FutuRéale Magazine November 2010 by OMAR MURJI

FUTURÉALE

November 2010 vol. 2 issue 21

www.futuréale.com

arts . culture . living

April Telek Stake Land TIFF ROUND UP Flittering Pages The Sultan’s Tent Remembrance Day Good Bye Movie Rentals They might just be Big Stars Last Night, TIFF World Premier Sex, Relationships, & Sometimes Love

3215

< 1916

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

Note From the Editor

FUTURÉALE

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 21

Editor in Chief Shawn Shapiro

Associate Editors Russ Martin Karen Lam Melissa Doyle

Hello To All Readers, Thanks once again for checking out FutuRéale Magazine, your source for Arts, Culture and Living. As usual a ton of hard work went into this edition. We could not have put this together without the proverbial blood, sweat and tears of all our staff and contributors!

Shawn Shapiro

Editor in Chief

This edition welcomes some new writers to the magazine. Enjoy the new columns and the writer pieces. We also have a bunch of returning columns and writers that you know and love. This mix is what makes the magazine so great. So enjoy the magazine and get ready for next month’s double issue! Shawn Shapiro Editor in Chief

Junior Editors Dany Pen

Senior Editorial Designer Ravish Rawat

Junior Editorial Designers Jenn Reid Mojdeh Ahrabi

Interns

Anastasia Rokina Kevin Hamilton Olga Shugurova Lindsay Romeo Olivia Dorazio Jess Silver

Contributing Writers Anastasia Rokina Abby Plener Jess Silver Idil Herzi Mark Kinash Marcus Pidek J. Tyler Smith Craig Wilkins Shawn Shapiro Lindsay Romeo Vicky Tobianah Olivia D’Orazio Tristan Coolman

Webmaster

ONAMAP Marketing Web Team

Online Content Editor Shawn Shapiro

E xecutive D irector Omar Murji

Contact FutuRéale at: info@futureale.com www.futureale.com ISSN 1916-3215 FUTURÉALE

FUTURÉALE ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

TABLE OF CONTENTS

arts.culture.living

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

04 They might just be Big Stars: Now just faces, No Big Names Shawn Shapiro

05 Stake Land: A TIFF Review J. Tyler Smith

07 April Telek: Amazon Fall’s Budding Star Lindsay Romeo

09 The Sultan’s Tent: A different kind of Feast Olivia D’Orazio

11 Sex, Relationships, & Sometimes Love: A play with a twist Anastasia Rokina

12 Taking the plunge through a world of words: A writer’s personal Journey

Jess Silver

14 Harry Potter Review: The Phenomenon nears the end Tristan Coolman

15 The Freshman 101: Freshman Tips Idil Herzi

17 TIFF ROUND UP: A Recap of TIFF 2010 Craig Wilkins

21 Star Tech—The Networking Generation: Tech Watch Mark Kinash

23 Last Night, TIFF World Premiere: A TIFF Review

Marcus Pidek

25 Good Bye Movie Rentals: Internet replacing rental movie stores

Lindsay Romeo

27 Remembrance Day: A Solemn Story Vicky Tobianah

30 LoveRhythms: The Chase Anastasia Rokina

31 Flittering Pages: Gunseller by Hugh Laurie Jess Silver

33 Green Goddess: A new column on green living Abby Plener

Photograph of April Telek taken by Jamie Campbell

They Might Just Be

arts.culture.living PHOTOGRAPH BY CHANG’R

Big Stars By Shawn Shapiro MY QUEST STARTED BACK IN 2002 when I wrote a freelance article

declaring which smaller stars were destined to be the next big things or at least big to a degree. I vividly remember my list: Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughan and Jessica Biel. A nice hat trick! Over the next several years I kept picking a new batch each year. Sometimes I was right ( Jamie Foxx, Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl) and sometimes I was very wrong ( Jamie Bell, Jaime Pressley, Andy Serkis, Adam Goldberg). In picking names I always used the same criteria, which was picking actors or actresses’ who were at the time lesser known and destined for greatness. So here are my picks for 2011: Fred Ewanuick: One of our first podcasts was an interview with this star of the hilarious

“Corner Gas”. Now starring in “Dan For Mayor” Fred is heading for stardom on both sides of the border. With 2011’s “French Immersion” he might hit that note he been trying for. Chloe Grace Moretz: This thirteen year old has been gracing screens on television and theatres since 2005 with her debut “Heart of the Beholder” and then made a career of voicing Winnie the Pooh characters, but it was not until 2009 when she graced the independent world as Joseph GordonLevitt’s wise sister in “(500) Days of Summer” that she turned heads. Earlier this year her performance in thehit “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” paved the way for her role as Mindy/Hit Girl in the hit “Kick-Ass”. Now playing in theatres is the critically lauded “Let Me In” and in the

next 2 years sheshe has several films lined up including a sequel to “Kick-Ass”. Hayden Pantierre: This young twentysomething has been in the spotlight since at a young age voicing Dot in Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life”. From roles in “Remember the Titans” to “Racing Stripes”, Hayden has been around, but it was her role as the indestructible Claire Bennett on 4 seasons of NBC’s hit show “HEROES” that got her on the radar. Now with her upcoming role in next spring’s “Scream 4”, as well as “The Black Hole” and “Carmel” she is shooting for stardom. So let us see if any of these stars click with audience and see you in 2012! --jr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

Stake Land

A STORY SET IN A NOT-TOODISTANT FUTURE, that revolves

around the collapse of society and rogue survivalists setting their own parameters is hardly something to rave about. However, add a strong degree of intelligence, emotion, believable characters and blood craving, flesh-eating zombies and that is a movie that will set a new benchmark into the annals of horror history. This year’s Toronto International Film Festival housed such a film. Directed by Jim Mickle (in only his second full length directorial role), the story co-written by Mickle and lead actor Nick Damici, follows young teenager Martin (Connor Paolo) who barely escapes with his life after his parents and baby sibling are brutally attacked by zombies. The narrative voiceover by Martin is a tremendous addition as it instantly brings the audience into his journey. Immediately, the viewer is able to sympathize with young Martin and believe that his emotion is real. Unlike a Hollywood blockbuster, this nostalgic piece is shot to reflect the true atmosphere of the story. The cinematography of the Pennsylvanian hills through fall and winter would make the Discovery Channel proud, let alone the most avid horror fan. Stake Land shares a variety of elements from other classic horror outings, notably Dawn of the Dead. Mickle took particular care in showing his homage yet avoided a complete rip off. Some nods to Dawn worth mentioning are that the characters are trying to head North of the border (more on that later), one of them is pregnant (just as Gaylen Ross’s character was) and there are primarily four characters to focus on. FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

By J. Tyler-Smith

At the beginning of Martin’s journey, the United States is already in ruin and the population has divided amongst themselves. New villages are created as safe havens for the people. Inside these domains, the residents have set up their own economic system often bartering with remains of killed zombies, such as teeth. This marks an interesting play on society by Mickle and Damici showing that in the state of apocalyptic crisis, there remains some form of working system and lifestyle. That is not to say that all people can pass freely. Much like the controlled border system, residents wishing to take shelter must prove their worth before passing through the secured barricade. Damici’s screenplay also deals with the negatives of mans willingness to govern society in the state of crisis. Martin,

Stake Land... is also a gritty, violent, nostalgic and welcome throwback to a lost time in the horror genre that was best reflected by legendary directors such George A. Romero, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven and John Carpenter. along with Mister (Damici), Belle (Danielle Harris) and Sister (Kelly McGillis) come into the watchful eyes of the religiously eccentric Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris). Jebedia is the epitome of a man who has gone mad for the sake of his beliefs. Cerveris’ performance

conveys both the desire and the pathos that Jebedia feels. It reflects society gone wrong and religion gone wild. The last setting of Stake Land is considered the Promised Land; the ultimate salvation where everyone dreams of going but few can achieve it. This place is referred to as ‘New Eden’; the driving force of the film’s road story and the ultimate goal of all involved. Mickle and Damici were certainly not being patriotic in their choice of ‘New Eden’ but Canadian residents will find great pleasure when the survivors actually cross that border to see ‘Welcome to Canada’ displayed prominently. If Stake Land was made strictly as a venting force for political hostility, choosing Canada shows the American desire for a land of freedom and prosperity – two subjects that some American residents feel are severely lacking in current times. Stake Land stands out like a refreshing beverage on a warm day, mainly because of the strength of the characters in it. It is safe to say that the majority of players are lesser-

arts.culture.living known actors by the mainstream public but each hold a strong degree of talent. Not only is Damici responsible for the screenplay, but he also portrays Stake Land’s own form of Snake Plissken mixed with Dirty Harry as The Mister. The vampire-zombie hunter takes Martin on as his protégé, teaching him the discipline (and zombie-killing moves) necessary to fight for survival. This fatherly bond adds the right amount of dramatic touch that demonstrates and demands an immediate respect for the characters. Horror fans will be delighted as genre veteran Danielle Harris plays the beautiful Belle. Having the responsibility of a pregnancy, Belle is thankful when Mister and Martin take her in with the chance to head north. Once Belle’s life is in jeopardy, it takes a strong actress to keep her character grounded within the films confines yet manage to break some of the established conventions of a pregnant

damsel in distress. The fourth character is Sister, portrayed by Kelly McGillis, bringing the maternal instinct to the pack. Sister is a woman whose sense of religion counters Jebedia. There are several scenes where McGillis sets the bar for the dramatic side of the film; in particular her final moments give Sister the strength to elevate into more than another victim. Most impressive is Connor Paolo, known mostly for his reoccurring role

The last setting of Stake Land is considered the Promised Land; the ultimate salvation where everyone dreams of going but few can achieve it. as Eric van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl. The desolate landscapes of Northern America

are a far cry from New York’s Upper East Side. Paolo nails his character on every level, from the first moment his voice hits the speakers to the end credits. Paolo shines in demonstrating his evolution from youthful innocent to mature hunter. Stake Land is ultimately about the will to survive. It is also a gritty, violent, nostalgic and welcome throwback to a lost time in the horror genre that was best reflected by legendary directors such George A. Romero, Tobe Hooper, Wes Craven and John Carpenter. The film garnered a substantial following at TIFF, earning the Midnight Madness award. This will no doubt be the first of many genre related awards that Stake Land will receive and definitely deserves each and every one. For information on the film, visit www.scareflix.net/stakesite.html.

