Written by Kyle Slagley
FEENY! HEY, FEENY!
If you don’t know which ‘90s TV series I’m referencing, then
you missed out on one of that decade’s best shows – hands down. For children of
the ‘90s, Boy
Meets World was one of those shows that profoundly impacted the way you
looked at life.
Corey Matthews ( Ben
Savage) and Topanga Lawrence ( Danielle
Fishel) provided real-time guidance on issues like school, dating, jobs,
and even death; and as the characters grew up, so did their audience. Beginning
in 8 th grade, the show follows the two kids and their friends
through seven seasons of high school, the transition to college, and finally
into marriage.
We haven’t heard much from Corey and Topanga since they
signed off in 2000, but it seems only fitting that the children of the children
of the ‘90s may have their own chance to grow up with Clan Matthews. After
weeks of teasers about the new spinoff series Girl Meets World, it has finally been announced that Rowan
Blanchard ( Spy Kids 4 – All The Time In The World, The Back-Up
Plan) will play Riley Matthews, the 13-year-old daughter of Corey and
Topanga.
The pilot episode will likely begin production in February,
and speculations are that it will easily be green-lighted to series on the
Disney Channel. Don’t rush for your DVR just yet, though; the series wouldn’t
make it to TV screens until the 2013-2014 season.
Now for the question I know you’re asking yourself: Will we
get to see Mr. Feeny? The short answer: don’t count on it. William
Daniels, who played the history-teacher-slash-life-coach to both Corey and
his brother Eric, has yet to comment on the new spinoff despite requests from
the media, leading speculators to believe he has declined any offer to
participate. Rider
Strong, who played Shawn Hunter, has stated that he also has no official
participation.
While you may pass the time hoping for guest spots from the
likes of Feeny, Shawn, Angela, and Jack, I will be wondering what Riley’s
personality is going to be like. With the dual influences of Corey’s geek and
Topanga’s hippie-chic, it should be interesting, to say the least.
Written by Kyle Slagley
If you were a girl between the ages of 11 and 20 anytime
between 1988 and 2002, there’s about a 67.3% chance you proudly displayed
posters, cassettes, CDs, t-shirts, or other assorted swag that sported the
faces of Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, or Shawn Stockman. Guys who had
highlighted or frosted hair anytime before 2005 should bow down and thank Lance
Bass for making it “cool.”
The ‘90s were, by and large, the decade of the Boy Bands; together
they formed an unofficial cartel that ruled the Billboard charts and teen
girls’ hearts. Of course, this was back in the days when MTV actually played
music videos still, so I’m sure that had something to do with it.
Much to the chagrin of teenage garage bands everywhere,
earlier this week New Kids on the Block (aka NKOTB), Boys II Men, and 98
Degrees announced their “Package Tour” that will begin in Uncasville, CT, on
May 31 and conclude in Minneapolis on July 13. It’s a heck of a lot harder to
get a girl’s attention when you’re competing against the likes of Nick Lachey
and Donnie Wahlberg, not that I’m bitter or anything.
In honour of this summer’s Grand Boy Band Comeback (Attempt),
let’s take a look at the biggest groups of the movement. You’ll want to make
sure your collections are complete before the tour triggers the inevitable
stampede of fangirls.
The
Beatles – Those of you thinking, “Wait a minute!” can rest easy. I am fully
aware that the Beatles were truly the fathers of the boy band – as well as a
slew of other pop music trends. Combine fashionable clothes, youthful faces, a
lot of actual musical talent, and the sheer magnitude of their fan base and you
have the formula that is still the industry standard. Much more could be said,
but we all know how influential the group has been.
New
Kids on the Block – Widely considered the first group in the “modern” boy
band age, these five guys epitomized the ‘80s. Heavy synthesizer beats, break-dancing,
ripped jeans, and pompadours can all be found in their family album. Their
first big hit, “Hangin’ Tough,” put them on the map in 1988 and they would
eventually break up in 1994. They reunited in 2008 and have been working ever
since; meanwhile, there are those among us who can still sing you the chorus to
“You Got It (The Right Stuff).”
Backstreet
Boys (aka BSB)– Kevin is the quiet one, Nick is the heartthrob, Brian is
the boy-next-door, AJ is the bad boy, and Howie is the fun-loving jokester. BSB
quite literally became the definition of “boy band” in the late ‘90s. They hit
it big with “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” in 1997 and have been working
together in some form ever since. Their spiked hair, meticulously groomed
goatees, and pensive looks into the distance would be emulated in millions of
school pictures for years.
‘N
Sync – The second quintet to appear in the ‘90s, the group was formed after
band member Chris Kirkpatrick auditioned for the Backstreet Boys and failed to
make the cut. The group blew up overnight after the Disney Channel aired a
concert special in July of 1998 – a concert originally offered to BSB. ‘N
Sync’s single “Tearin’ Up My Heart” became one of the biggest songs of the
decade and by the time they released “Bye Bye Bye” they were fully out of the
shadow of BSB. The group lasted a handful of years before breaking up in 2002
after member Justin
Timberlake decided to go solo.
