Arts & Entertainment

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

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: Movies – Toy Story 3

Just when you thought that Pixar couldn’t perfect another timeless movie, they’ve done it again. Although I’ve always been pretty skeptical about sequels within the animated genre-need I mention Little Mermaid 2, Lion King 1.5- this third instalment of Toy Story has truly proven that sequels can rank up to par with their original.

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: TV Shows – True Blood

Picking up immediately from the intriguing cliff-hanger of season two, season three begins with Sookie Stackhouse enlisting the help of the (very sexy) vampire Eric in order to look for Bill, who has just been abducted by a mysterious source. As the season unfolds, it turns out that it is Russell Edgington-the vampire king of Mississippi- who, along with a brigade of werewolves, has taken Bill as a prisoner.

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: Movies – Inception

It would not be presumptuous to call Inception the movie event of the year. Certainly no other film this year has generated nearly the same amount of buzz as Christopher Nolan’s most recent blockbuster. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an extractor, a thief who steals thoughts from the minds of his targets through their dreams.

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: CDs – Best Coast – Crazy For You

If you believe the hype (and the blogs), California’s Best Coast have made a life-changing, must-own debut record in Crazy For You. I’m not as convinced. Sure, frontwoman Bethany Cosentino and partner Bobb Bruno have crafted a warm, hazey, washed-out record with reverb-soaked vocals and some pretty killer melodies, but that can describe most noisy, pop-punk garage bands operating today.

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: TV Shows – Entourage

Going into the show’s seventh season, Entourage followers have been anxiously waiting all year for some new excitement in the life of Vincent Chase and the boys. After leaving off last season with Vince filming in Rome and Eric finally proposing to Sloan, Vince begins shooting a new movie in which he’s persuaded to do his own dangerous driving stunt.

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: Concerts – SSMU Frosh

On Sunday night SSMU froshies were treated to one final night of entertainment, a concert starring Torontonians k-os and Keys N Krates. Keys N Krates featured a drummer, keyboardist, and DJ with a laptop and turntables. The band describes their work as “hands-on remixing,” a style that transforms recognizable riffs and melodies into rave-style mixes.

Summer Entertainment Report Cards: Concerts – Lollapalooza

Since becoming permanently stationed in Chicago’s Grant Park in 2005, Lollapalooza has consistently delivered two things: impressive lineups and droves of people looking to see said lineups. This year featured hugely popular artists such as Green Day, Lady Gaga, and Arcade Fire alongside only slightly lesser-known but no less awesome acts, including Mumford & Sons, Chromeo and Wolfmother.

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.

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