Originally, Just Buried, Halifax filmmaker Chaz Thorne’s directorial debut, was “about this herbal supplement company—and the reason nobody was dying was because everyone was under 45 and insanely healthy,” Thorne said last August, before the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. “It was much broader and satirical. Where it ended up was a […]
Tara Thorne
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The Hold Steady
Published July 31, 2008. The Hold Steady Stay Positive (VAGRANT) Dropping a Hold Steady record in the middle of summer is like releasing a foreign documentary against a superhero movie—why bother with a quality attempt when The Ting Tings and Lil’ Wayne will dominate the season? Because sometimes the movie is Onceand it turns out […]
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Jay Dahl’s doppelganger
It’s late and hot on a holiday afternoon. While the rest of the city lounges on patios and passes out beer over barbecue grills, the crew of Jay Dahl’s feature debut The Harton Interviews are about halfway into their Canada Day. These people—about two dozen in total, including cast and extras—willnot see the fireworks. At […]
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Extreme Group nails it
There once was a nail without a job.He’d done his duty proudly for years.Then one day it was taken from him.He was sure someone would notice and put him back to work.But no one did.Hope turned to despair.Finally he decided he would be ignored no longer…. Cue a warehouse worker beginning to stand up under […]
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Alanis Morissette
[image-4]Published June 19, 2008.Alanis MorissetteFlavors of Entanglement (MAVERICK)Anyone comparing Flavors of Entanglement to Jagged Little Pill hasn’t listened to either. Where JLP raged—at boys, god, record execs— FOE resonates with the wisdom and level head 13 years can bring. Those eager to exploit Alanis Morissette’s tabloid breakup are extolling Entanglement’s “return to form” but she’s […]
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Beach House
Beach HouseDevotion(Carpark)The lush indie-pop outfit Beach House is notable for two things: 1) they are a duo; 2) they are from Baltimore. Any shitty four-piece can sound like an orchestra on record, but Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand have only a guitar, keyboard and microphones between them, and they use them to write songs in […]
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David Myles
David MylesOn the Line(Little Tiny)There’s something new in David Myles’ voice. On the eagerly awaited follow-up to Things Have Changed, his tones are as breathy and pleasant as always, but there’s some growl in there now. Perhaps recent visits to the American south have shaken the blues loose in him? A little too expertly backed […]
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For the record
“I like to record,” says David Myles. “I have a feeling—I hope—that I will be someone who makes a lot of records. I don’t want to limit my production too much in terms of my output. I really like making records, I’m just getting things going now.” The lanky, affable Fredericton native shot an arrow […]
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15 years: Comedy
Newfoundland native Cathy Jones moved to Halifax in 1993 to star in the CBC political satire This Hour Has 22 Minutes with Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer and Greg Thomey. A founder of the seminal troupe CODCO, she is the current 22 Minutes’ only original cast member. Evany Rosen moved from Toronto to attend King’s College […]
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15 years: Film
Andrea Dorfman moved from Toronto in 1993 to attend NSCAD. Her 2000 feature debut Parsley Days screened at the Toronto International Film Festival as well as the Atlantic Film Festival, where Love That Boy (2003) and the documentary Sluts(2005) had their premieres. Dartmouth native Jason Eisener co-wrote and directed the fake trailer for Hobo with […]
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Death Cab for Cutie
[image-4]Published May 08, 2008.Death Cab for CutieNarrow StairsAtlanticThis winter, with the distinctive bassline of “I Will Possess Your Heart” as score, deathcabforcutie.com hosted a video compiled from recording sessions. At the end of it, Ben Gibbard’s disembodied voice drifted in with one of the hoariest rock cliches ever: “We don’t have anything left to prove […]
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The Dead Girl
[image-4]Published May 15, 2008.The Dead GirlDirected by: Directed by Karen Moncrieff (First Look)This hyper-intimate film—less drama than horror—follows the ripple of effect of women affected by a murder. There’s the victim (Brittany Murphy), her mother (Marcia Gay Harden), the medical examiner (Rose Byrne), the killer’s wife (Mary Beth Hurt) and the stranger who finds the […]