NOW_2014-12-18 by NOW Magazine

TH E

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW NEWS

WHAT HAPPENED TO BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL? pg 14

DIRTY TRICKS pg 12

DECEMBER 18–24 2014 • ISSUE 1717 VOL. 34 NO.16 MORE ONLINE @ nowtoronto.com 33 INDEPENDENT YEARS

POLICE UNION’S

THINKFREE

Behind the scenes of Mr. Turner and The Gambler, reviews of Into The Woods, Unbroken, Big Eyes, Night At The Museum, Annie and more!

PAGE 66

NEW YEAR’S EVE PLANNER

INHERENT VICE STAR IS SANER THAN YOU THINK

Your guide to the big nigh t out • 58

JOAQUIN PHOENIX

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JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 12, 2015 CULINARY EVENT SERIES

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15 ticketed culinary experiences that offer some of Toronto’s most diverse cuisine, notable chefs and unique venues.

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Speakeasy at the Palais Royale Palais Royale Ballroom January 30

Georgian Dinner

Street Market

Campbell House Museum February 3, 4 & 5

Spice Route February 8

Sweet Symphony Casa Loma February 1

Risotto Masterclass Arcadian Studio February 4

Cibo E Vino Cibo Wine Bar February 9

Passage to India T|Bar, Eaton Chelsea Hotel February 2

Celebration of the Black Truffle Rosewater February 4

Dessert For Dinner Arcadian Studio February 9

Ciao Mama Ciao Wine Bar February 2

Chef’s Table with JP Challet Windsor Arms Hotel February 5, 6, 7, 11 & 12

Bees & Honey: From Flower to Table Globe Bistro February 10 & 11

The Tin Chef Mildred’s Temple Kitchen February 3

Murder in Casablanca Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre February 6 & 7

Breaking Bread with the Walshes Malaparte February 12

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NOW december 18-24 2014

CONTENTS

ONLINE

Photo by Sarah Dunn

This week’s top five most-read posts on nowtoronto.com

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1. Cupid’s Escorts How one local sex work service is adjusting to the new Protection Of Communities And Exploited Persons Act. 2. Ads are the new crime The feds say a ban on advertising sex services will combat trafficking and protect underage victims, but prohibition may actually have the opposite effect. 3. The heat is on The premier asks the attorney general to advise on the new sex work law’s constitutionality, but she’s stopped short of ordering cops not to enforce it – for now. 4. Trans spotting Life just got far more dangerous for trans sex workers, who already make up a too large proportion of street level service. 5. Armed and necessary? Do the new TTC fare inspectors really need to be armed with batons and handcuffs?

“Refreshingly Ludicrous!”

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

The New York Times

“Oh these #GoldenGlobes! The noms! And snubs! And snoms! And those nubs! And the nom-a-snubs! And the snub-a-bubs! And the”

@PATTONOSWALT on another round of

confounding Golden Globe nominees from the Hollywood Foreign Press.

“Who are the trophy wives of Silicon Valley? Reality show about how they gave up their businesses to tend to cranky super-egos.” @NKULW on the gender imbalance in

the tech industry.

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NOW ON THE MOVE

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66 HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 66 Interviews Joaquin Phoenix (pictured), Timothy Spall, Rupert Wyatt and Frederick Wiseman give us the scoop on Inherent Vice, Mr. Turner, The Gambler and National Gallery 70 Reviews Big Eyes; Into The Woods; Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb; Unbroken; Annie; Son Of A Gun; Song Of The Sea; Cathedrals Of Culture; Advanced Style; and more

10 NEWSFRONT 11 News briefs AFN gets new chief; wealth gap grows 12 Race card Cops won’t stop playing it Dirty tricks Police have a long history 14 Being black There’s an app for that

22 DAILY EVENTS 25 GIFT GUIDE

25 Perfect prezzies Great gifts for the midtown condo dweller, the stroller pusher and the photographer on your list, and more

38 LIFE&STYLE

38 Ecoholic Sock it to me, watch out for aluminum cans, and more 39 Astrology

40 FOOD&DRINK

40 Rehabilitating the fruitcake Plus other classic holiday desserts 44 Drink Up!

Contact NOW

189 Church Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1Y7, tel 416-364-1300.

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

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HO LI DA Y M OV

es Behind the scen of Mr. Turner and The Gamblers, reviews of s, Into The Wood , Unbroken Big Eyes, Museum, Night At Themore! Annie and

IE PR EV IE W NEWS

WHAT HAPPENED

K IS TO BLAC ? BEAUpgTIFUL 14

THINKFREE

FREE SONG DOWNLOADS

THE

PAGE 66

POLICE UNION’S

DIRTY TRICKS pg 12

NEW YEAR’S EVE PLANNER guide to Your the big night out • 58

ON SALE NOW! MIRVISH.COM CannibalOnStage.com 4

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

INHERENT VICER STAR IS SANE K THAN YOU THIN

JOAQUIN PHOENIX

16 War story U.S. resister’s letter to Canada 19 Island airport Port Authority’s expansion distraction 21 Jet repulsion Bad memories of Pickering airport battle

EDITOR/CEO

GENERAL MANAGER

Michael Hollett

Alice Klein

Pam Stephen

Editorial

Art

Marketing/Advertising Sales

Senior Entertainment Editor Susan G. Cole Senior News Editor Enzo DiMatteo Associate Entertainment Editor/Stage & Film Glenn Sumi Music Editor Julia LeConte Fashion and Design Writer Sabrina Maddeaux Senior Writers Jon Kaplan (Theatre), Norman Wilner (Film) On-line News Writer Ben Spurr Staff News Writer Jonathan Goldsbie Entertainment/Music Contributer Carla Gillis Contributors Elizabeth Bromstein, Andrew Dowler, David Jager, Ellie Kirzner, Sarah Parniak, Wayne Roberts, Adria Vasil Entertainment Administrator Desiree D’Lima Copy Editing/Proofreading Francie Wyland, Fran Schechter, Julia Hoecke, Katarina Ristic

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RCM_NOW_1-2_Dec18.qxp__V 2014-12-05 1:04 PM Page 1

DECEMBER 18–24

46 MUSIC

46 The Scene Justin Timberlake, Common and Jay Electronica, Tinashe, Timber Timbre 48 Club & concert listings 50 Roundup Holiday shows 51 Interview Nadja 52 Interview TOPS 54 T.O. Notes 56 Album reviews

KOERNER HALL HOLIDAY SEASON CONCERTS

Maple Blues Awards

MON., JAN. 19, 2015 7PM KOERNER HALL Join us for the annual all-star concert, awards event, and after party! This annual celebration of Canada’s blues music will be hosted by Danny Marks, and feature performances by the Downchild Blues Band, Angel Forrest, Brandon Isaak, Harpdog Brown, Steve Hill, and Joel Johnson, all backed by the renowned Maple Blues Band.

Presented in partnership with the Toronto Blues Society.

Pavlo

58 NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE

58 Where to party on the big night All the bashes, shows and events around town

61 ART

Review Michael Bowness Must-see galleries and museums

61 BOOKS

Review The Opening Sky Readings

FRI., FEB. 6, 2015 8PM KOERNER HALL Pavlo brings his Mediterranean guitar music to Toronto one night only for this very special concert with his band, special guest musicians, and dancers!

Zap Mama and Antibalas SAT., FEB. 7, 2015 8PM KOERNER HALL Brooklyn-based Afrobeat band Antibalas with Zap Mama’s polyphony, Afro-pop, and hip hop beats.

62 STAGE G

62 Comedy Q&As Sharron Matthews, Rick Miller, Tom Green and CORY (Lauren Ash and Leslie Seiler) get us in the holiday mood 63 Comedy listings 64 Theatre reviews #UncleJohn; Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Theatre listings 65 Dance listings

Vusi Mahlasela and Hugh Masekela: 20 Years of Freedom

66 MOVIES

SAT., FEB. 28, 2015 8PM KOERNER HALL South Africa’s legendary trumpeter, vocalist, and composer Hugh Masekala and singer/ songwriter Vusi Mahlasela celebrate 20 years of democracy in South Africa

66 Holiday Movie Preview 80 Playing this week 84 Film times 86 Film spotlight Toronto Film Critics get behind Boyhood

Presented in association with Batuki Music and Small World Music.

90 CLASSIFIED 90 Crossword 90 Employment 92 Rentals/real estate

More than 40 extraordinary classical, jazz, pop, family and world music concerts to choose from!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! WWW.PERFORMANCE.RCMUSIC.CA 416.408.0208 273 BLOOR STREET WEST (BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO

This edition of NOW is printed on recycled paper using vegetable oil based inks. Audited circulation 104,072 (Oct 10 - Sept 11) ISSN 0712-1326 Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 298441.

*PMB FALL 2013

Adult Classifieds Sales Phone 416-364-1500 Senior Marketing Executive Beverlee East Marketing Representatives Christian Ismodes, Scott Strachan, Gary McGregor

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Business

Controller Joe Reel Human Resources Manager Beverly Williams Office Manager Brenda Marshall Credit Manager Ray Coules Payables Coordinator Sigcino Moyo Credit Department Richard Seow, Rui Madureira Accounting Assistant Loga Udayakumar Reception Amy Mech, Janet Hinkle

SAT., MAR. 7, 2015 2PM (FAMILY CONCERT) SAT., MAR. 7, 2015 8PM KOERNER HALL New Orleans’ own jazz piano prodigy takes us on an interactive trip to the roots of jazz and serves up a jambalaya of funk, rhythm, the blues, and spirituals.

Great Gift: Koerner Hall Concert Tickets and Gift Cards

93 Adult classifieds 103 Savage Love

386,000* weekly

Jon Batiste and Stay Human

Circulation

Circulation Supervisor Jill Mather Circulation Assistant Tim Vesely Drivers Ron Duffy, Jennifer Gillmor, Conny Nowe, Dean Crawford, Paul Dakota, Patrick Slimmon, Chris Malcolm, Jason Paris Hoppers Rachel Melas, Lucas Martin, Steve Godbout, Jason Gallop, Ernesto Savini, Scott Bradshaw

Publisher’s Office

Executive Assistant To Editor/CEO And General Manager Scott Nisbet Assistant To Editor/Publisher Deborah Egan

NOW is Toronto’s weekly news and entertainment voice, published every Thursday. Entire contents are © 2014 by NOW Communications Inc. NOW and NOW Magazine and the NOW design are protected through trademark registration. NOW is available free of charge in the city of Toronto and selected locations throughout the GTA, limited to one copy per reader. NOW may be distributed only by NOW Communications’ authorized distributors or news agents.

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Now Communications Inc. Alice Klein Chair/CEO Michael Hollett President/COO David Logan Vice-President Lilein Schaeffer 1921–2010

Need some advice?

Find out what’s written in the stars, page 39. Rob Brezsny’s Free Will

Astrology

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NOW DECEMBER 18-24 2014

Alvvays

It’s been quite a year for shoegaze-dreampop band Alvvays. We waited forever for their debut full-length, but all was forgiven when it blew expectations out of the water. Frontwoman Molly Rankin employs her Rankin Family aunts’ melodic sensibilities in the Toronto-based five-piece, but the songs are much sadder and more wistful. The self-titled album is topping myriad year-end best album lists. Saturday (December 20), doors 8:30 pm. $15. ticketfly.com.

This week December 18–24

Next week December 25–31

Thursday 18

Sunday 21

mouse drama, to Dec 28. $30-$59. Berkeley Street. 416-368-3110. Jhené Aiko California PR&B singer/songwriter tops impressive bill (with SZA and the Internet) at Sound Academy. 8:30 pm. $47.25$72.25. ticketmaster.ca. Kensington Night Market Stores in the Market stay open till 10 pm. Augusta & College. kensingtonmarketbia.com.

play a Christmas show that’s also a benefit for the Daily Bread Food Bank. Danforth Music Hall. Doors 4 pm. $50. ticketmaster.ca. Winter solstice At the public labyrinth at Trinity Square Park. Noon to 1 pm. Free. labyrinthnetwork.ca.

Venus In Fur Carly Street and Rick Miller return in this sexy cat-and-

Friday 19

Sharron And George’s Super Fun Xmas Sing-A-Long Sharron

Matthews and George Masswohl host their annual holiday show. Buddies in Bad Times, to Dec 21. See Q&A, page 62. 7 pm. $20. 416975-8555.

Saturday 20

The Nutcracker NOW’s publisher, Michael Hollett, and fashion and design writer Sabrina Maddeaux dress up as cannon dolls in tonight’s performance of the holiday ballet. 7 pm. Four Seasons Centre. $26-$163. 416-345-9595. Zeds Dead Hometown show for drum ’n’ bass- and dubstep-loving duo. Kool Haus. Doors 10 pm. $31.50. inktickets. com.

Xmas In The Valley Holiday trad-

itions of the 1890s to the 1940s, till December 31 at Todmorden Mills. $2-$6. 416-396-2819 for times.

december 18-24 2014 NOW

Blue Rodeo The acclaimed country rockers

Monday 22

A Very Cory Christmas Lauren Ash and Leslie Seiler mount a new seasonal-themed sketch show. See Q&A, page 63. Also December 23. 8 pm. $10. Comedy Bar. comedybar.ca.

Tuesday 23

Basement Revue Jason Collett’s December multidisciplinary

series continues, with always stellar mystery guests. Dakota Tavern. Doors 8:30 pm. $25. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com.

Wednesday 24

Michael Bowness Last chance to see Bowness’s whimsical show repurposing organic materials at Verso Gallery. 416-533-6362. More info on page 61. Choir! Choir! Choir! The community choristers with a pop culture penchant sing through Christmas Eve. Monarch Tavern. 7:30 pm. $5.

Sing-a-Long-a Sound Of Music

Don that dirndl and get ready to boo the Nazis. One of our fav’rite things returns to the TIFF Bell Lightbox. $16$22.75. 416-599-TIFF. December 25 and 28 (1 pm), December 26-27 (7 pm). Solaris Winter Music Festival Two-day fest includes huge names in electronic music. Skrillex, anyone? Kaskade? Hope you get money for Christmas – it’s pricey. $109.50-$139.50. Direct Energy Centre. Doors 7 pm, all ages. solarismusicfestival.com. December 26 and 27. What’s In The Box The annual mini-fest at the Drake Hotel brings the year to a close with five local bands each day for five days for five bucks. 8 pm. 416-531-5042. December 26 to 30. Ensemble Polaris The local Arctic fusion band bring their unique Nutcracker Nouveau Plus concert to 918 Bathurst. 7:30 pm. $10-$25. December 27. Flower power Christmas flower show till January 11 at Allan Gardens Conservatory. 10 am to 5 pm, with candlelight viewing till 7 pm on weekends. 416-392-7288.

Book now

These will sell out fast Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit Five-time Tony Award

winner (and Jessica Fletcher!) Angela Lansbury plays the hilarious Madame Arcati in this production of the classic Coward comedy. This production sold out on Broadway and the West End. February 11 to March 15 at the Princess of Wales. $35-$175. 416-872-1212. Belle and Sebastian The Glasgow indie pop collective love to play churches, and they’ll surely make Massey Hall feel like one when they bring their forthcoming album of bittersweet orch-pop ballads and jaunty hooks to their reverent fans. April 1. $49.50-$69.50. masseyhall.com.

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I really have a hard time understanding how a magazine with such a strong social connection could decide to oppose the government’s ban on advertising sex services (NOW, December 11-17). And could even consider not complying. Why should someone have to sell themselves to afford to live freely in our society? The women who were sacrificed 25 years ago in the Montreal massacre simply because they wanted to move forward in a typically male-dominated profession should not have those following them still picking among the ruins to eke out an existence in a dark, dangerous work environment. We can do much better by them. Katherine Burger Toronto

Taking Harper to task over the tar sands

I agree with Naomi Klein that Big Oil is in trouble (NOW, December 4-10). It must be somewhat embarrassing to Harper that he has to be singled out and urged by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to get his head out of the tar sands oil. Let’s remember this obvious fact: Harper is the main lobbyist and supporter of Big Oil, especially the tar sands pollution disaster. He and his neo-liberal asshole cabinet are a clear and present danger to Canada and the world. He should be charged with crimes against the climate! It’s time for lots of non-violent public protests from coast to coast to coast. Don Weitz Toronto

Stephen Harper’s ploy to war

Stephen Harper’s convenient unilaterally declared war on ISIS led ISIS sympathizers to war on Canada. Harper called them terrorists (NOW, November 13-19). As a former member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, I am offended by Harper’s misappropriation of the term in service to his abuse of our

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troops and to finance his wrap-himself-in-the-flag re-election campaign. When it came to the victims fleeing Assad’s war in Syria, Harper did nothing. I contend that Harper’s ploy to war is responsible for the recent attacks on our soldiers. Mendelson Joe Emsdale

Bah, humbug to Black Friday

NOW should not be honouring Black Friday (NOW, November 27-December 3). Black Friday is a disgusting American import that celebrates ignorant and rampant consumerism. Black Friday should be reworked into a day of remembrance for all those who will go without this holiday season – particularly the 1.3 million Canadian children who live in poverty. NOW should instead encourage your readers to buy nothing and donate whatever they can to food banks. Not that food banks are a solution, but these charitable organizations do at least continue to provide a stopgap. Andrew van Velzen Toronto

Let’s get serious about poverty

Christmas is coming, and many people are getting ready to donate to food banks. Thank you! A new supply of food can’t come soon enough. Business is booming at the food bank at the church I serve, with new people showing up every week and supplies precarious. Can we do something extra this year, though? Can we get rid of the need for food banks? Charity is not a good way to distribute food. Trust me on this, or go by a food bank to see how dispiriting it might be if you had to use one, no matter how hard volunteers work to make them welcoming and safe places. My suggestion, if you are planning to donate food or money to food banks this year: take the time to write to your MP and your MPP as well. Tell them to get serious about poverty, food security and housing security. Reverend Robin Wardlaw Minister, Glen Rhodes United Church Toronto

No to vote for permanent residents

Jonathan Goldsbie has taken a generally constructive approach to the issue of white privilege and the ethnic makeup of city council (NOW, November 27-December 3). I can solidly get behind four of his five suggestions to help make council more diverse. A ranked ballot system is simply more democratic, and it would be a good idea even if we were not concerned about the degree to which visible minorities are represented on city council. I do not agree, however, that permanent residents should be enfranchised. If you really want to erase the distinction between permanent residents and citizens, it would be more logical to just award citizenship to all permanent residents. If you want them to have the vote, might as well give them Canadian passports, too. Why not? David Palter Toronto

BEST GIFT IDEAS

Ha! Rob Ford had you fooled

Re Meet The New Boss... (NOW, December 3-11). Surprise, surprise. And you thought it was Mayor Rob Ford who screwed things up at City Hall. Have you taken your blinders off yet? Can you see that it’s the councillors and bureaucrats who run the show? Barry H. Winston Toronto

Ugh, the concert crowds in this city

I’m sorry to waste your time with this already known fact, but, Jesus, the crowds at shows in this city are the worst. What is wrong with us? Do you know that touring bands make fun of Toronto crowds? I bet you do. It’s really fucking sad. It needs to be said because it’s a reflection of the scene in this city. People are fucking fake. Spoiled and fake. Loraine Mohar Toronto NOW welcomes reader mail. Address letters to: NOW, Letters to the Editor, 189 Church, Toronto, ON M5B 1Y7. Send e-mail to letters@nowtoronto.com and faxes to 416-364-1166. All correspondence must include your name, address and daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length.

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Pig-ignorant and white privilege

We shan’t be putting any esteem in a publication that whines about “white privilege,” then pages later gleefully displays the mutilation and scorching of innocent pigs (NOW, November 27-December 3). To summarize: majority-white, democratically elected council = bad; merciless, unnecessary slaughter of gentle, innocent pigs = good. Have I got it right? Chris Michael Burns Toronto

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NOW DECEMBER 18-24 2014

newsfront

Chief Bill Blair, Mayor John Tory and David Mirvish at Honest Ed’s (probably last) Christmas turkey giveaway Sunday, December 14. More photos at nowtoronto.com

MEDIA WATCH

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

Canada’s national newspaper has joined the growing ranks of those opposed to the federal government’s new anti-prostitution law, calling the legislation “unenforceable” in a lead editorial last Friday, December 12. The Globe and Mail notes that both the Vancouver and Montreal police forces have signalled their intention not to enforce the law. The editorial states: “This government has a history of selectively heeding advice on matters of criminal justice and policing [and] a worrying pattern of presenting sub-standard, error-ridden legislation to Parliament.” On Wednesday, a national coalition held a press conference at Queen’s Park formally calling on Premier Kathleen Wynne to test in court the constitutionality of a law that’s widely viewed as flawed by most legal experts. More at nowtoronto.com.

SPOTTED

Climate activists surprised Kathleen Wynne at her midtown Toronto residence on Sunday, December 15, with cardboard cutout messages in the shape of flipflops in a protest calling the premier’s position on the proposed TransCanada Energy East pipeline a climate flip-flop. “I have been extremely clear that my position on the pipeline is that we have to take all the environmental protections into account,” Wynne told NOW. More photos and story at nowtoronto.com.

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Who Perry Bellegarde, newly elected chief of the Assembly of First Nations When AFN leadership vote in Winnipeg on December 10 Why Bellegarde won on the first ballot after losing to his predecessor, Shawn Atleo, in a seven-ballot race in 2009. He’s promising strong medicine for the feds – namely, asserting native self-determination and ensuring environmental stability (can you say revenue-sharing?) on natural resources development. Quotable

“Canada is Indian land. This is my truth and this is the truth of our peoples.” TTC DEPLOYS INSPECTORS WITH BATONS TO CATCH FARE EVADERS

“Think of it almost like you would any personal protective equipment people wear on a job. For example, steel-toed boots or a hard hat.” That’s TTC spokesperson Brad Ross trying to explain the hiring of inspectors equipped with batons to snag fare evaders once all-door boarding begins on the King streetcar next year. Queen and Spadina already have all-door boarding. The commission plans to hire 100 inspectors by the end of 2015, the stated goal being to make streetcar routes more reliable, not crack heads, according to Ross. He says any allegation of improper use of force would be referred to police.

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FINAL 5 DAYS - DON’T MISS OUT!

RUPERT HOTEL FIRE REMEMBERED

Barbara Hall, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, was among those on hand to mark the 25th anniversary of the Rupert Hotel rooming house fire on December 17. Echo Women’s Choir performed at the event recalling the December 23, 1989, fire at Parliament and Queen that killed 10 people, left dozens more homeless and launched a debate on rooming house safety in Toronto. The Rupert Pilot Project, creating homes for 525 “hardest to house” people, was built in response to the tragedy three years later. More recently, a plan that would require their owners of rooming houses to meet minimum health and safety standards was put on hold by city council in 2010.

WEALTH GAP WIDENING

67.4%

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25.6%

Proportion of the country’s wealth the bottom 40 per cent should ideally hold.

2.2%

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WHITHER THE TAR SANDS

$59 Price of a barrel of oil on Tuesday, a five-year low. And all of a sudden pro-tar sands pundits are wondering if it might not have been a better idea to slow tar sands oil and gas development years ago. Uh-huh.

MAMMOLITI SLIPS THE NOOSE

On Friday, the seemingly Teflon-coated Ward 7 councillor pleaded guilty to four charges of breaking the Municipal Elections Act by exceeding the spending limit during his 2010 campaign and agreed to pay a $17,500 fine. The bad news: the court didn’t order Mammo removed from office. According to legal experts, that’s never going to happen under current laws. Story at nowtoronto.com. Compiled by NOW staff with files from Ben Spurr.

@nowtoronto NOW december 18-24 2014

A history of police dirty tricks

RACIAL PROFILING

By JONATHAN GOLDSBIE This week, the Toronto Police Services Board decided to take no action against its chair, Alok Mukherjee, who

CHEOL JOON BAEK

CARDING GAMES

had recently stepped up the boldness of his positions on racial profiling by sharing an image from Occupy Wall Street on Facebook. It pointed out that more Americans are killed annually by police officers than have been killed by Ebola or ISIS. The Toronto Police Association (TPA), which demanded his resignation, has a habit of going after members of the civilian board charged with overseeing them. So do other police factions. Here’s a recent history:

While police report the actual number of carding incidents has dropped dramatically, reforms to the controversial practice haven’t taken hold By BEN SPURR

Eight months after the Toronto Police Services Board passed major reforms to prevent racial profiling by the police, the new rules around the practice known as carding have yet to be fully implemented. Maddeningly for those who thought the new rules would lead to better relations between the cops and minority communities, the board now finds itself trying to ensure a policy it has already passed actually comes into effect. But judging from the latest TPSB meeting, the force’s leadership feels little urgency about the need to do so. The board met on Monday, December 15, to discuss the Community Assessment Of Police Practices study on carding, the controversial tactic by which officers stop people in public and request detailed personal information. For years, critics have charged that the practice amounts to racial profiling. According to a Toronto Star investigation, between 2008 and 2012, the force issued 1.8 million contact cards to 1 million people, a disproportionate number of them young black men. Although the vast majority of contacts did not involve criminality, people who were carded had their personal details entered into a police database, info that could be used against them for years to come. In response to those concerns, in April the TPSB approved landmark reforms prohibiting carding except in situations where there is a genuine public safety concern. The policy also requires officers to inform citizens of their right to walk away, and to issue them a receipt for the interaction. But while police report the actual number of carding incidents has dropped dramatically, the reforms haven’t taken hold, according to the CAPP report. The report was based on a survey of more than 400 residents of 31 Division in North York, which includes the Jane and Finch area. It found that of the 62 people surveyed who had been carded since the new policy came into effect, 65.6 per cent didn’t feel the police had a valid reason for stopping them, and 69.5 per cent said they didn’t feel like they had the right to leave when being questioned. Some 85.5 per cent reported not receiving a record of their interaction from police.

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

Overall, “very few” residents were even aware of the new carding policy, the report determined, and there remains “widespread dissatisfaction with the way that police interact with members of the community.” Around 20 people showed up to speak at the Monday meeting, and while many urged the police to fall in line with the new policy, a good number wanted carding scrapped altogether. Among those arguing for its elimination was Cutty Duncan, a veteran community activist and member of the Campaign to Stop Police Carding. He said he understands that police need the tools to effectively fight crime in areas like 31 Division, but “if we want to move forward together, we need to be able to work together to make something that does not erode community trust and doesn’t violate people’s human rights.” Despite such appeals for cooperation, the police brass in the room seemed to be reading from their own playbook. Chief Bill Blair declined to comment on the CAPP report, saying he had nothing to add. When it was first published last month, the chief charged that its methodology was flawed and dismissed it as “an advocacy report.” Superintendent Tony Riviere, the 31 Division commander, also refused to talk about the report except to say that he was “disappointed” in it. He defended his division’s tactics, saying that officers have undergone extensive training in community engagement. He reported that public complaints against police in his district are down 85 per cent over this time last year, and while stressing that he didn’t want to “minimize people’s lived experience,” he asserted that “we’re heading in the right direction.” In a move that seemed to typify how the two sides on the issue are talking past one another, he then played a 10-minute promotional video about 31 Division’s community outreach programs. Members of the public in attendance did not have a chance to respond.

According to board chair Alok Mukherjee, the delay in implementing the reforms has come because the board and the police can’t agree on three elements of the new policy: the definition of what constitutes a “public safety” concern that would justify carding; the content of the “proactive rights” message instructing carding subjects they don’t have to cooperate; and the need to issue receipts for police interactions. The board directed Blair to work with a board subcommittee to come to agreement on those issues and report back with a “completed policy” in February. Mukherjee, who has championed the reforms, described the delay as a “speed bump,” but said he was confident the chief and the board will “complete this important work in a timely fashion.” Newly elected Mayor John Tory, who was attending his first meeting as a member of the board, said he wouldn’t tolerate further inaction. Although he acknowledged Blair’s concerns about the methodology used in the CAPP survey, he said it was clear that “we haven’t achieved much satisfaction on this issue in virtually any corner of the city, including the mayor’s office.” Tory declared that “the continuation of the status quo is corrosive in a way that is fundamentally inconsistent with how we do things in Toronto and Canada.” But despite that strong language, Tory didn’t specifically say how he thinks the policy should be implemented, and appeared unwilling to entertain the idea that carding be abolished. Councillor Shelley Carroll, who was also sworn in as a new board member on Monday, told the board that reform wouldn’t be enough for the many people who want carding stopped altogether. “If we’re going to follow this tack [of reform], we’d better achieve a result,” she said. “Because it isn’t even the result that a significant amount of the community is looking for.” 3

“The continuation of the status quo is corrosive to how we do things in Toronto and Canada.”

bens@nowtoronto.com | @BenSpurr

Susan Eng 1989-95 The union demanded the chair’s resignation in the fall of 1992, after she supported the chief’s decision to lay Police Act charges against officers who, as part of a job action, refused to wear their uniforms. In August 1994, the Star confirmed the long-rumoured existence of a secret file on Eng kept by the police intelligence unit, which it said contained “vague allegations about Eng and Asian mobsters, here and in Hong Kong.” But it wasn’t for another 13 years, however, that the extent of the force’s probe became known, when the file was leaked to the CBC and showed that her phone conversations with lawyer, friend and gay rights activist Peter Maloney were wiretapped.

Councillor Judy Sgro 1998-99 Sgro made waves by: objecting to the force’s efforts to acquire a helicopter; saying there should be an apology to Jane Doe, who successfully sued police for failing to warn Church-and-Wellesley residents of a serial rapist; and taking issue with a police chase that ended with the death of a bystander. When, in August 1998, the police union announced its intention to begin running negative ads targeting critical politicians, Sgro said it reminded her “of something you’d see in Louisiana, where you daren’t ask the police anything or you’ll be found dead in the back of a car a week later.” The union demanded her resignation. She left the police board upon clinching the Liberal nomination for a federal by-election, but not before the union successfully persuaded the chief to probe any possible involvement she may have had in defacing her opponent’s signs in the previous federal election.

continued on page 17 œ

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PRESENTS

clubs&concerts hot

CALVIN LOVE, JOSE CONTRERAS, WILL KIDMAN & MORE Silver Dollar (486 Spadina), Thursday (December 18) Exile On Main Street performance. JHENÉ AIKO, SZA, THE INTERNET Sound Academy (11 Polson), Thursday (December 18) Mystical R&B minimalism. MIDWAYS, THE LEATHER UPPERS, MOTORHOME DJS Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen West), Friday (December 19) Surf-rock-garage with a festive twist. TOPS, FOR ESME, HUE, CHRISTIAN PUNK BAND Tattoo (567 Queen West), Friday (December 19) See preview, page 52. NADJA, BLACK WALLS, THISQUIETARMY Geary Lane (360 Geary), Saturday

tickets

PROTEST THE HERO DECEMBER 27 :: THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL

AUSTRA w/ BLUE HAWAII & PERTA GLYNT

JESSIE ANDREWS

ROBERT DELONG

DEC 19:: THE OPERA HOUSE

DEC 20:: THE HOXTON

DEC 20:: THE DRAKE HOTEL

w/ RYME

THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE Danforth Music Hall (147 Danforth), Thursday (December 18) Harder than average indie folk. JUNIA T & JUICE MONEY COLLECTIVE, TASSNATA, DJ MENSA, SILVER FOX Drake Hotel (1150 Queen West), Thursday (December 18) MC/producer’s Eye See You LP party. JASON COLLETT’S BASEMENT REVUE WITH A TRIBE CALLED RED, JENNIFER CASTLE & OTHERS Opera House (735 Queen East), Thursday (December 18) Concert and No More Silence funder.

w/ LUM

FRIDAY SHOW SOLD OUT!

PRESENTS

THE FREESTYLERS

THE HOLLY SPRINGS DISASTER

DEC 20 :: WRONGBAR

DEC 19 / 20 :: THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL

(December 20) See preview, page 51. ALVVAYS, MOON KING, ELSA Opera House (735 Queen East), Saturday (December 20) Dream-pop heroes’ homecoming gig. CAREER SUICIDE, S.H.I.T., GLUE S.H.I.B.G.B’s (225 Geary), Saturday (December 20) It’s Shitmas 2014, y’all. ZEDS DEAD Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay East), Saturday (December 20) Very much alive Toronto EDM duo. BLUE RODEO Danforth Music Hall (147 Danforth), Sunday (December 21) Daily Bread Food Bank benefit show. JUICY J, PETER JACKSON, DJ DAMES NELLAS Guvernment (132 Queens Quay East), Sunday (December 21) Memphis rap royalty. OPETH, IN FLAMES, RED FANG Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay East), Sunday (December 21) Intricate, proggy metal.

DEC 31 :: THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL

WOODEN WISDOM

JIM-E STACK

ELIJAH WOOD & ZACK COWIE (DJ SET)

BRODINSKI w/ MYD BROOKE FRASER

JAN 15 :: THE DRAKE HOTEL

JAN 17 :: THE DRAKE HOTEL

FEB 15 :: THE HOXTON

ANTI FLAG

FEB 17 / 18 :: THE MOD CLUB

THE TERROR STATE: 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

LETTUCE w/ BREAK SCIENCE

FEBRUARY 11 :: THE HORSESHOE TAVERN

FEBRUARY 21 :: THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL ALL AGES / 19+

PRESENTED WITH:

THE ACOUSTICAL SOUNDS OF

BIG SUGAR

KODALINE

FEBRUARY 7 :: THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL

APRIL 16 / 17 :: THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL

UPCOMING DEC 18

STUDIO BAR

DEC 26

SALVA & SANGO

LIBERTY GRAND

JAN 10

ROBIN SCHULZ

JAN 17

#SHIP2SHIP TOUR

BASS JACKERS, BORGEOUS, CYRIL HAHN KEYS N KRATES, MAKJ, RL GRIME, SNAKEHIPS LIA ICES

FEB 08

STURGILL SIMPSON

FEB 11

BAD SUNS

FEB 19

JMSN

THE DRAKE HOTEL

APR 04

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

THE DRAKE HOTEL

THE HORSESHOE TAVERN THE GARRISON

THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL DEC 19 (SOLD OUT!) :: DEC 20 THE HOLLY SPRINGS DISASTER G-EAZY FROM THE BAY TO THE UNIVERSE TOUR

FEB 12/13 (SOLD OUT) FEB 14 STARS W/ HEY ROSEETTA! FEB 20

KONGOS W/ SIR SLY & COLONY HOUSE

FEB 27

RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: BATTLE OF THE SEASONS

FEB 28

SILVERSTEIN

JAN 30

GRANDTHEFT & THUGLI w/ PUSHER

FEB 06

GIRAFFAGE w/ POMO

FEB 07

SAM FELDT

FEB 12

VICEROY w/ GRAY MOONEN

FEB 20

SLANDER

APR 04

BAKERMAT

APR 16

SHLOHMO (LIVE)

CODA DEC 19 SOLOMUN DEC 31 NYE 2015: UNION w/ CARLO LIO, NATHAN BARATO & THE JUNKIES

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT WWW.TICKETWEB.CA/EMBRACE - ROTATE THIS & SOUNDSCAPES FOR INFO VISIT WWW.EMBRACEPRESENTS.COM.

December 18-24 2014 NOW

DJ JONATHAN TOUBIN The Garrison

com, soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com. January 10. BARBARA PRITCHARD Jane Mallett Theatre 8 pm. $10-$55. music-toronto.com. January 20.

ONLY YOURS, WAX ATLANTIC, FEVER CITY Silver Dollar 9 pm. January 3. CRUEL HAND, ANGEL DU$T, THE BEAUTIFUL ONES Parts & Labour The

com, soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com. January 23. HOUNDS, LICE, SEVERE Bovine Sex Club 9 pm. $8. January 24.

$20. December 26.

DESTRUCTO, MOTEZ, ANNA LUNOE & T.WILLIAMS

THE DRAKE HOTEL

JAN 17

PROSUMER, POTION, OSTGUTTON, PLAYHOUSE, JAMIE KIDD, MIKE GIBBS Club 120 Boxing Day Blowout, 10 pm.

THE HOXTON

HARRISON W/ BIZZARH

DEC 31 COUNTDOWN NYE

FEB 13

Just Announced New York Night Train’s Soul Clap & Dance Off Party, doors 10 pm. $8. December 27.

SLIM TWIG, MICHAEL RAULT, TASSEOMANCY Silver Dollar 9 pm. rotate.

Negatives Tour 9 pm, all ages. $12-$15. January 7.

NEW FRIES, NANCY PANTS, BB GUNS, BILE SISTER Silver Dollar The Class Of 2015

THE JUILLIARD STRING QUARTET Jane Mallett Theatre 8 pm. $10-$55. music-toronto. com. January 8.

Sleater Kinney Sound Academy, March 2.

CALVIN LOVE, MOST PEOPLE, MIMICO, ETIQUETTE, HUSH PUP Silver Dollar

Wavelength & NeXT Present: The Class of 2015, doors 8:30 pm. $8 adv. rotate.

doors 9 pm. $7. January 24.

BEAMS, BY DIVINE RIGHT, LOON CHOIR Horseshoe Record release party, 8:30 pm. $12. January 29.

NAPALM DEATH, VOIVOD, EXHUMED, IRON REAGAN, BLACK CROWN INITIATE Opera House Through Space And Grind

Tour, 6:30 pm. $25. ticketfly.com, rotate.com. February 4. SUUNS, DISAPPEARS The Garrison 8 pm. $tba. February 25. LORRAINE KLAASEN Hugh’s Room 8:30 pm. $35, $32.50 adv. February 26. NIGHTMARES ON WAX Wrongbar 10 pm. $15 earlybird tickets. February 28. SLEATER KINNEY Sound Academy 8 pm, all ages. $35-48.50. soundscapesmusic.com, rotate.com, ticketfly.com. March 2.

AUSTRA

When Toronto synth pop outfit Austra broke through three years ago with their Paperbag Records debut, Feel It Break, all attention was on singer Katie Stelmanis’s operatic training, thanks in part to soaring singles like Lose It. Since then, Stelmanis, drummer Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf have refined their production chops on follow-up Olympia and expanded into industrial, techno and dub on this year’s instrumental-heavy EP, Habitat. Fans nostalgic for Austra’s fluttering formative years are in luck. Opera will once again retake the spotlight at the band’s final show of 2014, giving Torontonians a rare opportunity to hear actual opera at the Opera House. The gig features a performance by the Toronto Chinese Opera of Markham’s Soong Kam Wing Music & Arts Centre, established 21 years ago with a mandate to educate Canadians in the art of Cantonese opera. Half the show’s proceeds will be donated to the Centre. Blue Hawaii and Petra Glynt open the bill. Friday (December 19) at the Opera House (735 Queen East), doors 8 pm. $20-$25. ticketweb.ca.

this week How to find a listing

Music listings appear by day, then by genre, then alphabetically by venue. Event names are in italics. = Critics’ pick (highly recommended) ñ 5= Queer night

F = Festive event

How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: events@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1168 or mail to Music,NOWMagazine,189Church, TorontoM5B1Y7. Include artist(s)/band(s), genre of music, event name (if any), venue name and address, time, ticket price and contact phone number or website. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm. Weekly events must confirm their listing once a month. If your free listing requires a correction, send info to: fixevents@nowtoronto.com.

