“Dancing the Paso Doble with her partner, Pasha, it’s Carole Baskin!” boomed the faceless announcer of Dancing With The Stars. Cheers and literal roars erupt as the camera pans to a man in a cage, then, to a woman opening it. As the opening chords of Survivor’s “Eye Of The[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
‘Tenet’ is an emotionally hollow puzzle
Leave it to Christopher Nolan to galvanize moviegoers into returning to multiplexes after months of living-room movie nights—only this time, at a limited capacity, donning masks and safely distancing from one another. Released in Canada on Aug. 26, Tenet has been tasked with the responsibility of carrying an ailing theatre industry[Read More…]
‘En Pointe’ is an optimistic return to Montreal’s in-person theatre
For several months, COVID-19 brought Montreal’s theatre scene to a halt, but as public health measures are slowly being lifted, Tableau D’Hote Theatre has emerged as one of the first production companies to offer its patrons a safe theatre-going experience. En Pointe, their current production, is a series of bilingual[Read More…]
‘Unpregnant’ is unhelpful queer representation
HBO Max’s new film Unpregnant is not your typical teen comedy: The film explores abortion rights, the subtle casualness of rape culture, and the dominance of Christianity in America. While the plot is structured around a teenage girl’s struggle to have an abortion, Unpregnant is also a story of rekindling a lost[Read More…]
MMFA’s post-impressionist exhibit leaves mixed impressions
From July 4 to Nov. 15, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is showcasing—in person—its most extensive exhibit on the post-impressionists yet, Paris in the Days of Post-Impressionism: Signac and the Indépendants. The exhibit boasts an impressive, sweeping collection of over 500 works from France’s leading post-impressionists, spanning Paris’[Read More…]
The Royalmount Drive-In offers a nostalgic escape during uncertain times
It’s a familiar scene in popular culture: Groups of teenagers and families packed in their cars, radio dials tuned to FM signals, billowing cigarette smoke forming clouds in the projector light. Such was the magic of the drive-in cinema, with its eclectic blend of innocence and rebellion, sociability and privacy.[Read More…]
From The Viewpoint: The Festival of Marionettes
No one likes marionettes. In my mind, a marionette is one of three things: A lying rascal named Pinocchio, a demon-possessed puppet that haunts an abandoned Opera House, or, simply, entertainment for children. Marionettes are uncanny—miniature human figures stripped of all bodily autonomy, hanging limply with lifeless eyes. I never[Read More…]
‘You Will Love What You Have Killed’ presents a haunted childhood
Content warning: Violence, child abuse, and sexual assault Murder, rape, and infanticide are not usually present in conventional coming-of-age novels. In Québecois author Kevin Lambert’s You Will Love What You Have Killed, however, these themes take center stage. Exploring individuality and childhood, Lambert’s novel is about children who are victims[Read More…]
Venice VR Expanded Satellite program brings the universe to Old Port
For a limited time, the price of admission to Old Port’s Centre Phi will land you front and centre in your very own episode of Black Mirror. Courtesy of the globally renowned Venice Biennale, Montreal is currently home to the VR Expanded satellite program, the virtual reality component of the Venice[Read More…]
Stand-up comedy in a stay-at-home world
The COVID-19 pandemic has halted the regular bustle of Montreal life, and with it, halted its entertainment industry. Cirque du Soleil was forced to lay off 95 per cent of its staff; music festivals, including Osheaga and Ilesoniq, were postponed; and even the world-famous comedy festival, Just For Laughs, was[Read More…]