NOW_2013-12-12

NEWS

FORD VIDEO SCANDAL MADE EASY 14

ISLAND AIRPORT WILL KILL YA 16

GIFT GUIDE

TICK, TICK… TIME TO TICK OFF YOUR LIST 29

FRESH SNOW

TRANSCENDENT INSTRUMENTALISTS STORM LONG WINTER FEST 64

EVERYTHING TORONTO. EVERY WEEK.

53

MOVIES

DECEMBER 12-18, 2013 • ISSUE 1664 VOL. 33 NO. 15 MORE ONLINE DAILY @ nowtoronto.com 32 INDEPENDENT YEARS

THE ULTIMATE PARTY PLANNER

MUSIC

PUNK VETS ENOUGH VILETONES’ ALREADY WITH LAST STAND 68 THE HOBBIT 84

FREE

NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE

SOKNACKI RUN BOOSTS CHOW 18

50FACES 50 STORIES DRAKE

DRAKE

50 TOP SMALL + MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2014

We’re proud to be one of Canada’s TOP SMALL + MEDIUM EMPLOYERS 2014. Hear some of our favourite Drake memories + find out what it’s like to be part of the team at www.thedrake.ca/50faces

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CONTENTS 64 FRESH SNOW

64 Instrumental listening Toronto rockers forge new tracks 66 Top 5 reasons to love Long Winter

A BARRA MACNEILS CHRISTMAS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JOEL PLASKETT, JENN GRANT, AND BETTE MACDONALD & MAYNARD MORRISON

THURS, DEC 12 8PM • RTH

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND

CREOLE CHRISTMAS

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– ROLLING STONE

RAFFI

#BELUGAGRADS CONCERT SAT FEB 01 1PM & 4PM • RTH Proceeds benefit the Centre for Child Honouring

Photo by Michael Watier

10 NEWS

12 Frontlines Mandela and me 18 David Soknacki The sleeper in 2014 Rob Ford Deplorable Everyman 22 Cop budget Should Ford have a say?

14 Crackgate Bribes, kidnapping, murder 24 By-election rewind ’Crats in Rosedale 16 Island airport Health report

22 DAILY EVENTS 29 Perfect presents Suggestions for your favourite hipster, stoner, self-declared slut, and more gifts at every price point

Hosted By

G

29 GIFT GUIDE

TUE, DEC 31 2013 7:30PM • MH

47 LIFE&STYLE 49 FOOD&DRINK

JEREMY HOTZ

47 Alt health Dry skin details Astrology 48 Ecoholic Eco-friendly gifts, dandruff tips and more

Starring: JESSICA KIRSON & MIKE MACDONALD

49 Reviews Jazz Bistro, Hoosier Daddy’s 51 Recently reviewed 52 Drink up!

53 NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE 53 Party planner All the events, club gigs and outdoor action blasting us off into 2014

Contact NOW Michael Hollett

Alice Klein

Pam Stephen

And The Musical Stylings Of: JAYMZ BEE & BONZAI SUZUKI

Editorial

Entertainment Administrator Desiree D’Lima

Marketing/Advertising Sales

Art

Phone 416-364-1300 X381 or email advertising@nowtoronto.com Director, Display Advertising Sales Gary Olesinski Research Analyst/Sales Operations Manager Rhonda Loubert Senior Marketing Executives Bill Malcolm, Janice Copeland, Barbara Hefler, Jennifer Hudson Marketing Representatives Meaghan Brophy, Bonte Minnema, Briony Douglas, David Kennedy Marketing Coordinators Joanne Begg, Stacy Reardon, Jane Stockwell

MH = MASSEY HALL

RTH = ROY THOMSON HALL

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

WGT = WINTER GARDEN THEATRE

Supported in part by

CALL 416-872-4255 masseyhall.com I roythomson.com

4

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

Also Featuring: JOHN HASTINGS, GRAHAM KAY, DAVE MERHEJE, DARCY MICHAEL, ALEX PAVONE, CHRISTINA WALKINSHAW

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

SoundboardTO SOUNDBOARD.CA

SoundboardTO

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

EDITOR/CEO

VP, Creative Director Troy Beyer Art Director Stephen Chester Graphic/Web Designer Michelle Wong Photo Coordinator Jeanette Forsythe

Production Director Of Production/IT Greg Lockhart Production Supervisor Sharon Arnott Assistant Production Supervisor Jay Dart Designers Ted Smith, Donna Parrish (Editorial), Clayton Hanmer, Monica Miller Publishing Systems Manager Rudi Garcia Publishing Technology Jason Bartlett

nowtoronto.com Online Editor John Semley Interactive Producer Leah Herrera Web/Mobile Developer Adner Francisco

GENERAL MANAGER

Classifieds Sales Phone 416-364-3444 or email classifieds@nowtoronto.com

Adult Classifieds Sales Phone 416-364-1500

DECEMBER 12 – 18

ONLINE

58 MUSIC

58 The Scene Bare Mutants, Julie Doiron, Leon Redbone, King Krule 61 Interview Gorguts; T.O. Notes 62 Club & concert listings 68 Interview Viletones 70 Interview Charles Bradley 72 Interview Dog Day 73 Album reviews

D

G

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

1. Kids stay in the picture People seemed to like our oral history of The Kids in the Hall. Missed it? Read it!

2. Us vs. them How Rob Ford managed to control the narrative by attempting to discredit the media.

3. Sylvia Stalin? Doug Ford explains Pravda to a bunch of journalists. And gets it 100 per cent wrong.

4. Black in the saddle Conrad Black and Rob Ford play verbal patty-cake on Zoomer TV interview. A joke.

5. Up all night to Ford/Farley We round up the top 10 celebs who look like Rob Ford. You’ll never guess who made the cut!

74 STAGE G

74 Comedy interview Impulse Festival’s Naomi Snieckus and Matt Baram ; Comedy listings 75 Theatre preview Elizabeth-Darcy’s Hallie Burt and Kate Werneburg; Theatre listings 76 Theatre reviews Repetitive Strain Injury; The Tin Drum; Danny And The Deep Blue Sea 77 Dance listings

78 BOOKS

79 ART

Review Every Little Thing Readings

Coming this week

Review Geoffrey Farmer Must-see galleries and museums

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

80 MOVIES

80 Retrospective Spirited Away: The Films Of Studio Ghibli ; Reviews The Pervert’s Guide To Ideology; Saving Mr. Banks; The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug; The Wagner Files; The Crash Reel; The Punk Syndrome; André Gregory; Friend 2: The Legacy; Antisocial; The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers 86 Also opening Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas; Her 88 Playing this week 96 Film times 98 Indie & rep listings Plus Blood Brother at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema 99 Blu-ray/DVD The Wolverine; Fast & Furious 6; Despicable Me 2; Jayne Mansfield’s Car G

On Wednesday, Canada Post announced it was cutting door-to-door service in urban areas. Pandemonium!

“Drone sales skyrocket in major centers as Canada Post cuts urban mail delivery!” @NICKCHARNEY

“Where does Canada Post do “doorto-door” service anyway? Shouldn’t it be “red-box-to-door” service?” @SIMONCOTT

FOLLOW NOW ON TWITTER @NOWTORONTO

NOW ON THE MOVE

100 CLASSIFIED 100 Crossword 100 Employment 102 Rentals/real estate

Get NOW Magazine on your... iPad Get NOW delivered straight to

104 Adult classifieds 119 Savage Love

your iPad with our slick app. Download free from iTunes! eReader Flip through NOW Magazine on your favourite tablet with our ePub edition.

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Audited circulation 104,072 (Oct 10 - Sept 11) ISSN 0712-1326 Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 298441.

*PMB SPRING 2013

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

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Senior Marketing Executive Beverlee East Marketing Representatives Christian Ismodes, Scott Strachan, Gary McGregor, Nathan Stokes

Mario Christmas, Mario! Our Sore Thumbs columnist looks at the true meaning of Christmas (games).

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NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

5

December 12-26 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

12

13

funk/soul singer just can’t get enough of Toronto. Kool Haus.

Doors 8 pm, all ages. $25.50.

RT, SS, TF.

legends play their last show ever. Phoenix. Doors 8 pm. $26.25. TM. +saving mr. banks The factbased film about how Walt ­Disney (Tom Hanks) acquired the rights of the book Mary Poppins from author P.L. ­Travers (Emma Thompson) opens today.

+Charles Bradley The lively

+guillermo del toro on

castle in the sky The director introduces the Hayao Miyazaki film and gives a post-screening talk as part of TIFF Bell Lightbox’s Studio Ghibli series. 7 pm. $20-$22.75. 416-599-TIFF.

Death from Above 1979 make noise at the Danforth Music Hall, Dec 26

15

+elizabeth-darcy This two-

person­adaptation of Jane Austen’s­Pride And Prejudice returns to Campbell House after its sold-out Fringe ­Toronto run. 2 pm. To Dec 29. $20. totix.ca. venus in fur Canadian Stage’s hit production of the sexy two-hander about a playwright looking for his leading lady returns in the much more intimate Berkeley Street ­Theatre. To Dec 29. 1 and 7 pm. $29-$59. 416-368-3110.

16

BeyoncÉ Mrs. Carter’s world tour stops at the Air Canada Centre. 8 pm. $63.25-$286.25.

LN. parfumerie Soulpepper’s ­beloved adaptation of the Miklós László play about two bickering shop clerks who are ­unknowingly corresponding with each other continues at the Young Centre until Dec 28.

1:30 and 7:30 pm. $51-$68.

416-866-8666.

17

18

band shocked us by returning after a 12-year silence with the powerful, dynamic Colored Sands. Annex Wreckroom. $20.

RT, TF. once Performances continue for this Tony Award-winning musical about a Dublin busker and a Czech emigrée. 8 pm. To Jan 5 at the Royal Alexandra. $35-$130. 416-872-1212.

film about a lonely man (Joaquin­Phoenix) who falls in love with his computer’s ­operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) opens ­today. the musical of musicals The musical told in the individual styles of five well-known ­composers begins performances tonight at the Panasonic.

8 pm. To Jan 5. $19-$79. 416872-1212.

+Gorguts The death metal

her Spike Jonze’s bittersweet

23

24

25

Yeezus makes up for his cancelled November shows with two dates at the Air ­Canada Centre. 7:30 pm. $51.75$162.25. TM. And Dec 23.

WEATHER THE WEATHER Haley McGee’s new all-ages play about getting home for the holidays continues at ­Evergreen Brick Works until Dec 30. 8 pm. $12.50-$32.

416-504-7529.

Scottish-Canadian’s takes on Christmas classics will want to head to Hugh’s Room for a matinee or evening show. 2 and 7:30 pm. $40-$45. HR.

nee of the National Ballet of Canada’s sumptuous production of the seasonal classic on Christmas Eve day. 1 pm. $45$130. Four Seasons Centre.

416-345-9595.

­ rezzies, take in Leonardo p ­DiCaprio and Jonah Hill in ­Martin Scorsese’s film about greed and excess in the 1990s.

Opening day.

John McDermott Fans of the

the little mermaid: ­ontario’s o-fish-al family musical Ross Petty’s holiday

+Viletones Toronto punk

14

+Dog Day Married Halifax fog-

pop duo celebrate the release of their best album yet. ­Cinecycle. 9 pm. $10. RSVP facebook.com/ events/596357253751642.

AGAINST THE GRAIN’S MESSIAH he eclectic opera company T

presents a non-traditional take on the Handel oratorio. At the Opera House to Dec 15. 8 pm.

From $40. againstthegraintheatre.com.

Celebrate Solstice at the colourful carnival in Kensington, Dec 21

22

Kanye West/Kendrick Lamar

Saturday

THE NUTCRACKER Enjoy a mati-

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET After unwrapping your

panto continues at the Elgin until Jan 4. 2 pm. $27-$85.

1-855-599-9090.

19

Jason Collett’s Basement Revue The music series with the surprise performers ­continues at Adelaide Hall.

Doors 8:30 pm. $25. RT, SS.

NOW holiday movie special Get all the details about the season’s big commercial and awards-bait releases. On stands and online today.

20

Mark peckmezian Last chance to see the photo­grapher’s ­pensive portraits at O’Born.

Free. 416-413-9555.

Skydiggers The long-running roots rock band plays a pair of holiday shows, with the Devin Cuddy Band. Horseshoe. 10 pm. $27.50. TF. And Dec 21. inside llewyn davis The Coen brothers’ atmospheric film set in New York City’s folk music scene opens today.

26

the Market features giant ­puppets and performances. 7 pm. Free. Oxford and Augusta. redpepperspectacle. wordpress­.com.

Zeds Dead Local electronic heroes bring their Altered States tour to Sound Academy.

Doors 10 pm. $20. SS, TW.

More tips

Death From Above 1979 Celebrate Boxing Day with the ­reunited noise rock two-piece.

Danforth Music Hall. Doors 8 pm, all ages. $33.50-$39.50. RT, SS, TM. tea at the palace Perennially popular puppeteers Ann and David Powell’s charming show (for ages five and up) intertwines two medieval Russian folktales. At Tarragon Extra Space to Dec 29. 2 pm. $20$25. 416-531-1827.

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

21

Kensington Market Solstice Lantern-lit procession through

Hot Tickets Live Music Movies theatre Comedy Dance Galleries Readings Daily Events + = feature inside

62 63 88 75 74 77 79 78 28

Nutcracker makes magic, Dec 24

A BIG, SPLASHY, FUNNY MUSICAL!”

“

–National Post

ED M IRV I SH TH E ATR E, 244 V ic tor ia Street, Toronto 6

December 12-18 2013 NOW

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N OW T H R O U G H J A N UA RY 5 O N LY • G E T T I C K E T S TO DAY !

NOW december 12-18 2013

7

(NOW, December 5-11). DiMatteo wonders why Ford “hasn’t been compelled to submit to questions.”

In this country, Ford has the right to keep his own counsel, and keep his mouth shut.

With so many weapons available to criticize Ford legitimately, every week you hit him below the belt. If you don’t play fair, it’s a mug’s game.

Richard Wing Toronto

email letters@now toronto.com Kids remind me of the Toronto I know

that Calgary played in the early history of the Kids in the Hall.

KITH didn’t actually play a live show here as a complete troupe (we’ve seen solo shows by McCulloch, Thompson and McDonald) until that 2008 tour, and they were three hours late, delayed by a mudslide between Kelowna and Calgary, but what a show that was.

Rob Pilates From nowtoronto.com

Just wanted to thank you guys for going with the Kids in the Hall cover (NOW, December 5-11). It’s nice, in the midst of this undying Ford fiasco, to be reminded that the Toronto I know and love still exists in some form or another. John Semley is a huge asset to your arts and entertainment coverage.

Sam Linton Toronto

Rob Ford’s Political Brilliance, by Jonathan Goldsbie (NOW, December 5-11), was a bit of a winding-road narrative.

Goldsbie’s view of the Ford scandal is from the unique vantage point of a journalist who’s part of a specific industry with unique priorities. That’s a very, very small segment of the population.

Enzo DiMatteo notes that the police have asked Mayor Rob Ford to answer some questions and he has refused

Thanks for acknowledging the role

know, in the midst of this undying Ford fiasco, that the Toronto I love still exists.”

Ford scandal: people don’t much care

Hitting Rob Ford below the belt

The day Kids rode into Calgary on a mudslide

“ It’s nice to

The larger population saw events unfold quite differently. The crack revelation was sensational but tempered by the fact that the very same newspaper had relentlessly been

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dogging the mayor for more than a year leading up to it.

No one in the media is prepared to concede what is so obvious to most people.

Guess what? People don’t care all that much about it.

Allan Sorensen From nowtoronto.com

TTC budget’s inflation game

Thanks for Adam Giambrone’s Biggest Transit Myths (NOW, December 5-11). I like the points made, but I question the inflation argument.

According to StatsCan, Toronto’s inflation rate is 1.1 per cent, not 2 per cent.

The proposed $5 per month Metropass increase translates to a 3.9 per cent increase – way higher than Toronto’s rate of inflation. So it depends on what fare hike you look at.

Also, the big picture is that fares over the past decade have been rising faster than inflation. It’s the trends that matter, because that’s what riders’ pocketbooks actually feel.

It’s not like wages are rising in line with inflation (they’re not), so this idea of justifying fare hikes based on inflation is not fair. At the end of the day, riders are paying more for the same standard of service.

Jessica Bell ttcriders.ca

This downtowner’s T.O. includes the burbs

Regarding Ford On His Own Turf, by Chris Ramsaroop (NOW, November 28-December 4).

Please talk with me about where I need to start to help to “forge multiracial (and different socio-economic) understandings.”

I do not diss the burbs. I have lived and worked there. I diss Rob and Doug Ford and am learning to be afraid of them and the “support” they generate.

I want to help build an inclusively diverse and dynamic (amalgamated) city. I want to work with a positive, goforward, let’s-do-it-together attitude.

And truth be told: I want to do it by getting rid of the Fords!

Beth Pelton Toronto

Porter’s minority report

Porter Airlines’ bold full-page ads exhorting us to get our councillors onside with its plan to add jets to the flying mix at the Island airport (NOW, December 5-11) are astonishing in their failure to address any of the vex-

ing issues, especially those living on or near the waterfront.

Robert Deluce fails to tell us what Porter would do about the pollution caused by jet engines and fuel storage, neglects to deal with the issue of increased traffic/taxis at the foot of Bathurst and does not address who would pay for any added public infrastructure that would be required.

The ads speak of a “minority who want to close the airport.” But that issue has long passed – a pedestrian tunnel is under construction and near­ing completion.

Clearly, the airport is here to stay and Deluce’s ads are just bully tactics.

His jets may whisper in a “refined” way, but he is a shouter.

Geoff Rytell Toronto

Bixi save and shame

Kudos to city council for having the resolve to take public ownership of Bixi – an essential service that needs to be expanded (NOW, December 5-11).

Sustainable and affordable transit is not a privilege – it’s an absolute requirement for any functional 21st century city. This isn’t just good poli­ tics, sustainability or economics – it’s good sense.

The dividends will be paid in a healthier population, better air, more efficient commutes – and a ramped increase in economic productivity.

Any forward-thinking metropolis must invest in comprehensive and safe cycling infrastructure. New York’s CITI Bike covers all of Manhattan and well into Brooklyn. It’s a shame that such an essential program serves only those within the borders of Bathurst-Lake Shore -Parliament and Bloor. It’s unfair at best, undemocratic at worst.

Daniel Tate Toronto

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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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Cussing is the ­language of liberation

Here’s another senior citizen’s perspective on the “vulgar” words decried by letter-writer Keith Carbert (NOW, December 5-11): Unless this senior has been living under a rock, he might have heard people questioning the notion that certain words are “bad” and should not be uttered. Today’s freedom to use all words in the language is one more liberation among others we fought for since the 60s. I for one am more interested in the information being conveyed, whether elegantly phrased or colourfully ex­pressed.

Most of us have been evolving along with our culture, choosing what to incorporate into our own form of self-expression and accept­ing, if not always appreciating, others’ right to do the same.

However, watch out if your grammar and spelling aren’t up to snuff!

Sylvie Biderman Toronto

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MICHAEL HOLLETT EDITOR/PUBLISHER ALICE KLEIN EDITOR/CEO PAM STEPHEN GENERAL MANAGER ELLIE KIRZNER SENIOR NEWS EDITOR PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY NOW COMMUNICATIONS INC 189 CHURCH STREET, TORONTO, ON., M5B 1Y7 TELEPHONE 416-364-1300 FAX 416-364-1166 E-MAIL news@nowtoronto.com ONLINE www.nowtoronto.com

R. JEANETTE MARTIN

11:05 am, Monday, December 9, outside the Toronto Congress Centre at the funeral service for Constable John Zivcic. Slide show at nowtoronto.com.

“The mayor is only answering questions as they relate to the snow that falls on the ground.”

Public Works chair Denzil Minnan-Wong cracks poetic about the latest drug allegations against Rob Ford at a presser to lay out the city’s snow preparedness plans on Friday, December 6. The mayor crashed the event.

10

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

BLACK VS FORD PRAVDA JOURNALISM

Mayor Rob Ford’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford, gave a lengthy interview to the City Hall press corps on Friday, December 6, and even by his nutty standards it was a doozy. Among other nonsense, he accused the media of waging a Stalinesque propaganda war – “Pravda journalism,” Doug called it – against his crash-and-burn bother. He said that if the media had their way they’d literally hang the mayor in Nathan Phillips Square. If Doug is to be believed, the chief of police, newspapers of all editorial slants, left-wing activists and judges have all conspired to bring down the mayor because, well… he didn’t really say why. But it’s happening! And “the people” know it’s happening! The video evidence at nowtoronto.com

Just when you thought the CBC’s Peter Mansbridge was set to take home the trophy for tossing out the most buttery-soft softballs a softball-tosser could toss, in comes convicted criminal and media-hating former media baron Conrad Black to steal the Rob Ford crack scandal limelight. If you missed Black’s farcical sitdown with the mayor on Zoomer TV, know that Ford got to work through the same warmed-over trash (he’s losing weight, he’s embarrassed, he apologized, he’s for sure not an alcoholic, he’s an amazing mayor, and so on) he’s been dishing out for weeks now.

It’s almost pitiable that Ford was dumb enough to let Black use him. The goddamn elected mayor of our city has deluded even himself. See Ben Spurr’s follow-up on the fallout on page 22.

BEN SPURR

CRACK CRACK

Going to California

The Raptors’ trade of Rudy Gay in a nutshell: Gay wouldn’t share the rock. nowtoronto.com

Barometer

“The exhibit gets inside of you.”

LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS

“Homegrown director gets a bloody good tribute.”

NOW MAGAZINE

“... most ambitious, and certainly most grotesque.”

TORONTO LIFE

WiFi in the TTC Free WiFi officially launches in two TTC stations – Bloor and St. George – but riders will have to watch 15-​ second ads on their ­devices before they can log on.

“It is a sterling example of how interesting such an exhibit could and should be.”

PRETTY CLEVER FILMS

LGBT youth A working group charged with looking into homophobia and transphobia in the shelter system is tasked with investigating the feasibility of a shelter for LGBT youth.

Cycling safety The police department will begin tracking “dooring” incidents involving cyclists. Cops had argued that dooring didn’t meet their criteria for collisions, but when one of their very own bike cops strenuously ­objected....

PRESENTS

DAVID CRONENBERG

Good week for

1 bad week for 5 G20 justice The officer caught on video beating up G20 protester Adam Nobody is found guilty and sentenced to 45 days in jail. He quickly appeals. His bail conditions allow him to carry a gun for work ­purposes.

MAJOR EXHIBITION | FILMS | GUESTS ON NOW UNTIL JAN 19 TIFF.NET/CRONENBERG #CronenbergEvolution

Canada Goose The Canuck coat company with a bad enviro rep is bought by Bain Capital, the U.S. investment firm founded by former Republican presidential nomi­nee Mitt Romney.

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Ford on Mandela

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“Pedestrian parties” is what city transportation staff are now calling all-​way crossings at intersections. Great name, bad timing. So far, 38 pedestrians have been killed by cars this years, almost twice as many as last year.

The mayor’s tribute to South African leader Nelson Mandela in a book of condolences at City Hall. Handwriting experts and child psychologists scurried to decipher its hidden meaning.

NOW December 12-18 2013

11

culture

Soprano, the boss would like to see ya We don’t just celebrate the Everyman, we idolize the deplorable ones

“Stranger than fiction” is what people have been calling the Rob Ford saga. And it’s true.

If AMC or HBO or Netflix had made a series about a cracksmoking, scandal-ridden Canadian mayor, it would have been deemed unbelievable.

Every day there’s a new painfully embarrassing (for Torontonians at least) development, from relatively mi­nor accusations (seat-stealing, TMI details of his sex life) and major ones (various incidents of sexism and racism), to possible criminal en­de­avours (murder, conspiracy – that type of stuff).

So it should be pretty easy to get rid of him by – at the very latest – next fall, when the taxpayers vote in 2014’s municipal election.

He’ll paint himself as Everyguy. That’s his well-rehearsed spiel. He’s just like you and me.

Of course, we don’t believe he’s just like us, but we’ve been hit over the head by that claim so often, we’ve accepted the idea that our leaders, our top people, should be just like us.

But I don’t want someone like you or me running the city. I want someone extraordinary. As North America’s fourth-largest city, Toronto is kind of a big deal. Surely, extraordinary is the minimal requirement.

And yet we’re still worried that he’ll be re-elected.

Rob Ford isn’t even an Everyman. He’s a deplorable man.

But Ford happens to be living at a time when we don’t just celebrate the Everyman; we idolize the de­plor­able ones.

As culture consumers, our tastes are wildly different. But television is having

a pretty long moment, and nothing brings an office, a fam­ily or a group of varied people to­geth­er like a male-led dramatic series.

The stars of these shows – the Don Drapers, Tony Sopra­ nos, Nucky Thomp­sons and Walter Whites – aren’t just flawed; they’re rotten. And they’re the new rock stars.

If you’re an admirable male figure on television, no one will watch you (see Friday Night Lights). Or you’ll die (see Ned Stark, though I suppose that’s the book’s fault).

As society progresses – mostly – to­ward a more egalitarian, liberal norm, is there a part of us that longs for the lack of accountability enjoyed by the 1950s white man?

As the status of women creeps toward equality, is it some people’s fantasy to escape to a world where men were superdominant, like Prohibition-era Atlantic City and turn-of-the-millennium New Jersey?

Do we want to promote the myth that if a man is the less dominant partner in a marriage, he must secret­ly want to become a murderous drug lord, putting success in that realm above the needs of his wife and children?

It’s all just television I’m talking about.

But what we’re choosing to spend our precious few leisure hours indulging in is revealing.

We’re used to giving powerful men a pass.

Lots of passes.

Hopefully, come next fall, people will recognize the difference between reality and fiction.

3

Is it people’s fantasy to escape to a world where men were super-dominant, like Prohibition Atlantic City?

julial@nowtoronto.com | @JuliaLeConte

istock

By JULIA LeCONTE

[Frontlines] Joe Cressy on Nelson Mandela and inspiration When I was 17, I left Canada to spend a year in Johannesburg.

I had grown up in downtown Toronto, a city that taught me to embrace and love multiculturalism and diver­sity. But it was that year in South Africa that I spent living with a British South African family and then a Zulu family in Soweto that changed my life.

I attended local schools, rode minibus taxis and moved about with the freedom of a teenager out to change the world.

I experienced a society still deeply divided, still struggling with injustice and fear. But I also found a nation of passionate people, both black and white, committed to building a better society.

Over that year, every conversation I had seemed to revolve around the impact of Nelson Mandela. His lifelong struggle made us believe that change was possible. His willingness to forgive showed us that if we dig deep enough, we can overcome even the worst injustices. That we can overcome hate.

His wonderful heart, and that classic smile and “Madiba shuffle,” taught us that to lose joy was to lose all.

When I left South Africa to complete my final year of high school in T ­ oronto, I found myself far less interested in sports and the usual high school activities.

I got involved in the anti-​war movement, opposing the war in Iraq. I started marching and chanting and organizing. And I met Jack Layton, then an NDP leadership candidate, who happened to share the same birthday as Mandela (July 18), who asked me to join him on his project to build a better Canada.

In the years since, I’ve returned to South Africa and later Ghana to study and work on poverty issues.

Looking back now, I can’t help but think of the impact Mandela had on my life. But more importantly, I think about Mandela’s impact on a generation of South Africans still grappling with rampant inequality that has now lost a hero and patron saint.

Over the years I had the honour of meeting Madiba three times: twice in South Africa and once in Toronto. His dignity and genuine warmth, especially when children were near, was a ­marvel.

The last time I saw him was at the 2007 annual meeting of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in Johannesburg. (I still have a cherished out-​of-​focus photo of the two of us together.) He was older and his face bore the marks of years of imprisonment and struggle, but that spark in his eyes was still there.

Over that year, every conversation I had seemed to r­ evolve around Mandela .

Joe Cressy is director of campaigns and community outreach at the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

12

december 12-18 2013 NOW

NOW december 12-18 2013

13

▼

▼

▼

Alexander Lisi payoff

The mayor’s sometime driver and ­alleged drug dealer got the mayor’s phone back from Siyad in exchange for “1.5 of kush [marijuana]” after threatening that if he didn’t get the phone back the mayor would “put the heat on Dixon.”

The mayor’s “lost” cellphone

Ford carried two – one for personal calls, the other for constituents. The former was stolen on April 20 during one of Ford’s crack-smoking binges at the Basso residence, known to the whole world by now as the crack house where the video of the mayor smoking crack was also reportedly filmed sometime in February.

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4

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By ENZO DiMATTEO

▼

3

All roads lead to Gully. He was the man Elena Basso called and ordered to “come over quickly” because the mayor was waiting to score drugs the night his cell later disappeared. Siyad was arrested in June in the Dixon sweep and charged with participating in a criminal organization.

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Shooting at 320 Dixon

Harun told police he was sitting alone in the stairwell drinking at 4 in the morning when it happened. ­However, a witness eyeing trouble through his peephole told police he heard arguing among a number of men and then two shots.

He didn’t have an explanation for police. But in another wiretapped conversation, this time with Siyad, Harun is heard boasting that he has “so much pictures of Rob Ford doing the hezza,” or heroin, from that night at the Bassos’.

december 12-18 2013 NOW VIRMASP35058_Holiday2014_NOW_Tor_P15907H4.indd 1

5 ▼

Blackmail, bribery, kidnapping and murder – the missing connections in the Rob Ford crack video scandal come into clearer view in the latest dump of Project Traveller court documents.

▼

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Crackgate take

Liban Siyad, aka Gully

Abdullahi Harun death threat

Siyad’s alleged partner in crime, Abdullahi Harun was also at the ­Bassos’ the night the mayor’s cell vanished. In a wiretapped conversation he’s overheard saying that the mayor’s driver told him that Gully “was ‘halal meat.’” In street parlance, that means dead.

Harun himself took some heat in the form of a bullet in that mysterious shooting at 320 Dixon on May 21, days after the crack video story broke. T:20.

8

Don Jail incident

On June 15, two days after he was scooped up with 43 others in the Project Traveller raids, Siad was stabbed in the back, chest and cheek in an altercation in the Don Jail. He refused to discuss the matter with police or to sign a medical release form.

But a conversation police had with one of the men involved suggests the crack video, and efforts by every gang member and his brother to get hold of a copy, was exacerbating a turf war between Dixon and Rexdale crews in the city’s northwest end.

▼

$

Price told police the crack video was the motive for Anthony Smith’s murder in front of Loki Lounge on King West in March.

The cops didn’t buy it, however. They say Smith’s murder was in retaliation for a robbery of one Saaid Mohiadan.

But Smith was in telephone contact with Siyad – yes, he of the mayor’s “lost” cellphone drama – in the minutes before he was killed.

Siyad was the one, police documents say, who instructed Smith, to off Mohiadan.

10 Rob Ford full circle

The mayor has refused to discuss the latest allegations, except on a U.S. sports radio show. He called the talk “outright lies.”

The latest court documents, however, bring the crack video scandal full circle. What’s unbelievable is the suggestion that Ford didn’t know anything about it. The court documents reveal that Ford gave his former press secretary, George Christopoulos, the Dixon Road apartment address where Harun was shot. The mayor also logged dozens of telephone calls with Lisi at key times throughout the entire video affair. There are no wiretaps of those calls in the Project Traveller documents. Question is: are there any wiretaps of conversations between the mayor and Lisi related to any other investigation?

9 ▼

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7 ▼

The mayor’s then head of logistics told police he received a call at 8 am from an “unknown caller” while he was waiting for the mayor outside his house on May 16, the morning the crack story broke.

It was from someone with info “about the drug dealers who have this tape.” The caller gave Price the 320 Dixon Road address with a unit number, 1703, and two names, “D” and “Gotti.”

Price told police he visited the Bassos’ that day to “check if they knew anything about the situation” but says he was asked to leave.

He told police he visited the Bassos without the mayor’s knowledge. He was “in crisis management mode,” he said.

The mayor’s then chief of staff, Mark Towhey, told police that Price told him on May 20 or 21 that “the situation with the video would be taken care of as they spoke.”

▼

▼

▼ In Dave Price the Fords trust

Police later identified the “Gotti” mentioned to Price as Mohamed Siad, the man who tried to sell the crack tape to the Star – and to whom the mayor, according to wiretap conversations, offered $5,000 and a car.

Siad told Siyadin Abdi in another wiretapped conversation about planning to meet with Ford to ask him for $150K for the video.

He was warned against that, told that he “would be putting himself in jeopardy,” according to the Project Traveller documents.

But it appears that Abdi had his own designs on the video. On May 30, he was overheard talking with another man, Abdinaim Hussein, about having “kidnapped” Siad to talk to him about “the video.”

Anthony Smith murder connection

▼

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Number of people who travelled through the Island airport in 2006.

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4.8 million

Number who will be travelling through the Island Airport if Porter gets to add jets to its fleet.

Current maximum number of daily flights in and out of the Island airport.

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Proportion of air pollution the Island airport currently contributes to the waterfront area.

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Number who travelled through the Island airport in 2012.

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NO2 The Board of Health voted unanimously on Monday, December 9, to oppose Porter’s runway extension plan for the Island airport. The city’s medical officer of health, David McKeown, says that even with current flight volumes, the airport poses increased cancer and other health risks to those living in wards closest to the central waterfront. Here’s a breakdown of the key findings in his report.

Chromium VI Cancer Risk 0.0000085 - 0.000009

Lifetime risk of cancer attributable to chromium VI around Billy Bishop - 0.0000085 Toronto City0.000008 Airport.

Darker colours indicate higher risk. The effects can be seen across the downtown, where the 0.0000075 - 0.000008 Board of Health says there’s a slight increase in premature deaths from pollution.

Nitrogen oxide, which along with particulate matter, acrolein, aldehydes and metals, dominates the airpollution mix around the airport. All are now present at levels above provincial ambient air quality standards at least some of the time in the area.

8

Estimated number of double-tanker fuel trucks that would be needed daily to supply jets under Porter’s expansion plan. That’s the equivalent of two railway tankers. A fuel farm

0.0000055 - 0.000006

0.000005 - 0.0000055

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would have to be built to store large amounts of fuel.

Ethylene glycol

The chemical used to de-ice aircraft is supposed to be stored in containment tanks at the airport and then shipped to landfill for disposal.

But Toronto Public Health says it “is not aware of any monitoring conducted in the stormwater runoff from the airport in the lake near the airport to confirm that the ethylene glycol containment system is functioning e ­ ffectively.”

Pollution and noise = more disease

• Wards around the airport are already exposed to higher levels of airport-related­air pollution, noise and traffic.

• The area around the airport is home to some of the most vulnerable populations in the city: a higher proportion of people on low incomes, children who are vulnerable in terms of readiness to learn, and people with higher rates of lung and heart disease.

• Noise levels at the waterfront City School are already above the World Health Organization guideline for ­annoyance.

COMING SOON! TO DOWNTOWN EAST One Park Place North Tower was such an incredible success in the fall of 2012 that we decided to introduce

11-to-2 Vote at Executive Com-

mittee on December 5 to defer consideration of Island airport expansion, with Rob Ford and Peter Milczyn voting against for very different reasons – Ford because he wanted the committee to approve expansion on the spot; Milczyn because he says Porter’s plan is no plan at all. See the $300 million it will cost the city in infrastructure improvements just for starters.

What Medical Officer of Health David McKeown says

“It [the airport] is having an impact, even in its current configuration, on the health of residents. Those risks should be mitigated.”

What Councillor Karen Stintz says

Everyone’s looking to see what the mayoral wannabe will do on this hot button. She issued a statement December 5 saying she supports staff’s recommendation to wait until 2015, after the next municipal election, to make a decision on Porter’s expansion plan, which helps her dodge a bullet with downtown voters. In the meantime, Stintz says she will put forward a motion “to ensure Billy Bishop Airport receives support from the city, the Port Authority and federal government to remain sustainable while the required information is enzo dimatteo obtained.” enzom@nowtoronto.com | @enzodimatteo

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NOW december13-11-12 12-18 2013 17 10:00 AM

R. JEANETTE MARTIN

MAYORAL RACE

IMPOSSIBLE EXPECTATIONS Olivia Chow has every conceivable advantage in the 2014 race for mayor except one By JONATHAN GOLDSBIE

If the election were held tomorrow, Olivia Chow would win. If the election were held next week, Olivia Chow would win. If the election were held next month, Olivia Chow would win.

If the election were held 10 and a half months from now (which, in fact, is when it will be held), the answer is less clear.

Chow has every conceivable advantage in this race: she will be the only candidate on the left; she has the support and organizational infrastructure of the NDP and an impressive chunk of Liberals; she has top strategists; she has a base of potential volunteers and donors who are eager to contribute.

Polls suggest she need do little more than spend the

In theory, she need do little more than spend the next year not smoking crack.

next 10 months not smoking crack.

There are worse positions to be in. There are, however, also better ones.

Little good flows from having no incentive to do or say anything that might compromise a lead that predated the doing or saying of anything.

It’s simple enough to build a campaign around cautiousness – much harder to keep it compelling for months on end. And although her team is likely aware of this obvious pitfall, that does not itself mean they’ll overcome it.

Chow is preceded by an aura embodying whatever progressive vision you imbue it with.

No human being advocating defined policies could actually live up to it. It may not matter in the end, but impossible expectations are a terrible opponent to have.

Officially, Chow is not yet running. She’s just “actively considering” it. Meanwhile, the race is slowly beginning, and David Soknacki has already been in it for over two months.

The former councillor for Ward 43 Scarborough East announced his intention on September 25, becoming the first challenger to Mayor Rob Ford to do so. (Karen Stintz, a month later, became the second.)

Soknacki is playing the long game, aiming for a year-long arc of gradual ascendence, like David Miller and Rob Ford did before him.

And as Miller had the Island bridge and Ford had council expenses, Soknacki has zeroed in on emergency ser vices budgets – particularly the sacred cow of the police – as an issue he can thoroughly own.

“On the centre and the right, councillors are afraid of tackling these issues because they fear they’ll upset powerful bargaining units and constituencies,” he observed in a Monday morning, December 9, speech to a smallish breakfast crowd at the Sheraton Centre. “And dwell thereon on the irony, if you will.”

“On the left,” he continued, “councillors are afraid of proposing reforms because they’ll be labelled as continued on page 20 œ

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19

jonathan goldsbie

T:5.833”

Setting up David Soknacki T:9.347”

• City of Scarborough councillor representing Ward 8, 1994-97 • City of Toronto councillor representing Ward 43 (Scarborough East), 1999-2006.

• Won Scarborough council seat when incumbent Frank Faubert chose to run for Scarborough mayor. Won Toronto council seat in by-election after Faubert died in office.

• Chair of Budget Advisory Committee under Mayor David Miller, 2003-06.

• Succeeded on council by his former executive assistant, Paul ­Ainslie who was initially appointed to fill an empty seat in a nearby ward.

• Chair of Parc Downsview Park, 2007-12.

• Columnist for Metroland community newspapers, 2007-13.

Stop treating your recycling like garbage.

impossible Expectations œcontinued from page 18

soft on crime or indifferent to public safety.”

When Mayor Miller responded to a 2005 spike in gun violence with a move to hire 150 more police officers, Soknacki – his budget chief in the 2003-06 term – opposed the measure as shortsighted, emotion-driven and fiscally irresponsible.

“Such statements from the conser­ vative chair of council’s budget advi­ sory committee are sure to stun some of his right-wing colleagues at City Hall who’ve long been pushing Miller to hike the police department’s $700 million budget to put more cops on the street,” wrote Don Wanagas, NOW’s City Hall columnist at the time.

“But Soknacki says the chief Space provided through a partnership between industry and Ontario municipalities to support waste magis­trate had it right when his diversion programs. com­munity safety panel started tar­ get­ing troubled communities with TOR_N_13117C_Chute_Landfill.indd 1 11/8/13 4:12 PM after-school programs, enhanced parks-and-rec opportunities and job skills training to help prevent at-risk youth from falling into crime.” (The PRODUCTION NOTES following year, Wanagas left NOW to BY DATE APPROVALS FINAL FOR PRODUCTION become Miller’s communications di­ Studio rector.)

Art Director: DEAN HORE/JAMES GRNAK Soknacki is the kind of fiscal conRob Brezsny’s Free Will Type Mgr. Copywriter: DEAN HORE servative other conservatives prePrint Mgr: JACQUIE BAKER Proofreader tend to be.

Client Serv: ANN RIDPATH 00% Colour: 4C For people like our current mayor, Print Mgr. Fonts: ARIAL MT, TT SLUG OTF Title: STOP TREATING YOUR RECYCLING.... preferences tend to stand in for valArt Director 833” X 9.347” Pubs: NOW - WDO ues: notions of intelligent spending ONE

Far too many condo and apartment residents toss recycling in the garbage. In fact, half the stuff they should recycle ends up in the landfill. It’s time to sort it out.

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and smart investment go out the win­dow if it’s something he likes, e.g., an unnecessary, inefficient subway extension.

Soknacki openly prefers LRT for Scar­borough (“I favoured serving more people rather than less”) and ad­mits in a subsequent scrum that he would be open to cancelling the subway if the opportunity presented itself.

His shtick is that he’s starting off with nothing to lose and so might as well be honest.

Personally wealthy from a spice busi­ness – a business, he pointedly remarks, he built himself and didn’t inherit – Soknacki can overcome a lack of name recognition through a significantly self-financed campaign.

Candidates and their spouses aren’t subject to contribution limits when fund­ing their own runs. (The law is profoundly anti-democratic in this re­gard but won’t be changed in time for the 2014 election.)

He will further fragment the rightleaning side of the electorate, enhancing the likelihood of a Chow victory.

But he has less baggage and more credibility than Stintz, and a far deep­er understanding of the issues than John Tory. (The other probable challenger is Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, a social conservative who revels in his villainy.)

Soknacki may not win this time.

But he’ll still serve as a model for what a right-winger could be.

3 jonathang@nowtoronto.com | @goldsbie

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The mayor’s point man on policing breaks ranks with Ford on cop budget

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Thompson says their “open animosity” toward Blair has made clear from Rob Ford’s cozy interview with they could not handle the file withConrad Black rippled through City out bias.

Hall this week, prompting calls from “I can tell you that the chief is a the vice-chair of the Police Services real professional police officer with a Board for Ford to recuse himself tremendous amount of integrity, from debate on the police budget. and I would not question that,” says The mayor told Black in the Vision Thompson. “It would be prudent and TV one-on-one Monday night, Dewise for both the mayor and Councilcember 9, that he believes Chief Bill lor Ford to either declare a conflict of Blair has embarked on a “political” interest or step away from dealing campaign against him because Ford with those aspects of the budget that tried to cut the police budget by 10 deal with policing.” per cent in 2012. The relationship beThey were strong words coming tween the chief magistrate and the from Thompson, who himself has not city’s top cop was all but severed last always seen eye to eye with the chief, month when Blair confirmed the exparticularly on budget issues. istence of the video that appears to Before a presentation on the police show Ford smoking crack. The mayor budget at City Hall Wednesday morwas put under surveillance earlier ning, Blair repeated a phrase he’s used this year as part of an ongoing probe before when asked about the Fords: “I related to the footage. don’t respond to personal attacks.”

“The chief I have an issue with. I He was unequivocal when asked think it’s political,” Ford told Black. whether the police investigation into “When I told people to find efficien- the mayor was payback for previous cies, I meant everybody. I think he battles. “Of course not,” said the chief. was quite upset at that.”

As for the current police probe into Ford went so far as to suggest that the mayor’s extracurricular activities, cops used his friend and alleged drug Blair confirmed that’s still ongoing. dealer Alexander “Sandro” Lisi as “a Ford appears unfazed by the sugprop” to get to him. gestion that holding the purse strings Approvals: Signature: on a force that is investigating him Police Date: Services Board vice-chair Michael Thompson calls the mayor’s could pose a conflict. At a press conProd Artist: comments “completely unfounded.” ference on Tuesday, December 10, he Proofreader: He says both Mayor Ford and his brushed aside questions about Acct Mngr: councillor brother Doug – who has Thompson’s concerns. called on the chief to resign and Ford “I’ll be voting on the police Acct Dir: threatened to file a complaint with budget.

Studio Mngr: the Office of the Independent Police Reporter: “You don’t think there’s Studio Mngr: Review Director – should withdraw a conflict?” from the police budget process that Ford: “Next question?”

Copywriter: launched this week. Doug is viceBut at least one member of the Art Director: chair of the budget committee. continued on page 24 œ

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politics

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The r ­ osedale plutocracy In not endorsing Linda McQuaig, the Star turned its back on income­equality – and one of its own By ­roselyn loren

That Chrystia Freeland was elected MP in the November 25 Toronto Centre by-​election came as no big shock.

The riding had been a Liberal stronghold for some 20 years.

As for the Toronto Star’s endorsement of Freeland, no jolt either. The Star often prefers Liberals. In this case, however, embracing the former senior editor of the Financial Times (late­ ly managing news director at Thom­ son Reuters) meant that the paper had to turn its back on one of its own.

Freeland rival Linda McQuaig had been one of the Star’s most enduring

and highly regarded opinion columnists. The editorial board evi­dently decided that although they were losing a columnist, they were not gaining a candidate in McQuaig. They ex­ er­cised this professional pri­v­ilege while fulfilling their ethical obligation by featuring both candidates in individual interviews.

Oh, perhaps the Star was a trifle more generous with photos of Freeland in personably smiling mode.

Then, on the final-​push weekend before the Monday by-​election, the Saturday Star published a strange snub

of the McQuaig campaign by veteran business and current affairs columnist David Olive on page 2 of the business section.

Under the headline Bring On The Billionaires And Their Largesse, Olive writes: “I’m not here to defend plutocrats, exactly,” as if something were making him squirm about just coming out with a defence of Freeland and the reasoning in her book Plutocrats: The Rise Of The New Glo­bal Super-​ Rich And The Fall Of Everyone Else.

Perhaps the something that makes him sound so uncomfortable is that Freeland doesn’t identify rising inequality as a problem, presenting it as part of the “creative destruction of capitalism” which “inevitably brings an overall improvement in everyone’s living standard.”

Perhaps it’s the energy required to maintain his pretense of total obliviousness to McQuaig’s (and co-author Neil Brooks’s) counter-​argument in The Trou­ble With Billionaires. (In particular, see chapter 10: Why Bil-

On the chief’s side now œcontinued from page 22

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Everything Toronto

24

nowtoronto.com

december 12-18 2013 NOW

budget committee isn’t sure either the mayor or his brother should participate.

“If it was me I’d be erring on the side of caution” and recusing myself, says Councillor Gary Crawford.

Shelley Carroll goes further. She be­lieves the mayor in particular is in a conflict because he has refused to speak to police in relation to their investigation.

The Fords “have proven again and again and again that they cannot separate their role as city governors from what­ever’s going on in their personal life,” she says.

Councillor Pam McConnell, a for­mer chair of the police board, believes the Fords’ involvement is “highly inappropriate.”

“They’ve seriously maligned the chief of police, they’ve talked about getting rid of him, and they have indicated that the police investigation was as a result of their cutting this budget, which is nonsense,” she says.

Ford stands by smear At the Tuesday press conference, Ford dou­bled down on an­other statement he made in the Black interview – his insinuation that Toronto Star report­er Daniel Dale is a pedophile.

“I stand by every word I said with Mr. Black in my interview,” Ford said.

The mayor’s comments came after a sym­pathetic Black asked him to list the most “offensive events [or] abrasions that have been perpetrated on you or your family by the media.”

Ford recounted a May 2012 inci-

lionaires Are Bad For Democracy.)

Does Olive mention either of the candidates’ names or either of these book titles? Not in so many words.

But he doesn’t need so many words. All he needs are the key words he repeats throughout his column like a persistent drumbeat: “pluto­ crats... plutocrats... plutocrats... super-​ rich... plutocrats...” to emphasize his “hope [that] the annual ranking of the country’s hundred richest people, conducted by Canadian Business Mag­a­zine… will not add to ill feelings directed at the ultra-​rich,” for they are the kind of “benefactor” the rest of us “need” in these times of reduced government social spending, don’t you know?

One almost expects Olive to wax nostalgic for the days when common folk could look to benefactors like the Medici of 15th-​century Florence, who had such great taste in Michel­ angelo sculptures. And indeed, if Ol­ ive had simply stuck to his paean to arts supporters (consider, for exam­

dent involving Dale and repeated his accusation, since proved cat­ egorically wrong, that Dale was caught “taking pictures” of the mayor’s family.

Dale had travelled to the mayor’s neighbourhood to check out a piece of nearby parkland the mayor want­ ed to buy. A police inves­ti­ga­tion later determined there was no evi­ dence Dale had trespassed or taken pictures of the mayor’s family or property. He wasn’t charged.

“I have little kids,” Ford said in the interview. “When a guy’s taking pic­ tures of little kids, I don’t want to say that word, but you start think­ing what’s this guy all about?”

The newspaper responded swift­ ly Monday night. “Just when you think Mayor Ford has said the most stupid thing, such as let­ting the whole world know about his sex life at home, he tops himself with an­ other outrage. So sad for all of us,” said Star editor Michael Cooke in a written statement.

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly says the smear against Dale was “be­ yond the pale” and that Ford should apologize.

The interview was aired twice Monday night, a 16-minute version at 9 pm and a long­er cut at mid­ night. The second version con­ tained the offending com­ments about Dale despite the out­cry on social media after its first airing.

By NOW’s press time Wednesday, Vision had not responded to re­ quests for comment.

Asked if he wants an apology, Dale says he’d like the mayor to ad­ mit that he lied in the interview, but he isn’t sure he’s interested in par­ti­ci­pat­ing in the “apology game” so common in politics, in which “some­one offers an apology and some­one accepts an apology and then everyone moves on.”

Dale is exploring his legal op­ tions.

3 bens@nowtoronto.com | @benspurr

ple, the Siminovitch family, who made possible this year’s award to Chris Ab­raham, director of Crow’s The­atre), his message might have seemed merely narrow instead of shock­ing.

The shock is Olive’s conclusion that “the reason they’re rich isn’t the reason so many of the 99 per cent of us are struggling. That abomination owes chiefly to insensitive govern­ ments.” After that, Olive offers what he considers the ultimate in helpful advice: “The plutocrats have not raised their voices in outrage over that dangerous inequality. This is where the richest among us can make their greatest contribution.”

This was a fine thing (not!) to be serving up to the Toronto Star’s Rose­ dale readership two days before a by-​ election, especially in these times when, in McQuaig’s words, the “capa­ city of the rich to under­mine democ­ racy – so obvious and yet so strangely invisible – is sure­ly the most serious negative effect of extreme inequality.”

In the November 23 Star, that wasn’t all that was “strangely invis­ ible.” So was any acknowledgement that NDP candidate McQuaig had ana­tom­ized “that dangerous inequal­ ity” and pointed the way toward its re­dress.

3 news@nowtoronto.com

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daily events meetings • benefits How to find a listing

Daily events appear by date, then alphabetically by the name of the event.

F indicates festive events r indicates kid-friendly events indicates queer-friendly events

listings index Live music Comedy Theatre

62 74 75

Dance Readings Art galleries

77 78 79

Movie reviews Movie times Rep cinemas

88 96 98

festivals • expos • sports etc.

Catch the dogsledding demos at Winterfest On Toronto’s Waterfront.

5

How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: listings@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-​364-​ 1166 or mail to Daily Events, NOW Magazine, 189 Church, Toronto M5B 1Y7. Include a brief description of the event, including participants, time, price, venue, address and contact phone number (or e-mail or website if no phone available). Listings may be edited for length. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm.

Thursday, December 12

Benefits

FCBC Charity Craft Sale (Ontario Assoc of Food Banks) Handmade gifts, jewellery, clothing, soap, toys, baked goods and more.

8:30 am-5:30 pm. Free. CBC Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front W. c­ bccharitycraftsale.ca.

Events

FrAllan Gardens Christmas Flower Show Open daily to Jan 12, 10 am-5 pm.

Candlelit tours Dec 14-15, 7 pm. Free. Allan Gardens Conservatory, Sherbourne and Gerrard. 416-392-7288.

Celebrate Recovery Recover from your hurts, habits and hang-ups. 6:30 pm. Free. Rosewood Church for the Nazarene, 657 Milner.

416-459-1462.

Connecting The Dots Creative networking event for artists and community members. 7 pm. Free. Red Rocket Coffee, 1364 Danforth. ­eastendarts.ca.

Festivals this week Impulse Festival Celebration of improvisational theatre

with performances by troupes from around the world, workshops and more. $20, stu $15; workshops $50-$120.

Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. soulpepper.ca/impulse.

Dec 12 to 15 Winterfest On Toronto’s Waterfront Dogsledding demos, family skating, gingerbread cookie-decorating, a Santa cruise ($14-$17), pet photos with Santa and more.

Free. Queens Quay West area. ­waterfrontbia.com.

Dec 14 and 15

Enter The Temple – An Exciting Journey Into Ancient Egypt’s Great Sacred Spaces

Talk by Egyptologist Thomas Greiner, a belly dance performance, treats and a raffle. 6:3010 pm. $35, adv $30. Fox and Fiddle, 535 Danforth. enterthetemples.eventbrite.ca.

Frequency Matters With Marcel Wolfe

Lecture on electromagnetic polllution. 7 pm.

Free. Big Carrot, 348 Danforth. 416-466-2129.

FrFrolic Festive open house with gallery exhibitions, musical gifts, an art marketplace, interactive activities and more. 6-9 pm. Free.

401 Richmond W. 401richmond.net.

Long Distance Caregiving Workshop for people caring for an elderly parent, spouse or friend. 4-6 pm. Free. Family Service Toronto, 355 Church. familyservicetoronto.org.

Neither Reading Nor Looking After The Internet Salon featuring a selection of

texts compiled by Gabrielle Moser and Jacob Korczysnki. 7 pm. Free. Prefix, 401 Richmond W. 416-591-0357.

FNight Market Jewellery, fragrances, natural products, cupcakes, accessories and more from local talent plus music and food.

To Dec 18. Free. Oz Studios, 134 Ossington. ­134ozstudios.tumblr.com.

FrToronto Christmas Market European-inspired festival with dance and musical performances, family activities, handcrafted products, food and more. To Dec 15. Free. Distillery District, 55 Mill. torontochristmas­ market.com.

Toronto WordSmiths Writing group for youth 16 to 29. 5:30-7:30 pm. Free. Parkdale Library, 1303 Queen W. facebook.com/­ towordsmiths.

FTwelfth Night Evening of shopping, food and live music. 8 pm-1 am. Free. Vendor Queens, 1093 Queen W. ­vendorqueens.com.

FWandering Winter Craft Show Crafts and gifts. To Dec 22. Tue-Sun noon-6 pm.

Free. Scadding Court Community Centre ­Market, 707 Dundas W. shopcats.ca.

Will Your Small Business Idea Fly? Presentation by author Carla Langhorst. 6:30 pm. Free. Don Mills Library, 888 Lawrence E. 416-395-5710.

Friday, December 13

Benefits

FChristmas At Choke-Poke Toys! (Gilda’s

26

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Club) Impulse Festival presents a 55-hour improvised soap opera marathon. From Fri 3 pm to Sun 10 pm. To Dec 15. Donation. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House. youngcentre.ca.

Go To Bat For Cricket Canada (Cricket Canada) DJ entertainment, a gourmet dinner, silent auction and more with Cricket Canada’s head coaches and players. 6 pm. $100. Trapper’s Restaurant, 3479 Yonge.

416-426-7493.

Happy And Healthy Between The Sheets

(Tooker Gomberg Greenspiration Fund) Seminar on how to keep toxins out of the bedroom with effective contraception and safe toys that won’t ruin your fun. 7 pm. $15. ­IndustREALarts, 688 Richmond W. anarreshealth.ca/node/2503.

Events

FrChristmas At Kortright Horse-drawn wagon rides, Santa’s workshop, treats and more. Today and tomorrow. Free w/ admission. Kortright Centre, Pine Valley and Major Mackenzie (Kleinburg). 905-832-2289.

FrHe’s Here: An Evening Of Christmas Songs And Stories Music and performance

by Jeanine Noyes. 7 pm. $15, child $5. Manor Road United Church, 240 Manor E. ­manorroadunitedchurch.com.

Lantern-Making Workshop Create a hand-made lantern to carry in the Winter Solstice Parade (Dec 21). Today 6-10 pm; tomorrow 10 am-5 pm. Pwyc. Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil. r­ edpepperspectacle.wordpress.com.

Pension Funds, Unions And Working Class Strategies Workshop on the econom-

ic crisis and the attack on pension and retirement benefits. 3:30-6 pm. Free. CSI Annex, 720 Bathurst. Pre-register kevin. skerrett@gmail.com. rRom Sleepover: Nature Sleepover for kids five and up with nature-themed activ-

ities including creating an animal mask. 5 pm. $75 adult, child $75. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. rom.on.ca.

Toronto Anarchist Fair Workshops, art installations and interventions, a book fair, free market, sports, games and more. To Dec 15. Free. Ryerson Student Centre, 55 Gould. ­torontoanarchistfair@gmail.com.

Toronto Cares! Vigil For The Figueroa Family Vigil to protest the deportation of El

Salvador activist José Figueroa. 4 pm. Free.

CBSA Offices, 1 Front. wearejose.org.

Treehouse Talks Short talks on three diverse topics by three speakers. 6:30 pm.

Free. Reference Library, 789 Yonge. ­treehousetalks.com.

F12 Beers Of Christmas Holiday beertasting event. 7 pm. $5. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635.

Saturday, December 14

Benefits

FChristmas Bazaar And Craft Market

(Grafton Gage Home) Handmade items, baked goods, live music, a silent auction and draws. 10 am-4 pm. Free. 40 Bell Estate. ­igghfamilycouncil@gmail.com.

FChristmas Rag Bag Cabaret On Roncy

(charitable projects in Kenya) Performances by comics Mike Rita and Shelley Marshall, burlesque artist Coco Framboise, musician Louise Gauthier and others. $25, adv $20.

Village Healing Centre, 240 Roncesvalles. ­lukejackson@lukejackson.com.

FrCookie Day At The Tollkeeper’s Cottage (Tollkeeper’s Cottage Museum) Buy

cookies and homemade goodies made from traditional recipes. 11 am-4 pm. Free. 750 Davenport. tollkeeperscottage.ca.

Finnish Shamanism Workshop on the basics of tradition. Noon-5 pm. $55. Bain Community Centre, 100 Bain. Pre-register 416-535-5154.

Holiday Appeal For Class-War Prisoners

(Class-War Prisoners Stipend Fund) Partisan Defense Committee get-together to call for the freeing of all class-war prisoners. 7 pm.

Donation. Betty’s, 240 King E (upstairs). ­partisandefense.org.

FrIn The Spirit Of Christmas (Bluffs Community Svs Food Bank) Songs and stories with Don Gray, Avis Favaro, Melody Wolfe and others. 7:30 pm. $15, child $5.

Birchcliff Bluffs United Church, 33 East. 416694-4081.

FSanta Speedo Run (SickKids Hospital Toys and Games Fund) Runners race through Yorkville wearing only running shoes and bathing suits. 1:30 pm. Donation. Hemingway’s, 142 Cumberland. bloor-yorkville.com. rSkate With The Pros (Skate for Kids/Stop Concussions) Skate with former NHL players Cam Stewart and Dennis Maruk and win tickets to a game. 1-5 pm. Free (donations appreciated). Harbourfront Centre Rink, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000.

FTextile Treasures (Textile Museum) Textile gifts, beads, fabric and home decor. 11 am-5 pm. Free. B-1, 401 Richmond W. ­strandnews.ca.

FToronto Indie Arts Market (Parkdale Project Read) Zines, comics, small press, journals, chapbooks, magazines, paper and more.

10:30 am-4:30 pm. $5. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen W. ­torontoindieartsmarket.com.

FA Very Glutenous Christmas (Jo-Anna Downey Fund) Comedy fundraiser with performances by Haus of Bot, Darryl Orr, Lianne Mauladin and others. Doors 10 pm. $20. LOT Comedy Club, 100 Ossington. facebook. com/events/677178735648455.

