On September 6, 1995, First Nations protester Dudley George was shot and killed by police, while protesting over land at Ipperwash Provincial Park, west of London, Ont. His story, as well as the story of this disputed territory, is told in the film One Dead Indian, directed by Gemini-award winner Tim Southam. The film questions the state of human rights in Canada, which is an issue that Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights (CLAIHR) strives to raise awareness about.

Juggling coursework and a social life is more than enough for the average university student. Some even manage to take on jobs and/or romantic relationships. Then there’s Noah Fralick, ArtSci ’06, who hops the red-eye bus to Toronto in between term papers to make it to his band’s latest gig.
Fralick’s band, The Ride Theory, has been going strong since its Hamilton-based inception in 2002, despite the obstacles of geography and scheduling.

Those lucky enough to have made it to The Grad Club last Saturday night were in for quite a show. With three bands playing, the show was well worth the money and time. Headliner Controller.Controller was supported by two opening bands—the upbeat Chicago-based quartet OK Go and Toronto-based trio Stop Die Resuscitate.

“Like short stories, I think a good short film … can be a really beautiful, succinct thing,” says Toronto-based director and film writer Cassandra Nicolaou, whose work will feature at the Reelout film festival closing gala this Sunday, Feb. 5.

For decades, stand-up comedians have shared a secret joke. Long after their shows were over and the audiences had left the club, comics used to break out this single joke to entertain each other. It is something that could never be said on stage, because it is without a doubt the most offensive joke ever told. Want to hear it? Picture the scene: 1930s, New York, the old vaudeville days. A guy walks into a talent agent’s office, looks the agent right in the eye and says, “Have I got an act for you.”

In 1952, a young Marlon Brando met Sir John Gielgud on the set of the MGM production of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Despite the two actors’ conflicting styles and Brando’s rising fame and rebellious reputation, Brando requested that Gielgud help him with his delivery of Shakespearean text and—much to Gielgud’s surprise—took all of Gielgud’s advice to heart, delivering the lines exactly as he had suggested.

“Serious, serious, serious,” Patricia “Kitten” Braden declares throughout Breakfast on Pluto. She can’t understand why everyone around her takes life so seriously. For her, life is much like fairy tale, regardless of her troubled upbringing and uncertain future.

Sometimes, the reason for leaving a concert feeling it was powerful comes not from the quality of the music itself but rather the depth of sincerity and the genuine care an artist conveys to her audience.
Such was the case for Jane Siberry on Thursday night, as she captured the hearts of her audience—most of whom were mature female students—for a benefit concert put on by the Ban Righ Centre.

Lead singer Bry Webb stares back at the congested throng with intimidating intensity, surveys the crowd to make sure there are no stragglers and with one look, assures us that we’re all in it together … just before he leans into the mic with his gravelly growl and brings the house down.

Brian Borcherdt exercises his contrasts to the fullest.
The two main musical projects from the former By Divine Right guitarist exist on opposite ends of the musical spectrum. And that’s just how Borcherdt likes it.

Kingston will host the seventh annual reelout queer film and video festival this month, with eight days of independent cinema beginning Friday Jan. 26 and running until Feb. 5. This year more than 50 films from 10 different countries will be screened at different venues on campus and downtown. Full festival listings can be found online at www.reelout.com.

If you have ever stared at a piece of art and wondered what exactly was going on, the exhibit Telling Stories, Secret Lives that officially opened at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre on Jan. 21 may be the very thing to help break down the barriers between artistic expression and audience understanding.

Usually, when you hear that a band is from Eastern Canada, thoughts of folk music, fiddles and Great Big Sea come to mind. But this isn’t the case for In-Flight Safety, a rising band which has more in common with Coldplay than Ashley MacIsaac.

Overall, I find the art in this exhibit to be based on the pastimes and pursuits of the stereotypical American male, which—when lent to the great state of Michigan as symbols—fall short of doing justice to both the state and the men alike.

What do fortune cookies, yellow shoes and female bowel movements have in common? Though seemingly dissimilar, all were featured in this year’s fourth annual Focus Film Festival. The theatre was nearly packed on Saturday night, even though the screening had been moved to the BioSciences Complex from its previous location, Etherington Auditorium, in order to provide more seating.

Just what in the hell has Tom Green been up to lately, anyway? His show’s no longer on loop on MTV, traumatizing viewers with nonsensical escapades like the cult-skit “The Canterbury Tales.”

New to the Queen’s community is a publication entitled Syndicus. Unlike other magazines and periodicals, Syndicus strives to unite the abilities of the arts and sciences in an exploration of social issues pertinent to all university students.

It all started when artist Cheryl-Ann Webster heard her 13-year-old daughter discuss her “saving box.” When asked what she was saving up for, she daughter calmly replied that her and her friends were all saving up for breast implants.

Leslie Feist is more than just a pretty voice.