Reviews

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first new Blu-ray column of 2014. This year's first edition is essentially dominated by the latest from television--most notably, two Canadian-made series that are well worth mentioning.

Review: ‘Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection’

Christopher Heard

November 7, 2013

As a lifelong admirer of Bruce Lee and his lasting legacy--both on film and as a writer of some of the best books on martial arts techniques and philosophies--I am always eager to see whatever is released about him. Even though Lee died at the ridiculously young age of 32 in 1974, there is still validity in new versions of his stuff, repackaged or reprinted, as the benefit of each is that it exposes a new generation of potential fans to his still relevant body of work.

Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds in R.I.P.D.

Blu-ray Review: ‘R.I.P.D.’ starring Jeff Bridges & Ryan Reynolds

W. Andrew Powell

October 29, 2013

Peter M. Lenkov's Rest In Peace Department oozes with really fantastic ideas, and that's probably why Universal Pictures wanted to make it into a blockbuster franchise. The problem with the adaptation is that is misfires at almost every plot turn, and never seems to decide if it's going to be dark, funny, or just plain weird. That's also why it's very unlikely we'll see a sequel to R.I.P.D.

Review: ‘Black Rock’ starring Katie Aselton

Steph Davidson

September 11, 2013

At first glance, Black Rock looks like a blend of Deliverance, mixed with the female-powered revenge horror of I Spit on Your Grave. While Black Rock earnestly tries to balance the two, it comes across as overly ambitious and never really finds the right tone while simultaneously falling prey to predictable horror tropes (hot girls in horror films are contractually obligated to run around naked at least some point during the movie).

Calgary International Blues Festival: Day 3

August 13, 2013

The third day of the Calgary International Blues Festival brought electric guitars and lots of slow dancing. The acts were more varied than the previous two days, straying from traditional blues including a cajun band. Each one brought something new and wonderful to the table that was completely different from whatever came before it.

Calgary International Blues Festival: Day 2

August 13, 2013

The second day of the Calgary International Blues Festival brought another batch of three excellent mainstage acts. Despite repeatedly threatening to rain, the skies stayed clear. The night began with some blues based music that dipped into various other genres including funk and rock, followed by beach inspired blues, rounded out with some excellent Motown.

Calgary International Blues Festival: Day 1

August 8, 2013

On Thursday, August 1, the Calgary International Blues Festival kicked off at Calgary's Shaw Millennium Park with three mainstage performances. The festival promises to bring lots of good electric guitar playing, patterned button-up shirts and quality blues music.

The best of the 2013 Calgary Folk Music festival

August 8, 2013

The annual Calgary Folk Music Festival took over Prince's Island Park for four days--July 25 to 28--as 13,000 spectators, volunteers and musicians took part in the eclectic and wonderful mix of music on offer. This year's event was even more impressive given that the island was submerged by water during the floods that hit the city five weeks ago.

Sampling Fionn MacCool’s new summer menu

W. Andrew Powell

July 4, 2013