On the DEWLine 2.0: Dwight Williams

We have - among other people - Guy Lafleur to thank for Paul Gross making Hyena Road. That, in itself, is indeed surreal. (Here's a further item from back in September, which might add some context.)

(For those who don't know from Lafleur, here's some context on him. And the full Definitely Not the Opera episode.)

In a semi-related vein: If you're wondering, I will be going to the War Memorial services downtown tomorrow morning. Yes, I might actually feel comfortably uncomfortable again going this year, owing in part to the change in federal management. That is indeed an oxymoron...but there's a truth to it. The last couple of years, it's been the Peacekeepers' Monument for me.

Okay.

I voted on Friday night.

Then I went to see Paul Gross's new movie Hyena Road, which was - as expected - disorienting. I don't know that it'll compare to the greats of the genre, but I did get a sense of what the latest Afghan War's been like for Canadians serving in the middle of it. Which, aside from making back the money spent on it, was all that Gross really wants out of it. I figured if I didn't see it ASAP - premiere night, as it turned out - I wasn't going to have much chance beyond that. I've mentioned before that Canadian movies tend to get short attention from our movie theatre chains, and fully expect this to be no different, even though it should be.

Hyena Road, people. If you've got violence-trauma triggers, be warned. The fight scenes are bloody. But I do believe it's worth the time and money to see at least the once.

Come to think of it, not being patient was exactly why I voted at the advance poll on Friday after work too. I just didn't want to cope with any more pressure to vote "strategically". One acquaintance has accused me of maintaining "purity", but I can't trust a party that turns its back on several of its best contributions to Canadian life to avoid the inevitable false accusations of terrorist sympathy. And those accusations were trotted out by the incumbents anyway on other excuses.

Anyway. A more positive note...

Today, I listened to Chris Hadfield's Space Sessions: Songs From a Tin Can for the first time, having picked up the album at Compact Music yesterday. As you might expect from Hadfield, there's more of a country/folk vibe off the album. You may consider that either ironic or totally expected given that this was the first ever album with the vocals recorded Up There.

There's a certain exceptionalist satisfaction I get from that. Admitted freely. It took a Canadian to do this. No one from anywhere else thought of it.

And now I'm headed off to see the 6 PM showing of The Martian. I bought, read and enjoyed the book after looking at the first trailer. I figure they've got enough good raw material to work with. If my brains are working properly after getting home again, I'll let you know what I got out of it later tonight.

Later, all!

And for the Canadians reading this? Please vote. I don't need to know for whom, I don't need to be able to approve of your choice(s) before or after the fact. Ever.

Just vote.

To my Ottawa allies: which theatres in town are keeping Gunless past this Thursday? I'm hoping to put together an extended family outing.

Happy news from Denis McGrath today.

You remember Men With Brooms?

Go read this:

http://heywriterboy.blogspot.com/2010/02/let-thousand-corners-bloom.html

Wondered how long it would take.

To Paul Gross and John Krizanc: congratulations!

The Passchendale trailer is up.

Not where where else they've posted it besides their blog site. Hoping they've covered apple.ca...?

Well, filming's apparently underway in Milton, Ontario on the next installment of the political misadventures and schemes of Tom McLaughlin, as created and portrayed by Paul Gross:

http://community.livejournal.com/canadiantv/30870.html