Category: Movies

"Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them."

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There will be a sequel to Wall Street. This will either be very cool, or just hilariously awful. That movie worked in the 80s for a reason; I don’t know if it can still be pulled off.

.:.

I took my new Zen out of the box last night, fondled it for a minute and then put it back. This weekend, my lovely, I promise. The time will be right. The stars are aligned. Get ready…my 39GB of music is on the way. “It is at this point that I will fill your hard drive to the break of dawn.”

[UPDATE] I just re-read the last paragraph. I sound like Smoove B.

[tags]wall street sequel, nomad zen vision:m[/tags]

Kickin' it old skool

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I can’t believe I just used a 0% movie as the inspiration for my post title.

.:.

I’m back on course. It gets underway in an hour and ends five days from now. I don’t think this one will be too tough — it’s an IT course — so I’m actually thinking I’ll have time to get some real work done. I’m still trying to catch up after last week.

We had brunch with CBGB this morning. We didn’t have much time and it was a little early (kind of a pre-brunch brunch…and no, that’s not necessarily breakfast) so we just went down the street to the Hothouse Cafe. Better that than start on the cafeteria food before I absolutely have to.

[tags]kickin’ it old skool, toronto brunch, hothouse cafe[/tags]

Hey look…other stuff is happening besides me moving!

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Found while trying to get control of the RSS tide:

  • BlogTO reviews The Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib. With all the packing and such I forgot to write the film when we saw it at Hot Docs a week ago.  It was an excellent documentary; director Rory Kennedy let the story tell itself by interviewing the Abu Ghraib guards who were convicted for their role in the torture, and gave context by framing the story with the findings of the Milgram experiment. Excellent documentary. Highly recommended.
  • I agree with Esquire’s Angry German’s rant on punctuality. Next to smoking, being late is the fastest way to make me think you’re an inconsiderate jackass. Not occasionally late, mind you; I know things sometimes happen. But there are those people who’re just perpetually late, and those people are asshats.
  • The Quill & Quire’s blog points to a discussion between Lynn Coady and Christy Ann Conlin. Both Nova Scotian writers, they wonder whether it’s easier to write about where you’re from, or to write about a place if you’re “from away.”
  • Kirsten Dunst likes The Arcade Fire and Regina Spektor. ‘Cause I didn’t think she was hot enough already…

[tags]ghosts of abu ghraib, hot docs, milgram experiment, esquire magazine, angry german, punctuality, quill & quire, lynn coady, christy ann conlin, kirsten dunst, arcade fire, regina spektor[/tags]

Let's all personally groom in a public place

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Tonight we saw the world premiere of Let’s All Hate Toronto (hot docs), a funny & quirky little documentary about Torontonians confusion as to why the rest of the country dislikes them. I read the blog kept by Rob Spence (aka Captain Canada) when he was travelling across the country holding Toronto Appreciation Days, much to the anger and dismay of Canadians everywhere. There was nothing groundbreaking or insightful about the documentary; it was just good fun.

Except for the really loud lady sitting behind us who, unless I’m mistaken, was cutting her fingernails during the film. Awesome.

.:.

Why, why does our environment minister look just like Lester from Mississippi Burning? And why does he spout alarmist rhetoric like “meeting our Kyoto targets will put us in a recession”?

.:.

All Quiet On The Western Front might be remade. It’s one of the few movies I’d look forward to a remake of…if it’s done right. All this talk about making it into a “big budget, sweeping Hollywood epic” smacks of Pearl Harbor, and nobody wants that.

.:.

On the eve of the Toronto Raptor’s playoff series against New Jersey, I feel nervous. While confident that Toronto is the better team, should New Jersey pull off an upset, the psychological scarring that would result from losing to Vince Carter in the playoffs would be deep and long-lasting. Here’s hoping Bosh hangs a triple-double on them tomorrow, and that Kris Humphries or Joey Graham put sissyboy on his ass once or twice.