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

April Telek Stars in Amazon Falls at the TIFF AMAZON FALLS IS A WAKEUP to have the perfect job. Every little girl wants CALL to the many out there who think to play dress up, and a part of this stays with

Hollywood is a fairy tale. It reveals the bitterness of the Hollywood world, the real Hollywood world. April Telek does a phenomenal job as Jana in Amazon Falls, which premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. She stays true to her character; and her character is true to the many out there struggling in the movie business.

women their entire lives. April Telek gets to live the dream of many girls, and play dress up – and get paid doing it. April also loves the fact that she gets to walk in someone else’s shoes for a while. She gets to live another person’s life all the time. Doing this really does open up your whole perspective on life, she says, and how you live it. April Telek truly loves her job.

The Love for Acting April Telek loves being an actress. She claims

What is Amazon Falls to April?

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

It Is Real. Amazon Falls is about the underbelly of Hollywood. It is about the burden of a dream. More specifically, it is about the burden of Jana’s dream. It is hard to face the fact that this Hollywood business is a machine. April explains how this business is not nearly as artistic as we give it credit for being, but Amazon Falls reveals it all: the bad and the ugly. You can put so much into being an actress, and do everything in your power to reach success. You can take every class possible on acting, but you may never get your big. This is a burden that Jana holds onto to so tightly, and cannot seem to let go of. What April loved the most about acting in Amazon Falls was playing Jana. She got the chance to expose what Hollywood is. Jana is a complex and troubled character and the most interesting character that April has ever played. Jana is a true example of a lot of men and

women in this business. She is a multilayered character, and this is what makes her like so many other people. Every struggling actor and actress can relate to her. April Telek loved working with everyone on the movie. She compliments director Katrin Bowen’s fantastic work with helping her find her character. Bowen kept April sheltered because she did not want the outside influence to affect April’s portrayal of Jana. April Telek says that she is not in a position to pick and choose her roles. The Amazon Falls script was sent to her, and she was very interested in Jana’s character. April Telek does an amazing job on every project she sets her heart on. She loves playing characters that she has never played before. She likes playing real, non-stereotypical women.

arts.culture.living April Knows Jana... If April could change something about Jana, she would give her more self esteem. April knows that, in Hollywood, you will be walked on, and taken advantage if you do not have selfesteem. Self-esteem is important, she says, and Jana needs it. The amazing thing about Jana in Amazon Falls is that she is not unique. Jana is the mix of so many different people. She experiences what people go through in the acting world.

April has a Connection to Jana: April Telek draws from her real life experiences when she acts, making each role very personal to her. She understands Jana and the idea of aging, of the dream slipping away. April relates to Jana. Like Jana, April too is an actress. April also relates to Jana’s romantic life – she is married and with a new family. April admits that there were times in her life when she was craving love from the bad boys because like many other girls, she wanted to be loved. This is something that Jana experiences in Amazon Falls. Many of Jana’s complexities are things that April had gone through as well. The audition scene in Amazon Falls is April’s favourite. Derek, played by Ben Ratner, is directing and wants Jana to read the script. The subtleties and undertones from all three characters in the scene make this a hilarious and authentic one.

Exposed April Feels Raw... The most challenging part for April in Amazon Falls was the nudity. April is not a fan of nudity in film but admits that sometimes it is important for the character to do so. She found it difficult allowing herself to be exposed, but felt that it was essential to show what she goes through as an actress.

the reality of the ugliness in the movie business. Amazon Falls is the real deal. Fun Facts about April! If April Telek had the chance to star in the re-make of a classic film, she would star in the 1953 musical, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Marilyn Monroe. It sounds cliché, April admits, but would be fun. April Telek has been compared to other actresses, like Charlize Theron, Juliette Lewis and Julia Roberts. Like Julis, April is a goofy, pretty girl, with a big smile. April Telek usually does comedy, and not deep dark characters. April is Canadian! Being an actress from Canada has not yet impacted her career. She is getting more international as time goes on. April is currently shooting two television shows right now: End Game for Global, and Health Nutz for APTN. --rr

Amazon Falls is Truth. What makes Amazon Falls a one of a kind movie is its unapologetic honesty. It exposes

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

The Sultan’s Tent

Restaurant Review Location: 49 Front Street East of downtown Toronto. It can hardly be Cuisine: Moroccan distinguished from the other restaurants and Rating: 4 out of 5 RRRR pubs around it by its details alone – the spadeTHE SULTAN’S TENT IS NESTLED IN THE ST. LAWRENCE AREA

By: Olivia D’Orazio

shaped wrought iron fence or the Arabianstyled font of its address, 49 Front Street East. Once inside, The Sultan’s Tent is anything but ordinary. The restaurant fully captures the essence of the diverse Moroccan culture, from the upholstery to the silverware. No details are spared in making the ambiance of the restaurant perfect. The front of the restaurant is a comfortable bar/waiting area. Tables and soft white chairs cover the area and guests mill about, enjoying a drink from the bar as their tables are set. Past the tall arched hallway, the space elongates in front of you. A hardwood aisle stretches the length of the dining hall. Large tents line the walls on either side and small tables-for-two are set at the edges of each tent. The chairs are high-backed and upholstered in deep reds and gold. The dimmed lamps on each table are adorned with feathers, tassels or beading. Large potted plants are seen around the dining

woven rug on the wall near the entrance. It is bright red with a detailed gold border and was a gift from the former Sultan of Morocco, King Hassan II. The service and cuisine that The Sultan’s Tent offers is unique as well. The restaurant offers a set-menu meal, containing four courses. Diners have between three and eleven choices per course. The first course, an appetizer, offers delicious courses like the Bowl of Olives, a marinated array of olives with a blend of Moroccan spices, or the Beef Burgogne, roasted tenderloin and sirloin tips served over garlic mashed potatoes. The Harira is the Moroccan hand at tomato soup. It is creamy, but not too thick, and zesty, but not too sour. For substance, lentils, chick peas and kidney beans are added to the broth, while the blend of Moroccan spices adds an unexpected yet pleasurable kick to the soup. The second course offerings include dishes like Hummus & Zaalouk – a plate of different hummus flavors served with grilled flatbreads for dipping – and Moroccan Crab

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

hall. The fabrics of the tents are shimmering metallics or sheer, deep, earthy tones like red, blue, plum and green. Inside the tents are booths and long tables for larger parties. Small tea candles in glass and silver holders provide the light for each table. The atmosphere is one of relaxed intrigue – the curious eye is not overwhelmed. Perhaps the most interesting piece of décor in the restaurant is the hand-

arts.culture.living Cake, garnished with frog legs. The B’stilla dish is a Moroccan delicacy. It mixes both sweet and savory tastes and pleases every taste bud. It is chicken, egg, almond and onion wrapped in a pastry shell. Cinnamon and powdered sugar is sprinkled over the pastry. The incredibly exotic B’stilla is unlike anything you have ever tasted. The third course entrées are large servings of traditional Moroccan dishes. The Mango Salmon is a pan seared 8 - ounce salmon fillet topped with house made mango salsa. Served with saffron flavored rice and traditional Moroccan root vegetables. The Couscous Royale is a delicious plate of sweetly flavored couscous, served with roasted chicken, grilled lamb chops and traditional Moroccan root vegetables. This savory dish is served with Moroccan tangine sauce – a hearty tomatoand vegetable-based sauce, seasoned with earthy Moroccan spices, cashews, almonds, apricots and raisons. The fourth and final course is everyone’s favorite – dessert. Here, diners have three plates to choose from. The Brulée Royale is a rich serving of crème brulée, topped with crushed pistachios. The dish titled Moroccan Treats is a platter of traditional Moroccan cookies and pastries, serviced with sliced oranges that are sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. However, the crowd

favorite seems to be the Chocolate Oasis. It is a decadent blend of butter and chocolate in a small brownie-like serving. Smothered in powdered sugar, it is certainly the perfect end to a deliciously exotic meal. The dining experience does not simply end after dessert at The Sultan’s Tent. The restaurant also boasts nightly entertainment. A minimum of twice each evening, a bellydancing duo entertains restaurant goers with elaborate costumes and swift dance moves. Following their hip-swinging routine, dancers will move around the restaurant, pausing at each table to teach those wiling a few traditional belly dancing steps and pose for pictures. This provides patrons with a personalized experience that does not end when their plates are cleared. However, with only two dancers, much of the dining hall is left craning their necks to see the tiny women move down the centre aisle and left waiting once again until they arrive at their seating tent. The service at The Sultan’s Tent is no less than what you would expect from a popular restaurant but the price tag is a hefty one. Each meal begins at forty dollars. Many dishes require additional funding and liquor, tax and gratuity is not included. Overall, The Sultan’s tent offers a wonderful experience for those looking for an exotic meal. The mix

of entertainment and decadent dishes makes restaurant goers truly feel as though they are Sultans. --rr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

