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TV Binge 2015!

Many people know me as the movie guy, and for sure my list of the Top 10 Movies of 2015 is on way, but let me start out by reflecting on the best in television this year. Here are seven shows that I have been binge-watching, and a bonus video game!


The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

This is a six part HBO miniseries from Andrew Jarecki, that focuses on one man, Robert "Bob" Durst. It is shown in a documentary Cinéma vérité style. Andrew Jarecki directed All Good Things, which is loosely based on the disappearance of Kathy Durst, and Robert Durst has always been connected to her disappearance in some way. After the release of All Good Things, as the story goes, Durst was a big fan of what Jarecki had done and offered him the chance of a lifetime. The once private Durst was now allowing Jarecki to interview him, which lasted more than 20 hours, and was then edited for this miniseries. In addition to the Kathy Durst incident, Durst also has to answer for the murder of his best friend Susan Berman, and the one that got him dead to rights, the death of Morris Black. There are so many great moments captured by Jarecki, if I had to pick one it is the way the trial of the State of Texas versus Robert Dust ends, and episode 6 picks up with Durst walking as a free man in New York City. The ending is shocking as a guilt ridden Durst reveals himself.

 

Better Call Saul

Many Breaking Bad fans are going through withdrawal, and let me just say to them you are not alone. Better Call Saul picks up where Breaking Bad ended with a montage of an aged Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) as a manager of a Cinnabon, just as he expressed to Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as his end game plan. Filmed in black and white, we can get a strong sense that this is not the same wise-cracking Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul explores how Jimmy became Saul Goodman, and it is a prelude to the events that happened in Breaking Bad. There are several returning characters from Breaking Bad, and to not go into to many spoilers, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) receives a story arc. As much as Odenkirk brings the wise-cracking lawyer back with jokes and puns, Better Call Saul explores the serious side of Jimmy (or Saul Goodman as I call him) the sad clown. A definite must see for all Breaking Bad fans, and hopefully some nominations for Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks.

 

True Detective, Season 2

Let's get this out of the way: season two of True Detective is no True Detective season one, in the same way that the "McConaughey renaissance" is fading away in a Lincoln Buick. This season is set in California and deals with the murder of Ben Caspere, which reveals a darker truth of corruption on a higher level. The three detectives have to work together, along side their personal problems to uncover the truth. Antigone "Ani" Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) is the female detective with a strong front about her, Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell) is the male detective dealing with a divorce, substance abuse, an illegitimate son alongside alliances. There is also Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch), who has the weakest story arch as a CHIPS riding cop who turns detective, where even Erik Estrada called him up to tell him to give the CHIPS reference a rest (OK maybe that didn't happen). Then there is the devil himself, Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn), who has a real command of being bad, but also finding the time to deliver dark comedy punch lines you'd expect from an unscripted Vaughn, "Your son did so much white substance he looked like a clown". Sure the ending was weak, but the camera work from director Justin Lin (episodes 1 and 2) and cinematographer Nigel Bluck set up the dark mysterious tones that are strongly reminiscent to the works of David Lynch (there is even a reference to Mulholland Drive). McAdams, Farrell, and Vaughn deliver strong performances that you'd come to expect from the True Detective series. Rick Springfield fans rejoice, he is a guest star in season two.

 

Game Of Thrones, Season 4

Before you tell me the truth I already know, I am behind on Game of Thrones. I prefer just binging through the majestically beautiful series on Blu-ray. This season was already spoiled for me because we all know the tyrannical Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) met his fate with karma, and he had it coming. I already know the major spoilers from season 5, but let me focus on my favourite moments from season 4. The one episode that stands out for me is "The Laws of Gods and Men", which is the sixth episode. It is a strongly-emotional episode for Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who stands trial for the death of a major character, and finds out that he is truly an outcast amongst everyone including Shae (Sibel Kekilli), the fare maiden who he loves. The final episode of the season tore my emotions to shreds in the same way that Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle" is a emotional song between a father and a son (OK that was a bit of spoiler).

 

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways

Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl directed this documentary miniseries for HBO that explores the history of music within the context of eight American cities. His interviews with musicians, record producers, and sound engineers served as inspiration for the songs that were then recorded for the Foo Fighters album, Sonic Highways. Having seen the first two episodes in the series, Chicago and Washington DC, there is a strong sense that Grohl is interested in finding out the roots of the music scene, exploring the artists that influence him, and the creative process of music. This is not just a documentary on how Sonic Highways was created, but the way that music is created and its strong influence on American culture.

