Author: Tomer Shavit

Arts

America’s futuristic portrait is super funny

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date March 11, 2014

The satirical novel Super Sad True Love Story is the account of a mismatched couple in a dystopian world

In a world where one’s attractiveness is rated publicly and with a click of a button, the 39 year-old and balding Lenny doesn’t give up on love.

Lenny Abramov is a loser. He’s aging, he’s balding, and he’s meek. He is the polar opposite of all the young, attractive, go-getting junior executives at his job and sometimes it seems like his very existence is an insult to a society that worships youth, vitality, and perfection above all. What makes it even more difficult for Lenny to cope with his increasing age and receding hairline is the fact that he works for “Post-Human Services” in a department that specializes in “Infinite Life Extension,” effectively reversing the aging process and granting immortality to HNWI’s (High Net Worth Individuals). While he gets older, his clients get younger.
This society, a dystopian not-too-far-in-the-future America, is the center stage of Gary Shteyngart’s best-selling novel, Super Sad True Love Story.

As you might have guessed from the title, this is in fact a love story, and Lenny’s life changes when he encounters the youthful beauty, Eunice Park. Lenny believes that Eunice is the only thing that can fill the void in his life and after a brief awkward courting phase, Eunice agrees to give him a chance (mostly so she doesn’t have to move back in with her parents).

The story is told through excerpts of Lenny’s old fashioned — real paper! — journal and Eunice’s email correspondences on her “GlobalTeens” social network account. Social networks in this world are pushed to extremes, giving us some of the more hilarious and thought provoking moments in the book. By holding your “apparati” (standard issue tablet/iphone hybrid) at people, you can see their credit score, their family history and their vital signs including real-time updates on their level of excitement and arousal.

The most popular application is RateMe Plus, where everyone grades each other on several metrics, the most important of them: “fuckability.” While Eunice can take pride in having an 800+ score on fuckability, Lenny’s abysmal score of 230 follows him around like an electronic scarlet letter, making him a source of mockery and revulsion wherever he goes.

Although the narrative centres on this unlikely love story, it is Shteyngart’s imaginative version of America that steals the show. Shteyngart presents us with a decaying empire indebted to external forces, a country whose collective vanity and misplaced pride blinds them from their inevitable and quickening demise. Everyone is obsessed with appearances, including the incompetent American government run by the Bi-Partisan Party who are too busy scrambling, making sure everything looks pristine for the annual visit from their Chinese creditors, to see the multi-national wolves circling their prey.

What’s truly fascinating is how eerily familiar this dystopian vision is to the America we watch every day on the news. Super Sad True Love Story is a cautionary tale of a world we might find ourselves living in tomorrow if we remain superficial and indifferent.

That being said, the book is anything but bleak. Shteyngart has a unique writing style and sense of humor that makes you laugh just as much as it makes you think. The characters of Lenny and Eunice are extremely fleshed-out and multi-faceted, and their lopsided love story is often times adorable, often times tragic, but always entertaining and relatable.

This book is recommended to those that are into dystopias, light-hearted science fiction, or just hilarious writing in general. Also, there have been reports that reading Super Sad True Love Story in public may result in a modest increase to your fuckability rating.

Super Sad True Love Story is available for sale at Chapters Indigo stores and online at amazon.ca.

Trailer of Super Sad True Love Story, with interviews with author, Gary Shteyngart, and others — including James Franco.

Tags literature

Arts

The lengthy process of turning obsession into art

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date February 25, 2014

Produced by Penn Jillette and directed by Teller, Tim’s Vermeer attempts to uncover the mystery behind the photorealism of Johannes Vermeer’s (“Girl with a Pearl Earring”) art, 150 years before the invention of photography. Press photo.

When was the last time you were truly and utterly obsessed with something? Not interested, not fascinated, but obsessed?

Obsession is a powerful thing. It’s scary, all-consuming and it makes for compelling viewing. Whether it be Katniss Everdeen, Sherlock Holmes or Francis Underwood, the stories we love the most are those about heroes who aren’t just chasing a goal — they’re obsessed with it.

Tim’s Vermeer is the story of one man’s obsession. Not against a dystopian tyranny, an evil mastermind or the president of the United States, but about solving a mystery that has been plaguing the minds of artists and art historians for centuries.

The man is Tim Jenison, an award-winning inventor, technologist and self-made millionaire. The mystery — Johannes Vermeer.
Vermeer was a 17th century painter who specialized in photo-realistic painting. His work contained such elaborate detail, such realism, that theories abound that he must have been aided by some sort of optical mechanism that assisted him in achieving these incredible and unparalleled feats.

