NOW_2011-10-20 by NOW Magazine

T. 0. : Occupied

On the ground in St. James Park Occupiers: you’re doing everything right

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Transit City – not dead yet 22 MOVIES

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AJAX 85 Kingston Rd., Unit 7 Baywood Centre AURORA 15483 Yonge St., Unit 2B 14785 Yonge St. BOLTON 12612 Hwy. 50, Unit 15 BRAMPTON Bramalea City Centre Shopper’s World 30 Victoria Cres. 4520 Ebenezer Rd., Unit 6 253 Queen St. E, Unit 3 25 Peel Centre Drive 499 Main St. S BROOKLIN 5969 Baldwin St. S, Unit 7 COBOURG 975 Elgin St. W, Unit B DOWNSVIEW 1118 Finch Ave. W, Unit 1 ETOBICOKE Sherway Gardens 1234 The Queensway 22 Dixon Rd. 6620 Finch Ave. W, Unit 4 GEORGETOWN Georgetown Market Place MAPLE 2943 Major Mackenzie Dr., Unit 4 MARKHAM 3636 Steeles Ave. E, Unit 101 9570 McCowan Rd., Unit 4 Pacific Mall 505 Hood Rd., Unit 12 7780 Woodbine Ave., Unit 3 4300 Steeles Ave. E, Unit E32 4300 Steeles Ave. E, Unit E67 8901 Woodbine Ave., Suite 218 3255 Hwy. 7 E, Unit E98 MILTON 439 Main St. E MISSISSAUGA Meadowvale Town Centre Square One Dixie Outlet Mall Erin Mills Town Centre 153 Lakeshore Rd. E 6325 Dixie Rd., Unit 1 3105 Dundas St. W, Unit 102 7955 Financial Dr., Unit B 808 Britannia Rd. W, Unit 2 25 Watline Ave., Unit 10 102-3021 Argentia Rd. 7205 Goreway Dr. NEWMARKET 16715 Yonge St. NORTH YORK Peanut Plaza Sheridan Mall 1905 Avenue Rd. 4367 Steeles Ave. W 149C Ravel Rd. Fairview Mall 4905 Yonge St. 5815 Yonge St. 3111 Dufferin St. OAKVILLE 1027 Speers Rd., Unit 22 RioCentre Oakville OSHAWA Taunton Harmony Plaza 1053 Simcoe St. N, Unit 4B PICKERING Pickering Power Centre Smartcentres Pickering 611 Kingston Rd. RICHMOND HILL 9196 Yonge St. 1480 Major Mackenzie Dr. E Unit C3-3 10 West Pearce St., Bldg. B Hillcrest Mall Yonge Elgin Centre 9350 Yonge St. Times Square Mall SCARBOROUGH Woodside Square 1571 Sandhurst Cir., Unit 502K 5095 Sheppard Ave. E 1900 Eglinton Ave. E, Unit E5A 3300 McNicoll Ave. 1291 Kennedy Rd. 2555 Victoria Park Ave. Morningside Crossing Plaza 411 Kennedy Rd. 3495 Lawrence Ave. 1448 Lawrence Ave. E 5661 Steeles Ave. E, Unit 5 19 Milliken Blvd., Unit U THORNHILL 31 Disera Dr., Unit 140 Promenade Mall Shops on Steeles 6236 Yonge St. TORONTO Dragon City Mall 421 Dundas St. W, Unit G8 Dufferin Mall Gerrard Square 228 Queen’s Quay W 1015 Lakeshore Blvd. E 1821 Queen St. E 275 College St. 604 Bloor St. W 1348 St. Clair Ave. W 1461 Dundas St. W 2 St. Clair Ave. E 272 Danforth Ave. 471 Eglinton Ave. W 662 King St. W, Unit 2 939 Eglinton Ave. E, Unit 106 154 University Ave., Unit 101 2200 Yonge St., Unit 104 2397 Yonge St. 9A Yorkville Ave. East York Town Centre 2400 Bloor St. W 919 Bay St. 525 University Ave. Oriental Centre 1448 Lawerence Ave., E 10 Clock Tower Rd., Unit B1A 1118 Finch Ave. W, Unit 1 6236 Yonge St. UXBRIDGE 11 Brock St. W WHITBY Brooklin Towne Centre 25 Thickson Rd. N WOODBRIDGE 5317 Hwy. 7, Unit 2 200 Whitmore Rd.

AJAX 15 Westney Rd. N ANCASTER 73 Wilson St. W, Unit 27-29 AURORA 14879 Yonge St. 91 First Commerce Dr., Unit 5 BOWMANVILLE 2379 Hwy. 2, Unit 227 BRAMPTON 14 Lisa St. 10068 McLaughlin Rd. 9980 Airport Rd. 10025 Hurontario St. BURLINGTON 4059 New St. 2500 Appleby Line, Bldg. C COURTICE 1420 King St. E, Unit 7 ETOBICOKE 3015 Bloor St. W 1735 Kipling Ave. 250 The East Mall 500 Rexdale Blvd. 1530 Albion Rd. GEORGETOWN 5 Mountainview Rd. HAMILTON 640 Mohawk Rd. W, Unit 29 1227 Barton St. E, Bldg. Q MARKHAM 9275 Hwy. 48 5000 Hwy. 7 E 7690 Markham Rd. MILTON 459 Main St. E MISSISSAUGA 2116 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W 60 Bristol Rd. E 4141 Dixie Rd. 1250 Eglinton Ave. W, Unit A16 920 Southdown Rd. Bldg H, Unit 7 NEWMARKET 1065 Davis Dr. 18075 Yonge St. Upper Canada Mall OAKVILLE 1011 Upper Middle Rd., Unit C17 1500 Upper Middle Rd., Unit 2 240 Leighland Ave. OSHAWA 285 Taunton Rd. Oshawa Centre RICHMOND HILL 1070 Major Mackenzie Rd. E THORNHILL 9200 Bathurst St., Unit 26 TORONTO 618 Sheppard Ave. W 730 Danforth Ave. 333 Bloor St. E 1084 Yonge St. 2120 Queen St. E 8 Wellesley St. E 1965-1971 Yonge St., Unit A 120 Front St. E 660 Eglinton Ave. E, Unit 104 3151 Yonge St. 808 York Mills Rd., Unit 15-17 2400 Eglinton Ave. W Bayview Village 329 Parliament St. Exchange Tower Yorkdale Shopping Centre Toronto Eaton Centre 2248 Bloor St. W 10 Dundas St. 200 Bay St. Rogers Centre 330 Bay St. 4980 Yonge Street SCARBOROUGH 2490 Gerrard St. E 38 Ellesmere Rd. 2900 Warden Ave. 6758 Kingston Rd., Unit 12 Scarborough Town Centre WHITBY 1549 Dundas St. E 3050 Garden St. 3940 North Brock St. WOODBRIDGE 9200 Weston Rd.

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CONTENTS INTIMATELY 1112 1112 1112 1112 1112 powerful INTIMATELY POWERFUL

TICKETS MEMBERS HerBieON SALE NOW FOR FRIENDSFIRST liZA Public on sale Monday, Aug 15 at 10am miNNelli HANcock wiTH THe Season highlights include: mAssey HAll orcHesTrA

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34 35

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JAmie oliver’s fooD escApes

Esi Edugyan Canuck writer’s star rises with jazzy Half-Blood Blues Tipsheet What to see every day of the festival Johanna Skibsrud Giller winner says short stories deserve better marketing

12 NEWS

12 Occupy T.O. A whole other protest 14 Demo memo Take your time 16 Friendly cops So far, police behave

WED SEPT 21 8PM GGS • SOLD OUT FRI FEB 24 8PM WGT

ThURSDAy OCTOBER 13, 2011 8PM RTh

39 40 42

27 LIFE&STYLE

each ticket purchased includes a copy of his latest book Jamie oliver’s food escapes.

27 29 31

on sale to friendsfirst Now JUSTIN RUTLEDGE JOAN BAEz To25the public mon oct 11am FRI NOv 8PM GGS WED24 NOvat 2 9PM RTh

20 New tactics No old-school demands. 22 City Hall Can left revive Transit City? 24 Ecoholic Save sharks, not just the fins

Hot styles at Fashion Week Store tips Where to get Fashion Week looks locally Astrology

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33 Drink up!; Recently reviewed

44 MUSIC

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Reviews The Cat’s Table, Hark! A Vagrant, The Impossible Dead, Wild Abandon, We Had It So Good Poetry at the fest Daniel Clowes Graphic novelist’s hero puffs his way to power Complete festival listings

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Director interview Dirty Girl’s Abe Sylvia Reviews Wiebo’s War; The Three Musketeers; Johnny English Reborn; and more 79 Festivals After Dark; ImagineNATIVE 81 Playing this week 87 Film times 89 Indie & rep listings Plus City Of Life And Death at the Projection Booth 90 Blu-ray/DVD Pee-wee’s Big Adventure; Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; Green Lantern; The Howling Reborn 77 78

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1. Occupy Toronto Get into the protest with NOW – photos, video and live coverage for as long as the 99 per cent stay in St. James Park. 2. Fashion Week It’s dull and grey outside now, but in fashion it’s springtime. Check out new looks for the other side of winter with NOW’s style reports from the catwalk. 3. Demise of the art bike The celebrated neon bikes left around Toronto as an art project are little more than colourful junk at this point. Who will clean them up? 4. Dum sum Some Toronto restaurants have crappy names. Take dim sum spot Number 2 Restaurant. Know any other WTF resto names? 5. Why we need to Occupy Canada A look at economic inequality in Canada and why we are not that different from the United States.

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NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

October 20 – November 3 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

tribunal tries politicians and their friends for tax evasion and profit-piling. 5:30 pm. Free. Ryerson U Student Centre. ryerson.ca.

The X Avant New Music Festival continues with the Sonic Youth axeman and his visual artist partner. At Polish Combatants Hall. 6 pm. $25-$30. RT, SS, TW.

PeoPle vS HarPer A citizens’

PHil ocHS: THere BUT For ForTUNe Excellent doc about

singer/songwriter Ochs plays at Rainbow Cinemas. Concert 6:30 pm, film 7:15 pm. $10$15. mintff.org.

Gospel folk outfit Bruce Peninsula plays Lees, Oct 27

Chromeo funk it up, Nov 2

Lullaby is the celebrity powerpop star’s newest album. Air Canada Centre. 8 pm. $49.50. TM. eUgeNe levy The SCTV and American Pie actor talks at the Jane Mallett. 7:30 pm. $36. 416-366-7723. JeFFrey eUgeNideS The author discusses his new novel, The Marriage Plot, at the Toronto Reference Library. Free (sold out). torontopubliclibrary.ca.

the corner, it’s the perfect time to see the terrifying costumed metal band. 7 pm, all ages. $29. Phoenix. RT, TM. HaNg arT/liFT HearTS Curry’s art supplies hosts an art auction in support of dystonia medical research at Liberty Grand. $30. 6:30 pm. currys. com. TTc riderS Public meeting to discuss the current state of public transit. 7 pm. Free. North York Civic Centre. info@ ttcriders.ca.

joins Lee Maracle, Drew Hayden Taylor and David A. Groulx at the Authors Fest at Lakeside Terrace. 8 pm. $18. readings.org. +THe NorMal HearT Larry Kramer’s play about the rise of the AIDS crisis in NYC continues at Buddies until Nov 6. 8 pm. $25-$35. 416-975-8555. Fela! The smash Broadway hit about legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti continues at the Canon until Nov 6. 8 pm. $35-$130. 416-872-1212.

3 0

3 1

see Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross star in Noel Coward’s comedy. At the Royal Alexandra. 2 pm. $35-$175. 416-872-1212.

ist’s exhilarating iPhone/iPad art is at the ROM until Jan 1. $21-$24. 416-586-8000. SHelBy lyNNe The alt-country star plays an intimate gig at Hugh’s Room. $40-$45. hughsroom.com.

obsessed electro-funk duo play Sound Academy. 8 pm, all ages. $30-$50. PDR, RT, SS, TM, UE. SUSaN Hiller The feminist conceptualist’s installation about endangered languages is at Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art to Nov 26. 416591-0357.

Canada stack up against other wealthy nations, a talk by health policy prof Dennis Raphael. 4 pm. Free. University College. scienceforpeace.ca. Marco carola The Italian techno veteran bangs out the beats at Footwork. 10 pm. $30. footworkbar.com.

Fela! hits the Canon stage, Oct 26

david BeZMoZgiS Giller shortlister is interviewed at the Authors Fest, Lakeside Terrace. 3:30 pm. $18. readings.org. +aMoN ToBiN The Brazilian electronic musician and producer hits the Opera House. 9 pm. $35. PDR, RT, SS, TW. ToXic TrePaSS Film on chemicals and cancer screens with talk with producer Dorothy Goldin-Rosenberg. 1 pm. Free. Noor Cultural Centre. noorculturalcentre.ca.

PrivaTe liveS Last chance to

keNSiNgToN PedeSTriaN SUNdayS Celebrate Halloween on the car-free streets. Noon-7 pm. Free. Kensington Market. pskensington.ca.

avril lavigNe Goodbye

+david HockNey The Brit art-

gWar With Halloween around

oil SaNdS: SavioUr or diSaSTer Talk by ecology prof David

Schindler. 4:30 pm. Free. University College. 416-978-3160. doN giovaNNi Opera Atelier launches its season with a new period production of the Mozart opera about the famous womanizer. Runs to Nov 5 at the Elgin. 7:30 pm. $33-$280. 1-855-622-2787.

JoSePH BoydeN The author

cHroMeo The Montreal 80s-

BrUce PeNiNSUla See the sprawling gospel-folk band, Bahamas and Fred Squire at Lee’s for just $10 adv. Whoa. Doors 8:30 pm. RT, SS. SUSTaiNaBiliTy Talk Science for Peace hosts physics prof Helmut Burkhardt. 4 pm. Free. University College. scienceforpeace. Tyler dUNcaN Canadian baritone sings art songs at the Glenn Gould Studio. 8 pm. $29.50-$49.50. 416-872-4255.

lee raNaldo & leaH SiNger

ekraN ToroNTo PoliSH FilM FeST opens today and runs to

Oct 23 at the Revue Cinema. $12-$15. ekran.ca. ParaNorMal acTiviTy 3 The low-budget “found footage” series presents a prequel to see how the haunting began in the first place.

arT ToroNTo Mammoth fourday fair showcasing 109 galleries from 13 countries, plus special projects and talks, starts today at the Metro Convention Centre. $14-$18. tiafair.com. liZa MiNNelli The showbiz icon sings her favourite American classics at Roy Thomson Hall. 8 pm. $59.50-$199.50. RT. cHagall aNd THe rUSSiaN avaNT-garde AGO’s major exhibit of works by Marc Chagall and Russian modernists runs to Jan 15. $16.50-$25. ago.net.

BUFFy SaiNTe-Marie The iconic

folk musician plays the Phoenix as part of the ImagineNATIVE festival. 7 pm. $15-$20. imaginenative.org.

yiMBy (yeS iN My Backyard)

Politicians, grassroots groups, businesses share ideas on how to make T.O. a better city. 11 am-4 pm. Free. Urbanspace Gallery. yimbytoronto.org. +eigHT WayS FroM Mara William Yong’s new dance inspired by Buddhist philosophy and modern society plays its last of three days. At the Enwave. 8 pm. $23-$28. 416-973-4000.

NigHT oF dread Community

parade and celebration to banish our darkest fears. 4 pm. $10 or pwyc. Dufferin Grove Park. clayandpapertheatre.org. coWBoy JUNkieS The mellowest country band in town plays Hugh’s Room. 8:30 pm. $25-$27.50. 416-531-6604. +MaTcHBoX MacBeTH Spend Halloween weekend at this spooky version of the Shakespeare play. At a secret location. To Oct 30 at 7 and 9 pm. $15. litmustheatre.com.

More tips

Social SecUriTy How does

TickeT iNdeX • cB – circUS BookS aNd MUSic • HMr – HiTS & MiSSeS recordS • HS – HorSeSHoe • lN – live NaTioN • Ma – Moog aUdio • Pdr – Play de record • r9 – red9iNe TaTTooS • rcM – royal coNServaTory oF MUSic • rT – roTaTe THiS • rTH – roy THoMSoN Hall/gleNN goUld/MaSSey Hall • Sc – SoNy ceNTre For THe PerForMiNg arTS • SS – SoUNdScaPeS • Tca – ToroNTo ceNTre For THe arTS • TM – TickeTMaSTer • TMa – TickeTMaSTer arTSliNe • TW – TickeTWeB • Ue – UNioN eveNTS • Ur – rogerS Ur MUSic • WT – WaNT TickeTS

Saturday

Hot Tickets Live Music Movies Theatre Comedy Dance Galleries Readings Daily Events + = feature inside Chagall show hangs at AGO, Oct 28

AFTER TOURING THE WORLD, THE SMASH-HIT SHOW RETURNS HOME! David Mirvish Presents The Marquis Entertainment Inc. & Talking Fingers Inc. Production of

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october 20-26 2011 NOW

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NOW october 20-26 2011

email letters@nowtoronto.com Occupy T.O. for a new world

Master Plan Study Drop-In Event About the Study The City of Toronto is currently undertaking a Master Plan Study for the PATH network in Downtown Toronto. The study is addressing improvements to the operation and design of the PATH and guidance for its future growth and development. The Process The City of Toronto would like to invite you to the second of two planned public sessions for the PATH Master Plan Study to review the draft final materials, meet with the project team and provide feedback.

Date: Time: Location:

Tuesday, November 1, 2011 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Metro Hall Rotunda (ground floor) 55 John Street, Toronto

How to Stay in Touch Your participation is important to us. During the study, the project team has been collecting comments and information from the public. If you wish to provide your thoughts or receive further information about the project, please contact one of the following:

Tim Laspa

Program Manager Transportation Planning City of Toronto - City Planning Metro Hall, 55 John Street. 22nd Floor Toronto, ON, M5V 3C6 Tel: 416-392-0070 Fax: 416-392-3821

Eric Mann

Project Manager Urban Strategies Inc. 197 Spadina Ave. Suite 600 Toronto, ON, M5T 2C8 Tel: 416-340-9004 x 248 Fax: 416-340-8400

Website: toronto.ca/planning/tp_pathmp.htm Email: pathmasterplan@toronto.ca Information will be collected in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become part of the public record.

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

many viewing the occupy toronto protests and similar demonstrations around the world are sympathetic to protesters but believe, as many media sources tell them, that the demonstrations lack direction, focus and purpose. The organizers of these occupations around the world have been careful to stress that the movement is young and that we’re trying to create an entirely new and democratic model of decision-making. For this reason, clear talking points, goals or messages are hard to come by. Despite this obvious difficulty, I believe our movement has achieved something truly remarkable. In St. James Park Sunday night, without spending a dime, hundreds of youth danced, drummed and sang. On Monday morning, volunteers picked up garbage and cleaned toilets, cooked breakfast and washed dishes, checked stocks of supplies and ensured the safety of protesters. These essential tasks were all completed in the spirit of cooperation without money changing hands. Ben Hirsch Toronto

tion. It’s a platform for voicing our views, which most of us believe are under-represented in media and government. Occupy Toronto is a living community whose existence should make clear that our prevailing economic order has excluded so many for the benefit of an increasingly small group, after a dismal voter turnout during provincial elections. Paul Castrodalec Toronto

Giambrone should STFU

Revolution deﬁes deﬁnition

if the aspirations of toronto’s Occupy movement appear ambiguous in media coverage, what should be clear is that this ongoing demonstration signifies the viability and potential of public participatory democracy. Placing so much emphasis on its unorthodox decision-making process obscures the importance of the movement’s fluidity. For me, the occupation seems as much a public forum as a demonstra-

adam giambrone should refrain from writing columns. His critiques of city council and the mayor and bright ideas regarding the TTC (NOW, October 6-12) are all the hindsight ideas of an outsider. It seems Giambrone has recovered enough from his fall from grace to be a public voice again. Despite the hitches in Mayor Rob Ford’s term, we have not forgotten Giambrone’s hypocrisy or transgressions. Please shut up. Carlo Ang Toronto

iPhone 4S questions

crashing a party decked out in what he hopes is the right kind of suit, Joshua Errett tries yet again to join the tech punditocracy with his criticism of the new iPhone (NOW, October 612). But the only commonality between Errett and established “analysts” is their shared ability to misread Apple. If his whole knock on the iPhone 4S is that it includes incremental features an obsessive might have noticed scattered around the App Store, well, I have a couple of questions. Weren’t there net-connected phones with apps before the iPhone? If so, why has the iPhone been a commercial success since day one? Why did Apple book over a million pre-orders the first week? Shouldn’t those million people just keep their iPhone 4 and download the half-dozen apps that, Errett insists, equal the whole that is the iPhone 4S? Joe Clark Toronto

Hidden costs of policing

regarding toronto police farce (NOW, October 13-19). The policing of Toronto festivals, parades, marathons, Caribana, Pride, Beaches Jazz Festival, etc, costs the city a lot of money. This money should be billed to the entities who put on the festivals. Organizers, business improvement areas and event planners need to take greater responsibility for the true costs of these events, which are too often hidden from the taxpayer. R. Jones Toronto

Weird thing about wind

regarding mighty wind (now, october 6-12). A few years ago I heard that there would be a baseline survey of the health of inhabitants of Wolfe Island before the wind turbines went in, so a proper study of their health effects, if any, could be done. Did this happen? If so, do we know the results? If not, why not?

Being freaked out by the weird appearance of these giant windmills is, pardon me, trivial. But some of the health effects they are said to have are not trivial. We need to know. As for their manufacture creating pollution in China, as pointed out by letter writer Ian Clarkson (NOW, October 13-19), we should build them ourselves! Elizabeth Block Toronto

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Turbines one too many?

mighty wind infuriated me. wind power is a great source of renewable energy, but multiple wind turbines in rural areas in Ontario can create chaos. Wind farms may not adversely affect property values, but that doesn’t mean potential buyers’ attitudes are unaffected. Most people agree that the aesthetics of a house are greatly degraded by the presence of a wind farm. Just because “buildings, power lines and cats… kill far more” bats and birds than turbines doesn’t mean those concerns should be trivialized. It’s wonderful that wind turbines are being built, but we need to be careful about where they’re located and how many are installed. How would Dalton McGuinty like to have a wind turbine in his backyard? Jinny Tran Waterloo

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letter writer philip ottenbrite is to be complimented for suggesting a remedy to the “deplorable behaviour” on the TTC (NOW, October 1319). Along with the traditional announcements about standing behind the yellow line, no smoking on TTC property, not blocking the door, etc, we need to remind people not to put their feet on the seats, especially since we don’t know what those shoes have stepped on. The problem has become almost epidemic. G. Lee

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a couple of points on the bikeversus-car nonsense that’s an ongoing theme in NOW’s letters pages. There needs to be a discussion about sharing the road. And about respect. I’ve cycled all around Toronto and now live in Brampton. I still bike to work. The route I take has six lanes of traffic with a speed limit of between 60 and 80km/h. No bike lanes. I share the road with other vehicles and take lots of lane, and for the most part cars pass me respectfully. One of the most interesting things about cycling in Brampton is the amount of space larger vehicles (buses, transport trucks) give me. Cycling in the 905 has taught me how to be a better, more courteous and safer cyclist. It may sound loveydovey, but being courteous, knowledgeable and aware could avert a lot of accidents on Toronto streets. Jeff Hall Brampton 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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What’s On

LITERARY ARTS International Festival of Authors Through Oct. 30 IFOA brings together the world’s best writers of contemporary literature for readings, interviews, round table discussions, talks, and public book signings. For full schedule and tickets, visit readings.org SKATE CULTURE Learn to Skate Generously supported by RBC Foundation Beginning Nov. 22 | The Rink Register now for Learn to Skate lessons. Harbourfront Centre offers over 100 classes for all ages and skill levels. You will learn from our highly qualified staff in a fun and safe environment. To register, visit harbourfrontcentre.com or call 46-973-4093. DANCE NextSteps 11/12 DanceWorks DW191 Zata Omm – Eight Ways from Mara Oct. 20–23 | Choreographer William Yong’s multidisciplinary work explores how people avoid life's misery by capitulation or opposition to three elemental forces: confusion, temptation and distraction. Part of NextSteps. WORKSHOPS Bookmaking: Hardcover Books Nov. 12 Instructor Don Taylor will teach you the fundamentals of creating hand-bound books using various binding and cutting techniques. Family Puppet Making Nov. 12 You’ll create puppets of your own and have the opportunity to perform your very own puppet show in this workshop led by Brittney A. Filek-Gibson. Pre-registration required. WORKSHOP Power Kids – Make a Book The Power Plant | Oct. 23 Led by artist-educator Anna Bouzina, kids ages 8–12 will explore contemporary approaches to bookmaking and make their own unique and creative artists’ book.

VISUAL ARTS York Quay Centre Through Dec. 31 | FREE Featuring nine new exhibitions including Material Explorations: The Investigation of New Materials in Craft & Design. Artists explore new materials through the methodologies of craft, architecture and design. VISUAL ARTS The Power Plant Through Nov. Fall exhibitions featuring Derek Sullivan: Albatross Omnibus; Simon Fujiwara: Welcome to the Hotel Munber; and The Plot.

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What readers are saying at nowtoronto.com

Whys of rural rights fight

wayne roberts’s cultivating Conservatism (NOW, October 1319) is just another story written by somebody from the city who is clueless about rural politics and math. Those “Back off, government” signs aren’t about entitlements. If Roberts truly cared about the issue, he’d investigate the Ontario Landowners Association and read a few issues of its magazine. Wavy

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michael hollett’s recognition that rural property owners should have input on location of industrial wind turbines (NOW, October 13-19) is good, but he still needs to do some more research on the facts about turbines as a desirable source of green energy. The ridiculously high rate of return to wind developers at taxpayers’ expense needs to be addressed. Opportunity_KnocksWind

Cops fail Sylvia Klibingaitis

i, like susan g. cole, knew sylvia Klibingaitis (NOW, October 1319). Granted, I hadn’t seen her for five years, but the Sylvia I knew was a deeply caring, religious and thoughtful person, someone who always seemed able to share her time. She was a person who you’d never dream would meet such a tragic end. The police motto “To serve and protect” seems perverse in this instance. Romaso

Transit City turnaround

on transit city minority report (NOW Daily, October 13). Some councillors have no shame. Karen Stintz stumped with David Miller in support of Transit City. Now she’s changed her mind! Makes one question the real value of our democracy. Patrick Smyth

Trespass a thriller

joel schumacher’s skill as a director is clearly visible in his new thriller, Trespass (NOW, October 13-19). He keeps the thrills coming hard and fast while slowly revealing the motives behind each character’s actions. The movie has some great moments and will be talked about for years to come. Steven Douglas

NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

NIC POULIOT

more online Watch for more Occupy Toronto coverage and our ongoing reporting of all the action at nowtoronto.com and on Twitter.

The occupation of Toronto

A new movement for a fair economy in the midst of a global financial crisis showcases a fresh paradigm where leaders, demands and hierarchies no longer exist – and that’s a good thing By ELLIE KIRZNER 12

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

s night fell in St. James Park, lowering its dark ceiling over trees rapidly losing leaves in the fall winds, I couldn’t shake the sense of the surreal. To my left were assorted rhythm sections, to my right the candlelit people’s library was dispensing nighttime reading, protesters were chilling in a tent area way too confined for sleeping comfort, and at different points on the damp grass committees were trying to resolve profound policy dilemmas that would decide the governance of the tiny civilization created miraculously in just a few hours on Saturday. In this perfect space – though not perfect season – with its lit gazebo and proximity to a stunning cathedral, a sleepover standoff against corporate greed is forging a new protest paradigm. Sitting there with the chill creeping up my legs, I was awestruck and have continued to be for five days. Every new sunrise brings enhance-

ments to the infrastructure: a medical service, generator, WiFi, food operation, meditation space, info booth, media tent, all-night patrols, logistics centre. Each day new committees form. Each day moves closer to the first frost and a reckoning with nature. And, contrary to what the media have decided, the message emanating from St. James about the financial elite’s privilege and presumption seems dramatically clear. I can only believe mainstream obser vers are faking their confusion. What’s not to get? The rich have too much money and power; there’s a recession; things aren’t fair. Pretty simple, actually. Beyond this, participants seem to sense they are mainly an expressive movement, a raw show of disdain and not primarily a policy-clarifying effort, though some struggle to do that, too. I don’t mean to suggest that the park isn’t full of political conversations, that leaflets aren’t being frantically exchanged and slogans and

Derek Sullivan

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On view until �� November, ��

Markus Miessen in Conversation with Scapegoat

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Sunday Scene Every Sunday at � ��

Simon Fujiwara Welcome to the Hotel Munber

Speakers from the world of art and beyond offer their responses the current exhibitions.

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nic pouliot

On view until �� November, ��

The Plot

Keren Cytter, Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys, Isabelle Pauwels On view until � November, ��

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WHAT Occupy Toronto, where general assemblies (at noon and 6 pm), workshops, music, marches and political discussion happen daily WHEN 24/7 WHERE St. James Park, King and Church, occupyto.org HOW TO HELP Drop in or join the encampment and marches; send the message through social media; donate food, blankets, tarps concerns painted on cardboard and carried about for hours a day. The camp is a spectacle of signage – my favourite scrawl: Justice Is What Love Looks Like In Public. It’s just that the formal structures of the protest, as they exist right now, the general assemblies and committees, like those of Occupy Wall Street, are less concerned with policy demands and manifestos than they are with the pragmatics of feeding, marshalling, protecting and march-planning. “We are not really a political move-

ment in the traditional sense,” one of the original activists told the planning meeting on OISE’s front lawn, setting the scene two days before the occupation. I’ll say they’re not – and it looks good on them. There is nonetheless a creeping sensitivity here to press attacks on their so-called political disarray. At Monday’s general assembly, speakers tried to address this head on, calling alternately for the creation of a mission statement, a solutions committee or an economics study group. Some suggested more thought bubbles throughout the park. But the wiser among them have a precognition that such a fluid and disparate crowd could get the life sucked out of it by overindulging in analysis or attempts at strict political unity. The real preoccupation here, and justifiably so, is process and the struggle for consensus democracy. “Our organization is the message,” Colin told the assembly Monday.

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Find out what’s written in the stars, page 31. Rob Brezsny’s Free Will

Astrology

continued on page 14 œ

NOW october 20-26 2011

the occupation of toronto

Memo to the demo

Don’t listen to the pundits – time is on your side By ALICE KLEIN

œcontinued from page 13

The biggest debate Saturday evening was over what the ratio of agreement needed to be when consensus couldn’t be achieved in an emergency situation. The choices were 75 per cent or 90, and the decision was deftly referred to the facilitation committee, which, like all the committees, is open to whoever shows. The ideological – or shall I say polemical – deficit leaves a residue of discomfort for more traditional lefties, that’s for sure. Some call the happening unsophisticated, but this just means they haven’t spent enough time in the park. I chuckled a bit last week when I heard that CUPE, revered here because they supplied porta-potties, promised a sound truck. Ha. The amplification provided here is the magnificent people’s mic, borrowed from Occupy Wall Street – the repetition of speakers’ phrases so all in the crowd can hear. When the sound wanes, there’s a collective yell of “mic check” and hundreds of voices return to duty. Saturday night there were almost 2,000

october 20-26 2011 NOW

michael watier

r. jeanette martin

michael watier

r. jeanette martin

michael watier

u contraire. Please know

people present, and it worked amazingly well. Like slow food, slow meetings are meditations; you focus, take in and chew every phrase. It also means everyone is perpetually participating; it’s impossible to doze. And most important, this broadcasting system is an antidote to rhetoric and surges of pumped-up oratory (everyone talks in short, clipped phrases) and completely in keeping with a movement that doesn’t want leaders, charismatic or otherwise. Meetings are chaired by rotating facilitators trained by the facilitation committee. The idea is horizontal power, not vertical, and the more practising of this everywhere on earth, I figure, the better. There’s also a behaviour code: folks aren’t supposed to yell out or demean anyone. As one speaker explained, “The assembly is a process to control emotions. Don’t use the meeting as a soapbox; stick to the agenda. There’s plenty of time afterwards for passion.” Still, I found I actually had to restrain myself at points from yelling out, “That’s dumb!” or

“Bad idea!” But one gets socialized here, and while things can get nuttier, right now folks are practising the discipline of hearing everyone out. As well, I’ve never seen such an attempt at activist transparency. I was stunned when the first general assembly at Berczy Park two weeks back not only didn’t bar reporters but actually allowed itself to be videoed for Livestream. One of the reasons for this lack of collective paranoia is that Occupy Toronto decided not to endure the futile diversity-of-tactics debate, a sort of coded discussion for shielding the black bloc. Still, the face-coverers show up. I stepped out of my reporter’s cool one night to ask one to remove his mask. On Sunday, a participant with a yellow bandana over his nose tried to tell the meeting they were wasting their time and a revolution had to be made, but the human reverb machine went on strike and few could hear what he said.

continued on page 18 œ

you are doing just about everything right. Of course it’s a big, unwieldy experiment. Of course there’s a learning curve. Of course there are blips and frustrations and huge uncertainties. And, yes, the messaging is a bit messy at times. These are things that can normally sink a protest, so it’s no surprise that there’s plenty of impatience and criticism – from outside and mostly from within the camp. But a genius ingredient that’s been added to the mix of this global movement must be acknowledged and appreciated. It is time. The fact that the Occupy Wall Street movement has been able to sustain its occupation over time has been the ground on which this global movement has arisen. Now that it’s come to Toronto, we can see that a perhaps unintended consequence of the occupy tactic is that it provides the opportunity to be generous with the time needed to work through the complexities of creating a new non-violent movement that effectively advocates for the 99 per cent of us. The occupation, in all its amorphousness, is sending a shock wave through the powerful in this city and around the world. How? Just by sustaining itself over time. That is itself threatening to the 1 per cent. And even more unnerving, the occupation movement is using the time people are spending together to create something completely alien to our current world: an inclusive, democratic social movement. This is befuddling both to the system and, let’s be honest, to the participants. It demands the invention of ways to work together outside of the two most “natural” means of social organization we have in this society: the monetary system and hierarchy. As long as Occupy Toronto manages to sustain its presence in the park, it will have that vital ingredient of time to work through the kinks. Time is needed to get the logistics together, to build community, to forge links with the larger community of supporters, to develop even more powerful means of communication and group process. And finally, time is needed to coalesce around more specific messages and bigger, even more inclusive actions. Of course, there is a trick to keeping time on our side. Sustainability at the park needs to continue be a high priority. As the season progresses, warm-hearted supporters will be needed from across the city to make sure the resources for food, warmth and safety continue to flow and increase. If you haven’t gone to the park yet, do yourself a favour and spend a little time there. 3 alice@nowtoronto.com

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NOW october 20-26 2011

the occupation of toronto

Who are the

99% 16

Percentage median incomes increased for Canada’s top earners between 1980 and 2005

niC PoulioT

r. jeAneTTe mArTin

0.1

Police neutrality?

Cops and activists reach uneasy truce, but some fear it’s only temporary By BEN SPURR a small group of occupy toronto protesters stood outside the Stock Exchange Monday morning. As opening bell approached, a highranking police officer sauntered over to the activists to deliver a message. “If you need anything, let me know,” said Inspector Howie Page. “Just ask one of my officers. I’m not hard to find.” “Thanks,” one protester replied. “We definitely appreciate this approach. It’s better for everyone.” It was a bizarre exchange in postG20 Toronto, where the perception is that a police officer would sooner give an activist a swift kick and a night in jail than a helping hand. Faced with the largest demonstrations since the summit and daily traffic-snarling marches, Toronto’s Finest might be expected to take quite a different approach. Have they learned their lesson from the G20?

Not everyone’s convinced. Certainly not Anna Willats of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition. “I’d say their tactics are half PR and half biding their time to see what the movement turns into,” she says. “Police reserve the right to use force, and if they choose to use it people should not be surprised. If they come up with some reason why they need to shut down Occupy Toronto, they will. And if people resist, they will escalate.” From the start, how far to trust the police has been a touchy issue for the occupation. In planning meetings before it launched, there was heated debate about whether to open up lines of communication with the cops. “We have people in here who’ve had violent experiences with police, who don’t want to talk to them,” says Taylor, an organizer who asked that only her first name be used. “They remember from the G20 and other

experiences the brutality that’s possible.” While no consensus was ever reached on the issue, in the end Occupy Toronto created dedicated liaisons to deal with the police, the theory being that it’s better to have designated activists speak with officers than allow random interactions. Still, they’re hardly cozying up to the force. “The police are an institution of violence,” Davin Charney, one of the liaisons, told the general assembly in St. James Park on Monday. “This is not a criticism of the police; this is the role the police play in our society.” So far, organizers say their interactions with law enforcers have been surprisingly positive. While cops are out in force wherever the protesters go, they aren’t exactly cracking skulls. As 100 protesters roamed the streets Monday evening at rush hour,

police patiently followed them and cleared the way, even though the group had no planned route and frequently halted to discuss where they wanted to go. Officers told them they could block intersections for as long as they wanted on the condition that they let streetcars through. Police have also maintained a 24hour presence on the outskirts of St. James Park, but have only entered the camp at the request of protesters inside. Despite the apparent cooperation, activists are not letting their guard down. A team of hawk-eyed legal observers is in the camp around the clock and accompanies every march, keeping close watch. So far, the organized actions have come off without incident, but some remain concerned that a culture of impunity is too prevalent among Toronto police. “They haven’t been held to account for the G20,” Willats warns. “Unless we get serious about truly holding police accountable, whether it’s as individuals or for systemic problems, then there really is no incentive for them to change their behaviour.” 3 news@nowtoronto.com

Percentage median incomes increased for middle-class earners

20 Percentage median incomes decreased for lowest-paid earners

26 Percentage increase in the number making more than $100K a year from 2000 to 2005

Percentage increase in the number making more than $150K a year

39 Percentage share of national income of Canada’s richest 1 per cent

3.5 million Number living in low-income households (about 11 per cent of all Canadians, 15 per cent of them children under 17)

66 Percentage of Toronto neighbourhoods that were middle-income in 1970

29 Percentage of Toronto neighbourhoods that are middle-income today

$45,800 Median income in Canada in 1976

$48,300 Median income in 2009 (an increase of 5.5 per cent in 33 years, a rate many times lower than inflation)

128,000 Increase in the number of seniors living in poverty in Canada between 2006 and 2009 Compiled by Enzo DiMatteo Sources: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Conference Board of Canada, Toronto Community Foundation, David Hulchanski’s report Three Cities Within Toronto

october 20-26 2011 NOW

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michael watier

r. jeanette martin

the occupation of toronto

œcontinued from page 14

No doubt bloc types are itching for destruction. The shadow of G20 trashing lurks like a warning. “Any black bloc mentality will destroy what we are trying to do; it will kill us,” one speaker told the action committee. Unanimous finger-waggling affirmed agreement. The occupation struggles to contain its fringeoid desperados. But there is also a tingling impatience to take the protest to Bay Street. At almost every assembly someone stands up and says, “Enough talk. Let’s head to where the money is.” The countervailing worry is that things will get out of hand and the optics will tilt against the occupiers.

Some are ready to do financialdistrict civil disobedience, but there’s ambivalence. How many members can the small community actually afford to lose to arrests and bail conditions in a protest that isn’t a oneoff, but a persisting presence? “Yes, we can confront the financial elite,” one occupier succinctly warned the action committee, “but we’ll get our asses arrested.” So in the end the issue comes down to deportment – how the tent city conducts itself determines its ability to make tangible its vast unexpressed support. At this moment, community sympathy is far greater than most commentators realize: food supplies are pouring in, local

bakeries are contributing, farmers donate veggies, restaurants give sandwiches. At Tuesday’s assembly an unnamed donor sent over boxes of warm pizza. OPSEU is serving a veg feast Thursday. St. James Cathedral shares its electricity. Things could turn on a dime, and the more far-seeing of the organizers know it. At Tuesday’s GA, Taylor, one of the facilitators, explained that the first-up organizers were exhausted and the longevity of the action depended on finding more volunteers. She was presenting the deepening problem of organizer burnout and the deficit of fresh recruits for tired committees – clearly a threat to the projected long-term encampment.

She also warned that the sanitation shortfall could also short-circuit their staying power and that while “we have good relations with local businesses, the church and the police, “the people who are our allies now may not be later. Our survival depends on those relationships.” All too true. This little city within the city carries the hopes of tens of thousands of people for a fairer economy, most of whom haven’t made their way to King and Church. They should get there. Holding this stretch of grass is, unbelievably, one of the few levers anyone has at the moment. Let’s not loosen our grasp.

3 ellie@nowtoronto.com

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the occupation of toronto

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move over, bill shakespeare, the whole world is no longer just a stage and we merely players with our entrances and exits. The world is now otherwise occupied, as people in some 1,500 cities across the globe play starring roles using platforms, portals and places, the three Ps of 21st-century movement politics, as in Occupy Wall Street. In the interconnected and webbed world created by the internet, platform-providing rather than contentpromoting organizations have come to the fore – parallel to Google, Yahoo and Facebook, some of the biggest, most powerful and richest businesses in the world. As social movements catch up, community-based power will gravitate to organizations featuring platforms, portals and places rather than specific content – which is why those who lament the lack of content in Occupy Wall Street and its spinoffs are so out of it. Something is happening here, and you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones? The world has been edging toward platforms since 1991, when U.S. president George Bush the elder proclaimed a new world order following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He didn’t identify the competitor to un-

rivalled U.S. global power, which was coincidentally emerging at the same time: the internet. A further coincidence: the 1990s was the period when the modern food movement, the last of the great social movements to take shape during the 20th century, took off – or rather, webbed off. Most grassroots food organizations formed since 1991 have been platform- rather than content-specific. Rather than coalescing around a few agreed-upon issues, they tended to serve as forums for broad and open-ended food policy discussion, and as organizing centres. I’m thinking of orgs like Food Secure Canada or Sustain. Food policy councils in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario have also conceived of themselves as platforms that make an offering (the concept is intrinsically foodish) of portals for engagement. General and impressionistic ideas like locavorism and food sovereignty have enjoyed runaway popularity. Projects like the Stop Community Food Centre are platforms for foodcentred social development that each neighbourhood can spell out for itself. Likewise, Local Food Plus, which sees its big project as certifying, defines its focus as building collaborative rural-urban infrastructure. Platforms offer what York University environmental studies professor

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Deborah Barndt calls “space” or “space for resistance” – space that need not be located in a specific location, thanks to the internet. But when space does coincide with location, it becomes place, a word that has also enjoyed an enormous boom in usage, often in conjunction with local food having a positive dimension beyond the sheer reduction of miles travelled, as in the idea of cultural terroir. In the occupy movement, place speaks to the holding of one specific piece of symbolic ground. The work of this era of new movements will be preoccupied (pardon the pun) with platform construction and portals rather than nailing basisof-unity policy programs. The internet has facilitated such developments since 1991, but “failed states” have made it necessary. “Failed state” was a term originally coined by U.S. diplomats to refer to countries where the state had lost its monopoly over coercion and control to the likes of terrorist or gangsterish groups. Noam Chomsky and others have successfully turned the term back on its inventors. The wealthy states of Europe and North America have refused to use their monopoly over coercion and control to impose public-interest regulation on bankers and other profiteers. Nor have they used their command of wealth and power to respond to such obvious, fundamental and compelling hazards as global warming, child obesity and mass global hunger and unemployment. Leaving aside boondoggles for bankers and their cronies, wealthy governments of the world subsidized the fossil fuel industry last year to the tune of $409 billion, according to the United Nations International Energy Agency. If that’s not the action of failed states, what is it? The Occupy movement is just the platform needed to discuss such matters – and others. So pundits should stop sniping from the policy wonk sidelines about lack of focused objectives and maturity, and let the fresh air in for the next phase in the history of social transformation. 3 news@nowtoronto.com

NOW october 20-26 2011

city hall

The rail deal How gridlock may lead to the undoing of Rob Ford’s transit scheming By ENZO DiMATTEO

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and so here we are, on the cusp of anniversary numero uno for Rob Ford, Mr. Improbable and after the Wild Mouse of a ride we’ve had so far, the fun has only just begun. As the mayor likes to point out, nothing’s been cut. But if his speech to the Empire Club on Friday, October 14, is a harbinger of things to come – he made a fluffernutter of a mess with the math on Toronto’s financial situation – then I fear, dear reader, we may be in for a train wreck. And I’m not just talking about those odd sightings of His Worship around town well after dark, or the transit file. But back to the Empire. The mayor referred in his speech to the “hardworking men and women” of the public service. That’s right, the same folks he called “garbage” at the very same pulpit in his speech to the club post-election euphoria last year. The mayor also talked about alternative visions of the city. “Everyone has their own idea of what Toronto should become,” he said. The mayor seemed to be acknowledging that there’s another point of view besides his own out there that (maybe) needs to be respected, and for this mayor, that’s saying something. But let’s not get too caught up in the semantics. The mayor is pretending to play nice only because he has to. It’s time to deliver on some of his bigger promises, a slipperier proposition now, after the results of the recent provincial election. There are the cuts not yet made to attend to, the privatization of garbage pickup west of Yonge, the continued sell-off of social housing, a battle with the inside workers’ union to look forward to. And, oh yeah, that multi-billion-dollar subway extension along Sheppard that the mayor

But there may be hope for the Sheppard LRT part of the plan, which was killed so the money could be used to fund burying the Eglinton Crosstown, as the mayor wanted, from Black Creek to Keele and from Leslie to Kennedy. Now that Chong may be short on backers for the Sheppard subway, some councillors are arguing that the province is no longer under any legal obligation to bury Eglinton. Having to tunnel under the Don Valley might pose too much of an engineering nightmare, in any case. But more to the point, the memorandum of understanding between the mayor and Premier Dalton McGuinty stipulates that the Crosstown deal must be approved by city council. The MOU clearly states under the section entitled “Approvals” that each signatory must seek the necessary approvals from their governing bodies. “Toronto will be solely responsible for seeking the necessary approvals from both Toronto City Council and the TTC,” are the exact words. In fact, the province, too, must approve the MOU, not necessarily a slam dunk in a “major minority.” The mayor’s been stalling on putting the matter to a vote of council, but the manoeuvring to make that happen is under way among his political opponents. Councillor Joe Mihevc is pondering a motion to council to revive the Sheppard LRT. Of course, he would need two-thirds of council members to get a motion formally before council, and he doesn’t have that. But another PR offensive like the one that turned the tide on the mayor’s brother’s port lands plans is taking shape. And this one includes Ford’s supposed friends in the business community, whose concerns about gridlock and the billions it’s costing them every year loom large. To groups like the Board of Trade, transportation infrastructure, or the lack thereof, is the number one issue facing the city. It’s not difficult to see why when the Toronto region accounts for 50 per cent of the province’s GDP. And the $4 billion gridlock costs us annually is slated to

A PR offensive like the one that turned the tide on the mayor’s port lands plans is taking shape on the transit file.

