Author Archives: Ed Sum

01.06.17
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One Foodie & A Nerd’s Guide to the 23rd Annual Victoria Film Festival

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Tickets can be bought online or at the door. A one time $2 membership fee is required to attend all movies.

The 23rd Annual Victoria Film Festival takes place from Feb 3 to 12, 2017, and the selection is as regularly diverse as my tastes. Missing this year is the In Conversation series, and this particular aspect has always been of interest to me. I love hearing about the thought processes of these talented filmmakers. Sometimes, one might get to meet some really big names. One year had Gareth Edwards present, talking about his work prior to Godzilla. Now that he has helmed one of the biggest movies of 2016, Star Wars: Rogue One, how many people can say they have met him?

Taking the Frame Off  is a new program examining the coming trends, but will it be the same? With topics ranging from “What’s App, Doc” which looks at how content is consumed in a digital age to “Storytelling in Virtual Worlds,” my guess is in how media is created for the modern age will be at the forefront. Plenty can be said about how this new medium, VR, can work. This year, it is getting the spotlight at Play @ The Fort at Tectoria on 777 Fort Street. Here, demos of how virtual reality works will be offered free of charge and the games that’s playable now will be the spotlight. If we ask nicely, perhaps they might have a presentation of Allumette or Henry the Hedgehog.

More about this up and coming technology will be explored in an upcoming interview to be published on otakunoculture.com with Vincent McCurley, a technology specialist working for the National Film Board of Canada. They will be offering eight titles, two of them are shorts, at this year’s event! Of course, leading the charge is my top pick, which is also this year’s opening gala.

Window Horses (drama, animation)
Feb 3, 7pm – Cineplex Odeon Downtown

The unique character designs and visual styles are at the heart of why I’m loving this film, and it is topping many of my lists of movies to must see. With a story about young Rosie Ming (voiced by Sandra Oh) going to Iran, just what will she find there? She’s a poet yearning to visit Paris, but this Middle Eastern country is nowhere close to the City of Lights. Here, she will discover secrets to her mixed heritage and I suspect this coming of age film will be a true delight. This movie is selected as the opening Gala for this festival.

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01.01.17
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Cherry Bomb Toys to Honour Carrie Fisher’s Advocacy for Mental Health. Donations accepted for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.

rs_634x1024-161229113738-634-2debbie-reynolds-carrie-fisher-bond2016 has been a cruel year with numerous celebrity deaths. Hollywood is mourning the loss of two legends from early last week, Carrie Fisher (best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars) and her mother Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain) the following day. Fisher is a mental health and substance abuse advocate, and without Gary, her registered therapy French bulldog to give her that loving support, she might be at a different place.

Cherry Bomb Toys is honouring both these legends by asking fans to donate items (photos, toys, recordings (videos or albums) and anything else in between) in recognition of either performer’s legacy  — this store’s own stock included — to raise money for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. They develop programs, help and treat people who are struggling with mental health issues. Cash is preferred over debit or credit card. That way, all the money goes to where it’s needed instead of covering the fees banks charge.

For the entire month of January, these products will be placed on display for collectors to see. The prices are very reasonable, and most of these items should fly fast. As more product come in, additional space will be made available. The following image is just an example of what is presently there. If anyone is looking for Star Wars themed Dixie cups to use in the next party, they got ’em!

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(please click to enlarge)

For support outside of the island and beyond, all you have to do is offer your time by volunteering at a mental health clinic. Donating money does not always provide a solution. It pays for the equipment necessary that not all hospices may have for proper diagnosis and care. As I struggle with my own erratic seasonal depression, sometimes all I need to know is that emotional support is near. Having those close friends that you can speak to help. To know that we are not alone can defeat those demons attempting to tear us down.

12.21.16
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How Nouveau is Nubo Japanese Tapas?

img_20160828_181426201-nuboNubo Japanese Tapas
739 Pandora Ave
Victoria, BC
(778) 265-9909

I’m fairly sure Nubo is very nouveau. Their designer maki rolls certainly looked very tantalizing, making this place worth visiting again for that alone! But when I noticed that I’ve seen similar elsewhere (especially after having sushi in four different cities), well, perhaps they are not? I was seeking a taste of the old country — traditional — and this place certainly delivers. On a busy night, I managed to get a seat at the sushi bar. Reservations are certainly recommended, especially if you’re planning on seeing a yuletide production at the MacPherson Playhouse. In fact, I recommend doing so for the four operations that run here. If time is tight, then the time is best maximized by being here early and just enjoying the scents.