FrWalk And Wag For Warmth (Toronto Humane Soc) Santa-themed walk to Nathan Phillips Square, a doggie mini-makeover, face painting, magic, crafts and more. 11 am-3 pm. $19/family. PawsWays, 245 Queens Quay W. pawsways.ca.

Events

FAnnex: Let It Snow Craft Fair Handmade

ceramics, clocks, paintings, photography, sculpture, cupcakes, jewellery and more.

Noon-6 pm. Free. Trinity-St Paul’s, 427 Bloor W. facebook.com/events/475891912529150.

FArtisans’ Gift Fair One-of-a-kind gifts.

Today & tomorrow noon-6 pm. Free. Tranzac, 292 Brunswick. ­artisansgiftfair.com.

Artist Soiree Presentation on making music with digital instruments by D Andrew Stewart. 8 pm. $5. NAISA Space, Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie. naisa.ca.

FBazaar Bazaar Bazaar Hand-crafted gifts by artists and artisans. 10 am-6 pm.

Free. Great Hall, 1087 Queen W. facebook. com/events/365331233603225.

FrCarollers Listen to strolling carollers dressed in authentic Edwardian costume.

Today and tomorrow 10 am-3 pm. Free w/ admissions. Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace.

416-923-1171, casaloma.org.

FCast Iron Chef: Holiday Treats From The Past Cooking workshop for adults and

kids eight and over. 1-4 pm. $20, child $15.

Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery. 416-396-2819.

FCity Of Craft Indie crafts, workshops, installations and more. Today 11 am-6 pm; tomorrow 11 am-5 pm. $2, kids free. Theatre Centre, 1087 & 1093 Queen W. cityofcraft. com.

FrDesign And Decorate A Magical Ginger­bread House Families work with

pastry chefs to decorate a gingerbread house. Today and tomorrow 10:30 & 11:30 am, noon, 1, 1:30 & 2:30 pm. Free w/ admissions. Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace. 416-9231171, ­casaloma.org.

DJ Skate Nights Late-night skating season kickoff with Skratch Bastid. 8 pm. Free.

Harbourfront Centre Ice Rink, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000.

continued on page 28 œ

NOW december 12-18 2013

27

events œcontinued from page 26

The Ethics Of The Faith: Right, Wrong And The God Of Abraham Humanist Assoc

talk. 1:30 pm. Free. OISE, rm 4-414, 252 Bloor W. ­humanist.toronto.on.ca.

FFestival Of Smalls Sale of original artworks in gift sizes. To Dec 24. Free (art $55$250). Art Interiors, 446 Spadina Rd. ­artinteriors.ca. rGetting Ready For Winter Family nature walk to learn how plants and birds survive winter. 1 pm. $2-$5. High Park Nature Centre, 440 Parkside. ­highparknaturecentre.com.

FrHands-On Activities For Families

Make holiday tree decorations, wreaths, centrepieces and more. Today and tomorrow 11 am-3 pm. Free. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, ­harbourfrontcentre.com.

Holiday Action For $14 Now Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage holds an action to raise the minimum wage to $14 in 2014. 11 am-1 pm. Free. SE corner Yonge-Dundas Square. raisetheminimumwage.ca.

Douglas James Cottrell Demonstrations, intuitive readings, a Q&A session and more.

2 pm. $75. Holiday Inn, 30 Carlton. 905-3935104.

Kimchi Making Workshop. 4-6:30pm. $40.

Depanneur, 1033a College. facebook.com/ events/506311506134590.

FA Living Christmas Tree Learn to care for and maintain a live Fraser fir in your home, and how to plant it in the garden. 1 pm. Free. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview. ebw.evergreen.ca.

Love Lessons and Courage Class Weekly gathering for people to inspire each other to believe in love and gain the courage to be more honest with family and friends. 5 pm. $20. Spiritwind Centre, 64 Oxford. facebook. com/events/184642795060266.

Luxemburg, Lenin, Levi: Rethinking Revolutionary GTWA coffeehouse with talks by

FrHoliday Button-Making Workshop

author Paul Kellogg and editor John Riddell.

7 pm. Free. Beit Zatoun, 612 Markham. ­workersassembly.ca. rMy First ToBeUs Workshop Toy-making workshop with ToBeUs creator Matteo Ragni for kids six to 10. 1-2 pm. Design Exchange, 234 Bay. Pre-register 416-363-6121.

FNative Arts & Crafts Xmas Sale 10 am-4 pm. Free. Native Canadian Centre, 16 Spadina Rd. 416-964-9087.

Intuitive, Intimate And Interactive With

Socialist, anti-oppression and environmental literature. Today and tomorrow noon-6 pm. Free. Trinity-St Paul’s Centre,

Make unique buttons from small collages. 1 pm. Free. Typology Projects, , 180 Shaw. Preregister ­t ypologyworkshop.eventbrite.ca.

FResistance Bookroom Holiday Sale

427 Bloor W. 416-972-6391.

Spiritfest In The City Community art feast with workshops, performances, kids’ activities, dancing and more. 4 pm-midnight. $10-$20. Spiritfest Retreat, 1650 Avenue. ­spiritfest.ca.

FVQ Holiday Market Handmade, vintage, food and more. 10 am-7 pm. Free. Vendor Queens, 1093 Queen W. vendorqueens.com. rWinter Scavenger Hunt Family scavenger hunt. Through Dec 22 at various times. Free.

Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

Sunday, December 15

Benefits

Beauty In The Beats (Philippine typhoon relief) Music by the Plaitwrights, the Charleston Relay, Bea Go and the Music Project. Doors 7 pm. $20. Drake Underground, 1150 Queen W. ­thedrakehotel.ca.

Events

Access To Water: Jewish Heritage Roots In Kensington-Spadina Lost rivers walk. 11

am. Free. College and St George. 416-5932656. rBalancing On Moonbeams Puppet AllSorts presents Shadow Puppet Theatre performs an all-ages show. 3 pm. $15. Metropolis Factory, 50 Edwin. ­puppetallsorts.com.

Bricks For Our City Brick Works tour. 11 am. Free. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview. ebw.evergreen.ca. rDecorate A Tree For The Birds Help decorate an evergreen tree in High Park. 10 am & 1 pm. $8. Howard Park Tennis Club, 430 Parkside. highparknaturecentre.com.

FDufferin Grove Park Craft Fair Scarves, ceramics, toys, cards and more from local crafters. 11 am-4 pm. Free. Dufferin Grove Park, Dufferin S of Bloor. dufferinpark.ca.

Introduction To Buddhism Course on the theory and practice of Buddhism. 2 pm. $5 sugg. KSDL Tibetan Buddhist Temple, 7 Laxton. 416-653-5471.

FKensington Festive Foodies Roots Walk Walk through the historic market to

view the diverse festivals of light and sample foods. 10 am-1:30 pm. $50, stu/srs $45, child $35. Red pole with black cat at 350 Spadina. Pre-register 416-923-6813.

Leslieville Flea Antiques, furniture, salvage, vintage, records and handcrafted designs.

10 am-4 pm. Free. Jimmy Simpson Recreation Centre, 870 Queen E. leslievilleflea. blogspot.ca.

FMade In Canada Show Fashion, food, crafts, jewellery, accessories, art and more.

10 am-7 pm. Free. Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie. madeincanadashow.net. rNicholas Oldland The author/illustrator reads from his Life In The Wild series. 2 pm.

Free. Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. ­kidscan.com.

FOutdoor Winter Market Crafts, jewellery, antiques, clothing and more plus skating and treats. 10 am-4 pm. $2. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview. ebw.evergreen.ca.

Russell Creek And Area Lost rivers walk. 2 pm. Free. Bathurst & Harbord. 416-593-2656. rSamba Drumming For Kids Drop-in workshop for kids of all ages. 11 am-noon. $10. Drum Artz Community Centre, 27 Primrose. ­drumartz.com.

SKEENAWILD FILM FESTIVAL Features and short films on life in northwest British Columbia and Skeena culture. 1 pm. $10-$20.

Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament. ­skeenawild.org.

Sunday Scene Tour of the current exhibitions led by Kai Chan. 2 pm. Free. Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4949.

FrToronto’s First Post Office Holiday Open House Mail art and crafts, Christmas card-making, festive nibbles and more. 1-4 pm. Free. 260 Adelaide E. 416-865-1833.

Viva Cabaret Tribute to the greatest divas in the genre of impersonations. 6 pm. $16-$20.

Rivoli, 332 Queen W. rushow.ru/cabaret.

Monday, December 16

Events

Chanting Join in chanting for peace, happi-

ness and spiritual growth. 7 pm. Free. Tao Sangha Toronto Healing Centre, 375 Jane.

416-925-7575.

FrMake A Holiday Card Family cardmaking workshop. 2 pm. Free. Jones Library, 118 Jones. Pre-register 416-393-7715.

F 5Superqueero Holiday Potluck Show

Holiday-themed show featuring consensual, anti-racist, unapologetic, not-your-average burlesque. 7 pm. $5-$25 sliding scale. Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635.

28

December 12-18 2013 NOW

big3

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

SUPPORT TYPHOON VICTIMS

Photos of the typhoon-​torn Philippines may no longer dominate the front page, but the survivors continue to be devastated by the damage. Support the relief effort and celebrate the season of giving at Beauty In The Beats Sunday (December 15). Hear music by the Plaitwrights, the Charleston Relay, Bea Go and others at the Drake Underground (1150 Queen West). Doors 7 pm. $20. thedrakehotel.ca.

That’s what a coalition of labour and community groups is calling for this season. On the 14th of every month across the province they take to the streets to explain why Ontario can’t afford millions of working poor. On Saturday (December 14), the protest heads into the midst of the shopping frenzy. Southeast corner of Yonge-​Dundas Square, 11 am to 1 pm.

Free. raisetheminimumwage.ca.

SEX WORKERS VIGIL

No one in the sex trade will ever be completely safe until the profession’s de-stigmatized and all fears of criminalization fade. On the International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers, Tuesday (December 17), Maggie’s honours those who have died making a ­living in this fraught ­environment. Speakers include Audrey Huntley from No More Silence, the org dedicated to murdered and missing aboriginal women, Elene Lam, former director of Zi Teng, a sex worker org in Hong Kong and China, and others.

4:30 pm. Free. 519 Church Community Centre. ­maggiestoronto.ca.

NO POVERTY WAGES

Peace, prosperity, justice – and a $14 minimum wage in 2014.

The Plaitwrights perform in support of typhoon relief on December 15.

Tuesday, December 17

live auction, secret Santa paintings, poutine and more. $45-$70. Roundhouse, 255 Bremner. artbattle.com/ababab.

International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers Vigil with speakers

Kiryar In Khorog: Undersanding Changes And Continuities In Community Social Capital In Eastern Tajikstan Lecture

Events

including Audrey Huntley of No More Silence and an ­altar to honour victims of violence. 4:30 pm. Free. 519 Church Community Centre. ­maggiestoronto.ca. rLearn To Skate Outdoor skating classes for all ages run through Mar 2014. Various times and prices. Harbourfront Centre Rink, 235 Queens Quay W. Pre-register 416-9734093, harbourfrontcentre.com/learntoskate.

The Unknown Vivaldi Lecture by Rick Phillips of Sound Advice. 7 pm. Free. Palmerston Library, 560 Palmerston. 416-393-7674.

Wednesday, December 18

Benefits

FCHRISTMAS @ CORKTOWN (Daily Bread

Food Bank) Comedy show with Monty Scott, Nick Beaton, Steve Dylan, Bryan Hatt, Alex Nussbaum, Ron Josol and host Brian Coughlin. 9 pm. Pwyc. Betty’s, 240 King E. 416988-2675, ­corktowncomedy.com.

FSHAKEN & STIRRED HOLIDAY EDITION (Toronto Humane Soc) Comedy by Rhonda Riche, Jerry Schaefer, Gord Oxley, Magdalena BB and others. 9 pm. $5. Black Swan, 154 Danforth. facebook.com/events/1411341402436329.

Events

FArt Party! Live competitive painting, a

by ­Fayaz Noormohamed. 7 pm. $5. Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford. ­noorculturalcentre.ca.

upcoming

Thursday, December 19

Benefits

FHo Ho T.O. (Daily Bread Food Bank) Holiday party. 7 pm. $40-$150. Virgin Mobile Mod Club, 722 College. facebook.com/hohoto.

Lights Out! (LightSeed Energy) Interactive night of music, drinks, food and art. $10.

Courthouse, 57 Adelaide E. 416-214-9379, ­lightseedenergy.com.

Events

Creative Knitting And Fibre Arts Workshop with knitter/spinner Cathy Thomson.

5-7 pm. Free. S Walter Stewart Library, 170 Memorial Park. Pre-register 416-396-3975.

FCut, Cut, Paste Holiday craft show with screen-printed tea towels, bow ties, T-shirts, jewellery and more. 6-10:30 pm. Free. Beaver Café, 1192 Queen W. 416-537-2768.

FNerd Nite Toronto Holiday Nerdtacular Presentations on mixology and magic, comedy with Craig Fay, trivia and more. 8 pm. $5. Tranzac, 292 Brunswick. toronto. nerdnite.com.

3

NOW’s Holiday

Look like a gifting genius this holiday season by using the third in our series of behemoth gift guides. From the constantly caked stoner to the rich hipster and self-proclaimed slut, we have something for even the quirkiest character on your shopping list.

By SABRINA MADDEAUX and ALEXANDER JOO Photos DAVID HAWE Makeup & hair: TAYLOR SAVAGE/judyinc.com using TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Heat Protection Spray Models: FRANCINA F and MYLES S / B&M Models

Collective Arts Brewing’s Rhyme & Reason is an easy-drinking XPA with limited-edition interactive art on every label ($13.95/six-pack, LCBO, 337 Spadina, 416-597-0145, and others, lcbo.com).

We just wish they made a human-sized version of this puffy carrier ($110, My Pet Boutique, 94 Cumberland, 416-368-6896, mypetboutique.com).

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

29

Holiday GIFT GUIDE The faster your kid dances, the faster the beats that emanate from the Playskool Rocktivity Jump ’N Jam Guitar Toy – thus beginning an endless cycle of superhyper kids preventing you from sleeping until February. ($23.76, Walmart, Dufferin Mall, 416-537-2561, and others, walmart.ca).

Made from unique mylon material using a 3D printing technique, these Mykita Mylon glasses are the face of the future ($685, Josephson Opticians, 60 Bloor West, 416-964-7070, and others, josephson.ca).

For seriously festive spirit fingers: Ginger Sparkle hand lotion ($12, Body Shop, 100 Bloor West, 416-9281180, and others, thebodyshop.ca).

This motion-activated Marvel Thor Lightning Strike Hammer is so addictive and satisfying to strike against surfaces, you’d better hope Santa brought a shitload of AAA batteries to keep on hand. ($19.99, hasbrotoyshop.com).

An Olympic dog jacket for the champion of eating his own poo ($44.99, Canadian Tire, 65 Dundas West, 416979-9056, and others, canadiantire.ca).

Mamma mia! It’s a Super Mario necktie ($77.42, Handsome & Lace, handsomeandlace.ca).

The next-generation Xbox One combines your video games, live TV, movies, sports and music together in one cutting-edge piece of hardware. ($499.99. Best Buy, 65 Dundas West, 416- 642- 8321, and others, bestbuy.ca).

Preschoolers learn their colours, numbers and ABCs through song while zipping around this interactive Playskool Sesame Street Elmo Junction Train Set. ($54.99, Toys “R” Us, Dufferin Mall, 416-532- 8697, and others, toysrus.ca).

Sound gift. $99

Mies e200 The best earbuds under $300

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DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Be stylish and eco-friendly while supporting a local artist with this hemp evening pouch. Who says you can’t have it all? ($98, Virginia Johnson, 970 College, 416-516-3366, virginiajohnson.com).

$369

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31

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

R… O F Y U B O WHAT T

THE

STONER

Can you tell your Big Buddha Cheese from your Alien Dawg? The Marijuana Smoker’s Guidebook is the cannabis connoisseur’s holy book ($15, RoachO-Rama).

Stoners aren’t always lazy, but when they are, French Fleece Lazypants have your deadbeat ass covered ($98, TNT, 388 Eglinton West, 416-481-5550, and others, shoplazypants.com).

These genius Mary Jane mini cards double as rolling paper ($18, Drake General Store, 1144 Queen West, 416532-5042, and others, drakegeneralstore.ca).

Customize a Made With Love Stoner Gift Box with all the tools you need to get completely caked ($10 and up, RoachO-Rama).

32

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Chanteloup stockings ($50), Bagatelle dress ($425, both Beaufille, beaufille.com), Gaenor ankle boots, ($119.98, Aldo, 50 Bloor West, 416-921-9763, and others, aldoshoes.com), House of Marley Liberate headphones ($99, thehouseofmarley.ca), Hoss glass bong ($200, Roach-O-Rama, 204 Augusta, 416-203-6990, hotboxcafe.ca).

Two words: Pot pizza. Breville Crispy Crust Pizza Maker ($188.83, Williams-Sonoma, 100 Bloor West, 416-962-9455, and others, williams-sonoma.ca).

Now we know why Happy Feet was so happy. Penguin pipe ($30, RoachO- Rama).

JANUARY 31 TO FEBRUARY 13, 2014 CULINARY EVENT SERIES 16 ticketed culinary experiences that offer some of Toronto’s most diverse cuisine, notable chefs and unique venues.

ON SALE NOW! PRIX FIXE PROGRAM More than 200 of Toronto’s top restaurants offer 3-course prix fixe menus.

BOOK YOUR RESERVATIONS STARTING JANUARY 16, 2014

Nourish the Body and Soul: Comfort Food and “Tuesdays with Morrie” Theatre Event Campbell House Museum Jan. 31 - Feb. 6 & Feb. 9 - 12

10th Anniversary Guilty Pleasures Strolling Fashion Brunch The Drake Hotel Feb. 1

Sweet Winter Heat Spice Route Feb. 2

Destination DYNE DYNE Restaurant Feb. 2 & Feb. 6

Warming Winter Braise Ciao Wine Bar Feb.3

The Tempered Beast: Sucré - Salé Beast Restaurant Feb. 3 & Feb. 4

Master Gnocchi with Chef Paul Brans Arcadian Studio & Arcadian Loft Feb. 4

The Tin Chef Mildred’s Temple Kitchen Feb. 5

For details and ticket prices: toronto.ca/winterlicious

Interac and the Interac logo are registered trade-marks of Interac Inc. Used under license.

OM: Official Mark trademarked by the City of Toronto

®

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

33

Holiday Gift guide The Playskool Learnimals Magic Motion book reads the story aloud as your child turns the pages, letting you get back to your eggnog. ($29.99, Toys “R” Us, Dufferin Mall, 416-​532-​8697, and others, toysrus.ca).

The Playskool Spider-​Man Adventures Web Racing Funhouse Play Set pits Spidey against Green Goblin on a fast-​paced motorcycle track that involves aerials! ($64.99, Toys “R” Us, Dufferin Mall, 416-532-8697, and others, toysrus.ca).

Free admission.

Free admission.

Discounts on shopping, Discounts on shopping, dining, classes dining, classes and more! and more!

Major White Marshall Headphones give you quality sound and good looks. ($94.99, Moog Audio, 442 Queen West, 416-​599-​6664, moogaudio.com).

CALL 416 979 6620 CALL 979 6620 CLICK416 ago.net/membership CLICKthe ago.net/membership VISIT Membership Desk VISIT the Membership Desk The Hot Wheels Car Maker turns a stick of wax into a fully functioning car in minutes. ($59.99, Sears, Eaton Centre, 416-​349-​7111, and others, sears.ca).

317 Dundas Street West, Toronto M5T 1G4 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto M5T 1G4

Turns out you can catch the gingerbread man. Corduroy ginger­bread toy ($10, Timmie Doggie Outfitters, 867 Queen West, 416-203-6789, and other, ­timmie.ca).

34

december 12-18 2013 NOW

GREAT GIFTS EXTENDED HOLIDAY HOURS NOW IN EFFECT M-F 10-8, SAT 10-6 & SUN 12-5

The newest Tivoli Audio PAL Portable Radio adds Bluetooth to its sensitive analog AM/FM tuner so you can play music wirelessly from any BT device. ($289.95, Bay Bloor Radio, 55 Bloor West, 416-967-1122, baybloorradio.com).

Your child can build 14 different robots – that don’t require batteries – with the 14-In-1 Educational Solar Robot Kit. ($29.95, Mastermind Toys, 639 Mt. Pleasant, 416-440- 0111, and others, mastermindtoys.com).

$

699.95

SAVE $150

D3200 w/ 18-55VR Kit DX 55-300 ED Zoom Lens Hiking Backpack

Ultimate image quality.

Create without limitation.

D7100 Body $

970.00

SAVE $209 D7100 w/ 18-105VR $

1200.00

SAVE $249

|| Flagship HD-SLR || 24.1MP DX-format CMOS sensor || Up to 6 fps || || Dazzling 1080p video || 51 focus points, including 15 cross-type sensors ||

Nikon SB 700 AF Speed light

$

Nikon S B 910 AF S p eedlight

295.00

SAVE $74

$

440.00

SAVE $139

Valid until Dec.24th 2013 Quantities limited. Errors & Omissions Excepted. Details in store.

Give your kid the Playskool Showcam 2-in-1 Digital Camera and Projector and never worry again about your pricey Nikon. ($69.99, Toys “R” Us , Dufferin Mall, 416-532- 8697, and others, toysrus.ca).

w w w . D O W N T O W N C A M E R A . c o m

5 5 Q U E E N S T. E A S T. T O R O N T O. O N | | 4 1 6 . 3 6 3 . 1 7 4 9 | | NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

35

UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS in Little Italy Visit our fabulous retailers & restaurants on College St between Bathurst & Shaw

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

R… O F Y U B O WHAT T THE

Penfield Filson Cheap Monday Gant Rugger Fred Perry United Stock Dry Goods Brixton Deus Ben Sherman The Hill.Side Gloverall Velva.Sheen Original Penguin Aigle

Present this ad during the month of December & receive

30% OFF any one item

*expires Dec 24th, minimum $50 purchase, cannot be combined with other offers, 1 per purchase/customer

654 College St

ORGANIC METAL GALLERY Your Turtledove would love a glittering statement set.

10% OFF

PURCHASE OF TWO OR MORE MATCHING HAND-MADE JEWELLERY PIECES.

578 College St ♦ 416-533-8127 www.organicmetalgallery.com

So ironic it hurts: Recession Bling necklace ($70, MADE, 867A Dundas West, 416-6076384, madedesign.ca).

RICH HIPSTER

www.pasqualino.ca Putting stylish and functional hats on heads for over 25 years!

Toronto’s only full service millinery boutique

In celebration of the holidays, we are offering

20% off a custom made hat

The international hipster uniform: a plaid jacket. Filson Mackinaw cruiser ($350, Oliver Spencer, 962 Queen West, 647-3487673, filson.com).

Please bring in this coupon!

462 College St • 416 536 5933 • lilliputhats.com

Show off this Tuck Shop Trading Co. Kensington toque and no one will suspect you actually work on Bay Street ($35, Valhalla Cards, 791 Queen West, 416-203-6328, tuckshopco.com).

30% OFF

Aguiar Fine Jeweller y

416-323-8800 | 543 College St

Receive a gift certificate valued at $200 when you spend more than $500

www.msemmadesigns.it

416-532-4845 | 716 College St

handcrafted one of a kind clothing

If you have to wear a suit, at least be cool about it with a Gary Taxali “Toronto” pocket square ($95, Harry Rosen, 82 Bloor West, 416-972-0556, and others, harryrosen.com).

Promotion expires Jan 31, 2014

tweet for a chance to win an Italian-designed Stella super clean, environmentally-friendly 4-stroke

#littleitalygalliano Supported by:

36

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

This Arborist Ontario trillium cashmere sweater looks like something you could dig up at Value Village, but costs a whole lot more ($175, Drake General Store).

Vinylize glasses ($410, Karir Eyewear, 100 King West, 416363-4669, karireyewear.com), Vito slim button down ($80), Zanerobe leather chinos ($600), Van Gils camo-print blazer ($595, all from GotStyle, 21 Trinity, 416260-9696, and other, gotstyle.ca), Union Street wingtip boots ($220, Rockport, 220 Yonge, 416-597-0646, rockport.ca), ccordion briefcase ($595, Philip Sparks, 162 Ossington, 647348-1827).

JOIN US FOR OUR

DEEP-FRIED TURKEY M A R ATHON 2013

Christmas Day 11 pm to New Year’s Day 11 pm Served with traditional stuffing, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy + cranberry sauce.

Pair a handcrafted-inCanada MacAusland throw with a curated picnic basket and you’re set to take over Trinity Bellwoods come spring ($95, Drake General Store, 1144 Queen West, 416531-5042, and others, drakegeneralstore.ca).

$ 1 P E R P L AT E G O E S T O

$

3 4 4 $

$

SSIC CLAOSAS M MI

Y DAILTS PIN

NAL ITIORS D A TR AESA C

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

37

38

december 12-18 2013 NOW

NOW december 12-18 2013

39

Flask Give a

because Crack isn’t appropriate!

for Christmas

Drive!

Don’t Drink &

www.outerlayer.com

577 Queen Street West

430 Bloor Street West

416.869.9889

416.324.8333

Service 24th Annual

Christmas Eve December 24, 10:30 PM

Auditorium doors open at 10:00 pm

Media Sponsor:

AT

Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto

invites you to their annual Christmas Eve Service featuring traditional Christmas music, The Choir of MCC Toronto with guest singers

Heather Bambrick, Jeigh Madjus, Elana Harte & Dale Miller,

and a Christmas message offered by Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes.

To purchase tickets call

Roy Thomson Hall Box Office Child Care Provided

40

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

416-872-4255 or visit: www.roythomson.com

Wheelchair Accessible

ASL Interpreted

Every time someone buys a WeWood wooden watch, they plant a new tree ($135, Grassroots).

Free up some coffee table real estate with the Nintendo Wii Mini console that has the same functionality as the full-size Wii but is smaller and prettier. ($79.95, Best Buy, 65 Dundas West, 416- 642- 8321, and others, bestbuy.ca).

RCM_NOW_gift-guide_Dec12__V 13-12-06 5:38 PM Page 1

The 6.4-inch high-def Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a speedy quad-core processor, 9-megapixel camera, is waterproof and dust-resistant and has a talk time of 16 hours. ($199.95 on a twoyear contract, Bell Mobility, Eaton Centre, 1-800-667-0123, and others, bell.ca).

Great Gift

Koerner Hall Concert Tickets

Terri Lynn Carrington (Sat. Apr. 26)

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

Mavis Staples (Fri. Feb. 7)

Richard Galliano Quartet (Fri., Mar. 7)

These candy-striped suspenders with an airplane back are great for the guy who never grew up ($106.45, Handsome and Lace, handsomeandlace.ca).

Rennie Harris Puremovement (Sat. Mar. 1)

Fatoumata Diawara (Sat. Feb. 1)

Assasin’s Creed 4: Black Flag includes figurine, soundtrack, game case, flag and art book. ($129 for Xbox 360 and One, PS3/PS4 and PC, Game Stop, 2002 Queen East, 416- 6867667, ebgames.ca).

Israel Galván (Sat. Mar. 29)

Purchasing a Gift Card for concert tickets makes it even easier!

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 416.408.0208 www.performance.rcmusic.ca 273 BLOOR STREET WEST (BLOOR ST. & AVENUE RD.) TORONTO

The Apple iPad Air is thinner and faster than its predecessor – and every other tablet out there – while maintaining its battery time. (From $519, Apple, Eaton Centre, 647-258- 0801, and others, apple.ca).

The 24.2 megapixel Nikon D5300 DSLR comes with Wi-Fi, GPS and Vari-angle LCD, all wrapped in an ergonomic and colourful body. ($849.99, Henry’s, 119 Church, 416- 868- 0872, henrys.ca).

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

41

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

R… O F Y U B O WHAT T THE

SELFPROCLAIMED SLUT

The gift that just keeps on punishing: a handcrafted flogger ($182, Northbound Leather).

All natural and made in Canada, BIOlala Lubricant’s nonsticky formula keeps you sufficiently slippery and doubles as a massage gel ($29.99, Ecosex.ca).

For when his junk is junk: the eco-friendly rechargeable WeVibe 4 ($159.99, Good for Her, 175 Harbord, 416-588-0900, goodforher. com).

Because the “nice” list is seriously overrated.

Latex eye masks ($35-$40, Ego Assassin, ego-assassin.com).

Oasis Aqualounge: where Foreplay Thursdays are a thing.

What more do you need to know? (Women’s spa membership $200, 231 Mutual, 416-599-7665, oasisaqualounge.com).

The bSwish bNaughty bullet-style vibrator is an upgrade from the original silver.

Fully waterproof, this vibe is made of phthalate-free hard plastic with a velvety touch. ($30, Come as You Are, 493 Queen West, 416-504-7934, comeasyouare.com).

42

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Officer’s cap ($104), PVC miniskirt ($60), riding crop ($29, all from Northbound Leather, 586 Yonge, 416-972-1037, northbound.com), custom corset ($545, Starkers Corsetry, starkers.com), Chainmaille cuffs ($95 each, Biko, ilovebiko.com), Preen x Aldo Rise Fanni high heels ($230, Aldo, 50 Bloor West, 416-921-9763, and others, aldoshoes.com).

Spirit of Giving DIRECTORY Nellie’s Shelter

What Whatdo doyou youREALLY REALLY want? want?

What do you REALLY want?

Give the gift of HOME to a homeless woman or child today Donate now at www.nellies.org or call 416-461-0769 Charitable Registration: 11930-2727-RR0001

Happiness?Love?

Love?

Happiness?

Increased awareness?

Happiness?

Love?

Increased awareness?

To live in the NOW? Increased awareness?

To live in the NOW?

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PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY COURSE FREE COURSE STARTS JANUARY 14/15/16/18 PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY COURSE STARTS JANUARY 14/15/16/18 For more information go to STARTS JANUARY 14/15/16/18 www.schoolofphilosophy.ca For more information go to

For more information go to 416-960-4833 www.schoolofphilosophy.ca www.schoolofphilosophy.ca 416-960-4833 416-960-4833

A Consignment Shoppe that gives back!

Men’s and women’s gently used designer and brand name clothing and accessories. Proceeds from our auctions and from StressSlayer brand merchandise go to support youth mental health programs like The Gatehouse, Kids Help Phone, The Jack Project and others.

Gucci Burberry Louis Vuitton Coach, etc

Receive an additional 10% OFF Dec 15-31st.

Find a truly unique gift for that special someone on your list!

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My Dream Closet 26A Ripley Ave, Toronto (Across from The Cheese Boutique) 416-792-5935 • mydreamcloset.com • StressSlayer.com Hours: Mon 12-7pm, Tues Closed, Wed & Thurs 10-5pm Fri 12-7pm Sat 11-5pm

Spirit of Giving Directory is coming to the Dec 19 issue of NOW Magazine It’s the perfect opportunity for your non-profit to appeal to our readers who are in the holiday spirit and eager to help out their community.

To advertise, please call 416-364-1300 ext 381 NOW december 12-18 2013

43

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

Warning: you will absolutely not get laid wearing these cozy ankle slippers ($35, Ten Thousand Villages, 362 Danforth, 416-462-9779, and other, tenthousandvillages.ca).

Grumpy Cat’s version of season’s greetings: Jingle All The Way To Hell sweater ($49.99, retrofestive.ca).

These Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones let you shut out the world, StayHear tips ensure a soft, secure fit, and rechargeable batts give you 16 hours of use. ($329.95 Bay Bloor Radio, 55 Bloor West, 416-967-1122, baybloorradio.com).

Thanks for voting us #1 JEWELLERY STORE 44

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

green

DIRECTORY

A locally made and illustrated Shared History pillow lets you partake in the Canadian winter experience without actually going outside ($18, Drake General Store, 1144 Queen West, 416-5315042, and others, drakegeneralstore.ca).

Spill mulled wine on your sloppy self without anyone noticing. The West Is Dead men’s slim chinos in cranberry ($178, Dutil, 704 Queen West, 647-352-2560).

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@nowtoronto The 16.3 megapixel Fuji Finepix X100S has snappy autofocus and a huge sensor, so blurry shots are a thing of the past. ($1,299.99, Henry’s, 119 Church, 416- 868- 0872, henrys.ca).

Not everyone has the luxury of buying overpriced quinoa salads from their local Sobeys. Donate to the Quinoa Project and gift this superfood to families in developing countries. ($35, Plan Canada, 1-800-3871418, plancanada.ca/gifts).

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45

Holiday GIFT GUIDE This elegant stretch-cord Northern Star bracelet will expand with you during the holidays ($125, Beaufille, beaufille.com).

The 50th Anniversary Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven features bigger pans, a larger cooking chamber and a real heating element instead of a light bulb. ($49.99, Sears, Eaton Centre, 416-349-7111, and others, sears.ca).

The K2 Diversion Snow Helmet protects your noggin while you bomb down fresh powder and listen to tunes. ($157, Mountain Equipment Co-op, 400 King West, 416-340-2667, mec.ca).

The Bose SoundTouch Portable WiFi music system streams Internet radio and your own music library with the push of a button. ($449.95, Bay Bloor Radio, 55 Bloor West, 416-967-1122, baybloorradio.com).

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alt health

Potassium keeps cells alkaline and skin hydrated and internally moisturized.

Take sea buckthorn berries internally or use sea buckthorn oil externally.”

ARA WISEMAN, nutritionist, Toronto

Skin dry spell Soothe your winter-worn outer layer with olive oil and salt baths By elizabeth bromstein

These winter winds! My freaking face feels like someone yanked the skin tight. My hands are cracked. Every part of my body has had the moisture sucked right out of it. Bleh.

Honestly, though, I know I’m not hardcore enough about my epidermal regimen. I don’t, for example, moistur­ ize after every shower. In fact, I’ve just learned that I shouldn’t even be tak­

ing showers. While we’re at it, I wash my hands far too often. (Mild OCD and dry skin go hand in hand!)

And there are, of course, plenty of other things I could be doing.

What the experts say “Put nutritive herbs like nettles, marshmallow and alfalfa in a Mason jar and cover them with boiling water at bedtime. In the morning, pour the liquid through a sieve into another jar and use as your water bottle. Add a little molasses if you want. For more minerals, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Do a salt bath once a week to draw toxins out of your skin.

Put one to two cups of salt in the water. Don’t use soap. Add oils to the tub. Coconut oil is messy to clean up.

Olive oil might be preferred, or plain sesame oil, not toasted. Don’t use essential oils in the tub; they’re irritating to eyes and membranes. Calen­ dula extracted in an oil heals skin tissue. Comfrey repairs it, so make a tea and pour it into the bath. Pure shea or cocoa butter and coconut oil are the best moisturizers. If you’re going to use cream on your skin, it should be something you’re willing to eat with a spoon.”

JOHN REDDEN, herbalist, Toronto

astrology freewill

“I suggest hydration with lots of fil­ tered water. Most people have forced air heat, which can add to the dryness.

Coffee and caffeinated teas dehydrate skin. Fruits are full of minerals, vitamins and water and are excellent. Green leafy vegetables, raw walnuts, ground flax, hemp and chia seeds are high in essential fatty acids and ­lubricate skin from the inside. Limit ­sodium intake and increase potas­sium. Sodium makes your body retain water, causes puffiness and throws the body’s balance off.

12| 12

2013

by Rob Brezsny

Aries Mar 21 | Apr 19 Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States four times, more often than any other president. We can conclude that he was one of the most popular American leaders ever. And yet he never won a majority of the votes cast by the citizens of his home county in New York. I foresee the possibility of a comparable development in your life. You may be more successful working on the big picture than you are in your immediate situation. It could be easier for you to maneuver when you’re not dealing with familiar, up-close matters. What’s outside your circle might be more attracted to your influence than what’s nearer to home.

Taurus Apr 20 | May 20 In 2009, actress

Sandra Bullock starred in three films, two of which earned her major recognition.

For her performance in All About Steve, she was given a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actress. Her work in The Blind Side, on the other hand, won her an Oscar for best actress. I’m thinking that you may experience a similar paradox in the coming days, Taurus. Some of your efforts might be denigrated, while others are praised. It may even be the case that you’re criticized and applauded for the same damn thing. How to respond? Learn from Bullock’s example. She gave gracious acceptance speeches at the award ceremonies for both the Golden Raspberry and the Oscar.

Gemini May 21 | Jun 20 Almost 2,000

years ago, a Roman doctor named

Scribonius Largus developed recipes for three different kinds of toothpaste. One contained the ashes of burned-up deer antler, aromatic resin from an evergreen shrub known as mastic and a rare mineral called sal ammoniac. His second toothpaste was a mix of barley flour, vinegar, honey and rock salt. Then there was the third: sun-dried radish blended with finely ground glass. Let’s get a bit rowdy here and propose that these three toothpastes have metaphorical resemblances to the life choices in front of you right now. I’m going to suggest you go with the second option. At the very least, avoid the third.

Cancer Jun 21 | Jul 22 Are you feeling a bit pinched, parched and prickly? Given the limitations you’ve had to wrestle with lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were. Even though you have passed some of the sneaky tests and solved some of the itchy riddles you’ve been compelled to deal with, they have no doubt contributed to the pinched, parched prickliness. Now what can be done to help you recover your verve? I’m thinking that all you will have to do is respond smartly to the succulent temptations that life will bring your way in the coming weeks.

Leo Jul 23 | Aug 22 Have you ever situ-

ated yourself between two big bonfires on a beach and basked in the primal power? Was there a special moment in your past when you found yourself sitting between two charismatic people

you loved and admired, soaking up the life-giving radiance they exuded? Did you ever read a book that filled you with exaltation as you listened to music that thrilled your soul? These are the kinds of experiences I hope you seek out in the coming week. I’d love to see you get nourished stereophonically by rich sources of excitement.

Virgo Aug 23 | Sep 22 Mythically speaking, this would be a propitious time for you to make an offering to the sea goddess. In dreams or meditations or fantasies, I suggest you dive down into the depths, find the supreme feminine power in her natural habitat and give her a special gift. Show her how smart you are in the way you express love, or tell her exactly how you will honour her wisdom in the future. If she is receptive, you may even ask her for a favour. Maybe she’ll be willing to assist you in accessing the deep feelings that haven’t been fully available to you. Or perhaps she will teach you how to make conscious the secrets you have been keeping from yourself.

Libra Sep 23 | Oct 22 Don’t linger in a doorway, Libra. Don’t camp out in a threshold or get stuck in the middle of anything. I understand your caution, considering the fact that life is presenting you with such paradoxical clues.

But if you remain ambivalent too much longer, you may obstruct the influx of more definitive information. The best way to generate the clarity and attract the help you need will be to make a deci-

“It’s a myth that drinking water hy­ drates your skin. When you drink water, it affects intravascular volume inside your blood vessels, not on your skin. People can have a genetic predisposition to dry skin. Fair people can be more sensitive than those with swarthy, Mediterranean skin types. Get a humidifier for your house, and stop taking showers. They’re more drying than baths. Put oil in the bathwater.

Don’t use soap. After your bath, use a moisturizer on wet skin, one that’s heavier. Mineral oil and Vaseline Petro­ leum Jelly decrease water loss. Applying on wet skin increases absorption.

Exfoliating gets rid of dead skin cells but won’t decrease the rate of trans­epidermal water loss.”

LISA KELLETT, dermatologist, Toronto “Essential fatty acids – fish oils are the most effective – help keep cell membranes soft and permeable, which means nutrients can get into the cell and toxins can leave. Liver support and/or drainage is required to help r­ emove the buildup of toxins.

Dandelion, nettle and milk thistle teas can help. Coconut water and juicy fruits are e ­ ffective h ­ ydrators.

Dry skin brushing removes dead skin cells, improving the skin’s ability to absorb moisturizers and boosting lymphatic circulation, which helps desive move – either in or out, either forward or backward, either up or down.

Scorpio Oct 23 | Nov 21 “It’s a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn’t want to hear,” said TV talk show host Dick Cavett. I will love it if you make yourself one of those rare types in the coming week, Scorpio. Can you bring yourself to be receptive to truths that might be disruptive? Are you willing to send out an invitation to the world, asking to be shown revelations that contradict your fixed theories and foregone conclusions? If you do this hard work, I promise that you will be granted a brainstorm and a breakthrough. You might also be given a new reason to brag.

Sagittarius Nov 22 | Dec 21 There are

pregnant truths I could reveal to you right now that I’ve decided not to disclose. I don’t think you’re prepared to hear them yet. If I told you what they are, you wouldn’t be receptive or able to register their full meaning; you might even misinterpret them. It is possible, however, that you could evolve rather quickly in the next two weeks. So let’s see if I can nudge you in the direction of getting the experiences necessary to become ready. Meditate on what parts of you are immature or underdeveloped – aspects that may one day be skilled and gracious, but are not yet. I bet that once you identify what needs ripening, you will expedite the ripening. And then you will become ready to welcome the pregnant truths.

Capricorn Dec 22 | Jan 19 “Finifugal” is a rarely used English adjective that I need to invoke in order to provide you with the proper horoscope. It refers to someone who avoids or dislikes endings – like a child who doesn’t want a bedtime story to conclude, or an adult who’s in denial about how it’s finally time to

toxify cells. Natural oils like coconut or olive are your best moisturizing choices. Commercial creams with high levels of water make your skin feel hydrated initially, but when the water evaporates your skin is left is its original condition.”

STACEY SHILLINGTON, naturopath, ­Toronto “People are so afraid of the flu that they wash their hands every five minutes and use hand sanitizer. That’s the worst thing. If you don’t want to get sick, don’t touch your face. When you over-​wash your hands, you strip away your skin’s immunity and the outer layers of cells that hold in water and protect you. And you make yourself more prone to infection. Minimize unhealthy foods, sugars, pro-​inflammatory foods. Vitamin C is good, but don’t take too much, especially if you’re prone to kidney stones. We’re still learning about vitamin D; it has a role in skin care. Vitamin D ointment is used for psoriasis. You can get a blood test to see if you are deficient. Some moisturizers contain ceramides, which are naturally found in the skin. People with atopic dermatitis or eczema may be lacking in ceramides, so products that contain them can be helpful.”

DORIS J. DAY, dermatologist, author of Forget The Facelift: Turn Back The Clock With A Revolutionary Program For Ageless Skin, New York City

Got a question?

Send your Althealth queries to althealth@nowtoronto.com

wrap up long-unfinished business. You can’t afford to be finifugal in the coming days, Capricorn. This is the tail end of your cycle. It won’t be healthy for you to shun climaxes and denouements. Neither will it be wise to merely tolerate them. Somehow, you’ve got to find a way to love and embrace them. (P.S. That’s the best strategy for ensuring the slow-motion eruption of vibrant beginnings after your birthday.)

Aquarius Jan 20 | Feb 18 According to

20th-century British author John Cowper Powys, “A bookshop is a dynamite-shed, a drugstore of poisons, a bar of intoxicants, a den of opiates, an island of sirens.” He didn’t mean that literally, of course. He was referring to the fact that the words contained in books can inflame and enthrall the imagination. I think you will be wise to seek out that level of arousal in the coming weeks, Aquarius. Your thoughts need to be aired out and rearranged. Your feelings are crying out for strenuous exercise, including some pure, primal catharses. Do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.

Pisces Feb 19| Mar 20 “I am not fearless,” says Mexican journalist and women’s right advocate Lydia Cacho, “but I’m not overtaken by fear. Fear is quite an interesting animal. It’s like a pet. If you mistreat it, it will bite, but if you understand it and accept it in your house, it might protect you.” This is an excellent time to work on transforming your fright reflexes, Pisces. You have just the right kind of power over them: strong and crafty and dynamic, but not grandiose or cocky or delusional. You’re ready to make your fears serve you, not drain you.

Homework: What holiday gifts do you want? Express your outrageous demands and humble requests. Freewillastrology.com.

NOW December 12-18 2013

47

ecoholic

When you’re addicted to the planet By ADRIA VASIL

PRESENTS THAT GIVE TWICE Avoid the fumes of Santa’s sweatshop and opt for prezzies that put some soul back in the holidays.

HEARTS FOR HEARTS GIRLS

WWF TYGA & PONG RING TOWER

I love this toy line’s mission to “­empower girls to become agents of change in their countries and around the world” – as well as its beautifully multicultural dolls. The makers, who also crank out Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, donate a dollar of each doll sold to World Vision­. Yes, they’re made in China of petroleum-based PVC/vinyl, but the company says the dolls are free of hormone disrupting phthalates, below federal limits for lead in toys and made without child labour. Available at Sears. ­hearts4heartsgirls.ca. $34.99 approximately.

Score: NN

WWF offers dozens of cool gifty things whose entire profits go toward supporting programs – stuff like adopt-aspecies teddies and this latest babyfriendly line, Tyga & Pong. Both the stuffies and this rattle/toss ’n twirl ring set are made of conventional fossil fuel-based fabrics (docking them an N) but are certified free of harmful chemicals (meeting the eco Oeko-Tex 100 standard). Imported from China, but factories have been certified by ­impacttlimited.com. worldwildlife.org. $19.99 Score: NNN

TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES RECYCLED SARI PURSE One hundred per cent free of sweatshop guilt, these one-of-a-kind recycled sari purses are fairly made by a women’s artisan group in Bangladesh.

The women are also given literacy classes and training in their legal rights.

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit of the Mennonite Central Committee, a Christian relief and development service agency. Outlets on the Danforth and Bloor West. tenthousandvillages. ca. $39.

Score: NNNN

Get your copy of Adria Vasil’s latest book, Ecoholic Body: Your Ultimate Earth-Friendly Guide To Living Healthy And Looking Good – in bookstores everywhere!

TE ST L

AB

INSPIRATIONS STUDIO OWL MUG

GIVE A GOAT, GRANT OR GREEN­SPACE

So many charity-linked gifts are made in faraway lands. This mug is not only crafted locally (earning it bonus Ns), but also guaranteed to warm both hearts and hands. Inspirations Studio is a micro-business incubator for low-­ income women ­affected by poverty, homelessness, trauma and mental health issues. They also make one-of-akind stoneware teapots, platters and more with lead-free glazes. Snag some from their studio at 2480 Dundas West or at Wonderworks, 79a Harbord. ­inspirationsstudio.org. $22. ­ Score: NNNNN

Give the gift of good karma by opting out of the consumer trap altogether and supporting charitable orgs instead.

Free the Children, Oxfam, Unicef, CAMH, SickKids, the Nature Conservancy, Evergreen, Habitat for Humanity and now Environmental Defence are just a few of the many do-gooders helping to protect acres or animals or donating school supplies, clean water or mosquito nets in your loved one’s name. These crucial fundraising tools help keep cash-strapped non-profits afloat and provide planet-saving services to the world at large, so go on and give a goat. ecoholic Score: NNNNN

pick

diy gift OF THE WEEK

UPCYCLED SCARF NECKLACE I like my DIY projects the way I like my breakfast: quick ’n’ easy. And you can check both criteria off in a flash with this lovely zero-​skills-​required upcycled necklace. All you need is a long chain or strand of beads and a pretty vintage scarf (even one with holes will do). You can toss in a big earring missing its partner as a pendant if you like. My only instructions from there are to play: tie/knot/wrap the scarf around your chain in random formations, weave a big bead or three into the mix if you’ve got ’em. Depending on the length of your chain, it can double as a chic ’n’ chunky wraparound bracelet, too.

48

December 12-18 2013 Now

nature notes

FRANKENFISH ON YOUR PLATE?

North America’s first genetically modified fish is one step closer to market now that ­Environment Canada’s approved­commercial production of GMO salmon eggs in PEI. EC says the sterile all-­female eggs aren’t harmful to human or environmental health, but the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network issued this statement from Lucy Sharatt: “It’s unacceptable that this incredibly important decision was made in total secrecy and without any public consultation.” She adds, “GM salmon egg production in Canada endangers the future of wild Atlantic s­ almon around the world.” AquAdvantage Salmon, its trademarked name, is still awaiting approval from U.S. regulators.

DANDRUFF’S ENVIRO BLUES Harper’s war on science Welcome to dandruff season. Before you lather up with conventional fungicide-laced shampoo, best to double-check just what’s lurking in it (ditto your pet shampoo). A new study p ­ ublished in Environmental Toxicology And Chemistry found climbazole from dandruff products in wastewater treatment plants and their digested sludge (some of which, by the way, gets pawned off on farmers as fancy fertilizer, aka biosolids). Turns out chronic exposure is toxic to algae, larger plants and fish. If you’re looking for a safer alternative that works, try putting a few drops of all-natural neem oil in your regular shampoo and let the lather sit on your head for a few minutes before rinsing. It’s nature’s antifungal ­miracle worker.

The calendar year isn’t the only thing coming to a close. Just last week the feds shuttered yet another government library, the Marshall Library belonging to the Freshwater Institute at the University of Manitoba. The graveyard of more than a dozen government libraries closed or “consolidated” since 2012 includes archives at Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Parks Canada. It’s been a busy year in the battle against empirical research. The feds have de-funded major research programs like the Experimental Lakes District, gutted environmental regulations including the Fisheries Act, laid off hundreds of employees at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and muzzled all remaining federal scientists. No wonder we won the “dead last” prize for environmental protection on the annual OECD index. For the complete picture, put Chris Turner’s latest book, The War On Science, on your holiday reading list.

food&drink Brunch jazzed up Great food and hot music make a cool combo at Jazz Bistro By Steven Davey

The Micah Barnes Trio plays while chef Brad Macdonald preps beet salad and ­Shannon McNally serves up eggs Benedict at Jazz Bistro.

JAZZ BISTRO (251 Victoria, at Dun-

ñ

das East, 416-363-5299, ­jazzbistro. ca, @­JazzBistroTO) Complete brunches featuring the Micah Barnes Trio for $55 per person, including $15 cover charge, tax, tip and a cocktail. Open Sunday 11:30 am to 3 pm. With special guests Gavin Hope (December 15), Alana Bridgewater (December 22) and Thom Allison (December 29). Reservations accepted. Licensed.

Access: b ­ arrier-free. Rating: NNNNN

David Laurence

Although Dundas Square will never be confused with Rockefeller Center, Micah Barnes’s month-long stand of Big Apple-themed holiday brunches at Jazz Bistro is the next best thing to Christmas in New York. All that’s missing is a chorus line of Rockettes.

The one-time Nylon’s no stranger to the Great White Way, having worked as a vocal coach for the Broad-

Ñ

way production of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. That experience inspired the songs for his upcoming New York Stories CD, which make up a good chunk of the Jazz Bistro brunch show, the opening I Came Back a cheeky mix of Randy Newman and the Grinch.

For his part, Bistro chef Brad Macdonald opens with a complimentary round of cranberry ’n’ currant scones, their fab­ulous flakiness intensified by house-made strawberry jam. By now Barnes and trio have segued into a swinging version of Apollo The­atre regular Smokey Robinson’s Shop Around that borders on vintage Ram­sey Lewis, then shifts gears for a poignant take on Body And Soul by way of Billie Holiday at Carnegie Hall.

Macdonald follows with “a medley of beets” – steamed baby beets and

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

✺

Indicates patio

fennel with blood orange coulis, shaved pecorino cheese and a dollop of creamy whipped potato mousse ($9) – that’s so beautifully plated, we don’t know whether to eat it or wear it as a festive corsage. A take on a classic Cobb, his artfully arranged chopped salad ($16) of blue cheese, avo­cado and bacon et al. deserves a more assertive dressing than run-ofthe-mill ranch.

Away from the red baby grand, Barnes takes centre stage for a terri­ fic run through Doc Pomus’s Lonely Avenue accompanied solely by finger-snaps and the stellar rhythm section of brother Daniel Barnes on oldschool kit and Russ Boswell on stand-up bass.

The Bistro’s burger ($16) also impresses, a hefty 7 ounces of houseground locally raised Angus beef laycontinued on page 50 œ

NOW December 12-18 2013

49

food&drink

Who’s your Hoosier?

From the sublime to the slightly ­ridiculous – in this case a self-​ described­“American-​style” barbecue joint called Hoosier Daddy’s (275 Dundas West, at St. Patrick, 647-​768-​4388, @Hoosier­ddysBBQ, rating: NN). Located on the fringe of the Village by the Grange’s food court across from 52 Division, the table-​free takeaway could pass for a drive-​thru dry cleaner’s. You place your order at one window and pick up your food at the other a few minutes later.

Daddy’s doesn’t do ribs. Instead, slow-​cooked beef, pork, chicken and TVP get shredded, drenched in an overly saccharine barbecue sauce that calls up both ketchup and pickle juice and then stuffed into three

s­ izes of sandwiches ($2.25/$4.50/ $6.95). You’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between any of them. Even a side of baked beans ($1.25) swings too sweet. The breaded pork schnitzel on a kaiser ($6) gets a “secret sauce” that tastes like Miracle Whip cut with salty hotdog relish.

Go figure – the last spot a hardcore herbivore would ever think of visiting does a very good spicy ­vegan chili ($4) thick with real tomatoes, crunchy peppers and faux cheddar cheese you’d swear was the real thing. And don’t leave without picking up a slice of Hoosier’s spectacular flan-​like butter pecan pie ($3).

SD Better yet, get two.

• INJERA - GLUTEN FREE BREAD • ORGANIC TEFF FLOUR Reservations recommended

ALL DISHES AVAILABLE

With this coupon

David Laurence

ment of the Drifters’ On Broadway. A reverential reading of Judy Garland’s Have Yourself A Merry Little Christ­ mas – surely the most depressing Christ­mas song of all time – leads in­ to an uplifting version of Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s Up On The Roof, a Brill Building finale filtered through Laura Nyro.

We conclude with a proper sticky toffee pudding served with Devon­ shire double cream and a crumbled cranberry praline ($9), the only trea­ cle on display. Back on the cold grey street, we turn our collars to the hori­ zontal rain. If this were Miracle On 34th Street, there’d be snowflakes. 3 stevend@nowtoronto.com | @­stevendaveynow

Openings, closings, events and other news from T.O.’s food and drink scene Me two Known for its chicken shawarma, indifferent service and endless lineups, Thornhill’s Me Va Me (mevame.com) is about to launch its first downtown satellite in the old Beverley Tavern at Queen and McCaul. Watch for an opening early in the new year.

Market closings

Expires Dec. 31, 2013.

LalibelaEthiopianRestaurant.com

Who says owning a trendy Kensing-

winter Dining guiDe BaR & gRiLL

Jazz Bistro’s chopped salad looks great on the plate.

freshdish

A little further west, former L.A.B. chef Howard Dubrowsky has ditched m ­ olecular gastronomy for gastro­nomía Mexicana at the newly minted Fonda Lola (942 Queen West, at Shaw, 647-7069105, fondalola.ca, @Fonda­Lola).

Expect daily taco specials, mucho tequila and kombucha on tap.

LUNCH SPECIAL

869 BLOOR ST. W (E. OF OSSINGTON) 416.535.6615 1405 DANFORTH AVE (E. OF GREENWOOD) 416.645.0486

ered with aged Gouda, chef’s own pic­calilli and more house-cured bacon, all on a house-baked brioche sided with terrifically crisp triplecooked Kennebec frites.

Those same remarkable fries show up alongside the smoked salmon tar­ tine ($14), it’s chewy house-baked ba­ guette spread with nippy artichoke aioli and stacked with hard-boiled Mennonite eggs, gently pickled on­ ion and a smidge of tangy black olive tapenade. But then chef makes a hash of hash ($16). As delish as it is, large cubes of fatty short ribs and roasted spuds topped with poached eggs and a sprinkling of cayenne and paprika do not a hash make.

I slowly sink into my ringside seat in embarrassment when Barnes next announces that “we have an incred­ ibly spectacular talent with us today, a Canadian legend, the one and only…”

Please, god, make me invisible. “… Mr. Billy Newton-Davis!”

Another former Nylon, Davis takes it to church with a righteous arrange­

Fond o’ Fonda

NEW $9

VEGAN MEALS featuring:

œcontinued from page 49

Me Va Me opens its downtown satellite soon.

ton resto is a licence to print money?

Not the crew behind Dr. Augusta’s Samitorium, who have shuttered the offbeat soda fountain/sandwich shop after a year-long run at Dundas and Augusta. Quirky taco cantina Valentina at Bellevue and Nassau didn’t

last even that long, despite positive reviews. The tiny space did a roaring trade when its sunny 40-seat patio was open but was dead the rest of the time, something whoever’s taking over the lease might want to reSD member.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

shakey’s

2255 Bloor St. West, 416-767-0608 | shakeys.ca | Twitter: @ShakeysTO

50

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Brothers Rob & Chris Lundy, owner & executive chef at Shakey’s, have always had a thing for Bloor West Village and have strong ties to the community. “Everything we could ever want is right here on our doorstep. Our meat comes from Rowe Farms, our fish comes from Snappers and our bread comes from Cobs. Everything is available

within two blocks.” Drop in to Shakey’s for a true taste of Bloor West Village, to catch the game with friends or for one of the great every day specials.

Mains: Dave’s Organic Burger, roasted sweet Potato soup, Chris’ Daily Lunch special (check on twitter!)

appetizers: Mushroom arancini, Mac and Cheese Fritters, homemade Chili

Steven Davey

Steven Davey

At Hoosier Daddy’s, barbecued beef, pork and chicken sandwiches – with sides of baked beans, macaroni salad and potato salad – all taste the same.

recently reviewed

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

Brunch Persian Beverley Hotel Tavoos 335 Queen W, at Beverley, 416-4931120 College, at Dufferin, 647-352ñ ñ 2786, thebeverleyhotel.ca, @beverley­ 7322. The Pomegranate and Sherzade’s

hotelTO Former Fabarnak and Hawthorne chef Eric Wood brings his updated comfort carte to downtown’s latest boutique hotel.

Those who fondly remember the oncenearby Beverley Tavern are in for a shock.

Best: to start, baskets of cinnamon-dusted doughnuts, cheesy biscuits and wedges of warm cornbread; shareable starters like a Caesar salad with kale and dehydrated tomato instead of romaine and bacon; the Breakfast Bone, a halved veal shin with marrow topped with poached quail eggs over toasted bread salad with grilled pork belly; the house burger, 6 ounces of grassfed chuck on an eggy Fred’s bun dressed with tomato jam, sautéed wild mushrooms and a wedge of deep-fried cheese, sided with correctly skinny frites; southern-fried chicken ’n’ Eggo waffle sandwich with maple syrup; to drink, $4 Caesars made with bacon-infused bourbon. Complete brunches for $30 per person, including tax, tip and a Caesar. Average main $13. Open for weekend brunch 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations ­accepted. L­ icensed. Access: barrierfree. ­Rating: NNNN

Daniele Schrage and Ali Fashrashrafi bring Persian sophistication to one of the last ungentrified corners on the west side. An unusual menu, helpful service and massive portions lead to repeat visits. Forget dessert. The only thing you’ll need after dinner is a nap! Best: to start, Zeitoon Parvardeh, a vegetarian caviar-like spread thick with crushed walnuts, pomegranate paste and tangy green olives; mains like Dizi Sangi, a

Though it would appear not that different from almost every other ramen house in town – cramped seating, frenzied staff and a permanent lineup out the door – only this Tokyo import features a lineup of chicken-based soups instead of the usual pork, the secret weapon schmaltz (aka chicken fat). Bad for the arteries, great for the skin! Best: two styles of house-made noodles – spaghetti-thin or fettucini-wide – in either salty shio or rich shoyu-infused chicken broth topped with a choice of lean slowbraised pork loin, fattier belly or relatively fat-free chicken thigh, finished with

first-timers to the good stuff. Best: from the buffet, deep-fried veggie pakoras and samosas; veggie szubji like saag paneer swirled with yogurt; stir-fried cabbage with mustard seeds; spicy eggplant with potatoes and green chilies; paneer in sweet red tomato sauce à la butter chicken; sweet ’n’ sour Manchurian-style meatless kofta meatballs; from the à la carte menu, fried lentil idly with fiery Sri Lankan-style sambar; the tandoori platter with smoky paneer, cauliflower and tofu on a bed of raw cabbage and red onion. Complete dinners for $25 per person (lunches $20), including tax, tip and a lime soda. Average la carte $10. Open daily for $10.99 lunch buffet 11:30 am to 3:30 pm, $13.99 dinner buffet 4 to 10:30 pm. Unlicensed. Access: two steps at door, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNN 3

1/2 price wing nights! tues, thurs (after 5pm) & all day sun.