98
Degrees – Rounding out the boy band trio of the late ‘90s, 98 Degrees broke
the five-man rule and comprised four guys from Ohio. The group’s story is
similar to that of ‘N Sync in that they made it big in 1998. It’s interesting
though that unlike BSB or ‘N Sync, 98 Degrees had some help in their early
days. In 1997, they collaborated with label-mate Stevie Wonder to record “True
to Your Heart,” the theme song to the animated Disney movie Mulan.
They stayed together until 2002, and following Nick Lachey’s brief solo career
and marriage to Jessica
Simpson, reunited in 2008.
Boyz
II Men – I hesitated to include Boyz II Men in this column, because I don’t
consider them a typical boy band. After hours of contemplation, I (obviously)
decided to include them because they are what a boy band should be: light on glitz and kitsch, heavy on quality and talent. They
easily have the most staying power of any other modern boy band, and their tight
harmonies are the envy of a capella groups worldwide. Having sold over 60
million copies of their 11 albums over more than 25 years, they are the
standard for vocal R&B everywhere. Quite simply, these guys deserve every
bit of praise they get because their ability speaks for itself.
Written by Jon Williams
Super Bowl XLVII takes place on Sunday, February 3, and the matchup has been set. This
past Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons to earn the
NFC berth to the game, while the Baltimore Ravens took out the New England
Patriots on the AFC side.
If you pay
any attention to sports (or even if you don’t, most likely), you’re going to
hear a lot about this game in the coming week and a half. The NFL championship
game is always a huge media event, usually turning out to be the most-watched
television event of the year in the United States (hence all those amusing
commercials that people who don’t even care about football will watch to see).
I won’t
bother mentioning the “interesting” storylines you’ll be hearing about ad
nauseam leading into the game. I will, however, list a few titles that will
help your football-crazy patrons get through the coming football-free weekend,
as well as whet their appetites for the big game the following Sunday.
Written by Jon Williams
On Sunday night, as the show was winning a couple of Golden
Globes on ABC, the hit show Girls
returned to HBO with its Season 2 premiere. The show centers on
twenty-something Hannah Horvath and three friends as they feel their way
through their extended college-to-real-life transitions in Brooklyn. Hannah is
played by the series’ head writer, Lena Dunham, who based many of the show’s
situations on her own real-life experiences after graduating from Ohio’s
Oberlin College in 2008.
Dunham’s first break came when her film Tiny
Furniture premiered at the 2010 South by Southwest Festival, where it
won Best Narrative Feature. She parlayed this exposure into an opportunity to
collaborate with Judd Apatow on the Girls
pilot (Apatow is the show’s executive producer). It premiered on HBO on April
15, 2012, and immediately took off, sending Dunham’s star into the
stratosphere. In October she signed a deal with Random House to publish her
first book; in December she was named Time
Magazine’s Coolest Person of the Year. The two Golden Globes she won for
the show on Sunday were icing on the cake.
Now Girls is back
as a staple of HBO’s formidable Sunday night lineup. Premiering along with it
was the second season of Enlightened,
a series starring Laura Dern as an executive go-getter determined to bring
tranquility to her life after a breakdown. Like Girls, Enlightened was
nominated for two Golden Globes in its first season, winning Best Comedy
Actress for Dern. That was at the 2012 Golden Globes, however; the show was on
break for over a year before returning this past weekend.
The next series with a firm premiere date for HBO is Game of Thrones, with the third season
beginning on March 31. Based on George R.R. Martin’s A
Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the show follows various
members and associates of the powerful Baratheon, Lannister, Stark, and
Targaryen families as they vie for control of the Seven Kingdoms while facing a
nebulous but growing threat from the untamed North. As an avid fan, I can
attest that this meager description doesn’t begin to do the show justice; it’s
worth watching for its action and intrigue, as well as its well-written
characters. Peter Dinklage won an Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in
the show’s first
season, and was nominated again for the
second.
In April, Veep’s second season will premiere, once
again starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer, who
heads up a dysfunctional staff that helps her navigate her way through any
number of political pitfalls. Dreyfus won an Emmy for the role in the first
season, and the series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Then, June
sees the return of The Newsroom, the
Aaron Sorkin-created series that stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, host of a
national news show committed to serious journalism in an industry increasingly
concerned with money and ratings. Although it didn’t win any awards on Sunday,
it was nominated for the Best Drama Series Golden Globe, and Daniels was
nominated for Best Drama Actor.
Finally, at some point this summer, hit series True
Blood will return for its sixth season. Beginning in 2008, the series
has capitalized on the vampire craze that followed the Twilight phenomenon, dealing with vampires and a number of other
supernatural creatures as they attempt to live side-by-side with humans in the
small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. It’s based on Charlaine Harris’s Southern
Vampires novel series, the last volume of which will be published in May.
