Tony Hinds
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Dumb and Dumber To
In my books, 1994’s Dumb and Dumber is a classic comedy. Sure, writers/directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly have made better and funnier movies (Kingpin, There’s Something About Mary), but the naively hopeful performances of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels elevated that goofy, juvenile material in an undeniably endearing fashion.
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The Theory of Everything
It’s interesting that The Theory of Everything is billed as a romance. The film follows the real life story of world famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and his relationship with Jane, a religious Cambridge arts student, who later became his wife. The two had only known each other a short time when Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21. Indeed, it’s a love story, but not necessarily one of romantic love.
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Not bad, 15-year-old me
It’s been taking Calgary-born indie musician Samantha Savage Smith longer to write songs lately, which she doesn’t mind. It shouldn’t be easy.
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Dance your lungs out
An artist’s creative process can be difficult to explain. Words can capture an approximation, but the essence will often be incomplete. Akin to the taste of a fine wine or caviar, it’s better experienced than explained.
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A chat for Mr. Roberts
Canadian rocker Sam Roberts is very down to earth for someone who has performed in five different countries in the last six months, including Spain and the United Kingdom. He and his band return to Winnipeg for the first time in three years, performing at the historic Burton Cummings Theater on Nov. 19.
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Metal white lies
For an up-and-coming metal band, the loss of a guitar player could be a fatal blow. That’s not the case for Sky Monitor: despite the loss of their lead guitarist Kristjan Tomasson, the metalcore quintet is getting some of their biggest breaks yet.
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Get out of my space
Parking on Spence St. south of Ellice Ave. can cost you big time. But for University of Winnipeg (UW) students and faculty with physical disabilities parking accessibility is an even greater pain.
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Tinker, Tailor, Szoldier, Buy
“The Z is silent but you still kind of say it."
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Brewing potential
For Manitoba craft beer enthusiasts, the most alluring aspect of the new draft beer growler bars is the low price. For small business owners, it’s the newly laid path to a less expensive method of distribution.
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F-ckin’ chillin’ out with Chopin
Tom Thacker, frontman for legendary Canadian punk quartet Gob, has creatively grown since the group rose to fame in the mid ‘90s. The band, which plays Winnipeg’s favourite Osborne Village institution Ozzy’s on Oct. 31, did not always view its music as artistically important.
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Caps, gowns and a call to action
What is the most important issue facing the 317 graduates of the University of Winnipeg’s autumn convocation? Finding a job and paying the rent are good answers, but according to John Ralston Saul the answer is aboriginal relations in Winnipeg.
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North by old west
Kansas City, Missouri, 1865. A train engine belches white smoke across a blue sky as Allan Pinkerton reprimands his adult son, William, beneath the shadow of the Dubois Hotel. Nearby people stand silently and watch, iPhones and Starbucks cups gripped tightly in their hands. With a call of the word cut, we are whisked back to Grosse Isle, Manitoba, 2014 and to the set of the new syndicated hour long drama, The Pinkertons.
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Get Low
Alan Sparhawk, guitarist and lead vocalist of legendary alt-indie act, Low, has mixed feelings about returning to Canada. The Minnesota trio’s Oct. 18 show at Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre marks the beginning of a three-week tour that will take the band across Canada and the United States. However, it’s not the canuck audiences that worry him; it’s the border crossing.
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Dance dance evolution
The theme of evolution lies at the center of Surfacing, a collection of new solo dance works by Rebecca Sawdon. The show, which debuts on Oct. 23 at the Rachel Browne Theater, features the choreography work of Victoria’s Constance Cooke, Calgary’s Davida Monk, and Winnipeg’s Odette Heyn and Brent Lott.
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Re-entering orbit
It’s been two years since Jordan Dorge, frontman of Winnipeg death metal sextet Laika, has played a live show. But on Oct. 11, he’ll return to the stage with bandmates Steve Tedham (synth), Mike Mason (bass), Ian Garraway (guitar), Alex Kling (guitar) and Blair Garraway (drums) at the Windsor Hotel for the release of the band’s sophomore album, Somnia. To mark the occasion, Dorge hopes to plan an evening that metal fans will not forget, including performances from Tyrants Demise, Mortalis, Withdrawal and Occvlt Hand.
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A chuckle a day
Benjamin Walker has always made stand-up comedy look easy. But as the host of Comedy Wednesdays - an open mic comedy night at Osborne Village’s Jekyll and Hyde’s Freehouse - Walker is quick to amend that point. Making comedy look effortless takes a lot of hard work.
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Ducking out for some docs
The Best of Hot Docs, happening Oct. 3 to 5 at Cinematheque, features the Winnipeg premiere of five new documentaries chosen from the line-up of the largest annual documentary festival in North America.
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Reptiles on the run
The Manitoba Reptile Breeder’s Expo (MRBE) returns to Winnipeg’s Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre from Oct. 4 - 5, and brings with it the debate on city bylaw 92-2013 - a law restricting species of reptiles, arachnids and other exotic pets within city limits.
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Whose House? Roland’s House.
Roland Penner - author, lawyer, retired politician and former Dean of Law at the University of Manitoba - remembers a quote from novelist Nancy Huston: “The scenes of our childhood form the seal of our identity.” The seeds of Penner’s political career, a celebrated one that brought about the first human rights legislation in Manitoba, were planted in his own childhood.
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Homestar dancer
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is opening its 2014/15 season by focusing on a subject that might seem an unlikely choice to aficionados of the dance form. Going Home Star - Truth and Reconciliation, the new work developed by artistic director André Lewis, examines the untold aftershocks of the Indian residential school system.