Meet the 6th Annual Buffer Festival Content Creators

By: Nina Jeffery

Joey Richter, Brian Rosenthal, and Corey Lubowich (Team Starkid).

Team StarKid, a musical theatre ensemble, began in 2009 when a group of friends from the University of Michigan posted the Harry Potter parody musical, A Very Potter Musical on YouTube. The show became a viral hit and was the first college theatre production to make the Billboard Hot 100. With over 400,000 YouTube subscribers, they continue to delight a dedicated fan base with original productions. Team StarKid’s newest musical, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals premieres this fall at the Matrix Theatre Company.

Louis Cole (FunForLouis)

After gaining a following from food stunt videos on his channel FoodForLouis, Louis Cole has since been creating daily vlogs focused on lifestyle and travel. His channel recently passed 2 million subscribers and he is now known in the YouTube community as a top travel content creator. Cole received the Festival Honour Award at the Buffer Festival Awards Gala for his vlog Beyond Borders (Chapter 1).

Hannah Snow (HannahSnow)

Hannah Snow is a British creator known for her lifestyle and DIY videos. At Buffer Festival, Snow premiered a clip from her new short, Sisters of House Black, with fellow creator Kelsey Ellison. 

Jon Cozart (Paint)

Jon Cozart is an American musician and comedian with 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube. He is well-known for his After Ever After acapella videos, where he parodies Disney characters through song. Cozart premiered the video Coming Out at Buffer Festival. He won the award for Excellence in Writing at the Awards Gala.

Michael Gregory (schmoyoho)

Michael Gregory is the drummer and keyboardist of The Gregory Brothers. The band is renowned for their Songify the News series. At Buffer Festival, Gregory premiered his Girls Just Wanna Have Fun video.

Chantel Houston (Ladylike)

Chantel Houston is a senior producer and cast member for BuzzFeed. She is one of five creators for the YouTube channel LadyLike which focuses on lifestyle videos for women. At Buffer Festival, she premiered the film Whale Hello There.

Shannon Boodram (Shan Boody)

Shannon Boodram is well-known for being the internet’s relationship expert, making content that focuses on dating and sex education. Her YouTube channel encourages sex-positive conversations. She premiered her music video for Soaring, an empowerment video created with her partner Jared Brady.

Stevie Boebi (Stevie)

Stevie Boebi is a YouTube creator known for her queer-positive content where she gives life advice and speaks about sex and relationships. She premiered her documentary Go Fist Yourself which focuses on misconceptions about sex in the porn industry and in our everyday lives.

Elle Mills (ElleOfTheMills)

Elle Mills is a Canadian YouTube creator who boasts 1.5 million subscribers on her channel ElleOfTheMills. She gained popularity for her Coming Out (Elle Mills Style) video that has over 3.9 million views. She creates vlogs and comedy videos, and premiered her newest video I Turned my Mom’s House Into a Frat at the comedy screening.

Sorelle Amore & Leon Hill (SorelleAmore)

Sorelle Amore is an Australian photographer and YouTuber known for her lifestyle and travel videos. Her popular series Advanced Selfies quickly popularized her channel. Her short film Where Are You? premiered at Buffer Festival. The featured creator poses with her partner Leon Hill.

Anna Akana (AnnaAkana)

Anna Akana’s comedy and documentary work has garnered over 2 million YouTube subscribers. Recently, she produced and starred in the YouTube Red series Youth and Consequences. She premiered her short film dolor and received the Award for Excellence in Production at the festival Awards Gala.

Zach Ramelan (ZachRamelan)

Zach Ramelan is a Canadian creator known for filmmaking and tech reviews. His short film Blinders premiered at Buffer Festival and highlighted the issue of homelessness in Canada. Ramelan won the Canadian Award of Excellence at the Awards Gala.

Spankie Valentine (SpankieValentineTV)

Spankie Valentine is renowned for her career as a musical artist and her high-energy short films. Her film Lost in Darkness explores the dark side of the mind and won the award for Excellence in Cinematography at the Awards Gala.

Whitney Avalon (WhitneyAvalon)

Whitney Avalon is an actress, comedian and musician who is known for her Princess Rap Battle series on YouTube. She premiered her film Don’t Be A, a comedic “kids” show better suited for adult audiences. Avalon won both the Excellence in Music, Sound, & Score and the Excellence in Comedy awards at the Awards Gala.

Stef Sanjati (StefSanjati)

Stef Sanjati is a Toronto based makeup artist, director and advocate. Her film Bad Words premiered at the festival’s LGBTQ+ screening and explored online culture and the negative effects that a single comment can hold.

TIFF Review: Clara – Manic Pixie Dream Girls IN SPACE

By: Ben Cohen

Grade: C

The typical penultimate chapter – right before the reboot – in many franchises and genres is the port over to outer space. It’s a desperate move, taken by someone working on a worn-out, assembly line plot structure. Think Jason X, Dracula 3000, Moonraker, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Angry Birds Space. Clara is to the manic pixie dream girl genre what all those aforementioned creations are to their respective canons: one last piddling set change before the curtain falls for good.   

The titular character is a globe trotting, rock collecting, spiritualist and painter who decides to take up astrophysics, despite not having any post-secondary education whatsoever, believing strongly that being a quick-learning, hard worker is all it takes.

Ostensibly homeless, she responds to a wanted ad for an unpaid research assistant position with Dr. Isaac Bruno, astronomer, divorcé and disgraced professor, by showing up at his home unannounced.

Bruno rebukes her, but she still makes it into his apartment, with reluctant permission, to get her dog a bowl of water. There, the ex-professor tells Clara, once again, that she is unqualified for the job. She responds by picking up a record from his vinyl collection and asking to play it just once before she goes. The duo then discovers their shared love for the work of Bob Dylan, specifically The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, his second studio album, and that somehow gives them enough common ground for Bruno to not only hire Clara as his assistant, but also let her and her dog move in with him.

From then on, Bruno and Clara spend the film having multiple, nearly identical, sophomoric conversations orbiting the spirituality vs science debate. The team prattle on about it in a manner only slightly more sophisticate than two teenagers in a state of blunt-induced philosophical rambling.

“People are scared of the unknown,” said science-man Bruno. “We basically know nothing, so we make things up, these bedtime stories.”

Clara counters deftly by remarking that Sir Isaac Newton was religious. This fact somehow pierces Bruno’s hull of skepticism and ends the scene.    

The film’s second act drags on in this manner, with Clara acing the pixie muse’s standard programming. She teaches her assigned brilliant broken man, Bruno, social and artistic skills and helps him get over the loss of his son, all the while searching for alien life with him through satellite imaging.

“Finding some other life form isn’t going to bring (our dead son) back,” said Bruno’s ex-wife, Rebecca.

“I know, but it’s all I have,” he responds.

Clara then mutilates the astronomer’s grief with a nice screed about how quantum entanglement and recycled atoms mean that his late son will always be with him.

The third act abandons the alien hunting plot until the climax. This forces us to spend time with our two watered-down cliché composite leads butting heads over intelligent design for the umpteenth time.

Clara finally coaxes Bruno into having some sort of cosmological vision with the help of one of her magic rocks. This ends up leading to the discovery of alien life right at the very end of the film, but not before the audience is treated to the line of the night:

“You spend all this time looking at stars, you’re going to miss what’s right in front of you.”

Goodness gracious.

Clara isn’t all awful. The score features exciting orchestral tunes and some classic Dylan yowls. The cinematography is at times breathtaking, specifically the views of the cosmos the audience is treated to during scene transitions. Shots around Toronto and in TTC are a warm reminder of the staunch Canadianity of film’s cast and crew. The ending is surprisingly satisfying, with first contact being made and Clara’s devout spiritualism being ratified. It’s just a shame this pleasing payoff took so long to arrive and was so brief.

Pasta Picks: Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta To Go

By: Vanessa Quon

As fall looms, comfort food is starting to creep back into our lives, which is why Dal Moro’s Fresh Pasta To Go is a great place to help satisfy those carb cravings. Located at 605 Yonge St. in the Church and Wellesley area, Dal Moro’s serves fresh, traditional pasta, conveniently placed in to-go containers (think of Chinese takeout).

The quaint restaurant emits a delicious aroma as soon as you enter the door. It was like being back in my nonna’s house when she made her homemade Roma tomato sauce with meatballs. Nostalgia draws customers through the door before the flavourful fare even reaches their taste buds. To paint an even more charming image, you can spot long strands of spaghetti hanging from lanterns off the ceiling–which are also filled with even more pasta. Who wouldn’t love that?

Venetian chef Gabriele Dal Maro first founded the business in 2012 in Venice with a vision to provide affordably-priced, authentic pasta dishes. The franchise also has a well-loved location in Barcelona, Spain. This Toronto location is its North American debut, bringing real flavours from Italy to across the pond.

