SOUND | Childish Gambino x This Is America Tour x Rogers Arena

"I want you to get loose and weird."

False Creek—(December 7, 2018) Beloved rapper Childish Gambino (aka actor/filmmaker Donald Glover) finally brought his This Is America Tour—reportedly his last ever under this rap moniker—to Rogers Arena after previously rescheduling the final leg due to injury.

SCREEN | Nick Kroll Grows Up – 'Adult Beginners'

Adult Beginners showcases comedian Nick Kroll (a story writer and producer on the film) and his abilities in more character-based, dramatic work beyond his well-known sketch comedy and parody skills. Directed by Ross Katz and produced by the Duplass Brothers, the film is a light and familiar comedy/drama about arrested development and embracing adulthood through family relationships.

Review: 'While We're Young' Relives Those Golden Years

While We're Young is very funny at any age. Writer/director Noah Baumbach's latest film is full of multigenerational energy and his trademark comedic intellect and style. Reteaming with his Greenberg collaborator Ben Stiller, Baumbach takes a simple premise and themes of getting older, being in your forties, baby fever, and wasted youth to mine very pertinent, topical material. The film uses the lens of three generations of artists to reveal our anxieties and insecurities on life and success sublimely.

Interview: Ovey Yeung Loves You Back.

"The things I want to do wouldn't have been possible without your support. Thank you."

Life After Getting Hit By A Car. You probably know Ovey Yeung. I do. (Facebook tells me we have seventy mutual friends in common.) She's a popular person and a regular social butterfly. On August 4th, 2014, she was the victim of a serious hit-and-run car accident. What followed was a roller coaster ride of emotions for her friends and family that played out all over social media and in the local news.

Review: A Vampire's Life – 'What We Do in the Shadows'

What We Do in the Shadows is a dryly hilarious, straightforward mockumentary that never breaks while skewering the loir around vampire mythology and iconography. Co-written, co-directed, and co-starring New Zealand comedians Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement (collaborators on the similarly excellent Flight of the Conchords HBO show), the film really invests in its fresh take on old characters to mine simple yet sophisticated comedy about its subjects so genuinely.

87th Annual Oscars: Ballot (for 2014)

Picture: Boyhood (Winner: Birdman)
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Actor: Michael Keaton, Birdman (Winner: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything)
Actress: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel (Winner: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., and Armando Bo, Birdman)
Adapted Screenplay: Damien Chazelle, Whiplash (Winner: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game)
Animated Feature: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Winner: Big Hero 6)

Review: A Killer Ryan Reynolds Hears 'The Voices'

"Take those drugs and you will enter a bleak and lonely world, Jerry."

Persepolis creator/co-director Marjane Satrapi has made a comically dark and unsettling portrait of a serial killer and his mental health problems. In The Voices, actor Ryan Reynolds uses his inherently likeable charm and charisma to create a deeply troubling yet sympathetic portrayal of a well-meaning factory worker, Jerry Hickfang, who becomes severely unhinged. He tries to cope with his daily challenges while going off his medication and hearing his pet cat and dog manifest his own schizophrenic, dark voices  (with bizarre accents) telling him to commit murder.

Review: Oscar Isaac Survives 'A Most Violent Year'

It's the winter of 1981 in New York City. As the title would suggest, writer/director J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year reflects this era's boiling point of turbulence and crime. Oscar Issac plays an ambitious and righteous businessman strugging to protect his family and interests amidst a culture of corruption and turmoil. It's a captivating, slow-moving character piece and tale of constant struggle.

Top 10 Films of 2014

Click on each title for my review of that film.

1) Whiplash * (dir. Damien Chazelle)

2) Boyhood (dir. Richard Linklater)

3) The Grand Budapest Hotel (dir. Wes Anderson)

4) Listen Up Philip * (dir. Alex Ross Perry)

5) Inherent Vice (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

6) Gone Girl (dir. David Fincher)

7) Only Lovers Left Alive (dir. Jim Jarmusch)

8) Selma (dir. Ava DuVernay)

9) Nightcrawler (dir. Dan Gilroy)

10) Foxcatcher * (dir. Bennett Miller)

Review: Bradley Cooper Hits – 'American Sniper' Misses

Actor/producer Bradley Cooper with his rising Hollywood clout has taken the burden upon himself to dramatize the real-life story of Chris Kyle (based on his memoir), a Navy SEAL credited as the deadliest sniper in American military history after four tours of duty in Iraq and 160 confirmed kills. Unfortunately, teaming up with legendary director Clint Eastwood has made for a largely paint by numbers, procedural approach to the non-fiction drama that underserves the dynamic material in American Sniper.