Free COMeDY shOW eVerY sAturDAY @ 9:30PM

100% hOMeMADe burgers

crown & dragon pub 416-927-7976

890 yonge st (n. of davenport) www.crownanddragon.com

start your HOLIDAY baking with us!

German

107 Danforth, at Broadview, 647-3525044, dasgasthaus.ca, @DasGasthausTO Ex-Spice Room sommelier Ruthie Cummings’s German gastro-pub seems of two minds – part fine Mitteleuropean dining room, part student-friendly beer hall. Like the cozy room’s decor – mismatched chandeliers, velvet-tufted banquettes – the kitchen plays it right down the middle.

Best: to start, the charcuterie board groaning with rustic chicken liver pâté, Haus-made pickles, sliced salami and smoked Gouda served with a basket of warm pretzel buns; roasted beet salads in creamy yogurt dressing; pounded pork schnitzel cleverly breaded with pretzel crumbs over a pool of walnut brown butter, a handful of perfectly executed string beans and a whole lotta dill; bright red cabbage rolls with smoked ham hock and nutty wild rice in tomato sauce; to finish, old-school cherry strudel. Complete dinners for $45 per person, including tax, tip and a microbrew. Average main $18. Open Monday to Thursday 4 pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday 4 pm to to 1 am. Weekend brunch starting at 11 am. Reservations accepted. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. ­Rating: NNN

David Laurence

Das Gasthaus

Get black garlic ramen at Touhenboku.

humongous stew of lamb shank and chickpeas served two ways, first as strained broth then mashed on toasted barberry bread along with creamy yogurt, scallion and pickled eggplant; Kolleh Pocheh, a curried soup strewn with sundry sheeps’ heads, hooves and tongues finished with pickled garlic, raw red onion and fresh lemon; to drink, strong Turkish coffee. Complete lunches/brunches for $20 per person, including tax, tip and a steaming glass of chai. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Monday, Tuesday, holidays. No reservations. Licensed. Access: barrier-free, washrooms in basement. Rating: NNNN

Ramen Touhenboku

261 Queen W, at Duncan, 416-596-8080, touhenboku.ca, @touhenbokuRamen

sheets of toasted seaweed, slivers of rubbery black wood-ear mushrooms, halves of soft-boiled nitamago egg and chopped raw scallion; make any of them spicy with a shot of garlic and chili oils; potsticker-style gyoza dumplings stuffed with minced pork. Complete meals for $17 per person, including tax, tip and tea.

Average main $10. Open daily 11 am to midnight. No reservations. Unlicensed. ­Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN

Vegetarian

Siddhartha Pure Vegetarian

1471 Gerrard East, at Rhodes, 416-4639777 Sister to Gautama down the block, this Subcontinental all-you-can-eat buffet is one of the tastiest in Little India.

And the only one that doesn’t feature butter chicken. Likeable servers steer

• all flours • brown, white & icing sugars • spices • candies • dried fruits • Nuts • baking chocolate • sprinkles

“because you don’t eat packaging” 924 Bloor St. W. (W. of Ossington) 416-533-3242

2389 Bloor St. W. (E. of Jane) 416-766-3319

638 Danforth Ave. (W. of Pape) 416-466-6849

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13-12-05 13-12-05 6:03 6:03 PM NOW December 12-18 2013 51 PM

drinkup

By SARAH PARNIAK drinks@nowtoronto.com | @s_parns

WHERE TO DRINK RIGHT NOW

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING TONIGHT

Coffee cocktail

Don’t be fooled: there’s no coffee in it. Nor does it taste like or particularly resemble our beloved caffeine crutch – apart from sharing a vaguely similar hue. But, ’tis the season to validate morning drinks. (You’re groggy from all the holiday parties and need an extra something to lure you out from under your duvet.) And this classic flip ranks among the best of them.

1 oz brandy 1 oz ruby port 1 fresh whole egg (for texture – it won’t kill you) 3 tsp sugar Combine ingredients and shake vigorously twice, first without ice, then with. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and finish with grated nutmeg.

ALE TALES There’s no question that ale producers are getting more and more sophisticated in the ways they’re blending their flavours, as this trio of brews tastefully attests Dock Ellis co-owner Andrew Kaiser

THE DOCK ELLIS

1280 Dundas West, 416-792-8472, thedockellis.com The sports bar: a place someone like me – deeply apathetic about athletics and averse to glaring screens in booze sanctuaries – routinely avoids.

That is, till I found one that didn’t suck by my standards – the Dock Ellis.

Recently opened by owners Andrew Kaiser (the Emmet Ray), Callum Woods and Alain Pitout, it’s got none of the things I dislike about prototypical sportscentric watering holes (insipid beer, boring food, sterile lighting and one-dimensionality) and lots of things I dig in general.

The kitchen, helmed by Trish Gill (formerly of Beast), offers delicious bar snacks late into the night, while the taps pull craft brews from Amsterdam, Beau’s, Kensington and Stone Hammer to wash down orders of beefbrisket-slathered wonton nachos, wings and fried chicken sandwiches ($10). Veggie options are available, too.

Flipped from its former life as Portuguese sports bar the Red Cherry in just 28 days, the Dock Ellis pays hom-

TASTING NOTES

Looking for a cool gift for the wine lover in your life? Consider one of iYellow Wine Club’s Winter Escapes, which include transportation, tours and tastings throughout Ontario wine country.

For more info and bookings, go to iyellowwineclub.com.

The Kensington Brewing Company, scheduled to open its own microbrewery in summer 2014, is offer-

52

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Rating: NNN Why Tasty roasted malt, nuts and creamy chocolate make Neustadt’s 10W30 a dependable everyday ale.

Step up your enjoyment with a smooth, light whiskey like Jameson on the side.

Price 473 ml/$2.75 Availability LCBO 64642

Deschutes Black Butte ñ Porter Rating NNNN Why Well, hello, gorgeous. You and your midnight satin can glide around my mouth any day. A top seller in its homeland, Oregon’s Deschutes sets an example with this fullflavour style.

Price 650 ml/$5.20 Availability LCBO 334862

Beau’s B-Side Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale

Rating: NNN Why The small familyrun brewing company’s mashup of northerninspired ingredients like rose hips, heather, yarrow and cranberries includes a dollop of maple syrup to complicate things (in a good way).

Price 600 ml/$4.85 Availability LCBO 365593

EVENTS, OPENINGS & CLOSINGS, NEW RELEASES AND MORE

iYellow Winter Escapes

Join the beer club

age to its namesake’s infamous outspoken sportsman – whom Kaiser regards as a “man of morals” – by going about its business with a lot of heart.

“We wanted a fun place where sports are part of it but not all of it, a place where everything’s done well,” says Kaiser. “We created a bar where we’d want to drink.”

Most enjoyably deviating from standard sports bar banality is the open invitation to mingle. Communal seating establishes a sociable vibe, and there’s lots to do besides sitting transfixed by balls for hours. Pool, shuffleboard and foosball spark good times.

A cocktail list of classics and signatures by bartender Collin Coulis is coming soon, and Sunday brunch – featuring skillet cornbread and chorizo pigs-in-a-blanket – caters to hungry locals and football fans.

Hours Monday to Saturday 6 pm to 2 am, Sunday 12:30 pm to 2 am Accessibility Entrance barrier-free, washrooms on main floor

Neustadt 10W30 Brown Ale

ing a unique way to participate in local craft beer culture. Its CommunitySupported Beer Program, with several tiers of commitment, lets you support the project and reap the benefits of beer, ranging from gift certificates and membership in KBC’s one-off brew club to the chance to create your own beer with Kensington’s head brewer. More info at kensingtonbrewingcompany.com/csb-info.

Ñ

= Critics’ Pick NNNNN = Ambrosial NNNN = Dangerously drinkable NNN = Palate pleaser NN = Sensory snooze N = Tongue trauma

MARK COATSWORTH

NEW YEAR’S EVE GUIDE

The Sadies play the Horseshoe in what’s become an annual event.

START PLANNING FOR THE BIGGEST PARTY NIGHT OF THE YEAR WITH NOW’S COMPLETE LISTINGS OF ALL THE EVENTS, CONCERTS AND CELEBRATIONS RINGING IN 2014. Compiled by JULIA HOECKE

Parties

CABIN NIGHTCLUB Prohibition New

Year’s Eve. Celebrate 1920s-style with music

by DJ Starski spinning old-school, hip-hop and R&B. $25. 559 College. clubcrawlers.com.

ALLEYCATZ New Year’s Eve 2014. Festive dinner, Lady Kane performs live and DJ Mike spins funk, soul, R&B disco, reggae, top 40 and more. Cocktails from 6 pm, dinner 7 pm, bubbly and favours at midnight. Dinner and dance $75, party only from 8:30 pm $30. 2409 Yonge. 416-481-6865, alleycatz.ca. & CO RESTO BAR Casino Royale. Dine and celebrate at this gala with an ode to

1920s Monaco. Music by DJ Blind Method, DJ Threats, DJ C-Los, Vendetta and others. Fourcourse menu, hors d’oeuvres, party favours and champagne toast. Dinner & party $90, party only $40. ticketpicket.com/casinoroyale. 295 Enfield Place (Mississauga). 905-8082112, andcompany.ca.

AMSTERDAM BREWHOUSE New Year’s Eve Party. LMT Connection play funk and soul from 9 pm. Craft brews and dinner options. $50. 245 Queens Quay W. 416-5041020, amsterdambrewhouse.com.

ANDY POOLHALL New Year’s Baby! DJs Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Sunclef, Efsharp and Caff play everything. 9 pm. $20 (Soundscapes, Rotate This, Play de Record and at the venue). 489 College. 416-923-5300,

andypoolhall.com.

ARIA COMPLEX Experience 2014 New

Year’s Eve. Huge multi-floor dance party with all floors including Aria, Vanity, Haze and Pure. Adv $25, more later. 108 Peter. 647-2282434, ariacomplex.com.

THE BALLET Extravagance New Year’s 2014. Burlesque shows, midnight champagne toast, music by No Big Deal and surprise guests. Doors 10 pm. Semi-formal attire suggested. 21+. $25. 277A Ossington. balletossington.com.

BAR 244 Rock:in NYE:14. Top 40, club anthems, party classics, rock, R&B and more.

Doors 9 pm. $20, increases closer to the event.

244 Adelaide W. 416-599-2442, bar244.ca.

BLACK ANGUS STEAKHOUSE Ring-A-

Ding-Ding. Contemporary crooner Andy De Campos performs at this classy dinner party.

Two seatings 6 & 9 pm. Reserve. Prix fixe $150 early seating, $175 late seating. 3277 Bloor W. 416-233-7406, blackangussteakhouse.ca.

BRANT HOUSE 14 Minutes To Midnight.

Stylish affair for the over-21 set with dinner reservations for 7, 8 & 9 pm seatings. Standard or premium VIP packages available. R&B and old-school music. Strict style code in effect. $22-$45 (uniqlifestyle.wantickets.com).

522 King W. 416-703-2800, branthouse.com.

CAMERON HOUSE NYE Party. Ferraro and Shane Murphy perform. 10 pm. 408 Queen W. 416-703-0811, thecameron.com.

CAPTAIN MATTHEW FLINDERS New

Year’s Cruise. Cruise the harbour while dancing and enjoying hors d’oeuvres and food stations with host Rebecca Page of Z103.5.

Champagne midnight toast. Boarding 9 pm, dock at 1 am. $69.95. 207 Queens Quay W, Pier 6. 416-203-0178, mariposacruises.com.

CASTLEFIELD EVENT THEATRE

Prestige On Yonge NYE Affair. Upscale party with dinner and dancing. After-dinner show with Ray Robinson, S Davis and Trish, comedy

by Dred Lee and music by Max B. Strict semiformal dress code. Dinner and dance $75, dance only $35-$45, dinner, show & dance $85. 2492 Yonge. 416-322-3322, clubcrawlers. com. continued on page 54 œ

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

53

New Year’s Eve guide œcontinued from page 53

DJ Paul E. Lopes (left) and Mike Tull turn up the volume at the Rivoli.

Drake One Fifty Day

To Night. Aprèswork cocktails and canapés (3-6 pm), ­dinner, countdown gathering, Into The Night (9 pm) package and more at the Drake’s downtown venue. Cocktails $25-$40, dining room $40-$75, Into The Night $75-$150. 150 York. 416-363-6150, drakeonefifty.ca.

The Everleigh Circa 1926. DJ Spence Diamonds spins classics, hip-hop, old skool and current hits at a stylish party with a nostalgic theme. Party favours and midnight champagne toast included. Adv $40, more at the door. 580 King W. 416-368-0014, ­ticketzone.com/everleigh.

F-Stop Nightclub Hip-hop party by DJ North Prep. 10 pm. 420A Wellington W. 416901-9990, f-stoptoronto.com.

Fairmont Royal York Hotel Majestic New Year’s Eve 2014. Three-course dinner and dance offered with music by Hrant, DJ Delirious, Vicar DJ Grandslam Boodram, DJ DR & Julian Tulino spinning top 40, mashups, house, R&B and hip-hop. Live music performances, comedy by Ali Badshah and cabaret show by Laura Furtado. Doors 6:30 pm, dance 9 pm. Dinner and dance $100, dance only $40. 100 Front W. 416-368-2511, ­majesticnye.com.

Fiction Nightclub Stories To Tell NYE. Dance to top 40 and house at this stylish party. $25 (clubcrawlers.com). 180 Pearl.

Fly Black & White Ball. DJs Deko-Ze and Kevin Bailey, party favours, champagne toast and hot go-go guys. Black and/or white attire suggested. Doors 9 pm. $35, $30 adv (available at Fly, Rotate This, Out on the Street, 551 Church and the 8th Deadly Sin Restaurant, 6 Gloucester). 8 Gloucester. 416-410-5426, ­flynightclub.com.5 The Garrison Chronologic New Year’s Eve. Music from 1890 to 2014 played in

continued on page 56 œ

Mark Coatsworth

Cinema Nightclub NYE 14 Show Time. Casual upscale attire at this party for the 21-and-over crowd. House, hip-hop and club anthems. VIP packages offered. 9 pm. $45 (wantickets.com). 135 Liberty. 416-5882888, cinemapresents.ca.

Clinton’s NYE 14. Bangs & Blush spin 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s at this party.

Doors 9:30 pm. $20 at the door. 693 Bloor W. 416-535-9541, clintons.ca.

Club V Masquerade New Year’s. DJ Milz plays top 40, hip-hop, house and more. Champagne toast, masquerade masks and indoor/ outdoor smoking patio. $40. 88 Yorkville. 647448-6453, privenightlife.com.

Cobra Lounge Virtue. House, hip-hop and club anthems at this upscale dance party in a subterranean tomb-like setting with light show and LED Color Kinetics ceiling. 9 pm. $25. 510 King W. 416-361-9004, uniqlifestyle. com/nye14.

Cove ThirtyOne NYE 2014. Two-floor dance with top 40, hip-hop and mashups.

Complimentary party favours and midnight bubbly. Doors 9 pm. $25. 31 Mercer. 416-9790131, clubcrawlers.com.

Crocodile Rock New Year’s Eve. Party favours, balloon drop, ice luge for shots, top 40, retro and dance. $20, adv $15. 240 Adelaide W. 416-599-9751, crocrock.ca.

Cube Social NYE. DJ Jed Harper and DJ Tudor help ring in 2014. Midnight toast and favours included. Doors 9 pm. Dress code in effect. Advance from $35. 314 Queen W. 416263-0330, cubetoronto.com.

Dakota Tavern New Year’s Eve With The Royal Crowns. Rockabilly party. Doors 9 pm. $20 (ticketfly.com). 249 Ossington. 416850-4579, thedakotatavern.com.

Drake Hotel Black & White Ball. ­Dinner, dancing with DJ Conor Cutz, party favours and more. Three-course dinner (6-7 pm) $75, four-course dinner (9-10 pm) $115, strolling cabaret dinner $75, general admission $40, after midnight $20. 1150 Queen W. 416531-5042, thedrakehotel.ca.

Hosted By

Where good friends come together & neW friends meet.

JEREMY HOTZ

book your nye with us!

TUE, DEC 31 2013 7:30PM • MH

Brunch ½ price wings Every Saturday & Sunday 11am - 4pm

Sun, Mon & Tues After 5PM dine in only

8 Plasma TV's or 2 HUGE screens corner King & Bathurst • 416-504-9912 17 beers on tap • Pool Tables • CD jukebox

the Watering hole Where tradition runs deep.

54

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Starring: JESSICA KIRSON & MIKE MACDONALD Also Featuring: JOHN HASTINGS, GRAHAM KAY, DAVE MERHEJE, DARCY MICHAEL, ALEX PAVONE, CHRISTINA WALKINSHAW And The Musical Stylings Of: JAYMZ BEE & BONZAI SUZUKI

CALL 416-872-4255 masseyhall.com I roythomson.com

SoundboardTO SOUNDBOARD.CA

SoundboardTO

722 COLLEGE STREET | 416-588-4MOD (4663) | themodclub.com NOW december 12-18 2013

55

New Year’s Eve guide

NEW YEARS

EVE at

œcontinued from page 54

chronological order with Goin’ Steady DJs and DJ Wes Allen in the Cantina. Doors 10 pm. $25, adv $20 (ticketswell.com, Rotate This, Soundscapes). 1197 Dundas W. 416-5199439, ­garrisontoronto.com.

Gate 403 Jazz Party. Denielle Bassels Jazz Band performs. 9 pm. 403 Roncesvalles. 416588-2930, gate403.com.

Gladstone Hotel Big Top Party. ­Jugglers, acrobats, bearded ladies, carnival games, DJs, complimentary toast, cotton candy, bigitop midnight ballroom drop and more. Dancing with DJs MAKEM, Wolfh34rt and Dirty Dale. Themed VIP rooms with private or ring-side spaces. Adv $40-$50, $60 at the door. 1214 Queen W. 416-531-4635, ­gladstonehotel.com.

Gravity Soundbar Gravity New Year’s Eve. Two floors, three rooms and three sounds. Semi-formal dress code. Doors 9 pm.

Early bird $25 (clubcrawlers.com). 296 Richmond W. 416-977-8900, gravitysoundbar.com.

Gravity Soundbar Great Canadian Pub Crawl Party. Party at 3 clubs in one night. Begin at Gravity Soundbar, visit Crocodile Rock and then move on to Tequila Jacks.

Pick up your ticket by 10 pm at starting venue.

Semi-formal dress. $40 bracelet. 296 Richmond W. 416-977-8900, clubcrawlers.com.

Guvernment/Kool Haus Magic.

W&W, Rebecca & Fiona, Ben Gold, Mark Oli-

THE BEST

COUNTRY HOEDOWN

IN TORONTO! Live Music!

Mechanical Bull Riding!

Amazing Food!

Country DJs! Cowboy Party Favours!

250 Adelaide Street West

Blue Note

New years eve FuNkiFied Jazz classics

Jeremy Hotz hosts the mammoth comedy night at Massey Hall.

MONARCH TAVERN SINCE 1927

Craft Beer & Whisky Bar Featuring

Brownman ElEctryc trio www.brownman.com

Tuesday, december 31 8pm doors

early Bird tickets until Dec 22: $25/single, $40/couple online at www.yxprojekts.com or at the Monarch.

12 Clinton St. | 416-531-5833 | themonarchtavern.com contact@themonarchtavern.com

56

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Habits Gastro-

pub New Year’s Eve Dance Party. DJ TheVinylDen spins. $tba. 928 College. 416533-7272, habitsgastropub.com.

Hard Rock Cafe

Hungama.

Bollywood and bhangra party with DJ Guru & DJ Alfa and a dhol performance by J Raj. Doors 9:30 pm.

Style code in effect. $30, prices rises closer to date, more at the door.

279 Yonge. 416-362-3636, simply­gaurav.com.

Horseshoe NYE Show. The Sadies perform two sets, 11:15 pm & 1:15 am. Doors 8:30 pm. $25 (Horseshoe, Rotate This, Soundscapes, Ticketfly). 370 Queen W. 416-5984753, horseshoetavern.com.

House of Moments NYE14 With Pleasure­kraft. Groove-heavy underground techno music. Opening set by Sam Haze. 9 pm. $56.50 (thisisprovoke.com). 386 Carlaw.

416-901-6003, houseofmoments.com.

Hugh’s Room New Year’s Eve. Jane Bunnett & the Spirits Of Havana with guest Hilario Duran. 9:30 pm. $50, adv $45.

2261 Dundas W. 416-531-6604, ­hughsroom.com.

International Plaza Hotel Glamour And Glitz

Rock ‘N’ Horse Saloon ROCKNHORSESALOON.COM

Adelaide W. 416-205-1234, facebook.com/ streetcarparty.

Luxy Nightclub Shine NYE. Dance to top 40, hip-hop, R&B, reggae and more at this large venue. $20. 60 InterDJ Blackcat spins at The change Way Steady Cafe & Bar. (Vaughan). ­clubcrawlers.com.

ver, Manzone & Strong. Party favours, champagne and a morning snack. Doors 9 pm, party till 9 am. $35 and up (inktickets.com).

132 Queens Quay E. ­theguvernment.com.

NYE Gala. Two ballrooms with over 20 DJs spinning top 40, R&B, reggae, soca, hip-hop, house and more.

Dinner, dancing, party favors, midnight snack, balloon drop and more.

Semi formal to formal dress.

7 pm. Dinner and dance $65, dance only $40. 655 Dixon. 416-898-3535, ­ticketgateway.com.

The Jazz Bistro New Year’s Party. Five-course meal, cocktail piano, doors 7:30 pm. The Soul Nannies perform R&B, soul and funk from 9 pm. Dinner, party favours, and a glass of champagne at midnight. $300 per couple, ­reserve. 251 Victoria. 416-363-5299, ­jazzbistro.ca.

La Maquette Gala Dinner And Dance.

Five-course gourmet dinner, dancing with Jerry Aaron till 3 am, party favours and celebratory champagne toast. $110. 111 King E. 416-366-8191, lamaquette.com.

Latinada Latin New Year’s Eve. Live Latin music and dancing, hot buffet with wine and a midnight champagne toast. Doors 8 pm, party 9 pm. $75. 1671 Bloor W. 416-913-9716, latinada.com.

Lee’s Palace New Year’s Eve Party.

Roots/alt-country party with folk rockers Elliott Brood, opening act Harlan Pepper. Doors 8 pm, show 9 pm. Adv $22.50 (Ticketfly, Rotate This, Sound­scapes). 529 Bloor W. 416532-1598, leespalace.com.

Liberty Grand Together New Year’s Eve. Huge three-room party with DJs Michael Woods, Quintino, Mark Knight, Funkagenda, 4Korners and others. Doors 10 pm.

Tickets from $50 (uniqlifestyle.wantickets. com). 25 British Columbia. 416-642-3789, togethernye.com.

Lola New Year’s Eve Bash. Chris Lord performs. 40 Kensington. 416-348-8645, ­lolamartinis.com.

London Tap House New Year’s Eve Streetcar Party. Visit several venues to dance and party the night away with bus service from club to club. Pizza and appetizers, party favours, prizes, midnight champagne, priority entrance to all clubs and more. 7:30 pm to 2 am. $50-$60 (tin.info/member/SCP/event/​ 1854260), tickets invalid after 8:30 pm. 250

Maison Mercer

Enchanté New Year’s Eve. Music

by DJ Aadil playing house, high energy, hip-hop and hits.

Tickets include gourmet hors d’oeuvres and midnight champagne toast. $30, 40 later and more at the door (ticketzone.com/maisonmercer). 15 Mercer. 416-3418777, ­maisonmercer.com.

Mariposa Cruise Lines Gala Dinner Cruise. Board the Northern Spirit for an evening of fine dining, dancing, spectacular views and midnight bubbly. Boarding 8 pm, return 1 am. $119.95. 207 Queens Quay W. 416-203-0178, mariposacruises.com.

Mirage Convention Centre Stars New Year’s. Caribbean New Year’s Eve all-inclusive event with DJs playing soca, reggae, chutney, top 40, old-school and more.

Complimentary buffet from 9 to 10 pm, party hats, horns, Vegas stage dancers and midnight champagne toast. $60 increasing to $75 and $100. 1917 Albion. 416319-2727, torontolime.com.

Elliott Brood greet the new year at Lee’s Palace.

Monarchs Pub NYE Celebration. Jack

de Keyzer Band and Jerome Godboo play the blues for this affair. 33 Gerrard W. 416-5854352, m ­ onarchspub.ca.

Nyood Glam NYE 2014. Glamorous party with music by Madjellan. Semi-formal attire.

Doors 10 pm, 21+. Adv $25, more later. 1096 Queen W. 416-466-1888, glamnye.ca.

Oddville HQ New Year’s Eve Cabaret Variety Show. Will Gillespie hosts a cabaret with Anna Atkinson, burlesque by Miss Mitzy Cream and Venus, belly dance by Raziya, prizes, topless tarot readings and more. Doors 8 pm, show 10 pm. $25, adv $18. 2094A Dundas W. newyearsevecabaretvariety.eventbrite. com.

Old Mill Inn Home Smith Bar

Jazz Party. Heather Bambrick and her All-Star Jazz Trio perform. Complimentary champagne on arrival, buffet dinner from 7:30 pm, music from 8:30 pm, desserts at 11 pm. Overnight packages offered. $125, reservations required. 21 Old Mill Rd. 416-207-2020, ­oldmilltoronto.com.

The Ossington Dance Party Bash. DJ Big Jimmy Mills spins. Hors d’oeuvres and champagne toast included. 9 pm. Adv $20. 61 ­Ossington. 416-850-0161, theossington.com.

The Painted Lady Soul Sonic Bash. DJ NV and Ruby Magnitude’s Bartop Burlesque.

10 pm. No cover. 218 Ossington. 647-2135239, thepaintedlady.ca.

The Piston Eve Me Up Disco New Year’s Eve. Music by DJs A Digital Needle, Cyclist and Alister Johnston, midnight champagne toast and party favours. $15. 937 Bloor W. 416-5323989, thepiston.ca.

Product Nightclub 1920s Themed Party. DJ Wikked and DJ Lokei and guest

Hungaria_NOW_Layout.pdf

hosts from the Indiana Pacers. Doors 10 pm.

Strict dress code. $40 (info@ladyluckent.net).

364 Richmond W. 416-877-1026, ­productnightclub.com.

The Rex Funky R&B New Year’s Bash. Live music by Grooveyard. Doors 8:30 pm. $70 before Dec 23, $75 after. 194 Queen W. 416-5982475, therex.ca.

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts Big Band New

Year’s. The Galaxy Orchestra with Alex Pangman and Don Thompson recreate Benny Goodman’s legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall concert at this swing party. 9:30 pm. $63.75$75. 10268 Yonge (Richmond Hill). 905-7878811, rhcentre.ca.

Rivoli Bump N’ Hustle, Garage 416 and Footprints Party. DJs Paul E Lopes, Mike Tull, Blueprint, Moreno, Jason Palma, General Eclectic and Stuart Li spin soulful vibes, house, reggae, hip-hop and more on all three floors.

Adv $25 at (Play de Record 357 Yonge, Cosmos 607A Queen W, Eventbrite and at the venue); $30 at the door. 332 Queen W. 416-596-1908, rivoli.ca.

Sheraton Centre Grand Gala 2014.

Huge ballroom dance with DJs playing top 40, hip-hop, R&B and mashups. Three-course dinner from 7 pm, or party only from 9 pm. Dinner and dance $100, dance $60. 123 Queen W. 416-361-1000, newyearsgrandgala.com.

Silver Dollar New Year’s Eve Dance Party. Bloodshot Bill , Stella Ella Ola and Brews Willis rock this event. Doors 9 pm. $10 (Rotate This, Soundscapes, Ticketfly). 486 Spadina. 416-975-0909, silverdollarroom.com.

Six Degrees Back In The Day. 90s NYE dance party with DJ Mensa & DJ R2 and a tribute to old-school hip-hop, R&B, dance, house, reggae and 90s pop. Party favours, balloon drop and confetti canons. Doors 10 pm, 21+. $25. 2335 Yonge. 416-486-9666, ­clubcrawlers.com.

C Sound Academy Genesis NYE: M The Start Of Something New. Huge party. $20. 11 Polson. 416-461Y 3625, genesis­newyearseve.com.

Sound Academy Sol- CM arium Cirque New Year’s.

Venue with a view of the skyMY line features dancing to house, hip-hop, mashups, top 40 and CY club anthems by DJ Nishe & DJ Nakz. Balloon CMY drop, confetti cannons and party faK vours. Doors 10 pm. Strict style code. $20. 11 Polson. 416-4613625, cirquenye. com.

SPIN ­Toronto

Neon New Year’s Eve. Ping-pong social club neon party with an electro-industrial spectacle performance by Squid Lid, DJ sets by Sir Rock Obama and Deadly Vanity. Play ping-pong, dance, drink and eat. Wear neons or white, $5 black light T&Ts. Reserve tables in advance.

Doors 8 pm. No cover.

461 King W. 416-5997746, toronto.spingalactic.com.

The Steady Cafe & Bar Go Hard Swagg

2 Da Roof NYE Past And Present. DJs Blackcat and Pleasure keep you moving all night. 10 pm to late. $15. 1051 Bloor W. 416-536-4162, ­thesteadycafe.com.

Supermarket Do Right & 92BPM Party.

DJs John Kong, Sean Sax and mymanhenri spinning soul, funk, Motown, hip-hop, future beats and the best of 2013. Doors

1

9:30 pm. $20, adv $15 (Eventbrite.com, Soundscapes and the venue). 268 Augusta.

416-840-0501, ­supermarketnye.com.

Tattoo Rock Parlour Tattoo Rocks. DJ Human Kebab, DJ Trevor and DJ Stu play the best of rock and party rock anthems.

Doors 10 pm. $25. 567 Queen W. 416-7035488, ­clubcrawlers.com.

Thompson Hotel 1812 Bar NYE 14.

Three rooms, three DJs, one party. DJs Geoff Brown, Soundbwoy, Eric the Tutor and Mike Toast play this upscale dance party with house, hip-hop and club anthems. Doors 10 pm. Early bird $40, $60. 550 Wellington W. 416-828-2425, ticketpicket.com/­ thompsonnye14.

Time Nightclub Black & White Masquerade Ball. DJs Starting from Scratch, Nigel Ong, DJ Sin, DJ Carlos play hip-hop, top 40, R&B and house at this party for the over-23 crowd. Champagne toast and favours included. Black and white dress code. 81 Peter. 416581-1118, clubcrawlers.com.

Toika Bring The Beats. DJs Ricky Ryan, Cesar Caballero and Craig Anderson spin top 40.

Semi-formal. 9 pm. 471 Richmond W. 416868-6452, toikalounge.com.

Toula Great Gatsby New Year’s Eve Gala.

Elegant six-course dinner and dancing to music by DJ Dylan. Early New Year’s Eve dinner 5-7 pm, all night New Year’s Eve celebration from 7:30 pm, or party only from 10:30 pm. Reservations recommended. Early dinner $80, party only $60, all night celebration $150. 1 Harbour Square, 38th floor. 416-7772002, toularestaurant.com.

Tranzac Concert Party. Three rooms of entertainment including Hooded Fang, Weaves, Maloo, the True Visitor Band, Sing Leaf, Blimp Rock, the Woodshed Orchestra, DJ Gavin and more. Complimentary champagne at midnight. $17, adv $15 (Rotate This, Soundscapes and the Venue). 292 Brunswick. 416923-8137, tranzac.org.

Trump Hotel The Twelfth Hour. Elegant party with music and dancing in the two-storey ballroom. DJ M-Rock spins oldschool, hip-hop and R&B. Decadent hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast and desserts. $90. 325 Bay. 416-306-5800, twelfthhournye.com.

Tryst Pop Champagne. Trendy party with dancing to top 40, hip-hop and mashups. $25. 82 Peter. 416-588-7978, clubcrawlers.com.

UNIUN Unite 2014. Celebrate with DJ Jed Dadson and DJ Chris La Roque.

Complimentary champagne toast and party favours. Doors 9 pm. Dress code in effect. Advance from $35.

473 Adelaide W. 416-603-9300, uniqlifestyle.com/nye14.

Vogue Supper Club Liberty New Year’s. Times Square New York-themed decor with music by DJ Tilt & ISC Nation. Champagne

2013-12-06

4:47 PM

toast and hors d’oeuvres. Strict style code.

Doors 10 pm. $25. 42 Mowat. ­voguesupperclub.com.

WAYLA Bar Y2K Party. Party Like It’s 1999 with DJ Mark Falco spinning 90s house, pop, hip-hop and a midnight show by Scarlett Bobo. Midnight champagne, favours and surprises. Doors 10 pm. $15, adv $10 (from the venue). 996 Queen E. 416-901-5570, ­waylabar.com.

All Ages Liberty Market Bldg Midnite Run

and Party New Year’s Eve. Run or walk 5K at the stroke of midnight and celebrate with a post-race party. Chip-timed race, hot food, fireworks, swag bags and free glass of bubbly at the finish. $45-$95, prices go up closer to the date, party only/run and party tickets offered. 171 East Liberty. 416-707-5944, ­midniteruntoronto.com.

Mississauga Celebration Square New Year’s Eve. Countdown to

midnight with performances by R&B, pop and hip-hop performers Martina and Massari. DJ Dopey and dance trio PRTY H3RO perform. Ice skating from 8 pm, show from 9:30 pm. Free.

300 City Centre. 905-615-4311, mississauga.ca.

Mississauga Celebration Square C Cafe Limelight. Association of

Young Artists block party with an open mic with the Chris Strazz Band, and an interactive art performance and painting on a community mural. 7 to 9 pm. Free. 300 City Centre. 905615-4311, ­mississauga.artscouncil.com.

Toronto Zoo Family New Year’s Eve Countdown. Outdoor event with entertainment from the Decades and Majinx Magic Show. Wild animal visitors at the Giant Panda Experience, Tundra Trek and Australasia Pavilion. Opens at 5 pm, kids’ countdown 8 pm. $20, child (3-12) $12, 2 and under free.

Meadowvale N of 401. 416-392-5929, ­torontozoo.com.

Comedy Bloor Hot Docs Cinema The Dude’s New Year’s. Screening of The Big Lebowski. 9 pm. $20, adv $17. 506 Bloor W. 416-516-2330, bloorcinema.com.

Massey Hall Comedy Extravaganza.

Jeremy Hotz hosts this hilarious party with comedians Jessica Kirson, Mike MacDonald, John Hastings, Graham Kaye, Dave Merhege, Darcy Michael, Alex Pavone, Christina Walkinshaw, and music by Jaymz Bee and Bonzai Suzuki. 7:30 pm. $39.50-$69.50. 178 Victoria.

416-872-4255, masseyhall.com.

Yuk Yuk’s Downtown New Year’s Eve Special. Rob Pue, Michelle Shaughnessy, Darryl Orr and MC Bryan Hatt provide the laughs. Dinner 8 pm, show 10 pm. Dinner and show $95, show only $50. 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com.

Theatre Hot House Cafe The Land Of Smiles.

Toronto Operetta Theatre’s gala performance dinner and dance of Franz Lehar’s masterwork as part of the Viennese Silversterball tradition. Pre-performance reception, threecourse dinner prior to the show at the St Lawrence Centre (27 Front E), followed by dinner, dancing and midnight champagne. $198$213. 35 Church. 416-366-7723, stlc.com.

Roy Thomson Hall Bravissimo!

Opera’s Greatest Hits. The Opera Canada Symphony, Chorus Niagara, the Orpheus Choir of Toronto and soloists perform excerpts from La Traviata, Rigoletto, Aida and more. 7 to 9 pm. $55-$145. 60 Simcoe. 416872-4255, roythomson.com.

Spiritual Zen Buddhist Temple Kindling Light

Of Wisdom Mind. Special year-end candlelight service to take stock of your life and end the year in contemplation and reflection. All welcome. 8 to 10 pm. $10 donation. 86 Vaughan.

416-658-0137, zenbuddhist­temple.org. 3

R

“The sparkler from Hungary was the clear winner for the second year in a row, for sheer value.”

Perhaps one of the best values at the LCBO

“Big ginger, lemon and toasty, yeasty aromas and fairly full bodied yellow apple and citrus flavours. A nice sweet/dry balance. Surprising body. ”

750mL $12.25

Gord Stimmell, Wine Critic

(LCBO #619288)

The Toronto Star

NOW December 12-18 2013

57

music

more online

nowtoronto.com/music A new 50:50 cover video of Broken Social Scene’s Anthems For A 17-Year-Old Girl by Junior Battles + Audio clips from our interview with Gorguts + Searchable upcoming listings

MIKE FORD

the scene Shows that rocked Toronto last week

BARE MUTANTS with CTZNSHP at the Drake Underground, Wednesday, December 4. Rating: NNN

Driving hundreds of kilometres, then mustering up the energy to play to an empty room is no easy feat. Nevertheless, Montreal’s CTZNSHP graced a crowd of maybe 20, all of whom huddled on the sidelines, with an emphatic set of moody, unpretentious, crescendo-ing rock. They’ve got spark.

Afterward, with a pint and a shot of Canadian whisky resting on his vintage amp, former Ponys frontman Jered Gummere led Bare Mutants through an atmospheric set. Affliction, their debut, is one of the more cohesive records of 2013, and the band did it justice. Oddly, co-vocalist Jeanine O’Toole often gazed listlessly at the ceiling as she sang, looking disengaged. Songs like Devotion still had staying power, though, with their unfailing grit and Gummere’s poise.

The romantic lilt of Without You was contagious, and the harrowingly

58

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

beautiful I Suck At Life, which lamented the downtrodden loners in the corner, was apt as hell. The crowd was sparse, but Bare Mutants had a good sense of the environment and perJOSHUA KLOKE formed accordingly.

JULIE DOIRON at the Art

Gallery of Ontario, Thursñ day, December 5.

Rating: NNNN Bathed in Walker Court’s warm light and natural reverb, Julie Doiron was her characteristic self at the AGO’s First Thursdays show: laid-back and shy, but with a total disregard for boundaries.

She went on a tangent about breastfeeding her infant daughter in the wings, then apologized. (Considering that the night also featured live nude drawing sessions and dance artist Benjamin Kamino’s lengthy piece Nudity.

Desire, nipple comments were not out of line.)

Doiron played a smattering of songs from her solo career catalogue, including a couple from her 1999 collaboration with Wooden Stars and favourites

KING KRULE at Lee’s Palace, Monday, December 9. Rating: NNN The strength of his debut record, with its cross-section of blues, jazz, rock and R&B, has made King Krule, aka Archy Marshall, a hipster-loved phenom. Yet if he took the stage at an open-mic night he might get laughed off, thanks to his awkward dancing deep howl – a great strength, but jarring all the same.

A lot of the show went like this: backed by a three-piece, Marshall would begin with a few bluesy chords on his white electric guitar, then, with a strong South London accent, launch into the vocals of a song that would or wouldn’t hold the attention of the audience, depending on its strength, followed by a jazzy breakdown. During these instrumental jams, the awkwardness evaporated and the band gelled.

Overall, too many mid-tempo songs in a row dragged some of the energy out of the room, and Marshall isn’t yet magnetic enough to keep everyone constantly captivated. And his voice can veer toward tunelessness.

Still, by the time he got around to hit single Easy Easy, you couldn’t deny he’s got soul. If Marshall can home in on what that song captures – vulnerability, wistfulness, despair, gripping melody – he’ll eventually live up to the hype.

JULIA LECONTE

from Woke Myself Up and I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day. For the most part, her power trio (which included Tavo Diez da Bonilla on bass and Mike Brushey on drums – both excellent) kept the songs flowing and the stage banter to a minimum. Somehow, even the constant excited din didn’t detract much from the performance.

They saved Snow Falls In November until the end, but Our Love (from 2012’s So Many Days) was a shimmering mid-set highlight, with Doiron literally beaming throughout. SARAH GREENE

LEON REDBONE at

Hugh’s Room, Friday, ñ December 6.

Rating: NNNN If you’ve seen Leon Redbone any time

in the last 40 years, you won’t be surprised by any aspect of his live show.

That’s not a knock on the mysterious reclusive performer; his act is still a genuinely one-of-a-kind experience, and his role must suit him better now than when he was a young man pretending to be old. His sleepy early 20th century blues and jazz seems less like an absurdist performance and more like he actually is a magically preserved relic from an era long forgotten.

If you’ve only heard his records, you’re missing a big chunk of what he’s about. As intoxicating as his heavily sedated ragtime is, half the show is his comically befuddled stage patter. In his hands, an extended pregnant pause can crack up the whole room, his trademark moustache, dark glasses and fedora never betraying the man behind the character. And since he’s managed to keep pretty much all the details of his life secret, there’s nothing to keep us from immersing ourselves completely in his universe.

BENJAMIN BOLES

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

Ñ

JANUARY 12

TORONTO, MASSEY HALL

JANUARY 16

WINNIPEG, CENTENNIAL CONCERT HALL

JANUARY 17

REGINA, CONEXUS ARTS CENTRE

JANUARY 19

CALGARY, JACK SINGER CONCERT HALL

TORONTO TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW AT 10:30AM | BUY AT LIVENATION.COM, THE MASSEY HALL BOX OFFICE, MASSEYHALL.COM

NOW december 12-18 2013

59

60

december 12-18 2013 NOW

GORGUTS METAL

WITH SPECIAL GUEST:

FRIDAY DECEMBER 20 SOUND ACADEMY DOORS 8PM SHOW 9PM RT, SS • ALL AGES

Twelve years silent: Luc Lemay resurrects his technical death metal with classical grace By CARLA GILLIS

GORGUTS with ORIGIN and NERO DI MARTE at the Annex Wreckroom (794 Bathurst), Tuesday (December 17), doors 7 pm. $20. RT, TF. With special guest:

THE DEVIN CUDDY BAND

new album out now

FEBRUARY 19 & 20 MASSEY HALL SHOW 8PM MASSEYHALL.COM

THE STRYPES

MONDAY JANUARY 20 LEE’S PALACE

NEW POLITICS

w/ Magic Man, Sleeper Agent TUESDAY JANUARY 28 THE OPERA HOUSE

YOUNG THE GIANT w/ Vance Joy FRIDAY MARCH 7 KOOL HAUS

NEIL FINN

SATURDAY APRIL 5 QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

TICKET LOCATION LEGEND: RT - ROTATE THIS, SS - SOUNDSCAPES All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice.

Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.

It’s no surprise to see Gorguts’ new album, Colored Sands (Season of Mist), showing up on year-end best-of lists.

Its concept is ambitious, its arrangements sophisticated and its players’ virtuosity stunning. It’s by turns violent and delicate.

Band leader Luc Lemay appreciates the accolades, but more importantly, the making of the album helped him rediscover his love of crafting a technical death metal song, which had waned in 2002 after the suicide of Gorguts drummer Steve MacDonald.

After four albums, all was quiet on the Gorguts front for 12 years. Lemay had taken up woodworking and played casually in Negativa with Steeve Hurdle (aka Big Steeve), formerly Gorguts’ second guitarist.

“I had no resentment or bitterness.

I was really happy with what the band had done. But I was done with it,” Le-

T.O. MUSIC NOTES

may says from his home in Richmond, Quebec. “I was disconnected from the music scene totally. I had no idea what a MySpace page was.”

That changed in 2008, when Hurdle, who had noticed Gorguts’ enduring online popularity (their 1998 Obscura album is considered one of the genre’s masterworks), suggested that Lemay write a new album to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary.

Lemay got to work, and continued working after Hurdle’s death last year.

Hurdle’s internet savvy also helped Lemay find his current bassist, Colin Marston, and guitarist Kevin Hufnagel, both of Brooklyn’s Dysrhythmia.

Drummer John Longstreth of Dim Mak and Origin rounds out the lineup.

“I felt like I was back in my old shoes, just like when I wrote [1993’s The Erosion Of Sanity] in my apartment in Sherbrooke, a very shithole place. All that mattered was waking up and writing music.”

The singer/guitarist’s intricate, dissonant style – and work ethic – is informed by his years studying classical composition and viola in Montreal. He

describes Colored Sands as an album that “breathes more” and is “more proggy and ambient” than his previous work.

“Even though I’m 42 now, [my age] doesn’t matter. I see [metal] songwriting as a noble thing, like writing a book. I put as much rigour into it as when I write a piece for orchestra.

When I craft a death metal song, I’m just as picky on details.

“Writing classical music has given me a really rigorous sense of critique regarding writing, even if it’s....” Lemay stops himself. “Actually, I don’t like saying ‘even if it’s metal’ because it’s not ‘just’ metal. People often ask if it’s different when I write for classical. No! Writing music is writing music.”

Case in point: the lyrics, which took Lemay over a year to complete. An interest in mandalas led to reading books upon books about Tibetan culture and Buddhism. Colored Sands’ first half focuses on the beauty and philosophy of the place, Lemay explains, and the second half on the misery and “dramatic fate” Tibetans have endured since the Chinese inva-

PUP GO TO AMERICA (AND ENGLAND)

What’s in a name? A lot when it comes to PUP. Ever since the local punk rock band that formerly went by Topanga changed their name, their career has gone like gangbusters. An acclaimed eponymous debut record. Shows upon shows. Bucky Awards for best live band and rookie of the year. A spot on NME’s upcoming awards show in London, England, in February. And now an American record deal with SideOneDummy, home to Anti-Flag, Gaslight Anthem and many others. Sounds like an ideal fit.

MOOLAH FOR WAVELENGTH It does our hearts good whenever we hear of a deserving band or arts org snagging some never-enough-to-goaround funding. Long-running (actually Toronto’s longestrunning) underground music series Wavelength just got some fab news: Ontario’s Trillium Foundation has bestowed on them a grant that will enable founding

sion in 1950.

Lemay gave that historical event a classical rather than death metal treatment, in the form of the breathtaking Battle Of Chamdo, which comes halfway through.

“It was the most important and sad and brutal event that happened in their history. That’s why I wanted to have it as an orchestra. And never on the record do I say that the Chinese people did this. It’s always [kept at a] second or third degree.”

So were the lyrics the biggest challenge in what’s already, to the average listener, incredibly complex music – especially since French, not English, is Lemay’s first language?

“Oh, yes. For me, writing lyrics has always been a pain in the butt, because if I’m not writing music I’m not going to sit down and write poetry for the sake of writing poetry.

“So at some point I was like, ‘What the fuck am I doing?’” Lemay laughs.

“But in life, what is difficult is not starting something. It’s finishing it.” 3 carlag@nowtoronto.com | @carlagillis

director Jonny Dovercourt (Jonathan Bunce) to work on the monthly series as his main gig. The artist-run nonprofit also puts on the Wavelength Music Festival. The next music series event takes place at the Silver Dollar on January 11, with Del Bel, cover boys Fresh Snow, MASS, Anamai and DJ Debt Load.

NXNE NXNE has announced its first wave of performers for the fest’s 2014 edition.

Art rocker St. Vincent is a strong Yonge-Dundas Square headliner candidate; Taylor Gang OG Juicy J, infectious off-kilter Detroit emcee Danny Brown and über-duo Run the Jewels lead an awesome hip-hop contingent; and after gracing the Great Hall with the most special show of 2013, localish R&B duo Rhye return.

We’re also super-pumped for Syrian dabke legend Omar Souleyman, unpredictable showman Mac DeMarco, indie rockers Speedy Ortiz and local industrial surf-gazers Odonis Odonis.

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

61

clubs&concerts hot Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, the Jay Vons Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay East), ­tonight (Thursday, ­December 12) See preview, page 70.

Matt Mays, Ladies of the ­Canyon Horseshoe (370 Queen West), tonight to Saturday (December­12 to 14) Rocker helps the venue turn 66.

Jason Collett’s Basement Revue Dakota Tavern (249 Ossington), tonight (Thursday, December 12) Collett-curated night of surprise guests.

Two Hours Traffic, Grounders Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West), tonight (Thursday, December 12) The PEIslanders say farewell.

Viletones, Liquor Pigs Phoenix Concert Theatre (410 Sherbourne), Friday (December 13) See preview, page 68.

Long Winter Volume 2 w/ Fresh Snow, Doldrums, Hooded Fang, I Am Robot & Proud, Beliefs, Milk Lines, Sook Yin-Lee and others The Great Hall (1087 Queen West), ­Friday (December 13) See Fresh Snow cover story, page 64.

White Cowbell Oklahoma, Catl, Mokomohai Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West), Friday (­December 13) Annual rock and roll Xmas party.

Dog Day, Dilly Dally, Marine Dreams, Castle Garbage­, Soft Hell Cinecyle (129 Spadina), Saturday ­(December 14) See preview, page 72.

BeyoncÉ Air Canada Centre (40 Bay), ­Monday (­December 16) Superstar pop singer.

Gorguts, Origin, Nero Di Marte Annex Wreckroom (794 Bathurst), Tuesday (December 17) See preview, page 61.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe), ­Tuesday to Sunday (December 17 to 22, ­excluding Thursday) Handel’s Messiah.

GaTwITch Live w/ Wolf J McFarlane, MAWA J, Just John, Blackboltt, Philly Moves, Blake Carrington, Catalog Clinton’s (693 Bloor West), Wednesday (December 18) Hip-hop fundraiser, clothing and toy drive.

tickets

Classical

Strange Strings Ensemble

What is it about wintry weather and classical music that go so well together? And we’re not just talking about Handel’s Messiah in the pre-Christmas lead-up. For a younger, more contemporary take on the genre, head to the Music Gallery for the Mika Posen-­curated Emergents I, featuring the Strange Strings Ensemble: violinists Ilana Waniuk and S ­ uha­shini Arulan­andam, violist Amanda Penner and cellist Bryan Holt.

Posen, an in-demand local musician (Snowblink, Timber Timbre, Forest City Lovers), has put together a promising program that includes the galactic premiere of the Quintet for strings and piano by Mike Smith (of the now defunct ­Muskox), as well as his Famous Wildlife Movies I. Bookending the night are Margaret Ashburner’s Violin Duo and Anthony Wallace’s Resin Percussion String Quartet.

The Emergents series spotlights classical musicians taking diverse contemporary approaches to the genre.

Emergents II takes place on January 17 and features ­Ensemble Para­mirabo and Christopher Willes.

Tonight (Thursday, December 12), doors 7 pm, at the Music Gallery (197 John). $12. musicgallery.org.

Just Announced The Velvets, Tres Bien Ensemble

A Tribute To Lou Reed The Sister. December 20.

Union Duke, Still the King STK

Xmas III Rivoli doors 9 pm, $15 or $10 w/ nonperishable food donation. December 20.

Love Cube doors 10 pm, adv $15. INK. December 26.

Tuuli Reunion show Bovine Sex Club 9 pm, $5. December 27.

The Wooden Sky, Nick Ferrio Holi-

Wrispect, Illiment, J-Class, JB Allen Midnight Mix Holiday Food Drive Re-

day Revue: Daily Bread Food Bank Fundraiser 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture & the Arts doors 7:30 PM, $20 and a non-perishable food item. RT, SB, SS. uniiverse.com. December 29.

JoJo Flores, Dave Campbell, Jason Palma Boxing Day Jam: Break For

Nicholas Doubleyou & the B Squad, Watershed Hour Silver Dol-

vival $2-$5 w/ non-perishable food donations. ­December 21.

lar doors 8:30 pm, $tba. January 2.

Liam Mackenzie Silver Dollar doors 9

pm. ­January 4.

Suitcase Sam & the Suits, House of Haunt Silver Dollar doors 9 pm. January 10.

Kevin Devine Drake Hotel doors 8 pm,

$13.50. RT, SS, TF. January 11.

Monique Angele The Central. January 25.

Phosphorescent Virgin Mobile Mod

Club doors 7 pm, $17.50. RT, SS, TF. February 1.

Jeremy Messersmith Drake Hotel

The War on Drugs Horseshoe doors 8 pm, $16.50. HS, RT, SS, TF. April­ 14.

The Black Angels, Roky Erickson Phoenix Concert Theatre doors 8 pm,

Christina Perri Danforth Music Hall doors 7 pm, $23.50-$29.50. LN, RT, SS. ­April 14.

Underground doors 7 pm, $15. LN, RT, SS, TW. ­February 11.

$27.50. RT, SS, TF. February 11.

Moonspell, Leaves Eyes, Atrocity America Noir Tour Virgin Mobile Mod Club. February­ 20.

Band Of Horses Acoustic Performance

Queen Elizabeth Theatre doors 7 pm, all ages, $37.50-$44.50. LN, TM. F­ ebruary 21.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Disappears Lee’s Palace doors 9 pm, $26.50. HS, RT, SS, TF. ­February 22.

Asaf Avidan Virgin Mobile Mod Club

doors 8 pm, $19.50. RT, SS, TF. ­February 25.

Zakk Wylde The Danforth Music Hall

doors 8 pm, $26.50-$43.50. TM. ­February 27.

Between the Buried and Me, Deafheaven, Intronaut, the Kindrid Phoenix Concert Theatre doors 6:30 pm, all ages, $24.50. RT, SS, TF. ­February 28.

Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson Roy-

al Conservatory of Music Koerner Hall 8 pm, $35-$80.

March 6.

Xiu Xiu The Garrison doors

8 pm, $10. RT, SS, TF. March 9.

Bend Sinister Horse-

shoe doors 8:30 pm, $10. HS, RT, SS, TF. March 20.

Jory Nash, David Matheson, Maury Lafoy, Brian MacMillan, Lori Cullen, Treasa Levasseur, Andy Maize and others Smooth Sweet Sounds Of The 70s Hugh’s Room 8:30 pm, $27, adv $25.

March 28.

62

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Hiromi Toronto Jazz Festival: The Trio Pro-

ject Royal Conservatory of Music Koerner Hall $tba. June 24.

Measha Brueggergosman Flato Markham Theatre 8 pm, $54-$59. June 26.

Lady Gaga artRave: The Artpop Ball Air Canada Centre $35-$200. LN. July 9.

Arcade Fire Reflektor Tour Air Canada

Centre 7:30 pm, $30.50-$70.50. LN, TM. ­August 29.

this week How to find a listing

Music listings appear by day, then by genre, then alphabetically by venue. Event names are in italics. See Venue Index, online at nowtoronto.com, for venue address and phone number. = Critics’ pick (highly recommended) ñ 5= Queer night

F = Festive event

How to place a listing

All listings are free. Send to: music@nowtoronto.com. 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.

Thursday, December 12 Pop/Rock/Hip-Hop/Soul

Adelaide Hall Wired City Music Festival

Bruce Peninsula, Union Duke doors 8 pm. ñ Alleycatz Lady Kane.

The Antler Room The Better Half (rock) 9:30 pm.

Cameron House Ollie Vee 10 pm, C&C Surf

Factory 8 pm, Corin Raymond 6 pm.

Cameron House Back Room Lenny & the Bullfighters.

Clinton’s This Mess, Fires of Cheektowaga, Culture Reject doors 9 pm.

Drake Hotel Underground Moon King (alternative) doors 8 pm.

Firkin on King Paul Price & Co 9:30 pm.

The Hideout Boothill Crooners (rock) 10 pm.

Holy Oak Cafe Carey Oakey (pop) 10 pm.

Horseshoe Horseshoe 66th Birthday Concert Celebration Matt Mays, Ladies of the Canyon doors 8:30 pm.

Kool Haus Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, the Jay Vons (soul) doors 8 pm, all ages. See preview, page 70.

Lee’s Palace Farewell Tour Two Hours Traffic, Grounders doors 8:30 pm.

Lola Brian Cober (double slide guitar) 9 pm.

Measure Wired City Music Festival ColinResponse, KC Roberts & the Live Revolution 8 pm.

Mélange Open Stage Lee Van Leer 9 pm.

Nocturne NYC2TDOT PackFM, Babylon ­Warchild, Midnight Society, Black DA Plague, K-Dot & 9th Uno (hip-hop).

Pauper’s Pub Mike Barnes (rock) 10 pm.

The Piston King Cobb Steelie, Bile ­Sister, Laura Barrett 9 pm.

ñ ñ ñ ñ ñ

ñRivoli JD Era, Rich Kidd doors 9 pm. ñ Ryerson Eaton Lecture Theatre Studio A

Wired City Music Festival Long Range Hustle 8:30 pm.

Silver Dollar Century Thief, the Autumn Stones, Ada Dahli & the Pallbearers, Aviation (indie/folk/alternative/rock) doors 8 pm.

FSound Academy Edgefest Jingle Bell Concert Series Walk Off the Earth doors 7 pm, all ages.

Mobile Mod Club The Christmas Soul Revue Benefit for CP24 Chum ñ Christmas Wish The St Royals w/ Ania Soul, DJ FVirgin

Lissa Monet 7 to 11 pm.

Wise Guys Open Jam Jon Long 10 pm.

Folk/Blues/Country/World

Aspetta Caffe Open Jam/Mic El Faron 8 pm to midnight.

Castro’s Lounge Jerry Leger & the ­Situation

(folk/rock/country) 9 pm.

Cavern Bar & Bistro Open Mic 9 pm.

The Central Brendan Albert Bucky James 10 pm, Tomes 6 pm.

C’est What Alysha Brillinger (singer/songwriter) 9:30 pm.

Dakota Tavern Jason Collett’s ­Basement Revue doors 8:30 pm.

Free Times Cafe Songwriters Circle Of Jerks 8:30 pm.

Grossman’s The Responsible 10 pm.

Hugh’s Room Dan Whiteley CD release Dan Whiteley, Chris Whiteley, Joey Wright 8:30 pm.

The Local Roots n Branches (roots/blues/ swing) 9 pm.

Musideum Ardene Shapiro (singer/songwriter) 8 pm.

Relish Bar & Grill Roger Dory (singer/songwriter) 7 pm.

Reposado The Reposadist Quartet (gypsy bop).

Tranzac Southern Cross Ozere (alt country folk) 10 pm, Bluegrass Thursdays Houndstooth (bluegrass/old-time) 7:30 pm.

Wise Guys Open Jam Jimmy James 10 pm.

ñ

Jazz/Classical/Experimental

Annex Theatre The World Through Frames Without Lenses Maya Killtron, Anna Atkinson, Andrew Downing, Ted Quinlan, Jesse Dietschi, Mackenzie Longpre (chamber jazz) 8 pm.

Emmet Ray Bar Bossa Tres (Gypsy swing) 9 pm.

Factory Theatre CD release Countermeasure (a cappella group) 7:30 pm.

FFlato Markham Theatre Broadway, Christmas And Beyond Colm Wilkinson 8 pm.

Gate 403 Kevin Laliberté Jazz & Flamenco Trio 9 pm, Felix Wong Jazz Trio 5 to 8 pm.

Hy’s Steakhouse Thompson EgboEgbo (piano) 7 pm.

Kama Thursdays At Five Canadian Jazz Quartet, Alistair Kay (trombone) 5 to 8 pm.

Music Gallery Emergents 1 Strange Strings Ensemble doors 7 pm.

Old Mill Inn Home Smith Bar Thursday Night Jazz Party Barbara Gordon, Mark Eisenman, Jordan O’Connor 7:30 to 10:30 pm.

The Rex Alex Dean Quintet 9:45 pm, Amanda Tosoff Trio 6:30 pm.

Rooster Coffee House Sam Dickinson, Rob Christian, Gram Whitty, Lee Clarke (jazz) 5 to 7 pm, Ewen Farncombe Trio (jazz) 3 to 5 pm.

FRoy Thomson Hall A Barra MacNeils Christmas The Barra MacNeils, Joel Plaskett, Jenn Grant, Bette MacDonald & Maynard Morrison 8 pm.

ñ ñ

ñ

Royal Conservatory of Music Koerner Hall The Glenn Gould School Concerto

­Competition Finals 10 am.

The Whippoorwill A Little Rambunctious w/ Michael Louis Johnson (jazz/ swing/jump blues) 10 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

BassLine Music Bar Grenzfall December Session Farrukh & Radek (German techno) 9 pm.

Crawford DJ Law (video dance party).

Drake Hotel Lounge DJ DB Cooper doors 11 pm.

EFS Untitled Thursdays Soundbwoy doors 10 pm.

Goodhandy’s T-Girl Party DJ Todd Klinck.5 FInterAccess Do The Splits! A Holiday Party

DJs Body Interface 9 pm.