Sex, Relationships &

arts.culture.living

FROM LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK to our native Toronto, the successful

show “Sex, Relationships & Sometimes Love” is a play based on the book of monologues by Joelle Arqueros. It encompasses all the

to how it dealt with the many complexities of the human condition as it related to love” he explains. “I found that I was emotionally connected to each character from the offset and it was like I knew someone out there

they can. “Sex, Relationships & Sometimes Love” takes us to a level where we see what we almost always pass for typical. Every individual monologue conveys an array of feelings that varies so much within itself,

elements around human relations, and embraces emotion. In a combination of wonderful actors and a great script, regardless of age, status, sexual orientation or cultural and economical background, it is about human connections and our inability to explain, even to ourselves, why we find ourselves in certain situations. “Its success is embedded in its human appeal,” says producer and casting director Ryan Singh, who also stars in the show. “When I first had the chance of reading this production, I was immediately attracted

dealing with this. I think that the notion of love that permeates throughout these pieces is what sets this production aside from others.” Filled with tears and laughter, “Sex, Relationships & Sometimes Love” surprisingly hits close to home. It allows us to empathize with any situation not because we relate, but for the simple reason that we understand the ability to love. The stories themselves are far from extraordinary, and it seems surprising that such common situations can be of such strong emotion, but this play reminds us that

that we almost catch ourselves wondering if we have truly ever felt. It pulls our empathy from under our hearts and throws it onto strangers. “It’s that voyeuristic appeal of looking at someone else’s life and feeling better that your life and life’s situation may be good after all” says Singh.

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

--rr

By Anastasia Rokina 11

arts.culture.living

Taking a through a world of words WE LIVE IN A WORLD where people are like the players of chess; thinking of moves in hopes of making advances. Much of what we do comes down to the choices we make, and the skills we acquire to help us make those choices. Competition is the word, and it is tough to get by. Everyone has ways to showcase their skills, talent, and creativity. As the writer of my first book, I have taken the plunge through this world of words. During the summer of 2009, I decided to venture on a very difficult, but rewarding journey. It consisted of envisioning, formulating and editing countless thoughts and words. It is what many would define as the journey of a writer, and it is an experience that has become second nature to me. My name is Jess Silver, and I am twenty one years old. For me, the love of writing and the desire to play the word game has never felt like a chore. It did not materialize in the summer of 2009; that is only when it became tangible. I have been writing poetry since the age of six. Although it is something that started as a simple form of entertainment, and a gesture of sentimentality, I have always been fascinated with the power of words. I had wanted to write for as long as I can remember. My writing progressed through my schooling and growing experiences, whether it was through adversity, or seeing more of the world. I began to write about more serious and diverse topics. I have also been experimenting with genre and style of both prose and verse. I have learned, and developed so much over the years. All of my hard work was put towards my book entitled, “Lake of Bottomless Waters.” It is a chapbook containing twenty poems. These poems explore various themes and 12

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living this has taught me to be consistently willing to push harder. Facing challenges has opened my eyes to greater possibilities and strength. The book and its title hold true to not only the experience of becoming a published author, but it speaks to today’s society, and how we are consistently forced to believe in re-discovering possibility, and the beauty that exists in human nature. This is a difficult task that faces us all, and although it materializes in different ways for every person, we all find ourselves either taking the plunge for the first time into the ‘waters’ of life, or rethinking our paths to make life better. Working on the book has been a whirlwind of a process; putting it together, working with an editor and publisher, and finally seeing it in its bound form. I never

powerful images in an attempt to piece together the puzzle of life. It delves into the complexities of an individualized journey. For me, this book stands for much more than just a collection of twenty poems. The title is

“Never stop paddling through life’s ocean, and don’t be afraid to go for it head first!” grounded in an experience I had as a young teenager, and more deeply, it comes from a philosophy and outlook that I had developed early on in life. Since birth I have had physical challenges. I have had countless experiences where I had to face adversity head-on, and FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

any reader interested in life-affirming words. Many of her poems gently weave emotion and nature together to paint lovely little pictures of hope and self-realization”. Having had my book on consignment at McNally Robinson Booksellers, and them declaring bankruptcy, has taught me a lot about the business of book selling. The business is tough, and it has made me want to pursue it that much more. Writing is not just a passion of mine, and it does not take on the form of a career like any other; it is different because it gives me the opportunity to add personal insight into the work that I currently do, and I am hoping to continue this into the future. When I write, it is not something I do; rather the writer is someone I become. In “Lake of Bottomless Waters”, many of the poems are derived from my personal experience and insight, and it is not a book that is meant to inform someone of my biography. I do hope that it inspires everyone in different ways. “Never stop paddling through life’s ocean, and don’t be afraid to go for it head first!”Jess Silver. --rr

thought it would all come together this way, and I am still trying to wrap my head around the magnitude of it all. For me, this was a great first step. Although it has proven to be difficult to get the word out there, I now know that it is what I love to do, and I cannot wait to work on larger projects. I have already had readings, and book signings. Many have told me that I am very young to already be a published author. Lynn Tait, a reviewer for the Ontario Poetry Society, stated “This is a commendable first effort by a young budding writer. Jess Silver’s wonderfully titled “Lake of Bottomless Waters” would be an appealing chapbook for young people interested in poetry as well as

arts.culture.living

Ha y

NOVEMBER 19TH, 2010 marks the beginning of the end for one of the biggest movie franchises in history. Approaching the 5.5 billion mark, the Harry Potter Franchise will begin telling its final tale in a two-part epic of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Daniel Radcliffe, the lead in all films was a just twelve years old when the first film came to life nine years ago this month. At the time of its release, four of the seven books in the series were released with the last three published in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Many times throughout the development of the story on film, questions arose as to whether the books could keep up with film production. Everyone, whether you were a movie studio executive or a little potter fan, knew that the original actors hired to play the characters were integral to the successful continuation of the story on film. Now with part one’s imminent release and part-two in post production, fans and executives are rest assured that the integrity of the films from this aspect is safe and sound; they made it, they really made it! We all know that film adaptations of novels and short stories are a huge undertaking. The more popular the written work, the more scrutiny the film will endure. Of the five directors, one can say that there is clearly one who has done the best job of adapting the potter books; that would be director of the first two, The Philosophers Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, Chris Columbus. Though he had two of the shortest books to work with, he had two of the most innocent books. In these books, Harry still talks, thinks, and acts like a child that is lost and new to the wearying world. In the film adaptations of the novels, these feelings are 14

Review

seamlessly portrayed with a lot of wide shots of hallways and the school campus, great dialogue explaining new magical tricks to Harry and the audience, and finally, the great musical score that compliments the innocent and curious mind of the young Harry Potter. Films three through five however, are films I feel missed the mark. Alfonso Cuarón climbed aboard for the third film and though the book was longer, the film’s overall presentation was a few years before its prime. The tone of the film and character development was much darker. It felt as if these kids grew up too quickly. I do not feel as though the darker side of the Harry’s character fully emerged until the 6th installment, The Order of the Phoenix. My biggest problem with three books however, has been that the plot is very intricate and I feel as though the film directors cannot deliver all of the detail in such a short span of time. Granted, the final film will be in two parts, but doing each one of these films in two parts would have been over-kill. Harry Potter however is more than just the books and the films, it has helped define a generation. Millions of young people have grown up reading the Harry Potter books like me, being only a year older than Harry when the first film was released in North America. Many kids have grown up with Harry, from young and innocent to rebellious “know-itall”. These kids, probably around the ripe age of 22, like yours truly, have a lot to look forward to in seeing the story of their favourite wizard-boy come to an end on the big screen. The fact that The Deathly Hallows will be split into a two-part film is very promising. The book is rich in storyline, plot and

By Tristan Coolman character development and to condense it all into a two hour film would have been the mother of all disasters. Another promising note, screenwriter Steve Kloves, writer for most of the films, wrote the final two screenplays. Though he was the screenwriter for some of my most despised Potter films, he was the writer for the first two, arguably the two best. Finally, with this film, Harry’s character has matured and reached stepped into the sphere of adulthood. Throughout the series, Harry and his friends have been forced to grow up faster than their peers. These films will be gritty, foul, and true grown up adult films that reflect the mind-set of a generation. There is no more room for childish humour. The only worry Potter fans should have of the two-part epic is whether the first film can hold its own. We all know the film is leading to a battle between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, whether drama can be left at a high without a large feeling of incompleteness remains to be seen. If you can, I strongly urge that you go and watch a midnight viewing of this film on the day of its release. Theatres will be packed with fans who love the film, who want to be the first to lay eyes on it. For a film of this magnitude, I would not want to be with any other crowd. If you’re seriously afraid photographs of yourself standing next to hundreds of other boy-wizard looka-likes may affect your social standing, opt for a show three weeks after the release date (seriously, we all know it’s true!). This film should be a no-brainer on your must see list this month. --rr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