If only I had two hundred dollars, I would be feasting on the variety offered here for an entire month. I could on a weekly basis, though I have to spread the love between here and Omakase. When considering their motoyaki is made from scallop and prawns, I’m already drooling. When I saw that this operation offers monkfish liver, they have a one-up on many other local places I’ve been to. In what I tasted is divine, and I was tripping at the variety of garnishes used on each slice. Each serving was floating in a lake of light soy sauce, and that was just my starter!

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12.07.16
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[Vancouver, BC] Am I on the “Fritz” Loving American Cheesesteak Co.?

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The American Cheesesteak Co.
781 Davie St.
Vancouver, BC
(604) 681-0130

Most Philly cheesesteak lovers will say a fantastic sub has to be slobbering over with greasy goodness. The beef juices have to drip upon every bite and I must add an additional requirement: a gentle crisp is needed and the cheese must ooze all over. As most folks know, (from American CheeseSteak’s website) Pat and Harry Olivieri created the sandwich at their hot dog stand near South Philadelphia’s Italian Market in the 1930s. The cheese steak became so popular that the pair stopped selling hot dogs altogether, later opening the renowned Pat’s King of Steaks in the place where their stand once stood. Today, Philadelphia has more than 2000 restaurants dedicated to serving this indulgence.

Now just how this iconic morsel that can feed a state migrated to Vancouver, BC (let alone Lake Tahoe when I first sampled an ‘authentic’ style) almost needs to be questioned, current US politics notwithstanding. More Yanks should come north as long as they bring more of their trade cuisine secrets to indulge Canadians with! The South really must migrate so more Cajun style restaurants can open up! But I digress. For the sandwich, I feel that the New Yorker is over the top. My gut is simply busting after taking a few bites and the only reason I got it is to tide me over for 30 hours as I make the most of my last days in the big city.  Of course, I’m writing this review a few weeks later, but I needed time to fully digest that meal.

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11.23.16
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There’s No Need for James at John’s Place

johns_place1John’s Place
723 Pandora Ave
Victoria, BC
(250) 389-0711

There are times where I think my writing partner James Shaw is wrong, totally wrong. He thinks we should not look at the popular establishments and we should really focus more on the mom and pop operations. That’s fine, but when I’m out and about more than he is, I’ll do what I like. I feel we should at least give some few recognized establishments our take anyways. My buddy’s opinion is always dated; he draws on experiences from more than ten years ago and I tell him you can’t base everything on the past. Sure, they shape who we are (in other aspects), but when it comes to food and some operations, management can sometimes change.

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10.28.16
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Eerie Ed’s Guide to Haunted Victoria, BC Eateries

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Supernatural tales permeate throughout most of Victoria, British Columbia and there’s a handful of ghosts who love visiting eateries. With Halloween near, interest in this world is at its peak, and some may want to dine at an allegedly haunted establishment.

As a paranormal enthusiast who is trying to keep up to date with new tales, I present a catalogue of nearly every haunted eatery in this city. Some I’ve been to dine at and others are still on my bucket list.

In a few stories I’ve personally been told, Monty’s Showroom Pub (closed) was also haunted and I was invited to investigate this place with me and my PARAVI friends. We did not find anything conclusive, but to be in this venue after hours and quiet certainly had a different ambience.

The area around Bastion Square has a fair number of haunts within a square block. With a few friends who once operated a restaurant or late-night pub in this area, they have related to me a few experiences: a past owner/operator of Baja Surf Grill (no longer in operation) mentioned finding wall hangings strewn on the floor and while I think he’s pulling my leg, the area is old enough to have some secrets. But in all the tales he tells me, I figure the ghosts of downtown Victoria love him. He used to run a downstairs pub, close to The Churchill, many years ago and recalls seeing something on the stairs!

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