So what else makes Dal Moro’s unique from other pasta places?

“We make the pasta fresh in-house every day in front of the customers,” said Celio, the store manager.

The first step at this cozy food joint is to select your pasta: rigatoni, spaghetti, gnocchi, fusilli, fettuccine or linguine. They provide small sample cups of each pasta in front of the cash register to show you what each looks like, so you don’t need to worry too much if you don’t know the difference. Next, you choose your sauce. You could go with one of the bestsellers–pesto or bolognese–or try something a little out of the ordinary, such as their nero di seppia (squid ink) sauce.

Along with the meat and seafood classics, they offer multiple vegan and vegetarian sauce options. Mamma Rosa, alla Norma, al Formaggi and pesto are vegetarian, while Pomodoro and Aglio olio peperoncino are vegan. Celio also noted that the pasta noodles are egg-free and therefore vegan. Other sauces include amatriciana, chicken alfredo and Frutti di Mare, which is a (delicious) seafood sauce.

Some would say certain sauces go well with a specific type of pasta noodle, say, spaghetti bolognese or fettuccine alfredo, but you can always mix it up and try something new. I, myself, tried bolognese with rigatoni, and found it to be better than the classic combo.

After choosing your pasta and sauce, you can add extra toppings like seafood, chicken, bacon, green olives, mushrooms or mozzarella for an extra $1 to $2. Parmesan, chilli flakes and garlic powder are free of charge. Celio said the busiest times of the day are between 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. 8 p.m. While there are a few tables with enough room to fit four people, it would be best to avoid these times to get yourself and your friends a seat.

“This is a good place to go out with friends for a fun experience,” said Rosie Leonard, a customer at Dal Moro’s. However, Leonard doesn’t recommend trying it for a date as she referred to the pesto sauce she said she found on her chin and forehead.

Dal Moro’s also offers soft drinks, beers and wines, along with a homemade tiramisu dessert, making this a great place to chill out and relax with friends at the end of a long day.

Behind the Camera: The Wave of Side-Hustle Models

By: Meara Khanna

With New York Fashion Week in the rear view, models are looking for new ways to self-innovate and define themselves more than ever. The ways in which we’re now delivering fashion are innovating and diversifying. The modelling industry, in particular, is seeing this kind of change. Whether it’s a career choice or a side passion, social media platforms like Instagram are giving models an opportunity to create and showcase their work.

I spoke with two models, doubling as Performance Actors with the Ryerson School of Performance. Hannah Krostewitz and Blessing Adedijo made it clear that the modelling world is becoming one where models are speaking for themselves now more than ever. 

Justin Lee

Instagram: jun.jlee

Q: How did you get your start in modelling?

Adedijo: When I moved to Toronto, I made friends who are photographers and they asked me if I would like to shoot with them. It snowballed from there.

Krostewtiz:  In the latter half of my second year of acting at Ryerson, I needed some money on the side. I didn’t have time for retail or restaurants, so my good friend suggested I do some modelling. I paid attention to calls going out and networked with some people I knew in Toronto who were already a part of that industry. I did a shoot in that friend's apartment and from there, I got a gig in a wedding magazine.

Q: What have/has been your favourite or memorable moment/moments so far, if any?

Adedijo: Meeting talented and creative people. I really enjoy networking and connecting with like minded artists.

Krostewitz: Definitely the gig for the wedding magazine “Wedluxe”. It was fun to play the part of a bride for a day. 

Sara Kardooni

Instagram: Sarakardooni.events / Sarakardooniportrait

Featured featured on WPIC blog

Q: Do you have any set goals for yourself in modelling that you’ve achieved or hope to achieve?

Adedijo: Not really, as modelling is not my passion, but more of a thing I do on the side. I guess if I were to have a concrete goal it would be to keep meeting interesting and talented people, and to work with photographers and makeup artists that have new ideas.

Krostewitz: So far, modelling has been a very casual thing that I pick up whenever the opportunity arises. Hopefully, when I graduate, I can find myself an agent who will help me establish myself more as an actor and model and I can use modelling to become comfortable in front of a camera.

Q: There’s been a lot of attention recently on the need for more equality in workplaces. Do you feel these issues are present in modelling as well? If yes, how so?

Adedijo: Yes. I strongly believe that. I won’t name names, but I had a shoot with a local Toronto photographer that left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn’t shoot with any male photographers for a year after it happened because it made me so uncomfortable. There are many models who feel they have to give those who have more power or influence in the industry anything they want, because these people abuse their power. It’s already a very challenging industry and these experiences are such a norm that models and industry professionals are so desensitized to it sometimes. The #Me-Too movement is a much-needed reminder and call to action.

Krostewitz: Although I’m not fully emerged in the industry, I find that the idea of image is becoming much more inclusive than what it used to be. It’s not great yet. I hope to God one day it will be equal. But the idea of a “role model” is starting to expand beyond the ideal Victoria’s Secret model. The people I have worked with and surrounded myself with just really want to capture life, in all forms. 

Q:  Have you felt accepted in the industry so far?
Adedijo: Yes. I am a minority, so there are limitations I face but nothing I haven’t dealt with before and that won’t stop me. Generally, I feel very accepted. I think I am lucky to live in Toronto, which is statistically the most multicultural city in Canada, so I think that plays a part as well.

Krostewitz:  So far, I have felt very accepted in the industry. Like acting, it’s cutthroat. But I choose to work with people who have worldviews that are open, fair and accepting. I’m sure my opinion may change through experiences with an agent. But for now, I stand on my own as a young woman who wants to tell stories through a lens. 

Ali Saremi
Instagram: _alisaremi

Q: Do you have a style you’ve been gravitating towards lately?

Adedijo: I’m a really firm believer in simple and timeless cuts that can be paired with anything. My style is really about efficiency, effortlessness, and elegance. That means for me, clean lines, quality material, and flattering design. I am not drawn to trends just because they’re popular but rather if they match my vibe.

Q: Any inspirations or people you admire in your line of work?

Krostewitz: Ladies from the past like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn. Margot Robbie. I aspire to take photos that capture a moment, it’s not about my body for me. I think it’s important to stand by what you are supporting and promoting. I just did a shoot for a brand that supports recycling. To me, that’s everything. I’m big into art that will send a message. In saying that, I’m a broke student and money is money but I would never do something that creates controversy, or something I firmly don’t believe in. 

Self-creativity through social media is giving people the opportunity to create their own careers, or in this case, their own side hustle.

TIFF 2018 Review: Firecrackers

By: Andrea Josic

Grade: A-

At surface level, Firecrackers seems to explore everything that young adults in quiet, rural Ontario towns dream about: a way out. Far from a simple, coming-of-age story about two best friends, Firecrackers is a film that explores the challenges young women face while navigating a patriarchal world.

Director Jasmin Mozaffari, a graduate from Ryerson University’s film studies program, takes a look at society’s expectations of women and how these standards are overcome. Developed from the short film of the same name Mozaffari made as a student, her feature film debut Firecrackers overwhelms the audience with authentic characters, intricate plotlines and well-executed cinematography.

The movie opens with the protagonist Lou, TIFF’s Rising Star Michaela Kurimsky, fighting another girl in a parking lot. Immediately introduced as crude, dominant and fiery, Lou embodies all the traits of a woman living outside of traditional definitions of femininity. As the movie progresses and her character faces challenges that test her independence and womanhood, Kurimsky’s acting never falters.

Chantal (Karena Evans) represents society’s current expectations of women. Outside of acting, Evans is a trailblazing filmmaker who has helped produce videos for Drake and Grammy-nominated R&B singer SZA. As Firecrackers reaches its climax, Chantal breaks out of her shell and embodies the same powerful qualities Evans possesses in her own personality.

After she’s assaulted by her ex-boyfriend, Chantal’s desperation to leave town escalates. Brimming with character development, she delivers satisfying growth and decision-making as she embarks on this chaotic journey with her best friend.

Although the pair share the dream of leaving their stuffy, one-dimensional town, Chantal and Lou’s characters serve to juxtapose one another. As different as their behaviours are, their acting feels natural as they attempt to break out of society’s standards together

There are several plotlines woven into the film at once, adding just enough detail to keep the complexities of the film subtle yet impactful. Mozaffari continues to explore the definitions of gender and conformity through Lou’s younger brother Jesse (Callum Thompson), who likes to dress in Lou’s clothing and wear makeup. The lack of support Jesse receives from their mother Leanne (Tamara LeClair) is Mozaffari’s way of providing social commentary on toxic masculinity and the oppression of femininity.

