CategoryArts & Culture

The following is an interview with Professor Swan conducted by Emily Papsin, Editor-in-Chief of this paper from 2020-2021, now an articling student at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. It was first published in Issue 3 of Volume 92 on 9 October 2018. Please enjoy. – Tomislav Miloš, Editor-in-Chief When is your birthday? 10th of October. In two weeks I turn 80. How do you feel about that? Some...

I’ve tried running with my phone in nearly every imaginable way: armband, waist pack, pocket. The armband gets sweaty and gross about five minutes into the run, and if you want to send a message or change playlists you have to unstrap the apparatus, try to punch through the thick layer of plastic to engage the touchscreen, and then strap it back up. The waist pack feels restrictive, and, again...

*SPOILERS INCOMING* I have been a fan of Spider-Man for about as long as I can remember. The first birthday gift that I ever received was a Spider-Man comic book. I read the book multiple times until the pages started to wear down. Not long after, I dressed up as Spider-Man for Halloween for the first time (I say first because it happened more than once). I have vivid memories of my mother...

This year, we saw a plethora of movie musicals hit the screens—both the big and small ones—with the debut of Dear Evan Hansen, In the Heights, Tick, Tick…Boom!, Encanto, West Side Story, Annette, and the dreaded Cinderella. As a musical theatre lover for my entire life, this year seemed like a dream come true. In trying to watch as many of these musicals as possible (even the not so critically...

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev was an enthralling story from the start. Considering my propensity to skip the summary and dive right into the book (especially when it comes highly recommended, which this one did), I admittedly had to take a second to confirm that the book was indeed fiction. I am absolutely in awe of debut author Dawnie Walton—this book was incredible. The interview-style...

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...