Mirman, man from the sea
My HPX kick-off night was a rollercoaster of emotions: happiness (because I really like Pop Explosion), sadness (because the Reflections happy hour was oh so far away from when I actually arrived), slowly creeping horror (I was wearing the third most uncomfortable pair of shoes I owned). Despite the storm of feeling within, if at…
Reality check
You spend your day having your meals cooked for you, a roof over your head on the tax-payers dime and a pretty easy ride while under house arrest for yet another criminal offence. You have a litany of reasons to excuse your bad behaviour. Here’s a piece of advice: man-up, be honest with yourself and…
You’re walking to work in the morning when suddenly…
…a wild pack of high schoolers appear! You use “smile politely at them and say excuse me” but it failed! Wild pack of high schoolers use “take up the entire sidewalk like you’re not even there.” It’s super effective! You have been pushed off the sidewalk! You now have mud all over your brand new…
Help me, help you
I do want your help but I’m too afraid of being rejected again. I could lose a lot more than my pride if you turned me away again. A mind is a bad thing to lose. When I’m convinced it’s you, and I’m over the moon, then I’m hurt because I’m not sure whether I’m…
It’s called bikini wax!
To the woman at the swimming pool the other night: Were you aware that your untrimmed pubic hair was sticking out both sides of your bathing suit? It wasn’t a few strands either, it was thick and everyone was staring at you in disgust. If you’re gonna go swimming at a public pool in a…
Stop setting me up with gingers
This is the second time this year you tried to set me up with a ginger guy. As long as I can remember, I’ve never been into them. I told you several months ago, many times, red-haired guys do nothing for me. Some girls may go nuts for them, but I cringe at the thought…
Step this, moron!
One day when you and your crack-head toothless girlfriend are comparing stories from your dead-end hair-net jobs remember all the shit things you did to people who loved or cared for you (baby-mamas, friends, family, co-workers). Justify it however you like, you are and will always be, a complete emotional fuck up. No amount of…
You all lost out
I love myself. I don’t know anyone else who can handle countless rejections so well. Who else can pick themselves up out of the dirt (literally every day) after being taken advantage of, legally robbed, disregarded, insulted or even just forgotten? I have extreme powers of empathy and selflessness. I’m generous to a fault. I’m…
Alright, I get it
Would you all just stop telling me I look tired or down? I’m sorry I do but it’s not something I can help or police every minute and it cuts my self esteem to always be told I look tired. I’m trying here, I walk around with a smile (albeit not totally sincere) most of…
Generally, generalizing about politicians being all crooked is lazy!
Guess what? I know not a lot of people are going to want to hear this, but not ALL politicians are crooks. Some are for damn sure, but many are not. Some people get into politics for the most honourable of reasons…to help their fellow man. I’ve never run for office. But I have worked…
Voter turnout by age, as of Wednesday morning
Election day isn’t until Saturday, but results from the first 12 days of electronic and phone voting suggest that this election may have the lowest turnout in Halifax history. As of Wednesday at 10:30am, 47,476 people have cast votes, representing just 16 percent of eligible voters. Elections officer Cathy Mellet wouldn’t make any predictions about…
You asked me if I regretted it…
…after having endured so much pain. I told you I knew the right answer would be that I didn’t. You told me there was no right answer. I still couldn’t say either way for sure. And now after another go-round and enduring another period of pain, of questioning, of searching, of self-doubt, I can safely…
Life is unfair
I still cannot believe it’s true. How and why? It will never make sense. It breaks my heart to see you hurting. I wish I could change it for you. I know things will never be the same for you and it kills me inside. It’s all too surreal. Praying for your happiness, hope that…
Compost toilet abuser
To the disgusting human who shit all over the toilet seat of the new composting toilet on McNabs Island, SHAME on YOU! Your mess made the toilet unusable for the 200 people who came to McNabs on Sunday. —Disgusted
Ignorant loud hockey parents
Here we go again. Another season listening to you rude fucking parents screaming and yelling at YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER in a very bad way because they don’t play good enough on the ice for you. FUCK you, you’re even yelling at the refs. For god sakes. Could you just take that ignorant brain of…
Say something!