Mozaffari took an interesting approach to the cinematography, but it proves to be worth the bold move. Comprised mainly of shaky, hand-held shots, a filmmaking risk that could have otherwise appeared careless and flawed, only contributed to the movie’s electric, raw atmosphere. The loud, eerie music, with amplified sound effects, added yet another layer of the same dark edge that comes with every other aspect of this movie.

In her feature film debut, Mozaffari delivers an intense female-driven narrative with two leads who are unapologetically rough around the edges. Lou and Chantal’s journeys to pursue their dreams in a male-dominated world is executed with skill and edge. In an age where women are deconstructing systemic sexism and demanding their freedom of expression, Firecrackers has debuted at the perfect time.

Experiments at the Labothéry

By: Shannon Schaefer

Wash your hands, get your lab coat on and prepare to conduct your own flavour experiment at Toronto’s first do-it-yourself bubble tea store - Labothéry. Located on 717 Bay St., Labothéry is a unique bubble tea store that allows customers to craft their own signature drinks.

When customers walk into the store they are greeted by a mural, created by local Toronto artist Angela Chung, that explains the process:

There are six steps in the science of crafting a tea at Labothéry: grab a tray, pick a drink – hot/cold, milk tea, fresh tea, or slush base ($3.25), select a sugar syrup ($1 per vial), choose your dairy option and grab any extra toppings for additional costs.

The sixth step? Enjoy your signature tea.

With 16 syrup flavours (ranging from passion fruit and peach, to lemon and lychee) and 12 powders (including taro, matcha and red bean), it is unlikely that any two customers will design the same tea consecutively.

Credit: Shannon Schaefer

Sticking to their science lab theme, the store has an overall stainless-steel look completed with syrup in syringes, powders in vials, petri dishes, beaker light bulbs and employees in lab coats. Employees, known as lab technicians, are more than willing to walk each customer through the process.

Russell McLean visited the Labothéry for the first-time and said his experience “was easy,” and that “the employees offered advice on which flavours mixed well, which flavours to avoid mixing and what the next step was.” This made the experience stress free -- even for first-time drinkers.

Labothéry is a place you have to experience yourself – conduct an experiment and create your very own bubble tea formula.

Currently, this is Labothéry’s only location. However, it was announced last week that the store will be expanding to a second location in the PATH at Richmond Adelaide-Centre on 120 Adelaide St. West. In the meantime, you can follow them on Instagram.

Credit: Shannon Schaefer

TIFF 2018 Review: Edge of the Knife

By: Isabelle Kirkwood

Grade: A

Edge of the Knife is a 2018 Canadian drama film co-directed by Gwaai Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown. It is the first feature film spoken only in dialects of the Haida language. Set in 19th-century Haida Gwaii, it tells the classic Haida story of the traumatized and stranded man transformed to Gaagiixiid, the wildman.

Gwaii Edenshaw and Helen Haig-Brown’s Edge of the Knife (Haida: SG̲aawaay Ḵ'uuna) forges a new method of storytelling from a long since unheard corner of Canadian cinema. Set in the 19th century Haida Gwaii archipelago in the vividly rugged Pacific Northwest, the film centres around a small 19th century Haida community.

More pointedly, the film follows a narrative that draws parallels from a moral era akin to Crime and Punishment. The death of a local child drives our implicated protagonist, Adiits’ii, into torment and grief, as he absconds his people into the unforgiving wilderness. We follow his descent into madness as he is, in a sense, ‘swallowed whole’ by the wilderness that soon becomes his own hell.

The dramatic coastal landscape sits on what seems like the edge of the Earth. Vast temperate rainforest and rugged, inhospitable shoreline epitomize the brutal and violent forces of nature and guilt that possess the protagonist, transforming him into a feral pariah. 

Adiits'ii’s character begins as incredulously charming, but as he descends into insanity, his character becomes more convincing. After the death of Adiitsi’ii’s young nephew, the film’s pace changes dramatically – the rather measured pacing of the community’s scenes breaths a sense of calm into the film. But the film abruptly kicks into action, as we see our now untamed protagonist tearing through harsh wilderness, covered in his own blood.

The film’s rather lurid imagery was able to effectively shock and disgust. By the time Adiits’ii returns to his community, every inch of his body is etched by dirt and blood trails. Urchin needles are protruding from his lips. The wilderness has turned the initially charming nobleman into a beast.

The acting throughout this film is rather strained, with many communal scenes opening with forced and prolonged laughter. The dialogue, too, is hard to relish – tone is lost in the actors’ ostensibly modest grasp of the challenging Haida language. 

The film is the first to be scripted entirely in Haida. For this reason, it only seems to fair to cut the actors some slack for a seemingly rudimentary grasp of the dialect. Often times, tone is difficult to read, and dialogue is spoken with a trace of vacillation. I wish I could say this didn’t take away from the film, but it did.

 The sound design is overbearing and often hyperbolic – Foley which should be ambient resonates more obnoxiously than it does evocatively. However, the sound design’s true victory is in its use of score. The rich percussive beat is an unfortunate dramatic trope in modern cinema, but works impeccably in Edge of the Knife. The unnerving turtle rattles, the haunting water drum and the rich vocal hums and whirrs seem to conduct Adiits’ii through his decline into a dark and otherworldly possession, and his community into a spell of grief and despair, without taking audience from its setting. Despite some of the paranormal elements of the film, many of its elements allow the story to maintain its realism.

This is an Indigenous film with an Indigenous cast and crew. It masterfully revives tradition and lore that remains culturally and historically relevant to Indigenous peoples in Canada. The fundamental clash between man and nature are omnipresent, themes of the turmoil of grief and one’s delivery from it are central. In this film, we are offered a dark and unnerving chronicle, where Indigeneity is not offered as a prop, trope or sideshow. Indigeneity is the main act.

TIFF 2018 Review: Giant Little Ones

Grade: B-

By Julianna Perkins

Giant Little Ones, a new film from Canadian director Keith Behrman, successfully completed its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. 

Giant Little Ones is the latest from Behrman, who’s previous film Flower & Garnet won the 2002 Canadian Screen Award for Best First Feature. It’s clear the Saskatchewan native intends to keep strong performances coming. 

Right from the start, the film invites us to get lost in a close up of protagonist Franky’s soft and boyish face. We’re drawn in to observe his subtle freckles and cheeky smile – we watch as his hair tousles in the wind. There’s very little doubt about what you’re going to see; this is a coming-of-age movie. 

The next thing to hit you is the music. The entire film is excellently scored and incorporates upbeat, electronic compositions with deep bass into the most unlikely scenes. The sound alone is one of the biggest factors that keep Giant Little Ones from collapsing into melancholic mush.

The movie, filmed in Sault Ste. Marie, centres on Franky (Josh Wiggins), a 17-year-old boy whose family life becomes exceptionally complicated after his father (Kyle MacLachlan) comes out as gay and his parents separate. Franky is resentful and channels his frustration into swimming and by falling deeper into the arms of old friends and new girlfriends.

In true coming-of-age film fashion, on the night of his 17th birthday, Franky has a sexual encounter that immediately jeopardizes every close relationship he has. He’s thrown into the bowels of bullying, social isolation and tough conversations. But going against the stereotypical grain of most other coming-of-age films, Giant Little Ones delves deeper into the nuances of sexuality in the millennial age, toxic masculinity and the idea that sometimes being okay is the best you can hope for.

Wiggins’ performance, and indeed the performances of the entire cast, are truly the legs on which the film stands. Thanks to the depth and sincerity of the actor’s performances, Giant Little Ones avoids becoming a cheeseball teenage pity-fest and instead creates beautiful little moments in even the saddest circumstances. Genuine emotion is allowed to come through because the actors don’t over-act; their subtlety is their greatest strength.

The film would have been stronger, however, if the admirable acting hadn’t been cut down by subpar writing. Much of the dialogue, probably intended to provide comedic relief, ended up instead garnering a collective audience eye-roll. Such gems included the teenage classics “no, I’m totally into you,” “it never would’ve happened if we weren’t wasted” and my personal favourite, “my mom is ruining my life!” 

The messy writing translates further into a messy plot, as the movie somehow feels both fast-paced and slow burning, ultimately lacking focus. You’re never sure if the main theme was Franky’s bullying, Franky coming to terms with his identity, Franky learning he’s not the only person facing tough situations, or a combination of all three.

Throw in a queer-best-friend character that materializes out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly, and an irrelevant, completely comedically-gratuitous scene about three-quarters of the way in and you’re left wanting to take a red pen to the script to preserve its sensitivity.

Writing aside, Behrman’s directorial hand paints the screen in a constant palette of blues, which complement the film’s clean cinematography and soft focus. Our eyes are never bored and intention is translated repeatedly through visual action, sparing unnecessary dialogue. Visually, Giant Little Ones is an underrated success.