Thursday, December 18 PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/Soul

FAlleycAtz Shahi Teruko Band, Andreena, Corden Barrett Under The Mistletoe – Christmas Party/Video release party, doors 8:30 pm. cAvern BAr Quincy LePalm, Olga Korsak doors 8 pm. DAkotA tAvern The Mayhemingways, Brock Zeman 7 pm. the DAnforth Music hAll The Rural Alberta Advantage doors 8 pm, all ages. DrAke hotel Junia T & Juice Money Collective, Tassnata, DJ Mensa, Silver Fox Eye See You release party, doors 9 pm. horseshoe Raised by Swans, Language Arts, Island Years, Octoberman doors 8:30 pm. Joe MAMA’s Blackburn. Thomas Reynolds & Geoff Torrn. Johnny JAckson Thirsty Thursdays (rock). lee’s PAlAce Glorious Sons, Gentlemen Husbands, The Morhs doors 8:30 pm. MoD cluB The Birthday Massacre, New Years Day, The Red Paintings 7:30 pm. oPerA house Jason Collett’s Basement Revue**Venue Change. A Tribe Called Red, Jennifer Castle and others at this benefit for No More Silence, doors 8:30 pm. orBit rooM Dixie Chicken (Little Feat tribute). PAuPer’s PuB Mike Barnes Jam, 10:30 pm. the Piston Matt Jameson 9 pm. FPrincess of WAles theAtre Donny & Marie Osmond Christmas In Toronto. 7:30 pm. Frivoli The Posts, Mother Leads, Tomahawk Love & The Ballroom Babies Anchorshop Holiday Bash Part One, doors 9 pm. silver DollAr Calvin Love, Jose Contreras, Will Kidman, Ada Dahli & The Pallbearers, Suitcase Sam (Rolling Stones classic LP performance), Exile On Main Street, doors 8:30 pm. sounD AcADeMy Jhené Aiko, SZA, The Internet (R&B) 8:30 pm. southsiDe Johnny’s Skip Tracer (rock/top 40). 9:30 pm.

ñ ñ ñ

JD MCPHERSON Lee’s Palace 9 pm, $15.50 adv. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com. March 7.

THE ELWINS, THE FRANKLIN ELECTRIC The Hoxton Record release show, 8 pm.

$12-$15. March 8.

KALIN AND MYLES Mod Club 6 pm, all

ages. $22.50 & $75. soundscapesmusic.com, rotate.com. March 18. TOBIAS JESSO JR Drake Hotel doors 8pm, $16 adv. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com. March 22.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, FOR TODAY Opera House doors 8:30 pm, all ages. $24.50 adv. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com. March 24.

WILL BUTLER, HEARING THINGS

Horseshoe 9 pm. $15 adv. soundscapesmusic. com, rotate.com, ticketfly.com. March 27. GEORGE EZRA Danforth Music Hall doors 7 pm. $28-$46.50. ticketmaster.ca. March 27.

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, YOUNGBLOOD

Massey Hall 8 pm, all ages. $tba. April 1.

LA DISPUTE, TITLE FIGHT, HOTELIER

Phoenix Concert Theatre doors 6:30 pm, all ages. $25 adv. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com. April 1. JESSIE WARE Danforth Music Hall doors 7 pm. $30-$40. ticketmaster.ca. April 4. KODALINE The Danforth Music Hall doors 7 pm. $23, all ages. April 16.

FIELD TRIP MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL Fort York $85 early bird. fieldtriplife.com. June 6 and 7.

ñ ñ

Folk/BlueS/countRy/WoRld

AgA khAn MuseuM Tanya Evanson Hive Jam Sessions: Spoken Word Jam, 8 pm. cAstro’s lounge Jerry Leger & the Situation (folk/rock/country), 8 pm. seAsons centre for the PerforMing Arts Amanda Martinez (Mexñ ican/South African/Afro-Cuban), Gracias A La Ffour

Vida: A Holiday Celebration, noon-1 pm [Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre]. See preview, page 50. free tiMes cAfe On The Dial (blues/folk/rock), 8 pm. full of BeAns coffee Maia’s Uke Jam 5 to 8 pm. hABits gAstroPuB Arlene Paculan (singer/ songwriter), Wonderfest Series, 9 pm.

continued on page 50 œ

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NOW December 18-24 2014

Slumber Party Musicians imagine how they’d spend Christmas Day together, and in most cases it’s only a little bit rock ’n’ roll By CARLA GILLIS

There’s snow on the ground, lights in the trees and many, many bands using the holidays as an excuse to throw fun parties. It must be midDecember. We asked a handful of musicians playing this week how they’d spend December 25 if they woke up together with their bandmates. Turns out it involves lots of movie-watching.

oRbiT Room Dave Murphy (R&B/pop/rock/ top 40) 10 pm.

clubs&concerts ñPHoenix conceRT THeaTRe œcontinued from page 49

FHugH’s Room Ladies in Waiting, Melanie Brulée CD release, 8:30 pm. See album review, page 56. LocaL Jordan Faye & The Grey Owls (neobluegrass) 9 pm. LoLa Brian Cober (double slide guitar), 9 pm. monaRcHs Pub Irene Torres & the Sugar Devils Blues Thursdays. Fmusideum Solomon Joseph, Roger Sader, Donald Quan Steel pan Christmas concert, 8 pm. TRanzac Houndstooth Bluegrass Thursdays, 7:30 pm [Southern Cross].

Jazz/ClassiCal/ExpErimEntal

bLakbiRd Harry Vetro Trio (jazz), 8 to 11 pm. emmeT Ray baR Vokurka’s Vicarious Virtuoso Violin (jazz/folk/Gypsy/swing), 9 pm.

gaTe 403 Annie Bonsignore Jazz Duo/Trio 9

ANDY MAIZE, singer with alt-country rockers Skydiggers

breakfast. Someone would ask what time load-in was cuz they wanted to shop for vintage guitar tubes, tube socks and cheap Merlot. There’d be a lot of alarming body sounds. Someone would finally declare that there was no gig, this wasn’t a hotel, and that it was most likely a holiday cuz there was a smouldering pine tree in the middle of the room. A debate on what time zone we were in would begin. Later: cigarettes, caffeine, grease, cheap Merlot, and someone would be forced to bathe.” X-Mess Spectacular at Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West), Friday (December 19), doors 9 pm. $15.50.

“We’d sleep in because we’d been up late the night before watching the incomparable Alastair Sim in A Christmas Carol. Then we’d exchange gifts while enjoying rum and eggnog, tell stories and listen to the Queen’s radio broadcast.” X-Mas Horseshoe Weekend at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West), Friday and Saturday (December 19 and 20), doors 8:30 pm. $28.50 (Unison Benevolent Fund benefit). See album review of Angels, page 56.

“We all have kids, so they would be jumping on us to wake us up. I’d insist on a big family breakfast with lots of fruit piled on crepes and dark chocolate. We’d open presents and have a singalong with our instruments. It’s hard to be around my band without wanting to sing!” Gracias A La Vida: A Holiday Concert at the Four Seasons Centre (145 Queen West), Thursday (December 18), noon. Free.

oLd miLL inn

Fern Lindzon Trio 7:30 pm. ñ THe PassengeR The J-Train Jazz In The Junction, 9:30 pm.

PoeTRy Jazz cafe The Quiet Storm, Dan Rougeau & Co 9 pm. RePosado The Reposadists Quartet (gypsy bop/swing), Repo Xmas Party, 9 pm. THe Rex Aaron Shragge The Music Of Tom Waits, 9:30 pm, Laura Hubert Band 6:30 pm. TRanzac Zebrina (jazz), 10 pm [Southern Cross].

DanCE musiC/DJ/loungE

bunda Lounge Throwback Thursdays 10 pm. THe cave DJ Shannon Transmission. cLinTon’s Throwback Thursdays (90s hip-

KERRI OUGH, singer with pop/folk trio the Good Lovelies

AMANDA MARTINEZ, Mexican/ South African-rooted singer/songwriter

pm, G Street Trio 5 to 8 pm. kama Bob DeAngelis w/ The Canadian Jazz Quartet (jazz), Thursdays At Five, 5 to 8 pm. FkoeRneR HaLL Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir Handel Messiah, 7:30 pm. LinsmoRe TaveRn Russ Maclem’s Jazz Jam 8 pm.

“In our pyjamas we’d sip coffee, enjoy a hearty breakfast and exchange presents. Then we’d spoil Caroline’s [Brooks] two-year-old. We’d probably go tobogganing on GTs or go skating in Trinity Bellwoods Park. If it were just the three of us at the end of the night, I could see us sprawled over old photo albums making fun of the weirdest moments from the road. There would be a bottle of red wine, a game of Scrabble and the movie Elf playing in the background.” Christmas Show at Harbourfront Theatre Centre (231 Queens Quay West), Saturday and Sunday (December 20, 8 pm, and 21, 2 pm), $29.50-$39.50.

hop/pop). cLub 120 DJ Todd Klinck T-Girl Party, 10 pm. cRawfoRd DJ Downunda. FTHe gaRRison Christmas At The Garrison DJs Bangs & Blush, doors 9 pm. Joe mama’s DJ Carl Allen & Wade O’Brown. FJuncTion ciTy music HaLL Turnstyle Toast Roast Christmas Party, 8 pm.

kooL Haus DVBBS doors 10 pm, all ages. ñ seven44 DJ Soundman Sanchez Disco Inferno. weLdon PaRk Strangelove Music by All Blak Records at this benefit for Covenant House. 10 pm.

Friday, December 19 pop/roCk/Hip-Hop/soul

aLLeycaTz Lady Kane. bovine sex cLub Midways, The Leather

ñUppers, Motorhome DJs doors 9 pm. caveRn baR Max Bornstein, Kate Sloan,

Missy Bauman 9 pm.

cHeRRy coLa’s Rock ’n’ RoLLa cabaReT and Lounge Dan Daly, RFIM, Ends by You doors 9 pm. THe danfoRTH music HaLL The Holly Springs Disaster doors 7 pm, all ages.

FeTon House Stiletto Flats (classic rock), Bring In The Holidays, 9 pm.

HiRuT fine eTHioPian cuisine Van Leer 7 pm. FHoRsesHoe The Skydiggers, Harlan

Pepper (alt-country folk rockers), X-Mas ñ Horseshoe Weekend, doors 8:30 pm. See preview, this page.

BRETT SANDFORD, frontman with indie rockers Port Juvee

CLEM CLEMSEN, frontman with hard rockers White Cowbell Oklahoma “First someone would yell, ‘When’s lobby call?’ Then someone would stumble in the door, still drunk, wondering if they’d missed van call and if the hotel had free

December 18-24 2014 NOW

“We’d sleep until at least noon, go across the street to wish happy holidays to the corner store guy and buy an insane amount of snacks. He’s around 60 years old, kinda looks like Santa and barely speaks English but has the most razor-sharp wit. Some of our song lyric ideas come from the stuff he introspectively says when it’s 3 am and I’m drunk buying junk food on my way home from the bar. Then we’d order Domino’s and have a pizza party while watching Die Hard.” Jingle Bell Concert Series at the Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Friday (December 19), doors 7 pm. $10.21. 3 carlag@nowtoronto.com | @carlagillis

HugH’s Room Kevin Kane & Bryan Potvin 8:30 pm.

Joe mama’s The Grind 8 pm. FLee’s PaLace White Cowbell Oklahoma, Paceshifters, Mountaindust ñ Annual Xmas Party, doors 9 pm. See preview, this page.

LinsmoRe TaveRn Bonkers (rock/top 40), 9:30 pm.

mod cLub Crystalyne doors 6 pm, all ages. monaRcH TaveRn Prom (indie rock), 9 pm. monaRcHs Pub Wild T & the Spirit (R&B), Classic Rock Fridays.

music gaLLeRy The O’Pears Unsilent Night

And Music Gallery Fundraiser, doors 7 pm. oPeRa House Austra, Blue Hawaii, Petra Glynt (special performance by the Chinese Opera of the Soong Kam Wing Music & Arts Centre) doors 8 pm.

Bleachers, Port Juvee Jingle Bell Concert Series, doors 7 pm. See preview, this page. PJ o’bRiens iRisH Pub Hot Buttered Soul (classic Motown covers), 10 pm. FPRincess of waLes THeaTRe Donny & Marie Osmond Christmas In Toronto. 7:30 pm. FRivoLi Diamond Bones, Aukland, Goodnight, Sunrise & Oneiroi Anchorshop Holiday Bash Part Two, doors 9 pm. seven44 Keep The Faith (Bon Jovi tribute), 9:30 pm. FsiLveR doLLaR Comet Control, Wrong Hole, Uncut, Apeshit Simian, DJ Santa Klaus Barbie St Nick’s XXXmas Show, 9 pm. THe sisTeR Miracle Whip, Punching Nuns 9:30 pm. souTHside JoHnny’s Pop Cherry (vintage rock), 10 pm. TaTToo Tops, For Esme, hue, Christian Punk Band doors 9 pm. See preview, page 52. TRanzac souTHeRn cRoss Ronley Teper’s Lipliners 10 pm, Rachael Cardiello 7:30 pm.

ñ ñ

Folk/BluEs/Country/WorlD

beiT zaToun Sikuris St. Lawrence Music Of The Andes, 7:30 pm.

FcameRon House Freeman Dre & The

Kitchen Party Atheist Christmas Show, 10 pm.

dakoTa TaveRn Big Tobacco & the Pickers (country) 10 pm.

gaTe 403 Fraser Melvin Blues Band 9 pm. HiRuT fine eTHioPian cuisine The Cain Gang Beaches Blues Fest, 9 pm.

Fmassey HaLL Roch Voisine (singer/songwriter) 8 pm.

TRanzac The Foolish Things (folk) 5 pm [Southern Cross].

TRiniTy sT. PauL’s cHuRcH David Michael

Hickey Crystal Journey (symphonic gongs/ quartz crystal blowls/santoor & vibraphone). 7-9:30 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/ExpErimEntal

bLakbiRd Janel Jones Quartet (jazz), 8 to 11 pm. cHaLkeRs Pub Reg Schwager, Neil Swainson

& Steve Amirault (jazz), 6 to 9 pm. desoTos Anthony Abbatangeli Jazz Jam, 8 pm. FTHe fLying beaveR PubaReT Meryle Trouble A Cabaret, Not A F-ing Xmas Show, 9 pm. FfRee Times cafe Faith Amour &Heidi Lange (jazz/Christmas) 8 pm. gaTe 403 Whitney Ross Barris Jazz Band 5 to 8 pm.

HabiTs gasTRoPub

Harry Vetro Quartet Jazz Jam, 9 pm. HaRLem Jazz Lovers Society (jazz/classic swing), 7:30 pm. Jazz bisTRo Mark Eisenman Quartet 9 pm.

FkoeRneR

ñHaLL Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra &

Chamber Choir Handel Messiah, 7:30 pm. continued on page 52 œ

Nadja AMBIENT DOOM

Duo’s dark soundscapes are finally finding an audience... most of the time By BENJAMIN BOLES NADJA with BLACK WALLS and THISQUIETARMY at Geary Lane (360

Geary), Saturday (December 20), 9 pm. $12-$15. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic. com.

Canadian ambient doom metal duo Nadja are enjoying the welcoming reaction their dark, noisy soundscapes receive these days now that the world has become much more receptive to repetitive dissonant riffs. Things weren’t so easy for them back in 2003, when Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff first started performing together. “We don’t clear rooms as soon as we play a note any more,” Buckareff says, laughing. “That used to happen a lot at the beginning.” “On Halloween this year, though, we played a metal festival in a small town in middle Germany, but it was completely the wrong billing and we cleared the room,” Baker recalls with a hint of pride. “That was the first time that had happened in a few years.” “It was almost nostalgic,” Buckareff adds. Despite occasional unfriendly purist metal audiences, relocating to Berlin five years ago had a big impact on their lives. Daily expenses there are low enough to let them live on what they make playing experimental music, and regular touring is much more feasible, so

they’ve begun focusing more on performance while cutting back on their ridiculously prolific recording output. Including EPs, collaborations and full-length albums, Nadja have appeared on about 50 releases, but they still try to do something new with each recording. Some excursions have been closer to shoegazer-folk, others more rhythmic and post-rock-influenced. Last year they surprised many with their collaborative album Cystema Solari (CORPOC) with Italian hip-hop group Uochi Toki. This spring they’re tackling a whole new challenge: the dance floor. “It’s a track we’ve been playing for a couple of years at least that we jokingly call our techno piece,” Baker explains. “We play it when we get booked for raves. Every now and then we actually get an invitation to play a dance party.” 3 benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles

NOW December 18-24 2014

TOPS SOFT ROCK

Montreal four-piece find their voice on second album By SAMANTHA EDWARDS

TOPS with FOr ESmE, HuE and CHriSTian Punk Band at Tattoo (567 Queen West), Friday (December 19), 9 pm. $13.50-$16. soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com.

Before you can place those whirling guitars and lush synth lines, it’s Jane Penny’s voice you recognize. In the same breath, the TOPS frontwoman’s voice swerves from quietly singsong to nasal yelp on the verge of cracking, before turning into a melancholic, sultry coo. Penny chalks up her distinctive style to having spent a lot of time singing alone, with no one to show her the right way to do it. “Honestly, I think the big reason why it sounds

unique is because I never had any training,” she says over Skype from Barcelona, where the Montreal band is wrapping up a European tour. “I never sang in a choir, where it’s all about blending in versus standing out.” Penny discovered her voice when her long-time friends David Carriere and Sean Nicholas Savage asked her to sing in their synth pop band, Silly Kissers. After that project disbanded, Penny and Carriere, along with drummer Riley Fleck, formed TOPS in the spring of 2011, becoming one of the core bands in the much-mythologized Arbutus Records loft scene. (Bassist Madeline Glowicki joined in 2013.) When TOPS released their first album during

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

array SPaCE eVoid Collective Dance Jam

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 50

LuLa LOungE Changui Havana, DJ Suave (sal-

sa/merengue/cumbia/bachata/timba), 10:30 pm, Eliana Cuevas (Latin jazz) 7:30 pm. muSidEum The Starfires, The Roblin/Newman/Jurgensen Express (avant/improvised), 8 pm. OLd miLL inn Gord Sheard Trio (jazz) 7:30 pm. POETry Jazz CaFE The Thompson Egbo Group Straight, No Chaser, 9:30 pm. rEFErEnCE LiBrary Sara Churchill & Colin Savage (keyboard, clarinet), Lunchtime concert, 12:10 pm. rEPOSadO The Reposadist Quartet (gypsy bop), 9 pm THE rEx Dave Young (jazz), 9:45 pm, Hogtown Sara Dell (vocals/solo piano) 6:30 pm, Syncopators (jazz) 4 pm. FrOy THOmSOn HaLL Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Handel: Messiah, 8 pm. FST THOmaS’S angLiCan CHurCH Sine Nomine Ensemble For Medieval Music Transeamus: Music For A Medieval Christmas Pilgrimage. 8 pm.

December 18-24 2014 NOW

Freeform meditative movement. Pierre Mongeon (piano/trumpet), Jeff Burke (bassoon/ theremin). 7:30 pm. FBaSSLinE muSiC Bar DJ Dirty Dale, Drala, Oliver2w!st Let There Be House: Holiday Party, doors 10 pm. CaSTrO’S LOungE DJ I Hate You Rob (soul/ funk/R&B/punk rock/rockabilly), 10 pm. CLinTOn’S Girl & Boy: 90s Party (90s pop) doors 10 pm. CLuB 120 DJs Blackcat, Pleasure, JJ Rock Gooddaz VS Freaky Gyal, 10 pm to 3 am. COda Solomun, Jamie Kidd, Gera, Nature Of Music (house/EDM) 10 pm. EmmET ray Bar DJ Cosmonauts (hip-hop/ electronic/indie/soul/reggae), 10 pm. HandLEBar Fuzz Nugs DJs (60s rarities on vinyl), 10 pm. Hi-LO Bar DJ Bradshaw Bold As Love – The Yacht Rock Edition. JOE mama’S DJ Carl Allen & Wade O’Brown. JunCTiOn CiTy muSiC HaLL DJs Margot Keith, Davy Love, Vanessa, DJ Nico 45 RPM Dance Party, 9 pm. king ruSTiC DJs 1970Slick & David James Rusty Gold! (rare groove/funk/soul/acid jazz), 10 pm.

kOOL HauS DVBBS doors 10 pm, all ages. ñ marquiS OF granBy 5DJ Producer Barry Harris 10:30 pm.

ParLOur DJs Roman K & Dirty Shirt Vic (late

the height of Grimesmania in 2012, Carriere says the band “was trying to accurately represent what we were all about, without any gloss or frills or gimmicks.” Their September-released sophomore record, Picture You Staring, continues that idea. It’s 80sinflected soft pop that manages to be inspired by Berlin’s Take My Breath Away and Sade without sounding hokey. And they focused more on production this time around. Holing up at the Arbutus HQ studio, they recorded the album through a big old mixing desk and had plenty of time to ruminate on bass parts and melodies without pressure from the label.

90s/early 00s house on vinyl), 45 RPM, 10 pm. THE PiSTOn Rebel Hop (soul/funk/hip-hop dance party), 10 pm. FrEvivaL DJ Numeric, DJ Dalia, Ted Dancin’ Hip-hop karaoke holiday edition, doors 9 pm. Gatherin Uf Soulz, Soul Deep & The Hot House Collective 10 pm [Stone Lounge]. rOund vEnuE Serial Killaz UK, Marcus Visionary, Code Red, Lush, Trajady & MCP (drum & bass) 10 pm. uniun Posso, Manzone & Strong Factory Fridays, 10 pm.

Saturday, December 20 PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/souL

aLLEyCaTz Lady Kane. FBOvinE SEx CLuB Varga, Axe Minister, Protokult Xmas Metal Meltdown, doors 9 pm.

CaSTrO’S LOungE The Straight Eights (50s style rockabilly), 5 pm.

CavErn Bar Ketamine Girls, Pool Boy, Turtle-

neck doors 8:30 pm.

THE danFOrTH muSiC HaLL The Holly Springs Disaster doors 7 pm, all ages.

THE FLying BEavEr PuBarET Ellen Reid 7 pm. gEary LanE NADJA, Black Walls,

Thisquietarmy doors 9 pm. See preview, ñ page 51.

FHandLEBar Tennesse Voodoo Coupe, Alistair Christl Rockhouse T.O. Rockabilly Christmas, doors 9 pm. HarLEm Madette (pop/soul), 7:30 pm.

As much as Penny is the voice of the band, she’s also a co-songwriter alongside Carriere (who says he’s never met anyone with her sense of melody), co-producer and the mastermind behind many of their music videos. “I think women have always been very much valued for their voices and personalities,” Penny says. “But there’s been a whole system [built and operated] by men that you’ve been supposed to work within. “But these days [women] don’t have to just put their voice on top of something that’s created around them. We can do things all on our own.” 3 music@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto

FHOrSESHOE

FS.H.i.B.g.B’S

The Skydiggers, Harlan Career Suicide, S.H.I.T., Pepper (alt-country folk rockers), X-Mas Glue, Wild Side, Triage Shitmas 2014, ñ ñ Horseshoe Weekend, doors 8:30 pm. See predoors 9 pm. view, page 50.

JOE mama’S Shugga. LEE’S PaLaCE Mineta, Jumple, Erik & The

SiLvEr dOLLar The Mercy Now, House Of

Mystery, LeBarons, Bravery Cat doors 9 pm.

SOuTHSidE JOHnny’S IN2U (rock/top 40) 10

Worldly Savages.

pm, The Bear Band (rock/blues), 4 to 8 pm.

LinSmOrE TavErn Hot House (rock/top 40),

FoLk/BLues/countRy/WoRLD

9:30 pm. LOCaL Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party Local Pub 10th Anniversary. 9 pm. mOnarCH TavErn The Howll, The Reply (soul/rock n roll), Show Your Soul Vol. 1, doors 8:30 pm. OPEra HOuSE Alvvays, Moon King, Elsa doors 8:30 pm. OrBiT rOOm Ride The Tiger (Motown/Stax/ soul) 10 pm. FOriginaL’S Orbital Drift, The Bogarts, Creep Echo, The Soul Strugglers Jingle Bell Rock Christmas party, 9 pm. THE PaddOCk Hot Peach, High Heels Lo Fi (indie rock) aBabe showcase, 9:30 pm. PHOEnix COnCErT THEaTrE July Talk, Gay Nineties Jingle Bell Concert Series, doors 7 pm. PJ O’BriEnS iriSH PuB Hot Buttered Soul (classic Motown covers), 10 pm. FPrinCESS OF WaLES THEaTrE Donny & Marie Osmond Christmas In Toronto. 7:30 pm. THE rEx Danny Marks (pop) noon. rivOLi Amos The Transparent, Ivory Hours, Xprime, Chris Hau Record Release Party, doors 8 pm.

aga kHan muSEum The 4th Light Niyaz w/ Tanya Evanson. 8 pm. BarOn Byng mEmOriaL HaLL Drummers In Exile Solstice Drum And Dance Bash, 8 pm. BEiT zaTOun Sikuris St. Lawrence Music Of The Andes, 7:30 pm. FrEE TimES CaFE Brian Litvin & Jabulani (African) 8 pm, Dr B’s Acoustic Medicine Show Open mic/jam, 2 pm. FuLL OF BEanS COFFEE Kids Open Stage 2 to 4 pm. gaTE 403 Bill Heffernan (folk/country/blues), 5 to 8 pm. THE gEm Return For Refund Acoustic Saturdays 11 pm. grOSSman’S The Happy Pals 4:30 to 8 pm. HaBiTS gaSTrOPuB KatzKradle (singer/songwriter/blues), 9 pm. FHarBOurFrOnT CEnTrE THEaTrE The Good Lovelies Christmas (pop/folk), TGL Christmas, Sat 8 pm. See preview, page 50. HiruT FinE ETHiOPian CuiSinE Lizzie Violet, Arlene Paculan, The Jessica Stewart Few, David Silverberg Winter Wonderland Poetry & Music, 8 pm. HugH’S rOOm Craig Cardiff 8:30 pm.

continued on page 54 œ

THU DEC 18 • $10.00 Adv

HORSESHOE RAISED BY TAVERN

SINCE 1985

MON DEC 22 • No Cover

THU DEC 18 • SOLD OUT! FRI DEC 19 • $15.50 Adv SAT DEC 20 • $10.00 @Door

GLORIOUS WHITE COWBELL

MINETA

PACESHIFTERS

THE MOHRS MOUNTAINDUST

WORLDLY SAVAGES

FRI DEC 26 • $20.00 Adv

SATURDAY DECEMBER 27

CANNED FOOD FOR ENTRY

VCW LADIES IMPRESSED FIGHT NIGHT OUT: CLOSED BOXING DAY COVER ME

FOR XMAS DEC 21-25

JANUARY 1 MON

JAN 19

A NIGHT OF COVERS HOSTED BY SAM CASH & THE ROMANTIC DOGS

MATINEE

(MEMBERS OF) JULY TALK BRENDAN CANNING, SPENCER BURTON,& MORE

THE VASELINES

$23.50 Adv

8:00pm (SUN-WED) 8:30pm (THURSDAY) 9:00pm (FRI & SAT)

LEESPALACE.COM 529 Bloor Street West / Bathurst

SINCE 1947

CLOSED FOR XMAS

SHOELESS MONDAYS

FEBRUARY 26 • $ 15.00 adv

HUNDRED WATERS DANCE CAVE NYE THE BARR BROTHERS VATTNET VISKAR BENJAMIN BOOKER CABARET VALTAIRE KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS DECEMBER 31 • $ 13.50 adv

JANUARY 21 • $ 8.50 adv

FEBRUARY 14 • $ 20.00 adv

SAT JAN 31 • LEE’S PALACE • $15.00 ADV 2ND SHOW • ALL AGES • AFTERNOON

OWEN

MARCH 12 • $ 20.00 adv

MARCH 31• $ 20.00 adv

APRIL 11 • $ 17.50 adv

WED FEBRUARY 18 DANFORTH M.H. $19.50-$22.50 ADV

SWANS XYLOURIS WHITE SAT MAR 7 • MOD CLUB • $15.50 ADV

JUKEBOX

THE GHOST SECRET SOMETIMES

COVER NO WITH STUDENT ID

SKYDIGGERS

IN WHITE FOR TODAY • ICE NINE KILLS

HARLAN PEPPER

WED DEC 31 • $17.50 Adv FRI DEC 26 • $7.00 @Door DEC DEC 27 • $10.00 @Door TUE DEC 30 • NO COVER WED DEC 31 • $25.50 Adv

NYE WITH AMYS ZEN THE WAYO

RICH AUCOIN + LATE NIGHT KARAOKE & COVERS SETS Artist Bookings 416-598-0720 or

ben@leespalace.com

PICK TIN STAR THE BROS. BAND SPELLS OF VERTIGO

ORPHANS THE SOLE BROKEN ARROWS SLEEPY MEAN PURSUIT THE CONOR THE BOO RADLEY PROJECT

NEW YEAR’S

EVE WITH

SADIES THE

MAPS GAINS BAND MON DEC 29 • No Cover SAT JAN 3 • $9.00 Adv

JOY PHILLIPS

TOOTH THE PETER ELKAS BAND NOETHERS THEOREM READY THE PRINCE SOFA KING ADDICTED ALAN SNODDY

RENOVATIONS GORDIE LEWIS

SHOELESS MONDAYS

WILLIE NILE CLOSED FOR

Original Live Music @ 8:30pm Fridays & Saturdays @9:00pm Front Bar 12:00pm - 2:00am

THU JAN 8 • OPERA HOUSE • $20.50-$65.00 ADV SAT JAN 24 • PHOENIX • $23.00-$73.00 ADV

FOUR YEAR STRONG COMEBACK KID

BOOKIE’S NEW MUSIC NIGHT

JANUARY 4-15

HORSESHOETAVERN.COM 370 Queen Street West / Spadina

NEVADA Artist Bookings 416-598-0720 or

craig@horseshoetavern.com

Adv Tickets @ ROTATE THIS TICKETFLY.COM SOUNDSCAPES TICKETMASTER.COM H-SHOE FRONT BAR

• HORSESHOE TAVERN •

MARCH 8 • $ 13.50 adv

ELLIOTT THE DISTRICTS MILO GREENE WILL BUTLER BROOD FEBRUARY 18 • $ 12.00 adv MARCH 3 • $ 17.50 adv

EAT & GREET WITH

ANTHONY ROSE

MARCH 27 • $ 16.00 adv MAY 4 • $ 13.50 adv

THE DODOS SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE

THU FEB 5 • DANFORTH M.H. • $24.50-34.50 ADV FRIDAY FEB 6 • QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

$30.00-$100.00 ADV NEWOPERATORS PORNOGRAPHERS RUFUS WAINWRIGHT LOUDON WAINWRIGHT & CHAIM TANNENBAUM

FRI JAN 30 • PHOENIX • $30.00 ADV THU FEB 19 • PHOENIX • $20.00 ADV THU JAN 29 • SMILING BUDDHA • $13.50 ADV

• DRAKE HOTEL •

AUGUST ARIEL ALEX G HAMILTON LIETHAUSER BURNS RED PINK TEEN SUICIDE MISS MAY I ORLA GARTLAND JANUARY 20 • $ 18.50 adv MARCH 9 • $ 15.00 adv

NORTHLANE | ERRA

JACK NAME

SECOND SHOW ADDED! WEDNESDAY MARCH 4 DANFORTH M.H. $35.00 ADV

ST. VINCENT

TUE MAR 24 • OPERA HOUSE • $24.50 ADV WED APR 1 • PHOENIX • $25.00 ADV

MOTIONLESS

MERMAIDS EXIST

WITH

PALLETT FRI FEB 20 • PHOENIX • $25.50 ADV

BREAK THE TREND SWANS MIKKY & ALEX

www.collectiveconcerts.com • LEE’S PALACE •

BOOKIE’S NEW MUSIC NIGHT

DECEMBER 24-25 LANGUAGE ARTS & JANUARY 1 FOR ISLAND YEARS MONKEY FIGHTIN SNAKES NEW YEAR’S DAY OCTOBERMAN FRIDAY DECEMBER 19 & SATURDAY DECEMBER 20 • $ 28.50 ADV

DEATH PARTY PLAYGROUND

SONS OKLAHOMA JUMPLE ERIK AND THE GENTLEMAN HUSBANDS CLOSED

TUE DEC 23 • NO COVER

TWIN SHADOW

MARCH 22 • $ 15.00 adv

TOBIAS JESSE JR IBEYI MARCH 27 • $ 17.50 adv

MON MAR 30 • MASSEY HALL • $39.50-$59.50 ADV WED MAR 18 • PHOENIX • $22.00 ADV • THE GARRISON •

COLD WAR

LA DISPUTE KIDS TITLE FIGHT • HOTELIER

MON APR 6 • PHOENIX • $20.00 ADV

JANUARY 31 • $ 10.00 adv

VIET CONG SUUNS & DISAPPEARS THE MOWGLIS FEBRUARY 25 • $ 15.00 adv

APRIL 10 • $ 17.50 adv

THE DECEMBERISTS ALVVAYS WITH

JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ ÓLÖF

MON APR 13 PHOENIX

$20.00 ADV

ARNALDS

NOW december 18-24 2014

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 52

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 PRESENTED BY INERTIA-ENTERTAINMENT

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE AND NEW YEARS DAY

Junction city Music Hall The Bonfire Sessions 9 pm.

MusideuM Jesse And The Field Wizards (meditation/ambient), 8 pm.

tHe Rex Jerome Godboo, Eric Schenkman,

Shawn Kellerman, Gary Craig Winter Blues Solstice, 3:30 pm. tRanzac Jamzac 3 pm [Southern Cross].

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19 PRESENTED BY ANCHOR SHOP

CRYSTALYNE

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20

BOMBAY NIGHTS

Jazz/ClassiCal/ExpErimEntal

BlakBiRd Mboya Nicholson (jazz pianist), An Evening For Ellington – The Black And Tan Fantasy Concert, 8:30 pm. cHalkeRs PuB Brian Chahley Quartet 6-9 pm. Gate 403 Brownman Akoustic Trio 9 pm. Jazz BistRo Mark Eisenman Quartet 9 pm. FkoeRneR Hall Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir Handel Messiah, 7:30 pm. lula lounGe Orquesta Fantasia, DJ Gio (salsa/merengue/cumbia), 10:30 pm. old Mill inn Genevieve Marentette Trio (jazz), 7:30 pm [Home Smith Bar]. PoetRy Jazz cafe The Robb Cappelletto Group Mind Games, 9 pm. tHe Rex Jake Chisholm (jazz/blues), 9:45 pm, Nick Teehan Group 7:30 pm. Rose tHeatRe Matt Dusk (pop/jazz) 8 pm. FRoy tHoMson Hall Toronto Children’s Chorus A Chorus Christmas: Ceremonial Splendour, 2 pm. Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Handel: Messiah, 8 pm. Fst anne’s anGlican cHuRcH Aradia Ensemble Handel’s Dublin Messiah, 7:30 pm. tRanzac The Woodshed Orchestra (folk/ jazz), 10 pm [Southern Cross].

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21

CHOREOGRAPHERS BALL MONDAY, DECEMBER 22

LEAGUE GLOW PARTY

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31 • DRS 9PM PRESENTED BY THE BIG SOUND

THE BIG NYE 2014/15 SOUND PARTY W/ WES ALLEN

DanCE musiC/DJ/loungE

aRRay sPace Return To Light Solstice Sound

Dance Ritual (sound healing/DJ music meets improv music/dance/spiritual), 8 pm. 722 COLLEGE STREET tHe Ballet DJ Neil Armstrong, Mensa, Agile, NOW Dec2014_Layout 1 2014-12-15 4:48 1 MistaPM JiggzPage (hip-hop/R&B/house/reggae/

themodclub.com

BigNames SmallTheatre

disco/funk/soul/breaks), All Vinyl Everything, doors 10 pm. castRo’s lounGe DJ Spinson’s Dance Party (local/old school/underground hip-hop) 11 pm. tHe cave DJ Pat Full On Alternative, 9 pm. clinton’s Bangs & Blush (60s soul/rock & roll), Shake, Rattle & Roll, 10 pm. cluB 120 DJ Rosina Kazi Les Femmes Fatales burlesque revue, 10 pm. Fcoda Nitin, Rafwat & Chorniy, Night Vision, Carson & Elsonne, Andy Cue, Videri The X-Mess, doors 10 pm. cRawfoRd Beast DJ (hits from all the decades), 9 pm. eMMet Ray BaR DJ Blancon (hip-hop/soul), 10 pm. tHe GaRRison A Man Called Warwick, Sir Ramases (tropical dancefloor session), Turning Point, doors 10 pm. GuveRnMent Greg Gow, Mark Oliver, Manzone & Strong The Final Restructured, doors 10 pm. FHaRBouRfRont centRe ILoveTO Holiday Skating Party (classic hip-hop with a holiday twist) DJs Dlux & Lissa Monet, 8 to 11 pm. kool Haus Zeds Dead Somewhere Else Tour, doors 10 pm. lou dawG’s DJ Kenny Bounce (funk/soul/ blues/hip-hop). Fneck of tHe woods DJ Starting From Scratch The Breakfast Club 80s Party: Ugly Xmas Sweater Edition. 10 pm. tHe Piston Love Handle (80s soul/boogie), 10 pm. Ryze Dennis Ferrer, Toronto Hustle, Wonka, 2 Grams Holiday Cheer, 10 pm-5 am. wRonGBaR The Freestylers, Marcus Visionary, D-Monic, Keener, Farbsie Funky, DJ Quesquecest? (breakbeat/turntablism/old school hip-hop/classic funk), 10 pm.

ñ ñ

Sunday, December 21 pop/roCk/Hip-Hop/soul

danfoRtH Music Hall Blue Rodeo Christmas Show, doors 4 pm, ñ Daily Bread Food Bank benefit. FtHe

doRa keoGH Open Stage Dora’s Explorers, 8 pm. GuveRnMent Juicy J, Peter Jackson, DJ

Dames Nellas (rap), Live In Concert, 10 pm. ñ HandleBaR Processor, Castle If, Elms (ambi-

ent/electronic/synth), doors 9 pm. HuGH’s RooM Dr Draw (electric violin) 8:30 pm. Junction Tommy Rocker (classic rock) 8 pm. kool Haus Opeth, In Flames, Red Fang Communications Of Sirens Tour, 6:30 pm. linsMoRe taveRn Pat Perez & John Dickie Band (R&B/funk/blues), 5 to 9 pm. oRBit RooM Horshack (classic rock & roll) 10 pm. PHoenix conceRt tHeatRe Sebastian Bach, Diemonds 7 pm. FPRincess of wales tHeatRe Donny & Marie Osmond Christmas In Toronto. 1:30 pm. FRevival The Goodtimes (family friendly), 10th Annual Christmas Show, doors 3 pm. Rivoli The Greaseballs, Funny Funk, A Fellow

ñ ñ

Ship CD release party, doors 8 pm. scRuffy MuRPHy’s Groovestone, Dale Harrison 10 pm. tHe sisteR The Liquidaires 5 to 7 pm. soutHside JoHnny’s Rebecca Matiesen & Phoenix (pop/rock), Open Jam, 9:30 pm. FtHe stRatHcona Hotel Tony Cutrone (top 40/lounge), Christmas Party, 6 to 10 pm [downstairs]. tattoo July Talk doors 8 pm.

Folk/BluEs/Country/WorlD

BaMPot House of tea & BoaRd GaMes Open Mic 7:30 pm.

Black BeaR PuB SNAFU Jam, 4 to 8 pm. tHe caGe 292 Phill Hood Jam, 10 pm. castRo’s lounGe Cash on Demand (Johnny Cash covers), 4 pm.

dakota taveRn Bluegrass Brunch 10 am to 2 pm. ellinGton’s Music & cafe Kids Open Stage 4 to 6 pm.

fRee tiMes cafe Gloria Valentine & Nina Sha-

pilsky Jewish brunch buffet (folk/klezmer). 11 am & 1:15 pm, Gordon’s Acoustic Living Room (folk/songwriter/acoustic), 8 pm. GRossMan’s Brian Cober (double slide guitar), Open Blues Jam, 10 pm. FHaRBouRfRont centRe tHeatRe The Good Lovelies Christmas (pop/folk), TGL Christmas, 2 pm. See preview, page 50. HiRut fine etHioPian cuisine Nicola Vaughan Jam, 3 to 6:30 pm. FHuGH’s RooM The Ault Sisters Celebrate The Season, 1 pm. local Los Caballeros del Son (Cuban) 9 pm, Chris Coole (oldtime/country) 5 pm. lula lounGe Jorge Maza Sunday Salsa Brunch. 11 am. McGRadies taP and GRill Dan Walek Open Jam, 6 to 10 pm. RelisH BaR & GRill Paul Brennan & David MacMichael Stir It Up Sundays Open Mic, 9 pm. tHe Rex Dr Nick & the Rollercoasters (blues) 3:30 pm. FtRanzac soutHeRn cRoss Diane Roblin, Suzy Wilde Reconnect: Holiday Party 7:30 pm, Monk’s Music 5 pm, Alaniaris 3 pm, Quebecois Jam 1 pm. FtRanzac Main Hall Flying Cloud Christmas 7 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/ExpErimEntal

tHe flyinG BeaveR PuBaRet Rita Carrey Duo

7:30 pm.