Although it has only a handful of wins, the series has been nominated for a
slew of Emmys and Golden Globes (as well as many other awards) throughout its
long run.
Make sure you have previous seasons of these shows on your
shelves for patrons who want to catch up for these series’ premieres, as well
as for patrons who don’t have HBO and want to experience these shows for the
first time.
Canadian box office revenues were up nine percent in 2012 over 2011, bringing in close to $1.1 billion across the country. To no one's surprise, The Avengers led the way with $58.4 million. It was followed by The Dark Knight Rises ($46.2m), Skyfall ($42.6m), The Hunger Games ($40.2m), and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($32.2m).
Canadian films specifically, on the other hand, saw a drop in their 2012 fortunes. They made a total of $25.06 million, or around 2.5 percent of the total Canadian box. That's down nearly 12 percent from 2011. Resident Evil: Retribution, the latest installment in the horror franchise, topped the list, bringing in $5.2 million. Goon, a hockey comedy, came in second with $4.15 million.
Quebec-made films generally rule the box office among domestic films, but that was not the case in 2012. The top Quebec film was Omerta: The Movie with $2.74 million. Another, Monsieur Lazhar, brought in $2.12 million in 2012 despite being released in October of 2011.
Written by Kirk Baird
The distinct elements to the Master of Suspense’s filmmaking
career were always there, but our first full exposure to his genius in bloom is
with 1934’s The Man Who Knew Too Much,
just released on Blu-ray through Criterion Collection. The story of rather
ordinary people who find themselves in a rather extraordinary situation, The Man Who Knew Too Much is the
blueprint to many of the Alfred Hitchcock films to follow, including Rear Window, North by Northwest, and Vertigo.
Leslie Banks and Edna Best star as Bob and Jill Lawrence, a
British couple on holiday in Switzerland with their teenage daughter Betty
(Nova Pilbeam). Their vacation takes a macabre twist with the murder of a
family friend who happens to be a British agent, who left an important note –
and thus a clue to those responsible for his death – hidden in his hotel room.
Bob recovers the note and thus becomes the titular namesake who must deal with
a nefarious gang of spies who want the information. The story wraps around the
assassination plot of an important foreign dignitary, though we know little
else; Hitchcock’s films are often cloaked in mystery when it comes to the
incidentals. The group kidnaps Betty to force Bob to give them the note, but he
and Jill do not prove so easily pushed around, and Bob and family friend Clive
(Hugh Wakefield) go undercover to learn more about the gang and to rescue his
daughter.
The Man Who Knew Too
Much is primitive by today’s slick standards of Hollywood moviemaking –
perhaps even on the level of a well-produced student film. But the execution of
this suspenseful thriller is more fully realized and gutsier than almost any
movies opening in theatres today. Peter Lorre as the chief spy and criminal
mastermind dramatically undersells his performance – an acting feat from which many
actors-as-villains could learn – and is all the more effective because of it.
There’s a substantially more menacing air to someone not unhinged but with his
wits about him, and in complete control of himself and everyone – and nearly
everything – around him. Lorre is chilling in his matter-of-fact and almost
likable delivery and all the more memorable.
Banks and Best make for a believable couple who show amazing
resolve when pushed. Yes, there’s the occasional histrionics, but this was the acting
style of the time. And Hitchcock loved melodrama. Also note the restrained emotions Bob and Jill
display when they learn Betty has been kidnapped. It’s British “keep a stiff
upper lip” stoicism at its finest.
While much of the drama unfolds in the plot twists and
dialogue, The Man Who Knew Too Much
has its share of gripping action. The violent shootout in a London street
between London police and the spies who are holding up in an apartment building
was undeniably edgy for its time, yet the bloodless carnage still resonates as
rather shocking given the amount of deaths, especially to innocent men of law
and order.
Criterion Collection, as it always does, went to great lengths
to clean up The Man Who Knew Too Much’s
video and audio presentation; it’s doubtful the 75-minute film has ever looked as
good as it does in this Blu-ray version. And as a precursor to the greatness to
come from Hitchcock, The Man Who Knew Too
Much is an important film that any of the filmmaker’s fans should
experience…or experience again.
The single Blu-ray also features new audio commentary from
film historian Philip Kemp and a new interview with filmmaker Guillermo del
Toro, as well as a 1972 interview with Hitchcock conducted by journalist Pia
Lindstrom and film historian William Everson.
Written by Kyle Slagley
The publishing industry was given a huge boost yesterday
when it was announced that Dan
Brown’s sixth novel, Inferno, would hit shelves May 14.
The novel features Harvard professor Robert
Langdon, and involves a harrowing story revolving around Dante’s Inferno.
Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
Brown has had his critics over the years, but his fans are
fiercely loyal. Now that Inferno has
been announced, those fans are going to be anxiously awaiting that Tuesday
release.
