doing so." (The Los Angeles Times)

Vancouver's own Gil Bellows (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, TV's 'Ally McBeal') will be joining us to introduce the film!

Friday, July 4
Doors 10:45 pm | Movie 11:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Want even more Bellows both on the big screen and LIVE on our stage? Then make it AN EVENING WITH GIL BELLOWS double billed with THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION for one sweet price here: https://riotheatretickets.ca/events/36341-an-evening-with-gil-bellows-the-shawshank-redemption-love-and-a-45

Can't make it for both screenings but still looking for a sweet deal? Good things it's #FRIDAYLATENIGHT single film tickets are 2 for 1!

LOVE AND A .45 (C.M. Talkington | 1994 | 104 mins | 14A) Small-time criminal Watty Watts attempts to rob a convenience store with his drug-addict buddy, Billy Mack Black. The robbery, however, leads to murder, and soon Watty leaves Billy behind and goes on the run with his beloved girlfriend, Starlene. Heading toward Mexico, the fugitive couple gets plenty of media coverage, until there are even more people on their trail. Can Watty and Starlene make it south of the border without getting caught?

The legendary "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" that took place in 1881 is firmly rooted in American mythology and the imagination of movie-lovers since the dawn of cinema, inspiring countless films within the Western genre. The event and its prime characters supply the basis for George Cosmatos' (RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD, LEVIATHAN, COBRA) star-studded and action-packed 1993 film TOMBSTONE, which has recently been restored for the big screen.

Kurt Russell shines as former lawman Wyatt Earp, who decides to retire in the growing town of Tombstone with his two brothers. There, they meet Wyatt's old friend Doc Holliday (the late, great Val Kilmer), a gunslinger with tuberculosis. The Earps plan to take it easy and make some money on a drinking/gambling establishment. Unfortunately, a band of violent criminals called the Cowboys starts to make trouble, and before long it becomes apparent that the Earps must take up their guns once again to help keep the peace. Meanwhile, a saucy showgirl has caught the married Wyatt's eye, causing even more trouble for him. Will Wyatt survive all this, plus a showdown with the malevolent sharpshooter Johnny Ringo? Featuring an A-list ensemble cast including Dana Delany, Michael Biehn, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Jason Priestley, Thomas Haden Church, and Michael Rooker.

"Val Kilmer's take on Doc Holliday is often considered one of the best acting performances in the entire Western genre. [Kilmer's]performance turned 'Tombstone' from a great Western into a timeless classic." (ScreenRant)

"... this is rootin', tootin' entertainment." (TimeOut)

"... feels like lightning in a bottle, which is why so many return to "Tombstone" more than 30 years later." (Elements of Madness)

Saturday, July 5
Doors 7:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

TOMBSTONE (George Cosmatos, Kevin Jarre / 1993 / 135 mins / 14A) Wyatt Earp and his brothers, Morgan and Virgil, have left their gunslinger ways behind them to settle down and start a business in the town of Tombstone, Ariz. While they aren't looking to find trouble, trouble soon finds them when they become targets of the ruthless Cowboy gang. Now, together with Wyatt's best friend, Doc Holliday, the brothers pick up their guns once more to restore order to a lawless land.

In anticipation of the upcoming release of American horror master Ari Aster's new film EDDINGTON on July 5, we felt the time was right to take a look back at his 2018 feature film debut, HEREDITARY.

When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell. Starring Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne.

"HEREDITARY is a new horror landmark that puts a unique face on things that go bump in the night." (Rolling Stone)

"If you're the kind of horror nerd whose cage gets especially rattled by séances, shock scares, and the supernatural, you're in for a hell of a time." (Entertainment Weekly)

"HEREDITARY, the debut feature from Ari Aster, has an ambitious energy, a sense that the creaky old machinery of horror can be adapted to new and exciting uses." (The NY Times)

Saturday, July 5
Doors 10:15 pm | Movie 10:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

HEREDITARY (Ari Aster, 2018 / 127 mins / 14A) After their reclusive grandmother passes away, the Graham family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.

Alright, alright, alright!

Why go cruising the strip or climbing the moontower when you could spend it at your favourite indie movie theatre instead?

Join us at the Rio Theatre for a slice of cult-classic nostalgia that celebrates the best day of high school you never had: Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused.

