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NFB documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc. examines the business behind breast cancer

by on January 27, 2012 in Arts

Pink Ribbons, Inc. emphasizes the realities behind corporate breast cancer awareness campaigns.

Directed by Léa Pool and produced by the National Film Board of Canada, the documentary explores breast cancer culture and what happens to all the funds raised from pink-ribbon products. It focuses specifically on the marketing schemes big corporations use on a public frightened by the realities of the disease and eager to be comforted and reassured that if victims fight hard enough they will beat the odds. At the same time, they irresponsibly imply that those who die of cancer do not try hard enough.

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We the Artists, hear us roar

by on January 25, 2012 in Arts

When I walked into the upper gallery of TCU Place on Jan. 21, I was struck by something unusual. It was classy — a little too classy. But that is the life of the fine arts student: spend your daylight hours shuffling through the hallway in black sweatpants or paint-covered jeans, but be prepared at any moment to clean up and dazzle your audience with elegance and charisma.

We the Artists was one such occasion.

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There’s a new party in town

by on January 25, 2012 in Arts

Although a new act in Saskatoon, Reform Party members certainly aren’t new to the music scene.

Guitarist Levi Soloudre and bassist Enver Hampton played together for years in Volcanoless in Canada, and have now joined together with other Saskatoon musicians, drummer Tallus Scott, who has been a part of several different local bands, and frontman Kay the Aquanaut, a well known hip-hop artist, to form the new group Reform Party.

Bassist Enver Hampton sat down with the Sheaf to talk about the birth of Reform Party, their new video release on Ominocity.com and future plans for the band.

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Two ’90s music giants to reunite at Coachella 2012

by on January 22, 2012 in Arts

At The Drive-In and Refused are reuniting this year, both restarting their glory at Coachella 2012.

Both bands broke up at the height of their success, shortly after releasing their respective masterpieces: At The Drive-In’s Relationship of Command (2000) and Refused’s The Shape of Punk to Come (1998). These are two incredible albums, among my favourites, and they set the bar very high for a reunion. Though neither band has confirmed any new material, the return of such quality musicians warrants those unfamiliar with the music to seek out these two albums from the late ’90s.

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Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss is a sombre, intricate look at capital punishment

by on January 21, 2012 in Arts

Fred Allen, the former captain of the Death House in Huntington, Texas, sat across from acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog during an interview, telling him that he had overseen over 125 executions in his time.

“We were doing about two per week,” Allen said heavily, “and that was getting tiresome.”

It’s hard enough to imagine a crime fit for capital punishment, or the state having a legal right to end a human life for such a crime, but to consider everyone else involved — not just the family, but the people that seem to fade into the background of the situation — is something unexpected.

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Crazy anime racing flick Redline is burning with adrenaline

by on January 21, 2012 in Arts

Although Redline is the craziest kind of anime film, you don’t need to be into anime to like this movie. You just need to be a fan of insane movies.

The film screened Jan. 7 at the Broadway Theatre, sponsored by the Dark Bridges Film Festival. The screening coincided with the release of Redline on Blu-ray on Tuesday Jan. 10.

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Limbo: the platformer from your nightmares

by on January 21, 2012 in Arts

Do you remember the Nintendo side-scrolling games? Do you remember Mario, Mega-Man or Castlevania? Of course you do. At least one of these timeless classics has probably earned its rightful place in your childhood.

Now imagine you are playing one of those treasured titles, except you are completely stripped of your weapons, you can only jump about three feet high and you can only see in black and white. Mostly black. Did I mention there are glow-worms that burrow into your head and make you run off cliffs?

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Graduate students Inhabit the gallery

by on January 20, 2012 in Arts

In Inhabit the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery’s space is transformed into the site of construction, a myriad of mental and creative processes unfolding. From the static to the dynamic, from the gallery as graveyard to the gallery as growing, the graduate students will be treating the big white space as a come-and-go workplace where viewers can visit multiple times, see the site evolve and have the opportunity to interact with artists at work.

“The concept of the show is that there is no show,” said Eileen Murray, one of the graduate students practicing painting and photography at the University of Saskatchewan.

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We The Artists: A collaborative student showcase of visual art, music and drama

by on January 19, 2012 in Arts

Do you ever wonder, as you walk by, what’s going on in the practice rooms of the Education Building, the studios in the Murray Building or the classes in the John Mitchell Building? What are the fine arts majors doing in there?

The Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, Quance Theatre and Greystone Theatre performances exist to remedy some of that mystery. This year, a new initiative adds itself to the roster of events bringing student art to the community.

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Local genre-blending band Misterfire to release first album at Louis’

by on January 19, 2012 in Arts

Not every upstart band in Saskatoon has an indie music bent and eyes CBC Radio 3 as its goal. Sometimes bands are purely driven by their interest in the music, in the effect it has on an audience and in having a good time doing what they love.

This is the case with Misterfire, a genre-defying band with ska and funk elements who are releasing their debut album at Louis’ on Jan. 21. Refusing to pin themselves down musically and aim only for a niche audience, Misterfire’s hope for their album is just to spread the music and get their product to a larger audience.

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