I don’t know if it’s the dropping temperatures that’s to blame for all of the ‘love lost’ posts on here lately or what, but for goodness sake just talk TO the person who you’re missing/have feelings for/whatever! As lovely as they are to read here on a public forum (no sarcasm! I think they are…
We don’t need another mayor
When are people going to realize that the democratic process is a tool that people with power use to control people without power. It’s no different than any other political system on earth, and yes by that, I mean communism and fascism and socialism. They are all the same. Before all of you go off…
Pam B.
Wandering down to the grocery store and seeing your beautiful blue eyes and giddy smile, made any day worthwhile. I know times can be rough, and stress can get the best of us, so take two minutes. Take two minutes, sit down with this paper, relax, and bite your lip as you think to yourself…
Early voter turnout in Halifax elections is alarmingly low
There are still two more days of early voting, and election day itself is Saturday, but results from the first 11 days of electronic and phone voting suggest that this election may have the lowest turnout in Halifax history. As of today at 10:45am, 40,126 people have cast votes, representing just 13.5 percent of eligible…
Rock me mama, indeed
To the wonderful boy playing “Wagon Wheel” on the guitar while walking through my neighbourhood, thank you. I was sad because I had gotten off work at 12, and consequently missed all of Nocturne, but you definitely made my night a bit better. —Seeking Art at Night
I only have eyes for you
Yes men have asked me out but, you are the ONLY man I love. Loyalty actually means something to me. I miss you. —Dazed and Confused But Still Hanging On
Sailor Jerry
We met very briefly awhile back, then you were gone! Anyway, you made an impression. —Girl Afraid
Developer
Realizing you come from one of Canada’s backwaters, we don’t expect much. You are roaming around the big city now and yes, you probably dont have much of a handle on traffic in the metropolis. Stay clear of Toronto or Montreal whatever your monikor on your ride. Oh, grab a garmin and not the Anne…
#87 bus boy
You were on my bus the other night coming home from work and there were a few times we would catch each glancing over at one another. I thought it was sweet after we got on the same bus together again you finally said something. Just wanted to let you you know, it was nice…
Grocery store saviour
It was a Saturday evening, I was at the check out doing the math in my head if I could afford the groceries. I held my breath and thought I allowed enough but the message said declined. So I said I will just use a credit card, I was embarrassed and tried, incorrect PIN so…
Why are you so sweet?
East coast food—why are you so sweet? Pizza sauce tastes like ketchup with a cup of sugar added, stir fries come with one sauce—fuckin sweet teriyaki, you order a pasta dish and it’s sweet as holy fuck, everyone dips their pizza in something that only compares to ass and cake icing combined, mashed potatoes are…
Bullies are the products of stupid parents
OK, so in light of the recent tragedy in BC with the young girl who took her own life because of years of physical and cyber bullying who can we blame? They all say blame the bullies it’s their fault, yes in hindsight it is their fault but when we take a step back and…
Dazed and confused
Believe me I want nothing more than to contact you but, I’m not positive you want me to. I told you of my feelings for you once, you turned me away. You tell me no you can’t see me anymore so how do I know you changed your mind? I’m asking you to contact me?…
To my love lost
You know who you are when I say I miss you “desperately.” —Stranger Passing in the Park
People use debit too much
Lineups would be at least a half shorter if we all just took out $20 for small purchases every once in awhile instead of absolutely using debit every time. Oh, and if your card is old replace it so you’re not at the cashier swiping five times. —I Don’t Have Time For Lineups ALL the…
Kind cop
To the cop who saw me walking home alone in the rain at 2am and offered me a drive to my door—thank you! I was cold and miserable, but thanks to you the night ended on a high note. I hope some good karma comes your way soon. —Grateful Citizen
An open letter to my heart
Please, PLEASE get over him. It’s been over for over a year, he barely replies to any emails/ texts, and if he wanted to talk to you he would find you in the hall and do it. There are plenty of wonderful people in the world so please stop making me wait for that coffee…
Dude, I banged into your car door…
…on my bike. And I’m so sorry! It was dark and rainy and I should have had my bike light on. The door opened before I had a chance to react, then all of a sudden I was on the ground. You were super sweet though, offering me a ride to the hospital, thanks for…
Tiny
I’d still crawl over glass for you. There’s already been so many that have tried to get a spot in my heart but you still own everything. I’d be lying to myself and everyone I know if I said I still don’t love you, despite everything. Such a waste, my feelings aren’t reciprocated. Such a…
What do they want, a fucking medal?
