Local herald

Vo l um e 3 , I s s u e 9 , J u l y 1 3 , 2 0 1 2

THE HeraldLocalW e s t E n d ’ s C o m m u n i t y P a p e r

cont. p4

Terrace St-Ambroise... YES, It’s time!!!Open 7 days a week, noon to 9 pm Award-Winning beer on

tap. Come out and join us!Upcoming Live-Music Happy Hours:

5080 St-Ambroise(along the Lachine Canal) Free Parking!Information [email protected] or 514-939-3060

July 18: 5 à 7 Filly and the FlopsJuly 20: 5 à 7 Ol SavannahJuly 26: 8pm MAZ

Story and cover photo by Bram D. Eisenthal

“I say YES when your bank says no!”

The En

tertainm

ent Issu

e NDG's Jay Baruchelis happiest onhome turf,including CineplexOdeon in QuartierCavendish

I liked the kid the firsttime I met him. Gangly, alittle shy, super friendlyand hawking a sincere,natural smile, JonathanAdam Saunders “Jay”Baruchel was then 13 andthe co-host of YTV’sPopular Mechanics forKids along with anotheryoung local actordestined for stardom,Elisha Cuthbert. Jaywasn’t destined to appearhalf-naked on the coverof Maxim 7-8 years later,as Cuthbert was,however…. But, boy,could he act up a storm,taking on roles thatseized upon his penchantfor outright comedy todrama.

CONT P.4

What’s Inside:Where did all the English-

language film producers go?

Fantasia’s new Industry Rendez-Vous

Chef Cayenne on wondrous Thailand

pg. 2 - JULY 13, 2012 - localheraldmontreal.com

Bram Eisenthal - The Loca

l Seeker

The Local Herald, West End Montreal EditionVolume 3, Number 9, July 13, 2012The Local Herald does not accept responsibility for errors,misprints or inaccuracies published within. The opinions andstatements of our columnists are not to be presumed as thestatements and opinions of The Local Herald.

It’s officially summer and that’s reason to celebrate.The rest of the year, it’s far too easy to get all maudlinand worry about every little thing, but for the fewshort months we can enjoy summer as onlyMontrealers can, minus most of the tornadoes andhurricanes featured regularly in other parts of NorthAmerica and the world, why not revel in the fact welive in a town with the best restaurants, bars and

entertainment around? Even our casinos aren’t too bad if you enjoy thefine art of gambling, although Quebec casinos have a lot to learn abouthospitality and VIP treatment from professional gambling centres such asLas Vegas. Can you believe they charge you a buck and change if you desireextra cheese on your Caesar salads at their very good restaurants?

Still, our entertainment scene is pretty good. Seems we are back on the rocktour A-list again, Places des Arts, the Centre Bell and more intimate venueslike Club Soda, Metropolis…. are nice places to see concerts and shows andthere is no place on Earth that hosts festivals quite like Montreal does. TheMontreal Jazz Festival, Just for Laughs, World Film Festival and, of course,the one and only Fantasia film festival (my perennial favourite) lead the packfor the rest of the annual film, music and other fests. At this time of year, redsquares be damned, it’s great to be a Montrealer whatever your nationalityor linguistic background.

This downsized issue – smaller than usual of late in order to give some ofour fine columnists a wee break – pays homage to festivals andentertainment in general.

Since we are celebrating entertainment, this provided an opportunity toexamine the local English film scene and ask what did happen to the glorydays of the 1990s and early 2000s, when we were actually gaining onToronto and Vancouver as a major film production market. While the Frenchside of The Biz is healthier then ever, the English side has been dying a slowdeath for years now, helped by the greediest unions this side of LaLaLand,as well as an overly ambitious studio-building program that was a bit aheadof itself. While about 80 percent of the English producers who made movingpictures here are no longer around, there are still a few die-hards hangingin and doing quite well at that. We will tell you who they are and how theykeep their cameras rolling.

I was part of that scene for a very happy nine year run, so this is a theme Iam always proud to re-visit. I really wish, in my heart of hearts, that we canfind a way to get back to where we all belong, because Montreal is SUCH afantastic place to shoot films, featuring some of the better locationsanywhere.

So, here’s to a rejuvenation of Montreal English-language moviemaking,here’s to our entertainment scene continuing to grow stronger than everand here’s to all of you, good readers. I hope you find the time to have funthis summer, to stay safe, and to enjoy every day that comes your way. It’sover in the blink of an eye and then there’s eight more months to grumbleabout the cold. NO grumbling allowed till then, y’hear?

Baruchel still rolling

For this issue, we enlisted the services of actor Jay Baruchel, who proudlystill calls our West End home when he could easily make the transition toHollywoodland, to help us celebrate the filming aspect of entertainment.Thanks, Jay, for helping us out. It’s been nice hooking up with you againafter all these years. Jay will also be getting us some signed pics for those ofyou who appreciate his fine work as much as I do.

Fewer Calories

Sorry to see that Calories, Westmount’s homage to sweet sin, is no more. It’sdead and buried and while dentists everywhere are both happy and sad –shappy – sweet-lovers are certainly in a state of mourning. Calories wasopened in part by Myles Charron, who later opened (and still operates, asfar as I know), comic book emporium Capitaine Quebec on St. Catherine W.I guess people are eating healthier, after all, these days. Remember Frannieson Monkland?

