out and about this weekend

With so much happening on the Coast this weekend, it has me wondering what kind of outfits I'm going to pull together for all the fun. Here are some looks I'm going to be grabbing some inspiration from which will hopefully take me from DOXA to the Fool Hardy Party to Sechelt Farmer's & Artisan's Market to the April Fool's Run and finishing up with some disco action at It's Disco, Baby in Roberts Creek!

FRIDAY NIGHT FUN: From film festival flare at DOXA to the raucous fun of the Fool Hardy Party - mix & match some clothes that offer a little bit of chic, a little bit of rock'n roll and a dash of cowboy fun!

SATURDAY IS SHOPPING DAY: Comfy and cosy clothes will keep you warm while you browse the Sechelt Farmer's & Artisan's Market on opening day. 

SUNDAY SOCIAL: Chuck on some jeans and a sports jersey and you have yourself a preppy, fresh look to get out and support the runners in the April Fool's Run on Sunday morning. Then dash home and find your inner disco diva by throwing on a mini and heels before hitting the Roberts Creek Hall for It's Disco, Baby! in the afternoon.
 

Have fun! Happy Friday! And have a great weekend!



Image credits: Miss Moss, Fashion Gone Rogue

there are a lot of great man v nature movies out there, and The Way Back is one of 'em. but there's an oscar nominated film on tonight too

Cinematheque Series: The Way Back

Wed 30 to Thurs 31 April, 7:00pm (1:30pm mat on Thurs)

Patricia Theatre, Powell River

I'll put it out there straight up, I'm a fan of this type of thing.

If you don't hang out with a lot of Aussies, then you may not be familiar with the name Peter Weir. Recognize it? He's not really a "name" director but he sure has been at the helm of a heck of a lot of good films - Master and Commander not being one of the better ones... But you may have heard of Dead Poets Society (1989), that was Weiry (Aussie slang - add a 'y' on the end of everything), Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975), Weiry again and The Truman Show (1998), you betcha, that was Weiry too! He’s one of those guys that can make any type of film and still have it work. His latest, The Way Back (2010), traces the journey of a group of escaped POWs in WW2 as they flee on foot from Siberia to India, enduring some of nature’s harshest conditions. Makes the West Coast trail sound easy eh? Starring Jim Sturges, Colin Farrell and powerhouse Ed Harris, the film can only be described as epic. With recent global news events this comes as a timely man-versus-nature movie.

Starting tonight at the Patricia Theatre this is one to see on the big screen!

Cinematheque Series: Incendies

Wed 30 to Thurs 31 April, 7:30pm (2pm mat on Thurs)

Raven's Cry Theatre, Sechelt

The most acclaimed Canadian movie of the year, Incendies, finally finds its way to the Raven's Cry theatre tonight. That should be enough to make you want to see it, but then again, it doesn't feature curling or a trailer park and it certainly doesn't feature Charlie St. Cloud... so who knows how motivated you're going to be. It's hard to pick Canadian audiences sometimes, especially with Quebecois films! But don't let any of that put you off going. The film rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes - need I say more?! Aside from that, it's also won a ton of awards including Best Film by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play about Canadian twins who search for their family in the Middle East, Denis Villeneuve's drama (which is in French and Arabic with English subtitles no less), is a stunning masterpiece with the makings of a Greek tragedy.

To say that “Incendies” is an intense film would be a gross understatement. It is a disturbingly painful film that is difficult to shake off. It is filled with compelling and powerful performances that showcase humanity at its worst, but also – remarkably – at its best, even in the midst of great darkness. Violence, war, deep-rooted hatred, and... love - it's all in there. It might be hard to shake it off but you'll be glad you made the effort.

See Raven's Cry Theatre for ticket details and information.

Image credits: Cineplex.com.au, Awardsdaily.com

the adjustment bureau has more going for it than a rubbish title

The Adjustment Bureau, Gibsons Cinema

Friday 25 to Thursday 31 March, 7:15pm

Don’t be fooled by the rubbish title and almost equally as dull trailer, The Adjustment Bureau is well worth a peek. Starting tonight at Gibsons Cinema, the film based on a Philip K. Dick short story, is sci-fi with brains. The flick tackles the idea of controlling your own fate and making choices for the greater good, with a little bit of good ol’ romance chucked in. Starring Matt Damon (reliable as ever), Emily Blunt (she's smokin’! - what was Buble thinking?) and, as is seemingly de rigueur for any film released now, at least one person from Mad Men. This time it’s Roger Sterling.

