12 Years a Slave is agony in the fullest sense of the word. Chronicling the life of Solomon Northup, a free black man from New York kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841, the film sees director Steve McQueen (Hunger; Shame) at the very zenith of his formidable artistic talent. It takes a horrific portrayal to capture a horrific institution. 12 Years is a mesmerizing, intoxicating tale of man’s capacity for both unspeakable cruelty and incalculable courage.
Arts & Entertainment
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A fresh angle on human relationships
Visitors pass through a small room, full of bold, layered colour, that leads them into to Fahmida Hossain Urmi’s contemporary expressionistic Angles of Relationships exhibition at Ame-Art.
Album Review: Sheryl Crow – Feels Like Home
Since Sheryl Crow debuted in the mid ‘90s, she has tried on a number of different personas: earnestly personal, politically charged, and now—with her latest offering, Feels Like Home—folksy country.
Could be good
Germany’s all-time best-selling musician Herbert Grönemeyer, fresh from the release of his new album I Walk, plays one of two Canadian dates of his live tour in Montreal.
Album Review: Man Man – On Oni Pond
The more their career has progressed, the more Philadelphia-based experimental rock band Man Man has reined in their sound. Whereas their first LPs, The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face and Six Demon Bag, were full of frenetic yelps and bursts of energy, their latest release, On Oni Pond, finds the band following the polished direction of 2011’s Life Fantastic.
McGill alumnus Mary Alouette explores gypsy jazz on a lark
What would gypsy jazz and electronic music sound like together? Singer-songwriter Mary Alouette provides the answer on her latest EP, The Lark.
Blue Jasmine : a riches to rags story
Jasmine French—the character that Cate Blanchett is already generating serious Oscar buzz for portraying in Blue Jasmine—behaves like she could have been plucked right off the set of another Oscar-caliber film: Titanic. Jasmine is an obnoxious, narcissistic social climber who, like the Titanic itself, is sinking dramatically throughout the movie.
Despite ethereal visuals, Gravity is full of narrative antimatter
For a space film, Gravity is fairly un-spacey. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as astronauts who must struggle to survive when a space mission goes horribly wrong. Gravity doesn’t disappoint visually—director Alfonso Cuarón’s famous long takes seem particularly amiable to outer space—but the film repudiates much of the intellectual legwork done by previous sci-fi masterpieces. Insofar as Gravity’s message is being reduced to humanity finding itself in adversity, the film is as thematically sophisticated as a made-for-TV space horror. But such a criticism may mean little to some. As a straightforward action flick, Gravity is certainly meritorious, with some flashy technical bells and whistles thrown in.
The sounds of OAP
Over the past two weeks, you’ve probably run into nearly everyone you’ve ever met in Montreal at Open Air Pub (OAP), a beloved campus fixture that seems to define the beginning of each school year. Cheap food, plenty of beer, and live music keeps OAP secure in its status as the place to be every September for McGill students—and the lineup never disappoints. Featured below is a glimpse at some of the bands you’ve been listening to, just in case you feel like updating your playlist.
Jenn Grant sets off into the wild
It takes a lot to ruffle Jenn Grant’s feathers. The singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia seems to take everything in stride, whether it is her upcoming show in Montreal or her future collaboration with Ron Sexsmith. Despite being a longtime fan of Sexsmith’s, Grant speaks nonchalantly about being approached by the Juno award-winner to perform together on tour this October.
