Science Friction: A home-grown Montreal sci-fi
“Science Friction” (2013, Canada) – Director Liam P Kiernan – sciencefrictionthemovie.com
“Science Friction” is a movie I really wanted to like. When I was invited to the first ever screening of a new Montreal-made sci-fi movie I was very excited. The trailer promised tense drama with lots of action and other-worldly happenings – an asteroid slowing as it approaches the earth; a glowing sphere, arcing with energy; a strange figure in a diving suit wandering through a cave; explosions, blood, and fire.
The narrative of the movie concerns reluctant projectionist Jack, who is tricked into chauffeuring three girls on a drug run across the Mexican border. Deep in the Mexican woods (which look suspiciously like Quebec, but that’s forgivable!), they take a wrong turn and find themselves in trouble, stranded by a dilapidated old house. Inside lives a crazed old man, Billy, and an alien presence lurks in the caves below.
The ideas underlying the narrative are clever: the alien compels each character to each face the demons of their past, to conquer the guilt that is, as one beautiful line of dialogue describes it, “tattooed upon their souls”. Flashbacks and smart Tarantino-style time jumps are used to convey backstory with good effect, and I enjoyed being left with a puzzle to piece together.
Unfortunately, the movie
Read MoreThe White Way
And so the weary wanderer sallied forth into the white
Wrapped in wools and bound in boots of animal hide.
Trudge, trudge, trudge; his footfalls heavy with waterlogged snow
Boldly he marched on, the rain soaking him right through to his bones.
As the icy wind buffeted against his cheek like a thousand tiny insects biting him, he had to halt.
The way was blocked: a raging torrent from left to right, its surging grey waters forming a vast lake before him.
Unwilling to ford the freezing floodwaters, he had no choice but to carve a new path.
Doubling back and around the obstacle, he bravely soldiered on,
squelching through the slurry, shivering and longing for the warmth of the home he had left behind.
As his expedition continued through the misty murk, he had to deal with more drifts and evade more snow-mires,
From time to time he was able to follow the half-melted footprints of adventurers past;
It gave him comfort to know that others had made it through. Perhaps he too would survive the journey.
Suddenly, he rounded a corner, and he was there. His pale face smiled as he saw it.
He’d made it. He entered the station, boarded the waiting train and got to the office right on time.
—
A little something I wrote on the way to work this morning. Feedback welcome.
Fantasia 2012: Crave (2012)
“Crave” is the confident and compelling directorial debut from Charles de Lauzirika, one of the world’s most renowned DVD/Bluray boxset producers. It tells the story of Aiden (Josh Lawson), a crime scene photographer with vigilante urges and romantic longings. It’s hard to say too much about the story, but we the viewers are treated to seeing the world through his eyes and from within his head, every aspect of his character laid bare. He’s lovable but increasingly misguided, and as the storyline progresses we see him tested by both the threats of dangerous criminals and the desires to woo his would-be lover Virginia (Emma Lung).
Fantasia 2012: Black Pond (2011)
So, it’s time for my first movie review of Fantasia 2012. Yesterday I saw a very enjoyable and quirky film called Black Pond. It’s a British movie from a new director Tom Kingsley, about a family who have a stranger to dinner, who promptly drops dead at their table.
Read MoreMy first fishing trip
Learning to fish
On Saturday, I went to the lovely lakeside village of Chambly, Quebec, with my friend Andrei and his wife Gabi, and for the first time in my life I tried my hand at fishing. I’m not sure why I’ve never tried it, but I really took to it.. It’s relaxing, exciting, and downright enjoyable. I will definitely be doing it again!
I’ve written a few words to try and capture my experience:
Fishing
Eager; I’m going fishing!
Overwhelmed; This rod seems complicated.
Relieved; Casting is easier than I thought.
Confused; Too much line, tangles, aargh.
Determined; I can figure this out.
Unafraid; It’s starting to make sense.
Surprised; A tug on the line…
The English des Québécois
Next Cash Please
Since I moved here three years ago, I’ve been intrigued to listen to the way Montréalers speak. I’ve previously written about my experiences living in a bilingual city, and the bizarre experience of conversations switching back and forth between languages effortlessly.
As a settled Montrealer, having grown in confidence and ability with my French, I find myself doing it too, especially since I started my current job – where the staff are mostly francophones but the business is mostly in English. Most of my daily conversations involve a hybrid of French and English to some degree.
But what I find quite unique is the experience of being in a linguistic minority.
Read MoreThe Liberation of Separation
“Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry…
Take your time; think a lot,
Why, think of everything you’ve got.
For you’ll still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.”
— Cat Stevens, “Father and Son”
One thing they don’t tell you about divorce is that it makes you question everything. Not just your choice of life partner, but life itself.
If love is the certainty that you have found “the one”, and marriage is the public expression of that certainty, then the failure of a marriage calls everything into question. You find yourself wondering how you could have been so wrong, and questioning whether you can ever be certain about anything again.
I have never thought of myself as a man of faith, and certainly never religious. Yet the mental journey I have taken since separation has made me realise my life has been guided by faith. Not the sort of faith that is expressed through prayers, worship and organised religion, but something much simpler – faith as holding an idea in your head and letting it guide you.
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