Gate 403 Cyndi Carleton Jazz & Swing Band 9

pm, the Gypsy Rebels 5 to 8 pm. Jazz BistRo Rita Di Ghent Rita’s Parlour 7 pm, Micah Barnes Trio Sundays In New York Brunch 12:30 pm. Joe MaMa’s Organic (jazz) 6:30-10 pm. FMassey Hall Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir Sing-Along Messiah, 2 pm. MoRGans on tHe danfoRtH Boom For Rent Jazzy Sunday, 2 to 5 pm.

T.O. Music NOTes

NO MORE XO FOR DEREK WISE

BRENT BUTT Friday, January 9

Canadian Comedy Tour with special guest JAmIE HuTCHINSON

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS Friday, February 27 JAKE SHIMABUKURO Thursday, March 5

TASHA’S TIGER

Tickets On Sale NOW!

The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts 130 Navy Street, Downtown Oakville Box Office: 905-815-2021 or

www.oakvillecentre.ca

December 18-24 2014 NOW

In disturbing news, Toronto rapper Derek Bissue, aka Derek Wise, has been arrested on 15 charges connected to a human trafficking investigation involving a 21-year-old woman who says he forced her into the sex trade. Bissue is part of Toronto’s Get Home Safe collective, which includes Jazz Cartier and is affiliated with the Weeknd’s XO crew. Bissue’s Twitter bio (@TripppFontaine) no longer mentions XO or GHS, and Wise’s manager, Quincy Nanatakyi, released a statement calling the investigation “shocking and offensive,” and the accuser “mentally unstable.” Sad.

Oakville Centre Gift Certiﬁcates Available Any denomination.

Call the box oﬃce or order online

Remember back in August when Toronto MC Tasha the Amazon ➔ shot a music video that involved walking through Kensington Market with a Bengal tiger? It caused an, um, uproar with animal activists and concerned citizens, though Tasha was careful to have handlers on set and the streets blocked off to automobile and pedestrian traffic. The video – for Thru The

tHe Rex James Brown 9:30 pm, Brian de Lima Quartet 7 pm, Freeeway Dixieland Jazz 3:30 pm, Excelsior Dixieland Jazz noon. FRoy tHoMson Hall Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Handel: Messiah, 3 pm. seven44 Robbie Lane & the Disciples 5 pm. Fst MatHew’s catHedRal No Strings Theatre (musical theatre) Amahl And The Night Visitors & seasonal music concert, 3 & 7:30 pm. Fst tHoMas’s anGlican cHuRcH The Choir of St Thomas’s Church The Nine Lessons And Carols Of Christmas, 7 pm. tRanzac Makeshift Island (jazz), 10 pm [Southern Cross]. tRinity st. Paul’s cHuRcH Rita Chiarelli, Maryem Hassan Tollar, the Ault Sisters, Sharlene Wallace, Lara Solnicki, Hisaka International Divas, 8 pm. uPPeR canada colleGe Mooredale Youth Orchestra (baroque/classical) 3 pm [Laidlaw Hall]. FwHistleR’s GRille Jingle Bones Christmas party for trombone players, 7:30 pm.

DanCE musiC/DJ/loungE

castRo’s lounGe Watch This Sound (rare/ vintage ska/reggae/dub vinyl), 9 pm.

cluB 120 DJ David Gtronic Keep It Simple, 10 pm. Floft 404 Mike Gibbs, Jamie Kidd, Fabio Palermo, Yoshi & Chie, Friendlyness & Isax, Soundbwoy Sunday Afternoon Social, Holiday and Winter Solstice. 3-10 pm. PaRlouR Sunday Night Tales.

Monday, December 22 pop/roCk/Hip-Hop/soul

Bovine sex cluB Douglas Fairbanks Jr doors 9 pm.

castRo’s lounGe The Cosmotones (old

school rockabilly), 6 pm. GRossMan’s No Band Required 10 pm. HoRsesHoe Le Barron, Monkey Fightin Snakes, Death Party Playground Shoeless Monday, doors 8:30 pm. oRBit RooM Jordan John (blues/R&B/funk) 10 pm.

Folk/BluEs/Country/WorlD

castRo’s lounGe BlueVenus (singer/songwriter), 9 pm.

fRee tiMes cafe Open Stage Monday (folk/ songwriter), 7:30 pm.

Gate 403 Bruce Chapman Blues Duo 9 pm,

Everlovin Jug Band 5 to 8 pm. FHuGH’s RooM Chuck Jackson & the All Star Band, Cheryl Lescom, Treasa Levasseur Have A Bluesy Christmas, 8:30 pm. local Hamstrung String Band (bluegrass/ traditional country) 9 pm. McGRadies taP and GRill Dan Walek Acoustic Jam, 8 to 11 pm. tRanzac soutHeRn cRoss Tranzac Open Stage 10 pm, Chris Banks Happy Hour 7:30 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/ExpErimEntal

eMMet Ray BaR Jon Lindhorst Quartet 9 pm,

Fire from Tasha’s debut mixtape, FiDiYootDem – is finally ready for viewing at youtube.com/watch?v=SE51OUpOd_g.

BLOWUP TURNS 20

Britpop nightlife fixture turned British cuisine maven Davy Love is throwing a 20th-anniversary bash for his club night Blowup on Saturday (December 20). The party features performances by Toronto singer/songwriter Tess Parks and indie pop group the Holiday Crowd plus a roster of veteran Blowup DJs on the decks. It takes over two floors at the Great Hall (1087 Queen West), which also houses Love’s pub, the Bristol.

MORE TIDBITS

Radio Ryerson will be back on the air in 2015. The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission approved Ryerson campus radio station The Scope’s application for an AM licence on December 11, committing to 126 weekly hours of music and spoken word programming. Shows at Adelaide Hall have been moved to other venues after a recent fire. That includes Jason Collett’s Basement Revue on Thursday (December 18), now at the Opera House.

Jazz Money 7 pm.

THE ROCKPILE and THE PHOENIX PRESENT

Harlem UndergroUnd Neil Brathwaite

(jazz), 8 to 11 pm. THe rex Mike Malone & The Writers Jazz Orchestra (18-piece big band), 9:30 pm, Jake Koffman Groups (sax) 6:30 pm. Seven44 Vincent Wolfe & the Vegas North Orchestra 7:30 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

SEBASTIAN BACH WITH

INAL VOICE OF SKID ROW

A NIGHT WITH THE ORIG

THe Cave DJ Shannon (retro 80s/alternative), Manic Mondays, doors 10 pm. Handlebar Victory Night Rotation, 10 pm. repoSado DJ Ellis Dean Mezcal Monday, 9 pm.

Cavern bar Matt Cooke doors 8 pm. Come and geT iT reSTaUranT Undrcovr. dakoTa Tavern Jason Collett’s Base-

GLAM MOD PSYCH ROCK • CANTINA ~ NO COVER SATURDAY DECEMBER 20 • 10PM

ment Revue doors 8:30 pm. HorSeSHoe Break The Trend, Mermaids Exist, Mikky & Alex, The Reklaws Dave Bookman’s Nu Music Nite, 9 pm. Joe mama’S Jeff Eager. orbiT room The Sattelites (reggae) 10 pm. rivoli The Sleeperz.

DECEMBER 21 2014

FoLk/BLues/countRy/WoRLD

DOORS OPEN AT 8PM

THe dUke live.Com Frank Wilks Open Jam,

8:30 pm.

Free TimeS CaFe Jake Feeney (folk/songwriter),

8 pm.

FHUgH’S room Chuck Jackson & the All Star Band, Cheryl Lescom, Treasa Levasseur Have A Bluesy Christmas, 8:30 pm. loCal Matty Powell 9 pm. lola Dr. XMas Show & LOLA Community Dinner 8 pm. loU dawg’S Chris Caddell, Cassius Pereira, Kenny Neal Jr Tangled Up In The Blues, 8 pm.

Jazz/cLassicaL/exPeRiMentaL

blakbird Kayla Ramu Quartet The Nightbird Vocal Jazz Jam 8:30 to 11:30 pm. THe CenTral Michael Kleniec (jazz), 6 to 9 pm. THe rex Chris Gale Classic Rex Jazz Jam, 9:30 pm, Richard Whiteman Group 6:30 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

alleyCaTz DJ Frank Bischun Bachata Night,

NSED EVENT FOR

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KPILE.CA

MORE INFO THEROC

MEAT MASTERS OF MC’D BY DREW EB.CA W.TICCAKPEESTW W W LLEGE ST @ CO 2 TS 57 E K C DS TI IS 801 QUEEN ST. W & SOUN ROTATE TH

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VARGA w/AXE MINISTER, PROTOKULT WED Dec 31 SAILOR JERRY & PUSSY WHIPPED WED'S PRESENTS:

Handlebar Heavy Traffic DJs (sleazy post-

NEW YEARS' EVE AT THE BOVINE

punk on vinyl), 10 pm.

repoSado DJ Gord C Alien Radio.

Wednesday, December 24 PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/souL

monarCH Tavern Choir!Choir!Choir! 7:30 pm. ñ orbiT room LMT Connection (funk) 10 pm.

Jazz/cLassicaL/exPeRiMentaL

nawlinS Jazz bar Jim Heineman Trio (jazz) 7 to 11 pm.

TURNING POINT

SELECTOR: A MAN CALLED WARWICK SPECIAL GUEST: SIR RAMASES SATURDAY DECEMBER 27 • 10PM

SOUL CLAP & DANCE OFF! DJ JONATHAN TOUBIN WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31 • 9:30PM NEW YEAR’S EVE 2015

8:30 pm.

CUbe Matzoball (dance party) doors 9 pm.

BURLESQUE: THE HARLETTES DJ BANGS & BLUSH

FOXTROT DJ WEIRD DAD

PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/souL

3AM LAST CALL

TUPPERWARE REMIX PARTY, THE THINLY VEILED DOUBLE ENTENDRES, ROBOTEYES & THE CALIRIZIANS. LIVE BURLESQUE w/HOST LAURA DESIREE, TANYA CHEEX, CALIFORNIA SILK & DOLLY BERLIN. MIDNIGHT TOAST W/SAILOR JERRY; PARTY FAVOURS. DRESS LIKE A ROCKSTAR. ROOF TOP TIKI BAR OPEN & HEATED FOR THE EVENING; LAST CALL FOR SMOKERS. TICKETS $10. AVAILABLE AT THE BOVINE OR TICKETFLY.

THU 18 FAT LACES Party jams, slow jams and deep grooves... FRI 19 FEEL SO GOOD w/DJ Benny Ben Vinyl adventures from jiggy to crunk...and Prince... SAT 20 ALL SOUL’D OUT w/DJ Big Jimmy Mills Old school hip hop, RnB, dancehall, soul, reggae and beyond with the scratch professor... SUN 21 BRASS FACTS TRIVIA w/Famous Kirk Hero Best quiz night in town... MON 22 COMEDY AT OSS Open mic night...Sign up and kill ‘em...

Fri Dec 19

SATURDAY DECEMBER 20

THE HAPPY PALS 4:30pm-8pm JAMES DOOLIN & THE JAGUARS 10pm-2am SUNDAY DECEMBER 21

NEW ORLEANS CONNECTION ALL STAR JAZZ BAND 4:30-9pm THE NATIONAL, BLUES JAM w/BRIAN COBER 10pm-2am MONDAY DECEMBER 22 & TUESDAY DECEMBER 23

NO MUSIC

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 24

CLOSE AT 6PM

DECEMBER 26-30

TICKETS ON SALE!

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Thu Dec 18

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5 BANDS 5 BUCKS

THE MAYHEMINGWAYS with BROCK

ZEMAN

RATTLESNAKE CHOIR X-MAS SHOW with very special guests 9PM

Fri Dec 19

7PM

THE UNSEEN STRANGERS

with STUART

HENDERSON

BIG TOBACCO AND THE PICKERS

FRIDAY DECEMBER 19

THE HOLLY SPRINGS DISASTER AFTER PARTY EVERY SATURDAY

REBEL hOP

Sun Dec 21 10-2PM BLUEGRASS BRUNCH

LEGENDS OF KARAOKE

9PM

EVERY WEDNESDAY 6:30-9:30PM

DJs gRAMERA & Linx Live SAx – Dennis P

SOUL – SkA – MOTOWn – ROCkers – STAx

LOVE hAnDLE DJs CATALisT + FAMOUS LEE

Sat Dec 20 Boogie Funk DAnCE PARTY

ShAne & niCk’s SUPER AWESOME COLOSSAL WiCkeD xMAS PARTY

The finest in tunes, cocktails and relaxation before the big show...

Dec 24-25 CLOSED MERRY xMAS

WED 24 CLOSED FOR HOLIDAYS Open and rocking on the 27th...

kiTChen OPen For LunCh • BrunCh • Dinner

9PM

HOT WAX MELTDOWN

THE MERCENARIES!

Tue Dec 23

SOLD OUT!!!

8:30PM

Thu Dec 25 Fri Dec 26

THE BASEMENT REVIEW

Closed MERRY CHRISTMAS!! 9PM

THE MERCENARIES

Wed Dec 31 New Year’s Eve with

THE ROYAL CROWNS

WHAT’S IN

5 DAYS

THE DAKOTA TAVERN

Sat Dec 20 10-2PM BLUEGRASS BRUNCH

Mon DJ S COOL Bus Dec 22 DJ hOT BoDY

61 OSSINGTON AVE | 416•850•0161 | theossington.com

FRIDAY DECEMBER 19

SWINGING BLACK JACKS 10pm-2am

Wing nighT AMADeus FriAS

TUE 23

LAST WALTZ BEFORE LOCKDOWN

MS DEBBIE & THE DON VALLEY STOMPERS 9:30pm-1am

CLOSED NEVER A COVER, LIVE MUSIC

542 Queen St W • 416 504 4239 bovinesexclub.com • bovinebooking@gmail.com

Thu Dec 18

THANK YOU TORONTO FOR VOTING US BEST BLUES BAR RUNNER-UP! THURSDAY DECEMBER 18

CHRONOLOGIC DJ BRENDAN CANNING

9PM

THE OSSINGTON

HOME OF THE BLUES SINCE 1943

FRIDAY DECEMBER 19

Tuesday, December 23

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

THURSDAY DECEMBER 18 • 9PM 4TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA

SHAKE A TAIL EVERY MONDAY

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937 BloorAWVE• (just ThePiston.ca 249 O•SSINGTON north of Dundas) 416.532.3989 • 937 Bloor Street West 416.532.3989 www.ThePiston.ca 416-850-4579 · thedakotatavern.com NOW December 18-24 2014

album reviews Electronic PARRISH ñTHEO NNNN

album of the week

AND THE VANGUARD ñD’ANGELO NNNNN Black Messiah (RCA/

Sony) Rating: “I been wondering if I ever can again / If you’re wondering about the shape I’m in / I hope it ain’t my abdomen that you’re referring to,” D’Angelo sings on Back To The Future (Part 1), from the onetime R&B pin-up’s first album in 14 years. The past weighs heavily on Black Messiah, which picks up where the 40-yearold’s Voodoo album left off. Having survived battles with addiction and a life-threatening car accident, D’Angelo is once again immersed in the sounds and textures of

hardcore R&B, hip-hop, funk and Southern gospel. And, once again, he brilliantly distills years spent studying the arrangements and analog recording techniques of that music into a personal style that carves out its own space between rhythm and melody. Black Messiah wanders between characters and concerns – war, oppression, climate change, love, loyalty – in songs both sweetly flirtatious and brutally psychedelic. It’s full of restless energy, but also highly precise. It’s music – as D’Angelo sings at one point – that makes you want to “shut your mouth off and focus on what you feel inside.” Top track: 1000 Deaths KEVIN RITCHIE

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American Intelligence (Sound Signature) Rating: The protests convulsing many American cities in the aftermath of Ferguson are a fitting backdrop for Theo Parrish’s gritty new American Intelligence album, as the outspoken Detroit DJ/producer has noted himself. Even without the police harassment skit in the background of the song Welcome Back, Parrish shows he isn’t interested in delivering the escapist fantasies many look for in dance music. This is house music for people who’ve lost their jobs, and it sounds just as raw as that toocommon circumstance feels. Listening to the epically long album in one sitting is an endurance test, but doing so allows the hypnotic, trance-inducing grooves to unfold naturally. It’s not as dissonant and lo-fi as some of his early releases, but the off-kilter rhythms and deliberately murky mix are as geniusly idiosyncratic as always. Even at his most experimental, Parrish always makes connections to the larger history of black American music, in the same way that Charles Mingus put blues and gospel riffs at the centre of his avant-garde jazz epics. Top track: Be In Yo Self (featuring Ideeyah & Duminie Deporres) BENJAMIN BOLES BONOBO Flashlight (Ninja Tune) Rating: NNN It’s only three songs long, but Bonobo’s new Flashlight EP is a reassuring sign that Simon Green’s lacklustre recent live album, The North Borders Tour – Live, wasn’t an indication of the direction his studio work is going. Instead of hiring session musicians to drop lukewarm solos over limp downtempo beats, Green has gone back to treating the studio itself as his primary instrument, and the results are a promising glimpse of his next album (we hope). While none of the tracks is likely to become a club hit, it’s still an effective teaser. The first two songs explore tasteful deep house grooves with artfully chopped-up samples and pulsing, moody synth chords. Both easily achieve what they set out to do. However, it’s the ethereal, abstract R&B of the final track, Return To Air, that’s most exciting. The combination of deliberately glitchy production details with shimmering washes of melody makes for a vibe that combines the best contemporary trends with everything we already like about Bonobo. Top track: Return To Air BB

Hip-hop J. COLE 2014 Forest Hills Drive (Sony)

Rating: NNN This year, J. Cole bought his first house: the split-level Fayetteville, North Carolina, home he grew up in. Address: 2014 Forest Hills Drive – also the name of his featureless, self-produced third studio album. Accordingly, the record eschews generalexperience anthems for specific comingof-age stories. In 03’ Adolescence, for example, he recalls being college-bound and asking his less privileged drug-slinging friend to get him into the dope game, only to be reprimanded by his friend for his stupidity.

Except for Wet Dreamz – a cheesy (if honest) retelling of losing his V-card – and the 11 minutes of “credits” tagged onto the final track (only Kanye is allowed to do that), there isn’t much filler. Cole injects his favoured classical strings, jazzy horns, poppy piano and smooth boom-bap with enough bass and stuttery glitch to keep it fresh, while deftly addressing serious themes like Ferguson, cultural appropriation and his lack of a father figure. But it’s not quite the classic he thinks it is. Fire Squad is an attempt to counter Kendrick Lamar’s Control verse (it doesn’t), and on January 28th he name-checks rap heavyweights before calling himself God. Consistent, yes, but not the king yet. Top track: Hello JULIA LeCONTE

NICKI MINAJ The Pinkprint (Universal) Rating: NNN Nicki Minaj’s third studio album is another successful fuck you to those who consider her outside “the real hip-hop.” The Pinkprint opens with a trio of unexpectedly sombre songs, the strongest of which, All Things Go, painfully reflects on an abortion and the death of her cousin. A so-so collab with Ariana Grande bridges the mood until Feeling Myself, featuring Beyoncé, kicks off an inspiring eight-song stretch that includes Only, with its fierce opening statement, au courant trap gold Want Some More and a Biggie Smalls impression on Four Door Aventador. Too bad about all the filler. It’s not that overtly campy tunes like Anaconda don’t work – the Sir Mix-a-Lot remake fits Minaj’s outsized personality. But personality-less radio bait singles Pills And Potions and Bed Of Lies and single-in-the-wings The Night Is Still Young could have been written for any pop star. Still, even on the obvious misses, listening to Minaj rail, rant and comically overarticulate – not to mention frequently break into effortless double-time – is a joy. And you could write a hundred think pieces about her sexually empowered definition of feminism. Top track: Want Some More JL

Seasonal NNNN ñSKYDIGGERS

Angels (Latent) Rating: For a rootsy, grown-up spin on Christmas music, Skydiggers’ Angels satisfies. Last year, the long-running Toronto band released an EP version of Angels, and this year’s expanded edition adds five lesser-known, quieter and more melancholy carols to the offering. Their version of The Holly And The Ivy is slow and warm, coaxed along gently by acoustic guitar, piano and fiddle. Hidden track I See A Darkness – by Will Oldham, featuring former Skydigger (and current Cash Brother)

Peter Cash – is moody and spare. On all the songs, Andy Maize has a fragile but welcoming voice behind which Jessy Bell Smith frequently adds strong, swooping harmonies. She takes the lead on oddly optimistic Christmas In Prison. The French poem version of O Holy Night, Minuit Chrétiens, is a nice touch, but one of the standouts is the achingly regretful original tune Remember Me, which more than holds its own against the classics. Top track: The Holly And The Ivy Skydiggers play the Horseshoe’s Christmas shows Friday and Saturday (December 19 and 20). CARLA GILLIS LOS CAMPESINOS! A Los Campesinos! Christmas (Universal) Rating: NNN The non-Michael Bublé world of Christmas music is saturated with indie rock courtesy of She & Him and Coldplay, so it’s refreshing when the genre is approached with some tongue-in-cheek cynicism. Enter Los Campesinos!, whose penchant for glockenspiel and chiming bells has never been more appropriate. This festive album of mostly original songs has something for everyone: the recently heartbroken, the Grinch, the sarcastic teen, those who genuinely love the most saccharine Christmas carols. On the surface it’s upbeat, with boy-girl vocal harmonies and sunny melodies, but the lyrics are darker and perhaps more realistic. On The Trains Don’t Run, Gareth Campesinos! sings, “We sit in paper hats / our stomachs gorged / we vow to get drunk / before we get bored.” On sad synth ditty Lonely This Christmas, he wails, “My tears could melt the snow.” The album highlight is Kindle A Flame In Her Heart, where Gareth deadpans, “Merry Christmas, I wish you were here,” followed by one of the best guitar riffs in any Christmas song. Top track: Kindle A Flame In Her Heart SAMANTHA EDWARDS

LADIES IN WAITING Jingle Ma

Belle (independent) Rating: NNN This stocking stuffer of a compilation is the second from Toronto independent music collective Ladies in Waiting, which includes founders Cindy Doire, Andrea Ramolo, Sarah Burton, Faye Blais, Kristin Sweetland and Melanie Brulée. Jingle Ma Belle’s dozen songs are modern twists on classical and contemporary holiday tunes. Their syncopated rendition of O Christmas Tree (sung by Karyn Ellis and Marina Marina) holds on to just enough Charlie Brownish playfulness, but the melody on poppy jazz opener Jingle Bells (sung by Blais) sounds overly deconstructed. Whoever curated the track listing got it right. Some instrumental harp by Sahra Featherstone comes when needed. Bluesy Carol For The Innkeeper (sung by PerlHaze) and soulful Don’t Let Me Be Alone On Christmas (sung by Burton) sit nicely back to back. But saving the party for the final two tracks, rock ’n’ roller Santa Baby (sung by Brulée) and a Motowny Gee Whiz It’s Christmas (sung by Treasa Levasseur), was a strange idea – the rest of the comp is so mellow. Top track: O Christmas Tree Ladies in Waiting play Hugh’s Room on Thursday (December 18). SARAH GREENE

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = Perfect NNNN = Great NNN = Good NN = Bad N = Horrible

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New Year’s eve nic pouliot

Party animals love to let loose at the Guvernment’s annual New Year’s bash.

partY plaNNer WHAT? YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO SAY HI TO 2015? USE THIS LIST OF BIG-NIGHT EVENTS HAPPENING ALL OVER TOWN AND GET IT TOGETHER ALREADY. COMPILED BY JULIA HOECKE A JAzzy 2015 New yeAr’s eve live show by

Aura & Friends, dinner and dancing. Doors 7 pm. Reserve. $175. Palais Royale, 1601 lake Shore W. 416-606-9402. A MidNight iN PAris Master of ceremonies taj the Blacklion and DJ Wikked play. Doors 10 pm. $40. Stylish dress code. Switch, 55 colborne. clubcrawlers.com. Alex PANgMAN & her AlleycAts new Year’s Eve party, doors 7 pm. Hot and cold dinner buffet from 7:30 pm, dessert 11 pm and sparkling wine toast. $125. Reserve. Old Mill Inn, 21 old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020. AMsterdAM Brewhouse Nye All night 1920s-inspired party at this craft brewery with a limited prix fixe dinner from $50 from

December 18-24 2014 NOW

6:30 pm. Music by chuck Woodward, the Bass6, Safari Boys, tariq Esmail and Deniero Bartolini, Allan Rayman and Andrew Green. Free shuttle from Gabby’s (309 King W) between 9-10:30 pm. $49.95, adv $39.95 (Vip booths available). Amsterdam BrewHouse, 245 Queens Quay W. 416-504-1020, info@ amsterdambrewhouse.com. AN elegANt AffAir Singles new Year’s gala with hors d’oeuvres, professional photos, party favours, gift certificates and dancing to top 40, hip-hop, old school and classics with DJ Mr Stylus. 9 pm. 25+. Formal dress code. $75. The Uptown Loft, 2464 Yonge. singleinthecity.ca. BAck iN the dAy 90s New yeAr’s eve tribute dance party to old-school hip-hop, R&B,

dance, house, reggae and pop from the 90s. Midnight countdown and party favours. 9 pm. $25. Forty2 Supperclub, 42 Mowat. clubcrawlers.com.

BAck to the electric circus New yeArs 2015

An electrifying evening features dinner, DJs and dancing. DJ Stiles will be spinning vinyl hits. Stay all night or come for the early bird special. Early bird seating 5-6 pm, $55. Second seating 7:30-8:30 pm, $65. new Year’s 10-11 pm $75. The Carbon Bar, 99 Queen E. 416947-7000, thecarbonbar.ca. BANgs & Blush Nye DJs Bangs & Blush play the music of 60s to 00s. Wear your bowties and party dresses. 9 pm. Clinton’s, 693 Bloor W. bangsandblush.ca.

the BlAck & white BAll Nye Music by DJ Mkutz and DJ Hennie V. Formal attire. Doors 9 pm. 25+. $50-$65. 9th fl. Trump International, 325 Bay. ticketpicket.com/trumpnye. BoviNe Nye live music by tupperware Remix party, the thinly Veiled Double Entendres, the calrizians, Roboteyes; live burlesque by tanya cheex, california Silk and Dolly Berlin. Midnight toast and party favours, doors 9 pm. $10. Bovine Sex Club, 542 Queen W. bovinesexclub.com. BrAvissiMo! oPerA’s greAtest hits the opera canada Symphony, opera canada chorus and soloists perform excerpts from la traviata, Rigoletto, Aida and more. 7-10 pm. $55-$145. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe. 416872-4255, roythomson.com. the BuddhA’s New yeArs eve PArty legendary 90s MuchMusic VJ Master t will spin the tunes into 2015. Doors 9 pm. $20, adv $15. Smiling Buddha, 961 college. eventbrite. ca/e/14856152151. cAutioN JAM Rock, blues and Grateful Dead jams with buffet and champagne. 10:30 pm. $25, adv $20. Grossman’s, 379 Spadina. 416977-7000, grossmanstavern.com. the cAverN BAr New yeAr’s the Databats headline with Deeper Arcades and iderdown. Doors 9 pm. pwyc. Cavern Bar, 76 church. facebook.com/events/670040069780129. celeBrAte the BegiNNiNg of 2015 Face painting, interactive reptile exhibit, ice skating (weather permitting), arts & crafts and live music by Dan the Music Man, Sol de

cuba, the lincolns, Jordan John and two For the Show. 7 pm-midnight. Free. Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough. toronto.ca.

celeBrAtioN squAre New yeAr’s eve BAsh

Electronic duo Keys n Krates, live DJ skate, gourmet food trucks, fireworks finale and more. 8 pm. Free. Mississauga Celebration Square, 300 city centre. mississauga.ca. chAMPAgNe showers Extravagant party with midnight toast, countdown, laser show, performances and DJs on two floors. Doors 9 pm. $25. Stylish dress code. Tattoo, 567 Queen W. clubcrawlers.com. chris whiteley & diANA BrAithewAite new Year’s Eve Extravaganza, 9:30 pm. $50, adv $45. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas W. 416-5316604, hughsroom.com. chroNologic New yeAr’s eve Goin’ Steady DJs musical trip through time featuring the best dance tracks from 1903 to 2014. Doors 9:30 pm. $30, adv $20. The Garrison, 1197 Dundas W. goinsteady.ca. circA 1926 Nye classic, hip-hop, old school and top 40 at this night of nostalgia, art, music, cocktails and culture. 9 pm. $40. Stylish dress code. Everleigh, 580 King W. clubcrawlers.com. cirque New yeAr’s eve DJs nishe and nakz spinning house, hip-hop, mashups and top 40. Midnight toast, balloon drop, confetti cannons and party favours. Doors 10 pm. $25 and more. Sound Academy, 11 polson, Solarium. ticketzone.com/cirquenye2015. coMedy ANd cABAret New yeAr’s cabaret

Pong and Anthony Law present two indulgent prix fixe dinners: four-course $75, and sixcourse $125. Seatings at 6:30 and 7 pm. Michael Rault entertains from 7 pm, DJ NaNa from 10 pm. Reserve. Drake One Fifty, 150 York. 416-363-6150, nye@drakeonefifty.ca.

star Sharron Matthews and others. 10 pm (doors 9:30 pm). $65-$70. Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge. rhcentre.ca. Countdown new Year’s eve DJs Bassjackers, Borgeous, Cyril Hahn, MAKJ, Groundislava, RL Grime, Nadus, Joe Ghost, Shaun Frank, Pusher and HolloH. 10:30 pm. Tickets from $62.15. Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia. countdownnye.ca. Crush nYe all that Glitters Burlesque and drag with Belle Jumelles, St Stella & Kelsey Slammer. DJ Mothers plays house music at this queer and sex positive dance party. 10 pm. $10. Club 120, 120 Church. id-tap-that.com. danCe Cave nYe PartY Doors 9 pm. $13.50. The Cave, 529 Bloor W, 2nd fl. ticketfly.com. drake: one niGht onlY Options include a strolling underground cocktail party 8 pm, $75; three-course dinner in the Lounge/Sky Yard (6, 6:30 & 7 pm) $75; four-course seated dinner (9, 9:30 & 10 pm) $125; after midnight access $25. Music includes DJ Dougie Boom 10 pm, Oldies 990 at 7 pm, DJ Eon 6 pm, Shuffle Demons 8 pm in the Underground and Itzsoweezee from 11 pm. Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen W. 416-531-5042 ext 1, nye@ thedrakehotel.ca.

harBourFront new Year’s eve skatinG PartY Skate by the lake to music at this family

friendly event. 8 pm to midnight. Free. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. harbourfrontcentre.com.

horseY Craze, darlene shruGG, andre ethier’s sunset PiG, dJ Gaven dienda New Year’s

NIC POULIOT

the dude’s new Year’s: the BiG leBowski

Ring in the New Year in style (sunglasses and bathrobes recommended) with a screening of the Coen brothers’ film, White Russian express bar, party favours and countdown with host comedian Freddie Rivas. Doors 8:30 pm, screening 9:30 pm. $20. Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, 506 Bloor W. bloorcinema.com. enChanté new Year’s eve DJ Tilt plays house, high-energy hip-hop and hits. Gourmet hors d’oeuvres and midnight toast. 9 pm. $40. Stylish dress code. Maison, 15 Mercer. clubcrawlers.com. everY 1’s a winner nYe PartY DJ Gord & Spy Band. Pwyc. Reposado, 136 Ossington. 416532-6474, reposadobar.com. Fraser Melvin Blues Band New Year’s Eve show, 9 pm to 1 am. $10. Gate 403, 403 Roncesvalles. gate403.com. GourMet new Year’s eve Culinary team Jon

Eve party featuring a tribute to Neil Young/ Crazy Horse. Doors 9 pm. $15. Silver Dollar, 486 Spadina. 416-975-0909, ticketfly.com. interFaCe: MusiC X art X desiGn Music by All Blak Crew, Sam Haze & Mina, DJ Charlton, Olenonly & Sybil Crew, Nightvision & Simon Jain, art by Trevor Wheatley and Artefact. Doors 10 pm. $40. 99 Sudbury, 99 Sudbury at Lisgar. thisisprovoke.com. JaCk de keYzer Band New Year’s Eve blues party. Monarchs Pub, 33 Gerrard W. monarchspub.ca. kindlinG liGht oF wisdoM Mind Buddhist year-end candlelight service. 8-10 pm. $10 donation. Zen Buddhist Temple, 86 Vaughan. 416-658-0137. leMon BuCket’s new Year PartY The Balkan-klezmer-gypsy-party punk band performs. Doors 9 pm. $20 adv at La Palette, 492 Queen W, $25 adv, $30 at the door. Opera House, 735 Queen E. ticketfly.com. let there Be house: nYe 2015 Dance party with DJs Nick Holder, Adam Khan and Toronto Hustle. 10 pm. BassLine Music Bar, 865 Bloor W. lettherebehouse.ca. lower west side nYe This 1920s-era style party features Electro Swing Club TO, DJs, burlesque and more. Midnight countdown with complimentary champagne toast. Doors 9 pm. $75, adv $50. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen W. gladstonehotelnye.eventbrite.com. lula all stars nYe Salsa party with Lula All Stars, Baila Boogaloo and DJ Suave. Fivecourse dinner, champagne toast, salsa class

continued on page 60 œ

NOW December 18-24 2014

new year’s eve party planner œcontinued from page 59

pm, after-party at Hot House with champagne at midnight. NYE show and gala package $203 (orchestra), $188 (upper). Reserve. Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front E. 416-3667723, torontooperetta.com. MiNutes to MidNight Music, dancing and socializing at this stylish sophisticated party with DJs playing top 40, hip-hop, R&B and house music. Favours and midnight champagne toast. 9:30 pm. $60. Ritz Carlton Hotel, 181 Wellington W. clubcrawlers.com. New Year’s at the caMeroN Janes Party, Ferraro and the Devin Cuddy Band. 9 pm. $10 at the door. Cameron House, 408 Queen W. thecameron.com.

New Year’s coMedY, diNNer & daNciNg

Comedy by Carla Collins, dinner and dancing with DJ Jacqie. 7 & 9 pm. Show $30, adv $25, dance only after 11 pm $10. The Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament. Reserve 647-3476567, pubaret.com. New Year’s eve 2014 Hosted by Cassandra Moore with performances by Pole Club and DJs K-Tel & Triple-X. Doors 10 pm. $25, adv $20. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, buddiesinbadtimes.com. New Year’s eve DJ Humble Mike spins vinyl for dancers. Champagne toast and midnight snack bar. Includes four-course craft-beer-

BO NEW YE OK YOUR AR’S EV E ROMP 4 16.531.5 042 ext. NYE@TH 1 EDRAKE HOTEL.C A

NYE 2014

paired dinner with seasonal brews. 8 pm. $70. Mill Street Brew Pub, 21 Tankhouse Lane. 416-681-0338 ext 2. New Year’s eve gala daNNer cruise Buffet, midnight toast, DJ dancing and four-hour cruise. 8 pm. $143. Queen’s Quay Terminal, 207 Queens Quay W. mariposacruises.com.

New Year’s eve oN NathaN PhilliPs square

Musical performances by Amanda Martinez, Tebey, Zeus, DJ Mel Boogie, plus host Nicole Brooks, food trucks, glow-in-the-dark street performers, ice skating and fireworks. 8 pm. Free. Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen W. toronto.ca. New Year’s eve PartY Festive dinner and music by Jamesking and DJ Chad playing funk, soul, R&B, disco, reggae and top 40 dance music. Cocktails 6 pm, dinner 7 pm, bubbly and party favours at midnight. $70, dance only $25. Reserve. Alleycatz, 2409 Yonge. 647977-4194. New Year’s eve r&B Bash Grooveyard play funk, soul and R&B. Doors 8 pm. $50 till Dec 14, more later. Cash bar, food and full menu available. Purchase tickets only, no reservations. The Rex, 194 Queen W. 416-598-2475, therex.ca. New Year’s eve soul Bash Ride The Tiger and DJ Misty perform at this party. 7 pm. $25. Junction City Music Hall, 2907 Dundas W. eventbrite.ca/e/14312987531.

New Year’s eve swiNg & Blues douBle deck Ball 2014 Beginner Lindy Hop class 8 pm, ball

9 pm with the Happy Pals Swing Quintet. Hot supper buffet, cold buffet, midnight bubbly, desserts. 8 pm. $40-$45. Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt. swingtoronto.com. New Year’s house PartY Ping-pong social club party package includes a table, champagne, punch bowl and bites for 8-12 people. DJs spin house music all evening. No dress code. Walk-ins welcome, reserve for party packages. 8 pm. SPiN Toronto, 461 King W. 416-599-7746, info.toronto@wearespin.com. New Years eve DJs Paul E Lopes, Mike Tull, Dave Campbell, Jason Palma, Moreno, Blueprint and Santosh on two floors. $25 adv. Rivoli, 332 Queen W. 416-596-1908, hotstepper-nye-2015.eventbrite.ca. New Years eve at Nota BeNe Dine on a festive four-course menu and raise a glass of Perrier Jouet to a sparkling 2015. Doors 5 pm. $89-$109 (a la carte menu also available). Nota Bene, 180 Queen W. (416) 977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com. New Years eve at the Beaver Entertainment by The House Of Filth and friends including Nancy Bocock, Allysin Chaynes, DJs Peg Zilla, and Boy Pussy, party girl Quannah Style and host Judy Virago. Doors 8:30 pm. Beaver, 1192 Queen W. info@thebeavertoronto.com. NYe 2015 at cuBe Dance party with DJ Chris Laroque. Doors 9 pm. $30-$40. Cube, 314 Queen W. inktickets.com.

NYe 2015: Black & white Masquerade Ball

Make like you’re almost famous.

