There exists a widespread belief that in the late 1800s, a pizzaiolo constructed a dish called La Pizza Margherita in honor of the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. The toppings used were to demonstrate and celebrate the unification of Italy, with tomato (red), mozzarella (white) and basil (green)—ingredients inspired by the tricolore, the national flag of Italy. Over the past two years, I...
Heading into TIFF Lightbox last week for the first time in what felt like a century, I was excited to see Spencer, owing to what little I knew about the film being completely polarizing. Tales of the lengthy Cannes ovation had filtered down to me, but so too had tweets that likened the film to an overlong, anxiety-inducing Chanel ad. While I had high hopes for Pablo Larraín’s first feature since...
Whether you call yourself a Swiftie or not, Taylor Swift’s latest re-release of a past album—Red (Taylor’s Version), which came out on Friday, November 12—is a clear triumph both musically and in terms of the artist’s broader mission and path. In 2019, the now thirty-one year old artist announced that she would be re-recording and re-releasing her first six albums after a dispute with her former...
I know the first time I felt black. Fourth grade, Ms. G’s class, reading a book around the carpet about the underground railroad. As Ms. G read aloud to everyone, enthusiastically accounting the description of the main character—female and black—one of the boys in my class turned around, pointed at me, and yelled, “like Dumkele!” I was stunned and embarrassed, but I laughed it off with everyone...
Welcome back to my personal blog (the Arts & Culture section of Obiter Dicta). It’s officially November, which means that hot weather is officially gone. We are swiftly transitioning from the sunny, fifteen-degree days of early autumn, to the gloomy five degree days that I believe are solely responsible for seasonal depression. I feel like Napoleon marching into Russia—it doesn’t seem that...
“Kendall Roy ordered the fennel salad and picked at it inquisitively.” That’s not my line—that’s straight from the character’s mouth in the latest episode of HBO’s Succession, when Kendall cheekily suggests that’s how a journalist can open her article about him. But it sets a fair barometer for where we find the Roy children early in the long-anticipated third season better than I could hope to:...
The McMichael Art gallery hosts a women-centred exhibition This weekend I took a field trip to the McMichael Art Gallery to see the Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment exhibition. The exhibit is a collection of work from Canadian women who coincided with the Group of Seven and, to a certain extent, offers commentary on the widely celebrated work of the Group of Seven and the...
For a show focused on highlighting the best in everyone, Ted Lasso’s second season really did its female characters dirty. Season two of the soccer-themed comedy-drama aired its finale on October 8, leaving viewers sitting with more than a few cliff-hangers. However, when I look back on this season, I’m not thinking about Nate’s alarming character progression, the threat of Rupert’s new soccer...
Fall has been a busy time for new music (and midterms), and I am certainly not complaining (about the new music). Adele is back. Young Thug is back with a punk album. Don Tolliver recently gave us his second full-length feature project, and the new Coldplay album has an EDM-style song. There is an abundance to listen to if you are looking to pass the time while the leaves begin to change colour...
The Netflix K-drama has demonstrated cross-cultural success through stunning visuals, excellent acting, and a solid if predictable plot Note: This review contains mild spoilers for Squid Game. After being subjected to the question of “Have you watched Squid Game?” by nearly all of my friends, I gave in and finally watched the K-drama that the Internet has not stopped talking about. Squid Game...
When I was a fourth year violin performance student at the University of British Columbia preparing to apply for graduate school, the general advice I was met with was to select schools based upon the teacher you wanted to study with. This was fairly sound advice since the mentor-mentee relationship is a significant part of most music school experiences. But in selecting which schools to apply to...
With The Many Saints of Newark being released in theatres this past weekend, it is only fitting that we discuss one of the greatest shows to ever touch television More than anything, the positive reviews of The Many Saints of Newark allowed me to finally exhale. It appears that at the bare minimum, Many Saints is a good movie. Critics have liked it so far, and user reviews have been...
According to Hume, there is not much of a relationship between roads, hell, and good intentions. In section one of Justice, whether a natural or artificial virtue, Hume characterizes intentions (referred to as “sentiments”) as the “real” indicia of morality, whereas actions are mere proxy. Correspondingly, good intentions, independent of an action’s outcome, are necessary conditions for the...
It’s job-hunting season and, despite the Zoom interface, you want to look your best (at least from the waist up). And if you’re a hand waver like I am, there’s a decent chance your wrist will be on display. Just because we’re going to be shackled to Scotiabank, TD, and various provincial loan agencies for the foreseeable future doesn’t mean we can’t find cool yet affordable watches to wear. Sure...
The most prominent and most exclusive social event in the world with a breezy $35,000 per person ticket resumed this September after being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event usually held on the first Monday of May for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. A bizarre premise where the highlight for viewers is watching...
Rappers are always talking about the cars they buy, the houses, the jewelry, or other luxuries. Dave has no interest in putting on the façade; he speaks in facts. Want to know how truly successful Dave actually is? Go ask his financial advisor. However, the reason that this version and not the original makes the list is because of the added final verse. Specifically, if you are a fan of English...
The city’s film festival always boasts formidable options, and this year is no exception Every September, the brightest stars in film descend upon Toronto for the annual rendition of the city’s famous film festival. While last year’s iteration was a more muted affair given the state of the pandemic, this year sees a welcome return to theatres, where folks like Christopher Nolan would argue that...
The late actor left an indelible impact on everyone who saw his work Last year I wrote an article on The Wire, one of my favorite television shows of all time. In that article I highlighted one of the characters in the show that stood out to me – Omar – portrayed by the late Michael K. Williams, who tragically passed away on September 6.. This article is simply an ode to the late Mr. Williams. He...
What can we learn from Stormblood? As November creeps upon us, we approach the release of the highly anticipated Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker expansion. Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn has grown to be a critically acclaimed Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) since its re-release in 2013, sitting at over 32 million active players at the time of this article. Given its rising...
The Chicago native is back with a bang with his latest On 29 August 2021, Kanye West dropped his tenth studio album, Donda and it was not without controversy. The album, named after his late mother, came to fruition through three separate listening events in two of the largest venues in the United States. The events were also being live-streamed to millions all over the world. At one point in the...
Growing up, Luke didn’t feel Indigenous at all. Most of his family lived on or near the reserve on Scugog Island quite close to Lindsay, Ontario, where he was born. “We’d go out to res very often, but it never felt like an Indigenous community, it was just my family,” he tells me as we sit on opposite sides of a picnic bench on a cold November morning in front of his studio in downtown Kitchener...
Almost every aspect of law school is tough: building your summaries, studying for exams, job recruits, and having to balance all that with your extracurricular and volunteer activities. Plus, you have to deal with it all in a virtual environment where you’re stuck inside watching the seasons pass you by. That is precisely why it’s so important to watch a show with a main character that exudes...
It’s safe to say that this year has been one of the most challenging school years I’ve had, and I’ve definitely found myself turning to “feel-good” entertainment more and more. I love turning on an episode of “Parks and Recreation”, re-reading Lord of the Rings, or making a matcha latte as a reward for getting through another long day of working from home. As exam season approaches and stress...