Month: October 2007

Spun: Parkway Drive

By Derek Neumeier

Get ready to start kicking your legs and swinging your arms violently. Australia’s most explosive export, metalcore band Parkway Drive, is back with a new disc full of tracks for you to enter a pit and throw down to. With Horizons, their sophomore stab at an album release, the boys from Byron Bay take all… Continue reading Spun: Parkway Drive

Spun: Ferraby Lionheart

By Amanda Hu

Folky, melancholy songs are taking control of pop music. Their slightly calming aura and slow, steady groove are becoming almost infectious. With the release of Ferraby Lionheart’s Catch the Brass Ring, that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing. Channeling elements of Rufus Wainwright and Elliott Smith, Lionheart seems to trigger a muted nostalgia through… Continue reading Spun: Ferraby Lionheart

Spun: Beirut

By Amanda Hu

After the critical acclaim of his first album, Gulag Orkestar, Beirut–also known as Zach Condon–has made a name for himself through his eclectic, Gypsy-feeling, Balkan-inspired music. His new album, The Flying Club Cup, is based on Condon’s trip to France, with each song meant to inspire the feeling of a town he visited during the… Continue reading Spun: Beirut

Local gallery celebrates Alex Janvier

By Indrani Kar

It is rare in Calgary to have the chance to see art expositions that can truly be considered world-class. The Art Gallery of Calgary does not fail in this regard. Its current main exhibit–the Alberta Biennial Celebrates Alex Janvier–is a collection of the life work of Native Canadian artist Alex Janvier. Janvier is an internationally… Continue reading Local gallery celebrates Alex Janvier

British comedy puts the “fun” in Funeral

By Ryan Pike

Funerals are not typically very exciting. They usually consist of teary-eyed relatives gathering together and bemoaning the fate of their loved one. The antics at funeral are generally low-key, fairly depressing and in no way funny. Frank Oz simultaneously embraces and rejects these time-honoured rules of funerals with his latest film, Death at a Funeral.… Continue reading British comedy puts the “fun” in Funeral

Elizabeth is man-tastic

By Nyla Olynyk

In Elizabeth: the Golden Age, Cate Blanchett reprises her role as the Queen in the sequel to the 1998 Academy Award winning Elizabeth. The movie is centred upon England’s famous defeat of the Spanish Armada and the continuing conflict between Protestants and Catholics. We are introduced to an older and wiser Elizabeth in a time… Continue reading Elizabeth is man-tastic

A political thriller with no opinions on politics

By Ryan Pike

Since the beginning of the medium, film has been utilized for political purposes. Despite their controversial content, both The Birth of a Nation and Triumph of the Will were tremendously effective examples of political filmmaking. In more recent years, films like Good Night And Good Luck and The Insider had stray political currents running through… Continue reading A political thriller with no opinions on politics