Who better than the most famous debunking duo in the world, Penn and Teller, to uncover the secret behind this renaissance-era phenomenon? The documentary is directed and produced by the notorious illusionists and it follows the journey of Jenison in a quest that spans over half a decade.

Jenison begins with an established theory that suggests Vermeer used a form of camera obscura to create his paintings. He develops this theory further by combining different types of curved mirrors and lenses to create an apparatus that allows any person with no background in painting to produce incredibly life-like and awe-inspiring paintings.

The next stage of his experiment was to recreate one of Vermeer’s classic paintings, “The Music Lesson.”
This is where the obsession comes in. To recreate the painting, Jenison has to simulate the same room that Vermeer used centuries ago. Most people would have hired a crew to build the room. Jenison is not most people: he recreates the room on his own.

To do so he teaches himself carpentry, glass-making, tile-laying — practically any skill you would need to construct a house — and spends the next 200 days building it from scratch with the modest help of an assistant. When it is built, Jenison begins to paint the scene with his invented apparatus. The amount of detail requires him to sit every day for hours and paint meticulously.

After 130 days of painting, Tim’s Vermeer is finally finished. Was it all worth it? Did he manage to solve a 300-year-old mystery?

The documentary takes 2,000 hours of footage and generates an 80-minute film that is fascinating and insightful. Penn Jillette provides humorous narration that adds colour to the film, while also serving as a guide for those of us with only a passing knowledge of art history.

What is truly fascinating in this film, regardless of your appreciation of fine art, is Jenison himself. It is his tenacious personality, his almost childlike excitement in the face of new challenges and his never ending ability and desire to learn new skills that make Tim’s Vermeer transcend its deceptively straight-forward premise.

Jenison says that he worries that the film will have all the excitement of “watching paint dry” but it is his inspiring obsession that keeps us enthralled. Often times you feel sorry for Jenison, a 60-year-old man spending day after day away from his family and home, hunched over a pad with a paintbrush in his hand. But before the film is over, your sympathy is replaced with reverence — even jealousy.

Tim’s Vermeer reminds us how much fun it is to forget about the world, find something that moves us, and simply obsess.

Tim’s Vermeer opens in theatres on Feb. 28 at Cinema du Parc.

Film website: http://www.sonyclassics.com/timsvermeer/

Tags film, Film

Arts

Tarantino strikes with “great vengeance and furious anger”

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date February 11, 2014

Sometime in January, Quentin Tarantino’s new screenplay The Hateful Eight was leaked online. Tarantino’s temper, which rivals that of many of his vengeful protagonists, was aimed at Gawker, a site that provided links to the script, encouraging readers to download it with the headline “Here is the Leaked Quentin Tarantino The Hateful Eight script.”

Tarantino released a statement reeking of venom and rage, announced a lawsuit against Gawker, and said that he will be shelving The Hateful Eight project indefinitely.
Many have speculated whether this outburst was a publicity stunt, or if Tarantino might be using it as an excuse to back out of a project he’s lost passion for.
While only Tarantino knows the answers to these questions, a rumour has recently surfaced that the temperamental director has since calmed down and that the movie might be happening after all.

The question is: should this be Tarantino’s next film? Let’s take a look at the script and find out …

As a preamble, it must be stated that the following is based on a screenplay that is only in its first draft, and will probably be changed repeatedly before the final product.

The Hateful Eight would be Tarantino’s second foray into the Wild West, after the hugely successful Django Unchained.

The story takes place almost entirely in one setting and follows the exploits of John Ruth, a bounty hunter delivering a particularly lucrative cargo to the authorities in the town of Red Rock.
The script is a whopping 146 pages (most Hollywood scripts range between 90 to 120 pages) and all of your favorite Tarantino trademarks are here: long winded yet well-crafted dialogue, tense buildups leading up to bloody showdowns and exposition flashbacks that tell the gruesome backstories of some of these hateful characters.
Due to a blizzard heading their way, Ruth and his prized bounty, Lady Domergue, need to spend the night in “Minnie’s Haberdashery”, sharing it with a handful of eccentric travelers wearing out the storm. The guests at this inn include a decorated Southern general, a wily black bounty hunter and a well-groomed Englishman who seems excessively polite.

Copies of the first draft of Tarantino’s next project, The Hateful Eight, have since been removed and can no longer be found online. Photo by Jocelyn Beaudet

What starts as a pleasant pit stop where weary travelers share stories over mugs of coffee, bowls of stew and a nice warm fire, quickly spirals out of control leading to death and destruction.

Not all in this tavern are who they claim to be, and John Ruth must uncover the imposter if he hopes to survive the night.

