Tag: canada

Film Feature: 2021 Dreamspeakers International Indigenous Film Festival

The Dreamspeakers Festival Society website states that “When the first Dene filmmaker returned home to Canada’s Northwest Territories, his people had no words for his new art. They call it ‘Dreamtalking’.” The term ‘Dene’ refers to both the native language (also called Athabascan) and also the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Dreamspeakers was founded in 1993, and for the last 28 years has highlighted the films and media art of Indigenous artists from nations around the globe.

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Show Review: Stars at The Masonic Lodge 11/29/17

A concert in a graveyard? Why not!

STARS-8

What exactly is it about Canada that produces such intriguing rock and roll acts? The great North is home to dozens of groups that broke through international barriers and still continue to impress to this day. Of course there are the obvious examples like Neil Young, Rush, The Guess Who, Arcade Fire, and NoMeansNo, but there is also that unique brand of indie/art with groups like Metric, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, The New Pornographers, and Broken Social Scene, the indie super band of which Amy Millan and Evan Cranley are members. Easily one of my favorites of all of them is Stars who take up a special place with their lush production and exploration of the various themes of love and heartbreak. In support of their recent double LP release, There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light, the band took over the Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for three whole days of intimacy with their long-time fans and first timers alike.

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Film Review: The Grand Seduction

A small glass of Irish Canadian schmaltz, please.  Thank you!

Not-so-sleepy time.
Not-so-sleepy time.

No matter how predictable, cliché, or improbable a story is, it’ll translate into a worthwhile movie-watching experience if it’s executed well (I’m ready to argue about this).  This is definitely the case for Don McKellar’s The Grand Seduction, a remake of the 2003 French film, La Grande Séduction.  The Grand Seduction is an incredibly charming film filled with great laughs, lovable characters, and a quaint story that befits the film’s soothingly calm pace.

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Spinning Platters Picks Seven: Canadian Artists You Should See at SXSW

Young, wild and free, but not at SXSW this year. But my picks have got the magic power of the music in them, too.

I love Canada. There was time when I could sing “Oh, Canada.” In French. I still know it in English. After all, it’s the home of hockey, Rush, William Shatner, and Molson. These are not trivial things. For years, I’ve wanted to be Canadian, going so far as looking into emigrating. Alas, I’m still here, happy in the Bay Area, but when I really want to feel Canadian, I’ll listen to some great Canadian music. And at SXSW this year, there will be plenty of acts from the Great White North worth checking out. No, Rush won’t be there, but these fine musicians will be: Continue reading “Spinning Platters Picks Seven: Canadian Artists You Should See at SXSW”

Film Review — The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights

Following the release of their 2007 album, Icky Thump, Jack and Meg White prepared for two simultaneous landmarks in their storied career: their tenth anniversary as a band, and their first extensive promotional tour of Canada’s many provinces and territories. They invited acclaimed music video director Emmett Malloy to accompany them on this excursion, capturing every moment along the way. The ensuing hybrid of aww-shucks Canadian culture shocks and feverish self-aggrandizement comprises The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights.

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