Even if the film is a mixed bag in the mechanical sense, Giant Little Ones’ intentions and acting put it a notch above any stereotypical coming-of-age movie. The characters are genuine, the storyline is complex and at its core, there is a complicated takeaway for everyone. You might just see a little bit of yourself in Franky’s matured gaze as the film fades out of one final close-up.

TIFF 2018 Review: First Man

By Luke Elisio           

Damien Chazelle’s First Man is one small step towards Oscar gold, one giant leap for the director’s already impressive resume.

The biopic, starring Canada’s leading man Ryan Gosling, recounts the personal and professional life of astronaut Neil Armstrong leading up to the legendary 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

For those who doubted that the historically-musical Chazelle (director of 2014’s Whiplash and 2016’s almost-best-picture-winner La La Land) would be incapable of delivering a high-stakes thrill ride, rest assured that within the film’s first five minutes, he more than delivers. During those five minutes, Chazelle lifts audiences off the ground with a POV-shot test flight that is as exhilarating as it is realistic. To capture that indescribable sensation of rocketing to outer space is true movie magic. If you’re not watching this film in a theatre seat gazing up at the big screen, you’re not watching it properly.

The well-paced drama is the antithesis of Chazelle’s previous films, trading in themes of artistry and romance for two hours of utterly realistic tension and anguish. Chazelle manages to capture that realism by expertly utilizing the narrative tool of showing rather than telling. Whether it’s the heart-breaking look of mourners as they watch a casket descend into the ground, or a NASA physicist humorously assigning astronauts a simple 600 pages of equations to memorize, Chazelle knows how to punctuate a scene with masterful subtlety.

The star of the film, in every sense, is Gosling as Neil Armstrong. Completely stripped of any glamour or charm, Gosling’s portrayal as an everyday man who is called to exhibit emotional and physical strength of the greatest caliber, is mesmerizing to watch. If anything, see this film simply for Gosling’s gut-wrenchingly realistic portrayal of a man wrestling for control over his life while simultaneously writing his name in the stars as an American hero. Gosling will pull you in with all the force of a black hole.

Get it? Cause’ space.

Sharing the screen with Gosling is Claire Foy as Janet Shearon, Armstrong’s first wife. Foy displays an incredible range as she portrays a woman who celebrates in her husband’s greatest achievements, supports him through tragedy, and berates him when she knows he is wrong. For those familiar with Foy mostly for her role as Queen Elizabeth II on Netflix’s The Crown, she is physically unrecognizable. However, she brings the same unyielding strength and heart to Janet as she does to the Queen. A nomination for Best Supporting Actress is undoubtedly hers. This is easily a game-changing role for Foy and hopefully Chazelle will include her in his troupe of repertory actors.

In an era dominated by movies filled with video-game-level amounts of CGI, it was transcendent to watch a director utilize practical effects and sleight of hand filmmaking to craft a truly breathtaking piece of film. With First Man, Chazelle proves himself to be a director that studios should just unequivocally trust. Give him the money to make whatever kind of film he wants, and audiences will be anything but disappointed.

Artist Profile: Black$tar

Rap artist Black$tar’s music career is branching out of Alberta and into British Columbia, as he becomes more nationally known.

Music followed Black$tar for most of his life, but he discovered his passion for music as a little boy in the in his Church choir. From then to now, 21-year-old Black$tar is making his name known nationally alongside his brother DeSean and his friend The CORE.

Black$tar started pursuing his dreams at the age of 15 with the Solo Music Group, a group designed to encourage and support the solo careers of its members.

Since then, he has released three mixtapes, collaborating with around 20 different artists and has performed across Calgary. Now, he is making a name for himself in BC, and continues to grind in Calgary with a upcoming performance set for July 3rd.

Check out CanCulture’s exclusive interview with the Calgary based artist Black$tar.

How did your passion for music come about?

“I’ve been writing songs since I was a little kid. I started to listen to rock music really heavily before I got into rap. I use to listen to the Foo Fighters and really old bands.”

“Growing up listening to rock pushed me to like music. And then I heard rap music. The first guy that introduced me to rap music was T.I, so T.I had all the fancy cars, he had the girls and I was just a kid and I was like, “oh snap I thought that rock was cool but this guy has everything.” He was the one that pushed me to become a rapper. Then what really got me into the music industry was just family and friends [who] had connections to studios.”

“[The music industry] is just destiny for me to be honest. It’s just been around my entire life.”

How would you describe your music style?

“I like mixing melodies and rap into one song. I’ll sing a chorus, rap my verse, and then leading up to the chorus I’d sing again. That’s just how I go about any type of song.”

In November you dropped your mixtape called The Butterfly Effect, what’s the story behind the title?

“The reason why I titled my last mixtape The Butterfly Effect was because it’s a really hype mixtape, but there are certain sad songs that are place in to tell the story. The Butterfly Effect is like the beginning of a really good relationship [when] you get butterflies, but then, as it goes down and everything crumbles, you kind of lose those feelings and you lose the effect.”

What is the main message you want people to get from your mixtape?

“I go through the same problems as normal people. I have relationships that don't work out, the same as other people. I have times where I’m not feeling 100 [per cent]. If you look at my Facebook, Instagram and on all my social medias, people are just assuming that I’m always happy, but I get the same type of drama anybody else goes through. So that’s kind of what I wanted to put inside that mixtape.”

I’ve noticed you have many features on your mixtape, is collaborating an important part of your creative process?

“The reason why I have a lot of collaboration is, because I’m trying to build the Calgary scene more, so I’ll go out of my way to look for an artist that doesn’t know where he is going musically [and] put him on a song. [I’ll] tell him to write it, even. Get him out of the little box he is in and just develop him to try out different beats or try out different flows. So I can put different types of artists all around Calgary on my mixtapes. I’m trying to build a scene just like I’m trying to build myself in Calgary.”

Photo by: Vparenas

You’ve performed at the SoundOff Summit in Calgary and you’ve announced that you’re going to be performing at Marquee Beer & Stage. How does it feel to be getting all this attention from your community?

“It feels really good actually. I’m not used to getting all these shows. I’m usually the one that has to go out of my way to get shows, but now people are coming to me, so I know that that is a good feeling.”

On Instagram you expressed that the SoundOff Summit was like “a movie”. Could you describe what that feeling was like a little bit more and why it was an important moment for you?

“The SoundOff Summit was important to me because at the event there were these delegates that came from other countries that watched you perform, so people came from Germany, Toronto [and] the States. [Record labels, music agencies and booking managers] came to watch these performances.I guess the people from Germany and Toronto really liked my music, I got their contacts and I sent them my demo.”

Wow, congratulations!  Was it nerve racking to perform?

“Performing is the best feeling ever. Something about being on a stage and performing your own music and hearing the reaction is the best feeling. Because, when you get a good reaction you just like, ‘okay you’re doing something good.’”

Sometimes I find that the music industry can be discouraging, so what inspires you to keep going?

“I wanted to stop a lot of times, I can’t lie. The reason why I can’t is because there are so many people who are riding on this, that I can’t just stop. And I’ve put so much time and money into it that I just don't want it to go to waste. I can't just stop. And I just have faith in my abilities, I have faith in God and I have faith in my friends. It gets hard but you just gotta keep going. Another reason is, because people from my high school, my old friends are always saying that they wish they’re chasing their dreams. Because they were chasing their dreams but then they all went back to school now they just have normal jobs. Now, they’re all saying, ‘I wish I was you.’ So hearing them say that --- I don’t want to be like them. So I just keep pushing.”

Speaking of your high school friends who choose post-secondary over their dreams, how do you deal with that battle of school versus dreams?

“I’ve went back to school and I finished that year, but I have to go back for another year - I’m still debating, until this day, if I should go back or not. Because it just that I don't want to go back and school is in the way and I can’t go out. Because I have like crazy shows coming up this summer but like I’m still just debating. But hopefully something happens. Just keep praying.”

Do you have any advice for anyone who is trying to pursue their dreams?

“I would say, that if you’re really passionate about what you are doing then you wouldn’t stop. If you’re really passionate, you don’t have another option. You’ve got to keep getting back up, dust the dirt off your feet and keep pushing. Even when you make it, it’s still going to be worth wild.”

Black$tar has recently featured on a mixtape called Who’s Hungry Vol 1 in collaboration with Billy Bu$hop, Mino Ceaz, Jackie Art, Jardz F Star, Nate NvN, Deeper, Phatz, Chinx phase, JTXL, Banknotes, Noah J and Choppa. You can follow his music on SoundCloud or Spotify. For more updates about Black$tar and the Solo Music Group you can follow them on Instagram @TurrellBlack and @_solomg_ .

