Peter Mayle's THE VINTAGE CAPER is the next selection for the TMTM Book Club. Join us in reading this light summer treat by the author of A Year in Province and many other books set in his favourite country, France. This Brit has been award many prizes including the Legion d'Honneur from the French government, which is understandable given that he has successfully lured many oenophiles and would-be oenophiles and gourmands to various parts of France with his descriptions of food and wine. So far, I have only been able to partake vicariously through his books. No one else can make our mouths water for delicately prepared offal and temp our olfactory and unseasoned palettes with wines whose bouquets we can almost smell wafting from the pages. And where there is wine, there is always cheese, but I digress. This wonderful caper moves quickly from the sweet life of L.A's elite to the the vineyards of Bordeaux and the port city of Marseilles, contrasting the particular cultures of each area through food and beverage, language, style and manners. Taking us through this flavourful journey is ex-lawyer, Sydney Levitt, who agrees to find the voleur behind the theft of 2.5 million dollars (or is it 3 million dollars? Hmm.) worth of wine. Like Mayle's other books, cherchez la femme. In this case, the femme is the French Sophie, "a prime example of bon chic bon genre" or "BCBG" who acts as Peter's entre into some of the best eateries and wine cellars in France.
TMTM Book Club Discussion Date: Saturday, July 7, 1-2pm on CIUT 89.5 FM or www.ciut.fm THE VINTAGE CAPER, by Peter Mayle
Available in book, or CD at the Toronto Public Library: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca
Free to borrow with a library card. If you do not have a library card, go to any branch with a piece of ID that shows your address, or a letter mailed to you at your current address and get a card. You can then place an order for the book to be delivered to your local branch.
Looking for something to do with the kiddies tomorrow, or a way to while away your afternoon? How about going to a Flick-Nic? The Worldwide Shorts Film Festival (June 5-10) is having a FREE pre-Festival outdoor screening in Dufferin Grove Park at high noon. So grab some lawn chairs, and some snacks, some kids and their friends, or some friends of your own (you don't have to be a shorty to enjoy the flicks) and dig in.
"Could these be the eyes of the big bad mouse?" wonders THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD as she wanders away from her house. This sequel to THE GRUFALO, last year's festival favourite, is narrated by a mother squirrel (Helena Bonham Carter) trying to keep her children in check. The story takes us on an adventure with the Gruffalo's Child (Shirley Henderson, Harry Potter's Moaning Myrtle) as she defies her father (voiced again by Robbie Coltrane) and sneaks out at night. Accompanied by her favourite toy twig, the Gruffalo's Child plays sleuth in the woods, tracking various footprints left in the snow and interrogating a snake, an owl, and a fox, as she detects her way to the big bad mouse. Her intrepid spirit combined with Bonham Carter's wonderfully voiced narration, and brilliant digital animation is sure to make The Gruffalo's Child a big hit with everyone.
Other films in this outdoor showcase include, the beautiful short Italian short, FOUR, about a little fairy who brightens up the sleeping forest. Light, airy music by Alexandra Harwood is a fine complement to this magical 3-minute short. ACORN BOY (Latvia), touches the heart, and tickles the funny bone as this toddling stray acorn gets deluged with pollen, makes some friends, and finds a home. Based on the books by Marie-Louise Gay, STELLA AND SAM: NIGHT FARIES, takes us into the backyard to "say goodnight to the sun" and wait for the night fairies to appear, so that wishes can be made. The interaction between big sister, Stella and her brother Sam ring true as she introduces him to the night, and Sam braves his fears of not sleeping in his own bed. Their delightful pet dog Fred rounds out this trio. ANIMAL BEATBOX is a 3-minute Australian short that matches images of animated animals with a rhythmic beat. Be prepared for the younger kids to be chanting "dogs and cats and dogs and cats and dogs and cats" for the next few days. SID THE PIKE (Sweden) is like an underwater peek at a meandering fish. This blend of realism and animation that takes us into Sid's watery world is perhaps a bit too long, but I can hear the questions now about what makes Sid's gills move the way they do, and why does he have speckles. A trip to the Ontario Science Centre might be in your future.