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promised to build with private money. An announcement on that front may be imminent. Word on the street is that Gordon Chong, the man charged with finding the development cash to fund Ford’s subway dreamin,’ has some takers but not enough to raise the required $4 billion. Which is why there’s been talk among lefties on council of resuscitating Transit City. That ain’t gonna happen.

quadruple over the next 20 years. The BoT is on the list of participants announced Wednesday, October 19, in a transit conference organized by the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance (that’s John Tory’s group), the Canadian Urban Transit Association and the Pembina Institute. Mihevc is also among the organizers. His attempt to seize the political moment to revive LRT could end up being an academic exercise. Crazy as it sounds, the mayor’s fishing buddy (that would be the prime minister) could decide to write a big fat cheque for Ford’s subway. The HarperCons are getting pressure to build transit infrastructure. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has made a pre-budget submission urging the feds to invest in transit. Whether the mayor was ever serious about building a subway seems debatable. Given the fast track to dis-

aster he’s put the TTC on, maybe the idea all along was to run transit into the ground, make it so unbearable that the public wouldn’t squawk if it’s privatized. At least, that’s the union’s take. Take those record ridership numbers many were trumpeting last week. Looked at objectively, they’re symptomatic of an overburdened system that will only be further stressed by new cuts to service levels in the new year. Ford seems less interested in saving taxpayers’ money when it comes to the TTC. News flash: the TTC workers’ union filed for labour arbitration last week, which should suit the mayor just fine since he’d like nothing more than to make them look greedy in the eyes of the public. TTC workers have been without a contract since March and, I hear through the grapevine, offered to take a wage freeze in the first year of a multi-year contract that would have saved us tens of millions. But Ford wasn’t interested. He seems to be more willing to let the TTC adopt a random drug testing policy for employees that will end up costing Toronto millions to defend in court. If it feels like Ford is taking us for a ride.... 3 enzom@nowtoronto.com

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Can you imagine walking into a Toronto restaurant or health store and ordering whale soup or supplements? Well, there was a time when whale fat was de rigueur in everything from lamps and lube to lipstick, until it became so culturally reprehensible (and illegal) that the thought of it now turns stomachs. By the looks of it, shark seems to be ramping up to its whale of a turning of point in this country. Grassroots momentum is building as To ronto council sits poised on Monday (October 24) to join Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton, California and Hawaii in ousting shark fin prod ucts from our turf. Next stop: Parliament Hill. The NDP is about to table a bill calling for a national ban on the possession/ sale/consumption of shark fins. Show your support by signing the petition at change.org/petitions/ tellcanadagosharkfinfree and passing it along to friends. While you’re at it, call or email your MP and

tell him or her that Canadians want this to happen. The ecologically devastating reality is that up to 73 million sharks are killed every year around the globe, and über-profitable shark finning happens to be the main driver behind those deaths. (Just rent Sharkwater if you need to see evidence.) But it’s certainly not the only pressure on this seriously depleted species. So where else are shark products lurking? Happily, a cosmetic ingredient called squalene is no longer commonly made of shark liver oil in North American beauty products, but unless your brand says its squalene is vegetable-based, always ask before you buy. You will, however, find shark squalene in some vaccines. It’s big in flu vaccines across the pond, and GlaxoSmithKline alone used the stuff for 440 million doses of swine flu vaccines in 2009. It says it’s still looking for alternatives.

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You’ll find shark products even more readily in most every health food store. Brands like Swiss, Now, Organika, Sisu and Bell make a mint off shark cartilage and shark liver oil. (They can also be sold under trademarked names like Carticin, Cartilade, BeneFin and Neovastat.) Look, I know some of you are attached to your shark-based remedies, and, yes, like other forms of chondroitin, they can help ease arthritis. (Anti-cancer claims, on the other hand, are a total sham; companies have been fined for fraudulently making such claims.) But listen, we’ve got to consider the bigger picture. Can you imagine buying supplements made of wild elephant ivory to treat your aches and pains? There are a ton of other great supplements out there for what ails you, but there aren’t plenty more big fish in the sea. Some brands, like Bell Lifestyle Products, argue their cartilage comes from by-products of the food/restaurant industry, not from sharks illegally finned. But these days, every major grocery in Greenpeace’s sea food report card, including Loblaws, Sobeys and Metro, has banned shark meat from its fish counter because of serious sustainability worries. Even those fisherfolk who use the whole shark for steaks and supplements are feeding the beast when they sell their fins off, too. And just so you know, shark liver oil is seriously tainted with pollu tants. Health Canada tests on fish oils found the highest levels of DDT, PCBs and other contaminants in shark oil. Good news: many health stores, including Whole Foods Market and Nutrition House, have stopped carrying shark supplements, and several brands, including Natural Factors, Holista and Solgar, have stopped making shark cartilage products altogether. Now, if we can just convince the rest of them. While we’re on the topic, why don’t you send Swiss and Organika an email asking them to stop selling shark products (info@swissnatural.com, orginfo@organika.com) and call Now Foods to do the same (1-888669-3663). By the way, there’s yet another way sharks are getting killed en masse, and that’s as accidental bycatch in tuna nets and longlines. The dead sharks are either tossed overboard whole or, in illegal tuna fisheries, they’re finned first and those fins are sold on the sly. Greenpeace Ocean campaigner Sarah King says the org has found hidden bags of shark fins tucked into on-board freezers. The only way you can guarantee your tuna sandwich hasn’t been rubbing shoulders with dead sharks is to buy from sustain able companies like Raincoast Trad ing and Wild Planet. Now go on and sign some petitions so we can create a tsunami of support for shark bans.

Got a question?

Send your green queries to ecoholic@nowtoronto.com

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 Now

daily events How to find a listing

Daily events appear by date, then alphabetically by the name of the event. H= Halloween-related event r indicates kid-friendly events

How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: listings@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1166 or mail to DailyEvents,NOWMagazine,189 Church,TorontoM5B1Y7. Include a brief description of the event, date, time, price, venue name and address and contact phone number (or e-mail or website). Listings may be edited for length. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm.

Thursday, October 20

Benefits

oCEANA bAll (Herbie Fund at SickKids) Black-

tie celebration of Canadian culture, art and fashion. 6 pm. $100. Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia. oceanaball.com. HrPowERhousE oF TERRoR (local at-risk youth) Walk through a maze filled with monsters and zombies. To Oct 23. $16, yth $12. Power House Recreation Centre, 65 Colonel Samuel Smith Park. charityhaunt.ca. whisKY RoCKs (Dixon Hall Music School) Performances by Big Sugar, Divine Brown, Rehan Dalal and others plus whisky-tasting. 7:30 pm. $35. Mod Club Theatre, 722 College. ticketbreak.com.

Events

CANADA AND lATiN AmERiCA: whAT is ThE CoNNECTioN? Discussion with Paul Kellog of

Toronto Bolivia Solidarity, mining activist Megan Kinch and others. 6:30 pm. Free. Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil. workersassembly.ca.

Civil soCiETY woRKiNg FoR NuClEAR AboliTioN Lecture by Barbara Birkett of Physicians

for Global Survival. 4 pm. Free. University College, 15 King’s College. scienceforpeace.ca. CoFFEE & smoKEs Archaeologist Ed Keall talks how Ottoman soldiers of the 1500s drank coffee and smoked. 7 pm. Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. torontopubliclibrary.ca. CoNsERvATioN CoNvERsATioN Discussion on how global economic instability affects species at risk. 6 pm. Free. Green Room (upstairs), 296 Brunswick. scbtoronto.com. DEliCious FooD show Celebrity chefs, talks on tea and coffee, a local farmers’ market and more. Today 7-10 pm; tomorrow 10 am-8 pm; Oct 23, 10 am-6 pm. $20, adv $18, stu/srs $15, under 12 free. Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place. deliciousfoodshow.com.

FAllouT FRom PhoNE hACKiNg: Do wE NEED

Live music Theatre Dance

50 68 71

Comedy Art galleries Readings

72 74 76

Movie reviews Movie times Rep cinemas

81 87 89

festivals • expos • sports etc.

Festivals this week

EKRAN ToRoNTo Polish Film FEsTivAl Films

by Ryszrad Brylski, Rafal Sokolowski and others plus Q&As with directors. $12 and up. Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles. 416531-9959, ekran.ca. Oct 21 to 23 NoT DEAD YET Punk and hardcore festival with performances by Double Negative, Young Lions, Total Trash and others. Various prices and venues. notdeadyet.bigcartel.com. Oct 20 to 22

TAiwANEsE CuisiNE: iNTimATE PoliTiCs iN Film Film screenings, a lecture, panel discus-

sion and Taiwanese night-market food. Free. Munk School (1 Devonshire), Innis town Hall (2 Sussex). munk.utoronto.ca/ai. Oct 21 and 22 ToRoNTo AFTER DARK Film FEsTivAl Horror, sci-fi, action and cult films. $13, galas $15. Toronto Underground Cinema, 186 Spadina. torontoafterdark.com. Oct 20 to 27

REgulATioN? Canadian Journalism Fdn panel with former Toronto Star publisher John Honderich, law prof Jamie Cameron and others. 6 pm. $15, stu free. Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex. Pre-register cjfregulation.eventbrite.com. FlighT TEsT: mEThoDs & moTivATioNs iN iNTERvENTioNisT ART Presentation and paper

airplane-making experiment with artist Sean Martindale. 1-6 pm. Free. Hart House Reading Rm, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-946-8391.

gENERAl iDEA AND ThE DEvEloPmENT oF PosTmoDERNism Workshop. Today and to-

morrow 5-8 pm. $165. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas W. Pre-register ago.net. go oRgANiC, You’RE woRTh iT! Lecture. 7 pm. Free. Big Carrot, 348 Danforth. 416-466-2129. HhAllowEEN hAuNT Mazes, live shows, monsters, chilling rides and more. To Oct 31, 7 pm-midnight. $30-$36. Canada’s Wonderland, 9580 Jane (Vaughan). 905-832-7486, haunt. canadaswonderland.com.

how CAN wE gRow? FooD hubs – FRom CoNCEPT To PRACTiCE Toronto Food Policy Council discussion with Ayal Dinner and others. 1:45 pm. St Lawrence Hall, 157 King E. Pre-register foodpolicy.eventbrite.com.

ThE mAKiNg oF DuFFERiN-sT ClAiR: 1900-1929

Talk by Richard Harris. 7 pm. Free. Dufferin/St Clair Library, 1625 Dufferin. 416-393-7712. milK wAR Documentary screening and panel discussion with raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt. 7:30 pm. Pwyc, adv $15. Theatre Cen-

VINCENzO PIETROPAOLO

meetings • benefits

listings index

Workby Vincenzo Pietropaolo showsin ISeeWhat YouMean, partofthe AbilitiesArts Festival.

and docs including Just The Two Of Us and The Flood (in Hebrew w/ subtitles) plus guest speakers. $13, 7-film pass $70. Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Cinemas, 4861 Yonge. 416-6222442 israelfilmfestival.ca. Oct 23 to 27

continuing

AbiliTiEs ARTs FEsTivAl Celebration of dis-

ability arts and culture. $10, stu/srs/persons with disabilities $8. Carlton Cinema (20 Carlton). abilitiesartsfestival.org. To Oct 30

imAgiNENATivE Film & mEDiA ARTs FEsTivAl

ToRoNTo DigiFEsT Festival celebrating innovation and creativity in the digital media field, with speakers, a videogame show and more. Various venues. torontodigifest.ca. Oct 26 to 30 ToRoNTo isRAEl Film FEsTivAl Recent features tre, 1087 Queen W. westendfood.coop/milkwar.

ThE mYThs oF “ENDiNg DEmAND” FoR PRosTiTuTioN Panel discussion with sex worker Su-

san Davis, professor Emily van der Meulen and others. 4:30 pm. Free. Moot Court, U of T Faculty of Law, 78 Queen’s Park. reprohealth. law@utoronto.ca. ThE PEoPlE’s CouRT – PEoPlE vs hARPER Citizens tribunal to try politicians for tax evasion and profit piling. 5:30 pm. Free. Ryerson U Student Centre, Oakham House, rm A/B, 55 Gould. ryerson.ca.

READiNg AND PERFoRmiNg wRiTTEN woRK

Writers, spoken word artists, storytellers and poets practice reading in front of an audience. 6 pm. Free. Scarborough Arts Council, 1859 Kingston. info@ scarborougharts.com. HsCREEmERs Indoor scream park with haunted attractions, the Midway of Madness, a vampire lounge and more. To Oct 31. $23.50. Queen Elizabeth Bldg, Exhibition Place. screemers.ca.

Friday, October 21

Benefits

ThE hATsquERADE (Hats on for Awareness) Fundraising party in support of eradicating the stigma of mental illness and addiction. 7 pm. $150. Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia. hatsonforawareness.com.

Screenings of works by indigenous filmmakers and media artists. $7-$12. TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King W. imaginenative.org. To Oct 23 iNTERNATioNAl FEsTivAl oF AuThoRs Panels, readings, interviews, book signings and more with authors including Elizabeth Hay, Miriam Toews, Michael Ondaatje and Ian Rankin. Most events $18, stu free. Harbourfront Centre. 416-973-4000, readings.org. To Oct 29 souNDPlAY Festival of experimentation in sound art and new media, with perform-

mAsquERADE bAll (programs and services for children and youth in the Chalkfarm, Daystrom and Falstaff communities) Music by Spider Jones & his Band. 8 pm. $50. The Vue, 195 Galaxy. 416-243-5480 ext 22.

Events

All AbouT oRgANiC Canadian Organic Growers members provide info and answer questions on food and farming. 3-6 pm. Free. Natural Food Depot, 2975 Lawrence E. cogtoronto.org.

ThE ART oF hEAliNg: ARTisTs AND mEDiCAl PRACTiTioNERs iN DuET Conversation with art-

ist Deidre Logue and physician Susan Abbey. 7 pm. $22.50, stu $17. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas W. ago.net. bEACh sTuDio TouR Self-guided tour of artist and artisan studios in the Beach. Today 6-9 pm; tomorrow 10 am-6 pm; Oct 23, 11 am-6 pm. Free. beachstudiotour.ca. ThE EvERYThiNg To Do wiTh sEx show Entertainment, workshops, erotic massage, a dungeon, products and more. Today 3 pm-midnight; tomorrow 11 am-midnight; Oct 23, 11 am-6 pm. $25, adv $20; pass $35, adv $30. Metro Convention Centre, 255 Front W. everythingtodowithsex.com. gERmAN DAY Open house with sample language lessons, talks on travelling or studying in Germany and music by Nilima. 4-8 pm. Free. Goethe-Institut, 100 University. goethe.de/ toronto.

ances, installations, workshops and more. Various prices, some events free. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie. naisa.ca/soundplay. To Nov 26 ToRoNTo ChoColATE FEsTivAl A chocolate show, the Chocolate Ball Gala, a high tea and more. torontochocolatefestival. com. To Oct 23 ToRoNTo imPRov FEsTivAl Performances by improv acts, duos and solo artists. $5$10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. torontoimprovfestival.ca. To Oct 22 woRDs AND imAgEs Theatre, films, music, book launches and art promote Latin American culture in the city. Most events free. Various venues. wordsandimagesfestival.com. To Nov 19 x AvANT NEw musiC FEsTivAl iv Performances and lectures. $25-$30, lectures free. Music Gallery (197 John) and other venues. musicgallery.org. To Oct 23

HrhAuNTED high PARK Hear ghostly tales

and legends about the park, for ages eight and up. 8 pm. $12.50, child $7.50. Colborne Lodge, High Park. Pre-register 416-392-6916. ToDD EbERlE Lunch, talk and book signing with the photographer and artist. Noon. $29. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas W. ago.net.

u oF T iNTERNATioNAl FolK DANCE Club oPEN housE Learn dances from different countries.

8 pm. Free. University of Toronto School, 371 Bloor W. 416-978-0623. ulTRA ZioNisTs Rebel Films screening and discussion. 7 pm. $4. OISE, 252 Bloor W. socialistaction-canada.blogspot.com.

Saturday, October 22

Benefits

hAvE A bAll (Harbourfont Community Centre) Music by the Dani Taylor Band, live and silent auctions, food and more. 6 pm. $50. Harbourfront Community Centre, 627 Queens Quay W. 416-392-1509.

Events

HAll hAllows EvE Tour the village and hear its ghostly tales. 7-10:30 pm. Black Creek Pioneer Village, 1000 Murray Ross. Pre-register 416-736-1733, blackcreek.ca. rbEComE A PiRATE Kids learn what it takes to become a pirate. 10 am. $30-$39. Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace. 416-923-1171, casaloma.org.

continued on page 26 œ

NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

events œcontinued from page 25

HrBoo At the Zoo A pumpkin trail walk,

Arctic wolves, singing, costumes and more celebrate Halloween. Today and tomorrow noon & 2 pm. Free w/ admission. Toronto Zoo, Meadowvale N of 401. 416-392-5929. Chef Meet And Greet Meet Big Carrot chef John Robertson and sample a few delicious dishes. 11:30 to 3:30 pm. Big Carrot, 348 Danforth. 416-466-2129. ContrA dAnCe Beginners class and dancing to live music by Anne Lederman. 7 pm. $10. St Barnabas Anglican Church Hall, 175 Hampton. tcdance.org. rfAll leAves WAlk See deciduous trees in autumn glory. 1 pm. $2. High Park Nature Centre, 440 Parkside. highparknaturecentre.com. HhAlloWeen hoWl Presentation on wolves and how they communicate. 6:30 pm. Free w/ admission. Toronto Zoo, Meadowvale N of 401. 416-392-5929. HrhoWlinG hootennAny A haunted maze, pumpkin carving, apple sling-shot and trick or treating. Today and tomorrow 11 am4:30 pm. Free w/ admission. Black Creek Pioneer Village, 1000 Murray Ross. 416-736-1733. the huMAn liBrAry ProjeCt Borrow a human book for a one-on-one conversation and hear their stories. 1-4 pm. Free. Parkdale Library, 1303 Queen W. torontopubliclibrary.ca. one Blood: youth linked in ACtion Documentary screening and discussion on the struggles of those living with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and the Caribbean diaspora in Canada. 3 pm. Free. 519 Church Community Centre. Pre-register lrich@icad-cisd.com. rAlly for ABortion riGhts Ontario Coalition for Abortion clinics holds a rally for the right to choose. 1 pm. Free. NE corner College and University. ocac-choice.com. rAPture Northbound Leather fall fetish ball with a theatrical runway show, live opera, aerialists, a double-decker dungeon, DJ dancing and more. 11 pm. $55, adv $45. Sound Academy, 11 Polson. northbound.com. rhythMs of the eArth festivAl Multi-arts festival with music by Ian de Souza, Matadanze Group and others. 8 pm. $5. Lambadina Lounge, 875 Bloor W. lccatoronto.com. rtAke A WAlk on the riverside All-ages fall festival with historical walking tours, a pub crawl, closing party and more. 11 am-11 pm. Free. Riverside District BIA, 756 Queen E. riversidedistrictbia.com. t.o.’s eCo ChAse Participants chase other teams around the city and uncover Toronto’s environmental secrets. 1 pm. $30. SW corner Nathan Phillip’s Square, Queen and Bay. ecoduocanada.com. WisdoM foruM Conference investigating the coming shift of the ages anticipated by the Mayan calendar, with speakers including Greg Braden and Jose Arguelles. Today and tomorrow 9 am-7 pm. $60 and up. Convocation Hall, 31 King’s College Circle. Pre-register wisdomforum.com.

big3

NOW editors pick a trio of this week’s can’t-miss events

diG deeP for diXon hAll Music can change your life – but if you don’t have money, you can’t get a music education, even if you’re the most gifted kid. That’s where Regent Park’s Dixon Hall Music School comes in, offering music programs to low-income kids, homeless people and others. Support the school at Whiskey Rocks, a benefit tonight (Thursday, October 20), 7:30 pm, featuring Big Sugar, Divine Brown, Rehan Delal and others. Whiskey tastings, too. Mod Club (722 College). $35. ticketbreak.com. yiMBy (yes in My BACkyArd) festivAl Forum

on citizen-based community development. 11 am-4 pm. Free. Urbanspace Gallery, 401 Richmond W. yimbytoronto.org. HZoMBie WAlk A zombie wedding, zombie cat-walk, After Dark Film Festival and 5K walk with the living dead. Trinity Bellwoods Park (Queen and Strachan). Noon-9 pm. Free. torontozombiewalk.ca.

Sunday, October 23

Benefits

All toGether noW (NOW 4 Youth) Yoga fund-

raiser with classes. 1 pm. Pledges. 99 Sudbury. now4youth.org. jAZZinG it uP (Etobicoke Services for Seniors) Gala with music by the Speak Easy Jazz Band, dinner and a silent auction. 6 pm. $75. Panemonte Banquet & Convention Centre, 222 Humberline. 416-243-0127. rWAlk for the Children (SickKids Herbie Fund) Fundraising walk-a-thon. 9:30 am. Donation. Toronto Zoo, Meadowvale N of 401. 416-392-5929, herbiefund.com.

Events

Are you hAvinG trouBle ControlllinG the WAy you eAt? Food Addicts Recovery An-

onymous info meeting. 2 pm. Free. Northern District Library, rm 224A, 40 Orchard View. foodaddicts.org. BroCkton studio tour Drop in on some of Brockton Village’s artists and artisans. Noon-4 pm. Free. Dundas and Brock area. brocktontriangle.com. CAnZine 2011 Zine fair and festival of indie culture. 1-7 pm. $5. 918 Bathurst Arts/Culture Centre. brokenpencil.com.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives presents…

oCCuPy yourself

With the financial crisis rocking the world, come and support Occupy Toronto’s village in St. James Park and the fight for a fairer world. The tent city features workshops, marches, a library, lots of sign painting, music and interesting political discussion. The general assembly meets twice daily and struggles for consensus on complex matters of housekeeping and strategy. Church and King. 24/7. Free. For updates check occupyto.org and nowtoronto.com.

Get toronto MovinG

T.O.’s terrible traffic gridlock is messing with daily life, slowing public transit HrCity of the deAd: Dramatic walk

through the Necropolis cemetery with stories of murder and heartbreak, for ages seven and up. 1:30 pm. $12.50, child $10.50. Necropolis, 200 Winchester. 416-392-6915.

CreAtinG heAlthy lifestyles throuGh ACtive desiGn Science lecture. 3 pm. Free.

Macleod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Bldg, 1 King’s College. 416-977-2983. dAnCe dAnCe PArty PArty Women’s, alcoholfree dance party. 3:30 pm. $8. Mad for Dance, 263 Adelaide W. dancedancepartyparty.com. fAll CABBAGetoWn tree tour LEAF walk to identify trees and talk about their stressors. 11 am. Free. NE corner Carlton and Parliament. yourleaf.org.

foundAtions of A suCCessful sCreenPlAy

Toronto Screenwriters Meetup Group workshop intensive. $40, stu $30. NFB, 150 John. Pre-register meetup.com/screenwriters-240.

froM Child soldier to ACtivist: the journey of hoPe Forum with former Congolese child soldier Michael Chikwanine. 10:10 am. Free. St Clement’s Church, 70 St Clements. 416-4875062. hiGh PArk BuCkthorn BustinG Help remove the invasive species. 10:30 am. Free. Grenadier Cafe, High Park. highparknature.og. HrhiGh PArk PuMPkin floAt Carve a pumpkin, light it and set it to sail on the wading pool. 4 pm. $2/pumpkin. N end of High Park, High Park and Bloor. 416-392-6916.

Hles Coquettes hAlloWeen sPooktACulAr Vaudeville burlesque show. 7 & 9:30 pm. $15$30. Revival, 783 College. lescoquettes.com.

MiChAl Govrin: theAtre As A livinG MAndAlA Talk by the Israeli theatre artist, poet and

Stephen Lewis & Michele Landsberg UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Join two of Canada’s leading thinkers, recipients of the Order of Canada, in an intimate conversation about their lives, their passions, and the future of this country. Following the lecture, there will be a fundraising social in an adjoining room with members of the Lewis family and CCPA research associates.

NOVEMBER 3 @ 7PM Trinity St. Paul’s Centre 427 Bloor St. W Tickets ($20/$40) available at: www.policyalternatives.ca/david-lewis-lecture & Toronto Women’s Bookstore, 73 Harbord St. 26

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

Gordie Johnson’s Big Sugar boosts the Dixon Hall School of Music October 20.

and making connectivity across the city more difficult. Hear a range of creative options at a forum on Moving People: Responses To Congestion, featuring grassroots traffic guru Steve Munro and Eric Miller, director of U of T’s Cities Centre. Tuesday (October 25), 6:30 pm. Free. John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, 230 College, room 103. citiescentre.utoronto.ca. novelist. 7 pm. $5. 80 Spadina, ste 501. kofflerats.org. rPoWer kids: MAke A Book Workshop on making an artist book for kids eight to 12. 3-5 pm. $6. Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4949. rroAld dAhl dAy Celebrate James And The Giant Peach with a literary scavenger hunt, film screening, poetry launch and more. 11 am-4 pm. $10. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635. sundAy sCene Tour of the current exhibitions led by writer/publisher Alana Wilcox. 2 pm. Free w/ admission. Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4949. toXiC tresPAss Film screening and discussion with producer Dorothy Goldin Rosenberg. 1 pm. Free. Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford. noorculturalcentre.ca.

Monday, October 24 direCt froM CuBA Talk on Cuba’s international health bridges by doctor Jorge Tomasw Balseiro. 7:30 pm. Free. Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil. ccfatoronto.ca. dns seCurity Lecture on the Domain Name System and a Q&A. 4 pm. Free. Bahen Centre, 40 St George. ipsi.utoronto.ca. euGene levy The comedian and actor talks about his life and work. 7:30 pm. $36. Jane Mallett Theatre, St Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front E. 416-366-7723. Glen or GlendA Trans Inclusion Group film screening and discussion. 6:30 pm. Free. Centre for Women and Trans People, rm 100, 563 Spadina. 416-978-8201. Hthe MAkinG And unMAkinG of horror filMs Film clips and a lecture by film critic

Shlomo Schwartzberg. 7 pm. $12, stu $6. Miles Nadal JCC, 750 Spadina. 416-924-6211. oCAd GrAduAte studies info niGht Info on art and design programs. Free. OCAD University, 205 Richmond W. gradstudies@ocadu.ca. on stAGe: Ghosts Soulpepper Theatre’s Paula Wing talks about their upcoming production of the Ibsen play. 7 pm. Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. torontopubliclibrary.ca.

PArler fort: CAnAdA invAded on the eve of ConfederAtion Talk by author Christopher Moore. 7 pm. $9, stu free. Fort York, 250 Fort York. Pre-register 416-392-6907.

the soCiAl, MoBile, neW MuseuM – hArnessinG neW teChnoloGies in the MuseuM World Discussion. 3:30 pm. Free. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. rom.on.ca.

Tuesday, October 25

Benefits

BiG Book sAle (Women’s College Hospital)

Fundraising book sale. 10 am-2 pm. Free admission. Women’s College Hospital, 52 Grenville. 416-323-6400. hAnG Art, lift heArts (Dystonia Medical Research Foundation) Live and silent auctions of Canadian art. 6:30 pm. $40. Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia. currys.com.

Events

BuildinG resilienCe Workshop on identifying and using weeds for our benefit. 5:30 pm. $20$30 sliding scale. Carrot Green Roof, 348 Danforth. Pre-register artdecos@rogers.com. MovinG PeoPle: resPonses to ConGestion

Discussion with Steve Munro and Eric Miller. 6:30 pm. Free. U of T Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, 230 College. citiescentre.utoronto.ca.

PoWer CorruPts CAnAdiAn PriMe Ministers

Panel discussion with Sheila Copps and Andrew Coyne. 6:30 pm. $25. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. rom.on.ca.

riverdAle – A history of CoMMunity ACtivisM Talk by Dennis Raphael. 6 pm. $5.

Riverdale Library, 370 Broadview. riverdalehistoricalsociety.com. ttC riders PuBliC MeetinG Join riders to discuss the current state of public transit in the city. 7 pm. Free. North York Civic Centre Council Chambers, 5100 Yonge. info@ttcriders.ca.

2012: froM GArBled sCienCe to deAth froM the skies Astronomy lecture. 7 pm. Free. Anntte Library, 145 Annette. torontopubliclibrary.ca.

Wednesday, October 26

Benefits

BlACk And White & reAd All over (Literature for Life) Fundraising gala with a talk by lawyer Julian Falconer, spoken word poetry and more. 6:30 pm. $100. RBC Plaza, S Tower, 200 Bay. literatureforlife.org. jAZZ Goes to the Movies (Jazz Performance & Education Centre) Film music performed by Heather Bambrick, Jackie Richardson and others. 8 pm. $100, stu $20. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge. 416-872-1111. vive lA dAnse 25 (Dancer Transition Resource Centre) Performances by Greta Hodgkinson, Aleksandar Antonijevic and others. 6 pm. $350. Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front W. 416-595-5655 ext 23.

Events

Art BAttle 18 Live competitive painting with audience voting and an auction. 7:30 pm. $15. Great Hall, 1087 Queen W. artbattleto.com. the CheMistry of seX, druGs And the BrAin Talk on how nerve cells communicate in the human brain through chemical messengers. 6:30 pm. Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. 416-393-5577.

dAvid jAffe on ruBens’s MAssACre of the innoCents Lecture by the London National

Gallery painting curator. 7 pm. $22.50, stu $17. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas W. ago.net. PAtAGoniA Travel talk. 6:30 pm. Free. Adventure Travel Co, 408 King W. Pre-register atcadventure.com.

throuGh the eyes of the elder: understAndinG the roCk Art of the dreAMtiMe

Lecture by Australian rock art researcher David M Lee. 5 pm. Free. Bahen Centre, rm 1190, 40 St George. aiatoronto.ca. viCki GrAnt Literary salon for girls 13 to 17 with the author of Betsy Wickmire’s Dirty Secret. 6:30 pm. $30 (includes book). Mabel’s Fables, 662 Mt Pleasant. 416-322-0438.

the World At your finGertiPs: self-PleAs-

urinG for WoMen Women-only workshop. 7-9:30 pm. $33. Good for Her, 175 Harbord. Pre-register 416-588-0900.

upcoming

Thursday, October 27

Benefits

A CeltiC niGht – BriGht liGhts GAlA (Yonge

Street Mission) Performances by Celtic Blaze, a gourmet dinner, silent auction and more. 6 pm. $150. Carlu, 444 Yonge. 416-929-9614. dAnCe for justiCe 2011 (Amnesty Int’l) Dance performances. 7:30 pm. $30. Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000.

fireBAll 2011: throuGh the lookinG GlAss

(Sheena’s Place) Gala with cocktails, dancing, a silent auction and raffle. 8 pm. $140, adv $120. Hoxton, 69 Bathurst. sheenasplace.org/ fireball/2011. foG & friends (Plan Canada) Fundraising concert and silent auction. 6 pm (concert 8:30 pm). $100. Hugh’s Room, 2261 Dundas W. 416-531-6604.

Events

HGrindhouse Ghoulies! Burlesque with Skin Tight Outta Sight, Levitivcus the Strongman and others. 9 pm. $25. Revival, 783 College. eventbrite.com/event/2118700089. internAtionAl hoMe shoW Renovation and decoration tips from celebrity experts including Lynn Spence and Robin Siegerman. Today 11 am-8 pm; tomorrow 10 am-8 pm; Oct 30, 10 am-6 pm. $15, stu/srs $10, under 12 free. International Centre, 6900 Airport. internationalhomeshow.ca. iPAd drAWinG ClAss Learn the ways David Hockney created his works in Fresh Flowers. 7 pm. $25. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. Pre-register rom.on.ca. 3

life&style

For more runway galleries, designer interviews and show reviews, visit nowtoronto.com/daily Models wait in mega-earrings backstage at Lucian Matis.

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Shop T.O.

Inspired to wear local by the Fashion Week catwalk? Here are your best bets for scoring some style by the city’s best designers. BICYCLETTE BOUTIQUE 880 Queen West, 416-532-8048, shopbicyclette.ca Look for: Beautiful Biko baubles CARTE BLANCHE 758 Queen West, 416-532-0347, shopcarteblanche.ca Look for: Tania Martins’s covetable Pink Cobra collection COMRAGS 654 Queen West, 416-3607249, comrags.com Look for: Great fall florals CHASSE GARDEE 1084 Queen West, 416-901-9613, chassegardee.com Look for: Classic Ela handbags EWANIKA 1083 Bathurst, 416-9279699, ewanika.ca Look for: Chic and cozy autumn toppers GASPARD, 913 Queen West, 416-5467480, gaspardshop.com

Look for: Mercy’s Liberty-print dresses GOTSTYLE 62 Bathurst, 416-260-9696, gsmen.com Look for: Dandy Bustle menswear HOLT RENFREW 50 Bloor West, 416922-2333, and others, holtrenfrew.com Look for: Jeremy Laing, Greta Constantine and more in the World Design Lab

ROBBER 863 Queen West, 647-3510724, robberstore.com Look for: Feather prints from Diepo

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SEVENTY SEVEN 77 Yorkville, 416-9677700 Look for: Prim Pink Tartan womenswear SHOPGIRLS 1342 Queen West, 416534-7467, shopgirls.ca Look for: Bags by Nella Bella SYDNEY’S 682 Queen West, 416-6033369, shopsydneys.com Look for: Owner Sydney Mamane’s KIN collection

LILLIPUT 462 College, 416-536- 5933, lilliputhats.com Look for: Fashionable fall hats

UNCLE OTIS 26 Bellair, 416-920-2281, uncleotis.com Look for: Shirting and trousers by 18 Waits

MADE YOU LOOK 1338 Queen West, 416-463-2136, madeyoulook.ca Look for: Off-the-rack and custom jewellery by the city’s best smiths

UPC BOUTIQUE 128½ Cumberland, 416-929-9209, upcboutique.com Look for: Krane’s waxed cotton bags and outerwear

RAC BOUTIQUE 124 Cumberland, 647352-4433, racboutique.com Look for: Rita Liefhebber’s hand-dyed separates

VIRGINIA JOHNSON 132 Ossington, 416-516-3366, virginiajohnson.com Look for: Illustrated prints on totes, tunics, scarves and more NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

alt health

Do-gooders last longer

Greed sucks morally, but it might also wreck your health By elizaBeth Bromstein there’s been a lot of talk about greed lately. Not sure why – something about some occupation somewhere. It’s easy to point fingers at fat cats. Giant corporations. Millionaire CEOs.

But what about the level of your own generosity? How much time do you spend volunteering to feed the homeless, helping the elderly or disabled or mentoring kids? Do you donate money to charity, help your

friends out, sponsor a kid somewhere or give back to your community? If you do, bonus! Generosity could be good for your health. But what makes some of us more giving than others?

What the experts say “We found when we raised their oxytocin levels, individuals became 80 per cent more generous toward strangers. And in a subsequent study, we found people were around 50 per cent more generous to charities when we raised the levels. People given oxytocin report feelings of empathy. The health implications are interesting. We know that people who volunteer are happier and have richer social networks, and those networks are protective against early death and ill health. Oxytocin reduces anxiety and stress, so generosity is health-promoting.” PAUL ZAK, director, Center for Neuroeconomic Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California

benefits at low thresholds of just a couple of hours a week for people with mild and moderate depression. Among people followed from age 12 every 10 years [the do-gooders] had lower rates of depression and heart disease. There are many studies showing that those who contribute to the lives of others tend to be happier. Generous people tend to be happier and healthier, especially with regard to stress-related illnesses. There’s an emotional shift that moves them away from negative emotions to a different emotional range associated with lower cortisol levels and better immune function.” STEPHEN POST, author, The Hidden Gifts Of Helping, Stony Brook, New York

“Helping others has clear benefits in the recovery of alcoholics and others with addictive disorders. It has clear

“We gave children sticker sheets and told them, ‘It’s all yours, but do you want to share with a child who didn’t

get any?’ We were looking at a gene called AVPR1A, responsible for the activity of vasopressin, a hormone associated with social processes. We showed that carriers of one of the variants of the gene were substantially less generous than other children. Almost all the children gave one sticker. About a quarter of the non-carriers gave more than one, but only 6 per cent of carriers gave more than one. This is a very big difference. We don’t control everything through socialization. But just because it’s heritable doesn’t mean we can’t teach generosity.” ARIEL KNAFO, associate professor of psychology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem

religious tend to be self-interested. We used a priming technique where subjects are led to unconsciously think about religion, and then gave them an economic game that measures generosity. We found that both religious and non-religious people become nearly completely equitable. Leading them to

“When people are in an anonymous situation, both the religious and non-

F@#%! I didn’t use a condom.

unconsciously think about religion in the moment makes them more generous. But priming people with thoughts of secular institutions of morality had exactly the same effect.” AZIM SHARIFF, professor, department of psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene

Get on it.

Hot, sweaty, feverish – feels like the flu.

I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m just imagining this WTF is this rash on my stomach?

OK, I want to know what’s going on. I’m getting tested.

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astrology freewill

by Rob Brezsny Aries Mar 21 | Apr 19 If you’ve been re-

sisting the command to go deeper, now is the time to surrender. If you’ve been hoping that the pesky little voice in your head will shut up and stop bugging you to get more involved, you’d better stop hoping. If you’ve been fantasizing about how to escape the growing pressure to give more of yourself, I suggest that instead you fantasize about how you could intensify your commitments. The time has come to explore what has been missing and what needs more love.

TAurus Apr 20 | May 20 Did you know it is illegal to break into prison? That was the charge levelled against a Georgia man, Harry Jackson, who was arrested as he tried to sneak back into the jail from which he had escaped only a short time before. During his brief taste of freedom, Jackson allegedly stole 14 packs of cigarettes from a nearby store. Maybe that was his intention from the beginning – to do an errand and return “home.” Please don’t be like him in the coming weeks, Taurus. If you do manage to spring yourself from a trap or bust out of your servitude (and I expect you will do just that), don’t come crawling back later and beg to be allowed back in. GeMini May 21 | Jun 20 As I was meditat-

ing on your horoscope this afternoon, I gazed out my window at the creek flowing nearby. The tide was coming in, which meant that the current was surging swiftly south. Row upon row of small waves were coursing through the water. Then I spied a lone duck swimming north against the tide. I couldn’t imagine what her motivation was. Why not just relax and float downstream? She wasn’t in a hurry and wasn’t in the least flustered. Ever forward she went, determined to push on. And then it struck me, as I thought of your current astrological omens, that her approach would also suit you quite well right now. Go steadily and casually against the flow, Gemini.

CAnCer Jun 21 | Jul 22 Herbert Kitchener served as the British consul-general in Egypt early last century. He wasn’t impressed with the creativity of the ancient nation’s art. “I can’t think much of the people who drew cats the same for 4,000 years,” he remarked. Is there an equivalent to this lack of development in your own life, Cancerian? Among your own activities, are there any whose history has shown no progression? Did you reach a certain skill level in some area of your life and then stop pushing to improve? This would be an excellent time to identify that knot of excess stability and then get started on dissolving it. Leo Jul 23 | Aug 22 I’m not warning you to

cut down on all the leaping and cavorting you’ve been doing lately; I’m just saying that maybe you should add some ballast to your foundation and some gravitas to your demeanour. And I don’t mean to guilt-trip you into toning down your lust to connect with everyone and everything that tickles your synapses. But I do suggest you consider the possibility that beginning very soon variety will not be quite as spicy as it has been; your deft zigzags may need to be carried out with gentler zigs and slightly more cautious zags.

VirGo Aug 23 | sep 22 The autocorrect

feature sometimes distorts the text messages people send on their smart phones. It tries to fix supposedly misspelled words that aren’t really misspelled, thereby creating awkward variations that can cause a ruckus when they’re received, like changing “I don’t want to leave” to “I

10|20

2011

don’t want to live.” Damn You, Autocorrect! is a book documenting some of the most outrageous examples, many NSFW. Be vigilant for metaphorical versions of this wayward autocorrect phenomenon, Virgo. Be sure that in your efforts to make things better, you don’t render them worse or weird. Consider the possibility that stuff is fine just the way it is.

LibrA sep 23 | oct 22 Meraki is a Greek word that refers to the bliss you feel when you’re engaged in a task that’s important to you and that you’re doing really well. It’s your theme right now, Libra. According to my reading of the astrological omens, everything’s in place for you to experience meraki in abundance. Furthermore, that’s exactly what your destiny is pushing for. So please get out there and do everything you can to cooperate: make this a meraki-filled week. sCorpio oct 23 | nov 21 Your nightly

dreams provide useful clues about your waking life. They can show you hidden patterns and unconscious motivations that your daytime mind hasn’t noticed. On rare occasions, they may even offer more literal guidance. That’s what happened for David Brown, a British man who one morning woke up from a dream of seeing a mysterious phone number. As an experiment, he sent a text message to that very number: “Did I meet you last night?” Michelle Kitson, the stranger on the other end, responded with a text, and then Brown texted back. More exchanges ensued, followed by a face-to-face encounter, and eventually the two were married. I can’t guarantee anything quite as dramatic for you, Scorpio, but I do expect your dreams will be unusually helpful.

sAGiTTArius nov 22 | Dec 21 In addition

to reading your astrological omens, I did a tarot reading, consulted the I Ching and threw the runes. They all gave me the same message: The coming week would be a good time for you to spend quality time mulling over the Biggest Mystery of Your Life. It’s not mandatory that you do so. You won’t cause a disaster if you refuse. Still, wouldn’t it be fun? Life is inviting you to get re-excited about your personal version of the quest for the Holy Grail. Your future self is calling and calling and calling for you to dive into the ancient

riddle you’ve been working on since before you were born. The mists are parting.

CApriCorn Dec 22 | Jan 19 In Sue Allison’s theatre piece Lies I’ve Told, two actors take turns telling each other some classic whoppers. Here are a few: 1. “It would be no trouble at all.” 2. “This will only take a second.” 3. “I didn’t get your message.” 4. “I have no idea how that got here.” 5. “I thought you said ‘the 16th.’” 6. “Would I lie to you?” See if you can avoid fibs like those, Capricorn. I’m not asking you to be a superstar of candour – that’s unrealistic – but I do encourage you to cut back on white lies and casual dishonesties as much as possible. This is a time when you really need to know the whole truth and nothing but. And the best way to work toward that goal is to be forthright yourself. That’s how karma operates. AquArius Jan 20 | Feb 18 Last June,

northern California artist Mary Sobrina Kuder did a gallery show of her paintings. She called it Offerings Of Grace And Mischief. That would be an excellent title for the story of your life in the coming week, Aquarius. I believe that you will be receiving offerings of grace and mischief, and I hope you will also be making such offerings. For best results, remember this: the grace and mischief are not contradictory or at odds. In fact, they need each other and belong together.

pisCes Feb 19| Mar 20 Do you realize how many connections to remote places you have? Are you aware of how routinely you are touched by distant events? As science writer David Bodanis reminds us, “We inhale many hundreds of particles in each breath we take. Salt crystals from ocean whitecaps, dust scraped off distant mountains, micro bits of cooled magma blown from volcanoes and charred micro-fragments from tropical forest fires.” I urge you to use that as your metaphorical theme this week, Pisces. Let your imagination run free as you renew your connections with faraway sources of nourishment. Revivify your intimacy with departed influences that continue to define you. Dream about the tantalizing future. Homework: What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever done? Testify! Go to Realastrology.com and click on “Email Rob.”

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food&drink

more online nowtoronto.com/food Search restaurants by style, location, $$ and more at NOWTORONTO.COM/RESTAURANTS or download iPhone Restaurant Guide at NOWTORONTO.COM/APPS

DAVID LAURENCE

At Keriwa, sous chef Amanda Crist (left) makes wild mushroom tart; the bison short ribs are a knock-out; owner/chef Aaron Joseph Bear Robe stuffs apples.

Original aboriginal ing grub than for one of its bouncers murdering a customer and disposing of the body in a bathtub full of Javex. Only launched in August, the compact 44-seat café is nearly full this early Thursday eve, drawn by a carte that owner/chef Aaron Joseph Bear Robe describes as “local, seasonal and regional classic cuisine that showcases aboriginal ingredients and techniques.” Bear Robe, who followed an apprenticeship at Michael Stadtländer’s Eigensinn Farm with a stint at chi-chi Splendido, comes out swinging with slices of rustic house-baked Red Fife bread spread with unsalted butter and insanely rich whipped pork fat laced with paprika, a few

flakes of house-smoked grey sea salt to finish. The first of several wooden platters arrives, this one groaning with a fabulously lean slab of pork belly confited in duck fat and grilled over an open orchard-wood fire. A smear of apple butter, a sautéed tangled of Savoy cabbage and a few pickled raspberries add just the right note of acidity. Braised in bison stock and sweetened with house-made Saskatoon berry jelly, another starter of jerkylike pemmican (both $14) paired with Red Fife fry bread and a terrific summer salad of shaved pickled beets and yellow beans with pea shoots in a sparse citrus vinaigrette shows up in a wooden bowl shaped like a canoe. A

dish this gorgeous deserves a plate. Or a board. Bear Robe lands a left hook with a special of roast pheasant ($24), its tender pink breast and thigh augmented with a lemony crepe stuffed with shredded bird, a tower of turnip, a handful of roasted Concord grapes – watch the pips, Gladys – and a bed of buttery puréed parsnips. His free-range and grass-fed braised bison short ribs over a dazzling pommes purée laced with Thunder Oak Gouda ($27) deliver the knockout punch, their garnish of celeriac salsa verde and pickled Ontario peaches the icing on the cake. Chef’s vegetarian entrees are just as complex, especially his wild mushroom tart ($21) dressed with wilted sorrel, a toss of sliced pine mushrooms and a generous grinding of nutmeg. Pastry whiz Nis’ku Closs, along with sous Dennis Tay, both Splendido

(552 Mount Pleasant, at Belsize, 416927-9340, debusaha.com) and starts with bitter gourd juice ($3) or sweet strawberry lassi ($5) before moving on to veggie masala omelettes ($9), pink grapefruit with Indo scrambled eggs and Goan-style turkey sausages (both $11). In other Debu Saha news, Saha offers his annual Diwali dinners – four extravagant veggie or meat-centric courses for $40 a head October 20 to 31.

Food TV fest

Woods leaves Lucien

The room has a few problems, but Keriwa’s food dazzles By STEVEN DAVEY KERIWA CAFE (1690 Queen West, at

Roncesvalles, 416-533-2552, keriwacafe.ca) Complete meals for $65 per person, including tax, tip and a glass of wine. Average main $25. Open Tuesday to Thursday 5:30 to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 11 pm. Closed Sunday, Monday, holidays. Licensed. Access: barrierfree, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

although some have touted Parkdale’s latest “it spot” as such, Keriwa Café isn’t Toronto’s first aboriginal restaurant. That honour goes a long-gone resto located in a clubland pool hall remembered less for its groundbreak-

freshdish Debu does brunch

Those looking for an alternative to eggs Benedict on the weekend will want to check out Debu Saha’s justintroduced Yogi Brunch. The spread runs on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 2:30 pm at the acclaimed Indian chef’s Leaside bistro

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

Down at the Ex’s Better Living Building, TV’s Food Network hosts the inaugural Delicious Food Show today (Thursday, October 20) to Sunday (October 23). The four-day event promises cupcake smackdowns, food demos and a slew of TV foodies including Lynn Crawford, David Rocco and Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi. Ticket information: deliciousfoodshow.com.

After a nearly five year stint at Lucien, Scot Woods has announced that he is leaving the popular Wellington East haute spot. “I want to thank everyone for their support over the years,” says Woods before adding c ryptically, “I look forward to what the future holds.”

