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Mars Et Avril screens March 4th at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood

Danger Diabolik, Tarantula, The Thing With Two Heads – You never know what’s brewing at Webster University’s Strange Brew cult film series. It’s always the first Wednesday evening of every month, and they always come up with some cult classic to show while enjoying some good food and great suds. The fun happens at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar in Maplewood (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143).

This month (Wednesday March 4th) Strange Brew is offering up something I’ve never heard of….but it sure looks interesting! It’s the 2012 French-Canadian sci-fi mindbender Mars Et Avril

Plot synopsis for Mars Et Avril: As the first human prepares to touch down on Mars, a charismatic Montreal musician enters into a tempestuous love...

Our story opens in futuristic Montreal, as mankind embarks on a mission to Mars. Jacob Obus (Jacques Languirand) is a 70something musician who mesmerizes audiences with strange otherworldly music. The instruments he plays are inspired by the bodies of women, designed by his artist friend Arthur (Paul Ahmarani), and manufactured by Arthur's famous cosmologist father Eugène Spaak (holographic head played by Robert Lepage, body played by Jean Asselin.) Into this triangle arrives Avril (Caroline Dhavernas), a long-exposure photographer with breathing problems who is in love with Obus and feigning romantic interest in Arthur to get closer to him. Arthur designs his latest piece after Avril's likeness, and the resulting instrument vaguely corresponds to a natural topographical feature on Mars. However, Obus has trouble playing the new instrument, and as Avril's breathing problems diminish, he develops his own respiratory issues. It's revealed that the old man is a virgin, despite his...

Mars et Avril Trailer. Martin Villeneuve‘s Mars et Avril (2012) movie trailer stars Caroline Dhavernas, Jacques Languirand, Robert Lepage, Jean Asselin, and Paul Ahmarani. Mars et Avril‘s plot synopsis: “Mars et Avril takes place in a Montreal of the future when humanity is ready to move to Mars. But, not everyone is ready to go. Jacob Obus, a charismatic and beloved septuagenarian, leader of the anti-cybernetic movement, takes pride in slowing down time. He plays captivating music on instruments inspired by women’s bodies and designed by his friend, Arthur.

It’s when Jacob and Arthur are smitten by Avril, a young and short-winded photographer, that the true nature of the old sex symbol is revealed. After making love for the first time in his life, Jacob is ready to leave for Mars in search of his muse. In the midst of everything arrives Eugène Spaak, inventor, cosmologist and Arthur’s father,...

The first trailer for Martin - yes, the brother of Denis -  Villeneuve's upcoming Canadian science fiction offering Mars Et Avril is a textbook example of the sort of film that can only exist within an industry driven by government subsidies. Whether this is a good or bad thing is entirely a matter of personal taste.Mars et Avril is quite possibly the first Québécois film set in a Montreal of the future. As Man is about to set foot on Mars, a small community of anticybernetics is busy trying to slow down time. Among them is Jacob Obus (Jacques Languirand), an emblematic and beloved septuagenarian who creates captivating music on instruments inspired by the female body, designed by his friend Arthur (Paul Ahmarani). Once...

Mars et Avril is a striking new Canadian science fiction film, currently in post-production. The feature film about a future where people are emigrating to Mars is based on the graphic novels of the same name and is written, produced and directed by newcomer Martin Villeneuve who was kind enough to pass along some stills from his film and give us an update on where production's at... and if you're wondering why the film looks so visually interesting, it's because Belgian comic book artist François Schuiten, who has worked on film's such as Golden Compass and Mr. Nobody) is on production design duties.

To get the world of Mars et Avril just right, the film was shot almost entirely on green screen and with a budget of $2 million - a decent size for a Canadian production - Villeneuve was actually able to do the technique justice.

Synopsis:

Mars et Avril...