The Rio Theatre has released its schedule of late night movie events for Fridays this month, featuring some late ’80s and early ’90s gems.

Friday Late Night Movies at the Rio Theatre

Friday, November 1, 2013
The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987)
Sleep All Day. Party All Night. Never Grow Old. Never Die. It’s Fun to Be a Vampire. | Director Joel Schumacher’s vampire cult-classic The Lost Boys is a total fan favourite, especially to children of the 1980s. Starring a bloody brat pack that includes Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Alex Winter, Jami Gertz and the ultimate Tiger Beat-era heart throb duo of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. | After moving to a new town, two brothers are convinced that the area is frequented by vampires.

Friday, November 8, 2013
Thelma and Louise
(Ridley Scott, 1991)
“You shoot off a guy’s head with his pants down, believe me, Texas ain’t the place you want to get caught.” | Besides being a landmark blockbuster, Thelma & Louise remains one of the best road trip movies – and one of the only true “female buddy” movies – ever made. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film earned Callie Khouri an Academy Award for Best Original Script and stars Geena Davis (Thelma), Susan Sarandon (Louise), Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, and some guy named Brad Pitt. | An Arkansas waitress and a housewife shoot a rapist and take off in a ’66 Thunderbird.

Friday, November 15, 2013
Drop Dead Fred
(Ate de Jong, 1991)
Dishes. Relationships. Wind. This guy breaks everything. | Phoebe Cates, Marsha Mason, Carrie Fisher and British comedian Rik Mayall (best known for his work on the TV series The Young Ones) star in this much loved cult-classic that appeals to kids of all ages. | A young woman finds her already unstable life rocked by the presence of a rambunctious imaginary friend from childhood.

Friday, November 22, 2013
Ghost in the Shell
(Mamoru Oshii, 1995)
It Found A Voice… Now It Needs A Body | Japanese director Mamoru Oshii’s beautifully illustrated work of sci-fi anime is based on the manga comic of the same name by Masamune Shirow, and stars the vocal talents of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, and Iemasa Kayumi. A big screen must for animation lovers. | A female cyborg cop and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.

Friday, November 29, 2013
Heathers
(Michael Lehmann, 1988)
What’s your damage, Heather? | Long before Mean Girls, there was Heathers… Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty shine in this viciously funny yet insightful tale about the messy politics of female friendship, young love, cliquedom, and croquet during those oh-so-awkward high school years. One of the 1980s most quotable films.| A girl who half-heartedly tries to be part of the “in crowd” of her school meets a rebel who teaches her a more devious way to play social politics.

The Rio Theatre is an independent art and movie house located at 1660 West Broadway, at Commercial Drive, and is easily accessible by transit. They now have their full service bar up and running so you must be 19+ to attend this series. All screenings are at 11:00pm. Tickets are available online in advance or at the door for $8 or $6 if you come in costume.

Follow the Rio Theatre on Facebook and Twitter for more film screenings, comedy showcases, and special event information.

The site of the first city hospital in Vancouver has been commemorated as part of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation‘s Places That Matter plaque project. On October 9th, the foundation hosted a plaque presentation ceremony at the site, which is now an Easy Park lot.

1914: Cambie looking south from near Pender. Archives# LGN 1233.

2012: Google Maps.

Vancouver’s first city hospital was a tent destroyed during the great fire of 1886 and was replaced by a small 9-bed facility that didn’t meet the needs of Vancouver’s quickly growing population. In 1888 the first city hospital building was erected on Pender, in a corner lot between Beatty and Cambie Streets.

1949: Old City Hospital, Pender and Cambie. Archives# CVA 447-61.

“For a tiny little city of just a few hundred or a thousand people, this was really the beginning of organized medical care in the city, ” explains [Michael] Kluckner. “So, just from that point of view I think it’s pretty significant.” Less than 20 years later, Vancouver had outgrown the 50-bed facility that formed the first city hospital, but the three buildings had a useful life, even after the 1906 opening of VGH. During the Great Depression, Kluckner points out they served as the City Relief Office, where many destitute Vancouverites would seek assistance. “In that era, it wasn’t that you would be handed a cheque. You would be handed a sack of potatoes and a piece of meat to carry home!” [Source: News1130]

The original building was demolished in the 1940s so the Places That Matter plaque has been positioned on the parkade. It seems like that’s the way things go in Vancouver sometimes. We relish the opportunity to get a glimpse of what was here before us as we continue to grow and built up the town around us. Discover more Places That Matter to Vancouver online.

“We should do this when your parents visit,” is a phrase that I’ve said to John for the last six years, which is the amount of time it’s been since his mother and father traveled to Vancouver from Iowa. My in-laws are incredible people who just happened to be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this October so they planned a cross-continent journey to mark the occasion in style. They set out on Amtrak’s Empire Builder line from the Midwest, arriving in Washington state to have their own “2 Days in Seattle” experience before I picked them up.