As fresh today as it was when it was released in 1993, Linklater's infinitely quotable coming-of-age tale features a truly excellent ensemble cast, an authentically groovy 70s feel, and a pretty killer soundtrack, man. Dazed and Confused might be Linklater's best-loved work, and really showcases his signature rambling, naturalistic style and an approach to storytelling that was so memorable in his breakthrough 1991 indie hit, Slacker. Dazed and Confused manages to take a peek into the cliques and characters of high school in a smart, heartfelt, and often very funny way, revealing an endearing and occasionally profound picture of, "the best years of your life." Starring Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, Joey Lauren Adams, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Anthony Rapp, Marissa Ribisi, Milla Jovovovovich, and Ben Affleck.

"Bet it makes you wanna dance." (TIME Magazine)

Wednesday, July 9
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

DAZED AND CONFUSED (Richard Linklater, 1993 / 102 mins, 14A) | The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.

Hong Kong, 1962: Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung Man-yuk) move into neighboring apartments on the same day. Their encounters are formal and polite—until a discovery about their spouses creates an intimate bond between them.

For the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the film, Wong Kar Wai has revisited the original concept of the film. With this special edition he has offered the possibility of storytelling by adding an unseen chapter as a bonus to the original version.

Initially conceived as one third of a triptych about food, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE was expanded into a stand-alone feature that won immediate recognition as a modern-day classic. Another third—intended as the “dessert,” as Wong Kar Wai has put it—was, until now, only screened during his masterclass at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Now available in wide release for the first time, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE 2001 demonstrates the director’s masterful ability to generate palpable atmosphere and striking characterizations on a miniature canvas—with the film's stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung Man Yuk once again providing the sizzling chemistry— evoking the mystery of transient, unexpected connections in the modern city through his inimitable romantic touch.

At once delicately mannered and visually extravagant, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is a masterful evocation of romantic longing and fleeting moments. With its aching musical soundtrack and exquisitely abstract cinematography by Christopher Doyle and Mark Lee Ping-bin, this film has been a major stylistic influence on the past decade of cinema, and is a milestone in Wong’s redoubtable career. (In Sight & Sound's most recent poll of The Greatest Films of All Time, the film finds itself ranked at #5.)

"Wong Kar Wai’s masterpiece is a heartbreaking story of illicit love that pulses with the ache of repressed desire." (BFI.org)

"So skillfully does the director brings us to a state of breathless expectation that when he refuses to deliver the goods he almost seems to have invented a new form of perversion." (New Yorker Magazine)

"Further complemented by the gentle lull of Nat King Cole songs, 'In The Mood For Love' casts a dreamy and melancholic spell that remains unbroken long after the closing credits have rolled." (AV Club)

"Stylized, set-designed to the last hair wisp, the film is a mixture of bold devices with delicate understatement that leave a remarkable aftereffect." (Globe and Mail)

Thursday, July 10
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE 2001 (Wong Kar Wai, 2000 / PG / 107 mins / Cantonese with English subtitles) Hong Kong, 1962: A journalist, Chow and his wife move into a Hong Kong apartment, but his spouse is often away on business. Before long, the lonely Chow makes the acquaintance of an alluring neighbour whose own significant other also seems preoccupied with work. As the two friends realize their respective partners are cheating on them, they begin to fall for one another; however, neither wants to stoop to the level of the unfaithful spouses.

Acclaimed hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan are taking over Vancouver on June 30, so we thought it was the perfect time for us to give some big screen love to one of the films that directly influenced them and their music, THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING.

Released in 1979, the film is highly regarded as one of the best kung fu movies of all time, and was a major influence on the Wu Tang Clan. The film’s plot is about a young kung fu fighter who trains under a master of chess, so they can battle “The Ghost Face Killer," a villain who is killing off his old rivals.

This particular version of the film slated to screen at the Rio Theatre comes via Dan Halsted, the Head Film Programmer at Portland's Hollywood Theatre (he also owns the only known 35mm print), and Wu Tang Clan founder RZA’s company 36 Cinema which acquired the rights and made a digital restoration (made directly from Dan's 35mm print!) of the film.