Inferno hits
shelves on the same date as The King’s Deception – the new Cotton
Malone thriller by author Steve
Berry, one of my very favourite authors – so historical conspiracy/thriller
fans will get a twofer that day. The problem is that May 14 is four months away.
What in the world will we do for four months?! Don’t worry; I’ve got a few
suggestions to help you pass the time.
The Amber Room by Steve Berry – Berry’s
debut novel deals with one of the most tragic losses to the art world during
World War II. The Amber Room was stolen by the Nazis on October 14, 1941, from
Saint Petersburg and moved to Königsberg in East Prussia. Amid the chaos at the
end of the war, it disappeared and has never been seen again. Berry’s novel
follows Paul and Rachel Cutler as they follow the dying clues of Rachel’s
father. It’s got art, conspiracy, murder, and mystery. Berry’s novels only get
better from here.
Raising Atlantis
by Thomas
Greanias – Another debut thriller, this one follows Dr. Conrad Yeats, a
rogue TV personality with a knack for getting in trouble, and Serena Serghetti,
a nun entrusted by the Pope with a terrifying secret. Although not what I
expected, this is still a highly entertaining read for fans of the Atlantis
legend. Greanias also has two more novels in this series: The Atlantis Prophecy and The
Atlantis Revelation.
The Last Templar by Raymond
Khoury – This thriller should be at the top of the reading list for anyone
who even remotely enjoyed any of Brown’s past three novels. The novel begins
with a team of men dressed as Templar Knights riding their horses into the Metropolitan Museum during a gala with
all Manhattan’s high society in attendance. They ride their horses through the museum, stealing a very valuable
relic on display from the Vatican. Did I mention these “Templar knights” were riding horses in the museum? Not as fast
as a car, but horses certainly have more of an impact. It’s a fantastic book,
and there are two more books to follow this one.
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry – Did
I mention I’m a Steve Berry fan? Berry’s fourth novel kicks off his Cotton
Malone series and was really the one that got me hooked. Cotton Malone is a
former agent of the Magellan Billet, a secret agency within the United States
Justice Department. Despite being retired from the Magellan Billet, Cotton
seems to find himself alongside his former boss, Stephanie Nelle, fighting a
fight that scholars have been battling for centuries. Cotton is strong,
intelligent, and just broken enough to make the character real.
The Last Dickens by Matthew
Pearl – It’s 1870, and Charles Dickens has just died, leaving behind his
unfinished novel. His publisher, James Osgood, along with Rebecca Sand, must dive
into the depths of Boston’s opium cartels, thugs-for-hire, and publishing gangs
to find the ending to the now famously unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood. Although
this novel is far from perfect, Dickens and Victorian era fans will enjoy it,
and how cool would it be if there really were a Victorian Book Mafia?
As usual, our annual holiday contest went over extremely well. This year we challenged you with a colouring contest that required more than a little attention to detail. The results we got back were nothing short of amazing! Below are the winners. (Click the images for larger versions.)
FIRST PLACE: Pickering Public Library
SECOND PLACE: Tweed Public Library
THIRD PLACE: Newton Public Library
Written by Kirk Baird
Even as Lincoln’s
12 Academy Award nominations made the Civil War drama the prohibitive favourite
for the Feb. 24 Oscars, Sunday night’s 70th Annual Golden Globe
presentation might have shaken things up.
The Iran hostage drama Argo
took the Golden Globe for best motion picture as well a trophy for the film’s
director, Ben
Affleck, who was not nominated for an Oscar. Lincoln and director Steven
Spielberg were Golden Globe nominees in both categories.
Daniel
Day-Lewis, as expected, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for
his powerful and moving performance as Lincoln.
Overall, Lincoln
was nominated for 7 Golden Globes but won only one.
While Spielberg’s film stumbled at the awards show, the
lavish musical Les Miserables triumphed.
In addition to Hathaway’s expected win, the adaptation of the stage musical
based on Victor
Hugo’s 1862 French historical novel won for best musical or comedy and best
actor in a comedy or musical (Hugh Jackman).
Jessica
Chastain won the best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty. And Jennifer
Lawrence won the best actress in a comedy or musical for Silver Linings Playbook.
Rounding out the film winners as voted by the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association, Brave
won for best animated feature, Amour won best foreign language film, and Adele’s
“Skyfall” won for best original song in a film.
For television, Showtime’s espionage drama Homeland
was the big winner, winning best television series drama, best performance by
an actress in a TV series drama ( Claire
Danes), and best performance by an actor in a TV series drama ( Damian
Lewis). HBO’s new series Girls
took trophies for best television series comedy or musical, and best
performance by an actress in a TV series comedy or musical ( Lena
Dunham), while Don
Cheadle from Showtime’s House
of Lies won best performance by an actor in a TV series comedy or
musical.