If the thought of those not-so-comfy seats at Gibsons is slightly off putting then it's worth checking out Take 5 Media to grab a DVD of some other movies inspired by the writing of Philip K. Dick.

Screamers (1995)

It might have had a modest budget and it may have received a few scathing reviews in its day but Screamers is a great little film with creepy ambience, paranoia and a ton of jumpy moments. It deviates quite a bit from Philip K. Dick's short story, Second Variety, but that doesn’t detract from the atmosphere created by this darkly enjoyable film. Set on a far away mining planet in a dystopian future, populated by self-replicating killing machines – that also look like children (!), a handful of soldiers must trek across a treacherous wasteland to attend some negotiation or another which will end a war or something. Clearly a riveting plot... but who needs a good plot when you've got good sci-fi.

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

A faithful adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, A Scanner Darkly takes the viewer on a visual and mind-blowing journey into the author's conception of a drug-addled and politically unstable world. Richard Linklater created the perfect look for this movie, with themes of drug-induced paranoia and police surveillance captured hypnotically through the use of rotoscoping, a process of animating over digitally captured footage. It’s to the actors’ credit that, although smothered in animation they’re never overshadowed by its use. The top notch cast starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder adds some serious street cred.

Blade Runner (1982)

Using the novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? as its inspiration, Blade Runner would reinvent the future for us in a neon-noir nightmare. Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott's mysterious Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece. With the universal theme of what actually makes us human, a key element in Dick’s writing and the driving force behind the movie, coupled with incredible set pieces and effects, it’s a film that has rightly earned its status as a bone fide classic with some iconic casting in Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer.

Image Credit: Moviesmeter.com, Geekadelphia.com 

another year. another great mike leigh film

Cinematheque Series: Another Year 
Wed 9 March & Thurs 10 March, 7:00pm (1:30pm mats both days)
Patricia Theatre, 5848 Ash Avenue, Powell River

 

Mike Leigh's films are one of a kind. They're artful gifts of observation, humor and bruised humanity. Another Year is up there with the best of them. The script covers four seasons in the life of one British couple, Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen). They'd like to see their lawyer son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), find the right woman. And that doesn't mean Mary (Lesley Manville), Gerri's co-worker. Mary drinks as hard as she chatters and flirts outrageously with the much younger Joe. Out of a script developed over months with his cast, Leigh creates a universe we can all find a place in. All the actors are sublime. But Manville shines brightest. Never more lonely than when she's trying to hide it, Mary still musters the courage to fight being reduced to a joke. Just watch the magnificent Manville, in a raw and riveting award-class performance that exposes a grieving heart under siege.

Her last scene is quietly devastating. So is this intimate miracle of a movie. Make sure you check it out at the Patricia Theatre this Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully it will be making its way to the lower Sunshine Coast in the weeks ahead! For ticket info see Patriciatheatre.com.

Review by Peter Travers for Rolling Stone Magazine, 29 Dec 2010.

 Image Credit: drnorth.wordpress.com

jodi picoult is worth going into town for this weekend

Jodi Picoult

Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 7:30 PM
St Andrew's-Wesley United Church, 1022 Nelson Street, Vancouver

Jodi Picoult, the bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper, is hopping on board her tour bus and heading to Vancouver this weekend to promote her new novel, Sing You Home. Joining this sassy lass on tour is guitarist and friend, Ellen Wilber, who wrote the music and performs on the CD accompanying the book as the main character Zoe - a music therapist.

Anyone that receives the coveted award of being "the author you'd most like to take out to the pub," has written 6 issues of Wonder Woman for DC Comics, and has been no.1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for just about every book she's penned, is definitely worth battling the ferry for!

Check out Jodi Picoult's website for information about her new book and for ticket sales to Sunday's event click here.

Image credit: Theage.com.au

zenith is a retro-futuristic steam-punk thriller

Zenith

Tues 1 Mar, Black Cat Cinema, Roberts Creek Hall, 7:30pm

Thirty or so years from now, in a desolate and indefinite post-industrial future, the population has been genetically altered to live in a constant state of happiness. But what they soon discover is that without contrasting it to sorrow, happiness dissipates, leaving only a feeling of never-ending numbness. Only pain can now make people feel alive.

 

Enter Jack, who offers his customers the phenomenon of pain via drugs from modern times. But when Jack receives a mysterious videotape of his dead father, he sets out to unmask the dangerous conspiracy that has created this dystopian world. 

 

Added to the backdrop of this biological nightmare, this new world has been robbed of its language, and in its place is a bland, simplistic type of speech: "For" as one character puts it "what you cannot express in language, does not exist in human minds."

 

Tonight's screening of Zenith by Black Cat Cinema is the Canadian Premiere and I'm keen to hear what you think of the film - it's received some trippy reviews. If you're up for an art-house Bladerunner, with the frontal-lobe screwiness of Memento and 12 Monkeys then this could be the flick you've been waiting for.

 

Zeniththefilm.com

wake up and smell the coffee is not a re-release of the 2001 cranberries album

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Gibsons Heritage Playhouse

Thurs 24 Feb - preview pay-what-you-can, 8:00pm

WARNING: Very coarse bleepin language & sensitive subject matter!

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is in fact a one-man show that one of Canada's best character actors, P. Adrien Dorval is bringing to the stage at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse over the next 3 weeks. Tonight is the preview, pay-what-you-can show so get there early to grab your seat...

Based on the critically acclaimed stage show by Eric Bogosian, this running rant of dark humor attacks some scary issues by poking fun at the fears that seem to plague society these days, while at the same time satirizing contemporary values.

Dorval will be portraying a series of characters throughout the show which include a salesman who may just be Satan, a shockingly amoral Hollywood producer and a guru with questionable motives, it seems that any and everybody is fair game for the sharp-tongued satirist - and in the post 9/11 era where paranoia runs rampant, the show provides a brutally honest but shockingly entertaining alternative to the mainstream mindset.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee is not slapstick or a stream of jokes but it is funny and smart and brutally f*&cken angry.

Tickets are $20 and are available at Hallmark Cards (Sunnycrest Mall, Gibsons), Gaia's Fair Trade Gifts (Gibsons) & Sechelt Visitor Centre (Sechelt)

Show times:

Fri 25 Feb & Sat 26 Feb, 8:00pm

Thurs 3 Mar to Sat 5 Mar, 8:00pm

Thurs 10 Mar to Sat 12 Mar, 8:00pm

(mats 27 Feb & 6 Mar @ 2:00pm

For more information visit P. Adrien Dorval's facebook page.

Poster image is from P. Adrien Dorval's facebook page and butchered by me with the intent of showing some of the many characters in the show.

force of nature

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

Tues 22 Feb, 7:30pm, Black Cat Cinema, Roberts Creek

At 75 years old, David Suzuki shows no signs of slowing down. In this captivating documentary portrait, the passionate environmentalist’s legacy lecture is entwined with candid interviews in which he reflects on his life and shares deeply personal stories, revealing a side previously unseen.

Catch the film tonight at Black Cat Cinema - but get there early cause it's sure to be packed! Doors open at 7:00pm.

Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie

the relationship between a taxi driver and his fare

Goodbye Solo

Monday 21 Feb, Gibsons Heritage Playhouse, 7:30pm

Presented by the Sunshine Coast Film Society

Ramin Bahrani is a director who is finding a style of American cinema that is different from both Hollywood commerce and indie-Sundance drear: his new movie is an instantly gripping, funny, quietly persuasive drama that held me from the first frames.

Souleymane Sy Savane gives a superbly likeable performance as Solo, a Senegalese taxi driver in North Carolina. One day, he picks up a morose old white guy called William, played by Red West, who offers Solo $1,000 to take him to a remote and dangerous beauty spot on a certain date. The exuberant and compassionate Solo suspects that William wishes to make away with himself, and so tries to involve himself in his life, even insisting that William coach him for his upcoming Airline Flight Attendant exam.

The film has been likened to Kiarostami's 1997 classic & Palme d'Or winner, The Taste Of Cherry, which it has much in common with stylistically and thematically. However Goodbye Solo is nonetheless entirely distinctive: about friendship and perhaps also about the impossibility of ever really knowing another person.

For more information on Goodbye Solo which screens tonight at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse see the Sunshine Coast Film Society website.