 

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

This season was intense. From the fake church of Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption, the interview with an exiled Edward Snowdon, to examining the Canadian election, these are just some of the intensely funny and controversial subjects that John Oliver satirizes on his show. John Oliver always had the right pulse on America, even if America did not want to hear the truth. I was indecisive about the Canadian election, until I saw it from John Oliver's point of view.

 

Master of None

What is the true essence of a Netflix binge? I found out this year, when a friend who has Netflix and I decided to binge watch Aziz Ansari's Master of None. The series follows Aziz as he navigates the love world and the struggling world of an actor being typecast based on their ethnicity. It is the funniest thing that I have seen from a television show in a long time. There are many comedic influences that can be seen throughout the series from Wes Anderson, Woody Allen, and Judd Apatow. It is refreshing to watch a comedy that is fresh and original that does not require laugh tracks to be funny. It can be as edgy as it wants to be, without making the same innuendoes as seen on prime time comedies. The situations that Aziz deals with or puts himself in brought out many side-splitting laughs.

 

Rock Band 4

The video game that consumed the television basement this year was Rock Band 4. Let me get the bad out of the way first. The set list is the weakest it has been in Rock Band history, and most of my DLC or older editions can not be exported yet into Rock Band 4. I am not a big fan of metal, and the only big bands that crashed the party were U2 and Van Halen. You also get some newer tunes the kids are listening to these days, like Imagine Dragon's "I Bet My Life", "The Wolf" by Mumford and Sons, and "Fever" by The Black Keys. Though I still like the classic tracks from The Main Drag and my Weezer DLC's, I still have my old instruments from the first Rock Band pack that I bought for the Playstation 2, and they all still work with the Playstation 4, which is a big plus for Harmonix. I only have a broken whammy bar and needed to replace the original drum sticks after a intense Rock Band party. Also you get more band customization, get to vote on what song you should play next, and shred guitar solos that make you feel like you're a rock god as the crowd goes wild, despite the fact that you're playing a plastic guitar. Even though the set list might not float my boat, maybe it will find some love from CJLO's metal music director Andrew Wieler. I have some of my favourite tracks from the '80s and '90s like REM's "The One I Love" and "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure. At the end of the day, Rock Band 4 is a great party and solo game, with all the glitz and glam of being in a band without the inner conflicts or drama. Also, there is no excuse to channel your inner Eddie Van Halen when "Panama" comes on. No excuse at all.

 

--Remi is the host of At The Movies (with Iconic Sounds) every Tuesday morning from 8 to 9 AM, only on CJLO 1690AM.

News for December 7th 2015

LOCAL
by Sam Obrand

 
 
 

Guy Turcotte has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder on Sunday.

According to CBC News, the 11-person jury reached a unanimous verdict, convicting Turcotte in the deaths of his two children.

Turcotte stabbed his two children, Olivia and Anne-Sophie on February 20th in 2009.

Although he has been sentenced to life, Turcotte can be freed after a certain amount of years.

Recommendations for his sentence will be given on December 18th by the prosecution and defense.

 
 
 
LOCAL/NATIONAL
by Patricia Petit Liang
 
 
 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Mount Royal on Sunday to participate in Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

 
A ceremony was held honouring the 14 women whose lives were lost during the 1989 massacre at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal.

According to Global News, Sunday marked the 26th anniversary of the mass shooting in Montreal and Canadians have taken to Twitter to pay their respects by tweeting #December6.

 
Universities across the country also held candle-lit vigils.
 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL
by Saturn de Los Angeles
 
 
 

Iraq is threatening to reach out to the United Nations if Turkey does not pull their military troops out of the northern city of Mosul. 

In a report by the BBC, Turkey's Prime Minister AH-MET / DA-VOO-TOG-LU (Ahmet Davutoglu) says the deployment is part of routine training of Kurdish forces against the Islamic State. 

However, Iraq's leader HEIDI AL-AH-BODY (Haidi Al-Abadi) says the move was made without his consent, and believes what Turkey did is a violation of the country's sovereignty. 

Mosul has been considered a key city in the Islamic State's growth, ever since it was captured under their rule.

Iraq's plans to claim it back have so far failed.