Unlike Tarantino’s recent films, this is not a revenge fantasy and the story is much narrower in scope. Tarantino is going back to basics with a storyline that is similar to his debut film, Reservoir Dogs: one location, a handful of characters that each have their own dark secrets and of course a body count that rises consistently until the story’s epic conclusion.

Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director, had a famous example he used for teaching suspense — simply put, if two characters are sitting at a table and talking, no matter what the subject of their discussion, the scene will be boring. But if two characters are sitting at a table talking, and the audience knows that there’s a bomb under the table that’s about to go off, the scene becomes infinitely more engaging. Suddenly we’re at the edge of our seats listening to these characters with rapt attentiveness, knowing that any second now, disaster will strike.

When you read a script written by Tarantino, a man made famous for his love of stylized bloodshed, every scene has an inherent “bomb under the table.” While many scenes in The Hateful Eight depict long conversations between characters, the shadow of Tarantino looms over them, constantly reminding us that these clever jabs and funny anecdotes can quickly turn into a violent bloodbath.

So is the story any good? Absolutely. Tarantino is one of the most exciting storytellers of our time and this script does not disappoint. For a first draft it is borderline incredible, but when you’re one of the greatest filmmakers alive, choosing your projects is paramount.

While The Hateful Eight could be fun as hell as a movie, it would not elevate Tarantino as a filmmaker. It would not be a challenge for him and it would not bring anything new to his audiences.

Perhaps the script leaking was a blessing in disguise — Tarantino’s efforts might be better served on a different project that reinvents his filmmaking and pushes his boundaries, as opposed to this small Western tale.

Tags litterature

Arts

What’s lurking in your bathroom?

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date February 4, 2014

Part psychological drama, part fantasy, Ceramic Tango is the story of a young Montrealer rendered helpless to the demons inside, and out. Photo courtesy of flirtfilms

When most people think about horror movies, their minds conjure up images of deranged serial killers, fearsome monsters and otherworldly demons.

Ceramic Tango, a short film created by award winning Montreal filmmaker, Patricia Chica, is a different kind of horror, and it cuts deeper than any conventional slasher flick.

The film has garnered much support in the horror community, culminating in winning the Best Film award from the prestigious Shockfest film festival.

“The horror community has embraced the film as something very fresh and new,” said Chica. “They see it as something that pushes the genre to the next level because it’s not gory or trashy, but psychological and smart.”

The film depicts a simple scenario: Riley (Holy Scar) is in his bathroom conducting his daily routine.

But there is evil lurking about. There is another entity in the room — A killer, a monster, a demon.
The Intruder (Richard Cardinal), is a manifestation of pure wickedness that relishes in the taunting and torture of his victims.

Riley can’t fight this villain with a rifle or a machete. The vile creature has somehow become a part of him, he’s inside him, forcing our hero to submit to a fate that is both innately terrifying yet at the same time, uncomfortably familiar. There is nothing otherworldly about the agony our hero suffers and it is this familiarity that cuts straight to our heart, making us empathize with his fear and share in his misery.

With a running time of only 10 minutes, Ceramic Tango manages to paint a portrait of a life gone awry.

Riley’s desperate plight against evil is shared with glimpses of his sordid past and reflections on a future shrouded in darkness. The flashes of eccentric images — metal faucets recoiling, shower curtains coming alive, sexual flashbacks devolving into macabre dances — make you constantly question what is real in this morbid tapestry.

Holy Scar and Richard Cardinal both deliver electrifying performances, especially Cardinal who supplements his menacing appearance with a seductively sinister voice that stays in your head long after the credits have rolled.

“He is like the grim reaper of the spiritual realm,” said Cardinal about his character. “He is the boogeyman that waits in the corner … watching you be unsafe, watching you give in to temptation so he may finally attack.”

The powerful performances are a pleasant surprise considering that both Scar and Cardinal are fetish performers and have no prior acting credits.

To prepare for their roles, Scar and Cardinal trained with acting coach Kristian Hodko, best known for his voice work on Far Cry 3.

On the challenge of training Scar and Cardinal, Hodko said, “I saw it more as an opportunity than a challenge. Working with non-actors is a fantastic chance to create great work because they have no preconceived notions on what acting is. We were able to get really raw performances.”

The rest of the production is equally impressive. Toronto screenwriter Charles Hall wrote a script that is engaging, ominous and multi-faceted. The music, beautifully haunting and atmospheric, was done by American composer Justin Lassen who works on The Walking Dead. The cinematographer is Quebecer Marin Bouchard who did a stellar job at creating a distinct look to the many memorable scenes.

