Big Boys Gone Bananas!*

Big Boys Gone Bananas!* (official website here) is a film about the aftermath of Fredrik Gertten's previous film, Bananas!. In Bananas!, Gertten investigates the lawsuit against Dole by workers in the banana fields. Dole responded in a pretty extreme fashion. This new documentary follows exactly what went down from the first instant that Gertten and team knew that something was up.
This film was another 'predictable' documentary. Chronological, following main characters, showing natural highs and lows that came up along the way and of course bashing corporate America. Or, well, corporations in America and Europe.
This was the one and only screening of the film during HotDocs, but apparently it's (along with Bananas!) coming back for a run at the (newly renovated) Bloor Cinema. The audience seemed to be very receptive to the film and actually gave Gertten a standing ovation. I never look at the world through 'big bad corporations' lens, so although I get what the film was about and I appreciate what's going on, I probably won't be changing my habits, regular practice and opinions about things. Like I said, I can appreciate it, but that's about it. Maybe I'm a disappointment, but it is what it is.
Anyway, I guess it's a good film. I may not give it a glowing review, but that's not because it wasn't good. It's just because it didn't blow me away or surprise me in any way. It was cool to learn about how certain things and big companies work, but it didn't blow my mind. It definitely has a 'we can make a difference' message, and I appreciated that.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography

I know nothing about skateboarding. I don't even know how to skateboard (although, I did try once). The only name I recognized from the synopsis is Tony Hawk. The only reason I decided to go to the screening of Bones Brigade: An Autobiography is because the final screening of the film is sold out so I figured other people (in the know?) must think it's worth watching. It also happened to fit into my schedule.
I dozed off in this movie as well. I mean, it was okay, but nothing too interesting. I'm going to hope that's because I'm not an avid follower of the skateboarding culture. Although, one elderly lady who also said she knew nothing about the subject matter praised the film when asked for feedback from director, Stacy Peralta. But maybe she just said that because she was put on the spot. Who knows?
Anyway, let's just analyze the film for what it is. It's a series of interviews with different members of the skateboarding community who were influential or invested in the sport around the 1980. Interspersed between their interviews was skateboarding footage and other footage from the 1980s. It told a story in chronological fashion and ended with little blurbettes with updates on each of the featured characters. It seemed to be a pretty traditional documentary in terms of format. In the post-screening Q&A, Peralta talked about how many of the Bones Brigade had asked him to create this documentary. That they felt that there was a story to tell. A documented story about a group of people who were so influential on skateboarding as we know it today. With that purpose in mind, I think the documentary did a great job. Was it groundbreaking and did it uncover anything shocking, controversial or anything that I'll remember many years down the line? No, but I don't think that was the point. This is a documentary that something wanting to know more about skateboarding culture can and should watch.
One of the questions from the Q&A was about whether Peralta was conducting the interviews when the interviewee talked about Peralta. He said that initial interviews were conducted by him, but after starting to piece together the film and needing to go back to do follow-up interviews, for specific topics, another member of the crew would conduct the interviews and Peralta would not be present. It was a mutual decision by Peralta and the interviewees. Every so often in these Q&As, I'm reminded that making a documentary is very similar to the process that I follow when conducting research. I'm currently involved in a study in which I am conducting interviews with my participants. Of course to a certain extent, the interviewer takes a position of authority, but in this particular case, the relationship that I have developed with these participants even before they joined my study has been one in which I am the person of authority. While I like to think that there is no power dynamic in this study and that there will be no effects on my data as a result, it's hard to know for sure. I usually watch films for enjoyment sake. I like the topics of the film, I like the storyline, I like the music, I like the art direction, I like learning, but I don't naturally analyze the film for the '-ology' behind the creation of the film. I like it when I'm reminded (often during the Q&A) that there's kind of a science or methodology behind making a film. It's another layer that I don't natural associate with the final product, but I like thinking about it and relating it to some of the issues that I deal with in my own work.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

I guess it's good

...that I can fall asleep under any circumstance. When you're stuck in a super-loud MRI machine for an hour, my special skill definitely comes in handy. Before I dozed off, I do remember imagining that I was listening to hard-core techno music.

