Some are unlucky at love. Others are just plain inept. The latter populate writer-director Bruce Sweeney’s heartfelt farce that delivers finely tuned dysfunction while featuring copious local haunts and a surplus of skeletons in closets.
“TIFF kind of ties me up in knots and VIFF kind of unloosens those knots,” writer and director Bruce Sweeney told me over the phone from his cabin this summer, ahead of the busy film festival season. His latest work, Kingsway premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month and it will soon screen at Vancouver’s festival.
Kingsway by Bruce Sweeney
Named after a storied thoroughfare that crosses cities and in parts almost seems to intersect with itself, Kingsway, the namesake of Sweeney’s film, also serves as a metaphor. “A loose metaphor for relationships,” he says. “You think you’re going one way and you end up going another.” Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
“A Conversation with Ellen” is coming to Rogers Arena on October 19, 2018, and Metropolis at Metrotown has tickets to give away to the biggest Ellen fans in the city! Metropolis at Metrotown is looking for energetic, hilarious, and daring contestants who would love to go see Ellen Degeneres live.
Play Your Way to Ellen at Metropolis at Metrotown
Where: Metropolis at Metrotown’s Atrium and Grand Courts
When: Sunday, September 30, 2018. Check-in 12:00pm. Compete 1:00pm to 5:00pm
Admission: Free to participate, free to watch!
Inspired by The Ellen Show, Ellen fans can compete on September 30, 2018 in Play Your Way to Ellen at Metropolis at Metrotown’s Grand Court. 90 lucky contestants will be randomly selected and have the opportunity to play in a series of games to win one of five Ellen Prize Packages. Each Ellen Prize Package includes two tickets to see “A Conversation with Ellen” (each package valued over $600). Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
Art of the Cocktail, the cocktail event of the year, returns to one of Canada’s mixology capitals for sampling and sipping, masterclasses, and one very grand tasting.
Art of The Cocktail is the biggest cocktail party on the island. With over 900 attendees, 40 exhibitors & over 60 spirits being served, we bring the party to the heart of Victoria for an unforgettable festival of tasting, masterclasses & fun!
Art of the Cocktail
When: Saturday, October 13, 2018
Where: Crystal Garden (713 Douglas St, Victoria)
Tickets: Available online for individual events or tickets. Grand tasting VIP tickets are now sold out.
The Grand Tasting
Saturday, October 13, 2018 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Get tickets »
Discreet. Glamorous. Sophisticated. Old Hollywood style will strike the perfect note for the 2018 Art of the Cocktail theme. Dress in your fabulous After Five attire to sample cocktails created by local restaurants, new regional distilleries and Global Brand Ambassadors. Enjoy appetizers from some of the most innovative chefs on the West Coast.
Cocktails Up Close
Guided tastings and hands-on opportunities to learn the tricks of making the best cocktails at home. A great experience to be had with some of BC’s best bartenders. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
The Vancouver International Film Festival (“VIFF”) takes over the city September 27 to October 12, 2018 and they have recently announced the exciting lineup for the opening, closing and BC Spotlight gala films.
VIFF 2018 Galas
Opening Gala: The festival will kick off on Thursday, September 27, 2018 with Kim Nguyen’s The Hummingbird Project, staring Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard.
Having previously transported us to the heart of a war zone with the Oscar-nominated Rebelle, Kim Nguyen now immerses us in even more hostile territory: the world of high-frequency stock trading. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
This post has been contributed by Patricia Thomson, outgoing Executive Director of the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”).
Patricia Thomson has been one of Stanley Park’s more tireless advocates, and we thank her for her passion and dedication to helping people connect with nature. Here, in her own words, Patricia shares an insider’s perspective of Stanley Park’s recent past and her hope for its future.
Protecting a Park
Stanley Park Ecology Society’s outgoing Executive Director reflects on 14 years of conservation and education in Vancouver’s beloved Stanley Park
“I have had the immense satisfaction of working for Stanley Park’s ecological integrity and environmental education for almost half of Stanley Park Ecology Society (SPES)’s 30 years.
When I accepted the posting as Executive Director in 2004, there was a staff of seven, and a Board of 14 directors. Today, there are on average 15 staff positions year round, and we swell to 20 each summer. In addition, more than 800 volunteers per year collectively donate over 15,000 service hours, gifting a conservative value of $250,000 /annum to SPES projects and programs for Stanley Park.
Patricia joins in on a SPES ivy pull
in Stanley Park. Photo: Krystal Pyke
My own first project when I signed on was to ensure the completion of the Cob House earthen architecture popcorn stand in the Stanley Park Railway plaza. Most nonprofits fundraise to build a facility; in this case, this facility was built to fundraise: Popping delicious snacks provides important cash support for our all-important School Programs that inspire and invest more than 6,000 students each year.
Built of reclaimed stone, clay, straw and sand, UBC, BCIT, the City of Vancouver, and others contributed engineering research and a garden roof system all when green building methods were still being explored and developed. In September 2004, I found myself on top of this ‘hobbit house’, raking its growing medium in zen fashion while my brain worked overtime contemplating Park projects to prioritize ahead. Within months, I was able to represent the 200 cob volunteers by accepting a prestigious Innovation Award. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