Sunset ferry ride over to Vancouver Island.

While the list of restaurants and attractions for us to show them was seemingly endless, our overall goal for their visit was this: We wanted them to experience the West Coast in the most relaxing way possible, and we wanted to get them as close to the forest and ocean as we could. One place immediately came to mind: Tigh-Na-Mara.

The ferry across the Salish Sea/Strait of Georgia, the quick drive to Parksville from Nanaimo, the twisting arbutus trees, the rustic and modern amenities of the resort’s lodges, and the spectacular sunrise views over water made our decision to stay at the oceanside resort a no-brainer.

Our building, Texada, and the Tigh-Na-Mara lobby building.

We were setup in two oceanview suites in the Texada building, on the very edge of the property that sat above the bay’s sand bars that disappeared and reappeared with every tidal shift. The post and beam lodges radiated a scent of warm cedar, which always evokes feelings of comfort, coziness, and being “home” for a born and raised Pacific Northwester like me. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

White Spot’s burgers are legendary and while the original recipe — with that enticing Triple-O sauce — is a favourite of many, the restaurant has recently added a line-up of Burger Guest Stars to their menu.

Executive Chef, Chuck Currie and Executive Development Chef Danny Markowicz have developed for this year’s White Spot Burger Guest Stars:

• Crispy Halibut Burger
  Crispy tempura battered Pacific Halibut with coleslaw, tomato and tartar sauce on a signature bun.
• Santorini Veggie Burger
  Chargrilled veggie burger with red pepper, cucumber, red onion, lettuce, feta, mayo and tzatziki sauce on a multigrain bun.
• French Onion Bigger Burger
  6 oz. 100% fresh Canadian beef burger with chardonnay onions, smoked Gruyere, tomato, arugula and grainy Dijon mayo.
• Thai Pesto Chicken Burger
  Fresh chargrilled BC chicken breast, Thai pesto*, red pepper, cucumber, lettuce, cilantro and sambal mayo. *Thai pesto contains fish sauce.
• Carnitas Bigger Burger
  6 oz. 100% fresh Canadian beef burger with tender Canadian pulled pork in signature BBQ sauce, bacon, Jack cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato and cilantro sour cream.

White Spot’s platters are served with creamy coleslaw and ‘endless’ signature fries. Substitute Caesar or The Spot’s salad for fries and coleslaw at no additional charge. They use only 100% fresh Canadian beef, fresh BC chicken breast, tender Canadian slow-roasted pulled pork, hand-picked, vine-ripened hot house tomatoes and more in their burgers.

If you would like to check out the White Spot Burger Guest Stars this season, which can be paired with Granville Island Brewing’s dark and creamy Winter Ale, I have a $100 gift card to give away to one lucky reader. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment naming a White Spot Burger Guest Star you would like to try or name your favourite signature burger (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

The Burger Guest Stars are available now for a limited time. I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Wednesday, November 6, 2013. Follow White Spot on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about their restaurants across BC and Alberta, and their seasonal menu offerings.

Update The winner is Angela Griffin!

For one night this November I will be sleeping outside in downtown Vancouver so that 54 youth don’t have to.

The annual Covenant Sleep Out will take place Thursday, November 21, 2013 and will involve executives, public figures and well-connected leaders in our community who will sleep outside for one night in solidarity with those youth who may face many more cold, lonely nights until they find their way through Covenant House’s doors.

From Anchorage to New York, Toronto to New Orleans and in other major cities across North America, participants will raise funds from their companies, colleagues, friends and family to support the life-changing work that is being done to help young people leave the streets and begin new lives. These leaders will draw the attention of the larger business community and our nation to the problem of homelessness among young people.

Many of us come face to face with homelessness every day in Metro Vancouver. Homelessness can look like a young person sleeping in a doorway, other times it might be someone asking you to spare some change. Often it shows itself as a shared glance from a broken soul. Regardless of how we are reminded of the need, a common feeling often resonates: what can I do to help make this better? Here is your chance to make a difference—from the frontlines!

Covenant House invited me to take part and I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. Ever since I began my blog, I have used it to promote local causes, non-profits, and campaigns by whatever means I could. Whether it was through a blog post, an event listing, or a grand campaign like Blogathon or Twestival. The least I could do this season is to spend one night outside, so that someone else doesn’t have to.

Covenant House’s Mission: “Providing love and hope to Vancouver’s street youth. We help youth aged 16 – 24 who have fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, those who have been forced from their homes or those who have aged out of foster care.”

If you would like to support my Covenant House Sleep Out campaign, please consider an online donation through my personal fundraising page. From now until the end of October, each donation I receive will be doubled by an anonymous donor. The amount will be added to the overall event total at the beginning of November.

Thank you for your support! Follow Covenant House on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about their work in Vancouver.