"The original Ghostface Killer is on the loose! A vicious villain with an unstoppable five element technique, Ghostface is killing off all his old rivals. Meanwhile, a young student tries to learn kung fu and is taken under the wing of an old chess master. The basics of chess prove to be the same as the basics of fighting, and eventually the heroes will have to fight Ghostface Killer, who verbally insults his opponents as he annihilates them. A true classic, and obvious favorite of the Wu Tang Clan, directed by Joseph Kuo (SEVEN GRANDMASTERS, 18 BRONZEMEN)." (Dan Halsted)

Thursday, July 10
Doors 8:30 pm | Movie 9:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE MYSTERY OF CHESS BOXING (Joseph Kuo, 1979 / NR / 91 mins / Mandarin with EST) Evil Chun Shan uses chess boxing and a five-element ninja style to terrorize the martial arts world until he is challenged in a series of battles, then destroyed.

The Rio Theatre’s patented Friday Late Night Movie series continues on July 11 with Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne‘s (THE DEVIL’S CANDY) latest, the cold blooded survival thriller DANGEROUS ANIMALS.

Zephyr, a solitary surfer with a troubled past has come to Australia’s Gold Coast to find an escape, but her peaceful existence is disrupted when she meets Moses, a local real estate agent and fellow surfer. After a romantic night with him, she flees to the ocean but is abducted by Tucker, a shark–obsessed psycho-sadomasochistic serial killer. Soon, things go from bad to the absolute bloody worst, and she finds herself facing a terrifying showdown somewhere between onboard the ship and the sharks below. Zephyr must challenge the real monster: man. With Hassie Harrington, Jai Courtney, Ella Newton.

“Making this work requires wit, the right tone and a ruthleJosh Heuston, ss sense of pace. [Director Sean] Byrne manages all three with a sure hand.” (New York Times)

“What truly elevates this film above the mediocrity one might expect from such a project is the credibility its actors bring to their characters.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Generally, movies that deal with the triumph of the human spirit are just so much multiplex chum. But Dangerous Animals is the rare survival thriller in which it feels like something is at stake beyond the mechanics of the story line.” (The Ringer)

Friday, July 11
Doors 10:30 pm | Movie 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

LATE NIGHT DATE NIGHT! Tickets are two-for-one entry.

DANGEROUS ANIMALS (Sean Byrne, 2025 / 14A / 98 mins) A shark-obsessed serial killer holds Zephyr, a rebellious surfer, captive on his boat. Racing against time, she must figure out a way to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below.

“Amélie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony... It’s a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her.”

We're toasting French cinema on Bastille Day (July 14) with one of our all-time favourites, a film that is equal parts romantic and magical, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s delightfully charming AMELIE. Released in 2001, this endearing modern French classic about an impish, lonesome young woman in Paris remains one of the most successful international releases of all time, is roundly embraced by cinephiles the world over, and happens to have one of the most beloved scores (Yann Tiersen) in recent memory. It also introduced the world to the thoroughly enchanting Audrey Tatou, the pleasures of the crack of a spoon against the brittle, caramelized top of an ice-cold crème brûlée, and the magic of traveling garden gnomes. With Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, and Jamel Debbouze."It's hard not to fall under the spell of this moonstruck romance." (Rolling Stone)

Monday, July 14
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

AMELIE "Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain" (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001 / 122 mins / 14A / French w/ EST) At a tiny Parisian café, the adorable yet painfully shy Amélie accidentally discovers a gift for helping others. Soon Amelie is spending her days as a matchmaker, guardian angel, and all-around do-gooder. But when she bumps into a handsome stranger, will she find the courage to become the star of her very own love story?

Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins. With Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Rupert Friend, Richard Ayoade, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Hope Davis, Benedict Cumberbatch.

