In the next 10 days, if you live in or around the Winnipeg area, you should try to check out a very special theatre festival – FEMFEST – which is running from September 25th to October 4th at the University of Winnipeg. Why is it special, you ask? Well, it's one of the few theatre festivals in Canada (if not the only) that exclusively features plays by female playwrights. It's a sad fact that while women make up over half the population of the world, studies have shown that women account for less than a third of professional theatre directors and playwrights across Canada. FemFest is all about showcasing the work of up and coming female theatre artists and bringing attention to the fact that women deserve more stage time. The reason they don't get it is a complex issue, and while it's a problem that's not going to be solved with one festival, FemFest is a great step forward for women-kind. Oh, and it's also hella entertaining.
I'm in the unique position that I've read all the plays that are playing at this year's festival. (I spent my summer working for Sarasvàti Productions, the theatre company behind FemFest, as their Marketing and Development Assistant.) As such, I can say with certainty that the plays are must-see. There's the little known story of Judy Holliday, a 40's film starlet who was known for playing dumb blondes, but was actually a genius. There is the heroic tale of Unruly, a women studies prof by day, superhero by night. There's the true story of the first female mortician in Canada, who lived and worked in The Pas. Motherhood, monogamy, eating disorders, sexuality, heartbreak, cancer, poverty and plastic surgery- they're all themes explored at this year's FemFest.
Support local theatre and female artists. Check out FemFest! For more info, visit www.sarasvati.ca
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
10 Reasons I Love Glee!
1) It's subversive. The show comments on everything that's wrong with high school while at the same time, creates this utopian school and makes you wish you'd gone there.
2) It breaks stereotypes. Jocks can be in the glee club, glee club members can be on the football team. The gay kid comes out to his tough, football loving dad, and the dad's perfectly ok with it! Awesome!
3) The adults are just as interesting as the teenagers. When does that ever happen?
4) It's just a little bit absurdist. Terri is absolutely ridiculous, and yet I'm riveted to see how her schemes turn out.
5) Two words: Jane Lynch. Awesome to see her in a major role.
6) It's inclusive. Black, white, brown, gay, straight, fat, thin. People with disabilities and people who struggle with mental issues. Everyone's represented and everyone gets a voice.
7) Kristin Chenoweth is on next week's show. Yeah!
8) The cast is stacked with Broadway talent. What's not to love?
9) They took a risk in the way that they introduced the show and it totally paid off. They aired a 'sneak peak' in the spring, and then let the hype build all summer before the season premiere. Brilliant. (Of course, in order for that to pay off, the product had to be good, which thankfully it is.)
10) The writing. Those snappy one-liners (Often delivered by Ms. Jane Lynch) are very quotable. Lady justice wept today!
2) It breaks stereotypes. Jocks can be in the glee club, glee club members can be on the football team. The gay kid comes out to his tough, football loving dad, and the dad's perfectly ok with it! Awesome!
3) The adults are just as interesting as the teenagers. When does that ever happen?
4) It's just a little bit absurdist. Terri is absolutely ridiculous, and yet I'm riveted to see how her schemes turn out.
5) Two words: Jane Lynch. Awesome to see her in a major role.
6) It's inclusive. Black, white, brown, gay, straight, fat, thin. People with disabilities and people who struggle with mental issues. Everyone's represented and everyone gets a voice.
7) Kristin Chenoweth is on next week's show. Yeah!
8) The cast is stacked with Broadway talent. What's not to love?
9) They took a risk in the way that they introduced the show and it totally paid off. They aired a 'sneak peak' in the spring, and then let the hype build all summer before the season premiere. Brilliant. (Of course, in order for that to pay off, the product had to be good, which thankfully it is.)
10) The writing. Those snappy one-liners (Often delivered by Ms. Jane Lynch) are very quotable. Lady justice wept today!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Great Films that Fly Under the Radar
I like weird movies. You know, the ones that make you go hmmm. Misfits and outcasts, those are my people. Characters who constantly make the wrong choice for the right reason are fascinating to watch. I also like my movies to be pretty. You might even call them art.
They are often indie films from small studios, helmed by directors that are relatively unknown. These people are allowed to reflect their perspectives of the world without a ton of studio interference, and the realties they create are at once surreal and completely familiar.
I often have to wait until these films are released on DVD. They don't seem to show in Winnipeg, although occasionally they will pop up at Cinematheque or The Globe. All of the films in the following list are available for rent. I could probably list 20 great indie films, but I'm going to start with seven. If you find yourself bored some evening or weekend and want some brain candy, check these out. In no particular order:
1) Laurel Canyon, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, starring Frances McDormand, Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale.