Managing Editor: Bram Eisenthal Creative Design: Julia Lucio

OUR CONTACT INFORMATIONFree Classifieds and Advertising: 514-975-7745EMAIL: [email protected]

localheraldmontreal.comMailing Address: 327 2nd Street E. Cornwall, On. K6H 1Y8

Summer in the city, sowhere are the film shoots?

EDITORIALS

localheraldmontreal.com - JULY 13, 2012 - pg. 3

As a film/TV unit publicist,my path would cross Jay’sagain two years later, whenwe worked together onMatthew Blackheart:Monster Smasher, aproduction of Montreal’sTelescene Films shot forDirect TV in the States.The little-seen pilot for aTV series that never gotoff the ground, the film hadsome known Canadianactors, including acclaimedthespian Kenneth Welshand Chris Heyerdahl, whohas since appeared inTwilight and whom you seeall over TV today onshows like Sanctuary andthis season’s True Blood…but it was young Jay whostole the production, in myopinion, as a wise-crackingteenaged taxi driver.

It’s hard to miss Jay in thestring of memorableproductions in which hehas starred – includingKnocked Up, Tropic Thunder,Real Time, She’s Outta MyLeague, The Trotsky, TheSorcerer’s Apprentice andMillion Dollar Baby, hisstunning performance fordirector Clint Eastwood.But, if you know him even atad, it’s even harder not toadmire the NDG-raisedactor, who still makes theWest End his home, albeitnow with his fiancée,actress Alison Pill. Thedynamic duet will bemarried this September.

I caught up with now-30-year-old Jay the dayfollowing his return toMontreal after working ona film shooting in NewOrleans (the apocalypticbuddy film The End of theWorld, featuring a superdream team of comedicactors, including SethRogan, Jonah Hill, JasonSegal, Michael Cera andMindy Kaling, as well asRihanna, James Franco andEmma Watson) and hegraciously agreed to meetwith me for the purpose ofthis cover story… 15 yearsafter I last saw him. He isaging well, becoming a real“mensch” in the process,so much so that it took mea few seconds to recognizehim as he sat on the bench

in front of his favourite spot, amovie emporium, in this caseQuartier Cavendish’s CineplexOdeon theatre. Coincidentally, it’sjust a week before our favouritefilm festival begins anew and we are

both pumped for Fantasia, thoughJay is the one on the jury. Seemseveryone there was very impressedat how well Jay introduced lastsummer’s fest opening The Sorcerer’sApprentice. For Jay, living in Montreal year-round and scooting around toshoot films is the perfect life, thoughhis bucket list leader is to directmovies for a living some day. “Man, Ihave so many memories ofgrowing up here,” he toldme. “The Orange Julep is abig one… I was hookedon it and missed it terriblywhen we moved toOntario for five years till Iwas 10-11 or so. Spendingmany a summer day atBenny pool is anotherterrific memory, thoughhaving my sneakers stolenthere isn’t such a goodone.” Not too late toreturn them, if you’rereading this, thief, thoughthey probably would notfit any longer.

Jay’s schooling also playeda role in forming the manhe is today, fromWillingdon primary schoolto grade 6 at Roslyn,Wagar for high schoolinitially and then grades 9-11 at FACE downtown, anartistic school he ravedabout regarding a rep that,sadly, isn’t as well-earnedtoday. It was as aburgeoning teenager, atage 12, that Jay initiallydeveloped his actingchops. “I was taking childacting classes at

Westmount Baptist Church onSherbrooke and I got a part in astudent film that featured some proactors. They recommended me totheir agent”… and the rest ishistory. A star was born, which isn’tjust blowing smoke when youconsider his impressive body ofwork to date. I really enjoy Jay in hisfilms – his self-titled character Jaywas so bleeping funny I almost peedmyself laughing.

But if you have never caught him inUndeclared, the season-long JuddApatow-created television series hestarred in opposite Seth Rogen, youreally missed a memorable comedy.“I loved Undeclared,” Jaycommented when I asked himabout it. Fortunately, the series isavailable as a DVD box set.

And he also REALLY loves theFantasia film festival, one of thispaper’s major loves, as well.“Fantasia is the only festival I haveever paid money to get into,” hesaid. “I started going around thetime I started acting and we havegrown together. I would line up themoment the program book cameout and to be there presenting TheSorcerer’s Apprentice last summerwas such a thrill. It’s even more of athrill to be on the jury this year.

NDG's Jay Baruchel is happiest on home turf, including Cineplex Odeon in QuartierCavendish (Continued from cover)

“I really love the horror genre,” heconfided. “I hope to do a lot ofthese films in the future.” Does he still love acting? “Well, I actbecause this has been my chosentrade for such a long time and whenyou consider that less than 10percent of actors actually sustainthemselves doing it, I considermyself blessed. I have been doingthis about 18 years!” Jay admits thathe is more passionate as a moviebuff than as an actor, however…. “allof this stems from my love ofmovies, actually.”

Mom Robyne Baruchel is also avery motivating influence on him(Jay’s dad Serge passed away quitesome time ago). In fact, she wassuch a concerned parent, shebecame involved with ACTRA, theactor’s union, presenting Stage MomSeminars for parents of actingchildren. She has also written bookson the subject, giving sage advicethat Jay can pass on to his kids someday.

For the time being, though, let’s allbe happy that we have a good guyand working actor who adoresliving in our city, rather than aspoiled Hollywood brat who hasforgotten where he comes from.We’re proud of you, Jay… keep upthe inspired work!