[tags]let’s all hate toronto, john baird, kyoto, recession, all quiet on the western front, toronto raptors, vince carter[/tags]

Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib

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We very stupidly bought tickets for a Hot Docs screening 36 hours before we move. I know, I know. We’re not the swiftest of cats sometimes. Anyhoo, we’re now selling those tickets so that we can stay home on Saturday night and pack our socks and frying pans. If anyone would like to buy our tickets (for a discount, natch) to the following screening please email me or leave a comment:

Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib (description)

Saturday April 21 @ 9:30

Bloor Cinema (Bloor & Bathurst) Isabel Bader Theatre (Charles & Bay)

Dang…I really wanted to see that one too. Any takers?

Coinstar, Battlestar and my latest star

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Today wasn’t quite as nice a day as was forecast, so we stuck to doing some errands, cleaning and (in my case) watching more basketball. We traded in a bunch of loose change ($120 worth, in fact), picked up our tickets for the two documentaries we’ll see at this year’s Hot Docs (Let’s All Hate Toronto and Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib) just before we move, got some excellent snacks at Cobs Bread, picked up a few groceries and got home just in time for the opening tip of the Florida/Oregon game. Since I finished my case study yesterday I can now relax until the season finale of Battlestar Galactica tonight.

.:.

Speaking of basketball, I’m doing quite well in my March Madness pool. I’m currently in 3rd, but I can take the $600 prize if Florida beats Georgetown in the final. If my calculations are correct there are also two other scenarios where I’d finish 2nd (for which I’d get $200) or tied for 2nd ($100).

I’m also doing well in my other (non-money) pools. I’m leading my NHL pool; some other guys got within half a point of me, but I’ve gotten some breathing room back, mainly by adding Jordan Staal to my lineup the other night. I’m starting to love that kid as much as Don Cherry does. In my NBA pool I’m only four points back from the leader, but I don’t think I can catch him. I probably could’ve if any of Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce or Dwayne Wade had been able to play a full season, mais c’est la vie. I’m just hoping to hang on to 2nd place.

[tags]hot docs, let’s all hate toronto, ghosts of abu ghraib, cobs bread, battlestar galactica, march madness, hockey pool, jordan staal, don cherry[/tags]

"If I wasn't a transvestite terrorist, would you marry me?"

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The three funniest things I read yesterday:

.:.

AOL picks the top 25 sports movies of all time. Apparently AOL knows nothing about the genre; no way does Bull Durham (or any other sports movie) beat Hoosiers, no way does White Men Can Jump beat When We Were Kings, no way does Friday Night Lights finish 25th, and no way does Eight Men Out get left off the list entirely.

.:.

Breakfast On Pluto (imdb | rotten tomatoes) has been sitting next to our TV for six weeks. We just never got around to watching it, until earlier this week. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t that good either. Cillian Murphy was excellent playing Patrick “Kitten” Braden, but mainly I hovered between dislike and disinterest for the film. I’m glad we didn’t waste a TIFF pick on it a couple of years ago.

[tags]scott adams, ahnuld, lolcat, cheezburger, sports movies, breakfast on pluto, cillian murphy[/tags]

Let's all hate polar bear cubs

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I don’t think it’s any secret that I like animals. However, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m an animal activist, especially when people who describe themselves as such claim it’s better to euthanize this polar bear cub than to raise him in a zoo. Now, I don’t think animals should be in zoos in the first place, but if the cub was born in a zoo and was rejected by his mother, I can only think it would be better off experiencing a life of some kind than to be put down because it’s not living the predictable life.

If the question were whether we should be going into the wild to adopt abandoned bear cubs, I’d say no, that’s disrupting the natural cycle. But, as I said, I also don’t think we should be putting animals in zoos, so until that practice ceases I don’t think we should be euthanizing healthy zoo-born animals just because, all other things being equal, they’d die in the wild.

.:.

There’s a new crosswalk in the Annex. Why is this interesting (to me, anyway)? Because I (and many others) damn near died crossing the street there to get to the Dominion. I don’t get back up to that neighbourhood very much anymore, but at least on the few occasions when I do (like the occasional concert at Trinity/St. Paul’s, or when I want to trade some coins for cash) I won’t be muttering “This &%#$ intersection needs a crosswalk!” as I dodge Hyundais.