I love Frances McDormand, and Lisa Cholodenko's first film, High Art, is also great. In Laurel Canyon, McDormand stars as Jane, a "hard-living, free-thinking, rock-and-roll record producer." Her son and his fiancée get stuck living with her in her Laurel Canyon home, and friction arises as the young couple's conservative values don't exactly mesh with Jane's party-loving ways. Throw in a few love triangles, and suddenly everyone begins to question the rules she or he has decided to live by.
2) Prey for Rock & Roll, directed by Alex Steyermark, written by Cheri Lovedog. Starring Gina Gershon and Drea DeMatteo.
This one is pure guilty pleasure. I found it in a discount bin and was intrigued by the story. Four dollars well spent, as this one is a lot of fun. It's about an all-girl band who's been at the business for years, and are struggling just as much now as they were when they first started. On her 40th birthday, Gershon's character starts to wonder if it's all really worth it. It's a portrait of the music biz from a female perspective, with a rad soundtrack.
3) Hedwig and the Angry Inch, written, directed and starring John Cameron Mitchell
I can't talk movie musicals without mentioning my favourite cult film of all time! Hedwig is a "girly-boy from East Germany " who becomes a woman to immigrate to the United States. After a botched sex-change operation, she dreams of becoming a rock star, until love for the boy who broke her heart gets in her way. Beautiful music, beautiful make-up and costumes, great story. It will make you laugh and it will break your heart. Make it a double-hitter and also pick up Mitchell's Short Bus, the film that almost got Sook-Yin Lee fired from the CBC.
4) Possible Worlds, written and directed by Robert LePage, starring Tom McCamus and Tilda Swinton.
Robert LePage is a Canadian theatre artist, actor and director who is well-known for his quirky and often bizarre pieces. This film is what you would consider post-modern... to a higher power. It begins with a shocking murder that involves a corpse with a missing brain. As the mystery evolves, we slip into the victim's dreamscape, and follow him through the various possible worlds/scenes/outcomes that might or could have been.
5) The Princess and the Warrior, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, starring Franka Potente.
From the writer/director of Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior is one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen. It focuses on Sissi, a rather shy individual who works as a nurse in a mental hospital. One day, while out for a walk with a patient, Sissy is struck and pinned by a car. Bodo, an enigmatic former soldier, crawls under the car and saves her life. In that moment, Sissi's entire life changes and she and Bodo begin an odd relationship. Bodo has demons he just can't shake. Sissi was once asleep, but now she is wide awake. In German with English subtitles.
6) Saved! Written by Brian Dannelly and Michael Urban, Directed by Brian Dannelly. Starring Jena Malone, Macaulay Culkin, Mandy Moore and Patrick Fugit.
Saved! is a clever satire that masquerades as a teen movie. After watching this film, I have a new-found respect for Mandy Moore, because she is willing to satirize herself. Jena Malone plays a good Christian girl who has always done everything right. For her, it's perfectly logical that when her best friend tells her he's gay, she should try to save his soul by having sex with him. (Also, Jesus told her to.) The ensemble as a whole is really strong. Believe the hype: it is "wickedly funny."
That's my top-six. Feel free to share your own favourite indie films (or not so indie films) in the comments below.
They are often indie films from small studios, helmed by directors that are relatively unknown. These people are allowed to reflect their perspectives of the world without a ton of studio interference, and the realties they create are at once surreal and completely familiar.
I often have to wait until these films are released on DVD. They don't seem to show in Winnipeg, although occasionally they will pop up at Cinematheque or The Globe. All of the films in the following list are available for rent. I could probably list 20 great indie films, but I'm going to start with seven. If you find yourself bored some evening or weekend and want some brain candy, check these out. In no particular order:
1) Laurel Canyon, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, starring Frances McDormand, Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale.
I love Frances McDormand, and Lisa Cholodenko's first film, High Art, is also great. In Laurel Canyon, McDormand stars as Jane, a "hard-living, free-thinking, rock-and-roll record producer." Her son and his fiancée get stuck living with her in her Laurel Canyon home, and friction arises as the young couple's conservative values don't exactly mesh with Jane's party-loving ways. Throw in a few love triangles, and suddenly everyone begins to question the rules she or he has decided to live by.
2) Prey for Rock & Roll, directed by Alex Steyermark, written by Cheri Lovedog. Starring Gina Gershon and Drea DeMatteo.