Ceramic Tango is a cautionary tale. It is scary because we identify with it. Most of us have never experienced fleeing from an axe wielding, hockey mask-wearing, lunatic, but the dangers, temptations and repercussions that exist in Ceramic Tango hit close to home, delivering a powerful message that resonates and lingers.
“It is very important to me that my movies make people think differently on a subject matter and see new perspectives,” said Chica. “That’s what my cinema is all about.”

Even if horror is not your usual cup of tea, Ceramic Tango is an impressive film and worth checking out.

Ceramic Tango is available for sale through patriciachica.wix.com/ceramictango

Tags Featured, film, Film

Arts

An invisible romance with a most visible man

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date January 14, 2014

We all have secrets. For Charles Dickens, famed writer and literary genius, that secret was his love affair with 18-year-old actress Nelly Ternan. This secret is the premise for the upcoming film, The Invisible Woman, produced and directed by Ralph Fiennes, who also stars as Dickens.

The film introduces us to Dickens at the height of his success and fame, yet burdened with a marital life that lacks the excitement and luster of his prolific career.
At a rehearsal for one of his plays, Dickens meets Nelly, (played by Felicity Jones), and is immediately infatuated with the young beauty. Over the course of their subsequent meetings, she falls for him but they both have fears that block their path to realizing their love affair. Dickens fears the consequences to his family, his image and his livelihood, while Nelly, knowing that Dickens will never marry her, resents being led down a path that would make her a mistress and never a wife.

The Invisible Woman recreates the Victorian era with splendor and authenticity. Fans of Victorian dramas will at the very least enjoy the costumes and locales.
Other enjoyable aspects of the film are its beautiful dialogue, inspired performances by the two main actors, and fascinating insights into the entertainment industry of the 19th century, a time where writers were hounded by fans for autographs while famous actors made just enough money to keep out of the poorhouse.

This movie is not for everyone. The pacing is slow. Very slow. We’re not in Victorian times anymore and today’s attention spans are short and audiences do not forgive too many minutes that drag on with nothing but close-ups and atmosphere.
In addition, the main story is not very compelling. It is a classic tale of a successful man who needs some sensual excitement in his middle age. This man just happens to be Charles Dickens.

That being said, many of the brief insights into the life of Dickens and the world around him were more interesting than the story the film focused on. In an early scene, a group of party guests huddle around Dickens while he performs hypnosis on one of his invitees. The fact that Dickens dabbled in hypnosis might be surprising in itself, but it helps define what kind of person he was. Dickens cared about connecting with his audiences, and on many levels, manipulating them. If art is manipulation then Dickens was a master manipulator, and it is this character trait that adds perhaps the only truly unique layer to his relationship with Nelly.

Through his subtle form of verbal seduction we see how Dickens reduces the strong-willed Nelly, who originally would never have agreed to be the “other woman,” into the role of the submissive concubine, whose independence is completely quenched. Given Dickens’ considerable talent, and the lack of opportunities available to women at the time, Nelly really had no choice in the matter. As Nelly poignantly puts it, “You men live your lives while we wait” — Dickens is always in control, a trait which adds a dark and twisted undercurrent to Ralph Fiennes’ overtly kind-hearted and charming portrayal.

This movie is recommended to die-hard Dickens fans and to those who appreciate slow and deliberately paced period dramas. To everyone else, the season is ripe with worthy alternatives.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdV0wdYM8uo

Tags film, Film

Arts

“A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down”

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date December 3, 2013

Saving Mr. Banks takes us behind the scenes of one of the most iconic films in history, Mary Poppins. The film focuses on the interplay and rivalry between author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson, witty, imperious, fantastic) and Walt Disney (Tom Hanks, exuberant, charming, sincere) who wishes to adapt her book series into a film.

Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson star in *Saving Mr. Banks*. Press photo

As far as Travers is concerned, turning Mary Poppins into a “silly cartoon” is an atrocious idea, one she equates to “selling out.” It’s a vile concept she would never consider – until that is, the royalties from her book sales dry up and she faces financial uncertainty.
A dejected Travers finds herself on a flight from dreary London to sunny Burbank, CA. “Sunny” in this case, is an understatement. Just as Mary Poppins enters the cartoon world of penguins and merry-go-round horses that come to life, so does Travers leave a somber reality to plunge into the glitzy fantasy land of Disney Studios – and she couldn’t be more adverse.

Since Travers has not signed the contract yet, Disney and his employees are at her mercy.

The set design is fantastic, transporting us to Burbank in the ‘60s, and is aided by the fact that the Disney Studios and Disneyland itself have not changed too much in the last 50 years. All the characters look like they were taken off the set of Mad Men, so there is much eye candy for fans of tailored suits and elaborate hairstyles.

It’s not long before the team that “Uncle Walt” has tasked with adapting the book, screenwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and the musical Schwartzman brothers (B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman) realize that Travers is not there to cooperate or make their lives easy.