Enjoy McA

uslan's fine

bre

ws at the

follo

wing festivals this sea

son:

Fantasia Festivaljuly 19 - august 7

www.fantasiafest.com/

World Film Festival

August 23 to

September 3, 2012

Fête Gourmandede LanaudièreAugust 17-19

Festibroue de Sherbrooke 201224 Août 2012 au 26 Août 2012

Oktoberfest Repentigny

September 7-9

oktoberfestdesquebecois.com

POP Montreal

September 19-23, 2012

popmontreal.com/

Bieres et Saveurs

August 31-September 3

www.bieresetsaveurs.com

Cover Story


CUISINEEstiatorioYia Sou

This was not thereview I had in mindthis month. My initialchoice was to offermy humble opinionson an Indian

restaurant that my friends had recentlytold me about. I was keen to try it asIndian food is one of my favourites.Unfortunately this dining experience wassadly compromised first by the food andsecond by my deference to factual andverifiable reporting.

I will be brief from the outset and admitthat I deserved part of the blame for whathappened by not enquiring in the firstplace. I’m very sensitive to MSG when it isadded to my food it does strange andoften not so wonderful things to my body.This is what happened on this occasion.Despite my repeated attempts to solicit a`mea culpa` from the restaurant’s ownerand the irrefutable effects on my body Iam left to file my opinions and hold themfor possible future use when I can givethis restaurant the ``spanking`` itdeserves.

Why anyone in charge of cooking such afabulously flavoured cuisine would everstoop to using MSG as a flavour enhanceris way beyond my comprehension and istotally inexcusable. To me it reflects a chefor chefs that are not very confident withtheir cooking abilities.

Enough said. My venting is over!

Let me continue with something muchmore pleasant and decidedly much moreworthy of my praises and attention.

Montreal is world-renowned for thequality and diversity of its cuisines. We arefortunate to have chefs who have a realpassion for what they do and we as foodlovers are happier because of it.

I would hazard a guess that the threemost popular and most representedcuisines in Montreal are Asian, Indian andGreek. I am doubly sure that none of uscould walk more than two or threeblocks in our neighbourhoods withoutpassing at least one such restaurant,maybe even all three.

The other night I had the unexpectedpleasure to come across one suchrestaurant just five minutes from where Ilive. Its name: Estiatorio Yia Sou. It is a largebut extremely warm and welcomingrestaurant and is immediately reminiscentof a large Greek courtyard resplendent

with large stone frescos on its walls and even a smallstone shed built to one side. We were warmlygreeted immediately on arrival and seated at onethe many large banquettes. Their extensive menuoffers all the regular Greek choices plus a large andtantalizing seafood section. This is not your usualsouvlaki joint - there is much more in the air here! Iam always a bit apprehensive when I encounter sucha large menu. Are the chefs really capable of cookingall these items and still producing quality and tastyfood?

Let me quickly reassure you my apprehension wasimmediately erased. What is so wonderful aboutreally good Greek food is that, when one selects thefreshest of ingredients and the chef lovingly prepareseach dish with passion and respect for theseingredients, the result isusually perfection.

We started with asimple plate of grilledsardines (four for$12). They werebeautifully grilled anddressed simply withfresh lemon juice,Greek olive oil andchopped parsley. Thesardines wereheavenly moist andredolent of the sea.The dressing wasswiftly mopped upwith toasted bread wereceived at the outset.Next we orderedwhat I was informedwas the housespecialty, GrilledOctopus ($26). Ididn’t hesitate…grilled octopus is oneof my all timefavourites and I havehad it many times innumerous Greekrestaurants in the city.The version at Yia Souis probably the best Ihave had...ever! Theoctopus was forktender and deliciouslycharred from the grilladding a wonderful smokey flavour. It was verysimply combined with red onions, capers and redpepper and a repeat of that heavenly mix of freshlemon juice, fruity Greek olive oil and capers. It wasaccompanied with the usual sides a good rice pilaf,roasted potatoes and a Caesar salad withhomemade croutons.

My companion chose the grilled chicken and shrimpcombo ($21). The chicken breast was moist andperfectly grilled and the accompanying shrimp withgarlic and bread crumb topping were equally good.This was also accompanied with the same sides.

We needed to culminate our meal with the most

decadent version of key lime pie ($6), alas, alittle too sweet for my liking. I would guess thattheir desserts are purchased from an outsidesupplier. Perhaps I should have stuck with thechef and ordered the homemade baklava...nexttime.

All in all, a fabulous meal and the servicethroughout was friendly, professional and notoverly attentive. There is a good selection ofwines at very reasonable prices.

I will not itemize the entire menu here butsuffice to say I am sure all the other choicesare equally good, coming from a kitchen thatshows this much passion for what they do.

Yia Sou means ``hello`` in Greek and let mealso say au revoir, ``to see you again. ``

Our meal came to $118, including cocktailsand a bottle of Beringer white wine notincluding tax or tip. A large terrasse is afeatured attraction during the summermonths.

5375 Queen Mary Rd (Corner Coolbrooke).Reservations: 514-488-4222. Takeout and deliveryis available seven days a week. Accepts Visa, MasterCard and Interac. Open Monday to Sunday 11:00a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Email: [email protected] Website:www.yiasou.ca

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Chef Cayennewith Chef Michael Minorgan

Thailand........ a kingdom ofcurries!I was always fascinated with the Kingdom of Thailandwell before my first trip to Southeast Asia some sevenyears ago. It is a wonderful, mystical country with a richculture, a strong Buddhist heritage, fabulous foods andsome of the friendliest and most accommodatingpeople you will meet anywhere. Being a professionalchef who is always on the lookout for tantalizingflavours from all corners of the world my confreresadvised me, if I was going to Southeast Asia, todefinitely include Singapore on my itinerary. I was toldthat it was the ultimate destination for a `foodie.` Itook their advice, did indeed go to Singapore and itdidn’t disappoint. The variety of cuisines to be foundthere is staggering and food is everywhere - withdelicious influences from Malaysia, India, China,Indonesia and many other adopted Asian countries.