Wow, *cue slow, exaggerated, sarcastic mock applause here*. Gas down a whopping 4-point something cents a litre! Gee, THANKS Darrell and all your ‘hard-working’ colleagues with the NS Government’s cabinet for SUCH a much-needed BREAK! Oh, yeah, we owe you big time! Really. *Eyes rolling* and we’ll pay you back, alright, don’t worry: at the…
I like to get my mail
What’s with letting parcels sit around the office for weeks or more at a time? The truth is some things are time sensitive but other than that, the longer something sits around in the office the more apt it is to get lost stolen, misplaced, dropped, broken, crushed or just plain old. I doubt that…
Old man crush
OMS- we don’t talk anymore and I totally understand why but, I still think about you from time to time. I hope all is well. I miss you terribly sometimes. —Young Woman Crush
Why can’t boyfriends just communicate?
So, my friend’s been dating this guy who she met in Halifax a year ago this October. When they started dating things were great and he was the greatest guy to be around now, I dunno. He never has much to say on the phone or when they meet up plus the only thing he…
If you were my boyfriend
I’d invite you over to read comics in bed. When we played superheroes I’d even let you be Batman…sometimes. —R. Grayson
Only in the Maritimes
I am an active wheelchair user. Thursday night Oct 11, I was on my scooter with a 3 foot high artificial amaryllis in my scooter’s basket. As I bumped down into the crosswalk at North and Windsor Street, one of the cloth amaryllis blooms popped off my plant and the cold wind blew it into…
Left turning morning commuters
To the morning commuters who must work/park either on Grafton or Argyle Street and think that the fastest way to get there is to turn left onto Carmichael Street from Brunswick Street: NEWS FLASH—it’s not, and you fucking hold up traffic every day waiting for people to cross both crosswalks with no oncoming cars. If…
Wishful thinking, I wish it wasn’t
I thought I could be honest with you, I was wrong. I only hurt myself though. My dog died and my family is gone. My life is falling apart and I’m starting to unravel at the seams. I am not embarassed for being honest, though. I am truely sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.…
Triple look
You were walking by a certain spa establishment, I was at my usual post in the window, people watching. I’d apologize for staring, but you looked back to make eye contact three times, and it made me smile. I couldn’t help but notice your camera (I think it was a Nikon?) and your gorgeous eyes.…
Another bus bitch
This one goes out to the the little shit on the 80 this morning with his stupid iPod or phone or whatever it was, listening to his shitty music with no headphones on. Do you think I (or anyone else on the bus) really wanted to listen to “Don’t stop, drop that pu$$y bitch” on…
Dog park blues
Several years ago at a cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the city, in a very forward-thinking move, allocated a space next to Centennial Pool as a park for service dogs. It is a an area where these dogs may run off leash in safety, which is normally hard to do when the…
Just a few things
First off, the ones who complain about strollers on the bus. It’s clear the ones who complain about the strollers on a bus have never had kids, owned/own a car or choose to carry their kids on the bus instead. Quit bitching about the strollers on the bus cause for the parent it’s much easier…
Random acts of kindness
To the lovely lady at a local liquor store who saw my friend and I in line purchasing a bottle of red wine for a dinner party and asked “Are you two students and buying red wine?” To which we responded “Yes… it was on sale” and then proceeded to buy our wine thank you…
Democracy is slavery
This is for all you good little slaves racing into work every morning. Take a minute to pat yourselves on the back for being sheeple. That’s right. Baaahhhh. Sheeple. You are already dead. You have forgotten who you are, why you are here and what life is truly about. We don’t need the government, they…
Girl bonding
Much Love to the very easy on the eyes bus driver whom makes my girl of 20 years’ ride not seem so long to Sackville… See he gives us a topic to text about everyday during her ride. We now have a nickname for him… convo starts with is “Cutie Ba Tootie” driving today? FYI…
The fish that got away
Her username was Courtney247, and after a good friend had recently had some luck with online dating, she was the girl that made me figure it was worth giving another shot. Sadly, upon signing up, she had closed her account the very same day. I figured I’d cross my fingers and give this last call…
Ian Colford book launch