"A caper made with all the intricacy of a Rube Goldberg machine, 'The Phoenician Scheme' doesn't deviate from Wes Anderson's increasingly ornate style but delivers the formula with mannered delicacy." (Rotten Tomatoes)

"Each set is carefully assembled, with the blocking of each shot perfectly aligned, and Anderson’s rat-a-tat dialogue is delivered exactly as written. Still, there’s a spontaneity to the storytelling and the world it’s moving through." (The Atlantic)

"... A palate cleanser – a lovely lark, a spirits lifter." (Austin Chronicle)

"The result is more digestible, though also less moving, than Anderson’s recent Asteroid City, but it does have a stealth emotional weapon in Threapleton’s Liesl, who exudes the intelligence and self-possession of a young Anna Karina." (The New Yorker)

Friday, July 18
Doors 7:30 pm | Movie 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (Wes Anderson, 2025 / 101 mins / PG) Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

The Rio Theatre's Friday Late Night Movies series continues on July 18 with a big ol' cheesy slice of unadulterated 60's camp, with "Queen of the Galaxy" Jane Fonda in Roger Vadim's out-of-this-world sci-fi sex romp / cult-classic, BARBARELLA. With Anita Pallenberg, John Phillip Law, Marcel Marceau.

"BARBARELLA is a gift-wrapped 'X' certificate bonbon for a space age nursery." (The Spectator)

"Roger Vadim's ultra-kitsch sci-fi classic somehow improves with age." (Total Film)

Friday, July 18
Doors 10:30 pm | Movie 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Late Night Date Night! Bring a friend, date or your own friendly neighbourhood mad scientist and get two-for-one entry!

BARBARELLA (Roger Vadim, 1968 / 98 mins / PG) In the the 41st century, a highly sexual female astronaut named Barbarella is tasked with finding and stopping the mad scientist Durand-Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.

Let’s do the Time Warp… Again!

There is no better way to experience the pop-culture juggernaut that is  THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW than the the way it is meant to be seen – on the big screen, in the dark, and with a raucous Rio Theatre audience who are just as into it as you are.

Whether you’re a Virgin or a veteran, you’ll have a blast!

Even better? Joyful chaos creature and the Rio's own legendary host, DANDY, will be on-hand to guide the Virgins (and veterans!) through all the do's-and-don'ts of this monumentally experiential cinematic phenomenon.

As always, costumes and audience participation are highly encouraged - because costume contest! (In other words: Prizes! Here's your chance to go all out and let your freak flag fly, people.) The ticket price includes a fun prop bag, too!

Your own props are also very welcome, but please – whatever you do – DO NOT BRING RICE OR CONFETTI!

Saturday, July 19
Doors 10:30 pm | Event 11:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Jim Sharman, 1975 / 100 mins / 14A) A newly engaged couple (Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick) have a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry).

Toronto comic Jacob Balshin is moving to Vancouver for two months. To celebrate his time in Vancouver, Jacob will be performing at the Rio Theatre on his last day in the city.

An award winning stand-up, Jacob was named one of Toronto’s Top 10 Influencers of 2025 by the Toronto Star and has also been featured on CBC’s New Wave of Comedy, where he has amassed millions of views online. Do not miss your chance to see one of Canada’s fastest rising stars!

(Jacob would like to note that he rented out the Rio Theatre on his own credit card. So come support a Canadian comedian who is truly trying to do this all on his own.)

Wednesday, July 30
Doors 6:30 pm | Event 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Early Bird (Until July 1) ? $17+ s/c

General Admission $25+ s/c | At the door $30 + s/c

Connect with Jacob on Instagram @Jacobbalshin

Forget everything you thought you knew about circus. This isn’t your childhood big top, this is something curious and queer.

Vancouver Pride Week is hitting the Rio Theatre on Thursday, July 31 as co-producers April O’Peel Productions and Du Jour Marketing present CIRQUE DU SLAY, a provocative and powerful night of drag, circus, comedy, and sexiness, showcasing an all-queer, all-creative cast that'll flip your expectations upside down - and hang 'em from the ceiling.

This one-night-only event promises boundary-pushing acts from some of the most devoted and unapologetic performers in the city, including Cali Cobalt, Malandro, Batty Banks, Dame Derrière, Space Cake, Rain City Circus, and many more. From arresting aerial acrobatics to groundbreaking ground acts, this is a celebration of queer expression like no other. Expect the unexpected, and come ready to cheer, laugh, and maybe even blush.

Featuring: Cali Cobalt, Malandro, Batty Banks, Dame Derrière, Space Cake, Rain City Circus and many more!

