Film review: Snow Angels

The Concordian, Volume 25, Issue 25, March 25, 2008
Film review: Snow Angels

Dir. by David Gordon Green

By: Elisabeth de Grandpre

Snow angels are defined as depressions in the snow. Snow Angels, directed by David Green and based on the novel by Stewert O’Nan takes a raw look at the tragedy and joy of three intertwining couples’ stories set in a small snowy town.
Arthur (Michael Angarno) connects all the stories, as he deals with his parents separating, flirts with his old babysitter Annie (Kate Beckinsale) while she deals with her broken marriage, and starts his own relationship with Lila (Olivia Thirlby), the new nerdy girl at school.
Arthur’s story is the first focus, as we meet his parents, his friends, his love interest, but once we meet Annie, her story becomes the main plot. Arthur’s subplot is wonderfully woven in and provides light in what could be a much darker film.
Annie has recently separated from her husband Glenn (Sam Rockwell) because they grew apart. She tries to take care of their toddler Tara, while protecting her from Glenn, who has recently tried to kill himself.
Glenn tries to become a better father and husband by getting his life on track, but he continues to drink. Both Glenn and Annie struggle to be parents to Tara, depending on their own parents to pick up the slack.
The tension explodes when Glenn discovers Annie is having an affair with Nate (Nicky Katts), juxtaposed with Arthur’s innocent childhood crush on Annie. At the same time Arthur matures and starts seeing his parents as separate people with their own problems, and learns to stand up and communicate. These events all intertwine until tragedy strikes.
This film is full of strong performances, especially from Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell. There is always an underlying tenderness between them, even in the most violent and tragic situations. Beckinsale is far from her usual blockbuster film and takes Annie on a hard journey, trying to make the right choices for her daughter. Olivia Thrilby from Juno fame as Juno’s best pal stands out as geeky-indie Lila.
The film’s images are poignant with the snow’s glaring white and the bright red of Michael’s band uniform. The snow traps its characters and isolates them along with the audience.
Snow Angels is reminiscent of Ang Lee’s Ice Storm (1997) with its ’70s tone, as well as the infidelity and violence behind closed doors.

Penelope will float your boat… if you like 13 going on 30

The Concordian, Volume 25, Issue 21, February 26th 2008
Penelope will float your boat… if you like 13 going on 30

Penelope will float your boat

. . . if you like 13 going on 30

Once upon a time in the 19th century, the Wilherns, a very wealthy family who wanted to keep their blood as blue as a blueberry, denied the marriage between their son and a lowly servant girl.

Unfortunately, the servant girl’s mother was a witch who cursed the family — the first girl born would have the face of a pig. Like most curses it has only one cure, to be loved by one of her own for who she is. Unluckily for Penelope (Christina Ricci), she is that girl.
She is hidden from the world by her mother Jessica (Catherina O’Hara) who orchestrates a matchmaking attempt by offering a hefty dowry to whomever will marry her daughter, snout and all, in hopes that the curse will be broken and her daughter will finally become the woman she was meant to be. Alas, the matchmaking attempt always results in the would-be-suitors running away at first sight.

The plot feels contrived because the snout is anything but grotesque. It actually comes off as cute, so it’s hard to understand why suitors run so quickly and so far. The film is set in a London populated by mostly Americans, and where one of the main locations is an Irish pub. Adding to the confusion is British actor Richard E. Grant (as Penelope’s father) who puts on an American accent, as does the Scottish James McAvoy, Penelope’s love interest. Although the trailer and many posters feature Reese Witherspoon front and center, she’s in a small role as a female friend. Witherspoon’s production company, Type A, was one of the film’s producers.

The film’s turning point is when a would-be-suitor (Simon Woods) manages to escape without signing a non-disclosure agreement, and goes straight to the press, where the only one to believe him is Lemon (Peter Dinklage), a hard-boiled reporter out for the story of his life. Enter the love interest, as they hire Max Campion (McAvoy), a broke blueblood, to get the scoop and pictures to prove Penelope exists.

Penelope is clearly a gender spin on Beauty and the Beast, as well as a story of girl power. Although charming and well-intentioned, that isn’t enough to keep this film afloat. Its constant positive messages of “beauty is on the inside,” “the world is beautiful” and “different is beautiful” were needlessly forced throughout the film, enough to make most adult viewers nauseated. It felt like it was trying to be a magical tale akin to a Tim Burton film or the television hit Pushing Daisies, but it falls short.

If you liked Ella Enchanted or 13 Going on 30 this might be worth the cost a ticket.

Bring back the Spice. The Concordian

The Concordian, Volume 25, Issue 19, February 5th 2008
Bringing back the spice

Bringing back the spice

The Spice Girls will give Montreal a second taste Feb. 24

The Spice Girls landed in Montreal last Thursday with their Return Of The Spice Girls tour. Armed with a great girl friend, home-made “What’s your Spice” t-shirts (mine was Ginger), and the golden ticket to make my way through the gate, I felt like I was about to time travel.

