Where's your cinema at?
The Strand's Halloween guide to the UofT area's best loved movie theatres
by Jen Roberton
We all know that Innis College plays free movies every Friday. Most residences have a television in their common room. We can watch movies on our computers. But Halloween is on the horizon, and that can mean one thing only: scary film season has officially begun. Surely we ought to be looking for a more thrilling atmosphere as we steel ourselves for the horror flicks. So what about sitting down in a dark room, with our shoes sticking to the floor, staring at a screen? No, I'm not talking about the private viewing rooms at Seductions. I'm talking about actual, fully functioning cinemas where we eat popcorn, watch some movies and, if we're lucky, smell Reg Hartt's dinner. It doesn't get spookier than that.
2 CommentsThis road won't be lonely for long
Mason Jennings breezes through Toronto to promote his new album Blood of Man
by Annie Bender, Film & Music Editor
Mason Jennings may have been named "one of the best acoustic-based singer-songwriters you've never heard of" by Rolling Stone magazine earlier this fall, but in the years since he recorded his 1997 self-titled debut, his fanbase has been steadily growing. A master of his genre, Jennings is currently on tour in support of his latest album, Blood of Man. For the GTA's many folk-loving folk in the know, his stop at the Mod Club on October 23 was not to be missed.
Bruce Peninsula, the band
Neil Haverty talks to The Strand about the marvellous music and geography of Southern Ontario
by James Marsh, Natascha Malta
Ontario band Bruce Peninsula taps into a musical energy that is sometimes primal, sometimes polished, and always thoroughly engaging. The music disintegrates into musical anarchy in a way that only nine wailing, chanting, humming, instrument-banging, tambourine-shaking, chime-jangling musicians are capable of - only to seamlessly emerge into incredibly tightly controlled, complex and cohesive music. Bruce Peninsula manages to pull off a large-band sound that is one part growling Tom Waits-style blues, one part gospel call and response, and two parts folk on an epic scale. Band member Neil Haverty recently took a break on the road to chat with The Strand about folk music in the city and the perils of fielding a large band.
Little Girls revive the lo-fi concept
Josh McIntyre basks in debut's unexpected acclaim
by Simon Frank, Associate Editor
There's definitely something strange in the air. Across the world shady operators with enigmatic pseudonyms like Blank Dogs, Wavves, Graffiti Island, Wet Hair, and Gary War, are grabbing guitars, cheap keyboards, and spools of dirty tape and retreating to their bedrooms. Crafting fuzzed out weird pop songs that alternately sound like entire Joy Division songs shoved through effects pedals, the rehearsal tapes of long forgotten Goth groups, or rockabilly played 10,000 leagues under the sea, the movement has been tagged as a revival of the lo-fi (low fidelity) aesthetic of 1990's bands like Pavement. And, with the release of Concepts by Toronto one-man-band Little Girls, the new wave of lo-fi has arrived in Canada.
Metric rocks the balcony
Haines' crew shake the walls at Massey Hall, Toronto's favourite seated venue
by Ming-Ming Ly
It can be hard to drop $60 for a real venue, when you're used to catching local acts for $10 at a bar, but as that was the going price for Metric's October 21st concert at Massey Hall, I had little choice but to fork over the cash. After digging a hole in my pocket to see the show, I found myself seated in the top balcony, watching the little ants down below. It was my first foray into the world of seated venues, and as I sat in the uncomfortable wooden chairs, I wished I'd splurged on worthwhile seats.
by James Marsh (with Natascha Malta)
As an ignorant American who never really got into Canadian content until university broadened my horizons, watching Amy Millan perform was an interesting cultural disconnect. Whether from her time in Broken Social Scene, her work with Stars, or her previous solo album Honey from the Tombs, many Canadian fans hold an emotional connection to some portion of her work. By contrast, I walked into her recent concert at the Mod Club with only a passing familiarity with her music. This turned out to be a major drawback. While Millan is an eminently capable musician and put on a technically excellent show, much of her performance seemed to be an homage to her past musical career. Despite the recent release of Masters of the Burial, fans seemed much more excited about her older work. Even to a relatively uninitiated listener, Millan appeared to have lost some momentum as an artist. While she chatted with the audience in confident, conversational tones, her banter hinged on previous tours or experiences with Stars or BSS.
Behind the scenes at Vogue
The September Issue documents icy fashion queen Anna Wintour
by Charlotte Tombs, Staff Writer
The September Issue depicts the life of Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour as she goes about creating the September issue of Vogue magazine, the most purchased issue of the entire year. Even if you think you've never heard of Anna Wintour, you may have seen the film The Devil Wears Prada, which features Meryl Streep as the Editor-In-Chief of Vogue. Streep's character was meant to be a portrayal of Wintour, as described by novelist Weisenberger based on her personal experiences as Wintour's assistant. The Anna we see in The September Issue is very similar to Streep's onscreen persona in The Devil: calm, cool, and composed; yet blunt, decisive and brutally honest.
Horizon is golden for former Vic student
Rising indie rock artist Taylor Knox discusses upcoming gigs with The Strand
by Sean MacKay, Managing Editor
Toronto indie act The Golden Dogs have been churning out energetic pop rock songs since 2001. Widely known throughout the city for their exuberant live performances, the group has undergone several line up changes over the course of its history. Drummer Taylor Knox, a former Vic student, sheds some light on how he came to be a part of the band's current incarnation.