Scott no longer Bohemian

The tropics are definitely in the cards

vets, offers a classic wedge of pumpkin pie dolloped with whipped cream and crumbled brittle ($10). They even send you home with a complimentary cinnamon bun for the morning after. So what’s not to love? The room’s an acoustic nightmare, all hard surfaces that render normal conversation and the usual random boomer soundtrack of Neil Young and Bob Marley a cacophony. We have to lean in to hear our extremely well-informed server every time she describes what we’re about to eat, and even then, we don’t catch half of what she’s saying. . And turn up the lights. Food this creatively plated is as much a feast for the eyes as the tongue. And did we mention the exhaust system or lack thereof? All that wood-grilling produces an awful lot of smoke. Fix these easily rectified flaws and Keriwa Café could be a contender. 3

for former LAB and now ex-Bohemian Gastropub chef Christopher Scott. “The team at Boehmer Inc congratulates Scott on accepting a position in the Caribbean,” goes the official party line. “Paul Boehmer embraces the opportunity to reclaim his kitchen.” After the Queen West pub’s rocky start, we’re sure he does. SD

stevend@nowtoronto.com

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = Rare perfection NNNN = Outstanding, almost ﬂawless NNN = Recommended, worthy of repeat visits NN = Adequate N = You’d do better with a TV dinner

nowtoronto.com

food&drink

recently reviewed

Tons of restaurants, crossing cultures, every week Compiled by Steven Davey

Café County General

936 Queen W, at Shaw, 416-531-4447, thecountygeneral.ca. Little wonder they’re already calling this spinoff of Splendido the new Hoof Café. Could be the similar all-day/late-night diner setup, snout-to-tail brunchy carte and noreservations policy. Show up early or mid-afternoon if you hope to get one of only 27 seats without the inevitable wait and kitchen delays. Best: smoky ham and navy bean soup with coriander, scallion and croutons; sandwiches like ripe heirloom tomato with lemony avocado chutney and aged cheddar on toasted Thuet sourdough; housesmoked brisket and house-made sauerkraut with Gruyère with 1,000 Island dressing on rye à la Reuben, both sided with triple-blanched frites; at brunch, English breakfasts of two peppery eggs, boudin noir sausage, smoked peameal, sautéed ’shrooms and baked beans ’n’ pork parts. Complete meals for $30 per

drinkup

person, including tax, tip and a pint. Average main $14. Open Sunday to Wednesday 11 am to midnight, Thursday to Saturday 11 am to 3 am. Closed some holidays. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: nnn

Hot Dogs Fusia DoG

65 Duncan, at Queen W, 647-341-7391, fusiadog.com. Tiger Lily’s Dinah Koo returns to her old stomping grounds with a tiny take-away devoted to haute multi-culti hot dogs. Limited counter seating. Best: the signature dog, a 100 per cent all-natural beef frank that’s not only kosher but gluten-free, wrapped in grilled Indian paratha flatbread and dressed with Korean kimchi, sweetly pickled Vietnamese slaw, fresh coriander and wasabi mayo; Koo’s classic Peking duck quesadillas stuffed with scallion, carrot, bean sprouts and hoisin; tofu dogs in traditional buns finished with miso-peanut sauce, chopped iceberg lettuce and fresh coriander; a Power Slaw of shredded purple cabbage, broccoli, carrot, cubed cheddar

cheese, raisins and pumpkin seeds in avocado vinaigrette. Complete meals for $12 per person, including tax, tip and a bottled water. Average main $7. Open Monday to Thursday 11 am to 7 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 8 pm. Closed Sunday, holidays. Unlicensed. Access: three steps at door, counter seating, no washrooms. Rating: nnn

Vietnamese rose’s Vietnamese sanDwiChes 601 Gerrard East, at Broadview, 416ñ 406-9906. Now located around the corner

from its original digs on Broadview, Rose Fam’s terrific Saigon sub shop may have a new name and a smaller footprint but the banh mi are as mighty as ever, though food-a-phobes might want to nix the fish sauce and questionable pâté. Takeout only. Best: flaky buttered French buns stuffed to order with the likes of lemongrass-scented pork Xiu Mai meat balls, salty shredded chicken or dense slabs of tofu, all dressed with strips of sweetly pickled daikon and carrot, English cucumber, fresh coriander and optional Thai bird

A weekly look at what’s on LCBO shelves

By GRaHaM DUnCan

WHAT: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais 2009 (red) Rating: nnn WHERE: Beaujolais, France WHY: In the Beaujolais region, red wine is made exclusively from Gamay grapes. Simple Beaujolais like this is suitable for relaxed drinking enjoyment. Which is not to say we’re slumming. It’s refreshing, racy juice with Gamay’s signature eccentricities (banana, anyone?) kept in line by Deboeuf, which is synonymous with Beaujolais. Pull this cork when you pull the pork. PRICE: 750 ml/$12.35 AVAILABILITY: At selected liquor stores (product #212480)

WHAT: Domaine J. Boulon

ñMorgon 2009 (red) Rating: nnnn

REVIEWS, LISTINGS, CONTESTS

nowtoronto.com REVI EWS , LISTI NGS, CONTESTS

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chilies; cellophane-packaged salad rolls wrapped in lettuce and stuffed with rice noodle and halved shrimp or sweet sausage; for the sweet tooth, fried sticky-rice fritters with creamy coconut dunk; sesame seed cookies topped with candied cashews; crème-caramel-style flan. Complete meals for $5 per person, including tax, tip and a can of soda. Average main $2. Open daily 9 am to 8 pm. Unlicensed. Cash only. Access: two steps at door, no washrooms. Rating: nnnnn 3

AND MOR E

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REVIEWS LIST

LalibelaEthiopianRestaurant.com

WHERE: Beaujolais, France WHY: Morgon is a smaller sub-zone or cru within the greater Beaujolais region. As is the case here, greater geographic specificity usually means both higher quality and price. The result is an attractive wine with subtle strawberry and cherry fruit, light texture and assertive acidity. Drinkable now or even more so a couple of years down the road. Chicken out with coq au vin. PRICE: 750 ml/$19.95 AVAILABILITY: At selected Vintages outlets (product #241166) 3 drinks@nowtoronto.com

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Liquid gold nnnn = Intoxicating nnn = Cheers nn = Drinkable n = Under the bridge

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festival of authors Cover Story

At almost 40 years old, the International Festival of Authors has figured out how to avoid a mid-life crisis: keep changing it up and stay relevant. And so, honouring the explosion of graphic novels, IFOA continues to program some of the genre’s hottest exponents and names Seth its Harbourfront Festival Prize winner. New this year is a partnership with the Koffler Centre that spotlights Jewish experience, as well as programming devoted to the under-appreciated art of translation. Oh yeah, and nearly 200 writers from all over the world hit the IFOA stage. Let NOW’s IFOA special, with interviews, reviews and our classic quips, guide you through the fest.

interview

Jazzing the juries

Esi Edugyan’s soulful story of musicians under Nazi occupation is on every short list that counts By SUSAN G. COLE

E FICtION

Riveting riff Half-blood blues by esi edugyan (thomas allen), 304 pages, $24.95 paper. rating: nnnnn

If you’re wondering how a novel gets on all of Canada’s major prize short lists, reading Half-blood Blues tells you everything you need to know.

october 20-26 2011 NOW

Start with a rare tale about black experience under Hitler, add the creative factor – the main characters are jazz musicians – and then throw in some superb writing and you have a magic formula. Edugyan tells the story of musicians Chip and Sid, old friends from Baltimore who converge in Paris and begin making spectacular jazz music with their genius saxophonist, Hiero Falco. But when the Nazis invade,

declare jazz degenerate and threaten all non-Aryans, the boys go into hiding. Jealousy and betrayal ensue. The story deftly shifts from 40s Paris to Poland in the early 90s, where Chip and Sid travel after attending a screening of a documentary on Hiero’s life. On one level it’s a suspense tale about personal survival in wartime; on another, it’s about love-hate relationships among friends.

But what makes the book spectacular is the voice, Sid’s from a first-person perspective, and the dialogue. The hipster talk – much of it invented by the author – sounds strangely out of time, as if it could come from the mouths of contemporary characters. Yet you never doubt the story’s WWII setting. And when Edugyan writes about the music, you can feel it vibrating in your bones. Awesome. sGC

Venturi + Karpa

si edugyan understands envy. ESI EDUGYAN reading with Writers’ Trust short-listers Wednesday (October Just read Half-Blood Blues, her 26), 8 pm, in the Brigantine Room; particinovel about jazz musicians living pating in a round table with Booker nomin Nazi-occupied Paris. Her hero inees, 4 pm, and reading with the Giller Sid, a decent bass player, is sushort-listers, 8 pm, both October 29, Fleck premely jealous of Hiero, the genius Dance Theatre; and reading with Rana sax man who doesn’t have to try Dasgupta, Prue Leith and Zoë Strachan, October 30, 2 pm, in the Studio Theatre. hard to sound brilliant. Plus, they’re both hot for the same woman “I was climbing inside Sid’s mind,” says the Calgary-born author from her home base in Victoria. “When you have a close friend that you have conflicted feelings for – including sexual envy – the artistic rivalry compounds everything.” Lately, Edugyan is probably the target of some serious professional jealousy herself. Half-Blood Blues, her second published novel, appears on all three major Canadian prize short-lists. And she’ll be taking a trip to London, England for the Booker Prize banquet – she’s nominated for that award, too. Add a newborn baby and you have some heavy happenings. “It’s still a bit hazy and in the background, with the baby in the forefront.” Don’t expect a follow-up novel soon. She’s busy being a new mom. Edugyan read voraciously as a child and had what she calls a minor epiphany that she should become a writer. She recalls an intimidating teacher who urged her to speak up more in class. “‘You obviously get literature,’ she told me. ‘We need more of your voice.’” Now in her early 30s, Edugyan hasn’t let go of that shyness. Maybe it’s because taking care of a newborn can be so completely draining, but she’s very low-key over the phone.

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Can’t live without it nnnn = Riveting nnn = Worthy nn = Remainder bin here we come

n = Doorstop material

She speaks in measured tones as she assesses her breakout success, which, she says, has taken her completely by surprise. It comes thanks to her absorbing story about black and mixed-race musicians in war-torn 40s Europe. Half-Blood Blues offers a rare, fresh glimpse into lives almost never considered in literature. While travelling in Europe for several years beginning in 2006, she felt the need as a black woman to explore the topic. She dug deep into what there was of the nonfiction canon on people of colour in Nazioccupied Europe – you can count the texts on one hand – and tried talking with one mixed-race survivor to get intimate details. But he was writing his own memoir and wasn’t exactly forthcoming. So she used her imagination. That applies to the dialogue, too, a wondrous mix of poetry and street slang, in which the Nazis are called boots, for example, men Jacks and women Janes. It comes across as absolutely believable and of the time and yet, from a present-day perspective, strangely hip. Some of that lingo came from listening to oral histories and from reading a biography of Louis Armstrong, who figures prominently in the novel. “But I was also inventing language as well, taking the texture and instinctively creating new words and ways of speaking, based on their speech. And I came up with new words specific to the experience of these men in Germany. Jacks and Janes are actually authentic words. Boots? I made that up.” Once she’d fashioned the argot, the spoken words came easily. “Once you grasp it and have a sense of the characters, you can say anything in that voice – it’s available to you and you’re not straining for it. “I have to admit, though, once I had finished several drafts, it overtook everything, and I felt like I was stuck in that voice. I kept wanting to write something completely different – like the longest, most lyrical sentence in third person ever.” Central to the novel is the friendship between drummer Chip and the younger Sid, whom Chip groomed when they were teens in Baltimore, later urging Sid to come with him to Paris. The relationship, which we witness in the 40s and in the 90s, is prickly – Chip can actually be a bit of an asshole who gets almost sadistic pleasure from pressing Sid’s buttons. “When you have friendships that began in childhood, you’re much more forgiving of that person’s faults than a newer friend’s,” she says. “Sid was young and vulnerable and Chip was a bully, and the pattern persisted. But they’re like brothers so they just carry on with it.” As for the gobs of media attention she’s bound to get, Edugyan won’t be reading or watching any of it. The reason is buried in a Half-Blood Blues moment, when Chip and Sid are at a 1992 showing of a documentary film about Hiero. Sid watches in horror while Chip excoriates Sid onscreen for his treatment of Hiero decades earlier. Predictably, Chip tries to weasel out of it, claiming he was taken out of context. “I don’t read my interviews or my reviews – my husband does all that for me,” she admits. “It’s from a fear that one of these days someone’s going to patch together all the worst parts, and I’ll look terrible.” 3

Best of the fest InternatIonal festIval of authors October 21-30 and November 8. Harbourfront Centre. 416-973-4000, readings.org. Readings/interviews/talks/ round tables $18, stu free; Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalists/Giller Prize Finalists $25. Brigantine Room (BRG), Lakeside Terrace (LST) and Studio Theatre (SDT), 235 Queens Quay West; Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West (FDT). Seth

Friday, October 21 This year’s Festival Prize winner, Seth, is interviewed by smartypants Mariko Tamaki alongside fellow graphic star Daniel Clowes (see interview and review, page 40) at an event that can only be big fun. 8 pm, Brigantine Room. Saturday, October 22 Edem Awumey, whose book Dirty Feet was translated by Lazer Lederhendler (also on hand), plus translator Claro talk about one of the riskiest literary business’s around – translation. 2 pm, Brigantine Room.

David Bezmozgis

Sunday, October 23 This year’s partnership between IFOA and the Koffler Centre bears delicious fruit in an event featuring Giller shortlister David Bezmozgis and rising supernova Gary Shteyngart, interviewed by Gal Beckerman. 3:30 pm, Lakeside Terrace. Monday, October 24 Hear Esi Edugyan (see interview and review, page 34), who’s been shortlisted for all three of Canada’s major literary awards, alongside fellow trifecta nominee Patrick deWitt and the other Governor General’s Literary Awards finalists. 8 pm, Fleck continued on page 36 œ Theatre. Patrick deWitt

susanc@nowtoronto.com

NOW october 20-26 2011

festival of authors

Best of the fest œcontinued from page 35

intervieW

Linwood Barclay

Tuesday, October 25 T.O. independent retailer Book City turns 35 with a fab celebration featuring Linwood Barclay, Amitav Ghosh, Nancy Huston and Heather Jessup all reading from their latest works. 8 pm, Fleck Theatre.

Joseph Boyden

Wednesday, October 26 Four of the best aboriginal writers in Canada – Joseph Boyden, David A. Groulx, Lee Maracle and Drew Hayden Taylor – appear in what promises to be an electrifying evening of readings. 8 pm, Lakeside Terrace. Thursday, October 27 For sheer volume, nothing beats the collective reading of Fleck, A Verse Comedy, featuring 19 readers, including Linwood Barclay, Alan Bissett, Jim Fleck, Brian Francis, Denise Mina and Guy Vanderhaeghe. Should be a gas. 8 pm, Fleck Theatre.

Skibsrud shifts

The 2011 Giller winner fiercely defends her decision to follow up with a series of short stories By CARLA GILLIS Johanna sKiBsruD eading with Edem Awumey, Jane Urquhart and Harry Whitehead on Friday (October 21), 8 pm, in the Studio Theatre. nnn

when a first-time novelist publishes a collection of short stories a quick year after winning a major literary award, you might consider it a stopgap measure to hold over fans until her next tome makes it into our hands. That’s not the case with Johanna Skibsrud, who won the Giller Prize last year for The Sentimentalists, a slender but deeply contemplative novel based in part on her father’s experiences in the Vietnam War, specifically during Operation Liberty II. “I actually resent the assumption that the short story, or a collection of them, is a lesser form… or a temporary form,” says Skibsrud over the phone from a Halifax hotel during a

This Will Be DifficulT To explain anD oTher sTor-

ñies

by Johanna Skibsrud (Hamish Hamilton), 176 pages, $28 cloth. Rating: nnnn

In her immersive debut short-fiction collection, Giller Prize winner Johanna Skibsrud is preoccupied with the limitations of perspective and the difficulties of communication. A father tries desperately to reconnect with the teenage daughter he hasn’t seen in months. Language barriers trip up a young Englishwoman taking care of an elderly Parisian with a sad past. A resort worker crosses an innocent but awkward work/life boundary with a mysterious guest. As in the best short fiction, Skibsrud plunges us head first into the worlds of her varied characters, leaving us to do the work of catching up while she paints and probes their tragicomical mistakes. Like her prizewinning The Sentimentalists, these nine stories abound with her trademark rambling, cumulative sentences and poetic, philosophical language. The title story is the most experimental, and Signac’s Boats the most abstract. But be patient. Skibsrud’s keen insights into the cG human experience offer big-time rewards.

Saturday, October 29 On a panel called Home Economics, authors Linda Grant (see review, page 42), Tessa McWatt and Gayla Reid discuss women and the personal and political choices – sometimes sacrifices – their characters make for love and marriage. Noon, Lakeside Terrace. Sunday, October 30 Authors Marina Endicott, Nicole Lundrigan, Riel Nason and Miriam Toews discuss the power of secrets in their work and why a sinful action for one may be salvation for another. NOW’s Susan G. Cole moderates. Noon, Brigantine Room. 3 october 20-26 2011 NOW

3 books@nowtoronto.com

sTories

Friday, October 28 Another rich slate offers the always engaging Helen Oyeyemi, Rachel Simon, Timothy Taylor, author of the ambitious Blue Light Project, and Canlit hero Guy Vanderhaeghe. 8 pm, Brigantine Room.

promotional stop. “I hope very much that the collection will be considered as seriously – and as ambitiously – as the novel.” As it should. This Will Be Difficult To Explain And Other Stories is every bit as wise, poetic and probing as The Sentimentalists. Characters find themselves embedded in great – often tragically comic – misunderstandings, grappling to communicate with each other while fighting through the fog of their limited perspectives. Despite being just 31, the well-travelled Meadowville, Nova Scotia, native has the ability to inhabit their varied lives in order to tell their stories. It’s a skill she’s honed from a young age. Skibsrud remembers being nine years old and writing a story about a 90-year-old blind woman who had lost a ring. “It was really heartbreaking,” she laughs. “She just goes around the room trying to find this ring. It struck

me later as a bit odd that a nineyear-old would be interested in a 90-year-old. But on the other hand, it’s not. That awareness and fear about the arc of a life is so much a part of our experience, even at a young age. Maybe even especially at a young age. I guess I believe that we’re not as different from each other as we might think.” A PhD candidate at the Université de Montréal (she defends in April) and recently relocated to Tucson with her fiancé, Skibsrud describes her “out-of-the-blue” Giller win in nothing but glowing terms. The experience was less positive, however, for Gaspereau Press, the small boutique firm behind The Sentimentalists and her two poetry collections, which was overwhelmed by the sudden demand. They’d agreed to publish the short story collection prior to the win but decided to take a pass afterwards. The book landed with Hamish Hamilton Canada, which has a fulltime dedicated editor (something Gaspereau lacked) who believes in the short story cause. When asked why she thinks so few collections are being published, the soft-spoken writer grows impassioned. “I think it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Publishers and perhaps writers, too, are convinced short stories don’t sell. Well, they’re not going to sell any better if the money and marketing aren’t going into them, and especially if publishers aren’t buying promising collections. “It actually blows my mind. In this day and age you can market anything. You can convince people to buy the most ridiculous gadget if you have the right marketing behind it. So to think that stops in the book world is really naive to me.”

Writer

JOE DUNTHORNE, author of Wild Abandon, reading with Colson Whitehead and interviewed by Brent Bambury, Saturday (October 22) and reading with Gary Barwin, Kyle Buckley, Souvankham Thammavongsa and Alexi Zentner, Sunday (October 23)

Describe your book in 15 words or less. A strange white man, who may or may not be a legendary trickster, returns to a native community riding a vintage 1953 Indian Chief motorcycle, causing mischief and magic. DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR,

The end of a commune, the end of a marriage, the end of the world.

JOE DUNTHORNE

Canadian Pie is about a very, very, very, very, very, very, very curious WiLL FERgUsON man who...

An elderly woman tries to find redemption for the lies she told about her dead son. BRiAN FRANcis Theft, love, money, beauty, greed, courage, detectives, cunning, thieves, epic game of hide and seek.

JOsHUA KNELmAN

It’s 1900. Hunt is a shaman, chieftain, anthropologist, scientist – now he’s accused as a cannibal.

cOLsON WHiTEHEAD

A mAn from LA mAnchA sets out As A knight-errAnt… WAit! thAt’s someone eLse’s book.

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Can’t live without it nnnn = Riveting nnn = Worthy nn = Remainder bin here we come

PATRiciA mARx

n = Doorstop material

more online For updates on Authors Fest readings, events and parties throughout the festival, go to nowtoronto.com/IFOA.

r’s bloc

BRIAN FRANCIS, author of Natural Order, reading with Dany Laferrière and Emma Ruby-Sachs, Saturday (October 22)

IFOA writers weigh in on not so heavy literary issues and experiences

DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR, author of Motorcycles & Sweetgrass, reading with Joseph Boyden, David A. Groulx and Lee Maracle, Wednesday (October 26)

Do you have any idiosyncratic green room requests? I absolutely loathe BRIAN FRANCIS hydrangeas. I get to spend time in the green room? Who’s in there? Are they nice?

JOSHUA KNELMAN

SCOTCH AND UZIS.

COLSON WHITEHEAD

I’d like this green room in blue, please. PATRICIA MARX

COLSON WHITEHEAD, author of Zone One, reading with Gary Barwin, Jennifer Haigh and Sarah Winman, Friday (October 21) and interviewed alongside Joe Dunthorne Saturday (October 22)

E-books – are you a convert yet? Not yet. Like the Inuit used to say when snowmobiles were introduced in the Arctic, “You can’t eat a snowmobile if you get stranded in a snowstorm.” You can’t use an e-book if you’re stuck in an outhouse at the cottage. DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR

I’M AGNOSTIC.

JOSHUA KNELMAN

Which couple’s bio would you rather write: Will and Kate’s or Brad and Angelina’s? Well, mine and Kate’s, obviously.

WILL FERGUSON

COULD I PICK WILL AND ANGELINA? PATRICIA MARX

PATRICIA MARX, author of Starting From Happy, interviewed with Kate Beaton October 29 and reading with Tessa McWatt, Zacharia Wells and D.W. Wilson October 30

They’re making a biopic of your life. What movie star should play you? Why? Owen Wilson. We share blond hair and an unconventional nose.

JOE DUNTHORNE

Chunk from The Goonies for my early years, Michael Bublé for my adult years, Phyllis Diller for my senior years. I think you know why. BRIAN FRANCIS

Yes. When reading 1,100 pages of the print edition of Infinite Jest last year, I cut my copy into three chunks (rebinding each bit with masking tape) to make it easier to carry. Then, each night, I had to come home and catch up on the footnotes. Very annoying. Now my girlfriend’s reading it on a JOE DUNTHORNE Kindle, and it’s ideal.

Jake Gyllenhaal. He seems like the kind of person who could get suckered into following this kind of story. I’d kind of like to be played by Maggie Gyllenhaal as well.

E what?

My friend Phoebe Cates does an adroit impersonation of me. Hmm... that could be a bad thing.

WILL FERGUSON

JOSHUA KNELMAN

Cate Blanchett. She’s the coolest cube in the icebox, as a man or a COLSON WHITEHEAD woman.

JOSHUA KNELMAN, author of Hot Art, reading with Rodge Glass, Kate Beaton and Ken Babstock, October 30

Create a premise for a literary reality TV show; what would you call it?

AN AUDIENCE ATTEMPTS TO STAY FOCUSED DURING A 30-MINUTE AUTHOR READING. TITLE: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN LISTEN.

BRIAN FRANCIS

I once quoted George Bernard Shaw’s line “It’s a pity youth is wasted on the young,” to which somebody responded, “What the hell does that mean?” So I suggest asking people on the street to explain literary quotes and phrases. Title: What The Hell Does That Mean?

PATRICIA MARX

DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR

WILL FERGUSON, author of Canadian Pie, interviewed by Shelagh Rogers on Saturday (October 22) and reading with Niels Frank, Gary Geddes and Conor Grennan, October 29

An author and his/her harshest critic are forced to share a bedroom. The author writes stories that cruelly fictionalize the critic’s personal hygiene, night smells, etc. The critic writes scathing, highly personal reviews of the new stories. This pattern continues until they either go mad, fall in love or both. Title: Sleeping With The JOE DUNTHORNE Enemy.

A GROUP OF CELEBRITIES ARE PLACED IN THE MURDER MANSION, WHERE THEY MUST COMPETE IN WRITING EVER MORE GRUESOME, WITTY AND INVENTIVE MURDERS. EACH WEEK, THE MOST POPULAR MURDER IS ENACTED ON THE LEAST POPULAR CELEBRITY BY OUR SPECIALIST TEAM. TITLE: MURDER MANSION – ONLY THE INTERESTING SURVIVE. COLSON WHITEHEAD

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festival of authors poetic novel

Cat’s meow THE caT’S TabLE by Michael Ondaatje (McClelland & Stewart), 273 pages, $32 cloth. Rating: NNN

no one writes poetic prose like Michael Ondaatje. But his gorgeous, sensuous language and piercing in sights into the human condition sometimes impede the flow of his latest novel. The Cat’s Table takes place on a ship called the Oronsay in the early 1950s, heading from Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) to England, where Michael (we’ll get to that name later), the 11yearold narrator, is heading to live with his estranged mother. The title refers to the dining table for the ship’s misfits, who include the

narrator, two other preadolescent boys and a handful of single adults. Far removed from the firstclass pas sengers and captain’s table, they’re far more interesting to a burgeoning writer like the narrator. Mr. Mazappa, one of the ship’s musicians, shares exotic stories of Gay Paree, and Mr. Daniels maintains a lush garden in the bowels of the ship. Also capturing everyone’s imagin ation is a mysterious prisoner who’s led out for a nightly walk. And then there’s Michael’s beautiful older cou sin Emily, whose life will connect with the others’ in unpredictable ways. Obviously, there are bits of auto biography here, from the narrator’s name to the fact that the author took a similar journey on a ship called the Oronsay in the same era. The young Michael learns about

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october 20-26 2011 NOW

Environmental Poetry & Environmental Politics

October 31: Hannah Herzsprung (Four Minutes; Life Actually)

What unique role does poetry play in public environmental understanding and action?

November 1: Alexander Fehling (Goethe!; And Along Come Tourists)

Join us for a public forum with renowned Canadian poets

German Culture Now. www.goethe.de/toronto http://blog.goethe.de/arthousefilm

Green Words / Green Worlds: GladstonE HotEl nortH Ballroom 1214 QuEEn strEEt WEst Friday, OctOber 21 • 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

All 6:30 pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Ondaatje reads and is interviewed by Eleanor Wachtel on October 29.

Four nights of double features celebrating German newcomers honoured by the “Shooting Stars Awards” during the Berlinale.

To be continued in January.

social hierarchies and the power of storytelling, and Ondaatje gives us another perspective later in the book when the narrator, now a successful writer living in Canada, ponders the mysteries of what happened during the trip. But is it a memoir? A novel? It seems like some unsatisfying hybrid that never really soars. The sentences themselves are thrilling, though. Ondaatje lets you see the meaning in how a young woman adjusts the strap on her dress or how someone catching his reflec tion in a mirror may suddenly see himself move from boyhood to youth. Starting out, the book seems like a grand adventure reminiscent of something by Kipling or Conrad but with a more knowing take on coloni alism and class. Alas, the pieces never come togeth er into something as fluid and magi cal as The English Patient or Anil’s Ghost or as funny and touching as his actual memoir, Running In The GLENN SUMI Family.

Brian BartlEtt (the Watchmaker’s table), armand GarnEt ruffo (at Geronimo’s Grave), and rita WonG (forage). Free and open to the public (space is limited). cash bar reception to follow. sponsored by York university, faculty of Environmental studies & the social sciences and Humanities research Council of Canada

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = Can’t live without it NNNN = Riveting NNN = Worthy NN = Remainder bin here we come

N = Doorstop material

more online For updates on Authors Fest readings, events and parties throughout the festival, go to nowtoronto.com/IFOA.

Poetry at the IFOA Sharing stages with big names in fiction, Canadian poets take the form in new and diverse directions. Here’s where you can find some of them. KEN BABSTOCK, October 29 and 30 Critical darling Babstock reads from his fourth collection of poetry, Methodist Hatchet (House of Anansi). His ruminations can be difficult to follow but are rewarding when cracked open. And live, he’s totally charismatic. ZACHARIAH WELLS, October 29 and 30 Canadian Notes & Queries reviews editor Wells paints a crafty picture of the Maritimes in his latest, Track & Trace (Biblioasis), with illustrations by Seth.

GRAPHIC NOVEL HARK! A VAGRANT by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly), 160 pages, $19.95 paper. Rating: NNNN

what if anne of green gables had never got the puffed-sleeve dress she so desperately wanted? What did Canada really think of Lester B. Pearson? Welcome to Kate Beaton’s world, distilled in comics compilation Hark! A Vagrant, which shares the name of her popular website. Born in Nova Scotia and living in New York, Beaton remixes history to give a fresh take on familiar characters, all in a sparse drawing style emphasizing the joke, not the art. The dialogue can get manic and also include long pauses, especially at the end of a three-panel joke. Not

every strip is ha-ha funny; instead, Beaton prefers to shine a light on what we’ve overlooked, whether in Canadian history or in “real life.” She has a sharp eye for human foibles. Her 1980s Businesswoman

Comics have an enjoyably hysterical pace, and a peek into apathetic Mystery-Solving Teens sums up young narcissism. If you’re well read, you’ll be all over Hark. Beaton loves to imagine new destinies for Great Gatsby heroes or Odysseus sidekicks. She references the Brontës on one page and Robinson Crusoe on the next. You might need to remember your high school English class assignments to get some of her one-liners. If you know your Shakespeare, you’ll have fun with the book’s latter half. Chalk it up to preference, but I think a few colour panels would’ve been a nice surprise for Beaton fans. We’re used to seeing her online posts as black-and-white renderings, so her first book could have sweetened the deal. Remember how cool it was the first time you saw a full-colour Far

Side page in an anthology? Even if you don’t like comics or Canadian history, Hark will turn you DAVID SILVERBERG on to both. Beaton is interviewed alongside Patricia Marx on October 29 and reads with Joshua Knelman, Rodge Glass and Ken Babstock on October 30.

SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA, Sunday (October 23) and October 29 It would be hard to be more economic with words than Thammavongsa, whose Found (Pedlar) was inspired by a scrapbook her father kept in a Lao refugee camp in Thailand. GARY BARWIN, Friday (October 21) and Sunday (October 23) The Hamilton-based writer and musician tackles consciousness from a surreal, sometimes absurd perspective in The Porcupinity Of The Stars (Coach House). RUTH ROACH PIERSON, Sunday (October 23) and October 29 A former academic, Pierson’s poetry is informed by history and feminism. In her third collection, Contrary (Tightrope), Pierson writes about paintings, mortality and her relationship with her brother. DAVID A. GROULX, Wednesday (October 26) Raised in Elliot Lake, Harbourfront’s Poetry NOW co-winner Groulx finds inspiration in his Ojibwe and French-Canadian heritage in Under God’s Pale Bones (Kegedonce). SARAH GREENE

NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

festival of authors

interview

a Clowes call

Graphic novelist Daniel Clowes puts a sardonic spin on the superhero story By GLENN SUMI DANIEL CLOWES in conversation with Seth, hosted by Mariko Tamaki, Friday (October 21) in the Brigantine Room. 8 pm.

whenever daniel clowes sees an adult smoker on the street, he feels a little sad. “Most smokers start when they’re 16 or 17,” says Clowes from his no doubt smoke-free home in Oakland, California. “I always think, ‘Grow up!’ It’s like they’re stuck in some sort of adolescent anxiety.” That’s the sort of dead-on observa-

tion Clowes is known for in graphic novels like Ghost World and Wilson. His latest, The Death-Ray, isn’t about smoking, but its ectomorph adolescent anti-hero, Andy, first gains his superpowers after lighting up a cigarette. “It seems like the idea of wanting superpowers and thinking about smoking come from the same place,” says Clowes in carefully chosen words, his nasal voice suggesting a kinder Jack Nicholson. Ironically, Clowes came up with the premise while joking about bad ideas.

“I was talking with another cartoonist and said the worst idea you could ever have for a comic would be to try to do an earnest, non-ironic superhero,” he says. “All the good superhero comics – early Marvel or Superman comics, Plastic Man – had a sense of the absurdity of superheroes. They didn’t take themselves too seriously.” The more he thought about it, though, the more intrigued he became. What if his superhero took himself really, really seriously? “I thought back to when I was 15 or 16 years old and writing my own superhero comics that were very clearly ripped off from other comics. I had a character who was a personalized version of Peter Parker, but he also had a ray-gun that would annihilate everyone in his path. There was something about that story that meant a lot to me at that age. I never got around to drawing any of it, but it stuck with me, and later I realized how psychologically naked the whole idea was.” Clowes uses a variety of graphic and narrative techniques in The Death-Ray, varying his tone and hopping around ambitiously in time. He used a similar mix of styles in his book Ice Haven, which he wrote before The Death-Ray came out in his magazine Eightball. “Prior to that I’d always gotten stuck in these longer stories like Ghost World and David Boring, where I was married to a certain style and had to forge through with that style over years of work. By the end it always became trying because I’d learned new things and wanted to move on to new ideas. My spontaneity was worn down to a nub.

2011 open stage poetry winners Gary Barwin

DaviD a. Groulx

The Porcupinity of the Stars

Gary Barwin reading Friday, October 21 at 8pm in the Lakeside Terrace & Sunday, October 23 at 2pm in the Studio Theatre

Under god’s pale bones

David A. Groulx reading Wednesday, October 26 at 8pm in the Lakeside Terrace Harbourfront Centre 235 Queens Quay W. Tickets/Info: $18/$15 members 416 973 4000 readings.org

october 20-26 2011 NOW

“With this story and the last few I’ve done, I’ve been able to maintain a level of newness. I don’t know how it affects the reading experience, but it sure makes creating more exciting.” A film adaptation of The DeathRay has been in the works for a while, with Jack Black’s production company attached. “We’ve finally got a draft we’re all happy with,” he says, “and now we’re looking for directors.” It’d be hard to top his Ghost World collaboration with Terry Zwigoff,

which got them a screenplay Oscar nomination. Drawing comics and making movies: two antithetical activities, no? “In many ways they’re the opposite, yeah,” says Clowes. “But writing screenplays is very satisfying when you spend so much time doing comics. You can change things so easily. You can cut out 30 pages and it’s no big deal. But cut pages from a comic book you’ve drawn and it’s so painful. There’s been so much labour.” 3 glenns@nowtoronto.com

GraphiC novel

On target THE DEATH-RAY by Daniel Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly), 48 pages, $19.95 cloth. Rating: NNNN

The comic and movie kick-ass and the films Super and Defendor have turned the real-life-superhero genre into a cliché. But Daniel Clowes breathes new life into it in The Death-Ray, a dark and philosophical look at what it means to have the godlike power to take lives. Scrawny high-schooler Andy, who lives with his grandfather (both his parents have died), is bullied and friendless, save for his rebellious buddy Louie, who’s got problems of his own. But a puff on a cigarette (a typically dark Clowesian joke) kickstarts a radical change in Andy’s body, and soon he’s able to beat up anyone who gets in his way – after a couple of drags, of course. The discovery of the titular death-ray gun only ups the stakes. Originally published in Eightball magazine, this is graphic storytelling at its best. Clowes plays brilliantly with chronology, tone and style. Some illustrations have a hyper-realist edge to them, others are shaded like an old-school noir, while still others are playfully childlike. And the author constructs the narrative in inventive ways, throwing in interviews, snatches of love letters and episodes involving seemingly unimportant secondary characters. Talk of a film adaptation abounds, but it’d be hard to top the book for its complexity. Clowes, who co-wrote the superb adaptation of his book Ghost World, has found the perfect medium to express his thoughts on loneliGLENN SUMI ness, power and despair.

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = Can’t live without it NNNN = Riveting NNN = Worthy NN = Remainder bin here we come

N = Doorstop material

more online For updates on Authors Fest readings, events and parties throughout the festival, go to nowtoronto.com/IFOA.

CRIME FICTION

Rankin rules THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD by Ian Ran-

kin (Orion), 373 pages, $24.99 paper. Rating: NNNN

after the success and popularity of his Rebus books, 18 in all over two decades, it must have felt a bit risky for Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin to give birth to a new leading sleuth. No worries. The second book in the Malcolm Fox series proves that Rankin still rates as one of the best in his field. Where the Rebus books are more character-driven, The Impossible Dead’s strength lies in its plot – a

Thursday

dense, complex maze of wrongdoing that interweaves history with contemporary Edinburgh and Scottish politics. Inspector Fox and his team from The Complaints, the Lothian and Borders special investigations unit, have been sent up to Fife to investigate a possible police cover-up. But what starts out with a few routine interviews and the expected hostility from the local cops ends up tying back to the mid-80s and a Scottish nationalist terrorist group called Dark Harvest Commando. It’s an investigation that gets “Foxy” – who’s as cunning and quietly subversive as the nickname implies – suspended from the team and then, when he uncovers a surprising

family connection and refuses to step away, almost killed. Rankin doesn’t just drop Fox on us, but reels him out in tempting bits and pieces, as if he’s reluctant to let us see the whole man in one go. But the details that reveal what makes Fox tick are there: his troubled relationships with his sister and ailing father, and his fear that maybe he’s not a “real” cop any more and only suited for The Complaints. A gripping read, and a lesson for those who didn’t know, or choose to forget, that Scotland had its terrorLESLEY McALLISTER ists, too. Rankin reads with Stuart MacBride, Denise Mina and David Adams Richards on Wednesday (October 26) and joins the group reading of Fleck, A Verse Comedy on October 27.

COMIC NOVEL

Wild and fun WILD ABANDON by Joe Dunthorne

(Hamish Hamilton), 340 pages, $30 cloth. Rating: NNNN

joe dunthorne loves his teenage characters. His young hero in Submarine – made this year into a feature film – tries desperately to patch up his parents’ marriage. In his follow-up, Wild Abandon, two children brought up in a commune try to cope in different ways. Older sister Kate attempts an escape to suburbia, while her 11-year-old brother Albert prepares for the end of the world. Where Submarine skewers New

Age values, Wild Abandon has big fun with the aspirations – and inevitable hypocrisies – of the now failing Blaeny-llyn community in Wales. At one time it had scores of visitors and applicants eager to join the community and tons of journalists who couldn’t wait to get a peek. But it’s going downhill, and Don, Kate and Albert’s dad and the community’s leader, is desperate for a way to stop the slide. He decides that a mammoth rave party will do the trick. Also in on the action is Patrick, the wealthy drug addict who’s been funding the commune; the kids’ mum, Freya, who’s tiring of hubby Don; and Kate’s boyfriend Geraint, who’s getting way too interested in her hippie home. Dunthorne’s attention to detail is intense. You could probably set up a quickie commune of your own based on information on the ingenious ways these hippies build structures and generate energy. And he strikes just the right tone. Much of the book is laugh-out-loud funny – Freya’s reaction to Don’s airkisses is a riot. But Albert’s panic when his sister disappears creates poignant moments, and as the community readies for the big party, when Albert’s sure he’ll see Armageddon, Dunthorne builds to a potent climax. SUSAN G. COLE Dunthorne is intervewed alongside Colson Whitehead on Saturday (October 22) and reads with Gary Barwin , Souvankham Thammavongsa and Alexi Zentner on Sunday (October 23).

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festival of authors

Hippie epic novel

Bent boomers WE HAD IT SO GOOD by Linda Grant (Simon & Schuster), 336 pages, $28.99 cloth. Rating: NNN

linda grant’s sly story of baby boomer hippies who grow up into near complacent adults starts out almost mean-spirited but does find some soul – a little too late. Stephen, who grows up in California, the son of immigrants, heads to the UK on a Rhodes Scholarship, only to lose it when he’s busted for concocting LSD on school property. But Stephen’s a survivor who remains in a hippie commune, eventu-

ally sharing a London sprawl with a bunch of anarchists and dropouts and finally buying it with his wife, Andrea, once his partner in anarchy, now a practising psychotherapist. Grant, a former Orange Prize winner and Booker short-lister, creates rich characters. Especially vivid are Ivan, the trust-fund hippie, Andrea’s best friend Grace, who’s pathologically irresponsible and sponges off her friends, and Andrea and Stephen’s magician son and photojournalist daughter, both fascinating. Grant writes some brilliant set pieces. A sequence in which Stephen brings his Brit bride back home to California is rich with detail that gets to the heart of her culture shock. The problem with this sweeping story – it ranges from the 60s through 9/11 and up to the global financial crisis – is that it doesn’t take itself seriously enough. What promises to be a portrait of a generation that can never get satisfaction ends up undermined by Grant’s satire. It’s possible to sympathize with characters who are the subject of the author’s ridicule, but Grant doesn’t quite pull it off – until the very end, when We Had It So Good does gather some emotional steam. Even so, this is a very entertaining SUSAN G. COLE read. Grant reads with Lev Grossman, Wayne Johnston and Gayla Reid on October 27.

festival of authors InternatIonal festIval of authors October 21-30 and November 8. Harbourfront Centre. 416-973-4000, readings.org. Readings/interviews/talks/ round tables $18, stu free; Governor General’s Literary Awards Finalists/Giller Prize Finalists $25. Brigantine Room (BRG), Lakeside Terrace (LST) and Studio Theatre (SDT), 235 Queens Quay West; Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay West (FDT).

friday, october 21 8 pm edem awumey, Johanna skIbsrud, Jane urquhart and harry whItehead reading (SDT). 8 pm Gary barwIn, JennIfer haIGh, Colson whItehead and sarah wInman reading(LST). 8 pm danIel Clowes interviewed by Seth (BRG). 8 pm Clay shIrky reading and interviewed by Jesse Hirsh (FDT).

saturday, october 22 noon Joe dunthorne and Colson whItehead Reading and interviewed by Brent Bambury (BRG). noon JennIfer haIGh, sIna queyras and alexI Zentner in a roundtable discussion on the family dynamic (LST). 1 pm wIll ferGuson Reading and interviewed by Shelagh Rogers (FDT). 2 pm edem awumey/laZer lederhendler/Claro/mIChael

somaya Gowda and louIse patten Reading (SDT). 8 pm Gary shteynGart Reading and interviewed by Jian Ghomeshi (LST).

sunday, october 23

Russell Banks sChneIder in a roundtable discussion on the creative transgressions of literary translation (BRG). 2 pm lauren b davIs, Johan harstad and bharatI mukherJee in a roundtable discussion on the individual in society (LST). 2 pm douGlas GIbson & sylvIa tyson Reading and performing (SDT). 3 pm franCIsCo Goldman Reading and interviewed by Eleanor Wachtel (FDT). 4 pm brooke Gladstone reading and interviewed by Nora Young (SDT). 5 pm elIZabeth abbott, James Chatto and John terpstra Charles Taylor Prize round table discussion on writing about love (LST). 5 pm Josh rItter Reading and interviewed by Nana Aba (BRG). 8 pm lInwood barClay, brIan franCIs, dany laferrIere and ruby saChs Reading (BRG). 8 pm yvvette edwards, shIlpI

11 am Gal beCkerman, davId beZmoZGIs and IrwIn Cotler in a round table discussion on the 3 million Jews trapped inside the Soviet Union at the end of the second world war (SDT). 11 am kate Cassaday, suZanne desroChers and kIm morItsuGu leading a masterclass for aspiring authors (BRG). noon Johan harstad, bharatI mukherJee, ruth roaCh pIerson and sIna queyras Reading (SDT). 1 pm peter fIlkIns and mIChael GovrIn Reading and interviewed by Julia Creet (LST). 2 pm Gary barwIn, Joe dunthorne, souvankham thammavonGsa and alexI Zentner Reading (SDT). 2 pm stephen Clarke, mIChael sChneIder and dan vyleta in a round table discussion on how literary translation helps define a global voice (BRG). 3:30 pm davId beZmoZGIs and Gary shteynGart interviewed by Gal Beckerman (LST). 4 pm dermot healy, heather Jessup and harry whItehead in a round table discussion on the writers’ craft (SDT). 4 pm davId homel, nanCy huston, laZer lederhendler and Claude tatIlon in a round table discussion on the challenges of translating fiction within the diversities of Canada’s cultural shorthand (BRG).

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more online For updates on Authors Fest readings, events and parties throughout the festival, go to nowtoronto.com/IFOA.

Listings 8 pm ANITA RAU BADAMI, CLARK BLAISE, MADELEINE THIEN AND DW WILSON in a round table discussion on the development of literary characters (SDT). 8 pm RUSSELL BANKS, TOM PERROTTA AND MARIEKE VAN DER POL discussing adapting novels for the screen (LST). 8 pm HELEN OYEYEMI, RACHEL SIMON, TIMOTHY TAYLOR AND GUY VANDERHAEGHE reading (BRG).

Monday, October 24 4 pm STEPHEN RUBIN in a publishing round table discussion (SDT). 8 pm DAVID BEZMOZGIS, ESI EDUGYAN, PATRICK DEWITT, MARINA ENDICOTT AND ALEXI ZENTNER reading as the Governor General’s Litrary Awards finalists (FDT).

Tuesday, October 25 10:30 am PAULETTE BOURGEOIS AND BRENDA CLARK in a YoungIFOA discussion (BRG). 8 pm DAVID BEZMOZGIS, AMITAV GHOSH, NANCY HUSTON AND HEATHER JESSUP reading (FDT). 8 pm LEV GROSSMAN, ERIN MORGENSTERN AND SIMON TOYNE round table discussion on magic, myth and the forces beyond reason (SDT). 8 pm STEPHEN CLARKE, DERMOT HEALY, JOHN BURNHAM SCHWARTZ AND DAN VYLETA reading (LST).

Wednesday, October 26 8 pm JOSEPH BOYDEN, DAVID A GROULX, LEE MARACLE AND DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR Reading (LST). 8 pm DOUGLAS COUPLAND discussing his new book, Marshall McLuhan (SDT). 8 pm STUART MACBRIDE, DENISE MINA, IAN RANKIN AND DAVID ADAMS RICHARDS reading (FDT). 8 pm WRITERS’ TRUST FICTION PRIZE FINALISTS Clark Blaise, Michael Christie, Patrick deWitt, Esi Edugyan and Dan Vyleta reading as the Rogers’ Trust Fictionrize Finalists (BRG).

Helen Oyeyemi

Thursday, October 27 12:30 pm POLLY HORVATH AND MEG WOLITZER in a YoungIFOA discussion (BRG). 8 pm RUSSELL BANKS, ANNE ENRIGHT, ERIN MORGENSTERN AND OLIVE SENIOR reading (BRG). 8 pm FLECK, A VERSE COMEDY Linwood Barclay, Marina Endicott, Helen Humphreys, Ian Rankin and others read (FDT). 8 pm LINDA GRANT, LEV GROSSMAN, WAYNE JOHNSTON AND GAYLA REID reading (SDT). 8 pm ELIZABETH HAY, TOM PERROTTA, THOMAS PLETZINGER AND DANIEL WOODRELL reading (LST)

Friday, October 28 12:30 pm GLEN HUSER AND KATHY REICHS in a YoungIFOA discussion (BRG). 8 pm Margaret Atwood, Stevie Cameron andCharles Taylor Prize for Literary NonFiction awards ceremony and discussion (FDT).

Saturday, October 29 noon KEN BABSTOCK, PETER BEHRENS, FRANCES ITANI AND NICOLE LUNDRIGAN reading (SDT). noon WILL FERGUSON, NIELS FRANK, GARY GEDDES AND CONOR GRENNAN reading (BRG). noon LINDA GRANT, TESSA MCWATT AND GAYLA REID in a round table discussion on women and the personal and political choices their characters have made for love and marriage (LST). noon HELEN HUMPHREYS, RIEL NASON, RUTH ROACH PIERSON AND MIRIAM TOEWS reading (FDT). 2 pm NURUDDIN FARAH, CHAD HARBACH, WAYNE JOHNSTON AND MIROSLAV PENKOV reading (BRG). 2 pm DAVID GILMOUR, CC HUMPHREYS, BRUCE MEYER, H MASUD TAJ AND SIMON TOYNE reading (SDT). 2 pm ELIZABETH HAY, PRUE LEITH AND OLIVE SENIOR in a round table discussion on what happens when a journalist steps away from the beat and devotes a life to writing fiction (LST). 2 pm MICHAEL ONDAATJE reading and interviewed by Eleanor Wachtel (FDT).

4 pm KATE BEATON AND PATRICIA MARX reading and interviewed by Siri Agrell (BRG). 4 pm ALAN BISSETT, MARINA ENDICOTT, CLAUDE TATLION AND SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA Reading (LST). 4 pm LYNN COADY, MARIEKE VAN DER POL, ZACHARIAH WELLS AND MEG WOLITZER reading (SDT). 4 pm PATRICK DEWITT, ESI EDUGYAN, STEPHEN KELMAN AND ALISON PICK in a round table discussion on what it means to be nominated for the Man Booker Prize (FDT) 8 pm DAVID BEZMOZGIS, LYNN COADY, PATRICK DEWITT, ESI EDUGYAN, ZSUZSI GARTNER AND MICHAEL ONDAATJE reading as Giller Prize finalists (FDT).

Sunday, October 30 noon MARINA ENDICOTT, NICOLE LUNDRIGAN, RIEL NASON AND MIRIAM TOEWS in a round table discussion on characters’ secrets and sins with NOW’s Susan G Cole (BRG). noon NIELS FRANK, ROGER GREENWALD, ALAIN MABANCKOU AND THOMAS PIETZINGE in a round table discussion on trusting the translator (LST). noon PATRICIA MARX, TESSA MCWATT, ZACHARIAH WELLS AND DW WILSON reading (SDT). 2 pm RANA DASGUPTA, ESI EDUGYAN, PRUE LEITH AND ZOE STRACHAN reading (SDT). 2 pm NURUDDIN FARAH, GARY GEDDES AND EMMA RUBY-SACHS in a round table discussion on creativity, diversity and

Joan Didion

struggle on the African continent (BRG). 2 pm CHAD HARBACH, HELEN OYEYEMI, MIROSLAV PENKOV AND TIMOTHY TAYLOR in a round table discussion on setting environment, atmosphere and ambience (LST). 4 pm KEN BABSTOCK, KATE BEATON, RODGE GLASS AND JOSHUA KNELMAN reading (SDT). 4 pm CONOR GRENNAN, RACHEL SIMON AND ANDREW WESTOLL in a round table discussion on the process of giving voice through non-fiction writing to those who can’t advocate for themselves (LST). 4 pm GUY VANDERHAEGHE reading and interviewed by Justin Rutledge (BRG).

Tuesday, November 8 7 pm JOAN DIDION reading and interviewed by Margaret MacMillan (BRG).

