My Eleven Golden Rules In 1946, George Orwell had an article published called “A Nice Cup of Tea” in which he describes the proper way to make tea. The way in which he thoroughly and eloquently describes a process as mundane as making tea has always made me chuckle. Recently, I have been wondering whether there were any other topics in need of such profound insight. Finally it hit me...
The Marvels of Filmmakers Unhinged: S&M, Stalkers, and Seatbelt Hangings The Duke of Burgundy (2014) 3/4 Sumptuously claustrophobic, visually ravishing, emotionally wise, wryly subversive, and peculiarly haunting, The Duke of Burgundy is a deeply eccentric filigree of a film; a louche, auteurist hothouse contemporary gothic; and a daring, atmosphere-soaked piece of hypnotherapy. It’s a...
Food Adventure #12: Lady Marmalade LADY MARMALADE (898 Queen St. East) Kate: For our last foray into the Toronto brunch scene, we chose Lady Marmalade. In my four years living in Toronto, I had never been to this area (or many places east of Yonge, to be honest—I can count the number of times I’ve crossed the Don River on one hand), and holy shit it is far. It took me forty-five minutes to get...
Vampires, Melodrama, and Bad Erotica: Something for Everyone? Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) 1/4 Tepid, timid, turgid, tedious, and tame, if barely staying off the track of terrible, Fifty Shades of Grey is a monochromatic misfire, a syrupy softcore melodrama, a Harlequin Romance with pulleys. Chaste and clumsy, drab and dull, silly and sanctimonious, limp and ludicrous, it’s a Twilight ripoff...
ROSE & SONS (176 Dupont St.) Kate: Though I have heard amazing things about Rose & Sons over the past few years, the location and rumoured wait time prevented me from trying it (remember, I used to live at Passy, where brunch is nothing but a fantasy). Having been so impressed with Big Crow, I had very high hopes for what I will call this “greasy spoon with a twist.” Karolina: I feel...
Food Adventure #10: Brit THE BRISTOL (1087 Queen St. West) Kate: It feels like forever since I’ve had brunch on the Obiter! As our various commitments to our master’s theses and Mock Trial kept us from doing a Jurisfoodence review in the last issue, I felt that it was necessary to go somewhere that I knew to be excellent, so I suggested (for the first time) somewhere I had actually been before:...
How to Survive Adolescence: The Glorious Mechanics of Defiance Girlhood (2014) 3/4 Bold, brawling, beautifully observed, and acted with wonderful conviction, Girlhood is a blast of oxygen to the coming-of-age genre; an energetic, hugely uplifting, and fascinatingly textured film that’s both a lament for sweetness lost and a celebration of wisdom and identity gained, often at the very same moment...
Lessons on Life Still Applicable Today To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) is one of those movies I find myself watching to the very end no matter where I pick it up. There could be only a half hour left, and I would still feel compelled to sit down and finish it. This may be the true test of a classic. The film is based on Harper Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The story takes place in 1932 in...
The Demonstration of a Democratic, Just Society and an Exceptional Film 12 Angry Men (1957) opens in a New York courtroom at the conclusion of a murder trial. The judge instructs the jury that returning a guilty verdict will lead to the automatic death sentence of the defendant. With the exception of a few minutes at the beginning and end, the entire film takes place within a sixteen by twenty...
Crime, History, War: Violence Leaves Its Mark American Sniper (2014) 2.5/4 Incurious and hyper-macho, stilted and scandalously blinkered, American Sniper is a solidly-staged and unexceptional picture, crammed with action, heart-pounding moments, and familiar dramatic situations. It’s a gripping, straightforward character study that could have been so much more. In the wake of 9/11, Navy SEAL...
An evening of fine dining at Nota Bene Somewhat serendipitously, our venue of choice for Winterlicious 2015 was just down the street from Old Osgoode Hall. David Lee’s award winning restaurant Nota Bene sits just west of University Avenue, at the gateway to Queen West. We were greeted by several smiling faces at the front, and the free coat check, while not exactly a surprise, was a nice touch...
Making sustainability a part of your wardrobe Sustainable, earth-friendly, eco-conscious, green – whatever we call it, the new hip thing to do in our everyday lives is to try to be considerate in our daily decisions about the environmental and social impact of our affluent Western lifestyles. In earlier days, it wasn’t always clear how to apply sustainability to everyday living, but today...