Best miniseries or motion picture made for television went
to HBO’s comedy-drama Game
Change, about the 2008 GOP presidential campaign, and to the film’s
star Julianne
Moore as Sarah Palin for best performance by an actress in a miniseries or
motion picture made for television, and to co-star Ed
Harris as John McCain for best performance by an actor in a supporting role
in a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television.
Written by Jon Williams
With 2012 behind us, it’s time to take a look at what 2013
will have to offer. In both music and audiobooks, it looks to be a big year,
with big name musicians and authors releasing titles that your patrons will be
excited to get their hands on.
Audiobooks
Also in May, Charlaine
Harris waves goodbye to Sookie Stackhouse and friends in Bon Temps with Dead Ever After, the final novel in the Southern Vampires series that
spawned the popular HBO show True Blood. Horror master Stephen
King has two novels coming out in 2013. The first, in June, is Joyland, about an amusement park
serial killer. Then, in September, comes Doctor Sleep, the long-awaited sequel
to The Shining. King’s son Joe
Hill, a bestselling author in his own right, releases his third novel, NOS4A2, in April. And if you enjoy the
macabre, look for Neil
Gaiman’s latest, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, in
June.
June will also bring a new novel from Colum McCann, who
follows up his National Book Award-winning Let
the Great World Spin with Transatlantic. Literary heavyweight Thomas
Pynchon will also deliver a new novel in 2013, Bleeding Edge, although a publication date has not yet been set.
And of course, what would a year be without a handful of
posthumous releases? In February, look for one from Maurice
Sendak, My Brother’s Book. In
March comes The Tragedy of Mr. Morn,
a play written by Vladimir
Nabokov in 1923. With a movie based on his work staying strong at the box
office right now, a new release from J.R.R.
Tolkien comes in May. Leaving behind the world of Middle-earth, The Fall of Arthur deals with Arthurian
legends and was edited for publication by the author’s son, Christopher.
Music
There are plenty of new releases to look forward to in the
music world as well. In the world of pop, Miley
Cyrus, Katy
Perry, and Justin
Bieber all have new albums coming out sometime in 2013, as does Beyonce,
who will also be performing for the Super Bowl halftime show. The current queen
of pop music, Lady
Gaga, will release ARTPOP this
year as well. Paws up, little monsters!
Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z,
will have some new tunes coming this year as well, as he works on Watch the Throne 2 with Kanye
West. Staying in the rap game, Eminem
will release an album to follow up 2010’s Recovery. His protégé, 50
Cent, drops his latest, Street King
Immortal, on February 26.
Two current American
Idol judges have releases coming in 2013. Nicki
Minaj says Pink Friday: The Pinkprint
will have its basis in rap more than pop. Mariah
Carey will also have a new CD out this year, which will feature her most
recent single, “Triumphant.” No word on a new release from Keith Urban,
although he will appear (as will Taylor Swift) on fellow country music
superstar Tim
McGraw’s album Two Lanes of Freedom, which comes
out February 5.
Look also for new releases from a few music legends. In
late March, Cher
will release her first new album since 2001’s Living Proof. On his 66 th birthday earlier this week, David
Bowie released a new track (complete with video), “Where Are We Now?” His
first album since 2003, The Next Day,
comes out in March as well. In April, look for a new release from Black
Sabbath, complete, believe it or not, with Ozzy Osbourne back on vocals for
the first time since 1978. Another stunner, an album of new material from Jimi
Hendrix, drops on March 5.
Also, Justin Timberlake
announced today that he is in the studio recording some new tunes of
his own. The first track, featuring an appearance from the
aforementioned Jay-Z and produced by Timbaland, could be available as
soon as next week. That being the case, the likelihood of the album
being available sometime this year is pretty decent. This would be JT's first new album since 2006, as he's spent the past few years focusing on the acting side of his career.
This is just a very small sampling of all the great
audiobook and music titles we’ll see in 2013. What are you looking forward to
in the year to come?
Written by Kirk Baird
David Ellis, a longtime stuntman turned director best known
for his work behind the camera on Snakes on a Plane and The Final Destination,
died Monday in South Africa, where he was in pre-production for a new film. The
cause of death is unknown, his agent David Boxerbaum told the Los Angeles
Times. Ellis was 60.
Written by Kyle Slagley
On the way to work yesterday I heard a news story about
Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC. If you just re-read that sentence while
simultaneously thinking or saying “Huh?” trust me, you’re not alone. Though not
much was heard about this gadget when it was being developed, it’s basically a
tablet computer that can be laid down on a tabletop and used by up to five
people at the same time.
At 27 inches and a larger version on the way, the tablet is
about the same size as a small flatscreen television. Since it’s able to handle
multiple users at once, some bloggers are speculating that it may bring back
the golden days when a family actually gathers around a table to interact
together like real people, instead of texting “Plz pass the potatoes kthx :)”
As I listened to this news story, I realized it was yet
another classic example of fictional-futuristic technology made real. I was
reminded of a scene in the James
Bond movie Quantum
of Solace, when M, James, and M’s assistant Tanner use a large touchscreen
table to discuss… well, spy stuff. While Quantum
of Solace isn’t an old movie, it
got me thinking about all the technology introduced in “old” sci-fi that has
since become real, normal, everyday technology. Let’s explore some of these
no-longer-futurist technologies, shall we?