The Walls That Tell Stories

By Madison Wong

De Araujo’s Queen Street West Mural Project tells the history behind Queen Street West. His mural consists of real musicians, magicians, artists and more who have performed and roamed the street. (Photo courtesy of christiano_artist via Instagram)

Mural art illuminates buildings, alleys, and public spaces in Toronto. They are unique in their ability to engage communities by storytelling, portraying messages and honouring remarkable people through vibrant paintings.

Mural artist Christiano De Araujo and his company have completed several eye-catching murals around the city. His most recent one tells the history and culture of Queen Street West. It consists of real artists, musicians, buskers, and others who have performed on the street.

“I love being able to express myself and who I am,” De Araujo said. “I go about my day in a constant high because I’m doing what I love.”

De Araujo said the great part about mural artists having their work displayed in public is the attention they receive from bystanders. Those who take and post pictures, ask questions and compliment their work also promote it.

Adrian Hayles’ Reggae Lane Mural at Eglinton and Oakwood.. (via Adrian Hayles)

Adrian Hayles, mural artist and painter, said he enjoys the community engagement process where he gets to have open discussions with clients about what they want him to paint.

He says that it gives him insight for coming up with sketches, colour concepts and feedback from the community. “Those discussions force me out of my box and allow for extraordinary creative possibilities,” Hayles said.

Standing twenty feet tall and one-hundred feet wide, Reggae Lane is a mural at Eglinton and Oakwood avenues that Hayles takes immense pride in. It features Canadian Reggae legends from that community.

Hayles emphasizes his love for the production process and how close it was to the heart of the community. “The fact that we get to help shape communities by telling their stories and creating pieces that hopefully outlast us is very special,” said Hayles.

Like Hayles and De Araujo, artist Nick Sweetman has also completed projects that engage the community. He has partnered with StreetART Toronto, youth groups and other painters to create vibrant paintings and community engaging mural projects.

For one particular work, he created a monumental-sized mural with STEPS Initiative, titled “In Our Hands.” Working with a group of emerging high-school artists, they were able to complete a series of four pieces on the outside of Valley Park Middle School in Don Mills.

“It was a really rewarding experience working with girls who had never done a ton of art, let alone paint a huge mural … we really bonded,” Sweetman said.

Sweetman is also proud of a wall that was dedicated to a friend who passed away in September 2017. The project was originally started by himself and another artist, but it soon evolved into a bigger community project, bringing more people involved.

“We took up an entrance of graffiti alley (in downtown Toronto) and made the mural super tall so he’s looking down,” said Sweetman.

“Mike Kennedy: Remembered in Paint” at Portland and Queen streets. Completed by Sweetman in collaboration with Wales, Tensoe2, Braes, Sight, Getso, Poser, CTR. (Photo by: Patrick Cummins)

In the early stages of his career, Sweetman was proactive in chasing jobs. Now, after gaining recognition and partnerships from past clients, he has the jobs coming to him.

Sweetman says he has always kept three main principles in his mind; First to be a nice person, second, to deliver on his word and third to work extremely hard on every project.

“Potentially everything you make is the first and possibly only thing that someone will see, so you might as well make it kickass,” Sweetman said.

This piece was edited by Jacklyn Gilmor

‘Black thighs save lives’: Dainty Smith at the Highbrow Burlesque

By Isabelle Kirkwood

It’s getting late in The Danforth. The east-enders are dragging their feet as they saunter back from the office in a mid-February flurry. The streets begin to clear out as the night grows colder, but at the Social Capital Theatre, Dainty Smith is only just warming up.

The green room is at peak chaos. The room is teeming with flying feathers and the musky odour of perfume as dancers fix on their bedazzled pasties and coat on the last strokes of lipstick in a frenzy. Smith is priming herself for Highbrow Burlesque, a monthly spectacle where erotic entertainment meets vaudeville cabaret.

“I've been doing this for over ten years and I've never gotten over being nervous,” Smith said. “I think that's probably a good thing.”

In 2011, Smith assembled a “wolf pack” dance troupe known as Les Femmes Fatales, a dance collective of women of colour espousing female and black empowerment through the art of burlesque. Tonight, she’s dancing solo, but her activism still fuels every performance.

“I’m interested in the ways in which I can reclaim my body and find self-love as a black woman on a platform,” Smith said. “We tell stories onstage, loving and owning our bodies. Being able to do that is a defiant act.”

After a year in George Brown’s theatre program and discovering black burlesque icon Josephine Baker, Smith decided to teach herself to dance for burlesque. Those days were lonely but liberating, and overtime, she began to trust her body and her instincts as she learned about herself, her style and the power of the female gaze. All this translates into what she does today.


Her outfit of choice is her black velvet tap shorts that sit high on her waist over sheer pantyhose, paired with a black brassiere and trademark pasties.

“I probably wear too much black on stage,” she said. “It's sort of a 40’s or 50’s retro aesthetic.”

The theatre isn’t as kitschy as a typical burlesque show. There is no crimson curtain or intricate set design. The stage itself is quite small. The visual vacancy onstage acts as a canvas for the performers to make their own statement. For this Highbrow event, Smith splits her time between dancing and hosting the show. For Smith, her role as emcee pivots upon the perfect medium of entertainment and education.

“I encourage folks to respect the performers, respect the art, respect women,” she said. “But I think that it's really important that the audience is not passive in entertainment and in art.”

Smith grew up as a preacher’s daughter in a Hebrew-Pentecostal Church in a majority-white suburban neighbourhood. She now describes herself as “the church girl gone bad.” Her religious upbringing both shaped her approach to emceeing and developed her focus on the “sacredness and holiness” of marginalized women’s bodies. She said burlesque is now a form of church for her.

“Can I get an amen?” she shouts, beckoning the microphone to the audience before they bellow a powerful “amen!” back.

The audience includes couples looking to experience a unique but timeless form of entertainment. To lighten the atmosphere, Smith cracks a few quips about intersectional feminism. She said this allows the guests to feel included and respected through storytelling and humour.

Intersectional feminism  is a framework of analysis which attempts to identify how interlocking systems of power impact those who are most marginalized in society. The term was first coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in the late 1980’s. Crenshaw discussed Black feminism, which argues that the lived experience of a black woman cannot be understood in terms of being black and of being a woman considered independently, but must include the interactions, which frequently reinforce each other.

After a series of lively performances, it’s show time for Smith. Tonight’s routine is set to the tune of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, a classic jazz number. While some of the performers’ flairs are more high-flown or humorous, the spirit of Smith’s performance appeals to raw emotion, while her sensual choreography casts a steamy spell over the audience. Her movements are performed in sultry and soulful arrangements under the ghost light of the stage, that build up to the climactic pasty-reveal. That build-up, Smith said, is what she loves most about the performance.

“It's one of the few moments that a woman is really in charge and in control of her body,” Smith said. “There’s something really powerful about a woman on stage, taking as long as she wants before she shows something.”

The audience response ranges from beguilement to elation. The date-night couples are wide-eyed, almost paralyzed under her gaze, while the more seasoned burlesque spectators hoot and holler when she sinks down to her knees or raises her arms above her head in fluid, spiraling motions.

By the time the curtains are closed, Smith is exhausted. Using her body and voice to intrigue and inform is a taxing but worthwhile enterprise for her, so she takes time to chat with the guests and her fellow dancers after the show ends. Many of the audience members, particularly those who came for a casual date night, are more seduced by the message than the striptease.

Smith’s energy and commitment to burlesque feeds off the sisterhood that develops from women supporting each other, whether it’s fixing someone’s broken heel in the green room or offering survival tips to women, particularly of marginalized communities. Making connections with people she assumed she had nothing in common with has been a capstone for her career.

She shuffles into a large swing coat and wraps her head in a colourful bonnet, her ankles are left rather exposed to the elements. She has a shopping bag overflowing with costumes and makeup. As she leaves the theatre and moves into the unrelenting flurry, she too is now dragging her feet. Her night was long but valuable.

“What really makes the showgirl is the glitter and glamour, but also the bandages and self-actualization,” Smith said. “It's pretty beautiful.”

This piece was edited by Jacklyn Gilmor

Tarte foundation line under fire for its limiting shade range

By Rosemary Akpan

Tarte Cosmetics’ highly-anticipated Shape Tape Foundation came as a shock to many beauty lovers once they discovered the line lacked shade diversity. Out of the 15 shades released, only three from the line were suitable for darker complexions.

The line included two separate types of foundations; one for oily skin and another for dry. However, many could not overlook the line’s uniform set of pigments that looked past consumers of colour.

“Initially, I was surprised because I feel like other high-end makeup brands would have looked at a company like Fenty Beauty, being inclusive within their first launch, and would attempt to emulate that,” says media studies student, Janiece Campbell.