DINE

Delight ht in our over-the-top options

DANCE

OLDIES 990 THE SHUFFLE DEMONS DOUGIE BOOM / ITZSOWEEZEE INDULGE

Channel your inner-wild child WE’RE DINING + DANCING ALL NIGHT thedrake.ca/NYE2014

DJs Starting From Scratch, Carlos, Crazy Chris, Sin, Firekid Steenie and others. $20. Product Nightclub, 364 Richmond W. inktickets.com. NYe 2015: Magic Dance party with DJs Mark Oliver & Manzone & Strong. Doors 9 pm. $45. Guvernment, 132 Queens Quay E. inktickets. com. NYe at dakota The Royal Crowns play. Champagne toast at midnight. Doors 9 pm. $20. Dakota Tavern, 249 Ossington. ticketfly.com. NYe at YukYuk’s Laugh your way into 2015 with Eddie Della Siepe, Terry Clement, Chuck Byrn and Rob Bebenek. Dinner 8 pm, show 10 pm. $95, show only $50. Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com. NYe casiNo roYale Masquerade Entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, midnight champagne toast, party favours, top hats and masks included. Texas Hold’em, Blackjack and Plinko tables with unlimited play. 8 pm. $30. Louis Cifer Brew Works, 417 Danforth. 647-3505087, louisciferbrewworks.com. NYe coMedY eXtravagaNza Derek Edwards headlines Mark Breslin’s annual bash, with host Tom Green. 7:30 pm. $39.50-$69.50. Massey Hall, 178 Victoria. masseyhall.com. the ossiNgtoN NYe eveNt DJ Big Jimmy Mills, dancing, cocktails, snacks, and a champagne toast. 9 pm. The Ossington, 61 Ossington.

the PistoN FaMilY New Year’s eve PartY

The Fam Jam DJs representing all weekend events including Wedding Night, With It, Beam Me Up, Synthesexer, Rebel Hope, Love Handle and others. The Piston, 937 Bloor W. PoP MachiNe BaNg BaNg DJs Aural, Miss Fluffy Souffle and Scarlett Bobo. Bubbly toast

December 18-24 2014 NOW

NIC POULIOT

and live band $99 (plus tax and tip), dancing and champagne only $25-$40. Doors 7 pm, show starts at 10:30 pm. Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas W. 416-588-0307, lula.ca. Majestic New Year’s eve MMXv Three ballrooms, three sounds: cabaret performance by Andrea Godin, top 40, R&B and house music by DJs Delirious, Fizza, GrandSlam, ISC Nation, Fisher Pryce, live percussion and electric violin and more. Dinner 7:30 pm, dance 9 pm. Semiformal attire. $40. Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front W. clubcrawlers.com. MidNight MiX PartY New Year’s eve DJs Baby Yu, Wristpect, Sir-Lancelot Z Roberts, JB Allen, Deejay Riccachet, Deejay Thera-P, Deejay Divsa and Big Philly. Doors 9 pm. $25. Revival, 783 College. clubzone.com. MidNite New Year’s eve ruN Ring in the new year with a 5K midnight run through Liberty Village, then celebrate with a post-race party; or just come for the party. Food, glass of bubbly, finishers’ medals and swag bags for all runners. Doors 10:30 pm. Run & party $85$95, party only $45-$55. Danceology, 171 East Liberty, suite 118. midniteruntoronto.com. the Mikado NYe Toronto Operetta Theatre presents the Gilbert & Sulli van operetta and a party. Reception at Hot House Cafe (35 Church) 6 pm, dinner 6:30 pm, performance 8

and late-night snacks included at this pop dance party. 10 pm. $20, adv $15. WAYLA Bar, 996 Queen E. waylabar.ca. Prestige oN richMoNd NYe aFFair Music by Max B, DJ Smartiez spinning R&B, hip-hop, reggae, soca, dance and top 40. $25-$35. Semi-formal dress code. Rehab Nightclub, 224 Richmond W. clubcrawlers.com. PuB crawl - the couNtdowN Entry to three events includes VIP wristbands, hats, transport by limo bus,party bus or walking and champagne toast. Venues include Fiction Nightclub and others. Starting location 8 pm. Dress to impress. $25-$40. Tryst, 82 Peter. clubcrawlers.com. PuttiN’ oN the ritz Come dressed as Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable or in your best 1940s-inspired attire for our best dressed contest. Hors d’oeuvres and a three-course meal, followed by a black-light theatre show and dance party. $124.95, children $69.95. Famous People Players, 343 Evans. 416-532-1137, fpp.org. rest iN Peace 2014 DJs One Trap Mind, Alrighty Then, Bill Slinnton, Rufio and Adam Klein and a live performance by Allan Rayman. Balloon drop, midnight champagne toast, spoken word homage to 2014. Dress in black. 9 pm. $20-$40. Brooklynn Bar, 1186 Queen W. ripnye.com. rich aucoiN New Year’s Eve Party: The Greatest Karaoke Set Ever, doors 8:30 pm. $17.50. Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor W. ticketfly.com

riNg iN the New Year with Barsa taBerNa

Ring in the New Year in style with a glass of Cava and enjoy a special 12-course tapas menu for two with Chef Michael Smith’s blind tasting. First seating 5-8 pm, $65. Second seating 8:30 pm-2 am, $80. Barsa Taberna, 26 Market. 647-341-3642, barsataberna.com. riNg iN the New Year with george Unique five-course tasting menu by executive chef Lorenzo Loseto and midnight toast. Reserve. $150. George, 111 Queen E. 416-863-6006. the sadies New Year’s Eve party. Doors 8:30 pm, sets at 11:15 pm and 1:15 am. $25.50. Horseshoe, 370 Queen W. 416-598-4753, horseshoetavern.com. sheila gostick Music by Jack Troughton, Yusuke Hasegawa, CHYPS and comedy by Sheila Gostick. 9 pm. Free. Bring our own food and drink and a bottle of champagne to share at the moment. Cineforum, 463 Bathurst. rhartt4363@gmail.com. soul stew R&B/soul/funk band play at this New Year’s party with four-course meal. 8 pm. Dinner and show $150. Jazz Bistro, 251 Victoria. jazzbistro.ca. soulFul resolutioN Soul music, soul food and soulful times with the David Hutchison Jazz and Blues Band, dinner and dancing with DJ. Family-style dinner downstairs $50, dinner

Guvernment’s annual New Year’s bash. upstairs with the band $70. 6 pm. Reserve. Harlem, 67 Richmond E. 416-368-1920, info@harlemrestaurant.com. stars New Year’s eve Ball Music by SocaMonarch, UnstoppableNavi, DJ Shiva, the Undertaker, DJ Knight and Jay Quintero playing dance, R&B, top 40, baseline, reggae, dancehall and Latino tunes. 9 pm. $65. Semi formal dress code. Mirage Entertainment Complex, 1917 Albion. clubcrawlers.com. static NYe 2015 Dance party with the Chainsmokers, Oliver Heldens and Cazzette. Doors 9 pm. $40-$50. Kool Haus, 132 Queens Quay E. inktickets.com. stories to tell NYe’15 Modern nightclub party. Stylish dress code. 10 pm. $25. Fiction Nightclub, 180 Pearl. clubcrawlers.com. studio 54 New Year’s eve gala Themed party with gourmet food, DJ Toz, dancing and great views of the city. Early bird seating 5-7 pm $94, all night gala 7 pm-2 am $195 (includes cocktail and hors d’oeuvres), afterparty 10:30 pm-2 am $70. Toula, 1 Harbour Square, 38th floor. toula54.eventbrite.ca. thoroughBred New Year’s eve luau DJ Caff and Fathom. Pig roast dinner, vegetarian options available. Tiki drinks and more. No cover. Dinner $45 (reserve). Two seatings, 7 & 9:30 pm. Thoroughbred Food & Drink, 304 Richmond W. 416-551-9221, info@tbto.ca. tight & Bright New Year’s eve DJ Play & DJ Shaq-T play hip-hop, house, reggae and party anthems all night. Dinner offered. $20-$30, dinner & dance $60. Casual dress code. Office Pub, 117 John. clubcrawlers.com. the toNkas Rock and roll. 9 pm. Local, 396 Roncesvalles. thelocalpub.ca. traiNwreck Rock and top 40 with midnight champagne and snacks. 8 pm. $20 adv. Linsmore Tavern, 1298 Danforth. 416-466-5130, linsmoretavern.com. traNzac New Year’s eve coNcert Three rooms of live music and DJs including Lido Pimienta, New Fries, Tenderness, International Zombies of Love, Mas Aya, Blonde Elvis, DJ Gavin, Sexy Merlin and others. Doors 8 pm. $17, adv $15. 292 Brunswick. Tranzac, 292 Brunswick. rotate.com. uNioN New Year’s eve Nathan Barato, Carlo Lio and The Junkies in an extended 7-hour set. From $30. CODA, 794 Bathurst. reservations@codatoronto.com, bit. ly/116nvvS. uNite NYe DJ Jed Dadson plays. Doors 9 pm. $30 and more. UNIUN, 473 Adelaide W. inktickets.com. wiNter woNderlaNd Music by DJ Annalyze. Complimentary midnight champagne and favours. Dinner from 8 pm, party 10 pm. 25+. Formal dress code. $40-$50. Brassaii, 461 King W. clubcrawlers.com. 3

art

MUST-SEE SHOWS

ABBOZZO GALLERY Stan Olthuis (mixed

media), to Dec 24. 401 Richmond W. 416260-2220. BIRCH CONTEMPORARY Janice Gurney and Renée Van Halm, to Jan 10. 129 Tecumseth. 416-365-3003. CLINT ROENISCH Harold Klunder (painting), to Dec 20. 190 St Helens. 416-516-8593. CONTACT GALLERY Johan Hallberg-Campbell (photos), to Dec 20, closing reception 6-9 pm Dec 18. 80 Spadina, suite 205. 416539-9595. DE LUCA FINE ART Barbara Hunt and Rachel Delph (sculpture/installation), to Dec 27. 217 Avenue Rd. 416-537-4699. DIAZ CONTEMPORARY Chris Kline (sculpture), to Jan 10. 100 Niagara. 416-361-2972. ESP Winnie Truong (drawing), to Dec 20. 1450 Dundas W. 647-345-6163. G GALLERY Carolee Schneeman (letters), to Jan 1. 134 Ossington. GLADSTONE HOTEL Hard Twist 9 – Fibre Optics, to Dec 28. Noah Cole (photos), to Dec 27. 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635. HARBOURFRONT CENTRE No Flat City (photos), to Jun 15. Robert Burley (photos); Surburbia; Outskirts; Suburbed; Making Arrangements; Strip Mall Architecture group shows, to Dec 28. 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000. JAPAN FOUNDATION Ryoji Ikeda and Walter Jule, to Jan 29. Bloor W 131. 416-966-1600. LONSDALE GALLERY Opening The Vault group show, to Feb 1. 410 Spadina Rd. 416487-8733. MERCER UNION Lis Rhodes, Elisabeth Subrin and Tiziana La Melia (film/video), to Jan 24. 1286 Bloor W. 416-536-1519.

In Michael Bowness’s 12th Of Never, numbers intersect with ﬁguration.

ASSEMBLAGE

Irresistible Bowness Artist makes whimsical marvels from organic materials By DAVID JAGER MICHAEL BOWNESS at Verso Gal-

lery (1160 Queen West), to December 24. 416-533-6362. Rating: NNNN

The white Pierrot face of artist Arnaud Maggs, painted delicately on tiny pieces of paper affixed to open walnut shells, is just one of the understated marvels in Michael Bowness’s tidy, compact show, Nutty. This portrait (or, rather, portraits) of Maggs, a long-time associate and friend, bears witness to a lifelong practice of making subtle assemblages and sculptural objects that wear their whimsy gracefully.

Bowness subjects organic objects from around Toronto to contextual sleight of hand. He positions water-worn bricks fished out of Lake Ontario with bits of wire, morphing them into odd little proto-animals. Fallen from a 19th-century foundry long since demolished, the bricks also speak to the creative repurposing that drives the ecology of the city. The walnut shell series makes up half the show, the objects in wallmounted glass cases bringing Joseph Cornell’s dream boxes to mind. In 12th Of Never, crisp hand-twisted paper numbers nestle in individual shells. It’s both cryptic and formally

books KITCHEN SINK FICTION

Savvy Sky

THE OPENING SKY, by Joan Thomas (McCllenad & Stewart), 359 pages, $29.95 cloth. Rating: NNNN

As I read the books on this year’s Governor General’s Literary Awards short list, I’m beginning to understand what the 2014 jury was responding to: a sense of place – no, a sense of Canadian place. Montreal is a major character in My October, Sweetland could only be

set in Newfoundland, and The Back Of The Turtle makes vivid an island off the coast of British Columbia. Don’t worry – the Prairies aren’t left out. The Opening Sky is set in Winnipeg, and author Joan Thomas makes sure we get to know its downtown core, parks and gentrified neighbourhoods. In one of those changing ’hoods live Liz and Aiden, whose world starts to fall apart when their 19-year-old daughter, Sylvie, gets pregnant. At first their crises are personal: Aiden’s a shrink who used to know how to talk to Sylvie and suddenly can’t; Liz,

precise, taking us back to a point where number intersects with figuration. In Beaver Lodge, inverted shells stand in for the fat bodies of beavers swimming on a printed blue lake. It’s a scene that borrows heavily from the artsy-crafty chic of the DIY 70s, serving as an aesthetic time capsule. It’s also strangely pleasing and unmistakably Canadian. The show’s modest scale means these tiny, carefully constructed objects are easy to miss. On further scrutiny, however, they’re impossible to overlook. 3 art@nowtoronto.com

who works at a birth control agency, is mortified that her own child hasn’t grasped the basics of contraception. But soon their relationship is also suffering, old wounds are opened and new differences emerge. Thomas not only knows her location – those monster mosquitoes in nearby cottage country, those frigid winters in town – but is extremely adept at building interpersonal conflict.

Photographs by Gábor Kerekes are on view at Stephen Bulger Gallery.

MILES NADAL JCC Yaara Eshet (illustrations), to Dec 28. 750 Spadina. 416-924-6211.

MULHERIN Michael Harrington (painting),

Nov 20-Dec 21. 1086 Queen W. 416-9936510. OLGA KORPER Marianne Lovink (sculpture), to Jan 24. 17 Morrow. 416-588-82220. FPAUL PETRO Carol Wainio (painting), to Jan 10. Christmas Spice, to Dec 20. 980 Queen W. 416-979-7874. ROBERT KANANAJ Torsten Richter (drawing), to Dec 31. 172 St Helens. 416-2898855. STEPHEN BULGER Gábor Kerekes (photos), to Jan 17. 1026 Queen W. 416-504-0575.

THIS WEEK IN THE MUSEUMS

AGA KHAN MUSEUM The Garden Of Ideas:

Contemporary Art From Pakistan, to Jan 18. The Lost Dhow, to Apr 26. 77 Wynford. 416646-4677. $15-$20. ART GALLERY OF MISSISSAUGA Rehab Nazzal, Dipna Horra and Rena Sava, to Jan 1. 300 City Centre. 905-896-5088. AGO Alex Colville, to Jan 4 ($16.50-$25). Suzy Lake, to Mar 22. Aimia Photography Prize, to Jan 4. Art Spiegelman, Dec 20Mar 14. Michelangelo, to Jan 11 ($16.50-$25). Mohamed Bourouissa, to Feb 8. Manasie Akpaliapik, to Jun 30. 317 Dundas W. 416-9796648. $11-$19.50, free Wed 6-8:30 pm (special exhibits excluded). DESIGN EXCHANGE Politics Of Fashion/Fashion Of Politics, to Jan 25 ($14-$18.50). 234 Bay. 416-363-6121. FORT YORK Art And The Great War; Charles Pachter, to Sep 1. 250 Fort York. 416-392-6907. GARDINER MUSEUM OF CERAMIC ART Clare Twomey, to Jan 4. 111 Queen’s Park. 416-5868080. $6-$12; Fri 4-9 pm free-half-price. JUSTINA M. BARNICKE Wendy Coburn, to Dec 19. 7 Hart House. 416-978-8398. McMICHAEL CANADIAN Henri Matisse, James W Morrice and John Lyman, to Jan 4. 10365 Islington. 905-893-1121. $12- $15.

Sylvie is an anti-capitalist eco-activist who knows everything about landfill and mocks those who don’t, but knows nothing about child-rearing. Her mother is not impressed. Sylvie’s boyfriend, Noah, a promising scientist, seems to lack the human touch required for parenthood. But it’s his mother, Maggie, an insufferable, controlling earth mother type, whose patronizing attitude has Liz in a lather. Liz and Maggie have had ser-

MOCCA Vera Frenkel, to Dec 28. 952 Queen W. 416-395-0067. Pwyc. OAKVILLE GALLERIES Aleesa Cohene, to Jan 5 (1306 Lakeshore E). Shary Boyle and Emily Vey Duke, to Jan 4 (120 Navy). 905-844-4402. POWER PLANT Julia Dault, Pedro Cabrita Reis and Shelagh Keeley ,to Jan 4. 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4949. ROM Bernice Eisenstein, to Feb 8. Designs For Sitting; Early Islamic Textiles, to Jan 25. Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, to Mar 23. 100 Queen’s Park. 416-586-8000. $14.50-$16; Fri discounts after 4:30 pm. RYERSON IMAGE CENTRE Public Studio, to Dec 19. 33 Gould. 416-979-5164. TEXTILE MUSEUM From Ashgabat To Istanbul: Oriental Rugs, to Apr 15. Urban Fabric: Portraits Of A City, to Jan 11. 55 Centre. 416-5995321. $6-$15; pwyc Wed 5-8 pm. TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX Stanley Kubrick, to Jan 25 ($10-$12.50). 350 King W. 416-599-8433. VARLEY ART GALLERY Kim Adams, to Jan 11. 216 Main. 905-477-9511. $4-$5.

MORE ONLINE

Complete art listings at nowtoronto.com/listings

ious issues in the past – these are baby boomers still paying for their youngadult excess – that get magnified as Sylvie’s pregnancy advances. Thomas gives each of her characters a distinct arc, and many are changed by their experience in beautiful ways. Anyone who’s been baffled by the choices their children make will apSUSAN G. COLE preciate this story. susanc@nowtoronto.com | @susangcole

READINGS THIS WEEK Thursday, December 18 WONDERFEST POETRY SERIES Readings by

Komi Olaf, Melissa Mather and Alex JK Wood plus an open mic and host Arlene Paculan. 8 pm. Pwyc. Habits Gastropub, 928 College. habitsgastropub.com.

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = This could change your life NNNN = Brain candy NNN = Solid, sometimes inspirational NN = Not quite there N = Are we at the mall?

Friday, December 19 TORONTO POETRY PROJECT Spoken word

competition with guest OpenSecret. 8 pm. $5. Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen W. 416-3123865.

events@nowtoronto.com

NOW DECEMBER 18-24 2014

stage

more online nowtoronto.com/stage Review of THEATRE COLUMBUS’S OUTDOOR THE DOG & THE ANGEL • Scenes on CRISIS ON ST. CRESKINS, MORE HOLIDAY SHOWS • and more Fully searchable listings with venue maps nowtoronto.com/listings

comedy Q&As Sharron Matthews and George Masswohl compare packages.

RICK MILLER ACTOR, VENUS IN FUR

Yule be laughing De-stress by taking in one of these holiday shows By GLENN SUMI

SHARRON MATTHEWS PERFORMER, SHARRON AND GEORGE’S SUPER FUN CHRISTMAS SING-A-LONG

Rick Miller and Carly Street Photo by David Hou

Favourite holiday drink? The holidays are all about being inclusive, so why limit yourself to just one kind of holiday beverage? That’s barbaric. All-time favourite holiday gift? My husband, George, just reminded

me that he got me these beautiful candle holders for our first Christmas together. So romantic. He then reminded me that I got him a digital organizer. Control freak much? It’s a wonder he even married me. Is it better to give or receive? I tried to give a gingerbread snowman to a kid at Starbucks who was admiring them in the case. Then he asked if he could receive two gingerbread snowmen instead. Huh? So I continue to do the research on this subject. (This is why I do not have kids.) Favourite movie Scrooge? This is gonna get me in all kinds of trouble, but I hate

those Scrooge movies. Alastair Sim, Sims – whatever…. It just goes on and on. So I pick Scrooge McDuck, because he’s animated, so his version is probably really short and over fast. Least favourite real-life Scrooge? Stephen Harper. Not only is he a political curmudgeon, but more importantly, his cover of Sweet Child Of Mine made me want to take my life. Yes, he’s not killing it as prime minister either, but it’s his musical interpretation that I truly take umbrage at. Why should people spend their time with you, George and your guests

when they can see The Nutcracker? Cookies! Song sheets! Singalongs! Drinks! Guests from heaven – Thom Allison, Louise Pitre, Micah Barnes, Shawn Hitchins, Bruce Dow…. People, must I go on? It is the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties. And The Nutcracker… is called The NUTcracker. Base, but need I say more? Any New Year’s resolutions? To stop binge-watching crap on Netflix while I eat my lunch. Lunch turns into dinner, and then before I know it I have lost a whole day on the Gilmore Girls. What has become of me? Oh, and world peace. December 19 to 21 at Buddies in Bad Times. $20. 416-975-8555.

Favourite holiday drink? Rum & nog. So typical. All-time favourite holiday gift? My parents got me a dog for my 12th birthday. It was mostly to distract me from the impending divorce, but still…. Is it better to give or receive? Giving. Especially when it’s something you’ve had a hand in making yourself. Favourite movie Scrooge? Alastair Sim. So typical. Least favourite real-life Scrooge? Credit card companies charging 19.9 per cent interest (see below). Why should someone see Venus In Fur and not The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol? Because the holidays should be spicy. Best (and worst) things that happened to you in 2014? Best: gave “birth” to two new shows. Worst: maxed out all credit cards paying for said shows. Any New Year’s resolutions? Pay off all credit cards (see above). What big scandal will there be in 2015? It’s a federal election year. Some politico is going to get caught with his pants down or his hand in the cookie jar. Your big show, BOOM, is coming up in January. To draw from the title of another Rick Miller show, give me the Hardsell about it – in 20 words or less. BOOM: Explosive new show about the baby boom generation. 1 man, 25 years, 100 characters. Will blow your mind! December 18 to 28, Berkeley Street Theatre. $30-$59. 416-368-3110.

- TORONTO STAR

David Ives

Proud Sponsor: 14.15 Berkeley Season

DirecteD by

Jennifer tarver

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

Starring

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anD

carly Street

NOW PLAYING Berkeley Street Theatre

41 6 . 3 6 8 . 3 1 1 0

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comedy listings

host, mAssey hAll’s new yeAr’s eVe Comedy extrAVAgAnzA Favourite holiday drink? My new favourite holiday drink is eggnog. Every year I have a glass of it to see if it’s still disgusting. But this year I liked it. #growingup All-time favourite holiday gift? A Toronto Maple Leafs hockey sweater, of course. ;) Is it better to give or receive? Is this a trick question??? Favourite movie Scrooge? Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol and Bill Murray in Scrooged. Least favourite real-life Scrooge? Osama bin Laden. Why should people spend their New Year’s Eve with you and not someone else? Ringing in 2015 with some laughs will be a great way to kick off the new year: 2015 is a year to stay positive and have fun. Best (and worst) things that happened to you in 2014? I met my amazing girlfriend, and we started touring the world together doing stand-up comedy. The worst thing that happened: I got in some trouble while wearing a Polkaroo costume. Any New Year’s resolutions? Tweet less and use smartphone less.

Lauren ash and LesLie seiLer

DEREK LANg

writer/performers, A Very Cory ChristmAs Favourite holiday drink? SEILER: Anything noggy and boozy. BoozeNog. Yum. ASH: Around the holidays I like a nice whisky cocktail with just a dash of cocaine. I call it a White Christmas. All-time favourite holiday gift? ASH: There’s really no better gift at the holidays than getting word that you’re HIV-negative. That’s the gift that keeps giving all year! Or at least until the next time a condom breaks with a questionable man you met behind an Arby’s in Etobicoke. SEILER: This year all I want is sleep. I just would really like some sleep. Is it better to give or receive? ASH: Personally, I don’t give unless I receive. You know what I mean? I’m talking about oral here, folks. Favourite movie Scrooge? ASH: Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol. And I bet Seiler would agree with me on this. Though Scrooge McDuck was also very well cast in Mickey’s Christmas Carol. SEILER: 1,000 per cent what she said. What can we look forward to in A Very Cory Christmas? ASH: We wish we knew! But, hey, we still have four days to finish writing, rehearsing and memorizing! Tons of time! What’s that? Our faces are sweating? SEILER: Us doing a huge shot at the end because we survived this week.

= Critics’ Pick

How to find a listing

Comedy listings appear chronologically, and alphabetically by title or venue. F = Festive/seasonal event

ñ= Critics’ pick (highly recommended) How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: events@nowtoronto.com, fax 416-364-1168 or mail to Comedy,NOWMagazine,189Church, TorontoM5B1Y7. Include title, producer, comics, brief synopsis, days and times, range of ticket prices, venue name and address and box office/ info phone number/website. Listings may be edited for space. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm. If your free listing requires a correction, send info to: fixevents@nowtoronto.com.

Stand-up Matt Braunger hitstown December 18to21.

Thursday, December 18 BeerproV: the drAft Jim Robinson presents

thirsty young improvisers competing in elimination games. 9:30 pm. $15. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca.

Fexit, pursued By A BeAr & friends: festiVe speCiAl & shindig Improv with

Try to stay positive and connected to the real people around us. Spend less time on electronics and social media. Eat more cheese. What big scandal will there be in 2015?

Canadian children’s show icon Polkaroo will get charged with shoplifting 200 pounds of Canadian cheddar. December 31, 7:30 pm, at Massey Hall. $39.50-$69.50. 416-872-4255.

Least favourite real-life Scrooge? SEILER: Kim Jong-un. He for sure would let Tiny Tim die. Message to Jian Ghomeshi? ASH: You are a horrible, disgusting, nightmare of a human being. I’m shocked I haven’t dated you. Best (and worst) things that happened to you in 2014? ASH: BEST: spending four days in Disneyland with Leslie Seiler. WORST: Recovering from four days in Disneyland with Leslie Seiler. SEILER: 1,000 per cent what she said. Any New Year’s resolutions? SEILER: Stop eating like I have the metabolism of a teenage boy.

LaurenAsh (back)and LeslieSeiler raidtheir wardrobes forspecial Coryshow.

Portmanteauster, Laura Squared, Regicide, hosts Brie Watson & gillian English and others. 8 pm. $5. 2nd floor. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. facebook.com/ events/930431973635179. guido CoComello & JAson lAurAns guido & Jason headline w/ host Ryan Cull. To Dec 21, Thu 8:30 pm, Fri 9 pm, Sat 8 & 10:45 pm, Sun 8 pm. $15-$20. Absolute Comedy, 2335 Yonge. 416-486-7700, absolutecomedy.ca. FholidAzed & Confused The Second City presents sketches, songs and improvisations to celebrate and satirize the holiday season. Runs to Jan 1, various days and times, see website for schedule. $22. Second City, 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity.com. KitCh Komedy Weekly pro/am show hosted by Dean Young. 9 pm. Free. Kitch, 229 geary. kitchbar.com.

lAugh sABBAth Nick Flanagan, Sara ñ Hennessey, Miguel Rivas, Todd graham, Alana Johnston, host Tom Henry and others. 9:30 pm. $5. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. laughsabbath.com.

mAtt BrAunger: ñ BrAunger is

Coming Empire Comedy Live presents the comic in a live show w/ Rob Mailloux, Ryan Dillon & host Blayne Smith. 9 pm. $20. Underground Cafe, 670 Queen E. empirecomedylive. com. Queer Comedy night

LgBTQ comics and hosts Catherine McCormick and Danz Altvater. 8 pm. Pwyc. The Steady Cafe & Bar, 1051 Bloor W. thesteadycafe.com. reBel without A Cosmos This isn’t as solid as Second City’s last two revues, but there’s still lots to enjoy, particularly from veteran ensemble members Connor Thompson and Ashley Botting. Thompson scores big laughs as an Owen Sound layabout who has a gift for giving directions, as well as a children’s performer accidentally hired to sing at a Remembrance Day ceremony. Botting gets two big solos that showcase her sassy range. But under director Reid Janisse, many of the sketches need polish, presenting jokey types rather than people. Indefinite run, TueThu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, Sun 7:30 pm (no shows Dec 23-25). $25$29, stu $16-$18. Second City, 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity.com. nnn (glenn Sumi) ron Josol Stand-up show. To Dec 21, Thu-Sun 8 pm, plus FriSat 10:30 pm. $13-$22. Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com.

ASH: Start taking some risky diet pill that will allow me to eat like I have the metabolism of a teenage boy. What big scandal will there be in 2015? ASH: I’m predicting a very torrid, scandalous love affair between myself and David Duchovny. Worst gift ever received? SEILER: Something my ex-boyfriend bought me with my debit card. ASH: An ex bought me an iPad case once. I’ve never owned an iPad. December 22 and 23, 8 pm, Comedy Bar. $10. comedybar.ca.

nnnnn = You’ll pee your pants

nnnn = Major snortage

nnn = Coupla guffaws

nn = More tequila, please

n = Was that a pin dropping?

FshAKespeAre And sAntA We Happy Few present Shakesperean styled improv for the holidays. 8 pm. $7. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca. Fthe spotlight Comedy and music Xmas party w/ Mikey Kolberg, Brian Ward, DJ Demers, host Chris Allin and more. 9 pm. Reposado, 136 Ossington. reposadobar.com. stoned up Comedy Amanda Day presents a weekly stand-up show. 7 pm. $5. Hot Box Puff Lounge, 204 Augusta. 416-203-6990. two CAts Comedy Pro and amateur comics w/ host Jackie Pirico. 8 pm. Free. Not My Dog, 1510 Queen W. 416-532-2397.

Friday, December 19 the BeerproV Before ChristmAs Jim Robinson presents a holidayñ themed version of the monthly improv comF’twAs

petition w/ guest Colin Mochrie. 10:30 pm. $20. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. beerprov.com. FCAlVinBAll’s orphAn ChristmAs Calvinball Comedy presents improv w/ Sex T-Rex & the Calvinball Foster Roster. 10 pm. $5. 2nd fl. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. facebook.com/events/900221470012397. Comedy KApow! Weekly stand-up, improv and sketch with a pro stand-up headliner. 9 pm. Free. 120 Diner, 120 Church. facebook. com/comedykapow. guido CoComello & JAson lAurAns See Thu 18. holidAzed & Confused See Thu 18. improV gAme show Weekly Whose Lineinspired competition. 8 pm. $5. 3rd floor. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. 416903-5388, socap.ca. JunCtion Comedy fridAys Stand-up w/ headliner Paul Thompson and host Billy Wiegand. 9 pm. Pwyc. Magic Oven Keele, 347 Keele. 416-604-0202. the mAry-JAnes of Comedy All female stand-up w/ Amanda Day, Dawn Whitwell, Camille Côté, Jackie Pirico Sara Hennessey, headliner Julia Hladkowicz, and host Lianne Mauladin. 10 pm. $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. maryjanesofcomedy.com.

mAtt BrAunger: BrAunger is Coming Empire Comedy Live presents the comic ñ in a live show w/ Sara Hennessey, Dave Atkin-

son and host Craig Fay. 8 pm. $20. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. empirecomedylive.com. Fthe pAgeAnt BDT presents improvised “sitcom” episodes about a family’s quest to discover the true meaning of the holidays. $12, stu $10. To Dec 20, Fri 8 pm, Sat 2:30 & 9:30 pm. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor W. baddogtheatre.com. reBel without A Cosmos See Thu 18. riChArd ryder Stand-up show. 7 pm. $20, adv $15. The Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament. pubaret.com. ron Josol See Thu 18.

Fthe sAl & sAndy show: mirACle

on Queen street eAst Brian Ward, Julia Hladkowicz, Matt O’Brien, Winston Spear and hosts Sandra Battaglini and Phil Luzi. 9 pm. $20. Underground Cafe, 670 Queen E. 416-450-9125. continued on page 64 œ

NOW december 18-24 2014

comedy listings œcontinued from page 63

FStripprOv SpECiaL HOLiday EditiON Kliffer

Entertainment’s burlesque improv competition of the sexes with guest judge Mike Yerxa. 11 pm. $12. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor W. klifferentertainment.com. tHE UNEmpLOyabLES Stand-up w/ guest comedians. 10 pm. $5. 3rd floor. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. 416-903-5388.

Saturday, December 20 COmEdy at tHE rEd rOCkEt Joel West hosts a

weekly show w/ guest comics. 8 pm. Free. Red Rocket Coffee, 1364 Danforth. 416-4060880. COmEdy UNCOvErEd: LivE! Stand-up and improv comedy w/ headliner Bryan Hatt, Jeremy Woodcock, Catch 23 Improv and host Jay Freeborn. 7 pm. $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca.

dEEz LaUgHS prESENtS: virgiN LUNgS 6 Derryck Birch presents Sandra Battañ glini, Pat Burtscher, Bryan Hatt, Steph Tolev,

headliner Dom Pare and host Dean Young. 9 pm. $15. Underground Cafe, 670 Queen E. derryckbirch.com. gUidO COCOmELLO & JaSON LaUraNS See Thu 18. HELdEr brUm & FriENdS Alana Johnston, Tim Gibert, Sandra Battaglini, Freddie Rivas, Clay Helder, Rhiannon Archer and host Brum. 8 pm. $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca. HOLidazEd & CONFUSEd See Thu 18. imprOv LEagUE Four troupes go head-tohead in a shortform improv competition. 8 pm. $5. 3rd floor. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. 416-903-5388, socap.ca. matt braUNgEr Empire Comedy Live presents the comic in a live show w/ Mark Little, Big Jay Oakerson and host Ali Hassan at 9 pm; w/ John Mostyn and host Andrew Ivimey at 11 pm. $20/ show. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. empirecomedylive.com. miCEtrO Improvisers work together to score points per scene in the hopes of being the last player standing in this Survivor-style show. 7 pm. $5. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor W. baddogtheatre.com. FtHE NaUgHty LiStErS Santa decides to do away with the naughty list in this family show featuring puppets and live-action adventure and songs. To Jan 1, Sat-Tue 2 pm (and Dec 26, 31 and Jan 1). $14, 4-pack $45. Second City, 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity.com. FtHE pagEaNt BDT presents improvised “sitcom” episodes about a family’s quest to discover the true meaning of the holidays. $12, stu $10. To Dec 20, Fri 8 pm, Sat 2:30 & 9:30 pm. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor W. baddogtheatre.com. rEbEL WitHOUt a COSmOS See Thu 18. rON JOSOL See Thu 18. FSOCap CHriStmaS SHOW Improv and more holiday-time shenanigans. 8 pm. $5. 2nd floor. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. 416-903-5388, socap.ca. StaNd-Up WitH bLaCk rabbit Black Rabbit Theatre presents stand-up comics. 10 pm. $5. 2nd floor. The Social Capital Theatre, 154 Danforth. 416903-5388, socap.ca.

tHEatrESpOrtS High-octane weekly team improv competition. 8 pm. $12, stu $10. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor W. 416-4913115, baddogtheatre.com. yOUr HOOd’S a JOkE – EaSt vS WESt Toronto Comedy All-Stars presents a comedy turf war hosted by Danish Anwar w/ East End All Stars vs West End All Stars. 10 pm. $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. torontocomedyallstars.com.

Neil Craighead shows off his pal’s conquests to Miriam Khalil in #UncleJohn.

Sunday, December 21 bONSpiEL UgLy SWEatEr party Comedy cabaret with Rob Baker, Ashley Botting, ñ Jan Caruana, Alastair Forbes, James Gangl and

improvisation from Bonspiel Theatre. 9 pm. $10. No One Writes to the Colonel, 460 College. bonspieltheatre.com. COmEdy @ tHE WELL Weekly show w/ hosts Dred Lee & Jag Ghankas and others. 8:30 pm. Free. The Well, 121 Ossington. thewellbarcafe.ca. gUidO COCOmELLO & JaSON LaUraNS See Thu 18. Happy HOUr COmEdy: trUE OpEN miC Special guests and host Nicholas Rizzi. 8 pm. Free. Ein-Stein, 229 College. ein-stein.ca. matt braUNgEr Empire Comedy Live presents the comic in a show w/ Pat Thornton, Nile Seguin and host Steph Tolev. 7 pm. $20. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. empirecomedylive. com. tHE NaUgHty LiStErS See Sat 20. rEaL JOkES Weekly comedy w/ hosts Dion Arnold and Scott Belford. 8 pm. Free. Placebo Space, 2877 Lake Shore W. facebook.com/ events/1490828984532340. rEbEL WitHOUt a COSmOS See Thu 18. rON JOSOL See Thu 18. SUNday NigHt LivE The Sketchersons’ weekly sketch and live music show. 9 pm. $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca.

opera review

Monday, December 22 vEry COry CHriStmaS Lauren Ash and Leslie Seiler present a seasonal ñ sketch revue (see Q&A, page 63). To Dec 23, Fa

Mon-Tue 8 pm. $10 (benefit for the Toronto Humane Society). Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca. aLtdOt COmEdy LOUNgE Ryan Belleville, John Hastings, Mark DeBonis, Massimo, HP Foad, Alex Pavone, Pat Burtscher, Jeff Elliott, Anthony Mlekuz, MC Andrew Johnston and others. 9 pm. $5. Rivoli, 332 Queen W. altdotcomedylounge.com. CHEap LaUgHS mONday Weekly open mic w/ Russell Roy and guests. 9:30 pm. Free. PJ O’Briens Irish Pub, 39 Colborne. 416-8157562. FrOSt*NiXON Stand-up w/ DJ Demers, Shirley Whalen, Brian Ward, Sam Burns & host Selby Nixon. 8:30 pm. $5. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. facebook.com/events/1514027398866151. Hard day COmEdy Weekly all-female comedy show w/ hosts Cassandra Sansosti & Eesha Brown. 8:30 pm. Free. Office Pub, 117 John. 416-977-1900. HOLidazEd & CONFUSEd See Thu 18. tHE NaUgHty LiStErS See Sat 20. paNCakE mONdayS Weekly comedy and allyou-can-eat pancakes. 7:30 pm. $5. Smiling Buddha, 961 College. facebook.com/groups/ PancakeMondays.

Tuesday, December 23 a LaUgH a miNUtE Open-mic stand-up w/

host Mandy Goodhandy. 10 pm. Free. 120 Diner, 120 Church. 120diner.com. a vEry COry CHriStmaS See Mon 22. FLat tirE COmEdy Weekly stand-up w/ host Chrissie Cunningham & others. 9:30 pm. Free. Amsterdam Bicycle Club, 54 The Esplanade. facebook.com/FlatTireComedy. HOLidazEd & CONFUSEd See Thu 18.

mUggErS SEXy CHriStmaS party Improv w/ Jan Caruana, Alice ñ Moran, Stephanie Malek, Mark Andrada, FtHE

Sean Tabares, hosts Mandy Sellers & Nug Nahrgang and others. 8 pm. $10. Bad Dog Comedy Theatre, 875 Bloor W. baddogtheatre.com. tHE NaUgHty LiStErS See Sat 20.

tHE SkiN OF my NUtS Colin Mochrie soaks up laughs at ’Twas The Beerprov Before Christmas, De-

Weekly open mic w/ host Vandad Kardar and others. 7:30 pm. Free. Sonic Espresso Bar, 60 Cecil. facebook.com/ skinof mynuts.

#Mustsee #UNCLEJOHN by Mozart, adapted by

Joel Ivany (Against the Grain). At the Black Box Theatre (1087 Queen West). December 19 at 7:30 pm. $40. againstthegraintheatre.ticketleap.com. See Continuing, page 65. Rating: NNNN

You might not expect to find the word “douche,” the hookup app Tinder and a Swiss Chalet Festive Special in an opera. But Against the Grain isn’t your

theatre listings How to find a listing

Theatre listings are comprehensive and appear alphabetically by title. New this week lists shows that open or preview this week; Continuing shows have already opened. Reviews are by Glenn Sumi (GS) and Jon Kaplan (JK). The rating system is as follows: NNNNN Standing ovation NNNN Sustained applause NNN Recommended, memorable scenes NN Seriously flawed N Get out the hook F = Festive/seasonal event

ñ= Critics’ pick (highly recommended) How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: events@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1168 or mail to Theatre, NOW Magazine, 189 Church, Toronto M5B 1Y7. Include title, author, producer/ company, brief synopsis, times, range of ticket prices, venue name and address, and box office/ info phone number or website. Listings may be edited for space. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm. If your free listing requires a correction, send info to: fixevents@nowtoronto.com.

