Arts & Entertainment

Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.

Immortals looks great but lack characters

straight.com The first thing to note about Immortals is that it’s not 300, at least not entirely. Directed by the remarkable Tarsem Singh and produced by 300 frontmen Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari, Immortals brings an eclectic blend of stunning visual and creative elements together fairly successfully. Set in the realm[Read More…]

Melancholia is more than a singular emotion

magpictures.com The apocalypse has never looked so beautiful. Melancholia, the latest from maverick Danish auteur Lars von Trier, is magnificent. With a script that joins human introspection with nihilistic celebration, von Trier creates two hours of rich, thought-provoking and breathtaking cinema. Its long journey from Cannes to Canada now complete, Melancholia is assuredly one of[Read More…]

Art beyond the canvas

Nick Petrillo / McGill Tribune Down on St. Catherine, a block east of Foufounes Électriques, is Cease It 2, a pop-up art gallery sponsored by Montreal’s CEASE art collective. Seventeen featured artists have taken over Fresh Paint’s open floor space for a free exhibition that’s open to the public. But[Read More…]

Why judge music?

Music is everywhere. One can’t go an hour without hearing music at the mall, from an alarm clock radio, or even when someone’s cell phone inadvertently rings in class. Music has completely permeated our culture in every respect, with intentions to soothe, to market, and—although it’s rarer—to create art.  It[Read More…]

Los Campesinos!: Hello Sadness

If the title alone doesn’t give it away, it only takes a cursory glance at the tracklisting to know Hello Sadness isn’t going to be the feel-good album of the year. Not that Los Campesinos! have ever really been all sunshine and rainbows—they have a knack for putting biting lyrics[Read More…]

Down with Webster: Time to Win, Vol. 2

When it comes to Down With Webster, a party ain’t a party without red cups. If you’re not familiar with the band by name, there is no doubt you’ve heard one of their previous hits; Canadian radio loves them. The energetic six-man group comes through with their sophomore album Time[Read More…]

Lou Reed & Metallica: Lulu

Lou Reed is a strange fellow, so nobody should be surprised that Lulu would be a characteristically bizarre release. But who knew that a joint effort between Metallica and the former Velvet Underground legend could be so poorly executed? The album opens with the line, “I would cut my legs[Read More…]

Mother Mother wants you to pay attention

Todd M. Duym Vancouver indie-rock band Mother Mother released their third album Eureka earlier this year, and have just concluded a European tour and summer festival circuit. The band consists of brother and sister duo Ryan (guitar and vocals) and Molly Guldemond (vocals and keyboard), plus Jasmin Parkin (keyboard and[Read More…]

A cultish heroine

jojonews.com Making a film that deliberately attempts to confuse its audience can be a tricky thing. Not only is there the risk of repelling (or simply boring) viewers, but the incoherence can overwhelm the purpose of the trickery. Fortunately, first-time director Sean Durkin was able to avoid most of these[Read More…]

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