In spite of all this, Thailand had corralled both my heartand my taste buds and it truly was love at first bite. Thesimplicity and rich flavours of Thai cuisine captured meinstantly. Singapore seemed somehow morewesternised in its approach and it lacked the rustic lessformal atmosphere I found in Thailand, where thetradition of preparation was king. When you couplethis with the spectacular food markets found in almostevery Thai city and village in the country you have amatch made in heaven. The food just felt morecomfortable and more approachable in Thailand. To thisday I still have loving memories of a meal I shared witha family in Central Thailand, where I ate one of the best

curries I have ever had, simply prepared over anopen fire in an old, well-seasoned and dimpledpot...truly a meal to remember!

Thai cooking has its origins in simplicity and the useof fresh, readily-available ingredients. Thepreparation does not take a lot of time, with alldishes being served as soon as they are ready.

Curries are probably the most famous and mostrepresentative dishes of Thai cuisine and they willvary to some degree, depending upon which area ofthe country you are in. Curries in SouthernThailand tend more toward the use of coconutmilk. `Sour` curries are commonly found, althoughnot exclusively, in Central Thailand and in NorthernThailand. They are often combined with noodles, asin the famous Chiang Mai Noodle dish.

No matter which curry you sample, they all havetheir basis in a curry paste traditionally andpainstakingly made using a mortar and pestle andthen fried in oil to release all the intoxicatingflavours before the addition of other ingredients.Curry pastes will vary depending upon the curryyou are making, but they will all usually include thefollowing basic ingredients: Shrimp paste, chillies,shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal and corianderroots. Additional ingredients and spices can beadded and all have meat, fish or seafood as theirmain ingredient. Various readily available fruits andvegetables will be included and are dictated by theregional and seasonal availability. Other extras such

as kaffir lime leaves, holy basil (Thai basil) andcoriander leaves can be added as garnishes after thecooking process, so as to maintain their freshness andflavour.

Thai curries and their hands-on preparation underthe expert guidance of local Thai chefs are highlightsof our yearly Culinary & Cultural Tours to Viet Namand Thailand that take place every February andMarch.

Homemade curry pastes, like everything elsehomemade, are more superior than the store-boughtvariety, but if you must relent, very adequate currypastes are readily available in all the local Asianmarkets. As a sidebar, I heartily recommend the hugeKim Phat market on Taschereau Blvd just west of theChamplain Bridge exit on the South Shore.

If you are a newcomer to these fabulous curries andenjoy a little spice in your life, these recipes will haveyou and your guests begging for more. If you arealready a fan, welcome home and have fun preparingthese two varieties and adding them to your lists offavourites.

All curries should be served with fragrant, steamedjasmine rice.

Website: www.chefmichel-concepts.com

Chiang Mai Noodles (Kao Soi)

Ingredients600ml Coconut MilkPack of Chicken Legs and Thighs,

chopped into bite-sized pieces • 1 tbsp of palm sugar

• 3 tbsp fish sauce • 2 tbsp light soy sauce • 500ml

Chicken Stock • Egg Noodles (1 slab per person) • 2

tbsp Vegetable Oil

Kao Soi Paste3 Bamboo Skewers • 4 Dried Long Red Chilies • 1

Cardamom Pod • 4 Red Shallots, unpeeled • 4 Garlic

Cloves, unpeeled • 2 tsp of Turmeric • 2 tbsp Sliced

Ginger • Pinch of Salt • Bunch of Coriander Stalks

finely chopped

Garnish1 slab of Egg Noodles, deep-fried • 3 tbsp Spring

Onions, finely chopped • 3 tbsp Fresh Coriander,

roughly chopped • 1 Red Chilli, chopped and deep-

fried • 2 Limes, cut into wedges

Method1. First make the paste. Soak the skewers for30 minutes. Soak the chilies for 15 minutes and set

aside.2. Thread shallots, garlic, ginger onto skewers and

lightly grill for 5 minutes or so until the skin of garlic

and onion are charred and the insides soft. Allow to

cool and then peel the onions and garlic.3. In a blender

add the soaked chilies, the grilled items, a pinch of salt,

a dash of water and coriander stalks and turmeric.

Whizz into a paste. Add a dash more water if

necessary.4. Simmer coconut cream and add the

paste. Top up with coconut milk, bring to the

simmer again before adding the chicken.5. Add

the soy sauce, fish sauce and some chicken

stock. Allow to cook through for at least 30

minutes.6. Check seasoning, add more fresh

and/or dried chilli if necessary.7. Bring a pan of

salted water to boil and drop in egg noodles.

Tease the noodles apart as they soften. After 4

minutes, drain and rinse of more boiled water.

Add a splash of soy sauce and oil and mix in well

the noodles.8. To serve, divide noodles between

bowls and ladle the chicken curried soup on

top. Garnish with the deep-fried crispy noodles,

coriander, spring onions, deep-fried chili and

lime wedge.

