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Just because the film schedule was light this weekend, doesn't mean I didn't have a KICK ASS time in Montreal. Here are the highlights of the whirlwind tour.
Peel's Pub - 1st bar on Heatray's list of great pubs in Montreal, the kind of place according to him "that he could never, EVER, get SilentQ and I to go to in Boston". It was a sports bar, but like most places in Montreal it was build in a former apartment building that had been gutted and refurbished. It still had that "ghost of an apartment" feel to it. The drink special was $1 shooters (minimum order of 4) Twenty dollars later we had a reasonable recreation of the bar table from Raiders of the Lost Ark, minus the passed out Scotsman.
Karina (or Karma) - the upstairs club from Sir Winston Churchill pub (another club on Heatray's list), atmosphere and decor on par with a smaller trendy Boston club. Sam was manning the side bar, and she was really good at her job of getting you to buy shots. She also gifted us with VIP cards for Friday night (which we were destined never to use). Patrons of Ohm, will remember the wall of water decoration as you enter the restaurant. Karina had this same thing as their urinal: one big sheet of metal with water cascading down it. I chatted up the raven haired bartender in the criminally underused back bar, while SilentQ got her groove on, and Heatray was dragged out for a dance battle on the main floor. Hijinks galore!
Rio - local alternative clothing store, I've been here before for shorts and the like. I always seem to end up making a big Scene related purchase in Canada, this time it was a pair of UK 10 hole Doc Martins. They are quite beautiful, and should last me for a good five years or more.
Oh, there were also movies to be seen. The first two were with SilentQ
Cyborg She - Time travelling romantic comedy between a shy boy and the female Terminator he built in the future! The story leaves you with some questions, but it untangles itself nicely at the end. I confess to getting misty eyed at the end of the movie. Good subtle use of special effects, nice use of humor and action to keep things from getting too saccharine. A great start to the day.
Battle League in Kyoto - College comedy about a studen group that competes against each other with armies of Oni (little pig headed spirits) which they control with choreographed dance moves! It's as silly as it sounds, and good fun to boot. The animated oni fights were well done, and lots of humor and romantic angst filled the movie. A great crowd pleaser. Plus, I have to see anything with Chiaki Kuriyama in it (Kill Bil's Gogo Yubari).
Devina's - Heatray and I sat outside on the patio of this tasty Indian restaurant, enjoying excellent samosas and soaking in the vibrant, frenetic Montreal night. Montreal is an amazing, amazing city. I need to visit more often. You need to come with me!
Mad Hatter's - last year we got free shots for supporting Obama. This year we got a pitcher of sangria while waiting for our movies, and talked to the bartenders about their tattoos in interesting places.
Most places make sangria in small, dainty little pitchers. Mad Hatter's serves theirs in a proper beer pitcher. We probably had about four to five glasses each. Mad Hatter's knows their sangria!
The Children - Two families get together for the holidays, where the youngest one starts getting sick. Before long, all the kids are sick. Before much longer, all the kids are now homicidal killers. The British film lives up to the horror moniker by slowly building tension, refrains from overt gore and makes up for that with lots of dread. Add the extra horror of your own offspring turning into killers, and it's a parental nightmare. Heatray and I both give this movie a very strong thumbs up.
Dead Girl - I was very curious and excited about this film, and it was utterly amazing. Two social outcasts find a dead girl chained to a table in the basement of an insane asylum. The girl is naked, attractive and dead, yet she still moves, and has a knack for biting. Rather than set her free, one boy decides to keep her as a sex slave, with the reluctant approval of his friend, who is carrying an longstanding unrequited crush. This is a twisted coming of age film, and the themes are extremely dark. Violence and gore are very selectively done for maximum impact, all the horror comes from the necrophilia and attitudes towards their prisoner. There is still some black comedy, and the movie crescendos into an emotional fist to the gut. This is a smart, smart horror film with a lot to say. You must see it.
McGibbons - Heatray and I closed out this pub after our movies. Great atmosphere, and the first pub I found that actually had cider: a dry, crisp Canadian brand that was delicious. We also got free Jaeger shots from the bartender, cause we're such nice guys.
