Classic Horror Flicks on Sundays

 ...What more could you ask for?


We thought we were just taking ourselves to a matinee viewing of The Shining at one of Toronto’s repertory cinemas on Roncesvalles, which in and of itself is a real treat (cute and cozy theatre meets suspense masterpiece).

But we got a whole lot more. After two hours of witnessing Jack Nicholson’s descent into madness on scratchy red-toned 35mm film print, we were treated to a Skype-facilitated Q & A with retired steadicam inventor and operator, Garrett Brown. Incredibly personable and humble, Garrett took the time to speak at length, to these lucky audience members in this small Toronto theatre, about camera work during the making of The Shining, Kubrick, and thoughts on what you need to do in order get ahead in life. 

According to Garrett...  
If you want to go into film, you need no formal education. Everything that Garrett learned about film was by spending countless hours at the Public library in Philadelphia. 

The steadicam shot that took the longest to complete in The Shining was Jack chasing Danny in the maze. Apparently the crew were in the maze shooting this for months. The snow- not real. The maze- actually indoors. 

The use of the steadicam in the following well-known shot involved Garrett kneeling over a wheelchair with a microphone attached to the end of the camera.The crewman pushing the wheelchair, according to Garrett, wasn't too fit, but had to run really fast to keep up with Danny on the big-wheel bike: 

Keep an eye on The Revue's schedule. Movies are only $10 and $8 with a membership. Last month we attended their Silent Sundays' screening of Buster Keaton’s The General, accompanied by live piano, which was a total delight. It’s perfect Sunday activity...Especially since the Drive-in in Oakville is closed for the winter.

S.

why i decided to love yonge & dundas square.

I remember being skeptical when Yonge and Dundas square was being built. Why was Toronto trying so hard to compete with New York? And why did I need to be subjected to so many advertisements and flashing lights- enough to give someone an aneurysm? But with free wifi, outdoor concerts, street artists, musicians and breakdancers...how could you not learn to love this intersection? It was really these three kids that did it for me; blasting their beats through their iPod speakers in front of H&M: 

They're so little!

S.

my favourite i phone apps.

Ok, the love affair between myself and my iPhone 3G is about to reach its sixth month and it's still going strong  (thanks to T.H. who assisted me in my decision to commit to this smart-phone when my heart was weaker and wavering-BB? I don't think so). Best part yet, there's still so much to discover! In my 6 month relationship, I've only acquired 64 apps. I probably use 1/3 of them regularly and I refuse to pay more than $1.99 per app (with one exception below). But I thought that perhaps it was time to share the love! Here is a run-down of my top favourite apps these days.

Most useful news: CBC radio. (free!) After my alarm goes off I spend the first hour of my day with Matt Galloway's Metro Morning. 

Best game:  You know it- Angry Birds. (free!) I met this guy at a party recently who tried to convince me that there was no iPhone game better than Bejeweled. Yeah. right. 

Best Yoga App: Yoga Hour. I'm pretty sure I was one of the first to purchase it in August when it came out and used it everyday while I was on vacation and continued to use it in September in the park. Mind you, I'm a bit of a yoga geek. It's $2.99 but totally worth it especially if you can't afford to go to a yoga studio. Now that winter's upon us, do it at home. I like it  better than both Yoga Stretch ($0.99) and Pocket Yoga ($2.99). For one, you follow actual pictures of Darren Rhodes in the most advanced version of the posture as opposed to illustrated pictorials. It's a one hour, simple, vinyasa- flow sequence that can be tailored to any level. The music is great. While Pocket Yoga offers varied sequences for (30, 45 to 60 minute intervals) to me it feels a lot like pilates. And Yoga Stretch is unique in that you can pick from a bunch of poses to guide your own practice session, but folks who are advanced would benefit the most from this. 

Best interactive game: Words with Friends! It's Scrabble against other iPhone users- they have to get the app as well, sign on with a user name and presto...let the games begin. Waiting for the sweet notification that one of my opponents has played their move might just be one of the high lights of my days. Plus it's free. I have 6 games going on right now! 

Photo-editing:  I take A LOT of photos with my iPhone. I think I have 600. I upload a lot of them onto this blog. The following two apps used in tandem greatly enhance your i phone photography experience. First off is PS Express which does basic edits like cropping, contract, brightness etc. but in two seconds you can fix the exposure on all your underexposed photos (and you know that the iPhone is bad for that) and send them off via email, post to fb, save them in your library etc. We also know that there's no flash on the iPhone (what was APPLE thinking??)...so for dimly lit scenes, you should try Night Camera and you likely won't even have to edit the exposure afterwords. 

Next App Purchase: I just learned (thanks to birthday boy F.M.) that my weekly Friday highlight, Settlers of Catan (thanks R.), is available on the I phone! ($ 4.99)  You play against other players and if they're not available you play against the computer. I better start practicing so I can beat those kids next week.

Final note, be a smart smart-phone user. If you go abroad turn off your data roaming. Or keep your phone on airplane mode. Whatever you do, do not access data. You could rack up an ginormous phone bill...and few of us are lucky enough to have friends pretend to be us and use their mad acting skills to get FIDO to erase all charges...(thanks e).

S.

Myanmar Cuisine in Bloordale Village

Ever wondered what Burmese food tastes like??  Check out Motherhome Myanmar Cuisine in Bloordale village, 1194 Bloor Street West. I was a newbie and can only describe the food are a hybrid of Indian meets East Asian, (makes sense given its geographical region!) The menu includes: Teryaki fish, tofu and vegetables, lamb curry, jasmine rice, fried rice, mutton rolls, etc...and it's good! It tastes like home cooking. It's not heavy nor greasy and the veggies are super green and fresh. They do catering as well, but you should stop by for their lunch special- a large plate with rice or noodles for only $5!!! That's a steal in Toronto for a healthy, fresh meal. Plus if you work in a basement office with fluorescent lights, this brightly lit place with yellow and fuschia walls and courteous service will add a sparkle to your otherwise mundane 9 to 5 day. The owner is a sweet man who calls everyone his friend.

S.