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music

more online nowtoronto.com/music Audio clips from interviews with OBITS, AMON TOBIN + Live videos of TASSEOMANCY, SKRILLEX Searchable upcoming listings

Zola Jesus

NIC POUILIOT

MOD CLUB, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

the scene

Shows that rocked Toronto last week

ZOLA JESUS at Mod Club, Friday, October 14. Rating: NNN

Considering all the ink spilled about Zola Jesus (aka Nika Roza Danilova) in the last few years, it was surprising to see Mod Club only half full for her set, a reminder that hype doesn’t always translate into popularity. She’s definitely improving steadily as a recording artist and a live performer, which bodes well for her long-term future after the buzz wears off. As much as people talk about her opera training, it’s not that big a part of her sound. Sure, she has the chops to hit the high notes, but the effect is closer to goth-R&B than the harrowing avant-garde wails of Diamanda Galás. Danilova’s otherworldly voice is easily

the star of the show, but we wish she had better hooks to wrap it around. Her live set is solid, though, and with the right beats behind her she could be BENJAMIN BOLES huge.

WILD FLAG at Lee’s Pal-

ñace, Tuesday, October 11.

Rating: NNNN There are no weak links in Wild Flag, the new post-punk band featuring former members of Sleater-Kinney, Helium, Quasi and the Minders. Thanks to S/K and her sketch comedy show Portlandia, Carrie Brownstein brings the most star power, which she masterfully harnesses through her guitarriffing prowess, pointy-booted kicks and vocals dripping with attitude.

But at Lee’s Palace, it was co-vocalist/ guitarist Mary Timony who inspired the most awe. Who knew she was such a polished and tasteful fret-tapper? Who expected to see her on her back, legs in the air, simultaneously soloing and fiddling with her effects pedals? Meanwhile, Janet Weiss practically rocks the skins right off her drums while co-delivering the most understated and effective backup vocals alongside secretweapon keyboardist Rebecca Cole. While the set’s first half was tight, succinct and punctuated by exuberant Brownstein/Timony stage moves, the last half slowed considerably due to super-extended jammy versions of several songs (Glass Tambourine, Racehorse, etc) from their sole album.

Catchy single Romance and a left-field cover – Beast Of Burden – guaranteed CARLA GILLIS that we all left smiling.

YUKON BLONDE at Lee’s

ñPalace, Friday, October 14.

Rating: NNNN Yukon Blonde’s set at Lee’s was celebratory, complete with blowing confetti and an afro-wig-wearing Jason Haberman (The Paint Movement) hyping the crowd and throwing glow sticks. There were also birthday wishes for the band’s manager, Nick. Moving through songs from their new Fire//Water EP and their self-titled album from 2010, the West Coast band delivered a near-constant dance party. Vocalist Jeff Innes and guitarist Brandon Scott

entertained with frenetic dynamics and hooky guitar parts while Graham Jones and John Jeffrey held down a tight and constant rhythm. Jones’s backup vocals from behind the kit were a subtle but sweet part of the sound. The shaggy rockers have a knack for anthemic pop songs, as evidenced by the chorus of Loyal Man, one of many songs the crowd helped out with. Tears for Fears cover Everybody Wants To Rule The World was a nice surprise. Great Bloomers frontman Lowell Sostomi added keys to much of the set, and at one point the stage filled with a whole bunch of musicians chaotically shaking whatever percussive instruSARAH GREENE ment they could find. continued on page 46 œ

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Peter & Paul

(of Peter, Paul & Mary)

Saturday, November 5, 2011 8pm Koerner Hall Hear Peter & Paul perform songs like Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Puff the Magic Dragon, Blowin’ in the Wind, If I Had a Hammer, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and other favourites.

Diego El Cigala presents Cigala & Tango

Friday, November 4, 2011 8pm Koerner Hall Flamenco and tango singer Diego El Cigala recreates Cigala & Tango, the unforgettable concert originally performed at the legendary Gran Rex theatre in Buenos Aires.

obits Rock ’n’ Roll

Being this far ahead of the trends has its drawbacks By jason keller

OBITS with METZ at the Rivoli (332 Queen West), Tuesday (October 25), 8 pm. $13. RT, SS.

3 Cohens Sextet featuring Anat, Yuval, & Avishai Cohen and the Jamey Haddad Arab Jazz Ensemble

Saturday, November 12, 2011 8pm Koerner Hall Jazz goes global with Yuval, Avishai, and tenor sax artist Anat Cohen, and Jamey Haddad, one of the world’s foremost jazz percussionists with his pan-Arab all-star group.

Rick Froberg can’t win. He’s always one step ahead of his audience. The American underground rock pioneer has been in four bands of consequence: 80s post-hardcore kids Pitchfork, complicated 90s alt-mavericks Drive Like Jehu, jittery garage punks Hot Snakes in the 2000s and now the stripped-down rock combo Obits. And no matter what his current project is, fans clamour for the previous one. “Everyone wants to hear the band you were in before rather than the one you’re in now, every time,” says Froberg from his home in New York. “That’s what they’re used to. That’s what they know. When Obits plays, everyone wants to hear Hot Snakes. With Hot Snakes they wanted Drive Like Jehu songs. And when Drive played they wanted Pitchfork songs.” Although Obits are going strong with their hard-charging second record, Moody, Standard And Poor (Sub Pop), Froberg is willing to placate fans to an extent. A Hot Snakes reunion starts later this year, with dates mostly in Europe.

the scene œcontinued from page 44

Junction sm with miKE sHAnnon at the Polish Combatants Hall, Saturday, October 15. Rating: nnn

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The opening party for the sixth annual X Avant Festival was a pleasant reminder that long-running arts organizations like the Music Gallery can stay relevant by reinventing themselves without losing touch with their original mandate. This minimal techno party (cohosted by the Breakandenter crew) might’ve seemed a big leap away from the Gallery’s usual avant-garde jazz, modern classical and experimental

A thread linking Froberg’s pre-Obits bands is his long-standing musical partnership with San Diego kingpin John Reis, best known for fronting Rocket from the Crypt and now the Night Marchers. The two guitarist/singers have welldocumented chemistry that’s led to some incredibly powerful records, like Drive Like Jehu’s masterful Yank Crime in 1994 and Hot Snakes’ ferocious Suicide Invoice in 2002. Since Hot Snakes have been dormant for just six years, Froberg laughs off the term “reunion.” “It’s not that long ago that we stopped playing. It’s a really easy band to fire up again.” Not the case for DLJ. Now that something of a 90s revival is under way, Froberg says offers to reform the short-lived four-piece are coming in. But he’s quick to pour water on the flames. “Hot Snakes is a band I like better. I like the direction of the music: stripped-down and simple. It’s good that people are doing [the 90s revival] and get to see this music. The 90s was a great time to be in a band. “There was a lot going on then, and people had a different outlook. I sound really 60s right now.” 3 music@nowtoronto.com

electronic music programming, but once you got past the stacks of bass bins, the connections weren’t so tenuous after all. On the other hand, putting dance music in an academic context can detract from the party vibe. When Mike Shannon bangs out soulful electronic beats for people happy to stand and listen intently, it’s not the same as hearing him at a sweaty warehouse party, and the traditional Music Gallery crowd isn’t likely to dance until 4 am to Junction SM’s freewheeling live-vs-DJ sounds. Nevertheless, it was great to see local techno veterans mix with the art music and indie rock worlds. See nowtoronto.com for more on the fest.BB

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spooky folk

tasseomancy Former Ghost Bees kick it up a notch with some help from Timber Timbre By carla gillis

TASSEOMANCY with SLIM TWIG and PRINCESS CENTURY at the Great Hall (1087 Queen West), tonight (Thursday, October 20), doors 9 pm. $10-$12. RT, SS.

Reykjavik is having a mesmerizing effect on Sari and Romy Lightman, the twin sisters who make up Toronto’s Tasseomancy. They’re on the European island for the Iceland Airwaves festival in their role as backup singers for white-hot electronic outfit Austra. “This place!” says an awestruck Romy. “Right now we’re staring at a 300-foot waterfall. There are rainbows everywhere. I kind of want to move

here. Reykjavik is so beautiful and culturally with it and progressive. I’m like, ‘Wow, there are places like this that exist.’” Usually, though, it’s Tasseomancy that does the mesmerizing. The Lightmans’ second album, Ulalume (Out of This Spark), is a thing of haunting beauty. Produced by and heavily featuring Taylor Kirk and Simon Trottier of Timber Timbre, it balances the sisters’ creeptastic minor-key vocal harmonies with spacious organic and electronic textures. It’s a bold step up from the barren folk music they made just a short time ago as Ghost Bees.

The darker side of life – and the afterlife – has always had a pull for the Lightmans. The ancient, melancholy Jewish songs of their childhood are an influence, as is their great-great grandmother, a Russian Jewish tea leaf reader. Album name Ulalume is taken from an Edgar Allan Poe poem, and they purposely scheduled its release show as close to Halloween as they could. (They’ll be in Atlanta with Austra on the actual day.) Is it a challenge keeping the spookiness from falling over into campy horror? “Yeah,” Sari admits. “But both of us really trust Taylor, and he’s subtle with his approach. We were all aware of the line between atmosphere and ambience and were careful to not let things get excessive. We wanted to keep it subtle, slow and beautiful, to let the sounds slip through unobtrusively, to make a contemplative record that’s not jarring.” While Tasseomancy gigs tend to be hushed, intimate affairs, the release show marks their debut as a four-piece and includes a strong visual component courtesy of visual artist Sojourner Truth Parsons, with whom they regularly collaborate. There might even be dancers, which speaks to Austra’s influence. “What I’ve taken most from [touring with Austra] is the whole dance element,” says Romy. “The music is really physical. It’s such a performative show. I remember at the first shows, Sari and I just stood there. We didn’t know what to do. “But then we discovered it’s about loosening up and letting go. About being playful and not taking yourself so seriously. I’m not a dancer, but I dance now. And to see other people dance is really beautiful.” 3 music@nowtoronto.com

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CO M PA N Y

World Draught Masters National Finals

Stella Artois invites you† to an extravagant soirée unlike any other. As the quest for the perfect pour reaches its pinnacle, we’re taking it up a notch with the one and only DJ Tom Wrecks and a host of exclusive giveaways. Come cheer on your National Finalists and raise a Stella Artois to the very spirit of competition. After all, with great victory comes great celebration.

Friday, Oct 21, 2011 at 9:30 p.m. One King West, Toronto Get on the guest list at

StellaartoisRSVP.com

WORLD DRAUGHT MASTERS

†Must be 19 years of age or older. Entry subject to capacity. TM/MC InBev NV/SA.

3:48 PM NOW october 10/18/11 20-26 2011 49

LAB10829_19A_NAT.indd 1

Stella/WDMPrint/LAB10829_19A_NAT

10829_19

Labatt

CYAN

PMS

MAGENTA

PMS

9.833" x 11.25"

THIS FRIDAY THE SMOKERS CLUB TOUR

METHOD

MAN CURREN$Y SMOKE DZA & RICH HILL

FRIDAY OCT 21 KOOL HAUS NEXT WEEK

COLOUR REVOLT MONDAY OCT 24 THE GARRISON NEXT WEEK

YELLOWCARD

EVERY AVENUE & GO RADIO

THURSDAY OCT 27 THE PHOENIX ON SALE NOW

CHROMEO

& MAYER HAWTHORNE

WEDNESDAY NOV 2 SOUND ACADEMY

ON SALE NOW

clubs & concerts hot Tasseomancy, slim Twig, Princess cenTury

Great Hall (1087 Queen West), tonight (Thursday, October 20) See preview, page 48.

tickets

noT DeaD yeT FesTival

Various venues, continues to Saturday (October 22) Punk, garage and hardcore festival.

X avanT FesTival

Various venues, continues until Sunday (October 23) See preview, nowtoronto.com.

royal wooD

Rivoli (332 Queen West), Thursday to Saturday (October 20-22) Singer/songwriter three-night-stand.

The Big sounD ii

Great Hall (1087 Queen West), Friday (October 21) See preview, nowtoronto.com.

American country/folk legend.

skream & Benga, marcus visionary, hyDee

Guvernment (132 Queens Quay East), Friday (October 21) Dubstep superstars.

BuFFy sainTe-marie

Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Saturday (October 22) Native Canadian songwriter icon.

herBie hancock, The massey hall orchesTra Massey Hall (178 Victoria), Saturday (October 22) Jazz hero backed by an orchestra.

FrienDly Fires, wise BlooD, TheoPolis lonDon Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Sunday (October 23) Hook-heavy dance rock.

amon ToBin

Opera House (735 Queen East), Sunday (October 23) See preview, page 52.

moBy, Dale earnharDT Jr Jr Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Monday (October 24) Rave-era electronic veteran.

mumForD & sons

Air Canada Centre (40 Bay), Tuesday (October 25) Insanely popular UK folk-rock band.

oBiTs, meTZ

Rivoli (332 Queen West), Tuesday (October 25) See preview, page 46.

misFiTs, JuiceheaD

Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Wednesday (October 26) Goth-punk pioneers.

RICKY, JULIAN & BUBBLES with RANDY & MR. LAHEY THE “DEAR SANTA CLAUS, GO F#CK YOURSELF” TOUR

SATURDAY DEC 3

QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE (CNE GROUNDS) ON SALE NOW

MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS SAT DECEMBER 10 THE MOD CLUB

BUY TICKETS AT TICKETMASTER, ROTATE THIS, SOUNDSCAPES & PLAY DE RECORD FOLLOW US AT TWITTER.COM/THEUNIONEAST

october 20-26 2011 NOW

= Critics’ pick (highly recommended) ñ 5= Queer night

H = Halloween event

How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: music@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1166 or mail to Music, NOW Magazine, 189 Church, Toronto M5B 1Y7. Include artist(s), genre of music, event name (if any), venue name and address, time, ticket price and phone number or website. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm. Weekly events must confirm their listing once a month.

aLLeycatz Lady Kane. aquiLa uPStairS Ray Whimsey (acoustic rock). BoviNe Sex cLuB The Saint Alvia Cartel, the Snips,

Thee oh sees, The men, young guv & The scuZZ

Horseshoe (370 Queen West), Friday (October 21) See preview, page 54.

John Prine

Massey Hall (178 Victoria), Friday (October 21)

the Get Nuns, Sarah Blackwood, DJ Cactus. caDiLLac LouNGe Mighty Big Word, the Targets 9 pm. c’eSt WHat SKAFACE, Mr Bennet (ska/rock/ punk/jazz) doors 8:30 pm. cLiNtoN’S Stray Feathers, Jeremy Murphy, Ben Veneer (acoustic folk rock). Drake HoteL LouNGe Weekend Startup Boot Knives doors 11 pm. Drake HoteL uNDerGrouND Silent Shout, Put the Rifle Down, Paradise Animals, Dinosaur Dinosaur doors 9 pm. eL MocaMBo DoWNStairS Heavy Chevy, Broken Bricks, Nadia Bashalani 9 pm. GLaDStoNe HoteL MeLoDy Bar Army Girls & Henri Fabergé (indie pop) 9 pm. Graffiti’S The High Tides (surf) 8 pm. Graffiti’S Peter Eastmure 5 to 7 pm. tHe Great HaLL Album release Tasseomancy, Slim Twig, Princess Century (neo-folk) doors 9 pm. See preview, page 48. HorSeSHoe Shonen Knife, Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs, Teenage X 8:30 pm. Lee’S PaLace Unbottoned, Dead Barrens, Blacklist Manifesto 9 pm. LuLa LouNGe Johnny Hollow, the Serpentina North Ensemble, Dr Draw (rock) 8 pm. Mitzi’S SiSter Christian D & the Hangovers (rock) 9:30 pm. MoD cLuB Whisky Rocks Benefit Concert for Dixon Hall Big Sugar, Divine Brown, Rehan Dalal doors 7:30 pm.

HArd rock

C’mon Local hard rock hooligans C’mon are calling it quits, but they’re playing one last Toronto show to say goodbye to their fans. As a special treat for the faithful, the first 40 people through the door will get a limited-edition 7-inch single featuring new recordings of the first and last songs they ever wrote. Bring earplugs, because this will be very loud. At the Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen West), Saturday (October 22), 10 pm. $12.

DaFT Punk TriBuTe BanD, DJ Diggy (Down wiTh weBsTer), DJ vaneska, DJ FeDJa

The sheePDogs, monsTer Truck

Edge 102.1 Jingle Bell Rock Daily Bread Food Bank benefit Lee’s Palace doors 9 pm, $15. HS, RT, SS, TM. December 9.

Haunted Mansion The Great Hall 10 pm, $30. hauntedmansion2011.eventbrite.com. October 29.

TriBes, we BarBarians

will currie & The counTry French, an olD FellowshiP

Drake Hotel doors 8 pm, $10. RT, SS, TW. December 10.

Music Gallery doors 8 pm, $10. November 5.

Javier colon

BreakesTra, kraFTy kuTs, sTickyBuDs

Queen Elizabeth Theatre. December 11.

sT. vincenT

NuJazz Festival Phoenix Concert Theatre doors 9 pm, $25. CB, PDR, RT, SS, TW. November 19.

Phoenix Concert Theatre doors 8 pm, $20. HS, RT, SS, TM. December 15.

garlanD JeFFreys

awolnaTion, uss, Dinosaur Bones, The Pack a.D

Mod Club doors 7 pm, $29.50. TM. November 19.

EDGE Jingle Bell Rock benefit for the Daily Bread Food Bank Sound Academy doors 7 pm, all ages, $17-$21. RT, SS, TM. December 15.

Bassekou kouyaTe & ngoni Ba, Daniel neBiaT

The Great Hall doors 8 pm, $25-$30. batukimusic.com. November 27.

whiTe cowBell oklahoma Lee’s Palace doors 9 pm, $15.50. HS, RT, SS, TM. December 17.

crysTal sTilTs

Horseshoe doors 8:30 pm, $13.50. HS, RT, SS. December 1.

heaDsTones

Sound Academy doors 8 pm, $30, $75 VIP. RT, SS, TM. December 23.

corey Taylor

Mod Club doors 8 pm, $25. RT, SS, TM. December 2.

HS – HorSeSHoe 370 Queen W. 416-598-4753, horseshoetavern.com. LN – Live NatioN livenation.com. PDr – PLay De recorD 357 Yonge. 416-586-0380, playderecord.com.

Music listings appear by day, then by genre, then alphabetically by venue. Event names are in italics. See Venue Index, page 62, for addresses and phone numbers.

PoP/RoCk/HiP-HoP/Soul

Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay East), Friday (October 21) Weed-loving hip-hop tour.

TickeT index

this week

How to find a listing

Thursday, October 20

meThoD man, curren$y, smoke DZa, FienD, The Pricks, corner Boy P

TRAILER Just announced

PARK BOYS

clubs&concerts

rcM – royaL coNServatory of MuSic 273 Bloor W. 416-408-0208, rcmusic.ca. rt – rotate tHiS 801 Queen W. 416-504-8447, rotate.com. rtH – roy tHoMSoN HaLL/GLeNN GouLD/MaSSey HaLL 60 Simcoe/ 250 Front W. 416-872-4255, roythomson.com. SS – SouNDScaPeS 572 College. 416-537-1620, soundscapesmusic.com.

tB – ticket Break 1-866-943-8849, ticketbreak.com. tca – toroNto ceNtre for tHe artS 5040 Yonge. 416-733-9388, tocentre.com. tk – ticket kiNG 416-872-1212, ticketking.com. tM – ticketMaSter 416-870-8000, ticketmaster.ca. tMa – ticketMaSter artSLiNe 416-872-1111, ticketmaster.ca.

ñ ñ ñ

ñ oPera HouSe ñ PartS & LaBour

Dragonforce (metal) 7 pm. Big Crimes, Queen Licorice, Christ Vs Krishna, the Weathermaking Challenge (indie rock) doors 9 pm. PHoeNix coNcert tHeatre Thrice, LA Dispute, Moving Mountains, O’Brother doors 6:30 pm, all ages. tHe PiStoN CD release Prince Perry, King Kong Girio, the Fabulous Lolo 9 pm. tHe Poor aLex Not Dead Yet 2011 Double Negative, Young Lions, Chronic Submission, Burning Love, Salvation, Total Trash (punk/hardcore) 8 pm, all ages. raiNBoW ciNeMaS MINT Film Festival: Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune (post-film concert of protest songs). rivoLi Sneak Peak Tour Royal Wood, Danielle Duval. rockPiLe C.D.V.R. SieSta Nouveaux StuDio BLr Whiskeyface. SNeaky Dee’S Birthday Boys. SouND acaDeMy Ziggy Marley, Leon Mobley doors 8 pm. SoutHSiDe JoHNNy’S Skip Tracer (rock/top 40) 9:30 pm. SuPerMarket H.E.A.R.T. Benefit Concert for Kids Help Phone Matt York, Gavin Slate, Dane Hartsell, Mandippal, Kate Todd, Luke Nicholson, Sarah Loucks and others doors 7 pm.

ñ ñ ñ

continued on page 52 œ

GUVERNMENT; 11.25 in; -; 5cols

NOW october 20-26 2011

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 50

TaTToo Rock PaRlouR iNative Fest 2011

Derek Miller, DJ Devon Hall, Hard Honey, Mainline doors 9 pm. TRane STudio A Tribute To Bill Withers John Campbell Band 8 pm. VelVeT undeRgRound Puncturevine, Death Cartel 9 pm.

Folk/Blues/Country/World

cameRon HouSe Fedora Upsidedown 10 pm, Corin Raymond 6 pm.

caSTRo’S lounge Jerry Leger & the Situation (country/folk/rock) 9 pm.

THe cenTRal Pressure Makes Diamonds 9 pm. THe danny Acoustic Open Stage Sebastian Agnello (eclectic) 9:30 pm.

ExpErimEntal Drum ’n’ bass

amon tobin

Complex multimedia live show moves the focus away from knob-twiddling By BENJAMIN BOLES amon ToBin at the Opera House (735 Queen East), Sunday (October 23), doors 9 pm. $35. PDR, RT, SS, TW.

OC NOW Ad Oct2011_Layout 1 11-10-14 2:11 PM Page 1

Experimental drum ’n’ bass pioneer Amon Tobin is in L.A. preparing for the second leg of his North American tour for his most recent album, ISAM (Ninja Tune). The shows are more ambitious than the traditional no-frills DJ appearances he was once known for. Even before ISAM came out in May, a complicated shape-shifting stage set was in the making, involving custom technology and numerous collaborators. As Tobin explains, the cerebral nature of his new material required a different approach to performance. “Touring this album as a DJ was never going to work because it’s not about making people’s feet move. It’s about what’s possible with sound. I had to think differently about how I would share it with people. “I didn’t see myself physically as an important part of the equation. Why would people need to see me fiddling with a patch bay and twiddling knobs?

So I decided to accept that and make myself a very small part of the show. I’m controlling everything, but I’m not the visual focus.” In addition to the set’s moving parts and the video projections, Tobin is bringing a heavy-duty sound system to many of the gigs to ensure we get the full aural effect. On ISAM, artfully deconstructed field recordings replace the mangled samples he worked with in the 90s. He’s traded in crate-digging for turning everyday sounds into abstract ones that can be controlled like synthesizers. But he still knows how to summon up a subwoofer-destroying bass line when he needs to. “I certainly hope we’re bringing the sound system up to Toronto. I’m great at putting this tour further and further into debt, but I really believe in that aural aspect. The experience is so much about sound, and while a lot of venues have decent systems, it’s very different from having your own that you know well.” 3 benjaminb@nowtoronto.com

emmeT Ray BaR Box Full of Cash (blues) 9 pm. Holy oak cafe Cedar Strippers (bluegrass) 7 pm.

HugH’S Room Laura Smith & Ryan MacGrath,

Bonnie Ste-Croix 8:30 pm. THe local Steve Brockley, Steve Gleason. RePoSado The Reposadists (Gypsy-bop jazz). ReViVal CD launch Kate Reid (comic songwriter). RoSe THeaTRe Ron Sexsmith (singer/ songwriter) 8 pm. Smiling BuddHa CD release lightsweetcrude, the Starfires, Carmel & Friends doors 9 pm. TRanzac SouTHeRn cRoSS Katie & the Lichen 10:30 pm, Houndstooth Bluegrass Band 7:30 pm, Songs By Bert 6 pm. WHiTe SWan Jam Section 8 7 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/experimental

cHeRRy STReeT ReSTauRanT Thursday Night Jazz Myriad (7:30 pm).

de SoToS Jazz Jam Double A Jazz 8 pm. edWaRd JoHnSon Building WalTeR Hall

Thursdays At Noon: Music For Horn Christopher Gongos, Stella Ng, Harcus Hennigar (horn/piano) 12:10 pm.

fouR SeaSonS cenTRe foR THe PeRfoRming aRTS Love, Loss & Longing Robert Pomakov,

the Gryphon Trio noon to 1 pm. fRee TimeS cafe Fool At The Free Times Brian Katz, Dan Yashinsky (jazz). mélange Norman Marshall Villeneuve Jazz Message Trio 8 to 11 pm. meTRoPoliTan uniTed cHuRcH Noon At Met Ulrike Northoff (organ) 12:15 to 12:45 pm. muSic galleRy X Avant New Music Festival: Tales Of Two Cities Tim Brady’s 20 Guitars + 1 (guitar ensemble/electronics/ video) 8 pm. old mill inn Home SmiTH BaR John Sherwood (solo piano). ReSeRVoiR lounge Alex Pangman and the Alleycats (jazz) 7 pm. Rex Sean Hutchinson’s Still Life, John Deutsch, Chris Tarry 9:45 pm, Gelcer/Hoffert Trio 6:30 pm.

RicHmond Hill cenTRe foR THe PeRfoRming aRTS Ben Vereen 8 pm.

BigNamesSmallTheatre Ron Sexsmith October 22 | Howard Jones October 25 & 26 | Ashley MacIsaac October 29 All performances are at THE OAKVILLE CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS To order tickets call: 905-815-2021 or 1-888-489-7784 For more information go to www.oakvillecentre.ca

october 20-26 2011 NOW

HOWARD JONES will be performing his first two albums HUMAN’S LIB and DREAM INTO ACTION – two classic albums that defined a generation, performed live and in full, for the first time ever! The shows will feature the songs recreated using modern and classic synthesizers. Includes the hits: New Song, What is Love, Pearl in the Shell, Hide & Seek, Like to Get to Know You Well, Things Can Only Get Better, Look Mama, Life in One Day, No One is to Blame. For more information, go to www.oakvillecentre.ca

rUmI gAllerIes CD release Michael Ciufo. somewHere tHere stUdIo Aaron Lumley,

Friday, October 21

Jonathan Adjemian 8 pm.

trInIty st. pAUl’s cHUrcH Glorious Bach And Zelenka Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir 8 pm.

PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/Soul

AlleycAtz Lady Kane. BAr ItAlIA UpstAIrs Shugga (funk/soul/R&B/ top 40) 9:30 pm.

Dance MuSic/DJ/lounge

AlIce fAzoolI’s sqUAre one DJ Other Brother

BovIne sex clUB CD release Burn the Radio,

BlondIes No Rule!! (underground rock & roll

cAdIllAc loUnge Inner Soul (R&B). cAdIllAc loUnge BAck pAtIo Ancient Chinese

Darryl (rocksteady/R&R/hip-hop/funk) 7 pm.

past and present) 10 pm. BoAt Big Shiny Dance Mix Fundraiser for Fly By Night Theatre doors 9 pm. coBrA loUnge Emergency Matthew Dear, Nitin, Manzone & Strong, Jed Harper, Rafwat & Chorniy. goodHAndy’s Ladyplus Parties DJ Todd Klinck doors 8 pm.5 grotto loUnge Bar Fly DJ Spence Diamonds, DJ Corey Dawkins 8 pm. Holy oAk cAfe DJ Fishcakes. lee’s pAlAce dAnce cAve Transvision DJ Shannon (rock/dance). now loUnge Shake Yer Tail Thursdays! DJ Mistatdot (house/top 40/R&B). tHe ossIngton Bad Biz (UK bass/electronic/ hip-hop). sHAllow groove New Country Thursdays DJ Jonathan Demers 8 pm. velvet UndergroUnd DJ Ozaze (industrial/ goth) 11:15 pm. wrongBAr Hip-Hop & Love Tour Murs, Tabi Bonney, Ski Beatz, McKenzie Eddy & Sean O’Connell doors 8 pm.

Shevil, Electric Magma, DJ Vania.

Secret (instrumental) 7:30 pm.

cAmeron HoUse BAck room Rock-A-Billy Shake-up! Tennessee Voodoo Coupe, the ñ Tex-Styles, DJ Rockin’ Dave Faris doors 9 pm. cAmeron HoUse David Celia (folk/rock) 6 pm. dAkotA tAvern Warped 45s. ñThe drAke Hotel UndergroUnd Lab MagaLaunch Party The Dirty Mags 7 pm. ñzine el mocAmBo CD release The Rest, AutoManic, Del Bel 9 pm. ñ eton HoUse Playback (R&R dance) 9 pm. tHe gArrIson CANT, Luke Temple, Blood Orange (Chris Taylor of Grizzly ñ Bear) doors 9 pm.

grAffItI’s Bill Wood & the Woodies 8 pm. tHe greAt HAll The Big Sound II: A Cele-

Of Motown 10 pm. ñbration HorsesHoe Not Dead Yet 2011 Thee Oh Sees, the Men, Young Guv & the Scuzz 9 ñ pm. See preview, page 54.

cheap thrill$ Army Girls

Blocks Recording Club hosts a free night of music at the Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar (1214 Queen West) tonight (Thursday, October 20), featuring the rocking guitar/drums duo Army Girls and the theatrical pop weirdness of Henri Fabergé.

sArAh Greene NOW Magazine music writer Sarah Greene showcases her quirky tunes Sunday (October 23) at the Tranzac Southern Cross (292 Brunswick). Pwyc.

Put the rifle Down Local dance-rock band Put the Rifle Down (featuring NOW contributor Jordan Bimm on bass) celebrate the release of their new album, New Dance, tonight (Thursday, October 20) at the Drake Hotel Underground (1150 Queen West). $5.

continued on page 54 œ

Global Cabaret Festival

Presented by

“One of the best things to happen in Toronto all year! A joyous celebration of the incredible talent in this city” – TORONTO STAR

October 28 – 30 150 of Canada’s greatest musicians

Resident Artist Program supported by:

Album Series Sponsor:

Media Partner:

Public Support:

Jackie Richardson & Mike Ross. Photo: Bruce Zinger

Tickets* $20 in advance, $25 day of, Student $15 *all prices include service charge & HST Festival Passes available NOW october 20-26 2011

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 53

Kool Haus The Smokers Club Tour Meth-

od Man, Curren$y, Smoke DZA, Fiend, ñ the Pricks, Corner Boy P doors 8 pm, all ages.

lee’s Palace Jilted Lovers Club, Nancy Boys,

Fade Chromatic, HiFi Phantom 9:30 pm. Mitzi’s sister The Targets, the BB Guns. Mod club Kate Voegele, Michou, Grady Kelneck (singer-songwriter) doors 6:30 pm. MonarcHs Pub Paris Black 9 pm. naugHty nadz Wonder Women Arlene Paculan, Kat & the MP3, Iman Wain, Selyne Maia doors 7 pm. oPticianado Nichol Robertson & his Honky Tonk Boogaloo Boys 7 & 11 pm. PHoenix concert tHeatre The AP Tour Four Year Strong, Gallows, Title Fight, the Swellers, Sharks doors 6 pm, all ages. tHe Poor alex Not Dead Yet 2011 Knife Fight, Waste Management, Urban Blight, Give, Disengage, Easy Way Out, Direct Approach T.O. 7 pm, all ages. Press club Jon Gant (roots rocker). rancHo relaxo EP release Redanda, We Were Heads, Random Family, the Birthday Cakes doors 9 pm.

rivoli Wood, Megan Bonnell. ñRoyal silver dollar CD release The Speaking Tongues, Revolvers, Mississippi Grover ñ doors 9 pm. sneaKy dee’s This Is a Standoff, Sparrows,

Thunderhawks (hardcore punk) doors 9 pm.

sony centre for tHe PerforMing arts Goran Bregovic & His Wedding & Fuñ neral Orchestra (trans-Balkan fusion) 8 pm. sound acadeMy Michael White & the White

doors 8 pm.

soyboMb Not Dead Yet Festival Afterparty Career Suicide, Coliseum 1 am, all ñ ages. toronto reference library The Yorkville Sound Klaas Van Graft & Judith Orban, Chick Roberts, Harvey Kotler & Eddie Sokoloff, Tony Quarrington, Dede Higgins, Keith McKie, Stan Endersby and others (60s music) 7 to 10 pm. Wrongbar Not Dead Yet 2011 King Size Braces, the Prowlers, Delinquents 9 pm.

Folk/Blues/Country/World

betty oliPHant tHeatre Abilities Arts Festival: The Neat Strange Music Of Ahmed Hassan Mother Tongue. buddies in bad tiMes tHeatre CD launch Kate Reid (funny songwriter).5

psych-rock

caMeron House Patrick Brealey (folk rock/

thee oh sees

roots) 8 pm.

caMeron House Kayla Howran 10 pm. tHe central Consume Goods, Katie & the Lichen, Gt Dane 9:30 pm.

dora KeogH Ron Hines. free tiMes cafe Megan Morrison. gladstone Hotel Melody bar The Latitudes (folk/pop) 9 pm.

glenn gould studio Jill Barber (folk) 8 pm. HigHWay 61 soutHern barbeque Lorne Cooper & the Little Naturals 8 pm.

HugH’s rooM Dan Bern 8:30 pm. liberty bistro An Evening Of Harvesting The

Muse Philomene Hoffman doors 8 pm.

Massey Hall

Prine 8 pm. ñJohn Panasonic tHeatre Justin Hines (singer/songwriter). ñ rePosado The Reposadists (Gypsy-bop jazz).

royal canadian legion – brancH 11 Country

Circle Jam (country/old-time/bluegrass/folk) 7:30 pm. soutHside JoHnny’s The Blazers (blues) 10 pm. tranzac soutHern cross Ryan Driver Quartet 10 pm, Jeff Andrew & Rachel Cardiello (indie folk) 7:30 pm. village vaPor lounge Kim Jarrett (folk rock) 9 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/experimental

dave’s... on st clair Happy Hour Jazz Chicken

Scratch 5 8 pm.

edWard JoHnson building Walter Hall

Pura Fé 7:30 pm. fuzion Fridays At Fuzion Melissa Lauren & Ken Lindsay 6 to 9 pm. gallery 345 Aventa Ensemble 8 pm. Hart House arbor rooM Jazz At Oscar’s Fernanda Cunha (Brazilian singer) 9 pm. loWer ossington tHeatre Wishing And Hoping: Songs For Lovers (And Other Strangers) Paula Wolfson 8 pm. lula lounge Jennifer Petrilli (jazz) 8 pm.

San Francisco weirdos believe in the tour-warrior strategy By RICHARD TRAPUNSKI tHee oH sees with tHe Men, young guv & tHe scuzz at the Horseshoe (370 Queen West) as part of not dead yet, Friday (October 21). $16 adv. RT, SS, TW.

For a band with a growing fan base, Thee Oh Sees are tough to pin down. Since forming in 2004 as a solo outlet for San Francisco scene veteran John Dwyer and then becoming a full band, they’ve never stopped tinkering with their name, sound and lineup, all while keeping up a breakneck pace in the studio and on the road. Their last Toronto show was just over a year ago at NXNE 2010, and they’ve since released full-length album Castlemania, with another, Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In The Red), set to follow in mid-November. When they hit the Horseshoe as part of the weekendlong punk rock festival Not Dead Yet, they’ll have already shifted into new territory.

MarKHaM tHeatre for tHe PerforMing arts Isabel Bayrakdarian, Serouj Kradjian (soprano, piano) 8 pm. Music gallery X Avant New Music Festival: Tales Of Two Cities Tim Hecker, Oval, Global Cities Ensemble (ambient electronica/German glitch) 8 pm.

old Mill inn HoMe sMitH bar

Fridays To Sing About Alex Pangman and her Alleycats (jazz) 7:30 pm.

Check out the Whisky Rocks Online music video contest at whiskyrocks.com

VOTE FOR

YOUR FAVOURITE The artist with the most online votes could win a day in Vespa Studio in Toronto with Ian Thornley as producer and his engineer Eric Ratz.

You must be 19 years of age or older and a resident of Ontario to enter. One submission per artist or band. Complete contest rules available at lcbo.com. Approximate retail value of prize is $10,000 CDN. An online public vote from October 22, 2011 to November 2, 2011 at 5:00pm will be held. A public vote will select five (5) top videos and a panel of judges will select the grand prize winner on or around November 14, 2011. Competition runs from September 19, 2011 to November 2, 2011 at 5:00pm.

october 20-26 2011 NOW

“I’ve been in Thee Oh Sees since it was a really mellow, psychedelic folk thing. That’s the band I joined,” says keyboardist/second singer Brigid Dawson over the phone from San Francisco. “Now it’s this swirling, snarling monster of noise.” Even though they’ve settled into a sweet spot between punk, psych, pop and clamour, they still keep fans on their toes. Though they no longer play from within the crowd due to the larger size of their audiences, they’ve taken a stylistic left turn by adding multi-instrumentalist Lars Finberg as a second live drummer. They’ve surely benefited from the sudden surge of interest in San Francisco’s psych/garage scene, though Dawson credits their success to their tour-warrior work ethic.

“You might play a show and 15 people come, but if it’s a good show they tell their friends. And then the next time you come to town, the crowd is bigger,” she explains. “After six years of hard work and constant touring, it adds up. You just have to put in the time and make sure you play well every single time.” Thee Oh Sees have earned a reputation for unpredictability in Toronto, though that might partially predate the band. Back in 2004, Dwyer, then a member of the Hospitals, found himself in a mid-show melee that ended with his guitar smashed against the cranium of infamous local promoter Dan Burke. The event was captured for posterity on YouTube. “When I first met John, he invited me over to his house to watch that video,” Dawson remembers. “He told me much later that it was kind of an initiation into the band.” 3 music@nowtoronto.com

Polish Combatants hall X Avant New Music Festival Lee Ranaldo & Leah Singer 6 pm. Quotes Fridays At Five Canadian Jazz Quartet, Michael Stuart (saxophone) 5 to 8 pm. Rex Sean Hutchinson’s Still Life, John Deutsch, Chris Tarry 9:45 pm, Artie Roth Trio 6:30 pm, Hogtown Syncopators 4 pm.

RiChmond hill CentRe foR the PeRfoRming aRts Lara St John (violin) 8 pm. Roy thomson hall 11/12 Virtuoso Perform-

ances Mariinsky Orchestra, Alexander Toradze (piano) 8 pm.

Royal ConseRvatoRy of musiC KoeRneR hall The English Concert (early music) 8 pm. tRane studio The Rosita Stone Band 8 pm. tRanzaC southeRn CRoss The Foolish Things (jazz) 5 pm.

tRinity st. Paul’s ChuRCh Venetian Splendour: The Music Of Johann Rosenmüller Toronto Consort 8 pm. WateRfalls Jim Heineman Trio (jazz) 6:30 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

annex WReCKRoom Yes Yes Y’All DJ Coolin Creg (hip-hop/dancehall/R&B) 10 pm.5

CastRo’s lounge DJ ‘I Hate You’ Rob (soul/ funk/R&B/punk rock/rockabilly) 10 pm.

Clinton’s Girl & Boy 90s Dance Party (pop/

Porter (deep soulful house) 8 pm. naCo galleRy Cafe SheRoes #3 10 pm.5 noW lounge My Prerogative DJ Squidbot (all90s rock/grunge/house/dance). the ossington Get By Friday (hip-hop/soul/ funk/reggae). PaRts & labouR Rumours DJs Fawn Big Canoe, Azuree 10 pm. the Piston Soulskank (Motown/Stax/soul/ dancehall) 10 pm. RasPutin vodKa baR Catalist, Weapon Keys, G Roc (funk/rare grooves). Rivoli Pool lounge This Is It DJ Stu (rock/old school/Brit/electro/classics/retro). sCReen lounge Soul In The City DJ Michael Williams (Motown classics/smooth jazz/ northern soul/Canrock) 10 pm. shalloW gRoove House & Old School. smiling buddha Seven Inch Samurai DJs Tako, Natto Rocker, Ginger Sting, Way of the Curl, King Magic Sparky, Sumo Kai Sumo, DJ Purple Wolf (7 DJs, 7 songs, on 7 inches) 9:30 pm. suPeRmaRKet Action! DJs Circle Research (party jams/hip-hop/classics) 10 pm. velvet undeRgRound DJ Elliott Jones 9 pm. xs nightClub Carnival Circus DJ Mike, DJ Couture (top 40/house/mashups) 10 pm.

haRd luCK baR Not Dead Yet 2011 Direct oPeRa house Avro Fest Still Life Still, southside Johnny’s The Remnants 10 pm. Control, Omegas, Rival Mob, Double Shit La Merde, Gay, the Break Down ñ ñ soybomb Not Dead Yet Festival AfterNegative, Creem, Confines 7 pm, all ages. doors 8 pm. party Failures, Obliteration, Anxiety, ñ Purity Control 1 am, all ages. hoRseshoe Die Mannequin doors 9 pm. the PooR alex Not Dead Yet 2011 Dropñdead, Scapegoat, Veins, Pick Your Side, sPoRtsteR’s Nicola Vaughan 10 pm. hot box Cafe Saturday Slam: Pot Smokers Dub Hoax, Column of Heaven, Owl Eyes 7 pm, all Science Open Mic Red Gorilla Sound Brigade (reggae/jungle/dubstep/dnb/electro) 7 pm. lee’s PalaCe Scientists of Sound, Chameleon Project, DJ Takeabath doors 9 pm. mitzi’s sisteR The Targets, the Legendary Dirtbikers. mod Club The Parlotones, Scattered Trees (South African rock) 6:30 pm. on the Rox Reggae On The Rocks DJ Tyronne, Firekid Steenie, Whitebwoy, Journey, Supa Loaded, Infamous, Legacy.

ages.

RanCho Relaxo Solids – 7-inch release Most People, Young Doctors in Love, the Artful Vandelays doors 9 pm. Rex Danny Marks (pop) noon.

Rivoli Wood doors 8 pm. ñRoyal silveR dollaR Not Dead Yet 2011 Davila 666, Barreracudas, White Mystery, the ñ Sphinxs doors 9 pm.

tRanzaC southeRn CRoss Joe Hall 6:30 pm. tRash PalaCe The Wrecking Ball Autumn Edi-

tion Kosmograd, Black Faxes 8 pm.

uKRainian CultuRal CentRe Fedora Upside-Down Festival Fedora Upside Down, ñ Lemon Bucket Orkestra, Maracatu Mar Aberto, Nick Teehan, Freeman Dre & the Kitchen Party, Boxcar Boys, Michael Louis Johnson & Rambunctious Ada Dahli and others 7 pm.

continued on page 58 œ

dance/rock/hip-hop) 10 pm. dRaKe hotel lounge DJ Your Boy Brian doors 10 pm. PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/souL dRaKe hotel undeRgRound Edumacation alleyCatz Lady Kane. Brendan Bring’em, DJ Fase doors 11 pm. aQuila uPstaiRs The Gypsy Rebels (gypsy emmet Ray baR DJ For The Music Lover (soul/ R&B). reggae/indie) 10 pm. baR italia uPstaiRs Fusion Events Orchestra fly Main Street House DJ Ticky Ty, Joee Cons.5 10 pm. footWoRK Luv This City Fridays doors 10 pm. bovine sex Club C’mon (final show), guveRnment Skream & Benga, Marcus Bison BC, Burning Love, Meisha & the Visionary, Hydee (dubstep) doors 10 pm. Spanks. holy oaK Cafe Wizz Kids 10 pm. CadillaC lounge Sid’s Kids (punk). hot box Cafe Big Spliff Joda C, Mike S (roots/ CameRon house Tarantuela 10 pm. reggae/rocksteady/dub/early dancehall) 7 pm. el moCambo Wilderness, Good Times Runinsomnia Funkn’ Fresh Fridays JJ Preston ning, Persian Rugs, Wander Birds 9 pm. (house/breaks). eton house Drunk on Sunday (rock) 9 pm. Jangbang Baby, Call Me Dougie Boom, Scotty the gaRage Not Dead Yet 2011 Boston Seawhale. Strangler, No Tolerance 2 pm, all ages. lee’s PalaCe danCe Cave Bif Bang Pow DJ the gosPel Cafe CDH Live! (Christian rap) 7:30 Trevor (60s mod/Britpop). pm, all 1 ages. RCM_Now1/5bw_contests_el 11-10-12 3:45 PM Page 1 mod Club Arcade: EP release Gingy. Cigala_Layout haRbouRfRont Community CentRe Have A moRoCo ChoColat Coco Beats DJ Kenneth Ball benefit Dani Taylor Band 6 pm.

Saturday, October 22

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO THIS CONCERT

at nowtoronto.com

Diego El Cigala presents

Cigala & Tango Friday, November 4, 2011 8pm Koerner Hall Flamenco and tango singer Diego El Cigala recreates Cigala & Tango, the unforgettable concert originally performed at the legendary Gran Rex theatre in Buenos Aires.

“the guitar... rang out like an entire symphony orchestra that accompanied the magnificent voice of El Cigala.” Rolling Stone

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

rcmusic.ca 416.408.0208

273 Bloor St. W. (Bloor & Avenue Road) Toronto

NOW october 20-26 2011

lykke li with

first Aid kit

tuesday november 15 sound academy $ 30.00

22.50 advance • 7:00pm doors • all-ages

maylene & the sons of disaster • Zechs marquise • native wednesday december 7 the phoenix • $ 24.50 adv + ff • all-ages

between the

the phoenix • $16.50 advance • all-ages

Andrew JAckson JihAd & into it over it

friday october 28 @ opera house

$ 22.50

advance ga (all-ages) • doors 8:00pm

friday november 25 @ opera house $

friday october 28

friday december 2 @ the phoenix • $28.50 adv

buried and me

advance • 8:30pm doors • all-ages

the

20th anniversary ska celebration

friday october 28 @ queen elizabeth theatre $ 27.50 advance • all-ages • 7:15pm doors • folk rock british columbia / arts & crafts / polaris prize nominee

dan mangan

the dAredevil christoPher wriGht + the crAcklinG tues november 1 @ the phoenix

sunday

october 30

slackers civil dawes blitzen wArs trapper fu $ 18.50 advance • 8:00pm doors

the

@ opera house

$ 18.50 adv • indie folk double header

Deals Gone BaD + Prince Perry

fri november 11 $ horseshoe • 18.50 advance

nashville alt country folk

AnimAls As leAders + TesseracT

mAnchu

thursday november 17 @ the phoenix $

20.00 advance • 8:00 pm doors • all-ages

honky + the shrine november 26

queen elizabeth theatre $ 25.00

advance • all-ages

timber timbre

Parlovr + the Paint MoveMent

friday november 25 sat november 26

friday november 18 @ the phoenix • $20.o0 adv

ellioTT cuff the AnnA Duke brood cAlvi horseshoe tavern cd release weekend

thurs december 8 $ lee’s palace • 15.00 advance

AIR CANADA CENTRE THEATRE

DECEmbER 8, 2011 w i t h

wyE oAk

tickets $ 43.50 - $ 59.50 Adv + FF @ ticketmAster.cA • 1-855-985-5000 soundscApes + Air cAnAdA centre

both shows sold out! jingle bell rock @ lee’s palace

fri december 9 & sat december 10

$14.00

friday december 16 lee’s palace • $18.00 adv

danny michel friday december 30 horseshoe • $ 18.50 advance

The elecTric

$1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the daily bread food bank. non-perishable food items will be collected at all shows.

october 20-26 2011 NOW

six

advance • 9:00pm doors

one hundred dollars

thursday december 15 @ the phoenix

st.vincent $

20.00 advance • new york • beggars

friday december 16 + sat december 17

skydiggers the horseshoe • $ 22.50 advance • annual holiday shows!

advance ticketS @ ticketmaster.ca or 1-855-985-5000 • HorSeSHoe Front Bar • SoundScapeS • rotate tHiS Friday october 21 Sneaky dee’S • $12.00 @ door

tHurSday october 20

Friday october 21

14.50 adv • 30th anniversary

San franciSco • in the red garage Punk • $16.00 advance

shonen thee sees kniFe oh the men JAPAN RAmoNes PuNk!