Her demands become increasingly ridiculous (no songs, no cartoons, no Dick Van Dyke, no colour red) and when the chipper Disney denizens see that Travers is entirely immune to their upbeat charms, a tug of war ensues between a writer desperately clinging to an idealization of the past, and entertainers looking to bring her characters to the audiences of the future.
This conflict is the most enjoyable part of the film due to the sly dialogue delivered by Thompson, who steals every scene she’s in, even the ones opposite Hanks.

Hanks’ performance of Walt Disney focuses on the magic and splendor of a visit to a Disney theme park with only a glimpse at the chains and cogs that make the rides function. You can’t build a multibillion-dollar company on smiles and fairy dust alone, and it would have been apt to see a bit more of the practical side of Disney – the visionary businessman and shrewd empire-builder that wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So why is Travers such a difficult nut to crack? Why does she retain her jaded cynicism even in the happiest place on Earth?
Juxtaposed with the 1961 story is the tale of eight-year-old Helen Goff (Travers as a child) in turn-of-the-century Australia. The girl with the golden locks is forced to grow up all too quickly when her quirky, fun-loving father (Colin Farrell, a strange casting choice but he makes it work) brings his family to ruins by succumbing to alcoholism.

While bedridden, little Helen tries to brighten his day by reading him the first poem she has ever written, a poem that has won first place in her school.

“It’s not exactly Yates, is it?” spits her father to her heartbroken face. These flashback scenes provide answers to some character-building questions.

Unfortunately, little Helen does not get the Disney ending she hopes for, and by the midpoint of the film we understand the experiences that shaped Travers into a lonely dispassionate old lady but also – because all great writing must come from pain – into a brilliant writer capable of capturing the imaginations of children and adults all over the world.

The movie does take many liberties with the truth. In real life, Travers was not at all happy with the film, and she refused to allow Disney any rights to the rest of her books. After the premiere, Travers demanded that the animated segments be removed and Disney denied her request telling her that “the ship has sailed.”

But a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down and Saving Mr. Banks is an emotional roller coaster that will make you cry, make you laugh and – fitting to a movie about the Disney Corporation by the Disney Corporation – make you leave the theaters with a little more joy in your life than when you went in.

Saving Mr. Banks will be opening in Montreal theatres on Dec. 20.

Tags Disney, Film, film

Arts

Existentialism and diseases of the flesh can only mean it’s Cronenberg

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date November 26, 2013

David Cronenberg: Virtual Exhibition provides an in depth, academic resource with unseen footage and interviews from the director and his collaborators. Photo courtesy of Geoffrey Gunn

David Cronenberg is what you get when you fuse a brilliant filmmaker with a mad scientist.

The celebrated Canadian director is behind some of the most imaginative and ingenious science fiction films (Videodrome, Scanners, eXistenZ), the most exhilarating and nerve-wracking thrillers (History of Violence, Eastern Promises) and the most morbid and terrifying horror (The Fly, Shivers, The Dead Zone) to ever appear in cinema.

Accomplished at avant-garde productions as well as commercial blockbusters, David Cronenberg has established himself as a unique voice in cinematic history — but it wasn’t easy.

Under the umbrella of The Cronenberg Project, The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) invites you to journey to the depths of the sort of depravity that only a genius mind can muster, with their new exhibit, David Cronenberg: Evolution.

Accompanying the physical exhibit in Toronto, is an online version entitled David Cronenberg: Virtual Exhibit. This website is a major endeavor launched by TIFF, and it takes everything from the exhibit gallery and makes it available online. The David Cronenberg: Virtual Exhibition is part of the TIFF’s Higher Learning Digital Resource Hub, which is a free ongoing program that provides Canadian Post-Secondary students and faculty with resources on the subjects of film, television, video games and new media.

Cronenberg is credited with inventing the “Body Horror” genre, which explores the fear of body mutation, transformation and disease. “Disease is the love of two alien kinds of creatures for each other,” romanticizes Cronenberg in They Came from Within. His films delivers the message that atrophy and sickness is the natural equilibrium-seeking response to man’s attempts to artificially extend the limitations of our body and mortality through science.

“In his films, he deploys scientists, often in their most morally questionable forms, to posit speculative scenarios that undermine science’s exalted role,” explains the website that accompanies the virtual exhibit. The controversial nature of Cronenberg’s films meant that he was always locked in an uphill battle. Between micro-budgets and guerilla filming, to the attempts of politicians to censor his films, one thing is certain:Cronenberg has always made the films he wanted to make, not minding public attention or critical acclaim.