Tarte was founded in 2000 by Maureen Kelly. Their Shape Tape concealers were a huge success in the beauty world. It was for this reason that many makeup enthusiasts were disappointed by the new Shape Tape foundation line.

I was so excited when I heard tarte were releasing shape tape foundation then I saw the shade range, GURLLL, NO pic.twitter.com/AtiDTLDGjz

— MAKEUP ✨ (@BeautyPostss) January 13, 2018

“For an already established company like Tarte to release what they did, I thought that wasn’t acceptable at all,” said Campbell.

This isn’t the first time a beauty brand has faced a major backlash from the beauty community. In 2015, Marc Jacobs’ Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation caused an uproar on social media when it was revealed that 19 of his 22 shades were for those with fairer skin. Too Faced also experienced a similar backlash in 2015 with their Born This Way Foundation. Initially releasing a limited amount of shades catering to lighter complexions, the brand is now working on expanding their range with the help of beauty guru and YouTuber Jackie Aina.

Photo: Nakosi Hunter

University of Toronto student Yashi Ballal finds the new Tarte line to be “isolating” as a woman of colour with an Indian background.

“A lot of times, brown people get attacked for complaining that there aren’t enough shades,” said Ballal. “But a lot of Indians, especially from the south are pretty dark in complexion and have a lot of hyperpigmentation.” She explained how limited foundation shades add to the already present colourism darker people face in her community.

“We see three or four brownish shades and we just tend to gravitate towards the lighter one,” Ballal said. “I think it just feeds into the already convoluted concept in India where lighter skin is [considered] better.”

Colourism is defined as prejudice or discrimination against individuals with darker skin tones, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. South Asians aren’t the only people who face colourism in their community. According to Time, colourism is a societal ill felt around the world, including in Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean and Africa.

In the wake of the controversy, Tarte released an apology via Instagram which stated, “it may be too little too late, but we can assure you this was not meant in any kind of malicious way.” Tarte’s apology stated that the brand didn’t spend enough time working on the foundation, as they “wanted to get the product out as soon as possible.” They stressed that they “will do better” next time.

Although the apology seemed sincere, freelance makeup artist Chizoba Oriuwa questioned the likelihood of Tarte making a successful comeback.

“Even if they do bring in the darker shades, it will still feel like an afterthought, and nobody wants to feel like an afterthought,” said Oriuwa.

Moving forward, Oriuwa suggests brands everywhere consider what it means to be diverse in today’s world before releasing a product.

“Make the launch inclusive and make a variety of undertones like you do for people who are not of colour,” said Oriuwa.

Tarte stated they will be releasing 10 more shades in the coming weeks.

This piece was edited by Aya Baradie.

Imagining a post-digital world at Mass Exodus 2018

By: Regina Dickson

“May we ask you to put away your mobile devices for just twenty minutes and allow the lenses of your eyes to appreciate the work, not the lenses of your mobile device,” said Robert Ott, Chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion, as he opened the 30th annual Mass Exodus fashion show.

This year’s collections were nothing short of unique, featuring space terrain, a vacuum cleaner impersonation, bridal gowns, accessible clothing and more. This year’s event was also a call to unplug from digital technology, and to imagine a post-digital world, at least for the duration of the show.

Ott explained the digi-free take on this year’s show, “We gave students a directive to look forward and imagine a future, a world that is not defined by digi-technology. A world that we call post-digital. And it’s a world that re-engages us with the physicality of things, the beauty of objects and the meaning of being present.”

Mass Exodus is organized by third-year fashion communication students at Ryerson University. It showcases the works of fourth-year fashion design students, introducing them to the industry and the public.

‘Jupeio’ by Karin Meister

One of the most unique collections displayed last friday was ‘Jupeio’ by Karin Meister. It was a kids’ collection inspired by space terrain. “I thought, if we were to travel to a different planet, or do space excavation, what would a kid wear?” said Meister in an interview with CanCulture.

Photo credits: Regina Dickson

She aimed this collection to young girls, since she noticed that space and science themed clothing on the current market is mostly found in the boys’ section. However, Meister also wanted this collection to follow the current trend of unisex wear. “While my collection is for young girls, I wanted to also create pieces that boys could wear if they wanted,” she said

Her collection is also all about fun and comfort, which explains the bright colours that give the designs a futuristic feel. She said, “I wanted to create something that they could move around in, have fun in, and it’s sort of like a more realistic dress-up to match their interests.”

‘Personify’ by Beverly Tse

Another collection in this year’s repertoire was ‘Personify’ by Beverly Tse. Through the collection Tse wanted to play with the juxtaposing relationship between the artificial and the natural. “I looked at objects such as suction cups, vacuum cleaners and I kind of realized that, for some reason, I could see a part of myself in them, in a way. I looked at a vacuum bag and how when you take the air out of it, it’s kind of like a human breathing,” she explained.

Her designs bring inanimate objects such as a vacuum cleaner to life.

Photo credit: Regina Dickson

Instead of focusing on online research, like some other designers, Tse looked at things around her for inspiration. Her approach fits well into the digi-free theme of this year’s Mass Exodus.

Her inspiration also came from wishing to experiment with unusual things she’s never used before. That’s when she ordered suction cups and after cutting them in different shapes began picturing her ‘futuristic garden’ dress.

“When I was making these things (suction cup shapes) I realized that I was, in a sense, personifying these materials and making inanimate objects have human characteristics or innate qualities of humans and nature,” she said. That’s how the name of her collection ‘Personify’ was born.

“I Do’ in Urban Streetwear’ by Melissa Nugara

A third collection on display at Friday’s show was “I Do’ in Urban Streetwear’ by Melissa Nugara. This collection consists of pieces that a contemporary bride might wear, such as a pant suit. Despite the modernity of the collection, Nugara stuck with the traditional white colour for all of her designs.

Photo by Regina Dickson

The profile of Nugara’s collection on the Mass Exodus website reads, “The goal of this collection is to steer away from the bridal ideal and traditions by using innovative ways of designing and constructing bridal gowns.”

 ‘Un-form’ by Sonia Prancho

 Lastly, the collection receiving most applause from the audience was ‘Un-form’ by Sonia Prancho. It was designed for young women with functional limitations or physical disabilities, which require an easier way of dressing. “I am pulling away from trying to adapt clothing and instead designing for their bodies and needs,” said Prancho on the Mass Exodus website.

Photos by Regina Dickson

Her collection includes elements such as velcro, magnet zippers and full side opening pants, all geared to ease the dressing process. In addition to being an accessible clothing collection, it was modelled by young women with physical limitations or disabilities. Ott’s challenge to unplug from digital technology was well received by the audience. Hardly any screens were lit up as the viewers sat in awe of the designs.

Hip Hip Halal! Three halal burger joints taking Toronto by storm

By: Sukaina Jamil

The Burgernator

Photo courtesy of The Burgernator

Perhaps the most well-known halal burger joint in Toronto, The Burgernator is located in Kensington Market on Augusta Avenue. Although the restaurant opened back in 2013, they recently revamped their menu in early March of this year. They introduced newer, bolder flavour combinations that emphasize their identity as a one-of-a-kind stop for adventurous halal burgers.

The Burgernator has broken down its menu into four different sections: B.M.D. Burgers of Mass Destruction, Classic Arsenal, Vegetarian and Sides. The Classic Arsenal section consists of four burgers with seemingly military style names such as the Sergeant Burger, which consists of a beef patty, burgernator sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickles, falling just under $6.

Although these options are easier on your wallet, it’s not a true Burgernator party until you take a visit to the B.M.D. section of the menu. Selections range from The Bazooka Junior: beef patty, fried egg, sautéed hot peppers, cheese and spicy chipotle aioli, to the Drop Down and Give Me Spicy: double beef patty, chipotle barbecue sauce, cheese, onion rings and sautéed jalapeños. However, if you’re like me and are scared of the lasting effects of red meat (hello pimples, yes I’m talking to you), then never fear, The Resistance is here! A burger stuffed with grilled cajun chicken, cheese, hot pepper salsa and chipotle aioli all ready to hop into my tummy.

Photo courtesy of Dine Halal

The Burgernator caters to vegetarian diets as well, which is hard to believe after reading the contents of their self-named burger - I’m talking three beef patties with caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms tucked in between two grilled cheese sandwiches. If these contents initiate your gag reflexes, for either diet or health reasons, take a trip to the Battlefields, a burger with a crusted portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese and fresh herbs, topped with veggies, roasted garlic and rosemary aioli.

Cool down with some chocolate or salted caramel milkshakes, or take your meal to the next step by ordering Burgernator Fries: a bed of fries topped with beef chilli, cheese, chives and sour cream. Whatever you choose, it’s obvious that this restaurant isn’t joking in their mission statement when they say “The burger is our weapon. Toronto, our battlefield.”