New this week bEd & brEakFaSt by Ann and David Powell (Puppetmongers Theatre). The Prinñ cess And The Pea gets a clever retelling in this puppet play. Dec 19-21, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, mat

december 18-24 2014 NOW

= Critics’ Pick

typical opera company; it makes fresh adaptations of classic works for aficionados and those new to the art form. #UncleJohn is ATG artistic director Joel Ivany’s clever English update of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, about the archetypal philanderer who gets his comeuppance. The title character (Cameron McPhail), along with his wingman, Leporello (Neil Craighead), is set to crash the wedding of Zerlina (Sharleen Joynt) and Masetto (Aaron Durand), but first runs into caterer Anna (Betty Allison), her father (John Avey), her fiancé, Ottavio (Sean Clark),

NNNNN = Standing ovation

NNNN = Sustained applause

Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $20-$25, family $75; Sun gala and party $50. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, puppetmongers. com. bLadES ON StagE (Mirvish). Elvis Stojko and other ice skaters interpret Broadway standards on a frozen stage. Opens Dec 24 and runs to Jan 4, daily at 2 pm (except Dec 25-26 and Jan 1), and 8 pm shows Dec 26-30 and Jan 2-3. $29-$130. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King W. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. diSNEy ON iCE: trEaSUrE trOvE (Feld Entertainment). A medley of Disney characters and stories are assembled in this family ice show. Opens Dec 19 and runs to Dec 28, Dec 19 at 7 pm, Dec 20-28 at noon and 4 pm (Dec 24-25 4 pm only). $28-$95. Rogers Centre, 1 Blue Jays Way. disneyonice.com/treasure-trove.

ELizabEtH - darCy: aN adaptatiON OF pridE aNd prEJUdiCE by Hallie Burt and ñ Kate Werneburg (Burt and Werneburg). In the

atmospheric halls and rooms of Campbell House, Burt and Werneburg transform Jane Austen’s novel into a clever two-hander that captures the plot, themes and gallery of characters with quick, sharp strokes and striking theatricality. The talented actors, who at times have a split second to change character, understand each line and have a firm grasp of the arc of Austen’s universal story. A delight. Dec 18-21, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $20. Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen W. 416-597-0227 ext 2, elizabethdarcy.brownpapertickets.com. NNNN (GS) tHE HEart OF rObiN HOOd by David Farr (Mirvish). Robin and his crew steal from the rich and keep it for themselves until Marion steps up for the poor in this version of the tale. Pre-

NNN = Recommended, memorable scenes

and clingy ex Elvira (Miriam Khalil). The libretto’s logic isn’t as tidy as that for the company’s delightful Figaro’s Wedding, based on another Mozart opera. But who cares when there are so many imaginative touches? Leporello’s catalogue aria – a recounting of John’s conquests – includes references to social media platforms, and John’s mock serenade to Elvira in the second act is done, and sung, via text. Brilliant. The show’s staging at the Black Box Theatre makes it seem like we’re at a wedding. Ivany, who also directs, deploys the performers like the guests and workers at nuptials. And the head table’s tablecloth helps hide characters for some farcical moments. The orchestra – Miloš Repický on piano and the Cecilia String Quartet – gets a big workout, including when Leporello has them accompany him on Hey John (to Hey Jude) and Let It Go, Wedding Singer style. And the performers are generally good, although Allison’s Anna seems to sing at the same full force throughout. Khalil’s Elvira is suitably bitter yet oddly sympathetic, Avey brings lots of power to his wronged dad, and Clark’s Ottavio, a sweet-voiced cop, is clearly smitten with his fiancée. Joynt and Durand are delightful as the young couple and give the show a warmth and heart the opera often lacks. Craighead’s Leporello has authority and charm, and McPhail, who moves with grace and ease throughout the space, has the swagger of a modernday player. Both their voices are superb. Don Giovanni is frequently done; the Canadian Opera Company revives it next month. But you won’t find a version as funny or relevant as this gLENN SUmi one. views Dec 23-Jan 13. Opens Jan 14 and runs to Mar 1, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun and Wed 1:30 pm. $35-$130. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King W. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. JErSEy bOyS by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (Mirvish). Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons become pop icons in this musical. Opens Dec 19 and runs to Jan 4, Tue-Sun 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 1:30 pm (no shows Dec 24-25, Dec 31, Jan 1). $25-$130. Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com.

FLES FEmmES FataLES: a vEry mErry CHriSmUkka! Madame Dainty Box hosts a bur-

lesque revue featuring Tiny B Hiney, Coco La Creme, Saskia Smith and others. Dec 20 at 10 pm. $20. Club 120, 120 Church. club120.ca. FLUNaCy CabarEt: XXX-maS (Zero Gravity Circus) This vaudeville-style cabaret features clown, circus, comedy, music and more. Dec 20 at 9 pm. $20-$25. The Circus Academy East, 1300 Gerrard E. lunacycabaret.com.

NErd girL bUrLESqUE: taSSELS & tabLEtOp

(NGB). Revue featuring Delicia Pastiche, Ava Noir, birthday girl Loretta Jean and others. Dec 18 at 8 pm. $10. Handlebar, 159 Augusta. brownpapertickets.com/event/970027.

SHakESpEarE-iN-HOSpitaLS prOgram yEarENd SHOWCaSE (Spur-of-the-Moment Shakespeare Collective). Cabaret-style show where artists share their material and experiences performing for patients. Dec 18-19 at 8 pm. $15, stu $10. Fraser Studios, 76 Stafford. shakehospitals2014.brownpapertickets.com.

FSHarrON aNd gEOrgE’S SUpEr FUN

CHriStmaS SiNg-a-LONg (Sharron Matthews). Cabaret diva Matthews and George Masswohl perform a holiday-themed variety show (see Q&A, page 62). Dec 19-21 at 7 pm. $20. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, buddiesinbadtimes.com. FtWO mUCH CHriStmaS? (Heidi Lange and Faith Amour). Lange and Amour perform a musical cabaret show with Amanda Tosoff on

NN = Seriously flawed N = Get out the hook

dance listings

Janet-Laine Green (left), Claire Armstrong, Benjamin Blais and Booth Savage deliver a highly charged theatrical experience.

F = Festive/seasonal event

New this week

FTHe GIFT Danza Corpus presents a holiday family dance show that merges classical ballet and contemporary Cuban dance. Dec 1920 at 8 pm. $15-$20. Winchester Street The atre, 80 Winchester. danzacorpus.com, danzacorpusmtz@gmail.com. FTHe NuTcRAckeR Pia Bouman School for Ballet and Creative Movement presents the holiday ballet performed by dancers age 7-18. Dec 18-21, Thu-Fri 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15$40. Humberside Collegiate Institute, 280 Quebec. 416-533-8705, piaboumanschool. org/the-nutcracker. FTHe NuTcRAckeR Toronto International Ballet Theatre presents the Russian classical version of the holiday ballet. Dec 20 at 7 pm. $40-$80. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front E. 1-855-872-7669, torontoballet.ca. FTHe NuTcRAckeR BALLeT Victoria Ballet Company performs the seasonal classic presented in the traditional Mariinsky Theatre style. Dec 19-21, Fri-Sun 7 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $35-$69. Richmond Hill Centre for the Per forming Arts, 10268 Yonge. rhcentre.ca.

theatre review

Cry Woolf WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA

ñWOOLF?

by Edward Albee (Red One Theatre Collective). At the Storefront Theatre (955 Bloor West). Through December 21. $15-$25. secureaseat.com. See Continuing, this page. Rating: NNNNN

Here it is December and Red One Theatre Collective is treating us to a firstrate version of Edward Albee’s classic Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? You may not think of this as Christmas theatre, but remember that family get-togethers for the holidays

often involve tension along with celebration. Explosions erupt and domestic secrets are exposed when the incessantly bickering George and Martha (Booth Savage and Janet-Laine Green) invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey (Benjamin Blais and Claire Armstrong), to their house after a faculty party. What follows is three hours of unusual party games fuelled by more and more liquor as the elder couple attack each other and their guests in a series of lies, obfuscations, tricks and insults. Director Tyrone Savage handles the shifting alliances and rhythms of the

play expertly, ramping up the intensity from the start but knowing when to quiet it down, and letting us feel some sympathy for the characters, too. At the same time, the script and production are brutally funny. George and Martha’s antics will make you laugh as well as cringe. A long-time couple offstage as well as in the play, Green and Savage bring a sensual chemistry to their work. Loud, crude and demanding, Green’s Martha, who can bray with chilling effect, thinks nothing of tossing a halfeaten banana on the coffee table just before their guests arrive or of getting overtly sexual with Nick. Savage’s George is stronger than

keys. Dec 19 at 7:30 pm. $10. Free Times Cafe, 320 College. 416-967-1078. VeNuS IN FuR by David Ives (Canadian Stage). An actress determined to land the lead plays mind games with the play’s director. Opens Dec 18 and runs to Dec 28, Tue-Sun 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm (Dec 24: 1 pm only; no show Dec 25-26). $30-$59. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com.

FA cHRISTmAS cAROL by Charles Dickens

cINDeReLLA: THe GAGS TO RIcHeS FAmILy muSIcAL by Reid Janisse (Ross Petty Proñ ductions). This year’s Ross Petty panto is a re-

freshing spin on the Cinderella story, mixing local references, pop songs with reworked lyrics and a silly story performed with gusto by first-rate talents. Danielle Wade and Jeff Lillico

Continuing FTHe NuTcRAckeR The National Ballet presents the traditional holiñof Canada day ballet with choreography by James

JAmeS ALAN’S mAGIc TONIGHT James Alan hosts a weekly live magic show. Sundays 7 pm. $20-$25. Izakaya Sushi House, 294 College. 416-995-1736, abracadabaret.com. JAmeS AND THe GIANT PeAcH by Benj Pasek, Timothy Allen McDonald and Justin Paul (Young People’s Theatre). This musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book captures the fantasy and heart of the original, with the orphaned James running away from his nasty aunts on a giant peach, along with five large-scale insects who become his supportive family. Director Sue Miner’s production, warm and entertaining, is excellent holiday entertainment. To Jan 4, see website for schedule. $25-$45. 165 Front E. 416-862-2222, youngpeoplestheatre.ca. NNNN (JK) JeSuS cHRIST SuPeRSTAR by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Lower Ossington Theatre). Judas makes a choice between Jesus and the Roman rulers in this musical. To Jan 24, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 4 pm, Sat 2 pm (no shows Dec 25-26). $50-$60. Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington. superstarmusical.ca. kIm’S cONVeNIeNce by Ins Choi (Soulpepper). Soulpepper brings its first-class production of Ins Choi’s play about a Canadian-Korean convenience store owner and his family back for a holiday run.The cast members, old and new, capture the script’s humour and warmth, and it’s always a pleasure to see Paul Sun-Hyung Lee in the central role as the irascible, demanding and very human paterfamilias. A treat even if you’ve seen the show before. To Dec 28, see website for schedule. $29-$89, rush $5-$23. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. soulpepper.ca. NNNNN (JK) mAcBeTH by William Shakespeare (Sterling Studio Theatre). Shakespeare meets Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut in this adaptation of the tragedy. To Dec 20, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $15$20. The Theatre Machine, 376 Dufferin. sterlingstudiotheatre.com.

mIkey SmITH RAW WORkS FeSTIVAL (d’bi.

Continuing

(Humber River Shakespeare Co). Five actors perform the timeless tale of greed, ghosts, salvation and hope. To Dec 21, Sun 2 & 7 pm. $20, child $10. Montgomery’s Inn, 4709 Dundas W. humberrivershakespeare.ca. FA cHRISTmAS cAROL by Charles Dickens (Soulpepper). Michael Shamata’s adaptation of the classic holiday ghost story gets a staging. To Dec 27, see website for schedule. $29-$89, rush $5-$23. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca. AVeNue Q by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx and Jeff Whitty (Lower Ossington Theatre). A college grad moves to NYC and copes with grown-up problems in this adult musical puppet play. To Dec 21 (returns Jan 8-Feb 1), Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $50-$60. 100A Ossington. lowerossingtontheatre.com. FTHe cHRISTmAS STORy (Church of the Holy Trinity). Professional musicians and a volunteer cast present a nativity pageant. To Dec 21, Fri 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 4:30 pm. $20, child $5. Church of the Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Square. 416-598-4521 ext 301, thechristmasstory.ca.

others I’ve seen; he doesn’t rely on the passive-aggressive note but has his own power from the start. The other actors are a fitting match for this iconic couple. Blais’s Nick, who bristles whenever he or his wife is attacked, has to play the academic politics game but knows he’s as good a scrapper as anybody else in the room. Though Honey is the play’s most difficult role, Armstrong fleshes her out beyond the nervous, giggly Honey we first meet. You’ll probably be emotionally drained by the end of the evening, but you’ll also know you’ve been part of a special and absolutely worthwhile theatrical experience. JON kAPLAN

Don’t miss the return of Kim’s Convenience, starring Chantelle Han and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. are fine as the romantic leads, but Dan Chameroy’s Plumbum/fairy godmother figure and Petty’s evil stepmom get to have lots of outrageous fun. To Jan 4, see website for schedule. $27-$85. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge. 1-855-5999090, rosspetty.com. NNNN (GS) FTHe DOG AND THe ANGeL by Martha Ross (Theatre Columbus). This outdoor show follows the Christmas shenanigans of an oddball family and their ailing dog. (See review at nowtoronto.com/stage.) To Dec 31, daily at 7:30 pm (no shows Dec 21 & 24-26). $32, srs/ youth $12-$22. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview. 416-504-7529, theatrecolumbus.ca.

FDONNy & mARIe cHRISTmAS IN TORONTO

(Mirvish). Holiday-themed song-and-dance show. To Dec 21, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat SatSun 1:30 pm. $59-$140. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King W. mirvish.com. FLASHmAN by Dave Healey (Spadina Museum). A superhero fights to win the girl of his dreams and save the world in this 1930s sci-fi radio play. To Dec 21, Sun 1 & 3 pm. $8-$12. Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd. 416-392-6910. FTHe Ice QueeN (Lower Ossington Theatre). A fearless princess sets off on an epic journey to find her estranged sister in this sing-along family show. To Jan 2, see website for days and times. $30-$50. , 100A Ossington. tickets.ticketwise.ca/event/3894305.

Kudelka. To Jan 3, see website for schedule. $26-$123. Four Seasons Centre for the Per forming Arts, 145 Queen W. 416-345-9595, national.ballet.ca.

FTHe NuTcRAckeR, A cANADIAN TRADITION

Ballet Jörgen’s version of the hoilday classic features a set inspired by Canadian art and choreography by Bengt Jörgen. To Dec 18, Thu 7 pm. $31-$77. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis. balletjorgen.ca. SOO Ryu DANce FeSTIVAL Korean Dance Studies Society of Canada presents a festival of Korean dance, with performances by the Mi Young Kim Dance Company, Mi Sook Song, JinSu Mun and others. To Dec 18, see website for schedule. Canada’s National Ballet School (400 Jarvis). $25-$90, festival pass $120. 416250-3708, koreandance.net. 3

young anitafrika) This exploration of transdisciplinary art features dub poet Lillian Allen, artists Clover Fannin, Jordan Laffrenier and others. Watah Youth Arts Day on Sat (free). To Dec 21, Tue-Sat 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm (see website for schedule details). $10-$15, festival pass $55. The Watah School, 9 Trinity. mikeysmithfestival.eventbrite.ca. FPeARLe HARBOuR’S ex-mAS SPecIAL (Sweet Tooth Theatre). The all-American wartime gal exorcizes the ghosts of her Christmas past in this musical stage/drag show. To Dec 18, Thu 8 pm. $15. Videofag, 187 Augusta. facebook. com/events/1521804151420272.

POTTeD POTTeR – THe uNAuTHORIzeD HARRy exPeRIeNce by Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson

Turner (Starvox Entertainment/Potted Productions). Clarkson and Turner use costumes, props and music to perform all seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes. To Jan 11, see website for times. $40-$100. Panasonic Thea tre, 651 Yonge. 1-800-461-3333, mirvish.com. FTHe SNOW QueeN adapted by Derek Genova (Solar Stage Children’s Theatre). Gerda goes to the Palace of Ice to rescue a friend in this musical play for ages 3 to 10. To Jan 4, Sat-Sun 11 am & 2 pm (see website for more dates). $16. Solar Stage Children’s Theatre, 4950 Yonge. solarstage.on.ca #uNcLeJOHN by Joel Ivany (Against the Grain Theatre). A couple’s impending wedding is getting complicated by family drama in this modern interpretation of Don Giovanni (see review, page 64). To Dec 19, Fri 7:30 pm. $40. The Great Hall, 1087 Queen W. againstthegraintheatre.com. NNNN (GS) WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? by Edward Albee (Red One Theatre Collective). A drunk couple verbally abuse each other and their guests at a party (see review, this page). To Dec 21, Tue-Sat 7 pm, mat Sun 1 pm. $15$25. The Storefront Theatre, 955 Bloor W. secureaseat.com. NNNNN (JK) 3

NOW december 18-24 2014

HOLIDAY

MOVIE PREVIEW ’TIS THE SEASON FOR EATING, DRINKING, SEEING FRIENDS AND FAMILY... AND GORGING ON FILMS. WE’VE REVIEWED ALL THE NEW RELEASES AND TALKED TO THE BIG STARS. AND BECAUSE IT’S AWARDS SEASON, WE’RE TRACKING ALL THE OSCAR BUZZ. CHECK OUT LOADS OF EXTRAS AT NOWTORONTO.COM/MOVIES.

december 18-24 2014 NOW

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS NOMINATIONS ®

DRAMA

BEST PICTURE BEST ACTOR STEVE CARELL •

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR • MARK RUFFALO

©HFPA

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS NOMINATIONS BEST ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR ®

STEVE CARELL

MARK RUFFALO

HHHH (HIGHEST RATING)

“A MESMERIZING MASTERWORK. ONE OF THE YEAR’S VERY BEST FILMS.

STEVE CARELL, CHANNING TATUM AND MARK RUFFALO GIVE THE PERFORMANCES OF THEIR LIVES.” -Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

WINNER BE ST AC TOR

The New York Times

T I M O T H Y S PA L L CANNES FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK FILM

WINNER

BEST DIRECTOR CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF

“M O N E Y B A L L” A N D “C A P O T E” STEVE

CARELL

CHANNING

TATUM

MARK

RUFFALO

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NOW december 18-24 2014

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 2014 OPENS DECEMBER 25

INHERENT VICE INHERENT VICE directed by

Paul Thomas Anderson, written by Anderson from the novel by Thomas Pynchon, with Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Katherine Waterston and Martin Short. A Warner Bros. release. 149 minutes. Opens December 25.

This may surprise you, but Joaquin Phoenix is not a hard guy to talk to at all. Over the years, the actor – Oscarnominated for his vexing turn as the Emperor Commodus in Gladiator, his mesmerizing interpretation of Johnny Cash in Walk The Line and his animalistic Freddie Quell in The Master – has built a reputation as a mercurial public presence. He’s been known to stalk angrily out of interviews and get really strange on TV. And of course there was that year and a half he spent trying to convince everyone he’d become a rapper. But on the phone from his Los Angeles home, with his two dogs barking in the background (“pit mixes, they’re adopted,” he says, and I can hear him bracing for judgment before I tell him I have a rescue hound myself), Phoenix is relaxed and open to anything. Maybe it helps that we’re talking about a project in which he believes very deeply: Paul Thomas Anderson’s dizzying adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s sort-of-mystery novel Inherent Vice. Phoenix plays Doc Sportello, an unlicensed P.I. in 1970 L.A.

OSCAR BUZZ

Best picture might not happen – the movie is just too strange for that – but Josh Brolin could get a best supporting actor nomination and might even have a shot at winning if enough people watch their DVDs. Joaquin Phoenix has a shot at actor, Katherine Waterston could vie for supporting actress, and Paul Thomas Anderson should never be ruled out for director or adapted screenplay.

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

whose search for a missing real estate mogul leads him to uncover a Byzantine cabal involving sex, drugs, fame, power and dentistry. “I don’t know how he does it, man,” Phoenix says of his director. “There’s nobody who can coax free all these different kind of humanly disparate tones and get them to work together, you know? It was such an amazing experience.” Inherent Vice is messy and unapologetically weird, the absurdist comedy of Doc’s scenes with a gruff cop called Bigfoot (Josh Brolin) crashing into the woozy melancholy of his past relationship with old flame Shasta (Katherine Waterston). It shouldn’t come together, but in Anderson’s hands, it does. “One of the things I love about it is that it’s not like when you’re watching the movie, you’re going, ‘Wow, this is really kind of hazy,’” Phoenix says. “You’re just kind of going through it, and when the movie’s over, you suddenly realize, ‘Wow, I was completely transported.’ “He doesn’t hit you over the head with period things. It’s not like the clichéd way of using cars and things of the period to kind of show you. It doesn’t really hit you over the head with the drugs, and yet it feels like such a druggy experience. It’s really masterful in that way.” It’s his second film with Anderson after 2012’s ambitious Scientology allegory The Master; since he shortcircuited his career with I’m Still Here, he’s only worked with a handful of directors: Anderson, Spike Jonze (Her) and his long-time collaborator James Gray (The Yards, We Own The Night, Two Lovers) who cast him as Bruno Weiss, Marion Cotillard’s posturing 1920s pimp in this year’s magisterial drama The Immigrant. “What makes a good actor is a good director,” Phoenix says. “Definitely, as I’ve gotten more experience, I realize that the difference between decent work and great work is directors. You wanna try and work with people you think are great, so I’ve certainly just been focused on who I work with.

REVIEW

INHERENT VICE

ñ(Paul Thomas Anderson) Rating: NNNN After the oppressive, grim tidings of The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson switches it up with a giddy adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 2009 detective novel. It’s 1970, and sometime detective Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) is nudged out of a dope fog by an ex-girlfriend (Katherine Waterston) trying to keep a real-estate mogul boyfriend out of trouble. That’s just the start of a long and twisted road for Doc, who fumbles further and further onwards, uncovering an elaborate (and frankly insane) conspiracy. Alternately befuddled and bemused – until it’s time for Doc to choose sides anyway – Phoenix makes an excellent tour guide to the Pynchon/Anderson funhouse, though Josh Brolin very nearly walks away with the picture as the deeply contradictory LAPD detective called Bigfoot. Waterston’s eerie calm as the melancholy Shasta lingers in the memory, too. And Anderson’s casual mastery of image and sound is here to be admired, as always. He’s made a fantastically dense movie worthy of multiple NW viewings.

They say to work with people who are better than you, people who are smarter than you, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.” In his collaborations with Anderson, that’s meant being broken down to nothing by an autocratic Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master, and then anchoring Pynchon’s whirligig narrative as doper sleuth Doc. “He’s someone who deeply cares about people, and about the world, but also just at the drop of a hat is like, ‘Well, where can I score?’” Phoenix laughs. “There’s so much to draw from in that book. A lot of people talk about the outlandishness of the story and the colourful characters, and that’s all true, that’s there But there’s also this real thoughtfulness and a real sentimentality about the time and the people. It’s really quite beautiful.” Something else that’s beautiful? Seeing Joaquin Phoenix toplining his second straight Christmas release from a major studio after nearly torpedoing his career with I’m Still Here, the Casey Affleck mockumentary that saw Phoenix spend a year and a half doing his best to convince the world at large that he was out to reinvent himself as a hip-hop star. His efforts included blowing off the Cannes premiere of Gray’s Two Lovers, in which Phoenix gave the performance of his career as a tortured Brooklynite obsessed with new neighbour Gwyneth Paltrow. When I interviewed Gray in early 2009, the filmmaker seemed genuinely concerned about his star. “I certainly did my damndest to ruin things,” Phoenix says. “I mean, there were times when we were deep in it, and I’d talk to Casey and go, ‘I think we actually did it. I think we actually fucked my career path.’ When we started, it was quite innocent and goofy, like a bad version of an SNL skit. And as it progressed, as we started interacting with the public and then feeding off that, there came a moment where it was like, ‘This might actually really affect me forever.’ “The amazing thing was” – he’s laughing as he talks now – “it was too late and there was no turning back. If I’d just stopped it could have been even worse, so we had to press on.”

ACTOR INTERVIEW

JOAQUIN PHOENIX

Top 5 Joaquin Phoenix performances Joaquin Phoenix is such a talented actor that his Oscarnominated turns in Gladiator and The Master failed to make the cut of his five best performances. These are the roles that did. 1. Two Lovers (2008) 2. Her (2013) 3. Walk the Line (2005) 4. We Own The Night (2007) 5. The Immigrant (2013) See full article at nowtoronto.com/movies.

= Critic’s Pick NNNNN = Top ten of the year NNNN = Honourable mention NNN = Entertaining NN = Mediocre N = Bomb

Phoenix and his Walk The Line co-star Reese Witherspoon get mellow.

SARAH DUNN

Phoenix’s P.I. and Josh Brolin’s cop square off in Inherent Vice.

When Affleck and Phoenix released I’m Still Here, the reception was mixed, to say the least – people crabbed that the central joke wasn’t funny, or that Phoenix went too far into the gag to come back. But of course, when an Oscar nominee releases a personal project and it isn’t egregiously offensive, people line up to work with that Oscar nominee again. “There were offers coming in,” Phoenix admits, “but not the kind of movies I wanted to be doing. So then I went, ‘Okay, I can have a career, but it’s not the career I want.’ That was a bit troubling, and there was a moment where I nearly did a movie just because I had to work – and I just couldn’t believe that I’d put myself in a situation where I had to make a movie just to pay a mortgage. “I was so nervous and I just thought, ‘I can’t. I can’t do it. Fuck it. I can’t do it.’ And I didn’t do it, and I just had, like, two months of great concern. Then I got a call from Paul [to make The Master]. It’s completely amazing and more than I deserve. I’m just so fortunate.” It is likely that the movie Phoenix is talking about is The Avengers; Marvel reportedly offered the actor the role of Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk) in the summer of 2010. And Marvel’s earlier interest in Phoenix might also explain why his name was floated in connection with the Doctor Strange

movie earlier this year. I find both these possibilities very easy to believe. Marvel likes to cast serious actors – Phoenix’s Reservation Road co-star Mark Ruffalo wound up playing Banner, and Benedict Cumberbatch was announced as Stephen Strange earlier this month – but Phoenix clearly isn’t interested in making Marvel movies. Not that he’s entirely sure what sort of movies he does want to make, or how he wants to appear on screen. Jonze’s Her uses Phoenix as a lovesick waif; Anderson presents him as an increasingly desperate outsider in The Master and Inherent Vice. And in his films with Gray he’s inevitably a conflicted man unable to assert himself when he most needs to do so. Phoenix’s next director will be Woody Allen, with whom he’s just shot an as-yet-untitled feature. Allen being Allen, the details are top-secret; Phoenix can’t even tell me whether the movie is a period piece or a contemporary work. “I don’t know,” he laughs. “I don’t know about that. But I will say that he is amazing. I can definitely say he is just an amazing director to work with. I’ve been really lucky.” NORMAN WILNER normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner

MORE ONLINE

Interview clips at nowtoronto.com

NOW DECEMBER 18-24 2014

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 2014 OPENS DECEMBER 25

THE GAMBLER THE GAMBLER directed by Rupert Wyatt, written by William Monahan from the screenplay by James Toback, with Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Michael Kenneth Williams and John Goodman. A Paramount Pictures release. 112 minutes. Opens December 25. After a series of modest projects in his native England, Rupert Wyatt broke out by relaunching a longdormant franchise in 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. His new movie, The Gambler, is also a riff on a 70s property – but this one trades scifi and CGI for a deep dive into the psychology of an academic with a gambling addiction. In Toronto for a press day at the Trump Hotel, Wyatt clarifies that, like his Apes movie, The Gambler is not a straight remake. “If I’d been emulating something in a very narrative sense, I would never have done this,” he says, explaining that Mark Wahlberg’s version of the lead is very different from the character played by James Caan in Karel Reisz’s 1974 original. Where Caan was helpless in the grip of addiction, Wahlberg is driven by a compulsion to risk everything, over and over again, that starts to look an awful lot like a death wish. “He just realizes that the only way out is essentially to go all in,” Wyatt says. “He’s totally invested in this idea. ‘If I stay in this life, I’m going to be

OPENS DECEMBER 19

SONG OF THE SEA 70

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

DIRECTOR INTERVIEW

RUPERT WYATT

Mark Wahlberg and Jessica Lange go for broke in The Gambler.

REVIEW miserable – so the only way I can get rid of my life is to blow it all up. And to do that, I’ve gotta risk my [actual] life.’ I think that’s really quite an aspirational story, in a funny sort of way. It’s not Leaving Las Vegas, nor is it Rocky. It’s not a guy who’s trying to end up a winner; it’s about a guy who’s trying to end up with a big fat zero.” The trick is in making audiences want to stay with that guy as he walks away from his well-appointed, comfortable world and into some very dark places. “I never set out to make him a likeable character,” Wyatt says. “Mark certainly didn’t. But as long as he’s in-

THE GAMBLER (Rupert Wyatt) Rating: NNN Rupert Wyatt’s The Gambler is a decent reworking of Karel Reisz’s 1974 thriller about a literature professor whose gambling addiction threatens to consume his life – assuming you can buy Mark Wahlberg instead of James Caan in the lead. Yeah, about Wahlberg. Casting Marky Mark as a prof is kind of ridiculous, but he’s perfect for the other half of the role, his blankness going a long way to sell the idea that his character’s all-in compulsion is rooted in a death wish he himself doesn’t fully understand. You can’t help but look closer, trying to see what drives the guy. Wyatt’s showy direction gets in the way of the story more often than it should (does every song on the soundtrack really need to comment directly on the action?), but Wahlberg and a solid supporting cast – including Brie Larson, John Goodman, Jessica Lange and the fantastic Michael Kenneth Williams – will keep you NW invested in the outcome. teresting – as long as you’re curious to see what happens – then we’re okay.” It’s the other side of Wyatt’s antihero that proves the harder sell. The guy’s supposed to be an academic, discussing literary theory with college students – and Wahlberg, well, he’s not necessarily the first person who comes to mind.

“You don’t have to step on the moon to play Neil Armstrong,” Wyatt laughs. “It’s all about the understanding of what that character’s going through, and how you play that out. I think our way into that type of character was not to play the academic, the guy with elbow patches on a tweed jacket. We played him as an

outsider, as a rock star. All the students want to come witness his lectures. And that’s not different from Mark as a movie star, really.” NORMAN WILNER normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner

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ANIMATED FAMILY SONG OF THE SEA (Tomm Moore). 93 minutes. Opens Friday (December 19) at TIFF Bell Lightbox. See Times, page 84. Rating: NNN

Like his Oscar-nominated The Secret Of Kells, Irish director Tomm Moore’s Song Of The Sea draws on Gaelic folklore to tell the story of young children discovering magic and peril. The outcome is animation so imaginative and rich that I’m sorry to admit I longed for a bit more Pixar-brand pizzazz to perk up the sluggish plot and characters – just a bit, mind you. Some of the most artistic animation outside of Studio Ghibli, Moore’s beautiful watercolour designs are deceptively simple, as if drawn for a children’s book but with touches of impressionism and cubism. While kids will find much to gawk at in the moving drawings, I wonder how much they’ll connect to the heavy, at

Gaelic-themed Song Of The Sea looks magical but lacks pizzazz.

times emotionally devastating story. Ten-year-old Ben (voiced by David Rawle) blames his mute little sister, Saoirse, for the loss of their mother, who died giving birth to her. Ben is unaware that, like their mom, Saoirse is a

selkie, a magical seal-child, and both a saviour of some mystical creatures and a target for others. Though the Irish folklore serves as a delightful visual inspiration, it seems a tad cumbersome on the nar-

rative. Ben and Saoirse’s redundant adventure drags along like a series of appointments with various otherworldly figures, episodes that often lack humour and excitement. RADHEYAN SIMONPILLAI

= Critic’s Pick NNNNN = Top ten of the year NNNN = Honourable mention NNN = Entertaining NN = Mediocre N = Bomb

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HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 2014 OPENS DECEMBER 25

MR. TURNER

ACTOR I NTERVIEW

TIMOTHY SPALL Timothy Spall disappears into his role as gruff-voiced painter J.M.W. Turner.

REVIEW

MR. TURNER (Mike Leigh) Rating: NNNNN

MICHAEL WATIER

ñDon’t call Mr. Turner a biopic. It opens in 1826, when painter J.M.W. Turner is at the peak of his fame – none of that “Wow, look at the light!” from an eight-year-old with a sketchbook – and focuses on his daily life painting, MR. TURNER written and

directed by Mike Leigh, with Timothy Spall and Marion Bailey. 150 minutes. A Mongrel release. Opens December 25.

I’m looking at Timothy Spall, star of Mr. Turner, and I’m thinking that there’s something strange about him. He totally fills the screen as the

OSCAR BUZZ

The Academy loves the Brits, but this year the contingent of UK hopefuls is rammed. Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) both copped SAG and Golden Globe nods, while Timothy Spall was inexplicably snubbed – or maybe Cannes is so last spring. Mike Leigh is an Academy favourite, though, and even if Spall gets ignored again, Leigh could score a screenwriting nom. Cinematographer Dick Pope so expertly recreates the colours of Turner’s paintings in the landscapes that he, too, could get some Oscar love.

ALSO OPENING DECEMBER 25 72

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

great British painter J.M.W. Turner, but it’s not his real-life diminutive stature that’s odd – screen actors are notoriously tiny. It’s not the snappy pinstriped three-piece suit he’s wearing for his series of interviews at TIFF 2014. “Are you looking at my moustache?” he laughs. “It’s for my next role, in a film set in the 70s.” Spall’s comfortable in any period, whether it’s late 18th century as Turner, the 50s in Sally Potter’s Ginger & Rosa or in those other Potter pics – Harry Potter, that is – as Wormtail. As the painter obsessed with natural light and new technologies, he creates a complex character, egocentric but also supremely human. Spall copped the best actor prize at Cannes and could get an Oscar nom in January. He doesn’t mind awards at all. “My wife and I can be sitting in the living and we’ll look at the Cannes awards and say, ‘Hey, look at that!’” The actor, charming, very voluble and lacing his conversation with profanity, explains what it took to understand the gifted but inarticulate artist. “It’s all a strange kind of human alchemy. You have to let the character you’re building meet with the research, and I did a fuck of a lot of research.

arguing with other artists and having (mostly) bad, sometimes abusive sex. Scenes in the Royal Academy, where Turner’s paintings hang alongside those of his romantic contemporaries, reveal how radical Turner was, laying the groundwork for the Impressionists. Dick Pope shoots the landscapes that inspired the paintings spectacularly, but writer/director Mike Leigh also conveys the impact of reality – slave ships, the rise of the steam engine – on the artist’s otherworldly masterpieces. Timothy Spall, winner of the Cannes best-actor prize, inhabits the role with brute force, speaking in grunts, spitting on his canvases to get the right effect, yet showing an achingly human side in a brothel sequence or when tragedy strikes. Mr. Turner is about art and what ignites it, and it’s perfectly happy to take its time. An art film in every sense of the word. SGC

“I spent three years fucking studying. His tools grew out of him as if they were part of his body, part of his sexuality. I spent two years with a portraitist, and he gave me a fine art foundation course.” An essential part of bringing Turner to life is his speech – or lack thereof. He doesn’t talk, he grunts. “He was a natural genius,” Spall explains. “He wasn’t someone who would have gone on chat shows and astounded everyone with his erudition. He could say a million things any time he wanted to, but he would just grunt and pull it back into himself.” In one amusing, almost horrifying moment in the film, Turner has a small hissy fit because his painting isn’t being exhibited in as prime a spot on the wall as one of Constable’s. Then he goes up to his own painting and appears to deface it with a glob of red paint. “He never said about Constable, ‘Isn’t he a load of shit?’ though,” Spall insists. “The truth is, no one knew where the paintings were going to be placed.

“As for the red paint, he actually did that. He came in, and everyone wondered, what’s he going to do now? He was at home at the academy and he could do a bit of showboating.” Mr. Turner was developed through the same process director Mike Leigh has always used, encouraging actors to write their own scenes during a long period before filming. Spall says we shouldn’t confuse that with improv. “You never improvise the scene. You improvise to create the scene, which is more set than a textual one would be because you’ve worked every single finite piece of it.” His artistic relationship to Leigh has been one of his most potent over a 35-year career, which began thanks to the encouragement of a high school drama teacher.

“I didn’t know whether to join the army or go to art college. My drama instructor said after my first performance in the school play, ‘I’ve never said this to one of my students before: it’s a stinking way of earning a living, but you should be an actor.’” And now he’s known all over the world – but not for his collaborations with Leigh or even this award-winning turn. “The Harry Potter thing is still very odd. Wormtail’s a really small part, but it’s one of the things that made me famous in Outer MongoSUSAN G. COLE lia.” susanc@nowtoronto.com | @susangcole

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THE INTERVIEW

(D: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, 111 min) In light of the Sony hacking scandal and rumours of possible attacks on theatres screening this comedy, it has emerged as the season’s most controversial film. James Franco and Seth Rogen play tabloid TV journalists who land an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Then the CIA tells them to assassinate him. Screened after press time – see review December 19 at nowtoronto.com/movies.

James Franco (left) and Seth Rogen count down to The Interview’s release.

= Critic’s Pick NNNNN = Top ten of the year NNNN = Honourable mention NNN = Entertaining NN = Mediocre N = Bomb

Celebrating the best in Canadian cinema. 10 days. 10 films. $10 a ticket. Jan 2 11, 2015.

Features The top ten features of 2014, as selected by the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival panel.

Shorts Friday, January 9 9pm

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The ten best shorts of the year from new and emerging Canadian filmmakers.

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NOW december 18-24 2014

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 2014 National Gallery provides lots of eye candy. Obviously.

OPENS DECEMBER 25

BIG EYES

Amy Adams creates a compelling portrait of artist Margaret Keane.

OPENS DECEMBER 26

NATIONAL GALLERY Q&A FREDERICK WISEMAN Director, National Gallery

Iconic documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s (Titicut Follies, At Berkeley) National Gallery is his first doc not made in America. Focusing on the London, UK, museum’s works of art, Wiseman stresses how paintings tell stories and what they say about human existence. I talked to Wiseman at TIFF 2014. How do you prepare for a shoot? There’s no prep. The shooting is the research because nothing is ever the same. I don’t stage anything. All I try to do in advance is to get a sense of the day-to-day activity of a place. How do you compare storytelling via film and storytelling via painting? I’m making a movie that’s linear about painting, which is not linear: you look at a painting all at once. You read a poem in a matter of minutes. In each case you’re dealing with storytelling. The form is different, but the issues are the same: character, point of view, passage of time – particularly the panels of medieval paintings.

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

REVIEW

NATIONAL GALLERY (Frederick Wiseman) Rating: NNN Art lovers will be chuffed that Frederick Wiseman’s put his flyon-the wall camera inside London’s National Gallery. Unfortunately, he wasn’t shooting during a particularly interesting period. The mammoth Leonardo exhibit has been up for a while, so there’s little curatorial discussion about it. Debates between gallery director Nicholas Penny and head of communications Jill Preston over whether the museum should get involved in charity work have the best energy. But for the most part, docents guide gallery-goers through the venerable institution’s impressive collection of Old Masters. When an eco-activist hangs a banner off the facade, Wiseman doesn’t follow through with either the politico or gallery honchos to get a reaction. His I-shoot-only-what’s-in-front-ofme strategy does have its SGC limitations.

How do you film a painting? I tried to break the painting down when it was possible. You never see the frame or the wall, so you’re always inside the painting. You may not be able to get the entire painting because the frame doesn’t fit the lens, but often you can break the painting down to parts and show it serially. It’s not the way you look at a painting, but it’s a way of looking at a painting in film terms.

shoot. We’re also in a period where most fiction movies are terrible. People are waking up to the fact that docs can be dramatic and funny. It’s not like it’s your mother forcing you to take Ex-Lax because it’s good for you.

Documentaries have blown up as a form. Why do you think that is? One of the clichés is access to equipment. Digital equipment is cheaper, so more docs are being made. Whether more good docs are being made is another matter. People think all you have to do is point the camera and

Some might say you’re too neutral in your approach. I do have a point of view, but it’s a complicated view. I like paradox. I like irony. I like complexity. I like ambiguity. It’s not simply an expression of personal preference. It’s what I find.