Halifax author Ian Colford—whose 2008 short fiction collection Evidence was named a Globe & Mail top 100 book and shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Awards and the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award—will launch his debut novel, The Crimes of Hector Tomás at the Company House October 11 (7pm, free, 2202 Gottingen Street). The…
T-shirts, tea towels, trays
Seeds Gallery (1099 Marginal Road) hopes to provide for all your gifting needs with their launch of new products by Alissa Kloet, Keephouse Studio (running to November 4), and their October t-shirt of the month designed by Paul Hammond (you may recognize him from our comics page, see Hey You Guys). Kloet’s products feature airy,…
Queer Acts Theatre Fest wants you
Queer Acts Theatre Festival (known colloquially as AWESOME THEATRE TIME, but that may just be between my friends and I. It is also known as a multi-day LGBTQ theatre event held each July during Halifax Pride Week, or, the only LGBTQ theatre festival in the Atlantic provinces) is seeking submissions for their 2013 edition, interested…
Wooden Monkey embraces Dartmouth
This morning, the folks at The Wooden Monkey (1707 Grafton Street, 444-3844) announced via Twitter the big news that they have purchased MacAskills (Alderney Landing), and will convert it to a second Monkey. I just got off the phone with a very excited Lil MacPherson, who co-owns the Monkey with Christine Bower, who MacPherson describes…
Mills is sold
We received the following press release late last night: Four local women to buy Mills department store Retail icon will relocate to Spring Garden Place in early 2013 HALIFAX, NS (October 10, 2012) – Four professional women with a shared passion for style will purchase the iconic Mills department store on Spring Garden Road –…
Bridge Terminal: Where’s the public art?
Update, October 12: City spokesperson Tiffany Chase emails to say that the city is not hiring a consultant to figure out how the public art policy applies to the Bridge Terminal, but rather “scoping out the project internally.” After that, an request for proposals will be issued. Original article: In 2008, Halifax council adopted a…
Sully’s Roast Beef and Smoked Meats opens
Sully’s Roast Beef and Smoked Meats has opened at 3548 Novalea (493-5141) in the little strip mall around the corner from the Lawton’s at the intersection of “don’t put a traffic circle here!” and Duffus Street. Word is, the meat is tops.
Hali Deli takes over Cousins space
Lat week we discussed the exciting restaurant scene that’s unfolding along Agricola Street near North Street. Now comes word of another new offering just a couple of blocks south at 2389 Agricola Street, between Harris and West Streets, where Victor Fineberg, is opening the Hali Deli Old World Delicatessen “in about three weeks.”. The deli…
Wooden Monkey to open second location in Dartmouth
The Wooden Monkey just tweeted: The Wooden Monkey @TheWoodenMonkey Here’s the news…the Monkey will be opening a 2nd location in Dartmouth, we are taking over the MacAskills location, we are beyond excited! I’ll talk to owner Lil MacPherson just as soon as I can, and update this post with details.
Mr. Smith goes to City Hall
Somehow, inadvertently on my part, my relationship with Bruce E. Smith, a candidate in the District 12 (Timberlea – Beechville – Clayton Park West) council race, started off on the wrong foot and careened downward from there. As I recall, this began when I wrote something referring to Smith as “Bruce Smith.” He emailed or…
Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac
Straight-up Celtic music has few sturdier proponents than these two. Mary Jane is best known as Ashley MacIsaac’s Gaelic singer and Wendy as fiddler in the band Beolach. A contemporary touch like half-funky bassline might cameo, but this sumptuous recording may confirm the word that Cape Breton music is more Scottish these days than the…
Sinister
A one-hit writer of true crime novels moves his family into the house of a murdered family and learns you probably shouldn’t do that in the underachieving Sinister. When weathered author Ethan Hawke discovers a mysterious box of home movies in his new attic, he begins to unravel a series of brutal massacres across the…
Going (Solo)
In Hamlet (Solo), Raoul Bhaneja uses the most minimalist of approaches—an empty stage, fixed lighting and head-to-toe black clothing—to bare the soul of the Bard’s best-known tragedy. From the first moments when bitter winds whip the ramparts of the Danish castle (winds provided by Bhaneja and ramparts provided by imagination), to the closing “sweet prince”…
Bend Sinister’s back
Change looks good on Vancouver’s Bend Sinister. Since the band’s last full-length release—and its last trip to Halifax— there’s been a label switch and a line-up swap, but both leave room for only good things. “I think this is the tightest, most coherent the band’s been,” says founder Dan Moxon of the now four-piece outfit. “It’s…
Early voting totals
For early and electronic voting totals, by district, as of 3pm today, click here.