Jackson’s Burger

Photo courtesy of Jackson Burger

Located just steps away from Ryerson University, Jackson’s Burger has been serving Torontonians with their unique menu of halal burgers since January 2014. This burger joint is perhaps the least well known of all the restaurants on this list, however what they may lack in popularity, they make up for in taste and quality. Their beef is hormone and antibiotic free, with the patties made fresh at the time of order. The quality is evident in the flavour, when you bite into a burger you can clearly tell has no old or previously frozen ingredients.

The menu at Jackson’s Burger differs from that of other restaurants, as they have an “Internationals” section, consisting of burgers that highlight special ingredients from different countries around the world. The “Effin’ Jerk” burger consists of jerk chicken covered in jerk mayo, with a pineapple salsa garnish. “Canada Eh!” is a classic Canadian burger stuffed with grass-fed beef, bacon, egg and fried cheese. The seemingly weirdest burger on the menu? “Damn Skippy” has a beef patty that’s garnished with peanut butter and strawberry jam.

For those looking for more traditional burgers, the restaurant does have a classics menu that lists anything from a regular cheeseburger to a fish and chips burger, crispy chicken or a vegetarian patty. These can be topped with your choice of free sauces and toppings, or, if you’re willing to pay a little extra, a range of premium toppings including caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms is available for you. These are all conveniently laid out on a screen at the cash register for customers to browse through as they order.

My favourite thing about Jackson’s Burger? Their loaded fries. The “Effin’ Poutine” comes with fries, jerk chicken, cheese, gravy and jerk mayo. It might sound like a weird combination, but after one bite my mind seemed to leave my body and I scarfed the rest down before I could even tell what was happening. Suffice to say, it was not my best day (even though it felt like it was). This section of the menu also offers the “Shroom Daddy,” which is just regular poutine topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions, along with Chipotle and Sriracha Poutines.

And, like any good burger joint, they offer delicious cold milkshakes to cool you down in order to maybe forget the hot, greasy food you just stuffed down your gullet.

Ozzy’s Burgers

The youngest burger place on this list is quickly rising up through the ranks of Toronto’s burger game as its handmade patties and sauces win the hearts of almost anyone who walks in the door. Ozzy’s Burgers is owned by Ozgur Sekar, who formerly worked at another halal burger joint in Kensington Market, Top Gun Steaks and Burgers. Sekar opened Ozzy’s and made it his mission to develop a menu filled with unique burgers with risky flavour combinations, each dripping with cheeses and sauces that make your mouth water just by looking at them.

Although the restaurant does not have a website yet, their marketing is mainly done through their social media platforms that showcase how they make their burger patties fresh in-house everyday. The beef is ground daily and formed into 6 ounce patties as needed. Their menu consists of both built-up burgers and large steak sandwiches, such as the Son of a Bun, a beef patty topped with chicken strips, caramelized onions, jalapeno, cheese and garlic and chipotle sauces. The Ozzy-licious Sandwich bursts apart at its seams, stuffed with Canadian ribeye steak slices, onions, mushrooms, hot peppers, cheeses and of course, is then drowned with sauce.

Perhaps the best thing about Ozzy’s, aside from how each of their burgers seemingly fall apart due to how loaded they are, is that they employ members of both the refugee and LGBTQ+ communities.

This piece was edited by Julia Nowicki

'Made for Lounging, Styled for Life' - Take a look inside Soft Focus

Video and photos courtesy of Aya Baradie

Special thanks to Heather Taylor-Singh

Beer 101: The Devil’s in the Details

By Mark McKelvie

The dark orange gold look of the pilsner fills most of the pint when it’s served on tap, finished off by a fluffy white head. First, a clean scent of malt, then it hits the taste buds, a soft but noticeable bitterness accompanies the cold relief the beer brings.

The average beer drinker may not make any of these observations when they drink, but for cicerones, beer aficionados trained in the storage, serving and tasting of beer, the devil is in the details.

“Everything from the storage of the beer to how the beer is served impacts how good the beer will be,” said Gavin Harper, master beer cicerone. “Any part of the process that is done wrong can mess up the beer as a whole.”

A master beer cicerone is the highest level a beer expert can reach. It takes at least six to eight years and thousands of dollars to obtain the certification, and according to the Cicerone Certification Program, there are only 16 people in the world who have.

“I always say finding the best beer really is a matter of personal preference,” he said. “There is no specific ‘best beer’, it all depends on how you’re feeling that day and what you’re eating the beer with.”

In Toronto, dozens of craft beer breweries have popped up since the 2000s, looking for economic prosperity in return for tantalizing the taste buds of beer fans. There are over 30 of them, like Halo, which brew honey beer.

Steamwhistle’s brewery is located in downtown Toronto, right next to the CN Tower. They brew their beer in a converted roundhouse, their brewing equipment built into the old façade of the building. To keep their brew as pure as possible, they only use four ingredients: water, yeast, barley and hops. The shelf life of their beer is only about four months, but they say the lack of longevity is made up for by its unique taste.

“We’re really proud of the fact that we only use four ingredients in our brew,” said Steamwhistle Brewery retail store co-ordinator Shane Dovey. “No matter how big we get, we’re still going to consider ourselves as a company that’s geared to what Canadians want to drink.”

But with companies boasting their non-artificial brewing recipes and locally sourced ingredients, the question remains of whether or not this approach is economically viable. The number of breweries in Ontario increased by 20 per cent in 2016, but companies like Molson and Labatt dominate the domestic beer market, leaving little room for new brewery start-ups. Beer consumption in Ontario has been decreasing since 2012.

“The marketing for a craft brewery is very broad. Everything from the name of the brewery to the design of the bottle matters,” said David Hardisty, consumer trend and marketing expert from the University of British Columbia. “People like going down to the local independent brewer in their neighbourhood and these independent brewers can succeed on a smaller scale, but like any small business, there’s a very high chance that they will fail within the first five years.”

Billy Woolford is a second-year politics student at Ryerson University who enjoys heading to Lou Dawg’s on the corner of Gerrard and Church streets to have drinks after class. His drink of choice is usually a bottle of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, a fresh and fruity white beer, brewed in France.

“I like it because it tastes fruity and sweet, a beer that doesn’t taste like beer,” Woolford says. “I know is that it’s cheaper than some higher end beers and it tastes good to me.”

Kronenbourg is owned by the massive beer conglomerate Carlsburg, which employs over 41,000 people around the world. Some beer critics have found fault with shoddy labour practices and the lack of attention to detail that a microbrewery would give to their brew.

Although it is cheap, some beer connoisseurs will only stick to local brews.  

“Within the beer culture, sometimes there’s a negative connotation with mass produced beer and large beer companies,” Harper said. “Regardless of the price or the type of beer, the evaluation techniques are always going to be the same, and I always tell people to find something they enjoy over something more expensive.”

Making art and beauty accessible at CNIB

By: Jacklyn Gilmor

“I bought a bottle of cranberry juice and four bottles of orange juice. I want to get some drink recipes in advance, so I can get them in braille and large print for the guests to take home,” Keya Osborne says while on the phone with a volunteer. “You’re an angel,” she says, an easy smile curving her lips.

It’s February 8th, and Osborne is planning a Valentine’s Day party for young people with sight loss. She’s trying to coordinate her volunteers for the event and get people to R.S.V.P. The party will have a DJ who is partially sighted, a beatboxer, cupcake decorating, and a speed dating station called “The Friend Zone,” which is meant to encourage socialization.

Osborne works for CNIB, near the corner of Yonge and St. Clair streets. She’s the program lead for Youth Empowerment. Sometimes, she works 50 hours a week, dividing her time between the community hub, running events, and giving presentations on CNIB.

Often, she sings to herself, humming as she scrolls through her phone.

She holds her iPhone about two inches from her face so she can see the screen, and asks Apple’s virtual assistant Siri to write an email for her: “Hope the call with the rest of the program leads was helpful for you, period. Would you be able to resend the info on the program we talked about, question mark. New line, new line. Thanks.”

All of the program leads at the hub have sight loss, to some degree; it’s a hiring requirement that helps them plan programs better tailored to participants with vision impairment.

The GTA hub is narrow, with two floors and white walls, but the artwork brings it to life. Vibrant paintings of Toronto’s cityscape line the window sill, made by participants in Osborne’s Fun With Art program. A bristol board with the braille alphabet leans against a small bookshelf. People line the desks, using computers. One man is learning to use Siri to send messages on his phone, like Osborne.

Osborne needs to find a quiet space for a conference call she scheduled for 3 p.m.  She climbs the winding staircase, which is lined with raised strips for safety. She’s speaking with another program lead from British Columbia who wants to start a makeup program, similar to the one Osborne runs. Osborne runs a weekly program for CNIB called Fashion Forward, which teaches fashion and beauty skills to young people with sight loss.