Thursday, July 31
Doors 7:15 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird Tickets $20+ s/c (Until June 30)
General Admission Tickets $30+ s/c
VIP (First two rows, centre) $40 + s/c
Squad Pass (Group of Four) $100+ s/c

For Pride this year the Rio Theatre is rolling out the rainbow carpet to welcome back Vancouver Pride & the return of Dandy's BIG GAY CABARET 2025! And whom better to be our honorable ambassador to the world and fellow Gaynadians than our very own Gayest of the Gays, Queerest of the Queers, Dandy!

Celebrate Vancouver at the most anticipated cabaret of the year! Runner up in Georgia Straight's BEST OF VANCOUVER 2023 and host of the year 2024, DANDY (tiktok star @dandyandfriends) curates a cabinet of charismatic, Queer, cabaret creators. Live singing, dance, death defying circus feats, drag, burlesque and some fun surprises. You might not be gay when you sit down, but research shows that attending this show will make you 69% gayer!. HUZZAH!

If you don't come to this show, you are homophobic! So get your tickets now, Darling.

Friday, August 1
Doors 7:15 pm | Show 8:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets available until July 1, SAVE $5 off each ticket!

Main Floor Assigned $30 + s/c | $35 at the door
VIP - First 4 rows $40 + s/c **VIP ticket holders also get an interactive prop bag to be used during the show!**
The 'We Are Family' 4 Pack $25 a ticket + s/c (Available online only)

But wait, there's more!

The Rio Theatre lobby and bar will be open between shows and serving up Pride inspired cocktails, mocktails and your favorite gay anthems. Don't forget to pick up a Rio Theatre Pride Edition T-shirt, check out the merch booth and pose, vogue, pose at our pride photo backdrop. Don't forget to tag us in your pics @riotheatre & @dandyandfriends

Featuring:

Ruth Ordare
Queen Kong
Melrose Twist
Jordy Matheson
 Tally Ho
Karmella "Sissy" Barr
Glimmer Rouge
&
Deviant Dancing Dandies 

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About your Host:

Dandy (he/him) is the award-winning host made popular on TikTok for his viral videos promoting queer joy! Winner of Host of the Year 2024 for Vancouver International Burlesque Festival and awarded runner up in the Georgia Straight’s BEST OF VANCOUVER for his show Drag Attack! – you can catch him regularly on stage in his shows at the iconic Rio Theatre in Vancouver, or touring regularly this year between LA and New York City. His all new series Dandyland, which highlights businesses, organizations, and artists in the lower-mainland’s LGBT Community, premiered this Summer on Optik TV and was nominated by the Costume Designers Guild Awards for Excellence in Short Form Design 2024 thanks to already award winning, multi-talented Costume Designer, Rafaella Rabinovich

@dandyandfriends

Guess who's back to keep Vancouver laughing... The East Van Laugh RioT is pleased to welcome the summertime return of comedian Sammy Obeid - with all-new material! We just can't keep him off our stage!

Sunday, August 10
Doors 4:00 pm | Show 5:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets available until May 12, midnight.

Adult Balcony (General Admission) $39 + s/c
Adult Main Floor (Assigned Seating) $48+ s/c
VIP Meet n' Greet (Rows 2-6, centre section) $65+ s/c
VVIP Meet n' Greet (Front Row, centre section) $75+ s/c
Group Ticket Pricing (Minimum 4) $43 (ea)+ s/c (online only)

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Lebanese-Palestinian American and born in Oakland California, Sammy Obeid double-majored in Business and Mathematics at UC Berkeley and then turned down a job at Google to be a comedian.

Now the host of 100 Humans on Netflix, he’s also appeared on NBC's Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent, as well as TBS’s Conan, and is best known for his world record of performing comedy 1,001 nights in a row, a story featured in both Time Magazine and The New York Times.

Connect on Instagram @sammyobeid
Connect on Facebook
Connect on TikTok @sammyobeidthem
Connect on X @sammyobeid

KEVIN NEALON
Presented by Gotpop? Concerts

The Rio Theatre is pleased to welcome Kevin Nealon to the stage for a night of standup comedy on Sunday, March 24.