Review by Peter Bradshaw at the Guardian.co.uk

Image credit: axiomfilms-shop.co.uk

the girl knows how to shake a red tambourine

H'sao

Fri 18 Feb, Roberts Creek Hall, 9:00pm

Wanna bop tonight? Six-piece Montreal afropop group H’Sao are bound to turn the Roberts Creek Hall into a dance party with their high energy mix of Chadian traditional music, beatboxing and pop. The band draws influences from gospel, traditional African music, soul and R&B but it's their masterful A Capella singing, oozing rhythm and stunning dance moves that set them apart on the world music stage. Dancer and singer Taroum is known for performing barefoot in a sparkling blue onesie while shaking a red star tambourine - let's hope the Winter chill doesn't put her off bringing some sparkle to the Coast!  

It only costs 20 bucks for an unmissable night and tickets can be bought at Gaia's Fair Trade and Gifts in Gibsons, MELOmania in Roberts Creek and Strait Music in Sechelt.

See the H'sao website for the low down.

Images: elbo.ws, thescope.ca, signalblog.ca

reel youth film festival

Reel Youth Film Festival

Thurs 17 Feb, 7:30pm, Black Cat Cinema, Roberts Creek

Kids can do some crazy things with cameras! As long as you enjoy a good story - and in this case, several of them in short film form, then you'll get a kick out of the Reel Youth Film Festival being presented by Black Cat Cinema tonight.  The 80-minute show covers all sorts of topics filmed by artists 20 and younger as they share their visions for a more just and sustainable world from BC, Canada and across the globe.

To get the scoop on the films see Reelyouth.ca or Blackcatcinema.ca

bad @ss meets ballet in powell river today

Cinematheque Presents The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Wed 16 & Thurs 17 February, Patricia Theatre, Powell River, 7:00pm 

(mat 1:30pm Thursday)

Bad-@ss babe Lisbeth Salander returns to finish it all in the highly anticipated final installation of the Swedish-produced Millennium trilogy, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest" which opens in Powell River tonight.

The third adaptation from the best-selling Millennium trilogy written by the late Swedish author, Stieg Larsson (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire), promises to deliver a stunning finale worthy of the most dedicated Salander fans. Noomi Rapace is back in the starring role of the pierced and tattooed genius computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist, the crusading journalist and publisher of the magazine Millennium, and Lena Endre (Erika Berger) the editor of the magazine and Blomkvist’s occasional lover.

In this last installment, Salander lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge — against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Let me know what you think of the flick! The reviews are a bit bla but surely watching girl-crush worthy Lisbeth Salander kicking butt is all that matters...

For ticket prices see Patriciatheatre.com

Ballet Jorgen - Coppélia

  Max Cameron Theatre, Powell River, 7:30pm

If Bad-@ss ain't your thing then consider taking a journey into the mind of the mysterious Dr Coppélius instead. 

The story of Coppélia takes us to the magical world of Dr. Coppélius, a disillusioned toy maker in search of the perfect partner. His quest drives him to create a dancing doll so beautiful that Nathanael, one of the local villagers, falls madly in love with her. Nathanael’s spurned sweetheart Klara delivers retribution by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life. A journey that transcends the boundaries of real versus imaginary experiences, this classic love story is told through the vibrant contemporary choreography of the award winning Bengt Jörgen. 

For more information see Balletjorgen.ca

vanishing of the bees

Tues 15 Feb, Vanishing of the Bees, 7:00pm - 9:30pm

Black Cat Cinema, Roberts Creek Hall

Brighten up your garden with some bee-friendly flower seeds. Plant wildflower seeds in your garden, patio pots or window boxes, the Honeybees are vanishing... 

Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomen has brought beekepers to crisis in an industry responsible for producing apples, broccoli, watermelon, onions, cherries and hundred of other fruits and vegetables. Commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables.

The docmentary, Vanishing of the Bees, which screens tonight at Black Cat Cinema, follows commercial beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes as they strive to keep their bees healthy and fulfill pollination contracts across the U.S. The film explores the struggles they face as the two friends plead their case on Capital Hill and travel across the Pacific Ocean in the quest to protect their honeybees.