Through this virtual tour we can find rare behind the scenes footage including interviews with collaborating actors such as Viggo Mortensen and Jeremy Irons, a comprehensive film timeline including rare pictures and video footage and a map of the filming locations in Toronto that Cronenberg used to make many of his films. The latter is a testament to Cronenberg’s deep connection with his home city of Toronto and his insistence to film many of his projects in Canada.
The visual representation of the films on the virtual tour are visceral and engaging. Themes that Cronenberg explores in his films are explained through a series of interviews, images and videos, weaving a narrative through his life’s work that shows that Cronenberg is a director that keeps reinventing himself while seeking to explore several existential questions.
Scholarship and descriptions of ‘Cronenbergian’ artifacts from his films appear on the virtual tour, as well as his lesser known directorial projects such as commercials and short films, can be found in their full versions on the virtual tour.
For any true film aficionado, Cronenberg‘s works are a must see. The vast universe of Cronenberg’s mindscape is available online in the most comprehensive and accessible way it has ever been presented.

David Cronenberg: Virtual Exhibition is accessible in English and in French and can be found at tiff.net/higherlearning. Alternatively, if you are planning to be in Toronto for the holidays, you can visit the physical exhibit at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Arts

Letting loose the green-eyed monster within

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date November 19, 2013

Here is the perfect setup for a Shakespearean fall like no other — a Venetian general who had it all: a successful career, a faithful wife and the respect and adoration of his friends and colleagues. The story of power, passion, and betrayal, Othello was penned in 1604 by William Shakespeare, and though never dead, the play is resurrected this month at the Segal Centre.

Universal themes and haunting examinations of human emotions paint a portrait of evil in Othello. Graphic Jenny Kwan

In a harrowing display of devious plotting and manipulation, Othello loses everything in a downward spiral meticulously orchestrated by Iago, his advisor, who has grown jealous and resentful.

The play is considered Shakespeare’s most terrible tragedy, taking the audience on a dark journey, exploring themes of suspicion, paranoia, jealousy and malevolence.

“It’s the original psychological thriller,” said Andrea Elalouf, the public relations coordinator for the Segal Centre. “It’s about manipulation and lies […] the subject matter never gets old.”

Joseph Shragge is the dramaturg and assistant director for the production. An award-winning playwright, Shragge was attracted to the play because of the magnitude of chaos and destruction inflicted on the characters.

“It’s a very brutal precipitous fall,” he said. “Everything starts really happy and you really can’t imagine the horrors that will come.”

Shragge believes that it is this devastating downfall that keeps audiences enthralled.

“There’s just something exciting about watching terrible things happen.”

The classically trained ensemble cast comes from all over Canada. Andrew Moodie plays the tormented Othello, Sean Arbuckle plays the manipulative Iago and Amanda Lisman who plays Desdemona, Othello’s loving wife. All three have vast experience in theatre including the Stratford Theatre, and credits in television and film.

“When you see Shakespeare done by really talented actors, you’re able to appreciate the poetry and the beauty of the language,” said Shragge.

This new production of Othello is trying to rejuvenate the subject matter and walk the line between classical tradition and modern interpretation.

“Overall our approach to the design of this show [is] to use elements of Shakespeare’s time and place and combine them with modern elements,” said David Oppenheim, the sound designer of the play. “I was inspired by the music of Claudio Monteverdi who was composing music at the same time that Shakespeare wrote the play.”

By combining Monteverdi’s period music with his own modern touches, Oppenheim hopes to create an experience for the viewer that is both familiar and novel.

Shragge and Oppenheim are both Concordia graduates. Shragge studied English and playwriting and Oppenheim studied philosophy and religion. Both graduates are part of an independent production company called Scapegoat Carnivale that produces original theatre for an audience that seeks a little edge in their entertainment. Scapegoat Carnivale has been very successful at consistently producing award winning plays such as their 2012 adaptation of The Bacchae that won nine META awards, including best production. Now they are collaborating with the Segal Centre to bring Othello to the stage.

“The Segal Centre has built up a reputation for really high quality theatre,” said Shragge about the collaboration with the Centre. “For a smaller independent company like us, it’s a huge opportunity to produce something the way we want it to be done.”

Othello plays at the Segal Centre until Dec. 1. For tickets please visit segalcentre.org

Arts

On the front lines of a revolution

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date November 5, 2013

The Square is the story of the Egyptian people who have been fighting for their rights for over two years . Press photo.

Egypt. The cradle of civilization. The mother of the world. Arguably the most influential country in the Arab world; it is said that where Egypt goes – most Arab nations follow.