Sunday, August 24
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 7:00 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Main Floor (Assigned) $85+ s/c
Balcony (General Admission) $75+ s/c

Kevin Nealon is an Emmy and SAG-nominated actor and comedian who sets himself apart from other comedic performers with his unique sense of humor, dry wit and likable demeanor. Nealon is best known for his nine-year stint as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and received critical acclaim for his role in the hit Showtime series Weeds. Kevin currently produces and hosts his digital series Hiking with Kevin, and tours his stand-up globally. In 2022 he released his, I Exaggerate: My Brushes with Fame. Part art book, part memoir -- the book is full of original full-color caricatures Kevin has created along with funny, endearing personal essays about his famous friends.

Nealon’s extensive television credits include the CBS sitcom, Man With a Plan, in which he starred alongside Matt LeBlanc; Showtime’s Weeds, which ran for eight seasons. Additional television roles include two critically acclaimed stand-up
specials for Showtime and a number of appearances on Hot In Cleveland, Franklin & Bash, Monk, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Still Standing.

Kevin has also has found great comedic success in his extensive film career. In Anger Management, he played opposite Jack Nicholson and fellow SNL comedian, Adam Sandler. He and Sandler also teamed up in Eight Crazy Nights, The Wedding Singer, Happy Gilmore, Just Go With It, Blended, and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, the latter of which grossed over $200 million worldwide. In Joe Dirt, Nealon joined another SNL alumnus David Spade. Additional film credits include Daddy Day Care with Eddie Murphy, Good Boy with Molly Shannon, Bucky Larsen: Born to be a Star with Nick Swardson, Roxanne with Steve Martin and the cult hit Grandma’s Boy, also with Nick Swardson and Jonah Hill.

As one of the longest running cast members on NBC’s Saturday Night Live (1986-1995), Nealon created some of the show’s most memorable characters, including ‘The Subliminal Man’ and ‘Hans and Franz.’ Nealon’s recurring role as an anchor on ‘Weekend Update’ helped make the sketch a show staple. In 1988, he earned an Emmy nomination as part of the SNL writing team. In 2008, Nealon released his first book, Yes, You’re Pregnant, But What About Me? - a comical look at the male perspective of pregnancy.

Currently, Kevin resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Metta Grove is a cinematic visionary art concert merging the essence of guided meditation, sound journeys, cinematic films, and psychedelic experiences.

It is a multimedia symphony that elicits nourishing relaxation, wonder, and euphoria.

Simon Haiduk is a multimedia artist working with visual art and sonic mediums in themes that emphasize nature and spiritual energy. Many years of thematic creativity have led to a synthesis of expressions as a cinematic audiovisual concert.

This concert features stunning visuals of Simon’s digital paintings transformed into animations and then woven with layers of light and sound in a harmonious fusion. The soundtrack is a dynamic range of musical experiences from various artists, carefully curated to engage your soul, with heartwarming melodies, ambient spaces and pulsing rhythms.

The show includes an introductory presentation where Simon will share insights about his creative inspiration, tools, process and integration of plant medicines. His partner, Jane Calm, a
somatic therapeutic counsellor, will speak about everyone’s inherited access to psychic abilities.

Metta Grove is a meditation on our intrinsic connection to nature and the foundations of this reality as light and sound. Please join us for this rejuvenating immersive experience in an unforgettable night of inspired spiritual connection, musical majesty and visionary art that will leave you in awe.

*If you’ve seen Metta Grove in Vancouver previously, this is a similar show as part of “Realm 1”, but with many new and enhanced features. Realm 2 arrives in 2027.

Thursday, September 11
Doors 6:45 PM | Event 7:30 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Early Bird tickets just $25! Hurry, deadline is midnight August 11.

Main Floor Assigned - $35 + s/c
Balcony General Admission - $30 + s/c

Tickets, trailers, testimonials, and more info at: mg.artbysimon.com

Ashwyn Singh comes to the Rio Theatre's stage with his latest show on Thursday, September 18.

Thursday, September 18
Doors 6:00 pm | Show 6:45 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

VVIP (Front Row) $45 + s/c
VIP (Rows B-F) $35+ s/c
Main Floor $30+ s/c
Group Pass (4 Tickets) $108+ s/c

Ashwyn Singh is a standup comedian, musician, and writer whose work blends incisive humor with heartfelt social commentary. An Indian immigrant turned Canadian resident, Ashwyn draws on his unique perspective to explore themes of cultural identity, immigration, and family with wit and relatability.

