arts // no. § The TV theatre » The trajectories of movies and TV shows Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist Mes are experiences where you can explore new worlds without being there and understand current events in an enjoyable way. With the proliferation of the TV, the film industry and movie theatres have been trying to think of new ways to tell stories and present them. New innovations like widescreen, IMAX, and 3D have kept people going to the movie theatres over the past few decades. For example, in my opinion the definitive way to watch Dunkirk is to see it in IMAX 7omm because Christopher Nolan filmed most of it in that format—you see the entire frame instead of the cropped version you get when you watch it on Blu-ray, and the film is presented in 18k which is the highest picture resolution so far and cannot be shown ona 4k TV. Nowadays, movie theatres are struggling to attract audiences in the era of Netflix, which provides the same content except in the comfort of your home (although Netflix must release movies in theatres to make them eligible for the Academy Awards). After watching some of the films that Netflix has offered— including Okja and the Academy Award- winning Roma—both on the streaming service and on the big screen, I will say there is a difference in the impact of the films because when you watch them on the big screen, it is like you are there with the characters on screen and you react with people in the audience who you do not know. Story-wise, it feels like there haven't been a lot of original films released in this decade that would turn into instant classics and be passed to future generations to enjoy. Most of the films that were released recently have been superhero films, sequels, and remakes. Eight of the highest grossing films of all time have fallen into one of these categories, including The Avengers: Endgame which is on track to become the highest-grossing film of all time. An important thing to point out is that the film was entirely filmed in IMAX 3D. In my opinion, it is not only my favourite Avengers film but also the best superhero film, and indeed the greatest film, of all time. The almost-three-hour epic is like a series finale of a show. In fact, all the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe between The Avengers: Infinity War and this film feel like a four-part miniseries that could have been simply titled The Avengers: Infinity War. On the other hand, the quality of TV today is very high and shares in some of There is hot air for everyone at annual jazz fest >» Vancouver International Jazz Festival preview Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist hen it is summertime in Vancouver, it usually so hot outside that you either want to stay inside cooling off or walk around and do activities outside. It is certainly a time when hot air is rising—and by that, I mean jazz music is in the air. The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival is back to fire us up with cool jazz music that many people can jam to. This year’s edition of the festival, which runs from June 21 to July 1, features musicians that will not only appeal to jazz fans but to mainstream audiences. It is also the first edition since the death of festival founder Ken Pickering last fall. Jazz music is not just the classic jazz standards that you know. Elements of this genre are also used in other genres of music including mainstream music, which is the case of the three headlining acts this year. These acts are all part of the Marquee Series which happens at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The most surprising act that will perform in the festival this year as a last-minute addition is the iconic rap group Wu-Tang Clan, taking the stage on June 23. The group that pioneered rap music in the 1990s can be classified as a type of jazz music because rap is like slam poetry accompanied with jazz music. Then on June 28 we have the Grammy- winning group that is also the house band on The Tonight Show: The Roots. Ifyou are a fan of Jimmy Fallon, you probably know that they can do any type of music. I saw this band performing during the last time they were at the festival in 2015 and their show was as exciting as a rap concert. Another Grammy winner, Herbie Hancock, will perform on June 29. Hancock has been part of pop culture for the past few decades and has made a lot of memorable music that you might know. One of the musicians whom Photo via TD Music and Vancouver International Jazz Festival theotherpress.ca the magic of movies. For example, every episode of BBC’s Sherlock is the length of a movie and one season of Stranger Things is like an eight-hour film. If the last four episodes of the last season of Game of Thrones had been two episodes, they could have been Game of Thrones: The Movie. Of course, there is also overlap and crossover in television and cinema—Downton Abbey, my favourite show of this decade, will be releasing a film of the same name this fall, which will serve as a continuation of the series. In my opinion seeing movies today is like watching TV except even better. You can watch almost an entire series on TV and watch the series finale in a movie theatre for a bigger impact. As long as cinemas continue to innovate, create original stories, and provide viewing experiences that can’t be achieved at home, we will still have movie theatres. Photo via Maryland Science Centre © Hancock is a fan and supporter of is Jacob Collier, who will perform at The Imperial in Chinatown on June 30. The British musician combines jazz music with electronic music. I recommend his song “With the Love in My Heart,” which at times sounds like an entirely different song. One jazz festival performance that I recommend checking out is local singer Laila Biali, who does jazz music with a twist and won a Juno Award this year for her self- titled album. Her concert will take place on June 22 at Pyatt Hall, which is next door to the Orpheum Theatre. If you cannot go to these concerts, there are also plenty of free concerts during the weekends of the festival, featuring musicians from not only the Lower Mainland but also around the world. There is Downtown Jazz at the Vancouver Art Gallery from June 22 to 23, Jazz Weekend at David Lam Park from June 29 to 30, and Canada Day at Granville Island. Even if you are not a fan of jazz music, there is a concert for everyone’s music tastes at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival this year and you may learn to appreciate the genre. You can learn more about the festival, including the full schedule, at www.coastaljazz.ca.