For AlcoholProfessor.com, I reviewed the book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization by Edward Slingerland. Go read it over there! Read more
Food
The first Canada leaders debate on Thursday in Montreal was spirited. A few minor jabs but nothing that will register huge headlines. Most debates should be more about the exchange of ideas than "gotcha" moments. Erin O'Toole (Conservative) had a plan but couldn't or wouldn't talk about what that plan was. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) and Yves-Francois Blanchet (Bloc Quebecois) each tried to get O'Toole to talk about what was in the plan but O'Toole would not budge. O'Toole stuck to lines about respecting Quebec and not wanting to put restrictions on money given to La Belle Province. Politicians have talking points but O'Toole played closer to the vest than other party leaders. Blanchet acted like he lived upstairs from the TVA studio, as in we were in his maison. Trudeau was the second most comfortable: Blanchet represents the Beloeil—Chambly riding on the South Shore of Montréal; Trudeau represents the Papineau riding, east of downtown Montréal. O'Toole talked about a contract with Quebec. Blanchet attacked the concept of the contract with O'Toole since there was no negotiation with anyone else. Read more
A dystopian world where people with powers are ostracized. Health care costs are skyrocketing. Those who are ostracized struggle to find work. Welcome to the world of Code 8. Lincoln City is the fictional setting that is definitely Toronto but could be a cross of Los Angeles and New York. Lincoln City has 4% of the population with superhuman abilities. The people with powers is a loose analogy to immigrants. They build things and then get tossed aside when the building is completed. Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) is a Class 5 electric with a sick mother (Kari Matchett). Connor takes odd construction jobs. The jobs aren't enough to raise the money needed. Given that the money raised for the making of the film was through crowd sourcing, having the plot be about raising money is appropriate. Psyke is the drug of choice, a cross between marijuana and cocaine. Knowing Connor can make more money working for drug dealers, he gets into the van driven by Garrett Kent (Stephen Amell, cousin of Robbie). You can tell them apart because Connor has no beard and Garrett has a beard. Connor sinks further down into the rabbit hole of the drug world. His mother is getting worse. As if Connor doesn't have enough problems trying to save people, he is platonically drawn to Nia (Kyla Kane), a healer. Sung Kang (good cop) and Aaron Abrams (bad cop) are the ones chasing Connor and the psyke dealers. Read more
Being trapped in an awkward gathering. Discovering unpleasant facts. This is Shiva Baby. Danielle (American actor Rachel Sennott) is a sugar baby, a secret that no one else knows. We see Danielle with Max, her sugar daddy, as she is getting ready to leave. Danielle tells Max she is going to a brunch. Well, the brunch turns out to be a shiva. While the term shiva is a bit more complicated, what we have is a gathering of people after the funeral service. She doesn't really want to be at the shiva. Danielle runs into people she would rather avoid, like her former lover Maya (American actor Molly Gordon) and later Max. Danielle also gets to meet Max's wife Kim and screaming child. "Who brings a child to a shiva?" Turns out Kim is not Jewish. Danielle is also confronted with various relatives asking about what she is going to do. This is troublesome for her because she isn't quite sure what she is going to do. She also has to deal with her overbearing mother Debbie and her too laid-back father Joel. Read more