Chicken Green Curry (GaengKhiao Wan Gai)

Ingredients400 grams chicken boneless • 1 tbsp cooking

oil (corn, safflower or peanut oil, not olive oil) •

3 tbsp green curry paste • 2 1/2 cups

coconut milk • 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn •5-10

small fresh Thai eggplants, quartered • 2-3 fresh

red chilies, sliced diagonally • 1/4 cup sweet basil

leaf • 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce • 1 1/2 tsp palm sugar

• Sweet basil leaves and red chili slices

for garnish

Preparation1. Slice the chicken into thin pieces 2.Saute the green curry paste in oil over

medium heat in a wok or saute pan until

fragrant, reduce the heat, gradually add 1

1/2 cups of the coconut milk a little at a

time, stir until a film of green oil

surfaces. 3. Add the beef and kaffir limeleaves, continue cooking for 3 minutes

until fragrant and the chicken is cooked

through. Transfer to a large pot, place

over medium heat and cook until

boiling. Add the remaining coconut milk,

season with palm sugar and fish sauce.

When the mixture returns to a boil add

the eggplants. Cook until the eggplants

are done, sprinkle sweet basil leaves and

red chilis over, then turn off the heat.

4.Arrange on a serving dish and garnishwith sweet basil leaves and red chilies

before serving.

Green Curry PasteIngredients• 5 large fresh green hot chilies • 3

shallots, sliced • 9 cloves garlic • 1 tsp

Recipesfinely sliced fresh galangal • 1 tbsp sliced

fresh lemon grass • 1/2 tsp finely sliced

lime rind • 1 tsp chopped coriander root

(or substitute coriander stems if

unavailable) • 5 white peppercorns • 1

tbsp roasted coriander seeds • 1 tsp

roasted cumin seeds • 1 tsp sea salt • 1

tsp shrimp paste

Preparation1.Combine coriander seeds, cumin andpeppercorn in a mortar, pound well.

Transfer to a bowl and put aside. 2.Poundhot chilies and salt together well. Add the

remaining ingredients except shrimp

paste, pound until mixed well. 3. Add thecumin mixture and shrimp paste,

continue pounding until smooth and fine.

Use only the lower part of the

lemongrass. For the kaffir lime rind use

only the green part as the white part is

bitter. If available use all part of the

coriander from root to leaves or

substitute with just the tops. I

recommend a combination of about 4dark green jalapeño peppers plus 15 fresh

hot Thai chili peppers for a beautiful

green color paste.


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This summer the FederalGovernment has institutedmore changes to mortgagerules that could affect yourbuying or refinancing aproperty. Concerned aboutgrowing consumer debt

increasing as a result of excessspending (and increased access to credit), thegovernment has imposed two major changes.

The first change is that for insured mortgages, themaximum amortization has been lowered onceagain, this time from 30 years to 25 years. Thismeans that a client will need to have a lower debt-service ratio (debt load compared to salary), toqualifyfor a mortgage. A small percentage ofpeople will not be able to buy their first homebecause of that extra 50-100$ added to theirmortgage payment per month.

The second major change is thatpeople will not be able to access asmuch of their home equity. Themaximum equity takeout now hasgone down from 85% to 80%. Thismeans that someone who has a homeworth $300,000, will be able to accessup to $240,000 as opposed to

Mortgag

e M

atters

Mortgage changes


FINANCE & REAL ESTATE

SPIRITUALITY

Spiritual Seedlings

- Father John Walsh

JSumer is a “time-out” fromregular routines, at least whenholidays arrive. A time to relaxand chill out, a time forrecreation and a time for re-creation! Yes, re-creationthrough re-imagining ourworld. Summer can be a timeto muse, to dream of thenever-thought-possible. The

great getaway is a time to pick up thepaper book or your e-reader and read what youhave wanted to read for a long time. Re-imaginehow a book can change your world.

Recently I became familiar with Simon Sinek’sbook, Start With Why – How Great Leaders InspireEveryone to Take Action (Penguin, 2009). The moststriking paragraph is, “The principles of The GoldenCircle are much more than a communicationshierarchy. Its principles are deeply grounded in theevolution of human behavior. The power of WHYis not opinion, it is biology (my emphasis). If youlook at a cross-section of the human brain, from thetop down, you see the levels of The Golden Circlecorrespond precisely with the three major levels ofthe brain.”

The examples given of great leaders who inspirepeople to action all began with WHY -- theopposite to the rest of us. Now, when I think aboutwriting a homily, giving a talk, or writing an articleI try to begin with WHY. I am re-imagining what Ihave taken for granted all my life. WHY summer? Atime for re-creation, for re-imagining my world andthe entire world!

Then along comes another mind-buster book byPeter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler: Abundance –The Future Is Better Than You Think (Free Press, NewYork 2012). It confronts pervasive negativity I haveheard from many people about society,

government, politicians, student demonstrations,priests, religious institutions. At first, it was hardto accept the optimism of the authors. Almost atthe outset the “why” is expressed in a tell-taleparagraph:

“Humanity is now entering a period of radicaltransformation in which technology has thepotential to significantly raise the basic standardsof living for every man, woman, and child on theplanet. Within a generation we will be able toprovide goods and services, once reserved for thewealthy few, to any and all who need them… ordesire them. Abundance for all is actually withinour grasp.”

Impossible, you say? There’s that creepingnegativity again!

We can re-imagine the meaning of the Internetwhen we read of Sugata Mitra, in India, when hecut a hole in the wall that faced the poorest of thepoor and installed a computer and a track pad,with the screen and the pad facing into the slum.He did it in such a way that theft was not aproblem, then connected the computer to theInternet, added a web browser, and he walkedaway.