Ironically, Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival leaves its adolescent years behind by launching its 22nd year with a film in which the youthful tenets of masculinity are harshly tested. The engrossing and refreshing British drama, MY BROTHER THE DEVIL is set and shot on location in the Hackney, UK, home of director, Sally El Hosaini. The story centres around Rashid (James Floyd) an early school leaver and drug-running gang-member who wants better for his studious younger brother, Mo (Fady Elsayed).
Fady Elsayed (Mo) and James Floyd (Rasid) in MY BROTHER THE DEVIL dir. Sally El Hosaini)
I thought I knew what to expect from My Brother the Devil, but was wonderfully surprised by its refreshing take on a familiar storyline. The script is well-realized on screen with fantastic cinematography, music, sound, and carefully placed scenes that underscore the pattern of tension and release needed in a rude boy picture.
Actor, James Floyd, who doesn't have a bad side as far as the camera is concerned, is solidly cast in his role as Rashid--most would never know that the mix of East London and Caribbean patois was not his natural dialect. He is as believable amongst his gang "fam" (some of whom were local non-actors) as he is in relating to his birth family. With his ability to imbue Mo with the necessary vulnerability and awkward posturing of a fourteen year old, Fady Elsayed (in his first screen role) manages to capture the universality of the younger brother wanting to impress and emulate his older brother. Young actress, Letitia Wright, is a scene-stealer as Aisha, a new neighbour that Mo has a crush on.
In establishing the dynamics between the brothers from the opening of the film, and introducing their family and friends at the same time, writer/director, El Hosaini immediately defines the roles and world in which Rashid and Mo inhabit. In an open secret between Rashid and his mother, he augments the family income by slipping money into her wallet and she turns a blind eye at the origin of the money; Mo is privy to that secret, and would like to do the same thing, but college or university is the familial goal for him; their father works as a bus driver, and doesn't approve of Rashid's unemployed status nor his friendships with the "Blacks" on the housing estate. Mirroring the confined world of the brothers is the tiny flat in which they live, sharing a room with bunk beds and little privacy. Truth is spoken outside the confines of the flat, but there is no softness there to cushion any blows; the estate playgrounds are occupied by rope gyms, paths barricaded by iron rails, and concrete mounds. Just who is the "devil" in this tense urban maze is left up to the viewer.
Speaking via Skype, El Hosaini was pleased that the film was being shown on the International Day Against Homophobia because she wanted to bring that very subject to light: how do young men, living in a hyper-masculine environment, with transposed values from various Arab cultures, negotiate the issue of masculinity and homosexuality? She also wanted to move beyond stereotypes in an exploration of brotherly love. In playing Rashid, James Floyd said that he benefited in his preparation for the role by being accepted by the locals into a world he knew almost nothing about. He shared that learning the dialect was like learning a new language ("I had to ask what certain words meant"), one that he studied hard to capture in delivering El Hosaini's realistic dialogue.
El Hosaini plans to have a screening of the film in Hackney (only the cast and local crew have seen the Sundance Award-winning film) and other parts of inner city London. She would also like My Brother the Devil to be seen in the Middle East, but has yet to be invited to any of those festivals.
It's not easy for a Canadian film to make it past the first week-end screening at your local cinema, and for a documentary, the chances of getting bums in seats on that all important first week-end is rare (unless you're Michael Moore), but Oshwa's own, Yung Chang has scored with his latest project, CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT.
Recently screened at Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT tells to story of two Chinese youth who have been recruited to train for the Olympics. Under the guidance of Coach Qi Moxiang, a former "boxing king", the young men struggle to maintain the mental and physical conditioning it takes to be successful, ever mindful of the fact that if they fail, they will have to return to poverty and the backbreaking labour of the countryside.
Screening at The Varsity Cinema 55 Bloor Street West (inside the Manulife building) http://varsitytoronto.com/
Yung Chang talks about getting the right shots for China Heavyweight:
Sound designer Kyle Stanfield talks about creating the sound for the film:
