AltWeeklies Wire
VIFF Embarks on Odysseys in Musicnew
"With music, you can keep on dreaming." So says Quique Cruz in Archeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi, one of numerous movies about music as inspiration and guiding light at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
09-26-2008 |
Movies
Uncorked: Love at First Whitenew

Vinho verde, yes, green wine, is new in town, has a cat on the label, clocks in at barely nine percent alcohol, and wants to be "supercooled."
The Georgia Straight |
Jurgen Gothe |
09-26-2008 |
Food+Drink
Thabo Mbeki's Spectacular Fall from Gracenew
It was widely believed of South Africa's outgoing president, Thabo Mbeki, that the only time he wasn't plotting was when he was asleep. More than his bizarre views on AIDS or even his failure to do much for South Africa's poor, it was that reputation as an inveterate plotter that finally brought him down.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
09-24-2008 |
International
Comrade Bush Nationalizes the Banksnew

The panicky flight from free-market orthodoxy in the United States is bound to fuel a revival of government intervention and welfare-state policies in the rest of the world. In the United States itself, however, they are likely to hang the wrong culprit in the end.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
09-24-2008 |
Economy
Vancouver Movie Theatres Innovate to Fill Seatsnew
It's not the first time cinemas have been threatened. The introduction of television and VHS technology each drew a large part of the moviegoing audience away to the comfort of their own living rooms.
The Georgia Straight |
Sean Minogue |
09-19-2008 |
Movies
Tags: movie theaters
Make a Splash in Vancouver's Prime Paddling Locationsnew
There's no doubt that when it comes to choosing the best place to dip your oar or paddle, Vancouver offers an embarrassment of watery riches, and of both the salty and sweet kinds. But at this point on the calendar, several launch spots stand out from the rest.
The Georgia Straight |
Jack Christie |
09-19-2008 |
Travel
Ra Ra Riot Worth Rooting Fornew
Even hardened music critics use kinder, gentler words when constructively pointing out the band’s musical shortcomings. That’s because the indie kids from Syracuse, New York, have overcome unthinkable adversity to put out their debut album, The Rhumb Line.
The Georgia Straight |
Sarah Rowland |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line
Vancouver's New Breed of Musical Mavericksnew
From circuit-frying techno-punk to creaky-floorboards alt-folk, and from heartfelt indie rock to neck-snapping metal, these are the sounds that make a night out in Vancouver a sonic adventure.
The Georgia Straight |
Staff |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Vancouver, music scenes
Okkervil River Overflows With Dramanew
Ironically enough, Will Sheff has come to learn that there’s a downside to being famous, even when that fame is at the grassroots level.
The Georgia Straight |
Mike Usinger |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Okkervil River
Going Mad for the Movies This Fallnew
Just as the United States is about to elect the first black president who isn't Morgan Freeman, we have to ask, "What happened to the summer they promised us?" More than the temperature was off for the last three months. The comedies were violent and gloomy, and the action fantasies even more so.
The Georgia Straight |
Ken Eisner |
09-19-2008 |
Movies
Canadian Film Riches at VIFF Deny Shaky Futurenew
Bill C-10, federal legislation that would enable the government to deny tax credits to film productions that are “contrary to public policy”, and the recent funding cuts to national training schools have cast an uncertain light on the future of Canadian film.
The Georgia Straight |
Craig Takeuchi |
09-19-2008 |
Movies
Tags: Canada, film industry
Bush's Last Hurrah Will Be to Attack Pakistannew
The good news is that George W. Bush is not going to invade Iran before he leaves office. The bad news is that he is attacking Pakistan instead.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
09-16-2008 |
Commentary
Hurricane Gustav Hides Evidence of Melting Arctic Sea Icenew
If Hurricane Gustav had struck New Orleans with full force, what would that have told us about the scale and speed of climate change?
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
09-03-2008 |
Commentary
Political Bickering Could Start a New Cold Warnew
There is still no good reason to have a new Cold War, and I still think it won't happen. But as the politicians posture and the stupidities accumulate, I'm less sure than I was that it won't happen.
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
08-29-2008 |
International
Fall Trends Go Grunge, Knitted, and Bohonew
This year, these industry bibles (guided by designers' runway shows, of course) suggest a resurgence of a number of trends, some of which haven’t been this big in over a decade.
The Georgia Straight |
Rebecca Tay |
08-29-2008 |
Fashion