The kids who lived in the slums could not speakEnglish, did not know how to use a computer andhad no knowledge of the Internet - But they werecurious. Within minutes they figured out how topoint and click. By the end of the first day, theywere surfing the web and – even moreimportantly – teaching one another how to surfthe web.

Why? That’s not the question, it is the answer.

Happy re-creation and re-imagining of each ofour worlds. We really can, each and every one ofus, change the world!

Summer a time for recreation and re-creation

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Contest time again!

The Local Herald, Montreal's mostunique periodical, is giving away

official publicity shots of West End-based actor Jay Baruchel...

Autographed by Baruchel himself!

All you have to do is e-mail Bram([email protected]) the name of your favourite film starring

our local celebrity, tell Bram about the character he played andwhy you enjoyed his role so much.

Bram has a bunch to hand out, thanksto Jay's generosity,

So don't delay. Supply is very limited!


ENTERTAINMENTIn Show Biz, there’s alwayssomething to look forward toIt's always fun to have something to look forwardto, and a little extra fun when it's new music fromone of your favourite bands! Generally newreleases are available on Tuesdays. I'm not surewhy, and to be honest I've never thought to ask.I'd venture to guess that if they're releases kindof mid-week that by the end of the week (say"payday") that maybe people would have an

easier time parting with the money to treat themselves, since they'vehad a few days to think about it - almost as if they've shown somerestraint by waiting those long few days.

Similarly, movies hit theatres on Friday, just in time for people to plantheir outings for the weekend. So far this year some of the big boxoffice successes include Avengers Assemble, whose soundtrackbrought some familiar names back to our playlist. I've played thenew Soundgarden song, "Live to Rise" on CHOM 97-7 a few timesalready (okay probably more than "a few"), and it's a great jump backin to the Soundgarden that we've missed while its members werebeing creative elsewhere. Evanescence also gives this soundtracksome of their dramatic and melodic energy with a remix of "New Wayto Bleed," a song featured on their third and self-titled album from lastfall. This comes after a few years, but it’s worth the wait.

Liner Notes - Sh

aron Hylan

d

Aerosmith is set to make its return after some internal drama. Theyjust used the season finale of American Idol to debut their new singlefrom their first new album since 2004. You'll hear that one on CHOMtoo, and it sounds like classic Aerosmith... maybe because it was

originally written for the albumGet A Grip. It's featured on thesoundtrack for GI Joe:Retaliation,which, I'd like to tell you, is aboutto be released, but I'd be lying.The infamous "they" are saying tolook for it in March of 2013.

So, until then we can get it onAerosmith's own album called,Music from Another Dimension!Which, I'd like to say (stop me ifyou've heard this one!) is about tobe released, but again not so.Steven Tyler said just last weekthat they've decided to push thedate back from August 28 toNovember 6! Why? So as not to

step on the toes of any of the otherreleases due out at that time. Oddly considerate, but to whom?

Fans will wait, I suppose. If nothing else, now they've got somethingto look forward to!

Q/ Regarding the new Fantasia marketplace, tell uswhat it is and why festival organizers decided it wasimportant and/or profitable to do this?

A/ The Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous was born froma willingness to have more industry present at thefestival. To get the big film premieres, it’s importantfor the film’s sales agents that the industry is presentat the festival, so that it may get sold to distributors.That’s why TIFF is such a big festival: Every salesagent want their films to play here becauseeverybody’s at the festival. We in turn felt it would bevery rewarding to be more involved in thedevelopment process of the films we like… andrealized there were many international co-productionmarkets on the festival circuit, but none thatspecialized in genre films. The idea of creating theFrontières International Co-Production Marketimposed itself strongly within the Industry Rendez-Vous.

Q/ Let’s talk about your involvement: Why were youthe one chosen to be in charge of this marketplace?Do you have prior experience in this sort of thing?

A/ I’ve been involved with Fantasia since 2005.Before Fantasia, I studied business, merchandisingand communications. In 2008, I started the boutiquedistribution company Evokative Films, which Imanaged in addition to my various positions atFantasia, where I later became a programmer. Theprocess was parallel, having me go to film festivalsaround the world, many of which had film markets,and to meet with the industry. I learned the innerworkings of the film industry quickly and myinvolvement in the business side of Fantasia grewover time.

Q/ Tell us how Fantasia has become an importantvehicle for bringing films to the marketplace over theyears. In the past you have brought all sorts of peopletogether, including directors, producers anddistributors…. Can you give us some examples ofmovies that have been sold thanks to Fantasia’sinvolvement?

A/ Every year many films are bought at Fantasia.Anchor Bay, Drafthouse Films, Bloody Disgusting,W2 Media and other distributors bought films directlyfollowing their Fantasia premiere. Our programmingis not only a reference for film buyers, but also formany other festival programmers. Theatre Bizarre(which debuted at Fantasia last summer) is anotherexample, where the collective film was producedbased on the friendships that had been developed atFantasia over the years.

Q/ Let’s discuss the health of the horror genre, whichyou should know about based on sales. How havesales increased over the years and is horror – andgenre films in general - healthier than ever?

A/ I’m under the impression that genre film sales arejust as high as ever. The film industry has sufferedfrom the switch in technologies, moving away from the

theatrical and going towards video on demand (VOD),but genre film fans are mainly early-adopters, which Ithink benefits this economy.

Q/ Is there anything you can tell us about the films andfilmmakers that we can look forward to this year,thanks to the marketplace? In other words, whichmovies have been brought to your attention andactually sold because of Fantasia’s new initiative?