Get planting, it's almost Spring! Vanishingbees.com

friday night flix

DAFT PUNK ROCKS TRON

Tron Legacy

Fri 11 Feb to Tues 15 Feb, Patricia Theatre Powell River, 7:00pm

(mat Sun 13 Feb, 1:30pm)

There are loads of top flicks screening at Sunshine Coast Cinemas this week but since I've already covered True Grit and the King's Speech in an earlier post, my pick for this week's Friday night flick has got to be Tron Legacy, it’s just too big to ignore. The Coast does its utmost to promote the art-house and the undervalued, but when you’ve got visuals like this on display, it’s like you’ve been invited to the greatest party in the world, your eyeballs are the guests of honour and Jeff Bridges wants to give you a high-five. But it’s not just a delight for your eyes, your ears are in for a treat too, as none other than Daft Punk have created the movie soundtrack. They pepper orchestral sweeps with their unmistakable electronica, and feature scrambled 8-bit beats that would have Crystal Castles reaching for their chiptune emulators in envy. It’s certainly a step up from the original film which I don't think even made it to video/DVD. For more details see Patriciatheatre.com

now playing: gibsons

The King's Speech

Fri 11 Feb to Thurs 17 Feb, Gibsons Cinema, 7:15pm 

(mats Sun 13 Feb & Thurs 17 Feb, 4:00pm) Gibsonscinema.ca

now playing: sechelt

True Grit

Fri 11 Feb to Thurs 17 Feb, Raven's Cry Theatre, 7:00pm
(mats Tues 15 Feb & Thurs 17 Feb, 2:00pm)

Ravenscrytheatre.com

Review: Naag.com

Image source: imdb.com

stan & bren and a double-booked hotel room

A Bedfull of Foreigners, Gibsons Heritage Playhouse

Thursday 10th to Saturday 12th February, 8:00pm

(mat Feb 12 at 2pm)

The farcical British comedy, A Bedfull of Foreigners, which was brought to stage late last year by the Peninsula Players is back by popular demand tonight through Saturday.

Set in a French hotel in a small village near the German border, holiday-makers Stanley Parker and his wife Brenda find themselves sharing a double-booked hotel room with a British businessman, his German wife…AND his French mistress!

Adding to the confusion, are a hotel porter, who may or may not have been born in Lapland and subsequently joined the Foreign Legion and a lustful German hotel manager in Renaissance costume and a strangely high singing voice.

If you've been suffering from Fawlty Towers withdrawals for the past 30 years and the repeats just haven't been enough for you, then make sure you catch A Bedfull of Foreigners. It's British slapstick comedy at its best - mistaken identities, inefficient staff, hasty cover-ups, seductions and confrontations all run rampant throughout the play which is supposedly pretty darn hilarious (if a little dated). 

Check out the Driftwood Players Facebook page for more information.  

double up on climate change

Black Cat Cinema presents a Double Feature on Climate Change!

Tuesday, 8th February 2011 
7:00pm - 9:30pm, Roberts Creek Community Hall

Remember when only nerds watched science flicks? Thankfully times are a changin, especially when it comes to films about the environment. Expect a packed house tonight when the Black Cat Cinema screens documentaries, 'The Cloud Mystery' and 'Inuit Knowledge on Climate Change,' both films offer a unique and visually intriguing take on the topic. 

The Cloud Mystery is a scientific detective story covering 10 years of pioneering experiments by Danish scientist, Henrik Svensmark, who solved the puzzle of how the Galaxy and the Sun interfere in our everyday weather. These provocative revelations challenge the belief of most climate theorists that carbon dioxide has been the main driver of global warming. As a result the Copenhagen based scientist has faced never-ending opposition.

Inuit Knowledge & Climate Change is the world's first Inuktitut language film that documents the knowledge and experience of Inuit elders and the impact of climate change. The film takes the viewer “on the land” with elders and hunters to explore the social and ecological impacts of a warming Arctic. This unforgettable film helps us to appreciate Inuit culture and expertise regarding environmental change and indigenous ways of adapting to it.

See Blackcatcinema.ca for more information.

man's best friend

My Dog Tulip, Monday 7th February, 7:30pm

Gibsons Heritage Playhouse (brought to you by Sunshine Coast Film Society)

Adapted from a semi-autobiographical novel by J.R. Ackerley, My Dog Tulip is an eloquently told woofs and all portrait of Ackerley’s intimate relationship with his best friend, a cheeky Alsation.

The film’s hand-drawn animation by the directors Paul and Sandra Fierlinger and Christopher Plummer's conversational narrative combine to make “My Dog Tulip,” one of the most sophisticated dog movies ever created. Animated with 58,320 beautiful minimalistic drawings and swirling pastel colours, the film’s quaint and unassuming look both perfectly suits the story and narration and belies its more risqué elements.

With next to no dialogue, directors Paul Fierlinger and Sandra Fierlinger rely on Christopher Plummer's extensive voice over lifted from Ackerley’s writing. With wry, acerbic flair Acklerley discusses all aspects of dog life – spiritedly embracing the less than sophisticated subjects of poop, fornication, ass whiffing and other doggie matters.