The Freshman 101 By Idil Herzi NOT EVERYONE WILL LOVE COLLEGE like Asher Roth and I’m not going to lie to you, some of you may not consider the university years the best of your life but you’re there, so why not embrace it? Assuming you’ve already gotten into your school, here are 10 things to help make the most of your first year: 10. SCAVENGER HUNT When you move to a new city and you are not familiar with your surroundings, you’re likely to not travel that far from your nest. By taking a day or two to venture outside of your campus, not only will you know where you can grab a bite on a dime, but also you should consider looking for places that might come in handy. You should be able to use your resources and the people that are around you. 9. MAKE FRIENDS I’m not saying be that annoying girl or boy that introduces themselves to everyone during frosh and comes off too eager, I mean be the kid that is confident enough to strike up a random conversation with someone. The more people you know, the more comfortable you’ll feel on campus. Get to know everyone in your hall assuming there might be a time where you need him or her. The people on your floor will become your family in a sense. Feel free to leave the door open. 8. BE PREPARED Being prepared is critical in your first year. You will need to develop work habits that you will follow for the next three years. Consider an agenda or a large calendar on your wall. Do not rely on your Blackberry to tell you if you have a test next Thursday FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

at 4:15. If you’re not a majority of people are, well aware of the many malfunctions of the phone. Get a real alarm clock – one that will actually wake you up. Be organized and color coordinate your notes, write everything down, and ask a lot of questions. Missing a deadline simply because you didn’t know about it won’t only be affecting your average, but it also affects the image you give to your professor who took time to put together their lectures and assignments. 7. YOUR ROOMMATE (S) Don’t be afraid of telling your roommate if you don’t like something. If you think their music is too loud or that they should throw garbage in the garbage can, tell them. The last thing you want is to have tension between you and the people you’ll be living with. If you get to know them very well, it will eradicate any of the issues that may come up. Make sure you don’t hold any concerns back because eventually you’ll snap. Find safe way to release your anger. Everyone gets upset from time to time. If you’re not comfortable talking to someone about your issues, find an outlet. Go for a jog, or swim. Find a place where you’re completely alone. Distracting yourself will work for some, but others need a way to work it out. Whether you’re upset with your roommate or frustrated with schoolwork, you should calm down before dealing with the situation.

their first semester; it’s not a good idea. Really think about the courses you’re going to take before you do. Don’t rely on your advisor to make the choices for you; they deal with many students a day. Consider RateMyProffessor. com and ask around. If you live in a dorm, the chances are someone on your floor has either taken a course you’d like to know more about, or knows someone who has. Gather as much information as possible and diversify your course selection. 5. DON’T GO BROKE Don’t lose track of your cash flow. Make sure you create a budget that will be flexible and allow you to live comfortably. University is still expensive once you’ve taken care of your books and tuition. Living on campus requires you to deal with your food, laundry, and replacing things that could malfunction. Be careful with your credit card, if you decide to have one. 4. BEING HOMESICK IS A PHASE The feeling may not be mutual between you and your roommate, but it’s okay to be homesick. Leaving the home for the first time is usually very hard for someone; it’s almost inevitable. The best way to cope with your homesickness does not involve contacting your old friends and family with every opportunity. It’s good to remain in touch, but constantly reminding yourself of what you had will put you into a depression. Get out;

6. TAKE CONTROL This is your time to take control, so do it. If you’re not a morning person, don’t think you can take an 8am class. A common mistake made by freshman is to take all core classes

arts.culture.living meet people. Create a family atmosphere on your campus. If you’re having fun, you’ll feel like your new school is your home. 3. JOIN A CLUB Getting involved is one thing that a lot of second year students regret they didn’t do. Joining clubs and getting involved will make school mean that much more to you. It won’t be a learning facility anymore, instead it’ll be a place where you can learn, laugh, do what you love, and play. Your years there are only what you make them – have some fun. 2. DON’T EAT DIRT The freshman 15 is an avoidable weight gain. Instead eating the foods in your dining hall everyday, consider a grocery store. Not only will it cost less, but also you’re body will thank you. I’m not suggesting you

completely avoid your cafeteria, just that you shouldn’t be eating the amount of food available to you all day. This includes the on-campus fast food restaurants and vending machines. Balance your eating habits with an exercise. Large schools typically have a top of the line facility, so take advantage of it. Also, make sure you’re not skipping out on sleep. Chronic fatigue is no joke and shouldn’t be taken lightly. You should be getting a minimum of six or seven hours a night. Cramming until five in the morning will not help you score higher on a test. In fact, the likely hood of you remembering what you studied is slim to none. Consider studying 2 days before your test and get a goodnight sleep. The day before and of your test just skim through the difficult parts. You’ll save yourself the stress and be a lot more prepared.

1. HAVE FUN You should be embracing your college life and having as much fun as possible. You should be able to find a balance between partying, learning and sleeping. When you’re out, be responsible. If you’re uncomfortable with someone, there’s probably a reason why. Whether you’re at a party or at a bar, be careful. Remember all the things your mom told you before you left: Don’t accept drinks from strangers, always have a friend with you, don’t drink and drive, and last but certainly not least, know your limit. You don’t want to be known as the girl that gets too drunk and has sex with everyone or the guy who gets wasted at the first on campus and pukes on someone. You’re going to party in college, just do it wisely. --jr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living JULIA’S EYES

TIFF

ROUND UP “NO, IT HASN’T. I don’t know what, how a simple question can turn into the maybe I’m getting too old, maybe I’ve had some kind of blockage and blood isn’t getting to my brain, but you know what, I don’t @@&* care. If I have to I’ll start a @@&* road show and take this movie town to town showing it in one theatre at a time, that’s how much I believe in this movie!” There was a common question asked during the Q&A’s at the Toronto International Film Festival. This is even more common when the film is foreign, like the film called “Julia’s Eyes”. This question was: “I really enjoyed the movie. Do you have North American distribution yet?” Although this is a very common question, the man who was holding the microphone, and answering that question is the movie’s producer; Guillermo del Toro. This famous producer also did “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and the “Hell boy” movies. It was interesting to see FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

high point of the festival, because of the person answering it. There were other remarkable Q&A’s at the festival. After a Wednesday evening screening of “The Sleeping Beauty,” the legendary French Director, named Catherine Breillat, who also did “Fat Girl”, and “Bluebeard”, sat and answered every question she received with a thoughtful openness. She explained how she collects interesting objects that end up being used in her movies, gave tips on shooting quickly, how to shoot a movie while being on a small budget, discussed feminism in her films, and how her attitudes have changed over the years. It was an absolute treat, and I know from talking to others afterwards that it was the high point of the festival for many people. The movie was not good.

BY CRAIG WILKINS

What made listening to Guillermo del Toro a treat was that he was speaking about the most amazing film. Breillat may have had more to say about film and culture, but it was an intellectual act. It was making up for the fact that the movie she brought to the festival was subpar, and not worthy of her. When the festival rolls around again in 2011, I will tell people that the opportunity to meet, and learn from masters like Guillermo, or Breillat makes TIFF an experience you will always remember. I’ll mention how the festival turns movies into a holiday; a cinematic carnival. The reason why I go to the festival is a lot simpler though. I go for the movies. This year the star was the Spanish film, “Julia’s Eyes”. The movie was directed by a newcomer named Guillem Morales, and it starred the always brilliant; Belen Rueda, who

a a rr tt ss .. c cu u ll tt u u rr e e .. ll ii v v ii n ng g was in “Orphanage”, and “The Sea Inside”. The movie was an intelligent thriller about a woman losing her sight, and attempting to come to terms with her blind twin sister’s suicide. Because she is unable to accept that her sister would kill herself, the main character becomes convinced that she was murdered. And as she begins to lose her own sight, the fear of going blind is secondary to the fear that she will be the next victim. It is a wonderfully written story with intense direction that places us in the Julia’s shoes. And of the fifteen movies I saw at the festival this year, “Julia’s Eyes” was one of seven which earned my five star rating. These are the movies I believe should be on your must see list. “Meek’s Cutoff ”, which is the new Kelly Reichardt film, is getting a lot of positive press. He also did “Wendy and Lucy”, and “Old Joy”. “Meek’s Cutoff ” is about a three family wagon train led by pioneer Stephen Meek, who is played by Bruce Greenwood, and how he gets lost crossing Oregon on the way to the west coast. This movie has a stellar cast that includes Michelle Williams, Reichardt’s muse, Will Patton, and Shirley Henderson. This film is a huge step forward for Reichardt, and should establish her as one of America’s premiere directors. Her film is thought provoking, and an artistic masterpiece. It is also entertaining, and should enjoy a long indie run.