What’s your take on documentary filmmakers like Michael Moore who insert themselves and their point of view in a pic? It’s preaching to the converted. I don’t like to be told what to think.

SUSAN G. COLE

DOCUDRAMA BIG EYES directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, with Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter and Danny Huston. An Entertainment One release. 106 minutes. Opens December 25. Rating: NNN

Big Eyes confirms my theory that Tim Burton just shouldn’t direct movies about human beings. His arch style lends itself to exaggeration, either magnifying emotions or smothering them in ironic artifice; he’s at his best with largerthan-life projects like Batman and Sweeney Todd or the intimate fables of Edward Scissorhands and Frankenweenie. But then there’s the outlier of Ed Wood, a slightly stylized movie about a terrible filmmaker. That project found the perfect match of Burton’s fetish for outsider artists (and Johnny Depp) in a sharp, weird screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Burton, Alexander and Karaszewski are back together on Big Eyes, another look at a misunderstood creative. But rather than focusing on an individual’s struggle to create, this one’s about two people – Margaret Keane, who obsessively painted sad-eyed children, and her husband, Walter, who became a minor celebrity by selling Margaret’s art as his own. Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz play the Keanes, and they’re both very good choices. Adams imbues

Oscar buzz

Amy Adams could notch a sixth acting nomin ation for this, and two-time supporting actor winner Christoph Waltz might make it into that contentious category. But that’s probably everything, unless Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski’s original screenplay rates a dark-horse nomination. Margaret with a lost quality that makes it easy to understand why she’d gravitate toward the insistently charming Walter, and Waltz gives Walter a vulpine smile and a silver tongue that lets us know this is not the first time he’s sweettalked a woman into his bed. Burton has a lot of fun setting Margaret and Walter’s courtship and rise to fame against the hipster backdrop of 1960s San Francisco, but once the time comes to get into the story’s darker turns, he either can’t or won’t engage with them honestly. The movie becomes a cartoon with drunken lout Walter terrorizing Margaret in her studio when it most needs to explore the ugly emotional tangles it’s established. That said, it’s still a stronger and more interesting work than Alice In Wonderland or Dark Shadows. So that’s a net positive. NORMAN WILNER

= Critic’s Pick NNNNN = Top ten of the year NNNN = Honourable mention NNN = Entertaining NN = Mediocre N = Bomb

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“SHOULDN’T BE MISSED” THE GUARDIAN

NG SA

“A WORK OF MAD, TRANSCENDENT GENIUS” THE TIMES “2001 IS NOT CONCERNED WITH THRILLING US, BUT WITH INSPIRING OUR AWE.” ROGER EBERT

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HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 2014 WAR DRAMA

OPENS DECEMBER 25

UNBROKEN (Angelina Jolie). 137 min-

UNBROKEN

utes. Opens December 25. Rating: NN

Jack O’Connell doesn’t quite go the distance in Unbroken.

OPENS DECEMBER 19

The Centre Pompidou is a sentient entity in Cathedrals Of Culture.

CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE DOCUMENTARY

CATHEDRALS OF CUL-

ñTURE

Part I (Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen): 86 minutes. Part II (Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Aïnouz): 82 minutes. Some subtitles. Opens Friday (December 19) at TIFF Bell Lightbox. See Times, page 84. Rating: NNNN

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

A six-part 3D series about “the soul” of iconic buildings, Cathedrals Of Culture explores architecturally adventurous spaces where people congregate for the purposes of art and science or, in one eerie episode, indefinite incarceration. Among Cathedrals’ diverse array of directors, Wim Wenders seems most obviously at home with the project’s concept, his camera roaming

the golden, tent-like Berlin Philharmonic with the same unpredictable fluidity seen in many of his features. Equally impressive is Michael Madsen’s tour of Denmark’s Halden Prison, which emphasizes the striking contrast of serene gardens, private yards and bucolic surroundings with the penitentiary’s serpentine exterior wall, ubiquitous security cameras and stark, confining cells. Robert Redford’s piece on California’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies is less imaginative and engaging and more akin to a glossy advertisement, employing a lot of archival footage and umpteen shots of scientists striding stoically across the courtyard. Margreth Olin’s segment on the Oslo Opera House relies on drab, sepia-toned freezeframes and, aside from some impressive vistas of its vast ashwhite patio, fails to give an especially strong sense of space. One of several pieces in which a building provides voice-over narration, Karim Aïnouz’s playful rendering of Paris’s Centre Pompidou as a sentient entity conveys equal parts wonder, hope and loneliness. The late Michael Glawogger extracts passages from volumes in the Russian National Library for a bilingual voice-over, imparting a sweeping historical and geographical context as well as welcome doses of dry humour. Movies at their most absorbing provide us with a space to inhabit for a while, yet very few make actual spaces their subject. Cathedrals Of Culture is a mostly spellbinding homage to those places we shape – and that in JOSÉ TEODORO turn shape us.

To director Angelina Jolie’s credit, she doesn’t shy away from tough material. Her previous feature, In The Land Of Blood And Honey, unfolds in a prison camp during the Bosnian war. Her new feature, Unbroken, tells the story of how Louis Zamperini (Jack O’Connell) survived a Japanese prison camp during World War II. But only a sadist could like it. The film starts with an effective sequence where U.S. army pilots, including Zamperini, are locked in an all-out air war with the Japanese. Later, he and two of his mates are shot down and lost at sea. A full half-hour is spent with these poor starving guys – though we’re blessed with brief flashbacks recalling Zamperini’s athletic aspirations. That’s

a forshpeis for the main course: over an hour of unremitting brutality by Japanese commander Watanabe (Takamasa Ishihara) against our man Louis after the Japanese pick him up and make him a P.O.W. What’s the point here beyond measuring Zamperini’s endurance? The film is based on a true story, so there’s no real tension. Zamperini is separated from his army buddy Phil (Domhnall Gleeson) before he’s incarcerated, so there are no real relationships either. Elements of his later life related to his P.O.W. experience have huge dramatic potential, but Jolie and her team of screenwriters, including the Coen brothers, don’t go there. Ishihara does give a fascinating and raw performance as the monstrous Watanabe, but it’s not enough to justify Jolie’s obsession with his repulsive violence. Not into brutality? View Unbroken SUSAN G. COLE at your peril.

Ilona Smithkin shows that style knows no age.

OPENS DECEMBER 19

ADVANCED STYLE FASHION DOC

ADVANCED STYLE (Lina Plioplyte). 72 minutes. Opens Friday (December 19) at Bloor Hot Docs Theatre. See Times, page 84. Rating: NNN Inspired by blogger Ari Seth Cohen, who scours the streets of New York City in search of stylin’ women over 60, Lina Plioplyte’s doc focuses on seven women who remain devoted to all things fashionable. Especially compelling are Tziporah Salamon, the youngest of the group at 62, who puts together outlandish outfits as if they are works of art; the patrician Joyce Carpati, the only one of

the group who shows any aesthetic restraint; and Lynn Dell, who runs a downtown store where she terrorizes the clientele with her fashion advice. A particularly poignant thread follows 95-year-old Zelda Kaplan, who loves woven fabrics and who heads to Fashion Week to great dramatic effect. They’re all delightful in their own way, which makes for a very pleasurable film. But it’s also the main problem – you don’t get enough of any one of these fascinating characters. And not much effort has been made to create a narrative arc. Credit first-time filmmaker Plioplyte with discovering a great subject. Time to work on the execution.

SUSAN G. COLE

= Critic’s Pick NNNNN = Top ten of the year NNNN = Honourable mention NNN = Entertaining NN = Mediocre N = Bomb

NOW december 18-24 2014

HOLIDAY MOVIE PREVIEW 2014 Lilla Crawford and James Corden fight over a cape in Into The Woods.

OPENS DECEMBER 25

INTO THE WOODS MUSICAL

INTO THE WOODS directed by Rob Marshall, written by James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim, with Emily Blunt, James Corden, Meryl Streep and Anna Kendrick. A Disney release. 125 minutes. Opens December 25. Rating: NN

Full disclosure: I love Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods, a witty and profound musical mashup of fairy tales. I’ve seen many productions, know the score well and really wanted Rob Marshall’s adaptation to succeed and gain a broad audience. Alas, it’s just not a good movie.

Brenton Thwaites (left) and Ewan McGregor go Gun crazy.

OPENS DECEMBER 19

SON OF A GUN 78

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

THRILLER SON OF A GUN (Julius Avery). 108 minutes. Opens Friday (December 19). For venues and times, see Movies, page 80. Rating: NNN

A teenage convict is taken under the wing of a hardened criminal in Son Of A Gun, but of course there’s a catch: protection on the inside means obligations on the outside. That’s the starting point of Julius Avery’s feature debut, which lets

Sondheim can write stand-alone songs, but his musicals are constructed for the theatre. His clever wordplay, his complex rhythms and harmonies, the way his stories intersect and unfold – none of these things translates easily to film. After the press screening, a fellow critic confessed he

Brenton Thwaites – star of Oculus and The Giver – use his own Australian accent as the young hero, JR. Ewan McGregor remains Scots as lifer Brendan Lynch, who enlists shorttimer JR to bust him out and be his accomplice on a daring heist. Eventually, though, our hero realizes he must weigh his loyalty against his own safety (and possibly a few million dollars). Son Of A Gun deftly follows the beats of the crime thriller, though Avery has some trouble selling the wobbly romantic subplot between JR and a young woman (A Royal Affair’s Alicia Vikander) trapped in service to one of McGregor’s associates. Still, when the focus is firmly on McGregor and Thwaites, the movie crackles; the actors rip into the toxic father-son dynamic between their characters, and their rapport gives the key action sequences a real kick. And there’s special bonus for Justified fans: Damon Herriman has a small role, so you get to hear what Dewey Crowe sounds like speaking in his native Aussie accent. NORMAN WILNER

had no idea what was happening in the first 30 minutes. Not a good sign for a film aimed at an all-ages crowd. The stage show isn’t especially difficult. James Lapine’s book takes plots from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Jack And The Beanstalk, throws in a couple of princes and adds a new tale involving a witch’s curse on a childless baker and his wife. After the first act’s tidy resolution, it goes on to explore, in postmodern fashion, what happens when people’s wishes come true. Hint: there is no happily ever after. The way these characters interact in the live show – with lights and staging signalling shifts in location and time – can be thrilling and ultimately moving. There’s poignant material here about parents and children, loss, commitment and forgiveness. In Marshall’s film, however, the plot seems convoluted and the language laboured. Without an intermission, the tonal shift in the second half is abrupt and jarring. All this wouldn’t be so bad if the film at least looked decent. Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd wasn’t a great movie, but it had those skewed-perspective German expressionist sets and heightened Grand Guignol style. Marshall and his design team give us monotonous grey castles and cottage interiors, and a forest that looks as magical

as something in a rundown amusement park. The appearance of a giant is about as convincing as stop-motion animation from the 1960s. At least Marshall’s hired some talented actors. As the Baker’s Wife, who longs for a child, Emily Blunt delivers the best performance, lending warmth and spontaneity to every line. Notice the maternal look she gives Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford, Broadway’s most recent Annie) when the girl enters her shop. It’s a shame she outclasses her Baker, James Corden, who nails the comic lines but lacks gravitas for the serious moments. Anna Kendrick has some fun with her Cinderella, who gradually discovers her Prince Charming (Chris Pine) is a little shallow. And Pine and Billy Magnussen, as Rapunzel’s Prince, are hilarious in the film’s best scene, a woe-isme parody number about their difficult love lives. Tracey Ullman and Daniel Huttlestone make a delightful team as Jack and his harried mom, and Johnny Depp lends a lascivious carnality to his Wolf, a role usually played onstage by the actor playing one of the princes. And as the Meryl Streep hams it up as the Witch.

Ben Stiller and Rebel Wilson occasionally amuse as Tomb raiders.

OPENS DECEMBER 19

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB

ANIMATED FAMILY NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (Shawn Levy). 98 minutes. Opens Friday (December 19). For venues and times, see Movies page 80. Rating: NN

If Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb rises above its lazy material, it’s purely by tragic accident. In the finale to the relics-come-alive franchise, Robin Williams’s wax-figure Teddy

= Critic’s Pick NNNNN = Top ten of the year NNNN = Honourable mention NNN = Entertaining NN = Mediocre N = Bomb

Witch, Meryl Streep cackles and shrieks her dialogue and then hams it up shamelessly in her songs. If the film does well, maybe it will encourage more productions of the musical, where you can see the stuff that’s been cut, including the heartbreaking philosophical duet No More. I can understand why it was left out. It’s a powerful scene, but in Marshall’s hands it would have slowed things down even further. The less time spent in his woods the better. GLENN SUMI

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See bonus Q&A with Billy Magnussen (Rapunzel’s Prince) at nowtoronto.com/ movies

Oscar buzz

Meryl Streep only has to show up in a film to get recognized by the Academy. While her performance as the Witch is terribly hammy, she does get to sing a couple of numbers, including a rap song about vegetables, which increases her chances for supporting actress recognition. Two original songs were apparently going to be added to Sondheim’s musical, but they didn’t make the final cut, so you can rule out a song nom. If the film does well at the box office, there’s an outside chance it could score a best picture nod.

Roosevelt is among the last to bid farewell to the audience in a fitting, elegiac send-off. We’re sad to see Williams go, but glad he’s taking this series with him. This time around, the ancient Egyptian tablet that rattles dinosaur bones to life is itself dying. So Ben Stiller’s night watchman, Larry, saddles up his historically diverse crew and heads to the UK, where a pharaoh played by a game Ben Kingsley can shed some light on the tablet’s mystery. The new locale introduces new faces, the highlight being the cocksure Sir Lancelot played by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens, a welcome burst of energy in this mostly lifeless adventure. For all the CGI whiz-bang and volumes of encyclopedia figures to play with, director Shawn Levy still hasn’t figured out how to make the proceedings exciting. A brief showdown inside M.C. Escher’s lithograph Relativity stands out. Folks like Stiller, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais and Rebel Wilson occasionally amuse despite a screenplay that only gives them morsels to work with. RADHEYAN SIMONPILLAI

OPENS DECEMBER 19

ANNIE MUSICAL

ANNIE (Will Gluck). 119 minutes. Opens Friday (December 19). For venues and times, see Movies, page 80. Rating: N Apparently, Annie was leaked during the recent Sony hacking incident. Fitting, since this version of the beloved family musical is a cynical, heartless ode to greed. Illegal downloaders will get the movie they deserve. Shifting the NYC setting from the

Depression to contemporary times – and adding a hip-hop and R&B vibe – wasn’t a bad idea for this tale about the eponymous orphan (Quvenzhané Wallis) who’s searching for her parents and gets taken in by a wealthy tycoon. Her Daddy Warbucks here is Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx), a cellphone provider eyeing the mayor’s office and forced by his campaign adviser (Bobby Cannavale) to use the cute kid to win points. Stacks and his people aren’t the only greedy souls. Annie and her fellow foster siblings, given less personality here than in the Broadway show, are seduced by bling, and their foster mom, Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz, undisciplined and unfunny), is a man-hungry former music star. The result is a family film where no one’s likeable. Aline Brosh McKenna, who adapted The Devil Wears Prada,

PRESENTS

Quvenzhané Wallis and Jamie Foxx: coming soon on To Catch A Predator?

doesn’t understand the material, and she gets no help from Will Gluck’s clunky direction. Plot points come up only to be forgotten, and some scenes between Stacks and Annie are so icky, they feel like outtakes from To Catch A Predator. Wallis has lost all the spontaneity

she showed in Beasts Of The Southern Wild. The singing is passable but appallingly lip-synched. The only fresh performance is by Stephanie Kurtzuba in a small role as a Russianaccented civil servant with a kleptomania habit. She literally steals every GLENN SUMI scene she’s in.

‘‘UNDENIABLY CAPTIVATING’’ – THE NEW YORK TIMES

‘‘A LOVE LETTER TO OLDER

WOMEN WHO’VE ELEVATED DRESSING TO AN ART FORM’’ – SEATTLE TIMES

The staff of an indie record store rally to save the shop from being taken over by a rapacious media conglomerate, in this cult hit that features early turns by future stars LivTyler and Renée Zellweger. Back to the ’90s Fridays until December 26 tiff.net/90s #tiff90s

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2014

Playing this week How to find a listing

Movie listings are comprehensive and organized alphabetically. Listings include name of film, director’s name in brackets, a review, running time and a rating. Reviews are by Norman Wilner (NW), Susan G. Cole (SGC), Glenn Sumi (GS), and Radheyan Simonpillai (RS) unless otherwise specified. The rating system is as follows: NNNNN Top 10 of the year NNNN Honourable mention NNN Entertaining NN Mediocre N Bomb

ñ= Critics’ pick (highly recommended)

Movie theatres are listed at the end and can be cross-referenced to our film times on page 84.

AdvAnced Style (Lina Plioplyte) 72 min. See review, page 76. nnn (SGC) Opens Dec 19 at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

AlexAnder And the terrible, horrible, no Good, very bAd dAy (Miguel

Arteta) sticks to the spirit of Judith Viorst’s picture book while adding its own ingratiating material. After a disastrous day, Alexander wishes for his family to share his misfortune. They face disasters at work, the junior prom, driving tests and the school play, each more manic and de rivative as the plot chugs along. 81 min. nn (RS) Colossus

Annie (Will Gluck) 119 min. See review,

page 79. n (GS) Opens Dec 19 at 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

AntArcticA: A yeAr on ice (Anthony

Powell) aims to show what life is actually like on an Antarctic research station. Pow ell only allows himself a few minutes for any one aspect or anecdote, but overall this is a charming personal documentary. 91 min. nnn (NW) Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

something unprecedented: he’s captured what it was to live in that span of time, packing in personal and political details as Mason’s adolescence plays out against the transition from Bush II to Obama. As stun ning as it is to watch Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke move from their youthful 30s to their mid40s as Mason’s parents, it’s even more incredible to watch Col trane grow from an unformed child into an actor of surprising complexity in the lead. If I see another movie more ambi tious, more honest or more illuminating this year, I’ll be shocked. 164 min. nnnnn (NW) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre, Regent Theatre

Hiro’s bond with his initial subject, a marshmallowy medical droid called Bay max (30 Rock’s Scott Adsit). Directors Hall and Williams find new angles on the re quired action beats, playing up the human relationships and having fun with Bay max’s logical, singleminded nature. And the world in which it all takes place – the Japaneseinfused American metropolis of “San Fransokyo” – is a production design er’s dream. 108 min. nnnn (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñcAthedrAlS of culture: pArt i

(Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen) 86 min. See review, page 76. nnnn (José Teodoro) Opens Dec 19 at TIFF Bell Lightbox (Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Aïnouz) 82 min. See review, page 76. nnnn (José Teodoro) Opens Dec 19 at TIFF Bell Lightbox

ñcitizenfour

(Laura Poitras) chron icles the eight days Edward Snowden spent in a Hong Kong hotel room with filmmaker Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald, where he blew the whistle on

Iñárritu) is a neartotal fiasco from a film maker bent on impressing the world with his prodigious talent. With this showoffy drama about a former superhero actor (Michael Keaton) making his Broadway debut by writing, directing and starring in a drama based on the stories of Raymond Carver, Iñárritu – the director of the flashy puzzle pictures Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel and Biutiful – labours as intensely as his increasingly desperate protagon ist, and with much the same results. Keaton’s as magnetic as ever, but he and the allstar supporting cast – Ed ward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Rise borough, Amy Ryan – are mere pawns in Iñárritu’s technically remarkable but emotionally hollow funhouse. I suspect Iñárritu is trying to oneup his countryman Alfonso Cuarón’s re markable, Oscarwinning accomplish ments on Gravity. But where Gravity’s virtuosity served its story and its characters – and merited every prize awarded to it – Birdman’s cuttingedge production serves only its creator’s ego. It’s a godawful mess. 119 min. nn (NW) Rainbow Promenade, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

sive archival materials, while its sound track weaves together correspondence and diary entries read in voiceover, corny sound effects and a chamber music score. I’m not sure anything here will enlighten you as to how Himmler could justify the atrocities he carried out. He was clearly a devout patriot and ideologue from early childhood who grew into a true believer in National Socialism and lebensraum, with all the antiSemitism, homophobia and genocidal tendencies that involved. The Decent One has historical value, but its cinematic power is limited and its moral or psychological insights few. 94 min. nnn (José Teodoro) Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

copenhAGen (Mark Raso) is a modest,

Bobby Farrelly) settles for revisiting the inane toilet humour of the 1994 original. The Farrellys don’t seem to realize that shit goes stale, too. Once again Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) go on a road trip while living up to the adjectives in the title, in a movie that does the same. 109 min. n (RS) 401 & Morningside, Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

appealing study of a pissy American (Game Of Thrones’ Gethin Anthony) who makes an unexpectedly profound connec tion with a young woman (Frederikke Dahl Hansen) while holidaying in the eponym ous city. Making his feature debut after a series of short films, writer/director Raso focuses on his primary couple almost to the exclusion of the rest of the characters, which risks making the secondary con flicts seem generic and manufactured. But it’s hard to argue against the attention he pays to his complex, interesting leads; Anthony and Dahl Hansen are charming performers who make the most of their characters’ idiosyncrasies. It’s a small film – almost selfconsciously so – but it lin gers in a very pleasant way. The more time you spend in it, the richer Copenhagen be comes. Some subtitles. 98 min. nnn (NW) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre, Regent Theatre

ñcAthedrAlS of culture: pArt ii

birdmAn or (the unexpected virtue of iGnorAnce) (Alejandro González

America’s secret datacollection programs and the complicity of foreign govern ments in those efforts. If that sounds dull, it isn’t. A moment when Snowden takes precautions to avoid having his image captured by a laptop’s webcam, and Greenwald slowly realizes the implica tions of that action, is as unnerving as any contemporary espionage thriller. The other triumph of Poitras’s documentary is that it gives Snowden back his humanity. No cartoon traitor or fanatic, he’s a soft spoken, thoughtful and profoundly intel ligent young man – a conscientious ob jector in the face of Orwellian insanity. We are all in his debt. Some subtitles. 114 min. nnnn (NW) Canada Square, TIFF Bell Lightbox

ñdeAr white people

(Justin Simien) is a vital, immediate com edy about contemporary attitudes to ward race, gender and sexuality, set at a fictional Ivy League school where ra cial tensions are creeping toward a flashpoint. Favouring Spike Lee’s School Daze over Do The Right Thing (which he quotes only in the service of a Tyler Perry joke), writer/director Simien builds a complex environment of clash ing motivations and desires, each marked by sharp dialogue and believable conflicts. Everybody Hates Chris’s Tyler James Williams and Veronica Mars’s Tessa Thompson are particularly adept at in vesting Simien’s zingers with the exactly right amount of righteous condemnation, but the entire cast is game. See? Social awareness can be fun! 108 min. nnnn (NW) Yonge & Dundas 24

ñboyhood

(Richard Linklater) is the best American movie I’ve seen in years – and one of the very best movies about America ever made. Shooting over 12 years to capture the maturation of Texas kid Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from first grade through leaving for college, writerdirector Linklater has ac complished

the decent one (Vanessa Lapa) is a suit

ably nauseating documentary portrait of Nazi Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler. Its visuals are exclusively of impres

exists in relation to The Ten Command ments in much the same way producer/ director Scott’s Oscarwinning Gladiator did to The Fall Of The Roman Empire – a big, historically questionable genre pic ture upscaled with CGI and a lot of very serious acting. The massive story plays out in the personal conflict between two characters: Moses and Rameses (Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton), raised as brothers by the emperor Seti (John Turturro, some how) and divided by tribal commitments. Rameses becomes pharaoh; Moses discov ers his Hebrew heritage and is exiled to the desert, where he marries Sefora (Maria Valverde) and is commanded by God to return to Egypt and free his people. You know what happens next. Scott’s self serious machinery demands sombre real ism even during the depiction of miracles, which proves kind of a drag. I longed for Darren Aronofsky’s recent Noah, which acknowledged the insane implications of its story. Scott makes sure we know that the proper definition of “Israelite” is “one who wrestles with God.” He himself is still wrestling with the kind of movie he wants to make. 150 min. nn (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

sonal crisis of Father Sam (Michael Mur phy), a Niagara Falls Catholic priest whose placid world is shaken when he receives a letter asking for clarity over an incident that may have occurred decades earlier between himself and a teenage boy. Fath er Sam goes on with his duties, but the accusation – if that’s even what it is – starts to tug at him. Did something hap pen? If it had, wouldn’t he remember? Murphy (Woody Allen’s Manhattan and half a dozen Robert Altman pictures) wrestles compellingly with his character’s issues, but writer/director Odette never finds a way to externalize this entirely in ternal story. The film also has the misfor tune to arrive a few months behind John Michael McDonagh’s searing Calvary, which addresses many of the same issues far more powerfully. 82 min. nn (NW) TIFF Bell Lightbox

di Florio, Lisa Leeman) is the kind of hagi ography you’d expect to find in a New Age store. With serene talking heads, plenty of sitar plucking but not much tension, it tells the story of Paramahansa Yoga nanda, who brought Eastern religion to the West. Directors di Florio and Leeman have a tough time shaping the material, relying often on cheesy reenactments. But whenever the yogi is seen or heard – archival recordings of some of his speech es survive – you get a sense of his mag netism. The guru’s nonaggressive philosophy of selfrealization is still alive and well, but it deserves a film with more energy and focus than this. 87 min. nn (GS) Kingsway Theatre

ñbiG hero 6

ñforce mAjeure

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(Ruben Östlund) is a bonedry dissection of bourgeois happiness: you may have a great job and a loving family, but it can all be lost in a mo ment’s foolishness. When a pictureper fect Swedish family – Johannes Kuhnke and Ebba as the parents and reallife sibDIRECTORY FO CHECK THEATRE

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exoduS: GodS And kinGS (Ridley Scott)

fAll (Terrance Odette) follows the per

AwAke: the life of yoGAnAndA (Paola

(Don Hall, Chris Williams) is a neartotal reworking of a littleremembered comic property cre ated in the late 90s. Hiro Hamada, a 14yearold robotics genius (voiced by Ryan Potter), “upgrades” himself and four collegeaged scientists to battle an emer ging supervillain. But the real focus is on

dumb And dumber to (Peter Farrelly,

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lings Clara and Vincent Wettergren as the children – takes a skiing vacation in the French Alps, the dad panics in a moment of potential crisis, destroying his standing as benevolent patriarch and sending him into a spiral of self-justification. The deeper he digs, the funnier Force Majeure gets, and the more perceptive and uncomfortable it becomes. It goes on a little longer than it needs to, but that’s really my only complaint. Some subtitles. 118 min. NNNN (NW) Carlton Cinema, Fox, Kingsway Theatre, Mt Pleasant, TIFF Bell Lightbox

Foxcatcher (Bennett Miller) finds direc-

tor Miller returning to the chilly tone of his debut feature, Capote, for another tale of interpersonal tensions and murder, though this time the result isn’t quite as impressive. In 1987, Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) was recruited by John du Pont (Steve Carell) to build a wrestling team that could win gold in the 1988 Seoul Games. It ended badly. The script divides itself awkwardly among three principals – Mark’s older brother David (Mark Ruffalo) also gets caught up in du Pont’s ambitions – and Miller drenches every scene in heavy portent. All three leads wear distracting prosthetics, which work against Tatum and Ruffalo’s naturalistic performances and make Carell’s precise, creepy turn as the selfabsorbed, deluded du Pont seem far too obviously unhinged. It seems especially pointless when Vanessa Redgrave is right there, looking exactly like herself as du Pont’s imperious mother and showing how powerful an unadorned performance can be. 134 min. NNN (NW) Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

Fury (David Ayer) is the same story writ-

er/director Ayer (Harsh Times, End Of Watch) always tells, and his fondness for macho bullshit and one-dimensional characterization fits nicely into the war movie about an American tank making its way into Germany in April 1945. There’s the battle-hardened commander (Brad Pitt), the smartass (Shia LaBeouf), the brute (Jon Bernthal), the ethnic minority guy (Michael Peña) and the newbie (Logan Lerman) whose spirit will be forged in the fire of combat. It’s the fire that most people will be talking about, as Ayer actively tries to top the brutality and gore of Saving Private Ryan. It feels like a swaggering corrective to the old-fashioned pleasures of George Clooney’s recent The Monuments Men. People who didn’t like that film are welcome to embrace this instead. Some subtitles. 134 min. NNN (NW) Colossus, Yonge & Dundas 24

the Gambler (Rupert Wyatt) 112 min.

See interview and review, page 70. NNN (NW) Carlton Cinema, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Yorkdale

tion. Subtitled. 70 min. NNNN (NW) TIFF Bell Lightbox

happens to small-town bar owner Nick Dunne when his wife, Amy, goes missing on the morning of their fifth anniversary. Rosamund Pike is a great choice for the unknowable Amy, who remains present onscreen thanks to her diary entries, and Ben Affleck is a flat-out brilliant call as Nick, who never seems more unlikeable and calculating than when he’s trying to ingratiate himself to someone. As with all of Fincher’s films, the technical aspects are top-notch; Gone Girl feels machinetooled in the best possible way, spotless and chilly and perfect, with everything placed just so. It’s exactly what this story and these characters require. 149 min. NNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Royal, Scotiabank Theatre

Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

the hobbit: the battle oF the Five armies (Peter Jackson) will probably

please those who’ve been salivating to see the climax of the director’s gargantuan adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s slender prequel to The Lord Of The Rings. But the rest of us will be struggling with some serious Middle-earth fatigue. At nearly eight hours, the Hobbit trilogy contains all the weaknesses of Jackson’s Rings films (big battle sequences that look far too obviously like software fighting software, jarring disconnect between grim mythological scenes and broader comic moments) and precious few of its strengths. The importance of the characters’ relationships are diminished by their isolation from one another, and Martin Freeman’s rich, considered performance as Bilbo Baggins is shoved aside for half a dozen other subplots that have no emotional resonance whatsoever. At two hours and 24 minutes it’s the shortest of the trilogy, but it still feels far longer than it needs to be, especially since the Smaug-related cliffhanger is resolved 15 minutes in. Some subtitles. 144 min. NN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande -

ñthe Good lie

(Philippe Falardeau) is being sold as a feel-good picture along the lines of The Blind Side, but it’s also the studio debut of Monsieur Lazhar director Falardeau, and he’s not interested in feel-good crap. He keeps things firmly grounded in the perspective of his protagonists (Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany and Emmanuel Jal), Sudanese war survivors airlifted to Kansas City as part of an American outreach program who are struggling with PTSD and survivor guilt in a world they don’t quite understand. The marketing puts Reese Witherspoon’s grumpy single woman front and centre, but it’s a bait-and-switch. Her character doesn’t appear for the first third and never takes over the story. Falardeau is far more interested in earning our empathy – and our tears – than in pandering to an American audience. Good for him. Some subtitles. 110 min. NNNN (NW) Carlton Cinema

the homesmaN (Tommy Lee Jones) is a

flawed but fascinating study of despair on the American frontier, as a Nebraska settler (Hilary Swank) enlists a claim jumper (director Jones, who also co-wrote the screenplay) to take three women (Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer, Sonja Richter) who’ve suffered mental breakdowns back to civilization on the other side of the Missouri River. Jones depicts mid-19thcentury America as harsh and hostile, an alien terrain working to undermine any attempts to tame it. His film feels just as unruly and tonally uncontrolled, shifting from sombre drama to broad comedy and back again. He’s assembled an amazing supporting cast, including John Lithgow, Barry Corbin, James Spader, William Fichtner, Tim Blake Nelson, Hailee Steinfeld and Meryl Streep, though most of them appear for only a few minutes. 122 min. NNN (NW) Regent Theatre

horrible bosses 2 (Sean Anders) finds the hapless trio of Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) once again attempting a revenge sting when an ill-advised business deal pits them against a mogul (Christoph Waltz) and his unhinged son (Chris Pine). Really, though, it’s just an excuse to get the gang back together and find new problems to throw at them. Director Anders, who co-wrote with John Morris, devises a constantly escalating series of disasters, bringing back the first film’s most vivid supporting characters and finding a fun new character pairing by matching up Bateman’s pissy Nick with Jennifer Aniston’s predatory Julia. (He also fills the smaller parts with scenestealers like Keegan-Michael Key and Lennon Parham.) No wheels are reinvented and no Oscars will be won, but it’s an enjoyable follow-up. 108 min. NNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Promenade, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale

ñGoodbye to laNGuaGe 3d

(Jean-Luc Godard) is not a masterpiece (in truth, it’s pretty much a mess), but it’s the work of a master who’s willing to reinvent the way we perceive narrative. At key moments, Godard and his cinematographer, Fabrice Aragno, desynchronize the two sets of images that our brains (and those glasses) fuse into a three-dimensional image. Close your left eye and watch the camera follow one participant in a scene; close your right and see the other participant, standing still. Godard being Godard, this revelatory technique is used mostly in the service of a banal series of conversations in which lovers walk around a house in various states of undress, yammering about philosophy and cultural theory in that uniquely French mode of intellectual exhaus-

the huNdred-Foot jourNey (Lasse

Hallström) gives big fun to foodies. When

Gemma bovery (Anne Fontaine) is set in

pastoral Normandy, where a middle-aged baker (Fabrice Luchini) becomes obsessed with the eponymous Englishwoman (Gemma Arterton) who’s moved in across the road with her husband (Jason Flemyng), and whose life seems to parallel that of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. Based on the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds (who also wrote Tamara Drewe, Stephen Frears’s screen adaptation of which also starred Arterton), it’s another pleasant trifle from director/co-writer Fontaine, who still hasn’t figured out how to pace a film effectively but at least gives us something worth lingering on. That’d be Arterton, who once again gives a remarkable performance as a sex object who refuses to be objectified so easily. Some subtitles. 99 min. NNN (NW) Canada Square

ñGoNe Girl

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the huNGer Games: mockiNGjay – Part 1 (Francis Lawrence) is very thin on

energy. The third instalment of the Hunger Games franchise begins with games winner and now budding rebel Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) holed up in District 13, where rebels prep for the revolution against the Capitol and evil President Snow (a slimy Donald Sutherland). District 13 leaders want Katniss to be the Mockingjay, the public face of the rebellion. She won’t agree unless they rescue her (maybe) main squeeze Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from the clutches of the Capitol. The pic lacks action, but a sequence in which the communications team develops propaganda ads featuring Katniss is a fascinating meditation on ad industry tactics. There’s also increasing sexual tension between Katniss and homeboy Gale (Liam Hemsworth). Philip Seymour Hoffman – RIP – appears to be sleepwalking through his performance. Julianne Moore, too, is strangely flat as District 13’s president. It’s Lawrence who drives this thing, and she’s riveting. Otherwise, Mockingjay, well made though it is, definitely keeps the franchise in a holding pattern. 123 min. NNN (SGC) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñthe imitatioN Game

(Morten Tyldum) features first-rate performances and a quick-paced, moving story that help this drama rise above the traditional biopic. Brilliant Cambridge mathematician and cryptanalyst Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) is hired by the British government to crack the Germans’ Enigma code during the Second World War. Used to working solo (he’d eventually lay the ground for the modern computer), he must collaborate with a team of misfit geniuses and keep their work a secret. Also secret is his homosexuality, which after the war gets him persecuted by the country he helped save. Shuttling back and forth between three time periods, the script is often blunt, especially in a repeated line of dialogue about nonconformists doing extraordinary things. Director Tyldum adds some unnecessary archival war footage, but the film explores fascinating moral issues in its final third. Cumberbatch is a revelation as the socially inept man who fights for his dignity, and he’s given strong support by Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Rory Kinnear and Mark Strong as intriguing variables in Turing’s complex personal equation. 114 min. NNNN (GS) Queensway, Varsity

iNterstellar (Christopher Nolan) is a stunning visual accomplishment in service of a story that’s pretty dopey if you think about it for even a microsecond. And I’m not talking about the core plot, in which Matthew McConaughey’s astronautturned-corn-farmer pilots a mission into a wormhole in hopes of finding a new home for the human race, but about the film’s weirdly goopy reliance on primal concepts like destiny and the power of love. McConaughey and his co-stars do a terrific job of underplaying the technobabble and selling their individual moments (once again, Jessica Chastain is a phenomenon) and Nolan’s trademark big-picture confidence propels Interstellar through its continued on page 82 œ

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(David Fincher) is a little on the cold side, but that’s why Fincher is the perfect director for it. His best films – Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Social Network – operate as clinical dissections of their subjects. And Gone Girl CINEPLEX ENTERTAINMENT doesn’tV.I.P. have much room for emotion, beQUEENSWAY ing too caught up in the process of what

family patriarch Om Puri opens a Bollywood-style eatery in a Gallic town across from the Michelin-approved resto owned by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), intense competition ensues. There are no surprises but lots of pleasures: Puri and Mirren are obviously having a gas, and it’s literally a feast for the eyes. Prepare to want to eat afterwards. 115 min. NNN (SGC) Kingsway Theatre

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other zoo animals voiced by Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, among others, wanted to leave on a high note. So Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and the cuddly Private to step up from scene-stealers to characters with an arc, becoming derivative in the process. While doing battle with a vengeful Octopus (John Malkovich), the mischievous penguins compete with an elite covert animal team headed by a wolf (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who makes the most of not much). That plot keeps us busy but not necessarily entertained, since the action and gags are all well worn, save for a hilarious Werner Herzog cameo in the prologue. 92 min. NN (RS) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

Cate Blanchett looks relieved that The Hobbit has finally come to an end. œcontinued from page 81

nearly three hours with breathless style. But when it’s time to send the movie beyond the infinite, McConaughey’s crops aren’t the only corn being thrown around. 169 min. NNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñJOHN WICK

(Chad Stahelski) stars Keanu Reeves as the eponymous anti-hero, a retired assassin and recent widower who goes after the thugs who stole his car and killed the puppy his wife left him. First-time director Stahelski deftly shifts the tone from serious-minded character piece to full-on comic book excess. Some subtitles. 101 min. NNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Colossus, Scotiabank Theatre

THE JUDGE (David Dobkin) is a slick,

commercial package, but what’s inside is pretty solid. Robert Downey Jr. plays a hotshot Chicago lawyer who returns home to small-town Indiana for his mother’s funeral and winds up stuck there when his father, an aging judge (Robert Duvall), is arrested for murder. The legal plot is contrived, silly and maudlin in equal measure, but that’s not why The Judge exists. It exists to let two terrific actors go head to head in a father-son drama, and on that level it’s thoroughly engaging. Downey and Duvall are great, Vincent D’Onofrio and Vera Farmiga breathe life into their supporting roles, and director Dobkin (who also co-wrote the story) foregrounds relationships over legalese at every turn. 143 min. NNN (NW) Canada Square, Fox

MATISSE FROM MOMA AND TATE MODERN – AN IN THE GALLERY PRESENTATION (Phil Grabsky) is a doc about the blockbuster Matisse exhibition. 90 min. Dec 18, 12:30 pm, at Yonge & Dundas 24

ñPRIDE

THE MAZE RUNNER (Wes Ball) adapts a YA dystopia series about boys trapped in a mysterious area surrounded by a maze. It’s monotonous, nonsensical, virtually humourless and oppressively grey. It only exists to set up the next one. 113 min. N (NW) Yonge & Dundas 24

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN (Rob Minkoff) yanks the 2D, hand-drawn time-travelling cartoon from the 60s into the new era of 3D animation. The genius dog and his adopted son visit textbook figures like Marie Antoinette, King Tut and Leonardo Da Vinci while giving history a zany spin. The father-son story is a strained framework for their lighthearted, rib-tickling episodic adventures, which retain the cartoons’ fun and humour. 92 min. NNN (RS) Rainbow Woodbine

PRESENTS

MY OLD LADY (Israel Horovitz) stars Kevin Kline as a penniless, middle-aged loser who travels to Paris to claim a sprawling apartment in the Marais bequeathed him by his dad. But under the viager system, the previous owner (Maggie Smith) and her daughter (Kristin Scott Thomas) can still live there. The plot’s telegraphed in the first 10 minutes, but the stars are watchable. 107 min. NN (GS) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre, Mt Pleasant

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (Shawn Levy) 98 min. See review,

page 78. NN (RS) Opens Dec 19 at 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñNIGHTCRAWLER

mEdIa PaRTNER

®Toronto International Film Festival Inc.