I left early on Saturday to make it back for a fire spinning party. There weren't any films I was crazy about seeing Saturday, and while I would have enjoyed a couple films on Sunday, I can track them down later. The entire trip was made of win, and I'm already making ready for next year's Fantasia. Hopefully I can get up to Montreal again before then :)
Peel's Pub - 1st bar on Heatray's list of great pubs in Montreal, the kind of place according to him "that he could never, EVER, get SilentQ and I to go to in Boston". It was a sports bar, but like most places in Montreal it was build in a former apartment building that had been gutted and refurbished. It still had that "ghost of an apartment" feel to it. The drink special was $1 shooters (minimum order of 4) Twenty dollars later we had a reasonable recreation of the bar table from Raiders of the Lost Ark, minus the passed out Scotsman.
Karina (or Karma) - the upstairs club from Sir Winston Churchill pub (another club on Heatray's list), atmosphere and decor on par with a smaller trendy Boston club. Sam was manning the side bar, and she was really good at her job of getting you to buy shots. She also gifted us with VIP cards for Friday night (which we were destined never to use). Patrons of Ohm, will remember the wall of water decoration as you enter the restaurant. Karina had this same thing as their urinal: one big sheet of metal with water cascading down it. I chatted up the raven haired bartender in the criminally underused back bar, while SilentQ got her groove on, and Heatray was dragged out for a dance battle on the main floor. Hijinks galore!
Rio - local alternative clothing store, I've been here before for shorts and the like. I always seem to end up making a big Scene related purchase in Canada, this time it was a pair of UK 10 hole Doc Martins. They are quite beautiful, and should last me for a good five years or more.
Oh, there were also movies to be seen. The first two were with SilentQ
Cyborg She - Time travelling romantic comedy between a shy boy and the female Terminator he built in the future! The story leaves you with some questions, but it untangles itself nicely at the end. I confess to getting misty eyed at the end of the movie. Good subtle use of special effects, nice use of humor and action to keep things from getting too saccharine. A great start to the day.
Battle League in Kyoto - College comedy about a studen group that competes against each other with armies of Oni (little pig headed spirits) which they control with choreographed dance moves! It's as silly as it sounds, and good fun to boot. The animated oni fights were well done, and lots of humor and romantic angst filled the movie. A great crowd pleaser. Plus, I have to see anything with Chiaki Kuriyama in it (Kill Bil's Gogo Yubari).
Devina's - Heatray and I sat outside on the patio of this tasty Indian restaurant, enjoying excellent samosas and soaking in the vibrant, frenetic Montreal night. Montreal is an amazing, amazing city. I need to visit more often. You need to come with me!
Mad Hatter's - last year we got free shots for supporting Obama. This year we got a pitcher of sangria while waiting for our movies, and talked to the bartenders about their tattoos in interesting places.
Most places make sangria in small, dainty little pitchers. Mad Hatter's serves theirs in a proper beer pitcher. We probably had about four to five glasses each. Mad Hatter's knows their sangria!
The Children - Two families get together for the holidays, where the youngest one starts getting sick. Before long, all the kids are sick. Before much longer, all the kids are now homicidal killers. The British film lives up to the horror moniker by slowly building tension, refrains from overt gore and makes up for that with lots of dread. Add the extra horror of your own offspring turning into killers, and it's a parental nightmare. Heatray and I both give this movie a very strong thumbs up.
Dead Girl - I was very curious and excited about this film, and it was utterly amazing. Two social outcasts find a dead girl chained to a table in the basement of an insane asylum. The girl is naked, attractive and dead, yet she still moves, and has a knack for biting. Rather than set her free, one boy decides to keep her as a sex slave, with the reluctant approval of his friend, who is carrying an longstanding unrequited crush. This is a twisted coming of age film, and the themes are extremely dark. Violence and gore are very selectively done for maximum impact, all the horror comes from the necrophilia and attitudes towards their prisoner. There is still some black comedy, and the movie crescendos into an emotional fist to the gut. This is a smart, smart horror film with a lot to say. You must see it.
McGibbons - Heatray and I closed out this pub after our movies. Great atmosphere, and the first pub I found that actually had cider: a dry, crisp Canadian brand that was delicious. We also got free Jaeger shots from the bartender, cause we're such nice guys.
I left early on Saturday to make it back for a fire spinning party. There weren't any films I was crazy about seeing Saturday, and while I would have enjoyed a couple films on Sunday, I can track them down later. The entire trip was made of win, and I'm already making ready for next year's Fantasia. Hopefully I can get up to Montreal again before then :)
