Funnyman: The legend of Judd Apatow
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve watched four comedies at home: the 2004 Will Ferrell vehicle Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, a long-time favourite of mine; last year’s surprise hit...
View ArticleI, Dragonslayer
"I am sharpening my sword So you can take me to the dragon’s lair Or you can take me to Rapunzel’s windowsill Either way it is time for a bigger kind of kill A bigger kind of kill" - Sunset Rubdown,...
View ArticleThe Lizard King lives on
As gloriously played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of my favourite movies, Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous, rock critic Lester Bangs had this to say about the legendary Californian psychedelic...
View ArticleWaiting for Oscar
Hosted by good old Billy Crystal, the 84th Academy Awards ceremony will take place this Sunday, February 26. Like many movie fans, I like to try and predict who will win, mention in passing who should...
View ArticleMy Genie/Jutra forecast
Hey, more movie award shows! They may not be the Oscars, but the Genie and Jutra Awards have the merit of putting the spotlight on Canadian and Québécois cinema respectively. George Stroumboulopoulos...
View ArticleKevin Smith, life coach
"We can’t all be Superman, but we sure as shit can train hard, and with loads of practice, we can be Batman," writes Kevin Smith in Tough Shit: Life Advice From a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good. "And who...
View ArticleVideo store-dust memories
"In the meantime, the only thing I could do was get a job at this video store because of my knowledge of movies. And it ended up being like my college, all right. It’s not that I learned so much about...
View ArticlePop culture nostalgia, 1997 edition
Fifteen years ago, I graduated from high school and started college. It was a big year for me, but that’s not what makes me want to write about it. As you know, James Cameron is re-releasing Titanic in...
View ArticleBig screen versus small screen
"The television screen is the retina of the mind’s eye." – Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg) In the latest issue of Vanity Fair, James Wolcott makes a case for television getting to be increasingly...
View ArticleAvengers assemble!
As a kid, my favourite Saturday morning cartoon was The Marvel Super Heroes, a barely animated series produced in the 1960s that was still airing in reruns on French-Canadian TV in the 1980s. That was...
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