Review: Paul Thomas Anderson Loses 'Inherent Vice'

"Don't worry. Thinking comes later."

Inherent Vice is almost joyously dense and beautiful as it is incomprehensible. Adapted from reclusive author Thomas Pynchon's light yet hard-boiled, stoner detective novel, filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson has faithfully translated the convoluted, drug-fuelled counterculture story into an energetic ensemble film full of bizarre narrative developments. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the perpetually stoned private investigator, Doc Sportello, who navigates old romances to uncover multiple mysteries and chase leads.

From Coffee to Light x Elysian Coffee x Mount Pleasant

Coffee break at Elysian Coffee on Ontario Street in Mount Pleasant on December 22 and 24, 2014.



Elysian's newly opened third location (after 5th Avenue and West Broadway) is already quietly buzzing in its new Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

VIFF 2014: 'Force Majeure' – An Avalanche of Swedish Drama

Writer/director Ruben Östlund’s darkly comic (almost satirical), Swedish family drama is unflinching in its portrayal of the idealized version of modern masculinity and the ramifications of a single moment's action. Force Majeure (aka Turist) executes a sly yet sharply critical commentary on the chic, seemingly perfect looking European upper class.

From Pasta to Kitchen x Nicli's Next Door x Gastown

Pasta making and tasting inside Nicli's Next Door's kitchen in Gastown on December 8, 2014.



Nicli Antica Pizzeria's aptly named sister restaurant next door has quietly built up its reputation as a kitschy yet sophisticated ristorante in its own right. Nicli's Next Door is a stylish and authentic Italian eatery with a cool, casual vibe, drowned under the stark yellow lights, while the kitchen focuses on small bites (think Italian tapas), meats/cheeses, and array of pastas.

Review: 'The Interview' – A Comedy of Wars

"They hate us, because they ain't us."

After much controversy and an international incident about its political subject matter, The Interview finally gets to be seen and judged on its actual merits. Directed by Vancouver natives Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the film uses real-life geopolitics to mock itself and everyone. Filmed in Vancouver (doubling for both New York and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), James Franco stars as a dim entertainment host who scores the titular interview with the shadowy communist dictator and cult of personality then is subsequently recruited by the CIA to assassinate him.

From Tuna to Lunch x Basho Cafe x Grandview-Woodland

Lunch at Basho Cafe on East Hastings in Grandview-Woodland on December 18, 2014.



After making Mashable's list of 24 restaurants foodies couldn't stop talking about in 2014, I had to make it over to Basho and see what the fuss was all about.

Review: 'Top Five' – Chris Rock Walks and Talks It Off

"It's never just a movie."

Top Five is easily comedian Chris Rock's first successful cinematic vehicle as a filmmaker. As both the writer and director, he's mostly able to get across his energetic brand of comedy and highbrow artistic sensibilities. He balances thoughtful, broad comedy and African-American experiences while channelling Woody Allen's version of New York with his own. It's most watchable when it uses famous faces (none funnier than J.B. Smoove) and every New York based black comedian to satirize the Hollywood lifestyle.

From Eggnog to Holidays x Yew Seafood + Bar x Four Seasons

Holiday party at at Yew Seafood + Bar inside the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver on December 10, 2014.



'Tis the season for holiday parties, festive gatherings, and winter menus. Yew at the Four Seasons Hotel threw a little shindig to celebrate all things Christmas related and show off their seasonal seafood offerings.

VIFF 2014: 'Wild' About Reese Witherspoon

Wild could easily be a superficial vanity project. It has all the prestige bait elements with an A-star actress scrubbing it up, dressing down, and reinventing herself to play a real-life person on a solo journey of self-discovery. Fortunately, Dallas Buyers Club director Jean-Marc Vallée, author/screenwriter Nick Hornby, and producer/star Reese Witherspoon have crafted a thoughtful, grounded drama about personal struggle amidst the setting of the great outdoors.

From Coffee to Treats x Small Victory Bakery x Yaletown

Coffee break at Small Victory Bakery on Homer Street in Yaletown on November 27 and 28, 2014.



Yaletown is making a comeback. After only being open a couple of weeks for their soft launch, there's already some healthy positive buzz around the new Small Victory Bakery.