This Weekend in Montreal - Just For Laughs Warm-Up, Jazz Fest Wrap-Up, Street Sale Setup
Friday July 10, 2009
Musts ...
Fantasia Film Festival
This weekend features the aquatic Thai epic Queen of Langkasuka, acclaimed Japanese director Sion Sono's four-hour Love Exposure and Park Chan-wook's Thirst, a vampire flick that won the Jury Prize at Cannes but is getting mixed reviews from critics lamenting that it doesn't measure up to Chan-wook's previous work. But I bet it's still better than most of Fantasia's lineup.
Pre-Just For Laughs Set & Colours of Comedy
Comedyworks is hosting a pre-Just for Laughs set and "Colours of Comedy" night with Toronto's Daniel Woodrow as well as Montreal's Eman El-Husseini, Andrea Stanford, Ali Hassan and more. This weekend only.
Montreal Jazz Festival Freebies
The fest wraps up this weekend with the wonderful Matt Andersen, Ben Harper and Relentless 7 as well as Montreal's Bet.e, The National Parcs and the mind-blowing aRTIST oF tHE yEAR.
Fireworks Competition
Make way for Hong Kong.
Tam Tams
A free-for-all tribal must.
Piknic Electronik
Deep house veteran/Soulmeka family member Fred Everything is reason enough to enjoy a day at Parc Jean-Drapeau. And Piknic is adding a second stage on the grounds with the soothing sounds of thisquietarmy.
Street Sales
It's all about Plaza St. Hubert this weekend, a particularly kid-friendly sidewalk sale event, with mini-tennis courts, inflatable games, face-painting for kids, a free concert with Stefie Shock and other enticing activities. Details here.
Maybes ...
Zoofest
Theatre, circus arts, performance art, comedy, etc., good luck navigating the site.
Gay Village
Street theatre and the potentially cancer-fighting art of Qi Gong are on the menu this weekend.
And consulting your Guide to Montreal in July will prove fruitful should you need yet more weekend inspiration, from dance events, festival freebies, horse stunts and more!
Wordless Wednesday
Wednesday July 8, 2009
Photo © Evelyn Reid
Tam tams!
Fantasia 2009: A Film Festival Preview
Sunday July 5, 2009
Horror, Asian action, animé, edgy fantasy and more, the Fantasia Film Festival kicks off yet another season of genre cinema this Thursday, July 9 through Wednesday, July 29. And it's as gory, naughty and offensive as ever so think twice before clicking on the clips below as they may contain scenes of violence and sexual innuendo. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
Proposing over 100 features, with an accent on Japanese films ripe with violence and/or eroticism, such as the critically acclaimed Love Exposure, Asian action flicks have been a Fantasia favorite since the film fest's inception in 1996. So with the Hong Kong film industry turning 100 in 2009, Fantasia decided to mark the centennial with the Canadian premiere of the award-winning epic Warlords, starring Jet Li. Martial arts champ Jiang Luxia's feature debut in Coweb is another Hong Kong action must-see at the fest.
Meanwhile, the pint-sized get props in the horror genre this year with Paul Solet's Grace, which apparently turned more than a few stomachs at Sundance. And a similar bloodthirsty theme is found in Tom Shankland's The Children. But if you'd prefer a lighter take on death and decay, then consider I Sell the Dead, starring the ridiculously underrated Ron Perlman and Lost's Dominic Monaghan.
On the topic of stomach-turning, Fantasia's documentary film offerings include Graphic Sexual Horror, an exploration of the inner workings of one of the most extreme torture websites on the Internet which was shut down by the U.S. government. Another doc must-see is Danny Ledonne's Playing Columbine, a dissection of the controversy behind Ledonne's 2006 role-playing game by the same name that allows players to "be" the two teenage Columbine killers. A quick caution: word has it the film is a little too fast-paced and choppy at times with some critics suggesting viewers may have difficulty absorbing the information presented.
A couple of other notables include Park Chan-wook's Thirst, a vampire flick that just won the Jury Prize at Cannes and Lee Demarbre's Smash Cut, a horror/comedy starring David Hess and adult film star Sasha Grey, who recently made headlines for her role in Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience. Grey as well as Hess will be in Montreal for the fest.
There's also a spotlight on Quebec short films, animation shorts and free outdoor screenings. More details below.
July in Montreal: Events, Calendars, Clips and Minor Quips!
Saturday July 4, 2009
Gah! It's been a long, busy week my dear readers, so if I could just take a quickie moment of your time. I'd like to apologize for the late calendars. On the same note, I'd like to thank you for being so patient in spite of the lengthy delay.
So without further ado, it's time to browse through your monthly Montreal events calendars, featuring events of all kinds, from live shows to July's top festivals. And, as per usual, keep an eye on the calendar week by week for updates. And by all means, get out there and enjoy!