A pair of Finnish dark comedies stood out among the Scandinavian heavy schedule this year. “Lapland Odyssey,” was advertised as a Finnish “Harold and Kumar”. It is about a character named Janne, and he has no job, no money, no prospects, and no motivation to make any changes in his life. The one thing he does have is a beautiful and loving girlfriend. All she asks of him is to go out, and buy a digital converter box, so that they can watch “Titanic” on the television together. She gives him the money, but Janne ends up buying drinks for his buddies instead. Janne comes home empty handed. And at the end of her patience, she gives him an ultimatum. The ultimatum is for Janne to have a digital cable

masters like Guillermo, or Breillat makes TIFF an experience you will always remember. box hooked up by morning, or she is gone for good. The crazy road trip begins. Janne, and his two best friends battle a gun toting midget, a bunch of crazy Russians, and a water polo team made up of killer lesbians. An equally odd film is; “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale”. A Finnish take on the true original Santa Claus. This is not Coca Cola’s right jolly old elf dressed in red who leaves presents for boys and girls on Christmas morn, but a demon complete with horns and claws who utilises a network of psychotic senior citizens to capture “bad” little boys and girls, and devour them, while grinding their bones into dust. The movie ends with the craziest scene I have ever seen on film. 158 naked

Santa’s helpers chase the little ten year old star through the woods of his mountain home, and they are armed with shovels, pitch forks, and even hockey sticks. Not really a holiday film, and not made for kids. This would be a cult movie if it were filmed in English. “Jucy” is an Australian film about two women, Jackie, who is played by Francesca Gasteen, and Lucy, who is played by Cindy Nelson. These two women are happy hanging out at the video store where they work, and going to parties with the local theatre troop they pretend to be a part of. They are not kids anymore, and they are tired of nobody taking them seriously. They devise a plan. Jackie will get a boyfriend, and Lucy will get a great job, and they will do this by the next theatre troop party. Naturally nothing goes quite the way they expected. This is a do it yourself film. The movie’s last scene was shot in real life at Jackie, and Lucy’s apartment. When asked

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living the next day by confused neighbours what all the noise and the naked people on the patio were all about, they quickly explained they were filming a movie called “Jucy”. “That Girl in the Yellow Boots” shows a different side of India. It is about the story of a westerner living in India. She bribes officials to renew her student visa, and she works in a Happy Endings massage parlour as she searches for her father. It certainly is not Bollywood, but neither was “Slumdog

the baby’s father at the hospital. He has been looking for her, and when he learns that she is pregnant, he seems genuinely happy. Before she can even catch her breath, they are getting to know each other. This leads to spending time together, moving in with one another, and buying strollers. Everything unfolds from Simone’s point of view. I am terrified of intimacy. This simple story feels more like a horror film. The tension in the movie builds, but the moment to scream and release never does come. I found myself feeling more and more on edge. After awhile I found myself hoping for something horrible to happen. And when it did not, I felt like sitting alone in the dark and crying. I imagine this is what Simone will spend much of her life doing. It is not a happy film, but very real and intense. Between the Carlton’s reopening, and the Bell Light box, there is every hope that some,

or maybe even all these wonderful movies might end up returning to Toronto. I do not want to go into detail about the ones I felt were less than stellar, but with the good there is always the bad, and sometimes even the ugly. “The Sleeping Beauty” was a disappointment, but you will still want to see it if you are a Catherine Breillat fan. If you have not seen any of her films, I suggest renting “36 Fillette”, “Fat Girl”, or “Blue Beard”. “Blame” was a cool Aussie flick. It jumped the shark in the third real when a delivery man handed over the missing piece of the puzzle that summed up the whole film. “Bad Faith” and “The Brownian Movement” were both interesting films that moved at a snail’s pace, and ended up being not all that memorable. The biggest disappointment however, was “John Carpenter’s The Ward”. I am a huge fan of his movies, and the film starred Amber Heard, Danielle Panabaker

Millionaire”. The movie was partly based upon the real life experiences of its star and writer, named Kalki Koechlin. This was the hardest movie to watch in the festival. It could easily have slid into being an exploitation film if it was not for the delicate direction, and the simple honest script. The performance by Koechlin was absolutely Oscar worthy. And while she will not be winning any Oscars this year, for anyone who respects acting, “The Girl in the Yellow Boots” is a movie to seek out and appreciate. I connected most closely to the German film called “Blessed Events”. It is the story of a women named Simone who is no longer young, and lives alone. She has more or less retired from life. She becomes pregnant after an awkward one night stand. She was in shock from the news, and she bumps into FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living and Mika Boorem; three wonderful actresses. The movie was not bad. This chick flick had paint by numbers characters and plotline, and this was problematic. When the film ended my first thought was, “well, at least I have “Meek’s Cutoff ” left”. I had hoped my festival would not end on such a sour note, and it did not. The American horror films “A Horrible Way to Die”, and “Stake Land” is worth watching. The first is a sort of fan’s love

letter to serial killers, and the second is an indie version of “Zombieland”. Both were entertaining, and good for Friday night rentals. “Behind Blue Eyes” was a Swedish crime drama, and it was a true story that was actually quite good. Although compared to the other remarkable films I saw at the festival, it was a step behind. At any other time of the year, when Swedish crime dramas are scarce, I would have been raving about it. You likely will not be seeing any ads for these Indie flicks on television. If they do come onto the television, they will come and go quickly, so keep them in mind for the future months. And if you caught anything Indie at the festival that I should be on the lookout for, please send the title of the film to our FutuReale Facebook site. I will add it to my must see list. Thanks. -- kb and rr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

Star TecH

The Networking Generation IN THIS ONLINE AGE, it’s easier than ever to seem like a genius. Want to brush up your Beatles knowledge? Download their entire discography (including rare bootlegs) on BitTorrent, read their bio on Wikipedia, and watch old interviews and performances on YouTube. Want a brainy quote on technology to introduce your magazine article on the subject? Go to BrainyQuote.com! Learning is more fun when it’s audio-visual,

interactive and quick, just as the Ontario Science Centre taught me as an overly precocious and hyperactive pre-adolescent. (Is there any other kind?) Download those musty old books onto your iPad, because reading books on paper is so last millennium. Canada’s York University is already getting in on the act. Their online digital library features a massive collection of multimedia resources for teaching, research and study. The library’s blog even gives tips on where

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

to go to learn about creating educational web content for mobile devices. That comes in handy considering their Yorkshare learning environment offers numerous online learning and training modules to compliment student lesson plans. But how is online learning really different from learning good old reading, writing and arithmetic....from books? Is it paving the way for a completely virtual universe? For that I decided answer I decided to approach a tech smartie work colleague, Kevin Godin, who first gained a passion for programming in 1995, when Windows 95 and the World Wide Web exploded into public consciousness, and when Kevin was only eight years old. Learning the secrets of computer code at such a young age seemed impressive to me, considering that when I was eight I still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of tying my own shoe laces. And yet, before his parents bought him his first computer, he was still mastering Nintendo games at age three. But was he tech obsessed? Not really. Kevin grew up in the small Oceanside town of Dalhousie, New Brunswick. In his own words, “The north shore was too cold to swim in during the summer, and it was full of jellyfish. In the winter, I played hockey, but in the summer I had to find something else to occupy my time. Games were just another competitive sport. It gave me bragging rights to win a game that all my friends were playing”. When Kevin got his first PC, he first learned the benefits of an interactive online space, if only to share gaming tips at first. When he became impatient with the loading and response time of his favourite PC games,

A profile of a Tech Savvy, but not Tech Obsessed,

TechSmartie he scoured online for ways in which he could speed up his computer so that it responded to his controls before it was game over. This

passion for programming now seemed more and more relatable to me. But what about all the other possibilities the online networking environment had to offer? In high school, did online chat rooms offer a tech-savvy teenager growing up in a small town a more stimulating social network than his neighborhood friends? “Not really. Sometimes I’d check up randomly on people I was speaking with online, but it wasn’t a big deal”. A far cry from the pasty, nerdy, antisocial stereotype of the tech-obsessed, Kevin projects an unassuming boyish charm during the whole interview. With his tall, thin frame, medium-long hair and

arts.culture.living goatee, he seems closer to Shaggy Rogers, the friendly slacker character from ScoobyDoo, than the intense, combative, Aspergercandidate portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. And he had no problems fitting in at high school. “The jocks liked me ‘cause I played hockey, and the artists loved me cause I knew how to play guitar”. He plays guitar too? “Self-taught”, he brags. “I’m just a naturally technical person”. Kevin found out that his high-school teachers, pressured by the educational system to provide students with more computer training, were already behind the curve. Most of Kevin’s computer education came on his own, as he discovered more and more

“ Technology isn’t going to radically change our lives. It’s simply a product that makes our lives more convenient. It might be more convenient over time, but so much technology [like Apple] is all about branding and marketing”. programming secrets to enhance his favorite games. “I was driven to figure out how to play my games online before it went main stream. I never read a manual. I’d just look up all this stuff online”. When did he have time for all this apart from school? “At night, sometimes I’d pretend to go to bed, and then sneak out so I could play games until 1 AM”. Did the lack of sleep affect his studies? “Not at all,” he smiles. So when he graduated, why didn’t he pursue an IT degree at university? “I was more interested in psychology. I just wanted to figure out why some people act the way they do”. After transferring to York University from the University of Ottawa, Kevin found

out that his credits weren’t transferrable, and didn’t end up graduating. Eager to find a job and pocket some money, he found a job providing tech support to customers of a leading Visa & MasterCard terminal provider here in Toronto. In a year, he was promoted

to testing and fixing the terminals, despite his lack of formal training. “[My boss] knew that I knew all this stuff already. Even when I first got the job in tech support, I was excused from some of the training, because I already knew how to reprogram a router and so forth”. As for graduating? “I might get back to it, but I’m very happy doing what I’m doing”. Kevin at only twenty-three years of age, already has a professional job at an established company. Meanwhile, many of his peers who