In the winter of 2011, Egyptians were in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, removing a despot that had ruled over them for 30 years.
The Square, a documentary by Egyptian-American Jehane Noujaim, follows the dramatic events that turned Tahrir Square into an international symbol of revolution and hope, but also of turmoil and despair.
The film is the first of its kind, following not only the fall of the Mubarak regime, but the tumultuous and bloody aftermath. In fact, The Square brings us the story of not one, but three revolutions: the first to depose Mubarak, the second to depose military rule, and the third to depose Mohamed Morsi.

While the sheer vastness of the throngs of protesters makes for compelling footage, the truly insightful moments are the smaller and more personal scenes between the main characters.

The film focuses on a cast of revolutionaries, each from different backgrounds and differing ideologies.

Ahmed Hassan is a young idealist who hopes for a more liberal and progressive Egypt to emerge from the dust. During the anti-Mubarak protests he meets and befriends Magdy Ashour of the Muslim Brotherhood. This friendship represents a moment in time when all of Egypt was united in one cause, and this unity proved strong enough to end a powerful all-encompassing regime of 30 years.

But even in those optimistic days the camera catches hints of the catastrophe that will follow. Arguments between Islamists and liberals, accusations of ulterior motives — all swept under the rug as a greater villain (Mubarak) was present. It is in apartments lit by candlelight — because of the frequent power outages — that we see how the emotionally charged, slogan-shouting days in the square are tempered with weary debates and worried whispers at night.

In Mubarak’s last public address before he was deposed he said, “I’m afraid for the outcome of this situation, and that the youth who are calling for change, will be the first to suffer the consequences.”

This proves to be somewhat prophetic when we see the revolutionaries back in the square after Mubarak is ousted, this time to remove military rule and demand a democratic election.

The military,who helped dispose Mubarak and who were once heralded as the heroes of the people, are now firing live ammunition into crowds of protesters and running them over with military vehicles.

Movie stars are also part of the stellar cast. Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner, Green Zone) is the son of a political activist that was exiled to England in the ‘70s. Abdalla moved back to Egypt when the revolution started, in order to take part in the historic endeavor. A great scene in the film is an argument he has with his mother after the fall of Mubarak, about whether or not the Egyptian people are ready for democracy. His mother thinks that elections should happen immediately, as this is what the Egyptian people are fighting for.
“But there are no decent parties,” Abdalla exclaims to her, “we’ve been living in a vacuum for 30 years!”

Once again, words become prophecy when the Muslim Brotherhood wins the Parliamentary elections and then the Presidential elections. A year after the first democratic election in Egypt, we see our heroes back in Tahrir Square, this time to depose the newly elected Morsi, who is accused of awarding himself excessive powers and drafting a constitution that alienated non-Islamists.

The Square is a monumental achievement. It follows three years of some of the most groundbreaking events the Middle East has ever seen. The footage is sometimes difficult to watch (in one truly harrowing scene we see army vehicles run over protesters, followed by images of the flattened bodies) but the underlying message is that no matter how vicious the oppression, no matter how violent the resistance or how high the death toll, the spark of revolution, once ignited, cannot be quelled.
“It’s something fundamental inside people that is moving them,” says Abdalla. “I don’t know how you kill that.”

The Square, opens the Montreal International Documentary Festival. It will be shown in the original Arabic with French subtitles on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Monument-National’s Ludger-Duvernay Theatre with director Jehane Noujaim in attendance. There will also be regular screenings of the film during the festival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twB2zAOzsKE

Tags documentaryff, Featured

Arts

Wandering across the landscape of loss, going down the rabbit hole

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date October 29, 2013

Halloween is a time to revel in all things spooky, scary and unnatural. But for most people the greatest fear is common, and grounded in reality: the fear of losing a loved one.

Rabbit Hole deals with emotionally charged issues of loss and grief, and paints a portrait of a family in mourning. Photo by Tomer Shavit

Rabbit Hole, a Pulitzer Prize winning play written by David Lindsay-Abaire, deals with the debilitating grief experienced by a family coping with the death of their four-year-old son.

This play is being brought to Montreal by director-actor Simon Anthony Abou-Fadel and actress Miranda Handford. Abou-Fadel has had an extensive background as a TV actor in Hollywood, with roles in shows like 24, Law and Order and Veronica Mars.

“I did TV in Hollywood and I was also a member of the actors’ gang […] I wanted to go into directing for a while and this will be my third play directing.”

Abou-Fadel and Handford play the parts of Howie and Becca, a married couple that recently lost their child in a car accident. Jean Nicolai plays the part of Izzy, Becca’s younger sister and Dawn Ford plays Nat; Becca and Izzy’s mother. Newcomer Jason Smiley completes the cast, playing the part of Jason Willette.

In Rabbit Hole every character is plagued by the question, “what if?”