A/ Well, of course, none of the films in the co-production market have sold yet because they’re still indevelopment and the business talk will happen at themarket and after. But I’d like to think that we’vealready put a spotlight on some filmmakers and someprojects that didn’t get as much attention before ourannouncements.

Q/ Finally, can you give us some examples of filmmarkets like this that have succeeded worldwide? Isyour market patterned after others that have comebefore?

A/ In the development of our film market, I was mostlyinfluenced by the Cinemart market of the Rotterdamfilm fest, which concentrates mostly on independentauteur film with international co-productions. Theyhave about two dozen projects each year, many salesagents and producers come to the market annually toattach themselves to projects and this concretely leadsto many films being produced in turn.

I hope the Fantasia Industry Rendez-Vous will do justthat, but for independent genre films.

(ED. NOTE: So do we, Stephanie, so do we. Anymarket that attracts attention to Montreal only makesus stronger as an internationally-respected city. Goodluck to you and to Fantasia for yet another successfulseason as arguably the best genre festival in the world)

Q & A with Fantasia’s Stephanie Trepanier - Market, New Mediaand Hospitality Director + Programmer


Marty Kattleman

Pho

to Credit Bram Eisenthal.

More Entertainment“Quiet on the (English-language) set” – but itwasn’t always that way

by Bram D. Eisenthal

Montreal has achieved international-renown for many things over thedecades: Lili St. Cyr, Jackie Robinson,smoked meat, bagels (and other finecuisine), a World’s Fair, OlympicGames, a beatified religious leader andfour professional sports teams (five ifyou count the short-lived MontrealMaroons of hockey fame). We’vecome a long way, baby!

The lack of English-language filmproduction in the latter part of thisdecade has, however, highlighted howfar we have fallen as an entertainmentcapital, taking place just around thetime we lost the Montreal Expos andjust as the Habs sank deeper anddeeper into non-relevance.

I got involved in film, as a unitpublicist, at a pretty exciting time onthe Montreal film scene. It was 1993when David Novek, the pre-eminentdean of Canadian film publicists,contacted me about my working forhim… thus initiating me into the mostexciting work period of my adult life.At the time, Montreal film producerswere hosting out-of-townproductions, often as co-productionpartners more than actuallyproducing their own seminal work.You had at least six major producerson the English side, none of them onthe scene anymore:

Nicolas Clermont (deceased), theFrench-born godfather of FilmlineInternational, was the undisputed kingof co-productions, as well as a veryspecial producer with good businesssense and a kind disposition. Hegraced Montreal with suchproductions as For: The Man and theMachine; Bethune – The Making of a

Hero (albeit shot on location inChina); Eye of the Beholder; The Art ofWar; The Caveman’s Valentine and, thebiggest grossing Filmline movie,produced just after Clermont’suntimely passing in 2001, at age 59from cancer, A Sound of Thunder.Clermont also executive-producedthe highly popular TV series,Highlander.

Pieter Kroonenburg, a Dutchproducer formerly partnered withClermont at Filmline (where he co-produced The Hotel New Hampshireand Bethune), founded Kingsborough-Greenlight Pictures, and shot suchfeatures as Bleeders, Call of the Wild -Dog of the Yukon, Laserhawk, Nico theUnicorn, Owd Bob, Treasure Island (thelatter two shot on the Isle of Man)…and, finally, To Walk With Lions, whichblew its budget, stranded some crewmembers in Africa and led toKroonenberg’s eventual relocation toL.A.

National Film Board-trained RobinSpry and partner Paul Painter werelocal old-school producers, owners ofTelescene Films, which always hadsomething in the fire, including the TVseries Big Wolf on Campus, MisguidedAngels (one season, never aired), TheHunger (an erotic horror series,seasons I and II), Student Bodies, theEmmy-nominated, Gemini-winningminiseries Hiroshima, and filmsincluding The Myth of the MaleOrgasm. Telescene went under in 2000and, just as he was planning acomeback in 2005, Spry was killed in acar crash.

Tom Berry’s Allegro Films, foundedby him in 1984, made a slew of movieshere, including what was, at the time(1994), the biggest budget movie evershot in this city, the sci-fi thrillerScreamers, at $15 million, and othernotable crowd-pleasers such as TheAssignment. Berry founded, in 2001,Premiere Bobine, a partner in theforeign sales company ImaginationWorldwide and in the managementcompany Reel World Management.Berry is a past Chairman of theCanadian Film and TelevisionProduction Association, and has beenactive in industry affairs andassociations. He received the JackChisholm Award for EntrepreneurialExcellence, as recognition for hislifetime achievement in the film andtelevision industry.

Claudio Castravelli, whose Taurus7 Films produced such features asSnowboard Academy, Provocateur and

Snow in August. He’s still around, buthasn’t been spotted on a film set inyears, as far as I know. I’ve certainlynever spotted him, but then again Ihaven’t been on a film set in about adecade.

Danny Rossner and MurrayShostak produced some decentproductions at their Shostak-RossnerProductions. These included Sci-Fighters, Arthur Conan Doyle’s The LostWorld (a huge leap downward budget-and-talent-wise from the StevenSpielberg film Jurassic Park: The LostWorld, Strip Search and When JusticeFails. Rossner is still involved in film,but not Shostak, to my knowledge. With the loss of most of thisproduction talent, and the unionclashes that turned Quebec into acinematic battleground more than alocation haven, it is really no wonderthat the local English film market hasnever recovered.