It’s tempting to assume that the ease of finding information online has not only made traditional post-secondary educational resources obsolete, but also the idea of postsecondary education as well. “College helped me think critically, but it can’t compare to what I’ve learned by having a job”, Kevin admits. But still, he’s reluctant to engage in any technological utopianism. “Technology isn’t going to radically change our lives. It’s simply a product that makes our lives more convenient. It might be more convenient over time, but so much technology [like Apple] is all about branding and marketing”. Agreed. After all, the accessibility of information online didn’t exactly pave the way for intellectual mavericks. Throughout history, many have found a niche for themselves outside of a privileged ivory tower education, thanks to an intellectual precociousness and some good old creative thinking, way before the online information age. Online education has simply made things easier, once you’re able to distinguish what’s true from what’s not. In Kevin’s technical work environment, solutions are generated all the time through trial and error. He’s eager to share his latest discovery with me, not that I can understand what the devil he’s talking about. Yet his passion for problem solving is infectious, and that’s not something that can easily be taught in college, no matter how online and interactive the Ivory Tower has become.

have university degrees struggle at unpaid internships to negotiate work experience in an increasingly competitive environment.

--rr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

LAST NIGHT

TIFF World Premiere Film: Last Night, TIFF World Premier Sept 18, 2010 at the Elgin Theatre, Toronto Directed by: Massy Tadjedin Time: 90 Minutes Studio: Gourmont/Nick Wechsler Productions Starring: Sam Worthington (Avatar), Keira Knightly, Eva Mendes, Guillaume Canet Rating: 5 Stars RRRRR

SHORT REVIEW Last Night is screenwriter Massy Tadjedin’s first feature film and her directorial debut. The film does her credit because it’s about messy what ifs of relationships that require a sensitive touch to show us not only the strength needed and given in loving relationships but even more so to subtly draw us in to experience the train wrecks that are waiting to happen if we don’t stay on track. Last Night is about what keeps us together and what holds us back. Four characters show us that relationships are about loving, regret, growing wiser and loving again. LONG REVIEW How do you feel, after being in a marriage for 3 years, if you’re accused of cheating? And you’ve been faithful. Technically. Are FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

you outraged? Do you feel vindicated for being true to your mate? Or do you feel guilty because you thought about it? With the person your mate named in their fit of jealousy. Do you feel like if you’re doing the time, of putting up with false accusations, that maybe you should do the crime? And what if you saw something that made you suspect your mate’s not being totally straight with you? And when you’re on the road, does the separation between you make the heart grow fonder? Or make it wander? Sam Worthington’s character, a bright exec in commercial real estate who is out of town a lot, takes his wife (Keira Knightly), to the party of his boss in the company. What she didn’t know, is that one of his female colleagues that he’s been spending eight to ten hours a day with, in town and out of town, is a smart, beautiful and single woman, played by Eva Mendez. And at the party, while he’s

talking business with Eva’s character, his wife has more than enough time to see for herself how familiar they’ve become with each other.

arts.culture.living

That’s when she gets a sour face and Sam starts to wish they never went to the party. The cab ride home is a deep freeze from her, after the ride to the party being so happy, and the fight starts in earnest just after they get home. Sam’s sorry but doesn’t know why, which makes her burn up even more. (Sound familiar?) This is the whole reason he strictly avoided saying to his wife something like, “Wow, that woman I’ve been working with these last few months is an incredible babe!” And now she’s mad, really mad, that he never told her she’s a babe. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. All this isn’t really a spoiler; it’s just the setup. He has to go on the road again with the babe, things are still a little tense (he’s licking his wounds) and after he takes off, her former boyfriend in the street confronts her. The boyfriend (Guillaume Canet) is in town only till the next morning and asks for some time with her. She agrees to go out with him in the evening and when she’s getting ready she does herself up to the nines. We find out later that she went with this man

during a time when she broke up with her husband and she never told him about this man. Things are getting a little steamy, no? The new guy, secret ex boyfriend, who has another girlfriend now, deliberately looked her up because he still wants her, can’t forget how wonderful she is and now knows he was a fool for paying more attention to the book he was writing than to her when she came to Paris to be with him. What a dork! If a beautiful happy woman leaves her country to come and be with you, you make an effort to show her she didn’t waste her time. He gets so weepy and choked up it’s tragic. But it’s his own fault. Life doesn’t give do-overs. And what really rakes him over the coals is that she can’t get him totally out of her system either. Twisting in the wind, baby. Meanwhile, out of town, Eva just has to sit there and she looks hot. But more than that, she’s showing interest in our boy who just caught a ton of crap the night before because of her. Steamy, yes! How far do they let things slide? It’s worth watching to find out. There’s one other character that plays a good foil for

some fast exposition and providing the voice of reason. But who listens to reason these days? If you pay attention to the dialogue, you won’t be disappointed. Some lines are witty and playful while others cut to the heart. The strong intercutting style keeps us in the loop, never far away from either of the new “couples” as they confront what love was for them and what it should be. Last Night is a thoughtful piece, not an action flick, a different direction for Sam Worthington from Avatar. Anyone can watch an action flick and get into it. And anyone older than puberty will get something out of Last Night. But. Last Night will absolutely

ring a very loud chord with anyone who has lived an edgier life. In other words, fellow sinema fans, if you ever fooled around, cheated or have been cheated on, and then the acting in Last Night will shine for you. A lot of you, you know who you are, will relate a little too well to one or even more of these characters and what they’re going through. Don’t expect a real resolution. This isn’t Hollywood stuff. It’s a slice of life. And just like your life, you expect it to keep evolving. You’ll walk out of the theatre but you won’t walk away from the movie. Like a guilty pleasure. Or, like a time you thought was over. Sometimes, when art imitates life, they get some of it right. --rr FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

Good Bye (Movie_Rentals) MANY MOVIE RENTAL STORES ARE QUICKLY GOING OUT OF BUSINESS. The convenience of watching movies online instantly and for free has made the movie rental goers a minority. The once loved Blockbuster, like many other movie rental stores, is closing down rapidly. Rental stores have to learn to adapt to the Internet age. Movies that are offered through vending machines are also taking over. Other rental stores have developed obscure ways of surviving, like offering a tan with your video rental. We are entering a new age where the movie industry is going to hurt, and movie goers are going to have to get with the times and go online, or pay up and help out the movie industry.

The Take Over: Netflix, Apple and Red box Have Control. Movie rental stores are battling against online streaming videos, and movie renting vending machines to survive. Movie rental stores are losing, and losing fast. Soon movie rental stores will be a thing of the past, like the local private bookstores that are almost never seen anymore. The convenience of

peak busy periods for movie renting are at different times than the peak busy periods for tanning, which works out perfectly for the store. This allows for a constant flow of business, and the survival of a drowning movie rental store. More rental movie stores may chose to offer tanning in the future.

The Survival: Would you like a tan with your rented movie today? Some movie rental stores have introduced obscure survival methods. In America, 35 percent of independently owned rental movie stores are now offering tanning beds. These 35, 000 American stores who made this popular move are indeed surviving. The FUTURĂ&#x2030;ALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

the Red box dispensing machines makes it an easy choice for consumers. There is a movie vending machine at just about every grocery store. Why not rent a movie while doing your weekly grocery run? Netflix offers an alternative for those who do not want to leave their house. Netflix will mail you the movies you want to watch. Why waste your time driving to the movie rental store when

arts.culture.living going to movie theatres to see new releases. Consumers can now go to the Internet to watch new releases, and many of these are offered for free. What does this mean for the movie theatre industry? They have made movie ticket prices more expensive. Movie theatres have also tried to introduce more and more 3D movies, which is something that the Internet cannot offer. Movie theatres offer this 3D experience for more money, which is also a part of their survival strategy.

you can just have the movie mailed to your doorstep? Convenience is everything in our fast-paced world. Movie rental stores are being left in the dust.

and the VHS cassette tape was introduced in the 1980s. The movie industry survived that boom of new popular technology, so maybe they can survive the boom that is happening now with the Internet.

Blockbuster is in Big Trouble: The Shut Down. Although with the way our society seems to being going, eventually the Internet may offer the 3D experience, and movie theatres will once again have to scramble in order to find something better. The Movie Industry Scrambles: Will They Make It?