The smash-hit musical show returns to TIFF Bell Lightbox just in time for the holidays — and the film’s upcoming 50th anniversary!

(Dan Gilroy) is a twitchy Los Angeles thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a creepy loner who worms his way into a career as a freelance videographer, chasing car crashes and murders and selling his footage to a TV news director (Rene Russo) who’s just as ethically flexible as he is. Writer/director Gilroy’s script is less interested in social commentary than in crafting a slippery character study, and Gyllenhaal is perfectly suited to that – face gaunt, eyes blazing with demented self-confidence and showing no humanity whatsoever, he’s like a man grown out of synthetic meat in a lab. His performance will keep you watching even as Nightcrawler backs itself into a narrative corner. 117 min. NNNN (NW) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre, Revue, Scotiabank Theatre

THE NUTCRACKER - BOLSHOI BALLET LIVE

is a broadcast of the seasonal Tchaikovsky ballet, choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich. 150 min. Dec 21, 12:55 pm, at Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Scarborough, Col-

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

ossus, Queensway, SilverCity Yonge, Yonge & Dundas 24

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED

(Felix Herngren) laughs at easy targets, making it weak satire. Allan (Robert Gustafsson) escapes from a seniors facility on his 100th birthday and inadvertently finds a suitcase full of money. Unfortunately, it belongs to nasty drug dealers who really want it back. Happenstance has always figured prominently in Allan’s life, as he explains to the lovable station agent (Iwar Wiklander) and his ineffectual cohort (David Wiberg) through a series of flashbacks. Allan once worked as an explosives expert – he loves to blow things up – which has brought him into contact with Franco, Roosevelt and other historical figures, all treated here like buffoons as ridiculous as the thugs trying to recover their dough. The Forrest Gumpian conceit feels very old, and the scattershot attacks on historical figures make no distinctions between good and bad guys. This wouldn’t matter if the film were funny. Who wants to laugh with a hero who blows people up and has no moral core? Subtitled. 114 min. NN (SGC) Kingsway Theatre

PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (Eric Darnell, Simon J. Smith) is a deflated return to the franchise’s blah beginnings, where the antic humour and infectious Red Bull energy of Europe’s Most Wanted only make brief cameos. This Madagascar spinoff focuses on those super-smart and selfserving penguins, probably because the

(Matthew Warchus) is an excellently played crowd-pleaser based on the true story of a London gay and lesbian grassroots organization that offers to support striking mineworkers against Margaret Thatcher’s vicious regime. It gets a bit too warm and fuzzy – bordering on manipulative – at the end, but this is an important story proving that activists with ingenuity can build improbable political coalitions. 119 min. NNNN (SGC) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre

ñROSEWATER

(Jon Stewart) finds first-time filmmaker Stewart tackling a story close to home: the ordeal of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari, whose appearance in a Daily Show segment about the 2009 Iranian election was a factor in his subsequent arrest, detention and torture by the Ahmadinejad government. But Rosewater isn’t just about incarceration. Stewart also recreates Bahari’s experiences in his homeland in the days leading up to the election, when he talked to fundamentalists determined to hold on to power and progressiveminded youth driven to educate themselves about the outside world and point their country toward the future. It’s an assured, thoughtful and ultimately very moving debut, with fine performances by Gael García Bernal as Bahari and Danish actor Kim Bodnia (Pusher) as his interrogator. 103 min. NNNN (NW) Canada Square, Kingsway Theatre, TIFF Bell Lightbox

ST. VINCENT (Theodore Melfi) seems

designed explicitly to win Bill Murray an Oscar; Melfi’s feature debut does everything short of superimposing “For Your Consideration” on the screen. It’s basically a mashup of the Czech comedy Kolya with

Flick Finder

NOW picks your kind of movie DOC

FOREIGN

DRAMA

BIOPIC

CITIZENFOUR

FORCE MAJEURE

WILD

THE IMITATION GAME

This must-see doc looks at how Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the U.S. National Security Agency’s secret data collection programs and the complicity of foreign governments.

A picture-perfect Swedish family’s skiing vacation in the French Alps goes awry when the father panics in a moment of crisis. A wickedly funny dissection of gender roles and bourgeois happiness.

Reese Witherspoon is riveting as Cheryl Strayed, who walked the 1,110mile Paciﬁc Crest Trail alone, looking to reclaim her sense of self after spiralling into substance abuse and selfloathing.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s turn as British cryptanalyst Alan Turing – who helped break the Germans’ Enigma Code – is earning him lots of deserved awards buzz.

SoN of a GuN (Julius Avery) 108 min. See review, page 78. NNN (NW) Opens Dec 19 at Carlton Cinema

SoNG of the Sea (Tomm Moore) 93 min.

See review, page 70. NNN (RS) Opens Dec 19 at TIFF Bell Lightbox

the theory of everythiNG (James

Marsh) takes the remarkable, complex story of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and imprisons it in the inspirational treacle of a disease-of-the-week movie about a young couple struggling with life-altering illness. Adapted as cloyingly as possible from Jane Hawking’s autobiography, it has no time for Hawking’s work (He Dazzled His Peers! He Wrote A Bestseller!) or for the very real hardships Stephen and Jane faced over their decades of marriage. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones make it worth watching, grounding their relationship in anguished good humour, but Anthony McCarten’s script sees them only as noble sufferers waiting for the next challenge. 123 min. NNN (NW) Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, SilverCity Yonge, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

SereNa (Susanne Bier) is a soapy melo-

drama about a Depression-era timber baron (Bradley Cooper) who marries a woman with a mysterious past (Jennifer Lawrence). The crappy script can’t stop Lawrence from delivering another knockout performance, but Cooper just lies there, literally looking lost. He is – and so’s the movie. 110 min. NN (SGC) Yonge & Dundas 24

GOLDEN GLOBE N

I N

BEST ACTRESS • REESE WITHERSPOON

DRAMA

Murray’s character from Rushmore in the lead. Vincent is a cranky alcoholic whose hostile exterior masks deep sorrow and a heart of gold – which we discover as he bonds with the new neighbour kid (Jaeden Lieberher) by taking care of him while his mother (Melissa McCarthy) is at work. But even as Melfi piles on the complications and contrivances, Murray refuses to condescend to them. Neither do co-stars McCarthy, Terrence Howard and Chris O’Dowd, who play their roles with minimal eccentricity and maximum humanity. (Yeah, Naomi Watts goes pretty broad as a pregnant Russian “lady of the night” whom Vincent employs on occasion, but there’s just no way to play that role straight.) 103 min. NNN (NW) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Eglinton Town Centre, Regent Theatre, Royal, Yonge & Dundas 24

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARD NOMINEE ®

BEST ACTRESS • REESE WITHERSPOON

continued on page 84 œ

“A MUST SEE FOR FANS OF THE MUSICAL.” –RICHARD CROUSE, CTV’S CANADA AM

BASED ON THE INSPIRATIONAL BEST SELLER BY

CHERYL STRAYED

SCREENPLAY BY DIRECTED BY

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Thursday, December 25, 2014.

CHRISTMAS

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movie times complete ﬁrst-run, independent, repertory and festivals Online expanded Film Times

Aurora Cinemas • Cine Starz • Coliseum Mississagua • Courtney Park 16 • Elgin Mills 10 • Empire Studio 10 • First Markham Place • 5 DriveIn Oakville • SilverCity Newmarket • SilverCity Richmond Hill • SilverCity Oakville • Winston Churchill 24 nowtoronto.com/movies

(CE)..............Cineplex Entertainment (ET).......................Empire Theatres (AA)......................Alliance Atlantis (AMC)..................... AMC Theatres (I)..............................Independent lndividual theatres may change showtimes after NOW’s press time. For updates, go online at www.nowtoronto.com or phone theatres. Available for selected ﬁlms: RWC (Rear Window Captioning) and DVS (Descriptive Video Service)

Downtown BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA (I) 506 BLOOR ST. W., 416-637-3123

ADVANCED STYLE (PG) Fri 4:30, 6:30 Sat 2:45, 7:00 Sun 3:00, 5:15 Mon 6:30 Tue 2:00 ANTARCTICA: A YEAR ON ICE (G) Thu 6:30 BAD SANTA (14A) Sat 9:15 A CHRISTMAS STORY (PG) Sun 12:30 THE DECENT ONE (PG) Thu 4:00, 8:45

DIE HARD (18A) Tue 8:45 ELF (G) Tue 4:00 THE HEBREW HAMMER (14A) Mon 8:30 HOME ALONE: QUOTE ALONG Fri 9:30 LOVE ACTUALLY (14A) Sun 7:30 MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (G) Sat 4:45 NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (PG) Tue 6:30 WHITE CHRISTMAS (PG) Sat 12:00

CAMERA (I)

1028 QUEEN ST W, 416-530-0011 A CHRISTMAS STORY (PG) Sat 3:00

CARLTON CINEMA (I) 20 CARLTON, 416-494-9371

ANNIE (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:30 Fri-Wed 1:45, 4:20, 6:55, 9:30 BIG HERO 6 (PG) 1:50, 4:10 BOYHOOD (14A) Thu 1:55, 5:45 Fri-Wed 2:00 CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (G) Sat 11:00 COPENHAGEN (14A) Thu 2:00, 7:00 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 4:15, 9:00 Sun 9:00 Wed 4:15 DUMB AND DUMBER TO (PG) Thu 9:05 EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (PG) 1:25, 4:30, 7:45 FORCE MAJEURE (14A) 1:30, 6:45 Thu 4:15, 9:15 THE GAMBLER (14A) Wed 7:00, 9:30 GONE GIRL (14A) 1:35, 4:45, 8:00 THE GOOD LIE (14A) Thu 4:20 HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (18A) 9:30 Thu 1:40, 4:00 mat, 7:05 INTERSTELLAR (PG) Fri-Wed 1:20, 4:45, 8:10 THE INTERVIEW (14A) Wed 7:10, 9:40

MY OLD LADY (PG) Thu 1:45, 6:40 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (PG) Thu 7:10, 9:20 Fri-Wed 2:00, 4:25, 7:10, 9:20 NIGHTCRAWLER (14A) Thu 4:05, 9:25 PRIDE (14A) 6:55 Thu 1:20 mat ST. VINCENT (14A) Thu 4:10, 9:20 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 1:55, 6:40 Sun 1:15 Wed 1:55 THE SHORTEST DAY Sun 3:30, 5:30, 7:00 SON OF A GUN (14A) Fri-Wed 4:15, 9:25 WHIPLASH (14A) Fri-Wed 7:15, 9:35

COLD IN JULY (R) Thu 7:00 COOPERS’ CHRISTMAS Sat 9:30 GONE GIRL (14A) Mon-Tue 9:15 GREMLINS (PG) Sat 2:00 Sun 7:00 RIOT Fri 9:30 ST. VINCENT (14A) Mon-Tue 7:00 SCROOGED (PG) Fri 7:00 Sat 4:00 THE SEARCH FOR WENG WENG Thu 9:15 THE SHORTEST DAY Sun 2:00, 4:00

THEATRE (CE) RAINBOW MARKET SQUARE (I) SCOTIABANK 259 RICHMOND ST W, 416-368-5600 MARKET SQUARE, 80 FRONT ST E, 416-494-9371

ANNIE (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:30 Fri-Wed 12:35, 3:35, 6:55, 9:25 BIG HERO 6 (PG) Thu 12:20, 2:40 EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (PG) 12:25, 3:30, 6:40, 9:40 THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (PG) Thu 3:20, 6:50, 9:45 Fri, Sun-Mon, Wed 12:20, 3:20, 6:50, 9:45 Sat, Tue 12:20, 3:20, 6:50, 9:45, 10:25 THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 (PG) 12:40, 3:40, 6:45, 9:20 Wed no 6:45, 9:20 INTERSTELLAR (PG) Thu 12:30, 4:00 Fri-Tue 7:00 THE INTERVIEW (14A) Wed 7:00, 9:20 INTO THE WOODS (PG) Wed 7:00, 9:30 NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (PG) Thu 7:15, 9:25 Fri-Wed 12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7:05, 9:35 PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (G) 12:45, 2:45, 4:45 Thu 6:50, 8:55

REG HARTT CINEFORUM (I) 463 BATHURST ST., 416-603-6643

ALICE IN WONDERLAND Sun 5:00 LON CHANEY FILM FESTIVAL Thu 7:00 NOSFERATU Sun 9:00

ROYAL (I)

608 COLLEGE ST, 416-466-4400 BLACK CHRISTMAS (18A) Sat 7:00

THE GAMBLER (14A) Wed 7:10, 9:50 GONE GIRL (14A) Thu 2:50, 6:10, 9:30 Fri-Wed 11:40, 2:55, 6:20, 10:00 THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES – AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE (PG) Thu 12:10, 3:30, 6:50, 10:10 Fri 3:40, 7:00, 10:20 Sat-Wed 12:20, 3:40, 7:00, 10:20 THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 3D (PG) Thu 12:40, 1:20, 2:30, 3:00, 4:00, 4:40, 5:50, 6:20, 7:20, 8:10, 9:15, 9:40, 10:40 Fri-Sat, Mon-Wed 11:50, 12:50, 1:40, 2:10, 3:10, 4:10, 5:00, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, 8:20, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50 Sun 11:55, 12:50, 1:40, 2:10, 3:10, 4:10, 5:00, 5:30, 6:30, 7:30, 8:20, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50 THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (PG) Thu 2:00, 5:20, 8:40 Fri-Sat, Mon-Wed 11:20, 2:40, 6:00, 9:20 Sun 11:25, 2:40, 6:00, 9:20 HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (18A) Thu 1:50, 4:50, 7:40, 10:20 FriTue 12:00, 2:30, 5:10, 8:10, 10:50 Wed 2:00, 4:45 THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 (PG) Thu 12:20, 2:40, 3:10, 5:30, 6:35, 9:55 Fri 11:20, 12:30, 1:30, 3:25, 4:40, 6:40, 7:40, 9:45, 10:40 Sat, Mon-Tue 11:20, 12:30, 1:25, 3:25, 4:40, 6:40, 7:40, 9:45, 10:40 Sun 12:30, 1:25, 3:25, 4:40, 6:40, 7:40, 9:45, 10:40 Wed 12:35, 1:25, 3:25, 4:35, 6:40, 7:40, 9:40, 10:40 INTERSTELLAR (PG) Thu 3:20, 7:00, 10:30 Fri-Tue 11:30, 3:00, 6:50, 10:30 Wed 11:30, 3:00 JOHN WICK (14A) Thu 1:40, 4:25, 7:10, 9:40 Fri 11:40, 2:00, 4:30, 7:10, 9:35 Sat 11:20, 2:00, 4:25, 7:10, 9:35 Sun 11:30, 2:00, 4:25, 7:10, 9:35 Mon-Tue 11:40, 2:00, 4:25, 7:10, 9:35 Wed 11:20, 1:50, 4:20, 6:45, 9:10

TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX (I) 350 KING ST W, 416-599-8433

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (PG) Fri 6:15 Tue 1:00 3X3D (14A) Sun 3:30 BARRY LYNDON (14A) Mon 3:00 CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE: PART I (G) Fri 12:30, 7:00 SatWed 12:30, 7:15 CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE: PART II (G) Fri 2:30, 9:00 SatWed 2:30, 9:15 CITIZENFOUR (PG) Thu 12:15, 1:45, 2:45, 7:00, 9:30 Fri 12:10, 2:50, 6:40, 9:40 Sat 12:10, 2:50, 6:00, 9:20 Sun 12:10, 3:10, 5:50, 9:00 Mon 12:10, 2:45, 6:45, 9:00 Tue 12:10, 4:05, 6:45, 9:30 Wed 12:10, 2:50, 6:00, 9:00 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (18A) Sat 6:15 DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (PG) Wed 4:30 DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT (PG) Sat 9:30 ELF (G) Sun 1:00 EMPIRE RECORDS (PG) Fri 9:30 EYES WIDE SHUT (R) Wed 7:00 FALL (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:30, 9:40 FORCE MAJEURE (14A) Thu 12:00, 3:00, 6:40, 9:50 Fri 4:25, 8:45 Sat 4:30, 8:45 Sun 12:30, 8:45 Mon 12:20, 3:15, 4:30, 9:25 Tue 12:20, 4:30, 8:45 Wed 4:40, 8:50 FRANCE/TOUR/DETOUR/DEUX ENFANTS (PG) Sat 1:00 GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE 3D (18A) Mon 7:00 KILLER’S KISS (PG) Tue 4:15 THE KILLING (PG) Tue 6:15 LOLITA (14A) Wed 1:00 MOMENTS CHOISIS DES HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA (18A) Sat 4:00 OUT FOR JUSTICE (18A) Tue 9:00 RECOMMENDATION FOR MERCY (R) Thu 6:30

down Strayed, and the performance grows even more impressive as Vallée lets us learn where she has been and seesherself going. 115 min. NNNN (NW) Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Queensway, Varsity

Channing Tatum (left) and Mark Ruffalo wrestle with troubling issues in Foxcatcher.

œcontinued from page 83

NIGHTCRAWLER (14A) Thu 2:15, 5:00, 8:00, 10:50 Fri 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:10 Sat, Mon-Wed 11:30, 2:20, 5:00, 7:50, 10:30 Sun 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:50, 10:30 TOP FIVE (18A) Thu 1:30, 4:30, 7:50, 10:50 Fri 12:15, 2:50, 5:20, 8:00, 10:40 Sat-Tue 12:10, 2:50, 5:20, 8:00, 10:40 Wed 1:10, 4:00 UNBROKEN (14A) Wed 7:00, 10:10

WOMEN WHO FLIRT (Pang Ho-Cheung)

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU (Shawn

Levy) features a familiar premise – family reunites at a funeral – but director Levy’s got such a great cast (Jane Fonda as the matriarch, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll and scene-stealer Adam Driver as the children), he’s able to spin it into a pleasurably unpredictable comedy. 103 min. NNNN (SGC) Fox

ñTOP FIVE

(Chris Rock) is a showbiz satire that proves Rock can be an intimate and insightful filmmaker. He stars as recovering alcoholic Andre Allen, a comic-turned-movie-star who’s had a string of flops since going sober and trying to become a serious actor. The film takes place over one antic day, as Allen is tailed by a fetching New York Times journalist (Rosario Dawson) while promoting a movie and preparing for his highly publicized wedding to a reality television star (Gabrielle Union). Rock uses his familiarity with the industry to goofy and hilarious ends, but as the day progresses he surprises us with an overwhelming sense of vulnerability and pain – a human side to celeb-

DECEMBER 18-24 2014 NOW

rity that is often overlooked. 102 min. NNNN (RS) Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Yorkdale

UNDER THE SEA (Howard Hall) is a daz-

zling travelogue airily narrated by Jim Carrey, an alternative for those of us who can’t afford to go scuba diving off southern Australia. The mere 40-minute run time might make it a waste for those who have to travel just as long to see it. 40 min. NNN (RS) Ontario Science Centre OMNIMAX

WHIPLASH (Damien Chazelle) is a battle of wills between a drummer (Miles Teller) who challenges a monstrous conductor (J.K. Simmons) for a potentially lifechanging spot in his school’s jazz orchestra. With Simmons hurling abuse and Teller doing his best to roll with each new humiliation, it’s basically Full Metal Drum Kit set at an elite Manhattan music college. Nothing matters but the battle of wills; other characters are shut out or

driven away. The only question is, will the kid crack or will the grown-up accept his talent? Teller and Simmons commit completely, and their performances are enough to power the drama through its first hour. (It’d make a hell of a stage play, if anyone were crazy enough to mount it.) But Chazelle’s plot twists grow increasingly ridiculous, prizing intensity over credibility, and the final act has the feel of a fever dream. I just couldn’t go with it. 106 min. NN (NW) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre, Revue

WILD (Jean-Marc Vallée) stars Reese

Witherspoon as Cheryl Strayed, who

walked 1,100 miles solo along the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 to reclaim her sense of self after a spiral into substance abuse and self-loathing. What could have been a mawkish and sentimental true-life story plays as intelligent drama thanks to the sure hand of director Vallée, whose skill with actors and music gives Wild a slippery, intuitive flow few other directors would have dared attempt. It’s got much more in common with Vallée’s experimental Café De Flore than his Oscarwinning Dallas Buyers Club. Witherspoon rises to the challenge of playing someone who spends too much time inside her own head. She’s entirely credible as the worn-

offers lessons on mastering the sexy #selfie, which is among the few delights in a rom-com about as functional as a BuzzFeed list. Zhou Xun plays Angie, the Julia Roberts character in this movie’s My Best Friend’s Wedding-type scenario. She’s in love with Marco (Huang Xiao Ming), but he only sees her as a bro, despite how fetching and delicate she is. When Marco finds himself a bubbly new girlfriend, Angie ups her flirtation game by taking some amusing classes on seduction from her friends. The supporting cast, headed by Sie Yi-Lin as Angie’s naughty confidante, help the monotonous and often imbecilic relationship material fly by, with funny lessons on how to text horny, evoke the sound of a kitten and of course prep for those aforementioned Tinder-ready selfies, where the intricate pout of the lips has never seemed so meaningful. Subtitled. 96 min. NN (RS) Yonge & Dundas 24

ZERO MOTIVATION (Talya Lavie) tracks the

crushing boredom of clerical work in a miserable office, the twist being that the office is on an Israeli army base, where two friends in the IDF amuse each other while suffering the indignities of low rank and minimal responsibility. Writer/director Lavie’s feature debut plays like an Israeli version of Broad City, in which a neurotic underachiever (Nelly Tagar) is forever dragged into trouble by her manic BFF (Dana Ivgy), with a few twists that likely never occurred to Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. A word of warning: though Zero Motivation is being sold as a comedy, and it mostly is, but it also includes some fairly jarring elements. Be prepared for some darkness amidst the laughs. Subtitled. 100 min. NNN (NW) Kingsway Theatre, Mt Pleasant, TIFF Bell Lightbox 3

roseWaTer (14A) Thu 5:00, 9:10 sCrooged (PG) Sat 1:00 song of The sea (PG) Fri 12:00, 2:40, 6:25, 9:15 Sat 12:00, 2:40, 6:25, 9:00 Sun-Mon 12:00, 2:15, 6:15, 8:30 Tue 12:00, 2:50, 6:25, 9:10 Wed 12:00, 2:40, 6:15, 8:30 sparTaCus (14A) Sun 6:00 zero moTiVaTion (14A) Thu 2:30, 7:30, 10:00 Fri 12:20, 3:00, 6:15 Sat 12:20, 3:00, 6:05 Sun 3:20, 6:00 Mon 4:40, 8:45 Tue 3:00, 6:00 Wed 12:20, 3:00, 6:30

VarSiTy (CE)

55 Bloor ST W, 416-961-6304 Birdman or (The unexpeCTed VirTue of ignoranCe) (14A) Fri-Sun 12:45, 3:30, 6:25, 9:15 Mon-Wed 12:50, 3:30, 6:20, 9:10 foxCaTCher (14A) Thu 12:35, 3:30, 6:25, 9:20 Fri-Sun 1:25, 4:20, 7:15, 10:35 Mon-Wed 1:20, 4:10, 7:15, 10:10 The hoBBiT: The BaTTLe of The fiVe armies 3d (PG) Thu-Sun 12:30, 3:50, 7:10, 10:30 Mon-Wed 12:30, 3:45, 7:05, 10:25 The hunger games: moCkingjay – parT 1 (PG) Thu 1:00, 4:00, 9:40 Fri-Sun 12:40, 3:35, 6:30, 9:25 Mon-Wed 12:40, 3:30, 6:25, 9:15 The imiTaTion game (PG) Thu 1:20 1:50 4:10 4:40 7:00 7:30 9:50 10:20 Fri-Wed 1:10, 1:50, 4:00, 4:40, 6:50, 7:30, 9:45, 10:20 The Theory of eVeryThing (PG) Thu 12:45, 3:40, 6:45, 9:35 Fri-Sun 1:15, 3:55, 6:55, 9:50 Mon-Wed 1:00, 3:50, 6:45, 9:35 WiLd (18A) Thu 1:45, 4:35, 7:25, 10:05 Fri-Sun 2:00, 4:50, 7:40, 10:35 Mon-Wed 1:30, 4:30, 7:40, 10:25

VIP SCREENINGS

foxCaTCher (14A) Thu 1:05, 4:05, 7:20, 10:10 Fri-Sun 1:05, 4:05, 7:00, 10:00 Mon-Wed 1:00, 3:55, 7:00, 9:50 The imiTaTion game (PG) Thu 12:50, 3:50, 6:40, 9:30 Fri-Wed 12:30, 3:20, 6:10, 9:00 The Theory of eVeryThing (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:20, 6:20, 9:10 Fri-Sun 12:50, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 Mon-Wed 12:45, 3:35, 6:30, 9:20 WiLd (18A) Thu 1:35, 4:25, 7:05, 9:50 Fri-Sun 1:30, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15 Mon-Wed 1:15, 4:15, 7:20, 10:05

yongE & DunDaS 24 (CE) 10 DunDaS ST E, 416-977-9262

aCTion jaCkson (14A) Thu 1:05, 4:25, 7:35, 10:50 annie (PG) Thu 7:00 Fri-Wed 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10 BaCk in Time (PG) 2:10, 5:10, 7:55, 10:40 Big hero 6 (PG) Thu-Fri, Mon-Wed 12:00 Sat-Sun 11:55 Big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu, Sat-Sun 2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15 Fri, Mon-Wed 2:40, 5:20, 8:00, 10:40 Birdman or (The unexpeCTed VirTue of ignoranCe) (14A) 12:10, 2:55, 5:40, 8:25, 11:10 dear WhiTe peopLe (14A) Thu 12:05, 3:00, 5:35, 8:10, 11:05 Fri, Mon-Wed 12:20, 3:00, 5:35, 8:10, 11:05 Sat-Sun 11:55, 3:00, 5:35, 8:10, 11:05 die hard (18A) Fri 8:00 Sat, Tue 9:00 Sun 9:45 Mon 10:00 Wed 8:45 dumB and dumBer To (PG) Thu 12:50, 3:25, 6:00, 11:10 Fri-Wed 12:40, 3:20, 5:55, 8:35, 11:10 exodus: gods and kings (PG) 12:45, 4:15, 7:45 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 3:00 6:30 10:40 11:15 Fri-Wed 12:30, 4:20, 7:50, 11:15 exodus: gods and kings an imax 3d experienCe (PG) 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 foxCaTCher (14A) Thu 4:55, 8:00, 10:55 Fri-Wed 1:40, 4:55, 8:00, 10:55 fury (14A) 1:45, 4:45, 7:50, 11:00 The hoBBiT: The BaTTLe of The fiVe armies 3d (PG) Thu 12:00 2:30 3:45 6:00 7:30 9:50 11:00 Fri-Wed 12:00, 2:30, 3:45, 6:30, 7:30, 10:00, 11:00 home aLone (PG) Fri 12:30, 3:00, 5:30 Sat, Tue 6:30 Sun 7:30 Mon 3:45 Wed 3:30 The hunger games: moCkingjay – parT 1 (PG) Thu 1:00 4:00 7:00 10:10 Fri-Wed 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:30 inTersTeLLar (PG) Thu 1:30 5:30 9:20 Fri-Wed 1:30, 5:30, 9:30 inTo The Woods (PG) Wed 7:00, 10:15 iT’s a WonderfuL Life (G) Sat, Tue 12:30, 3:30 Sun 4:30 Mon 12:30, 7:00 Wed 12:30, 6:00 LoVe aCTuaLLy (14A) Thu 2:45, 8:00 LoVe on The CLoud Wed 12:35, 3:05, 5:30, 8:05, 10:50 maTisse from moma and TaTe modern – an in The gaLLery presenTaTion Thu 12:30 The maze runner (PG) Thu 12:20, 3:10, 10:25 Fri, MonWed 2:50, 5:45, 11:05 Sat-Sun 2:25, 5:00, 10:25 naTionaL Lampoon’s ChrisTmas VaCaTion (PG) Thu 5:45 nighT aT The museum: seCreT of The TomB (PG) Thu 7:00 Fri-Wed 12:15, 1:45, 2:45, 4:15, 5:15, 6:50, 7:35, 9:20, 10:20 The nuTCraCker - BoLshoi BaLLeT LiVe Sun 12:55 penguins of madagasCar (G) Thu 2:15, 4:45, 10:00 Fri-Tue 12:45 Wed 1:15 penguins of madagasCar 3d (G) Thu 12:45, 3:15, 5:45, 8:15, 10:45 Fri-Tue 3:15, 5:45, 8:15, 10:45 Wed 4:30 pk Thu 9:30 Fri-Wed 12:05, 3:35, 7:05, 10:35 sT. VinCenT (14A) Thu 5:20, 7:55 Fri, Mon-Wed 12:05, 8:30 Sat-Sun 11:55, 7:40 serena (14A) Thu 1:05, 4:10, 7:15, 11:05 The Theory of eVeryThing (PG) 12:25, 3:10, 6:05, 9:05 Women Who fLirT (PG) Thu 12:50 3:10 5:30 7:50 10:10 Fri-Wed 12:50, 3:10, 5:30, 8:05, 10:50

Midtown CanaDa SquarE (CE) 2200 yongE ST, 416-646-0444

annie (PG) Fri 3:50, 6:30, 9:10 Sat-Tue 1:00, 3:50, 6:30, 9:10 Wed 1:00, 3:50, 6:30 CiTizenfour (PG) Thu 5:50, 8:30 Fri 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 SatTue 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Wed 1:40, 4:20, 7:00 gemma BoVery (14A) Thu 6:00, 8:20 Fri 4:30, 7:20, 9:50 Sat-Tue 1:50, 4:30, 7:20, 9:50 Wed 1:50, 4:30, 6:50 gone girL (14A) Thu 5:00, 8:10 Fri 3:40, 6:50, 9:50 SatTue 12:30, 3:40, 6:50, 9:50 Wed 12:30, 3:40, 6:50 The judge (14A) Thu 5:00, 8:00 Fri 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 SatTue 12:40, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 Wed 12:40, 3:40, 6:40

pasT Tense (PG) Thu 5:40, 8:20 roseWaTer (14A) Thu 5:20, 7:50 Fri 4:40, 7:10, 9:30 SatTue 2:10, 4:40, 7:10, 9:30 Wed 2:10, 4:40, 7:10 sT. VinCenT (14A) Thu 5:30, 8:00 Fri 4:30, 7:00, 9:20 SatTue 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:20 Wed 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 WhipLash (14A) Thu 5:10, 7:40 Fri 4:50, 7:30, 10:00 SatTue 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, 10:00 Wed 2:10, 4:50, 7:20

MT PlEaSanT (i)

675 MT PlEaSanT rD, 416-489-8484 forCe majeure (14A) Fri-Sat 9:20 Sun 7:00 my oLd Lady (PG) Thu, Tue 7:00 Fri 6:50 Sat 4:20 Sun 4:30 zero moTiVaTion (14A) Sat, Mon 7:00 Sun 2:10

rEgEnT ThEaTrE (i) 551 MT PlEaSanT rD, 416-480-9884

Boyhood (14A) Sat-Sun 3:45 Copenhagen (14A) Fri-Sat 9:00 Sun 7:00 Mon-Tue 8:30 The homesman (14A) Thu 7:00 sT. VinCenT (14A) Fri-Sat 7:00 Sun 1:45 Mon-Tue 6:30

SilVErCiTy yongE (CE) 2300 yongE ST, 416-544-1236

Big hero 6 (PG) Thu, Sat-Wed 12:50 Fri 12:30 Big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 3:50, 6:55, 9:45 Fri-Tue 7:00 Wed 6:45 exodus: gods and kings (PG) 4:00 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) 12:40, 7:20, 10:40 Wed no 10:40 The hoBBiT: The BaTTLe of The fiVe armies 3d (PG) Thu, Mon-Tue 12:00, 12:30, 3:50, 7:10, 9:50, 10:30 Fri 12:00, 12:50, 4:10, 7:30, 9:50, 10:50 Sat-Sun 12:00, 12:30, 4:10, 7:30, 9:50, 10:50 Wed 12:00, 12:30, 3:50, 7:10 continued on page 86 œ

Special Screenings Thursday, December 18 Cineforum Thursday Lon Chaney Film

Festival at 7 pm; Charlie Chaplin Film Festival at 9 pm. $10 each. Cineforum, 463 Bathurst. 416-603-6643.

Friday, December 19 20 FILMS DECEMBER 25–JANUARY 1

FLaser BLasT Video nighT: rioT Christ-

mas themed action-packed film with Sugar Ray Leonard and Gary Daniels. 9:30 pm. Royal Cinema, 608 College. theroyal.to. FsCrooged Screening of the darkly comic and surreal contemporization of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with Bill Murray. 7 pm. Royal Cinema, 608 College. theroyal.to. The shorTesT day Family-friendly mix of shorts by Canadian filmmakers lead up to the shortest day of the year. Dec 19-21. Free. Carlton Cinema, 20 Carlton, and other venues (see website for details). theshortestday.ca.

RESTORED!

Classic cinema, renewed and revitalized.

Saturday, December 20

The first edition of this new annual series includes all three James Dean classics, films by

FBLaCk ChrisTmas 40Th anniVersary sCreening Screening of the classic film

Fellini, Jean Renoir, Robert Bresson and Sergio Leone, the original Godzilla, and much more.

with actor Art Hindle in attendance, unveiling of a new poster by artist “Ghoulish” Gary Pullin and more. 7 pm. $10, srs/ stu $8. Double bill with Coopers Christmas at 9:30 pm ($16). Royal Cinema, 608 College. theroyal.to. FgremLins Screening of the horror classic with monsters devouring the defenseless town by director Joe Dante. 2 pm. Royal Cinema, 608 College. theroyal.to. FsCrooged Screening of the darkly comic and surreal contemporization of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with Bill Murray. 4 pm. Royal Cinema, 608 College. theroyal.to.

Get tickets now. TIFF.NET/RESTORED 416-599-TIFF TIFF prefers Visa.