I expect a hallelujah from Duarte on this. Stanzi and T-Bone used to live over there too; I suspect they dodged cars there more than once. It’s like a Toronto rite of passage.

.:.

Actually, one good reason to go back to that neighbourhood: the Hot Docs documentary festival. If you live in Toronto and you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to go. I’m bummed that we won’t really have time to see many films this year as we’re moving right in the middle of the festival. Too bad; I really want to go see the reaction to Let’s All Hate Toronto.

[tags]knut, polar bear cub, annex crosswalk, hot docs, lets all hate toronto[/tags]

They look so innocent

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As the reality that we’re moving in six weeks (!) sets in, I’ve begun thinking about what I’ll miss in this neighbourhood.

  • The Varsity theatre Hands down the best theatre in the city. Big, comfortable, great sound, good selection (not as indie as the Cumberland, not as mainstream as the Silver Cities), super-close and hardly any kids. The lack of good theatres downtown will make this loss even more painful. link
  • Fieramosca Obviously our favourite neighbourhood-y place. They know us there, and give us shit when we let 2 months go by without visiting. We’ll have to make special trips up here just to see them…and to have the delicious food, of course. link
  • M0851 The best clothing store around, on a quiet little street off the Bloor strip. Simple, well-made, understated clothing that I won’t see on GAP-clones. link
  • Whole Foods I don’t shop there for the organic produce (well, except for raspberries). I shop there for the ready-made salads, the corn-bread that’s almost as good as my mom’s, the Green & Black’s chocolate and the delicious little pakoras. link
  • Roy’s Square Jammed into this little alley around Yonge & Bloor are three of my favourite take-out restaurants — the Salad House, the Biryani House and Ritz Caribbean — as well as my main dry cleaner (shirts only; my suits go to Dove) and a whole bunch of other restaurants and shops that I don’t visit. link
  • The Dessert Lady The cappucino cinammon cookies, the espresso brownie bites, the pies, the mousse, the truffles…actually, yeah, it’s probably better than I move away from this one. link
  • Summerhill Granted, it’s not technically in my neighbourhood, but it’s a 20-minute stroll (or 1.5 subway stops) north and once I’m living south of here it won’t really make sense to pop up there like I can now. But between the ginormous LCBO, the Rebel House, and stores like All The Best Fine Foods, I might just spend the odd Saturday up there.
  • Hot Docs Again, this festival mainly takes place a few subway stops away from the neighbourhood — around Bloor & Bathurst — but since we have no intention of not participating, we’ll miss being able to zip home from a late-night screening in 5 minutes. link
  • Nick & Ralph These two funny old European men cut my hair and keep me entertained for half an hour every month or so. I’ll miss Nick teasing me about being some freak Maritimer who doesn’t like fish. link
  • Drunk guys stumbling out of the Brass Rail at 2AM Just kidding. I will miss them like I miss plantar warts. link

.:.

While perusing Ron Shevlin’s blog this morning I clicked on this link, and proceeded to laugh my ass off. Jessica Hagy draws little graphs and Venn diagrams about life; it sounds weird, but they really are hilarious little bits of life. One of my favourites is on the right.

.:.

Die Hard reference of the day: there’s a band called Nakatomi Plaza. I haven’t even heard their music, but I’m fairly certain they’re the best band ever to pick up instruments. You don’t pick a name like that unless you own.

.:.

The Onion’s AV Club lists some of the more interesting movies coming out this year, and it looks to be a good’un. New work from David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, the Cohn Brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ridley Scott, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, Francis Ford Coppola, Kimberly Peirce, Michel Gondry, Neil Jordan, David Cronenberg, Ang Lee, Danny Boyle, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Soderbergh (even if it is Ocean’s Thirteen) make 2007 look pretty promising. Plus, as they say, Spider-Man 3 and the Simpsons movie.

.:.

By the way, I just remembered that the title to my post where I talked about Me And You And Everyone We Know should have been “)) <> ((“. If you’ve seen the film you’ll understand why.

[tags]yonge and bloor, ron shevlin, indexed, jessica hagy, die hard, nakatomi plaza, onion av club, 2007 films, spider-man 3, simpsons movie[/tags]