When Alan Bradley set out to write his first detective novel he had no idea it would lead to the character of Flavia de Luce, or to a series about the young sleuth, in which The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag is the second novel. “I was writing another detective novel that I thought I had plotted very carefully for story and characters, then Flavia just materialized in it,” Bradley says.
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
CD REVIEWS: Hunter Valentine: Lessons From The Late Night
Hunter Valentine are a three-piece all-girl rock band from Toronto who will release their second full-length album, Lessons From The Late Night, on April 17. With seven songs totalling 22 minutes, it’s a slight step above an EP, though you probably won’t be disappointed that there isn’t more.
POP RHETORIC: Material Girl Gaga
When Lady Gaga first entered the pop music scene back in 2008, I forced myself to take a second look. Her lyrics were symbolic of both the feminine mystique and female empowerment, she wore avant-garde and provocative clothing (or a lack thereof), and she had the strong ability to capture the attention of millions by dominating the music charts for weeks on end.
CD REVIEWS: Barenaked Ladies: All in Good Time
For a Canadian alternative rock band, the Barenaked Ladies have had their share of success from the shoebox of life. I was both intrigued and astonished to see them release a new album, All in Good Time, after some recent ups and downs with the band’s front-man, Steven Page, splitting from the group in 2009.
Toronto bands unite for Arts & Crafts triple threat
This spring, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Jason Collett and indie bands Zeus and Bahamas unleashed “The Bonfire Ball” in North America. The three-in-one tour has been travelling across the continent since the beginning of March, and has even been as far south as Mexico City, playing a show for the one-year anniversary of record label Arts & Crafts’ expansion to the region.
CD REVIEWS: David Myles: Turn Time Off
If the warm weather makes you nostalgic for winter evenings spent curled up by the fire, David Myles new album, Turn Time Off, is for you. As the title suggests, this album is a break from listeners’ busy lives, and it provides a soundtrack to relax and reflect upon oneself.
The good, the bad, and the ugly pig noses
How can a good person come to a good end in a world that is, in essence, not good? This is the central question of Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Sichuan, staged by this year’s McGill Theatre Lab – a full-year production class in which students work on a collaborative project that eventually culminates in a spring performance.
Film fest turns 35
The Festival du Nouveau Cinema is the oldest of its kind in Montreal, celebrating its 35th birthday this October. The festival opens tomorrow with Philippe Falardeau’s Congorama and closes Oct. 26 with a spotlight on the Spanish cinema screening of Pedro Almodovar’s Volver.
FILM: Cutting-edged comedy
Dear Journal, what can I say? He drove a cool car, remarks a certain 13-year-old boy by the name of Augusten Burroughs in the new movie adaptation of the memoir Running With Scissors. Having read Burroughs’ reminiscences of a homosexual boy with a 35-year-old boyfriend growing up in western Massachusetts in the late 70s, I was readily expecting golden phrases such as the former in the film’s adaptation.
FILM: A new Versailles
Audiences have been eagerly awaiting Sofia Coppola’s new film since her last offering, the critically acclaimed Lost in Translation debuted. Unexpectedly, Coppola brings us from the neon lights of the streets of Tokyo to the glittering hallways of Versailles.