One Fine Day

The second film that I watched in this year's Hot Docs was One Fine Day. It was sort of ho hum. It played out like a paid programming advertisement for some sort of organization. I don't know what the organization would be, but something like a activism, stand up for your rights kind of thing. The deep voiced narrator with a British accent didn't really help matters.
Now, the issues discussed in the documentary are really important, but it just seemed a little bit too forced. Too cliche. The stories and people that were featured were great, but it was still pretty blah. Blah enough that I think I started to fall asleep in one part. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I dozed off. I know that I'm running on fumes right now and I can pretty much fall asleep in any dark room, but still, I would have thought that if the documentary was good, it would keep me awake.
I really don't have too much to say about the film. As I said previously, it was pretty ho hum. There wasn't a Q&A or anything but I didn't feel as though I would have been enlightened by one. The one part of the film that I did enjoy was the beginning and ending. Weaving in that common theme and imagery...that was great. But yeah. That's it.
Wow, the most lackluster review ever.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

The Imposter

Hot Docs is underway! I'm going to milk this 'student' thing as long as I can. The Hot Docs Film Festival is once again offering free tickets to students and seniors for screenings starting before 6pm - it's fantastic! My schedule during the festival is busy enough that I only have 3 weekdays and the closing weekend free to watch films. As per usual, there are more films that I want to see than I have time for. Such is life.
The first film that I saw was The Imposter (official website here). Here is the festival's write-up:

The Imposter is probably the most unusual story in this year’s Festival. In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappears without a trace from San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive, thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. The boy bears many of the same distinguishing marks he always had, but why does he now have a strange accent? Why does he look so different? And why doesn’t the family seem to notice these glaring inconsistencies? It’s only when an investigator starts asking questions that this strange tale takes an even stranger turn...

How could you not be intrigued by the synopsis? The film was really slick. The opening credits were really feature film-esque. And the way that the film was put together is typical documentary with interviews with stakeholders, but with slick transitions and details to make it, well, kinda feature film-esque once again.
You know how I can never describe why I like or don't like a film? And that usually I'm left wishing the film was longer or that I want it to be more in-depth? This film gave me a new revelation. It left me wanting more, but in a way that I was willing to google the story and read up about it. I mean, it would have been great if there was another half hour to the film to talk a little bit more about the tail end of the story (the film ended with traditional captions with updates about different characters in the film), so I do feel a sense of finality, but it's still a little unfinished. I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that the story is insane!
Basically, this film was amazing. There were many moments where the audience was in total awe, shock and amazement in what was happening on the screen. Unfortunately, there was no Q&A with the film. That would have been amazing. In googling the film, it seems as though one of the main characters was played by an actor. That just made it even more intriguing and left me superly wanting to hear someone associated with the film talk about it. How they decided to create a film about the topic, how they decided who would be involved (and not), how they weaved the story together...so many questions!
In this case, it wasn't that I was really annoyed at the movie that I still have so many questions, but I thought so highly of the film as a result.
As per usual, I don't seem to be able to eloquently talk about this film, but I assure you that it's a film worth seeing. Partly, I don't want to say too much about the film because I think it's more enjoyable the less you know about it. I saw the final screening of the film at the festival, but maybe you will be able to see it somewhere in the future.
It's quite amazing.

- picture courtesy of www.hotdocs.ca

Canvasco in Canada!

I have been waiting five years, but Canvasco finally has a retailer in Toronto! While on the beloved 510 a couple weeks ago, I spotted what looked like Canvasco messengers in the window of DeSerres, just south of Richmond. It wasn't until last night that I walked by the shop to confirm that they were indeed Canvasco bags! Awesome!
A German company, Canvasco is mostly known for their accessories made out of sails from boats. They also have a line that uses fur and these look so luxurious. I think I've only spotted one or two Canvasco bags on the streets of Toronto since I've moved back from Europe and I definitely haven't seen them anywhere else in North America. I didn't get a chance to take a look at the price point here in the city, but it's not the cheapest bag in the world. I could see folks who like Frietag products maybe being interested in these bags. The material makes it is a little less 'bike messenger', but I think the fact that they have unique patterns will help. Every time I wear mine, I will get a compliment or at least someone asking about it. The mega-wide strap and intense metal buckle get a lot of attention. The designers clearly put a lot of thought into designing the bag. The pocket in the interior of the flap of the messenger is seemingly upside down, but in fact, is absolutely right side up for when you are wearing the bag and to access the pocket you have to pull the flap open so that it's...upside down. Genius.
The fact that it's being sold through an art supply shop could signal their chosen demographic. I'm interested to see if the brand will do well here in the city.
Anyway, it's quite clear that I love their products. It took me a couple years to 'find' my Canvasco. I hope Torontonians will also be able to find their own Canvasco, and although I'm so happy that they've come to the city, part of me is sad that I have to share this fabulous brand with the rest of the world.
When I bought my Canvasco in Europe, there wasn't any packaging or anything, but in the DeSerres window, they seemed to be placed in Freitag-like cardboard drawers. That was slightly disappointing to see, but I guess they're trying to take advantage of the success of their Swiss counterparts.
Anyway, Toronto is always late on the trends, but I'm still pretty stoked to see a familiar name come to town!

Caine's Arcade

I'd noticed links to this quite some time ago, but life got in the way and I never really paid attention to it. Life should never get in the way.



