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James Gartler

FESTIVALS

It’s Lonely Out There

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Montreal World Film Fest

by James Gartler
27.08.2009

With summer winding down, brief as it was, Montrealers have a second chance to escape thanks to the 33rd Edition of the World Film Festival. Starting today, films from all over will converge upon local theatres (including the Imperial, NFB and Quartier Latin) hoping to inspire, thought-provoke, and – yes – provide a glimpse of [...]

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FESTIVALS

Winged Panther Head Looks To 2010

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Zoofest Roundup

by James Gartler
03.08.2009

Near the end of her opening night performance of Playin’ With Micucci, the endearingly wide-eyed Kate Micucci went off-script, saying: “I look at it like a video game – if I get through it, there’s extra points.” One can only wonder if the same sentiment saw Zoofest organizer Lucy Eveleigh through the frantic five months [...]

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FESTIVALS

Goblin Leaves Them Laughing

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Just For Laughs

by James Gartler
28.07.2009

Kiss the little red-horned green goblin goodbye, folks, at least for another year. The 27th Annual Just For Laughs Fest has packed up its carnival of delights and vacated the corner of St Denis and De Maisonneuve after another season of slapstick shows and serious star power. Acts both local and legendary drew record numbers, [...]

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FESTIVALS

From Gruesome to Breathless

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Fantasia Film Fest Previews

by James Gartler
17.07.2009

It’s hard to feel anything but resentment when hearing the title Super Columbine Massacre RPG! Why would anyone intentionally make a video game about the gruesome 1999 school shooting that left 13 students dead? What could possibly be the goal of allowing users to take on the identities of the two shooters and proceed to [...]

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FESTIVALS

Panther Heads & Spitalotski Sisters

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Zoofest, Various Venues

by James Gartler
13.07.2009

Hear ye, hear ye: There’s a new fest in town. Hard to believe, isn’t it? One would think the last thing Montreal had room for was another artistic brouhaha. And yet, everywhere you look, from construction sites to websites, you’ll find the lime-green collage poster with that haunting, winged panther head. Zoofest has arrived, determined [...]

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FESTIVALS

Stripped To Challenge The Norm

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Burlesque Unzipped, Under The Radar, Fringefest 2009

by James Gartler
17.06.2009

Stepping into the world of the Montreal Fringe Fest for the first time can be more than slightly unnerving … especially when you’ve yet to decide what you want to see. Parc des Amériques, the nerve centre of this anything-goes pot-luck of performances, is overrun with colourful advertisements, each screaming for your attention. In the [...]

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FILM

This Cowgirl Likes It Slow

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THE LIMITS OF CONTROL

by James Gartler
26.05.2009

Jim Jarmusch is famous among indie directors for slow plotting, unconventional storytelling and dense concepts. His latest film, The Limits of Control amounts to a 116-minute wait for some spark of ingenuity to kick in and impress upon the viewer a sense of why this man’s work has amassed such a cult following.

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FILM

Struggling to Bring Dead Back to Life

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Dead Like Me: Life After Death, DVD

by James Gartler
18.05.2009

“What if?” can be a haunting question. For Georgia “George” Lass, it’s the centerpiece of her bizarre existence. As the heroine of Showtime’s 2003 series Dead Like Me, George has endured a premature death in the pilot, the departure of series creator Bryan Fuller early in the first season and cancellation after only twenty-nine episodes. [...]

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FILM

Let’s Be Honest About Summer

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ADVENTURELAND

by James Gartler
11.05.2009

As spring creeps up, bringing with it sunnier skies and greener lawns, people tend to be filled with a sense of hope. Students don their caps and gowns, new couples stroll hand-in-hand and theme parks dust off their rides and attractions for another new season of fanciful fun. It’s almost enough to get you thinking [...]

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