Many once loved blockbuster, but now it has fierce competitors that offer a convenience that Blockbuster cannot. It is estimated that by the end of this year, about 1000 Blockbuster stores will be shut down for good. Blockbuster has to adapt to the Internet era in order to survive at this point, and they have to move fast. The Internet has the Power: Watch Out Movie Theatres! As time goes on, less and less people are going to movie theatres. People are no longer

The movie industry is losing money, and they can blame the Internet for that. The actors and actresses who star in the movie, the many who fund the movie, and the creators of the movie are all getting paid less and less. This means that major cuts are going to be made in order for the movie business to survive. With movie rental stores going down the drain, and watching a movie at the theatre is becoming a pleasure of the past, the movie industry better get creative, and fast. Although there is some hope that the movie industry will be fine. This similar fear was felt in the movie industry when the VCR player came out,

What Does All This Mean for the Committed Moviegoers? Help out the movie industry. The more people go online, and get movies for free, the fewer movies will be made, and made well. The next classic film may have never gotten a chance, because there is no money going into that business to make it and show it. The flip side to this is to believe in the movie industry. The movie industry is smart. They will find ways to survive, and based on what has happened to them in the past, they certainly will survive. It comes down to a personal choice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; support the movie-making industry or support watching movies for free. What do you think is the right thing to do? --rr

By Lindsay Romeo FUTURĂ&#x2030;ALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

REMEMBRANCE

DAY

By Vicky Tobianah

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

WHEN CANADA’S LAST LIVING WORLD WAR 1 veteran passed away

last February, Canada was losing its last link to the great era. One year later, Charles and his brother Robert discovered a link to John Babcock. Babock was Canada’s last living World War 1 Veteran who died at the age of 109 on February 14th 2009. After his passing, Canadian Prime Minister said “John Babcock was Canada’s last living link to the Great War, which in so many ways marked our coming of age as a nation. The passing of Mr. Babcock marks the end of an era.” As Remembrance Day approaches, Canadians remember the lives lost and touched by the great wars. In the First World War, 61,000 Canadians lost their lives, and in World War Two 42,000 Canadians died. This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Canadian navy. From its beginning in 1910, the Canadian navy developed into an important role in the Canadian military efforts. Just three years after the British King George V bestowed the “royal” title on the navy in 1911, the First World War broke out. Despite its modest equipment and size, with only two ships and 350 men, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) entered the war. During WWII, the RCN played an important role in the Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic. There was a struggle to keep the flow of the war materials that were sailing from North America to Europe. When the war ended, Canada’s navy had become the third largest in the world. It had over 430 vessels, and 95,000 men and women. During the Korean War, the RCN was ready, assisting UN naval forces, and helping blockade the enemy.

arts.culture.living of the 146th Battalian. Charles Gowdy left a hand-written memoir of his experience with COEF, which he said that after he enlisted in Kingston on January 13th 1916, he was sent out to recruit other Canadians. His son, Bob Gawdy, now possesses this memoir, which his father wrote “They sent Stan Wattam, Robert and I back to Sydenham on the night train. We came to Harrowsmith and got on a horse stage to Sydenham. Stayed and boarded there, and got five men enlisted there. Then they sent us to Verona… We got 53 men at Verona to enlist…”

decisions to enlist, as well as many other Canadians at the time. “They were paid one dollar and ten cents a day. A dollar a day was a big deal then.” Babcock’s story was quoted in the Ottawa Sun. He said: “A sergeant and officer came through and they told us about ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade,’ [the heroic but doomed British attack during the Crimean War detailed in a poem by the English poet Lord Alfred Tennyson] and they asked me if I would like to sign up. It was the thing to do, and I didn’t know any better. And I got $1.10

“ John Babcock was Canada’s last living link to the Great War, which in so many ways marked our coming of age as a nation. The passing of Mr. Babcock marks the end of an era.” The unification of the Canadian military in the late 1960s saw the RCN become the official sea arm of the Canadian Forces. 100 years later, the Canadian navy still stands guard both domestically and abroad. The Canadian navy protects its citizens. This Remembrance Day will be the first in Canada without any WWI survivors, but for Charles and Robert Gowdy it marks the discovery of their heritage. They were part of the team that recruited Canada’s last WWI soldier, John Babock, into the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force (COEF). This link was only discovered once Babcock became the sole surviving veteran of WWI. Researchers discovered that Babcock enlisted in Sydenam, Ontario in 1916, which was witnessed by Sam Wattam. Wattam grew up near Sydenham in the village of Verona, which was the same place as Charles, and Robert Gowdy. Babcock was born in the neighbouring hamlet of Holleford. According to Gowdy, the three Verona natives enlisted in Kingston was the joining

The memoir confirmed the link between the Gowdy brothers, and Babock. “Stan Wattam’s signature was on Jack Babcock’s enlistment papers as a witness,” said Gowdy. “So I knew Dad and Robert were there too.” Babcock was only 16 years old when he was enlisted, even though the minimum age to be enlisted was 18. According to Bob Gowdy, his father Charles was also enlisted underage, but he lied about his age in order to join with his older brother Robert. Once discovered, the link seemed almost obvious, given the similar backgrounds of Gowdy and Babock. They all grew up on little farms in that area. Both the Gowdys, and Babock experienced tragedy early in life. Babcock was about 6 years old when his father passed away, after which his care transferred to different relatives. Charles was 7, and Robert was 9 when their mother died, which left them in the hands of neighbours while their father worked on the Ontario railway. “They earned their own keep on the local farms until they joined the army,” Bob Gowdy said, explaining that the pay was an important factor in the young men’s

a day because they were hard up for men.” It was in Halifax where their stories diverge. Prior to the 146th battalion embarking for England, it was discovered that Babock was underage, and was refused to

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living machine gun crews, which were made up of seven men each. His older brother Robert was sent straight to the Fourth Canadian Mounted Rifles. He was wounded at Vimy Ridge, according to Bob Gowdy, and was sent to recover in Scotland for a few months before returning to France once again. Just before the war ended, Robert was gassed at the village of Passchendaele. He died a month later on September 28th 1918, because of the effects from the gas. He was buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery in France. For the 90th anniversary of Vimy Ridge in 2007, Bob Gowdy and his wife Louise went to France to visit their uncle’s grave. After he returned, he learned that the Great War’s last living veteran had known his father and uncle. Put in touch by a John Babcock (1900-2009) © G. Christian Larsen

go. The unit sailed without him. Charles and Robert Gowdy were loaded onto troop boats, and carried the new recruits to Europe. The journey took seven days, and seven nights. Babcock refused to be deterred. After much persistence, he was allowed to join the volunteers in Europe two weeks later, which compromised of an underage reserve with the Royal Canadian Regiment. He spent the rest of the war doing drills, and loading trucks. He waited for his 18th birthday, when he would be allowed to join active duty. But by the time his birthday rolled around, the war was almost over and he would never get to join the Canadian army he dreamed of representing. Charles Gowdy’s age was revealed shortly thereafter. Although he was 18, he was underage as active duty required men to have reached 19. He was sent for training on the Lewis machine gun for a month until he turned 19. Once he came of eligible age, he was made Corporal, and made the number one gunner. He was in charge of two Lewis FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

...the attitude of that era: men were proud to be humble and modest, never openly discussing the hardships they endured. reporter with the Kingston Whig-Standard, Gowdy phoned Babcock in the fall of 2008. Bob said he spoke with Babcock’s wife, Dorothy, “I said to Dorothy, ‘Ask him if he remembers the Gowdy boys?’ She did, and I heard him in the background say, ‘Oh, yeah.’” Contrary to the government’s plans, Babcock did not want a state funeral. Since he never saw active duty, he did not feel he deserved the prestige of such a memorial. Gowdy believes this exemplifies the attitude of that era: men were proud to be humble and modest, never openly discussing the hardships they endured. Under this background, Bob Gowdy will remember the contribution of his family, and of humble men like Babock. They fought for Canada, and asked for nothing in return. --rr and kb

arts.culture.living

LET’S GET RIGHT TO THE is that perhaps why men are always the ones CHASE…do men hunt for women because out for the hunt? Or is it their competitiveness

they are biologically pro-grammed to? Or is it just an old-school way of thinking in today’s modern world? To many, the chase is exciting because of the elusiveness and mystery from a woman who doesn’t put herself right out there. Others insist that chasing a woman is pointless, because if she isn’t interested, why waste the time? If you think about it, we have all had at least one person in our lives that we didn’t like right off the bat, and we ended up dating or even having a relationship with them. So in some form or another, we have had to work ourselves into other peoples’ lives. But why let the burden rest on the men? A 1976 study classified masculinity into four basic categories. At the top, the striving for success through competitiveness and aggressiveness to be dominant. Naturally, we all want to be the best at whatever we do, and build our lives to the best of our abilities. To many men, this means to have a beautiful, committed and faithful woman. Men will notice a woman who seems to be well suited for him and his lifestyle, and competitive by nature, when there are rivals he will decide then and there whether or not it is worth his time and effort to put in the work needed in order to get (or keep) this woman. Slightly outnumbered, women are not as many as men,

and dominance that drives them to pride on every beautiful woman? Men are biologically built to want to have as much offspring a possible, as a guarantee that their genes will be passed on. As a result, they look for the most fertile women. Translated into modern day language, this would be called “getting laid”. But their need to have sex is more than just too much testosterone, it’s a subconscious drive to want to pass on their genetics and spread their “seed”. So what about those we don’t see hunting down every woman they encounter? From a scientific standpoint, these men would be more selective of their mates. And the arrogant men who often boast, “I don’t chase women. If they like me, then they can chase me”? This is what we like to call the “peacock” display. He shows his beautiful feathers for all to see, and gets a sneak-peek at who is interested. Should he want one of those females, he will initiate contact and continue to try to impress her with his colorful array of attractiveness. If not, he will continue to show off his prettiness but at the end of the day, the more dominant male will snatch up the fertile, genetically healthy females, and thousands of years down the line, this ancestry will be the most evolutionarily success-ful. The pretty peacock that just looked nice would have no guarantee of his genetic survival.