"...push the 'check mark' button and the big number comes out..." Brilliant.

The official site (with link to support Caine’s Scholarship Fund)

Eagle cam hilarity

My favorite thing about the eagle cam is seeing projectile poop coming out of the eaglets. It is hilarious!

More amazingness from T-Mobile

Today was a little bit of a doozy. I've been watching light-hearted videos and scarfing down sweets to make up for it.

In case you were too lazy to click on the links from this morning's post, here are the two videos:

Way to go T-Mobile

The makers of this classic flashmob do it again.
Albeit, I found it 2 years later. Seriously, why did it take so long for me to see this?

Awesome sauce

Seriously.
And I know that the Rocco is for the younger crowd, but this is beyond.

A Field Guide to the American Male Peacock

Ha ha ha ha ha. Is this an April Fool's joke?

2 out of the 3 eagles have hatched!

The Decorah Eagles are as entertaining as ever! The baby eagles are so cute and fluffy and extremely wobbly. It looks as though the third eaglet is in the process of hatching? So nice of the daddy to bring fresh food for the rest of the family. Although it doesn't look like there's much acknowledgement from the rest of the family when he arrives. At least that I can tell (from my untrained eyes).
I wish I had my own classroom right now. I have so many great ideas of how I would use this!

Macaron Day Toronto 2012

How did I miss this?
(Well, actually, I know how. It's been a particularly trying week. And I think it's going to continue to be a slog for the next month or so.)

- courtesy of www.foodpr0n.com

Things have changed

So he accessorized his Burberry trench with a McQueen skull scarf and used a PS1 as a school bag. Kiddies are really dressing differently for undergrad lectures these days.

The Sleeper Car

Genius, absolute genius.
I've had one experience in a sleeper car. It was quite the adventure. In a nutshell: Italian train system (I could stop right there), not really understanding how to get the bed to appear, snow storm, PANIC CITY!!
And then they combine it with a subway? C'mon, everyone knows I love subways.
I love improv everywhere.

Eagle cam

They're right. This can be quite addictive.
I hope I'm around this weekend to see the three little ones hatch.


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I can't believe I'm saying this...

Thank goodness I had my cell phone with me. Yesterday morning, the hotel I was staying at had a power outage. After my cell phone's alarm clock went off, I was pretty confused when the bedside lamp wouldn't turn on. Neither would any of the other lights in the room. It was early enough that it was still dark outside. I looked out the window and saw lights in neighbouring buildings still lit. I tried to call the front desk, but that wasn't possible. Jeez, everything relies on power! My cell phone has a light on it, so I was able to get ready in the pitch black. I wandered down the hallway and found the stairwell and found my way to the lobby of the hotel to check out.
I didn't have my cell phone, I would have most definitely slept in. But then again, before I brought my cell phone with me on trips, I would have my little travel, battery-powered alarm clock. So yeah. But I probably wouldn't have been able to get ready quite as well I did with my little cell phone light. Maybe I could have just fumbled around in the dark, but it probably wouldn't have been that effective. I'm not sure how much worse it could have been though, my hair did look pretty atrocious that morning.
Still, I will give credit where it is due. My cell phone did help me out yesterday.

Bye bye jury duty

Once the excitement of my summons wore off, I realized that there was no way that I was able to do jury duty at the assigned time they needed me. I have other commitments that I can't get out of which directly conflicted with jury duty. With a heavy heart (and slightly panicked that I wouldn't be able to get out of jury duty), I submitted a case outlining my hardships in attending jury duty and nervously waited to find out the outcome. Instead of a deferral, I was exempt from serving altogether. This means that my name goes back in the pot and I will have to hope that I'm lucky enough to be selected again in the future.
Oh well. I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time around.

Learning to love the foods I hate

Like most people, there are some foods that I don't really enjoy eating. Unlike most people, I will force myself to eat them...in hopes that I will grow to like them.
This tactic proved to be successful with mustard. My time in Europe forced me to face my anti-mustard stance. Anytime I had a sandwich, mustard was lurking. And now, I love the stuff. I especially like the straight-up-mustard-seeds type.
I desperately tried to grow to love olives as well. They were everywhere in Europe, so I had plenty of opportunity to face my foe. I am disappointed to report that I still have not won this battle. I will keep working on it.
Another food that I have come to enjoy (or at the very least, tolerate) is avocado. I don't think that I had actually been exposed to avocado until I was am adult, so I'm sure that had something to do with the fact that when I did try it for the first time, the unfamiliarity of the texture and taste proved to be a little off putting. Some recent persistence has paid off and I do eat avocados now. While it's not my favorite food, I am capable of eating an entire avocado au naturel.
I'm not ready to conquer papaya quite yet, but maybe in the future.