This one is pure guilty pleasure. I found it in a discount bin and was intrigued by the story. Four dollars well spent, as this one is a lot of fun. It's about an all-girl band who's been at the business for years, and are struggling just as much now as they were when they first started. On her 40th birthday, Gershon's character starts to wonder if it's all really worth it. It's a portrait of the music biz from a female perspective, with a rad soundtrack.
3) Hedwig and the Angry Inch, written, directed and starring John Cameron Mitchell
I can't talk movie musicals without mentioning my favourite cult film of all time! Hedwig is a "girly-boy from East Germany " who becomes a woman to immigrate to the United States. After a botched sex-change operation, she dreams of becoming a rock star, until love for the boy who broke her heart gets in her way. Beautiful music, beautiful make-up and costumes, great story. It will make you laugh and it will break your heart. Make it a double-hitter and also pick up Mitchell's Short Bus, the film that almost got Sook-Yin Lee fired from the CBC.
4) Possible Worlds, written and directed by Robert LePage, starring Tom McCamus and Tilda Swinton.
Robert LePage is a Canadian theatre artist, actor and director who is well-known for his quirky and often bizarre pieces. This film is what you would consider post-modern... to a higher power. It begins with a shocking murder that involves a corpse with a missing brain. As the mystery evolves, we slip into the victim's dreamscape, and follow him through the various possible worlds/scenes/outcomes that might or could have been.
5) The Princess and the Warrior, written and directed by Tom Tykwer, starring Franka Potente.
From the writer/director of Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior is one of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen. It focuses on Sissi, a rather shy individual who works as a nurse in a mental hospital. One day, while out for a walk with a patient, Sissy is struck and pinned by a car. Bodo, an enigmatic former soldier, crawls under the car and saves her life. In that moment, Sissi's entire life changes and she and Bodo begin an odd relationship. Bodo has demons he just can't shake. Sissi was once asleep, but now she is wide awake. In German with English subtitles.
6) Saved! Written by Brian Dannelly and Michael Urban, Directed by Brian Dannelly. Starring Jena Malone, Macaulay Culkin, Mandy Moore and Patrick Fugit.
Saved! is a clever satire that masquerades as a teen movie. After watching this film, I have a new-found respect for Mandy Moore, because she is willing to satirize herself. Jena Malone plays a good Christian girl who has always done everything right. For her, it's perfectly logical that when her best friend tells her he's gay, she should try to save his soul by having sex with him. (Also, Jesus told her to.) The ensemble as a whole is really strong. Believe the hype: it is "wickedly funny."
That's my top-six. Feel free to share your own favourite indie films (or not so indie films) in the comments below.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Alternative Perspective
I'm going into my second (and final) year as a communications student. I've found that one major side-effect of the program I'm in is looking at the world from a different point of view. I pay attention to media in different ways than before. This is especially true when it comes to public relations.
PR is everywhere. It is present in how someone makes an announcement, how governments deal with criticism, and how a company deals with crisis. I constantly see the PR behind the news, and it's kind of fun! (This is how I know that I'm a PR geek... and proud of it!) It's especially obvious when a company/individual does PR badly. I could draw on examples, but I won't right now because they will probably appear on this blog in the future.
I decided to name this blog "The Slant Perspective" because a slant veers off of the expected path. It doesn't follow a straight line. My ways of thinking tend to do that. I've long considered myself an arts & culture junkie. I love music, film and television that are off-beat and fly under the radar. Lately, I've become a communications junkie as well. I'm fascinated by words and communication; how an idea is put into a message and the message is then received.
Lots of people take things at face value. I've never been able to do that. This blog is all about looking at things from multiple perspectives - whether you're looking at communication, arts, or culture. I hope you enjoy it!
PR is everywhere. It is present in how someone makes an announcement, how governments deal with criticism, and how a company deals with crisis. I constantly see the PR behind the news, and it's kind of fun! (This is how I know that I'm a PR geek... and proud of it!) It's especially obvious when a company/individual does PR badly. I could draw on examples, but I won't right now because they will probably appear on this blog in the future.
I decided to name this blog "The Slant Perspective" because a slant veers off of the expected path. It doesn't follow a straight line. My ways of thinking tend to do that. I've long considered myself an arts & culture junkie. I love music, film and television that are off-beat and fly under the radar. Lately, I've become a communications junkie as well. I'm fascinated by words and communication; how an idea is put into a message and the message is then received.
Lots of people take things at face value. I've never been able to do that. This blog is all about looking at things from multiple perspectives - whether you're looking at communication, arts, or culture. I hope you enjoy it!
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