What if Becca had latched the gate? What if Izzy hadn’t called Becca and distracted her? What if Howie had watched the dog? What if Jason had driven down any other street but theirs?

Haunted by their individual role in the tragedy, every character finds their own way to deal with their grief and guilt.

For many people Rabbit Hole is considered an almost therapeutic experience because it helps them deal with grief in their own lives.

Abou-Fadel says: “I dealt with grief in my family before, losing a brother at a young age. It’s a process, and it’s kind of always there. That is what attracted me initially to this play.”

Nicolai believes that the subject matter is universal, “I think it just touches on a fear that is so common, even if you haven’t experienced it yourself. It’s the biggest fear; to lose a child. Even if you haven’t lived it you can feel that fear.”

Fear is a key aspect of the play, and it was also a deciding factor with the actors who chose to tackle it:

“This play scared the crap out of me; I just had a son,” says Abou-Fadel with a smile, “but it was incredible. So I gave it to [Handford].”

“It took me two months to read it,” said Handford, “I was scared to read it too. I finally read it and agreed. Obviously we [had] to do it.”

A Hollywood movie adaptation starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart was made in 2010. Ford, the only cast member who watched the film, says that although it’s nearly identical to the play, watching it in theatre is an unrivaled experience, “the adaptation was very similar to the play, but a play is always so instant, you’re in it, you’re there, you’re with it—the impact is so much more with a play than with a movie.”

Abou-Fadel is very excited about the launch of this play in Montreal.

“It’s just a stellar cast, with some really seasoned actors. It’s a beast of a play, it’s gorgeous and it’s beautiful, we’re working hard to rise to the challenge.”

Rabbit Hole will run from Nov. 1 to 10 at the Free Standing Room – 4324 St. Laurent, suite 300.

Tags theatre

Arts

A life with Lennon, Warhol and Bjork is quite ordinary

Post author By Tomer Shavit
Post date October 22, 2013

Imagine your life was put in front of a camera for 365 days. Would it be entertaining or outright boring? Would others be captivated by watching snippets of your ordinary life?

Maybe they would, if your ordinary life was that of legendary filmmaker Jonas Mekas, riddled with chance encounters with famed artists and prominent thinkers such as John Lennon, David Bowie, Bjork and Andy Warhol.

Widely regarded as the godfather of avant-garde cinema, Jonas Mekas believes that our ordinary lives should be celebrated. This is the theme to his new Montreal exhibit, In Praise of the Ordinary, which showcases three of his film projects.
Cheryl Sim, the curator of the Foundation for Contemporary Art sees Mekas as a “multi-faceted artist who sees himself as part of a continuum to a medium that is constantly evolving.”

The first work, “The 365 Day Project” is akin to a video diary. Starting from Jan. 1, 2007, Mekas filmed a short film every day of the year. The films, between two and 20 minutes long, are presented on 12 monitors, each monitor representing a month of that year.
“You can walk through an entire year of his life in images, [a] testament to his practice of creating a visual diary or journal-like films,” said Sim.

The second work, “First 40,” is a collection of Mekas’ first 40 films compiled on the Internet. At 91 years of age, Mekas is still discovering new tools.

“He [Mekas] discovered the Internet 10 years ago and it became one of the dissemination tools he’s always been looking for,” explains Sim.

Rather than these films being shown in a cinema, Mekas created an interface on his website where “the individual viewer can view one film at a time, rather than in a group setting.”

A lot of the films revolve around Mekas’ relationships with fellow artists and celebrities: “the first 40 films he made feature celebrities like Salvador Dali, Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Sometimes it’s glimpses of concert footage or a birthday party […] it runs the gambit of showing them in their artistic worlds but also in their personal worlds,” Sim explained.

The last work exhibited is Mekas’ full-length film, Sleepless Nights Stories, which follows the same theme as the rest of his works: an amalgamation of the encounters he’s had with friends and coworkers like Bjork and David Bowie, yet still managing to follow a narrative flow.

“It’s also riffing on 1001 Arabian Nights. There is a kind of thread that keeps you engaged from beginning to end in the same way that Scheherazade kept the king engaged. It’s all different stories that are connected somehow,” said Sim.

According to Sim, the Phi Centre is always trying to work with people that have done remarkable things and have a unique voice that the Montreal audience would really like to be privy to.

“You don’t have to go to New York to see these things; you can stay in your own city. He’s the caliber of artist we want to bring all the time.”

In Praise of the Ordinary exhibits, in association with Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, until Oct. 26 at the Phi Centre, 407 St. Pierre street. Many of Jonas Mekas’ works (including the full “First 40” film project) can be found online at http://jonasmekasfilms.com

Tags exhibit, film, Film