Halifax Drum Fest is bang on
With fall festivals in full swing, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on, but we couldn’t forget the Halifax Drum Festival. And that’s not just because it’s the loudest. For its second year back in action, the two-day celebration of percussion performers is showing its chops and proving it could be the…
The change you seek
@huskermould: Hell, it’s not Peter Kelly. What else you got? This election season, there’s a lot of talk about leadership, vision and, above all, inspiration, especially when it comes to our new mayor. People seem to be expecting a man who will lead them out of the woods, a larger-than-life character who will validate the…
Lord of the Coven Ring
Call it sporty art. Marigold Santos finds the perfect blend of her Filipino roots and physical expression in Coven Ring, exposing the frailty, skill and beauty of boxing through her large, watercolour paintings. The colours and textures of the pieces give a living portrayal of sport. The blue and brown strokes on the punching bag…
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Teenage life is melodramatic enough, and for Stephen Chbosky, it’s even more traumatic in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (based on his novel of the same title), a coming-of-age story of a group of suburban high school students. Charlie (Logan Lerman), a freshman struggling with depression, befriends Sam (Emma Watson) and her stepbrother, Patrick…
How Should a Person Be?
The “novel from life,” part diary, part play and part excerpts from friends’ conversations, How Should a Person Be? is best read in small chunks over time. A chapter here and there is charming, but too many all at once is like spending time with a friend who is so uncomfortable being authentic that she…
Sustainable Mayor
Wading through election ideas and question-dodges gives me a migraine quicker than a glass of harbour-solution sludge. I hope this helps you assess the eco-promises of the mayoral candidates. Grades are based on the candidate’s knowledge, understanding, creativity and commitment to sustainability, as demonstrated in their responses to my questionnaire. Tom Martin: B+ Martin has…
Arbitrage
The 1% don’t exactly get what’s coming to them in the sharp corporate thriller, Arbitrage. A smartly cast Richard Gere plays hedge funder Robert Miller, who’s on the precipice of selling his illegally over-inflated company to a rival when a car accident leaves his mistress dead and threatens everything he’s lied and cheated for. Covering…
FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL almost immediately impresses with its retro look and feel and the often punishing difficulty. Fans of science fiction will definitely want to check out this addictive spaceship simulator. Some may turn their noses up at a game that only has a single-player campaign, but it’s not a detriment, it’s incredibly re-playable; in fact you’ll…
Here Comes the Boom
Ultimate fighting isn’t the obvious choice to save a school’s arts program, but Here Comes the Boom doesn’t let its head (or fists) get in the way of its heart. A lunkheaded biology teacher at an underfunded elementary, star Kevin James struggles to find a way to raise $50,000 after budget cuts threaten the music…
Wooing the vote: Landlords lobby for Sue Uteck
There’s a very large social component to elections that is fun to explore. People talk to each other. They notice who has a certain yard sign in the front yard. They form opinions based on what the people canvassing for a candidate is wearing. They ask their friends, their workmates, their drinking partners, their newspaper…
Winnie
One of the most complex, noteworthy women of the Twentieth Century gets a biopic unfitting of a made-for-TV movie in the disastrous Winnie. Purporting to examine the life and times of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (Jennifer Hudson), the scattered film instead flits from scene to scene with little purpose. Winnie grows up a tomboy in a small…
Free Will Astrology
Happy Birthday! LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23-OCTOBER 22) “Hello Dear Sir: I would like to place a large order for yellow chicken curry, cherry cream cheese cupcakes and sour, malty Belgian golden ale. It’s for my birthday party this Saturday, and will need to serve exactly 152 people. My agent will pick it up at 11am. Please…
