My new favorite image

Hot Docs 2010

Two movies in particular caught my eye at this year’s Hot Docs, Toronto’s documentary film festival. They were two of the five Brazilian documentaries presented at the festival.

The first was Secrets of the Tribe, about how the Yanomami tribe was “discovered” by a group of anthropologists and then royally screwed when said anthropologists started to seriously mess things up with their presence, influence and sexual shenanigans. Fascinating subject that could be even more engaging with tighter editing.

The other was Beyond Ipanema, an overview of international Brazilian music that goes from Carmen Miranda to Garotas Suecas at full speed without ever letting the beat drop. Director Guto Barra provides a much needed source of information about the influence of the Brazilian sound in places other than Brazil. Smartly edited, competently researched and lyrically inspired.

Aberfoyle Junction

In a little town west of Toronto, in the middle of literally nowhere, there is a place where old streetcars still run and miniature cities thrive.

This is Aberfoyle Junction, a hand-made model railway that depicts Southern Ontario in the 50s. The attention to detail is incredible and many of the buildings are replicas of real ones.

But the highlight for me were the scenes of everyday life that you can catch by looking a little closer. You can even see inside the lighted passenger trains that rush by, and every corner has a little surprise.

The nights are rather short in this town, but they produce great views.

Soon it's morning again and the fun resumes at Aberfoyle Junction.

Right down the road, in Milton, the Halton County Radial Railway keeps streetcars from eras gone by still running every twenty minutes. A trip back in time, if there ever was one.

My new favorite image

Clap your hands

Sia does it again. Another amazingly creative and loopy video for another catchy new song:

This is what happens next

Daniel MacIvor latest play disappoints on many levels. Not so much a play but a series of stand-up monologues held together by a threadbare fictionalized autobiographical narrative, nothing really happens next.

MacIvor turns on the self-referential spotlight and indulges in his maniacal delivery of border-line clichéd characters: the gay guy, the bitchy cougar, the annoying kid, the alcoholic dad. He throws in as many random references as he can (Schopenhauer, The Little Mermaid, John Denver) but the whole thing never takes off, what with all its stops and starts and despite MacIvor’s determination to shoehorn a happy ending and misdirect the audience with a little bit of fake snow. Overall, it failed to deliver emotional depth and more than a few self-deprecating guffaws.

Freedom Festival

Toronto is “the Mecca of freedom.” This and other cries for social liberty were heard at the 3rd Freedom Festival in Toronto, a gathering of marijuana smokers and supporters at Queen’s Park.

The weather helped the large turnout (30,000 people, according to the official site) and the crowd was mostly under 30. I guess after 30, tokers puff at home.

The police kept its distance and I was reminded again how different it is to live in Canada.

Unfortunately, there are always those who never feel they’re high enough.

Fritz The Cat

The Jewish Film Festival brought Fritz to the big screen at the Bloor Cinema to celebrate (Jewish) director Ralph Bakshi. Never mind that Robert Crumb, creator of cat’s comic strip, is actually catholic and disliked the picture very much when it came out in 1972.

Still, Fritz The Cat went on to become “the most successful independent animated feature of all time” and is a mark in animation and social commentary. Half porn cartoon, half political satire, it was the first animated feature film to get an X rating in the US. The faux-Disney animation still works and Fritz looks as fresh, likeable and horny as he did in the groovy 70s.

Québec

Visiting Quebec City is always a chance to go to another country without the currency exchange. La Vieille Capitale is charming in spite of the not always friendly francophones.

Unfortunately, the city doesn't live up to its gastronomical reputation. Within the stone walls of Vieux Québec, overpriced tourist traps abound. Outside, the options are not very inspired, unless you are into elk. If all else fails, there’s always the Chocolate Museum.

The view of the St. Lawrence River from the Château Frontenac is one of my favorites in the city. I just found out that the St. Lawrence used to be a hot spot for beluga whales, a community that somehow got isolated from the Arctic habitat where the other populations of beluga are found. More than 5,000 whales used live there. Today, only about 600 remain. I didn’t see any.

But I did have a sight (and taste) from the past: maple syrup popsicles made the old fashion way. For a tooney.

Rio underwater

Meanwhile, this is what is happening in Rio right now. Torrential rains cause chaos and destruction for 40 years, and the annual monsoons are getting worse. Way to drown the Olympic spirit.

One Bloor

This pretty cool building is going up at Bloor and Yonge, arguably the center and busiest intersection of Toronto. The 65-storey building of condominiums is supposed to be a "civic icon" -- a statement, but "not too loud a statement," in typical Canadian fashion. Thanks to the wavy exterior (a design I last saw in Chicago) no two balconies will be alike. And it will have access to the subway line.

Recently heard

Groove Armada - Black Light Groove Armada's latest is a bit of a betrayal to their fans. It's not that I expect the disco/funk brilliance of Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) in every album, but the boys seem to have disappeared into a different band. What's with all the generic rock songs with a screaming lead singer? Yeah, "Paper Romance" gets a pass, but the rest is mediocre and grating. Even the tunes that aren't too bad ("Time and Space," "History") lack the luster of their previous work. I'm all for a band's evolution, but Groove Armada has been devolving lately. Boring, disappointing and un-dance-worthy.

Goldfrapp - Head First
Speaking of the evolution of a band, check out Goldfrapp. Their latest is different from all their other albms, yet it feels like a completely logical and natural part of their work. It sounds like a long-lost Goldfrapp early album from the 80s. They embrace their pop (and synthpop) tendencies, which suits Alison Goldfrapp's breathy, delicate vocals perfectly. Here's the video for first single "Rocket":


Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two
Yes, everybody paid attention when she took off her clothes in Dallas, but Erykah's latest is anything but political. This is a collection of slow-burning jams, with thick beats and a funky, old-school vibe. Feel-good music for the most part. Despite the fact that her voice is getting progressively cartoony, this is no run of the mill R&B -- just listen to "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" or "Turn Me Away." But using politcs to buffer up a light album about love and hooking up seems like a cheap shot.

Black Eyed Peas (almost) live

The Black Eyed Peas took it to the next level on Tuesday, March 30th with their exclusive "The E.N.D. World Tour 2010," being broadcast live from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles into hundreds of theaters across North America. This one-night-only concert was the first to be broadcast live and shot in 3D at the same time (not sure what the 3D is for, but it seems obligatory these days).

The show is tight. This is a two-hour music video choreographed to perfection and making use of state of the art lasers, lights, HD visuals, flying stunts, dancers and dozens of (very cool) costumes to assault all your senses at once.

The Peas spared no expenses for this tour -- the stage alone cost 8 million dollars.

Here’s Taboo on a TRON-like flying bike.

will.i.am transformed the arena into massive club party as a cyborg DJ on an elevated platform.

Fergie did it all among her numerous costume changes:

She flexed her lady lumps...

...sang Sweet Child O' Mine with Slash...

...became an awesome robot-dominatrix....

... all while looking glamorous.

And who knew apl.de.ap had such crazy moves?

What I like about the Black Eyed Peas is how epicurean they are, how admittedly escapist but with an ultimate message of positivity. Their imagery is bigger than life -- they look more like a group of superheroes than a band.

Why then, in a concert that is all about fun and peace, was will.i.am wearing a belt of bullets as an accessory?

Despite the occasional mixed message, the concert was groundbreaking. This is New School and the Peas have proven they have enduring power. They may as well be the future of music.