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In 1913, the Victoria Cougars came within close reach of the Stanley Cup; some would say they won it. On Thursday, February 23, local hockey fan Roger McGuire is hosting a presentation in which he’ll talk about what happened, as well as Canada’s rich hockey history and Victoria’s lengthy connection to the creation of professional […]

My Life as a Zucchini 4/5 As far as touching pieces of filmmaking go, My Life as a Zucchini (2016) is rather well done, using its medium (stop-motion animation) and its runtime (66 minutes) to create something moving and out of the ordinary for a sort-of-children’s flick. Really, to call My Life as a Zucchini […]

The Happy Film 2/5 I understand that wealth doesn’t necessarily make a person happy, and I know that being successful, accepted, and respected in a field they love doesn’t guarantee it either, but did we really need a two-hour documentary about a guy who is and has all these things? Were we meant to enjoy […]

Searchers 3/5 Searchers (2016) gets its name from the 1956 John Ford picture The Searchers, one of the most influential films of all time. Attempting a semi-remake of a film with such status is as ambitious as it is intriguing, but Searchers finds itself locked into a plot structure that isn’t necessarily conducive to how […]

The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki 4/5 The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016) is the story of a man caught between opposing forces—on one hand, the opportunity for greatness and to do right by his nation, and on the other, love, inopportune and unavoidable. It’s a film entrenched […]

The provincial crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women continues; here in Victoria, there will be a gathering and a memorial march on Sunday to remember those women. University of Victoria practicum student Jessica Dawn is an event organizer for the march; she says that governments need to be doing more about the situation, and […]

Old Stone 3.5/5 Old Stone (2016), directed by Johnny Ma, is fascinating (Ma has a keen eye for the little intricacies of life), intimately moving (we watch a man beaten down by the bureaucracy of the Chinese medical system, and his own moral fortitude), and beautifully shot (lush Chinese jungles and the busy, hustling cities […]

Going into Gracie at the Belfry Theatre, I didn’t expect a single actress to be capable of holding the attention of an audience for a full 90 minutes. However, Lili Beaudoin’s enthusiastic and believable performance of Gracie—a girl growing up in a polygamist society in Bountiful, BC—did just that, and more. The unique perspective of […]

If you’re in Criminal Justice at Camosun College, you’ve probably read Gordon Cruse’s Juvie, which is a mandatory text in the program. Good news for those who liked what they read: Cruse—a local author and former juvenile detention guard of 26 years—has a new book out, called Handcuffed by History. In this book, he delves […]

Vancouver experimental alternative band Brasstronaut are playing Victoria before they head off overseas for a UK tour with indie folk band Stornoway; for Brasstronaut member Sam Davidson, who plays the clarinet and EWI (electronic wind instrument), it’s just the latest stop in a life-long musical journey. “I grew up in a very musical family—musical instruments […]