Having no prior experience with Winterlicious, it is fitting to that “I know nothing.” Not only that, but I am hardly a foodie, nor do I have a big stomach for anything. People who really know me note my lack of appetite, actually, and at home I’m known to be a serial picky-eater. But these bad habits (of which I’m sure you, the readership, likely have to one extent or another) need to change...
Food Adventure #9: SMITH (553 Church St.) Kate: After hearing Karolina rave about the huevos rancheros at Smith for the past few months, we decided it was time to check it out. Located in the Village inside what looks like an old townhouse, it would be hard to miss if you weren’t looking for it (I almost did). Karolina: It’s true, I hyped up Smith significantly. This wasn’t just because the food...
Laughter, Tears—and Bottles of Vodka Leviathan (2014) 4/4 Unflinchingly tense, staggeringly well-made, thought-provoking, and brimming with emotion, Leviathan is a Chekhov-style family tragedy; a subtle, extremely barbed satire exposing criminality in contemporary Russia; a film possessed of both classic sweep and sharp modern relevance. Filled with a desolate beauty, it’s a stupendous piece of...
Osgoode has an extensive list of partner schools with formal exchange agreements. Apart from these, there are summer programs, as well as semester exchanges with York University’s partner schools. But did you know that you can arrange your own exchange agreement with a non-partner institution? Of course it will take some leg-work, but the individualized and unique experience will be worth all the...
This week, the Obiter travels to one of the world’s oldest cities, a cradle of human history, and origin for three of the world’s most widespread faiths: the beautiful, timeless, and stately Jerusalem in Israel. Giving us a first-hand glimpse into the heart of this ancient place is Aryeh Samuel, currently in the third year of his Juris Doctor, who hails from New York and holds and undergraduate...
Spying, Sports, Showbiz – The “Dark Side” of Modern Society Citizenfour (2014) 3/4 Urgent, fascinating, and tastefully designed, Citizenfour is a primal political fable for the digital age; prosaic in its presentation, profound in its details, and perturbing in its implications. Alarming and essential, it’s a tapestry of escalating suspense; a masterful fusion of journalism and art; a rare...
Food Adventure #6: BIG CROW (176 Dupont St.) Kate: Karolina and I decided that since our last brunch adventure was such a hit (though, technically, the restaurant was a miss), she would be my official brunch companion for the rest of the year. Per her suggestion, we decided to check out Big Crow, which is run by the owners of Rose and Sons and Fat Pasha in a small tent-like structure directly...
FOOD ADVENTURE #5 – LE PETIT DÉJEUNER (191 King St. East) This week, my brunch companion was none other than the Obiter’s esteemed Editor-in-Chief, Karolina Wisniewski. After consulting a number of sources, we decided to check out Le Petit Déjeuner (LPD), a small restaurant located in St. Lawrence Market specializing in “Belgian-Canadian comfort food,” which also apparently serves the best...
An Avalanche of Actors Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) 3/4 Tasty, ironic, incisive, and savagely audacious, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a weird brew of backstage black comedy and theatrical satire, a volcano of creative ideas in full eruption, and a dark comedy of desperation buoyed by unbridled artistic optimism. It will make you laugh out loud and...
What I Learnt About Being a Lawyer From the Set of Suits My partner and I are in the middle of a high profile divorce settlement. We are having a heated whisper-discussion on the best legal approach to the dissolution of this crumbling but lucrative matrimony. “We need to respect the boundaries of their terms,” I whisper to him. “But frankly I don’t think our client is going to get the yacht.” He...
By now, we all can relate to the fact that that one semester flies by in no time. Maybe the first weeks feel slower, but as routine kicks in, it’s already time to hustle for finals. But that perceived passage of time can change so very drastically when one is taken out of that habitual comfort zone; three months is a long, long time to pass when alone in a new world. Time alone in a foreign place...
Food Adventure #4 – SAVING GRACE (907 Dundas St. West) A thing or person’s “saving grace” is its redeeming quality, that feature which compensates for its flaws and imperfections. As I set off for my brunch adventure this week, I hoped and prayed that Saving Grace would be my saving grace from the lackluster brunch experiences I have relayed to you thus far. In addition to the promise that...
A Wife, A Mother, and a Music Instructor Gone Girl (2014) 3/4 Mystifying, well-planned, precisely curdled, and tantalizingly mercurial, Gone Girl is a stealthy comedy and an absorbing melodrama; a break-all-the-windows plot-twister that retains every jolt from Gillian Flynn’s blockbuster novel, and a work of chilly wit and bleak metaphor that toys with the viewer like a femme fatale with her...