Midpoint Nintendo Thursdays (80s Vs 90s).

Rivoli Pool Lounge DJ Bunitall (R&B/hip-hop).

Troika Vodka Boutique Magik Thursdays DJ Magik Mike 10 pm.

WAYLA Bar Random Play DJ Dwayne Minard (70s/80s) 10 pm.

FWhippersnapper Gallery You Are All So Important, A Goth-Mas Fundraiser for the ­artists/gallery DJs Alex Low, Adrienne.k, Brian Schirk 9 pm.

Friday, December 13 Pop/Rock/Hip-Hop/Soul

Alleycatz Lady Kane.

The Antler Room Your New Neighbor (classic

rock) 9:30 pm.

Castro’s Lounge The Untameable Ronnie

Hayward (rockabilly) 5 to 7 pm.

Dakota Tavern The Mercenaries (oldies rock cover band) 10 pm, Suitcase Sam 7 to 9 pm.

DC Music Theatre Indie Hard Rock Showcase doors 7 pm, all ages.

El Mocambo EP release Mena Hardy (southern rock).

Eton House Sin City Boys (rock/country) 9 pm.

FFlato Markham Theatre It’s Christmas Of Course Darlene Love 8 pm.

The 460 Draft, Detest 8 pm.

The Great Hall Long Winter Volume 2 Doldrums, Hooded Fang, I Am Robot & Proud, Beliefs, Fresh Snow, Nick Ferrio & His Feelings, Demolition, Milk Lines, Omhouse, LLVK, Sook-Yin Lee, Adam Litovitz, Brandon Val­divia, Benjamin Kamino, Matrox. See ­cover story, page 64.

Guvernment/Kool Haus 112 (R&B/ hip-hop) doors 9 pm.

Hard Luck Bar The Ballroom Babies, Lambs Become Lions, Mother Leads, Heavy Hearts doors 9 pm.

The Hideout Toronto Food Bank Fundraiser The North (rock) 11 pm, Menage (rock) 10 pm.

Holy Oak Cafe The Julee Cruise Ships & Sandy Pockets (pop) 9 pm.

Horseshoe Horseshoe 66th Birthday Concert Celebration Matt Mays, Ladies of the Canyon doors 9 pm.

FLee’s Palace X-mas Party White ­Cowbell Oklahoma, Catl, Mokomohai (rock & roll) doors 8 pm.

Lola Voodoo Walters & the Rhythm Method (blues) 9:30 pm.

Phoenix Concert Theatre The Last Stand Of The First Gang In Town ­Viletones, Liquor Pigs doors 8 pm. See ­preview, page 68.

Rakia Bar Muscle Souls, Love Pilot 9:30 pm.

Rivoli Video release party Diane James, Melissa McCalla, Charlene Harriott, Niko Sofia­nos, DJ Shai and others doors 9:30 pm.

Silver Dollar The Sea Monsters, Beams, Rex Boyfriend, Lightbulb Alley doors 9 pm.

The Sister Kilometre, Summer & Youth, Tame Hell.

Sneaky Dee’s Audio Blood AB5: A Celebration Of Five Great Years Oh No Forest Fires, HIGHS, the Love Machine, DJ Mitch-E, DJs Jeremy Tompkins and Dave Lock 8:30 pm.

Sound Academy Redemption Fallen Soldiers doors 10 pm.

3030 Dundas West Rock-A-Billy Shake-up!

The Swingin’ Blackjacks, the Diamond Drapes, DJ Rockin’ Dave Faris, DJ Lincoln Bee Kool (rockabilly/50s rock & roll) doors 9 pm.

Tranzac Southern Cross Heavy Ethics 10 pm.

Velvet Underground Big Ticket King Jus & Fres Kils, Frankie Payne, Talk Sick, Connected by Blood, Beauge, DJ Law, G5CU (hip-hop) 10:30 pm.

ñ ñ

ñ ñ ñ

ñ

ñ

Folk/Blues/Country/World

3 Windows Open Jam Dano & Miss Jaye 9

pm to 1 am.

Cameron House Jack Marks (country/

folk) 10 pm, Patrick Brealey 8 pm, David Celia 6 pm.

Cameron House Back Room Groovy Julia.

The Central Sammy Feilchenfeld 7 pm.

Dominion on Queen Swamperella (cajun/zydeco) 9 pm.

Free Times Cafe Mike Borton & Philip Brown 8:30 pm.

Grossman’s The Fullerton w/ Neil Chapman 10 pm, Sandi Marie 6 to 9 pm.

Hugh’s Room Arrogant Worms (musical comedy) 8:30 pm.

Lula Lounge Cafe Cubano (salsa) 10:30 pm.

FMassey Hall A Christmas Gift To You

Tour Johnny Reid 7:30 pm. ñ Relish Bar & Grill The Danger Bees 9:30 pm.

Tranzac Southern Cross The Foolish Things

(folK).

Jazz/Classical/Experimental

Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art Bistro

Music Series: Music For Merriment The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music 6:30 to 9 pm.

Gate 403 The Kathleen Gorman Jazz Group 9 pm, Bobby Hsu Jazz Band 5 to 8 pm.

FHumber Valley United Church Gloria In Excelsis Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra 7 pm.

Hy’s Steakhouse Thompson Egbo-Egbo (piano) 7 pm.

Isabel Bader Theatre CD release concert ­Patricia Cano, David Restivo, Ted Quinlan, George Koller, Daniel Barnes and others (music of Tomson Highway) 8 pm.

The Jazz Bistro Hilario Duran Trio (Afro-­ Cuban Latin jazz) 9 pm.

Lula Lounge Sean Meredith Jones (jazz) 8 pm.

Monarch Tavern Album release party Manteca (world-jazz) 8:30 pm.

Old Mill Inn Home Smith Bar Fridays To Sing About Lisa Martinelli Quartet (jazz) 7:30 to 10:30 pm.

Pantages Hotel Martini Bar Fern Lindzon (jazz) 8:30 pm.

The Rex Alex Dean Quintet 9:45 pm, Sara Dell (vox/solo piano) 6:30 pm, Hogtown Syncopators 4 pm.

ñ

ñ

Royal Conservatory of Music Koerner Hall La Dolce Musica Luca Pisaroni 8 pm.

Tranzac Southern Cross Ken Alcroft, Joe

Sorbara, Paul Dutton, John Kamevaar, Glen Hall 7:30 pm.

FTrinity Presbyterian Church Handel’s Messiah Part One And More: A Choral Christmas Celebration Ensemble TrypTych Chamber Choir, UTSC Concert Choir, Sinfonia TrypTych 7:30 pm.

FTrinity St. Paul’s Church Navidad: Christmas Music From Latin America And Spain The Toronto Consort 8 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

Cabin Nightclub The Legendary Groove ­Fridays Spence Diamonds & Mista Jiggz (R&B/funk/soul/hip-hop/house and more).

Annex Wreckroom Bicep & George Fitz­ gerald doors 10 pm.

BassLine Music Bar Subtle Blend Volume IV CY, Nyiam, Josh Grant, ZVRVZV (techno) 10 pm.

Castro’s Lounge Record Party DJ ‘I Hate You Rob’ (soul/funk/R&B/punk rock/rockabilly/ power pop) 10 pm.

The Central DJ OhBall 9 pm.

Crawford Phazed DJ Aphillyaded (hip-hop/ old school/R&B).

Cube Moscow Never Sleep DJ Ortemy, DJ Mike Toast (house/mashups/top 40).

Drake Hotel Underground Stuck On Stupid DJ Fase & Dougie Boom doors 11 pm.

Drake Hotel Lounge DJ Nana doors 10 pm.

EFS Riva Starr 10 pm.

Emmet Ray Bar DJ Funky Flavours (funk/soul) 10 pm.

Fly Pop Fridays DJ Sumation doors 10 pm.5 continued on page 68 œ

LOCAL. FRESH. DELICIOUS. GREAT BEER LIVES HERE NOW December 12-18 2013

63

64

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

FRESH

SNOW

2013 HAS BEEN BIG FOR INSTRUMENTAL ROCK BANDS IN CANADA, AND NOW TORONTO HAS ANOTHER VOCAL-LESS OUTFIT TO GET EXCITED ABOUT. MASKS OFF, EVERYONE. LYRICS ARE SO LAST YEAR.

By JULIA LECONTE

Photos by MICHAEL WATIER

“W

e have a knack for corner, they retrace the long and winding making spontaneity road that started with a jam session. extremely laborious,” On the final weekend of January 2011, says Fresh Snow guitarist Bradley Davis.

Davis, drummer Jon Maki, bassist Andy Perhaps. But the Toronto four-piece is Lloyd, and keys, engineer and everythingalso pretty efficient. else-man Tim Condon piled The first time they plugged in into a van, packed it full of as FRESH SNOW their instruments and played with DOLDRUMS, much rented gear as they could, together was also the first time HOODED FANG, and headed to a friend’s Danthey were all in the same room. forth home. Serendipitously, it I AM ROBOT & The second time they played PROUD, BELIEFS was snowing very hard. They as a band, they recorded a great and more as part of improvised for six hours in the LONG WINTER album. basement and recorded it.

The resulting seven songs of VOLUME 2 at the That was the spontaneous experimental instrumental Great Hall (1087 part.

Queen West), Friday psych-rock are remarkably diThe laborious stage came (December 13), 7 verse – in length, texture, genre, pm, free for the first next: six hours of raw audio loudness – and yet unmistakably 350 people, toronturned into 18 months of very the same piece of art. Like move- tolongwinter.com. careful work: sifting improments in a classical composvised jams into a collection of ition. tunes with beginnings, nebuThey may not be well-known enough lous twists, convoluted turns and satisfyto make it onto most year-end roundups, ing ends. but they’re serious Polaris long and short Put simply, “We wrote it in reverse,” says list contenders.

Davis, a natural, self-deprecating leader Their music is a constant struggle, whose background and loves are equal made interesting by the elastic push and parts black metal and pop, and who also pull between noise and melody. Each lis- acts as the band’s de facto (reluctant) manten yields a new pathway. It’s challenging ager. but unpretentious, cerebral with mo“In hindsight, it was a really good way of ments of simple joy. Astute without being working,” adds Condon. “But it was pretty too serious. And that’s a great way to defrustrating at times. It’s like doing a jigsaw scribe the guys themselves. puzzle with no idea of what the picture is Over beers and gin and sodas in the meant to look like.” round, cushy booth of a Leslieville pub, To get the picture, Condon and Davis still sporting the matching red and black whittled the music down to their basic shirts from NOW’s cover shoot around the song structures, sending music to Maki continued on page 66 œ

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

65

mer for Tropicalia (now Os Tropies); Lloyd; and Condon, a Perth, Australia, transplant whom he’d worked with in 2003 and whom he’d happened to bump into on the street a few days earlier.

“We walked downstairs by the pool table and laid out a map of what we were thinking of doing. I played a lap steel with distortion and echo, and a keyboard. I didn’t even play gui­tar,” says Davis.

“Me and Jon, and maybe Andy as well, were listening to a lot of Neu! at the time. So basically I was like, ‘If we can ace Hallogallo by Neu! for like 20 minutes, that’s a great opening set to me.”

It didn’t work. “We ended up sound­ing like ourselves instead of Neu! Unfortunately.”

But they did have immediate chemistry, and all of them felt inspired by the non-Neu! “really loud racket” they’d made.

“It all felt so organic,” says Maki.

“Being a drummer, I’m usually fol­ low­ing other people’s [direction].

This gave all of us equal opportunity to create our own lines. It was completely open to whatever we wanted. It was very liberating.”

Now their visual, interactive Fresh Snow is Tim Condon (left), Bradley Davis, Jon Maki and Andy Lloyd. live show is their calling card.

“People connect to music a lot œcontinued from page 65 through the words, so when and Lloyd as they went along for ideas and criticism. you’re not singing live….” says Davis.

Davis added loads of guitars. Maki and Lloyd came to Lloyd is blunt. “We’re playing one chord for like, two Condon’s house for overdubs, and about a year into the minutes,” he says. editing and arranging process, so did violin, trombone, “We wanted to integrate the audience and the band, so clarinet and trumpet players – additions that breathe life we had this crazy, absurd idea that we would play inside a into the album’s noisy squalls and hypnotic drones, enpod where projections were coming from,” says Maki. hance the overall cinematic feel and elevate the chord In late 2011, they presented that whim to Jonny Doverrepetition, persistent bass lines and anchor drums. court, whose Wave­length series they were playing.

The production and mastering largely fell to Condon.

“He immediately loved it, and all of a sudden we were “There were two steps of processing,” he says. “Pro­­cessing under pressure to make it happen. We had no idea how it the backing sounds of other instruments out of what we was going to come to fruition,” continues Maki. had, and then the arrangements.

“I ended up weaving massive sheets of wax paper “It was a Rubik’s Cube. You change one thing here, then together in my liv­ing room, and we spent a whole hour the every other an­gle changes. But 18 months later, we were day beforehand setting up this pod, and it ended up paypretty happy with it.” ing off incredibly well.”

Condon is the most eager and forth­coming about the From outside, you could only see their silhouettes, plus music itself, and sitting across the table from Da­vis, it’s digital art projections by Bryce Kushnier, whom they call easy to see how their dynamic – both politely disagreeing the band’s “unofficial official member.” and defer­ring to each other, always, always with humour It’s the only time they’ve done it, but they’d like to – informed the record. again.

He might also have the toughest onstage job.

Otherwise, Fresh Snow often play wearing face-coverIt’s impossible to recreate those 18 months of fine-tuning red hoods – an invention of Lloyd’s based on a painting ing live, but it’s certainly fun to see the band try.

by Maki. (Maki is obviously the art person. In addition to Watching Condon queue music from both his laptop the painting and the pod, he made the wooden masks and his iPad at a recent Unsigned Indie Music Series gig they wore at a Halloween show this year, foraging in the looks just as difficult as any of the actual musicianship. woods behind his house for the raw mater­ials.)

“The nature of the songs lends itself to live shows,” says Davis says Fresh Snow do everything slowly. But they’re Lloyd, the quiet­est of the members but the one with by far soldiering on. the most road experience, having toured with Caribou They’ve completed a split 7-inch with Reel Cod labeland been as far afield as Aus­tralia with Born Ruffians, with mate Mimico. They’re working on an EP (out this spring, whom he still plays. “It’s not that bad if something goes hopefully). The first track is al­ready recorded (with vocals!) wrong. The songs are so amorphous, you can’t really tell.”

– 16 minutes long and featuring one of the city’s most The band plays again at Friday’s (December 13) edition famous voices. of the Long Winter series at the Great Hall alongside some Their as-yet unslated sophomore effort is in the works. of the city’s other cool-as-hell bands: Hooded Fang, Beliefs, The spontaneous six-hour jam was fun and all, but this Doldrums. time they’re going to write the songs first.

They’ve come a long way since that initial show in AuThey aren’t getting too structured, though. gust 2010. Matt Flook and Nicholas Kerr – who with Chris“This band is so freeing because it allows me to escape topher Evers run the Reel Cod label that ultimately resome of my own habits and rely on other people,” says leased Fresh Snow’s album – had asked Davis to open a Davis. show at Duffy’s Tavern in Bloor­dale.

“I’ve always thought of our band as being like a train As it happened, Davis, who’d been the primary songride. We’re on a long, set track, but the landscape keeps writer in a couple of other bands, including Lake Holiday, changing out the window. There’s blurry ever-changing was sick of writing and perform­ing pop tunes. scenery with what Tim’s doing, and Jon and Andy are just But he was interested in trying something different. holding down the choo-choo.

Vocal-less. Ex­per­imental.

“God knows what I’m doing.”

3 julial@nowtoronto.com | @­julialeconte So Davis recruited bandmates: Maki, formerly the drum-

66

december 12-18 2013 NOW

Such a long winter Five reasons to love one of the city’s coolest music series

It’s not easy to get notoriously winter-​shy Torontonians out of hibernation during the never-​ending cold months.

Then, last year, two members of ­beloved Toronto punk band Fucked Up decided to do something about that. The result? An impeccably curated monthly pwyc evening of music and art. If this doesn’t convince you to embrace those very long, dark nights, you might as well stay in bed.

1

It’s really Fucked Up

Since coming together in 2001, Fucked Up have spread their influence all over the city at the grassroots level, touching almost every aspect of the local scene. Fittingly, three of the seven event organizers are band members. Fucked Up played last year’s shows but have been sitting out performance duty this year, making room for less ­established Toronto acts across a v ­ ariety of genres, including Ell V. Gore, Doomsquad and Kontravoid.

2

It’s not just music

The Great Hall and its sub-​rooms provide a great many spaces for Long Winter to spread its chill. And from the beginning, it’s always been more than just music. Friday’s (December 13) edition includes visual art and video installations, dance by Emi Forster, local thespian Henri Fabergé’s Fountain Of Mouth, and Long Night with host (and Long Winter organizer) Vish Khanna, a talk “TV show” with guests (including controversial sprinter Ben Johnson), a comic and a house band (the Bicycles).

Just like Dave.

3

It’s not just late-​night

December 28 marks the very first Long Winter for children.

And while a day for the youth might seem at odds with the mostly wee-​hours series, Long Winter Kids features the same cultural cross-​section as the nighttime events: music, arts, performance, stories and more. Plus arts and crafts. Highlights include performances by the Woodshed Orchestra and Hooded Fang; an interactive “recording and sampling castle” that will result in RoCkBoX Mixtape #1!; and a Girls Rock Camp workshop. Proceeds from the event go to a benefit for the campaign to end indefinite migrant detention in Canada.

December 28, noon-​5 pm, the Great Hall (1087 Queen West).

Pwyc.

4

Fearless collabs

Despite its near-intimidating cool factor, Long Winter is completely unpretentious in that it’s not stubborn or staid. It’s fluid, ever-​morphing and open to big-​time collabs such as the AGO First Thursdays: Long Winter Edition that goes down January 2. They’re brave: it might be the least embraced date of the year. But get over yourselves: you’ll have had January 1 to recover, after all. The first-​floor Walker Court is an artists bazaar (think open-​air market) and the contemporary tower houses music and art, including Snowblink and DJ Stelmanis.

January 2, 7 pm, Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas West), $15, advance $12, AGO members $10.

5

It’s pwyc

It wouldn’t be right for you to pay nothing for such a well-​ rounded immersion in the arts, but Long Winter provides hours and hours of entertainment for what you can afford, whether that’s 15 or 115 bucks. And let’s face it: if we’re anything besides cold in the winter, it’s broke. Julia LeConte

concerts at

leespalace.com

Original Live Music @ 8:30pm horseshoetAvern.com street West / spadina Fridays & Saturdays @ 9:00pm 370 Queen artist Bookings Front Bar 12:00pm - 2:00am 416-598-0720 or craig@horseshoetavern.com

529 Bloor street West / Bathurst

Artist Bookings

416-598-0720 or ben@leespalace.com thurs

dec 12 $15.00 adv

dec 13 $15.50 adv

thurs

fri

sat

dec 15

dec 21

$18.50 adv

With grounders fri

(ex-stranglers) with aRSON

cOLd pineS BiLLiard BLOSSOM dOg iS BLue BOnnie traSh

thurs

white

dec 19

$6.00 @Door

$7.00 @Door

FLOOd the Sun FOrty dayS at Sea

polarity organ thieves still life trove

alternative rock dance club 2nd floor of lee’s palace 10:00pm — 2:30am thursday • no cover

annual x-mas bash sat

dec 14

the shrine

$

-

thurs

dec 19

friday

fri

$11.50

dec 20

& the do good assassins

dec 21

mon shoeless monday

peter elkas + lindy

sat

adv

saturday

mon shoeless monday

dec 16

no cover

@Door

holidays

$24.50 $28.50

dec 27

$10.00

dec 22-dec 25

fri dec 13 sat dec 14

$12.50 adv

dec 20

closed for

dec 18

dec 12

adv

fri

catL + MOkOMOhai

Santa with MuScLeS the dildoniks the medicine hat 6.00 @Door sam taylor & the east end love

wed

thurs

annual xmas dec Punk blowout!

28 sat

NEON & thE meate dreams norway ENDS by yOU

$27.50 adv

with DEViN CUDDy baND

harMOnautS skullians deforesters cyclops 76-6-6 rebel arms

@Door

NO COVER

with StUDENt i.D.

no cover

black

pastels

dec 17

sat

dec 24 - dec 26 closed for

no cover

$17.50

thurs

fri monday • no cover

$8.00

dec 23

tues

annual holiday show

dec 20

holidays

dec 21 adv

fri: the socials + dangerband + the dying arts saturday: tUUli + timE giaNt

MicrOnite FiLterS the crux 5.00 black stone @Door wiLL hunter Band

jan 02 $

Adv Tickets @ TickeTfly.com • Ticketmaster.ca • Rotate This • Soundscapes • H-Shoe front Bar

thurs DECEmbER 12 @koolhaus • $25.50 advance • all-ages • doors 8:00pm

tues DECEmbER 31 @horseshoe • $ 25.00 advance

w/ the Jay vons (members of Reigning sound!)

fri DECEmbER 20 @opera house • $ 18.00 adv • all-ages

the FLatLinerS

Off with thEiR hEaDS + SightS & SOUNDS

tues fEbRUaRy 11 the phoenix • $ 27.50 advance

sat fEbRUaRy 22 lee’s palace • $26.50 advance

& thE jiCkS march 4 • $ 21.50 adv

NORth mississippi allstars

wed jaNUaRy 22 lee’s palace • $ 13.00 adv

mod club $ 17.50

adv • 7:00pm

sun maRCh 30 @kool haus • $ 26.50 adv

the head &

the heart baSia bUlat

saturday

fEbRUaRy 1

jaNUaRy 20 • $ 15.50 advance

lee’s palace $ 10.50

advance

sat DECEmbER 14 silver dollar • $ 13.50 adv

friday jaNUaRy 17 garrison • $ 15.00 advance

april 22 • $ 16.50 advance

wE aRE scientists

a great

mon fEbRUaRy 24 mod club • $20.00 advance

tues jaNUaRy 14 $ horseshoe • 11.50 advance

big world jaNUaRy 21 • $ 12.50 advance

cate lebon

april 5 • $ 20.00 advance

mounties the zolas

tues DECEmbER 31 @lee’s palace • $ 22.50 advance

thurs jaNUaRy 23 the garrison • $ 10.00 adv

lee’s palace • $ 15.00 adv

with CORy bRaNaN

SChOmbERg faiR

sat fEbRUaRy 15 $ the garrison • 11.50 adv

joe pug fEbRUaRy 27 • $ 13.50 adv

with baD SUNS

gardens & villa fERmiN pERfECt lost in pUSSy the trees sun fEbRUaRy 23

sat jaNUaRy 25 $ silver dollar • 10.50 adv

maRCh 3 • $ 10.00 advance

sat feb 15 @ 794 BathuRst • $18.50 adv

lee’s palace • $ 20.00 advance

with blOUSE friday jaNUaRy 17

jim jones horseshoe • $ 13.50 advance

revue

the millwinders

DaNy laj & thE lOOkS

fEbRUaRy 19 • $ 13.50 adv

sat fEbRUaRy 15

saturday maRCh 29

the garrison • $ 13.50 adv

monday $apRil 14 horseshoe • 16.50 advance

• horseshoe tavern • february 6 • $12.50 adv

nOrthcOte dave hause

february 10 • $15.50 adv

jonathan wilson

february 18 • $12.50 adv

nicole atkins february 22 • $13.50 adv

nick waterhouse the pack a.d. march 8 • $15.00 advance

• horseshoe tavern •

NOW december 12-18 2013

67

Gate 403 Jim Gelcer Jazz Band 9 pm.

FGrace Church on-the-Hill Christ-

clubs&concerts

mas With JS Bach Toronto Chamber Choir 8 pm.

Grossman’s The Happy Pals (trad jazz) 4:30 to 8 pm.

Hy’s Steakhouse Thompson Egbo-Egbo (piano) 7 pm.

FThe Jazz Bistro Swingalong Saturday Brunch: Songs Of The Season in support of the Daily Food Bank & CBC’s Sounds Of The Season Jenni Burke 12:30-2:30 pm.

The Jazz Bistro Hilario Duran Trio (Afro-­Cuban Latin jazz) 9 pm.

œcontinued from page 63

The Hoxton Gramatik, Exmag doors 10 pm.

A Love Bizarre Brennan Green, Paul Revered,

ñ ñ

Kiki LeFreak, Raf Reza (deep house/garage/ boogie) 10 pm.

La Perla HER-Wint-HER Solstice Edition DJs Kris Steeves, Kevin Ritchie, OMGBLOG.COM (house/disco) doors 10:30 pm.

Maison Mercer Guy Gerber, Sean Miller, Rafwat & Chorniy.

Milan Banquet Hall King Of The Ring Championship Final Cumtraxx Vs Klymaxx Vs Super Gold 10 pm.

The Piston Synthesexer (indie electro dance) 10 pm.

Rivoli Pool Lounge DJ Stu (classic rock & roll).

The Steady Cafe & Bar The Dirty Hustle DJ Blackcat & DJ L Rock 9:30 pm.

WAYLA Bar Video Dance Party DJ Truewind 10 pm.

ñ

FMetropolitan United Church

Gloria – A Holiday Concert Forte – The Toronto Men’s Chorus 7:30 pm.

Montgomery’s Inn Musical Matinee The Neapolitan Connection, Luiza Zhuleva 3 pm.

Nawlins Jazz Bar Sam Heineman (piano) 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Pantages Hotel Martini Bar Fern Lindzon (jazz) 8:30 pm.

Paul’s Churrasco The Tavares Trio/ Botos (jazz/Latin) 7:30 to 11:30 pm.

The Rex Bob Brough Quartet (jazz) 9:45 pm, Parker/Abbott Duo 7:30 pm, Swing Shift Big Band 3:30 pm.

Saturday, December 14 Pop/Rock/Hip-Hop/Soul

Alleycatz Lady Kane.

The Antler Room Rothwell (classic & top 40

Royal Conservatory of Music

rock) 10 pm.

FCadillac Lounge The Rizdales Annual

Country Christmas Show The Rizdales, the Millwinders, Ginger St James 4 to 7 pm.

The Central Union City, Christen Hansen, Dream Jefferson 10 pm, O Frontera 6 pm.

CineCycle Dog Day, Dilly Dally, Marine Dreams, Castle Garbage, Soft Hell 9 pm.

See preview, page 72.

Dakota Tavern Lucas Stagg (acoustic roots/ rock) 10 pm.

El Mocambo The Fat Cats, After Funk 9 pm.

Eton House Beaglebeach (best of Beatles & Beach Boys ) 9 pm.

The Hideout The Beggars, Milo (rock) 10 pm.

Horseshoe Horseshoe 66th Birthday Concert Celebration Matt Mays, Ladies of the Canyon doors 9 pm.

Lee’s Palace Red Fang, Cancer Bats, ­Indian Handcrafts, the Shrine (stoner metal) doors 8:30 pm.

Lola Awakening 9 pm.

The Rex Danny Marks (pop) noon.

Rivoli Tim Chaisson, Greg McEvoy, Luke ­Austin doors 8:30 pm.

FSound Academy Edgefest Jingle Bell ­Concert Series Three Days Grace doors 7 pm, all ages.

Winter Garden Theatre The Bad Plus 8 pm.

Viletones

ñ

punk

ñ ñ

Last stand of the first Toronto punks By Benjamin Boles The Viletones with Max McKabe and the Liquor Pigs, DJ Don Pyle, DJ Wade MacNeil and others at the Phoenix (410 Sherbourne), Friday (December 13), 8 pm. $26.25. TM.

Folk/Blues/Country/World

Blue Goose Tavern Danny B’s House Party

The Danny B Band (blues harp) 3 to 6 pm.

Cameron House Chris Culgin 10 pm, Whitney Rose 8 pm, Big Tobacco & the Pickers 6 pm.

FCameron House Back Room Cameron Christmas Party.

Castro’s Lounge Big Rude Jake (blues shouter) 4:30 pm.

Dakota Tavern Bluegrass Brunch 10 am to 2 pm.

FFree Times Cafe A Very Merry Acoustic Christmas Gavin Slate, Armand Bz, Sara Wilkinson, Marcio Novelli, Brandon Jones (singer/songwriter) 8 pm.

Full of Beans Coffee Open Mic Roger Keelan 1 to 4 pm.

Gate 403 Bill Heffernan (folk/country/blues) 5 to 8 pm.

Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar Don River Blues Band 9 to 11 pm.

Grossman’s Park Eddy 11:30 pm.

Hugh’s Room Diane Lee-Clemons 8:30 pm.

The Local Wooden Horseman (folk/country/ blues) 9 pm.

Lula Lounge Orquesta Fantasia (salsa) 10:30 pm.

Relish Bar & Grill Sam Taylor (singer/songwriter) 9:30 pm.

Silver Dollar Drag the River, Cory Branan, Fort Collins/Co, the Schomberg Fair (alt country) doors 9 pm.

Southside Johnny’s The Bear Band (rock/ blues) 4 to 8 pm.

Tranzac Southern Cross Scott B Sympathy (folk) 7:30 pm, Jamzac 3 pm.

C’est What The Hot Five Jazzmakers (trad

jazz) 3 pm.

Chalkers Pub Mike Murley Trio 6 to 9 pm.

Drake Hotel Underground Zoë Keating

­(indie classical) doors 8 pm.

68

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Benjamin boles

Jazz/Classical/Experimental

There have been plenty of Toronto punk bands more commercially successful than the Viletones, but none as legendary and infamous.

Close to 40 years after Steven Leckie first stepped onstage (and immediately chastised the audience for clapping), the frontman is deep into preparations for the final chapter of the project.

“It’s pretty amazing that after all of this I’m living in a church,” he says, laughing as he leads me to his small apartment wallpapered in old newspaper clippings about himself in the basement of a converted former place of worship.

At first glance, Leckie doesn’t look much different from when I met him in the early 90s, when he ran an art gallery and clothing boutique called Fleurs du Mal. His wiry frame is covered with tattoos and scars, his piercing gaze still vaguely intimidating. But as he eases his way downstairs with the help of a cane, you see the toll MS has taken on his body in recent years and why he feels a sense of urgency about putting the band onstage one last time.

“I started getting this deep feeling in September that I needed to bring the Viletones project up to date, and it’s all been falling into place perfectly since then.”

This definitely isn’t a comeback, nor is it a reunion.

(Leckie is the only origi­nal member.) He is clearly pleased at the way the internet has helped spread the mythical lost Viletones album A Taste Of Honey, and by the photos strangers keep sending him of Vile­tones tattoos from all over the world. But his drive to perform one last time comes from a more personal place.

“I see the Viletones more like a role in a play, one that

keeps changing to stay age-appropriate every time I play it. It’s become to me something like A Streetcar Named Desire, and I’m always Stanley Kowalski. Or maybe more like Apocalypse Now, and I’ve been playing Kurtz from 1976 until now.”

Leckie was only 18 when he started the band, basing it on what he ima­gined punk to be from reading about it in underground rock magazines. By their third gig, they were already playing NYC, embraced by tastemakers like Lester Bangs.

“The reviews in Manhattan were loaded with what would be called hyper­bole up here but which I found very accurate.”

When I first met him, his days of slashing his chest with broken beer bottles onstage were already long over, and he was in the midst of reinventing the Viletones in response to the grunge explosion. If mainstream alternative culture was going to turn punk into long hair, heroin and flannel shirts, Leckie was going to put on a velvet suit, be stone-cold sober and quote Baudelaire.

“I was reacting against the celebration of mediocrity that I felt Toronto was all about at that point. Whatever was on the radio was my enemy. That’s what rock ’n’ roll is: a war against mediocrity and the enemy of whatever is on the radio. That’s how it started, and that’s how it’s always been.”

This final incarnation will see Leckie reimagining the role once again. He won’t be throwing himself into the pit like Iggy Pop still does, but he also won’t be taking it easy on the crowd.

“What’s your most terrifying memory as a child? I am going to stare the audience down with that disapproving look your father gave you when you really disappointed him.”

benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles

Koerner Hall TD Jazz: Celebrating Dinah & Sarah ­Regina Carter, Nnenna Freelon 8 pm.

Seven44 Climax Jazz Band (traditional jazz) 4 to 7 pm.

Tranzac Southern Cross Album release ­LazerSusan (improvised music) 10 pm.

FTrinity St. Paul’s Church Navidad: Christmas Music From Latin America And Spain The Toronto Consort 8 pm.

FThe Village Healing Centre The Christmas Rag Bag Cabaret On Roncy! Louise Gauthier, Nigel Irwin 8 pm.

Dance Music/DJ/Lounge

BassLine Music Bar Even Rvrer Dript, Chunk,

Riotboys, GNGRN (trap/house/dubstep) 10 pm.

FBelleeny’s Martini Resto-Lounge Old School Music Night-Disco Social & Holiday Party Empress Arlanna & DJs 8 pm.

Clinton’s Shake, Rattle, Roll (60s rock/ pop/soul) doors 10 pm.

Comfort Zone Sunshowers Glit Clit Dance Party Lido Pimienta, Blake Blakely, Americaj Sreej, Alexandra Mackenzie, Brandon Valdivia, Hvywtr, Prince Nifty doors 9 pm.

Crawford Ignition DJs Shai & Freeza Chin (R&B/hip-hop/ dancehall) 10 pm.

Drake Hotel Underground Racks & Bands DJs Vanity Muscles, Johnny Hockin doors 11 pm.

Emmet Ray Bar DJ Chris Cruz (hip-hop/soul) 10 pm.

FFly Pitbull Unwapped DJs Dwayne Minard & Mark Falco doors 10 pm.5

The Garrison

Chronologic (DJs musical trip through time) doors 10 pm.

Guvernment

Damage Control World Tour Mat Zo (house) 10 pm.

Harbourfront Centre DJ Skate Night ­Skratch Bastid (hip-hop/funk/disco/ ñ club/rock) 8 to 11 pm.

Holy Oak Cafe Communion (funk/new music) 10 pm.

Marquis of Granby Gaga 4 Gaga: Artpop

release edition DJ Doctor Baggie (Lady Gaga all night) doors 10 pm.

The Piston Beam Me Up (disco dance) 10 pm.

The Red Light Strictly Business DJ Serious, DJ Numeric (classic hip-hop/R&B) 10 pm.

Rivoli Loft Bump N’ Hustle DJ Paul E Lopes, DJ Mike Tull (soul/funk/hip-hop/disco/house) doors 10 pm.

Sneaky Dee’s Shake A Tail (60s pop/soul) 11 pm.

The Steady Cafe & Bar Swag’s One-Year ­Anniversary 10 pm.

FWAYLA Bar Hard Candy XXX-Mass DJ ­Marco (top 40/house/Xmas remixes) 10 pm.

Wrongbar Surkin & Canblaster doors 10 pm.

Sunday, December 15 Pop/Rock/Hip-Hop/Soul

Air Canada Centre Live The Life Tour Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood 7:30 pm. ñ Annex Wreckroom Wilson, Fuck Face ­Unstoppable.

Dakota Tavern Hot rock (members of Blue

Rodeo, the Beauties and Flash Lightnin’ play the Stones) 10 pm.

Dominion on Queen Rockabilly Brunch The Cosmotones (old-school rockabilly) 11 am to 3 pm.

Drake Hotel Underground Beauty In The Beats: Philippines typhoon fundraiser and mixer The Plaitwrights & the Charleston Relay, Bea Go, the Muso Project (R&B/ soul) doors 7 pm.

Handlebar Wool Socks N’ Dreadlocks The Fugitive Minds, Miss Herbasshifts (roots reggae/Afrobeat/funk/soul) 8 pm.

Hard Luck Bar Mellowhigh (feat. Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, Left Brain) doors 7 pm, all ages.

The Hideout Don Campbell (acoustic rock) 10 pm.

Horseshoe Edgewater Hotel, the Lifts.

Lee’s Palace Hugh Cornwell doors 8 pm.

Paradise Bar & Billiards Terry Logan Trio 4 to 7:30 pm.

The Rex Aaron Shragge & Innocent When You Dream (Tom Waits music) 9:30 pm.

Rivoli Viva Cabaret 5 pm.

ñ

Folk/Blues/Country/World

Black Bear Pub Jam SNAFU 3:30 to 7:30 pm.

Cadillac Lounge The Danny B Blues Band

7:30 pm.

Cameron House Copper Lassie, Mouthparts & Wings 5 pm.

Dakota Tavern Bluegrass Brunch 10 am to 2 pm.

Free Times Cafe Gordon’s Acoustic Livingroom

8 pm.

Full of Beans Coffee Steve Raiken (folk) 2 to 4 pm.

Gladstone Hotel Melody Bar Acoustic

Family Brunch (bluegrass) 11 am to 2 pm.

Grossman’s The National Blues Jam Brian Cober (double slide guitar) 10 pm.

Holy Oak Cafe Max Kelly (old-time/country) 9 pm.

FHugh’s Room Celebrate The Season The Ault Sisters (family concert) 1 pm.

The Local Sarah Jane Scouten (old-time) 5 pm, Los Caballeros del Son (Cuban traditional son) 9 pm.

Lula Lounge Jorge Maza Group (Cuban) 1 pm.

Not My Dog Will Gillespie (singer/songwriter/folk/roots) 10 pm.

Relish Bar & Grill Stir It Up Sundays Open Mic 9 pm.

Rose & Crown Music City North Open Mic 9 pm.

Sotto Voce Wine Bar Sunday Music Session Open Mic. Southside Johnny’s Open Jam Rebecca Matiesen & Phoenix 9:30 pm.

Tranzac Main Hall Puppy Love 8 pm.

Tranzac Southern Cross Anne Lindsay ­(fiddle) 7:30 pm, Alaniaris 3 pm, Quebecois Jam 1 pm.

Village Vinyl The O’Pears 2 to 5 pm.

Winchester Kitchen & Bar Open Mic Porter 9 pm.

Jazz/Classical/Experimental

Array Space The Array Songbook: A Winter Fundraiser The Array Ensemble 3 pm.

Aspetta Caffe Luke Vajsar (solo bass) 4 pm.

FBlessed Trinity Roman Catholic Parish

Christmas Concert Blessed Trinity Choir, the Blessed Trinity Festival Orchestra, Clea SoareMin 3 pm.

Cameron House The Double Cuts (western

continued on page 70 œ

NOW December 12-18 2013

69

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 69

THURSDAY DECEMBER 12

THE CHRISTMAS SOUL REVUE CHARITY FUNDRAISER

$50 TICKETS – PROCEEDS GO TO CP24 CHUM CHRISTMAS WISH

THE CHRISTMAS SOUL REVUE FEATURING

THE ST. ROYALS 16-PIECE SUPERBAND IN SUPPORT OF CP24 CHUM CHRISTMAS WISH FRIDAY DECEMBER 13 & SATURDAY DECEMBER 14

CHIC A BOOM ROOM

R&B

CHARLES BRADLEY Late-blooming soul man aims to dig even deeper By JULIA LECONTE

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 18

CHOREOGRAPHERS BALL 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY DECEMBER 19

HO HO T.O.

722 COLLEGE STREET

themodclub.com

CHARLES BRADLEY & HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES with the JAY VONS at Kool Haus (132 Queens Quay), tonight (Thursday, December 12), 8 pm, all ages. $25.50. RT, SS, TF.

Charles Bradley’s speaking voice is scratchy, raw and wrought with emotion – joy, sadness, despair, love. Sometimes it sounds like he’s on the verge of tears. He can’t fake it or stem it, and he can’t be anything other than himself.

This comes through both in the mov-

ing 2012 documentary about his life, Soul Of America, and when I reach him in Brooklyn.

“Looking back at my past, there’s nothing but hell behind me,” he says.

“But I’ve got to show the love that I have in me. I want a chance to reach out to the world. I’ve always been an honest and decent person. All I want is to try to make something out of myself. It hasn’t been an easy road and it’s still not an easy road, but I’m still fighting.”

The 65-year-old’s relentless drive is also a practical necessity. Beneath the keep-on-keeping-on spirit that imbues every sentence, he sounds stressed.

He’s just come back from Europe to find that his mother, whom he lives with, hasn’t been sufficiently taken care of in his absence. She’s in her 90s, and Bradley is her caretaker.

“I’ve got to continue my career,” he says. “There’s too much load on me.”

He’s on his way to the hospital to meet with her doctor as we speak, and is an open book along the way.

THE OSSINGTON THU 12 UHOH: CREDENTIALS Live performances, screening, music and dancing...

FRI 13 GET BY FRIDAY w/DJs Hajah Bug & Mantis… Hip hop, soul, RnB, dancehall... Manjah music beats bad mojo...

SAT 14 ALL SOULED OUT w/DJ Big Jimmy Mills... spins old school hip hop, scratch madness & dancefloor hits...

SUN 15 BRASS FACTS TRIVIA Best quiz night in town w/host Famous Kirk Hero... prizes, specials & new knowledge...

MON 16 COMEDY AT OSS New open mic night... sign up and knock ‘em dead...

TUE 17 CFC CHRISTMAS Nominated for Best Xmas Party...

WED 18 WHERE THE VILE THINGS ARE w/ DJ Doubleyou...

the best tunes & cocktails of the last 100 years...

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

70

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

ñ

ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC KOERNER HALL Les Violons du Roy, Natalie Dessay, Michel Legrand 7 pm.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 15

RUSSIAN CONCERT

swing) 10 pm.

C’EST WHAT Fergus Hambleton (trad jazz) 7 pm.

DAKOTA TAVERN Intensive Carolling: Benefit for Sunnybrook’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 3:30-6 pm.

EMMET RAY BAR Circles (jazz/folk) 9 pm.

GATE 403 Brownman Akoustic Trio 9 pm, Rob Thaller & Joanna Reynolds Jazz Duo 5 to 8 pm.

FGROSSMAN’S Xmas Party New Orleans Connection All Star Jazz Band 4:30 to 9 pm.

HUGH’S ROOM Darrelle London’s Ho Ho Holiday Jam 8 pm.

THE JAZZ BISTRO A Month Of Sundays Micah Barnes Trio 12:30 pm.

FMETROPOLITAN UNITED CHURCH Event includes reading of A Child’s Christmas In Wales

by Deborah Hay. That Choir Carols That Choir, Bloor Collegiate Institute Music Program, Bryan Holt 8 pm.

FMUSIC GALLERY Holiday Wassail kith&kin (medieval carols/singalongs/ Appalachian hymns) 8 pm.

THE REX Tim Postgate 7 pm, The Satin Dolls 3:30 pm, Excelsior Dixieland Jazz noon.

His story goes like this: He grew up in Florida and then New York with his mother. At 14, he moved out, roamed the streets and ended up in the Job Corps, which he credits with saving his life. After decades of poverty, bad luck and odd jobs, he became a James Brown impersonator in New York City clubs, where he was discovered by Daptone Records co-founder Gabriel Roth.

He released his first album, the purist soul throwback No Time For Dreaming, in 2011 at age 63. Victim Of Love followed in 2013. They were successful, and he’s been touring. A lot.

When he sings live – like at his Phoenix show in Toronto last May – he pours himself into his songs, and people respond to his genuineness, queuing up to meet him afterward and often pouring their hearts out to him.

It’s hard to believe there’s anything left in his tank.

But Bradley says there’s a level he hasn’t reached yet. “I want to go really deep in my soul and really open up, but then I lose the band,” he explains.

“The guys are extraordinary and beautiful and eager to learn, but the things they’ve got to learn come through [life]. They’re not at that level.

When I really get the guts to start going into my deepness, I lose them.”

For his third album, he’ll continue to work with producer and backing band member Tom Brenneck, who helps coax out Bradley’s improvised, autobiographical lyrics.

Bradley says he has unlimited stories to tell. He hasn’t yet found happiness, but genuinely loves his fans and performing.

“I’ll do my best to keep going, to keep giving out the love and honesty from my soul to the world.

“Cuz I know one thing: when I leave this world, I ain’t going to need this body no more. So I can give it to ’em while I’m living and let the world know that Charles Bradley is giving you the love from his soul. Then I’ll be sure that I did my job.”

3 julial@nowtoronto.com | @julialeconte

FST ANN’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Christmas Carol Sing With Brass & Organ 2 to 3 pm, all ages.

FST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS CHURCH

Lessons And Carols The Wychwood Clarinet Choir, Wychwood Clarinet Youth Choir 4 pm.

F3030 DUNDAS WEST BrassAckwards: Rises

Again Brad Harrison, Dan Douglas, James Ervin, Ewan Divitt, Pat Blanchard, Erasmus Hilland, Alex Duncan, Doug Burrell doors 7 pm.

TRANZAC SOUTHERN CROSS Julian AndersonBowes Sextet 10 pm.

FTRINITY ST. PAUL’S CHURCH Navidad: Christmas Music From Latin America And Spain The Toronto Consort 3:30 pm.

DANCE MUSIC/DJ/LOUNGE

BASSLINE MUSIC BAR Bass Music DJ Decibel (glitch hop) 10 pm.

BOVINE SEX CLUB Metal Health 9 pm.

CASTRO’S LOUNGE Watch This Sound (rare vintage ska/reggae/dub) 9 pm.

THE RED LIGHT 80s Dance Party 9 pm.

Monday, December 16 POP/ROCK/HIP-HOP/SOUL

AIR CANADA CENTRE The Mrs Carter Show World Tour Beyoncé 8 pm. ñ CASTRO’S LOUNGE Rockabilly Mondays The Cosmotones 9 pm.

DRAKE HOTEL UNDERGROUND Elvis Monday

The Electric Ants, Mike Butlin Band, Spirit Oak, James Clarke Institute, Mayor Phat Fuck doors 9 pm.

THE HIDEOUT Big Otter Creek (acoustic rock) 10 pm.

HORSESHOE Shoeless Monday Neon & the Meate Dreams, Norway, Ends by You (progpsych pop/indie rock ) doors 9 pm.

FOLK/BLUES/COUNTRY/WORLD

CAMERON HOUSE Weatherstone 10 pm, Rae Billing (country) 6 pm.

CAMERON HOUSE BACK ROOM Whitney Peter-

son, Zoe Sky Jordan.

FREE TIMES CAFE Open Stage Monday Rehan Dalal 7:30 pm.

GROSSMAN’S Jam No Band Required 9 pm.

HAWAII BAR Will Gillespie, Signe Miranda 9:30 pm.

FHUGH’S ROOM Have A Bluesy Xmas: Tribute to Etta James, Queen of the Blues Danny Marks, Jesse Whiteley, Sabrina Weeks, Carolyn Fe, Cheryl Lescom, Shakura S’Aida 8:30 pm.

THE LOCAL Hamstrung String Band (bluegrass/traditional country) 9 pm.

MAGIC OVEN QUEEN E Magic Mondays Open Jam Shahi (soul/R&B/jazz/funk) 9 pm to midnight.

MONARCH TAVERN Ventanas (flamenco/Balkan/Sephardic music) 9 pm.

THE PAINTED LADY Open Mic Mondays 10 pm.

RELISH BAR & GRILL Bentroots (New Orleans blues) 8 pm.

TRANZAC SOUTHERN CROSS Open Mic Mondays 9 pm.

ñ

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/EXPERIMENTAL

EMMET RAY BAR Phil Albert (jazz) 9 pm, PJ INK (jazz) 7 pm.

continued on page 72 œ

KING COBB STEELIE EP RELEASE PARTY

HOME OF THE BLUES SINCE 1943

Thurs Dec 12

THU DEC 12

LAURA BARETT BILE SISTER SYNTHESEXER

SHOTGUN WEDDING BAND w/KAYLA HOWRAN, BLACK RHINO RIOT FRI DEC 13

SINGLE MOTHERS

w/BORN WRONG, WASTED POTENTIAL

ELECTRONIC DANCE PARTY DJs ARP2600, DIGITS, Fri Dec 13 LITTLE KICKS, SHUDDER

THANK YOU TORONTO FOR MAKING US A BEST BLUES BAR FINALIST!

THURSDAY DEC 12

SANDIE MARIE 6pm-9pm THE FULLERTON with NEIL CHAPMAN 10pm-2am

Tues Dec 17 Wed Dec 18

SATURDAY DEC 14

THE HAPPY PALS 4:30-8pm CHOLE PARK EDDY 10pm-2am NEW ORLEANS CONNECTION ALL STAR JAZZ BAND 4:30-9pm THE NATIONAL, BLUES JAM with BRIAN COBER 10pm-2am

TUES DEC 17

THE PINK & BLACK PRESENTS:

w/TERMINALS, FILTHY SLATE

TUES DEC 31 SAILOR JERRY & THE BOVINE PRESENT

TRADITIONAL QUEEN ST WEST NEW YEARS EVE BASH!

MIKE EVIN THE BLACK PEARLS JULIAN FUEGO & GUESTS

THE VICTIM PARTY, PLAN 37 & BLACK CAT ATTACK NEW + A SECRET GUEST!

SAILOR JERRY TOAST AT MIDNIGHT FOR ALL PARTY FAVOURS & DJ

SERVING GREAT FOOD • 5:30 - 10:30PM! 416.532.3989 • 937 Bloor Street West www.ThePiston.ca

SUNDAY DEC 15

+ DJ IAN BLURTON

POLITIKILL INCORRECT

DJs A DIGITAL NEEDLE Sat Dec 14 & CYCLIST

FRIDAY DEC 13

SAT DEC 14

WAXMEN w/LAST BULLET, SLYDE

BEAM ME UP DISCO

THE RESPONSIBLE 10pm-2am

+ DJ VANIA

YEAR'S EVE!

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

MONDAY DEC 16

NO BAND REQUIRED TUESDAY DEC 17

THURSDAYS & FRIDAYS

NICOLA VAUGHAN 9:30pm-2am

THE REPOSADISTS QUARTET

WEDNESDAY DEC 18

BRUCE DOMONEY 10pm-2am

416-977-7000

GROSSMANSTAVERN.COM

THIS SATURDAY

379 SPADINA AVE

BRADLEY & THE BOUNCERS

(JUST S. OF COLLEGE) PARKING AVAILABLE

MONDAYS

THE DAKOTA TAVERN Thu Dec 12 Fri Dec 13

THE JASON COLLETT BASEMENT REVUE 10 THE MERCENARIES 7-9 SUITCASE SAM NEW! BLUEGRASS BRUNCH

8:30PM

PM

PM

Sat Dec 14 THURSDAY DECEMBER 12

STRUCTURE / VEIL OF MAYA AFTER PARTY FRIDAY DECEMBER 13 AUDIO BLOOD’S 5TH ANNIVERSARY & ANNUAL HOLIDAY RAGER

w/HIGHS, THE LOVE MACHINE, OH NO FOREST FIRES, DJ MITCH-E (OF FIELD TRIP) & MUSIC PARLOUR DJS EVERY SATURDAY SHAKE A TAIL EVERY MONDAY LEGENDS OF KARAOKE EVERY TUESDAY WATCH OUT! EVERY WEDNESDAY WHAT’S POPPIN

ATE

10-2PM

10PM

LUCAS STAGG Sun Dec 15 3:30-6PM

BLUEGRASS BRUNCH INTENSIVE CAROLLING BEAU’S Presents: Sundays 10-2PM

A BENEFIT FOR SUNNYBROOK’S NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT 10PM

HOT ROCKS

DOING ROLLING STONES AND CCR! feat. members of the BLUE RODEO,

FLASH LIGHNIN’ & THE BEAUTIES Tue Dec 17 BIG TOBACCO &

THE PICKERS

and THE TREASURES CHRISTMAS BASH

TIX available at TheDakotaTavern.com

Wed Dec 18

9PM

BROCK ZEMAN

Thu Dec 19

10PM

THE BEAUTIES

CD RELEASE

and FRIENDS CHRISTMAS SHOW

MEZCAL MONDAY W/DJ ELLIS DEAN TUESDAYS

ALIEN RADIO W/DJ GORD

WEDNESDAYS

SPY VS. SLY VS. SPY

TUESDAY DECEMBER 31 NEW YEARS EVE AT REPOSADO

EVERY 1’S A WINNER

NYE2013@REPOSADO DJ Gord C spins 70’s Funk & RnB Complimentary party favours & midnight bubbly Pay-what-you-can cover charge OR Book our private room for your NYE celebrations!

TORONTO’S LARGEST LIST OF 100% AGAVE SPIRITS REPOSADO BAR & LOUNGE

136 OSSINGTON AVE (Between Queen & Dundas) TWEET #Holidees

TIX available at TheDakotaTavern.com

249 OSSINGTON AVE (just north of Dundas) 416-850-4579 · thedakotatavern.com

THU DEC 12 | DRS 9PM | $10

JD ERA &

FRIENDS TOUR w/RICH KIDD & T.Y. www.TicketFly.com

FRI DEC 13 | DRS 9:30PM

GOLDEN CHYLD BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION / VIDEO RELEASE PARTY

DIANE JAMES • MELISSA MCCALLA CHARLENE HARRIOTT • NIKO SOFIANOS Backed by: THE NU DYNASTY BAND Hosted by: CARRIE MULLINGS Music by: DJ SHAI SAT DEC 14 | DRS 8:30PM | $17 anchorSHOP PRESENTS TM

TIM CHAISSON

w/GREG MCEVOY + GUESTS www.TicketFly.com

SUN DEC 15 | DRS 5PM | $16ADV/$20DR

VIVA CABARET! MON DEC 16 | DOORS 8:30PM | $5

MC WINSTON SPEAR TIM RABNETT, DJ DEMERS TIM NASIOPOULOS IAN LYNCH, STEPH TOLEV ANTO CHAN, THE ELLENS KEVIN MACDONALD & MORE! TUE DEC 17 | 8:30PM | $8 ADV/$10 DR

SPOOKEY RUBEN’S

DIZZY PLAYGROUND LIVE! w/HOODED FANG

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anchorSHOP

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PRESENTS

BEYOND THE MOUNTAIN

416-532-6474 | reposadobar.com

w/LUKE AUSTIN THE MOST LOYAL

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

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NOW december 12-18 2013

71

DOG DAY INDIE ROCK

Halifax duo expand lineup on tour and in life By CARLA GILLIS DOG DAY with DILLY DALLY, MARINE DREAMS, CASTLE GARBAGE and SOFT HELL at Cinecycle (129 Spadina), Saturday (December 14), 9 pm, all ages. $10 (must RSVP via Facebook) facebook. com/events/596357253751642.

When I reach Seth Smith, one-half of Halifax’s self-described “fog-pop” duo Dog Day, he has just finished loading some hay for his chickens, which need an extra layer of cushioning for winter. “That’s my life now,” he laughs.

Smith and musical/life partner Nancy Urich moved to a 12-acre farm about 30 minutes from Halifax a couple of years ago.

clubs&concerts œcontinued from page 70

GATE 403 Richard Whiteman Jazz Band w/

Terra Hazelton 9 pm, Tom McGill (piano solo) 5 to 8 pm.

KITCH Luke Vajsar (solo bass).

LOLA The Big 3 (old jazz) 6 to 9 pm.

FLULA LOUNGE Holiday Party Euphonia, Ori Dagan, Roberto Linares Brown Trio (classical/ Cuban/jazz) doors 7 pm.

FOLD MILL INN Jazz.FM91 Sound Of Jazz Concert Series: Holiday Concert Jackie Richardson (jazz vocals) 8 pm.

THE REX Ewan Divitt & His Orchestra 9:30 pm, Jim Gelcer Groups 6:30 pm.

ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC KOERNER HALL Les Violons du Roy, Natalie Dessay, Michel Legrand 7 pm.

ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC KOERNER HALL Natalie Dessay & Michel Legrand, Les Violons du Roy 7 pm.

FSONY CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Holiday Concert The Tenors 8 pm.

DANCE MUSIC/DJ/LOUNGE

THE PISTON Junkshop (indie/new wave/electro) 10 pm.

REPOSADO Mezcal Mondays DJ Ellis Dean.

THOMPSON HOTEL 1812 BAR Blacklist DJ PG-13.

Tuesday, December 17 POP/ROCK/HIP-HOP/SOUL

ANNEX WRECKROOM Gorguts, Origin,

Nero Di Marte. See preview, page 61. ñ THE DUKE LIVE.COM Open Jam Night Jon Long

8:30 pm.

72

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

It’s where they recorded, among other things, Fade Out (Fundog), their newest and, to my mind, best album yet.

Beneath a subtle, persistent layer of eerie ambience are bold college rock riffs, shy vocals and superb melodies. The album builds slowly, and then midway through knocks out half a dozen darkly perfect indie gems one after another.

The disquieting mood comes in part from their use of “old junky gear: broken reel-toreels and four-tracks.” Smith says they record on computer but then send the songs through a piece of analog gear, like an amp, “just so they go through something real.”

GROSSMAN’S Nicola Vaughan (pop rock) 10 pm.

HANDLEBAR The New Exps, Shaky Knees

(pop/alt/blues) 9 pm.

THE HIDEOUT Jeans Off Duo (acoustic rock) 10 pm.

HOLY OAK CAFE Safe As Milk Tribute Dudes in Song (pop) 9 pm.

FHORSESHOE Bookie’s New Music Night: Holiday Show The Order of Good Cheer.

THE PISTON Mike Evin, the Black Pearls 9 pm.

RIVOLI Spookey Ruben’s Dizzy Playground Live FITNESS, Rae Matthews, Jef Farquharson, Christian Aldo, Bryan O’Gorman doors 9 pm.

ñ

FOLK/BLUES/COUNTRY/WORLD

AXIS GALLERY & GRILL The Junction Jam Derek Downham 9:30 pm.

CAMERON HOUSE Friendly Rich 10 pm, Pat Maloney 6 pm.

CAMERON HOUSE BACK ROOM Dirty Magazines.

CASTRO’S LOUNGE blueVenus (singer/songwriter) 10 pm.

C’EST WHAT Rachael Kennedy (singer/songwriter) 9:30 pm.

DRAKE HOTEL LOUNGE Memphis Tuesdays Young Running (country) doors 10 pm.

ENWAVE THEATRE The Once (Nfld folk) 8 pm.

FREE TIMES CAFE S.A.C. Toronto Open Mic 7:30 pm.

GATE 403 Blues Night James Thomson 9 pm.

FHUGH’S ROOM Have A Bluesy Xmas: Tribute to Etta James, Queen of the Blues Danny Marks, Jesse Whiteley, Sabrina Weeks, Carolyn Fe, Cheryl Lescom, Shakura S’Aida 8:30 pm.

THE LOCAL Cougars in America (alt/folk) 9 pm.

RELISH BAR & GRILL Anthony Lohan (singer/ songwriter) 7 pm.

THE SAVOY Tim Lucas (singer/songwriter) 9 pm.

TRANZAC TIKI ROOM Toronto Folk Singers Club 8 pm.

ñ

As for the harder edge, he and Urich had been listening to the Rolling Stones, Flamin’ Groovies and the Stooges – stuff he loved when he was younger. “A lot of the [record’s] themes dance around things returning and continuing, so it felt like a good time to go back to playing some rock riffs.”

For this tour, their last for a while, the band will expand to a four-piece and Urich will play guitar rather than drums. She’s pregnant, you see, with the couple’s first child. Smith shies away from too much talk about the event’s influence on the record – he and Urich are really private, he says – but allows that he’s very excited.

TRANZAC SOUTHERN CROSS Emily Jill West & Tim Watson 7:30 pm.

THE WHIPPOORWILL The Sudden Valley Boys (bluegrass) 9:30 pm.

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/EXPERIMENTAL

ALLEYCATZ Carlo Berardinucci Band (swing/ jazz) 8:30 pm.

DOMINION ON QUEEN Hot Club of Corktown Django Jam 8:30 pm.

FFOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS RICHARD BRADSHAW AMPHITHEATRE Cool Yule Cadence (vocal jazz quar-

tet) noon to 1 pm.

GATE 403 Andy Malette (piano) 5 to 8 pm.

FTHE JAZZ BISTRO Martini Sisters Christmas 9 pm.

MUSIDEUM See Through Trio, Matt Miller, Mike Smith 8 pm.

THE REX Classic Rex Jazz Jam 9:30 pm, Brian de Lima Quartet 6:30 pm.

FROY THOMSON HALL Handel’s Messiah Toronto Symphony Orchestra 8 pm.

TRANZAC SOUTHERN CROSS The Ken McDonald Quartet (jazz) 10 pm.

