And the winner is … who cares?
The Academy Awards are on Sunday! To which I say … what else is on? I’ve been a movie buff since child hood, when I would force myself to stay…
Oscars
Smith, Rock, and the Trivialization of Western Culture
If Neil Postman were alive today, sitting in a bar or café with Chris Hedges, I wonder which one would say “I told you so!” first after seeing social media…
A Disappointing Crop of Oscar Nominations
The oddsmakers have Roma winning, and I agree that it should – pure cinema, as Hitchcock would say – but Green Book will win because it has all those comfy,…
The Return of Stuff Happens, week 1: The taxman cometh
Here in the Glorious People’s Republic of Alberta, we have begun the process of saving the Earth, 4.5 cents a litre at a time. The NDP government introduced its Climate…
Stuff Still Happens, week 8: Deficits, drugs and death
The big issue of the week in Canada, where we worry about these things for some reason, was deficits. The new Liberal government, which promised to run a $10 billion…
Stuff Still Happens, week 3: The slow death of the daily newspaper
And so, the era of competitive newspapers in Canada has come to an end. This week, the wretched Postmedia group consolidated the newsrooms in four cities where they own both…
Stuff happens, week 8: Alberta election assured; Harper spins terrorism
It’s gloom and doom in Alberta these days, what with falling oil prices and all. Time to tighten the belts, Premier Jim Prentice says, because we’re going to be billions…
Stuff Happens, Week 2. Target misses the mark, Roxy razed.
The big story of the week in Canada was the departure, with its tail between its legs, of U.S. retail giant Target. The purveyor of so-called ‘cheap chic’ clothing is…
Rob Ford Goes to Hollywood
Rob Ford is gone Hollywood and is also going to the Oscars, he is quite the actor and his performance deserves an Oscar. He has been a train-wreck as a…
The Oscars: Look no further, here are the winners …
Like millions of other Canadians, I will watch the Academy Awards on Sunday, and like millions of other Canadians, four hours later I will hate myself for watching it. So,…
Bowling for Columbine turns ten
Editor’s note: Art Threat has launched a cultural archaeological project that involves digging up previously published but now inaccessible film reviews and cultural musings from Montreal-based writer and teacher Matthew…
Argo: American propaganda wins best picture at the Oscars
The Hollywood-White House embrace was front and center when Michelle Obama was beamed into the Oscars, military personnel behind her, to announce the best picture pick. Surprise, surprise… Argo, replete…
Low-class Oscars leave the ladies booing
To this day the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do in my career was stand in front of a group of 300 university students in my role as…
Why a completely unremarkable film called Argo won the Oscar
How ironically fitting that Michelle Obama announced the Oscar for the winning picture. Argo is a putative “true” story from the not too distant U.S. past – a past to…
Why a completely unremarkable film called Argo won the Oscar
How ironically fitting that Michelle Obama announced the Oscar for the winning picture. Argo is a putative "true" story from the not too distant U.S. past - a past to…
Why a completely unremarkable film called Argo won the Oscar
How ironically fitting that Michelle Obama announced the Oscar for the winning picture. Argo is a putative “true” story from the not too distant U.S. past – a past to…
The Awe Of Oscar
Nothing seems more of a waste of time and money than the Oscars. Last night for over three hours millions of people, statistics of which show 7-9% of them unemployed…
And the Winner Is…
Me! Because I got to watch the Oscars last night with the 2 most amazing kids in the universe. H stayed up for the first half. (And had trouble getting…
