FILM

One Small Goose-Step For Mankind

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Iron Sky, Cinema du Parc, to Sept 1

by Jim Burke
28.08.2012

It was the master race who won the space race according to Finnish spoof sci-fi, Iron Sky. As alternative histories go, it’s a pretty good one. In 1945, a group of Nazis facing ignominious defeat managed to harness the technology behind the V2 rocket program and hightail it, not to some South American back-of-beyond, but to the dark side of the Moon. Fast forward to 2018 and they’re spoiling for a re-match.

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BOOKS

Call Me Ali

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Clerks of the Passage, by Abou Farman, Linda Leith Publications

by Rana Bose
27.08.2012

I approached this short book from the back end, first. I will tell you why. I am invariably impatient. Yet another book about transitions, migrations, identities, exile torment, generational divides, paradise rediscovered and re-lost by migrant neurosis, about tossing the veil and discovering “modernity.” I bite my wrist in absolute distraction and draw blood.

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BOOKS

12 Hommes, 12 Livres

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Part 5 in a series about men and their books. This week: Marc

by Joseph Elfassi
25.08.2012

Lorsque j’ai appris que Ray Bradbury est décédé, j’ai d’abord été surpris : j’ignorais que l’auteur, dont j’avais fini la deuxième lecture de Farenheit 451 la veille, était encore vivant. Son décès à changé mes plans initiaux pour la vidéo : moi qui comptais brûler le roman (geste discutable même en lien avec la nature du récit dans lequel des hommes brûlent tous les livres sur leur chemin dans un avenir dystopique), je décide, à la place, de distribuer ses œuvres à des quidams. Geste, d’ailleurs, qui se rapproche plus du Marc d’aujourd’hui.

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THEATRE

MTL Brings Home the TO Bling

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Montreal theatre kicks it out of the park at Toronto Summerworks

by Byron Toben
21.08.2012

Further to Rover’s review of the six Montreal-related shows in Toronto’s Summerworks Theatre Festival, Montreal theatre contributions rose to the top when it came time to hand out the prizes.

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THEATRE

Money Makes the Fringe Go Round

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Letter from Edinburgh, Part 3

by Donovan King
20.08.2012

Day two of the World Fringe Congress in Edinburgh had a jam-packed schedule of panel discussions, break-out sessions, and a reception chez the Lord Provost (Edinburgh’s mayor), leaving absolutely no time to attend any shows at the Fringe, Forest Fringe or Free Fringes. The themes I narrowed in on were seemingly contradictory. Fringe producers expressed both a desire to “retain the edge” of their festivals and an obsession to find money – and lots of it!

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MUSIC

Help save L’envers!

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Tough times for Montreal music scene: music's tight but so is the money

by Lesley McCubbin
19.08.2012

Yet another landmark on Montreal’s cultural landscape is in danger of disappearing. A week ago, L’envers—the Van Horne loft space that since 2008 has provided a platform for some of the most exciting local and international talent in creative music—was a half-note away from having to close its doors for good. The desperate appeal for [...]

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BOOKS

Secret Garden

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Nononba, by Shigeru Mizuki, Drawn & Quarterly

by Georgia Webber
19.08.2012

Children are constantly reminded that they know nothing of the world. Adults act as if they couldn’t understand, so no use trying to explain. Other children posit guesses or deliver information accompanied by shrugs or exaggerated confidence. Our childhood experiences drift rootless in the fog of unknown contexts, despite our interaction with it. A future [...]

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THEATRE

Fat Cows and Mad Cows

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Letter from Edinburgh, Part 2

by Donovan King
18.08.2012

All is not well at the Edinburgh Fringe. As in North America, there is considerable discontent amongst artists on the street regarding an increasingly corporate festival. It seems that most artists go into an unreasonable amount of debt to play at the Fringe. At the same time a deceptive new system – the re-branded “Edinburgh Comedy Festival” – [...]

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DVD

How the West was Strummed

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Johnny Guitar: anything but an old familiar tune

by Jim Burke
18.08.2012

Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar, which has just been re-issued on Blu-Ray and DVD, is like no other western film you’ve seen.  It was also like no other western audiences could have imagined back in 1954, when it bit the dust in a hail of indifference, bewilderment and ridicule.

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THEATRE

MTL Rules at TO Summerworks Fest

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Toronto Summerworks Performance Festival, August 9-19

by Byron Toben
17.08.2012

The annual Toronto Summerworks Performance Festival features the largest juried  indie theatre festival in Canada. At its 22nd incarnation (August 9-19), it presented 41 shows, two of which were from Montreal and two from Halifax. Several of the other shows, Ontario based, nevertheless had some significant Montreal connections.

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FILM

Weiwei says No No

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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry

by Jim Burke
16.08.2012

Struggling against the might of the Chinese state is a bit like playing chess, according to dissident artist Ai Weiwei, the subject of Alison Klayman’s powerful, often darkly funny debut documentary. You make a move, they make a move, and so on.

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THEATRE

Mad Dogs & Scotsmen

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Letter from Edinburgh, Part 1

by Donovan King
16.08.2012

I have arrived in glorious Edinburgh, Scotland, in the midst of both a strong downpour and the world-famous Fringe Festival. The city can only be described as beautiful, with its mediaeval architecture, quaint pubs and shops, and surprising nooks and crannies in every winding lane. While it’s tempting to just soak it all in by wandering endlessly through the ancient town, I have a mission and limited time. I am here for the World Fringe Congress, which begins today, representing the infringement festivals.

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POLITICS

Vagina Dialogues

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Pussy Riot trials in Russia captivate the entire world

by Brenda Keesal
14.08.2012

My grandmother was born in Russia, 1905. A Jewish girl, she was chased through the hardship-splattered streets of her shtetl by a wild pig. To up the ante, adding angst to injury, when she hit adolescence she and her family were run out of the country by pogrom-happy bands of Jew-bashing soldiers. My grandmother went on to live a long life, full of fear. Despite all her years nestled in the benign bosom of Canada, I don’t think she ever really felt safe.

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SCREEN

No Greater Love

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Masaki Kobayashi’s ‘The Human Condition’ commences at Cinema du Parc

by Devon Gallant
13.08.2012

This Friday, I traipsed through the rainy streets of Montreal over to Cinema du Parc to catch the first part of Masaki Kobayashi’s nine-and-a-half hour epic The Human Condition (1959). Set against the backdrop of WWII in Japanese occupied Manchuria, Condition follows the trials and tribulations of a young, idealistic Japanese man as he fights [...]

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FESTIVAL CITY

Passion Paint

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Under Pressure, August 11-12

by Catherine Averback
13.08.2012

The greatest thing about the Under Pressure skate/graffiti fest is that it definitely leaves a mark every year. Dozens of artists come together to tag designated walls down Ste Catherine Est between St. Laurent and St. Denis (approximatively), arranged on scaffolding while crowds of spectators watch. The result? A ton of fresh paint left up to be admired until the next edition of Under Pressure the coming year.

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