ñ

DANCE MUSIC/DJ/LOUNGE

BASSLINE MUSIC BAR Tech Tuesdays Techster (techno) 9 pm.

BLOKE & 4TH Swank Tuesdays.

GOODHANDY’S T-Girl Strippers! DJ Todd Klinck 8 pm.5 MONARCH TAVERN BYO Vinyl Nite (pop/rock/ hip-hop/soul) 9 pm.

REPOSADO Alien Radio DJ Gord C. TOBY’S FAMOUS All Dressed Tuesdays DJ Caff (funk/soul/new Jack swing/rock/reggae) 10 pm.

Wednesday, December 18 POP/ROCK/HIP-HOP/SOUL

CAMERON HOUSE Motel Blanco (roots/coun-

“I’ve done a lot of projects and created a lot of art in my life and this is one thing where I really don’t know what to expect,” says Smith, also a filmmaker, poster designer and co-organizer of Halifax’s new Outlier Film Fest. “All I know is, people my age who have kids already are really scaring me, saying, ‘Oh man, your life’s gonna end!’

“But it’s kind of an interesting idea: having a kid in your belly while you’re playing music.

Born of rock. And our doctor says there’s nothing wrong with it. We’ll probably get a couple of extra eyeballs, but it’ll be all right.

We’re not too worried about it.” carlag@nowtoronto.com | @carlagillis

try/rock) 10 pm.

CLINTON’S Gatwitch Live in aid of Lose to Win and Oui Self Made Winter Clothing & Toy Drive MAWA J, Just John, Blackboltt, Philly Moves, Wolf J McFarlane, Blake Carrington, Catalog 9 pm.

CURZON Tony Carpino.

DAKOTA TAVERN CD release Brock Zeman.

THE GARRISON Buffalo, Wax Mannequin & Chow Mein, Maria Juana & Bunny Angora doors 8 pm.

THE HIDEOUT The Undercovers (rock) 10 pm.

THE JAZZ BISTRO The Soul Nannies (R&B/soul/ funk) 8 pm.

THE LOADED DOG Tommy Rocker (classic rock) 9 pm.

LOLA Open Stage Wednesday’s Child 8 pm.

FLULA LOUNGE Holiday Music Special: Salvation Army benefit George Nozuka, JP Saxe, Christian Bridges (pop/rock/reggae) doors 7:30 pm.

THE PISTON Julian Fuego, the Paris, Blue Sparrow 9 pm.

RIVOLI Beyond the Mountain, Luke Austin, the Most Loyal (acoustic/indie) doors 9 pm.

SUPERMARKET Wednesdays Go Pop! The Baxters, Redambergreen, Hiroshima Hearts, Kevin Frayne 8 pm.

Messiah Toronto Symphony Orchestra 8 pm, Toronto Mass Choir noon.

FOLK/BLUES/COUNTRY/WORLD

DANCE MUSIC/DJ/LOUNGE

ñ

ñ

DOMINION ON QUEEN Corktown Ukulele Jam 7:30 pm.

EMMET RAY BAR Kevin Butler (folk) 9 pm.

GROSSMAN’S Bruce Domoney 10 pm.

FHUGH’S ROOM Christmas Show Quartette

(folk/country) 8:30 pm.

THE LOCAL The Ole Fashion (country/Americana) 9 pm.

ON CUE Brian Cober (double slide guitar) 8 pm.

RELISH BAR & GRILL The BTB’s 7:30 pm.

FSILVER DOLLAR A Foggy Christmas The

Foggy Hogtown Boys, the Slocan Ramblers, the Unseen Strangers (bluegrass) doors 9 pm.

STEELWORKERS HALL Fat Albert’s Coffee House & Open Stage (folk/country/blues) 8 pm.

TRANZAC SOUTHERN CROSS Valued Customer 10 pm.

TRANZAC TIKI ROOM Comhaltas Irish Slow Session 6 pm.

JAZZ/CLASSICAL/EXPERIMENTAL

ALLEYCATZ Carlo Berardinucci Band (swing/ jazz) 8:30 pm.

CASTRO’S LOUNGE The Mediterranean Stars (fusion jazz) 8 pm.

CHALKERS PUB Lisa Particelli’s GNOJAZZ Jam Session 8 pm.

GATE 403 Leigh Graham Jazz Duo 9 pm, Michael Brooker Jazz Quartet 5 to 8 pm.

HY’S STEAKHOUSE Christine Ghawi 7 pm.

NAWLINS JAZZ BAR Jim Heineman Trio 7 to 11 pm.

THE REX Matt Stevens Quartet 9:30 pm, Junik 6:30 pm.

RICHMOND HILL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Linda Eder (Broadway/pop/jazz) 8 pm.

FROY THOMSON HALL Handel’s

ñ

BASSLINE MUSIC BAR Happy Hardcore DJ Dynamics (hardcore) 9 pm.

CROCODILE ROCK 911 Wednesdays DJ Perry (top 40/dance) 9 pm.

DROP LOUNGE Mercredi@Drop DJs Shanelle Williams, Boots Boogie & Bones Mcleod.

GOODHANDY’S T-Girl Strippers! DJ Todd Klinck 8 pm.5 REPOSADO Spy Vs Sly Vs Spy (live guitar soundtracks).

3

album reviews

Me), but the fuzzy synths, minor-key melodies and subtle worldy percussion make it very easy listening on the whole.

Don’t Call It is the clear favourite, teasing for a full minute with drum patter and atmospheric “oohs” before erupting (cue sharp, heavy breathing) with a juicy pop melody and gliding to a blissful finish.

Top track: Don’t Call It JL

album of the week

SKYDIGGERS Angels (Latent) Rating: NNNN

ñ

There’s an easy formula for making a holiday album. You need your O Holy Night churchy classic, your Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) modern rocker. Sprinkle with a couple of rarer gems (maybe Joni Mitchell’s River?), throw in an original if you like, and whammo!

But making a good Christmas album? Not so easy. (My fake wood floors are scattered with rejects.)

Thankfully, Toronto roots stalwarts Skydiggers have come up with a winning recipe: 1. Take little-known but first-class Christmas tunes from rock stars like the Pretenders (2000 Miles) and John Prine (Christmas In Prison), strum with delicate

restraint, pull at our heartstrings with male-female vocal duets.

2. Take advantage of the one original tune, Church Bells Ringing (Christmas In The City), by making local references that make the listener feel special, then harmonize in a way that brings a single tear.

3. When you do cover a “traditional” Christmas tune, cover the heck out of it. Make it the best version of that song the listener has ever heard. Goodness, their version of Good King Wenceslas is pretty! track: Church Bells Ringing (Christmas In The Top track City) Skydiggers play Christmas shows at the Horseshoe December 20 and 21.

JULIA LECONTE

Carlson’s shrieks. They’re an acquired taste, for sure, but not exactly random bursts: there’s a subtle flow and ease to her vocals, a trait that sets Guerilla Toss apart from the other bands whacking drums and screaming into mics.

Top track: Operate SAMANTHA EDWARDS

Rock/Pop GUERILLA TOSS Gay Disco (NNA) Rating: NNN Boston scenesters have been aware of hometown art punk heroes “Gtoss” for a while now, but larger throngs are starting to clue in thanks to their debut on hyper-cool experimental tape label NNA. A self-proclaimed “blah-wave” band, the five-piece has been freaking out the underground with anything but boring songs. (Okay, and maybe their reputation for embracing full nudity at live shows.)

These six songs are charmingly disjointed, convulsing every which way every few seconds. A bass line, for example, smoothly saunters along what seems like a clear path before quickly spazzing out. A screeching guitar enters stage right and soon intersects with an ear-piercing synth explosion. On top of it all are Kassie

Ad_Now 1/5th 061213

MUTUAL BENEFIT Love’s Crushing Diamond (Other Music) Rating: NNN Mutual Benefit’s most fleshed-out recording has been gaining critical momentum for good reason: it’s warm, gentle and atmospheric – very of the moment. Playing with the listener’s expectations of the singer/songwriter tradition, Jordan Lee draws liberally from both indie folk and folktronica.

The initial soundscapey clamour gives way to more rooted, introspective fare on Golden Wake, and the album improves as it goes on, with symphony violinist Jake Falby shining in counterpoint to warm electric guitar parts on Advanced Falconry, where you also hear the full power of Lee’s pretty tenor and the band’s organic rhythms.

The record is full of earnest female backup vocals and frequent reminders (like wind chimes all over the place) that the music is homemade. Yet like a lot of modern folk, the songwriting sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Not so, thankfully, on “Let’s Play”/Statue Of A Man, a surprisingly bucolic urban train song that reels

the listener in.

Top track: Advanced Falconry Mutual Benefit plays the Drake Wednesday, January 15.

SARAH GREENE

PETER MORÉN Broken Swenglish Vol. 1 (Ingrid) Rating: NNN It was the whistled hook that launched a dozen prime-time TV and rom-com montages. Seven years later, that damn catchy intro of Peter Bjorn and John’s hit single Young Folks is still the touchstone of the Swedish pop trio’s decade-long career.

But with his first English-language solo EP, Peter Morén (yes, that Peter from PB&J, and, yes, what a cute acronym) sets out to distinguish himself from his former band, re-recording songs previously released in Swedish. Like PB&J’s, his vocals are strong and whimsical, and while the lyrics are somewhat forgettable, the instrumentals are not. Full-bodied and chock full of catchy piano riffs, whirling psych guitars and the odd sensual horn, these four tracks reach for distinctly different moods, from the frenetic and dramatic (Constant Reaction) to the poppy (Say My Name). The sonic variety makes for a whirlwind listen, but Morén still needs to hone his own sound. Lucky for him, he’s got plenty more EPs in the pipeline.

Top track: Say My Name SE

R&B MILOSH Jetlag (Deadly/eOne)

Rating: NNN The duo Rhye’s March-released album, Woman, got under everyone’s skin thanks in large part to its silky, androgynous, Sade-like vocals. Those pipes, belonging to Toronto native Mike Milosh, are back, this time gliding over mellow electronic beats on his fourth solo album, Jetlag.

Milosh leaves behind Rhye’s overt R&B tendencies, but this simultaneously sweet and erotic love letter to his wife has soul in spades, peppered at its best moments with staccato, syncopated, Junior Boysesque production flourishes (as on fantastic album closer This Time).

A few songs are too long and self-indulgent (Do You Want What I Need, Hold

R. KELLY Black Panties (RCA/Sony) Rating: NN At 46, R. Kelly is adept at finding inspiration in the banal, and though he’s beloved as a purveyor of baby-making jams, he often sings of everyday struggles.

After two albums of soul- and discoinfluenced R&B, Black Panties is the prolific crooner’s return to raunch, but it’s emotionally more varied than the title suggests.

The marquee sex songs run the gamut from warmly playful to voyeuristic to absurd on Marry The Pussy, which morphs from comic objectification to surreal obsession through the unrelenting repetition of its bizarrely chivalrous title.

Despite flashes of melodic and lyrical inventiveness, production-wise Kelly sounds like he’s chasing innovators TheDream and Mike WiLL Made It, especially on the strip club tracks. Meanwhile, the

tunes earnestly addressing disillusionment and strife (Right Back, My Story) belong on another album.

R. Kelly could probably make 100 more Black Panties albums – a sign his inspiration has plateaued. Time for a change.

Top track: Genius KEVIN RITCHIE

Electronic LEE BANNON Alternate/Endings (Ninja Tune) Rating: NNN If you pick up Lee Bannon’s debut fulllength based on his production work for NYC rap sensation Joey Bada$$, you’ll be surprised to find that instead of throwback indie hip-hop beats, he focuses on another dominant soundtrack of his youth: classic jungle breaks and drum ’n’ bass. Inspired partly by the success of Machinedrum’s Vapor City album last year, Alternate/Endings is a dark and sometimes creepy exploration of dissonant synths, spooky atmospheres, intimidating sub-bass and rattling snares.

The breakbeats Bannon samples and the ways he’s chopped them definitely give the proceedings a retro feel (assuming you were listening to these sounds in the 90s), but since he’s not just making d ’n’ b for DJs to play at raves, he’s able to explore a larger variety of tempos and variations. Unfortunately, the bass lines (all played by Mars Volta’s Juan Alderete) never quite capture the rubbery wobble of the era he’s trying to reference.

Top track: Shoot Out The Stars And Win BENJAMIN BOLES

Hip-hop

NATURALLY BORN STRANGERS TheLegendsLeague Presents

(independent) Rating: NNN Billed as the audio companion to clothing line TheLegendsLeague’s fall/winter 2013 collection, Naturally Born Strangers is the debut from Toronto MCs Rich Kidd, Tona and Adam Bomb’s rap supergroup.

Rich Kidd produced the album save for tracks that wholly lift from Portishead’s Strangers, Little Dragon’s Stranger and Radiohead’s Talk Show Host – songs thematically linked to the project’s realist explorations of normalcy and otherness.

Portishead’s inclusion is particularly ballsy in that Strangers’ drum sound bangs conspicuously harder and crazier than everything else, but Rich Kidd clearly shares the Bristol band’s affinity for spacious, suspenseful arrangements offset by jazzy and classical touches. His cinematic and political ambitions bluntly come to a head on Angels, which pairs Charlie Chaplin’s speech from The Great Dictator with choral music.

All three rappers share wordy precision and forceful delivery that sometimes crowd their stylistic subtleties and caustic humour, though the approach serves the album’s inward-looking theme. NBS’s sonic invention and conflicting moods strike the most interesting balance on hard Parkdale party anthem Jameson Ave. Top track: Jameson Ave. Rich Kidd plays the Rivoli with JD Era tonight (Thursday, December 12).

KR Founded in Montreal Made in USA—Sweatshop Free

Retail Locations: Toronto—Yorkdale Shopping Ctr. Toronto—Queen St. W. Toronto—Bloor St. Toronto—Sherway Gardens Mall Toronto—Yonge & Eglinton Toronto—Yonge & Dundas Thornhill—Promenade Shopping Ctr. Kingston—Princess St. Vaughan—Vaughan Mills Mall Waterloo—95 King St. S.

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

Ñ

NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

73

stage

more online nowtoronto.com/stage Audio clips from interview with ELIZABETH-DARCY’S HALLIE BURT AND KATE WERNEBURG • Scenes on SPECIAL CONSTABLES, A VERY GLUTENOUS CHRISTMAS and more Fully searchable listings with venue maps nowtoronto.com/stage/listings FESTIVAL PREVIEW

comedy

Get Impulsive

New fest collects the world’s best improvisers By JORDAN BIMM IMPULSE FESTIVAL presented by National Theatre of the World and Soulpepper at the Young Center (50 Tank House). Tonight (Thursday) to Sunday (December 12 to 15). $15-$20, four-ticket package $72. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.

Naomi Snieckus and Matt Baram have spent years on the international improv circuit, and now with help from Soulpepper they’re gathering some of the best troupes they’ve met on the road under one roof for a weekend jam-packed with performances and workshops.

Featuring eight far-flung companies including the School of Night (England), Combats Absurdes (France), Die Gorillas (Germany), Improv Comedy Mumbai (India), and Secret Impro Theatre (Australia), the festival offers many ways to participate.

Each troupe presents its signature longform improv show, but beyond that, mashup performances shuffle the groups into new combinations just to see what happens. All the while, a record-breaking attempt at a 55hour marathon improv soap opera unfolds.

Presented in association with Alberta marathon veterans Die-Nasty, Christmas At Choke-Poke Toys focuses on a failing manufacturer of incredibly dangerous gifts. A core cast of Toronto’s best improvisers including Chris Gibbs, Carolyn Taylor and Herbie Barnes attempts to perform all 55 hours, helped by local celebrities (among them Colin Mochrie and George Stroumboulopoulos) as well as members of the international guest troupes.

And as if that weren’t enough, there’s also a pedagogical dimension: each guest troupe gives affordable daytime workshops open to everyone from the serious to the curious.

As organizers Snieckus and Baram ex-

Naomi Sniekus and Matt Baram have performed around the globe.

Now they’re the hosts.

LISTINGS How to find a listing

Comedy listings appear chronologically, and alphabetically by title or venue.

F = Festive event

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

All listings are free. Send to: stage@nowtoronto.com, fax 416-364-1166 or mail to Comedy, NOW Magazine, 189 Church, Toronto M5B 1Y7. 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, December 12 ABSOLUTE COMEDY presents headliner Brian

Lazanik w/ Scott McMann and host Jenn Hayward. To Dec 15, Thu 8:30 pm, Fri 9 pm, Sat 8 & 10:45 pm, Sun 8 pm. $15-$20. 2335 Yonge.

416-486-7700, absolutecomedy.ca.

74

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

GIGGLES @ THE GROOVE BAR presents a weekly open-mic w/ rotating hosts. 9:30 pm. Free.

1952 Danforth. sssuperfly@hotmail.com.

IMPULSE FESTIVAL Soulpepper and the National Theatre of the World present improvisational troupes from around the world performing and doing workshops (see story, this page). To Dec 15, see website for schedule. $20, stu $15, workshops extra.

Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. soulpepper.ca/impulse.

KITCH KOMEDY presents a weekly show. 9 pm.

Free. Kitch, 229 Geary. kitchbar.com.

LAUGH SABBATH Comedy Bar presents Jason Bryden, Sean Emeny, Nick Flanagan, Aaron Eves, host James Hartnett and others. 9:30 pm. $5. 945 Bloor W. laughsabbath.com.

NOT MY DOG COMEDY presents a weekly open mic w/ host Hannah Hogan. 8:30 pm. Free.

Not My Dog, 1510 Queen W. 416-532-2397.

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FTHE SECOND CITY HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR (MIRACLES NOT INCLUDED) Second City pre-

sents sketches, songs and improvisations to celebrate and satirize the holiday season. To Jan 1, Mon 8 pm, Tue-Wed 1:30 pm, Thu 1:30 & 10 pm, Fri 1:30 & 4 pm. $22. 51 Mercer.

416-343-0011, secondcity.com.

THE VEST SHOW IN TOWN Comedy Bar presents a variety show w/ Vest of Friends. 10

pm. Pwyc. 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca.

WE CAN BE HEROES Second City’s latest revue – inspired by the idea that our society’s quickly going to hell – is one of its sharpest in a while. Newcomer Connor Thompson scores big laughs playing everything from a literal bat man to a blind lifeguard, while Craig Brown channels his inner Chaplin as a balding man having a terrible day. Meanwhile, Jan Caruana proves she’s got great range in two scenes involving a precocious girl. Even the less successful sketches are sharply directed, and the set and musical design help enhance the scenes. Not to be missed. Indefinite run, Tue-Wed 8 pm, Thu and Sun 7:30 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm (no shows Dec 24-25). $24-$29, stu $15. 51 Mercer. 416-343-0011, secondcity. com. NNNN (GS) YUK YUK’S DOWNTOWN presents Patrick Haye. To Dec 15, Thu-Sun 8 pm, plus FriSat 10:30 pm. $13-$22. 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com.

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Friday, December 13 ABSOLUTE COMEDY See Thu 12.

THE BONG-A-LONG SHOW The Under-

ground Comedy Club presents Bobby ñ Knauff, JJ Liberman, Dawn Whitwell, Joshua

Elijah, Nick Flanagan, Tim Nasiopoulos, Bryan

plain, it’s designed more like a convention than a festival so we can get the most out of this rare concentration of talent.

“We met these people on tour, and we thought, ‘We have to share them with Toronto!’” says Snieckus, who’s also been busy with the CBC sitcom Mr. D. “We want to give local talent the chance to perform and network with artists from all over the world.”

“We designed the festival so that audience and performers can do as much as possible,” say Baram on the phone from the East Coast, where he’s shooting the Citytv sitcom Seed. “During the day you can take a workshop, at night you can see shows by the guys from France or a mashup of performers from Edmonton and Mumbai, and at any point you can drop in and see how the marathon is going.”

While cross-cultural comedy has its challenges, Snieckus explains that a shared language – English is the lingua franca of improv – and rules help bridge the gap.

“Improv has become an international language, so regardless of nationality you and a partner can make a great scene because you both work from the same set of rules: you always say yes to offers, you both work to move the story forward, you flip things and show the opposite – things like that.”

There are cultural differences, however.

Sniekus says North American improvisers tend to be very talky, whereas Europeans are more physical and suggest physical offers almost immediately.

And things can often be lost in translation.

“We were doing this show in Germany,” says Baram, “and I was given the character of an 80s punk, so I said, ‘You should all get checked because the doctor says I have crabs,’ and the audience went dead silent. Later I found out that in German ‘krebs’ means cancer.”

3 stage@nowtoronto.com | @jordanbimm

O’ Gorman, Dom Pare and hosts Sandra Battaglini & Phil Luzi. 9 pm. $15. 670 Queen E. 416-450-9125.

CATCH 23 Comedy Bar presents a weekly improv pit fight. 8 pm. $10. 945 Bloor W. 416551-6540, comedybar.ca.

FCHRISTMAS AT CHOKE-POKE TOYS The Impulse Festival and Soulpepper present a 55-hour improvised soap opera marathon w/ Colin Mochrie, Linda Kash and guest troupes. To Dec 15, from Fri 3 pm to Sun 10 pm. Pwyc (donations to Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto). Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca/impulse.

COMEDY NIGHT WITH ZOMBIESQUAD The Central presents a comedy show. 7 pm. $10. 603 Markham. 416-913-4586.

CRAIG FAY: NOT QUIET QUIET The LOT Comedy Club presents headliner Fay w/ Andrew Barr, Diana Bailey and host Andrew Ivimey. 8 pm. $10. 100 Ossington. lotcomedy.com.

IMPULSE FESTIVAL See Thu 12.

LADYSTACHE The LOT Comedy Club presents stand-up w/ Sara Hennessey, Mark DeBonis, Evany Rosen and Nigel Grinstead plus sketch from Ladystache. 9:30 pm. $10. 100 Ossington. 416-915-6747, lotcomedy.com.

ñ

ñ

MOCKERY NIGHT IN THE JUNCTION: THE FINAL SHOW Shoxs presents stand-up, improv and

more for the show’s last hurrah. 8:30 pm. $5.

2827 Dundas W. mockerynight@gmail.com.

RYAN HILLIS ComedyLounge.ca presents headliner Hillis w/ Anthony Engelbrecht, Chris Prepos and host Kris Bonaparte. 8:30 pm. $10-$15. Vogue Supper Club, 42 Mowat. comedylounge.ca.

THE SECOND CITY HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR (MIRACLES NOT INCLUDED) See Thu 12.

FTEH INTERNETS QUIZ SHOW: A TUNNEL SNAKES CHRISTMAS Lindsay Grant and

ñ

Thomas MacKay present the monthly panel/ quiz show w/ Jess Bryson, Stephanie Malek, Alice Moran and Darryl Pring. 10 pm. $10.

Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. comedybar.ca.

TOP SHELF COMEDY presents The Main Event, a weekly pro headliner and others. 9:30 pm. $5. St Louis Bar & Grill, 1963 Queen E. 416637-7427, facebook.com/TopShelfComedy.

WE CAN BE HEROES See Thu 12.

YUK YUK’S DOWNTOWN See Thu 12.

Saturday, December 14 ABSOLUTE COMEDY See Thu 12.

CHRISTMAS AT CHOKE-POKE TOYS See Fri 13.

continued on page 76 œ

theatre

 “PERFECTLY PERFORMED...

SEE IT YOU MUST”

“DELIGHTFUL...

HEART-WARMING” – NOW Magazine

T he D ora Award-w inning holi d ay hit ret ur n s!

– Toronto Star

Kate Werneburg (left) and Hallie Burt perform Pride And Prejudice in the atmospheric rooms of Campbell House.

OLIVER DENNIS PATRICIA FAGAN

THEATRE PREVIEW

A novel approach Two women adapt and act out Jane Austen’s beloved book By JON KAPLAN ELIZABETH-DARCY : AN ADAPTATION OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen, adapted and performed by Hallie Burt and Kate Werneburg, directed by Tom Arthur Davis. Presented by Burt and Werneburg at Campbell House (160 Queen West). Opens Saturday (December 14) and runs to December 29; see totix.ca for schedule and tickets. $20. 416-597-0227 ext 2.

Not only is Jane Austen one of the most popular writers in the English language, but her best-known novel, Pride And Prejudice, works in any number of adaptations, from Seth Grahame-Smith’s parody Pride And Prejudice And Zombies to the recent Upstairs Downstairs take of Jo Baker’s Longbourn.

Performers Hallie Burt and Kate Werneburg have added their own interpretation in a two-hander adaptation of the story, Elizabeth-Darcy, one of last summer’s sellout Fringe hits.

Playing more than a dozen parts, they took audiences through the rooms of historic Campbell House, which gave a period feel to the tale of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, whose initial mutual dislike blossoms into romance.

“Austen has such a sharp eye in her

LISTINGS 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 F = Festive event

ñ= Critics’ pick (highly recommended)

observation of humanity,” says Werneburg after a rehearsal for a remount of the show, which they hope to tour in the new year. “She sees people as they are, without skirting around their flaws, but also bringing a sense of love and humour to her characters.”

“We’re not the first to bring her work to the stage,” adds Burt, “but in our version of Pride And Prejudice we were conscious of trying to keep as much of her language as possible. Her novels are mostly dialogue and were likely read out loud when they were first published.”

Burt plays Elizabeth Bennet, and Werneburg is the distant Darcy; they split the Bennet parents between them.

“The challenge in some scenes was to be sure that the sense of theatre was as true as the depiction of characters,” says Burt. “For instance, we wanted to include a strong scene between Elizabeth and her father. But I play them both, and it didn’t work well having Lizzie, accompanied by the audience, in a one-sided conversation with her unseen father in the next room.”

Under the direction of Tom Arthur Davis, the transitions between scenes and characters are smooth and effort-

less, a different character introduced by the addition of a prop or costume detail, changed vocal timbre and body posture.

Werneburg pulls out a fan and transforms instantly from Darcy to the agitated Mrs. Bennet, and then, putting a flower in her hair, into the young Jane Bennet, Elizabeth’s sister.

She plays all three figures convincingly within about 30 seconds.

The actors note that gender-bending theatre of this sort isn’t common on the stage, and as women they appreciate the chance to take on roles usually denied them.

“In a subtle fashion, we’re discussing how women are cast and represented onstage,” notes Werneburg.

“By asking the audience to believe that I’m a woman playing a man in love with a woman, we’re raising certain questions and opening up the field a bit.”

“This is our way of stretching what it means to act, to tell a narrative without being forced into a certain type or gender,” nods Burt. “It’s storytelling that opens up the possibilities of what a female actor can do.”

3

How to place a listing

moves to NYC in this adult musical puppet play. Opens Dec 12 and runs to Feb 23, 2014, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 4 pm (no shows Dec 23-Jan 2 and Feb 1-13). $49-$59.

100A Ossington. lowerossingtontheatre.com.

BECK FESTIVAL (Theatre Erindale). This festival features one-act student productions. Dec 12-14, Thu 7 pm, Fri 9 pm, Sat 8 pm. Pwyc.

MiST Theatre at UTM, 3359 Mississauga Rd N. 905-569-4369, theatreerindale.com.

All listings are free. Send to: stage@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1166 or mail to Theatre, NOW Magazine, 189 Church, Toronto M5B 1Y7. Include title, author, producer, brief synopsis, times, ticket prices, 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.

Opening FATG’S MESSIAH (Against the Grain Theatre). ATG collaborates with dancer/ ñ choreographer Jennifer Nichols to reimagine

Handel’s classsic oratorio. Dec 14-15, Sat-Sun 8 pm. $40-$60. Opera House, 735 Queen E. againstthegraintheatre.com.

AVENUE Q by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (Lower Ossington Theatre). A college grad

NEW SHOWS ADDED gen erously su pport ed by

PARFUMERIE MIKLÓS LÁSZLÓ

ADAPTED BY ADAM PET TLE & BRENDA ROBINS

2013 lead sponsors

photo: cylla von tiedemann

Evergreen

BRICK WORKS & THEATRE

Columbus

jonkap@nowtoronto.com

MORE ONLINE

Interview clips at nowtoronto.com

ELIZABETH - DARCY: AN ADAPTATION OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Hallie Burt and

ñ Kate Werneburg (Burt and Werneburg). Two

women play all the parts and go through the venue’s historic rooms in this remount of the Fringe play based on the Jane Austen novel.

(See story, this page.) Opens Dec 14 and runs to Dec 29, Wed-Sat 8 pm, (and Dec 22, 29) mat Sat-Sun 2 pm (and Dec 27); no shows Dec 2526. $20 (totix.ca). Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen W. burtandwerneburg.com.

continued on page 76 œ

Weather the Weather or

how we make it home together

By Haley McGee Directed by Jennifer Brewin

OUTDOOR WINTER THEATRE

DECEMBER 6 – 30, 2013 From the company that brought you “The Story”

theatrecolumbus.ca

FREE SHUTTLE FROM BROADVIEW STATION

artsboxoffice.ca 416.504.7529 NOW DECEMBER 12-18 2013

75

comedy/drama

Strained laughs REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURY by Rob van Meenen (Company Kid Logic). At Factory Studio (125 Bathurst). Runs to December 15. Pwyc-$25. 416-504-9971. See Continuing­, page 77. Rating: NN

’Tis the season for getting together with family and friends. You’ll want to hug your loved ones extra-close after witnessing the contrived goings-on in Rob van Meenen’s tiresome, derivative critique of modern relationships, ­Repetitive Strain Injury.

Dave (Pat Kiely) and Julie (Amy Matysio) are about to get married, but one day she reveals her anxieties to a bank call centre worker named Pia (Imali Perera). Meanwhile, Dave’s sleazy friend Guy (Robin Dunne) has hooked up with a woman named Candace (Ava Markus). At the wedding and afterwards, all their lives will intersect, because it’s that sort of play.

It’s also the sort of play where each scene is a high-stakes situation manufactured to hold our interest.

The dialogue’s seldom dull, but it needs edit­ing. Van Meenen hasn’t bothered to create characters with any depth.

Dave and Julie seem to barely know each other, and it doesn’t help that the ­actors lack chemistry.

Guy’s sexist lines are sharper, and Dunne delivers them with a knowing swagger, but it’s obvious the playwright’s studied his LaBute and Mamet. What does Julie think about Dave hanging out with Guy? That’s a big missed opportunity.

And a couple of second-act developments stretch our credulity but seem tailor-made for an audience weaned on episodic TV. Director Harry Judge doesn’t do the play many favours. Jamie Monteiro’s lighting seems too dark throughout, and the horizontal motif in Trevor Schmidt’s set gets monotonous after two acts.

The acting, too, is uneven. Kiely mumbles his lines as if he doesn’t want to be there, while Matysio’s performance could use some emotional modulation. Markus does better as a woman trying to play the ultimate player. Best is Perera, who takes what at first seems a thankless role and calmly cuts through the others’ First World Problems bullshit with great dignity.

Van Meenen has talent, but he needs an editor. He also needs to work with themes and situations that belong on a stage, not in a Friends or How I Met Your Mother viewing marathon.

GLENN SUMI

Amy Matysio and Pat Kiely are more than a bit ­Repetitive.

comedy listings œcontinued from page 74

UNCOVERED’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE Comedy Uncovered presents ñ Rebecca Kohler, Hunter Collins, Ladystache FCOMEDY

and host Jordan Foisy. 10:30 pm. $12. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. ­comedyuncovered.com.

DEAF COMEDY JAM Comedy Bar presents live stand-up with an ASL interpreter onstage, w/ Ryan Belleville, Chris Locke & host DJ Demers.

9 pm. $20. 945 Bloor W. 416-551-6540, ­secureaseat.com.

DYKES OF HAZARD COMEDY HOUR The Flying Beaver Pubaret presents a diverse showcase for underground comics, w/ Sarah Donaldson, Linda Ellis, Adrienne Fish, Ashley Moffat, Eric Lingenfelter, Bryan O’Gorman and host Kristen Becker. 9 pm. $10-$15. 488 Parliament. ­brownpapertickets.com/event/531005.

GOOD COP/BAD COP: THE 2-MAN INTERROGATION The LOT Comedy Club presents Nitish

Sakhuja, Josh Infald and hosts Mike Rita and Paul Thompson. 7:30 pm. $15-$20. 100 Ossington. brownpapertickets.com/ event/508926.

Impulse Festival See Thu 12.

THEATRESPORTS FALL TOURNAMENT Bad Dog Theatre presents the improv competition. To Dec 14, Saturdays 8 pm. $12, stu $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. baddogtheatre.com.

FA VERY GLUTENOUS CHRISTMAS Haus of Bot presents a comedy variety show w/ Darryl Orr, Lianne Mauladin, Sandra Battaglini, Wilma Fingerdoo and host Nile Seguin. 10 pm. $20 (proceeds to the Jo-Anna Downey Fund). The LOT Comedy Club, 100 Ossington. ­facebook. com/events/677178735648455.

We Can Be Heroes See Thu 12.

FWEST END GIRLS: XMAS CRACKERS ­EDITION WEG presents Melissa Story,

ñ

Becky Bays, Sandra Battaglini, Precious Chong, token boy Bryan O’Gorman and others. 7 pm. $10-$15. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. 416-551-6540, ­westendgirls.ca.

Yuk Yuk’s Downtown See Thu 12.

76

December 12-18 2013 NOW

Sunday, December 15 ABSOLUTE COMEDY Second City Training Cen-

tre presents the Stand-Up 101 Grad Show featuring new comics. 12:30 & 3 pm. $5. Evening show, see Thu 12. 2335 Yonge. 416-486-7700, absolutecomedy.ca.

Christmas At Choke-Poke Toys See Fri 13.

FCHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY Bonspiel Theatre presents improv and more. Wear a festive sweater. 9 pm. $10. No One Writes to the Colonel, 460 College. bonspieltheatre.com.

COMEDY AT THE VICTORY CAFE presents a weekly show w/ host Vanessa Dangerstorm.

9 pm. Free. Victory Café, 581 Markham. 416516-5787, victorycafe.ca.

HAPPY HOUR COMEDY Ein-Stein presents Joe Vu, Silvi Santoso, Kenny Molotov, Eli Jakeman, Airees Angellakis, host Justin Laite and others.

8 pm. Free. 229 College. ein-stein.ca.

Impulse Festival See Thu 12.

THE PLAYGROUND Playful Grounds presents weekly open-mic comedy w/ hosts Kris Siddiqi and Melissa Story. 9 pm. Free. 605 College. 416-645-0484, playfulgrounds.com.

SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE The Sketchersons present a weekly show w/ guest hosts and musical acts. 9 pm. $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. thesketchersons.com.

We Can Be Heroes See Thu 12.

Yuk Yuk’s Downtown See Thu 12.

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theatre listings œcontinued from page 75

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh

Wheeler (Mainstage Theatre Company). The wrath of a wrongfully convicted barber has brutal consequences in this musical. Dec 1215, Thu-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun 1 pm. $30, stu $20. Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson.

416-504-7529, mainstagetheatre.com.

Totem./Naked Ladies by Andrew Gaboury/ Thea Fitz-James (a field of crowns). This double bill offers honesty, ritual, mythology, nakedness and drinking. Dec 13-14 at 7 and 9 pm. $15, stu $10. Hub 14, 14 Markham. ­afieldofcrowns.wordpress.com.

FA Very Chris-terical Christmas Cabaret (Chris Tsujiuchi). Anthony Rinaldi, Stacey Maroske, Tsujiuchi and others keep the yuletide gay in this seasonal cabaret. Dec 14-15, Sat-Sun 8 pm. $15-$20. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander. 416-975-8555.

but done in the style of a different Broadway composer. Previews Dec 18. Opens Dec 19 and runs to Jan 5, 2014, see website for times. $19$79. Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge. 416-8721212, mirvish.com.

One-nighters

FHandel’s Messiah Part One And More

(TrypTych). Live musicians, a choir and soloists perform a holiday-themed show. Dec 13 at 7:30 pm. $10-$30. Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2737 Bayview. 416-970-2709, ­tryptych.org.

Puppet Allsorts: Balancing On Moonbeams (Toronto Puppetry Collective). Shadow Puppet Theatre perform an all-ages puppet show. Dec 15 at 3 pm. $15. Metropolis Factory, 50 Edwin. puppetallsorts.com.

FSuperqueero Holiday Potluck Show

(Gladstone Hotel). This holiday-themed show features consensual, anti-racist, unapologetic, not-your-average burlesque. Dec 16 at 7 pm. $5-$25. 1214 Queen W. ­gladstonehotel.com.

FThat Choir Carols (That Choir). This seasonal concert features a reading of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas In Wales

by Deborah Hay. Dec 15 at 8 pm. $25, srs $15, stu $5. Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen E. ­thatchoir.com.

Viva Cabaret (Yury Ruzhyev). Theatre, music and more are used to pay tribute to Cher, Liza, Gaga and other divas. Dec 15 at 6 pm. $16$20. Rivoli, 332 Queen W. rushow.ru/cabaret.

(Humber River Shakespeare Co). Five actors perform the timeless tale. Dec 17 at 7 pm. $20, child $10. Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace.

416-209-2026, humberrivershakespeare.ca.

FThe Christmas Rag Bag Cabaret on R­ oncy (Rachelle Elie/Luke Jackson). Comedy,

burlesque, clown and circus acts with performances by Mike Rita, Coco Framboise, Nigel Irwin and others. Dec 14 at 8 pm. $20-$25.

The Village Healing C ­ entre, 240 Roncesvalles. facebook.com/events/425007990932527.

Eat Your Heart Out with Morro and Jasp (U.N.I.T. Productions/Tightrope ñ Books). This launch party for the clown sisters’ cookbook features live music, book signing and more. Dec 17 from 6 to 11 pm. Free.

Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen W, Underground.

416-531-5042, ­morroandjasp.com.

IMPERIAL COMEDY SHOW Imperial Pub presents 10 comics, a pro headliner and rotating hosts every week. 9:30 pm. Free. 54 Dundas E. 416-977-4667, ­imperialcomedy.com.

LAUGHABLE AT UNLOVABLE presents ­Gilson Lubin, Ryan Belleville, Sandra Battaglini, Mack Lawrenz, Everardo Ramirez, Tim Gilbert, Phil Luzi, hosts Steph Tolev & Nick Flanagan and others. 8:30 pm. Pwyc. Unlovable, 1415-B Dundas W. 416-532-6669.

ñ

The Second City Holiday Spectacular (Miracles Not Included) See Thu 12.

TOP SHELF COMEDY presents The Tournament, an amateur comic competition decided by audience votes, plus a pro comic pre-show & headliner. 8 pm. Free. The Office Pub, 117 John. facebook.com/TopShelfComedy.

Tuesday, December 17 FLAT TIRE COMEDY Amsterdam Bicycle Club

presents weekly stand-up w/ host Chrissie Cunningham and guests. 9 pm. Free. 54 the Esplanade. facebook.com/FlatTireComedy.

FOUNTAIN ABBEY The Fountain presents stand-up with hosts Diana Love and Julia Hladkowicz. 8 pm. Free. 1261 Dundas W. ­juliacomedy.com.

Suave comic Patrick Haye headlines this weekend at Yuk Yuk’s Downtown.

ñ

nnnnn = Standing ovation

nnnn = Sustained applause

Continuing

Aladdin by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman,

FA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

ALTDOT COMEDY LOUNGE Rivoli presents Tim Rabnett, Casey Corbin, Eddie Della Siepe, Tim Nasiopoulos, DJ Demers, Ian Lynch, Anto Chan, the Ellens, Steph Tolev, Kevin MacDonald, MC Winston Spear and others. 9 pm. $5. 332 Queen W. ­altdotcomedylounge.com.

CHEAP LAUGHS MONDAY PJ O’Briens Irish Pub presents a weekly show w/ Russell Roy and guests. 9:30 pm. Free. 39 Colborne. 416815-7562. = Critics’ Pick

tainment). Iranian film artist Parviz Sayyad and poet Hadi Khorsandi perform a comedic play. Dec 15 at 7 pm. $35-$65. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge. ticketmaster.ca.

ñ Previewing The Musical of Musicals, The Musical!

by Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell (Mirñ vish). Five musicals – each with the same plot

Monday, December 16

Ñ

Hadi & Samad 3rd Encounter (Arya Enter-

Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin (Disney Theatrical Productions/Mirvish). This Broadway-bound adaptation of the 1992 animated movie about the resourceful street urchin who falls for a disguised princess suffers from generic new songs, an awkward structural device involving three narrators and leads who lack chemistry. But it’s worth waiting an hour for James Monroe Iglehart’s Genie, who adds a bit of stage magic to the dull proceedings.

Runs to Jan 5, 2014, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat SatSun and Wed 1:30 pm (see website for more shows). $35-$130. Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria. 416-872-1212, ­mirvish.com. NN (GS) Annie (TYA) by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin (Young People’s Theatre). This version of the popular Broadway musical, aimed at young audiences, is tuneful and offers some strong performances,

but the narrative and characterizations become two-dimensional in the slimmed-down book. Jenny Weisz, perfectly cast, is a dream in the title role, innocent and optimistic without being saccharine or Pollyanna-ish. Runs to Dec 29, see website for schedule. $22-$35. 165 Front E. youngpeoplestheatre.ca. NNN (JK) FA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Humber River Shakespeare Co). Five actors perform the tale of greed, ghosts, salvation and hope. Runs to Dec 21, see website for details. $20, child $10. Montgomery’s Inn, 4709 Dundas W. humberrivershakespeare.ca.

FThe Christmas Story (Church of the Holy Trinity). Professional musicians and a volunteer cast present a nativity pageant. Runs to Dec 22, Fri 7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 4:30 pm (Dec 14, 21 and 22 also at 7:30 pm). $20, child $5. 10 Trinity Square. ­thechristmasstory.ca.

FCool Yule (Famous People Players). The black-light dinner theatre company presents a multifaith celebration of the holidays. Runs to Jan 4, 2014, call/see website for times. $40$62. 343 Evans. 416-532-1137, fpp.org.

Danny And The Deep Blue Sea by John Patrick Shanley (BARO Theatre). Two of society’s ­rejects meet in a bar in this look at love and loneliness (see review, page 77). Runs to Dec 15, Thu-Sun 8 pm. $20, stu $15. Brockton Collective, 442A Dufferin. brownpapertickets. com/event/482669. NNN (JK) December One Acts (Sterling Studio Theatre Collective). This double bill features Michael Eisner’s Red Bill and Edward Allen Baker’s Dolores. Runs to Dec 15, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat SatSun 2 pm. $20. Sterling Studio Theatre, 163 Sterling, unit 5. sterlingstudiotheatre.com.

Evil Dead – The Musical by Christopher Bond, George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla and Melissa Morris (Starvox Entertainment/Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment). The homegrown musical based on the splatterific cult horror films gets a 10th anniversary production that’s chock full of intentional stupidity and silliness. Excessive mugging mars the first act, but there are lots of surprises (and better songs) in act two. Ryan Ward reprises his role as the stiff, chainsaw-wielding Ash. And the directors have found some inventive ways to illustrate fake stage blood. Runs to Jan 5, 2014, Tue-Thu 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7 & 10:30 pm, Sun 3 pm. $19.99$79.99. Randolph Theatre, 736 Bathurst. ­evildeadthemusical.com. NNN (GS) God Of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (Mirvish/ Studio 180 Theatre). The actors are terrific in Reza’s story of two couples negotiating over a

MODEL CITIZENS OF COMEDY presents CHUCKLE CO. PRESENTS weekly stand-up headliner Graham Chittenden, Evany w/ rotating hosts Joel Buxton, Amanda ñ ñ Rosen, Ali Hassan, Todd Graham, DJ Demers, Brooke Perrin, Mikey Kolberg, Steve Patrick John Hastings and hosts Claire Stollery and Darryl Orr. 9 pm. $5. Measure, 296 Brunswick.

416-477-5645.

THE OTHER DOPE SHOW Vapor Social presents weekly open-mic stand-up. 9 pm. $5. 896 College. 647-765-4422.

The Second City Holiday Spectacular (­Miracles Not Included) See Thu 12.

THE SKIN OF MY NUTS presents a weekly open mic w/ host Vandad Kardar. 9:30 pm. Free.

Sonic Espresso Bar, 60 Cecil. facebook.com/ skinofmynuts.

SPOOKEY RUBEN’S DIZZY PLAYGROUND LIVE!

Hi-Hat Recordings presents a stage version of the TV show w/ Spookey’s live band, sketch comedy, short film and more. 9 pm. $8-$10.

Rivoli, 332 Queen W. ­spookeyruben.net.

We Can Be Heroes See Thu 12.

THE WILD CARD Fox & Fiddle presents a mixed lineup of booked pros and random lotto spots w/ host Kyle Andrews. 8:30 pm. Free. 280 Bloor W. 416-966-4369.

YUK YUK’S DOWNTOWN presents the Humber School of Comedy at 7:30 pm, Launching Pad for new stand-ups at 9:30 pm, every week. $4/show. 224 Richmond W. yukyuks.com.

Wednesday, December 18 ABSOLUTE COMEDY presents Pro-Am night w/

headliner Tommy Savitt, Blair Streeter, Chris Roberts, Nigel Grinstead, Sebastian Fazio, Yan Krupnik and host Barry Taylor. 8:30 pm. $10.

2335 Yonge. ­absolutecomedy.ca.

CADILLAC COMEDY Cadillac Lounge presents sketch, improv, stand-up and more w/ Jordan Foisey, Adrienne Fish, Sean Emeny, the Beasts, Troupe Name Pending, the Palcoholics, Cash Grab and host Blayne Smith. 8:30 pm. Pwyc.

1296 Queen W. ­cadillaclounge.com.

FCHRISTMAS @ CORKTOWN Corktown Productions presents a holiday show w/ Monty Scott, Nick Beaton, Steve Dylan, Bryan Hatt, Alex Nussbaum, Ron Josol and host Brian Coughlin. 9 pm. Pwyc (donations to Daily Bread Food Bank). Betty’s, 240 King E. 416988-2675, corktowncomedy.com.

nnn = Recommended, memorable scenes

Adams, DJ Demers and Jordan Foisy. 9:30pm. $5. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. ­chuckleco.com.

MAGIC OVEN COMEDY presents a weekly show w/ host Shannon McIntyre. 8 pm. Free. Magic Oven, 347 Keele. 416-604-0202.

POINSETTIA The Bad Dog Repertory Players present unscripted comedy about unexpected connections w/ Jess Bryson, Kyle Dooley and others. To Dec 18, Wednesdays 9:30 pm. $12, stu $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. 416-551-6540, baddogtheatre.com.

PROVOCATEUR Bad Dog Theatre presents an improvised espionage comedy thriller w/ Kirsten Rasmussen, Roger Bainbridge, Carmine Lucarelli and others. To Dec 18, Wednesdays 8 pm. $12, stu $10. Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor W. 416-551-6540, baddogtheatre.com.

QUEER AS FUCK: COMEDY FOR PUSSIES The Steady Cafe & Bar presents a biweekly LGBT open mic, w/ Shannon McDonough, Laura DiLabio, Robby Hoffman, Filip Jeremic, Christi Olson and others. 9 pm. Pwyc. 1051 Bloor W. ­thesteadycafe.com.

ñ ñ

The Second City Holiday Spectacular (Miracles Not Included) See Thu 12.

FSHAKEN & STIRRED... THE HOLIDAY EDITION Mazur & Zemnickis present

ñ

stand-up and improv w/ Jerry Schaefer, David Healey, Rhonda Riche, Jane Luk, Gord Oxley, Magdalena BB, Justin Laite, Katie Solomon and others. 9 pm. $5 (proceeds to Toronto Humane Society). Black Swan, 154 Danforth. facebook.com/events/1411341402436329.

SIREN’S COMEDY Celt’s Pub presents open-mic stand-up w/ host David Burke and headliner Meg MacKay. 8:30 pm. Free. 2872 Dundas W. 416-767-3339.

TOP SHELF COMEDY presents The Spotlight, a weekly night of top comics. 9 pm. $5. WAYLA Bar, 996 Queen E. 416-901-5570, facebook. com/TopShelfComedy.

We Can Be Heroes See Thu 12.

YUK YUK’S DOWNTOWN presents Michael Gelbart. To Dec 22, Wed-Sun 8 pm, plus FriSat 10:30 pm. $13-$22. 224 Richmond W. 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com.

3

nn = Seriously flawed

n = Get out the hook

playground fight between their two sons, but the play itself is a mess. The problem isn’t its artifice. It’s the arc of the thing that’s wonky, peaking at the 30-minute mark and staying at near-shriek level to the end. The absurdity of the precipitous descent pays off in some laugh-out-loud moments, but forget about getting a backstory for any of the characters.

Runs to Dec 15, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $19-$79. Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. NNN (Susan G Cole) Les Miserables by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (Cameron Mackintosh/Mirvish). This 25th-anniversary production of the popular musical is dominated by Ramin Karimloo, whose ex-con Jean Valjean grows in complexity and depth and delivers some transcendent moments, even if he’s too young to pull off the final scenes.

He’s surrounded by lots of talent and a handsome production that’s majestic yet intimate, with stirring new orchestrations that add extra fire to this dramatic musical. Runs to Feb 2, 2014, Tue-Sat 7:30 pm, mat Sat-Sun and Wed 1:30 pm (see website for exceptions/extra shows). $35-$130. Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King W. mirvish.com. NNNN (GS)

ñ

Mermaid: Ontario’s OFamily Musical by Reid Janisse ñFish-AlLittle (Ross Petty Productions). Janisse’s panto take FThe

on the Little Mermaid is a socially aware yet light-hearted look at what’s happening down at T.O.’s waterfront, all seen from the novel perspective of its underwater creatures. The plot is swift, the topical jokes very funny and the songs beautifully performed by a talented cast that includes Stratford’s Chilina Kennedy, the always amusing Edie Glen and Dan Chameroy and musical comedy powerhouse Lana Carillo. Runs to Jan 4, 2014, see website for schedule. $27-$85. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge.

1-855-599-9090, ­rosspetty.com. NNNN (GS) Little Shop Of Horrors by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Lower Ossington Theatre).

A flower shop clerk raises a plant that feeds on human blood in this musical. Runs to Jan 12, 2014, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm, Sun 4 pm (no shows Dec 22-Jan 2). $59. 100A Ossington. lowerossingtontheatre.com.

Once by Enda Walsh, Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (Mirvish). This adaptation of John Carney’s indie hit movie about two Dubliners – one a busker, the other a Czech emigré – who make beautiful music together yet can’t be a couple throbs with honest emotion. The staging is simple yet effective, with evocative choreography and music (the actors are all musicians) that can swell to huge climaxes or descend to moments of heartbreaking poetry. It’s a shame leads Stuart Ward and Dani De Waal lack chemistry. Runs to Jan 5, 2014, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun and Wed 2 pm (no shows Dec 2425 and Jan 1. See website for more dates). $35$130. Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King W. 416-872-1212, mirvish.com. NNNN (GS)

ñ

FParfumerie by Miklós László (Soul-

pepper). Soulpepper’s revival of this afñ fectionate, old-world romantic comedy fol-

lows the stressed-out staff of a Budapest cosmetics shop during the Christmas rush.

Solid acting, clever directing and a great set make this heartwarming love story a holiday classic. Runs to Dec 28, see website for schedule. $32-$68. Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill. 416-866-8666, soulpepper.ca.

NNNN (Jordan Bimm) Peter Pan by JM Barrie (Hit and Run Dance Productions). This abridged version of the tale features ballet, sword fights, music, storytelling and more. Runs to Dec 29, Sat-Sun (see website for times and other dates). Free w/ admission. Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace. 416923-1171, casaloma.org.

Repetitive Strain Injury by Rob van Meenen (Company Kid Logic). This play follows a duo as they hastily plan their wedding, then checks in on them a year later (see review, page 76).

Runs to Dec 15, Thu-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2 pm. $15-$25, mat pwyc. Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst, Studio. 416-504-9971, factorytheatre.ca. NN (GS) Special Constables (Circlesnake Productions).

This action-comedy features the TTC Transit Police taking on a Metropass counterfeiting ring. Runs to Dec 21, Wed-Sun 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $20. The Storefront Theatre, 955 Bloor W. circlesnake.com.

Supperfesta! by Natasha Boomer (Take Your Mark Productions). Secrets are revealed and relationships tested at a raucous family dinner party. Runs to Dec 15, Tue-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. $15-$20. Unit 102 Theatre, 376 Dufferin. takeyourmarkproductions.bpt.me.

The Tin Drum adapted by Chris Hanratty and Shira Leuchter (UnSpun Theatre).

The Günter Grass novel about a boy who refuses to grow up is adapted for the stage (see review, this page). Runs to Dec 14, Thu-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat 2 pm. $15-$25. Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas E, Aki Studio Theatre. 1-800-2040855, ­unspuntheatre.com. NNNN (JK) The Valley by Joan MacLeod (Tarragon Theatre). MacLeod’s drama about a mentally unstable young man whose encounter with a Vancouver police officer changes several lives is explosive theatre, with well-rounded characters, lived-in performances (especially by Susan Coyne as the young man’s mother) and a production that enhances all the play’s themes. Runs to Dec 15, Tue-Sat 8 pm, mat Sat-Sun 2:30 pm. $21-$53, rush $13.

30 Bridgman. 416-531-1827, tarragontheatre. com. NNNNN (GS) FWeather The Weather by Haley McGee (Theatre Columbus). A young girl must outwit trolls and gnomes in this outdoor production for all ages. Runs to Dec 30, Tue-Sun 8 pm, mat Dec 21 and 23 at 5 pm (no shows Dec 17 and Dec 24-26). $12.50-$32. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview. 416-504-7529, ­theatrecolumbus.ca.

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ñ ñ

dance listings F = Festive event

Opening FDance Shala Living Arts Centre presents

classical Indian music and dance. Dec 15 at 2 pm. $20. 4141 Living Arts, RBC Theatre, Mississauga. 905-306-6000, livingartscentre.ca.

FJoy Of Dance Holiday Showcase Joy of Dance presents students of all ages performing ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, tap and more. Dec 15 at 4 pm. $20. Ryerson Theatre, 43 Gerrard E. j­ oyofdance.ca.

K-Dance Revolution Korean Dance Studies Society of Canada presents dynamic rhythms and dance ranging from traditional folk dance to contemporary and martial arts-inspired movement. Dec 14 at 7:30 pm. $25-$30. Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge, Studio Theatre. ­tocentre.com/studio/kdssc.

FLeahy Family Christmas Rose Theatre presents step dancing, fiddle playing and Celtic tunes. Dec 13 at 8 pm. $54-$64. 1 Theatre Lane, Brampton. rosetheatre.ca.

FThe Nutcracker Cadence Dance Studio presents the holiday ballet. Dec 13-14, Fri 7 pm, Sat 2 pm. $tba. Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina.

416-260-1829, cadencedancestudio.ca.

FThe Nutcracker The National Ballet of Canada presents the traditional holiday ballet. Colonel Chris Hadfield makes his Cannon Doll debut Dec 24 at 1 pm. Opens Dec 14 and runs to Jan 4, 2014, see website for schedule. $25 and up. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen W. 416-345-9595, ­national.ballet.ca.

FThe Nutcracker State Ballet Theatre of Russia presents the Bolshoi Theatre version of the classic holiday ballet. Dec 15 at 2 and 7 pm. $50-$80, child $35-$50. Living Arts Centre, 4141 Living Arts, Hammerson Hall, Mississauga. 905-306-6000, livingartscentre.ca.

Project L – The World That You Created

DanceWorks CoWorks and Human Body Expression present Hanna Kiel’s full-length work about how the past shapes our experience. Dec 12-14, Thu-Sat 8 pm. $25, stu $20.

The Citadel, 304 Parliament. d ­ anceworks.ca.

Wind Down Dance presents new and old works taking brand new risks in a casual setting with Rob Abubo, Michael Caldwell, Tanya Crowder, Karen Kaeja, Allen Kaeja, Darryl Tracy and others. Dec 13 from 4 to 6 pm. $10 sugg. Dovercourt House, 805 Dovercourt, 2nd floor. 416-516-6030.

– Dances For A Sacred Season Canadian Contemporary Dance ñ Theatre and Harbourfront NextSteps present FWintersong

dance inspired by winter solstice traditions, including works by Santee Smith, Carol Anderson, Kevin Wynn, Deborah Lundmark and others. Dec 13-14, Fri 8 pm, Sat 2 pm. $22.50$38. Fleck Dance Theatre, 207 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com.

Continuing Inging Toronto Dance Theatre presents a solo performance combining spoken word and dance by Jeanine Durning. To Dec 12, Thu 8 pm. $20. Winchester Street Theatre, 80 Winchester. tdt.org/inging.

3

Jesse Aaron Dwyre’s ­Oskar marches to the beat of his own Tin Drum.

historic drama

Sturdy drum THE TIN DRUM by Günter Grass,

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adapted by Chris Hanratty and Shira Leuchter (UnSpun Theatre). At Aki Studio Theatre, Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas East). Runs to December 14. $15$25. 1-800-204-0855. See Continuing, this page. Rating: NNNN

Günter Grass’s novel The Tin Drum is an epic, sprawling narrative whose central figure, Oskar Matzerath, tells

his story from the confines of an asylum. Not the most reliable of narrators, Oskar tells a compelling tale centred on himself and his family in Danzig during the Second World War. From the sidelines of the action, he watches key historical events unfold.

What responsibility does he have for them, and by extension, what accoun­ tability have we as observers who don’t act?

UnSpun Theatre’s ambitious adaptation by Chris Hanratty and Shira Leuchter is wonderfully theatrical in many segments, though it has a stop-

and-start quality due in part to the narrative’s episodic nature.

Oskar, born with fully adult faculties and awareness, decides at the age of three to stop growing, and resorts to communicating with grown-ups, to whom he feels superior, either by beating his drum or, when stressed, utter­ ing a shrill cry that breaks glass. As played by the engaging Jesse Aaron Dwyre, Oskar is both an innocent and a cagey manipulator who does his best to get what he wants, including the drum that’s his dearest possession.

Central to the action, told in flashbacks from an asylum, are a number of emotional triangles, beginning with the one involving his German father, Alfred (Gordon Bolan), his Polish mother, Agnes (Margaret Evans), and her cousin Jan (Cyrus Lane); another two amorous triangles involve Oskar himself.

Among the others we meet are Jan’s wife, Hedwig (Courtney Ch’ng Lancaster), circus entertainer Bebra (Scott Clarkson), who feels an innate bond with Oskar, and Bebra’s prescient ­somnambulist companion, Roswitha (Leuchter).

Oskar feels most at home with Bebra and Roswitha. Outsiders all, they can converse in a way that the manchild can’t with others; the scenes ­involving these three are some of the production’s most poignant.

Under Hanratty’s direction, the ­staging is frequently striking, the simplest of means conjuring up powerful images. Crinkled paper suggests fire, a flurry of torn paper shattered glass.

Though not every scene has the emotional resonance it might, UnSpun’s Tin Drum is full of engaging dramatic moments that complement the original tale’s magic realism. JON KAPLAN

romantic drama

Limited depth DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by John Patrick Shanley (Baro Theatre). At Brock­ ton Collective Studio (442 Dufferin). Runs to December 15. $20, stu $15. brownpapertickets.com. See Continuing, page 76. Rating: NNN Love is an act of faith, often requiring those involved to put aside fear and distrust to make the first tentative connections with each other.

In John Patrick Shanley’s Danny And The Deep Blue Sea, a pair of seemingly mismatched people meet in a Bronx bar and take a courageous leap into each other’s arms.

Danny (Mark Wiebe) is a bruised fighter ready to get in the face of anyone who comes too close. Roberta (Brooke Morgan) is a sad drifter living at her parents’ house with a son from an early broken marriage; she hopes there’s something better for her around the corner.

Baro Theatre’s debut production is at times a powerful one, especially in the play’s second half, when the action moves to Roberta’s bedroom, first for some late-night sex and then, in the morning, for a look at the possibility of a better life for the angry, guilt-ridden pair.

Brooke Morgan and Mark Wiebe confront some painful truths in Danny And The Deep Blue Sea.

It’s in bed that they reveal themselves to each other little by little, and both actors work adeptly with director Aaron Willis to peel back the defences that Roberta and Danny have constructed to let them eke out their ­meagre emotional lives.