Tuff stuff
Whether you learned about it from your aging Deadhead parents, an older sibling or your Karpetface bandmates, we all know the totally wild Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz sync-up. There is no doubt it blows your mind to this very day. No? You don’t want to talk about if they meant…
My boyfriend is anti-choice
Q I recently discovered that my boyfriend of seven months and I have opposing viewpoints on the whole “life begins at conception” issue. He’s not a crazy zealot, but he is strongly against abortion. And while he won’t go so far as to say abortion should be banned, he does believe in the whole “personhood”…
Nashville
Tami Taylor sings! After an unfortunate post-Friday Night Lights year on American Horror Story, Connie Britton settles back in with the much more appropriate Nashville, a soapy look at the contemporary country music scene. Britton is Rayna Jaymes, 20 years into a career that’s faltering under a broken system and the pop-country crossover of the…
Nocturne by the hour
Zone 1 6 PM Sovereignty, Becka Viau, Aaron Weldon, Bonita Hatcher, Scott Saunders, Kat Frick Miller Anna Leonowens Gallery 1891 Granville Street Five emerging fine artists explore the idea of sovereignty in the Canadian context in this exhibition and conceptual installation. An investigation of Canada’s colonial past and the history of our nation’s development led…
Frankenweenie
Tim Burton reanimates Frankenweenie, his 1984 live action short, stop-motion feature (Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas), giving the story more characters and expanding its plot. When Victor’s dog Sparky meets his untimely demise, Victor (Charlie Tahan), inspired by his science teacher, uses lightening to resurrect his beloved pooch, à la Frankenstein. Burton creates an…
Slam Dunk the funk
With influences from everywhere, Slam Dunk challenges descriptors with upbeat in-between rock that makes them one of the coolest bands in Canada. From ska-punk to garage-punk to total love party to West Coast surf funneled through rusty cheese graters, it’s all there and it’s all not there, too. The Victoria, BC fun factory plays Gus’…
Nocturne’s bedtime story
This Nocturne, our city will become the stomping ground for an assortment of unusual fairtytale-like creatures, including a humanoid fish monster and giant ants. From 6pm until the stroke of midnight this Saturday, artists inspired by the paranormal, the animal kingdom and cryptozoological beasts will temporarily transform Halifax into a strange bedtime tale. And it’s…
Old Man Luedecke
The south shore’s deadpan banjo man has come far since enthralling the curious at Ginger’s. Four albums and two Junos later, he’s made the journey to procure production, fiddle and pickin’ support from Nashville veteran Tim O’Brien. “Song for Ian Tyson” is the closest to a conventional country song Luedecke has written. The Bible supplies…
Info Glow
Stephen Kelly will be on hand at the Dalhousie Art Gallery the evening of Nocturne to explain his part-scientific, part-artistic exhibit Info Glow. The computer science PhD student’s experimental installation will eventually consist of 30 robots suspended in a grid-like formation. Digital systems will monitor the environment inside the LEED Gold-certified Mona Campbell Building—CO2 levels,…
Antiviral
Director Brandon “Son of David” Cronenberg is in no hurry to distance himself from the themes prevalent in his father’s work, if his debut feature Antiviral is anything to go by. This sci-fi body-horror shares cold-sweat DNA with Rabid, Videodrome and The Fly for sure. In this entirely credible world of empathy spared only for…
Danspace
Tara Thorne is a pop culture Casanova. The charismatic crooner and songwriter of indie-alt-pop trio, Dance Movie, has a history of alluding to modern media. Several of the earlier singles and EPs (including Ladycops, a collection of songs about TV detectives) are full of prime-time inside jokes. But Thorne (a longtime Coast staffer) says she’s…
Barometer
A gigantic glass stairwell and 6,000 biodegradable balloons sounds like a recipe for a good time, and Melissa Marr and Heather Wilkinson intend to keep the party going all night, with audience participation, of course. “We will be sending balloons to the peak of the structure and watching them tumble down and settle in a…
Argo
