King Baby by Kate Beaton (Scholastic) The second children’s book from acclaimed Cape Breton cartoonist Kate Beaton is narrated by an egg-shaped baby who relegates demands with an overlord’s authority and facial expressions equally diabolical and cute. Featuring high repeat readability, this colourful, snappy tale will resonate with anyone who is, loves or has been […]
Jaime Forsythe
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Hello, Sweetheart by Elaine McCluskey
The 21 stories in Dartmouthian Elaine McCluskey’s fourth book of fiction are portraits of life in Nova Scotia, but you won’t find misty tales of lighthouses here. Instead, these stories take us inside a sex boutique, the Sears Portrait Studio, VLT rooms and a cat show, effectively balancing the dark with the absurd. McCluskey is […]
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Dog Show
Astrophysics, Taoism, permaculture, food sovereignty, survivalism, genocide: these are some of the austere themes that preoccupied artist Jody Zinner as she worked on a series of paintings she’ll be showing at the group exhibit Dog Show, as part of OBEY. A sense of alienation while living in Montreal contributed, too. “I was struggling to survive […]
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Grouper
As Grouper, Liz Harris plays unearthly songs that take cues from subconscious states and the natural world. “I had a dream where someone told me waves crash out what we feel inside, and that’s true for me,” Harris says. “The water is really restorative for me. It helps me sort things out, unlocks convoluted emotions, […]
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Cave art
Stepping into one of Lisa Frank’s lush nature scenes is a mix between tumbling down the rabbit hole and becoming the hero in a video game. Her vibrantly coloured, three-dimensional digital “paintings” require a special environment, though—the kind we just happen to have in Halifax, tucked in the McNally Building at Saint Mary’s University. SMU’s […]
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Re-interpreting the past
Artist Stacey Tyrell, who grew up in Toronto, wanted to know more about the life of her mother, who was born on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. Tyrell’s mother immigrated to England in the 1970s to work as a nanny before coming to Canada. “I had first just tried interviewing my mother thinking […]
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The Super Friendz
w/Stratejackets, Hip Club Groove, Cool Blue Halo Saturday, October 20 at The Marquee Club, 2037 Gottingen Street, 9:30pm Remember staying up for MuchEast on Sunday nights, thumb hovering over the Record button on your VCR in case a favourite video came on? Remember buying seven inches at Sam’s on Barrington or Dischord on Granville, reading […]
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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, […]
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Replicas
This isn’t the kind of thriller that gets you all settled in a nice, familiar atmosphere before pulling out the carpet. Canadian feature Replicas (titled Into Their Skin in the version that screened at the AFF) is very, very strange from the get-go. Grieving after the accidental death of their daughter, Mary (Selma Blair) and […]
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Sleepwalk With Me
Sleepwalk With Me is a trip into the brain of comedian Mike Birbiglia, who wrote, directed, and stars in this mostly-autobiographical romantic comedy. Adapted from Birbiglia’s book and off-Broadway show, the film tells the story of aspiring comedian Matt Pandamiglio, whose relationship begins to flounder in uncertainty just as his stand up career is blossoming. […]
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Must-see movies
FEATURES The Angel’s Share Opening Gala, Thursday, Sept 13, 6:30pm at Oxford, 7pm at Park Lane 8 and 7 The AFF kicks off this year with the spirited whiskey-tasting feature The Angel’s Share. Palme d’Or winning director Ken Loach (The Wind That Shakes the Barley) aptly directs this quiet, sinewy study of a thug and […]