Sam coffey & the iron LungS + teenage X

young guv bad vibraTions

Saturday october 22 • $15.00 advance

die mannequin diemonds + dearly Beloved

shoeless mondays

silence the Fury Hosted by bookie (18th year) adrian BradBury tueSday october 25 Town Heroes you left saving matt epp milo & the Bad lads m.t.l

the micronite filters trevor gordon & the nighthounds the riot police

tHurS october 27 • $ 5.00

Friday october 28

THe rising Tide sTone sparrows stone river the matthews Brothers

regina indie PoP rock $12.00 advance

liBrary

voices the balconies

Sat october 29 • $ 8.00 HalloWeen Spectacular!

birthday boys eamon mcGrath the sweet mack

little millionaires sparrows + THunderHawks

graHam wrigHT &

THe good Times band tHurSday november 3

denver HillBilly gotHic rootS • $10.50 adv

slim ceSSna’S auto cLub

WedneSday november 2 • $12.00 advance

bruce peninsula

lukas rossi

tueSday november 8 @ drake underground /

$ 15.50

advance

tHurS november 10 lee’S palace • $ 15.50 advance

bLind piLot Portland indie folk rock

Friday november 11

crooked fingers musTard plug jesse sykes crystal antlers tHurS november 10 drake underground

advance • 8:30pm doorS • 19+

Sneaky dee’S • $13.50 advance

Sat november 12

wu lyf horSeShoe • $13.50 advance

Sat november 12 @ lee’S palace • $ 13.50 adv

russian circles with deafhaven

Wed november 16 @ lee’S Palace

flatfoot 56

thurS november 17

the diodes horSeShoe •

$ 15.00

advance

legendary ’77 crash & burn punk

advance • alt country rock

tHurS october 20 • $ 6.00

unbottoned dead barrens Blacklist Manifesto

Jilted lovers club fade chromatic scienTisTs nancy Boys of sound hifi phantoM Sat october 22 • $ 12 adv

with

chameleon ben pearlman project & 416-598-0720 dj takeabath ben@leespalace.com

rabbiTs

Sunday october 23 • $ 18.00 adv • Japanese metal

horSeShoe • $15.00 advance

white

friday december 9 horSeShoe • $13.50 advance

boris monday october 24

auStin texaS PSych rock & roll $ 23.50 advance •

8:00pm doorS

peter murphy drugs Black she wants revenge crysTal angels white cowBell oklahoMa sTilTs goin’ Wed november 23 @ lee’S Palace $ 29.50

Friday october 21 • $ 7.00

Wed november 30

deer tick war on $ 16.50

with

WitH bahamas + fred squire

tHurS november 3 • lee’S palace • $15.50 adv

$ 12.00

mon october 24 • no cover

Wed october 26 • $ 4.00

THis is a standoFF

tHurS october 27 • lee’S palace • $10.00 advance

the

advance • 8:00pm doors • 19+

thurS december 1 horSeShoe • $13.50 advance

With dead meadow

Saturday december 17 @ lee’S Palace • $15.50 advance

with

asobi seksu

Fri october 28 • $ 10.00

sheezer a night of weezer locals

with THe elwins + donlands & morTimer

star slinger sTeady 40 oz To monster freedom cant Brandt mash brauer joe lally frick wooden shjips high places kevin little scratch trampled by turtles youth lagoon devine red acid Fri october 21 @ garriSon • $14 adv

monday november 7 • $13.50 advance • San francisco

chris taylor oF grizzly bear

tueS october 25 the rivoli • $13.00 advance

Sat october 29 • $ 10.00

tueS november 1 • $ 10.00

skA & ReggAe

WedneSday october 26 drake underground • $15.00 adv

Luke tempLe + bLood orange

Sublime tribute

Sat november 12 @ drake • $10.50 adv

Sunday october 30 • $ 16.00 advance • 7pm doors

thurSday november 10 • $15.00 advance

from fugazi

with metz

mon november 14 @ garrison • $11.50 adv

thurSday october 27 drake underground

• $13.50 advance

Friday october 28 drake underground • $10.50 advance

stephen kellog & the sixers jon mclaughlin

Sat november 5 • $16.50 adv

sat november 19 @ garrison • $10.50 adv

artist bookings: craig@horseshoetavern.com or 416-598-0720

horseshoetavern.com 370 Queen Street WeSt / Spadina 416-598-4226 • 1947 to 2010

with

mon nov 28 @ garrison • all-ages • 7pm

kat Burns

friday november 25 @ the drake • $13.50 advance

touche amore ganglians friends

the Sea &BrokeBack cake

Fri november 11 • $ 25 adv

artiSt bookingS: 416-598-0720 or ben@leespalace.com

leespalace.com 529 bloor Street WeSt / bathurSt

NOW october 20-26 2011

lAmBAdinA Rhythms Of The Earth Festi val LAL, Muhtadi International Drum ñ Festival, DJ La Bomba 8 pm. clubs&concerts the lOCAl Pilgrims of Brock. œcontinued from page 55

Folk/Blues/Country/World

AquilA upstAirs Trish & the Divas w/ Bill

Beaumont (blues).

Betty OliphAnt theAtre Abilities Arts Festi

val: The Neat Strange Music Of Ahmed Hassan Mother Tongue. CAdillAC lOunge Mary & Micky (country) 3:30 pm. CAmerOn hOuse Joanne Mackell (folk) 6 pm. the CentrAl Vinyl Hero, Addison Rushlow 9:30 pm, Sarah Peterson 6 to 9 pm, Brunch Dean Lauderdale 1 to 4 pm. dOrA KeOgh Ron Hines. etOn hOuse Broadbelly Band (country) 4 pm. evergreen BriCK WOrKs Farmer’s Market Carlie Howell & the DeHarms 8 am to 1 pm. Free times CAFe Two Girls & A Guy Peter Eastmure, Zoe Henderson, Tiger Lil. glAdstOne hOtel melOdy BAr Tin Roof Rusted (folk/rock/alt country) 9 pm.

glenn gOuld studiO Jill Barber (folk) 8 pm. ñ grAFFiti’s Sam Martin & the Haggard 4 pm. grOssmAn’s Chloe Watkinson & the Crossroads 10 pm.

highWAy 61 sOuthern BArBeque Michael Pickett (blues guitar/harmonica) 8 pm.

hugh’s rOOm Peter Appleyard 8:30 pm.

lulA lOunge Salsa Saturday Lady Son y Articulo Veinte, DJ Suave.

mediCAl sCienCes Bldg Autumn Festival M

Balamuralikrishna, Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Abhijit Banerji Tarang Ensemble 5 pm. phOenix COnCert theAtre imagine NATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival: The Beat Buffy Sainte-Marie 7 pm. reBAs CAFé Open Mic 1 to 4 pm. rOy thOmsOn hAll Planet Africa Awards Mark S Doss, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Divine Brown, Beyond Sound, SHAD. rOyAl CAnAdiAn legiOn – pOrt Credit Missis sauga Blues & Roots Association Fall Harvest Concert Riverview All Star Band 8 pm.

sOny Centre FOr the perFOrming Arts Kings of Salsa 8 pm.

st niChOlAs AngliCAn ChurCh Acoustic Har vest CD release Rosalee Peppard (folk/blues/ opera) 8 pm. trAnzAC sOuthern CrOss Adrian Glynn 10 pm, Jamzac 3 pm. Winter gArden theAtre Matt Andersen, Old Man Luedecke (blues) 8 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/experimental

BrAss tAps Thyron Lee Whyte Band 8 pm. C’est WhAt Glenn Chatten (jazz/blues/folk/

rock/Celtic) 8 pm, Magpie (swingin’ jazzy blues) 3 to 6 pm. ChAlKers puB Soul Stew (R&B/soul/jazz/ funk) 9:30 pm. living Arts Centre Let’s Go Back To The Old Days Celebrity Symphony Orchestra (old war songs) 4 & 7:30 pm. mAssey hAll Herbie Hancock, the Massey Hall Orchestra 8 pm. musiC gAllery X Avant New Music Festi val: Tales Of Two Cities Buke & Gass, Mantra (premiere of Timber by Michael Gordon and Lori Freedman) 8 pm. Old mill inn Jazz Masters Kevin Turcotte Trio 7:30 pm. pilOt tAvern CD release Del Dako (jazz) 3:30 to 6:30 pm. rex Dixie Demons 9:45 pm, Sara Dell 7 pm, Swing Shift Big Band 3:30 pm.

ñ ñ

★★★

See Amos Lee LIVE at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Thurs Oct 27th (tickets at ticketmaster.ca)

★★★

riChmOnd hill Centre FOr the perFOrming Arts Gui Yazhi’s World Of Wind Instruments Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Guo Yazhi 7:30 pm.

rOyAl COnservAtOry OF musiC KOerner hAll Smithsonian Chamber Players (chamber music) 8 pm.

tOrOntO Centre FOr the Arts geOrge WestOn reCitAl hAll Korean-Canadian Symphony

Orchestra, Judy Kang (violin) 7:30 pm. trAne studiO Five Weeks For Miles, Week 4: From Bitches Brew To Tutu Brownman, Ted Quinlan, Adrean Farrugia, Pat Kilbride, Chris Lamont 6:30 pm.

danCe musiC/dJ/lounge

Annex WreCKrOOm See You Saturdays Rick Toxic (club hits/party anthems) 10 pm.

the BArn Mad House DJ ViVi Diamond (top 40/remixes/electro) 10 pm.5

ClintOn’s Shake, Rattle & Roll Bangs & Blush

(60s soul/R&R dance party).

drAKe hOtel undergrOund Bang The Party DJs Todd-Rod Skimmins & Andyñ capp, the Makeover doors 11 pm. emmet rAy BAr DJ Tophey (funk/soul/old school) 10 pm.

Fly Our City Beats DJ Jeremy Khamkeo, DJ Kevin Bailey.5

FOOtWOrK Hermanez & Mazzimo Girardi. lee’s pAlACe dAnCe CAve Full On Alternative

The critically acclaimed album from AMOS LEE

Featuring SPECIAL GUESTS

Sam Beam

(Iron & Wine),

Lucinda Williams & Willie Nelson

Produced by Joey Burns of Calexico

★★★★

(4 STARS)

- MOJO

Limited Time, Get Amos Lee Albums Under $8

october 20-26 2011 NOW

DJ Mr Pete (alternative). mOd CluB UK Underground DJ MRK, Milhouse Brown, Tigerblood (indie/electro/dubstep). nACO gAllery CAFe Tapette DJ Phil V 10:30 pm.5 the OssingtOn Vanishing Point (post punk/ funk/Brazilian/dance hits). pArts & lABOur Bitch Craft DJs Blonde & Redhead (loud rap) 10 pm.

the pistOn Brendan Canning 10 pm. ñ rOyAl CAnAdiAn legiOn 1/42 Rock & Roll Dance DJ Randy 8 pm.

shAllOW grOOve DJs Carl Allen & Jay Dun-

away (top 40/hip-hop/R&B/retro). sneAKy dee’s Shake A Tail (60s pop & soul) 11 pm. sOund ACAdemy Rapture: Northbound Leath er Fall Fetish Ball DJ Jimi Lamort, DJ Betti Ford doors 9 pm. suite 106 Socialite DJs Charlie Brown & Blaxz Dun D Place, Rock da House, LE Triple. supermArKet Do Right Saturdays! DJ John Kong, MC Abs.

sutrA The Bridge DJ Triplet (ol’ skool hip-hop). velvet undergrOund DJ Joe (alt rock) 10 pm. WrOngBAr Juan MacLean (DJ set),

ñBlondes doors 10 pm.

Sunday, October 23 pop/roCk/Hip-Hop/soul

Annex WreCKrOOm Warbringer, Lazarus AD, Landmine Marathon, Diamond ñ Plate 7 pm. BlACK sWAn TRox Band Factory Concert Series 2 to 7 pm.

CAdillAC lOunge Swinging Sundays Tia Brazda & her Madmen 9 pm.

CAstrO’s lOunge Mount Blank Band 4 pm. Cherry COlA’s rOCK n’ rOllA The Digs (funk)

9:30 pm.

CrOssrOAds BAr & grill Soulchamp! Duo 2 to 8 pm.

dAve’s... On st ClAir John Campbell (soul/ pop/rock) 6 pm.

drAKe hOtel undergrOund Rebekah Higgs, Lou Cannon, Jose & Lily doors 8 pm.

grAFFiti’s Michael Brennan 4 to 7 pm. the greAt hAll Toronto Rhythm Initiative

Does Stevie Wonder! Nathan Hiltz, Morgan Childs, Johnny Griffith, Chris Banks, Matt Newton, Justin Bacchus 8 pm.

lee’s pAlACe Boris, Asobi Seksu 8 pm. ñ OrBit rOOm Horshack (rock) 9 pm. phOenix COnCert theAtre Friendly Fires, Wise Blood, Theophilus London ñ doors 8 pm. HrevivAl Les Coquettes Halloween Spook tacular Zirco Circus 7 & 9:30 pm.

Folk/Blues/Country/World

AquilA upstAirs Blues Brunch Ken Yoshioka (blues) noon to 2 pm. AquilA upstAirs Sunday Junction Jam The New Mynah Birds w/ Allan Soberman 3:30 to 7:30 pm. AquilA upstAirs Open Mic The McDales (country) 8:30 pm. CAmerOn hOuse Jack Marks 6 pm. CAmerOn hOuse Kevin Quain & the Mad Bastards 9 pm. the CentrAl Faraway Neighbors 6 to 8 pm. epiC lOunge Iya Ire (drum & dance) 5 to 8 pm. glAdstOne hOtel melOdy BAr Sunday Family Acoustic Brunch 10 am to 2 pm. glAdstOne hOtel Art BAr Old Time Jam 2 to 5:30 pm. glAdstOne hOtel melOdy BAr Open Mic Closing Party 7 pm. grOssmAn’s Blues Jam Brian Cober 9:30 pm. highWAy 61 sOuthern BArBeque Brunch Sean Pinchin (folk) 1 pm. hugh’s rOOm CD release Crabtree & Mills, Diane Vezina & Ed Crabtree 2 pm. living Arts Centre Talents Of Ukraine: Ukrainian Heritage Day Donbas Song & Dance Ensemble, Innesa Tymochko, Svitlana Sasu, Yevhen Vas’kin 7:30 pm. the lOCAl Gord Zubrecki (folk/alt indie) 10 pm, Deer River 5 pm. lulA lOunge Salsa Brunch Luis Mario Ochoa (Cuban quartet) 12:30 & 2:30 pm. nACO gAllery CAFe La Pili, La Silvia, El Dennis (flamenco) 8 pm. pOgue mAhOne Celtic Ceilidh Sandy MacIntyre & Steeped in Tradition 4 to 8 pm. reBAs CAFé The Curries 1 to 4 pm. sOuthside JOhnny’s Jam Rebecca Matiesen & Phoenix Band 9:30 pm. spirits Kim Jarrett (folk rock) 9 pm. supermArKet Freefall Sundays Open Mic/Jam 8 pm. trAne studiO Tio Chorinho (Brazilian choro) 8 pm. trAnzAC Tony Bird (African folk rock) 7 pm. trAnzAC sOuthern CrOss Michael Laderoute 3 pm. trAnzAC sOuthern CrOss Sarah Greene 10 pm. the WilsOn 96 Sunday Supper Dave Picco (singer/songwriter) 6 pm.

Jazz/ClassiCal/experimental

ChAlKers puB Paul Morrison Sextet 7 pm. de sOtOs Sunday Brunch Double A Jazz, Tony Laviola 11 am.

dOrA KeOgh Pat Labarbera (jazz). glenn gOuld studiO La Bonne Cuisine: Ex

ploring Taste And Sound Amici Chamber Ensemble (chamber music) 3 pm. hArt hOuse greAt hAll The Zodiac Trio (clarinet, violin, piano) 3 pm. hOly OAK CAFe Uphill Farmers (jazz/country) 9 pm. hOt BOx CAFe Jazz 7 pm.

HugH’s Room John Gorka 8:30 pm. music galleRy X Avant New Music Festival: Tales Of Two Cities The Nihilist ñ Spasm Band, CONTACT (performance of Trance by Michael Gordon) 8 pm.

Panemonte Banquet & convention centRe

Jazzing It Up Fundraising Gala Speak Easy Jazz Band. Rex Mike Field Quintet 9:30 pm, Parker/Abbott Trio 7 pm, Red Hot Ramble 3:30 pm, Excelsior Dixieland Jazz noon. Roy tHomson Hall Massed Military Band Spectacular 2 pm.

Royal conseRvatoRy of music mazzoleni Hall Susan Hoeppner, Simon Wynberg 2 pm. toRonto centRe foR tHe aRts geoRge Weston Recital Hall Voices Orchestra Toronto,

Oriana Women’s Choir, Zorana Sadiq 3 pm. tRanzac soutHeRn cRoss James McEleney (jazz) 7:30 pm.

tHe gaRRison Colour Revolt, Empires doors 8 pm.

HoRsesHoe Shoeless Monday Silence the

Fury, Adrian Bradbury, Town Heroes 9 pm. lee’s Palace Black Angels, Dead Meadow doors 8 pm. mod cluB Decapitated, Decrepit Birth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Rings of Saturn, the Haarp Machine doors 7 pm, all ages. tHe Wilson 96 Esteban Puchalski (roots rock). WRongBaR Gotye doors 8 pm.

FoLk/BLues/countRy/WoRLD

cameRon House Luke Nicholson (blues sing-

er/songwriter) 10 pm, Rucksack Willies 6 pm.

tHe centRal Cryin’ Adams 9 pm, Pete Eastmure 6 to 9 pm.

dakota taveRn Mariachi Mondays Mariachi

Fuego 7 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

andy PoolHall Cherry Bomb J Cozmic Cat, DJ Denise Benson 9 pm.5 tHe avRo Bring Your Own Vinyl Night. Bovine sex cluB School For Band Aids DJ Candy-O. castRo’s lounge Watch This Sound DJ Greg (old school soul/reggae/dub/ska/rock-steady) 9 pm. gRaffiti’s Blackmetalbrunch 11 am. HaBits gastRoPuB Chef Ron. insomnia DJ Shannon (rock/dance/old school hip-hop/disco/funk). oPeRa House Amon Tobin doors 9 pm. See preview, page 52. tHe ossington Unlimited Sunday DJs Hajah Bug and Mantis (deep grooves). velvet undeRgRound Vinyl Hero, Remembering Apollo 7:30 pm. velvet undeRgRound DJ Hanna (retro 80s) 10 pm.

doRa keogH JT’s House Party Open Mic. tHe fountain Bluegrass Mondays Badly Bent (bluegrass/old time) 9 pm.

fRee times cafe Open Stage Taylor Abramson. gRaffiti’s Kevin Quain’s Gutbucket Lounge 6

to 9 pm.

HigHWay 61 soutHeRn BaRBeque Chris Chambers (blues) 7 pm.

tHe local Hamstrung String Band. not my dog Tim Bradford (country) 10 pm. tRanzac soutHeRn cRoss Open Mic 10 pm.

Jazz/cLassicaL/exPeRiMentaL

cadillac lounge Juliannes Jazz Jam. emmet Ray BaR Vaughan Misener (jazz) 9 pm. old mill inn Oscar Peterson Tribute Dave Young Quartet (jazz) doors 7 pm.

oRBit Room Levon Ichkhanian & his Global Village Band (smooth jazz) 9 pm.

Rex John Cheesman Jazz Orchestra 9:30 pm,

U of T Student Jazz Ensembles 6:30 pm..

toRonto centRe foR tHe aRts galleRy tHe-

PoP/Rock/HiP-HoP/souL

atRe A Little Night Music The Programme Symphony, Jonathan Craig 7:30 pm. tRanzac soutHeRn cRoss This Is Awesome (jazz) 7 pm.

Cities (pop) 8 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

Monday, October 24 aiR canada centRe Avril Lavigne, the New

alleycatz Salsa Night DJ Frank Bischun 8 pm. Bovine sex cluB Moody Mondays Douglas

castRo’s lounge Leon Knight in the Neon Lights (rockabilly) 9 pm.

dRake Hotel undeRgRound Elvis Mondays

Fairbanks Jr.

doors 9 pm.

continued on page 62 œ

Rose TheaTRe PResenTs

ASHLEY

MACISAAC

OctOber 28 at 8PM “When it comes to

sawing the strings, Ashley MacIsaac is

untouchable.” – NOW

tickets: $35, $45, $55

or subscribe & save

905.874.2800

www.rosetheatre.ca

Looking for Open Houses this weekend? Visit our open house listings site today!

nowtoronto.com/openhouses

Classifieds

EVERYTHING GOES. IN PRINT & ONLINE. 416.364.3444 NOW october 20-26 2011

Presenting Sponsor:

12th Annual

FILM + MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL

October 19 - 23, 2011 All screenings at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Reitman Square, 350 King Street West. All events are as listed. Follow the Festival conversation: Twitter: @imagineNATIVE or Facebook.com/ imagineNATIVE and download our iPhone App

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 10am TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 UP HEARTBREAK HILL Co-Produced by Christina D. King USA • 83 min • 2011 • 14A Three Native American teenagers are at the crossroads of life as seniors in their Navajo Reservation high school. As graduation nears, they must decide whether to stay in their community or leave in pursuit of opportunities elsewhere. 12:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 WOUNDS OF WAR Directed by Prina Raj Joshi Nepal • 60 min • 2011 • 18A Co-presented by Indigenous Film Archive, Toronto Nepali Film Festival During the 10-year armed Maoist conflict in Nepal more than 12,800 people were killed and an estimated 100,000 people were internally displaced. Provocative and unflinching, director Prina Raj Joshi turns his lens to the survivors. Astounding guerrilla footage and heart-wrenching testimony combine to create an unprecedented account of a war that took place at the top of the world. Preceded by: SPINNER OF FLIGHTS Directed by Loonibha Tuladhar Nepal • 23 min • 2011 • PG At the age of 50, an impoverished Kathmandu kite maker’s life takes a sudden turn as she begins to taste what she has always longed for in this insightful portrayal of one woman’s struggle to rise above circumstance. 2:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON THE KHOI-SAN I: SHIRLEY ADAMS Directed by Oliver Hermanus South Africa • 92 min • 2009 • 14A Co-presented by The Global Film Initiative, South African Consulate-General Toronto In this deeply affecting portrait of ordinary courage in present-day South Africa, Shirley Adams is a single mother struggling to make ends meet while caring for her paraplegic teenage son. When his fragile emotional health declines, Shirley’s faith and perseverance are put to the ultimate test. 5pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 LANDSCAPE FIGURES: EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS PROGRAM Co-presented by Images Festival This annual program features a collection of the Festival’s finest experimental works and imagineNATIVE’s first ever radio art commission. 7pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 HERE I AM Directed by Beck Cole Australia • 91 min • 2011 • 18A Co-presented by Elizabeth Fry Toronto, WIFT-Toronto Karen is a woman with a dark past. Fresh out of prison, she finds herself on the streets with a fierce desire to turn her life around but no one to call for help. Eventually she finds refuge at a women’s shelter, where she begins a tumultuous journey of reconciliation. Preceded by: SPIRIT OF THE BLUEBIRD Directed by Jesse Gouchey and Xstine Cook Canada • 6 min • 2011 • 18A A beautiful, animated tribute to Gloria Black Plume, a spirit not to be forgotten. 9:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 MESNAK Directed by Yves Sioui Durand Canada • 96 min • 2011 • 18A Co-presented Cinefranco, Alliance Francaise, Le Labo After receiving a cryptic message from his biological mother, Dave, a young Indigenous man living in Montreal, returns to his reserve for the first time since he was adopted at three years old. Instead of a joyful family reunion, he unearths a painful past scarred by secrets and lies. A bold adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

october 20-26 2011 NOW

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22

10:30am TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 EVER PROUD. EVER LOUD: YOUTH SHORTS PROGRAM Co-presented TD Bank and York University Appealing to youth and adults, this program features works created by and for youth, capturing the personal, emotional, and entertaining aspects of Indigenous life with a youthful twist.

11am TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 THE CREATOR’S GAME Directed by Candace Maracle Haudenosaunee Territory • 41 min • 2011 • PG In 2010, the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team chose to forfeit the World Championship when they were denied entry into England because of their Haudenosaunee passports. This timely documentary follows the Iroquois Nationals on their quest for the 2011 medal in Prague – both a fight for gold and a recognition of their nationhood.

12:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON THE KHOI-SAN II: THE UPRISING OF HANGBERG Directed by Dylan Valley South Africa • 90 min • 2010 • 18A Co-presented by Ryerson University’s Social Justice Week The Uprising of Hangberg dramatically documents the police forcibly removing dwellings in the Hangberg district of Hout Bay and the conflict that ensued with the Khoi-San residents. The uprising was a struggle for the rights and freedom of a marginalized people who were maligned in the media and attacked by the very system they voted into power. 2:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 SHIFTING SHELTER 4 Directed by Ivan Sen Australia • 59 min • 2011 • 14A Co-presented by POV Magazine, Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival In 1995, acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Sen began to record the lives of four Indigenous teenagers and checked in with them at five-year intervals. In this remarkable series spanning more than fifteen years, this fourth installment explores the lives, hopes and dreams of Cindy, Danielle, Ben and Willie as they enter their 30s. Preceded by: DEBOIRES Directed by Delia Gunn Canada • 3 min • 2010 • 18A Stop-motion animation and personal testimony create an unflinching and deeply honest portrait of a family embracing hope while emerging from the despair of addiction. THE LIFE YOU WANT: A YOUNG WOMAN’S JOURNEY THROUGH ADDICTION Directed by Michelle Derosier Canada • 34 min • 2011 • 18A In a remote northern Ontario community gripped by an epidemic of prescription drug abuse, a young mother of three courageously sets out to overcome her addiction. 5pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 BUSONG Directed by Kanakan Balintagos Philippines • 93 min • 2011 • 14A Co-presented by Xtra! and Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival Set on the beautiful Palaw’an Islands, Angkadang carries his ill sister, Punay, as they search for a healer to cure the wounds that prevent her from setting foot on the earth. Gorgeously filmed, Busong received a five-minute standing ovation at its premiere at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. 9pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 SPECIAL PRESENTATION - THE WORLD OF SAMSON & DELLIAH – PART I Directed by Warwick Thornton Australia • 101 min • 2009 • 18A Co-presented TIFF Cinematheque A milestone of contemporary Indigenous cinema and winner of the 2009 Camera d’Or at Cannes! Enveloped by the monotony of an isolated Indigenous community in the Australian desert, Samson and Delilah break free in search of a better life. In a stolen car with no food, money or idea where they are headed, they turn their backs on the community and head towards the desert horizon. The two teenagers soon discover that outside life can be cruel, as their personal demons threaten to tear them apart. 11:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 THE WITCHING HOUR: LATE-NIGHT SHORTS PROGRAM Co-presented by Rue Morgue imagineNATIVE’s immensely popular late night serving of shorts that dare to tread on the darker side of humanity.

Preceded by: STILL Directed by Tracy Rector USA • 9 min • 2011 • 14A Filmed by Indigenous youth and winner of the Documentary Educational Resources (DER) Award at Hot Docs, this film, made in a 48-hour competition, provides both a historic and modern perspective on the sovereign right to hunt. 12:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 SPECIAL PRESENTATION - THE WORLD OF SAMSON & DELLIAH – PART II Directed by Beck Cole Australia • 55 min • 2009 • PG Co-presented by TIFF Cinematheque Spanning eighteen months from the creation to the release of Warwick Thornton’s debut feature, Beck Cole’s highly engaging documentary explores the rollercoaster experience through the eyes of Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson, Samson & Delilah’s two young stars, from the first casting calls to walking the red carpet at Cannes. Join us immediately following the screening for a one-hour Master Class with filmmakers Warwick Thornton and Beck Cole and TIFF Head of Film Programmes, Jesse Wente. 1pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 ROBERT’S PAINTINGS Directed by Shelley Niro Canada • 52 min • 2011 • G Co-presented by Woodland Cultural Centre As elegant and articulate as its subject, Robert’s Paintings examines the life and career of Robert Houle, one of Canada’s most significant artists and curators. Houle draws from the long and sophisticated visual tradition of First Nations cultures, demonstrating their currency in contemporary art milieus. Preceded by: BUILDING LEGENDS: THE MI’KMAQ CANOE PROJECT Produced by Candy Palmater Canada • 28 min • 2011 • PG Join a group of students as they work with Todd Labrador, a master canoe maker, as he takes us through the process of building one of the most iconic and vital elements of Mi’kmaq culture: the birch bark canoe. 3pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON THE KHOI-SAN III: SHORTS PROGRAM Co-presented by South African ConsulateGeneral, Toronto A slice of the artistic and contemporary Indigenous life in Cape Town is dramatically and poignantly captured in this selection of documentary and dramatic short films. 3:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 WHILE THE WIND BLOWS Directed by Sergei Potapov Russia • 76 min • 2010 • 14A Co-presented by Toronto Russian Film Festival The first feature film from the Indigenous Yakut region of Russia, Tual baarun tukaru (While the Wind Blows) is an amazing achievement and a touching retelling of the Beauty and the Beast myth. Preceded by: THE DIMMING Directed by Ippiksaut Friesen Canada • 6 min • 2011 • 14A A gorgeoulsy told Inuit tale of how the Sun and the Moon were born…with an arresting twist! 5pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 THE TALL MAN Produced by Darren Dale Australia • 78 min • 2011 • 18A Co-presented by Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival One morning, Cameron Doomadgee swore at a policeman and forty-five minutes later lay dead in a prison cell. The officer on the scene denied

www.imagineNATIVE.org

assaulting him, claiming he fell to his death. The trial that ensued ignited anger and racial tensions across Australia, resulting in mass riots that tore through the community. The Tall Man is a luminous tale of two worlds colliding, and a haunting moral puzzle that brings into question the meaning of justice for Indigenous people. Preceded by: WOODCARVER Directed by Bear Witness Canada • 6 min• 2011 • 18A This innovative tribute in response to the murder of totem carver John Williams by a Seattle police officer in 2010 employs image mixing, documentary footage, and an ingenious soundscape to commemorate a tragedy not to be forgotten. 5:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 3 THE UPROOTED: SHORTS PROGRAM I Co-presented by Worldwide Short Film Festival, LIFT, ACTRA Toronto “You cannot know where you are going unless you acknowledge where you came from.” This ancient teaching speaks to themes present in this collection of short works from filmmakers exploring loss and disconnection. 7pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 BRAN NUE DAE Directed by Rachel Perkins Australia • 88 min • 2009 • PG Co-presented by Centre for Indigenous Theatre In this lively and original musical, Willie, a young Indigenous boy in the late 1960s, flees his oppressively religious boarding school and embarks on an epic journey across Western Australia to return home. While constantly avoiding capture by his headmaster (played by Oscarwinner Geoffrey Rush), Willie meets a colourful cast of characters, including the drifter Uncle Tadpole, an endearing hippie named Annie, and Slippery, an Aboriginal-loving German tourist. 7:30pm Phoenix Concert Theatre THE BEAT: MUSIC VIDEO PROGRAM Presented by Slaight Music An eclectic collection of music videos featuring some of the greatest Indigenous musicians from around the world.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 23 12pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 TOWARDS THE SUN Directed by Marina Kalinina Russia • 50 min • 2010 • 14A Co-presented by Arnait Video Collective The Indigenous people of northeastern Russia have a legend about a magic reindeer that has the sun on its antlers. In this incredibly intimate and direct cinema approach, the experiences of Evenki reindeer herders is told with a timeless and unique style. Preceded by: QUEEN OF THE QUEST Directed by Carol Kunnuk Canada • 34 min • 2010 • PG Queen of the Quest chronicles a young Inuk woman who has been racing dogs in the far north since the age of 14, while at the same time exploring the persistence of dog racing as a cultural practice. GUOVSSAHASA NIEIDA (DANCING VIRGIN) Directed by Anstein Mikkelsen Norway • 16 min • 2010 • PG In this experimental film, a dancer and a Sámi reindeer herder immerse themselves in the Northern Lights, described as “the souls of dead virgins dancing through the sky” in Norwegian folklore. 12:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 SAVING GRACE Directed by Merata Mita New Zealand • 86 min • 2011 • PG Co-presented by Native Child and Family Services of Toronto The final film from acclaimed filmmaker and activist Merata Mita, Saving Grace is her very personal response to the violence and abuse that has plagued generations. Powerful and candid, this film gives voice to the many fathers, brothers and husbands who are taking responsibility for past wrongs by working towards a future free from violence and oppression. Preceded by: MAKINGS OF A KAITIAKI Directed by Sophie Johnson New Zealand • 12 min • 2009 • PG A Maori elder speaks candidly about her struggle to protect her homelands from becoming a sewage dumping ground.

2:15pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 TUNNIIT Directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril Canada • 50 min • 2010 • PG Co-presented by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, National Parks Project Inuit traditional face tattoos have been forbidden for a century, and almost forgotten. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril uncovers the mystery and meaning behind this beautiful tradition as she endeavours to renew it with her own facial tattoos. Preceded by: SLOTH Directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril Canada • 2 min • 2011 • PG This delightfully satirical animation reveals the evolution of Inuit stereotypes from past to present. NATIONAL PARKS PROJECT: SIRMILIK Directed by Zacharias Kunuk Canada • 10 min • 2011 • PG Commissioned as part of the National Parks Project, director Zacharias Kunuk takes us on a breathtaking journey through the rugged Arctic landscape. 2:45pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 BROKEN PROMISES: SHORTS PROGRAM II FREE SCREENING Co-presented by Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival Spanning geography and time, these films collectively speak to the evolution of Indigenous experience and promises that have been made… and often broken. With creativity, authenticity and distinction, these films are a bold reclamation of history and a step towards understanding and acknowledgement. 4:15pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 EVERY EMOTION COSTS Directed by Darlene Naponse Canada • 90 min • 2011 • PG As teenagers, June and Quilla ran away from their northern Ontario reserve, leaving behind a mentally-ill mother and their youngest sister, Ella. Years later, June and Quilla – their relationship now strained – return to their First Nation upon news of their mother’s death. While there, the three sisters must come to terms with feelings of abandonment, the harsh realities of abuse and the nature of family. Starring Tantoo Cardinal and Michelle St. John. Preceded by: TOTEM IMPACT – IN 3D! Directed by Duke Redbird Canada • 4 min • 2011 • PG Duke Redbird makes history with imagineNATIVE’s first ever 3-D film! 4:30pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2 MUSIC IS THE MEDICINE Produced by Jody Hill Canada • 53 min • 2011 • 14A Co-presented by NXNE, iNative Fest, and Revolutions Per Minute Over the past 20 years, blues-rock virtuoso Derek Miller has built a highly devoted fan base, received numerous awards and played with a long list of famous musicians, all the while struggling with addiction and personal loss. This revealing documentary follows the now reinvigorated and critically acclaimed artist as he strives to further elevate his already esteemed career. Preceded by: NORTHERN HAZE: LIVING THE DREAM Directed by Derek Aqqiaruq Canada • 37 min • 2011 • PG Rocking the North hard and heavy since 1977, Northern Haze: Living the Dream tells the riveting story of the first known Inuit rock band to sing in their Indigenous language. 7pm TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 CLOSING NIGHT presented by Global Television WAPOS BAY: LONG GOODBYES Directed by Dennis Jackson Canada • 74 min • 2011 • G The colourful cast of Wapos Bay makes the jump to the big screen! But everything is not well in this idyllic northern community. After a lifetime of happy memories living in Wapos Bay, Talon and Raven discover their dad has accepted a job in the big city. Travel back to Wapos Bay in this charming film for the whole family based on the award-winning TV series.

CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS SHOW Join us for the Closing Night Awards Show, hosted by Billy Merasty at the Mod Club Theatre, 722 College Street where winners of the 2011 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will be announced in 15 categories. After Party to follow.

EXHIBITIONS S-O-S 3 (signals of survival) Curated by Cheryl L’Hirondelle September 24-October 29, 2011 Gallery Hours Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday noon-5pm A Space Gallery 401 Richmond Street West, Suite 110 Curator Talk and Reception A Space Gallery Friday, October 21 5:30pm-7:30pm Featuring innovative works by Jason Baerg, Raven Chacon, Jason Lujan, Julie Nagam and Bear Witness. VITAL TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC WELFARE By Jason Edward Lewis In partnership with the Edward Day Gallery October 6-23, 2011 Edward Day Gallery Gallery hours Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday 10am-6pm, Friday 10am-7pm, Sunday 2pm-5pm Artist Talk and Reception, with Steve Loft Thursday, October 20, 7:30pm-9:30pm

PHOTOGRAPHY NEW PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO WORKS FROM SHELLEY NIRO AND SUSAN BLIGHT Curated by Sally Frater In Partnership with Gallery 44 Gallery 44, 401 Richmond Street West, Suite 120 October 14 - November 12, 2011

SPECIAL EVENTS THE BEAT FEATURINIG BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE with guests Sean Conway and Lena Recollet Presented by Slaight Music Saturday, Oct 22 2011, 7:00pm The Phoenix Concert Theatre A night of Indigenous musical talent featuring the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie! IN DISCUSSION WITH BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE FREE PANEL! Presented by CBC Friday, Oct 21 2011, 7:00PM TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 1 Tickets to this event are available same-day only at the TIFF Bell Lightbox box office on a one-perperson, first-come, first-served basis. This is your chance to get up close and personal with a living legend! As part of her headlining act at imagineNATIVE’s The Beat, Buffy Sainte-Marie will take part in an intimate conversation with Wab Kinew, host of CBC’s new show 8th Fire. CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS SHOW Hosted by Billy Merasty Sunday, October 23 Doors open at 9pm The Mod Club Theatre 722 College Street Join us for the Closing Night Awards Show where winners of the 2011 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival will be announced! Celebrate this year’s incredible talents with our fabulous host, Billy Merasty. After Party to follow.

Screening Presenter:

Sunday, October 23, 2011 7:00pm

TIFF Bell Lightbox, Reitman Square 350 King Street West, Cinema 1

Wapos Bay: Long Goodbyes Directed by Dennis Jackson Produced by Melanie Jackson + Anand Ramayya

Closing Awards Show and Celebration to follow

The Mod Club, 722 College Street Hosted by Billy Merasty

INDUSTRY SERIES: Workshops and Panels, presented by Astral’s Harold Greenberg Fund TIFF Bell Lightbox, Studio A&B unless otherwise stated FREE and open to the public THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 10am-11:30am MEET THE BUYERS: MAXIMIZING YOUR RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT 11:45am-12:45pm FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING AND STRATEGIES FOR ARTISTS 1:15pm-2:15pm FUNDING INDIGENOUS MEDIA ARTS IN CANADA: A ‘BRAVE NEW WORLD’? 2:30pm-4:00pm RIGHTS AND CONTRACTS - INSIDE AND OUT

4:15pm-5:15pm A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN..? HOW TO MAKE THE DIRECTOR-PRODUCER RELATIONSHIP WORK FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 10am-11:15am Cinema 3 ROCK YOUR DOC! DOCUMENTARY PITCH COMPETITION 11:30am-12:45pm Cinema 3 DRAMA QUEEN! PITCH COMPETITION FOR DRAMATIC TV SERIES

Tickets and passes are now on sale at www.imagineNATIVE.org, at the TIFF Bell Lightbox Box Office and at 416 599 TIFF (8433). Screening Pass

Weekend Pass

All-Access Pass

Industry All-Access Pass

Regular Price

$40

$65

$110

$90

Students/ Seniors/ Underemployed

$40

$65

$24

$90

Closing Night Screening (includes after-party) Student/Senior/Underemployed

$12 $10

Regular Screenings

Student/Senior/Undermployed before 6pm

FREE

Special Presentations Welcome Gathering

FREE

The Beat with BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE and guests

$20

Student/Senior/Underemployed/Specified Passes

$15

Installations, Exhibitions, Artist Talks

FREE

Workshops and Panels

FREE

Presented by:

2:00pm-3:30pm FUNDER/BUYER/PRODUCER MICRO-MEETINGS 7:00pm-8:30pm Cinema 1 IN DISCUSSION WITH BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE

the

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 11:30am–1:00pm “POP-CLAMATION” IN INDIGENOUS NEW MEDIA: ARTISTS TALK 1:30PM - 2:30PM Cinema 1 THE WORLD OF SAMSON & DELILAH: DIRECTING AND WRITING MASTER CLASS

BEAT

featuring:

Buffy Sainte-Marie

with guests Sean Conway and Lena Recollet Saturday, October 22, 9PM Phoenix Concert Theatre 410 Sherbourne Street Admission: $20/$15

NOW october 20-26 2011

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 59

drAke hotel lounge 86’D Mondays Ride the Tiger (60s & 70s soul/Motown/stax/R&B) doors 10 pm. insomniA DJs Topher, Oranj (rock). lee’s PAlACe dAnCe CAve Manic Mondays DJ Shannon (retro 70s/80s). Phoenix ConCert theAtre Moby, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr (electronic/dance) doors 8 pm. the Piston Junk Shop DJs Tweed & Jeeks (preto post-punk/new wave/garage/indie) 10 pm. rePosAdo Mezcal Mondays DJ Elis Dean.

Tuesday, October 25 POP/ROCK/HiP-HOP/SOuL

Air CAnAdA Centre Mumford & Sons doors 6:30 pm. ñ the Avro Daniel Sky (pop/rock) 9 pm.

BlACk sWAn Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia Revue Jaimie Vernon, Pete Otis, Terry Draper, Fergus Hambleton, Bob Bryden, Jeff Jones (Can rock) 8 pm. dAkotA tAvern Freeman Dre & the Kitchen Party, Ada Dahli 10 pm. drAke hotel underground Still Corners, Ganglians doors 9 pm. the greAt hAll Tyler Ward 8 pm, all ages. horseshoe Nu Music Nite You Left Saving, Trevor Gordon & the Nighthounds, the Riot Police 9 pm. liBerty grAnd Hang Art, Lift Hearts: Dystonia Benefit Billy McLaughlin 6:30 pm. living Arts Centre Lights Of Endangered Species Tour Matthew Good 8 pm. mod CluB Action Item, Days Difference, Burnham, Done with Dolls doors 6 pm, all ages. musiC hAll Tedeschi Trucks Band doors 7 pm. Phoenix ConCert theAtre Gwar, Ghoul, Every Time I Die all ages. the Piston Dead Tuesdays 9 pm. rivoli OBITS, Metz doors 8 pm. See preview, page 46. sound ACAdemy Evanescence, the Pretty Reckless doors 7 pm, all ages.

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MALCOLM HOLCOMBE + Rattlesnake Duo: John Borra & Sam Ferrara

WED NOV 2 - RIVOLI

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336 Yonge Street, 784 Yonge Street, Sheppard Centre, Cloverdale Mall, Oshawa Centre and more.

Venue Index Air CAnAdA Centre 40 Bay. 416-815-5500. AliCe FAzooli’s squAre one 209 Rathburn W (Mississauga). 905-281-1721. AlleyCAtz 2409 Yonge. 416-481-6865. Andy PoolhAll 489 College. 416-923-5300. Annex WreCkroom 794 Bathurst. 416-536-0346. AquilA 347 Keele. 416-761-7474. the Avro 750 Queen E. 416-466-3233. BAr itAliA 582 College. 416-535-3621. the BArn 418 Church. 416-593-9696. Betty oliPhAnt theAtre 404 Jarvis. BlACk sWAn 154 Danforth. 416-469-0537. Blondies 1378 Queen W. BoAt 158 Augusta. 416-593-9218. Bovine sex CluB 542 Queen W. 416-504-4239. BrAss tAPs 493 Danforth. 416-466-3403. Buddies in BAd times theAtre 12 Alexander. 416975-8555. CAdillAC lounge 1296 Queen W. 416-536-7717. CAmeron house 408 Queen W. 416-703-0811. CAstro’s lounge 2116 Queen E. 416-699-8272. the CentrAl 603 Markham. 416-913-4586. C’est WhAt 67 Front E. 416-867-9499. ChAlkers PuB 247 Marlee. 416-789-2531. Cherry ColA’s roCk n’ rollA 200 Bathurst. Cherry street restAurAnt 275 Cherry. Clinton’s 693 Bloor W. 416-535-9541. CoBrA lounge 510 King W. 416-361-9004. CrossroAds BAr & grill 395 Keele. 416-767-5224. dAkotA tAvern 249 Ossington. 416-850-4579. the dAnny 2183 Danforth. 416-686-1705. dAve’s... on st ClAir 730 St Clair W. 416-657-3283. de sotos 1079 St Clair W. 416-651-2109. dominion on queen 500 Queen E. 416-368-6893. dorA keogh 141 Danforth. 416-778-1804. drAke hotel 1150 Queen W. 416-531-5042. edWArd Johnson Building 80 Queen’s Park. 416978-3744. el moCAmBo 464 Spadina. 416-777-1777. emmet rAy BAr 924 College. 416-792-4497. ePiC lounge 1355 St Clair W. 416-792-9382. eton house 710 Danforth. 416-466-6161. evergreen BriCk Works 550 Bayview. 416-596-1495. Fly 8 Gloucester. 416-410-5426. FootWork 425 Adelaide W. 416-913-3488. the FountAin 1261 Dundas W. 416-203-2311. Four seAsons Centre For the PerForming Arts 145 Queen W. 416-363-8231.

Free times CAFe 320 College. 416-967-1078. Fuzion 580 Church. 416-944-9888. gAllery 345 345 Sorauren. 416-822-9781. the gArAge 73 Cecil. the gArrison 1197 Dundas W. 416-519-9439. glAdstone hotel 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635. glenn gould studio 250 Front W. 416-205-5555. goodhAndy’s 120 Church. 416-760-6514. the gosPel CAFe 5120 Dixie. 905-282-9007. grAFFiti’s 170 Baldwin. 416-506-6699. the greAt hAll 1087 Queen W. 416-826-3330. grossmAn’s 379 Spadina. 416-977-7000. grotto lounge 647 College. guvernment 132 Queens Quay E. 416-869-0045. hABits gAstroPuB 928 College. 416-533-7272. hArBourFront Community Centre 627 Queens Quay W. 416-392-1512. hArd luCk BAr 812 Dundas W. hArt house 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-8849. henhouse 1532 Dundas W. 416-534-5939. highWAy 61 southern BArBeque 1620 Bayview. 416-489-7427. holy oAk CAFe 1241 Bloor W. 647-345-2803. horseshoe 370 Queen W. 416-598-4753. hot Box CAFe 191A Baldwin. 416-203-6990. hugh’s room 2261 Dundas W. 416-531-6604. insomniA 563 Bloor W. 416-588-3907. JAngBAng 430.5 College. 416-961-8424. kool hAus 132 Queens Quay E. 416-869-0045. lAmBAdinA 875 Bloor W. 416-888-4607. lee’s PAlACe 529 Bloor W. 416-532-1598. liBerty Bistro 25 Liberty. 416-533-8828. liBerty grAnd 25 British Columbia. 416-642-3789. living Arts Centre 4141 Living Arts (Mississauga). 905-306-6000. the loCAl 396 Roncesvalles. 416-535-6225. loWer ossington theAtre 100A Ossington. 416915-6747. lulA lounge 1585 Dundas W. 416-588-0307. mArkhAm theAtre For the PerForming Arts 171 Town Centre Blvd (Markham). 905-305-7469. mAssey hAll 178 Victoria. 416-872-4255. mediCAl sCienCes Bldg 1 King’s College Circle. mélAnge 172 Main. 416-686-6485. metroPolitAn united ChurCh 56 Queen E. 416-3630331. mezzettA 681 St Clair W. 416-658-5687. mitzi’s sister 1554 Queen W. 416-532-2570.

Melt-Banana & Tera Melos doors 8:30 pm. ñWrongBAr

the loCAl Chris Bartos & the Racoons. monArChs PuB Acoustic Open Stage Sue &

Annex WreCkroom Drum And Dance Circle

nACo gAllery CAFe Story & Song Night 8 pm. nAisA sPACe Story & Song Night 8 pm. trAnzAC southern Cross Drumheller 10

FOLK/BLuES/COuNTRY/WORLD 8:30 pm.

CAdillAC lounge Urban Preachers 9 pm. CAmeron house Friendly Rich 10 pm, Jesse

Dee & Jacquie B, Scott Cook 6 pm. CAstro’s lounge Quiet Revolutions Acoustic Jam blueVenus 11 pm. the CentrAl Open Mic Joe Brosnan 9:30 pm. C’est WhAt Alysha Brillinger (singer/songwriter) 9 pm. dAkotA tAvern East End Open Stage (fingerstyle guitar) 8 pm. Free times CAFe Glen Chatten. grAFFiti’s Max Marshall 5 to 7 pm. hot Box CAFe Hot Box Unplugged: Acoustic Open Mic 7 pm. hugh’s room Tim O’Brien & Bryan Sutton 8:30 pm.

