2008 Woodie Awards
Cinderella updates an old tale for contemporary audiences
An evening at the ballet might not be every student's idea of a good night out, but no one should live in this city without seeing what the world-renowned Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal has to offer. The current show at Theatre Maisonneuve (part of Place des Arts) is Stijn Celis' modern take on the Cinderella fable.
In a time when people are famous for being famous and every beach town in California has their own 'reality' show, it still comes as a shock to see how far star-power can take you. The Nobel Peace Prize, a prestigious honour meant to be awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses," is now being handed out to celebrities.
Gone Baby Gone a strong directorial debut
There is ample reason not to trust Ben Affleck's judgment. His track record speaks for itself. Jersey Girl. Gigli. Paycheck. The Sum of All Fears. Affleck's mainstream efforts have proven unequivocally sub-par, while the occasional quality film or performance to which he attaches himself (Changing Lanes, Boiler Room) coasts aimlessly below the radar of public attention.
Music. Lee Mellor. Oct. 25 at 8:30 p.m.; Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent). On his 2007 debut, Ghost Town Heart, singer-songwriter Lee Mellor blends his urban-industrial English orignins with his rural Canadian upbringing to produce a much-praised alt-folk album.
Poetry book speaks to readers
The image of a young man hunched over a page, his mouth bursting with sticky amber syrup, comes to mind as one reads The World is a Heartbreaker. The mind's eye widens and pans down the author's face; he cannot control the erratic flow of fluid which dribbles down his chin and stains each hand-sized sheet with gilded ideas.
Need we say more?
If you are already tiring of the quickly-shortening days and the cold winds of fall, venture into Verdun and go looking for a nonassuming little street called Hickson. On this street, if you can find it, there is a barely-there sign hanging off a very unspectacular, well-camouflaged door.
City showcases local music scene to industry types
Journalists, festival programmers and music industry insiders from around the world gathered in Montreal's Just for Laughs theatre this past week to check out some of the city's most promising up-and-coming acts. Now in its second year, the M for Montreal festival presented 16 bands, including electro-punk trio We Are Wolves, post-rock instrumental outfit Torngat and indie darlings The Stills to international delegates representing publications such as France's Les Inrockuptibles, Germany's Spiegel Online and the U.
Bruce Springsteen. Magic. The lead single "Radio Nowhere" opens Magic, Bruce Springsteen's latest effort since his 2006 Pete Seeger homage, We Shall Overcome. The song is a swirling storm of distorted guitars, backed by a Spector-esque wall of sound effect, as Springsteen growls, "I was spinnin' 'round a dead dial/Just another lost number in a file" before intoning, "I just want to hear some rhythm" over and over until the song fades.
