Sweet Mud (Israeli title: Adama Meshuga’at)Directed by: Dror ShaulMongrel MediaIn the year leading up to his bar mitzvah, young Dvir (Tomer Steinhof) accidentally watches a man get intimate with a cow, tells a girl he loves her, steals some popsicles and surreptitiously smokes. As a general rule: becoming a man + encountering messed-up adult sexuality […]
Lindsay McCarney
Posted inArts + Music
Breach
BreachDirected by: Directed by Billy Ray(Universal)Director Billy Ray appears to be carving out a strange niche for himself—both the films that he’s directed have been semi-decent dramas about real-life liars. The first of these, 2003’s Shattered Glass, showcased Stephen Glass, a journalist who made up many of his best articles. That movie was sometimes hard […]
Posted inArts + Music
Zodiac
ZodiacDirected by: David FincherParamountThis barebones disc will soon be rendered obsolete for collectors—a two-disc director’s cut hits stores in early January. But David Fincher’s nifty film about California’s Zodiac killer is so good, we’ll overlook this release’s sad lack of special features. A cinematic throwback in all the right ways (often compared to All the […]
Posted inArts + Music
The perfect 10
The Stone AngelProud, cantankerous, selfish Hagar Shipley, the protagonist in Margaret Laurence’s classic novel The Stone Angel, has haunted Can-lit classes for decades. And rightfully so—as a character, she’s enormously captivating, and enormously flawed and human. God-like acting powerhouse Ellen Burstyn (who’s stolen scenes in everything from The Last Picture Show to Requiem for a […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Road Less Gravelled
The first two times that I attempted to go see Newfoundlander-turned-Torontonian Wanda Carroll’s one-woman show “The Road Less Gravelled”, it was sold out; the show played to a packed house again last night. And impish, hilarious, enthusiastic Carroll deserves all the attention she’s been getting. In just over an hour, Carroll takes the audience on […]
Posted inArts + Music
Bud Hunter’s “Life in the Big City or Male Menopause and the Single Guy”
As Bud Hunter’s one-man play, “Bud Hunter’s Life in the Big City or Male Menopause and the Single Guy” begins, Hunter references “The Sopranos.” Tony talks with Dr. Melfi about his family and past as a means of working through and understanding his current problems and reactions, Hunter points out. To that end, Hunter’s play […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Pridesville
Just over a month ago, the Halifax Pride festival was in full swing, and the city was abuzz with LGBTQ (that’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or questioning, to you) activities. There was a film festival curated by Thom Fitzgerald, a Dykes vs. Divas softball game (pitting drag kings against drag queens) and tours on the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Young and restless
Ah, sweet Halifax: a city known for its sturdy pubs, lively nightlife, bustling music scene and fine local breweries (and delightfully booze-soaked brewery tours). But Halifax is also a university town. Each year, bright-eyed frosh pile into the city, many of them boasting IDs branded with that dreaded scarlet number: 18. If this sounds tragically […]
Posted inArts + Music
Up with Apatow
This time two years ago, most of the world had yet to experience the distinct pleasure of watching Steve Carell get his extremely hairy chest waxed. Thanks to writer-director-producer Judd Apatow, that’s now changed. In August 2005, Apatow’s film The 40-Year-Old Virgin hit theatres, fulfilling an unforeseen collective desire to watch Carell become a “man-o-lantern” […]
Posted inLifestyle
Taking flight
The Winston Churchill statue that stands in front of the Spring Garden Road library is a Halifax institution. Forever fixed mid-pace, the great leader frowns and guards the library’s path. Stephanie Domet describes the statue as “calming and encouraging.” It’s fitting, then, that the library is where much of Domet’s new novel Homing takes place. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Growing pains
Generally, the name “Hellmann’s” doesn’t tend to conjure up images of urban greenery or gung-ho gardeners. It might bring to mind tasty sandwiches, but that’s about it. That’s something the company is looking to change. In early April, Hellmann’s flooded Halifax mailboxes with packets of carrot seeds. “Your Hellmann’s urban garden is only a few […]
Posted inArts + Music
Indie spirit rewards
Director Cam Erais’s short film Crossing Over tells the story of a man stuck in a nine-to-five world that Erais describes as “gray and cold and very routine.” The man notices that the street across from his workplace is more colourful, and that people there are happier. He decides to cross the street. Kids never […]