Dwight 7 pm.

pm, Geordie’s Meeting 5:15 pm.

JAzz/CLASSiCAL/ExPERiMENTAL

AlleyCAtz Swing Tuesdays Double A Jazz Swing Band, Carlo Berardinucci 8 pm. ChAlkers PuB Grand Tuesdays Robi Botos Trio 7:30 pm. edWArd Johnson Building WAlter hAll

Chris Donnelly (piano) 7:30 pm.

Four seAsons Centre For the PerForming Arts riChArd BrAdshAW AmPhitheAtre

Hiroko Kudo (piano) noon to 1 pm. rex Rex Jazz Jam Terra Hazelton 9:30 pm, June Harris Trio 6:30 pm. roy thomson hAll I Believe – A Holocaust Oratorio For Today Opera Canada Symphony, Orpheus Choir of Toronto, University of Toronto MacMillan Singers, Hamilton Children’s Choir, Kelsey Cowie, Marc Devigne, Marko Zeiler 8 pm. trAnzAC southern Cross Ken McDonald Quartet (jazz) 7:30 pm.

DANCE MuSiC/DJ/LOuNGE

insomniA Soulful Tuesdays D-Jay. rePosAdo Alien Radio DJ Gord C.

Wednesday, October 26 POP/ROCK/HiP-HOP/SOuL

see sunriserecords.com for details

AlleyCAtz The Graceful Daddies (swingin’ blues/vintage R&B) 8:30 pm. AquilA Ken Yoshioka (blues). CAdillAC lounge The Neil Young’uns. CAmeron house The Cameron Brothers (folk/rock) 10 pm, Kirsten Scholte 6 pm. CAmeron house BACk room Bonzai Suzuki. CAstro’s lounge Smokey Folk (bluegrass) 9 pm. Free times CAFe Hearts Desire Lynette Fairweather, David Hines, Gary Craig. grAFFiti’s Kitgut Oldtime Stringband 7 to 10 pm, Frank Nevada 5 to 7 pm. grossmAn’s Rockin’ Blues Jam Ernest Lee & Cotton Traffic 9 pm. highWAy 61 southern BArBeque The Homeless Band 7 pm. hugh’s room Discoveries Alanna Cherote, the Burning Boyz, Chloe Watkinson & the Crossroads, Natasha Waterman 8 pm. the loCAl Loraina Fox & the Old Fashion. silver dollAr High Lonesome Wednesday: Big City Bluegrass Crazy Strings doors 9 pm. terri o’s sPorts BAr Gary 17’s Acoustic Open Stage Son Roberts 9 pm. trAnzAC tiki room Comhaltas Irish Slow Session 7:30 pm.

JAzz/CLASSiCAL/ExPERiMENTAL

the CentrAl G Mark Weston Trio 9:30 pm. ChAlkers PuB Girls’ Night Out Jazz Lisa Particelli (jazz) 8 pm.

Clinton’s Sleep for a Nightlife, Most Loyals,

Four seAsons Centre For the PerForming Arts Music Of A Silenced Nation:

Olympus, Dan (Rehab for Quitters).

the Bad Dreams, Young Feathers, Jess Janz. drAke hotel underground Brandt Brauer Frick doors 8 pm. glenn gould studio Black Velvet: Benefit For Fife House Alannah Myles 6:30 pm. holy oAk CAFe Valery Gore (pop) 10 pm. horseshoe Milo & the Bad Lads, M.T.L. 9 pm. mod CluB Metronomy, Class Actress doors 9 pm. 99 gAllery HarthFEST Andy Milonakis, TALWST, Tiny Danza, Speed Boats, Big Explosions and others. oPerA house The Sounds, Natalia Kills, the Limousines, Kids at the Bar 6 pm, all ages. PAntAges hotel Chris Ritchie (pop/rock piano) 6 pm. Phoenix ConCert theAtre Misfits, Juicehead. the Piston The Blind Sides, Uncle Father, Vibonics 9 pm. suPermArket Wednesdays Go Pop Adam Jesin, Hamish Music, the Manvils 9:45 pm. trAnzAC southern Cross The Mod Villains (indie rock) 7:30 pm. WrongBAr Givers, Lord Huron (folk/ pop) doors 7 pm.

october 20-26 2011 NOW

FOLK/BLuES/COuNTRY/WORLD

dominion on queen Corktown Uke Jam 8:30

royAl CAnAdiAn legion 1/42 243 Coxwell. royAl CAnAdiAn legion – BrAnCh 11 9 Dawes. 416-699-1353. royAl CAnAdiAn legion – Port Credit 35 Front N (Mississauga). 905-278-1705. royAl ConservAtory oF musiC 273 Bloor W. 416408-0208. rumi gAlleries 55 Woodlawn (Mississauga). 905-2743616. sCreen lounge 20 College. shAlloW groove 559 College. 416-944-8998. siestA nouveAux 15 Lower Sherbourne. 416-364-4556. silver dollAr 486 Spadina. 416-763-9139. smiling BuddhA 961 College. 416-516-2531. sneAky dee’s 431 College. 416-603-3090. someWhere there studio 227 Sterling, unit #112. sony Centre For the PerForming Arts 1 Front E. 416-872-2262. sound ACAdemy 11 Polson. 416-461-3625. southside Johnny’s 3653 Lake Shore W. 416-5216302. soyBomB 156 Bathurst. sPirits 642 Church. 416-967-0001. sPortster’s 1430 Danforth. 416-778-0258. st niCholAs AngliCAn ChurCh 1512 Kingston Rd. 416-691-0449. suite 106 106 Peter. 416-599-2224. suPermArket 268 Augusta. 416-840-0501. sutrA 612 College. 416-537-8755. tAttoo roCk PArlour 567 Queen W. 416-703-5488. terri o’s sPorts BAr 185 Danforth. toronto Centre For the Arts 5040 Yonge. 416-7339388. toronto reFerenCe liBrAry 789 Yonge. 416-3955577. trAne studio 964 Bathurst. 416-913-8197. trAnzAC 292 Brunswick. 416-923-8137. trAsh PAlACe 89B Niagara. trinity st. PAul’s ChurCh 427 Bloor W. 416-922-8435. ukrAiniAn CulturAl Centre 83 Christie. 416-5313610. velvet underground 510 Queen W. 416-504-6688. villAge vAPor lounge 66 Wellesley E. 647-291-0420. WAterFAlls 303 Augusta. 416-927-9666. White sWAn 836 Danforth. 416-463-8089. the Wilson 96 615 College. 416-516-3237. Winter gArden theAtre 189 Yonge. WrongBAr 1279 Queen W. 416-516-8677. xs nightCluB 261 Richmond W.

Bovine sex CluB The Shivers, Knights of

CDs & DVDs

mod CluB 722 College. 416-588-4663. monArChs PuB 33 Gerrard W. 416-585-4352. moroCo ChoColAt 99 Yorkville. 416-961-2202. musiC gAllery 197 John. 416-204-1080. musiC hAll 147 Danforth. 416-778-8163. nACo gAllery CAFe 1665 Dundas W. 647-347-6499. nAisA sPACe 601 Christie, studio 252. 416-652-5115. nAughty nAdz 1590 Dundas E (Mississauga). 905232-5577. nAWlins JAzz BAr 299 King W. 416-595-1958. 99 gAllery 99 Sudbury. 647-426-5997. not my dog 1510 Queen W. noW lounge 189 Church. 416-364-1301. old mill inn 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-236-2641. on the rox 1600 Steeles W. 905-597-9491. oPerA house 735 Queen E. 416-466-0313. oPtiCiAnAdo 2919 Dundas W. 416-604-2020. orBit room 580A College. 416-535-0613. the ossington 61 Ossington. 416-850-0161. PAnAsoniC theAtre 651 Yonge. PAnemonte BAnquet & Convention Centre 222 Humberline. 416-798-0060. PAntAges hotel 200 Victoria. 416-362-1777. PArts & lABour 1566 Queen W. 416-588-7750. Phoenix ConCert theAtre 410 Sherbourne. 416-3231251. Pilot tAvern 22 Cumberland. 416-923-5716. the Piston 937 Bloor W. 416-532-3989. Pogue mAhone 777 Bay. 416-598-3339. Polish ComBAtAnts hAll 206 Beverley. the Poor Alex 772A Dundas W. 416-324-9863. Press CluB 850 Dundas W. 416-364-7183. quotes 220 King W. 416-979-7717. rAinBoW CinemAs 80 Front E. 416-494-9371. rAnCho relAxo 300 College. 416-920-0366. rAsPutin vodkA BAr 780 Queen E. 416-469-3737. reBAs CAFé 3289 Dundas W. 416-626-7372. rePosAdo 136 Ossington. 416-532-6474. reservoir lounge 52 Wellington E. 416-955-0887. revivAl 783 College. 416-535-7888. rex 194 Queen W. 416-598-2475. riChmond hill Centre For the PerForming Arts 10268 Yonge (Richmond Hill). 905-787-8811. rivoli 332 Queen W. 416-596-1908. roCkPile 5555 Dundas W. 416-504-6699. rose theAtre 1 Theatre Lane (Brampton). 905-8742800. roy thomson hAll 60 Simcoe. 416-872-4255.

pm.

Soviet Composers Zodiac Trio noon to 1 pm. mezzettA Yiddish Swingtet 9 pm. nAWlins JAzz BAr Jim Heineman Trio 7 pm. rex Ari Hoenig Quartet 9:30 pm, Carissa Neufeld 6:30 pm. toronto Centre For the Arts Jazz Goes To The Movies Heather Bambrick, Jackie Richardson, Denzal Sinclaire, Francois Mulder, the Mario Romano Quartet, JPEC Jazz Tentet and others 8 pm. trAnzAC southern Cross Stop Time (jazz) 10 pm.

DANCE MuSiC/DJ/LOuNGE

the Avro DJ Damn Aykroyd (old school/ funk/hip-hop/disco/groove) 10 pm.

henhouse Snakepit 10 pm. hot Box CAFe Hump Day Uncut The Man

(50s & 60s R&B/hip-hop/dance/pop) 7 pm. insomniA Bobby Thrust (old school). rePosAdo Sol Wednesdays Spy vs Sly vs Spy. sneAky dee’s What’s Poppin’ (90s hip-hop party). WrongBAr Ramadanman & Jackmaster doors 10 pm. 3

THE DAKOTA TAVERN Thu Oct 20

416-535-9541 WWW.CLINTONS.CA W of Bathurst

STRAY FEATHERS, JEREMY MURPHY, BEN VENEER ◆ GIRL & BOY 90s DANCE PARTY

THU 20 ◆ FRI 21

SAT 22 ◆

cD release

The f-holes Fri Oct 21 10pm The warpeD 45s

693 Bloor St. W

Sat Oct 22

SHAKE, RATTLE SOUL & & ROLL: ROCK N’ ROLL

Sun Oct 23

486 SPADINA AVE. @ COLLEGE WWW.SILVERDOLLARROOM.COM

OCT 29 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7PM

SWAMPERELLA

RENT PARTY COMEDY & CABARET MON 24 ◆ QUIZ NIGHT w/ Terrance Balazo WED 26 ◆ DISTANT COUSINS MUSIC PRESENTS: SUN 23 ◆

Sleep for a Nightlife, The Bad Dreams, Most Loyals, Young Feathers, Jess Janz PSYCHIC BRUNCH & FREE WIFI!

Contact Fletch To Play at Clinton's

New Music Night!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★ ★ FRI ★ ★ ★ ★ OCT ★ ★ 21 ★ Record ★ ★ ★ Release ★ ★ ★ Show ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SAT OCT 22 International Garage Onslaught ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (Atlanta) ★ ★ ★ ★ (Chicago) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Plus! (Toronto) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Adv Tix @ Rotate This, Soundscapes ★ ★ HIGH LONESOME WEDNESDAY • 9:30PM ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ BIG CITY BLUEGRASS ★ FEATURING MEMBERS OF ★ ★ ★ ★ THE FOGGY HOGTOWN BOYS ★ ★ & THE CREAKING TREE ★ ★ STRING QUARTET ★ ★ ★ ★ THU ★ ★ OCT ★ ★ ★ ★ 27 ★ ★ ★ @9:15 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ FRI.OCT.28 @ Silver Dollar ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Feat. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SAT.OCT.29 @ Comfort Zone ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Feat. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SAT OCT 29 Late Night HALLOWE’EN! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ @11pm ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ THU NOV 3 The Round Table presents ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ FRI NOV 4 CD Release Show ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ @pm ★ ★ ★ ★ SAT NOV 5 Full Blast Barrage Rock! ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Adv Tix @ Rotate This, Soundscapes ★ ★ FRI NOV 11 Early show 8pm ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 10:30pm Indie Machine presents ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ and ★ ★ SAT ★ ★ NOV 12 ★ ★ ★ ★ w/ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ ★ ★

Twitter: @ClintonsTavern • facebook.com/ClintonsToronto

The riZDales

11-3pm Bluegrass

10pm

Tue Oct 25

Brunch

The BeauTies

The sure Things 6-9pm privaTe

parTy

freeman Dre & The kiTchen parTy alBum launch Thu Oct 27 7-10pm charloTTe cornfielD cD release 10pm Daniel sky 10pm

249 OssingtOn Ave (just north of Dundas) 416-850-4579 · thedakotatavern.com

w/ Revolvers, Mississippi Grover

bookclintons@hotmail.com or 416.503.2921

10pm

monDays Mon Oct 24 6pmfooDmariachi & Drink specials - families welcome 8pm mariachi feugo

Saturday Supper Club Blues!

DRINK, DANCE, GET MESSY W/ THE GIRLS OF BANGS&BLUSH

10pm

DAVILA 666 w/ Barrerarcudas

THE OSSINGTON Thurs 20 Bad Biz Newest best party... UK bass, electronic, hip hop & hits...

Fri 21 Get By Friday Hip hop,

soul, funk, reggae on 2 turntables, special guests...

saT 22 VanishinG Point

Post-punk, funk, Brazilian, dance hits, rarities, all good- all night...

sun 23 Brass Facts triVia Toronto’s #1 quiz night, followed by:

Unlimited sUndays

Manjah Music for weekend continuation...

Mon 24 the Wizards o’ Chillin’ as we do...

Tues 25 the deadliest snatch The legend grows, w/special guest star...

Wed 26 hUmBlemania 29

Live performance, video screening & bitchin’ vinyl...

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

TwiTTer.com/Thesneakydees booking@sneaky-dees.com

$3.25 BREAKFAST • MON - FRI 11AM- 4PM thursday october 20

THE BIRTHDAY BOYS w/ HANDS AND TEETH friday october 21

THIS IS A STANDOFF (Ex BElVEDERE)

THE lITTlE MIllIONAIRES SPARROWS THUNDERHAWKS Saturday october 22 • early

aUsTin gibbs

we are The wiLd Things + gUesTs eVery saturday

60’s pop & soul

CRAZY STRINGS HOT YOUNG WRITERS Nature Move Faster, Shbti

and NATIVE SMOKES

HALLOWE’EN  2 NIGHTS!!!

DEATH TO T.O. LIVE GLAMPUNK COVERZ SHOWS

nowTHEtoMISFITS.Ramones. ronto.com

SHAKE A TAIL sunday october 23

WHITE MYSTERY The Sphinxs

The Cramps. BLACK FLAG TESTS AND MOR E CON ING&S,The Sioxsie Banshees REVIEWS, LIST

THE AlTOBEElAYS YUKA lARgE lIVE N’ DIREcT eVery monday

Legends oF karaoke eVery tuesday

w/DJ Cactus

thu oct 20

The SainT alvia CarTel

w/The Snips, The Get Nuns, Sarah Blackwood (Creepshow) w/DJ Vania

fri oct 21

Burn The radio

(CD Release) w/SHEVIL, Electric Magma

my Friends oVer yoU eVery Wednesday

what’s poppin’ 90’s hip hop party upcoming

OcT 27 - cHIxDIggIT

sat oct 22

C'mon (The FINAL Show) w/Bison BC,

Burning Love, Meisha And The Spanks w/DJ Candy-O

Sun oct 23

SChool For Band aidS Weekly Indie Dance Party tue oct 25

The Pink & Black Attack Present:

King BeeS

w/MIP Power Trip Wed oct 26

The ShiverS

w/Knights Of Olympus, Dan from Rehab For Quitters 542 Queen St W • 416 504 4239 bovinesexclub.com • bovinebooking@gmail.com

nowtoronto.com REVI EWS , LISTI NGS, CONTESTS

AND MOR E

ROYAL WOOD

THREE DAY RESIDENCY FEAT. ROYAL WOOD As part of his “Sneak Peek” Tour SUN OCT 23 | DRS 8:30PM | $5

LAUGH SABBATH: HOUR OF POWER!

HOSTED BY SARA HENNESSEY FT. NICK FLANAGAN.

EVERY SUNDAY AT THE RIVOLI WWW.LAUGHSABBATH.COM

MON OCT 24 | DRS 8:30PM | PWYC ($5) BROADCAST LIVE ON THE WEB! MC ALI HASSAN MARK LITTLE, ARTHUR SIMEON, ALEX PAVONE, JULIA HLADKOWICZ, DYLAN MANDLSOHN, PERRY PERLMUTAR WATCH IT LIVE:

FACEBOOK.COM/ALTDOTCOMEDYLOUNGE

ELL V GORE, Teenanger, LESLIE SPITS Mausoleum, SOUPCANS, Children In Heat, DJ PESCI

ALTDOTCOMEDYLOUNGE.COM TUES OCT 25 | 8PM | ADV $13, DR $15

THIN LIZZY.Smashing Pumpkins Guided By Voices.JONATHAN RICHMAN

THE OBITS

nowtoronto.com

MAccIE & THE MEN FT. JOE MAcMIllAN

THURS OCT 20 - SAT OCT 22 | 8PM | ADV $20

LITTLE GIRLS, Makeout Videotape, YOUNG MOTHER Gay-Sexy Merlin, GRASSHOPPER, MC Nick Flanagan

S, IEW REV New World Distortion DROP DEAD S, PIN UPS LISTING Plus! Los Boneros CONTESTS

Trevor Gordon & The Nighthounds MOR E AND GOODNIGHT SUNRISE, Satelites

MUSHY CALLAHAN w/ PETTY VICTORIES

BURNING LOVE

Indian Handcrafts

TOPANGA, July Talk

The Owl Eyes Project ANCIENT ORDER (11-11-11)

LYRA, The Dying Arts THE WILD HEARSES

CHEAP TIME, MANNEQUIN MEN

The BB Guns, Different Skeletons

RIVOLI SPECIAL PRESENTATION

w/ METZ

WED OCT 26 | 8PM

THE BOX SALON - ART SERIES The Box invites you to an evening of short words, ﬁlm, performance and music by:

LAURA BARRETT, SIMLA CIVELEK, ANDREA COOPER, DANI COUTURE, JOHN DOYLE, HENRI FABERGÉ, DYAN MARIE, GUNILLA JOSEPHSON

SiLENT SHOUT:

PUT THE RiFLE DOwN w/ PARADiSE ANimALS + DiNOSAUR DiNOSAUR

DOORS @9Pm_$5 wEEKEND STARTUP

w/ BOOT KNiVES

DOORS @11Pm_FREE

DJ YOUR BOY BRiAN DOORS @10Pm_$10

EDUmACATiON w/ BRENDAN BRiNG’Em + DJ FASE DOORS @11Pm_$10

BANG THE PARTY

w/ THE mAKEOVER DOORS @11Pm_$10

STiLL CORNERS

THURS OCT 27

DOORS @9Pm_$10.50

PRESENTS BIG MONEY

BRANDT BRAUER FRiCK

LIVE 88.5 FM IN OTTAWA SHOT BAND SHOWCASE

DOORS @8Pm_$15 ADV RT/SS

Featuring: HEARTS & MINES,

SILVERGUN & SPLEEN, DOWN IN ASHES

FRI OCT 28 | 9PM | ADV $12, DR $15

PART A PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS:

MATT MORGAN & THE EMERSON STREET RHYTHM BAND

w/ THE DEAD TWENTY SEVEN & DJ NEUGE Costumes encouraged for costume contest!

COMING SOON

NOV 2 MALCOLM HOLCOMBE NOV 4 ACTION BRONSON NOV 18 D-SISIVE CD RELEASE NOV 25 POP WITH BRAINS

332 QUEEN ST. W. | 416.596.1908 | rivoli.ca

100% SiLK DANCE PARTY

DOORS @8Pm_$10 NEVERENDiNG wHiTE LiGHTS

DOORS @8Pm_$12.50 ADV THEDRAKEHOTEL.CA/EVENTS TwiTTER.COm/THEDRAKEHOTEL 1150 QUEEN ST w TORONTO 416.531.5042

NOW october 20-26 2011

rock dial itself). Blitzen Trapper can write three-pronged guitar attacks and downhome harmonies by the dozens, but they have a weakness for road-weary clichés and rote retreads. What happened to the band that penned a touching ballad about a man turning into a werewolf? Top track: Astronaut Blitzen Trapper play Sonic Boom and the Opera House on October 30. RICHARD TRAPUNSKI

disc of the week

JACK OBLIVIAN Rat City (Big Legal

Mess) Rating: NNNN When it comes to gritty garage rock done Memphis-style, there’s no competition for Jack Yarber (aka Jack Oblivian). He owns this particular niche, thanks to his countless incarnations as Johnny Vomit and the Dry Heaves, Compulsive Gamblers and his best-known combo, the Oblivians. Though he’s worn many hats, they’ve been mostly of the same shade: lo-fi rock ’n’ roll with a punk edge. His new album builds on this foundation but expands the geography.

Shades of Stooges (Crime Of Love) and the Clash (Dark Eyes) highlight the first half, with Oblivian playing all the instruments on the buzz-saw title track, an ode to the ungentrified streets of Memphis. Many artists front-load their records, but Oblivian does the opposite. The gems are on side two, like the 70s power pop of Girl On The Beach and the Springsteenesque Jealous Heart, both of which would surely be monster hits in another decade by an artist with a bigmoney producer. Top track: Girl On The Beach JASON KELLER

DJ SHADOW The Less You Know, The Better (Verve) Rating: NN DJ Shadow’s 1996 masterpiece, Endtroducing... , was a game-changer for samplebased music. But in the 15 years since, the collage techniques that amazed the world have become so easy to pull off on a home computer that his methodology no longer puts him above the crowd. His debut stands up, thanks to success in conveying a rich, all-encompassing mood. His newest album, on the other hand, is all technique and no emotion. The dusty shuffle beats and goofy spoken word samples haven’t changed much and now sound dreadfully dated. He puts a lot of energy into showing off his eclectic tastes, but the heavy metal guitar riffs and piano ballads sound like he’s desperate to prove he’s relevant. The guest vocalist appearances by Tom Vek, Little Dragon, Talib Kweli and Posdnuos are awkward at best and add nothing. His collection of 60,000 records was once impressive, but these days it’s hard to respond with more than a shrug. BENJAMIN BOLES Top track: Tedium

LIVE AT HUGH’S ROOM WEDNESDAY, OCT 26 DOORS AT 6 - BURNING BOYZ ON STAGE APPROX. 8.30

Playing as part of the DISCOVERIES SERIES with three other artists. Cover - $15 advance, $17 at the door. All-ages show - family friendly. Dinner packages also available - call the club for reservations. Please tell them the Boyz sent you.

2261 DUNDAS STREET WEST (AT BLOOR) 416 531-6604 / hughsroom.com 64

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

Electronic

CANT Dreams Come True (Terrible)

CHRIS ISAAK Beyond The Sun (EMI)

Rating: NNN Take one listen to (or look at) Chris Isaak and it won’t come as a shock that he counts the recordings that came out of Sam Phillips’s legendary Sun Studio as his biggest musical influence. While Isaak’s music has often paid homage to 50s rock ’n’ roll and country, his new album, recorded at the still-standing Sun Studio, combines songs by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and other legends with a few originals that fit seamlessly with the classics. He shines on the ballads, especially those by Presley, with whom he shares a vocal style. Things go a bit downhill on rockers Great Balls Of Fire and Pretty Woman, which he approaches with a gentleness neither Jerry Lee Lewis nor Roy Orbison brought to the originals. These are faithful renderings, not reinterpretations, so the lack of fire in the vocals is detrimental. It’s unlikely that anyone will prefer the covers to the originals, but Isaak’s fans will find plenty to enjoy in this rock ’n’ roll love letter to a bygone era. JOANNE HUFFA Top track: She’s Not You

Rating: NN Grizzly Bear multi-instrumentalist and producer Chris Taylor is a faint, flickering presence on his debut solo album, drifting in and out of a hazy mix of slow-moving synths, syrupy bass lines, skittering beats and rattling percussion. His production has a close-up intimacy that guides the ear to specific details, but that precision suffers from a wider problem – namely, that the melodies aren’t sustained long enough to captivate. There are a few exceptions: The Edge, Believe and Answer boast more heartfelt vocal performances. The rest, though, is meandering and dull. Acoustic moments nod to Arthur Russell (who appeared on a split 7-inch with CANT), and the beats evoke the recent spate of moody lo-fi synth acts. Taylor isn’t pushing the limits of pop so much as flattening and stretching them out until they evaporate into nothingness. He creates a dreamy mood, but you may not be awake by the end. Top track: The Edge CANT play the Garrison Friday (October KEVIN RITCHIE 21).

Metal

TOM WAITS Bad As Me (Anti-)

FLYNN TANNER, REED HOLLETT, DEXTER HORNSBY, AND JACK WHITE

backup vocals by Amy Helm and an appearance by Garth Hudson on accordion. Not just blues, and not solely devoted to the mining theme in the title, the disc also features rock ’n’ roll, love ballads and feel-good roots-pop. Andersen’s a convincing soul singer on Baby I’ll Be (with the McCrary Sisters), and sax- and trumpetfilled Heartbreaker’s fun. While the production is warm and clear, Andersen’s at his best when delivering stripped-down acoustic guitar blues backed only by a drummer, as on Make You Stay. Top track: Make You Stay Matt Andersen plays the Winter Garden Theatre Saturday (October 22). SARAH GREENE

Rating: NNN Tom Waits is one of those rare artists who’ve consistently improved over the span of their careers, which makes a new album from him reason to be excited. Sure enough, the dependable Waits has come up with another collection of that murky, ramshackle Americana we love so much. But, while Bad As Me has no duds, it also sounds way too familiar to be as satisfying as you want it to be. There’s plenty to enjoy here, but very little to get worked up about. He’s said his intention was to do a straightforward album of short songs, and that’s exactly what this is. It’s also as formulaic as his intentions suggest. Still, this is Waits doing what he does well, and he kicks the asses of his imitators. Hopefully, this album satisfies his urge to make a conservative album, and his next one will be outthere enough to blow our minds. BB Top track: Satisfied

BLITZEN TRAPPER American Goldwing

(Sub Pop) Rating: NN Some time after their breakout 2007 album, Wild Mountain Nation, caught the attention of venerable indie label Sub Pop, Blitzen Trapper seem to have lost their ambition. They’ve always displayed a reverence for the 70s Americana of classic rock radio, but that used to be tempered by touches of prog, noise and slacker folk. The eclectic approach was often messy but also fresh, which can’t be said for their middling sixth LP. Eric Earley has an undeniable knack for writing a solid roots-rock shuffler, but if you want to listen to cabin-bred, denimwashed rustic rock, there are plenty of other places to get it (many on the classic

WARBRINGER Worlds Torn Asunder

(Century Media) Rating: NNN Don’t be surprised if you find yourself instantly transported back to 1986 while listening to Warbringer’s third album. The L.A. band has crafted a 10-song ripper that pays note-perfect homage to oldschool thrash metal, a genre brought back from near death in the last decade. It’s all here: whiplash speeds, dizzying technical proficiency, palm-muted chugging, lyrics about war and the world in decline (which resonate quite a lot), vocals from the Tom Araya school of throatshredding, standout guitar riffage, white high-tops and under-lighting. A few slower moments – particularly the chilling instrumental Behind The Veils Of Night and Echoes From The Void’s gorgeous acoustic intro – add needed variety and a chance to catch your breath. So if you prefer your neo-thrash significantly evolved, Worlds Torn Asunder might be a letdown. If you just want to bang your head, this hair-whipping good time of an album does the trick. Top track: Wake Up… Destroy Warbringer play the Annex Wreckroom CARLA GILLIS on Sunday (October 23).

Blues/Folk

MATT ANDERSEN Coal Mining Blues

(Busted Flat) Rating: NNN A promo photo shot from below of Matt Andersen, a Maple Blues winner, makes him look like a mountain of a man, and he has the resonant voice to match. His new album is a Canadian roots musician’s dream. Recorded at Levon Helm’s Woodstock, New York, studio by Colin Linden (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings), it features

Jazz

ALEX PANGMAN 33 (Justin Time) Rating: NNNN ñ The idea behind 33 was simple: Toronto

jazz vocalist Alex Pangman wanted to record at age 33 a collection of songs popular in 1933. Backed by her Alleycats (just the right mix of tight and loose), she channels the bygone era without affectation and with such skill that it’s hard to believe she had a double lung transplant three years ago. Recorded at Don Kerr’s Rooster, the album has an intimate, warm sound that’s rare in modern jazz recordings. (At one point Pangman yells “yeah” off-mic.) There’s lots of swing, some Gypsy jazz, cool, grainy horns and beautiful clarinet work by Ross Wooldridge. The two Bing Crosby songs are great: a close-mic duet with Ron Sexsmith on I Surrender Dear and a stripped-down, tear-jerking Thanks. From exuberant Happy As The Day Is Long to standout track A Hundred Years From Today, Pangman proves that music from the 30s still has relevance. Top track: A Hundred Years From Today Alex Pangman plays the Old Mill Friday (October 21), RESPIRO fundraiser (October 29), the Reservoir Lounge (November 3) and the Dovercourt House (November 5). SG

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = Stratospheric NNNN = Sizzling NNN = Swell NN = Slack N = Sucks

WITH SPECIAL GUEST

DOUG PAISLEY

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 | MASSEY HALL ON SALE TOMORROW AT 10AM Tickets also available at the Roy Thomson Hall/Massey Hall box offices, call 1.855.985.5000 or at urMusic.ca/tickets or text TICKETS to 4849. All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.

NOW october 20-26 2011

stage

more online nowtoronto.com/stage Scenes on WEESAGEECHAK BEGINS TO DANCE FESTIVAL, MURDER ON OSSINGTON, OFF BATHURST THEATRE DISTRICT MARATHON, CANADIAN COMEDY AWARDS • and more Fully searchable listings with venue maps nowtoronto.com/stage/listings

Sex ed stories

Michelle Monteith (left), Nancy Palk and Gregory Prest uncover family secrets in Ghosts.

THOSE WHO CAN’T DO... by Erin Fleck, directed by Shari Hollett (Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson). To October 29. $25$30. 416-504-7529. See Continuing, page 70. Rating: NNN

THEATRE REVIEWS

Ghosts will haunt you Morris Panych’s new production of the Ibsen play is hypnotic By JON KAPLAN GHOSTS by Henrik Ibsen, adapted

and directed by Morris Panych (Soulpepper). At the Young Centre (55 Mill). Runs in rep to November 18. $28-$65, rush $5$22. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca. See Continuing, page 69. Rating: NNNNN

the haunting spirits in ibsen’s powerful tragedy Ghosts don’t clank around in cobweb-filled corridors; they lie hidden in a family’s history and blood. Rejected as obscene when it was first produced in the 1880s, this play of secrets and lies follows the fortunes of the Alving family. Son Oswald (Gregory Prest), an artist, has just returned to the family’s grand but gloomy house. His widowed and devoted mother (Nancy Palk) is delighted to have him home. But he brings a secret into a house where no one admits to the truth, a

secret that, paired with other revelations, will devastate everyone, including the family servant, Regina (Michelle Monteith), her father, Engstrand (Diego Matamoros), and Pastor Manders (Joseph Ziegler), Mrs. Alving’s spiritual and financial advisor. Everyone has her or his own agenda, manipulating to get money, comfort or solace. This is a work that could shift into heavy-handed melodrama, but under adaptor/director Morris Panych, it’s almost note perfect. All five actors dive into their rich roles, Monteith’s flirtatious Regina dreaming of future happiness, Matamoros’s reprobate Engstrand using sophistry and tears to get his way, and Ziegler’s brusque, conservative Manders concerned about his own good image in the community and not above twisting the facts

to secure it – all memorable performances. But the play centres on mother and son, and Palk and Prest grow slowly and impressively into unforgettable figures. Palk’s slyly ironic Mrs. Alving dotes on her newly returned child, willing to do anything to keep him home and make him happy. Prest begins as a reticent prodigal, testy about having been sent away as a child; now a modern man, he resents Manders’s narrow view of the world. Oswald grows in desperate strength as his options narrow. The last scene, both a confrontation and a bonding between parent and child, is one of the most devastating curtains in theatre. This hypnotic production understands that horror can be quiet and unrelenting. 3

MATCHBOX MACBETH by William Shakespeare, directed by Matthew Thomas Walker at a secret location revealed with ticket purchase. To October 30. $15. litmustheatre.com. See Continuing, page 69. Rating: NNNN

You won’t see another version of the Scottish play quite like Matchbox Macbeth. The exciting young company Litmus Theatre distills Shakespeare’s play to its essence, making it as haunting and intimate as a ghost story told around a campfire. Much of the effect comes from the staging. After meeting at a designated street corner, you and 13 others are led through an alley to a modest shed, a

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

= Critics’ Pick

Erin Fleck is a better writer than actor.

jonkap@nowtoronto.com

Beautiful Bard

Adriano Sobretodo Jr. (left), Rob Renda and Claire Wynveen are frighteningly good.

Sex education sure flips people out. Did you hear about those outrageously ignorant flyers passed around by Tory candidates in the provincial election, trying to scare parents away from giving kids the information they need? Time to talk, people. So welcome Erin Fleck and her solo show Those Who Can’t Do... Fleck plays all the roles – principal, students, parents and protagonist Lillian, who’s assigned the sex file at her high school with zero preparation. Fleck touches all the right bases: the principal who never takes responsibility for her decisions, the parents who think they’re protecting their kids by denying them access to condoms, Nora, a student who’s having responsible sex but keeping it secret and, most memorably, the so-called school slut Taylor, who scores the highest in the infamous fellatio club. There’s some solid writing here. Taylor’s speech about the empowering properties of giving head is terrific. In a later monologue, as her dad explains why he’s become more controlling now that pictures of Taylor down on her knees have circulated on the web,

you can sympathize with him, testimony to Fleck’s chops. And there’s a sharply drawn narrative arc to Lillian’s own story as she learns to step into the thankless role of sex educator. As an actor, however, Fleck isn’t strong enough to make the most of the material. Sometimes it’s not clear which character is speaking until well into the speech. Director Shari Hollett brings some good ideas to the table – using the blackboard to introduce the characters, for example, and conveying power dynamics by having characters sit on different sides of the desk. But she could have helped Fleck differentiate the characters by giving her some signifying props. Taylor’s hair clips are referenced in her dad’s monologue, for example and Fleck has long hair that could go up, down, in a bun or a ponytail. Still, Those Who Can’t Do... is absolutely of the moment and does precisely what theatre should do – get the SUSAN G. COLE conversation started.

NNNNN = Standing ovation

NNNN = Sustained applause

couple of characters entertaining you before you enter. And that’s when the fun begins, with the wind rustling outside and creaky doors opening and closing to reveal the Bard’s tale of vaulting ambition, witchcraft, murder and vengeance. A cast of four and a one-hour running time mean there’s lots of compression. Scenes occasionally bleed into each other, and director Matthew Thomas Walker uses a shed window to show us things happening outside like the burying of Banquo, the murder of Lady MacDuff and, most effectively, the literal moving of Birnam Wood. Inside the shed, there’s just as much going on. Light (designed by Patrick Lavender) and sound are used superbly. How can you not feel unhinged as some unseen force bangs repeatedly on the

NNN = Recommended, memorable scenes

metal shed? Or as a character whispers inches from your face in total darkness? Not all the decisions are equally strong, and it takes a while to come to the chilly realization that the three witches (Rob Renda, Adriano Sobretodo Jr. and Claire Wynveen) are conjuring up the story for Macbeth (Jamie Maczko) in some sort of waking nightmare. But there’s always thought behind the choices. One of the most vivid scenes casts the audience itself as dinner guests when Banquo’s ghost appears. Genius. The actors, three of them playing multiple parts, give nuanced performances, although Maczko has a bit of a problem with the language and takes time to get going in the lead. And the quiet ending adds heartGLENN SUMI break to the horror.

NN = Seriously ﬂawed

N = Get out the hook

Rick Miller’s new version of HARDSELL feels like a workshop.

Still not sold HARDSELL 2.0 created and performed by Rick Miller (WYRD/Necessary Angel/Factory, 125 Bathurst). To October 23. See Continuing, page 69. Rating: NNN You can catch Rick Miller hawking his wares and various other items in the lobby of Factory Theatre before his performance of HARDSELL 2.0. He doesn’t do it just to make money. He wants to make a point about the controlling force of consumerism. But this theatrical pitch doesn’t totally work. Unsatisfied with a show that he and director Daniel Brooks collaborated on a few years ago, Miller took over the project, intending to create a better

Full Heart THE NORmAL HEART by Larry Kramer

(Studio 180 at Buddies in Bad Times, 12 Alexander). To November 6. See Continuing, page 69. Rating: NNNNN

Larry Kramer’s blistering account of the early years of the AIDS crisis in New York City continues to anger, shock and move even three decades after its premiere. If it has less urgency than it did in 1985, that only makes us appreciate Kramer’s skill in interweaving polemic with human drama. And let’s not be smug; there’s still no cure for AIDS, and generations of people continue to believe it doesn’t concern them and so engage in risky behaviour. The autobiographical play recounts the efforts of a group of gay men to start an organization to control the rapid spread of what was then considered “gay cancer.” Kramer stand-in Ned Weeks (Jonathan Wilson), a writer, forms a group in his own apartment, but his confrontational style and pronouncements about gay men’s sexual practices in the face of the unknown soon clash with the Jonathan Wilson and Sarah Orenstein add lots of Heart.

lecture/performance. Unfortunately, this work-in-progress won’t fully please audiences, despite a number of entertaining moments. HARDSELL 2.0 begins with a nod to the original piece, then segues into how we’re conditioned to need commodities – the show itself is a product that audiences buy. Always an engaging performer, Miller doesn’t spare himself, showing the various ways he’s prostituted himself to larger powers including banks, pharmaceutical concerns and Disney. Irony takes over more fully with the appearance of Arnie, Miller’s cynical, critical alter ego, who berates him (and us) for our liberal philosophizing and hypocritical actions, which are often at odds with each other. Arnie offers some of the most spirited segments of the show, sending up Bono, charities and Barbie. The design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson makes fine use of computer and camera projections: at one point Arnie is distorted by funhouse mirrors. Arnie had the last word in the earlier version of the show, but this time the more liberal Miller does, with words of hope and change. He’s donating his salary from the production to the Because I Am a Girl campaign, but there’s a touch of moral edginess in his decision. At this point the show still has a workshop feel. And does it need to be 90 minutes long? The clever, talented Miller could make his points – and entertain us – in half the time. JON KAPLAN organization’s closeted president, Bruce (Paul Essiembre) and the others who have worked hard for the right to fuck whom, and how, they want. Meanwhile, they’re facing roadblocks from the New York Times and the mayor’s office, mostly over fears of being outed. Ned’s only allies seem to be pugnacious doctor Emma Brookner (Sarah Orenstein) and his lover, Felix (Jeff Miller). It’s a messy and at times manipulative play, filled with speeches, diatribes and self-aggrandizement – I could have done without the Gay History 101 lesson near the end. But like its passionate writer and protagonist, it demands to be heard. And the thing works on an emotional level, exploring family, friendship and loss with piercing honesty. Joel Greenberg directs the show effectively in the round in John Thompson’s spare set, which, with its floor of white squares, occasionally emphasizes the characters’ chess-like standoffs. Verne Good’s transition music nicely evokes the late disco era. The cast is superb. Essiembre, Miller, Orenstein and Ryan Kelly each nail difficult monologues, but it’s Wilson’s Ned who anchors the work with his passion and humanity. Don’t miss this show. GLENN SUmI

★★ ★ ★

“STUNNING! Flawless! Genius! Blazes with rage born of urgency! Superb acting!” - Martin Morrow, Globe and Mail

★★ ★ ★

“It will break your heart. RIVETING! Devastating! Brilliant!” - Robert Crew, Totonto Star

★★★★★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★“

“STELLAR! Damn Good Theatre!”

- John Coulbourn, Toronto Sun

OUTSTANDING! Powerful!

Emotion-packed!” - Christopher Hoile, Stage Door

Studio 180 in association with Buddies in Bad Times presents

by Larry Kramer directed by Joel Greenberg

6 Nov o t n Ru ited m i L RY! HUR

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre • 12 Alexander St. • (416) 975-8555

Looking for eco-friendly Check out the weekly products and services? GREEN DIRECTORY in our Ecoholic section

To advertise call 416 364 3444 x382 nowtoronto.com NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

theatre listings

Pteros Tactics

How to find a listing

Theatre listings are comprehensive and appear alphabetically by title. Opening plays begin this week, Previewing shows preview this week, One-Nighters are one-offs, and 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 H = Halloween-related event

a dynamic new version by christopher house

“House is a grand master at being an agent provocateur.”

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

All listings are free. Send to: stage@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1166 or mail to Theatre,NOWMagazine,189Church, TorontoM5B1Y7. Include title, author, producer, brief synopsis, times, range of ticket prices (include stu/srs discounts and PWYC days), venue name and address and box office/info phone number. Listings may be edited for space. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm.

the globe and mail

October 28 to 29 & November 2 to 5, 2011, 8 pm October 30, 2 pm PWYC winchester street theatre box office 416-967-1365 or at TDT.ORG

Opening Bharati (David Mirvish). Dancers, actors,

made possible with the support of the estate of david pitblado.

info at

tdt.org

musicians and acrobats present a story of love and homecoming, plus an opening-night Diwali festival and marketplace. Opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 6, Wed-Sat 8 pm (no show Nov 2), mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $39-$109. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front E. 1-855-872-7669, sonycentre.ca. HCaBaret eNChaNté (Les Coquettes). The burlesque troupe presents a carnival theme with a twisted take on fairy tales. Opens Oct 23 and runs to Oct 30, Sun 7 and 9:30 pm. $15$30. Revival, 783 College. lescoquettes.com. CirCumCise me! by Yisrael Campbell (Harold Green Jewish Theatre). Campbell performs his solo comedy about growing up Roman Catholic and his three conversions to Judaism. Previews Oct 25. Opens Oct 26 and runs to Nov 6, Tue-Thu and Sat 8 pm, mats Sun and Wed 2 pm. $35.50-$65.50. Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front E. 416-366-7723, hgjewishtheatre.com. Le Dieu Du CarNage (goD of CarNage) by Yasmina Reza (Théâtre français de Toronto). Civility turns to hostility when couples meet to

resolve their kids’ dispute in this comedy. Previews to Oct 20. Opens Oct 21 and runs to Nov 5, Wed-Sat 8 pm, mats Sun 2:30 pm, Oct 29, Nov 5 at 3:30 pm. $33-$48, stu/srs $28-$41, Wed pwyc. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-534-6604, theatrefrancais.com. feLa! by Bill T Jones, Jim Lewis and Stephen Hendell (Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith/Mirvish). This musical looks at the life of Nigerian Afrobeat musician and civil rights activist Fela Kuti. Opens Oct 25 and runs to Nov 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, mats Sat-Sun 2 pm. $35-$130. Canon Theatre, 244 Victoria. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. the greeN Door CaBaret series (Lower Ossington Theatre). The series features Wishing And Hoping: Songs For Lovers (And Other Strangers) by Paula Wolfson on Friday, and jazz duo Julie Michaels and George Koller on Saturday. Oct 21-22 at 8 pm. $20-$30. 100A Ossington. lowerossingtontheatre.com. iN the PiNes by Akutagawa Ryunosuke, adapted by the Company (Red One Theatre Collective/Yabu no Naka Co-op). Adapted from Japanese Roshomon tales, this story of love, honour and betrayal takes the audience back in time through the historic house. Opens Oct 26 and runs to Oct 31, Wed-Mon 7 and 9 pm. $20. Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen W. redonetheatre.com.

miChaeL JaCksoN the immortaL WorLD tour

by Jamie King (Cirque du Soleil). This fusion of visuals, dance, music and fantasy uses choreography by Jackson and 10 others to showcase the King of Pop’s artistry. Oct 21-23, FriSat 8 pm, Sun 4 pm. $50-$250. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay. ticketmaster.ca. Hthe roCky horror shoW by Richard O’Brien (Lower Ossington Theatre). A couple stumble upon a freaky castle in this classic rock musical. Opens Oct 20 and runs to Oct 31, Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 8 and 11 pm, plus Oct 31 at 8 pm. $28.50-$38.50. 100A Ossington. 416-9156747, lowerossingtontheatre.com. shoW aND teLL aLexaNDer BeLL by the Company (Graduate Centre for Study of Drama, U of T/Ars Mechanica). This fusion of theatre and technology looks at Bell’s invention and the contraptions it inspired. Oct 20-23, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $10, Sun pwyc. Robert Gill Theatre, 214 College. 416-978-7986. War of the WorLDs by Howard Koch (Radio City Players). This play looks at how the 30s radio drama based on the HG Wells novel created a panic. Opens Oct 23 and runs to Oct 30, Sun 7:30 pm, mat Oct 30 at 2 pm. $32, stu $20.

City Playhouse Theatre, 1000 New Westminster, Vaughan. 905-882-7469.

ñWeesageeChak BegiNs to DaNCe festi-

vaL xxiv (Native Earth Performing Arts). New works by Aboriginal creators including plays by Keith Barker, Clifford Cardinal, Angela Loft, Darrell Dennis, Thundering Voices artists and more. Opens Oct 25 and runs to Oct 29, professional development Tue-Wed (pre-register), performances WedSat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $10, festival pass $30. Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson. 416504-7529, nativeearth.ca.

Previewing

the saNkofa triLogy by d’bi.young anitafrika (Tarragon Theatre). The stories ñ of three generations of Jamaican women are told in the plays blood.claat, benu and word! sound! powah!, presented in repertory. Previews Oct 22-Nov 3. Opens Nov 4 and runs to Dec 4, Thu-Sat 8 pm (no show Oct 28), some Tue-Wed nights and Sat-Sun mats (see website for details). $20-$45. 30 Bridgman, Extra Space. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com.

One-Nighters

Big shiNy DaNCe mix fuNDraiser (Fly By

Night Theatre). This funder for the company features a party and more. Oct 20 at 9 pm. $10. Boat, 158 Augusta. flybynighttheatre.ca. CoNversatioNs oN the greeN (Harold Green Jewish Theatre). Ralph Benmergui talks to SCTV alumni Eugene Levy. Oct 24 at 7:30 pm. $36. Jane Mallett Theatre, 27 Front E. 416-366-7723, hgjewishtheatre.com. ghosts (On Stage Performing Arts Theatre Series). Soulpepper’s Paula Wing talks about the upcoming production of the Henrik Ibsen play. Oct 24 at 7 pm. Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. 416-393-7011.

off Bathurst theatre DistriCt marathoN

(Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts). This day of theatre features Those Who Can’t Do... at 2 pm (Theatre Passe Muraille), Hardsell 2.0 at 4 pm (Factory Theatre), dinner at 6 pm, and In The Other Room Or The Vibrator Play at 8 pm (Tarragon Theatre). Oct 22. $95 (includes 3 shows, dinner and transportation). 16 Ryerson. 416-504-7529, passemuraille.on.ca. oPeraNatioN 8 – a muse BaLL (Canadian Opera Company). This funder for the COC Ensemble Studio features dance-pop band Austra and Rufus Wainwright. Oct 21 at 9 pm. $150. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen W. 416-363-8231, coc.ca. stePPiN’ out With BeN vereeN (Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts). The songand-dance man performs his solo show. Oct 20 at 8 pm. $47-$52. 10268 Yonge. rhcentre.ca.

there’s Just somethiNg aBout ashLey

(AshleyX2 Productions). Ashley Medeiros-Felix

2011/12 Season 2011/12 Season

space

Pick up the next edition, focusing on Small Spaces, In now’s October 27 issue.