The Internet – Let’s face it, you are addicted to the Internet.
I, too, am addicted to the Internet. I Internet when I wake up, at work, at
home, and in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. You’re Internetting
right now! Believe it or not, this simultaneously sinister yet magical
connective web of computing devices was once an idea that originated in science
fiction. The novel that really detailed the Internet the way we know it today
was Neuromancer
by William
Gibson. Gibson’s novel put the ‘cyberpunk’ sci-fi subgenre on the map in
1984 and was the first book to win the sci-fi “Triple Crown”: the Hugo Award, the
Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. Remember what computers were like
in 1984? The Internet was a freaky-futurist idea back then.
Android robots – “Droids” have been a staple in sci-fi since
before sci-fi was even a genre. Lost
in Space, Star
Wars, Star
Trek, Fahrenheit
451, The
Jetsons – droids in every single one of them. The book commonly credited
with coining the word ‘android’ was published in 1886! Fast-forward to today,
and the Defense Department is creating robots that can catch their balance and
decide on their own whether to step on or around something. First, the decision
whether to step over or around Mr. Whiskers; tomorrow, the world…
Indestructable metal (aka Adamantium) – X-Men
is futurist in a lot of ways - mainly that whole mutated-genes-that-equal-superpowers
thing. If you thought Wolverine’s
indestructible claws were impossible, though, better think again. Modumetal,
made by a company of the same name, is lighter and stronger than steel and as
close to indestructible as we’ve got. I’ve read the explanation on the company website.
It’s got a lot of big science-y words that I don’t understand, but let’s just
say these guys are closer to Adamantium than ever. The weird thing about
Modumetal? Parts aren’t manufactured, they’re “grown.”
Auto-drive cars – We saw this back in 2002 with Minority
Report, and we saw it again in I,
Robot: cars that drive themselves at high speeds on the freeway and take
you exactly where you want to go. While we’re not exactly there yet, we do have
cars that can parallel park themselves, cars that beep at you when you’re about
to back into something, and cars that yell at you to wake up if you’re falling
asleep at the wheel. Cars that actually do drive themselves are currently in
testing. Cars that develop road rage are presumably the next step.
Written by Wyndham Wise
Despite rumours to the contrary, 2012 was not a particularly good year for Canadian film. Consider this: the top four films in terms of audience appeal and weeks played in the Greater Toronto Area, the largest market for English-Canadian films in the world, were all 2011 releases: Jean-Marc Vallée’s masterful Café de Flore (at 19 weeks); Philippe Falardeau’s Oscar-nominated Monsieur Lazhar (17 weeks); David Cronenberg’s psychological drama A Dangerous Method (14 weeks); and Sarah Polley’s romantic comedy Take This Waltz (13 weeks).
The longest-running new release was Paul W.S. Anderson’s Canada/German co-production Resident Evil: Retribution 3D at 9 weeks. It’s the fifth in the franchise from Toronto producer Don Carmody and a sure bet for the 2012 Golden Reel Award. At eight weeks was Cosmopolis, a second film by Cronenberg that received his worst reviews since eXistinZ; Michael Dowse’s hockey bruiser, Goon, making it the most well-received English-Canadian hockey film, and a relief after the box office failures of Breakaway and Score: A Hockey Musical; and Deepa Mehta’s sumptuous epic, Midnight’s Children.
The Oscar-nominated Canada/Poland co-production, In Darkness came in at seven weeks, the personal documentary Stories We Tell, another Polley film, at six weeks, and Jennifer Baichwal’s documentary based on text by Margaret Atwood, Payback, clocked in at five weeks. Ruba Nadda’s unsatisfactory political thriller Inescapable and Guy Maddin’s eccentric Keyhole both did four weeks each.
At three weeks were Brandon Cronenberg’s debut feature, Antiviral, Nathan Morlando’s biopix on Toronto’s most notorious bank robber, Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster, Xavier Dolan’s gay romance Laurence Anyways and Michael Bassett ‘s Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, another Carmody co-production. Four documentaries round out the features that played more that two weeks at any one theatre in the GTA: Jesse Mann’s Material Success (4 weeks), Steve Suderman’s To Make a Farm (4 weeks), Peter Mettler’s End of Time (3 weeks) and Léa Pool’s Pink Ribbons, Inc. (3 weeks).
In total, 50 Canadian features were released in the GTA in 2012, and as usual the majority (60 per cent) don’t play beyond two weeks. This is typical of any year, and the ones that didn’t make the two-week cut include films from Québec, documentaries, indie features and films that have been funded by Telefilm, which require a theatrical release before heading straight to cable, DVD or VOD.