His viral Desi Translations series, which has over 40 million views, celebrates the artistry of Hindi and Urdu lyrics by reinterpreting everyday English phrases. Beyond social media, Ashwyn’s standup comedy tackles social issues like immigration, religion, politics, mental health, and global conflicts, highlighting the hypocrisy in human behavior with sharp humor.

Featured on Canada’s Got Talent, CBC’s The Debaters, and major comedy festivals like Winnipeg and Halifax, Ashwyn has opened for acclaimed acts such as Mark Normand, Sammy Obeid, and Zarna Garg, establishing himself as a standout talent in comedy.

LADIES OF VANCOUVER ARE YOU READY?!

The Magic Men Australia "LARGER THAN LIFE" WORLD TOUR is hitting town, and this is your chance to witness the ultimate, high-energy, jaw-dropping, pulse-racing male revue show LIVE!

Featuring TIKTOK SENSATION WILL PARFITT! With millions of fans worldwide, this Channing Tatum lookalike is ready to bring the heat, charm, and signature moves that have made him a global sensation! Expect an all-star lineup of chiseled hunks, heart-racing performances, and electrifying stage presence that will leave you breathless and begging for more!

Round up your squad for the ULTIMATE Girls’ Night Out! Get ready for a night packed with jaw-dropping entertainment, cheeky surprises, and non-stop fun. TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST – DON’T MISS OUT! Secure yours NOW and experience the Magic Men Australia WORLD TOUR LIVE!

Saturday, September 27
Doors 7:00 PM | Event 8:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Ticket levels

Premium - Main Floor (first 5 rows): $85 + s/c
•   Exclusive Early Entry: Doors open 30 minutes earlier than regular door opening time.
•   Prime Seating: Seated closest to the action for the best viewing experience.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: Approximately 40 audience members will have the chance to get on stage.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Early access to the meet-and-greet team for photo opportunities.
•   Early Merchandise Sales: Priority access to merchandise sales before general entry, ensuring a quicker, smoother experience.

Deluxe - Main Floor: $65 + s/c
•   Second-Tier Seating: The second closest seating category to the stage, offering a great view of the show.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Enjoy the opportunity to meet the team and take photos.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: A  smaller chance to be invited on stage during the show over Premium.

General Admission - Balcony: $40 + s/c
•   Non-Reserved Seating
Entry to the show.
Full stage performance experience.

LADIES OF VANCOUVER ARE YOU READY?!

The Magic Men Australia "LARGER THAN LIFE" WORLD TOUR is hitting town, and this is your chance to witness the ultimate, high-energy, jaw-dropping, pulse-racing male revue show LIVE!

Featuring TIKTOK SENSATION WILL PARFITT! With millions of fans worldwide, this Channing Tatum lookalike is ready to bring the heat, charm, and signature moves that have made him a global sensation! Expect an all-star lineup of chiseled hunks, heart-racing performances, and electrifying stage presence that will leave you breathless and begging for more!

Round up your squad for the ULTIMATE Girls’ Night Out! Get ready for a night packed with jaw-dropping entertainment, cheeky surprises, and non-stop fun. TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST – DON’T MISS OUT! Secure yours NOW and experience the Magic Men Australia WORLD TOUR LIVE!

Monday, September 29
Doors 7:00 PM | Event 8:00 PM *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.

Ticket levels

Premium - Main Floor (first 5 rows): $85 + s/c
•   Exclusive Early Entry: Doors open 30 minutes earlier than regular door opening time.
•   Prime Seating: Seated closest to the action for the best viewing experience.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: Approximately 40 audience members will have the chance to get on stage.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Early access to the meet-and-greet team for photo opportunities.
•   Early Merchandise Sales: Priority access to merchandise sales before general entry, ensuring a quicker, smoother experience.

Deluxe - Main Floor: $65 + s/c
•   Second-Tier Seating: The second closest seating category to the stage, offering a great view of the show.
•   Meet & Greet & Photos: Enjoy the opportunity to meet the team and take photos.
•   Stage Participation Opportunity: A  smaller chance to be invited on stage during the show over Premium.

General Admission - Balcony: $40 + s/c
•   Non-Reserved Seating
Entry to the show.
Full stage performance experience.