The first scene, though, has a more superficial feel, though it captures the script’s moments of dark humour. The battle-scarred Wiebe’s scary enough (Danny’s co-workers call him “the beast”) to suggest you’d avoid him in a bar setting, but Morgan doesn’t quite capture the blend of interest, invitation and belligerence that defines Roberta when we first meet her. The ­necessary prickliness between the two is too low-key.

As the characters start to accept

each other and what the future might hold, the emotional connections begin to ring true. The scene where Danny and Roberta compliment each other is both playful and moving.

In the next morning’s clear light, they realize things haven’t actually been settled. Roberta’s anger flares up as much against herself as Danny, and here Morgan makes us believe that fire as Roberta tries to shock and shame Danny into rejecting her.

Set designer Jay Pooley makes ­clever use of the narrow Brockton Studio gallery. The bar is on one side of the room – serving drinks before and after the show – and for the bedroom scenes we turn our chairs to watch the action against the opposite wall.

JON KAPLAN

NOW December 12-18 2013

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books EAST COAST FICTION

Potent Pelley EVERY LITTLE THING by Chad Pelley (Breakwater), 274 pages, $21.95 paper.

Rating: NNN

In Chad Pelley’s second novel, Every Little Thing, a few small bad choices make a big difference.

The book, set in small-town Newfoundland, opens with Cohen in jail, and the narrative loops back into the past so we can find out why.

Cohen’s a decent guy, a biologist who tests water samples but would rather be taking kids on field trips. The more we learn about him, the less

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But that’s actually a problem with the narrative. Pelley’s given us no clue as to why she’d be drawn to him, and it’s such an important plot point that it needs to be more credible.

Descriptions of prison life from the point of view of someone who’s not a hardened criminal are vivid, and the episode in which Cohen’s brother dies is devastating. But Pelley does have a tendency to overwrite, describing everything, whether a bird in the forest or a character’s simple gesture, in way too much detail. Maybe he’s taken the concept behind the title Every Little Thing a bit too far.

But he is a talent to watch – percepSUSAN G. COLE tive and soulful. susanc@nowtoronto.com | @susangcole

BUY THE BOOK Anyone who cares about our heritage buildings will want to snap up 80 For 80: Celebrating Eighty Years Of The Architectural Conservancy Of Ontario ($30, ACO). Research and rare photos document 80 out of the hundreds of buildings the ACO has helped save since its first rescue operation, Grafton’s Barnum House in 1933. Past projects range from modest pre-Confederation homes to bridges and sacred spaces like a chapel and cemetery. A great holiday gift, and all proceeds from book sales go to the SGC Conservancy. arconserv.ca.

READINGS THIS WEEK Free. Paupers, 539 Bloor W. plasticinepoetry. com.

Thursday, December 12 C MAGAZINE The art journal’s 30th-anniver-

ary launch features performances by Regina the Gentlelady and DJ Paul Petro. 8 pm. Free.

Sex Laser, 1369 Dundas W. cmagazine.com.

BARRY DEMPSTER/SUSAN DOWNE Launching new novels. 6 pm. Ben McNally Books, 366 Bay. 416-361-0032, benmcnallybooks.com.

DOUBLE DOT MAGAZINE Launch for Issue 4: Winnipeg And Minneapolis with a photo booth and music by Tenemy Shaughnessy-De Rothschild. 8 pm. Pwyc. Mama Loves You Vintage, 541 Queen W. doubledotmagazine.com.

ELDON GARNET Launching his illustrated narrative Categories Of Disappearance. 5 pm.

Free. Christopher Cutts Gallery, 21 Morrow.

416-532-5566.

Monday, December 16 INSOMNIAC LAUNCH Celebrating new books

by Aaron Giovannone, Althea Prince, Gayle Gonsalves, Gonzalo Riedel and Dan Yashinsky. 7 pm. Free. Dora Keogh Pub, 141 Danforth. insomniacpress.com.

Tuesday, December 17 ALL-FEMALE POETRY SLAM Qualifier for the Women Of The World Poetry Slam competition in March, featuring Sheri-D Wilson. 7:30 pm. $10. Supermarket, 258 Augusta. info@ torontopoetryslam.com.

PATRICK DE BELEN Poetry reading and an open mic. 7 pm. Pwyc ($5 suggested). Queen Gallery, 382 Queen E. facebook.com/ events/549772341780148.

MORRO AND JASP Eat Your Heart Out book launch. 6 pm. Free. Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen W. 416-531-5042.

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likely a candidate for prison he seems.

He has, however, suffered a family trauma – his brother has drowned – for which he feels immense guilt, and in its wake the vulnerable Cohen falls fast and hard for the new woman next door, Allie.

Boy gets girl but makes a promise to her dad that winds up sabotaging the relationship and driving her to Keith, her prick of a boss.

Pelley has a way of making you care about his vivid characters. Cohen has a big heart – almost too big. The author’s powers of observation make vibrant free spirit Allie easy to picture. Keith’s the kind of boor you hope will suffer terribly.

SHARON BALTMAN Signing copies of her memoir Escape From The Bedside. 9 amnoon. Free. Wychwood Barns STOP Farmers’ Market, 601 Christie. thestop.org.

FRANCIS DUPUIS-DERI Launch for Who’s Afraid Of The Black Blocs? Anarchy In Action Around The World. 6 pm. Free. Another Story Book Shop, 315 Roncesvalles. info@ btlbooks.com.

Sunday, December 15

Wednesday, December 18

Newsletter The latest in fashion news, views & sales!

BEST POETRY OF THE MONTH Poetry readings.

8 pm. $5. Free Times Cafe, 320 College. 416967-1078.

COLIN MOCHRIE The actor and comedian signs copies of his new book, Not Quite The Classics.

12:30 pm. Free. Indigospirit, First Canadian Place (King and Bay). chapters.indigo.ca. 3

DAVID CLINK/GREG “RITALLIN” FRANKSON/ nowtoronto.com/newsletters SHANE NEILSON/ELANA WOLFF Poetry.

6 pm. books@nowtoronto.com

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art

MUSEUMS THIS WEEK

Geoffrey Farmer transforms Mercer Union’s main space into a basilica to comment on the power of art.

INSTALLATION

Art history 101

Farmer free-associates new narratives By DAVID JAGER GEOFFREY FARMER at Mercer Union

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(1286 Bloor West) to January 11.

416-536-1519. Rating: NNNN

Geoffrey Farmer, this year’s winner of the Gershon Iskowitz Prize at the AGO, has been a rising international art star for a few years. Minds were boggled at Documenta 13 by his installation Leaves Of Grass, a 60-foot threedimensional collage of thousands of images clipped from five decades of LIFE Magazine, a work of bewildering density and depth.

In A Light In The Moon, his new show created for Mercer Union, he unleashes his obsessive cutout imagery on the history of art.

Boneyard, which dominates the

main space with an immense circular plinth, transforms the white cube of the gallery into a basilica. Hundreds of sculptural cutouts, tiny replicas of works ranging from ancient to contemporary, command a hushed solemnity. Massed in tiny rows facing outwards, they also make up an intriguingly free-associative and often delightfully weird diorama of the history of art.

The show’s title is taken from the Gertrude Stein poem of the same name, and he’s being as least as cryptic as her verse. But as in Stein, an intuitive method underlies the seemingly random quirkiness. By sending baroque puttos to support swooning classical goddesses, or juxtaposing a Brancusi with a diffident bust of

MUST-SEE SHOWS FART METROPOLE Gifts By Artists: Grid

Systems, to Feb 1 (closed Dec 24-Jan 2).

1490 Dundas W. 416-703-4400.

BIRCH CONTEMPORARY Painting: Martin Bennett and Jaan Poldaas, to Jan 18. 129 Tecumseth. 416-365-3003.

CENTRE SPACE Painting: Dil Hildebrand, to Dec 21. 65 George. 416-323-1373.

CLINT ROENISCH Painting: Dorian FitzGerald, to Jan 4. 944 Queen W. 416-516-8593.

COOPER COLE Endless Vacation group show, Dec 14-Jan 18, reception 6-10 pm Dec 14.

777 Richmond W. 647-347-3326.

DANIEL FARIA GALLERY Photos: Chris Curreri, to Jan 18. 188 St Helens. 416-538-1880.

F401 RICHMOND W Frolic 3: Artisans Marketplace, open studios, Dec 12-15, reception 6-9 pm Dec 12. 416-595-5900.

ESP/ERIN STUMP PROJECTS Painting: Tamara Henderson, to Dec 28.

ART LINK WEEKLY ART GALLERY DIRECTORY

1450 Dundas W. 647-345-6163.

GALLERY 44 Photos: Melissa General, to Jan 4.

F Wall To Wall group show, to Dec 14. 401

Richmond W, unit 120. 416-979-3941.

GALLERY 1313 Relief Fundraiser For Philippines (benefit for Red Cross), Dec 12-20, reception 7-10 pm Dec 12. 1313 Queen W. 416-5366778.

FGOLDMASTERS CASH FOR GOLD One Year Later: Nothing Changes group show, 8-10 pm Dec 12. 1212 Bloor W. GRAVEN FEATHER Drawing/sculpture: Erin Candela, to Jan 4, reception 7-10 pm Dec 13.

906 Queen W. 416-858-4401.

HARBOURFRONT CENTRE School Work, Other Worlds, Weird, Wonderscape, Between The Lines group shows; Alex Kisilevich, to Dec 29.

235 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4000.

JESSICA BRADLEY GALLERY Painting: Sasha Pierce, to Jan 18. 74 Miller. 416-537-3125.

KOFFLER GALLERY We’re In The Library group show, to Jan 19. Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw. 416-636-1880.

LE GALLERY Takashi Iwasaki, Mitsuo Kimura and Shogo Okada, to Jan 25. 1183 Dundas W. 416-532-8467.

NEUBACHER SHOR CONTEMPORARY Bogdan Luca, to Dec 21. 5 Brock. 416-546-3683.

O’BORN CONTEMPORARY Photos: Mark Peckmezian, to Dec 20. 131 Ossington.

416-413-9555.

PARI NADIMI Sculpture/photos/video: Jennifer Stillwell, to Dec 21. 254 Niagara. 416591-6464.

FPAUL PETRO C Spice group show, to Dec 21.

Janet Morton and Amy Bowles, to Dec 21.

980 Queen W. 416-979-7874.

PENTIMENTO Painting: Kirsten Johnson, to Jan 5. 1164 Queen E. 416-406-6772.

FRED HEAD GALLERY Redrospective fundraising party, 7-9:30 pm Dec 17 (party $20, w/ print $100, redrospective2013.eventbrite.ca). BLINK Collective, to Dec 14. 401

Richmond W #115. 416-504-5654.

ROBERT KANANAJ GALLERY Garage Sale – From The Best To The Worst Art, to Jan 4.

1267 Bloor W. 416-289-8855.

ST ANNE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH Marie de Sousa, Mark Adair and David Blatherwick, to Dec 22 (Fri-Sun or by appt, 416-530-7771).

270 Gladstone.

SCRAP METAL Shary Boyle, Sarah Sze and Joana Vasconcelos, to Feb 22. Fri-Sat or by appt. 11 Dublin. 416-588-2442.

SUSAN HOBBS Sculpture: Didier Courbot, to Jan 18. 137 Tecumseth. 416-504-3699.

TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX David Cronenberg: Evolution, to Jan 19 ($15, stu $12, Tue $5). 350 King W. 416-599-8433.

VIDEOFAG Mixed media: Benjamin Edelberg, Dec 12-16, reception 7 pm Dec 12.

187 Augusta.

WHIPPERSNAPPER GALLERY Video: Sidewalk Screening group show, Dec 12-Feb 1 (4 pm-4 am). 594B Dundas W. 647-8562445.

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Complete art listings at nowtoronto.com/art/listings

Due to the upcoming holidays we will have an early listing deadline for our January 2 issue.

5O% Off

Please submit all listings by Thursday, December 19 at 5 pm to listings@nowtoronto.com or by by fax to 416-364-1166.

SAT, DEC 14 - 21 Open Tues – Sat, 11am – 6pm

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could all blow over in a minute.

The installation also evokes the two-dimensionality of contemporary culture. Farmer’s paper statues document our transition from monumentality to flatness, a world of images on paper and screens. We are becoming lighter and more crowded, and our interpretations of art and text are getting that much stranger.

3

Early Listings Deadline

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Napoleon, he suggests a new visual grammar that transcends the usual mausoleum-style linear historicism of the fine art museum. Farmer proposes tentative new narratives and associations.

The delicate wooden backs supporting these images convey a sense of art’s fragility. They’re also a major part of the show’s aesthetic. Weightless, the figures eerily resemble the flats from old Hollywood movie set. It

AGO F BazaarBazaarBazaar Holiday Market, 11 am-8 pm Dec 14 (artreachtoronto.ca).

Aimia Photography Prize, to Jan 5. The Great Upheaval: Modern Masterpieces From The Guggenheim, to Mar 2 ($25, stu $16.50). Brian Jungen and Duane Linklater, to Jun 15. $19.50, srs $16, stu $11, free Wed 6-8:30 pm (special exhibits excluded). 317 Dundas W. 416-979-6648.

DESIGN EXCHANGE Playing Favourites II, to Jan 3. 100% TobeUs: 100 Cars, to Feb 9 (free, todesignoffsite.com). $10, stu/srs $8. 234 Bay. 416-363-6121.

DORIS McCARTHY GALLERY You Cannot Kill What Is Already Dead, to Jan 25. 1265 Military Trail. 416-287-7007.

GARDINER MUSEUM 12 Trees, to Dec 15. Nurielle Stern, to Jan 5. The Art Of The Everyday: Faience In 17th And 18th Century France, to Jan 5. Animal Stories, to Jan 12. $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 Something More Than A Succession Of Notes, to Dec 20. 7 Hart House.

416-978-8398.

McMICHAEL CANADIAN Kim Dorland, to Jan 5. Karine Giboulo, to Jan 26. $15, stu/srs $12. 10365 Islington (Kleinburg). 905-8931121.

MOCCA David Cronenberg: Transformations; Through The Eye, to Dec 29. 952 Queen W. 416-395-0067.

OAKVILLE GALLERIES Sonny Assu (Centennial Sq, 120 Navy); A Noble Line (Gairloch Gdns, 1306 Lakeshore E), to Feb 16. 905-844-4402.

POWER PLANT More Than Two; Micah Lexier, to Jan 5. 231 Queens Quay W. 416-973-4949.

ROM Mesopotamia, to Jan 5 ($27, srs/stu $24.50; less Fri after 4:30 pm). Raja Deen Dayal, to Jan 12. BIG, to Jan 26. Carbon 14: Climate Is Culture, to Feb 2. Wildlife Photographer Of The Year, to Mar 23. $15, stu/srs $13.50; Fri 4:30-8:30 pm $9, stu/srs $8. 100 Queen’s Park. 416-586-8000.

RYERSON IMAGE CENTRE Elena Malkova; Ghost Dance: Activism. Resistance. Art., to Dec 15. 33 Gould. 416-979-5164.

TEXTILE MUSEUM Maya Textiles From Guatemala, to Jan 12. Heather Goodchild and Jérôme Havre, to Apr 13. Telling Stories, to Apr 13. $15, srs $10, stu $6; pwyc Wed 5-8 pm. 55 Centre. 416-599-5321.

U OF T ART CENTRE Framing Narratives: Renaissance To Modernism, to Mar 8. 15 King’s College Circle. 416-978-1838.

VARLEY ART GALLERY Moving Side And Forward: A Journey Through The Collection of York U; Excavations, to Jan 12. $5, stu/srs $4.

216 Main (Unionville). 905-477-9511. 3

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movies

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nowtoronto.com/movies Friday column on HOW AWARDS SEASON IS SHAPING UP • and more The adult-themed Grave Of The Fireflies depicts two siblings struggling to survive after the bombing of Kobe, Japan.

THINK PIECE

Perv nerve THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY

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(Sophie Fiennes). 136 minutes.

Opens Friday (December 13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating:

NNNN

RETROSPECTIVE

And Away we go TIFF’s Spirited Away series of treasures from Studio Ghibli will nourish your inner child

By NORMAN WILNER

SPIRITED AWAY: THE FILMS OF STUDIO GHIBLI at TIFF Bell Lightbox

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(350 King West), today (Thursday, December 12) to January 3, 2014. See Indie & Rep Film, page 98. tiff.net/ghibli. Rating:

NNNN Lost touch with your inner child over the last few months? TIFF Cinematheque lets you reactivate your sense of wonder over the holidays with the return of Spirited Away: The Films Of Studio Ghibli.

First mounted for March break 2012, the retrospective shows 18 features from Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated Japanese animation house, many in separate Japanese and English screenings. Japanese versions are subtitled in English; the dubbed versions feature all-star voice casts produced by Walt Disney Pictures for DVD release in North America.

I haven’t always been a big fan of Miyazaki’s salad-bar approach to mythology. When he brought Princess Mononoke to TIFF, he told me he just sort of lets images collect in his head and then makes a movie around them, and whether that movie makes sense or not isn’t really his concern.

(He was also kind of a dick to his translator in a roomful of journal-

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DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

ists, which I’ve never forgotten and which grates against the image of the beloved, munificent wizard Studio Ghibli cultivates around him.)

When his strategy works, though, something wonderful happens: the thrilling adventure of Castle In The Sky and Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind, the cruel magics of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, the delicate atmosphere of The Secret World Of Arrietty. And my two favourite Miyazaki features, My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service, are pure childhood on a screen, with delightful characters interacting with one another in worlds where literally anything is possible.

A key difference from the 2012 series is that TIFF has acquired Isao Takahata’s stunning, unforgettable 1988 masterwork Grave Of The Fireflies – an animated drama in no way intended for children, and not exactly holiday fodder either.

Grave Of The Fireflies depicts the ravages of the Second World War on Japan from the perspective of a brother and sister whose lives become an increasingly horrif-

ic struggle for survival after the firebombing of Kobe. As food grows scarce and the populace more bestial, teenage Seita finds himself forced to darker and darker places to shield his little sister, Setsuko, from the misery around them.

I have only watched it in a theatre once, years ago. I could not imagine doing so again. A quarter of a century after its original release, Grave Of The Fireflies has lost none of its devastating grace and may even have grown more powerful in its dramatic arc.

You probably think I’m overselling it. I’m not. Jesse Wente, TIFF’s head of film programmes, introduces the film on December 20; hopefully he’ll be

around afterward to hold people until they stop weeping.

The series kicks off tonight (Thursday, December 12) with a master class with Guillermo del Toro on Castle In The Sky, but that’s already sold out.

My inner child just kicked some dirt and skulked off to bed. 3

Hayao Miyazaki’s haunting Spirited Away lends its title to magical retrospective.

Ñ

normw@nowtoronto.com @wilnervision

Slavoj Žižek is a gateway drug. He’s Continental philosophy’s equivalent of a water bottle filled with cheapo vodka stolen from your parents’ liquor cabinet, critical theory’s answer to the toke from a loosely rolled joint after a Junior B hockey game.

Through his writings, the 2005 doc Zizek! and his totally entertaining lecture-film The Pervert’s Guide To Cinema, the Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic has, improbably, made his own heady fusion of Marxism and Lacanian psychoanalysis palatable to an audience outside the university lecture halls.

The Pervert’s Guide To Ideology builds on that last film, with director Sophie Fiennes indulging Žižek as he excitedly slurs through mini-sermons on pet subjects: desire, “the paradox of Coke,” John Carpenter’s They Live, Kinder Eggs, etc.

Deconstructing Žižek, as usual, proves as dicey an enterprise as parsing statements like “A commodity is an object full of theological, even metaphysical, niceties. Its presence always reflects an invisible transcendence.”

But questioning his political radical bona fides, and shaking down his ideas for solutions to the problem of late capitalism, always feels beside the point.

He’s as much an entertainer as a thinker, and it’s enjoyable to get lost in the eddies of Žižek’s thought, swept up in the rhetorical currents even he seems to get lost in.

JOHN SEMLEY

“I’m Žižek and you will listen to my mini-sermons for more than two hours!”

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

presents

SPIRITED AWAY: The Films of Studio Ghibli

DECEMBER 13 to JANUARY 3, TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX

Visit tiff.net/ghibli for full film lineup and tickets.

SUPPORTING PARTNER

® Toronto International Film Festival Inc.

TIFF prefers Visa.

© 1988 Nibariki - G

Returning just in time for the holidays, this dazzling 18-film showcase devoted to the Academy Award®–winning animation studio features such classics as My Neighbor Totoro and the rarely screened masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies.

© 2011 Nibariki - G

Reitman Square, 350 King Street West

NOW december 12-18 2013

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MUSIC DOC

Even Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson can’t save Saving Mr. Banks.

Wagner win THE WAGNER FILES (Ralf Pleger). 90 minutes.

Subtitled. Opens Friday (December 13) at the Carlton. See Times, page 96. Rating: NNNN

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You might not expect a documentary about 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner to borrow techniques from modern espionage films, graphic novels and 1950s melodrama. But Ralf Pleger’s marvellous film – timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth this year – does all of those things and still adds up to a respectful and informative portrait.

Think Robert Ludlum meets Douglas Sirk: The Wagner Identity.

Pleger uses style to enhance content. To depict the composer’s early years fleeing his creditors across Europe, he uses Bourne Identity-style computer graphics. And he chronicles Wagner’s symbiotic relationship with his second wife, Cosima (they met when both were married to other people) in passionate scenes featuring actors Samuel Finzi and Pegah Ferydoni.

Half a dozen experts guide us through Wagner’s complex life, spending lots of time on the ugly anti-Semitism in his infamous pamphlet Judaism In Music. There’s also great insight into the composer’s ambivalent relationship with his chief patron, Bavaria’s King Ludwig.

And Wagner’s fetish for silk and roses is shown both in gorgeous dramatized scenes and through the use of his music.

Ah, yes, that alluring, sensuous, narcotic-like music. It underscores everything in the film, with thematically appropriate snatches of Tristan, Tannhauser and the Ring Cycle in the mix.

We even get some glimpses of Carlus Padrissa’s striking production of the latter.

A must for classical music fans and an entertaining intro for Wagner neophytes. GLENN SUMI

BIOPIC

It’s a small world after all Flick about Walt Disney and Mary Poppins creator P.L. Travers lacks magic By SUSAN G. COLE SAVING MR. BANKS directed by John Lee Hancock, written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith, with Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti and Colin Farrell. 125 minutes. Opens Friday (December 13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating: NN It’s 50 years since Mary Poppins hit the big screen. Trust Disney Co. to celebrate by sinking a whack of dough into a feature film about how the movie got off the ground.

Don’t expect the behind-the-scenes story of how Dick Van Dyke learned that laughable Cockney accent or how they got him dancing with cartoons. Saving Mr. Banks covers the last several months of the 20-plus years that Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) spent convincing P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the author of the children’s books, to sell him the rights.

As the movie has it, charming Walt gets the prickly author in a room with composers Robert and Richard Sherman (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman), who try to win her over with their cheery tunes.

Central to the story, according to Disney, is that Travers has major daddy issues. The

narrative moves back and forth between 1961 Los Angeles (expertly rendered, of course) and Travers’s childhood in Australia, shot through a yellow haze, where the alcoholic father she loves (Colin Farrell) dies of influenza. If we’re to believe this version of the story, it’s how the writers are presenting Mr. Banks – mean, more interested in money than in the kids – that’s bugging Travers.

Here, Travers is an old prune who never knew love and only lightens up after she comes into the orbit of the great Walt Disney. Not that I expect a Disney pic to highlight Travers’s lesbian love life or her very serious spiritual pursuits, but except for a single conversation with her U.S. driver (Paul Giamatti) about children with disabilities, this rendering is insulting.

Uncle Walt, on the other hand, is a visionary who wants to make a Mary Poppins movie to fulfill a promise to his children, and has such highly developed powers of psychological perception that he knows Travers better than she knows herself.

He certainly isn’t the chain-smoking reactionary who went on to ban males with

long hair from his theme parks.

The performances are fine, especially Hanks’s, but make no mistake: Saving Mr. Banks sheds little light on the creative process. It’s all about burnishing Disney’s personal reputation.

3 susanc@nowtoronto.com | @susangcole

Samuel Finzi and Pegah Ferydoni make bedroom eyes at each other in The Wagner Files.

Kevin Pearce’s snowboard stunts will likely reel you in.

DOCUMENTARY

Crash conflict THE CRASH REEL (Lucy Walker). 108 minutes. Opens Friday (December 13).

For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating: NNN

Kevin Pearce was a champion snowboarder until a traumatic brain injury derailed his career shortly before the

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DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Vancouver Olympics. The Crash Reel is the story of his career, injury and long, arduous recovery.

It’s also the story of competitive snowboarding, and the way corporate involvement in extreme sports has a way of pushing everyone to disregard the dangers – just a little – in order to pull off the showiest, biggest trick. Shaun White, a friend and rival of Pearce’s, becomes the face of risk, gleefully doing the impossible

and encouraging others to top him when they almost certainly can’t.

Director Lucy Walker also wants to inform audiences about the dangers of traumatic brain injuries, but that seems to conflict with the feelgood arc of Pearce enduring rehab so he can get back on his snowboard.

And that’s the problem with The Crash Reel. Walker (Blindsight, Waste Land) never finds a way to highlight the contradictions in the stories she’s

Ñ

telling, or even to acknowledge them.

She’s a talented filmmaker, but this feels as though it was thrown together on the run, a documentary about the awesomeness of Kevin Pearce that turned into a documentary about his injury.

It could stand to lose about half an hour of snowboarding footage, but who’d want to see it then?

NORMAN WILNER

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

“RIVETING AND OFTEN HILARIOUS!” –THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“IRRESISTIBLE! TERRIFICALLY ENTERTAINING” –THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

SLAVOJ ZIZEK

THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY A film by Sophie Fiennes

Skype intro by director Sophie Fiennes at the 6:45pm screening on Dec. 13

TICKETS ON SALE NOW TIFF.NET TIFF prefers Visa.

ONLY AT

REITMAN SQUARE, 350 KING STREET WEST

OPENS DECEMBER 13 AT TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX

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83

Martin Freeman spends 161 minutes battling orcs, elves, spiders and one big dragon.

documentary

Dinner guest André Gregory: Before And After Dinner (Cindy Kleine). 108 minutes.

Opens Friday (December 13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating:

NNN Avant-garde New York City theatre ­artist André Gregory is probably best known for the 1981 art house smash My Dinner With André, in which he talked, ate and drank for the nearly two hours with his best friend and ­collaborator, Wallace Shawn.

Cindy Kleine’s fascinating but shapeless documentary shows that even in his late 70s he’s a witty raconteur and theatre innovator. With his aristocratic air, seductive voice and mischievous spark, Gregory can tell a story like no one else. And he contin­ ues to push theatrical boundaries; he spent more than 13 years to stage a recent four-week run of The Master Builder for a capacity audience of 22 people a night.

Kleine has lots of access, because she’s also Gregory’s wife; they met when she was 39 and he was 63. So she captures him in rehearsals (costar Shawn isn’t so happy to be caught on camera), goofing around the house and, in one of the film’s more intri­guing threads, Skyping with scholars to see if his European, upperclass Jewish family once collaborated with Nazis before emigrating to America.

Gregory is self-aware and candid enough to consider how his ambivalent feelings about his parents have affected his approach to making art.

But Kleine’s musings about her own family are less compelling, and she doesn’t call her husband on the fact that his inherited wealth contributed to his artistic freedom.

Gregory co-starred in some movies like Demolition Man and The Last Temptation Of Christ, but those films didn’t pay for his palatial Manhattan loft, his luxurious way of making theatre or his personal drawing lessons GLENN SUMI from two artists.

The young André Gregory exudes ­ ristocratic elegance. a

rockumentary fantasy sequel

This Hobbit’s hobbled Only diehard Tolkien fans will enjoy this Smaug slog By NORMAN WILNER

Get Punk’d THe punk syndrome (Jukka Kärkkäinen, Jani-Petteri Passi). 85 minutes. Subtitled.

Opens Friday (December 13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating:

NNN

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug directed by Peter Jackson, written by Jackson­, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro from the book by J.R.R. ­Tolkien, with Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly and Benedict Cumberbatch. A Warner Bros release. 161 minutes. Some subtitles. Opens Friday (­December 13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating: NN The Hobbit movies put me in a bit of a quandary. I’m inordinately fond of the people who make them, and I want to see them happy and successful.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Guillermo del Toro (who spent a couple of years developing the project before stepping out so Jackson could step back in), Martin Freeman and Ian Mc­Kellen are, to a one, swell people who deserve to have all the money in the world. The GNP of New Zealand is clearly benefiting from the production of three more epic J.R.R. Tolkien movies in this decade. A third of the country is probably employed making the costumes alone.

But after another two hours and 40 minutes of The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug – after Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf allies encounter giant spiders and orcs and elves and more orcs (or possibly the same orcs again) and a soupçon of political treachery on the way to the mountain where the dragon Smaug lies sleeping in his plundered

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December 12-18 2013 NOW

gold… well, I keep asking myself why this isn’t the end of it.

There’s not enough story for three Hobbit movies, so Jackson has had to invent new characters and new subplots. Key to The Desolation Of Smaug is the relationship between Kili the dwarf (Aidan Turner, from the UK version of Being Human) and an elf named Tauriel (Lost’s Evangeline Lilly), who flirt a little bit when the dwarves are captured by the elves and then flirt a little bit more when she tends to him after he’s injured by a poison arrow. It adds about 20 minutes to the film and is entirely irrele­vant to the story.

Most of The Desolation Of Smaug is like that, fan service to Tolkien diehards who need to actually see the rise of Sauron (also irrelevant to the story of The Hobbit), or to Jackson himself, whose swooping camera movements and elaborate single-take ­action sequences are starting to feel a little creaky and selfindulgent. Of course, making a nine-hour movie out of a short novel is pretty self-indulgent in itself.

Incidentally, I saw The Desolation Of Smaug in conventional 3D rather than the 48fps High Frame Rate format in which I experienced An Unexpected Journey. This time the film looked more like a movie and less like improperly calibrated HDTV, though the extra darkness imposed by the 3D process made the night scenes that much murkier.

3 normw@nowtoronto.com | @wilnervision

Ñ

Like almost any film about mentally challenged people, The Punk Syndrome seems to tremble constantly on the edge of exploitation. The film profiles Finnish punk band Pertti Kurkian Nimipäivät (Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day), a four-piece made up of developmentally disabled middle-aged men.

They sing about speech defects, taking dumps, pedicures, hating parliament and the trials of living in group homes – all with a shaggy, faithfully energetic punk energy ballasted by singer Kari Aalto, who’s able to channel his rage into his ferocious onstage performances.

The band members clearly enjoy playing together, even if they share off-stage tensions that are (at least superficially) familiar to anyone who has ever watched a Behind The Music doc. But it’s tricky to tell how their fans, and the filmmakers, perceive the group. As a novelty? A joke? A specious last gasp of the bugbear rock ’n’ roll “authenticity”?

Scenes filmed in a voyeuristic “gotcha!” style of band members cleaning their asses in the shower or pissing with the door open feel leering and mean-spirited, like something dusted up from the cutting-room floor of Lars von Trier’s art house spasploitation flick The Idiots.

Elsewhere, the movie proves impressively tender and even-handed. At those moments, it subtly suggests that even the idea that films about the handicapped are inherently exploitative is a kind of ableist prejudice, one proceeding from the viewer’s own disjohn semley comfort.

The unique band Pertti Kurkian Nimipäivät rock out.

= Critic’s Pick nnnnn = Top ten of the year nnnn = Honourable mention nnn = Entertaining nn = Mediocre n = Bomb

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS DECEMBER 13 Documentarian Lucy Walker (Waste Land) directs this intimate portrait of former pro snowboarder Kevin Pearce as he struggles to recover from his debilitating 2009 training accident and return to the slopes.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

ONLY AT

tiff.net/crashreel TIFF prefers Visa.

REITMAN SQUARE, 350 KING STREET WEST

速

Toronto International Film Festival Inc.

NOW december 12-18 2013

85

crime drama

Friend-less FRIEND 2: THE LEGACY (Kwak Kyung-taek).

124 minutes. Subtitled. Opens Friday (December­13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88. Rating: NN Before names like Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) and Lee Chang-dong (Oasis) turned Western eyes toward South Korean cinema, Kwak Kyung-taek’s 2001 crime drama Friend was a hit with that country’s audiences.

Self-serious, melodramatic sequel Friend 2: The Legacy (or Friend: The Great Legacy, as the opening credits have it), picks up 17 years after the original, just as crime boss Lee Joon-seok (Yoo Oh-seong) wraps up a prison sentence for ordering a hit on his best friend/rival gang leader.

Reuniting with his Busan crime

family only to discover that the new leadership isn’t too keen on returning control to him, Joon-seok mounts a violent yet dull and illogical takeover effort with prison mate Seong-hoon (Kim Woo-bin), a young firecracker in desperate need of a father figure.

The emotional entanglements between these two players give this sequel some much-needed heft, especially in the case of Woo-bin, a fine performer who enlivens derivative material. The overstuffed plot is constantly interrupted by flashbacks that fill in unnecessary character histories to make this both a prequel and a sequel à la The Godfather, Part II. The earnest attempt at being epic is obvious.

Failing to replicate the gonzo storytelling and dynamic aesthetic that has made South Korean cinema a sensation, Friend 2, like its predecessor, won’t make much of an impression in RADHEYAN SIMONPILLAI West.

Michelle Mylett stars in the bloody unoriginal Antisocial.

also opening Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (D: Tyler Perry, 105 min) The prolific Tyler Perry dons his alter ego Madea’s silver wig yet again – and a Santa’s hat – in this holiday comedy with a Christian message.

Her (D: Spike Jonze, 120 min) Joaquin Phoenix plays a lonely ­writer who gets over the loss of his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) by starting a relationship with his computer’s operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson).

A Madea Christmas opens Friday (December 13). No press screening – see review December 14 at nowtoronto.com/movies. Her opens Wednesday (December 18).

See review in next week’s issue.

Kim Woo-bin (centre) adds life to derivative crime film.

horror

Fear failure Antisocial (Cody Calahan). 90 minutes. Opens Friday (December 13). For venues and times, see Movies, page 88.

Rating: NN

Looking for some horror for the holidays? You could watch Antisocial, a new zombie movie shot in Guelph and Toronto, but it’s not worth the ­effort.

It’s New Year’s Eve, and Sam (Michelle Mylett) sleepwalks through a day of classes at her generic North American university, not quite noticing the strange behaviour breaking out around her.

But by the time she shows up for a friend’s house party, the world is clearly in the grip of a mysterious rage plague. Could the strangely ad-

dictive, not-at-all-like-Facebook site TheSocialRedroom.com have anything to do with it? Yeah, probably, given how glaringly weird a name like “TheSocialRedroom.com” sounds every time someone says it.

The usual mechanics follow: creepy hallucinations, blood spurting from noses and ears, characters arguing over who among them is or isn’t infected. Writer/director Cody Calahan seems to think he’s breaking new ground with the social media angle, but Antisocial is really just warmed-over Romero and Raimi with one really nifty visual concept (with which, sadly, nothing is ever done) and a third act that’s both dull and ­ridiculous.

A sequel is promised. Swell.

NORMAN WILNER

Joaquin Phoenix is in love with his OS in Her.

The Prime Ministers: The ­ ioneers treats Golda Meir and P defence minister Moshe Dayan (centre) like gods.

pro-Zionist doc

Prime bias THE PRIME MINISTERS: THE PIONEERS ­( Richard Trank). 114 minutes. Opens Friday (December 13) at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. See Times, page 96. Rating: NN

Interested in learning the art of propaganda? Check out The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers, an un-

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December 12-18 2013 NOW

abashed salute to Zionism.

Based on the memoirs of Yehuda Avner, who worked in the offices of ­Israeli PMs from David Ben-Gurion to Golda Meir, the film gives a profoundly biased view of the birth of Israel and the wars that followed.

It uses all the tricks of the propaganda trade.

First: pretend there’s no issue, only cause for celebration. Palestinians are

completely invisible. There’s no mention of the “Nakba” (catastrophe), the term used by Palestinians to describe the birth of the Jewish state.

Second: find an avuncular talking head to give the piece some authority. That would be Avner, the only interviewee in the entire film. Even another staunch Zionist would have added much-needed texture.

Third: get the public on board by

Ñ

feeding its insatiable appetite for celeb­rity. Here, Hollywood A-Listers voice the prime ministers, including Michael Douglas as Yitzhak Rabin and Sandra Bullock (!) as Golda Meir. Her Yiddish? Laughable.

Fourth: let the music swell to punctuate the stories of Jewish survival.

I’ve never heard so many cheesy variations on Hatikvah.

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema’s baf-

fling decision to program this puff piece may be explained by its decent stock footage and Avner’s inside dish on meetings with the egotistical ­Lyndon Johnson and a possibly inebriated Richard Nixon.

But it’s strictly for hardcore Zionists who haven’t noticed that the Middle East is deeply contested ­terrain.

SUSAN G. COLE

= Critic’s Pick nnnnn = Top ten of the year nnnn = Honourable mention nnn = Entertaining nn = Mediocre n = Bomb

WHAT’S ON

THIS WEEK

Best Independent Cinema

DEC 13–19, 2013 506 Bloor St. W. @ Bathurst, Toronto

“Engrossing.” – Los Angeles Times

Winner—Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award, Sundance 2013

BLOOD BROTHER A stirring portrait about the human spirit, this Sundance award-winning film follows a troubled young man to India where he finds his life forever changed by a group of children.

FRI, DEC 13–22, select dates and times

THE PRIME MINISTERS: THE PIONEERS Based on the best-selling book by Ambassador Yehuda Avner, The Prime Ministers weaves a rich tapestry of history and testimonies from Israel’s early leaders.

FRI, DEC 13–22, select dates and times

COMING SOON!

FREE HOLIDAY CLASSICS Celebrate the holidays and the cinema’s 100th anniversary with FREE Bloor Christmas classics including: White Christmas, A Christmas Story, Home Alone and Die Hard. Donations support The Stop Community Food Centre.

GIVE THE GIFT OF DOCS A Bloor Hot Docs Cinema gift certificate is the perfect gift for any doc lover on your list!

Available in any denomination.

WWW.BLOORCINEMA.COM

MON, DEC 23, select times

TICKETS & FULL SCHEDULE WWW.BLOORCINEMA.COM

/bloorcinema

@thebloorcinema

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87

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), John Semley (JS) 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 96.

ABOUT TIME (Richard Curtis) is another of

Curtis’s sappy, what-a-wonderful-world romantic comedies, only now the goofy guy (Domnhall Gleeson) who falls for a lovely American (Rachel McAdams) has the ability to travel back within his own lifetime to do things over as he sees fit.

The gimmick doesn’t affect the plot in any meaningful way, but it does give Curtis’s sappiest, cheesiest impulses free rein.

(When a scene goes awry, he simply starts it again and takes it in a different direction.) Gleeson and McAdams are charming, and Bill Nighy is delightful, as always, as Gleeson’s father, but About Time is so insistently, explicitly manipulative – and so wilfully blind to the moral implications of its hero’s actions for the lives of the people around him – that it says more about the filmmaker’s machinations than perhaps he intends. 123 min. NN (NW) Canada Square, Colossus, Grande - Steeles, Interchange 30, SilverCity Mississauga, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñA.K.A. DOC POMUS

(Peter Miller, William Hechter) is a standard rockumentary in which directors Hechter and

Miller use talking heads, still photos and archival footage (including several TV interviews with the eponymous song _ writer, born Jerome Solon Felder, who died in 1991) to give Felder his proper standing in rock and roll history. It doesn’t break the mould for musician docs, but that’s okay.

The music is terrific, the story almost as compelling. And any doc that gets the stellar There Must Be A Better World back into circulation is worthy of the highest praise.

98 min. NNNN (NW) Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Varsity

ñALL IS LOST

(J.C. Chandor) may not break new cinematic ground for the survival thriller in the way Gravity does, but it doesn’t have to; it’s just one hell of a good movie. Writer-director Chandor’s follow-up to his economic horror movie Margin Call is a nautical story with just one character and virtually no dialogue.

And it’s just as gripping, if not more so.

Robert Redford plays the never-named sailor whose boat is badly damaged by a shipping container somewhere in the Indian Ocean; All Is Lost follows him over eight days as he attempts to steer the damaged vessel through nightmarish weather to rescue in commercial shipping lanes. Redford’s character simply exists in the moment, solving problems with dwindling supplies and doing whatever he can to prolong his life – and Chandor’s intimate, immediate direction puts us right there with him for every second of it. 106 min. NNNN (NW) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES

(Adam McKay) catches up with Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and others from the hit 2004 comedy. See interview and review in next week’s issue. 119 min.

Opens Dec 18 at 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

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THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

Director Jennifer Baichwal and Léa Seydoux and photographer Edward Burtynsky Adèle – who earlier Exarchopoulos collaborated on play a young Manufactured French lesbian Landscapes – couple in explore the effects Abdellatif of human industry Kechiche’s absorbing Palme on our oceans and d’Or-winning film. rivers.

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DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Steve Coogan and Judi Dench make a terrific odd couple in Stephen Frears’s film – inspired by a real story – about a jaded journalist who helps a woman track down the son she was forced to give up for adoption.

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth return for the second exciting instalment in Suzanne Collins’s dystopic action trilogy.

Bruce Dern could earn his second Oscar nomination for his poignant turn in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska.

ANDRÉ GREGORY: BEFORE AND AFTER DINNER (Cindy Kleine) 108 min. See

review, page 84. NNN (GS) Opens Dec 13 at Carlton Cinema

ANTISOCIAL (Cody Calahan) 90 min. See

review, page 86. NN (NW) Opens Dec 13 at Carlton Cinema

THE ARMSTRONG LIE (Alex Gibney) opens

with Lance Armstrong just after the 2013 Oprah interview in which he confessed to years of deceit. Then director Gibney cuts back to 2009, when he hoped to capture Armstrong’s Tour de France comeback victory. His strategy throughout: remind viewers of Armstrong’s layered shams while still egging them on to root for him.

It’s as if Gibney is trickily inflating his subject’s charisma and, in turn, his film’s drama. Add his insistence on writing his own infatuation with Armstrong into the story and the film feels overly engineered.

That’s a shame. Gibney exhaustively exposes Armstrong’s strong-arming, selfdelusion and flat-out lying. He also dismantles the mechanics of the Tour de France, which to the untrained eye seems like a swarm of people with massive calves. The director’s attention to detail is admirable, but for those who found the Armstrong myth hard to swallow all along, the mix of sympathy and outrage is hard to stomach. 122 min. NNN (JS) Canada Square

THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY (Malcolm D. Lee) is like the Christmas dinner that starts off with laughs and high spirits but keeps dragging along until you can’t hold down the eggnog. This sequel to 1999’s The Best Man is an overstuffed turkey. The itinerary for this holiday weekend includes the typical sex, secrets and scandals, followed by a rah-rah football game, a shamelessly dour cameo by the Grim Reaper and a

climactic visit from the stork. There’s enough material to last until Easter. The schmaltzy, contrived sub-dramas clamour for attention, but none warrant a kleenex despite the best efforts of a mostly fine ensemble cast. They do much better with the gags and camaraderie in the early goings. Terrence Howard is the gift that keeps on giving as the chronic bachelor who drops the best zingers, including one that could describe the whole movie: “That was some melodramatic shit.” 120 min. NN (RS) 401 & Morningside, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

BLACK NATIVITY (Kasi Lemmons) fre-

quently tips its hat to Langston Hughes but doesn’t do his work justice. The holiday musical inspired by the Harlem Renaissance poet’s Gospel play never exhibits the verbal wit or carefully composed anger that marked Hughes’s writing, except of course when it quotes him directly. A stiff Jacob Latimore plays Langston, a young, troublesome Batlimore native shipped off by his penniless mother (Jennifer Hudson) to spend Christmas in Harlem with his estranged well-to-do grandparents (Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett). While tangling with the old folks and their churchgoing ways, Langston is on the prowl for the secrets that caused a family rift. The bare-bones plot, propped up by redundant R&B tunes, hinges on revelations so obvious you won’t need a prophet to call them out. Apart from a rousing take on Silent Night called Hush Child, the musical numbers don’t live up to the promise of the talent on board. 93 min. NN (RS) 401 & Morningside, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Interchange 30,

Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

BLOOD BROTHER (Steve Hoover) 92 min.

See review, page 98. NNN (José Teodoro) Opens Dec 13 at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

ñBLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR

(Abdellatif Kechiche) tracks university art student Emma’s (Léa Seydoux) multiyear relationship with high schooler Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos). The big buzz surrounding this Palme d’Or winner centres on the protracted sex scenes, but there’s more going on here than a whack of lesbian erotica. Kechiche shoots in intense close-up, showing people eating, showering, weeping (chronic crier Adèle is a mess of bodily fluids) in what turns out to be a unique, in-your-face exploration of intimacy and sensuousness. And it’s as much about what happens when an artist partners with someone who lacks similar aspirations. Emma works toward success as a painter, while Adèle is happy to become an elementary school teacher, to Emma’s increasing dissatisfaction. Both Seydoux and Exarchopoulos – who received a dual acting award at Cannes – are superb, and, yes, the sex is plentiful and hot. Let’s hope there’s no American remake. They’d wreck it. Subtitled. 179 min. NNNN (SGC) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre, TIFF Bell Lightbox

ñBLUE JASMINE

(Woody Allen) stars Cate Blanchett as the emotionally unhinged wife of a corporate sleazebag (Alec Baldwin) who moves to San Francisco to live with her sister (Sally Hawkins) when he’s busted. Expect Oscar to come calling on the amazing Blanchett. 98 min.

NNNN (SGC) Interchange 30, Kingsway Theatre, Mt Pleasant

The Book Thief (Brian Percival) reframes the Second World War as a coming-of-age story about a young German girl (Monsieur Lazhar’s Sophie Nélisse). It’s a great idea on the page – specifically, in Markus Zusak’s experimental young-adult novel – but it doesn’t work nearly as well onscreen. In 1938, 10-year-old Liesel, illiterate and traumatized, arrives at the home of childless couple (Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson). Over the next six years she will learn many things about good and evil, a number of them from the sickly young Jewish man (Ben Schnetzer) hiding in their basement. The resolutely mass-market execution insists on treating this brutal period in German history as a delicate fairy tale. Director Percival has helmed a lot of Downton Abbey episodes, and it shows in film’s odd propriety, where the bombing of a city street results in rows of unblemished corpses. A movie about the Holocaust can’t be afraid of confronting its own message. 131 min. NN (NW) Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Interchange 30, Queensway, Rainbow Promenade, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24 Captain Phillips (Paul Greengrass) stars Tom Hanks in a fantastic performance as the eponymous skipper of the commercial vessel Maersk Alabama, which in 2009 was boarded by four Somali pirates who eventually took Phillips hostage in a lifeboat and led Navy warships on a slowspeed chase through the Indian Ocean.

The actor invests a one-dimensional ­character with his own humanity and geniality; he gives a totally transparent performance that allows us to see when he’s blatantly lying to his captors while appearing outwardly helpful. And in the last five minutes of Captain Phillips, Hanks opens up to the camera in a way that feels almost uncomfortably intimate. The rest of the film is far more problematic, with director Greengrass applying the tense, jangled docudrama aesthetic of United 93 to another true-life hostage crisis. Some subtitles. 134 min. NNN (NW) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Colossus, Interchange 30, SilverCity Yonge, Yonge & Dundas 24

stereotypes and a splendid visual design that owes much to acclaimed cinemato­ grapher Roger Deakins, who serves as a consultant. 92 min. NNNN (RS) Rainbow Woodbine

Dallas Buyers Club (Jean-Marc

ñ

Val­lée) stars Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof, a hard-living, womanizing Texas electrician who became an unlikely AIDS activist in the mid1980s after being diagnosed with HIV and told he had 30 days to live. Unable to withstand the side-effects of AZT, which he buys illegally, he hits upon a scheme of importing a cocktail of drugs – unapproved in the U.S. – first from Mexico, then from other countries. He sells them to other AIDS patients whose lives are then extended, and changes from a bigoted redneck to a man of compassion and purpose, fighting the FDA to get the drugs approved. McConaughey, his body emaciated, is almost unrecognizable, but his charm and passion shine through, and he gets strong support from Jared Leto, whose dignified transsexual Rayon provides a lovely contrast to Ron, and Jennifer Garner’s concerned doctor. Although the pace wavers near the end, director Vallée does a fine job with the difficult material, which spans years and countries. Expect major acting nominations come awards

season. 117 min. NNNN (GS) Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Kingsway Theatre, Queensway, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

Delivery Man (Ken Scott) finds Quebec

bow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

writer/director Scott remaking his 2011 comedy Starbuck for the American market, with Vince Vaughn replacing Patrick Huard as David Wozniak, a no-account meat truck driver who discovers the sperm donations of his youth samples have resulted in 533 children – about a fifth of whom are now looking for their biological dad. Those familiar with Starbuck have basically already seen Delivery Man; it’s exactly the same movie – down to shot choices, character names and even the casting of Sébastien René in a key role – with the action moved from Montreal to Brooklyn. Vaughn’s shifty/manic tendencies are a nice echo of what Huard did in the original, and Cobie Smulders musters some dignity as David’s long-suffering girlfriend, but this version is stolen by the delightful Chris Pratt as our hero’s hapless attorney. 105 min. NNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, ­Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rain-

Despicable Me 2 (Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin) has about 35 minutes of story and an hour of frickin’ minion jokes. If you love watching little tubular yellow guys run around jabbering at each other and ­making fart noises, this will be your new favourite thing. If you’re me, you end up with a headache and a sense that the world hates you. I did appreciate the ­running gag about the guacamole sadness hat, though. 98 min. NN (NW) Interchange 30 Don Jon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) stars writer/director Gordon-Levitt as a pornaddicted stud who thinks porn is more exciting than the real thing – including Barbara (Scarlett Johansson, who’s terrific), his latest gorgeous but demanding conquest. The script is sometimes supersavvy but it’s just a little too on the nose.

Caution: tons of (non-explicit) porn clips.

90 min. NNN (SGC) Scotiabank Theatre Elysium (Neill Blomkamp) is virtually identical, plot-wise, to the director’s wildly overrated 2009 debut, and fans of District 9’s spectacular carnage and garbled polit-

ical posturing will doubtless find this one even more meaningful and relevant and stuff. The Phantom Menace still has its defenders, too. Some subtitles. 109 min.

NN (NW) Interchange 30

Ender’s Game (Gavin Hood) is Harry ­ otter And The Starship Troopers, a very P expensive, very elaborately designed ­attempt to build a new super-franchise out of Orson Scott Card’s 1985 sci-fi novel about a gifted young boy (Asa Butterfield) chosen to save the world from an alien threat. But screenwriter/director Hood has no vision of his own, instead applying the grim aesthetic of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy to Card’s novel. We’re not allowed to enjoy or appreciate Ender’s ingenuity at winning a zero-gravity contest; we’re told his merciless calculation is Exactly What Humanity Needs. Imagine Nolan tackling The Hunger Games. You’d never get the comic relief that Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks or Woody Harrelson brought to it, which is desperately needed here. 113 min. NN (NW) Beach Cinemas, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñEnough Said

(Nicole Holofcener) is an alt romantic dramedy about a masseuse (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who can’t continued on page 90 œ

“A... NEXT-GENERATION

HORROR SATIRE WITH AN ABSOLUTELY

GENIUS HOOK.” – FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Carrie (Kimberly Peirce) is what happens

when a director has no vision and a star gets no direction, trading in the hazy eroticism and explosive horror of Brian de Palma’s 1976 film for a bland sleepwalk through the same material. What a pointless, bloody waste. 96 min. NN (NW) Interchange 30

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2

(Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn) is a merely okay sequel to the brilliant original. It’s visually lively and has laugh-out-loud ­moments, but the characters and story are flat and nothing here resembles the first movie’s surreal equation of food and shit. 94 min. NN (Andrew Dowler) Coliseum Mississauga, SilverCity Mississauga, SilverCity Yonge

The Counselor (Ridley Scott) is a thriller about an unnamed El Paso attorney (Michael Fassbender) whose world collapses into chaos when a drug deal in which he’s mixed up goes south. Stultifyingly dull and thick-witted, it plays out its inevitabilities like a tabloid journalist flipping through a selection of crime scene photos.

Yes, it’s all very ugly. What was the point again? 117 min. N (NW) SilverCity Mississauga The Crash Reel (Lucy Walker) 108 min.

See review, page 82. NNN (NW) Opens Dec 13 at TIFF Bell Lightbox

ñThe Croods

(Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco) proves that even the familiar and clichéd can be reformulated into something smart, fun and endearing. The animated romp, about a cave-dwelling family trying to stick together while Pangaea begins to break apart, cherry-picks elements from the evolution of animated movies. But it’s also fertile with fresh gags, characters developed beyond

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œcontinued from page 89

reveal to her glamorous new client ­(Catherine Keener) that she’s dating the woman’s ex (James Gandolfini). It has all the qualities that make writer/director Holofcener so good: a great cast, complicated relationships and smart writing.

Louis-Dreyfus is surprisingly nuanced as the needy Eva, and fuhgeddabout The Sopranos – Gandolfini has a lovable charm as the schleppy ex. The always watchable Toni Collette is on board as Eva’s best friend. As in Please Give, Holofcener displays a clear eye for relationships between parents and teens, never using the kids as mere devices. And though she has taken a bit of the edge off the proceedings, her dialogue is as sly as ever. 93 min. NNNN (SGC) Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre

The Family (Luc Besson) is a forgettable

and not very funny comedy carried by the charm of its stars and by director Luc ­Besson’s skills with camera and editor’s

scissors. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro, with Dianna Agron and John D’Leo as teen daughter and son, play the titular family, living under the witness protection program but still carrying on with crime.

Some subtitles. 110 min. NN (AD) Interchange 30

Free Birds (Jimmy Hayward) finally brings

audiences the inevitable talking-turkey CGI Thanksgiving comedy. Thankfully, it’s actually decent. Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson lend their voices to a pair of turkeys who travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving to take their ancestors off the menu. Pixar veteran Hayward and longtime Kevin Smith collaborator Scott Mosier deliver a surprisingly clever script packed with just enough silly slapstick for kids and pop culture references for parents to turn the dull concept into an amusing comedy.

It’s ultimately just family fluff, but at least it’s fun family fluff, and that’s really all you can ask from a talking-turkey picture. 91 min. NNN (Phil Brown)

The Japan Foundation, Toronto & The Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto present

JAPANESE

FILM SCREENINGS BLOOR CINEMA, 506 BLOOR ST. W. © 2012 Chronicle of My Mother Film Partners

FREE ADMISSION

Sunday, Dec. 15, 6:30 pm CHRONICLE OF MY MOTHER

2011•118 min•PG

Sunday, Dec. 15, 3:30 pm

7 DAYS OF HIMAWARI 2013 • 117 min • PG

Monday, Dec. 16, 6:30 pm

LIFE BACK THEN 2011 • 131 min • 14A

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 6:30 pm

WELCOME HOME, HAYABUSA 2012 • 114 min • G

©2011 Life Back Then, 2013 7 Days of Himawari, 2012 Welcome Home Hayabusa film partners

All films in Japanese w/ English subtitles Doors open 30 min. before screening © 2009 Fuji Television Network No reservation or ticket required Visit www.jftor.org for details 90

december 12-18 2013 NOW

Canada Square, Coliseum Mississauga, Colossus, Interchange 30, Kingsway Theatre, Queensway, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Mississauga

Friend 2: The Legacy (Kwak Kyung-taek) 124 min. See review, page NN (RS) Opens Dec 13 at Yonge & Dundas 24

Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee) feels like a throwback to the classic golden period of Disney animated musicals, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of a Lion King or Beauty And The Beast, it’s entertaining enough, despite a lopsided narrative and the lack of a compelling villain. Orphaned princesses Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) have grown up apart (but in the same castle) since childhood, ever since Elsa’s power to turn everything to ice nearly got Anna killed.

But when Elsa ascends the throne, her gift reveals itself, and she flees to icy isolation in the mountains, followed by Anna, loner outdoorsman Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and happy-go-lucky snowman Olaf (Josh Gad). It’s basically The Snow Queen mixed with Wicked, but the creators were smart enough to cast one of the latter’s stars (Menzel) and a host of other Broadway belters. The songs are derivative but ­effective, but only Olaf’s hilarious ditty about wanting to experience summer is destined for classic status. And Gad’s Olaf is the most entertaining sidekick since ­Timon and Pumbaa. 102 min. NNN (GS) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, ­Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, ­Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, ­Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

ñGravity

(Alfonso Cuarón) plays as both an immediate, nail-biting ­thriller and a stunning technological ­accomplishment, following two astronauts (Sandra Bullock, George Clooney) stranded in orbit and cut off from mission control. It’s not science fiction – it’s set firmly in the present day, and the stakes are as intimate as they come. Cuarón’s screenplay, co-written with his son Jonás, is a triumph of psychological realism and narrative efficiency; there isn’t a wasted shot or an extraneous line of dialogue.

There are things here you’ve never seen before; this is a great, unprecedented ­picture. One word of warning, though: even if you don’t have vertigo, the IMAX 3D version may well leave you with it. 91 min. NNNNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Queensway, SilverCity Fairview, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

Hawking (Stephen Finnigan) humbly bows to scientist Stephen Hawking, who’s

Ñ

struggled with motor neuron disease most of his life and unravelled mysteries of the universe from the confines of a wheelchair, able to speak only with the aid of a computerized voice simulator. Recounting his extraordinary life through standard-issue re-enactments and talking heads, this is a serviceable tribute but not much of a movie. The man is an appealing and inspiring presence, narrating the film using technology that interprets the twitches on his face. He doesn’t let physical constraints keep him from galas and cocktail parties, where he’s spoon-fed champagne. The way he soaks up celebrity seems to deserve its own story; there’s a suggestion that it ended his marriage. ­Finnigan barely touches on that and on the actual science, evidently deeming it too complex for audiences just here for the PR. 94 min. NN (RS) TIFF Bell Lightbox

Her (Spike Jonze) 120 min. See Also Opening, page 86.

Opens Dec 18 at Varsity The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

(Peter Jackson) 161 min. See review, page 84. NN (NW) Opens Dec 13 at 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale

Homefront (Gary Fleder) is an utterly

generic shoot-’em-up starring writer/producer Sylvester Stallone’s Expendables buddy Jason Statham as an ex-DEA agent who moves to a small Louisiana town to raise his young daughter (Izabela Vidovic).

He’s drawn back into warrior mode when a school fight with a bully leads to an escalating feud with the kid’s uncle (James Franco, better than he needs to be), a meth dealer who sees an opportunity in selling the agent’s location to some old enemies. Stallone could write this sort of movie in his sleep, but director Fleder is a professional, and Homefront’s progression from cat-and-mouse thriller to full-on action movie is efficient and enjoyable.

