2008 Woodie Awards
Montreal indie band Stars will top your trees this holiday season
Eight years ago, a little-known Toronto band moved from New York City to the snowy land of Montreal. Since that day, the band has exploded in popularity across the continent. Yet Stars continues to emphasize that they are, above all, a Montreal band. During their show at Metropolis last Friday, lead singer Torquil Campbell stressed how genuinely touched he was by what he referred to as the "hometown welcome" they received from the ecstatic crowd.
Guns N' Roses (if you can still call them that) have just released the most highly anticipated album of all time. Chinese Democracy is the band's first release since their 1983 cover album, The Spaghetti Incident?. The new album reportedly took over 13 years, 14 studios, millions of dollars, and the departure of every band member except for lead singer Axl Rose, to complete.
Demme intimately portrays family dynamics in Rachel Getting Married
Don't let the title deceive you-indie film Rachel Getting Married is a far cry from sappy bridal chick flicks like The Wedding Planner and 21 Dresses. Director Jonathan Demme offers so much more in this dark and sensitive psychological portrait of a deeply dysfunctional family.
Murder and mayhem in Cassandra's Dream
Cassandra's Dream, Woody Allen's newest film, stars Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor as two brothers who find themselves caught in a bind when they are inadvertently brought into a sinister world of murder and deception. The film asks: how far you are willing to go in order to pursue your dreams-and what lines are you willing to cross to do so? In contrast to Allen's comedies, in which characters pose existential life questions but end up finding fulfillment, this film presents no easy answers and no comforting alternatives.
Leave the cold behind at Cinema du Parc's Brazilian Film Festival
Just in time for the onslaught of winter snow, Montrealers will have something extra to help them keep warm. Starting December 5 and running through December 11, the second edition of the Brazilian Film Festival of Montreal showcases the best-not to mention the hottest-in Brazilian cinema.
Various Artists, Straight Reads the Line, Kanye West
Various artists. We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year. Falling somewhere between cheesy and awesome, We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year is an occasionally delightful compilation of metal greats-including Alice Cooper, Dave Grohl, Lemmy Kilmister, and Bret Kulick-covering Christmas classics.
What to do between exams
Dec. 2. Film. Alternative Approaches to Media Film Screening. Arts lobby and Leacock 132. Seventeen young filmmakers from Professor Alanna Thain's Cultural Studies course will be presenting their film projects, answering questions, and giving hands-on animation lessons.
The Schomberg Fair brings varied their musical influences to the stage
Marie Osmond might as well have been describing The Schomberg Fair in her song, "Little bit country/little bit rock and roll." This dichotomy in The Schomberg Fair's sound seems to arise from the contradictory influences of the band members. Bassist and vocalist Nathan Sidon describes himself very matter of factly.