A loftier Canadian dollar also hurt, asAmericans and internationalproducers were no longer lured to acountry perennially on sale for them.But there are still several Montreal-based production houses, most havingweathered the aforementionedstorms, that are still majorcontributors on the Canadianmoviemaking landscape, starting with:

Incendo Media, started by StephenGreenberg, the son of late, great,pioneering mogul Harold Greenbergof Astral Bellevue Pathe (later AstralMedia) and Jean Bureau, producers of“cookie-cutter” TV films that areraking it in, based on sales to variousdigital TV networks. Incendo is also abusy distributor and you can’t fail tonotice their impressive animatedcredit prior to a big-budget film at

your local theatre. Watch a TV moviefeaturing a lady in distress, a killerperennially after her, “name” actorswho never quite made it onto the A-film circuit, and a “zero tolerance fornudity” policy and you can be certainit’s an Incendo production. Butwho’s to criticize unbelievablesuccess, without sounding envious,anyhow?

Muse Productions, founded byproducer Michael Prupas, whoseson Jesse Prupas has quietly beenimmersed in the trappings of thefamily business. Muse isconsistently ranked amongst thetop (in production volume)independent productioncompanies in Canada and is,according to them, the largestEnglish-language productioncompany in Quebec. Their focus isalmost entirely on television thesedays, though they occasionally helpservice-produce American featurefilms like Life of Pi (Ang Lee) whichthey are currently servicing a re-

shoot for in Montreal. Muse’s biggestsuccess to date was their 8-hourmini-series The Kennedys, whichbenefited from much publicity lastyear and garnered huge ratings inmany countries, especially in theUnited States. Being Human, BombGirls, Durham County, Human Trafficking,Cyberbully, Bullet in the Face, Rocksteady:The Roots of Reggae and their firstanimated series, The Mysteries of AlfredHedgehog, are some of their highest-ranking productions.

Galafilm, where founder ArnieGelbart has won more awards thanhe has room for in his office’s manydisplay cases. Galafilm has always beena significant production entity andcontinues to produce from homebase here for the Canadian, US andinternational markets. The 10-hourrace to Mars docu-drama project,Mars Rising; a documentary on Naica:The Crystal Cave and the documentaryFamine to Freedom, about theimmigration of the Irish to Canada inthe 19th century, form just a smallpart of over 350 hours of footageproduced by Gelbart and his stellarteam at Galafilm. The company alsoproduced: Fire and Ice, thedocumentary on hockey’s infamousRichard Riot; The Valour and the Horror,the controversial mini-series aboutCanada’s role in World War I; fourseasons of the international hit TheWorst Witch and the dramatic series15/Love.

Best,

Bram

Next up, from WestEnd Montreal’s mostunique community

paper

Summer may soon be givingway to cooler Fall,

but our sports scene is stillhot. We will look at the Montreal Impact, the

resurgent Habs and more,

in The Sports Issue.

Coming your way on Friday, August 17, 2012Submission deadline Friday, August 10, 2012

Remember, don’t drink and drive or strike, everyone!


EntertainmentMusical Musing

by Cora Kim

I grew up witha lot ofd i f f e r e n tkinds of musicaround me. Athome we'd belistening to amix of mym o m ' sc l a s s i c a lrecords and

my dad's Spanish guitar tapes, Beatles recordsand 70s pop compilations. When I was 17 afriend played me Portishead which opened myears to trip hop and electronic music andmotivated me to start writing my own songs. Ialso have a big appreciation for jazz, which Iprobably gained from singing in my highschool big band.

Throughout university I developed afascination with other languages (although I'mmuch better at singing them than speakingthem). I started singing in Portuguese, Spanish,German, Italian, French, Turkish, Yiddish andUkranian. It's beautiful because there arecertain colours and textures that pop out fromlanguage to language, but it's also a great wayto connect with people. I remember I wassinging in Ukranian at an old folks' home (theonly song I know: Ridna Maty Moya). Therewere two nurses who were dancing andsinging along. Afterwards they told me thatsong took them back to their childhood. I likedthat I could help them recall a memory.

About three years ago I met Tim Gowdy. He'sknown around Montreal as a recordingengineer, but is also a very talented musician,composer and producer. He took an interest inmy music and we worked together for almosttwo years on what would be my first record. Healso encouraged me to sing more in Korean,since I am after all, half Korean. I had discoveredKorean folk music while taking traditionaldrum and dance lessons in South Korea a fewyears ago, and fell in love with the rhythms andmelodies of many of the songs I was learning. Idecided to make my own arrangement of oneof the songs I learnt called Sarangga. Tim heardit and suggested we include others on thealbum, so we found a few more and startedtransforming them into our own electronicversions.

Two years later we finished the record, whichhas two such covers of Korean folk songs, alongwith 8 of my originals (in English). Tim, who'salso part of the live band, plays many of theinstruments on the album, and we were luckyto have some wonderful local musicians lendtheir talent: Pascal Shefteshy (Sarah McLachlan,Rufus Wainwright), Andrés Vial (The BarrBrothers) and Philippe Melanson (LeifVollebekk, Yannick Rieu).

Cora Kim will be playing July 17th at Il Motorefor the official launch of her debut album.

Cora Kim is available on iTunes.

pg. 12 - JULY 13, 2012 - localheraldmontreal.comTHE LOCAL HERALD, JAN 13 (pg. 12) FREE CLASSIFIED ADS: 514-975-7745 localheraldmontreal.com

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