Tag Archives: 2015

10.08.15
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A Few Hungry Picks for Halloween 2015

Instead of simply rinse and repeating the annual events happening at Halloween in Victoria, BC, what we are offering are our picks of the season that changes things up every year. These are the shows that we are thinking of attending and are wanting to lose our heads over like Ichabod Crane. While James’ pumpkin face is topped with a sprig of hair, to show his excitement during the Halloween season, Ed’s will be extended lush and long so he can hide behind it, like a certain member of the Addams Family to blend with the scenery.

david-radford-the-fool-photo-christina-patterson

Oct 15-31st, 2015
Launchpad Production’s
Arkenam Abbey
Craigdarroch Castle
1050 Joan Crescent

The theatre company of Giggling Iguana Productions decided to take a break and thankfully what’s to come in its place will have fans of Gothic entertainment clapping. Launchpad Productions is taking over and they promise to bring entertainment to all new heights for both Halloween enthusiasts and nerds alike with this homage to the Batman universe. This company’s debut from a few years ago at the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival with Tara Firm and the Lunar War Chronicles certainly shows this group is ready.

Tickets can be bought online through The Castle’s website and to learn about what’s in store, check out our interview with this troupe and a preview here.

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02.23.15
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[Victoria, BC] Chinese New Year Celebrations in the Heart of Chinatown

In my youth, Chinese New Year meant going to Victoria, BC’s Chinatown with my parents and watching the lion dances held at this special time of the year. I recall fond memories when firecrackers were handed out to my dad, and he would let me hold the incense stick to light the firecrackers. He tossed them close to where the dancers were and they exploded. When nobody was looking, he even let me light and throw a few myself. That excitement gave life to those dances from decades ago. These days, due to fire regulations and safety, what’s done is a tamer comparison of what I fondly recall. At least the purpose remained the same: the noise is meant to scare the evil away so prosperity can enter the businesses.

On a variable cloudy day, the sun came out to shine on today’s celebrations. That’s a good sign for what’s to come. And I got to hang out with very good friends while we enjoyed watching the lions dance around the block that cumulated to a martial arts demonstration by the Hung Fut Kung Fu club, which has been around since 1974. I’ll let the pictures I took speak for itself:

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02.11.15
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[VFF’15] Final Recipe’s Family Aspirations, A Movie Review

9:15pm Feb 10
Odeon Theatre

With a movie title like Final Recipe, I had to wonder if this foodie film is the be all and end all of films celebrating Asian-style culinary delights. I’m very grateful to the Victoria Film Festival for bringing in a variety of independent movies to my attention, and when every year manages to include some kind of food themed film, all my taste buds can do is salivate in anticipation!.

It’s tough to beat the first film (Chef of the South Polar) I ever saw. I became really hungry for Japanese food, and the lesson I learned that ramen cannot be ramen without kansui — a kind of mineral water containing elements of sodium carbonate along with a few other chemical compounds.

In Final Recipe, I learned that at least in China, there’s 1200 variations of what a noodle can become when cooked up. Flavours can be instilled, presentations can awe, but what about bringing pleasant memories from long ago? Especially that when one has become a conneiseur because of that first dish that mama made for you with love. Those kind of memories are not easy to forget.

This movie succeeds because it evokes those kinds of memories when the competition begins. I came home feeling hungry for a noodle-based dish and after satisfying my belly, I’m finally to ready to write!

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02.09.15
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[VFF’15] Is the Food Tennis Pro Ate Big in Japan? A Review & Interview

bij_POSTERLittle known Seattle-based rock band Tennis Pro is having problems back home and in what they realize is that they are not getting the attention that they deserve. When Alex Vincent (AKA Alex Shumway) of Green River fame takes notice and offers them the chance to pursue recognition in the land of the rising sun, perhaps their fame will truly be “Big in Japan.”

This rockumentary blends actual concert moments with a fictionalized narrative to tell the story of what guitarist David Drewery, drummer Sean Lowery and bassist Philip Pearson faced while in this country. From total culture shock in not quite realizing where they are to showing off what this trio have to eat, perhaps it’s best lovers of Japanese food should not attend this film with an empty stomach. It will get some people wanting to try an ice cream hotdog or to attempt a ‘dangerous’ round of sushi roulette themselves.

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02.06.15
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[VFF’15] “Gone South” to Look at the Rise of Hollywood, A Review

GoneSouth-Poster-11x16.75Feb 6 • 6:00pm
The Vic Theatre

Special Guest in Attendance: Director Ian Ferguson

The documentary Gone South: How Canada Invented Hollywood is a very informative and tongue in cheek look at a different kind of invasion that’s still infiltrating the entertainment industry today. It’s only fitting that this movie is part of the opening night of movies to start the 2015 Victoria Film Festival. This movie is part of the Canadian Wave program.

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