“Why can’t you be a makeup artist?” she asks during the call. “You can make it accessible: use dots for each colour on the palette, for example. Then to apply it, use your cheek and chin as an anchor.” With the help of a Sephora employee, Osborne has been showing the teens how to apply their makeup. She also recruited a fashion student from George Brown College to do sessions on building a capsule wardrobe, or finding colours that suit their complexion.

“I might condense it to twice a month,” she tells her colleague on the phone, “because people have so many commitments.”

Osborne has a degree in Fashion Management. She spent three years in the industry before coming to CNIB, where she’s been for just over a year. In that time, she was nominated for an Employee of the Year award. Osborne shines, literally. Her hair is a mix of black and bright pink braids. Her flats are covered in gold decals, and her iPhone is decorated with rhinestones, which match her cane. Hers is covered in pearls and gems. She’s been using it since 2009 to help her see, since she only has partial sight in her right eye, and no light perception in her left.

It’s 3:30 p.m., and Osborne decides it’s lunch time. She came in at 11 a.m. today, though she was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Late meals are common for her, since she spends so much time on conference calls and in meetings, in order to plan events. At times all the planning and brainstorming can be tiring. However, her colleagues are there to help. Osborne says her co-workers are the best part of her job.

“Oh my gosh, I work with amazing people,” she says. “All of us really work well together. It’s a really collaborative, creative and high energy group.”

Karin McArthur, the communications coordinator, has recruited her siblings to help at the Valentine’s Party, and Karen Brophey, who is the program lead for literacy, will be assisting as well .

“Keya, come see this! Candy-stuffed sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day.” Brophey, a sharp-eyed woman with a grey mohawk, snickers at her computer. “They say ‘let’s smash’ on them!” Brophey says they would be perfect treats for the party. Osborne watches the video, laughing, and adds them to her list. She emphasizes that friendship is the point of the party.

“They won’t be hooking up on my watch!”

She scribbles down her notes  in large letters, with a felt pen and a worn, spiral-bound notebook. Three people just emailed to let her know that they can come to the party. She’s been phoning participants all week, and the list of confirmed participants is at 14 so far. She wants more people to come, so she’ll have to make more phone calls later tonight.

“You need to hear this.” A man with black hair and a wide grin makes his way to the table and sits near Osborne. Kevin Shaw is the program manager for entrepreneurship who started last month. He connects his laptop to a nearby speaker and plays some soca music, having been a DJ for one of Osborne’s previous events. She bobs her head to the beat as she writes down her list of confirmed participants. Shaw blasts the song Handclap, and gets everyone in the room to clap along with it.

Osborne grins, though Shaw can’t see it.

“We’re keeping you here every Thursday, okay? I’m smiling right now, Kevin,” she tells him.

22 Blockbusters You Never Knew Were Filmed in Canada

By Brent Smyth

While Canada may not have its own version of Hollywood, many blockbusters choose their northern neighbours to film key scenes and even entire movies! Whether to save money or the incredible scenery, here are the top 22 films to have been shot in Canada, and just wait for 16 and 21.

#1- Titanic (1997)

During the true sinking of the Titanic in 1912, Halifax was the closest port to the catastrophe, and the first to receive the distress signal. The ocean scenes in the film, which was in 1997 the most successful of all time- were shot near where the 1912 event occurred. In Halifax today over 100 victims of the sinking are buried near the port.

#2- Twilight (2008)

Forks High School in the Twilight films in real life is the David Fraser Secondary School in Vancouver. Throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver play host to the setting in three of the four movies in the series.

(The Hollywood Reporter)

#3- Good Will Hunting (1997)

Shot in only five months, this movie was created in Boston and Toronto, and all the movie’s famous classroom scenes were filmed at the University of Toronto and Central Technical School, not Harvard and MIT.

#4- Interstellar (2014)

While a solid ¾ of the film is in space, the initial farm scenes and opening locations are all found in Alberta. Including Calgary, Canmore, Okotoks, Fort Macleod and outlying areas.

(MTV UK)

#5- Mean Girls (2004)

Set in Illinois, a majority of the movie was shot in Toronto at Malvern Collegiate Institute and Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, and the famous Jungle mall scene was shot in Etobicoke, in Sherway Gardens.

#6- Inception (2010)

Truly a movie of international locations, inception takes place in England, Morocco and France. However the Fortress Mountain Ski Resort in the Canadian Rockies at Kananaskis, just outside of Calgary served as the snowy mountain fortress sequence, the deepest dream level.

(Rolling Stone)

#7- Billy Madison (1995)

Sandler’s character in the film progresses through all the grades of school, and the movie itself progresses through quite a few locations in Toronto, including Northern Secondary School, John Ross Robertson Junior Public School, the Parkwood Estate in Oshawa and several other locations around Toronto, Oshawa and Stouffville.

#8- Blades of Glory (2007)

Putting the city’s Olympic history to use, the film used the Montreal Olympic Stadium for the outdoor skating scenes, and the movie’s signature chase scene was shot in Montreal’s Olympic Village.

(El Parana)

#9- IT (2017)

The remake of Stephen King’s clown horror finds its home in Port Hope, Ont. The local Queen Street Tattoo parlour was transformed to Derry Ice Cream for the film.

(Pop Geeks)

#10- The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Seemingly filmed in New York City, for four nights in downtown Toronto Yonge Street was closed for filming. And because of how accommodating Toronto’s mayor at the time had been, the Eaton Centre and the University of Toronto also play a role in the film.

(Mental Floss)

#11- Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Instead of flying to France for the European scenes, film crews travelled to Montreal and Quebec City to avoid breaking the bank while still getting the european feel.

(Nerdist)

#12- The Neverending Story (1984)

Although most of the movie was shot in Germany, the alleyway Bastian finds himself chased into is Vancouver’s Blood Alley in Gastown. And at the very end of the movie, Flying Luck Dragon Falcor does a Vancouver fly-by.

(Time Out)

#13- Capote (2005)

It may have been set in the flatlands of Kansas, but Capote was instead shot in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba. Some notable sites to see are the Manitoba Legislative Building, Gilbart’s Funeral Home and Stony Mountain Institution, which plays a prominent role in the film.

(Mental Floss)

#14- My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Starring Canadian actress Nia Vardalos, the film may have been set in Chicago, but the filming didn't draw Vardalos far from home. A number of downtown spots including Toronto’s Greek Town played home to the film.

(The Telegraph)

#15- Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Although set in Wyoming, it is clear the Canadian Rockies are the breathtaking backdrop seen in the film. Sites where the filming actually took place include Calgary, Elbow Falls, Cowley and Fort Macleod.

(The Ace Black Blog)

#16- Chicago (2002)

Iconic Toronto locales such as Osgoode Hall, Queen’s Park, Elgin Theatre and Union Station all had roles in the film, and Toronto has frequently played the part of Chicago in blockbuster films, and this musical was no exception.

(Addicted2Success)

#17- Cool Runnings (1993)

Loosely based on the 1988 Jamaican national bobsled team that competed in the Olympics in Calgary, this movie stays true to its real-life counterparts and had a majority of its filmign done in Calgary.

(Hollywood Reporter)

#18- Juno (2007)

Although set in Minnesota, Juno was actually shot in various locations throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam and White Rock, and this American-Canadian comedy has gone down as a Canadian classic.

(Hollywood Reporter)

#19- The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

The highest-grossing Hollywood movie ever to be filmed in Canada, this American action film finds its locations in Toronto and Montreal, as well as globally in places such as Tokyo, Hawaii and Scotland.

(The Telegraph)

#20- Total Recall (2012)

Using the aid of CGI, Guelph, Ont. was converted into a post-apocalyptic London, and Toronto location such as the  University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus and Roy Thomson Hall stood in for stations within the planet’s internal transit system, The Fall. Total Recall remains one of the largest budget films shot in Toronto.

(PLay

#21- American Psycho (2000)

Considering the word ‘American’ is in the title, don't be alarmed when it is revealed Bateman’s office is in the TD Centre, serving as a substitute for the Seagram Building in New York City, which were both designed by architect Mies Van der Rohe. Additionally, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, The King Edward Hotel’s Consort Bar, The Senator diner and several more of the city’s now-defunct restaurants and clubs played host to Patrick Bateman and his friends on film.

(The Telegraph)

#22- The Revenant (2015)

Shot in Alberta, the winter it was being filmed proved difficult for the crew, as the snow started to melt before production was complete. This forced the final fight scene in the film to be shot in Argentina. Also due to the odd winter, Burnaby, B.C. was used for a few scenes.

This piece was edited by Isabelle Kirkwood