Film & Music

Two years ago, I was flying back to Toronto on Air Canada, ready to watch Kill Bill Vol. 1. This movie, like many Quentin Tarantino films, has hit cult-classic status, so I felt that I should incorporate it into my film repertoire. About ten minutes into the film, I had already witnessed a knife-fight scene, […]

It’s been a fantastic year for music and television. Here’s what The Strand enjoyed the most.   TV [Light spoilers ahead]: Amanda Ghazale Aziz: You’re the Worst—Coming off a cynical debut season, the second season of You’re the Worst took an even darker turn, but that’s where I had found it to be the most relatable. We

The Helson Art Gallery in Georgetown, Ontario was dressed in unusual décor on the evening of January 2nd, 2016, when about 70 chairs filled the gallery space to face the on-site grand piano. Stringed instruments—including several guitars, a violin, viola, and mandolin—contributed to the visual backdrop of a special night for local performing arts: the

Since its beginning, YouTube has been an informal audition space for aspiring artists. In the age of Internet celebrity, those of vlogger fame have reversed the usual process by debuting their music in the peak of their online careers. One of them is Troye Sivan, a 20-year-old Australian with over 3 million people subscribed to

“We all want to be gangsters,” says Ali Moman of his new movie , which loosely chronicles the life of infamous 1990s Indian-Canadian gangster Bindy Johal. “I mean you listen to hip-hop,” Momen continues. “Everyone wants to be like ‘I’m a gangster… you’re a gangster…’” Moman portrays Nep in Beeba Boys, a young Indian-Canadian guy

Cary Fukunaga’s newest film, Beasts of No Nation, released through Netflix this past October, follows Agu, a child soldier from an unnamed west-African country, through the trials of civil war. Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel of the same name (which itself was based on an Afrobeat album by Fela Kuti), the film is violent

The dawn of a new Star Wars era is upon us, but some fans are worried the new movie is going to be shit, just like the prequel trilogy. Well, live long and prosper, because I’m here to tell you that the new movie won’t be shit, and the reason is that the prequel franchise

The world of popular culture and the icons that decorate its platform fascinated Andy Warhol from childhood. It was a form of escapism from a life in poverty in Pittsburgh, in the throes of the Great Depression. His adoration continued well into his adult life, which has made him one of the most influential artists

Recently, I saw the film Suffragette and went in with fairly low expectations. So far, critical reviews have been mediocre and the social media backlash has been alarming. Prior to the premier of the film, concern was raised over the exclusion of an important figure of the British “suffragette” movement: Sophie Duleep Singh, Indian-British suffragette