This year, Kim Nyguen’s Rebelle (which played two weeks at the Bell Lightbox) is on the short list for the final five nominated for the Foreign-Language Oscar, making it the third year in a row that a Québécois film has landed on the short list. Both Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies and Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar made it to the final five, but neither won. The last time a Canadian film won in that category was Denys Arcand’s The Barbarian Invasions in 2004.
Written by Jon Williams
On January 3, legendary record producer George Martin celebrated his 87th birthday. He began his career recording classical music before moving on to produce comedy and novelty albums. In 1962, he began looking to capitalize on the rock n’ roll craze sweeping Great Britain. He struck gold on May 9 of that year when he signed the Beatles to his Parlophone label. He would go on to produce all of their albums (with the somewhat complicated exception of Let It Be). Later in his career, he would oversee production of their Anthology project in the mid-‘90s, as well as remixing songs for Cirque du Soleil’s Love performance in 2006.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Martin has been, understandably, best known for his work with the Beatles. He is even one of several people often referred to as the “fifth Beatle.” However, he worked with a number of musicians and produced many successful albums (yes, including solo albums from both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney). Here is a look at just a few of the albums Martin produced.
Ringo Starr – Sentimental Journey
America – Holiday
Cheap Trick – All Shook Up
Little River Band – Time Exposure
Paul McCartney – Tug of War*
Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace*
Tommy Original Cast Recording
Celine Dion – Let’s Talk About Love
*These McCartney albums are currently unavailable, but are set to be reissued as part of the McCartney archive collection.
Written by Kyle Slagley
Now that the New Year has dawned, we can all take a deep breath and mentally regroup. Often times as we move into January, the water cooler talk has to do with the normal slew of resolutions: diets, workout routines, quitting a bad habit, or the time spent cutting coupons in an effort to save more money.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that Bob from accounting cut 750 calories out of his diet just by giving up his nightly pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream, really I do! I’m sure you’re thrilled to hear that I’ve made it to day three of my decision to do the P90X Yoga routine every day. The fact remains that in two months, when Bob is once again making the yacht payment for the Ben & Jerry’s CEO and my Yoga X disc has been buried underneath the first four seasons of That 70’s Show, we will all be wondering one thing: Now that Twilight is finished, what will be the next Twilight?
It’s a legitimate question! At some point we’re going to have to have another fictional hunk for America to love, so we’d all best be on the lookout. I’ll need something to do with that hour-I’m-not-using-for-yoga anyway. Here’s my shortlist of contenders.
Warm Bodies – I mentioned this title a few days ago in my 2013: Year of the Zombie blog. The basic premise is that a zombie falls in love with a human girl and finds that love may actually be the cure to the disease that turned him into a zombie in the first place. The book really is its own Cinderella story; author Isaac Marion initially self-published the novel and it was later picked up by Atria Books. Marion has now announced a sequel that is currently in the works, and the movie starring Nicholas Hoult is due out February 1.
Beautiful Creatures – Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this series first appeared in 2009 and has been on the “Next Twilight” shortlist ever since. In the first (of four) novels, the two lead characters Lena and Ethan become inexplicably linked. Lena is a Caster (of magic) and Ethan is a normal high school sophomore. Swirling with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, this series has already been received well by critics and readers alike and, with the movie due out on February 13, it is a leading candidate to fill the void in the hearts of Twilighters. The three other books in the series are Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption.
The Mortal Instruments – There are currently five novels in this series by Cassandra Clare, with the sixth due out in 2014. The first novel, City of Bones, was published in 2007 and is a YA urban-fantasy tale about a secret society of tattooed-teenage demon hunters. This series is a hit already with those that like their urban-fantasy fierce, rugged, and not-overly-sappy—it reminds me a lot of the Borderlands short-story series that originated in the ‘80s. The movie is due out on August 23, but with romance taking a backseat in the series kickoff, the crowd may differ somewhat from that of Twilight.
Divergent – This trilogy by Veronica Roth, already loved by many, will continue to grow this year and probably subsequent years. It’s not quite a fantasy-romance like Twilight, but will attract many of the same readers and moviegoers as The Hunger Games because of its dystopian future-Chicago setting. The first installment was published in 2011, the second – Insurgent – just last year, and the unnamed conclusion is scheduled for release this fall. The movie adaptation of Divergent is currently in pre-production with director Neil Burger; it’s listed for tentative release in March 2014 and will be distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate (who also distributed The Hunger Games).
Written by Kirk Baird
The year is over. But before we march completely into 2013, let’s glance back at some of my favourite films of 2012.
Argo: Ben Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, the CIA operative who pulled off the daring rescue of six Americans in hiding at the home of the Canadian Embassy ambassador in Iran during the hostage crisis in Tehran. Affleck’s most impressive work is behind the camera, directing a gripping drama that almost never lets up its relenting pace. Even though we know how the true story ends, it’s a testament to Affleck that we sweat it out anyway.