Not original in the slightest, mind you, but it is entertaining. 100 min. NNN (NW) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, ­Carlton Cinema, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande Steeles, Queensway, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Yorkdale

ñThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire

(Francis Lawrence) proves the Oscar curse can be beaten. Best-actress winner Jennifer Lawrence is a knockout in this second instalment of the franchise, which,

unlike many actors’ releases following Oscar wins, is not total crap. It’s much better than Part 1: the script doesn’t need much set-up, there’s more focus on the relationship between Katniss (Lawrence) and Gale (which means more charismatic Liam Hemsworth), and director Lawrence keeps the violence offscreen instead of sanitizing it. Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are having trouble faking the love relationship that made them co-winners of the 74th Hunger Games, the arena spectacle in which a male and female from 12 districts fight to the death until there’s one person standing. But they’re sparking revolution against the wealthy 1 per cent, so baddie President Snow dreams up a new tourney in which the winners of the previous 24 games have to go into the ring. Who cares about plot holes in a fantasy? This is highly entertaining, and Lawrence is red hot in all ways. 145 min. NNNN (SGC) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Humber Cinemas, Queens­way, Rainbow Market Square, Rainbow Promenade, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverCity Yorkdale, Varsity

If I Were You (Joan Carr-Wiggin) features

an all-too-rare leading turn from the talented, woefully underused Marcia Gay Harden. She plays a woman who discovers her husband is cheating on her and within minutes strikes up a duplicitous alliance with his mistress. Harden exhibits superb comic timing and a knack for translating her character’s desires and anxieties into physical activity. Unfortunately, her fine work is at the mercy of a baggy script fraught with mostly cartoonish supporting characters and zany developments that are neither convincing nor amusing. At least Aidan Quinn turns up to play a small but pivotal role. The midpoint scene shared by Quinn and Harden is easily the best thing in the movie, an oasis of heart and wit in a desert of strained ­comedy. 115 min. NN (José Teodoro) Kingsway Theatre

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (Jeff

Tremaine) spins off Johnny Knoxville’s long-time old-man-makeup character into a Borat-style mixture of hidden camera pranks and simple storytelling. There’s no social satire, but the combination of Knoxville and 8-year-old Jackson Nicoll’s public pranks with intergenerational-bonding road comedy tropes feels like a vintage John Hughes comedy with Jackass interludes. As close to a sign maturity as these permanent adolescents can manage. 90 min. NNN (Phil Brown) Coliseum Mississauga, Colossus, Kingsway Theatre, Yonge & Dundas 24

Jingle Bell Rocks (Mitchell Kezin) dives into the rich, strange world of alternate Christmas music, and the results are odd

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Top ten of the year nnNn = Honourable mention nnn = Entertaining nn = Mediocre n = Bomb

Snowman Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) dreams of playing in the summer in white-hot Disney hit ­Frozen.

great performances by Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo and especially Forest Whitaker as a White House butler. But don’t expect anything like the director’s disturbing Precious or The Paperboy. ­Daniels is decidedly domesticated here, aiming to teach and please. 132 min. NNN (SGC) Kingsway Theatre, Mt Pleasant

Let the Fire Burn (Jason Osder)

ñ

and frequently joyful. Though the music industry will never stop covering White Christmas and Little Drummer Boy, each new yuletide produces a few weird, lovely tracks like The Flaming Lips’ A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So), Clarence Carter’s Back Door Santa and Clarence Reid’s Winter Man, all of which Kezin investigates at length. He even tracks down bebop legend Bob Dorough, who collaborated with Miles Davis on the bitter, pointed Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern).

Kezin’s fascination with the Nat King Cole track The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot – with which he’s been obsessed since childhood – does edge into the maudlin, but it pays off in a pretty great way. 83 min. NNN (NW) Kingsway Theatre

Kill Your Darlings (John Krokidas) r­ ecounts a murder in the mid-1940s that linked the lives of Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), William Burroughs (Ben Foster) and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and their charismatic friend Lucien Carr (Dane ­DeHaan). Krokidas and co-screenwriter Austin Bunn fail to find a clear perspective, and for all their characters’ talk about new art, the look of the film – and its ­approach to the era’s burgeoning queer scene – is pretty conservative. 103 min.

NN (GS) Carlton Cinema The Last Days on Mars (Ruairi Robin-

son) is an Alien rip-off about a group of astronauts who discover a mysterious phenomenon on the Red Planet and then begin getting picked off before they can return to Earth. This would all be straightto-DVD fodder if not for the cast, which includes a drolly amusing Liev Schrieber, a having-fun-as-the-ship’s-bitch Olivia ­Williams, an unintentionally spaced-out Romola Garai and Canadian Elias (remember, he was going to be the next De Niro?)

Koteas. If only they had characters to play, this mission might not be such an utter failure. In space, no one can hear you scream – or, in this case, yawn. 98 min. NN (GS) Carlton Cinema

Last Vegas (Jon Turteltaub) stars veterans Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, ­Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline in a bachelor party comedy that sets up gags as familiar as the routine in a seniors home. Even the jokes have bunions. Yet the four Oscar winners are so good at playing against each other, you can’t help wondering why they finally decided to do so now in a comedy that pays out as rarely as a slot machine. 110 min. NN (RS) 401 & Morningside, Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Grande - Steeles, Kingsway Theatre, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Mississauga

examines the events of May 13, 1985, when Pennsylvania State Police dropped two incendiary bombs on a row house in West Philadelphia occupied by the militant black organization MOVE. The resulting blaze would destroy more 61 homes and kill 11 people, including five children, because it burned for more than an hour before firefighters were allowed to move in. Osder’s doc reconstructs the standoff, the bombing and its aftermath exclusively through archival footage. The deposition video of 13-year-old Michael Ward, who survived the bombing, opens a window onto the confusion and horror that unfolded within the building, while the proceedings of a special commission to investigate the incident provides a very different perspective, revealing the institutional prejudice and disturbing dehumanization that motivated the police.

It’s a grim look at the way a crisis gives people licence to do awful, awful things in the name of keeping the peace. 95 min.

NNNN (NW) Carlton Cinema, Kingsway Theatre

Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion

(Yukihiro Miyamoto, Akiyuki Shinbo) is an animé feature about the fate of a group of magical girls. 123 min.

Dec 15, 12.55 pm, at Coliseum Scarborough, Courtney Park 16, Queensway, SilverCity Fairview, 12:55 and 4 pm at Yonge & Dundas 24

The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff is a

live high-def broadcast of Robert Carsen’s new production of Verdi’s comic opera.

200 min.

Dec 14, 12:55 pm, at Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge

The Metropolitan Opera: Tosca ­Encore is an encore presentation of last

fall’s high-def broadcast of the Puccini opera starring Finnish soprano Karita ­Mattila in the title role. 166 min.

Dec 16, 6:30 pm, at Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Yonge

ñMuscle Shoals

(Greg Camalier) is about the musically inclined back-

water town in Alabama that has seen everyone from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones come through to produce hits.

They’re among the many who speak affectionately here about their time with Rick Hall, of FAME Studios, arguably the backbone of the Muscle Shoals music industry. The interviews are woven together like music, composing a film with storytelling rhythms that strikes emotional chords. Soul aficionados will savour every beat. 111 min. NNNN (RS) Kingsway Theatre, Regent Theatre

Nebraska (Alexander Payne) is a black-

and-white road movie about a Montana speaker salesman (Will Forte) who gets to know his remote, alcoholic father (Bruce Dern) as the pair drive to Lincoln to cure the older man’s obsession with a sweepstakes. It lacks the highs and lows of The Descendants and Sideways, feeling much more like director Payne’s 2002 drama About Schmidt: a slow, deliberate roll through a series of modest incidents that inform our understanding of its central character. Problem is, Nebraska never ­surprises. Road movies are by definition formulaic, but there’s a predictability to the way Bob Nelson’s screenplay trickles out details and shading that feel more calculated than they should. This isn’t to say that Nebraska is bad, but it’s awfully safe and contrived – not what we’ve come to expect from Payne. 115 min. NNN (NW) Scotiabank Theatre, Varsity

Night Train to Lisbon (Bille August) is a dreary Euro-pudding that wastes several very talented actors in two stories separated by four decades. After stopping a young woman from jumping off a bridge, a Swiss professor (Jeremy Irons) finds himself taking her seat on the eponymous train to Portugal. Once there, he winds up investigating a decades-old love triangle between a writer (Jack Huston), a militant (August Diehl) and a remarkable young woman (Mélanie Laurent), all of whom were in the same resistance cell during the Portuguese military junta of 1974 to 76.

Neither plot thread is all that interesting, and the actors all seem to know it; Bille August has never been particularly confident working in English, and it feels like he’s barely paying attention to what’s happening in front of him. Irons is a great listener, and he has a few nice scenes with Martina Gedeck as an optometrist with whom his character becomes friendly, but that’s hardly a reason to endure the rest of it. 111 min. NN (NW) Kingsway Theatre, Regent Theatre The Nutcracker – Royal Opera House Encore is a repeat broadcast in high def

of Peter Wright’s classic all-ages seasonal

continued on page 92 œ

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CONTEST PICK OF THE WEEK

Jared Leto (left) and Matthew ­McConaughey both scored deserved Screen Actors Guild Award noms for Dallas Buyers Club.

The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers

(­ Richard Trank) 114 min. See review, page 86. NN (SGC) Opens Dec 13 at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema œcontinued from page 91

ballet. 130 min.

Dec 12, 7:30 pm, at Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Queensway, SilverCity Yonge, Yonge & Dundas 24

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Financially ruined and suicidal on Christmas Eve, small-town Everyman George Bailey (James Stewart) is given a vision of what the world would have been like without him, in this beloved, heart-warming masterpiece by Frank Capra.

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Oldboy (Spike Lee) doesn’t just bungle the baroque insanity of Park Chan-wook’s 2003 revenge thriller. It doesn’t even seem to understand it. Lee was an interesting choice to direct the remake, having made his reputation on a combination of emotional volatility and formal elegance that’s not unlike Park’s approach to cinema, and Josh Brolin seems a good fit for the role of a selfish drunk who’s abducted and imprisoned in an anonymous room for two decades without ever learning why, only to be released without explanation and sent on a mission of vengeance. But the moment Sharlto Copley shows up as the villain, wearing false cheekbones and affecting a simpering delivery out of a 1930s Universal horror movie, the thing falls apart. It’s clear Lee has no interest in taking the story seriously, which is the only way it can work. The original is still out there, just waiting to be rediscovered in the wake of this disaster. 104 min. N (NW) Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, SilverCity Yorkdale Out of the Furnace (Scott Cooper) positions itself as a grand American tragedy, but it’s just a turgid, laughably grim slog through hoary old working-class clichés.

Christian Bale stars as Russell Baze, a noble ex-con in Braddock, Pennsylvania, who works at the mill, cares for his dying father and tries his best to keep his hapless brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) out of trouble. Rodney’s a veteran who expresses his PTSD through bare-knuckle boxing, which puts him on a collision course with Harlan DeGroat (Woody Harrelson), a seething brute who runs an underground fight club up in the mountains. One thing leads to another, and eventually Russell winds up on a collision course with Harlan as well, against the warnings of the local law (Forest Whitaker). And it’s here that Out Of The Furnace goes completely off the rails, spinning into one preposterous contrivance after another in order to reach its predetermined conclusion. There’s no

Ñ

dramatic weight or emotional resonance, just affectation. And the plot wouldn’t sustain an episode of Justified, let alone a feature film. It’s kind of awesome that Whitaker delivers all his lines in Bale’s ­Batman growl, though. 116 min. N (NW) Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, ­Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Scotiabank Theatre, Varsity

Prisoners (Denis Villeneuve) stars Hugh Jackman as a Pennsylvania contractor who reacts to his daughter’s abduction by grabbing the most likely suspect (Paul Dano) and trying to beat the truth out of him. Jackman’s entirely convincing as a righteous hothead, but Villeneuve’s unable to keep Prisoners from collapsing into overwrought, mildly preposterous contrivance. And there’s simply no reason this movie needed to be two and a half hours long. 153 min. NNN (NW) Interchange 30, SilverCity Mississauga

The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology

The Punk Syndrome (Jukka Kärkkäinen, Jani-Petteri Passi) 85 min. See review, page 84. NNN (JS) Opens Dec 13 at Carlton Cinema

Philomena (Stephen Frears) tells

ñRush

ñ

(Sophie Fiennes) 136 min. See r­ eview, page 80. NNNN (JS) Opens Dec 13 at TIFF Bell Lightbox

ñ

the true story of journalist Martin Sixsmith’s attempt to help an Irish woman, Philomena Lee, track down the son she was forced to give up five decades earlier. It’s an odd but effective combination of investigative drama and buddy ­picture, as the devout, working-class Lee (Judi Dench) and the privileged, cynical Sixsmith (Steve Coogan, who also cowrote and co-produced the film) find common ground in the search for her son.

Director Frears lays it on a little thick in the glimpses of the young Philomena at a home for wayward mothers, but the rest of the story is handled far more elegantly, framing the historical blemish of baby trafficking through an immediate, personal lens. It’s a tribute to both actors that Dench’s performance doesn’t feel like a naked Oscar bid, nor does she totally obliterate Coogan’s fine supporting turn. 98 min. NNNN (NW) Beach Cinemas, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Humber Cinemas, Interchange 30, Queensway, SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24

Planes (Klay Hall) is a shameless Cars rip-

off about a modest crop-dusting plane named Dusty Crophopper (voiced by comic Dane Cook) who dreams of being a competitive flyer even though he’s scared of heights. The clunky script feels like a first draft, and Cook communicates as little personality as his character’s bland design. 92 min. N (GS) Interchange 30

(Ron Howard) chronicles the ­ ngoing rivalry in the mid-70s beo tween two wildly different Formula One racers: the cold, cerebral Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) and the wildly charismatic English playboy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth). Director Howard and superb screenwriter Peter Morgan contrast their stories effectively, getting even non-fans intrigued by the politics of commercial endorsements and the psychology of competition. 123 min. NNNN (GS) Kingsway Theatre

Saving Mr. Banks (John Lee Hancock) 125 min. See review, page 82. NN (SGC) Opens Dec 13 at Varsity Spinning Plates (Joseph Levy) profiles three restaurants that couldn’t be more ­different: Chicago’s Alinea, where chef Grant Achatz uses elaborate molecular ­gastronomy technology to turn a meal into abstract art; Breitbach’s Country Dining, in Balltown, Iowa, a massive familyrun restaurant built on American staples like fried chicken and fruit pies; and Tucson’s La Cocina de Gabby, a Mexican place opened by Francisco Martinez to showcase his wife’s traditional home cooking.

The editorial strategy is purely mechanical, cycling through the three venues as Levy shows how the restaurants function, recounts the challenges they’ve faced and the personal obstacles the owners have had to overcome. It works well enough as food porn – Breitbach’s buffet looks mouth-watering on a big screen – but it doesn’t have the ­transcendent feel of something like Jiro Dreams Of Sushi, where the preparation of food is an exer-

continued on page 94 œ

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œcontinued from page 82

cise in devotion and patience. There’s no greater statement being made, which left me hungry but unsatisfied. 93 min. NNN (NW) TIFF Bell Lightbox

ñ12 Years a Slave

(Steve McQueen) finds McQueen rebounding from the uneven Shame with this stunning adaptation of the memoir by Solomon Northup, a free American sold into slavery in 1841 Thor: The Dark World (Alan Taylor) and forced to spend more than a decade concealing his identity on a series of is a very silly movie for all its self-seriousness, which is why it works. Director Tay- Southern plantations before he could conlor may not have the surprisingly graceful ac- tact his friends in the North. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a revelation as a man forced to tion sensibility Kenneth Branagh brought to Thor’s first solo outing, but he knows enough conceal his intelligence and compassion to stay out of everyone’s way, letting the ac- – his very essence – in order to survive, tors play and the CG teams go wild depicting and Benedict Cumberbatch and McQueen the universe-threatening danger that erupts regular Michael Fassbender offer diameton Asgard and Earth as evil elves seek to pos- rically opposed performances as Northup’s masters over the years. Alfre sess a destructive energy force that’s inWoodard, Sarah Paulson and Michael fected Thor’s mortal beloved, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). The story is far less involv- ­Kenneth Williams make effective appearing than the emotional stakes and the inter- ances, and producer Brad Pitt turns up as a good-natured Canadian. McQueen directs play between the characters; who’d have thought the Thor movies would be the most with a total lack of sentiment, crafting casually charming output of the Marvel Stu- each sequence with a merciless forward momentum that compensates for the epidios project? Chris Hemsworth continues to sodic nature of the narrative. One of the have sly fun underplaying Thor’s might, and the contrast of wee Portman with his brawny best films of the year. 133 min. NNNNN (NW) god continues to pay great visual dividends.

Canada Square, Carlton Cinema, Cineplex And once again, Tom Hiddleston steals the picture as the unpredictable Loki, though this Cinemas Empress Walk, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Humber Cinemas, time Kat Dennings comes awfully close to Interchange 30, Queensway, Rainbow Marstealing it herself as Jane Foster’s scrappy ket Square, Rainbow Promenade, SilverCity sidekick. Some subtitles. 112 min. NNNN Mississauga, Varsity, Yonge & Dundas 24 (NW) 401 & Morningside, Beach Cinemas, Carlton 2 Guns (Baltasar Kormákur) pairs Cinema, Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk, Denzel Washington and Mark Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarbor­Wahlberg as Texas gunmen who accidentough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton ally steal $43.125 million of the wrong Town Centre, Grande - Steeles, Queensway, people’s money and must shoot a whole Rainbow Market Square, R ­ ainbow Promenlot of bad guys to get themselves out of ade, Rainbow Woodbine, Scotiabank Theatre, trouble. You can’t help but enjoy the ride.

SilverCity Fairview, SilverCity Yonge, SilverSome subtitles. 109 min. NNNN (NW) City Yorkdale Interchange 30

ñ

ñ

Sarah Paulson (left) terrorizes Lupita Nyong’o in powerful 12 Years A Slave.

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas

(Tyler Perry) 105 min. See Also Opening, page 86.

Opens Dec 13 at 401 & Morningside, Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Courtney Park 16, Eglinton Town Centre, Rainbow Woodbine, SilverCity ­Yorkdale, Yonge & Dundas 24

Wadjda (Haifaa Al-Mansour) tracks

ñ

10-year-old schoolgirl Wadjda (Waad Mohammed), who enters a Koran study contest so she can buy a bicycle with the winnings. The premise is sly enough – females aren’t allowed to drive in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia – and Mohammed is appealing as the young heroine, but Al-Mansour’s depiction of everyday Saudi life is what counts here.

Subtitled. 97 min. NNNN (SGC) Interchange 30, Kingsway Theatre

ñthe wagner Files

(Ralf Pleger) 90 min. See review, page 82. NNNN (GS) Opens Dec 13 at Carlton Cinema

ñWatermark

(Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky) feels very much

like a continuation of Manufactured Landscapes, collaborators Baichwal and Bur­ tynsky’s previous work, once again exploring the effects of human industry on the natural world – in this case, our oceans and rivers. Baichwal’s contemplative ­approach meshes nicely with Burtynsky’s fondness for finding geometric patterns in gargantuan constructions like dams and aquifers, and producer-cinematographer Nicholas de Pencier captures some splendid high-definition images. (Watermark may set a record for the most helicopter shots in a Canadian production.) Baichwal and Burtynsky cushion their potentially grim ecological message with philosophical digressions and moments of unexpected whimsy, which seems like an awfully good idea right now. Some subtitles. 90 min. NNNN (NW) TIFF Bell Lightbox

We’re the Millers (Rawson Marshall Thurber) takes a reasonably interesting idea – a low-level drug dealer (Jason Sudeikis) recruits a stripper (Jennifer ­Aniston), a runaway (Emma Roberts) and

the weird kid next door (Will Poulter) to pose as his family so he can smuggle drugs over the border in an RV – and does as little as possible with it. And that’s a real disappointment, given the talent ­assembled. 110 min. NN (NW) Interchange 30

When Jews Were Funny (Alan Zweig) is

a survey of North American Jewish comics with an elusive theme and a lack of female subjects. But it’s very entertaining – it took Best Canadian Feature honours at TIFF 2013 – and interviews with the likes of old pros Norm Crosby, Jack Carter and Shelley Berman are fascinating. 90 min.

NNN (SGC) Kingsway Theatre

WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs

is is a high-def screening of a match featuring WWE superstars John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and others.

Dec 15, 8 pm, at Coliseum Mississauga, Coliseum Scarborough, Colossus, Eglinton Town Centre, Queensway, Yonge & Dundas 24 3

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

ALL IS LOST (PG) Thu 4:15, 9:25 ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Tue-Wed 9:20 ANDRE GREGORY: BEFORE AND AFTER DINNER Fri-Wed 1:40, 6:40 ANTISOCIAL Fri-Wed 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:30 BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE Mon 7:00 BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (R) Thu-Sun, Tue-Wed 1:15, 4:50, 8:25 Mon 1:15 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (14A) 3:50, 9:20 Thu 1:10 mat, 6:35 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 1:35, 4:20, 7:00, 9:35 ENOUGH SAID (PG) Thu 1:30, 7:10 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) Fri-Wed 1:10, 1:30, 4:40, 5:00, 8:00, 9:00 HOMEFRONT (14A) Thu 1:50, 4:15, 6:50, 9:10 Fri-Mon 4:00, 9:20 Tue 4:00 KILL YOUR DARLINGS (14A) Thu 4:05, 9:30 THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (14A) 1:25, 7:05 Thu 4:00 mat, 9:20 LAST VEGAS (PG) Thu 1:40, 6:55 LET THE FIRE BURN (14A) Thu 1:45, 4:10, 7:00, 9:15 LITTLE TERRORS HORROR SHORTS Wed 9:00 THE PUNK SYNDROME Fri-Wed 4:15, 9:15 THOR: THE DARK WORLD (PG) 1:20, 3:55, 6:45, 9:25 Wed no 9:25 12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Fri-Wed 1:15, 4:00, 6:45, 9:30 THE WAGNER FILES Fri-Wed 1:45, 7:00

12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Thu 3:20, 6:30, 9:25 Fri, Sun-Mon, Wed 12:35, 3:20, 6:30, 9:25 Sat, Tue 12:35, 3:20, 6:30, 9:25, 11:35

SCOTIABANK THEATRE (CE) 259 RICHMOND ST W, 416-368-5600

DON JON (18A) Thu 1:50, 4:00, 6:25, 8:50 Fri, Tue-Wed 12:50, 3:10, 5:25, 8:00, 10:10 Sat 5:25, 8:00, 10:10 Sun 3:10, 5:25, 8:00, 10:10 Mon 12:50, 3:50, 10:00 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG 3D (PG) Thu 10:30, 11:00 Fri, Sun, Tue-Wed 12:00, 12:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:30, 4:10, 5:40, 6:10, 7:10, 7:50, 9:20, 9:50, 10:50 Sat 12:00, 12:15, 12:30, 2:00, 3:30, 3:45, 4:10, 5:40, 6:10, 7:10, 7:50, 9:20, 9:50, 10:50 Mon 12:00, 12:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:30, 4:10, 5:05, 5:40, 7:10, 7:50, 8:50, 9:20, 9:45, 10:50 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri-Wed 11:30, 3:00, 6:40, 10:20 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) 1:00, 1:30, 4:40, 5:10, 8:20, 8:50 Mon only 1:00 1:30 4:35 6:20 8:20 9:40 HOMEFRONT (14A) Thu 1:10, 4:40, 7:40, 10:20 Fri, Tue-Wed 12:15, 3:20, 6:00, 8:30, 11:00 Sat-Sun 12:20, 3:20, 6:00, 8:30, 11:00 Mon 1:10, 3:40, 6:50, 9:50 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE – THE IMAX EXPERIENCE (PG) Thu 3:10, 6:30 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 12:25, 12:45, 1:40, 2:20, 3:40, 4:10, 5:05, 6:15, 7:00, 7:30, 8:30, 9:40, 10:10, 11:00 Fri, Sun, Tue-Wed 11:40, 12:40, 1:45, 2:50, 4:00, 5:50, 6:20, 7:20, 9:05, 9:35, 10:40 Sat 11:40, 12:40, 2:50, 4:00, 5:50, 6:20, 7:20, 9:05, 9:35, 10:40 Mon 11:40, 12:40, 1:45, 2:50, 4:00, 6:10, 7:20, 9:30, 10:35 LAST VEGAS (PG) Thu 1:20, 4:20, 7:10, 9:50 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: FALSTAFF Sat 12:55 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: TOSCA ENCORE Mon 6:30 NEBRASKA (PG) Thu 12:45, 3:30, 6:40, 9:20 OLDBOY (18A) Thu 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 8:10, 10:50 OUT OF THE FURNACE (14A) Thu 1:00, 2:00, 3:50, 4:50, 6:45, 7:50, 9:30, 10:40 Fri-Sat, Tue-Wed 11:30, 2:15, 5:00, 7:40, 10:50 Sun 12:10, 2:15, 5:00, 7:40, 10:50 Mon 11:30, 2:15, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45 THOR: THE DARK WORLD (PG) Thu 12:35, 3:20, 6:05, 9:10 Fri, Sun, Tue-Wed 1:15 Sat 11:50 Mon 1:20 THOR: THE DARK WORLD 3D (PG) Thu 1:30, 4:30, 7:15 Fri, Sun, Tue-Wed 4:25, 7:30, 10:30 Sat 2:40, 7:30, 10:30 Mon 4:05, 6:55, 10:30

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

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (R) Thu 12:00, 3:30, 7:05, 9:25 Fri 3:00, 9:35 Sat 12:00, 9:35 Sun 3:30, 9:25 Mon 7:05, 9:35 Tue 12:00, 3:30, 9:35 Wed 12:00, 3:25, 7:05, 9:35 THE CRASH REEL (PG) Fri, Sun, Tue-Wed 12:15, 2:45, 7:00, 9:30 Sat 12:15, 2:45, 7:05, 9:30 Mon 7:00, 9:30 HAWKING (PG) Thu 12:25, 4:55 THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY (PG) Fri-Sun, TueWed 12:30, 3:30, 6:45 Mon 6:45 SPINNING PLATES (G) Thu 12:15, 2:30, 7:15, 9:30 Fri 2:30, 7:15 Sat 3:15, 7:35 Sun 3:15, 7:10, 9:35 Mon 7:15 Tue 3:15, 7:15 Wed 3:35, 7:15 WATERMARK (G) Thu 1:00, 2:35, 4:45, 6:55 Fri, Wed 12:10, 4:45, 9:40 Sat 5:25, 9:45 Sun 5:30, 9:40 Tue 12:10, 4:20, 9:40

RAINBOW MARKET SQUARE (I) VARSITY (CE) MARKET SQUARE, 80 FRONT ST E, 416-494-9371 ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Tue 9:00, 11:20 Wed 1:00, 3:40, 6:50, 9:25 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 1:00, 3:25, 6:55, 9:20 Fri-Tue 1:00, 6:40 FROZEN (G) Thu 12:30 2:50 5:05 7:10 9:30 Fri-Wed 12:30, 2:50, 5:05, 7:15, 9:30 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri, Sun-Mon, Wed 12:30, 12:35, 3:50, 4:30, 7:10, 8:30 Sat, Tue 12:30, 12:35, 3:50, 4:30, 7:10, 8:30, 10:20 HOME ALONE (PG) Sun 11:00 HOMEFRONT (14A) 3:15, 9:15 Thu 12:45 mat, 7:00 Sat, Tue 11:25 late THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 12:30 3:30 6:35 9:35 Fri-Wed 12:40, 3:35, 6:35, 9:35 Sat, Tue 11:30 late THE IMPOSSIBLE (PG) Sat 10:30 THOR: THE DARK WORLD (PG) Thu 12:55, 3:40, 6:45

55 BLOOR ST W, 416-961-6304

THE BOOK THIEF (PG) Thu 12:45, 3:45, 9:50 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (18A) Thu 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55 FriSun 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 10:05 Mon 1:30, 4:05, 9:35 Tue-Wed 1:30, 4:05, 6:50, 9:35 GRAVITY 3D (PG) Thu 2:25, 4:40, 6:55, 9:10 Fri-Sun 12:20, 2:35, 5:00, 7:20, 9:40 Mon 1:50, 4:20, 9:00 Tue 1:50, 4:20, 6:40, 9:00 HER (14A) Wed 1:25, 4:20, 7:20, 10:10 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 12:40, 3:50, 7:00, 10:15 Fri-Sun 12:00, 3:20, 6:40, 10:00 Mon-Wed 12:40, 3:50, 7:05, 10:15 NEBRASKA (PG) Thu 1:15, 4:00, 6:40, 9:25 Fri-Sun 12:40, 3:40, 6:30, 9:15 Mon-Tue 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:55 Wed 1:10, 4:00, 6:40, 9:15 OUT OF THE FURNACE (14A) Thu 1:10, 4:00, 7:00, 10:05

Fri-Sun 1:50, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20 Mon-Tue 1:45, 4:30, 7:20, 10:05 Wed 12:45, 3:30, 6:15, 9:00 PHILOMENA (PG) Thu 2:00, 4:25, 7:05, 9:45 Fri-Sun 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:15 Mon 2:10, 4:35, 6:30, 10:00 Tue-Wed 2:30, 4:50, 7:30, 9:50 SAVING MR. BANKS (PG) Fri-Sun 12:15, 1:15, 3:15, 4:15, 6:25, 7:25, 9:30, 10:35 Mon 12:50, 1:20, 3:40, 4:10, 6:40, 7:00, 9:30, 10:00 Tue-Wed 12:50, 1:20, 3:40, 4:10, 6:30, 7:00, 9:30, 10:00 12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Thu 1:00, 4:05, 7:10, 10:10

VIP SCREENINGS

A.K.A. DOC POMUS Thu 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:30 THE BOOK THIEF (PG) Fri-Sun 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:10 MonWed 12:30, 3:25, 6:25, 9:20 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (18A) Thu 1:10, 3:55, 6:35, 9:15 FriSun 12:35, 3:35, 6:15, 9:00 Mon-Tue 1:00, 3:45, 6:35, 9:15 HER (14A) Wed 1:00, 3:45, 6:35, 9:40 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:40, 6:50, 10:00 PHILOMENA (PG) Thu 1:30, 4:05, 6:25, 9:00 Fri-Sun 1:25, 4:10, 6:45, 9:20 Mon-Wed 1:40, 4:00, 7:10, 9:30 SAVING MR. BANKS (PG) Fri-Sun 12:45, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 Mon-Wed 1:05, 3:55, 6:45, 9:45

YONGE & DUNDAS 24 (CE) 10 DUNDAS ST E, 416-335-5323

ABOUT TIME (14A) Thu-Fri 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 10:15 Sat-Wed 12:10, 3:00, 6:30, 9:35 ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Wed 12:05, 1:05, 2:10, 3:10, 4:10, 5:05, 6:05, 7:05, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 10:45 THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY (14A) Thu 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:55 Fri 1:30, 4:15, 7:30, 10:25 Sat-Sun, Tue 1:30, 4:15, 7:25, 10:15 Mon 1:30, 4:15, 10:15 BLACK NATIVITY (G) Thu 7:45, 10:05 THE BOOK THIEF (PG) Thu-Fri 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 Sat-Sun, Tue-Wed 12:20, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 Mon 12:20, 3:40, 6:45, 10:15 BULLETT RAJA (PG) Thu 6:50, 9:55 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (14A) Thu 7:00, 10:00 Fri, Mon-Wed 3:15, 6:15, 9:20 Sat-Sun 11:55, 3:15, 6:15, 9:20 COMMITMENT (14A) 1:50, 4:30, 7:10, 9:50 Thu 1:30 4:10 7:10 9:50 Mon only 1:10 3:55 7:10 9:50 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (18A) 1:55, 4:40, 7:25, 10:20 Fri only 1:55 4:40 7:35 10:20 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 1:50, 4:25, 7:40, 10:15 Fri-Wed 2:50, 5:20, 7:55, 10:30 DIE HARD (14A) Fri 4:30, 9:45 Sat 9:30 Mon-Tue 4:15, 9:45 Wed 4:00, 9:30 ENDER’S GAME (PG) Thu-Fri 2:05, 4:45, 7:25, 10:05 SatWed 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 FRIEND 2: THE LEGACY Fri 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:55 Sat-Wed 12:55, 4:10, 7:00, 9:55 FROZEN (G) Thu 5:55, 8:30 Fri 3:20, 5:55, 8:30 Sat-Wed 12:30, 3:20, 5:55, 8:30 FROZEN 3D (G) Thu-Sun, Tue-Wed 1:45, 4:20, 6:55, 9:30 Mon 4:30, 6:55, 9:30 GRAVITY: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE (PG) 2:35, 4:55, 7:15, 10:10 HOLIDAY INN Thu 2:00 Wed 1:30, 7:00 JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA (14A) Thu 7:05, 9:35 Fri 2:05, 4:25, 6:45 Sat 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 10:15 Sun 11:50, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 10:15 Mon 2:05, 4:25 Tue 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:15 THE KING OF COMEDY Sat 4:00 MADOKA MAGICA THE MOVIE: REBELLION (PG) Sun 12:55, 4:00 NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION Thu 4:30 THE NUTCRACKER – ROYAL OPERA HOUSE LIVE Thu 7:30 PHILOMENA (PG) Thu 4:25, 6:50, 9:15 Fri 2:00, 4:25, 6:50, 9:15 Sat-Wed 12:45, 3:30, 6:50, 9:15 R... RAJKUMAR (14A) Thu-Fri 3:10, 6:35, 9:45 Sat-Tue 12:00, 3:10, 6:35, 9:45 SCROOGED (PG) Fri 2:00, 7:15 Sat 12:55, 7:00 Mon-Tue 1:45, 7:00 12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Thu 1:35, 4:35, 6:45, 9:50 Fri-Sat 3:25, 6:45, 9:50 Sun, Tue-Wed 12:25, 3:25, 6:45, 9:50 Mon 12:25, 3:25, 6:25, 9:50 TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS (14A) Fri 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30 Sat-Wed 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30 WWE TLC: TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS Sun 8:00

Midtown CANADA SQUARE (CE) 2200 YONGE ST, 416-646-0444

ABOUT TIME (14A) Thu 4:15, 7:00 Fri-Sun 8:40 ALL IS LOST (PG) Thu 4:05, 6:30 Fri 3:50, 6:10, 8:30 Sat-Sun 1:20, 3:40, 6:00, 8:30 Mon-Wed 4:15, 6:40

THE ARMSTRONG LIE (14A) Thu 4:10, 6:50 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (14A) Fri 3:50, 6:40, 9:30 Sat-Sun 1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 9:30 Mon-Wed 4:00, 6:50 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Fri 4:40, 7:00, 9:20 Sat-Sun 1:40, 4:40, 7:00, 9:20 Mon-Wed 4:10, 6:30 ENOUGH SAID (PG) Thu 4:25, 6:40 Fri 4:20, 6:30 Sat-Sun 1:50, 4:10, 6:20 Mon-Wed 4:05, 6:20 FREE BIRDS (G) Fri 4:10 Sat-Sun 1:15 Mon-Wed 4:40 GRAVITY 3D (PG) Thu 4:45, 7:10 Fri 4:50, 7:10, 9:30 Sat-Sun 1:00, 3:05, 5:10, 7:25, 9:30 Mon-Wed 4:50, 7:10 HOMEFRONT (14A) Thu 4:00, 6:20 Fri 6:20, 8:50 Sat-Sun 3:30, 6:10, 8:50 Mon-Wed 7:15 LAST VEGAS (PG) Thu 4:35, 7:15 Fri 4:20, 6:50, 9:10 Sat-Sun 1:30, 4:20, 6:50, 9:10 Mon-Wed 4:30, 7:00 12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Thu 4:00, 7:00 Fri 3:55, 6:45, 9:35 Sat-Sun 1:05, 3:55, 6:45, 9:35 Mon-Wed 4:00, 6:55

MT PLEASANT (I)

675 MT PLEASANT RD, 416-489-8484 BLUE JASMINE (14A) Fri-Sat 9:30 Sun, Tue 7:00 LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (14A) Thu, Wed 7:00 Fri-Sat 6:45 Sun 4:10

REGENT THEATRE (I) 551 MT PLEASANT RD, 416-480-9884

MUSCLE SHOALS (PG) Thu, Sat, Tue 7:00 Fri 9:05 Sun 4:30 NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON (14A) Fri, Sun, Wed 7:00 Sat 9:05

SILVERCITY YONGE (CE) 2300 YONGE ST, 416-544-1236

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Wed 2:10, 5:05, 8:00, 10:55 THE BOOK THIEF (PG) Thu 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 Fri 1:00, 4:00, 7:30, 10:40 Sat 3:15, 6:20, 9:30 Sun 12:15, 3:15, 6:20, 9:30 Mon 12:10, 3:10, 10:35 Tue 12:10, 3:10, 6:30, 9:30 CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (14A) Thu 3:20, 6:25 CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (G) Thu 12:55 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (18A) Thu 1:30, 4:30, 7:25, 10:25 Fri 12:00, 4:50, 8:00, 10:50 Sat 2:10, 5:00, 8:00, 10:50 Sun 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:15 Mon 12:00, 5:00, 7:50, 10:40 Tue 11:55, 5:00, 7:50, 10:40 Wed 11:50, 5:15, 8:05, 10:55 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 1:00, 3:35, 10:45 FROZEN (G) Thu 1:20 Fri, Tue 11:50 Sat 12:30, 2:30, 4:50 Sun 11:30 Mon, Wed 12:00 FROZEN 3D (G) Thu 4:10, 6:55, 9:35 Fri 2:00, 6:10, 9:00 Sat 11:30, 7:50, 10:30 Sun 2:10, 5:00, 7:50, 10:30 Mon 12:30, 3:30, 6:10, 9:00 Tue 2:25, 6:10, 9:00 Wed 2:35, 7:55, 10:35 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:30 Fri 12:00, 2:40, 3:30, 6:20, 7:10, 10:10, 10:50 Sat 12:00, 12:30, 3:30, 5:20, 7:10, 9:10, 10:50 Sun 11:30, 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:40, 7:10, 10:20, 10:50 Mon-Wed 12:00, 2:40, 3:30, 6:20, 7:00, 10:10, 10:40 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) Fri, SunMon, Wed 1:40, 5:20, 9:10 Sat 11:30, 3:00, 6:40, 10:20 Tue 1:40, 3:20, 7:10 HOLIDAY INN Wed 7:00 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 12:45, 3:00, 4:00, 6:15, 7:15, 10:30 Fri 12:10, 3:20, 6:50, 10:20 Sat 1:00, 4:20, 7:30, 10:45 Sun 12:40, 4:00, 7:30, 10:45 Mon-Tue 12:40, 4:00, 7:15, 10:30 Wed 4:15, 7:30, 10:45 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: FALSTAFF Sat 12:55 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: TOSCA ENCORE Mon 6:30 THE NUTCRACKER – ROYAL OPERA HOUSE ENCORE Thu 7:30 PHILOMENA (PG) Thu 1:40, 4:40, 7:45, 10:15 Fri, Mon-Tue 2:45, 5:10, 7:40, 10:15 Sat 11:50, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Sun 12:10, 2:35, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Wed 4:00, 6:40, 9:30 THOR: THE DARK WORLD (PG) Thu 12:50 Fri 12:05 Sun-Tue 1:00 Wed 12:15 THOR: THE DARK WORLD 3D (PG) Thu 3:55, 7:05, 10:10 Fri 3:00, 7:00, 10:30 Sat 3:55, 6:50, 9:50 Sun-Tue 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 Wed 3:10, 9:50

Metro

West End HUMBER CINEMAS (I) 2442 BLOOR ST. WEST, 416-769-2442

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Wed 3:20,

6:40, 9:35 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 4:10, 7:10 FROZEN (G) Thu 4:00, 7:00, 9:20 Fri, Tue 3:10, 6:40, 9:10 Sat-Mon 12:40, 3:10, 6:40, 9:10 Wed 3:50, 6:50, 9:15 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri 3:35, 6:50, 10:00 Sat-Sun, Tue 12:20, 3:35, 6:50, 10:00 Mon 1:00, 3:35, 6:50, 10:00 Wed 3:00, 6:30, 9:45 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 3:45, 6:45, 9:50 Fri 3:45, 6:30, 9:35 Sat-Mon 12:30, 3:45, 6:30, 9:35 Tue 12:45, 3:45, 6:30, 9:35 Wed 3:10, 9:25 PHILOMENA (PG) Fri 3:20, 7:10, 9:25 Sat-Tue 12:50, 3:20, 7:10, 9:25 Wed 7:00 12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Thu 3:30, 6:30

KINGSWAY THEATRE (I) 3030 BLOOR ST W, 416-232-1939

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (R) 9:10 BLUE JASMINE (14A) Thu 2:00 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (18A) Fri-Wed 7:10 ENOUGH SAID (PG) Thu 5:20 Fri, Mon-Wed 12:00 FREE BIRDS (G) Sat-Sun 12:00 IF I WERE YOU Thu 2:00 JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA (14A) Thu 3:45 JINGLE BELL ROCKS (PG) Fri-Wed 6:40 LAST VEGAS (PG) Fri-Wed 3:35 LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (14A) Thu 11:45 LET THE FIRE BURN (14A) Fri-Wed 5:05 MUSCLE SHOALS (PG) Thu 4:00, 9:15 Fri-Wed 1:25, 9:30 NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON (14A) Fri-Wed 5:15 RUSH (14A) Thu 7:00 Fri-Wed 1:30 WADJDA (PG) Thu 6:00 Fri-Wed 3:20 WHEN JEWS WERE FUNNY (14A) Thu 12:30, 7:45 Fri-Wed 12:00, 8:10

QUEENSWAY (CE)

1025 THE QUEENSWAY, QEW & ISLINGTON, 416-503-0424 ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Wed 1:10, 2:10, 4:05, 5:05, 6:55, 8:00, 9:55, 10:55 ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (G) Sat 11:00 THE BOOK THIEF (PG) Thu 12:15, 3:20, 6:30, 9:50 Fri 12:20, 3:20, 6:25, 9:35 Sat 3:20, 6:25, 9:35 Sun 12:20, 3:20, 6:25 Mon-Tue 12:10, 3:20, 6:30, 9:40 DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (18A) Thu 1:00, 3:55, 6:45 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 2:10, 4:55, 7:45, 10:25 Fri-Sat 11:45, 2:25, 5:05, 7:50, 10:40 Sun 1:40, 4:45, 7:50, 10:35 Mon-Tue 1:20, 4:05, 6:50, 9:35 Wed 12:20, 3:05, 9:35 FREE BIRDS (G) Thu 12:25 FROZEN (G) Thu 1:10, 4:20, 7:15 Fri 11:20, 2:00, 4:50, 7:40 Sat 11:30, 2:15, 4:50, 7:40 Sun 11:50, 3:40, 6:55 Mon 1:00, 3:45, 6:40 Tue 2:00, 4:45, 7:30 Wed 3:45, 6:35 FROZEN 3D (G) Thu 2:00, 4:45, 7:20, 10:15 Fri-Sat 1:00, 3:50, 6:55, 9:45 Sun 2:05, 4:50, 7:40, 10:30 Mon, Wed 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15 Tue 1:00, 3:45, 6:40, 9:25 GRAVITY 3D (PG) Thu 2:40, 5:10, 7:40 Fri 12:40, 3:10, 5:40, 8:10, 10:45 Sat 5:40, 8:10, 10:45 Sun 2:35, 5:00, 10:45 Mon 12:40, 3:05, 9:25 Tue 12:40, 3:05, 5:30, 8:00, 10:25 Wed 9:25 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:20, 10:45 Fri-Sat 11:10, 12:00, 1:30, 2:50, 3:30, 5:15, 6:35, 7:10, 9:00, 10:20, 10:50 Sun 12:00, 1:15, 2:50, 3:30, 5:15, 6:35, 7:10, 9:00, 10:20, 10:50 Mon-Wed 12:00, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 5:15, 6:15, 7:00, 9:00, 10:00, 10:40 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) Fri, MonTue 12:50, 4:35, 8:20 Sat-Sun, Wed 12:45, 4:35, 8:20 HOLIDAY INN Wed 7:00 HOMEFRONT (14A) Thu 1:25, 4:05, 6:55, 10:45 Fri-Sat 1:40, 4:10, 7:00, 9:55 Sun 1:25, 4:05, 7:00, 9:55 Mon-Tue 2:20, 5:05, 7:55, 10:35 Wed 2:20, 5:00, 7:55, 10:35 THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (PG) Thu 12:10, 1:50, 2:30, 3:45, 5:15, 6:10, 7:10, 8:40, 10:35 Fri 11:30, 12:30, 3:00, 4:00, 6:45, 7:30, 10:10, 11:00 Sat 12:30, 1:10, 4:00, 6:45, 7:30, 10:10, 11:00 Sun 11:45, 12:30, 3:10, 3:55, 6:45, 7:25, 9:35, 10:10 Mon-Tue 12:30, 2:50, 3:55, 6:25, 7:20, 9:50, 10:45 Wed 12:30, 3:55, 6:25, 7:20, 9:50, 10:45 LAST VEGAS (PG) Thu 10:05 MADOKA MAGICA THE MOVIE: REBELLION (PG) Sun 12:55 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: FALSTAFF Sat 12:55 THE METROPOLITAN OPERA: TOSCA ENCORE Mon 6:30 THE NUTCRACKER – ROYAL OPERA HOUSE ENCORE Thu 7:30 OLDBOY (18A) Thu 1:15, 4:00, 9:30 Fri-Sat 10:30 Sun 9:45 Mon 10:20 Tue 10:15 OUT OF THE FURNACE (14A) Thu 1:40, 4:35, 7:35, 10:30 Fri 11:15, 2:10, 5:00, 7:55, 10:55 Sat 12:20, 5:00, 7:45, 10:55 Sun 1:55, 5:05, 8:10, 10:55 Mon-Tue 2:10, 5:00, 7:50, 10:45 Wed 1:20, 4:20, 7:25, 10:20 PHILOMENA (PG) Thu 1:30, 4:15, 6:50, 9:35 Fri 12:10, 2:40, 5:25, 8:00, 10:35 Sat 11:15, 12:10, 2:40, 5:25, 8:00, 10:35 Sun 12:15, 1:35, 4:25, 7:30, 10:00 Mon-Wed 1:50, 4:25, 7:10, 9:45 THOR: THE DARK WORLD (PG) Thu-Sat 1:20 Sun 1:05 MonWed 1:40 THOR: THE DARK WORLD 3D (PG) Thu 4:25, 7:20, 10:10 Fri-Sat 4:20, 7:20, 10:25 Sun 4:15, 7:20, 10:25 Mon-Wed 4:50, 7:40, 10:30 12 YEARS A SLAVE (14A) Thu 12:20, 3:25, 9:40 WWE TLC: TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS Sun 8:00

RAINBOW WOODBINE (I)

WOODBINE CENTRE, 500 REXDALE BLVD, 416-213-1998 ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (PG) Tue 9:30 Wed 1:20, 4:00, 6:45, 9:30 THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY (14A) Thu 6:35, 9:20 BLACK NATIVITY (G) Thu 1:20, 3:55, 7:10, 9:30 THE CROODS (G) Sat 11:00 DELIVERY MAN (PG) Thu 1:05, 4:05, 7:05 FREE BIRDS (G) Thu 1:25, 4:00 FROZEN (G) 1:15, 4:15, 7:00, 9:25 THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri-Wed 1:00, 1:30, 4:30, 5:00, 8:00, 9:00 HOMEFRONT (14A) Thu 1:10 4:10 6:55 9:40 Fri-Wed 1:10, 4:10, 6:55, 9:45

96

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 12:45 3:45 6:45 9:45 Fri-Wed 12:45, 3:45, 6:40, 9:40 The Impossible (PG) Sat 10:00 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 1:00, 3:50, 6:40, 9:15 Fri-Mon 1:20, 4:00, 6:45, 9:15 Tue 1:20, 4:00, 6:45 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri-Wed 1:05, 3:55, 7:05, 9:35

East End Beach Cinemas (AA) 1651 Queen St E, 416-699-1327

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 7:30, 10:20 Ender’s Game (PG) Thu 8:00, 10:30 Frozen (G) Sat-Sun 12:10 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 6:40, 9:15 Fri 3:40, 6:40, 9:15 Sat-Sun 2:45, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20 Mon-Wed 6:30, 9:00 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Sat-Sun 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Mon-Wed 6:45, 10:15 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri 5:00, 8:40 Sat-Sun 1:00, 5:00, 8:40 Mon-Wed 8:30 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 6:50, 8:15 Fri 3:50, 7:15, 10:40 Sat-Sun 12:30, 3:45, 7:15, 10:40 MonWed 7:15, 10:30 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 Philomena (PG) Thu 6:30, 9:00 Fri 4:00, 6:40, 9:10 SatSun 1:30, 4:00, 6:40, 9:10 Mon-Wed 6:40, 9:10 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Sun 1:15 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 7:10, 10:00 Fri-Sun 4:30, 7:30, 10:40 Mon-Tue 7:30, 10:20

North York Cineplex Cinemas Empress Walk (CE) 5095 Yonge St., 416-847-0087

A.K.A. Doc Pomus Thu 4:00, 6:45, 9:20 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 4:30, 7:30, 10:20 The Book Thief (PG) Thu 3:35, 6:45, 9:45 Fri, Tue-Wed 3:35, 6:35, 9:35 Sat 7:20, 10:30 Sun 12:30, 3:35, 6:35, 9:35 Mon 10:25 Frozen (G) Thu 4:10 Sat 11:40, 2:25 Sun 11:40 Mon 7:40 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 6:50, 9:35 Fri-Sat, Tue-Wed 5:10, 7:50, 10:25 Sun 2:25, 5:10, 7:50, 10:25 Mon 3:00, 10:25 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:45 Fri, Mon-Wed 3:00, 6:30, 10:00 Sat-Sun 11:30, 3:00, 6:30, 10:00 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: An IMAX 3D Experience (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri, Mon-Wed 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Sat-Sun 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) 5:20, 9:00 Sat-Sun 1:45 mat The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The IMAX Experience (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:40 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 3:00, 6:20, 9:40 Fri, Mon-Wed 4:10, 7:30, 10:45 Sat-Sun 12:50, 4:10, 7:30, 10:45 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 The Metropolitan Opera: Tosca Encore Mon 6:30 The Nutcracker – Royal Opera House Encore Thu 7:30 Oldboy (18A) Thu 4:50 Out of the Furnace (14A) Thu 4:20, 7:20, 10:00 Fri, Mon-Wed 3:55, 7:10, 10:10 Sat-Sun 1:00, 3:55, 7:10, 10:10 Philomena (PG) Thu 4:30, 7:05, 9:30 Fri, Mon-Wed 4:00, 6:40, 9:20 Sat-Sun 1:30, 4:00, 6:40, 9:20 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 3:50 Sat-Sun 1:20 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Fri-Tue 4:20, 7:20, 10:20 12 Years a Slave (14A) Thu 4:15, 7:10, 10:05 Fri, Mon-Wed 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 Sat 6:50, 9:50 Sun 12:40, 3:50, 6:50, 9:50

The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 Black Nativity (G) Thu 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 1:40, 4:25, 7:05, 10:00 Frozen (G) Thu 12:20, 3:10, 6:15 Fri-Sat 12:05, 6:20 SunWed 12:10, 6:30 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10 Fri-Sat 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 Sun-Wed 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:15 Fri 12:00, 12:50, 3:00, 3:30, 4:40, 6:40, 7:10, 8:30, 10:20, 10:50 Sat 11:30, 12:00, 12:50, 3:00, 3:30, 4:40, 6:40, 7:10, 8:30, 10:20, 10:50 Sun-Tue 12:00, 12:50, 2:20, 3:30, 4:40, 6:10, 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 10:30 Wed 12:00, 2:20, 3:30, 6:10, 7:00, 10:00, 10:30 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri-Wed 1:30, 5:20, 9:10 Homefront (14A) Thu 1:05, 3:40, 6:40, 9:40 Fri 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:30 Sat 11:55, 2:35, 5:10, 7:45, 10:30 Sun-Wed 1:45, 4:20, 7:00, 9:55 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 12:15, 2:30, 3:35, 6:15, 6:55, 9:00, 10:15 Fri-Sat 12:30, 2:55, 3:55, 7:20, 9:30, 10:45 Sun-Wed 12:00, 2:55, 3:25, 6:50, 9:30, 10:25 Oldboy (18A) Thu 1:55, 4:40, 7:25, 10:05 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 1:00 Fri-Wed 12:45 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 3:55 6:55 9:50 FriWed 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) 1:40, 4:30, 7:25, 10:10 Sat 11:15 mat

Scarborough 401 & Morningside (CE) 785 Milner Ave, Scarborough, 416-281-2226

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 5:30, 8:20 Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00 The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu, Mon, Wed 5:20, 8:10 Fri, Tue 4:05, 7:05, 9:55 Sat-Sun 1:15, 4:05, 7:05, 9:55 Black Nativity (G) Thu 5:50, 8:05 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 5:10, 7:45 Frozen (G) Thu 4:45, 7:20 Fri, Tue 4:15, 6:45 Sat 11:10, 1:40, 4:15, 6:45 Sun 1:40, 4:15, 6:45 Mon, Wed 5:10, 7:40 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 5:40, 8:45 Fri, Tue 5:15, 7:50, 10:20 SatSun 12:05, 2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:20 Mon, Wed 5:45, 8:20 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 4:50, 7:10, 9:30 Fri, Tue 5:45, 8:15, 10:35 Sat 1:00, 3:15, 5:45, 8:15, 10:35 Sun 1:00, 3:15, 5:45, 8:05, 10:20 Mon 6:05, 8:30 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri, Tue 4:00, 7:00, 10:30 Sat 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Sun 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:20 Mon, Wed 5:00, 8:25 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri, Tue 5:00, 6:00, 8:30, 9:35 Sat 11:05, 1:30, 2:30, 5:00, 6:00, 8:30, 9:35 Sun 1:30, 2:30, 5:00, 6:00, 8:30, 9:35 Mon, Wed 6:15, 7:30 Homefront (14A) Thu 4:55, 7:30, 9:50 Fri, Tue 5:30, 8:05, 10:35 Sat 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:05, 10:35 Sun 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 7:50, 10:15 Mon, Wed 6:00, 8:30 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 5:00, 6:00, 6:50, 8:15, 9:15 Fri, Tue 4:00, 7:15, 9:20, 10:25 Sat 12:45, 3:55, 7:15, 9:20, 10:25 Sun 12:45, 3:55, 7:10, 9:20, 10:15 Mon, Wed 5:05, 8:15 Last Vegas (PG) Thu 10:00 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 5:30 Fri, Tue 4:15 SatSun 1:50, 4:45 Mon, Wed 5:15 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 8:25 Fri-Sat, Tue 7:30, 10:30 Sun 7:30, 10:15 Mon, Wed 7:50 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri, Tue 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Sat 11:20, 12:15, 2:45, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Sun 12:15, 2:45, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Mon, Wed 5:30, 8:00

Coliseum Scarborough (CE) Scarborough Town Centre, 416-290-5217

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 10:05 Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00 The Book Thief (PG) Thu 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 1:45, 4:25, 7:10 Fri, Tue 2:20, 5:00, 7:40, 10:20 Sat-Sun 5:00, 7:40, 10:20 Mon 1:30, 4:10, 6:50, 9:40 Wed 4:10, 6:50, 9:40 Frozen (G) Thu 2:00, 5:00 Fri, Sun, Tue 1:50, 4:35 Sat 11:10, 1:50, 4:35 Mon 1:00, 3:45 Wed 1:40 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 1:20, 4:10, 6:55, 9:45 Fri-Sun, Tue 1:15, 4:00, 7:10, 9:55 Mon 1:40, 4:25, 7:10, 9:55 Wed 4:25, 7:10, 9:55 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 2:20, 5:10, 7:30, 10:05 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:15 Fri, Tue 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:30, 7:00, 10:00, 10:30 Sat 11:20, 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:30, 7:00, 10:00, 10:30 Sun 11:30, 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:30, 7:00, 10:00, 10:30 Mon, Wed 2:10, 3:10, 5:40, 6:40, 9:10, 10:10 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri, Tue 1:40, 5:20, 9:00 Sat-Sun 1:20, 5:20, 9:00 Mon, Wed 1:10, 4:40, 8:10 Holiday Inn Wed 7:00 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 1:50, 2:30, 5:30, 6:30, 8:00, 9:30 Fri, Sun, Tue 12:05, 3:20, 6:45, 7:20, 10:10, 10:35 Sat 11:50, 3:15, 6:45, 7:20, 10:10, 10:35 Mon 1:15, 4:30, 6:30, 8:00, 9:50 Wed 1:15, 4:30, 8:00 Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (PG) Sun 12:55 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 Philomena (PG) Thu 2:10, 4:40, 7:05, 9:40 Fri, Sun, Tue 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:50, 10:15 Sat 5:10, 7:50, 10:15 Mon 1:50, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30 Wed 4:15, 9:30 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 1:40 Fri-Sun, Tue 1:30 Mon, Wed 1:20 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 4:30, 7:15, 10:10 Fri-Sun, Tue 4:30, 7:30, 10:25 Mon, Wed 4:20, 7:20, 10:15

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 2:10, 5:05, 8:00, 10:55 Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00 The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu-Fri, Mon-Wed 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 10:05 Sat 4:35, 7:30, 10:35 Sun 1:05, 4:05, 10:05 Black Nativity (G) Thu 4:30, 10:20 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 1:35, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00 Frozen (G) Thu 12:40, 3:25 Fri, Sun, Tue 11:45, 2:45 Sat 1:15, 4:00 Mon 12:15, 3:15 Wed 12:45 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 1:25, 4:10, 7:00, 9:50 Fri, Sun-Tue 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 Sat 11:15, 2:00, 4:45, 7:35, 10:15 Wed 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 2:00, 4:25, 6:55 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:30 Fri, Sun 11:30, 12:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:30, 5:20, 6:40, 7:10, 9:00, 10:20, 10:50 Sat 11:30, 12:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:30, 5:30, 6:40, 7:10, 9:00, 10:20, 10:50 Mon, Wed 12:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:30, 5:20, 6:40, 7:00, 9:00, 10:20, 10:40 Tue 11:30, 12:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:30, 5:20, 6:40, 7:00, 9:00, 10:20, 10:40 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) 1:00, 4:40, 8:15 Sat only 1:00 5:00 8:30 Homefront (14A) Thu 2:10, 4:55, 7:35, 10:10 Fri, MonWed 2:00, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15 Sat 11:45, 2:15, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50 Sun 2:00, 4:45, 7:30 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 12:30, 3:10, 3:40, 6:00, 6:30, 6:50, 9:30, 9:55 Fri, Sun 12:30, 4:00, 6:20, 7:15, 9:40, 10:40 Sat 12:30, 4:00, 6:45, 7:15, 10:00, 10:40 Mon 12:30, 3:50, 6:20, 7:10, 9:40, 10:30 Tue 12:30, 4:00, 6:20, 7:15, 9:40, 10:45 Wed 12:30, 3:50, 7:10, 10:30 Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (PG) Sun 12:55 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 The Nutcracker – Royal Opera House Encore Thu 7:30 Oldboy (18A) Thu 2:05, 4:45, 10:45 Out of the Furnace (14A) Thu 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15 FriSat, Mon-Wed 1:25, 4:25, 7:25, 10:25 Sun 1:00, 4:25, 7:05, 10:15 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu-Sat, Mon-Wed 12:55 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 3:45, 6:40, 9:35 Fri-Wed 3:55, 6:55, 9:55 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri-Sun, Tue 11:50, 2:30, 5:10, 7:45, 10:30 Mon, Wed 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00 WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Sun 8:00

SilverCity Yorkdale (CE)

Eglinton Town Centre (CE)

SilverCity Fairview (CE)

Fairview Mall, 1800 Sheppard Ave E, 416-644-7746

3401 Dufferin St, 416-787-2052

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30 Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00

1901 Eglinton Ave E, 416-752-4494

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 3:45, 4:30, 6:45, 7:30, 9:45, 10:30

Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00 The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 The Book Thief (PG) Thu 4:00, 7:15, 10:25 Fri-Sat 12:40, 3:45, 6:50, 9:55 Sun 12:40, 3:45, 6:50 Mon-Tue 3:45, 6:50, 9:55 Bullett Raja (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:50, 10:05 Dallas Buyers Club (18A) Thu 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 Fri, Sun 1:20, 4:15, 7:15, 10:10 Sat 1:10, 4:15, 7:15, 10:10 Mon-Tue 4:15, 7:15, 10:10 Wed 3:50, 6:50, 9:40 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 5:05, 7:45, 10:30 Frozen (G) Thu 1:10, 3:50, 6:40 Fri, Sun 1:40, 4:20, 7:00 Sat 11:10, 1:40, 4:20, 7:00 Mon-Wed 3:55, 6:40 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 1:50, 4:30, 7:25, 10:10 Fri-Sun 12:05, 2:35, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Mon-Wed 4:40, 7:25, 10:00 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 1:40, 4:10, 6:30, 9:10 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:15, 10:30 Fri, Sun 11:30, 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 3:30, 5:10, 6:40, 7:10, 8:45, 10:20, 10:50 Sat 11:30, 12:00, 1:00, 3:00, 3:30, 4:30, 6:40, 7:10, 8:15, 10:20, 10:50 Mon-Wed 3:30, 4:00, 5:10, 7:00, 7:45, 8:45, 10:30 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) 4:30, 5:50, 8:15, 9:30 Fri, Sun 1:00, 2:15 mat Sat 1:30, 2:15 mat, 5:10, 8:45 Sat only 1:30 2:15 5:10 5:50 8:45 9:30 Holiday Inn Wed 7:00 Homefront (14A) Thu 2:20, 5:00, 7:40, 10:20 Fri-Sun 12:35, 3:10, 5:40, 8:20, 11:00 Mon-Tue 5:05, 7:40, 10:20 Wed 4:20, 10:20 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 2:00, 2:45, 5:30, 6:15, 9:00 Fri, Sun 12:30, 4:00, 7:20, 9:45, 10:45 Sat 12:50, 4:00, 7:20, 9:45, 10:45 Mon-Wed 3:35, 6:55, 9:20, 10:20 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 Out of the Furnace (14A) Thu 4:15, 7:20, 10:10 Fri, Sun 1:50, 4:45, 7:40, 10:40 Sat 12:20, 5:00, 8:05, 11:00 MonWed 4:05, 7:05, 10:00 Philomena (PG) Thu 4:35, 7:10, 9:45 Fri-Sun 11:45, 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, 10:00 Mon-Wed 4:25, 7:10, 9:50 Ram-Leela (PG) Thu 1:20, 4:50, 8:30 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Fri-Sun 2:10 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 3:45, 6:45, 9:40 Fri-Sun 5:05, 8:00, 10:55 Mon-Wed 4:45, 7:35, 10:25 12 Years a Slave (14A) Thu 3:35, 6:40 Fri 12:15, 3:20, 6:30, 9:50 Sat 3:20, 6:30, 9:50 Sun 12:15, 3:20, 9:50 Mon-Tue 3:30, 6:35, 9:45 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri, Sun 11:50, 2:25, 5:00, 7:45, 10:30 Sat 11:50, 2:25, 5:05, 7:45, 10:30 MonTue 5:00, 7:30, 10:15 Wed 4:10, 7:20, 10:15 WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Sun 8:00

Woodside Cinemas (I) 1571 Sandhurst Circle, 416-299-3456

Bullett Raja (PG) Thu 3:30, 9:30 R... Rajkumar (14A) Thu 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 Fri 6:15, 9:15 Sat-Sun 3:15, 6:15, 9:15 Mon-Wed 4:00, 7:00 Ram-Leela (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:30 Fri 6:00, 9:00 Sat-Sun 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 Mon-Wed 4:00, 7:00 Thagaraaru Thu 7:30 Fri-Sun 6:30 Mon-Wed 4:00 Vidiyum Munn Thu 10:30 Fri 9:30 Sat-Sun 3:30, 9:30 Mon-Wed 7:00

GTA Regions Mississauga

Coliseum Mississauga (CE) Square One, 309 Rathburn Rd W, 905-275-3456

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 12:50, 2:10, 4:00, 5:05, 7:15, 8:00, 10:05, 10:55 Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00 The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu 3:35, 6:40, 9:40 Black Nativity (G) Thu 4:30, 10:20 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (G) Thu 1:10 Free Birds (G) Thu 12:35, 3:00 Frozen (G) Thu 2:00, 5:00, 7:45 Fri 2:25, 5:10, 7:55 Sat 11:30, 2:25, 5:10, 7:55 Sun 11:40, 2:25, 5:10, 7:55 Mon-Tue 1:00, 4:10, 7:15 Wed 1:10, 4:10, 7:30 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 1:20 4:10 6:50 9:35 Fri-Wed 12:30, 3:40, 6:50, 9:50 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 1:30, 4:00, 6:55 Fri 2:35, 5:25, 8:00, 10:30 Sat 5:25, 8:00, 10:30 Sun 11:50, 2:35, 5:25, 10:30 MonTue 1:50, 4:50, 7:30, 9:55 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:30 Fri 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:40, 7:10, 10:20, 10:50 Sat 11:15, 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:40, 7:10, 10:20, 10:50 Sun 11:30, 12:00, 3:00, 3:30, 6:40, 7:10, 10:20, 10:50 Mon-Tue 12:00, 12:40, 3:30, 4:30, 7:00, 8:20, 10:30 Wed 12:40, 2:20, 4:30, 6:15, 8:20, 10:00 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: An IMAX 3D Experience (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri-Sun 12:00, 3:30, 7:10, 10:50 Mon-Wed 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri-Wed 1:20, 5:20, 9:20 Holiday Inn Wed 7:00 Homefront (14A) Thu 1:05, 3:50, 7:10, 10:05 Fri-Sat 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:35 Sun 1:40, 4:40, 7:40 Mon-Tue 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:20 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The IMAX Experience (PG) Thu 12:15, 3:30, 6:45 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 12:30, 1:45, 3:45, 5:15, 6:20, 7:00, 8:45, 10:25 Fri, Sun 12:10, 2:00, 3:50, 5:45, 7:30, 9:45, 11:00 Sat 11:45, 2:00, 3:50, 5:45, 7:30, 9:45, 11:00 Mon-Tue 12:10, 1:30, 3:50, 5:15, 7:15, 9:00, 10:25 Wed 12:10, 3:50, 5:15, 9:00, 10:45 Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (14A) Thu 1:25, 4:20, 10:45 Fri-Sun 10:45 Mon-Tue 10:00 Wed 10:35 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 The Nutcracker – Royal Opera House Encore Thu 7:30 Oldboy (18A) Thu 10:40 Out of the Furnace (14A) Thu 1:00, 4:05, 7:20, 10:10 Fri, Sun-Wed 12:15, 3:20, 6:30, 9:35 Sat 12:10, 3:20, 6:30, 9:35 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 12:50 Fri-Wed 12:20 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 3:40, 6:35, 9:55 Fri-Sun 3:45, 7:00, 10:05 Mon-Tue 3:45, 6:55, 10:05 Wed 3:45, 6:55, 10:20 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri-Tue 1:10, 4:20, 7:20, 10:10 Wed 4:20, 7:20, 10:10 WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Sun 8:00

Courtney Park 16 (CE)

110 Courtney Park E at Hurontario, 416-335-5323 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 12:30, 2:00, 3:20, 4:50, 6:10, 7:40, 9:00, 10:30 The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu 1:10, 4:05, 6:50, 9:40 Fri-Sat 8:45 Sun-Wed 8:30 Bhaji in Problem (PG) Thu 1:00, 3:45, 6:35, 9:30 The Book Thief (PG) Thu 1:25, 4:25, 7:25, 10:25 Fri-Sat 1:50, 4:45, 7:40, 10:50 Sun-Tue 1:50, 4:45, 7:40, 10:35 Wed 1:50, 4:45, 7:50, 10:40 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 1:40, 4:15, 7:00, 9:35 Fri-Sat 2:10, 4:40, 7:10, 9:55 Sun-Tue 2:10, 4:40, 7:10, 9:40 Wed 4:40, 7:10, 9:40 Frozen (G) Thu 2:00, 4:35, 7:10 Fri-Tue 1:00, 3:30, 6:00 Wed 3:30, 6:00 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 1:00, 3:35, 6:10, 10:10 Fri-Sat 12:25, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:30 Sun 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 Mon-Wed 12:25, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:30 Fri-Sat 12:30, 2:55, 3:55, 6:20, 7:20, 10:00, 11:00 Sun 12:30, 3:55, 4:50, 7:20, 8:15, 10:45 Mon-Wed 12:30, 2:55, 3:55, 6:20, 7:20, 9:45, 10:45 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri-Sat 12:00, 1:25, 3:25, 4:50, 6:50, 8:30, 10:30 Sun 12:00, 1:25, 2:55, 3:25, 6:20, 6:50, 9:45, 10:15 Mon-Wed 12:00, 1:25, 3:25, 4:50, 6:50, 8:15, 10:15 Homefront (14A) Thu 2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15 Fri-Sat 12:35, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55, 10:35 Sun 12:35, 5:30, 7:55, 10:20 Mon-Wed 12:35, 3:05, 5:30, 7:55, 10:20 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The IMAX Experience (PG) Thu 1:00, 4:10, 7:20, 10:30 Fri-Sat 1:15, 4:20, 7:25, 10:45 Sun-Tue 1:15, 4:20, 7:25, 10:30 Wed 1:15, 4:20, 7:25, 10:35 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 1:45, 3:30, 5:00, 6:45, 8:15 Fri-Sat 12:15, 3:20, 6:25, 9:45 Sun-Tue 12:15, 3:20, 6:25, 9:30 Wed 12:10, 3:15, 6:25, 9:30 Last Vegas (PG) Thu 9:45 Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (PG) Sun 12:55 Oldboy (18A) Thu 2:40, 5:10, 7:40 Out of the Furnace (14A) Thu 2:05, 4:50, 7:35, 10:20 Fri-Sat 12:55, 3:35, 6:55, 9:50 Sun-Wed 12:55, 3:35, 6:55, 9:35 Philomena (PG) Thu 1:30, 3:55, 6:30, 8:55 Fri-Sat 12:10, 3:00, 5:25, 7:50, 10:25 Sun-Tue 12:10, 3:00, 5:25, 7:50, 10:10 Ram-Leela (PG) Thu 3:15, 6:40, 10:05 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 1:35 Fri, Mon-Wed 2:25 Sat-Sun 11:45 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 4:20, 7:05, 9:50 Fri 5:05, 7:45, 10:40 Sat 2:25, 5:05, 7:45, 10:40 Sun 2:25, 5:05, 7:45, 10:25 Mon-Wed 5:05, 7:45, 10:25 12 Years a Slave (14A) Thu 1:05, 4:00, 6:55, 9:55 Fri-Sat 1:10, 4:05, 7:00, 10:10 Sun 4:05, 7:00, 9:55 Mon-Tue 1:10, 4:05, 7:00, 9:55 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri-Sat 12:20, 2:45, 5:10, 7:35, 10:15 Sun-Wed 12:20, 2:45, 5:10, 7:35, 10:00

SilverCity Mississauga (CE) Hwy 5, east of Hwy 403, 905-569-3373

About Time (14A) Thu 5:30, 8:15 Fri 4:30, 7:30, 10:20 Sat 1:30, 4:20, 7:30, 10:20 Sun 1:30, 4:20, 7:20, 10:10 Mon-Wed 5:30, 8:20 The Book Thief (PG) Thu 4:10, 7:45 Fri 4:10, 7:10, 10:10 Sat 1:00, 4:10, 7:15, 10:15 Sun 1:00, 4:10, 7:10, 10:05 Mon-Wed 4:30, 7:45 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (G) Sat 12:05, 2:30 Sun 12:15, 2:40 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 3D (G) Thu 5:00, 7:30 Fri 5:00, 7:40, 10:05 Sat 4:55, 7:40, 10:05 Sun 5:00, 7:35, 10:00 Mon-Wed 5:00, 7:20 The Counselor (14A) Thu, Mon-Wed 5:10, 7:50 Fri 3:35, 6:55, 9:50 Sat 1:45, 4:25, 7:35, 10:20 Sun 12:45, 3:40, 6:55, 9:45 Dallas Buyers Club (18A) Thu 4:40, 8:10 Fri 4:00, 7:20, 10:15 Sat 12:50, 3:45, 7:15, 10:15 Sun 12:50, 3:45, 7:15, 10:10 Mon-Wed 4:50, 7:30 Delivery Man (PG) Thu, Mon-Wed 5:15, 8:30 Fri 4:25, 7:45, 10:30 Sat 12:10, 2:40, 5:20, 8:00, 10:30 Sun 1:20, 4:25, 7:25, 10:15 Free Birds (G) Thu, Mon-Wed 5:20, 7:35 Fri 5:15, 7:35, 10:20 Sat 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:35, 10:20 Sun 12:30, 3:00, 5:15, 7:35, 9:50 Last Vegas (PG) Thu 5:35, 8:20 Fri 3:50, 6:45, 9:40 Sat 12:40, 4:05, 7:10, 9:45 Sun 12:40, 4:05, 7:05, 9:40 Mon-Wed 5:35, 8:15 Prisoners (14A) Thu 4:30, 8:00 Fri 3:30, 6:40, 9:55 Sat 12:00, 3:30, 6:40, 10:00 Sun 12:00, 3:20, 6:35, 9:50 MonWed 4:30, 7:55 12 Years a Slave (14A) Thu 4:45, 8:05 Fri 3:45, 7:00, 10:05 Sat 12:30, 3:45, 6:55, 10:10 Sun 12:30, 3:55, 7:00, 10:00 Mon-Wed 4:45, 8:00

North Colossus (CE) Hwy 400 & 7, 905-851-1001

About Time (14A) Thu 4:15, 6:40 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 3:55, 5:05, 7:05, 8:00, 9:50, 10:45 Arthur Christmas (G) Sat 11:00 The Best Man Holiday (14A) Thu 3:55, 6:45, 10:05 Fri 1:45, 4:50, 7:50, 10:55 Sat 4:50, 7:50, 10:55 Sun 1:45, 4:50, 10:55 Mon-Tue 3:50, 6:50, 9:50 The Book Thief (PG) Thu 4:25, 7:25, 10:20 Captain Phillips (14A) Thu 9:40 Dallas Buyers Club (18A) Thu 4:40, 7:40, 10:25 Fri 1:40, 4:45, 7:35, 10:25 Sat 1:10, 4:45, 7:35, 10:25 Sun 1:40, 4:45, 7:50, 10:00 Mon-Wed 4:45, 7:35, 10:25 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 3:40, 6:35, 9:25 Fri-Sun 2:00, 4:35, 7:15, 10:05 Mon-Wed 4:35, 7:15, 10:05 Free Birds (G) Thu 3:45 Frozen (G) Thu 4:00, 6:55 Fri, Sun 12:25, 3:05, 5:45, 8:25 Sat 11:20, 12:25, 3:05, 5:45, 8:25 Mon-Wed 3:40, 6:25 Frozen 3D (G) Thu 4:45, 7:35, 10:10 Fri-Sun 11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:40, 10:15 Mon-Wed 4:25, 7:10, 9:45 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 5:00, 7:20, 9:30 Fri-Sun 12:15, 2:45, 5:05, 7:25, 9:50 Mon-Wed 3:15, 5:30, 7:50, 10:15 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00, 10:30 Fri-Sun 12:00, 1:30, 2:15, 3:30, 5:10, 5:50, 7:10, 8:45, 9:30, 10:50 Mon-Wed 3:30, 5:10, 5:50, 7:00, 8:45, 9:30, 10:40 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: An IMAX 3D

Experience (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri-Sun 11:30, 3:00, 6:40, 10:20 Mon-Wed 3:00, 6:30, 10:10 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) 4:00, 4:30, 7:45, 8:15 Fri-Sun 12:30, 1:00 mat Homefront (14A) Thu 4:30, 7:15, 9:50 Fri-Sun 12:20, 2:55, 5:35, 8:00, 10:30 Mon-Wed 3:05, 5:35, 8:00, 10:30 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – The IMAX Experience (PG) Thu 3:30, 6:50 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 4:10, 5:15, 6:00, 7:20, 8:30, 10:30 Fri-Sat 12:05, 12:50, 3:25, 4:10, 6:45, 7:30, 10:00, 10:45 Sun 12:05, 12:50, 3:25, 4:10, 6:45, 7:30, 10:45 Mon-Wed 3:25, 4:10, 6:45, 7:30, 10:00, 10:45 Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (14A) Thu 4:05, 10:25 Fri-Sun 11:00 Mon-Wed 9:20 Last Vegas (PG) Thu 4:20, 7:05, 9:55 Fri-Sun 11:45, 2:30, 5:15, 7:55, 10:35 Mon-Tue 5:15, 7:55, 10:35 The Metropolitan Opera: Falstaff Sat 12:55 The Nutcracker – Royal Opera House Encore Thu 7:30 Oldboy (18A) Thu 9:35 Out of the Furnace (14A) Thu 4:35, 7:30, 10:15 Fri, Sun 11:50, 2:35, 5:20, 8:05, 11:00 Sat 2:35, 5:20, 8:05, 11:00 MonWed 4:15, 7:20, 10:20 Philomena (PG) Thu 5:20, 7:45, 10:20 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Fri-Sun 1:15 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 3:50, 7:00, 9:45 Fri-Sun 4:05, 7:00, 9:55 Mon-Wed 4:05, 6:55, 9:55 Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas (14A) Fri-Sun 12:40, 3:10, 5:40, 8:10, 10:40 Mon-Wed 3:10, 5:40, 8:05, 10:35 WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs Sun 8:00

Interchange 30 (AMC)

30 Interchange Way, Hwy 400 & Hwy 7, 416-335-5323 About Time (14A) Fri 4:40, 7:20, 9:55 Sat 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55 Sun 2:00, 4:40, 7:20 Mon 4:35 Tue-Wed 4:40, 7:20 Black Nativity (G) Thu 5:15, 7:30 Fri 7:15 Sat 2:50, 7:15 Sun 5:05 Mon-Wed 7:45 Blue Jasmine (14A) Thu 5:05, 7:45 Fri-Sat 5:05, 9:30 Sun 2:50, 7:15 Mon-Wed 5:05 The Book Thief (PG) Fri 6:00, 9:15 Sat 2:30, 6:00, 9:15 Sun 2:30, 6:00 Mon 7:15 Tue-Wed 6:50 Bullett Raja (PG) Thu 6:30 Captain Phillips (14A) Fri 7:15, 10:00 Sat 4:00, 7:15, 10:00 Sun 4:00, 7:15 Mon-Wed 4:30, 7:15 Carrie (14A) Thu, Tue-Wed 4:55, 7:25 Fri 4:40, 7:25, 9:45 Sat 2:25, 4:55, 7:25, 9:45 Sun 2:25, 4:55, 7:35 Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs Fri 4:30, 7:05, 9:15 Sat 2:05, 4:15, 7:05, 9:15 Sun 2:05, 4:15, 7:05 Mon-Wed 4:30, 7:05 Despicable Me 2 (G) Thu 4:50, 7:35 Fri, Mon-Wed 4:50 Sat 9:30 Sun 7:00 Elysium (14A) Thu 5:10, 7:40 Fri-Sat 7:40, 10:00 Sun 5:15, 7:45 Mon-Wed 7:15 The Family (14A) Thu, Mon-Wed 4:35, 7:10 Fri 4:40, 7:10, 9:50 Sat 2:00, 4:35, 7:10, 9:50 Sun 2:20, 5:10, 7:35 Free Birds (G) Fri 7:00, 9:20 Sat 2:20, 4:50, 7:00 Sun 2:20, 4:50 Mon-Wed 7:35 Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela (PG) Thu, Mon, Wed 6:00 Fri-Sat 5:30 Sun 2:30 Philomena (PG) 5:00, 7:25 Fri 9:45 Sat 2:55 mat, 9:45 Sun 2:55 mat Planes (G) Thu 5:00, 7:15 Fri 4:45 Sat 2:45, 5:15 Sun 2:45 Mon-Wed 5:00 Prisoners (14A) Thu, Mon-Wed 6:25 Fri 6:25, 9:25 Sat 3:15, 6:25, 9:25 Sun 3:55, 6:55 12 Years a Slave (14A) Thu 7:00 Fri 9:00 Sat 2:10, 9:00 Sun 7:10 Tue 6:45 2 Guns (14A) Thu 4:35, 7:00 Wadjda (PG) 5:10, 7:30 Fri 9:40 Sat 3:00 mat, 9:40 Sun 3:00 mat We’re the Millers (14A) Thu 4:30, 7:25

Rainbow Promenade (I)

Promenade Mall, Hwy 7 & Bathurst, 416-494-9371 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Tue 9:30 Wed 1:10, 3:55, 6:55, 9:30 The Book Thief (PG) 1:05, 3:50, 6:40, 9:35 Delivery Man (PG) 1:10, 3:55, 7:05, 9:20 Tue no 9:20 Frozen (G) 1:20, 4:05, 7:00, 9:20 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri-Wed 1:00, 1:30, 4:30, 5:00, 8:00, 9:30 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu-Sun, TueWed 12:45, 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 Mon 3:45, 6:45, 9:45 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Thu 1:00, 4:00, 6:50 12 Years a Slave (14A) Thu 1:00, 3:55, 6:45, 9:40

West Grande - Steeles (CE) Hwy 410 & Steeles, 905-455-1590

About Time (14A) Thu 7:05, 10:00 Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG) Wed 7:30, 10:20 Delivery Man (PG) Thu 7:25, 10:10 Fri, Tue 4:40, 7:30, 10:05 Sat-Sun 2:10, 4:40, 7:30, 10:05 Mon 7:30, 10:05 Wed 7:25, 10:05 Frozen (G) 3:50 Sat-Sun 12:35 mat Frozen 3D (G) Thu 7:20, 9:50 Fri, Tue 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 SatSun 12:00, 2:35, 5:15, 7:50, 10:25 Mon, Wed 7:00, 9:45 Gravity 3D (PG) Thu 7:00, 9:40 Fri, Tue 3:55, 7:05, 9:40 Sat-Sun 1:05, 3:25, 7:05, 9:40 Mon 7:05, 9:40 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 3D (PG) Thu 10:00 Fri, Tue 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Sat-Sun 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Mon, Wed 6:45, 10:15 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG) Fri, Tue 4:50, 6:10, 8:30, 9:50 Sat-Sun 1:15, 2:30, 4:50, 6:10, 8:30, 9:50 Mon, Wed 7:30, 8:00 Homefront (14A) Thu 7:40, 10:15 Fri, Tue 3:40, 7:45, 10:15 Sat-Sun 1:10, 3:40, 7:45, 10:15 Mon, Wed 7:45, 10:15 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (PG) Thu 7:00, 8:00, 10:15 Fri, Tue 3:45, 6:30, 7:10, 9:45, 10:30 Sat-Sun 12:30, 3:45, 6:30, 7:10, 9:45, 10:30 Mon, Wed 6:45, 7:55, 9:55 Last Vegas (PG) Thu 7:10, 9:55 Thor: The Dark World (PG) Sat-Sun 12:20 Thor: The Dark World 3D (PG) Thu 7:15, 10:05 Fri-Sun, Tue 3:35, 7:20, 10:10 Mon, Wed 7:20, 10:10

3

NOW december 12-18 2013

97

indie&rep film complete festivals, independent and How to find a listing

Repertory cinema listings are comprehensive and appear alphabetically by venue, then by date. Other films are listed by date. = Critics’ pick (highly recommended) ñ F indicates Festive events

How to place a listing

repertory schedules

Rocky (right) bonds with Surya at an ­orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS.

Brotherly love BLOOD BROTHER (Steve Hoover) Rating: NNN Big-hearted but half-cooked, Blood Brother profiles Rocky Braat, a young American who discovers his vocation as a volunteer at an Indian orphanage for children with HIV/ AIDS. Adventurous and naive, Braat went abroad looking for “authenticity.” Instead he found great suffer­ing tempered by the irrepressible joy of the children for whom he would become an inexhaustible caregiver and honorary big brother. Braat grew up in an unstable, sometimes abusive home, so the orphans offer him a kind of surrogate family – albeit one whose mem­bers are in constant danger of perishing from their deadly affliction.

Blood Brother is the directorial debut of Steve Hoover, the subject’s best friend. Bursting with saturated colours and dominated by images of Braat sharing his energetic charges’ highs and devastating lows, this earnest first-person documentary is frequently both spectacular and moving. Aside from some backstory off the top and a wedding at the end, it’s also fairly shapeless and could have benefited from more context and critical distance and closer attention to structure.

Hoover comes by his emotional wallops honestly. I just wish he could have asked tougher questions along the way.

Opens Friday (December 13) at the Bloor Hot Docs JOSÉ TEODORO Cinema. See listings, this page.

All listings are free. Send to: movies@nowtoronto.com, fax to 416-364-1166 or mail to Rep Cinemas, NOW Magazine, 189 Church, Toronto M5B 1Y7. Include film title, year of release, names of director(s), language and subtitle info, venue, address, time, cost and advance ticket sales if any, phone number for reservations/info or website address. Deadline is the Thursday before publication at 5 pm.

Cinemas big picture cinema gerrard 1035 gerrard e. bigpicturecinema.com

thu 12-wed 18 – Check website for schedule.

BLOOR hot docs Cinema

506 Bloor W. 416-637-3123. bloorcinema.com

Thu 12 – Day Job Doc: A Story Of Chasing

Dreams D: David Chan 7 pm. InRealLife (2013) D: Beeban Kidron. 9:15 pm. fri 13 – Blood Brother (2013) D: Steve Hoover.

4 & 9 pm. The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers (2013) D: Richard Trank. 6:30 pm. sat 14 – The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers. 1 & 6 pm. Blood Brother. 3:45 & 9 pm. sun 15 – The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers.

Noon. The Japan Foundation and ConsulateGeneral of Japan present Seven Days Of Himawari And Her Puppies (2013) D: Emiko Hiramatsu, 3:30 pm, and Chronicle Of My Mother (2011) D: Masato Harada. 6:30 pm. Free. Blood Brother. 9:30 pm. mon 16 – The Japan Foundation and the Consulate-General of Japan present Life Back Then (2011) D: Takahisa ZeZe. 6:30 pm.

Free. Blood Brother. 9:30 pm.

Tue 17 – The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers. 3 & 9:30 pm. The Japan Foundation and the Consulate-General of Japan present Welcome Back, Hayabusa (2012) D: Katsuhide Motoki.

6:30 pm.

Wed 18 – Blood Brother. 2:30 pm. Member’s Screening: American Promise (2013) D: Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson. 7:30 pm.

Free for members (reserve online).

ñ

Camera Bar

1028 Queen W. 416-530-0011. camerabar.ca

F sat 14 – Scrooged (1988) D: Richard Don-

ner. 3 pm.

cinematheque tiff bell l­ ightbox

reitman square, 350 king w. 416-599-8433, tiff.net

thu 12 – Master Class: Guillermo Del Toro

ñintroduces and leads a post-screening discussion on Castle In The Sky (1986) D:

Hayao Miyazaki. 7 pm. David Cronenberg: Crimes Of The Future (1970) 9:15 pm. fri 13 – Studio Ghibli: My Neighbor Totoro (1988) D: Hayao Miyazaki.

Japanese w/ s-t. 6:30 pm. Coen Brothers: The Big Lebowski (1998). 8:45 pm.

F sat 14 – White Christmas (1954) D: Michael Curtiz. 1 pm. Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki X 2: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). 4 pm. Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind (1984). Both films w/ s-t. 7 pm. Body Horror: Society (1989) D: Brian Yuzna. 10 pm.

F sun 15 – Reel Talk: Contemporary World Cinema. 10 & 10:30 am. Miracle On 34th Street (1947) D: George Seaton. 1:30 pm. Studio Ghibli X 2: Castle In The Sky. Dubbed. 4 pm. Only Yesterday (1991) D: Isao Takahata.

Japanese w/ s-t. 7 pm. mon 16 – Check website for schedule. tue 17 – Studio Ghibli: Porco Rosso (1992) D: Hayao Miyazaki. w/ s-t.

6:30 pm. A Serious Man (2009) D: Joel and Ethan Coen. 8:45 pm. wed 18 – Check website for schedule.

Watermark. 9:15 pm.

Wed 18 – Diana (2013) D: Oliver Hirschbiegel. 7 pm. Muscle Shoals. 9:15 pm.

Fox Theatre

GRAHAM SPRY THEATRE

2236 Queen E. 416-691-7330. foxtheatre.ca

Thu 12 – Blue Is The Warmest Color

ñ

(2013) D: Abdellatif Kechiche. 6:30 pm.

Last Vegas (2013) D: Jon Turteltaub. 9:45 pm.

Fri 13 – About Time (2013) D: Richard Curtis. 7 pm. Watermark (2013) D: Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky. 9:30 pm.

F sat 14 – Meet Me In St Louis (1944) D: Vincente Minnelli. 2 pm. About Time. 4:15 & 7 pm. Watermark. 9:30 pm.

F sun 15 – Home Alone (1990) D: Chris Columbus. 2 pm. Watermark. 4:30 & 9:15 pm. About Time.

6:45 pm.

ñ

Mon 16 –

Watermark. 7 pm. About Time. 9 pm. tue 17 – Muscle Shoals (2013) D: Greg “Freddy” Camalier. 7 pm.

ñ

ñ 98

December 12-18 2013 NOW

What?

Home Alone, starring a very young Macaulay Culkin, screens December 15 at the Fox.

CBC Museum, CBC Broadcast Centre, 250 Front W, 416-205-5574. cbc.ca

thu 12-wed 18 – Continuous screenings ­Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Free.

Thu 12-fri 13 AND mon 16-wed 18 – Holiday season and winter preview.

ontario science centre

770 Don Mills. 416-696-3127. ontariosciencecentre.ca

thu 12-fri 13 – Great White

Shark. 11 am and 2 pm.

Flight Of The Butterflies.

Noon. The Human Body. 1 pm.

Sat 14-sun 15 – Great White Shark. 11 am, 1 & 3 pm. Under The Sea. Noon. Flight Of The Butterflies. 2 & 4 pm.

mon 16-wed 18 –

Great White Shark.

11 am & 2 pm. Flight Of The Butterflies.

Noon. The Human Body. 1 pm.

reg hartt’s cineforum

463 Bathurst. 416-6036643.

thu 12 – The Cossacks (1928) D: George W Hill and Clarence Brown. 4 pm.

sat 14 – The Three Ages (1923) D: Buster Keaton. 4 pm. The Best Of The Sex & Violence Cartoon Festival. 7 pm. sun 15 – Gretchen The Greenhorn (1916) D: Chester M Franklin and Sidney Franklin. 4 pm. Jane Jacobs: Urban Wisdom (2007) D: Don Alexander. 6 pm. Kid Dracula: Nosferatu (1922) D: FW Murnau, with music from Radiohead’s Kid A and OK Computer a ­ lbums.

7 pm.

Mon 16 – Nell Gwyn (1926) D: Herbert Wilcox. 4 pm. Music For The Movies: Bernard Herrmann (2007) D: Joshua Waletzky. 5 pm. Hangover Square (1945) D: John Brahm.

7 pm. Taxi Driver (1976) D: Martin Scorsese.

9 pm. tue 17-wed 18 – Pink Floyd X 3: Alice In The Wall: Alice In Wonderland (1933) D: Norman Z McLeod, with soundtrack from The Wall.

5:30 pm. Darkside Of Oz: The Wizard Of Oz (1939) D: Victor Fleming, with soundtrack of The Darkside Of The Moon. 7 pm. The Wall (1982) D: Alan Parker. 9 pm.

revue cinema

400 Roncesvalles. 416-531-9959. revuecinema.ca

Thu 12 – All Is Lost (2013) D: JC Chandor. 7 pm. Blue Is The Warmest Color ñ (2013) D: Abdellatif Kechiche. 9:15 pm.

Fri 13 – Enough Said (2013) D: Nicole Holofcener. 7 pm. Watermark (2013) ñ D: Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky.

9 pm.

sat 14 – Enough Said. 4:30 & 7 pm.

Watermark. 9 pm. ñ F sun 15 – The Polar Express (2004) D:

Robert Zemeckis. 2 pm. Enough Said. 4:15 & 7 pm. Watermark. 9 pm. mon 16 – Enough Said. 7 pm. Watermark. 9 pm.

Tue 17 – Watermark. 7 pm. Bastards (2013) D: Claire Denis. 9 pm.

Wed 18 – Bastards. 7 pm. Enough Said. 9 pm.

the royal 608 College. 416-466-4400. theroyal.to

Thu 12 – Night Train To Lisbon (2013) D: Bil-

Ñ

lie August. 7 pm. Don Jon (2013) D: Joseph Gordon­-Levitt. 9 pm. fri 13 – All Is Lost (2013) D: JC Chandor.

7 pm. Horror Remix: Beast. 9:15 pm.

Friday Late Nights: The Room (2003) D: Tommy Wiseau. 11:30 pm. sat 14-sun 15 – Kill Your Darlings (2013) D: John Krokidas. 7 pm. All Is Lost. 9:15 pm. mon 16 – All Is Lost. 7 pm.

Tue 17 – The Best Show On WFMU Tribute. 7 pm. The Best Show On WFMU listening party. 9 pm. wed 18 – All Is Lost. 7 pm. Kill Your Darlings.

9:15 pm.

ñ

other films thu 12-wed 18 – The CN Tower presents

Legends Of Flight 3D. Continuous screenings daily 10 am-9 pm. 301 Front W. ­cntower.ca.

Casa Loma presents The P­ ellatt Newsreel (2006) D: Barbra Cooper, a film and permanent exhibit on the history of Casa Loma and Henry Pellatt. Daily screenings 10 am4:30 pm. Included w/ admission. 1 ­Austin Terrace. 416-923-1171, ­casaloma.org.

The Hockey Hall of Fame presents Stanley’s Game Seven 3D, a film of Stanley Cup history. Plays daily at the top of and half past each hour. Mon-Sat 9:30 am-6 pm, Sun 10 am-6 pm. Included w/ admission. Brookfield Place, 30 Yonge. hhof.com.

Ffri 13 – Jane/Dundas Library’s Friday Afternoon At The Movies presents Christmas With The Kranks (2004) D: Joe Roth.

2:30 pm. Free. 620 Jane. 416-394-1014. sun 15 – SkeenaWild Film Festival presents homegrown feature and short outdoor adventure films. 1 to 3 pm. $10-$20. Flying Beaver Pubaret, 488 Parliament. s­ keenawild.org.

C ineCycle presents Brazil (1985) D: Terry

Gilliam, and other shorts. 7 pm. $5. 129 Spadina. super8porter.ca/CineCycle.htm.

Ftue 17 – Planet In Focus Salon Vert presents Orange Witness (2012) D: Andrew Nisker. 7 pm. $15, stu/srs $10. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas W. ­planetinfocus.org.

3

ñ

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Top ten of the year nnNn = Honourable mention nnn =

blu-ray/dvd disc of the week

By ANDREW DOWLER

Hugh Jackman gets his claws out for The ­Wolverine.

The Wolverine (Fox, 2013) D: James Mangold, w/ Hugh Jackman, Rila ­Fukushima. Rating: NNN; Blu-ray ­package: NNN The Wolverine is light superhero fun with a slight twist. The X-Men, the Wolverine’s usual sidekicks, are left out, the fantasy quotient is tamped down and major attention paid to his metaphysical dilemma: he’s a 150-year-old immortal bur­ dened with guilt, and he wants to die.

He gets his chance when summoned to Japan by a dying friend, but a threat to the man’s granddaughter intervenes and sends him into battle against yakuza atop a speeding train, ninjas in a picturesque village and a giant robot in a high-tech lab. Lots of action in splashy settings ensues.

Hugh Jackman, in his sixth ­outing as

Fast & Furious 6

(Universal, 2013) D: Justin Lin, w/ Vin Diesel, Paul Walker.

Rating: NNN; Blu-ray package: NNN Fast & Furious 6 transforms the gang of L.A. street racing criminals into in­ternational crime fighters. What’s lost is the grit that gave the originals some street cred.

What’s gained is bigger, flashier stunt work.

Holding out hope that Dom’s be­ loved Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) is still alive, Interpol agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) lures Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (the recently deceased Paul Walker) and the gang out of retirement to help him bring down a mercenary crew out to steal the last component of a dooms­day machine.

The big set pieces feature a tank, a monster cargo plane and the “flip car,”

which looks like a Formula One racer designed for battle. They’re about as thrilling as you’d expect, given Justin Lin’s limitations as a director and the cardboard characters.

When the motorized mayhem and numerous fist fights subside, Dom hammers home his family loyalty creed, and head baddie Shaw (Luke Evans) mouths opposing values. Lin and his cast trumpet the importance of the theme in the extras, but it’s a big package, so you’ll still find lots of items devoted to the cars and filmmaking techniques.

EXTRAS Commentary, five making-of docs. English, French, Spanish audio and subtitles.

Despicable Me 2 (Universal, 2013) D: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, w/ voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig.

Rating: NN; Blu-ray package: NNN The animation is polished, but the gags are nothing special, so the sequel is about half the fun of the first

Despicable Me. Perpetually grumpy supervillain Gru has morphed into a happy dad, tamed by the little girls who were formerly his nemeses.

He’s given up villainy, too, so there’s nothing here as loony as his attempt to steal the moon, or archrival Vector’s squid launcher. In their place, a generic story involves Gru in helping a goodguy organization catch a bad guy and falling in love.

Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig do great comic voices as Gru and the love interest, but his Minions steal the show. Bright yellow foot-high lozenges with spaghetti limbs and clunky ­goggles, they’re enthusiastic, pleasureseeking, easily distracted and none too bright. Pure cartoon goodness.

There are more Minions in the ­extras’ three short films.

EXTRAS Directors commentary, six making-of docs, three short films with making-of doc. English, French, Spanish audio and subtitles.

Jayne Mansfield’s Car (Anchor Bay,

2012) D: Billy Bob Thornton, w/ Robert Duvall, Thornton.

Rating: NN; DVD package: NN Over-earnest clunkiSubscribe to NOW’s ness, stop-start ­pacing and a predictable, sugary ending outweigh the good acting and ­occasional moments of weird humour in Jayne Mansfield’s Car, a dysfunctional-family drama setNewsletter in small-town 1969 Alabama.

Restaurant openings, Jim Caldwell a reviews (Robert & foodieDuvall) newsisfrom ­distant, disapproving to scene. his T.O’s food father & drink adult sons, rigid right-winger Jimbo nowtoronto.com/ (Robert Patrick), anti-war stoner newsletters ­Carroll (Kevin Bacon) and space case

EXTRAS Making-of doc, alternate ending. English, French Spanish ­audio. English, Spanish subtitles.

Skip (Billy Bob Thornton). When the family’s long-departed­wife and mother dies, her body is brought home for burial by her new family, the Bedfords, father, son and daughter (John Hurt, Ray Stevenson and Frances O’Connor).

The Caldwells resent the Bedfords, but their encounters are comic and/or erotic or philosophical rather than confrontational. Meanwhile, Caldwell’s three sons try hard to get his attention.

The men get long dialogue scenes and monologues, the women not so much, but O’Connor does a hilarious nude recital of The Charge Of The Light Brigade.

The 10-minute extras interviews tell us how much everybody loved the script and that it’s about men talking about war and cross-generational ­conflict. We knew that.

EXTRAS Cast and crew interviews.

English audio. English, Spanish ­subtitles.

3Restaur

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news

movies@nowtoornto.com

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ON DEMAND THIS WEEK

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ON ROGERS

ON BELL

ON iTUNES

ON NETFLIX

Tromeo And Juliet (1996) Anything-goes comic ­approach to Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy.

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013) Teenage girl discovers she’s fated to protect the world from demons.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) Slightly subversive take on the standard unseen-killerstalking-teens-at-a-party flick.

Red State (2011) Clerks director Kevin Smith gives the teen horror movie his unique twist.

Ñ

the Wolverine, has the character’s rough-hewn persona down pat. The women around him are just as watchable. They all get action scenes and each projects a vivacious character: Tao Okamoto the ethereal ingenue, Svetlana Khodchenkova the slinky ­villain, and in particular, Rila Fuku­shima the ingenue’s best friend, whose red wig, cute look and go-for-broke ­attitude make her the perfect comic book fantasy come to life.

The cast, Japanese locations, ­production design, fights and source comic­all get a going-over in the hour-long making-of doc that, as these things usually do, wastes too much time on selfcongratulation.

= Critics’ Pick nnnnn = Must have nnNn = Keeper nnn = Renter nn = Coaster n = Skeet

Restaurant openings, reviews & foodie news from T.O’s food & drink scene. nowtoronto.com/ newsletters

Every DVD & Blu-ray Subs you desire is to N available here!

Sales & Rentals

Res

1172 BAY STREET Just South of Bloor

416.964.9088 baystreetvideo.com NOW December 12-18 2013

99

Classifieds 416 364 3444 {

CONTACTS > classifieds@nowtoronto.com 416 364 3444 fax 416 364 1433 189 Church, Toronto, ON M5B 1Y7 DEADLINES > Tuesday at 6pm Adult Classifieds ~ Monday at 6pm

nowtoronto.com/classifieds

Round Here— A TOKEN OF MY GRATITUDE

help wanted

By Matt Jones ©2013 Jonesin’ Crosswords editor@jonesincrosswords.com

29 Another, in Argentina 30 Open a barrel 31 Electric fan setting 32 Altar area 35 Nicolas whom “Dog the Bounty Hunter” once posted bail for 36 Bilbao bear 37 Cater a party for Drew Brees?

42 Overly permissive 43 The Runnin’ Rebels of the NCAA 44 Some, in Seville 45 Lob’s trajectory 46 “___ recall...”

47 Right in the atlas 50 Punch out the clown from “It”?

55 A restaurant may hold it for you 56 Inkling 57 “Do Ya” rock group 59 “Burlesque” actress 61 Ubiquitous arcade game message, or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 64 Means 65 Drama king?

66 Water park slide 67 Some stocking stuffers 68 ___ of thousands 69 Logical flaws DOWN 1 Hook-shaped ski lift 2 “Love Story” novelist Segal 3 Trunk

4 Youngster 5 Statement of denial 6 World Heritage Site org.

7 His fame involved a lot of twists 8 Wanted poster letters 9 21, often 10 “New car” or “burning tire” 11 TV ad come-on 12 The Falcons, on scoreboards 13 Pump contents 18 Former Israeli PM Golda 23 Word with crust or hand 25 Open-___ shoes 26 Coup d’___ 27 1900 Puccini premiere 28 Furry movie creatures 32 Insurance co. with a “spokesduck” 33 Oyster’s offering 34 “American Pie,” e.g.

35 Honda SUV 38 Visibly nervous 39 Pristine, to Brits 40 “That’s ___!”

41 “___ digress...”

47 “___ Game” (2013 film) 48 Yesterday, in Cuba 49 1980s timepiece 51 “Who ___?”

52 Jewish month that sounds like a car 53 Asian economic hub 54 Best of the best 58 Binary digits 59 Where Alabama may be viewed, for short 60 Follower of boo, yoo or woo 62 Wedding column word 63 Stand-up comic Margaret

+

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POSITION FILLED.

ATTENTION RECRUITERS! Buy a recruitment ad in NOW Classifieds and receive a Contact your NOW Classified Sales Rep @ 416.364.3444 nowtoronto.com/classifieds FREE posting on TorontoJobs.ca – The Greater Toronto Area’s leading recruitment source.

100

DECEMBER 12-18 2013 NOW

Source: PMB Fall 2013, National 18+

Medical & Wellness Professionals Wanted. Space for rent in est'd wellness clinic. We've been at Yonge/Eg 14yrs. We have 2 psychotherapists, 2 ND's, a chiropractor and 2 RMT's.

All health & wellness disciplines are welcome. Pls submit resumé, references & marketing initiatives.

416-481-0222 pfranknd@forcesofnature.ca

Tree Planting in GTA Kicking it old school in an urban environment. Tree planting and related tasks. Full season & short- term positions. RESUME required. G Licence preferred. mike_fischer@brinkman.ca

automobiles

Experienced Newspaper Drivers

UP TO $3500

Wanted for various delivery routes in GTA. Must supply vehicle with gross cargo capacity of 1,000 kgs.

Driver abstract required.

Please send contact information to: ndmediaman@gmail.com

ACTORS NEEDED

to act as patients for practical sonography school.

4FF JUv

drivers/delivery

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY 416-440-6139

A1A Best Price For Any Scrap Car. Fast Free Tow 24/7 Call

416-303-8881

Everything goes.

Book your ad early!

416.364.3444

research studies

Is Your Pain Medication Causing You Constipation?

Manna Research is looking for people with constipation caused by prescription Opioid Pain Medication to participate in a clinical research study of an investigational medication for this condition If you are 18 to 80 years old and have constipation caused by your opioid pain medication, you may be eligible participate For more information, please call:

solution in next week’s classifieds

Classified

386,000 Print Readers Weekly.

Employment

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 1 Martial artist in “Lethal Weapon 4” 6 River that empties into the Caspian 10 Take quickly 14 Sweeping 15 Heat up in a hurry 16 Prefix that means “transcending” 17 Do a radio remembrance of a late Pantera founder?

19 Critters that may be “live” 20 Alternatives to Cokes 21 Portrayer of Ricky on “I Love Lucy” 22 “___ Lang Syne” 24 Metal coating that’s all the rage?

}

ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS NEW ADS UPDATED 24/7

MannaResearch

Canadian Clinical Trials

(416) 740-2895 416-740-2895 @

Or visit www.mannaresearch.com Or visit: mannaresearch.com

Employment & Careers research studies RESEARCH SUBJECTS NEEDED

Do you smoke cannabis every week?

Are you 19 to 25 years old?

Do you have a G2 or G driver’s licence?

CAMH is conducting a study on the effects of cannabis on driving using a state-of-the-art driving simulator.

For more information PLEASE CONTACT: 416-535-8501 ext: 36587

DO YOU HAVE PANIC DISORDER?

NOW Classifieds

careers

EVERYTHING GOES.

.nowtoronto.com/classifieds

Do you want to quit MARIJUANA?

CAMH is looking for participants FOR A TREATMENT STUDY FOR MARIJUANA DEPENDENCE! In this study, we aim to determine whether a medication containing similar ingredients as cannabis, in addition to weekly therapy sessions, are effective for treating marijuana. Compensation as well as TTC metropass is provided if you participate in this study.

To participate or learn more, please call 416-535-8501 x 6012

EARN UP TO $7500!

Are you a Healthy Person between 18 and 55 years of age?

If so we want to hear from you!

Apotex is currently recruiting healthy men only to participate in studies on pharmaceutical products.

REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.APOTEX.CA or Call: 416-741-4256 Toll Free: 1-877-APO-CLNC (1-877-276-2562) Hours: 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday • •

www.nowtoronto.com

YOU WILL BE PAID upon completion of the study Compensation may range from $1000 to $7500 depending on the length of the study

Looking for a skills upgrade or second career that you can take pride in? Toronto Image Works offers full-time diploma programs in Digital Publishing and Web. » Instructor led » Small classes, hands on » Real world environment

DIGITAL DESIGN STARTS JANUARY 6, 2014 WEB COURSE STARTS FEBRUARY 3, 2014 REGISTER TODAY! Contact Jeannie Baxter at 416-703-1999 ext 271 jbaxter@torontoimageworks.com TORONTO IMAGE WORKS www.torontoimageworks.com 80 Spadina Avenue, Suite 207 416-703-1999

Check out our online

RE S TAU R ANT

GUIDE

OVER 2,000 RESTAURANTS! Search by rating, genre, price, neighbourhood, review & more!

nowtoronto.com/food NOW DECEMBER 12-18

101

Health & General

Rentals & Real Estate studio for rent

offices

commercial

Artist & Prof. lofts Dupont/Symington

Queen Street West

NEW ARTIST/ LIGHT INDUSTRIAL STUDIOS

for rent - general Clinic Space for Rent Yonge & Eglinton. Space avail to share. We prefer other profs such as osteopaths, physiotherapists, psychologists, life coaches, to complement our existing chiropractic, naturopathic & RMT. Referrals, reception & some practice building support included. $80/day + HST. (416)481-0222

Comm. studio loft prof. space/Envir. from 800 to 4000 sq ft, high ceilings, 2 pc bathroom, bright, hrdwd flrs, combine units, office, photo, computer, internet design from $900 a month. 416-654-2915 or 416-630-2116

HIGH PARK/BLOOR

to share

FULL NEW RENOVATIONS 1 bdrm on 1st fl. of hse, 1000 sq. ft., near ttc, shops, park, sep. ent., Lndry, d/w. $1600 all incl., avail.

Jan. 1st Call Aldo 416-621-7728

Prime professional office space for lease 1 block west of university ave.

4th floor with 11 offices avail. aranging from $750- $850 per office with elevator access call: 647-891-4224

accommodations Family/friends visiting?

Bloor / Lansdowne Rm for rent, shared bathrm, kitch., wlk to sbwy, prkg/cbl/internet Female only! Student OK. Avail.

Jan. 1st. Call 647-808-7788 or 416-535-6622

Holiday Move-in Heart of Leslieville. Queen and Logan. 2 bdrm apt. completely reno'd, $1,400+ hydro. Wont last.

Call Steve 289-597-8253 swolk@rogers.com Happy Holidays.

Keele and St. Clair 300- 25,000 sq.ft. High ceilings , skylights, hardwood, Suit artists, photographers, woodworkers etc. $1 per foot per month.

Need a place to stay?

Check this out www.airbnb.com/rooms/454927

Book your ad early! Call

416-800-0303 Fax: 416-800-1415

massage therapy

to assist.

Sales Rep.

˘

Dependable & Affordable Moving Solutions since 1987. 416-240-7241

!EL CHEAPO!

!A LAST MINUTE

Move? Small to medium size moves.

Prof. Packing & decluttering Avail.

CARGOTAXI-SAME DAY DELIVERY Experienced and reliable 7days/wk.

Jeta Moving 416-410-5382

Distillery District

Sales Reps/Brokers

33 Mill St., Sun. Dec. 15 , 12 - 3 pm, $338,900 Call Richard Whittaker 647-893-2566 Sutton Group Associates

Submit your FREE Open House Gallery listings by Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Add a MLS photo for an extra $35 gst included. Fax:416-364-1433 or email beve@nowtoronto.com

˘ LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

One Hour Min. *Local/long distance* short notice* (416)599-2728

open house gallery

Puzzle appears weekly on first Classified page.

movers Wild West Moving

647-763-5257

OPIOID DRUG DEPENDENCE/ADDICTION ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT

Referrals from healthcare and social service providers welcome.

1300 Yonge Street, Suite 100 416-925-9191 mrunnalls@trebnet.com cell/txt: 416.543.8501 www.homerunner.ca

ANY SIZE! FAST! SAME DAY DELIVERY! $29HR & UP

New Beginnings Clinic

Keele and Dundas Nice work studio with sink, power/window 800 square feet. $850 per month 905-271-2001 others

singles

*** For non-sexual massage and health practitioners only.

MARY ANNE RUNNALLS

Dan The Moving Man

healing

Please call for an appointment.

416.364.3444

Buying/Selling… I

!

&

905-271-2001

CONDO’S in TORONTO…a LIFESTYLE choice.

!

health

SALES REPS/ BROKERS

musicians wanted Full Line Peavey & B.C. Rich Dealer.

Busters Music, 932 Bloor St. West 416-536-2274 www.torontobusters.com Located near Ossington Subway

Follow us on Twitter NOW @nowtoronto Michael Hollett ........................@m_hollett

Submit your FREE Open House Gallery listings by Tuesday at 3 pm.

Add a MLS photo for an extra $33.

Alice Klein ....................................@aliceklein

Fax 416-364-1433 or email beve@nowtoronto.com

Julia LeConte .......................@julialeconte

416.364.3444

HOLIDAY YOGA BAG SALE Leather bags. reg. $200. Now $150. (16 units left). Faux Leather. Reg. $150. Now $75. JACKET REPAIR SALE. Reline and Recondition combo.

20% OFF. We also do alterations, replace zippers & buckles, reupholster leather furniture restore vintage items and make custom belts.

Serving Toronto since 1982! Mentioned in NOW's Best of Toronto.

First-Aid for Leather - Bring us your Sick Leather 416-533-6-335

www.animalalliance.ca Committed to the protection of all animals.

Enzo DiMatteo ............. @enzodimatteo

www.canadianseedexchange.com

Norm Wilner ..................... @wilnervision

150 Cannabis Seeds, Salvia Extracts, Mushrooms & other sacred herbs.

66 Wellesley St E 3rd Fl Toronto ON M4Y 1G2, 416-850-3795, Downtown

Glenn Sumi ............................... @glennsumi Steven Davey ......@stevendaveynow Life & Style..............................@nowlifestyle John Semley .........@johnsemley3000

www.gentlevasectomy.com Clinics located in Scarborough and Peterborough.

www.hemptimes.com Articles & features on industrial hemp, hemp issues, clothing, etc...

www.rabble.ca Canada's irreverent news website, covering independent news since 2001.

Jonathan Goldsbie .................@goldsbie Adria Vasil .................... @ecoholicnation

www.veg.ca Toronto Vegetarian Assoc. All the info you need to go vegetarian!

Volunteer Opportunities of the Week

VOLUNTEER TORONTO CONNECTS PEOPLE TO THOUSANDS OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND PROVIDES SUPPORT TO TORONTO’S NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. FIND THESE AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AT

www.volunteertoronto.ca

CHRY 105.5 FM is a non-profit media organization operating from York University (Keele Campus). They are currently seeking individuals with a strong graphic design skill-set to work on projects, designing various graphics (posters, web banners, pamphlets etc). Solid knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite needed.

Volunteer at CHRY’s offices or from home.

Contact Izabella: chryvol@yorku.ca

Classifieds 102

DECEMBER 12-18 NOW

M

WWW.SANDALMAN.COM

Susan G. Cole ..........................@susangcole

Ben Spurr .........................................@benspurr

Classifieds

Web Directory

Harmony Place is looking for volunteers for the F.A.I.R (Friendly, Accessible, Inclusive, Relations) Volunteer Program. Individuals will be matched to adults with developmental and/ or physical disabilities based on their skills and interests to cultivate a mutually beneficial intergenerational experience. Training & TTC tokens provided. Contact Kathleen: volunteer@harmonyplace.on.ca

everything goes. in print & online.

416 364 3444 • nowtoronto.com/classifieds

Do you have a passion for fundraising? The Neighbourhood Centre seeks flexible, reliable, creative people with fundraising/development expertise and excellent communication and planning skills to help shape a new fundraising campaign as Fundraising Strategists. 15-20 hours per month during office hours (Mon-Fri, 9am5pm). Submit your resume to admin@neighbourhoodcentre.org BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The Start2Finish Running & Reading Club is a funfilled after-school program that helps children by addressing literacy, physical activity and selfconfidence. Coaches are needed at Pauline Johnson Jr. Public School (Warden/Sheppard) on Wednesdays, 3:15-5:15 p.m. If you want to be a role model and help with reading and fitness. Contact Michelle: michelle.wray@start2finishonline.org or 416-929-9614 ext. 4278

We’ve got it covered Look for these upcoming special issues in NOW!

NEXT WEEK !

DECEMBER 19 HOLIDAY MOVIE SPECIAL

Reviews of all the Oscar fodder, kids flicks and prestige pics opening during the film biz’s key release period, interviews with the stars and more.

DECEMBER 26 YEAR IN REVIEW

Top 10 lists in all departments – news, entertainment, shopping, food and beyond – from NOW’s fearless team of tastemakers.

Email advertising@nowtoronto.com or call 416 364 1300 Ext. 381 NOW DECEMBER 12-18

103

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Savage Love

By Dan Savage

I’m a straight woman who loves my

oyfriend, but sex isn’t a priority for me. b His sex drive, on the other hand, is ridiculous. He gets very upset when I don’t have sex with him and accuses me of not being interested in him any more, which isn’t the case. I just can’t fuck on demand! Most people would probably say that my boyfriend is an insensitive asshole for pressuring me for sex.

Except this is a switcheroo exercise. In fact, I, the girlfriend, want more sex. He, my boyfriend, doesn’t see sex as a priority. When we first started dating, we had sex every day – it was incredible – but around the four-​month mark, something changed. I’ve had to beg for it ever since–and I mean beg.

I give him space, I take care of things on my own for as long as I can, and right around the time when I feel myself start to get really anxious, I ask for sex. And I am rejected. Only when I’m so hurt that I’m literally sobbing on the floor is he suddenly interested in having sex with me. Right then, right there. It happens about twice a month.

I don’t know what to do. I love him so much and would be a fool to leave him.

Other than the sex, everything is wonderful. He is the best and most thoughtful boyfriend ever, but he says he likes being the one who’s controlling the sex.

Maybe I’m just being a colossal asshole?

My problem sounds mundane, I know, but it’s killing me.

Sexless And Depressed Sorry, SAD, but relationship graveyards around the world are crowded with tombstones that read, “Everything was great… other than the sex.”

And this isn’t your mundane, run-​of-​the-​ mill mismatched libido problem, which is bad enough. (And, as I’ve written until my fingers are bleeding, reason enough to end a relationship.) You’re dating a guy who can get it up only when he sees his girlfriend sobbing on the floor – that’s apparently what it takes to make his dick hard – and this sobbing-​on-​the-​ floor shit goes down twice a month. I can only conclude that this is how your boyfriend likes it, SAD. He’s turned on only when you’re not just miserable but pushed past the breaking point.

DTMFA. Frequency is not a problem that improves with time, SAD. A boyfriend who wants sex only twice a month at four months into a relationship – and then only when his girlfriend is sobbing – won’t want sex once a week five or 10 years in. You know what else doesn’t ­improve with time? Assholery. I promise you that the “wonderful” and “thoughtful” will diminish as the years fly by, and the emotionally abusive games that cause you so much pain – pain that, again, seems to give him pleasure – will metastasize, spreading from your sex life to other areas of your life. The more ­difficult ­extricating yourself from this relationship ­becomes, SAD, the less ­wonderful and thoughtful he’ll become.

End it now.

Say bye unless he tests I recently ended things with a guy I

liked because he wanted to stop using condoms, but he balked when I said we should both get tested for sexually transmitted infections. He said he felt I didn’t trust him. I tried to explain that

trust has nothing to do with it, and that if he didn’t care whether I felt safe, I shouldn’t trust him. That was the end of it. I’m not seeing this guy any more. But what do you say to someone who conflates a request for STI testing with a lack of trust?

Seeking Truthful Insight “Bye.”

Add P to the LGBT list My husband and I have been married

for 20 years, and we both also share our lives with additional partners. Rather than spend a lot of time dishing about who and how we love – and how fortunate we feel! – I’d like to get right to my plea for support.

I want freedom. I want the freedom in my life that I’ve always wanted for you, Dan: to be able to live and love and talk about your actual life without being afraid that it could cost you your job, your kids, your family.

Having to live in the closet is difficult. I cannot say that it is as difficult for us as it is for someone who is LGBT. I did not know I was “poly” as a kid. I never felt like I didn’t fit in for that reason growing up – and I agree with you that this is a relationship structure rather than a sexual orientation.

But it doesn’t matter. This isn’t a contest about who suffers more or where these things come from. Instead, I think we should ask ourselves if we stand for the same things and if we can become part of a movement toward freedom and

equality for everyone, even if some of the ways we live and love are choices and some are not.

The progress we have made together ­toward a more tolerant world for gay people gives me hope that we could be next. I don’t think you are the emperor of acronyms, Dan, but you should be, and that is why I am starting with you.

So can we be added to the acronym, please? Perhaps we can honour the differences between our experience and the LGBT ­experience with an ampersand. What do you think of LGBT&P?

Privately Polyamorous Person You haven’t been keeping up, PPP. We are no longer the LGBT community. We are the LGBTQLFTSQIA community, aka the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, leather/fetish, two-​spirit, questioning, intersex and asexual community/communities. I don’t see why we can’t slap a “P” onto the end of our acronym, so say it with me now: “I’m proud to be a member of the LGBTQLFTSQIAP community/ communities!”

But I have to draw the line at the ampersand. Because if we give poly folks a punctuation mark, PPP, then soon everybody is gonna want a punctuation mark, and our ever-​metastasizing acronym is an unwieldy, sprawling enough mess ­already. So no special punctuation mark rights for you guys, PPP. And why should poly folks be held at arm’s length with an ampersand? Because most poly folks are straight? Lots of leather/fetish folks are straight, and

they’re covered in the acronym. Lots of trans men and trans women are straight, and they’re covered. David Jay, founder of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, “is in a romantic relationship with an asexual girlfriend and hopes to adopt a child,” according to his Wiki page, and he’s covered. If the Ts and LFs and As aren’t being held with a pair of punctuational tongs, PPP, why should poly folks be? You’re a sexual minority, too, and poly people sometimes face discrimination, bigotry and oppression. So welcome to the club, PPP. Congrats!

And here’s the best part of putting poly folks in the acronym: It brings us one step closer to seizing control of the entire alphabet. While religious conservatives are fighting a losing battle to “take back the rainbow” from the gays – a movement led by a fundamentalist preacher in Washington State – we’ve been making off with the alphabet one letter at a time. Pretty soon, angry religious conservatives will have to post their hateful screeds in hieroglyphics because using the alphabet will be just as gay as putting a rainbow bumper sticker on your car.

So… gee… maybe I ought to let you have your ampersand. Why not steal punctuation marks from the haters, too?

On the Savage Lovecast, hear the tale of a c­ ollege slut-​shaming intervention: savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter

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