Greed

This documentary will infuriate you, but in a good way.

U.S. release is October 8th, 2010

Canada October 29, 2010

"From Academy Award nominated filmmaker, Charles Ferguson, comes Inside Job, the first film to expose the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over $20 trillion, resulted in millions of people losing their homes and jobs. Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, “Inside Job” traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia. Narrated by Academy Award® winner Matt Damon, Inside Job was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore, and China" (www.daemonsmovies.com)

Trailer here

Black Tuesday

Oliver Stone's latest hit Wallstreet 2 at one point had Gekko describing the astounding historical economic bubble in the mid 1600s. Tulipomania, a period in the Dutch Golden Age when prices for Tulip bulbs reached extraordinary levels (some single bulbs sold for ten times the annual income of a craftsman), and then came crashing down to reality.

The modern day "Outliers" or "Freakanomics" aren't the first of their kind... in 1841 a book written by Scottish journalist Charles Mackay chronicled the "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds". Debunking subjects such as alchemy, crusades, witch-hunts, fortune telling and of course, economic bubbles.

For the odd and informed

Macolm Gladwell's site

Freakanomics blog

The freebie

It's all fuckin' surreal. You know that Hollywood is baked when even your local Asian bootleg dealer is starting to feel the pinch. Every kid glued to their iphones, ipads... or whatever brainbender device knows how to get it free. Why spend $2 when sites are offering it up at no cost 24/7???

We all complain that movies are turning into glorified commercials, but with so much risk involved people like a bit of insurance...

Holmes

Oy! I don't know how I missed this, but BBC released a version of Sherlock in July and August this year! What is this?? Three ninety minute dramas with fresh new faces??? Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Martin Freeman (Watson). Will be on PBS Masterpiece soon...

Episode 1: A Study in Pink

Episode 2: The Blind Banker

Episode 3: The Great Game

Interesting... must find online links....

Sometimes I really think Norman Jewison hit the nail on the head. Film is really going to the dogs and the television format is the future. With Game of Thrones, Boardwalk, The Borgias and Terra Nova... not to mention all the great shows already airing.. it makes you wonder why we all spend $15 for an overpriced bag of popcorn and bubble gum remakes.

If you have a particularly gifted producer / creative head, a few productions manage to select exceptionally appropriate and phenomenal music. Azure Ray's music was a great find...

Strange thing when you watch television shows you don't understand?? I've managed to find quite a few bands from Asia, Sweden.. and even North America which I wouldn't necessarily have found. I may not understand one word of it, but the enjoyment of music is universal.

TV finds..

Tearliner, The Avalanches, Adele Erichsen, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, L'Arc en Ciel, Bluedawn, X Japan, Tokio Hotel, Mika

I'm starting to get nauseated from all the gossip mongering from friends and co-workers about celebs and parties that are rockin' all over town.

It's like a broken record.

The hype is in full force, from The Town, Buried, Conviction, Little White Lies, Waiting for Superman, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and of course The King's Speech... Oscar buzz is hard to avoid as people hover around the Yorkville area hoping for a glimpse of the pampered elite and infamous.

Ever feel let down from critics raving over EVERY bloody film out there? That's all I'm hearing... "It was fantastic, what an unbelievable film blah blah blah." In a way, that's Toronto's problem. They love EVERYTHING! It's like the anti-Cannes who hates everything but shit that makes you want to kill yourself.

I'm trying to avoid a repeat of watching too many dee-pressing Oscar fare in a short period of time. The intense drama can make you want to climb over the railing, plunging into the abyss if you aren't careful. Gotta mix. Scary crap, kleenex fare, docs that get you pissed off, and stories that make you pee a little. Now that's a great festival.

I saw Easy A and The Town, both a bit overrated for my taste. Julia's Eyes and I Saw the Devil next... From slashfilm.com a DC comic tribute to Calvin and Hobbes. You can read it on imgur.

Black and White

TEKKON KINKREET

I love great art & photography books. It's depressing to watch the trend of photo collaging destroy everything that was once inspired.

Time is money. Or so I've been told...

Fortunately there are still a few traditionalists who put the pencil to the paper.

A chill

HBO has released a new teaser trailer to the upcoming series based on George R.R. Martin's first book, Game of Thrones starring Sean Bean.

It looks great.. but truly a short teaser. Raven

Smug Canucks

Canadians to my utter amazement are as chipper as can be. I keep on hearing from Vancouver natives, oh but it's Vancouver, real estate will never crash. Or, "oh it's all the foreign money, the Chinese keep on buying, buying, buying." My question is: "Are the Chinese on Crack?" Why the heck are they buying a house that would at most fetch.. say $250,000 in America for well over one million dollars??

There's an infuriating amount of smugness in the Canadian media. Of how we are better than our southern counterparts, that our financial systems is sooooooo much better. I'm no financial expert but I know this much...

I smell a rat. Don't get me wrong, I believe that Canadians are so deluded that this may well continue for a few years, but make no mistake... the guillotine will fall.

Here's a hilarious questionnaire... I got 10 out of 16

Crack Shack or Mansion?

film and stars

Toronto is a glow with the up and coming Film Festival and for once I actually won a contest to attend!

Pity I'm up to my bloody neck in work and probably won't be able to go to most of them. While every nerd "casually hangs out" at popular celebrity restaurants to star watch I'll be avoiding those spots like the plague.

If you've ever lived in T.O. like I have, most of those restaurants are a bore, and even worse, attract people who are annoying as hell. Actors for the most part are just regular people who fight and bitch about getting better lines to say, and worry about screen time.

There are of course those popular, hyped films like Black Swan, Biutiful, 127 Hours... but why wait in a long line up paying DOUBLE the price of the ticket when the film is going to come out in the next month? Idiotic. The festival has exploded, with climbing ticket costs and larger crowds. B-O-R-I-N-G!

If you're going to see something, see a flick that will likely get a limited release or none at all. After all... isn't that why you go to the film festival, to see a wider, more eclectic variety of cinema? Unfortunately Studio Ghibli's film THE BORROWERS will not be showcased in Toronto...

On a more interesting front, Jonathan Stroud is out with his newest novel, Heroes of the Valley.

Title? Mediocre. I heard it's a slower read but not half bad... next on my list!