It is through Acklerley’s observations about Tulip that the narrator emerges as a strong character. Not unlike the protagonist of Notes on a Scandal, Acklerley’s perspective is both high-minded and scandalous, painting a picture of a loner and borderline misanthrope who observes human behaviour from a distance – and, in this instance, canine behaviour from close-up.

With it’s mixture of brevity and profundity, lofty ideas, low brow humour and a lovely visual style, My Dog Tulip plays like an adult picture book littered with candid and concise illuminations on the dynamic between pooches and people.

The film works both as a deep and affecting personal ode to the bond between man and dog and as a piece of frivolous entertainment. Like Adam Elliott’s sublime claymation Mary and Max, My Dog Tulip can crack poo jokes one moment and make poignant soul-tingling observations the next, while never jeopardising the sense that this is real art. And very good art, too. Review by Luke Buckmaster at Crikey.com.au 

For anyone interested in animated art, it is well worth reading an insightful interview with film makers Paul and Sandra Fierlinger on BMFI's blog here



saturday's a laugh

Sometimes we just need to have a good laugh - whether it's at ourselves, or at someone else's expense. Tonight should offer some side-stitch funny moments as long as you're prepared to drag yourself off the couch. And really, there's no excuse cause both Gibsons and Sechelt are putting on the shows.

The totally cheesey Neil Diamond wannabe 'Nearly Neil' is getting his groove-on on stage at the Lighthouse Pub in Sechelt at 9pm. You gotta love a sparkly night out with Neil belting out his classics, Sweet Caroline and Cherry. It's the kind of thing that small towns excel at. There's no nightclub on the lower Sunshine Coast, but we DO have Nearly Neil who comes our way every now and again to save us from the Winter blues. The Lighthouse also has some great pub nosh on the menu - potato skins, chicken wings, and some totally indulgent burgers. So start fine-tuning your disco moves and bring them out with you tonight - the wackier they are, the more you'll giggle! The show costs $12 and is usually a sell-out.

For those in Gibsons who think the 25 minute drive to Sechelt is just too arduous, then try the laugh-out-loud, politically incorrect Yuk Yuk's stand up comedy show at Gibsons Cinema. Totally shameless about taking a dig at everyone and everything - ethnicity, lifestyle and political beliefs are all fair game during this 2-hour skit. Does anyone feel another Ricky Gervais Golden Globes moment coming on? Just be prepared to roll with the punches! Ticket prices range from $18 to $25 and the show is on at 8pm.

culture: friday night flix

Black Swan

Fri 4 Feb to Thurs 10 Feb, 7:00pm Raven's Cry Theatre, Sechelt

(Plus Mats Feb 6, 8, 10 @ 1:00pm)

After much anticipation, Black Swan finally hits the Raven's Cry Theatre tonight. Having lived the ballet world for 14 years, the teenager in me is pretty excited about the idea of an evil ballerina movie. What's not to love about ladies in cool costumes, dance themes, horror flix, and a totally confused sense of reality??? Throw in a Hollywood scandal, that being the real life romance that developed between Natalie Portman and her fiancee-to-be choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, and it's got the makings of the perfect gossip filled girls night out.

For more info see Ravenscrytheatre.com

And here are some pics from February Russian Vogue thanks to Fashion Gone Rogue. Totally ballet inspired and gorgeous.

7 great things about today

It's Groundhog Day! And Punxsutawney Phil, Nova Scotia's Shubenacade Sam and Ontario's Wiarton Willie have all predicted Spring! Hooray!

Listen up! San Fran rockers the Dodo's have given the world a sneak peak at their new album No Color. You can stream their song, "Black Night" here. They're playing at the Rickshaw in Vancouver on 31 March so get your tickets!

James Joyce and Farrah Fawcett both share a birthday. And it's just been announced that the red swimming suit and poster that Farrah made famous are being donated to the Smithsonian along with a bunch of her scripts from the first season of Charlie's Angels.

It's time to make some room on those credit cards again because UK band, the Klaxons, and Canada's Indie Rocker's, Tokyo Police club, are both playing in Vancouver in April. Tickets go on sale tomorrow and Friday so check out the Georgia Straight for information and pre-sale deets.

Yes, it's hump day and the weekend is just that little bit closer...

Dodo's photo by Mark Holthusen