The guide to design and real estate

Zata Omm

Eight Ways From Mara DW191

inspired space//

Kitchen aid

A gut job turns a dilapidated room into a dream cooking space By ANDREW SARDONE

Oct 20-22, 2011, 8pm • Oct 23, 2pm

The day Shaun Moore and Todd Caldwell moved into their downtown semi, the kitchen ceiling collapsed. “The house was pretty close to derelict when we bought it, and the kitchen was the worst of all,” says Moore, citing the lack of a foundation and insulation, plus serious electrical and plumbing issues. Luckily, the couple had planned to demolish the space, and collaborated with Public Studio’s Tamira Sawatzky on its rebuilding.

Enwave Theatre

continued on page 29 œ

Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queens Quay W cornerstonefurniture.ca

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In Shaun Moore’s kitchen, cool surfaces like grey-lacquered lower cabinets and stainless steel appliances mix with warm walnut veneer uppers and 1-by-2-foot slate tiles.

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OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

Choreography: William Yong $28, $23 Adult | $18, $15 Stu/Sen/CADA/SCDS | $15 Grps 10+ Video Design: Elysha Poirier Music: Andrea Rocca Box Office: 416 Y Performers: Heather Berry-MacPhail, SUNDA E www.harbourfrontcentre.com E N I Kate Franklin, Erika-Leigh Howard, MAT DED www.danceworks.ca AD Nicholas Melymuk, William Yong

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Tickets excluding taxes

and Ashley Gibson present a musical theatre cabaret. Oct 22 at 7:30 pm. $10-$12. Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst. ashleyx2productions@ gmail.com.

Continuing

Another AfricA by Deborah Asiimwe,

Binyavanga Wainaina and Roland Schimmelpfennig (Canadian Stage/Volcano Theatre). A double bill of one-acts, Kenyan playwright Binyavanga Wainaina’s Shine Your Eye and German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig’s Peggy Pickit Sees The Face Of God, explores the complex relationship between Africa and the West. The plays, finely acted and staged, are sharp exposés of how people manipulate others for money and power; attitudes of self-righteousness and smugness underlie both tales. Runs to Oct 22, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $22-$99. Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front E. 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com. nnnn (JK) chess the MusicAl by Tim Rice, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Mirvish). This remount of the musical about a love triangle involving rival chess players – one American, one Soviet – and the woman they love gets a dazzling production, including a chess-inspired set and costumes. But the performances are uneven and, apart from the One Night In Bangkok sequence, the show is nearly impossible to follow for those who don’t know the 1984 concept album or one of the previous productions. Runs to Oct 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats SatSun and Wed 2 pm. $35-$175. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King W. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. nn (Joshua Errett) the Dinner by Jason Murray (Upstage Productions/pivotal(arts) theatre). Tensions arise between old and new friends at a Thanksgiving dinner. Runs to Oct 29, Tue-Sat 8 pm. $15-$20. St. Vladimir Institute, 620 Spadina. 416-9233318, stvladimir.ca.

Doc WutherglooM’s hAunteD MeDicine shoW by Eric Woolfe (Eldritch Theñ atre). A travelling exorcist and his ghoulish

puppets perform a Victorian-Gothic show. Runs to Nov 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20$35. Secret Venue, location revealed with purchase. eldritchtheatre.ca. the gentleMAn cAller by James Cunningham and Martin Hunter (Zadkiel Productions). Aging and withdrawn, playwright Tennessee Williams is reanimated when a young stranger breaks into his home. Runs to Oct 22, Thu-Sat 8 pm. $35, stu/srs $18. Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle. 416-978-8849, uofttix.ca. ghosts by Henrik Ibsen (Soulpepper). A woman’s decision to stay with her cheating husband comes back to haunt her (see review, page 66). Runs to Nov 18, see website for schedule. $45-$65, stu $28. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666,

Norwegian/Breakaway Addiction Services/ Mixed Company Theatre). A live DJ and video projections are incorporated into this play about Toronto teens and high school life. Runs to Oct 28, Mon 7:30 pm, see website for other dates and times. $10-$30, stu mats $8. Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley, Studio Theatre. theoriginalnorwegian.com. hArDsell 2.0 by Rick Miller (WYRD/Necessary Angel). This multimedia solo show takes a satirical look at consumerism (see review, page 67). Runs to Oct 23, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20-$55. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst. 416504-9971, factorytheatre.ca. nnn (JK) his greAtness by Daniel MacIvor (Independent Artists Repertory Theatre). MacIvor’s play is based on an actual visit by the way-past-his-prime Tennessee Williams to Vancouver in 1980, where he was overseeing the production of a reworked play. It’s a brilliant work, equal parts homage, queer history play and meditation on the power of theatre itself. Richard Donat’s writer, bloated and full of bravado, will haunt you, as will MacIvor as the writer’s faithful assistant and Greg Gale as a rent boy, all playing out their power struggles on Kimberly Purtell’s evocative set. Runs to Oct 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat 2 pm, Sun 3 pm. $40-$60, limited pwyc Sun. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst, Studio. 416-504-9971, factorytheatre.ca. nnnnn (GS) i senD You this cADMiuM reD (Art of Time Ensemble/Canadian Stage). Correspondences between artist John Berger and filmmaker John Christie are the basis of this dance-theatre piece. Runs to Oct 22, Mon-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $22-$49. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com. in the next rooM or the VibrAtor PlAY by Sarah Ruhl (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre). Ruhl’s play about a Victorian-era doctor who applies an electric vibrator to women’s genitals to relieve them of “hysteria” delivers a single joke and keeps thrusting it at you. The set is handsome, and the actors go through their motions with skill, but director Richard Rose can’t balance the farce with the thin social commentary. It’ll leave you cold. Runs to Oct 23, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sun 2:30 pm. $20$47. Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman. 416-5311827, tarragontheatre.com. nn (GS) MAtchbox MAcbeth by William Shakespeare and the company (Litmus Theatre). Music, shadow play and trickery are used to tell the classic tale of witchcraft and murder (see review, page 66). Runs to Oct 30, Thu-Sun 7 and 9 pm. $15. Secret Location, revealed with ticket purchase. litmustheatre. com. nnnn (GS) MurDer on ossington by Tom Arthur Davis and Alex Rubin (Pandemic Theatre). Inspired

by true events, this psychological drama explores themes of violence from different perspectives. Runs to Oct 30, Fri-Sun 8 pm. Pwyc (must reserve). Secret Location, revealed with ticket purchase. tix@pandemictheatre.ca.

MY Mother’s itAliAn, MY fAther’s JeWish & i’M in therAPY by Steve Solomon (Philip Roger

Roy/Dana Matthow/Bud Martin). Solomon performs his solo show about growing up in a wacky, bi-ethnic family. Runs to Jan 1, 2012, Wed 7 pm, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 5:30 pm, mats Sat-Sun and Wed 2 pm. $51.50-$56. Bathurst Street Theatre, 736 Bathurst. 1-855-985-2787, italianjewish.ca. nAMe in VAin (DecAlogue tWo) by André Alexis (Tarragon Theatre). A monk breaks his vow of silence and the second commandment, sending the brotherhood into upheaval. Runs to Oct 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sun (and Oct 22, 29) at 2:30 pm. $15-$22. 30 Bridgman, ExtraExtra Space. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre.com. the norMAl heArt by Larry Kramer (Studio 180 Theatre). A group of friends refuse to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth about the AIDS epidemic in early 80s NYC (see review, page 67). Runs to Nov 6, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Wed 1:30 pm, SatSun 2:30 pm. $25-$35. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555, studio180theatre.com. nnnnn (GS) the oDD couPle by Neil Simon (Soulpepper). Simon’s classic 60s comedy about mismatched roommates – the slobbish Oscar and the fastidious Felix – still has some laughs, despite a predictable plot. But the fun is amplified in this Soulpepper production by a sharp cast, especially Albert Schultz and Diego Matamoros in the central roles, whose chemistry and affection for each other is clear. Runs to Nov 19, see website for schedule. $45-$65, stu $28. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca. nnn (JK) the Price by Arthur Miller (Soulpepper). Two brothers meet in their dead father’s attic to sell his possessions and hash over events that have kept them estranged for years. Diana Leblanc’s production of this lesser-known Miller play does it no favours. The first act plods along, and the fireworks in the second seem forced and full of psychobabble. The lead performances are uneven, with Jane Spidell and David Fox enlivening their supporting roles. Runs to Oct 22, see website for schedule. $45$65, stu $28. Young Centre, 55 Mill. 416-8668666, soulpepper.ca. nn (GS) PriVAte liVes by Noël Coward (Mirvish). Don’t look for an elegant drawing-room battle of wits in director Richard Eyre’s version of one of Coward’s best plays. Former spouses Elyot and Amanda battle full-out, both in love and anger. Paul Gross and Kim Cattrall show

nowtoronto.com REVIEWS, LISTINGS, CONTESTS AND MOR E

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“The best way to actually feel the value of words is to be forced not to use them.” ~André Alexis

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Name In Vain (Decalogue Two) by André Alexis | directed by Richard Rose

STARRING Walter Borden, Sergio Di Zio, Dean Gilmour, Eric Goulem, Richard McMillan MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN John Gzowski | SET & LIGHTING DESIGN Kimberly Purtell | STAGE MANAGER Nicola Benidickson

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us a couple who can’t stand to be apart but fight incessantly when they’re together. As their new mates, Anna Madeley and Simon Paisley Day are equally well-drawn characters. Runs to Oct 30, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mats Sat-Sun and Wed 2 pm. $35-$175. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King W. 416-872-1212, mirvish. com. NNNN (JK) RIGOLETTO by Giuseppe Verdi (Canadian Opera Company). Director Christopher Alben’s bold production of the Verdi opera stresses the misogynist savagery in the story at the expense of the work’s heart. There’s effective use of Michael Levine’s handsome set and Duane Schuler’s atmospheric lighting. It’s generally well sung and conducted, but because this version’s presented as a dream or psychological flashback in the mind of the hunchbacked jester, it becomes an intellectual, not an emotional, experience. Oct 20 and 22 at 7:30 pm. $12-$318. Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen W. 416-363-8231, coc.ca. NNN (GS) SEX, RELIGION & OTHER HANG-UPS by James Gangl (Gangland Productions). In this hilarious remount of his autobiographical Fringe show hit, Gangl describes in no-holdsbarred detail how getting cast in a Coors Light commercial resulted in a cosmic showdown between his Catholic upbringing and getting laid. His sharp writing and improv skills bring an improbably funny series of increasingly awkward moments to life. Runs to Oct 22, Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7 and 9 pm. $15-$25. Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson. 416-5047529, sexhangup.com. NNNN (Jordan Bimm) SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM (Sonus Stage Productions). This musical revue features wellknown and obscure works by Stephen Sondheim. Runs to Oct 23, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $20. Walmer Centre Theatre, 188 Lowther. sonusstageproductions.ca. THOSE WHO CAN’T DO... by Erin Fleck (Theatre Passe Muraille). A sex scandal at a high school forces a teacher to confront her own perceptions of sexuality and shame (see review, page 66). Runs to Oct 29, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $25-$30, mat pwyc. 16 Ryerson, Backspace. 416-504-7529, passemuraille. on.ca. NNN (Susan G Cole) WHITE BITING DOG by Judith Thompson (Soulpepper). As he’s about to jump, a suicidal young man (Mike Ross) believes he hears a white dog instructing him how to turn his life around. Joseph Ziegler and Fiona Reid bring great humanity to their roles as his estranged parents, with Michaela Washburn injecting some ethical balance as Pony and Gregory Prest taking a humorous turn as a young punk boy toy. Director Nancy Palk makes a strong directorial debut, incorporating the many absurd elements of this challenging play without sacrificing its emotional depth. Runs to Oct 21, see website for schedule. $45-$65, stu $28, rush $5-$22. Young Centre, 55 Mill. 416866-8666, soulpepper.ca. NNN (Debbie FeinGoldbach) 3

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William Yong wants us to take a hard look at modern life.

DANCE PREVIEW

Forever Yong Choreographer gets Zen over tech By JORDAN BIMM EIGHT WAYS FROM MARA choreographed by William Yong. Presented by Zata Omm at the Enwave (231 Queens Quay West). Opens tonight (Thursday, October 20) and runs to Sunday (October 23), ThursdaySaturday 8 pm, matinee Sunday 2 pm. $28-$33. 416-973-4000.

what can buddhism and modern dance tell us about our new digital lives? Choreographer William Yong’s new hour-long show, which pairs five dancers with innovative technologies, attempts to answer that question. Building on the success of his 2009 multimedia-infused show Frames, Yong uses Mara – a mischievous trickster from Eastern philosophy whose goal is to distract humans – to explore how digital technologies are affecting our lives. “I want audiences to find resonance between Eastern philosophy and modern life,” he says over the phone. “Is modern technology helping or distracting and confusing us?” Yong admits that his reservations about new technologies must also apply to his own heavy use of devices

the gentleMAn cAller A MeMory PlAy About tennessee WilliAMs

oct 19 – 22, 2011 Produced by Zadkiel Productions and Hart House Theatre Written by James Cunningham and Martin Hunter Directed by David Ferry

WWW.hA rthous e the Atre .cA 70

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

= Critics’ Pick

NNNNN = Standing ovation

NNNN = Sustained applause

in the show, which include two projectors, live cameras, wall-sized lighting rigs and an “interactive garment” equipped with motion and tilt sensors that translate a dancer’s movements into data. “Through choreography I try to develop a profound relationship between dance and technology,” says Yong, recently seen onstage in Theatre Rusticle’s Peter And The Wolf. “But I’m careful when incorporating other media. It has to be thoughtful and harmonized – not distracting. All aspects need to form a coherent whole.” Also informing Yong’s creative choices are concepts from Zen. “For me, Zen is a quality and philosophy. In my style, every movement is initiated from the centre of gravity. When I think about an idea, I always try to find what is at the centre of it.” Despite these spiritual underpinnings, Yong says the show doesn’t espouse any single religious point of view. “I grew up in Hong Kong with a mix of Catholics, Protestants and Buddhists in my family, which was a little confusing at first but gave me a tolerance of diverse traditions. The show includes references to gods and religion, but the focus is on understanding modern society.” To this end, in one section of the show Yong playfully fuses spiritual and digital guidance. “I created a sequence where I [help] my dancers toward Nirvana using GPS-style instructions. I wrote a series of directional commands that were mixed into the sound design. So there’s this voice directing the dancers to ‘avoid temptation’ and ‘surpass self-love.’” Together with the four other performers, Yong will take to the stage, hoping this fresh rendering of Eastern philosophy helps people think about our current situation in new ways. “I want to create a journey that will broaden and alter people’s perspectives. Most of all, I want to provoke thoughtfulness and reflection on modernity.” 3 stage@nowtoronto.com

NNN = Recommended, memorable scenes

NN = Seriously ﬂawed

N = Get out the hook

dance listings mediate ballet students and spectators. Oct 23 at 11 am. $40 per class, $10 to watch (must pre-register). Walter Carsen Centre, 470 Queens Quay W. 416-345-9595. CoexisDanCe series #41 presents dance improvisers performing with AIM Toronto musicians. Oct 22 at 8 pm. $10. Arraymusic Studio, 60 Atlantic. coexisdance.wordpress.com. eight Ways From mara Zata Omm, DanceWorks and Harbourfront NextSteps present a multidisciplined work by William Yong about succumbing to confusion, temptation or distraction (see story, page 70). Oct 20-23, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $28-$34, stu/srs $19-$22.50. Enwave Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com. el Congreso Tango Soul presents the traditional Argentine tango congress, featuring performances, workshops, demos and more. Oct 2023, see website for schedule and venue details. $10$40, workshops/ packages extra. Joy of Dance, 95 Danforth, Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth, and other venues. elcongreso. ca.

Kings oF salsa

Sony Centre for the Performing Arts presents street salsa, hip-hop and Afro-Caribbean dance and music choreographed by Roclan González Chavez. Oct 22 at 8 pm. $45-$75. 1 Front E. 416-872-2262.

ñthe neat strange musiC oF ahmeD

hassan Abilities Arts Festival presents a multidisciplinary performance with dances by Peggy Baker, Serge Bennathan, Peter Bingham and Robert Desrosiers. Oct 21-22 at 8 pm. $25, stu/srs/disabled $20. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis. abilitiesartsfestival.org. talents oF uKraine Boen Arts presents Donbas Song and Dance Ensemble plus musical soloists. Oct 23 at 7:30 pm. $39-$68. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts, Mississauga. 905-306-6000, livingartscentre.ca.

–Toronto Life

Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann

Opening Ballet Class With the stars The National Ballet of Canada presents an ñ open class with company dancers for inter-

The one thing you should see this week: love, sex and “paroxysms”

toronto international FlamenCo Festival

presents a performance featuring Rubén Olmo in Tranquilo Alboroto Redux and others. Oct 20 at 8 pm. $56-$124. Royal Conservatory of Music, 273 Bloor W, Koerner Hall. 416-4080208, torontoflamencofestival.com. toronto rhythm initiative presents an exploration of the music of Stevie Wonder with tap dance, music and comedy. Oct 23 at 8 pm. $20-$25. The Great Hall, 1087 Queen W. torontorhythminitiative.com. vive la Danse 25 Dancer Transition Resource Centre presents its gala 25th-anniversary celebration and funder with performances by Aleksandar Antonijevic, Greta Hodgkinson, Guillaume Coté, Gadfly Dance Company and others. Oct 26 Peggy Baker from 6 pm. $350. Fairmont joins The Neat Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Strange Music W, Imperial Room. dtrc.ca.

Of Ahmed Hassan.

Continuing

i senD you this CaDmium reD Art of Time Ensemble and Canadian Stage present a stage exploration of the correspondence between artist John Berger and filmmaker John Christie, with dance by James Kudelka. Runs to Oct 22, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $22-$49. Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley. 416-368-3110, canadianstage.com. 3

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Comedy listings appear chronologically, and alphabetically by title or venue. h = Halloween-related event

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the sankofa trilogy

T R I LO G Y P R E M I E R E | E X T R A S PA C E

written and performed by d’bi.young anitafrika | featuring word!sound!powah! | in repertory with blood.claat and benu

OCTOBER 22–DECEMBER 4 @

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All listings are free. Send to: stage@nowtoronto.com, fax 416-364-1166 or mail to Comedy,NOWMagazine,189Church, TorontoM5B1Y7. Include title, producer, comics (host/headliner/sketch troupe members), 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.

Thursday, October 20 ABSOLUTE COMEDY presents Slade Ham, Guido

Cocomello and host Harry Doupe. To Oct 23, Thu 8:30 pm, Fri 9 pm, Sat 8 & 10:45 pm, Sun 8 pm. $10-$15. 2335 Yonge. 416-486-7700, absolutecomedy.ca. COMEDY THURSDAYS The Starving Artist presents a weekly showcase w/ host Natasha Henderson. 9 pm. Free. 584 Lansdowne. 647342-5058, starvingartistbar.com.

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE! (AnD OTHER LIES) Second City SC presents its ñ latest revue, a high-energy, tons-of-laughs

show that gets a big jolt of energy from four new writer/performers, a bold set and an amplified sound system. The writing is solid, but the performers sharpen each scene with their physicality, especially newcomer Alastair Forbes, a tall, lanky clown who’s unafraid of looking silly. A couple of political sketches hit their targets, and some very long sequences pay off nicely. But the funniest scenes involve a tech-challenged mom bribing her son and a surreal baseball sketch that defies time and place. Wed-Fri 8 pm, Sat 8 & 10:30 pm, Sun 7 pm. $24-$29, stu $15. 51 Mercer. 416-3430011, secondcity.com. nnnn (GS)

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

= Critics’ Pick

nnnnn = You’ll pee your pants

nnnn = Major snortage

nnn = Coupla guffaws

GAME PLAYA THURSDAYS John Candy Box The-

atre presents players from the longform program. 9 pm. Pwyc. 70 Peter. 416-340-7270. STOnER COMEDY Hot Box Cafe presents a weekly show w/ host Jillian Thomas. 7 pm. $5. 191A Baldwin. hotboxcafe.ca. THE TASTY SHOW presents weekly stand-up w/ host Jeffrey Danson. 10 pm. Free. La Revolucion, 2848 Dundas W. 416-766-0746. TOROnTO IMPROV FESTIVAL Impatient Theatre Co presents Moses, Moral Minority and Clusterschmuck. 8 pm. RuBin, Two Man No Show, Manez and the N Crowd. 10 pm. Troubadour. Midnight. $5-$10, passes $20-$60. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. torontoimprovfestival.ca. WEST EnD GIRLS Poor John’s Café presents all-girl stand-up w/ Martha O’Neill, Dawn Whitwell, Daniela Saioni, Mark Walker (token boy) and others. 8 pm. $5. 1610 Queen W. 647-435-2688. THE WIn-JESTER BUCKET OF COMEDY Winchester Kitchen & Bar presents a weekly open mic w/ host Michael McLean. 9 pm. Free. 51A Winchester. winchesterkitchen.com. YUK YUK’S DOWnTOWn presents Peter White. To Oct 23, Wed-Sun 8 pm (plus Fri-Sat 10:30 pm). $13-$22. 224 Richmond W. 416-9676425, yukyuks.com. YUK YUK’S VAUGHAn presents Scott Faulconbridge. To Oct 22, Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 9 pm. $13$22. 70 Interchange Way. yukyuks.com. YUK YUK’S WEST presents Paul Haywood and Dylan Mandlsohn. To Oct 22, Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 9 pm. $13-$22. 5165 Dixie, Mississauga. 416967-6425, yukyuks.com.

Friday, October 21 ABSOLUTE COMEDY See Thu 20. COMEDY On THE DAnFORTH Timothy’s World

News Café presents improv with Athletic Robot. 9 pm. Pwyc. 320 Danforth. 416-4612668, comedyonthedanforth.com.

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE! (AnD OTHER LIES) See Thu 20.

nn = More tequila, please

n = Was that a pin dropping?

NAKED FRIDAYS John Candy Box Theatre pre-

sents music, improv, sketch and more. 9 pm. Pwyc. 70 Peter. 416-340-7270. TORONTO IMPROV FESTIVAL Impatient Theatre Co presents Man Hands, the Mighty They and Midnight Grammar. 7 pm. We’re from Here, Eclectic Improv Co and the Sunday Service. 8:30 pm. Festival All-Star Show and Mantown. 10 pm. Thirsty, hosted by Stripper’s Picnic. 11:30 pm. $5-$10, passes $20-$60. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. torontoimprovfestival.ca. YuK YuK’S DOwNTOwN See Thu 20. YuK YuK’S VAughAN See Thu 20. YuK YuK’S wEST See Thu 20.

Saturday, October 22 AbSOLuTE COMEDY See Thu 20. ThE AbSOLuTELY POSITIVELY COMPLETELY MADE uP ShOw Second City presents interactive,

family-friendly improv and sketch. 1 pm. $12. 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity.com.

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRuE! (AND OThER LIES) See Thu 20. ThE SAL & SANDY ShOw Underground Com-

edy Club presents the Sue’s, Lianne Milaudin, Christopher Sawchyn, hosts Sal Feldman & Sandy Frigginelli and others. 8:30 pm. $15. 670 Queen E. 416-732-7761. SMASh hIT Opening Night Theatre presents a weekly improvised musical. 7:30 pm. Pwyc. Augusta House, 152 Augusta. openingnighttheatre.com. SPILLIN’ ThE bEANS COMEDY Full of Beans Coffee presents a show w/ host Rene Payes. 7 pm. Pwyc. 1348 Dundas W. fullofbeans.ca. ThEATRESPORTS Bad Dog Theatre presents fast and furious improv matches. 8 pm. $12, stu $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. 416-5516540, baddogtheatre.com. TORONTO IMPROV FESTIVAL Impatient Theatre Co presents Listen Kid!, Bearded Men Improv and Mandolin. 7 pm. Stacked: All Female Musical Improv, Standards and Practices and Stripper’s Picnic. 8:30 pm. ImprovBoston and Second City alumni. 10 pm. Festival Mash-Up. 11:30 pm. $5-$10, passes $20-$60. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. torontoimprovfestival.ca. YuK YuK’S DOwNTOwN See Thu 20. YuK YuK’S VAughAN See Thu 20. YuK YuK’S wEST See Thu 20.

bEST. MONDAY. EVER. Second City presents a

weekly show featuring sketch, songs and improvisation. 8 pm. $12. 51 Mercer. 416-3430011, secondcity.com. ChEAP LAughS MONDAY PJ O’Briens Irish Pub presents a weekly show w/ Russell Roy and guests. 9 pm. Free. 39 Colborne. 416-8157562. FAT KAT$ COMEDY NITE Nola Belle presents weekly comedy. 9 pm. Free. KOS Restaurant, 61 Bellevue. 416-200-0319. LAugh YOuR NADS OFF Blair Streeter presents weekly open-mic stand-up comedy. 9 pm. Free. Naughty Nadz, 1590 Dundas E, Mississauga. 905-232-5577. LAughAbLE AT uNLOVAbLE presents Andrew Johnston, Debra DiGiovanni, Ryan Belleville, Xerxes Cortez, Barry Taylor, Dawn Whitwell, Nick Flanagan, Steph Tolev and others. 9 pm. Pwyc. Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas W. 416-532-6669. whEEL OF IMPROV John Candy Box Theatre presents an interactive improv show. 9 pm. Pwyc. 70 Peter. 416-340-7270.

Tuesday, October 25 IMPROV NIghT IN CANADA John Candy Box

Theatre presents the ultimate improv faceoff. 9 pm. Pwyc. 70 Peter. 416-340-7270. ThE MOOSEKNuCKLE CIRCuS Zelda’s presents Richard Ryder, Micky D Licious, British Teeth, Sara Hennessey, Steph Tolev, the Dick Mime, Misha-Q and hosts Vicki Lix and Peggy Plummer. 8:30 pm. $5. 692 Yonge. zeldas.ca.

pm. $20, stu $15. 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity.com. STANDINg ON ThE DANFORTh Eton House presents Hunter Collins, Peter White, Diana Love, Bobby Mair, Ryan Long, Sandra Battaglini, Ted Hollister’s Cow and host Jo-Anna Downey. 9 pm. Free. 710 Danforth. 416-466-6161. YuK YuK’S DOwNTOwN presents the Humber School of Comedy at 7:30 pm, and stand-up Amateur Night at 9:30 pm. $4. 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com.

now TUBE FanExpo

Jim Cuddy

Devo/NXNE

Gilles Peterson

Chad Kroeger/Stephen Harper

raveonettes

The Sheepdogs

Nuit Blanche

Woody Harrelson

Hollerado

Canada Day Concert

Pharcyde

Bonnaroo Festival

Fred Penner

Wednesday, October 26 AbSOLuTE COMEDY presents Pro-Am Night w/

Harry Doupe, Alex Brovedani, Crystal Ferrier, Pat MacDonald, Robin Crossman, Thomas Patrice, Alex Crawford and host Perry Perlmutar. 8:30 pm. $6. 2335 Yonge. 416-486-7700, absolutecomedy.ca. CORKTOwN COMEDY Betty’s presents an open mic w/ Erik Bamberg, Marc Hallworth, Michael Morrison, host Brian Coughlin and others. 9 pm. Free. 240 King E. 416-9882675, corktowncomedy.com. DJ DEMERS presents a weekly show w/ guests. 8 pm. $5. Underground Comedy Club, 670 Queen E. djdemers.com.

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRuE! (AND OThER LIES) See Thu 20. SIREN’S COMEDY Celt’s Pub presents open-mic

stand-up w/ Ryan Long and host Brandon Trainor. 8:30 pm. Free. 2872 Dundas W. 416767-3339. SPIRITS COMEDY NIghT presents Bobby Mair, Brian Ward, Simon McCammus, Todd Adams, Fiona Carver, Ron Sparks, Sarah Donaldson, Jay Scott, Ted Morris, Diana Love and host Jo-Anna Downey. 9 pm. Free. Spirits Bar & Grill, 642 Church. 416-967-0001. STuDENTS ROCK ThE NITE John Candy Box Theatre presents improv by Second City Training Centre students. 9 pm. Pwyc. 70 Peter. 416340-7270. 3

HThE PANEL ShOw – SPOOKY SCARY ñ EDITION MegaShark Productions preñ sents a comedy quiz show w/ Ron Sparks, Andrew Chapman, Rhonda Riche, Ned Petrie and others. 8 pm. $5. Hard Luck Bar, 812 Dundas W. hardluckbar.com.

ñThE SECOND CITY’S IMPROV ALL-STARS

Second City presents a fast-paced, completely improvised weekly show. To Nov 29, 8

Sunday, October 23 AbSOLuTE COMEDY See Thu 20. ThE bENCh John Candy Box Theatre presents upcoming improvisers picked by the Second City. 9 pm. Pwyc. 70 Peter. 416-340-7270.

DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRuE! (AND OThER LIES) See Thu 20. LAugh SAbbATh presents Hour Of

Power w/ Nick Flanagan, Elvira Kurt, Julia Hladkowicz, Lindsay Ames, Fraser Young, Tony Ho, Chris Locke, host Sara Hennessey and others. Doors 8:30 pm. $5. Rivoli, 332 Queen W. laughsabbath.com. SuNDAY NIghT LIVE The Sketchersons present weekly sketch w/ guest hosts and musical acts. 9:30 pm. $8. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. thesketchersons.com. YuK YuK’S DOwNTOwN See Thu 20.

Monday, October 24 ALTDOT COMEDY LOuNgE presents Alex Pavone, Arthur Simeon, Mark Little, Julia ñ Hladkowicz, Dylan Mandlsohn, Perry Perl-

mutar and host Ali Hassan. 9 pm. Pwyc. Rivoli, 332 Queen W. altdotcomedylounge.com.

THE 9TH ANNUAL

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News flashes, hot shows, essential events – NOW Tube was there. 100s of videos at your fingertips.

nowtoronto.com THE NEAT STRANGE MUSIC OF AHMED HASSAN in association with Peggy Baker Dance Projects

MUSIC, PERFORMANCE AND DANCE featuring Peggy Baker, Peter Bingham, Robert Desrosiers, Serge Bennathan and World Music legends, Mother Tongue

OCTOBER 1 � 30, 2011 Music • Dance • Film • Visual Art

October 21st–22nd Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis Street FOR MORE INFO ON OUR EVENTS:

www.abilitiesartsfestival.org NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

art

2011 Hart House Hancock Lecture

DIGITAL PAINTING

An app for that Engaging Our Urban Environments with artist Sean Martindale This lecture will challenge the audience to explore the nature of public spaces and the importance of civic engagement and community dialogue. When: Oct. 27, 2011 at 7 pm Where: Hart House Theatre Cost: Free, reserve tickets at harthouse.ca

www.harthouse.ca

David Hockney shows fab iPad work By DAVID JAGER DAVID HOCKNEY at the ROM (100

Queen’s Park) to January 1. $24, stu/srs $21; half-price Fridays 4:30-8:30 pm; free Wednesdays 3:30-5:30 pm. 416586-8000. Rating: NNNNN

british artist david hockney has always been fascinated with new media. He was one of the first painters to use photocopiers and a fax machine as extensions of the drawing and printing process, and his Polaroid composites applied cubism to photography in a wholly innovative way. Hockney has been experimenting with drawing apps on the iPhone and iPad since 2008, with some stunning results. He began with colour sketches of bouquets of flowers, executed with his thumb in the morning and then emailed to his close friends as little

tokens or gifts. He then discovered the brush app, applied it to the iPad and has been using the device as a sketch pad ever since. For this show, presented by the ROM’s Institute for Contemporary Culture, 20 iPhones and 25 iPads display slide shows of still lifes, portraits and landscapes. On devices mounted on the walls and framed by small lines or grids, the images pop off the wall like paintings. Hockney, who sketches every day, promises to send new images as they are completed until the show’s end. The works are unmistakable Hockneys, with his signature bold colours and a sense of line and shape as playful as it is refined. The exhibit includes several animations of iPad landscapes and portraits being created from start to fin-

THIS WEEK IN THE MUSEUMS ART GALLERY OF MISSISSAUGA Fireworks 2011:

David Jaffé on The Massacre of the Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens Wednesday, October 26, 7 – 8:30 pm AGO Members $20.50 l Public $22.50 David Jaffé, senior curator in the Department of Painting at the National Gallery, London, discusses the work of Flemish Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens.

Fred Ritchin: Meaningful Media Thursday, November 10, 7 – 8:30 pm AGO Members $20.50 l Public $22.50 We create our media, and our media then re-create us. Where are our media leading us — politically, spiritually, psychologically? And do we want to go there?

Fred Ritchin is professor of Photography & Imaging at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and former picture editor of The New York Times Magazine.

Book Today! 416 979 6608 www.ago.net/talks

Art Gallery of Ontario 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario 74

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

FUSION Ontario Clay and Glass Assoc; The Urban/Rural Divide, to Nov 6. 300 City Centre (Mississauga). 905-896-5088. ART GALLERY OF ONTARIO Todd Eberle, artist’s talk/lunch noon-1 pm ($29), book signing 1-2 pm Oct 21. Paul Butler, to Nov 13 (free). The Grange Prize, to Dec 10. Robert Motherwell, to Dec 11. General Idea, to Jan 1. Chagall And The Russian Avant-Garde, to Jan 15 ($25, stu $16.50). Constructing Utopia: Books And Posters From Revolutionary Russia, to Jan 15. From Renaissance To Rodin: Celebrating The Tanenbaum Gift; Lucy Tasseor Tutsweetok, to Apr 1. $18, srs $15, stu $10, free Wed 6-8:30 pm. 317 Dundas W. 416-979-6648. ART GALLERY OF YORK U Raqs Media Collective, to Dec 4. 4700 Keele, Accolade E bldg. 416-736-5169. BLACKWOOD GALLERY Viva Voce, to Oct 23, Out Of Joint: Voices On Mentoring conference 10 am-2 pm Oct 21. U of T Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga N (Mississauga). 905-828-3789. DESIGN EXCHANGE Storytellers: Exhibition Design, panel 6:30-8:30 pm Oct 21 ($10). Cap-

acity, to Nov 3 (free). Kissing Mooses pop-up shop, to Nov 13. $10, stu/srs $8. 234 Bay. 416363-6121. DORIS McCARTHY GALLERY Blue Republic, to Nov 2. 1265 Military Trail. 416-287-7007. GARDINER MUSEUM OF CERAMIC ART Creamware, to Dec 4. The Tsar’s Cabinet, to Jan 8, talk 6:30-8 pm ($10-$12) Oct 25. $12, stu $6, srs $8; Fri 4-9 pm half-price, 30 and under free. 111 Queen’s Park. 416-586-8080. JUSTINA M. BARNICKE How Near Is Far: Models For Taking Part, to Dec 11. 7 Hart House. 416978-8398. McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION Autumn Art Sale, Oct 21-23, gala 6 pm Oct 21. Inuit Traditions, to Nov 27. In Focus: Photographing The Alberta And Montana Frontier; Lomen Brothers, to Jan 8. Jack Chambers, to Jan 15. Norval Morrisseau and others, to Jan 31. $15, stu/srs $12, free Oct 1-2. 10365 Islington (Kleinburg). 905-893-1121. MOCCA ¡Patria O Libertad! On Patriotism, Immigration And Populism; Artur Zmijewski; BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art; to Oct

MUST-SEE SHOWS AKASHA ART PROJECTS Photo-painting: Kathryn Hollinrake, to Oct 29. 511 Church, 2nd fl. 647-348-0104. A SPACE GALLERY S-O-S3 (Signals Of Survival) group show (ImagineNATIVE), to Oct 29, reception/curator’s talk 5:30-7:30 pm Oct 21. 401 Richmond W. 416-979-9633. DIAZ CONTEMPORARY Sculpture: Corwyn Lund and Stéphane La Rue, Oct 20-Nov 19. 100 Niagara. 416-361-2972. ERIC ARTHUR GALLERY Here Be Monsters, to Nov 26. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, U of T, 230 College. 416-978-5038. GALLERY MOOS Painting: Viktor Mitic, Oct 20-Nov 22, reception/book launch 5-9 pm Oct 20. 622 Richmond W. 416-504-5445. GALLERY TPW Decisive Moments, Uncertain Times group show, Oct 20-Nov 19, reception 7-9 pm Oct 20, Markus Miessen talk 7 pm Oct 25. 56 Ossington. 416-645-1066. GLADSTONE HOTEL Painting: Lora Zombie, Oct 21-23, reception 7-11 pm Oct 21. Selam Visual Art Festival, to Oct 23, closing party 7-11 pm Oct 23 (soundthehorn.com). Post-

Graffiti group show, to Nov 20. 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635. HANG ART, LIFT HEARTS (benefit for Dystonia Medical Research), preview 6:30 pm, auction 8 pm Oct 25 ($40, two $65). Liberty Grand, 25 British Columbia. currys.com. HANG MAN Little Art Show (silent auction for Artists’ Network), Oct 22-Nov 5, reception 7-10 pm Oct 22. 756 Queen E. 416-465-0302. INDEXG GALLERY Painting: Harvey Chan, to Nov 6, reception 3-6 pm Oct 22. YYZ Dialogues group show, to Nov 6. 50 Gladstone. 416-535-6957. IX GALLERY Photos: May Karp, to Nov 12. 11 Davies, #303. 416-469-4848. KATZMAN KAMEN GALLERY Arbitrary Triangle: Three Passages Through Shanghai group show; photos: Sarah Nind, Oct 20-Nov 19, reception 5-8 pm Oct 20. 80 Spadina #406. 416504-9515. KWT CONTEMPORARY Multimedia/photos: Heather Nicol and Marina Black, Oct 20-Nov 19, reception 6-8 pm Oct 20. 624 Richmond W. 416-646-2706.

David Hockney’s iPad works are bold and playful.

ish. The blank screen is first blurred by a few tentative strokes and outlines, then covered in layer after layer of deft lines, fields of colour and, finally, points of emphasis. Hockney’s aesthetic has always been one of bold playfulness coupled with serene detachment. His is a happy world of sunrises, flower bouquets, lovely gardens, sitting rooms and inviting piles of books. Ultimately, however, he is painting light, and it is his agile eye and engaged spirit that brings these domestic scenes to such refreshing life. 3 art@nowtoronto.com

30. 952 Queen W. 416-395-0067. OAKVILLE GALLERIES Denyse Thomasos (Centennial Square, 120 Navy), Marla Hlady (Gairloch Gardens, 1306 Lakeshore E), to Nov 13. 905-844-4402. POWER PLANT The Plot, to Nov 6. Simon Fujiwara, to Nov 11. Derek Sullivan, to Nov 20. $6, stu/srs $3, free Wed 5-8 pm and Oct 2. 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4949. ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM ICC: David Hockney, to Jan 1. Judith Snow, to Jan 20. The Archaeology Of Godin Tepe, to Jan 31. The Art Of Collecting, ongoing. $24, stu/srs $21; half-price Fri 4:30-8:30 pm; free Wed 3:305:30 pm. 100 Queen’s Park. 416-586-8000. TEXTILE MUSEUM OF CANADA Magic Squares: The Patterned Imagination Of Muslim Africa, to Nov 20. Andrew McPhail, Grace Ndiritu and Tazeen Qayyum, to Feb 12. $15, srs $10, stu $6; pwyc Wed 5-8 pm. 55 Centre. 416-599-5321. U OF T ART CENTRE Angela Grauerholz, to Nov 26. 15 King’s College Circle. 416-978-1838. 3

ñ ñ

MORE ONLINE

Complete art listings at nowtoronto.com/art/listings

LAUSBERG CONTEMPORARY Painting: Marie

Lannoo, Oct 20-Dec 20, reception 7-10 pm Oct 20. 326 Dundas W. 416-516-4440. LONSDALE Painting/sculpture: Jim Reid, George Boileau and Amanda McCavour, to Nov 13. 410 Spadina Rd. 416-487-8733. NICHOLAS METIVIER Painting: Rachel MacFarlane, to Nov 5. 451 King W. 416-205-9000. O’BORN CONTEMPORARY Photos: Ed Ou, to Nov 5. 131 Ossington. 416-413-9555. PEAK GALLERY Sculpture: Derrick Piens, to Nov 5. 23 Morrow. 416-537-8108. PREFIX Film: Susan Hiller, to Nov 26. 401 Richmond W. 416-591-0357. SHOW & TELL GALLERY Sculpture: Jannick Deslauriers, Oct 21-Nov 20, reception 7-11 pm Oct 21. 1161 Dundas W. 647-347-3316. VTAPE Big Eye: Aboriginal Animations From Canada And Australia, to Nov 25. 401 Richmond W. 416-351-1317. WYNICK/TUCK Prints (benefit for Doris McCarthy Gallery): Doris McCarthy, 2-5 pm Oct 22 (www.utsc.utoronto.ca/dmg). 401 Richmond W, #128. 416-504-8716. XPACE Between Cellar And Attic group show, to Nov 5. 58 Ossington. 416-8492864.

= 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?

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Marc Chagall, Double Portrait with Wine Glass (Double portrait au verre de vin), 1917–18. Oil on canvas, 235 x 137 cm. Collection of the MNAM, Centre Pompidou, Paris. © Adagp/Centre Pompidou, Mnam–Cci / Dist.RMN. © SODRAC 2011 and ADAGP 2011, Chagall ®.

NOW october 20-26 2011

sasha books in now

Got a question for Toronto’s renowned sex expert? Send your sex related questions to sasha@nowtoronto.com

IN PERSON

Though he’s best known for his performance in the TV comedy 3rd Rock From The Sun and as the dancephobic reverend in the original Footloose, John Lithgow’s no lightweight. He burst on the scene in 1982 in the film adaptation of The World According To Garp, which won him an Oscar nom, went on to win a Tony for his performance in M. Butterfly and has played on screen and stage with some of the most intimidating actors around. He writes all about his life in Drama: An Actor’s Education (Harper, $28.99). Get some face time with Lithgow when he heads to the Eaton Centre Indigo on Monday (October 24) to sign copies. See Readings, this page. SUSAN G. COLE

READINGS THIS WEEK For International Festival Of Authors listings, see page 42.

Thursday, October 20 KIM ANDERSON Talking about Life Stages

And Native Women. 6:30 pm. Free. Toronto Women’s Bookstore, 73 Harbord. 416-9228744. SOPHIE MCCALL/JENNIFER ANDREWS Launch. 7 pm. Free. Type Books, 883 Queen W. 416366-8973. ROBERT ROTENBERG Meet the author of The Guilty Plea. 12:30 pm. Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. torontopubliclibrary.ca.

Saturday, October 22 JONAH CAMPBELL Launching Food And Trem-

contests

Don’t miss her weekly column every Saturday at nowtoronto.com/sasha

win

nowtoronto.com/contests

this week

Win tickets to see them, October 24 at the Garrison.

VICTOR COLEMAN/MICHAEL BOUGHN Reading. 7 pm. Free. St Clair/Silverthorn Library, 1748 St Clair W. 416-393-7709. PATRICK FRIESEN/CHRIS D’LORIO/PETER

LEARN/BARBARA PONOMAREFF Poetry and fiction launch. 7:30 pm. Free. Supermarket, 268 Augusta. quattrobooks.ca. GLORIA WESLEY Launching her novel Chasing Freedom. 6:30 pm. Free. A Different Booklist, 746 Bathurst. fernwoodpublishing.ca.

Wednesday, October 26

MaYa Jane coleS

NOW’s special glossy supplement is full of tips on careers that will help you change the world, conquer computers, mine your creativity, find a cure for cancer and much more.

Win tickets to see her, October 27 at Wrongbar. film

FInd out what it’s like in the working world and where to study to meet your goals.

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Win a pair of passes to this film. now conteSt clique Sign up and get contests delivered directly to your inbox every Wednesday! Become a Clique member and receive access to our exclusive contests. Follow us at twitter.com/nowcontests for updates.

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

Labor author. 6:30 pm. Free. Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles. 416-462-1104. JEFFREY EUGENIDES Talking about his novel The Marriage Plot. 7 pm. Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. torontopubliclibrary.ca. INSOMNIAC AUTUMN LAUNCH Readings by Jamie Popowich, Donna Bailey Nurse and others. 7 pm. Free. Dora Keogh, 141 Danforth. insomniacpress.com. JOHN LITHGOW Talking about his memoir, Drama: An Actor’s Education. 7 pm. Free. Indigo Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge. chapters.indigo.ca.

Tuesday, October 25

Making your post-secondary plans? Looking for new directions?

NOW*

reads from Love Ruins Everything, Bugg from Red Rover. 4:30 pm. Free. Toronto Women’s Bookstore, 73 Harbord. 416-9228744.

N O I T A C U D E oming c s i BUZZ

—

KAREN X TULCHINSKY/LIZZ BUGG Tulchinsky

STEVE EARLY Talk by The Civil Wars In U.S.

colour reVolt

Next week in

Sunday, October 23

Monday, October 24

CONCeRts

bling. 5 pm. Free. The Wilson 96, 615 College. invisiblepublishing.com. RYAN OAKLEY Launching his sci-fi novel Technicolor Ultra Mall. 3 pm. Free. BakkaPhoenix Books, 84 Harbord. 416-963-9993.

Get contest updates – Scan here with your phone

THE BEST CANADIAN POETRY IN ENGLISH

Readings by contributors. 7 pm. Free. Revival, 783 College. tightropebooks.com.

CATHERINE BUSH/MATTHEW HARRIS/AISHA SASHA JOHN/BEVERLEY COOPER Reading.

7:30 pm. Free. Magpie, 831 Dundas W. 416916-6499. FRANCOIS CUSSET Launch for the Inverted Gaze: Queering The French Literary Classics In America. 7 pm. Free. Type Books, 883 Queen W. 416-366-8973. RICHARD GWYN Dinner anf talk by the author of Nation Makers: Sir John S Macdonald: His Life, Our Times. 7 pm. $100. Grano, 2035 Yonge. 416-361-0032. ALICE HOFFMAN talking about her new novel, The Dovekeepers. Free. Indigo Manulife, 55 Bloor W. chapters.indigo.ca. DK MCINTOSH Meet the author of The Witch Of Babylon. 7 pm. Free. North York Central Library, 5120 Yonge. torontopubliclibrary.ca.

TORONTO EROTICA WRITERS AND READERS MEETUP Open mic night. 7 pm. $5. Tequila

Bookworm (upstairs), 512 Queen W. meetup.com/toronto-erotica-writersgroup.

movies more online nowtoronto.com/movies

Audio clips from interview with DIRTY GIRL’S ABE SYLVIA • Friday column on PEEPERS, POLISH FILM FEST • and more

director interview

Abe Sylvia

The Dirty diva

Abe Sylvia says people think he found actor Juno Temple in a trailer park.

Director proudly shows his true queer colours in campy pic By SUSAN G. COLE

DIRTY GIRL written and directed by Abe Sylvia, with Juno Temple, Jeremy Dozier and Dwight Yoakam. 106 minutes. An Alliance release. Opens Friday (October 21). For venues and times, See Movies, page 81.

when abe sylvia tells me he’s perfectly fine with the label “gay director,” I’m not exactly shocked. If you’re looking to define the term “queer sensibility,” check out Dirty Girl. His movie – picked up by the Weinstein Group at TIFF 2010 – about an unlikely friendship between Danielle, the high school slut, and Clarke, the school homo, is saturated in colour, has a campy energy and loves its gay anthems. It represents Sylvia in very personal ways, not because he had a hard time as a gay boy – he had very supportive parents – but because it reflects his artistic values “I draw and paint a lot,” he says on the phone from L.A. “This movie looks like every doodle I made growing up. I draw people with intense colour and people with funny hair.”

And the sensibility of the Broadway musical is all over it. For starters, Dirty Girl has three dance sequences. “All of film is dance to a certain degree. All of editing is rhythmic, and music drives a lot of my choices,” he explains. “I bring a certain amount of theatricality. Dance plays an important role. I’m not afraid of a performance being big. I’m not afraid of camp and melodrama.” American audiences don’t necessarily love that kind of thing – and Sylvia knows it. “The films that inspire me always take tonal risks,” he says. “The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Muriel’s Wedding or any of Almodóvar’s films – they have moments of camp, of real heartbreak and of slapstick. “Americans love those films, but when you put all that in an American vernacular, they have trouble with it.” That could change with Dirty Girl. For one thing he’s got a knockout cast, Milla Jovovich, Mary Steenburgen and Dwight Yoakam among

REVIEW DIRTY GIRL (Abe Sylvia) Rating: NNN You can tell Abe Sylvia has a theatre background. Dirty Girl has the big, brassy energy of a Broadway musical. But it’s a road movie set in the 80s with a kick-ass soundtrack. Small-town Oklahoma teen misfits Clarke (Jeremy Dozier), the bullied high school queer, and Danielle (Juno Temple), the school’s sexually precocious dirty girl, take off together when her mother (Milla Jovovich) decides to marry a creepy Christian (William H. Macy) and Clarke’s angry dad (Dwight Yoakam) and meek mom (Mary Steenburgen) find out he’s gay. Sylvia makes the most of his great cast of character actors, but it’s Temple who’s the revelation here, all fucked-up sexy and cruel yet kind to Clarke at the same time. The movie does have some tonal problems, sometimes shifting irritatingly from gritty to melodramatic to farcical. SGC But it’s got a big heart.