The Bell Centre was packed with 1,400 fans, mostly women and girls who weren’t old enough to talk when the Spice Girls debuted in 1996 with Spice. Security was high as we were admitted through the door around 7 p.m.

The stadium filled with eager fans as club hits boomed the sound system. Signs were being held up “Where is David?” and “Spice up our life!” professing the re-awakening of a fandom. The lights finally went down and the crowd was screaming and welcoming.

With all the pizzazz, glitz and iconic girl power that only they can possess, the Spice Girls rose to the stage looking like statues, adorned in gold costumes. There they stood larger-than-life. Posh, Sporty, Scary, Baby and Ginger. The return of the Spice Girls.
They started singing “Spice Up Your Life” and my inner 12 year-old was doing back flips while waving a glittered, furry pink baton belting, “Colors of the world, Spice up your life.” I was transported to a time when “Girl Power” was my mantra. Everyone was up on their feet.

The costumes were gorgeous and still reflected each girl’s individual personality. Gone were the cheesy, but classic 90’s outfits: Baby’s pink baby doll dresses, Posh’s little black dress, Sporty’s simple track suit, Scary’s skin tight body suit, and Ginger’s underwear-bearing tiny union jack dress and chunky red boots. In were designs by world famous fashion designer, Roberto Cavalli.

Cavalli’s designs updated the classic outfits while respecting each girl’s iconic style. Victoria Beckham was still Posh with a couture runway style. Mel B was a wild force in her skintight costumes. Mel C was sporty but sexy — still in running shoes. Geri Halliwell was still Ginger in a union jack dress that glittered under the lights. Cavalli graduated Emma Bunton from Baby Spice to “Classy Spice” with mod dresses and well fitted mini-shirts.

The music was better than ever and their vocals have matured and seemed to have more muscle. It is obvious that this tour is special to them, as the women beamed with positive energy and joy throughout the entire show. The song that evolved the most was “Mama.” This isn’t surprising since most of the ladies are mamas themselves. The tune being about their mothers and now being mothers themselves brought the song full circle, and transformed it from being a cheesy ditty to a beautiful, emotion-driven song.

Each Spice, except for Posh, delivered a song that highlighted their solo careers. Victoria Beckham instead worked the runway to highlight her role in the fashion world. Most surprising was Emma Bunton who sang her song “Maybe,” from her 1960’s-inspired album Free Me. Baby Spice performed with more power than most may remember her possessing.

The Spice Girls taught me what girl power was before I was old enough to watch Sex and the City. Dancing in place, singing in unison with my gal pal, and watching these idols of my past perform made me smile and beam. I remembered how that innocent perception of girl power was ever so wonderful.

The Spice Girls return to the Bell Centre Sunday, Feb. 24

The Void. kaleidoscope, n.

The Void Magazine.  Volume 6, Issue 3, February 2007
Kaleidoscope, n.
Kaleidoscope, n.

The kaleidoscope was invented in 1816. ‘Kaleidoscope’ was first used as a word in 1817 by Scottish inventor Dr. David Brewster in his patent for the object. He named it for the Greek words for beautiful (kalos) and form (eidos).  The -scope suffix comes from the Greek skopein – to see.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the kaleidoscope is as “an optical instrument, consisting of from two to four reflecting surfaces placed in a tube, at one end of which is a small compartment containing pieces of coloured glass: on looking through the tube, numerous reflections of these are seen, producing brightly-coloured symmetrical figures, which may be constantly altered by rotation of the instrument.”

Brewster originally designed the kaleidoscope as a scientific tool to test light polarization but when he noticed it’s enchanting patterns his instrument produced, he turned it into a toy. Brewster sought his patent expecting to get rich mesmerizing children. The kaleidoscope enjoyed an initial burst of popularity, but, for reasons unknown, the light-toy was soon relegated to the shadows.

The kaleidoscope-fad was re-awakened by American Charles Bush in 1873. Bush received the patent to improve the original model and created a parlor version which was mounted on a wooden stand.  But this optical toy faded into obscurity until it was resurrected once more by Cozy Baker who has been writing books on the subject since 1985, with such titles as Through the Kaleidoscope… and Beyond and Kaleidoscopes: Wonders of Wonder. Baker founded the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society in 1986 for kaleidoscope enthusiasts. The Brewster Society currently lists 133 kaleidoscope artists and boasts over 500 members.

The first kaleidoscope to be used in literature is the one in the second canto of Lord Byron’s poem, “Don Juan”:

“Our shipwreck’d seamen thought it a good omen –
It is as well to think so, now and then;
‘T was an old custom of the Greek and Roman,
And may become of great advantage when
Folks are discouraged; and most surely no men
Had greater need to nerve themselves again
Than these, and so this rainbow look’d like hope –
Quite a celestial kaleidoscope.”

In this article the word kaleidoscope is used 16 times.

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