There are no “Hallelujahs” or “Jingle Bells” in this Christmas cover compilation, but the unconventional song choices, including covers of Linkin Park, Coldplay, and Damien Rice, only augment the audible pleasure of December. This is choir music: voice-centric and airy, but managing to stand out with exceptional emotional expression and[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
SoHo Ghetto: Humble Beginnings Make for Good Night Life
Halifax’s SoHo Ghetto have created a pleasant, if not wholly unique, blend of pop and orchestral styles. The indie band’s newly released EP, Humble Beginnings Make for Good Night Life, certainly correspond to that style. The six tracks provide easy-listening, but a few listens are necessary to appreciate the songs’[Read More…]
John Frusciante: PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone
If you are among the many that are disappointed with the latest Red Hot Chili Peppers album, 2011’s I’m With You, here’s the possible explanation, and a potential cure. Since strongest creative force in the band, guitarist John Frusciante, departed the group, he has been pouring his talents into solo[Read More…]
Blown Up: Gaming and War—a frustrating chore
I walked through the doors of the Montreal, arts interculturels (MAI) last Friday to find the exhibit space deserted. “Excellent,” I thought to myself, as I passed the archway to the main hall—the stormy afternoon seemed an opportune time, and the ideal backdrop, to see the MAI’s latest offering, Blown[Read More…]
Hitchcock: the ‘master of suspense’ at his finest
The conception, production, and release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is truly a whirlwind story in its own right. With an exceptional cast consisting of Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, and Jessica Biel, Hitchcock is the definition of Oscar bait. Director Sacha Gervasi’s innovative telling of Alfred Hitchcock’s story sets[Read More…]
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
Fear of the feminine captured by an entirely female cast, McGill English department’s production of The Revenger’s Tragedy by Thomas Middleton adds a layer of gendered irony to the Jacobean-era tragedy. This directorial choice by Patrick Neilson illuminates the period’s anxiety regarding women’s sexuality, bringing together a variety of lively[Read More…]
Lincoln: moral progress has never looked so glorious
The vote to finally abolish slavery in the U.S. was so very close—shockingly close, in fact. Two more votes could have continued to condemn an entire class of living, breathing human beings to the status of property. If the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, Abraham Lincoln is[Read More…]
Monkeys vs. Adam and Eve: Players’ Theatre holds court
Society generally accepts Darwin’s theory of evolution. Nevertheless, there remain pockets that deny its validity—the state of Tennessee, for instance, recently began teaching creationism in schools. With the origins of man still a controversial topic, McGill student Annabel Raby decided to direct Inherit the Wind: a play examining both sides[Read More…]
A ‘must-see’ that lives up to the name
This is what the much-lauded American meritocracy looks like: urban, moral, and spiritual decay; an existence battered by the cruelty of Lady Luck, who wields the Sword of Damocles—always one misstep away from the abyss of abject poverty. Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, who received the Pulitzer Prize for Rabbit Hole (2007),[Read More…]
Could Be Good
COMEDY: Comedy in Biblical Proportions Comedian Robby Hoffman explores the world’s most popular book—The Bible—with a perspective that only a honed comedic edge can provide. Friday Nov. 23, 9:30 p.m., Theatre Ste. Catherine (264 St. Catherine East). Tickets $14. FILM FESTIVAL: Image+Nation LGBT Film Festival The oldest LGBT film festival in Canada[Read More…]