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

Juno Temple delivers a breakthrough performance as the titular Dirty Girl.

them. Unknown Jeremy Dozier – who sent Sylvia an audition video he put together in his dorm room – is appealing. But it’s Juno Temple as the title character who steals the movie. “When I’m asked about her, the first thing I say is that she’s British, and people gasp,” he laughs. “They think I found her in a trailer park. But she’s a British girl who went to boarding school and has a punk edge.” Music plays a central role in the film. It’s Sylvia’s personal playlist, of course, but every song connects to the characters. Only when Clarke’s abusive dad is onscreen are there male voices on the soundtrack. Otherwise, it’s all about the divas. “Clarke has a fascination with the big emotional expression that’s not allowed to gay men,” Sylvia explains. “That’s where a lot of diva-worship comes from – not that gay men want to be that person. It’s just that a diva can express an interior emotionality.” 3 susanc@nowtoronto.com

more online

Interview clips at nowtoronto.com

NOW OCTOBER 20-26 2011

Logan Lerman (left), Luke Evans and Matthew Macfadyen have a blast in a script that’s not too sharp.

adventure

Pointed fun THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Paul W.S. Ander-

Weibo Ludwig and his family will provoke arguments.

dOCuMentarY

Wiebo rivets WIEbO’S WAR (David York). 94 minutes. Opens Friday (October 21) at the Royal. See Indie and Rep Film, page 89. Rating: NNNNN

Wiebo’s War has all the ingredients of a great documentary. For starters, it transforms the story of someone we

dOMeStIC draMedY

Gallic gall

THE WOMEN ON THE 6TH FLOOR (Philippe Le Guay). 104 minutes. Subtitled. Opens Friday (October 21). For venues and times, see Movies, page 81. Rating: NN

Wonder why Dominique Strauss-Kahn gets away with his womanizing ways? Check out 60sset The Women On The 6th Floor. It flaunts French sexism at its deepest. Stockbroker JeanLouis Joubert (always effective

unneCeSSarY Sequel

Dead end

DOWN THE ROAD AgAIN (Donald Shebib). 84 minutes. Opens Friday (October 21). For venues and times, see Movies, page 81. Rating: N

Goin’ Down The Road, Donald Shebib’s drama about two Cape Breton buddies who strike out for Toronto only to be chewed up and spat out by the big bad city, is a seminal work of Canadian cinema. Down The Road Again, sadly, is not. Returning to the characters he created in 1970, Shebib has made a wheezy, flat and unnecessary follow-up that

october 20-26 2011 NOW

think we know. Wiebo Ludwig, a devout Christian, was convicted in 1999 of sabotaging gas wells belonging to big oil and gas corp Encana after his farm animals and then the women in his family started miscarrying. He’s a charismatic lead character, sharp and committed, not the nutty cult leader the media made him out to be. No question he’s obsessed and Fabrice Luchini, from Potiche), husband and father of two arrogant sons, lives in luxury on the first floor of a Paris apartment house. His maid shares cramped, almost squalid lodgings on the sixth floor with five other domestic servants. When she quits, she’s replaced by Maria (Natalia Verbeke), a new sixthfloor resident. Maria introduces JeanLouis to her floormates – he seems not to have noticed them previNatalia Verbeke is maid to order.

probably a little paranoid. But that works out well for filmmaker David York. Determined not to let the media – or the law – distort their motives and define the narrative for their political actions, the family began filming every encounter they had with the gas company and law authorities a few years into the process. York mines this treasure trove of footage with great skill. Terrorist or revolutionary? Wiebo’s SUSAN g. COLE War lets you decide. ously – an event that sets off a transformation in his perspective on life. Ah, the French. They’re so smart about class and so dumb about sex. As Jean-Louis starts falling for Maria, we’re supposed to cheer him on. I can actually live with the head of the household being hot for the maid – especially as she’s turning his values system upside down. But why make her half his age, especially when the other five women on the sixth floor are more his vintage? One of them is the very sexy Car men Maura, former Almodóvar muse, a love interest who would have been easier to accept. But then again, you know the SUSAN g.COLE French.

Bradley, whose Joey is seen here in tries in the clumsiest way imaginable clips from the original film. His absence to slap a happy ending on the first leaves a hole that Shebib can’t fill; the film’s downbeat story. whole movie hangs on McGrath’s Easygoing Pete (Douglas McGrath), slumped shoulders, and his blank, now a Vancouver letter carrier facing shrugging presence just retirement, learns that his old pal isn’t enough to drive it. Joey has died and entrusted him Kathleen Robertson with a mission to deliver a letter to brings some energy to the Joey’s ex, Betty (Jayne East role of Joey’s estranged wood) in Toronto, and daughter, but Shebib’s script then go on to Cape Breis only interested in her ton to scatter his symbolic function. Cayle ashes and open a Chernin, in her final perfinal letter. formance, gets even less The entire to do as Betty’s pal Selconcept is hobDouglas McGrath ina. bled by the shouldn’t have gone It’s all such a waste. 2003 death of down the road again. NORMAN WILNER actor Paul

son). 110 minutes. Opens Friday (October 21). For venues and times, see Movies, page 81. Rating: NNN

There are pretentious movies like Drive that take a brain-dead genre out for a spin, attempting to get all high and arty about it. And then there’s The Three Musketeers, a stupid movie (in 3-D!) that owns its baser instincts, doesn’t try to be anything else and reminds us that there are still some modest pleasures to be had from it. Director Paul W.S. Anderson takes a blunt blade to Alexandre Dumas’s novel, tearing it to shreds and turning it into a B movie adventure with injections of Bond, Indiana Jones and

Pirates Of The Caribbean. The dialogue is so atrocious, it’s practically surreal, the plot (involving airborne battleships designed by Da Vinci) bloated and preposterous, and the Musketeers themselves (Luke Evans, Matthew Macfadyen and Ray Stevenson) far from memorable. But the supporting cast has a ball, including Milla Jovovich as the vixenish Milady, who proves a nimble acrobat even in a corset, and Orlando Bloom as the villainous Buckingham, who is just as concerned about beating King Louis (Freddie Fox) at fashion as he is about defeating him on the battlefield. The movie feels almost like a spoof with a few legitimately rousing action scenes and without the condescending tone. If only all silly movies were this RADHEYAN SIMONPILLAI sincere.

Rowan Atkinson smears on the lip shtick.

SpY SpOOf

Rowan ruined JOHNNY ENgLISH REbORN (Oliver Parker). 101 minutes. Opens Friday (October 21). For venues and times, see Movies, page 81. Rating: NN

Rowan Atkinson returns to his inexplicably popular slapstick spy spoof, a genre that Mike Myers sucked dry a decade ago. Following a failed mission, English heads to Tibet to seek the help of stereotypical Asians who train him to be a hero by dragging heavy objects with his junk. Soon he’s back in Britain and investigating an assassination plot along with a new recruit (Daniel Kalu uya) and his superior (Gillian Ander son). The clichéd spy-movie shenanigans should theoretically tap Atkinson’s genius for verbal (Black Adder) and

physical comedy (Mr. Bean) but never do. The comedian trots out stale oneliners and boring physical business like falling over an exercise ball, never eliciting more than a smile. At this point, Atkinson has the international success that allows him to make almost any project he wants, and without any creative resistance his career has devolved into late John Cleese levels of comedic laziness. To make matters worse, the supporting cast all play straight men to Atkinson’s semi-amusing antics. Uncovering the identity of a mysterious evil agent is simple if you know the Hollywood whodunit convention that the villain is always the most recognizable actor with the least to do. Perhaps this mindless family fluff isn’t worth getting bothered about, but a talent like Atkinson should be counted on for more than mediocre PHIL bROWN sequels.

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

festival reviews

the horror, the horror

Genre fest offers a bloody good slate of films this year By ANDREW DOWLER THE TORONTO AFTER DARK FILM FESTIVAL from tonight (Thursday, October 20) to October 27, at the Toronto Underground Cinema (186 Spadina). See Indie & Rep Film, page 89.

The sixth Toronto After Dark Film Festival involves eight nights of movies from the far shores of horror, science fiction, weird comedy and anime. This year the fest has scored a trio of world premieres: military-minded zombie movie War Of The Dead, bizarre superhero flick VS and Troma’s serial-killer actioner, Father’s Day. Guests on hand include Dee Wallace with Exit Humanity; Michael Biehn with The Divide; and Jimmy Hart, Robert Maillet and Art Hindle all attending opening-night gala Monster Brawl (Thursday, October 20, 7 pm; rating: NNN). That rating is strictly for fans who appreciate a truly goofy idea: a wrestling show featuring death matches between classic creatures: Lady Vampire vs. the Mummy, Werewolf against Swamp Gut, Frankenstein taking on Zombie Man. We get the whole shtick: annoying sportscasters (Dave Foley and Hindle), boasting sessions, character bios. Some of it is funny, some not so much. All of it is well shot, with good low-budget production values. The Woman (October 27, 7 pm; rating: NNNN) isn’t quite as harrowing as The Girl Next Door, the last movie taken from a Jack Ketchum novel, but it packs considerable punch and explores similar territory – the extremes of evil in ordinary people and their spreading effects. Successful small-town lawyer Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers) finds a feral woman (Pollyanna Mcintosh) in the woods, takes her home and chains her under the barn, then enlists his wife, son and daughter to help “civilize” her.

the wraparound story are worth the But something is wrong with Cleek’s ticket price alone. Tom Savini’s Wet apparently happy family, and the Dreams runs penis anxiety through the woman’s presence makes things meat-grinder of domestic discontent. worse. Douglas Buck’s The Accident offers a McIntosh and Bridgers make an exmeditation on love through a mother, plosive combination. She’s her daughter and a highway accident, top-to-toe tensile while Karim Hussain’s Vision Stains strength, with murder takes a uniquely nightmarish apin her eyes. He’s calm, proach to murder and storytelling. confident and overcontrolled. 3 movies@nowtoronto.com Anthology film The Theatre Bizarre (Sunday, October 23, 7 pm; rating: NNNN) includes works by seven filmmakers. The third, fourth and fifth of the Get your tix to Monster Brawl six shorts nested in

Pollyanna Mcintosh needs a shower in The Woman.

now or you’ll look like this.

MICHAEL SHANNON JESSICA CHASTAIN

“A…..THE REMARKABLE NEW FILM. AMAZING MICHAEL SHANNON’S

TACITURN, HAUNTED PERFORMANCE MANAGES TO BE BOTH HEARTBREAKING AND TERRIFYING. IN ‘TAKE SHELTER’ JEFF NICHOLS HAS MADE A PERFECT ALLEGORY FOR A PANICKY TIME.” -A.O. Scott, Scott, THE THE NEW NEW YORK YORK TIMES TIMES -A.O.

“A DAZZLING PIECE OF FILMMAKING. MICHAEL SHANNON GIVES A TOWERING PERFORMANCE.” -Joe Morgenstern, Morgenstern, WALL WALL STREET STREET JOURNAL JOURNAL -Joe

TA K E S H E LT E R “UNIQUE AND UNFORGETTABLE.”

also opening

-Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

★★★★★ (HIGHEST RATING) “WILL HAUNT YOU FOR SEVERAL LIFETIMES.” -Keith Uhlich, TIME OUT NEW YORK

Paranormal Activity 3 (D: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, 81 min) The third in the low-budget “found footage” series of horror flicks goes back in time to look at mysterious events in sisters Katie and Kristi’s childhoods. Opens Friday (October 21). Screened after press time – see review October 21 at nowtoronto.com/movies.

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Shangai International Film Festival

Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival

Fantasia

iMaGinenaTiVe FilM & MeDia aRTs F esTiVal through Sunday (October

South Korea

July 2011

China

July 2010

June 2010

23) at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. $7$12. imaginenative.org. See Indie & Rep Film, page 89.

IT IS THE DARKEST OF ALL TRUTHS THAT WE HAVE TO BE AT THE EDGE OF DEATH TO EVER BE SAVED...

film festival reviews

Home and native truths

REMSTAR PRESENT A CARAMEL FILMS DON CARMODY PRODUCTIONS AND REDARK PRODUCTION “DIE” JOHN PYPER-FERGUSON EMILY HAMPSHIRE CATERINA MURINO KATIE BOLAND KARL PRUNER PATRICIA MCKENZIE FABIO FULCO AND ELIAS KOTEAS SCREENPLAY BY DOMENICO SALVAGGIO STORY BY NICK MEAD COSTUME DESIGNER ANNIE DUFORT PRODUCTION DESIGNER MARTIN TESSIER EDITOR SACHA SOJIC MUSIC ALESSANDRO MOLINARI ASSOCIATE PRODUCER VALÉRIE D’AUTEUIL EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS DON CARMODY MAXIME RÉMILLARD JULIEN RÉMILLARD PRODUCERS ALESSANDRO VERDECCHI LORENZO VON LORCH PRODUCED BY ANDRÉ ROULEAU & ANDREA MAROTTI DIRECTED BY DOMINIC JAMES

ImagineNATIVE fest screens the best in global aboriginal flicks

Mesnak walks tall.

STARTS FRIDAY

Tragic update “CHARMING.” “FLAWLESS.” “WITTY!” – Leonard Maltin

– Los Angeles Times

– The Hufﬁngton Post

Mesnak (Yves Sioui Durand, Cana

da). 96 minutes. Subtitled. Today (Thursday, October 20), 9:30 pm. Rating:

nnnn The spectre of Shakespeare’s Hamlet moves very intentionally through this

Spare Samson saMson & Delilah (Warwick

Thornton, Australia). Subtitled. 101 minutes. Friday (October 21), 9 pm. Rating: nnnn

the No.1 comedy smash hit from director Philippe Le Guay

“A LOT OF FUN!” – MONTREAL GAZETTE

Winner of the Camera d’Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, writer/director/ cinematographer Warwick Thornton’s drama fol lows a pair of Aboriginal teens (Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson) on a journey away from their shabby Outback vil

Help is on the way.

– indieWIRE

FACEBOOK.COM/EONEFILMS

lage toward an uncertain future together. As visually gorgeous as it is thematically miserable, Samson & Delilah tells its story through atmosphere and intensity rather than dialogue; Mc Namara’s watchfulness and Gibson’s strength speak volumes, especially when viewed against the backdrop of dusty poverty in which we first en counter them. The screening is the first half of a special presentation that con cludes Saturday (October 22, 12:30 pm) with a presentation of Beck Cole’s documentary Making Samson & Delilah and a master class with Thornton and Cole. (Cole’s debut drama Here I Am screens to nW night at 7 pm.)

Warwick Thornton shows off a great eye in Samson & Delilah.

“A DELICIOUS CONFECTION!”

MATURE THEME, SUBTITLED

powerful tale of ancestry and memory. Young Montreal actor Dave (Victor Andres Turgeon-Trelles) arrives in a small Quebec community after receiv ing a photograph of the mother (Kathia Rock) he never knew. She’s a recovering alcoholic about to take a new husband, and she wants nothing to do with the son she gave up years earlier.

Strong performances and a complex script that mixes classic tragedy with a contemporary world of AA meetings and dangerous house parties make this a surprisingly intense debut for direc tor and cowriter Yves Sioui Durand. Stage and screen director Robert Morin is credited as one of the writers, so maybe it’s not that surprising. noRMan WilneR

Dae delights BRan nUe Dae (Rachel Perkins, Australia). 88 minutes. Saturday (October 22), 7 pm. Rating: nnn Bran Nue Dae may be based on a 20yearold stage show, but its First Nationsrelated issues still have trac tion, and it’s an entertaining ride. In 1969, Aboriginal teen Willie (Rocky McKenzie) loves Rosie (Jessica Mauboy), but he’s been sent away to a Perth private school, where he’s train ing for the priesthood. He runs away and hooks up with homeless Uncle Tadpole and, when the two hitch a ride back home to Broome with a couple of hippies, Bran Nue Dae turns into a road movie. The songs are catchy, though there’s no plot and the ending feels gloriously improbable. Evidence of the respect Aussies have for the material is the presence of an overthetop Geoffrey Rush as the baddie headmaster sUsan G. Cole 3 and priest.

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Geoffrey Rush (centre) has a blast in Bran Nue Dae.

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= Critic’s Pick nnnnn = Best of the fest nnnn = Excellent nnn = Entertaining nn = Snore n = Who programs this crap?

movie reviews 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), Andrew Dowler (AD) 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 87.

Abduction (John Singleton) proves were-

wolf boy Taylor Lautner won’t have much of a career after the sun sets on Twilight. He plays Nathan, a reckless teen who finds his own picture on a missing persons website. Suffering from a Bourne-like identity crisis, he has to find out the truth by beating it out of the CIA and some black ops coverts. The plot is preposterous and the screenplay could induce an earache (with the exception of a killer line about Facebook). The veteran cast of faded stars (Maria Bello, Sigourney Weaver, Alfred Molina) camp it up and dial down their performances so as not to make Lautner look bad. All Abduction needs is a couple of Wayans brothers and it could be a parody of itself. 106 min. n (RS) Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scar borough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Inter change 30, SilverCity Mississauga, Yonge & Dundas 24

bendA bilili! (Renaud Barret, Florent de La Tullaye) is an uplifting music doc that follows a ragtag band of Congolese parapalegic musicians and their new recruit, Roger, a skeletal-looking kid who produces reverberating sounds from an instrument he made from a milk can, an arched stick of wood and a wire. Although the filmmakers intervene in the story, plucking Roger from the mean streets and introducing him to the Staff Benda Bilili band, and focus more on rehearsals and recording sessions than on the characters, it doesn’t matter since the music speaks volumes about who they are and where they come from. When Staff sing about sleeping on cardboard while they dream about one day buying mattresses, Roger’s milk can and band leader Ricky’s beaten guitar and soulful voice make their humble hopes come alive. Subtitled. 85 min. nnn (RS) TIFF Bell Lightbox the big YeAr (David Frankel) turns Mark

Obmascik’s non-fiction narrative about competitive American birders trying to spot the most species in a calendar year into a comedy about cuddly eccentrics who bond over their shared passion. It feels wobbly and forced, but every now and then the gimmicks are put aside so that the actors can treat their characters as actual human beings. Jack Black and Steve Martin, as a retired corporate shark determined to devote himself to birding, build a lovely and genuine friendship, and each actor has scenes with another co-star (JoBeth Williams for Martin, Brian Dennehy and Dianne Wiest for Black) that add further depth to our understanding of his character. But every scene with Owen Wilson’s vain contractor who’ll do almost anything to hold

on to his record feels like it belongs in a broader movie. 100 min. nnn (NW) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, Colos sus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Yonge, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Varsity

breAkAwAY (Robert Lieberman) is one of

the most environmentally friendly movies you’ll see this year: all it does is recycle material from Bend It Like Beckham, Score: A Hockey Musical and Russell Peters’s decadeold comedy routines. Writer Vinay Virmani stars as Rajveer, a young Sikh who, despite his father’s annoyance, forms his own hockey team of guys who sport turbans instead of helmets. He makes a charming lead opposite fetching love interest Camilla Belle. However, the pandering film seems more intent on stuffing itself with clichés and unnecessary cameos (seriously, what are Drake and Ludacris doing here?) than creating something genuine. 100 min. nn (RS) Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Grande Yonge, Queensway, Yonge & Dundas 24

cAptAin AmericA: the First Avenñger

(Joe Johnston) starts out as a riproaring adventure yarn and an entertaining origin story for Marvel’s all-American hero, with appealing lead Chris Evans, inventive Second World War action sequences and genuine spectacle. But in the last act, the screenwriters compress what feels like months of story into a couple of reels in order to get Cap into the 21st century – just in time for next summer’s Avengers movie. At least the 3-D is decent this time out. 125 min. nnnn (NW) Interchange 30, Scotiabank Theatre

Opens Oct 21 at the Projection Booth (see Indie & Rep Film, page 89).

colombiAnA (Olivier Megaton) rises above its overworked action story about an assassin (Zoe Saldana) who avenges her parents’ death to become enjoyable light entertainment thanks to smart directing and a clever hero. Clever set pieces, lively pace and sharp visuals. 107 min. nnn (AD) Interchange 30 contAgion (Steven Soderbergh) is a disease procedural about the Center for Disease Control’s response to the outbreak of an unknown virus with the potential to kill millions. Soderbergh keeps the action zipping along like a thriller with short, sharp scenes, purely visual storytelling and liberal use of pounding music. 105 min. nnn (AD) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colos sus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Queens way, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24 courAgeous (Alex Kendrick) is a Chris-

tian-themed film about police officers dealing with faith and fatherhood. 130 min. Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre

ñcrAzY, stupid, love.

(Glenn Ficarra, John Requa) does for the rom-com genre what directors Ficarra and Requa’s I Love You Phillip Morris did for the caper picture, revitalizing a well-worn formula with intelligence, charm and clever storytelling. Steve Carell fleshes out his 40-YearOld Virgin haplessness nicely, but it’s Ryan Gosling’s blossoming romance with savvy young lawyer Emma Stone that gives the movie its best moments. 118 min. nnnn (NW) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Courtney Park 16, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Interchange 30, Kingsway Theatre, Queens way, Yonge & Dundas 24

cAts & dogs: the revenge oF kittY gAlore (Brad Peyton) is a sequel that only

deAd dreAms (Josh Koffman) is too bland and forgettable to merit much thought. Koffman clearly intended to make a mindbending thriller with a fractured narrative, but lacked the time, resources and talent to pull it off. The suspense and intrigue in his dream logic murder-mystery just aren’t there, made all the more apparent by a soundtrack composed of public-domain music already used in superior genre movies like The Shining. 92 min. n (Phil Brown) Yonge & Dundas 24

ñcAve oF Forgotten dreAms

the debt (John Madden) has plot holes all over the place – no one notices spies smuggling a body into an apartment, for example – but it’s an effective nail-biter. Three Mossad agents return to Israel as heroes after they’ve tracked down and killed a Nazi war criminal. Or have they? The Debt features a fascinating moral dilemma, but that doesn’t surface till way late, so the

infrequently sets its sights on spy-movie spoofery, preferring instead a string of dopey puns and low-impact animal chases. The action is indifferent and the jokes unfunny. 85 min. nn (NW) Grande Yonge (Werner Herzog) is a hypnotic 3-D documentary that presents the 33,000year-old paintings discovered in the Chauvet Pont d’Arc cave as though we were standing 4 feet away from them. Experts explain the historical value of the cave, but director Herzog’s contemplative narration is all we really need. That, and some closing footage of mutant albino crocodiles. Some subtitles. 95 min. nnnn (NW) Mt Pleasant

ñcircumstAnce

(Maryam Keshavarz) tracks two teenage girls (Nikohl Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy) struggling with Iran’s social strictures and a fundamentalist brother as they embark on a sexual relationship. Director Keshavarz expertly evokes Tehran’s dance club underground – hear great Iranian hip-hop – where the young women and their friends find fleeting freedom. A sequence in which an Iranian American helps them dub the film Milk ingeniously encapsulates Circumstance’s pro-sex themes. Brian Rigney Hubbard’s cinematography give the film an airy feeling at the beginning but grows increasingly claustrophobic. Look for Toronto theatre director Soheil Parsa, terrific as a father of one of the girls, desperately trying to keep his family from crumbling. Winner of the Audience Choice award at Sundance. Subtitled. 105 min. nnnn (SGC) Carlton Cinema, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk

continued on page 82 œ

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CARL BESSAI, CANADA, 2011, 86 MIN, ENGLISH, RATED 14A

Carl Bessai returns to Rendezvous with Madness with a comedic, endearing look at dysfunctional families and the bonds that hold them together. Featuring an ensemble cast including Glee’s Cory Monteith, and Corner Gas’ Gabrielle Miller. Director in Attendance. TIX: WWW.RENDEZVOUSWITH MADNESS.COM INFO: 416 583 4606 GALA TICKETS: $30

ñcitY oF liFe And deAth (NW)

(Lu Chuan) 135 min. See review, page 89. nnnn

NOW october 20-26 2011

movie reviews œcontinued from page 81

film isn’t nearly as weighty as it wants to be. It’s really just a thriller with superb performances, especially by Helen Mirren as the agent whose daughter has written a book about the case, and Tom Wilkinson as the spymaster who fears for his reputation. Watch for the scene where one of the spies gets a gynecological exam. Totally terrifying. 112 min. NNN (SGC) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Interchange 30, Kennedy Commons 20, Kingsway Theatre

in a game where their fates are determined by the role of a die. 90 min. Opens Oct 21 at Carlton Cinema.

DIRTY GIRL (Abe Sylvia) 106 min. See interview and review, page 77. NNN (SGC) Opens Oct 21 at Yonge & Dundas 24.

DOLPHIN TALE (Charles Martin Smith) is a clichéd and overlong inspirational film about a young boy (Nathan Gamble) who helps to rehabilitate an injured dolphin. DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF Sloppily paced and illogically plotted, the THE PHANTOM FLAME (Tsui Hark) is a film does boast some good performances and cute animal antics, but adults will find thriller, an action movie, an effects-heavy it a long sit. 113 min. NN (Andrew Parker) mythical adventure and even a little bit of a 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Canada love story. In short, it’s every sort of film Square, Colossus, Courtney director Tsui has made Park 16, Eglinton Town in the past, all rolled Centre, Grande - Steeles, together into one. Set EXPANDED REVIEWS Kennedy Commons 20, in a slightly fantastic nowtoronto.com Queensway, Rainbow seventh century China Woodbine, Scotiabank where talking animals Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, and gender transmogrification are taken in SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, stride by the population, it feels at times SilverCity Yorkdale like an Asian version of Guy Ritchie’s Sher-

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lock Holmes, where the eponymous sleuth (Andy Lau) is a hyper-competent martial arts master as well as a brilliant strategist and forensic investigator. As with most of Tsui’s films, any shortcomings in pacing and tone are made up for in enthusiasm and style. There’s enough plot for three features, and Andy Lau is his usual dynamic self as the resourceful Dee. And Tsui is finally learning how to integrate digital effects into his movies, rather than stopping the show to goggle at them; the scale of the extended climax is pretty amazing. Subtitled. 123 min. NNNN (NW) Scotiabank Theatre

Meet stars Doug McGrath and Jayne Eastwood, and director Don Shebib before the Sunday 4:30 show.

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DIE (Dominic James) is a Canadian-made thriller about strangers forced to take part

DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN (Donald Shebib) 84 min. See review, page 78. N (NW) Opens Oct 21 at Varsity.

DREAM HOUSE (Jim Sheridan) is a big ol’ mess of a movie. Sheridan’s skill with character dramas doesn’t translate to semisupernatural thrillers. The endless production troubles that delayed the release for months should have been taken as a sign that the film wasn’t meant to be seen. 100 min. N (Phil Brown) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Interchange 30, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

AIM_NOW_Oct20_3x5_DOWN Allied Integrated Marketing 3.833” x 5.542”

ñDRIVE

(Nicolas Winding Refn) is a solid riff on stylish 80s brooders like Michael Mann’s Thief and William Friedkin’s To Live And Die In L.A. As a stunt driver who moonlights as a wheelman for hire, Ryan Gosling finds the middle ground between Steve McQueen and a Terminator, but Albert Brooks walks off with the picture as a gimlet-eyed heavy with a fondness for edged weapons. 100 min. NNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Canada Square, Coliseum Mississauga, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, Varsity

ñ50/50

(Jonathan Levine) is a shaggy and entertaining buddy movie that just happens to have life-or-death stakes, based as it is on screenwriter Will Reiser’s own experiences. Diagnosed with a rare spinal tumour, a journalist in his late 20s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, playing a version of Reiser) copes with chemo and counselling while his best friend (Seth Rogen, essentially playing himself) provides some very inappropriate moral support. Gordon-Levitt is terrific, and Anna Kendrick is great as his novice therapist. (Bryce Dallas Howard goes a bit broad as his shallow girlfriend, though.) Director Levine forgoes the slickness of All The Boys Love Mandy Lane and The Wackness for a grungy immediacy that serves the story well. 99 min. NNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Grande Yonge, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale

FOOTLOOSE (Craig Brewer) is a slavish re-

make of a movie that wasn’t all that good to begin with. Kenny Wormald steps into Kevin Bacon’s dancing shoes as Ren, a twinkle-toed teen from Boston who moves to a Southern city where partying is outlawed. As in the original, Ren gets on the wrong side of the preacher who helped impose these laws (Dennis Quaid) while falling for his wild daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough, a comely mix of bootylicious and small town sweety). Ren has a local cop on his case (for playing loud music), as well as Ariel’s redneck ex. These characters were already clichés in the 80s, which makes you wonder why director Brewer treads so close to the original in this lead-footed and anachronistic remake. Wormald (a charmless actor but a very capable dancer) sticks to Bacon’s old moves, which aren’t exactly a thrill in the age of Step Up and How She Move. Some might excuse it as an homage. I think it’s just lazy. 113 min. N (RS) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Grande - Yonge, Interchange 30, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

FRENCH IMMERSION (Kevin Tierney) re-

For complete listing and schedule please visit www.diasporafilmfest.com Find us on FaceBook: International Diaspora Film Festival 2011 Follow us on Twitter @diasporafest

OCTOBER 20-26 2011 NOW

vives the subject that made Bon Cop, Bad Cop (which director/co-writer Tierney produced) a local hit. The clash between anglophones and francophones is ripe territory for comedy, but it doesn’t yield fruit here. A northern Quebec town has as its primary industry a linguistic institute that teaches ignorant anglophones to speak French. The whole community gets in on the act, boarding students in their homes and flagging them on the streets for speaking English. The characters have as much nuance as Rob Ford’s rhetoric, with the singular exception of Karine Vanasse, who exudes charm in a movie that has very little of its own. Some subtitles. 100 min. N (RS) Cumberland 4

GAINSBOURG (Joann Sfar) recounts the life

of French cultural icon Serge Gainsbourg, whose ennui-laced musical stylings defined European cool for a generation raised on jazz and Godard. Graphic novelist Sfar tries to cram so much into 130 minutes that the effect is exhausting. Subtitled. 130 min. NN (NW) Canada Square

GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE is a documentary about the rock star, from his breakthrough in heavy metal group Black Sabbath to his solo career and sobriety. 100 min. Oct 26, 7 pm, at Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview

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GREEN LANTERN (Martin Campbell) lets

Ryan Reynolds play the roguish rookie Hal Jordan, a test pilot recruited into the universe-policing Green Lantern Corps. There’s enough story for a trilogy here, and without a singular vision to drive it, Green Lantern quickly deteriorates into a jumble of storylines, characters, exposition and explosions. 114 min. NN (NW) Grande - Yonge

THE GUARD (John Michael Mc-

Donagh) is showy, smart and hysterically funny, which is no mean feat for a movie about a small-town Garda sergeant (Brendan Gleeson) and an FBI agent (Don Cheadle) on the trail of a drug-smuggling ring in rural Ireland. Damned if it isn’t one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. 96 min. NNNNN (NW) Cumberland 4, Kennedy Commons 20

POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 ñHARRY

(David Yates) serves not just as the second half of the Deathly Hallows story, but as the climax to the entire Harry Potter saga – and it delivers, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) working their way back to Hogwarts for a final battle with the forces of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). See it in 2-D if you can. 130 min. NNNN (NW) Coliseum Mississauga, Kennedy Commons 20

THE HELP (Tate Taylor) is a successful adap-

tation of Kathryn Stockett’s mega-selling novel thanks to another powerful performance by Viola Davis (Doubt) as a maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who agrees to share her story with an upstart journalist. Too bad the junior league matrons exploiting the help play their parts to stereotypically shrieking heights. 137 min. NNN (SGC) Canada Square, Grande - Yonge, Interchange 30, Kennedy Commons 20, Kingsway Theatre, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

HIGHER GROUND (Vera Farmiga) stars director Farmiga as a woman who develops major doubts while living in a born-again Christian community. Farmiga expertly captures the internal conflict between the lover of creativity and the quasibeliever, and Dagmara Dominczyk is compelling as her free-spirited friend. Fascinating. 114 min. NNNN (SGC) Carlton Cinema

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Adewale AkinnuoyeAgbaje and others wonder who’s a monster in this worthy prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter classic.

Nikohl Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy play teenage girls living in Tehran who embark on a sexual relationship in this sensitive, beautifully shot winner of Sundance’s Audience Choice Award.

a hopey-changey Democratic governor (Clooney) through the Ohio presidential primary. The plot’s a Mamety mixture of betrayal, disillusionment and high-stakes brinksmanship, but it’s performed by a cast working at peak efficiency. Clooney, Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman are so good, and so good together, that I didn’t mind being a step ahead of their characters throughout the entire running time. 100 min. NNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Grande - Yonge, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow

This white-knuckle psychological thriller will provoke debate. Michael Shannon delivers an awardsworthy turn as a man who thinks he’s either losing his mind or witnessing the Apocalypse.

Hugh Jackman plays a boxerturned-robotpromoter who’s put in charge of a son he barely knows. Familiar story, but done with warmth and lots of energy. And the kid’s pretty good, too.

Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

THE INTERRUPTERS (Steve James) chron-

icles a year in the neighbourhoods of south Chicago, where an organization called CeaseFire does its best to defuse street hostilities by literally interrupting confrontations before they escalate into violence. It’s noble work that comes with considerable risk, and there are moments when The Interrupters feels like a real-life version of The Wire, with weary heroes trudging forever uphill to make their ugly world a slightly better place. But director James (Hoop

continued on page 84 œ

HORRIBLE BOSSES (Seth Gordon)

casts Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as put-upon wage slaves who decide to murder their repugnant employers (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston), only to see their clockwork plan go sideways almost immediately. It’s a devilishly smart farce disguised as a really, really dumb one, with Sudeikis and Day turning their Going The Distance buddy act into a perpetual joke machine. 97 min. NNNN (NW) Colossus, Interchange 30, Kennedy Commons 20, Kingsway Theatre

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HOUSE OF BOYS (Jean-Claude Schlim) is a coming-of-age film about a high school runaway in 1984 who ends up in a burlesque house in Amsterdam just as AIDS begins appearing. 113 min. Carlton Cinema I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT (Douglas McGrath) is a harmless trifle that must have been written in someone’s sleep. Sarah Jessica Parker plays an investment adviser who can’t spend five minutes a day with her two children and yummy hubby (Greg Kinnear). The movie takes no risks and refuses to raise the stakes. 95 min. NN (SGC) Interchange 30, Kennedy Commons 20, Yonge & Dundas 24

Watch the trailer at nfb.ca/wieboswar

THE IDES OF MARCH (George

Clooney) is a nimble adaptation of Beau Willimon’s stage play Farragut North, about the ideological deflowering of a campaign strategist (Ryan Gosling) as he ushers

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Statham plays a contract killer who comes out of retirement to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro), held hostage by a vengeful Sheikh. The assassination attempts and getaways provide some worthwhile distractions, but the movie shoots for grit and depth that’s way out of its reach. 105 min. NN (RS) Canada Square, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Grande - Yonge, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

S M L I F H S PIOTHLEINGLISH SUBTITLES W

thE lioN KiNg 3D (Roger Allers, Rob

Minkoff) is a re-release in 3-D of the iconic animated film about a death, love and courage on the African veldt. 87 min. 401 & Morningside, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Queensway, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

Ekran 2011 3RD ANNUAL

ñMaRgaREt

(Kenneth Lonergan) proves that Anna Paquin’s Oscar was no fluke. She plays a private school student Lisa, a reactive bundle of emotions whose alienation deepens when she’s involved in – in fact, may have caused – a bus accident and the victim dies in her arms. Then she lies to the police about it. Guilt-ridden, she contacts the victim’s best friend (a superb Jeannie Berlin) and attempts to make the driver (Mark Ruffalo) pay for his carelessness. This emotionally intense drama could have been a mess. Lonergan takes on mother-daughter relationships, post-9/11 angst, moral accountability and a whack of other stuff – including Mideast tensions. But thanks to a spectacular Paquin and Lonergan’s trademark acute observational skill, Margaret is intelligent, absorbing and fully worthy of its lengthy running time. 149 min. NNNN (SGC) Cumberland 4

TORONTO POLISH FILM FESTIVAL OCT. 21 ST TO 23 RD @ THE REVUE

Let’s toast Anna Faris, who’s fantastic in What’s Your Number?

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MiDNight iN PaRis (Woody Allen) casts Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams as an engaged couple vacationing in Paris, where at midnight, a vintage cab picks up a wandering Wilson and takes him back in time to meet the great artists of the 20s. It’s a pleasurable narrative hook, but the message that life is best lived in the present tense is too banal to make us care. 94 min. NN (SGC) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre

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Dreams, Stevie) never really digs into the social and cultural factors that have created the environment CeaseFire is trying to change – the hopelessness, the lack of decent employment, the posturing machismo that demands bloody reprisal for the slightest hint of disrespect. A longer version that played the festival circuit reportedly addressed some of that, but this cut doesn’t,

and that’s a problem that becomes increasingly hard to ignore as the movie goes on. Some subtitles. 125 min. NNN (NW) TIFF Bell Lightbox

JohNNy ENglish REboRN (Oliver Parker) 101 min. See review, page 78. NN (Phil Brown) Opens Oct 21 at 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Grande Yonge, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24.

KillER ElitE (Gary McKendry) is a B-movie that tries to take itself seriously. Jason

MoNEyball (Bennett Miller) makes an en-

tertaining if undistinguished sports movie out of Michael Lewis’s book about GM Billy Beane’s revolutionary statistics-based redesign of the 2002 Oakland As. Screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin ingeniously structure the story as an underdog tale of a manager who believes in his players (even though he really believes in their stats). Brad Pitt plays Beane, a former ballplayer whose unorthodox decisions rub the stodgy management – including Philip Seymour Hoffman at his most sullen – the wrong way. Jonah Hill is convincingly ill at ease as a bookish composite of the statisticians on whom Beane relied. It’s charming enough, though the midsection sags and the ending goes on about three beats

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october 20-26 2011 NOW

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Top ten of the year nnnn = Honourable mention nnn = Entertaining nn = Mediocre n = Bomb

longer than it should. 126 min. NNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Grande - Yonge, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, Varsity

ñPROJECT NIM

(James Marsh) charts the odyssey of Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee raised among humans as part of a Columbia University linguistics experiment, which, as Man On Wire director Marsh reveals, was undermined by stunning arrogance and incompetence. An astonishing, heart-wrenching story, recounted in one of the year’s best documentaries. 99 min. NNNNN (NW) Carlton Cinema

1911 (Jackie Chan, Zhang Li) fires so much information at you so quickly that if you don’t already know the story of the Chinese Revolution of 1911 and must rely on subtitles, you’re left with a string of scenes that REAL STEEL (Shawn Levy) has surprising only occasionally work. Revolutionaries Dr. heart and intelligence for a movie about a Sun Yat Sen (Winston Chao) and Huang father and son who bond over outsized Xing (director Chan) rise up because the games of Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots. Some corrupt and incompetent Qing government of it comes from the script, which applies and the half-dozen foreign powers looting the usual boxing-movie arcs of underdogs the land are destroying China. The former and aging heroes to a near-future world goes abroad to raise funds where robots have rewhile the latter fights. placed human fighters as Chan turns in a solid champions of carnage, EXPANDED REVIEWS performance, but the but the bulk of the movmovie really belongs to nowtoronto.com ie’s soul is supplied by Chao, who delivers Dr. Hugh Jackman as a forSun’s high-minded mer boxer-turned-robotspeeches like he’s saying them for the first promoter who grudgingly takes charge of time. Subtitled. 118 min. NNN (AD) the son he barely knows (Dakota Goyo) TIFF Bell Lightbox after the the boy’s mother dies. Stuck together for a summer, the two find a PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (Henry Joost, junked robot and rebuild him into a conAriel Schulman) 81 min. See Also Opening, tender – bonding along the way. It’s utterly page 79. predictable, but Levy hits his marks with Opens Oct 21 at 401 & Morningside, Beach warmth and energy, letting Jackman sell us Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Missison the emotions and the effects. And the sauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, kid’s pretty good, too. 127 min. NNN (NW) Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, ColiEmpire Theatres at Empress Walk, Grande seum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Promenade, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge Grande - Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Mar& Dundas 24 ket Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ALBERT Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity HALL - LIVE is an encore broadcast from Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity London’s Albert Hall of the 25th anniversary Yorkdale production of the popular musical, starring REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR (Chris Canadian Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Paine) is the director’s follow-up to his 2006 Boggess in the leads. 180 min. documentary Who Killed The Electric Car? Oct 22, 1 pm, at Coliseum Mississauga, ColiNow that environmentally conscious seum Scarborough, Grande - Yonge, vehicles are easier to market, Paine can take Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity a victory lap and follow the companies Yonge

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racing to be first to market with their own hybrids and entirely electric cars. (Most compelling: Tesla Motors, run by colourful PayPal founder Elon Musk.) It’s a more linear and coherent work than its predecessor, but it lacks the passion and outrage which made that film seem so urgent. Maybe that’s just an indication of how the landscape has evolved. Some subtitles. 90 min. NNN (NW) Yonge & Dundas 24

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Rupert

Wyatt) follows a genius Alzheimer’s researcher (James Franco) who raises a superintelligent chimp (performed though the magic of motion capture by Andy Serkis), who’ll grow up to lead a rebellion of similarly enhanced primates. Stuff happens, but none of it is anchored to anything that makes any kind of sense. 105 min. NN (NW) Coliseum Mississauga, Scotiabank Theatre

SARAH’S KEY (Gilles Paquet-Brenner) is a Holocaust drama for the same audience that bought into the painfully discreet depiction of war crimes in The Reader; anything that might convey some genuine horror is delicately avoided. Kristin Scott Thomas is largely wasted as a contemporary journalist; her framing story means absolutely nothing. Some subtitles. 102 min. NN (NW) Carlton Cinema, Interchange 30

ñSENNA

(Asif Kapadia) tracks the Brazilian Formula 1 driver Ayrton from his first Grand Prix to his final, fatal race in San Marino. It never lags, thanks to a refreshing absence of standard talking-head interviews. Each race depicted comes with its own set of challenges, whether a title is on the line or some heated personal drama raises the stakes. A focused nuts-and-bolts tribute that’s engineered to thrill. 104 min. NNNN (RS) Carlton Cinema, Regent Theatre

THE SMURFS IN 3D (Raja Gosnell) is a bland

and largely unfunny attempt to capture the joy of Peyo’s comics and the 1980s animated series. The Smurfs themselves are dull continued on page 86 œ

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œcontinued from page 85

and uninspired, as is the human cast, with the exception of Hank Azaria as the evil Gargamel. 103 min. NN (Andrew Parker) Interchange 30

Spy KidS: All The Time iN The World

(Robert Rodriguez) doesn’t live up to its scratch-and-sniff card gimmick, but it still manages to be entertaining and inventive. Kids will have fun watching a new trio of child secret agents try to save the world’s time. Adults will appreciate enjoyable performances by the likes of Jeremy Piven and Joel McHale. 89 min. NNN (Andrew Parker) Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Kennedy Commons 20

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STArbucK (Ken Scott) follows David, a fuck-up who discovers that he fathered 533 kids after donating sperm in his youth. Those grown children are taking legal avenues to find their father, while David secretly plays guardian angel in their lives. Preposterous, manipulative and saccharine, Starbuck has all the ingredients for a surefire crowd-pleaser. Subtitled. 109 min. NN (RS) Cumberland 4

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STrAW dogS (Rod Lurie) stars James Marsden and Kate Bosworth as a couple who move to her backwater Mississippi hometown, where a quartet of local good ole boys, headed by the wife’s ex-boyfriend, terrorize them The clumsy suspenser drags out its buildup to no good purpose and fails to provide its leads with much character. 110 min. NN (AD) Colossus, Interchange 30

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nowtoronto.com REVIEWS, LISTINGS, CONTESTS AND MOR E

ñTAKe ShelTer

(Jeff Nichols) reunites Shotgun Stories director Nichols with star Michael Shannon – who’s since gone on to earn an Oscar nomination for his scene-stealing turn in Revolutionary Road – for a piercing character study of a husband and father who starts having apocalyptic dreams every night. Is it displaced economic anxiety or is there a much more terrifying explanation? Jessica Chastain has some fine moments as the confused wife, but Shannon’s wrenching performance is the film; he conveys the uncertain terror of a man who’d almost prefer to be losing his

mind if it meant the rest of the world could keep going. 121 min. NNNN (NW) Varsity

ñThe ThiNg

(Matthijs van Heijningen) has no intention of improving on John Carpenter’s 1982 classic or even impinging on it; instead, it sidles up to the material, nudges it over the tiniest bit and plops down alongside it to tell the story of humanity’s first encounter with the bodystealing alien, a week before the events of Carpenter’s film. Scott Pilgrim’s Mary Elizabeth Winstead makes a compelling hero, and even when he doesn’t quite stick the landing, director van Heijningen is always trying to do justice to the source material. He’s not appropriating Carpenter’s style, but saluting his attitude – walking around in the universe of a movie he truly loves and adding to that universe in a way that not only honours the original, but reminds us why it deserves to be honoured in the first place. Some subtitles. 103 min. NNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Grande - Yonge, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

30 miNuTeS or leSS (Ruben Fleischer) may

be the shabbiest, shruggiest heist movie ever made, but it’s enjoyable enough on its own very modest terms. Two Grand Rapids thugs (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) rig a pizza delivery guy (Jesse Eisenberg) with a vest bomb and order him to rob a bank. This plays out precisely as far as it will go. 82 min. NNN (NW) Coliseum Mississauga, Interchange 30

The Three muSKeTeerS (Paul W.S. Anderson) 110 min. See review, page 78. NNN (RS) Opens Oct 21 at 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Coliseum Mississauga, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Grande Steeles, Kennedy Commons 20, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale. The uNTiTled WorK of pAul ShepArd

(Jeremy Lalonde) is a feature about a documentary filmmaker (Kris Holden-Ried) who looks at his own life to examine modernday relationships. 103 min. Opens Oct 21 at Carlton Cinema.

nowtoronto.com

We Were here (David Weissman) is a

REVIEWS, LISTINGS, CONTESTS

straightforward and informative doc about the rise of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. Director Weissman centres on five subjects whose lives were radically changed during that time. They range from a female nurse and a male volunteer working on the front lines of treatment to a politician dealing with mobilizing the city around issues like safe sex, quarantine and access to experimental drugs. The heart of the film, however, belongs to Daniel Goldstein, an HIV positive artist who watched most of his friends and two long-term partners lose their struggle with AIDS. Rich archival material and many inspiring tales of courage and compassion make this a worthy document of a difficult era. 90 min. NNN (GS) Carlton Cinema

ñWhAT’S your Number?

(Mark Mylod) is a romantic-comedy showcase for Anna Faris that doesn’t try to sand down her rough, weird edges. As a newly single, newly jobless Bostonian who enlists the help of the cad across the hall (Chris Evans) to look up her ex-boyfriends, Faris employs the curveball timing she displayed in Smiley Face and The House Bunny in a film that allows her to play an actual human being. The script provides a steady supply of offcentre observations and one-liners and nicely subverts most of the rom-com clichés, and director Mylod fills the supporting cast with engaging comic performers, including Ari Graynor, Joel McHale and Faris’s real-life husband, Chris Pratt. What’s Your Number? occasionally sags when it hews too closely to the genre it’s mocking, but Faris pulls it back from the edge with a well-timed blurt. She’s just that good. 106 min. NNNN (NW) Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Empire Theatres at Empress Walk, Grande - Steeles, Interchange 30, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale

ñThe WhiSTlebloWer

(Larysa Kondracki) is a movie that despite some storytelling flaws needs to be seen because of its subject matter: sex trafficking. Rachel Weisz turns in a fierce performance as Kathryn Bolkovac, a UN peacekeeper in Bosnia who discovers a horrific sex trade involving UN officials. It’s a solid thriller that, like Bolkovac, never loses sight of what’s most important: the victims. 100 min. NNNN (RS) Kingsway Theatre, Mt Pleasant

Wiebo’S WAr (David York) See review, page 78. NNNNN (SGC) Opens Oct 21 at the Royal (see Indie & Rep Film, page 89).

The WomeN oN The 6Th floor (Philippe

Le Guay) 104 min. See review, page 78. NN (SGC) Opens Oct 21 at Cumberland 4. 3

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