The Avengers: Leave it to a comic-book geek to reinvent the superhero film…again. Writer-director Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is far removed from Christopher Nolan’s deadly serious reflections on what motivates masked avengers and villains, and amps up the fun, action, and a surprising amount of laughs as six superheroes band together and fight an evil god, an alien army, and each other.
Lincoln: Steven Spielberg delivers his most ambitious work yet in this stirring epic of behind-the-scenes politics in the waning days of the Civil War, as Lincoln marshals support for an anti-slavery amendment among a bitterly divided Congress. Tony Kushner’s weighty screenplay resonates with modern-day relevancy, and the superb ensemble is led by Daniel Day-Lewis as a president driven by conscience, not popularity.
Ruby Sparks: Zoe Kazan wrote and stars in this edgy, funny, and occasionally painful to watch romantic comedy about a celebrated literary genius (played by Kazan’s real-life boyfriend Paul Dano) who writes his ideal woman into existence, falls in love with her, discovers he can control her by whatever he types, and must deal with the consequences of that ability as their relationship changes.
Silver Linings Playbook: Bradley Cooper is terrific as a husband shattered by his wife’s affair as is Jennifer Lawrence as a neighbourhood woman who offers to help. Writer-director David O. Russell’s brilliant comedy drama, based on Matthew Quick’s novel, of two emotionally crippled people who find love and coping mechanisms in a Philadelphia suburb redefines the possibilities of what a romantic comedy can be — and should be.
Zero Dark Thirty: The Oscar-winning team of director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal ( The Hurt Locker) deliver a riveting and mostly true account of the U.S. government’s hunt for Osama bin Laden. Jessica Chastain stars as CIA operative Maya, who sacrifices her personal life, breaks government rules, and violates her own code of ethics in her decade-long obsession to find the terrorist leader.
Life of Pi: Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s bestselling novel offers serious subtext involving questions of God, faith, and humanity as part of this wondrous tale of a boy stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger. Lee nimbly straddles the worlds of indie drama and big-budget release with aplomb, and produces a gorgeous spectacle that entrances and amazes at almost every turn.
DOCUMENTARIES:
The House I Live In: Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki examines America’s never-ending crusade against drugs with an articulate and persuasive group of journalists, law enforcement officials, victims, as well as the creator of The Wire David Simon and a Lincoln historian -- all of whom make a sobering case that the biggest casualty in the war on drugs are young, impoverished black men.
The Imposter: In 1997, Nicholas Barclay, a Texas teenager missing for three years, suddenly and mysteriously appeared in Spain. His story of being kidnapped and held as a sex slave for years was stunning. And none of it was true. That’s just the beginning of this fascinating account of a young French con man named Frédéric Bourdin who fooled the missing teen’s family for three years. Or did he?
Searching for Sugar Man: Detroit folk singer Rodriguez was considered Motown’s answer to Bob Dylan in the early 1970s. Then he disappeared. Yet in South Africa he emerged as an anti-establishment icon to the young. So what ever happened to Rodriguez? That’s what a pair of his fans in South Africa wanted to know. Searching for Sugar Man is their dogged quest to find the answers.
MOVIES THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST, BUT ARE WORTH SEEING:
Here are some other 2012 films that didn’t quite make my best-of list, but are certainly worth your time.
The Sessions: John Hawkes and Helen Hunt are dazzling as a man immobilized by polio as a child and an understanding sex surrogate who agrees to help him lose his virginity.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Director Benh Zeitlin’s stunning debut about a post-apocalyptic future is full of relevant commentary about our post-Katrina world.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: This quiet and beautiful documentary about an 85-year-old Japanese sushi master has as much to say about culture and tradition as it does food.
The Queen of Versailles: Director Lauren Greenfield’s documentary is proof that our economic collapse affected almost everyone, including a billionaire Florida businessman and his eccentric, shop-a-holic wife.
Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson’s quirky comedy of young love and those adults trying to prevent it is his warmest and most human film in years.
The Dark Knight Rises: Christopher Nolan’s finale to his Batman trilogy wasn’t the epic we hoped for, but it was at worst a spectacular misfire.
Hyde Park on Hudson: Quibble with the film’s historical accuracy, but its star Bill Murray and his charismatic FDR is an old-school triumph.
The Cabin in the Woods: Just when you thought the zombie-horror genre was dead, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard give it a jolt of new life with their wild script.
Take This Waltz: Others were more enamoured with writer-director Sarah Polley’s love story gone wrong, but the ho-hum drama cracks this list for Michelle Williams’s heartbreaking performance as a wife who sacrifices what she has for what she wants.
Skyfall: Daniel Craig as 007 and Oscar winner Judi Dench as M, plus Oscar-winner Javier Bardem as the revenge-minded villain and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes at the helm equals arguably the best James Bond movie ever.
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