Fiction often pales in comparison to a true story. And take a true story (the six American diplomats trapped in Tehran in 1979 during the Iran War) and add a heavy dose of heroism, as Ben Affleck does in Argo, his third directorial venture, and you get quality Hollywood entertainment. Tony Mendez (Affleck) schemes to…
Erin Costelo
On her self-produced third album, it is clear early on that Costelo is aiming for pop over jazz, brevity over expansiveness, with confidence in her voice to hit the target. One misstep is a consonant-clunky dance number, “Count to 10.” Everything else feels new even if it might evoke the Shangri-las, Doug Riley, Carole King…
Black Box Dreams
Halifax’s quintessential black box, The Bus Stop Theatre, is turned into a conduit for philosophical reflection about the meaning of the term “black box.” Nick Bottomley and Clare Waque weave theatre and digital media together to explore the idea of black boxes. Their artist statement asks: “From the Black Boxes in airplanes that mathematically record…
Taken 2
A whole Albanian village just hates Liam Neeson so much in the sadly routine Taken 2. Returning to the role of a loving father with a certain set of skills (re: murdering people), Neeson is joined in this go-around by his family on a business trip to Istanbul. As you might expect, things go badly.…
Mr. Bacon!
A glaring hole in the local retail scene has been the absence of a candy store on the Dartmouth side of the harbour. But no longer! Just in time for Halloween, Stacey Campbell has opened Sugar Shok Candy Boutique, a candy-, gift-, card-, partly supply- novelty-shop at 117 Portland Street (880-0660). Besides traditional candy she…
Drumroll please
On the first day of 2011, Lisa Lipton picked up a pair of drumsticks. Things haven’t been the same for her since, with the instrument now inextricable from her daily routine, her imagination and her fashion sense. “When I said I was going to embody the drummer, at first it was kind of a joke,…
Eugene machine
If Eugene Mirman gets screwed on his Delta flight from New York next week, the airline will hear about it. In fact, he’s known for his letters. Once Mirman took out a full-page ad in the Greenpoint Gazette lamenting his woes with Time Warner Cable. In it, he wishes a series of plagues upon Time…
Lynyrd Skynyrd
A 1977 plane crash that killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd halted the Southern rock dynamo, and many fans may view askance any subsequent lineup. Guitarist Gary Rossington is the last of the originals. Johnny Van Zant succeeded his late brother Ronnie when the band reformed in the ’80s. The licks are crunchier, and the…
Seven Psychopaths
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, who made his feature film debut with the excellent In Bruges, shifts focus to the sunny, meta-textual hills of Hollywood with the fiendish Seven Psychopaths. A neurotic Colin Farrell plays a screenwriter named Martin, attempting to finish a script for which he only has a title (“Seven Psychopaths”). Figuring it out…
Use your noodle
Autumn is the perfect time for a restaurant that specializes in soup to come into its own. So I expect that Truly Tasty Ramen & Dumplings is happy to see the leaves piling up on Quinpool Road. Stephanie and I wander into the restaurant for a late evening dinner and are greeted warmly in the…
We can’t get over Erin Costelo
We Can Get Over is the record Erin Costelo was meant to make. For her new release, the big-voiced singer, songwriter and composer had a clear vision and it traced back to the music that’s been inside her all along. “I’ve listened to soul music my whole life,” says Costelo. “My dad used to record,…
Barfi!
You might know “barfi” as an Indian dessert, but in Anurag Basu’s romantic comedy, Barfi!, it’s the name of one of the movie’s central characters (played by Ranbir Kapoor), a man with a speech-impediment who can’t pronounce his real name, Murphy. Instead of picking a directorial style, Basu includes Charlie Chaplin-style slapstick, choppy cuts and…
Lower Deck moves into Clayton Park
The folks at The Lower Deck have bought the former Winston’s Pub in the Clayton Park shopping centre (278 Lacewood Drive). Not ones to mess around with a successful formula, the name of the new place will be “The Lower Deck Bar & Grill.” The Deck’s Mike Condy tells us that the bar remains open…