Not everyone, however, agrees with this standpoint. According to Stefan Fobes in his article “The Many Ways men are programmed to chase women”, we live in a world of Pavlovian sex, or in other words, a world where men “beg and salivate for sex”. Perhaps somewhat true, this wouldn’t be because men are ‘pathetic or easily manipulated’, but more likely because they are just that much more subconsciously driven to pass on all their seeds. Biological drive aside, why then are women often told to play hard-to-get? If a man is genuinely interested, and proves himself worthy enough times, why are women still told to give them a hard time? According to expert Krista Hiles, “the sense of accomplish-ment is much more when a man is able to get a woman he has chased.” This would make him want to mate with this woman far more than one who is easily impressed. Her genes would seem more valuable and rare, because they aren’t as “attainable” as those of other females. In an international study done by Indiana University’s Peter Todd and his colleagues, it was come to the conclusion that when it comes to finding a mate “most still behave like the stereotypical Neanderthals,” said Todd in a statement. “Ancestral individuals who made their mate choices in this way.... would have had an evolutionary advantage in greater numbers of successful offspring.” In other words, men who chased were more successful in passing on their genes, and from an evolutionary standpoint, this would mean the continuation of the species. So what about those men who don’t chase? Arguably, they still end up settling down and perhaps even starting families, but “they won’t be as successful down the evolutionary line.”

By Anastasia Rokina

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

Flittering Pages

arts.culture.living

By Jess Silver

Get your spy face on: Roaming the streets of the world with Hugh Laurie and a loaded gun in his first novel The Gun Seller, where the plans are secretive and the adrenaline high. THE PAGES ARE TURNING, the schemes are rolling and everyone is on guard. Actor, writer and athlete Hugh Laurie takes a stab at the art of writing and does it in a way that is different from many others. The Gunseller written and first released in 1996 calls the attention of spies, detectives and adrenaline junkies alike. Its very complex and twisted plot has you questioning every angle of the justice system and what it is that defines true identity. Protagonist, James Fincham, turned Thomas Lang, I mean Arthur, or is he truly Thomas, who knows, will have the fans of Dr. House from the hit series, seeing the infamous character in front of their eyes as they fly through these pages. From the way that he criticizes people’s behaviors to his endless boasting and subtle spurts of sarcasm, be ready for the entertainment to come fast. The novel’s premise follows every step of James Fincham who wears many disguises,

the main one being that of Mr. Lang in protection of his own life. Lang assumes the role of an Arms dealer who is accused of killing a man by the name of Bob Rayner in Belgravia when the text begins. In fact, it is Tom’s responsibility to protect a man

by the name of Mr. Alexander Woolf and his daughter Sarah. Woolf paid thousands of dollars to recruit Thomas and see that his life along with his feisty daughter’s not be endangered as a plot with the CIA and a terrorist organization is underway. This book is not one to read if you were looking for a linear narrative structure where the message is either delivered to the audience clearly or its clues are etched into the dialogues that FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

the characters have; on the contrary it is one that travels from one location in the world to the next. In London, England we are presented with a somewhat sympathetic chap who goes by Mclusky, Finchman, Tom and Woolf at one point when he is trying to win over the attention of two females in the text, one being a young lady by the name of Ronnie who is a bit of an adventurous chick, and the other being the seductress Sarah. Lang is like a snake as he slithers past the ladies and head honchos David Solomon and O’Neal who are the orchestrators of the entire plot. You never know where The American Embassy will have him next and whose side Lang is really on, never mind knowing where his loyalty lies. He swings from restaurant lunches with a friend Paulie, to secret meetings with Mr. Solomon and businessman, Nema Murdah. It is a book about establishing rapports with people and witnessing the consequences of crime and betrayal. This becomes evident in the later parts of the text where the organization brings

arts.culture.living Lang and other members of an organization under the CIA to countries like Germany and Sweden where the president of the country, Vander Hoewe is killed. The text perfectly embodies author Hugh Laurie’s adventurous and carefree personality. They say that biographical elements are not meant in texts like these because they focus more on the deliverance of a thrill to the audience that is meant to be farfetched and unrealistic, but this one is informed by the genius that Laurie is. From his lack luster comments to his eloquent observations of every person he meets, it’s all there. In an interview found on hughlaurie.net, the author spoke humbly about his many talents and the fact that his idea of writing is something very complex because he does not have one way of writing or doing something. When asked what his favorite book was, Laurie simply could not narrow his list down, as he was so excited about his love of literature and discussing the direction of his writing career. “This is fantasy. I can produce fantasy. I live on fantasy”! - Hugh Laurie on The Gunseller. In The Gunseller, Lang is the man and voice behind what is a very worldly and dangerous rollercoaster. It is he who like the author, takes on many roles and inserts himself into scary situations not minding the blood on his hands and the squeak of the Kawasaki. Look out for the next five books of The Gunseller Series, as they are sure to get your mind thinking and blood rushing through your veins. --rr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

arts.culture.living

Abby

Plener

Things to do: Think before you eat WHEN I FIRST DECIDED TO WRITE THIS COLUMN, my goal

was to prove that there are a plethora of practical ways to live a greener lifestyle in a big Canadian city. True to my over-achieving tendencies, it seems I’ve chosen quite a challenging question to begin with: is it feasible for people on a limited budget, with limited time, to eat locally? I began my research hoping to squeeze little bits of sustainability into the welloiled machine that is my life, but with that attitude, it seems there’s a limit to how much I can contribute to the local food movement, which is all about committing to making conscious decisions about what we eat and where it comes from. As Maggie Knight, a Research Assistant for the Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Group at McGill University said, “It’s definitely

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING

harder than doing a one-stop shop.” But the more I learned about eating locally, the more intrigued I became about instituting the potential lifestyle change. Knowing me though, I probably won’t make that change until I write it down on a to-do list somewhere, and eating locally takes a lot more effort than putting pen to paper. It takes time. Time to find the local markets near you and talk to the vendors about where the food is coming from. Time to experiment with local products and new recipes that include whatever local produce is in season. Time to eat more at home since eating out becomes more challenging, the more dedicated you are to eating locally. And if you’re really committed, time to visit local farms and ensure that their production process is up to your standards – are they using pesticides? Are they growing organically? Are they producing food as efficiently as possible? For most people, the time and planning needed to eat locally is probably a major deterrent from living such a lifestyle. But for those who believe in its benefits, the opportunity to be more cautious regarding their diet is part of the appeal. McGill Professor Elena Bennet feels that in a society where “people work an incredible number of hours per week, people feel that they have less time to sit down to enjoy their food.” For Knight, eating locally “makes food into an actual cultural experience instead of something you just

do because you’re hungry.” Whereas some argue that eating locally can potentially be more expensive, Knight believes that “you’ll be saving money without impulse buying” because of the forethought needed to plan meals and shopping trips. For me personally the planning involved sounds overwhelming it’s also part of the reason why I am interested in pursuing it. In my own efforts to eat more healthily, I am constantly trying to discourage myself from “impulse buying”, and to focus on taking

arts.culture.living

the time to find food that will actually be satisfying instead of food that just looks or sounds good .The idea that eating local foods could help me both eat more healthily and more sustainably is really appealing. But I don’t want to fall into the trap of romanticizing the locavore movement as so many urbanites do, seeking community gardens and local farmers’ markets as some sort of solace from their overly-consumerist lifestyle. One of the criticisms of the locavore movement is that the extent to which it is more sustainable is often exaggerated because of urban residents have an idealized view that nearby farms are always the better option. These critics argue that though this movement towards sustainable, healthconscious eating cuts down the energy needed to transport food from one place to another, it’s the production process itself that contributes the most to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, small-scale local farms that do not have access to the most efficient production technology may be responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than larger farms with more efficient equipment. However, Knight explains that the greenhouse gas argument oversimplifies the benefits of local farms. She affirms, “We’re not just talking about greenhouse gas. Industrial agriculture is detrimental in terms of degradation of soil, pollution, and using fertilizers.” The efficiency argument also ignores the possibility of changing our diet to adapt to local specialties. Knight argues that

though, “It’s actually more efficient to grow a banana in Jamaica, eating local is about what is feasible here. [We can] eat fewer bananas, eat more apples, [and] shift our preferences.” Shifting our preferences also means restricting our diet to fruits and vegetables that are in season and can be grown locally. Though we may be missing our favorites fruits and veggies during certain seasons, in-season fruits are also cheaper and more nutritious. Eating locally contributes to local agricultural economy, which could potentially empower local farmers to produce food more efficiently, or make their food more accessible. Additionally, Knight notes that “It does have the implication for food security, and preserving our local economy”, whereas by depending on industrial agriculture, “We lose our capacity to grown our own food.” The locavore movement is a growing phenomenon and it appears that as it gains support from the communities it hopes to serve, it will become increasingly feasible and more accessible. Cities like Montreal

and Toronto have already made great strides as farmer’s markets, community gardens, and local-food delivery services are being organized in increasing numbers. Though eating a completely local diet all year round, especially in the winter, is not always easy and will not always be less expensive than the alternative, there are definitely accessible opportunities for urbanites to pencil into their schedule should they be so inclined. --rr

FUTURÉALE

ARTS | CULTURE | LIVING