Sunday, December 21 aLiCe in WonderLand 1954 film played with the soundtrack of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. 5 pm. $10. Cineforum, 463 Bathurst. 416-603-6643. FeLf Holiday movie with Will Ferrell as a noticeably oversized elf. 1 pm. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King W. tiff.net. FgremLins Screening of the horror classic with monsters devouring the defenseless town by director Joe Dante. 7 pm. Royal Cinema, 608 College. theroyal.to. kid draCuLa/nosferaTu The 1922 film screened with soundtrack of Radiohead’s Kid and OK Computer albums. 9 pm. $10. Cineforum, 463 Bathurst. 416-603-6643. The Wizard of oz 1939 film played with the soundtrack of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. 7 pm. $10. Cineforum, 463 Bathurst. 416-603-6643. 3

Volunteer Opportunities of the Week • • • •

Canadian National Institute For The Blind The Arthritis Society College Montrose Children’s Place Bata Shoe Museum

See this week’s Classified section for more info or visit volunteertoronto.ca Everything Toronto. 416 364 3444 • nowtoronto.com/classifieds

Classifieds NOW december 18-24 2014

movie times œcontinued from page 85

ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs (PG) Thu 3:20 6:30 Fri-Wed 3:10, 6:30 hORRIbLE bOssEs 2 (18A) Thu 1:20, 4:15, 7:00, 9:50 FriTue 3:40, 9:45 Wed 3:40 ThE huNgER gAMEs: MOckINgjAy – PART 1 (PG) Thu 12:20, 3:20, 6:50, 10:00 Fri 12:10, 3:30, 6:45, 10:00 Sat-Tue 12:20, 3:30, 6:45, 10:00 Wed 12:20, 3:30 INTERsTELLAR (PG) Thu 2:45, 6:30, 10:15 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 2:20, 6:20, 10:15 Sun 6:20, 10:15 Wed 2:20 INTO ThE WOOds (PG) Wed 7:00 NIghT AT ThE MusEuM: sEcRET Of ThE TOMb (PG) 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:20 Wed no 10:20 ThE NuTcRAckER - bOLshOI bALLET LIvE Sun 12:55 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR (G) Thu 2:55 Fri-Wed 12:10 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR 3d (G) Thu 5:20, 7:45, 10:05 Fri-Tue 2:55, 5:20, 7:45, 10:05 Wed 2:55, 5:20, 7:45 ThE ThEORy Of EvERyThINg (PG) 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30 Wed no 7:30, 10:30 uNbROkEN (14A) Wed 7:30

AWAkE: ThE LIfE Of yOgANANdA (G) Fri-Wed 6:15 bOyhOOd (14A) Sat, Mon, Wed 12:45 cOPENhAgEN (14A) Thu 1:45, 7:15 Fri-Wed 5:30 fITzWILLy Fri-Wed 11:00 fORcE MAjEuRE (14A) Thu 3:30, 9:00 Fri-Wed 12:45, 9:15 ThE huNdREd-fOOT jOuRNEy (PG) Thu 2:30 Fri, Sun, Tue 12:45 My OLd LAdy (PG) Thu 12:00, 5:30 Fri-Wed 11:00, 4:35 NIghTcRAWLER (14A) Thu 9:05 Fri-Sat 7:15, 11:00 SunWed 7:15 ThE 100-yEAR-OLd MAN WhO cLIMbEd OuT ThE WINdOW ANd dIsAPPEAREd (14A) Sat, Mon, Wed 3:30 PRIdE (14A) Thu 5:15 Fri, Sun, Tue 3:30 ROsEWATER (14A) Thu 12:45 WhIPLAsh (14A) Thu 11:00, 7:15 Fri-Wed 9:15 zERO MOTIvATION (14A) Fri-Wed 2:45, 7:40

3:20, 6:40, 10:00 Mon 3:00, 6:20, 9:40 Tue 3:00, 6:20, 9:35 Wed 12:50, 4:00 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs 3d (PG) Thu 12:40, 2:00, 4:05, 5:30, 7:30, 9:00, 10:50 Fri 1:00, 3:00, 4:20, 6:30, 7:40, 10:00, 11:00 Sat-Sun 11:30, 1:00, 3:00, 4:20, 6:30, 7:40, 10:00, 11:00 Mon-Tue 12:45, 3:00, 4:00, 6:30, 7:20, 10:00, 10:35 Wed 2:50, 3:00, 6:20, 6:30, 9:40, 10:00 fREd cLAus (PG) Sat 11:00 ThE gAMbLER (14A) Wed 7:50, 10:35 gONE gIRL (14A) Thu 3:20, 9:55 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs 3d (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:00, 3:30, 3:50, 6:20, 7:00, 7:10, 9:40, 10:30 Fri 12:10, 12:50, 3:30, 4:10, 6:50, 7:30, 10:10, 10:40, 10:50 Sat 12:00, 12:10, 12:50, 3:30, 4:10, 6:50, 7:00, 7:30, 10:10, 10:40, 10:50 Sun 12:00, 12:50, 3:30, 4:10, 6:50, 7:00, 7:30, 10:10, 10:30, 10:50 Mon-Tue 12:30, 3:00, 3:10, 3:50, 6:30, 7:10, 9:50, 10:00, 10:30 Wed 12:25, 3:00, 3:10, 3:50, 6:30, 7:10, 9:50, 10:00, 10:30 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs (PG) Thu 2:10, 2:30, 5:30, 6:00, 8:50, 9:30 Fri 2:30, 2:50, 6:00, 6:10, 7:00, 9:30 Sat 11:30, 2:30, 2:50, 6:00, 6:10, 9:30 Sun 2:30, 2:50, 6:00, 6:10, 9:30 Mon-Wed 2:10, 2:30, 5:50, 6:00, 9:10, 9:30 hORRIbLE bOssEs 2 (18A) Thu 2:40, 3:00, 5:20, 6:30, 8:00, 10:00, 10:40 Fri 12:15, 3:00, 5:45, 8:20, 10:55 Sat 2:00, 4:50, 8:20, 10:55 Sun 3:00, 5:45, 8:20, 10:55 MonTue 2:40, 5:20, 8:00, 10:35 Wed 2:40, 5:20 ThE huNgER gAMEs: MOckINgjAy – PART 1 (PG) Thu 1:50, 3:00, 4:50, 6:30, 7:50, 10:00, 10:45 Fri 12:35, 3:00, 3:40, 6:30, 9:40, 10:00 Sat 11:30, 12:20, 3:00, 3:40, 6:30, 9:40, 10:00 Sun 11:30, 12:30, 3:00, 3:40, 6:30, 9:40, 10:00 Mon-Tue 12:25, 3:00, 3:20, 6:10, 6:30, 9:05, 10:00 Wed 1:35, 3:00, 4:30, 6:30, 10:00 ThE IMITATION gAME (PG) Fri 1:30, 4:30, 7:20, 7:40, 10:20, 11:10 Sat 11:00, 1:00, 1:50, 4:30, 7:20, 7:40, 10:20, 11:10 Sun 1:00, 1:30, 4:30, 7:20, 7:40, 10:20, 11:00 MonTue 1:20, 4:10, 4:30, 7:00, 7:40, 9:55, 11:00 Wed 12:35, 3:30, 4:30, 6:50, 7:40, 9:45, 11:00 INTERsTELLAR (PG) Thu 2:20, 6:30, 10:10 Fri-Sun 2:30, 6:20, 10:05 Mon 2:50, 10:10 Tue 1:05, 4:50, 8:30 Wed 3:00 INTO ThE WOOds (PG) Wed 7:25, 10:25 IT’s A WONdERfuL LIfE (G) Sat, Wed 12:30 Mon 7:00 NIghT AT ThE MusEuM: sEcRET Of ThE TOMb (PG) Thu 7:25 Fri 12:15, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Sat 12:00, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Sun 12:10, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Mon-Wed 12:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00 ThE NuTcRAckER - bOLshOI bALLET LIvE Sun 12:55 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR (G) Thu 2:30 Fri-Sun 12:40 Mon 12:50 Tue 12:20 Wed 2:00 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR 3d (G) Thu 5:00, 7:20, 9:45 Fri-Sun 3:10, 5:35, 8:00, 10:30 Mon-Tue 2:00, 4:40, 7:40, 10:05 Wed 4:40, 7:40, 10:05 ThE ThEORy Of EvERyThINg (PG) Thu 12:50, 3:40, 10:00 Fri-Sun 9:50 Mon-Tue 9:25 Wed 8:55 TOP fIvE (18A) Thu 2:00, 4:40, 7:40, 10:15 Fri-Sat 2:20, 5:25, 8:10, 10:45 Sun 12:05, 2:20, 5:25, 8:10, 10:45 Mon-Tue 2:30, 5:10, 7:50, 10:20 Wed 12:15, 2:30, 5:10, 8:00, 10:30 uNbROkEN (14A) Wed 7:20, 10:35 WILd (18A) Thu 1:40, 4:30, 7:45, 10:35 Fri 12:25, 2:10, 5:05, 7:55, 10:40 Sat 11:20, 2:10, 5:05, 7:55, 10:40 Sun 12:20, 4:50, 7:55, 10:40 Mon-Tue 1:45, 4:30, 7:35, 10:25 Wed 12:15, 4:10, 6:45, 9:30

QueenSWay (Ce)

rainboW Woodbine (i)

Metro West End HuMber CineMaS (i) 2442 bloor ST. WeST, 416-769-2442

ANNIE (PG) Fri 3:35, 6:50, 9:45 Sat-Tue 1:00, 3:35, 6:50, 9:45 Wed 1:00, 3:35, 6:50 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs (PG) Thu-Fri 3:25, 6:30, 9:25 Sat-Tue 12:30, 3:25, 6:30, 9:25 Wed 12:30, 3:25, 6:30 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs (PG) ThuFri 3:45, 6:40, 9:35 Sat-Tue 12:45, 3:45, 6:40, 9:35 Wed 12:45, 3:45, 6:40 ThE huNgER gAMEs: MOckINgjAy – PART 1 (PG) Thu 4:00, 7:00, 9:45 NIghT AT ThE MusEuM: sEcRET Of ThE TOMb (PG) Fri 4:00, 7:00, 9:15 Sat-Tue 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:15 Wed 1:30, 4:00, 7:00 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR (G) Thu 3:35, 6:20, 9:00

KingSWay THeaTre (i) 3030 bloor ST W, 416-232-1939

1025 THe QueenSWay, QeW & iSlingTon, 416-503-0424 ANNIE (PG) Thu 7:00 Fri 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 10:15 Sat 11:25, 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 10:15 Sun 11:50, 1:10, 4:00, 7:10, 10:15 Mon-Tue 12:35, 3:30, 6:50, 9:45 Wed 12:45, 3:40, 6:40, 9:35 bIg hERO 6 (PG) Thu 1:30 Fri, Sun 1:40 Sat 11:00 Mon-Tue 12:55 Wed 12:20 bIg hERO 6 3d (PG) Thu 4:15, 6:50, 9:30 Fri, Sun 4:20, 7:00 Sat 1:40, 4:20, 7:00 Mon-Tue 3:40, 6:40 Wed 3:20, 6:10 duMb ANd duMbER TO (PG) Thu 12:55, 3:30, 6:45, 9:25 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs (PG) Thu 3:10, 6:40, 10:05 Fri 3:20, 6:40, 10:00 Sat 11:10, 3:20, 6:40, 10:00 Sun 11:55,

december 18-24 2014 NOW

Woodbine CenTre, 500 rexdale blvd, 416-213-1998 ANNIE (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:35 Fri-Tue 1:00, 3:50, 6:35, 9:15 Wed 1:00, 3:50, 6:35 bIg hERO 6 (PG) 1:10, 4:00 duMb ANd duMbER TO (PG) Thu 1:25, 4:05, 6:50, 9:35 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs (PG) Thu 1:00, 4:30, 8:00 Fri-Wed 12:45, 3:55, 7:15 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:30, 6:35, 9:40 Fri-Tue 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 Wed 12:30, 3:30, 6:30 ThE huNgER gAMEs: MOckINgjAy – PART 1 (PG) Thu 1:05, 3:45 Fri-Tue 6:40, 9:35 ThE INTERvIEW (14A) Wed 7:00

MR. PEAbOdy & shERMAN (G) Sat 11:00 NIghT AT ThE MusEuM: sEcRET Of ThE TOMb (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:25 Fri-Tue 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:25 Wed 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR (G) Thu 1:30, 4:10, 6:45, 9:15 Fri-Tue 12:25, 2:35, 4:45, 7:00, 9:20 Wed 12:25, 2:35, 4:45 TOP fIvE (18A) Thu 1:20, 3:55, 7:00, 9:30 Fri-Tue 1:05, 4:15, 7:05, 9:40 Wed 1:05, 4:15, 7:05 uNbROkEN (14A) Wed 7:00

revue (i)

400 ronCeSvalleS ave, 416-531-9959 A chRIsTMAs sTORy (PG) Sat 2:00 Wed 4:00 NATIONAL LAMPOON’s chRIsTMAs vAcATION (PG) Sat 4:00 NIghTcRAWLER (14A) Fri, Sun 9:00 Sat, Tue 7:00 RIsE Of ThE guARdIANs (G) Sun 2:00, 4:00 Mon 7:00 WhIPLAsh (14A) Fri, Sun 7:00 Sat, Tue 9:30 Mon 9:00

East End beaCH CineMaS (aa) 1651 Queen ST e, 416-699-1327

bIg hERO 6 (PG) Thu 6:30, 9:15 Fri 3:50, 6:40, 9:15 Sat-Tue

1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 9:15 Wed 1:00, 3:50, 6:40 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs 3d (PG) Thu 7:00, 10:20 Fri 3:40, 7:00, 10:20 Sat-Tue 12:15, 3:40, 7:00, 10:20 Wed 12:15, 3:40, 7:00 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs 3d (PG) Fri 3:30, 6:50, 10:00 Sat-Tue 12:00, 3:30, 6:50, 10:00 Wed 12:00, 3:30, 6:50 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs (PG) Thu 6:45, 10:10 ThE huNgER gAMEs: MOckINgjAy – PART 1 (PG) Thu 7:20, 10:30 Fri 4:00, 7:20, 10:10 Sat-Tue 12:40, 4:00, 7:20, 10:10 Wed 12:40, 4:00, 7:20 NIghT AT ThE MusEuM: sEcRET Of ThE TOMb (PG) Fri 4:15, 7:10, 9:40 Sat-Tue 1:15, 4:15, 7:10, 9:40 Wed 1:15, 4:15, 7:10 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR (G) Sat-Wed 12:30 PENguINs Of MAdAgAscAR 3d (G) Thu 7:30, 9:50 Fri 4:30, 7:30, 9:50 Sat-Tue 2:45, 5:00, 7:30, 9:50 Wed 2:45, 5:00, 7:30 ThE ThEORy Of EvERyThINg (PG) Thu 7:10, 10:00

Fox (i)

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bIg hERO 6 (PG) Fri-Wed 12:05, 2:35, 7:40 bIg hERO 6 3d (PG) Thu 3:15, 6:00, 9:35 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs (PG) Thu 3:05 Fri-Wed 4:00 ExOdus: gOds ANd kINgs 3d (PG) Thu 6:40, 10:10 FriTue 12:40, 7:20, 10:35 Wed 12:40, 7:20 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs – AN IMAx 3d ExPERIENcE (PG) Thu 3:50, 7:10, 10:30 Fri-Tue 12:50, 4:10, 7:30, 10:50 Wed 12:50, 4:10, 7:30 ThE hObbIT: ThE bATTLE Of ThE fIvE ARMIEs 3d (PG) Thu 9:40 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 12:00, 10:00 Sun 12:15, 10:00 Wed 12:00 continued on page 88 œ

film spotlight

T.O. critics champion Boyhood Boyhood, starring Ellar Coltrane, got lots of love from critics.

Choosing between three very different films, the Toronto Film Critics Association embraced the sprawling experimental narrative of Boyhood over the immaculate design of The Grand Budapest Hotel and the shaggy-dog detective story of Inherent Vice. Boyhood also won prizes for director Richard Linklater and supporting actress Patricia Arquette. The Grand Budapest Hotel saw Wes

Anderson honoured for his screenplay, co-written with Hugo Guinness. Tom Hardy was named best actor for his solo turn as a conflicted builder driving from Birmingham to London in Locke, while Marion Cotillard took best actress for her turn as a Polish émigrée in 1920s New York in The Immigrant, and J.K. Simmons best supporting actor for his role as a martinet conductor in Whiplash. Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox was

named best first feature, while Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure took best foreign-language film. Jesse Moss’s The Overnighters won the Allan King Documentary Award, which comes with a $5,000 cash prize; Isao Takahata’s The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya won best animated feature. The TFCA’s Jay Scott Prize for an emerging artist was awarded to Albert Shin, whose South Korean drama In Her Place was hailed at TIFF and one of this year’s Canada’s Top Ten features. Denis Villeneuve’s psychological thriller Enemy, Michael Dowse’s romantic comedy The F Word and Xavier Dolan’s Cannes-lauded psychodrama Mommy were announced as the finalists for this year’s Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, which comes with a $100,000 cash prize. The winner will be announced at the TFCA’s awards gala on January 6, 2015. Disclosure: I’ve been the vicepresident and secretary of the organization since 2008. It’s fun!

TFCA AWARDS 2014 BEST PICTURE Boyhood (Runners-up: The Grand Budapest Hotel; Inherent Vice) BEST ACTOR Tom Hardy, Locke (Runners-up: Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel; Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler) BEST ACTRESS Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant (Runners-up: Julianne Moore, Still Alice; Reese Witherspoon, Wild) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (Runners-up: Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice; Edward Norton, Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (Runners-up: Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer; Katherine Waterston, Inherent Vice)

BEST DIRECTOR Richard Linklater, Boyhood (Runners-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice; Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel) BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED OR ORIGINAL The Grand Budapest Hotel, screenplay by Wes Anderson from a story by Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness (Runners-up: Boyhood, written by Richard Linklater; Inherent Vice, screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon) BEST FIRST FEATURE The Lunchbox, directed by Ritesh Batra (Runners-up: John Wick, directed by Chad Stahelski; Nightcrawler, directed by Dan Gilroy) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (GKids)

(Runners-up: Big Hero 6, Walt Disney Studios; How to Train Your Dragon 2, 20th Century Fox; The Lego Movie, Warner Bros.) BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM Force Majeure (filmswelike) (Runners-up: Ida, filmswelike; Leviathan, Mongrel Media) ALLAN KING DOCUMENTARY AWARD The Overnighters (filmswelike) (Runners-up: Citizenfour, Entertainment One; Manakamana, filmswelike) SCOTIABANK JAY SCOTT PRIZE FOR AN EMERGING ARTIST Albert Shin, director of In Her Place ROGERS BEST CANADIAN FILM AWARD CONTENDERS Enemy (Entertainment One) The F Word (Entertainment One) Mommy (Entertainment One) NORMAN WILNER

movie times œcontinued from page 86

The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 3:00, 6:10 Fri-Wed 3:20, 6:45 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 4:10, 7:20, 9:55 Fri-Tue 5:05, 10:15 Wed 5:05 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:20, 9:15 Fri-Tue 1:15, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55 Wed 1:15, 4:20, 7:10 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 3:10, 6:50, 10:25 Fri-Tue 2:45, 6:30, 10:05 Wed 2:45, 6:30 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) 12:20, 2:55, 5:20, 7:50, 10:25 Wed no 10:25 The nuTcracker - bolshoi balleT live Sun 12:55 Penguins of madagascar (G) Fri-Wed 12:30, 2:00 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Thu 4:25, 6:55, 9:25 Fri-Tue 4:30, 6:55, 9:30 Wed 4:30, 6:55 The Theory of everyThing (PG) Thu 3:40, 7:40, 10:20 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 1:00, 3:50, 7:00, 9:45 Sun 3:50, 7:00, 9:45 Wed 1:00, 3:50, 7:00 Wild (18A) Thu 4:20, 7:00, 10:00 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 1:30, 5:00, 8:00, 10:45 Sun 1:00, 5:00, 8:00, 10:45 Wed 1:30, 5:00, 8:00

Sun 12:30, 2:40 Tue 2:30 Wed 2:00 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 6:30, 10:00 FriSun 6:10, 10:00 Mon-Tue 6:00, 9:30 Wed 5:30, 9:00 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 2:30, 6:00, 7:00, 9:30, 10:30 Fri 3:20, 4:50, 6:50, 8:40, 10:30 Sat-Sun 12:00, 3:20, 4:50, 6:50, 8:40, 10:30 Mon-Tue 2:00, 5:30, 6:30, 9:00, 10:00 Wed 1:00, 4:30, 6:00, 8:00, 9:30 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 3:30 Sat-Sun 1:00 Mon-Tue 3:00 Wed 2:30 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 2:00, 5:30, 9:00 Fri-Sun 4:00, 7:30, 11:00 Mon 4:00, 10:30 Tue 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Wed 3:30, 6:30, 10:00 iT’s a Wonderful life (G) Sat, Wed 12:30 Mon 7:00 The Theory of everyThing (PG) Thu, Mon, Wed 1:30, 5:00, 8:30 Fri 2:10, 5:30, 9:20 Sat-Sun 1:30, 5:30, 9:20 Tue 1:30, 4:30, 7:30

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FairVieW Mall, 1800 ShepparD aVe e, 416-644-7746 annie (PG) Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 11:00, 1:50, 4:50, 7:40, 10:30 Sun 1:50, 4:50, 7:40, 10:30 Wed 11:00, 1:50, 4:50, 7:40 big hero 6 (PG) Thu 1:40 Fri-Sun, Tue-Wed 11:20, 2:00 Mon 11:20, 1:55 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 4:30, 7:10, 9:45 Fri-Sun, Tue-Wed 7:20 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 1:30, 4:50, 7:25, 10:00 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu 3:25 Fri-Wed 3:20 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 1:30, 6:45, 10:10 Fri-Tue 12:00, 6:50, 10:15 Wed 12:00, 6:50 fred claus (PG) Sat 11:00 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:50, 6:30, 7:10, 10:30 Fri-Tue 11:40, 12:30, 3:50, 7:10, 9:40, 10:25 Wed 11:40, 12:30, 3:50, 7:10 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 3:15, 9:50 Fri-Wed 3:00, 6:20 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 2:00, 4:45, 7:35, 10:20 FriSun, Tue 4:40, 10:00 Mon 4:25, 10:00 Wed 4:40 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 1:15, 4:25, 7:15, 10:15 Fri, Sun-Tue 12:40, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 Sat 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 Wed 4:00, 7:00 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 2:15, 6:15, 9:55 Fri, Mon-Tue 11:10, 2:50, 6:30, 10:05 Sat-Sun 2:50, 6:30, 10:05 Wed 11:10, 2:50, 6:30 iT’s a Wonderful life (G) Sat, Wed 12:30 Mon 7:00 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) FriSat, Mon-Tue 11:50, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55 Sun 12:20, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 9:55 Wed 11:50, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 1:00 Fri-Sat, MonWed 11:30, 2:10 Sun 2:10 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Thu 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Fri-Tue 4:30, 6:55, 9:30 Wed 4:30, 6:55

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annie (PG) Thu 7:00 Fri 10:15, 1:00, 3:50, 7:00, 10:00 Sat-Sun 1:00, 3:50, 7:00, 10:00 Mon-Tue 1:15, 4:20, 7:20, 10:00 Wed 1:00, 4:00, 7:20 big hero 6 (PG) Thu 12:45 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:30, 9:10 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 1:45, 4:20, 9:50 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu, Mon-Wed 3:40 Fri-Sun 4:00 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu, Mon-Tue 12:20, 7:00, 10:20 Fri-Sun 12:40, 7:20, 10:40 Wed 12:20, 7:30 fred claus (PG) Sat 11:00 The gambler (14A) Wed 7:00 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 12:30, 2:00, 3:50, 5:30, 7:10, 9:00, 10:00, 10:30 FriSun 12:10, 12:50, 3:30, 4:10, 6:50, 7:30, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50 Mon-Tue 12:30, 2:00, 3:50, 5:30, 7:10, 9:00, 9:50, 10:30 Wed 12:30, 1:15, 3:50, 4:30, 7:10, 7:50 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 9:30, 12:00, 3:20, 6:40 Fri-Sun 11:30, 2:50, 6:10 Mon-Wed 12:00, 3:15, 6:30 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 1:15, 4:10, 10:10 Fri-Sun 9:20 Mon-Tue 9:10 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 1:00, 4:30, 7:30, 10:25 Fri-Sun 12:30, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 Mon-Tue 12:50, 4:00, 6:50, 9:40 Wed 12:50, 4:00, 6:50 inTersTellar (PG) Fri, Sun 12:20 Sat 1:30 Mon-Tue 1:00 Wed 12:40 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) Thu 7:00 Fri 10:00, 12:00, 1:40, 2:30, 4:20, 5:10, 7:10, 7:50, 9:50, 10:30 Sat 11:15, 12:00, 1:40, 2:30, 4:20, 5:10, 7:10, 7:50, 9:50, 10:30 Sun 12:00, 1:40, 2:30, 4:20, 5:10, 7:10, 7:50, 9:50, 10:30 Mon-Tue 12:10, 1:30, 2:40, 4:10, 5:10, 6:40, 7:40, 9:30, 10:10 Wed 12:10, 1:30, 2:40, 4:10, 5:10, 6:40, 7:40 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 1:30 Fri 11:40, 2:00 Sat 11:45, 1:50 Sun 11:40, 1:50 Mon-Wed 12:40 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Thu 4:00, 6:50, 9:20 Fri-Sun 4:30, 7:00 Mon-Tue 3:30, 6:15 Wed 3:30 ToP five (18A) Thu 1:45, 4:20, 7:30, 10:00 Fri, Sun 4:40, 7:40, 10:20 Sat 5:00, 7:40, 10:20 Mon-Tue 4:40, 7:30, 10:10 Wed 4:20

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annie (PG) Fri, Sun-Mon 12:05, 1:15, 4:10, 7:00, 9:50 Sat 11:10, 1:15, 4:10, 7:00, 9:50 Tue 11:55, 1:15, 4:10, 7:00, 9:50 Wed 12:05, 1:15, 4:10, 7:00 big hero 6 (PG) Thu 5:05 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:00, 1:55 Sat 1:55 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 7:40 Fri-Tue 4:30, 7:30, 10:10 Wed 4:30, 7:30 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 5:25, 8:05 Fri-Mon 2:10, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Tue 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Wed 2:10, 5:10, 7:45 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu 5:00 Fri-Wed 3:35 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 8:15 Fri-Tue 12:20, 6:50, 10:05 Wed 12:20, 6:50 fred claus (PG) Sat 11:00 gone girl (14A) Thu 4:55, 8:00 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 5:10, 8:20 Fri-Tue 12:30, 2:55, 3:50, 7:10, 9:40, 10:20 Wed 12:30, 2:55, 3:50, 7:10 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 7:25 Fri, Sun-Mon, Wed 6:30 Sat 11:30, 6:30 Tue 11:45, 6:30 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 5:45, 8:20 Fri-Tue 2:45, 5:25, 8:00, 10:30 Wed 2:45, 5:15, 7:45 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 5:35, 8:25 Fri-Tue 1:00, 4:00, 6:45, 9:35 Wed 1:00, 4:00, 6:45 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 7:45 Fri-Wed 12:45, 6:45 john Wick (14A) Thu 6:00, 8:25 Fri-Tue 4:20, 10:30 Wed 4:20

nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) Fri, Sun-Tue 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:40, 10:10 Sat 11:20, 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:40, 10:10 Wed 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:40 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 5:15 Fri-Wed 12:00, 2:20, 4:45 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Thu 7:35 Fri-Tue 7:20, 10:00 Wed 7:20

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annie (PG) Fri-Wed 1:25, 4:35, 7:25, 10:25 big hero 6 (PG) Thu 1:30 Fri, Sun-Wed 1:15 Sat 11:05 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 4:10, 7:00, 9:50 Fri, Sun-Wed 4:00, 7:20 Sat 1:50, 4:35, 7:20 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 12:40, 3:20, 6:00 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu-Fri, Sun-Wed 3:55 Sat 3:50 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) 12:35, 7:15, 10:35 Sat only 12:15 7:15 10:35 fred claus (PG) Sat 11:00 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:20, 3:50, 6:40, 7:10, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30 Fri-Sat 12:10, 12:50, 3:30, 4:10, 6:50, 7:30, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50 Sun 12:50, 3:30, 4:10, 6:50, 7:30, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50 Mon-Wed 12:30, 3:10, 3:50, 6:30, 7:10, 9:10, 9:50, 10:30 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) ThuFri, Sun 2:50, 6:10 Sat 11:30, 2:50, 6:10 Mon-Wed 2:30, 5:50 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 1:55, 4:45, 7:35, 10:20 Fri-Sat 1:00, 3:45, 10:15 Sun 4:20, 10:45 Mon-Wed 1:00, 3:45, 10:10 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 1:05 4:05 7:05 10:10 Fri-Wed 1:05, 4:05, 7:00, 10:05 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 2:00, 5:45, 9:30 Fri-Sat 6:30, 10:00 Sun 7:00, 10:00 Mon-Wed 6:25, 10:00 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:20 Sat only 12:00 2:40 5:15 7:50 10:20 The nuTcracker - bolshoi balleT live Sun 12:55 PasT Tense (PG) Thu 1:25, 4:20, 7:30, 10:25 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 1:35 Fri, Sun-Wed 1:30 Sat 1:45 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 Pk Thu 9:00 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:15, 3:40, 7:05, 10:30 Sat 11:45, 3:15, 7:05, 10:30 ToP five (18A) Thu 2:00 4:40 7:20 10:05 Fri-Wed 2:00, 4:40, 7:35, 10:15 Sat 11:20 mat

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annie (PG) Thu 7:15 Fri 12:20, 1:45, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20 Sat 11:40, 1:45, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20 Sun, Tue 12:15, 1:45, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20 Mon 12:45, 1:45, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20 Wed 1:25, 4:20, 6:40, 9:35 big hero 6 (PG) 12:15, 2:25 Sat only 11:45 2:25 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 2:15, 4:55, 7:35, 10:20 Fri-Wed 5:10, 7:50 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 4:30, 10:15 Fri-Wed 10:30 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu 5:30, 9:30 Fri 3:15, 6:35, 10:00 Sat 12:35, 3:50, 7:15, 10:40 Sun, Tue 3:10, 6:35, 10:00 Mon 3:40, 6:35, 10:05 Wed 12:35, 3:50 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 3:40, 7:00, 10:25 Fri, Sun-Tue 12:30, 3:50, 7:15, 10:40 Sat 11:50, 3:10, 6:35, 10:00 Wed 11:55, 3:15, 6:40, 10:05 fred claus (PG) Sat 11:00 The gambler (14A) Wed 7:15, 10:00 gone girl (14A) Thu 3:35, 10:10 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 3:50, 4:50, 7:10, 8:10, 9:35, 10:30 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:10, 12:50, 2:50, 4:10, 6:10, 7:30, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50 Sat 11:30, 12:10, 12:50, 2:50, 4:10, 6:10, 7:30, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 2:50, 6:10 Fri-Wed 3:30, 6:50 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 4:05, 6:45, 9:55 Fri, Sun, Tue 12:00, 2:45, 5:25, 8:10, 10:50 Sat 4:00, 6:55, 9:50 Mon 1:00, 3:45, 10:00 Wed 4:00 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 3:30, 4:00, 6:30, 7:05, 9:30, 10:00 Fri-Wed 1:30, 4:30, 7:35, 10:35 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 2:15, 6:00, 9:45 Fri, Sun-Wed 3:00, 6:45, 10:30 Sat 11:15, 2:50, 6:30, 10:15 inTo The Woods (PG) Wed 7:15, 10:15 iT’s a Wonderful life (G) Sat, Wed 12:30 Mon 7:00 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) Thu 7:00 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:05, 2:00, 2:40, 4:35, 5:15, 7:10, 7:50, 9:45, 10:25 Sat 11:30, 12:05, 2:00, 2:40, 4:35, 5:15, 7:10, 7:50, 9:45, 10:25 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 5:00 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:10, 2:35, 5:00 Sat 11:10, 2:35, 5:00 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Thu-Tue 7:20, 9:40 Pk Thu 9:25 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:35 Sat 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 sT. vincenT (14A) Thu 4:55, 7:25 The Theory of everyThing (PG) Thu 4:25, 6:55, 9:45 Fri-Tue 1:10, 4:05, 7:00, 9:55 Wed 1:10, 4:05 ToP five (18A) Thu 2:05, 4:40, 7:20, 10:05 Fri-Tue 12:20, 2:55, 5:30, 8:05, 10:45 Wed 1:45, 4:25, 7:05, 9:50 unbroken (14A) Wed 7:25, 10:40

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GTA Regions North ColoSSuS (Ce) hWy 400 & 7, 905-851-1001

alexander and The Terrible, horrible, no good,

very bad day (PG) Thu 3:25, 5:30 annie (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:55 Fri-Wed 1:10, 4:15, 7:10, 10:10 big hero 6 (PG) Fri-Wed 1:55 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 4:15, 7:10, 10:00 Fri-Wed 4:35, 7:15, 9:45 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 4:50, 7:30, 10:05 Fri, Sun-Tue 2:10, 4:50, 7:40, 10:15 Sat 11:30, 2:10, 4:50, 7:40, 10:15 Wed 2:10, 4:50 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu 3:20, 6:40, 9:55 Fri-Tue 12:05, 3:20, 6:40, 10:05 Wed 12:05, 3:20 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 4:10, 7:30, 10:45 Fri-Wed 12:45, 4:00, 7:20, 10:45 fred claus (PG) Sat 11:00 fury (14A) Thu 4:05 The gambler (14A) Wed 8:10, 11:00 gone girl (14A) Thu 3:50, 7:15, 10:30 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies – an imax 3d exPerience (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:50, 10:10 Fri-Wed 12:20, 3:40, 7:00, 10:20 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 3:10, 4:00, 6:30, 7:20, 8:45, 9:50, 10:40 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:00, 12:50, 3:10, 4:10, 6:30, 7:30, 9:20, 9:50, 10:50 Sat 11:40, 12:50, 3:10, 4:10, 6:30, 7:30, 9:20, 9:50, 10:50 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 5:15 Fri, Sun-Wed 2:40, 6:00 Sat 11:10, 2:40, 6:00 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 Fri-Wed 12:25, 3:00, 5:40, 8:15, 10:55 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 3:40, 4:30, 6:55, 7:40, 9:45, 10:30 Fri-Wed 1:30, 4:30, 7:25, 10:25 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 3:15, 6:45, 10:20 Fri-Wed 12:00, 3:30, 7:05, 10:35 inTo The Woods (PG) Wed 7:40, 10:40 john Wick (14A) Thu 3:10, 5:35 Fri-Sat, Mon-Tue 1:00, 3:35, 6:05, 8:30, 11:00 Sun 3:35, 6:05, 8:30, 11:00 Wed 1:00, 3:35 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) Thu 7:35, 10:00 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:15, 2:00, 2:45, 4:40, 5:15, 7:10, 7:50, 9:35, 10:15 Sat 11:20, 12:15, 2:00, 2:45, 4:40, 5:15, 7:10, 7:50, 9:35, 10:15 The nuTcracker - bolshoi balleT live Sun 12:55 Penguins of madagascar (G) 12:30, 2:50 Sat only 12:55 2:50 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Thu 4:40, 7:05, 9:30 Fri-Wed 5:10, 7:35, 9:55 Pk Thu 9:00 Fri-Sat, Mon-Wed 12:40, 4:05, 7:20, 10:40 Sun 12:05, 4:05, 7:20, 10:40 The Theory of everyThing (PG) Thu 4:35, 7:25, 10:15 Fri-Tue 1:05, 3:50, 6:55, 10:00 Wed 1:05, 3:50 ToP five (18A) Thu 5:00, 7:55, 10:35 Fri-Wed 12:10, 2:35, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30 unbroken (14A) Wed 7:00, 10:05

rainboW proMenaDe (i)

proMenaDe Mall, hWy 7 & baThurST, 416-494-9371 annie (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:40 Fri-Wed 12:55, 3:55, 6:55, 9:35 big hero 6 (PG) 1:00, 4:00 birdman or (The unexPecTed virTue of ignorance) (14A) Thu 6:45 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 Fri-Wed 1:05, 4:15, 7:30 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 12:30 3:35 6:35 9:35 Fri-Wed 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 4:05, 9:45 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 12:50, 3:45 Fri-Tue 6:50, 9:40 inTo The Woods (PG) Wed 7:00, 9:45 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:15 Fri-Wed 1:10, 4:05, 7:00, 9:15 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 1:15, 4:15, 6:55, 9:15 Fri-Tue 1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 9:15 Wed 1:15, 4:10 unbroken (14A) Wed 7:30

West granDe - STeeleS (Ce) hWy 410 & STeeleS, 905-455-1590

big hero 6 (PG) Sat-Wed 1:55 big hero 6 3d (PG) Thu 5:10, 7:50 Fri, Mon-Tue 4:35, 7:15, 9:50 Sat-Sun 4:35, 7:15, 10:05 Wed 4:35, 7:15 dumb and dumber To (PG) Thu 5:20, 7:55 Fri 4:55, 7:35, 10:30 Sat-Sun 2:00, 5:00, 7:35, 10:30 Mon-Tue 1:30, 4:10, 7:05, 10:00 Wed 1:30, 4:10, 7:05 exodus: gods and kings (PG) Fri 3:40 Sat-Sun 3:55 Mon-Tue 3:30 Wed 4:45 exodus: gods and kings 3d (PG) Thu 4:40, 8:00 Fri 7:10, 10:35 Sat-Sun 12:35, 7:10, 10:35 Mon-Tue 12:10, 7:00, 10:25 Wed 1:00, 8:00 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies 3d (PG) Thu 5:00, 7:45, 8:15 Fri 3:20, 4:10, 7:30, 10:00, 10:50 SatSun 12:00, 12:50, 3:20, 4:10, 7:30, 10:00, 10:50 Mon-Tue 12:00, 12:30, 3:00, 3:50, 7:10, 9:40, 10:30 Wed 12:00, 12:30, 3:10, 4:00, 7:40 The hobbiT: The baTTle of The five armies (PG) Thu 4:30 Fri-Sun 6:40 Mon-Tue 6:20 Wed 7:00 horrible bosses 2 (18A) Thu 4:50, 7:30 Fri 3:05, 5:30, 8:05, 10:45 Sat-Sun 12:00, 2:30, 5:10, 8:00, 10:45 Mon-Tue 2:00, 4:40, 7:30, 10:15 Wed 2:00, 4:40, 7:30 The hunger games: mockingjay – ParT 1 (PG) Thu 5:30, 8:15 Fri 4:25, 7:25, 10:25 Sat-Tue 1:25, 4:25, 7:25, 10:25 Wed 1:25, 4:25, 7:25 inTersTellar (PG) Thu 4:30, 8:10 Fri 3:30, 7:05, 10:40 Sat-Sun 12:05, 3:30, 7:05, 10:40 Mon-Tue 12:00, 3:25, 6:55, 10:30 Wed 12:00, 3:25, 6:55 nighT aT The museum: secreT of The Tomb (PG) Fri 4:50, 7:50, 10:20 Sat-Tue 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:20 Wed 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50 Penguins of madagascar (G) Thu 5:15, 7:35 Sat-Sun 12:30 Mon-Wed 12:25 Penguins of madagascar 3d (G) Fri 3:00, 5:15, 7:45, 10:05 Sat-Sun 2:55, 5:20, 7:45, 9:55 Mon-Tue 2:55, 5:20, 7:45, 10:05 Wed 2:55, 5:20, 7:45 3

Curbside collection changes this Holiday Season There is no curbside recycling/organics/garbage collection on Christmas Day, December 25 and New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, January 1. Check your calendar for Thursday and Friday collection schedule changes.

Space provided through a partnership between industry and Ontario municipalities to support waste diversion programs. NOW december 18-24 2014

Savage Love By Dan Savage

What we left out We just did a live taping of the Savage Lovecast at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre. Audience members submitted more questions – anonymously, on index cards – than we could possibly answer during the Q&A segment of the show. So I’m answering some of the questions we didn’t get to in this week’s column. Here we go:

My partner wants Me to pee on hiM. I’m not so into it. Now what? Should I do the “one and done” thing or put it on the big “no way” list? ne and done – and with any luck, after seeO ing what a big nothing peeing on someone actually is, you’ll have a change of heart and peeing on your partner will wind up on your “once in a while, if you’re good, and only after I’ve had few beers so it’s basically just hot water” list.

My boyfriend seeMs to love the dog more than me. What gives? Apparently the dog does.

My dick g ets dry and kinda buMpy. Lately, there have been more bumps. Why? You might want to ask someone who reads braille to run their fingers over your cock – you know, just to rule out the possibility that Helen Keller is trying to communicate with you from the great beyond. You might also want to see a doctor – it could be HPV (sexually transmitted) or molluscum contagiosum (sometimes sexually transmitted), both of which require treatment, or it could simply be “pearly penile papules,” which are harmless and do not require treatment.

would you let a g rateful, Mostly straightish guy give you a hand job for all the good work you’ve done in the world? And would you let a straightish woman watch? Yes and no.

is it iMMoral to fuck an ex-professor who’s married and has three kids if his wife hasn’t fucked him since March? Yes (if he’s lying) and no (if he’s not).

what is the proper etiquette at

bie observer is tomorrow’s confident active player. Other fetish/sex clubs welcome only active players because they don’t want to be overrun by voyeurs, gawkers and tourists. Most clubs have contact info on their websites, so your best course of action is to email the place you want to attend and ask them.

in the past i’ve had boyfriends who were horrible gift-givers (Christmas, anniversary, birthday). Is the thought and time a guy puts into gift-giving an indicator of a good mate? I’m a lousy gift-giver but a decent mate – at least that’s what my husband tells me– so I may not be the best person to answer this question. But you’ve had multiple boyfriends who were lousy gift-givers, so this may be a question you can answer for yourself. Set aside the gift-giving issues/lapses/horrors and ask yourself if your boyfriends are decent mates otherwise.

i have not coMe froM a blow job since I was a 17-year-old boy. Do I give up on my quest to orgasm in someone’s mouth or do I continue to subject poor women to failure? Mix blow jobs and hand jobs together – jerk your cock to the point-of-inevitability place – and you’ll not fail.

My g ay husband of five years knew what he was getting when he got into our relationship: a total bottom. Now he wants to find a top to play with, but he also knew that I was not “open to open.” That was the price of admission. Can you tell him to stop annoying me?

The price of admission cuts both ways. The price of admission he had to pay to be with you: no other partners for him, no getting topped again, ever. But if he’s not willing to keep paying that price, then you may have to decide whether you’re willing to pay his price: he gets to play with another top – always safely, once in a great while, maybe with you – or he walks.

i’M a 25-year-old feMale. i started feeling attracted to girls in college and lost all attraction to men for three years. A year ago I started feeling attracted to men again and lost all interest in women. What is going on? LUGgage.

i provide counselling to a client who accesses the S&M community fairly frequently. She has shared with me that she often attends a dungeon in order for someone to inflict pain on her – not because she enjoys it, but because she’s hoping they’ll go far enough to put her life in jeopardy. She does not use the safe words provided to her. What are the ethics of this? Unless the kinksters at the dungeon she attends are engaged in extremely risky forms of edge play – breath control, asphyxiation, fire play, gunplay – her life is not in danger. (Suicide-by-cop is a thing, suicide-by-tit-clamp is not. So here’s hoping she’s bullshitting you.) But if she somehow managed to find the one public dungeon on earth where tops rely on bottoms to use their safe words to prevent their own deaths during edge play, what your client is doing is unethical and unfair. A top’s consent matters in a BDSM scene, too – and the people she’s playing with consented to top her, not off her. Tell her to knock it off.

Follow us on Twitter NOW @nowtoronto Michael Hollett ...............................................@m_hollett Alice Klein ...........................................................@aliceklein

i’M a 40-year-old veg etarian g uy living in a small college town and looking for an LTR. Sadly, most women my age eat meat. How do vegetarians and meat eaters compromise in LTRs? The meat eater agrees to keep a meat-free home; the vegetarian agrees to keep a Morrissey-free home.

i have a g lass dildo that i love, but i worry it might break if I go at it too rough. Is this possible? I don’t want to show up in the ER with glass in my vagina. Glass dildos – quality ones – are safer than many other kinds of dildos (non-porous surfaces, no icky chemicals), and one would have to be dropped from a great height onto a very hard surface to actually shatter. So unless you have a diaphragm made of marble and you’re relying on velocity to insert your glass dildo – your partner drops it from the top of a building, you catch it with your pussy – you’re in no danger.

Thanks to everyone who came to the live taping of the Savage Lovecast – including Adult Baby Jesus and the Human Menorah – and a very special thanks to the iTunes editorial team for naming the Savage Lovecast one of the iTunes best of 2014, along with Serial, WTF, The Moth and TED Radio Hour. Such amazing company! Find the complete list of top podcasts at iTunes.com/bestpodcasts2014. You can find the Lovecast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter

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Run Date: DEC 18th Toronto, ONT