Monday December 7th 2015

Hosted by Jocelyn Beaudet

Stories by Sam Obrand, Patricia Petit Liang & Saturn de Los Angeles

Produced by Catlin Spencer

News for December 4th, 2015

Hosted by: Julian Mckenzie

Stories by: Alexa Everett, Patricia Petit Liang, Pauline Nesbitt

Produced by: Emeline Vidal

LOCAL
by Alexa Everett

Quebec will now be including males in their free HPV vaccination policy. 

Starting next year, the vaccination will be available in schools for boys in grade four, as well as to bisexual and homosexual males under the age of 26.
 
According to CTV, the vaccine protects against four strains of HPV, the leading cause of genital cancer.  
 
In 2008, the province began a vaccination campaign targeting girls in grade four.
 
Researchers in Ontario's capital discovered that Canada would save over $12 million a year in cancer treatments if the vaccine was accessible to all of its population. 
 
 
NATIONAL
by Patricia Patit Liang

The constitutional challenge the the Conservative law that cleared the RCPM of destroying gun registry data, faces a 3 month delay.

According to the Globe and Mail, the new Liberal government is considering its options before coming to a decision.

This issue began when Stephen Harper’s Conservative government retroactively rewrote a law from 2012 in order to rid the RCMP of criminal liability when erasing gun registry data.

The rewrite had caused the Ontario provincial police to drop their investigation of the RCMP.

It also sets a precedent as future governments might be able to retroactively rewrite laws.

 
 
INTERNATIONAL
by Pauline Nesbitt

After the San Bernardino, shooting that left 14 dead and 21 injured, the police held a news conference Thursday where they revealed the conditions officers faced when they entered the Inland Regional Centre.

According to CBC News, Lieutenant Mike Madden, one of the first officers to arrive on the scene, said it he was unprepared for the scene even though he had been trained in dealing with mass shootings.

Officers stated that their priority was to locate the shooters and stabilize the situation, before assisting the many panic-stricken victims.

Officials confirmed that the majority of the dead and wounded were employees of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health who were attending a holiday celebration luncheon in the building.  

Investigators are still searching for a motive behind the shooting.

 

Champions of the Local Scene Pt deux: Interview w/ filmmaker Jonathan Lemieux- re: Queerment Quebec/ Image+Nation: 6:45pm

On an extra-special edition of Champions of the Local Scene, we will chat with Cannes award winning filmmaker Jonathan Lemieux at 6:45pm! Lemieux is screening his short film Moratoire in the Image+Nation Festival edition of Queerment Quebec, happening tomorrow (Thursday) December 3 at 7pm at Never Apart (7409 St Urbain). The evening will feature a series of shorts by some of Quebec's best LGBTQ filmmakers/ artists, including Anne Golden, Shayo Detchema, Jackie Gallant, André Pelletier, Jenny Cartwright, and Marc-Antoine Lemire + party times after!

Moratoire is the second installment in a trilogy of shorts about Jonathan Lemieux's father. The first installment won BEST SHORT FILM at the Rencontres In&out de Nice et Cannes Film Festival. Lemieux on his work: "I manipulate my past. I analyze my present. I prepare for my future. I have long followed these steps in my art. I naively thought I understood everything."

Tune in at 6:45pm for this interview, but catch us from 6pm on when we will be talking Montreal music with ELAN! Listeners will also have the chance to win tickets to Fire Song, a film by Adam Garnet Jones screening at Image+Nation Dec 5 by texting CJLO (514-848-7471) "IMAGE+NATION" and their name!

News for December 2nd 2015

LOCAL
by Catlin Spencer

Just months after approving a request for a new synagogue, the district of Outremont is wanting to ban any new places of worship on the same street and one other.

According to CBC News, the borough held the first reading of the proposed bylaw for it's Bernard and Laurier avenues in a public consultation Tuesday night.

The move has greatly upset Outremont's Hasidic community, who make up roughly 20 per cent of the boroughs population.

A Hasidic resident says that the ban would mean pushing the community into smaller, ghetto-like areas in the far corner of Outremont.

Despite outcrys, an online petition in favour of the ban has collected nearly 800 signatures.

NATIONAL
by Catlin Spencer

Quebec is appealing the Supreme Court of Canada's decision to delay the province's law allowing doctor-assisted death.

According to CTV News, the Dying with Dignity law is set to come into effect on December 10th, but the Superior Court ruled in favour of an injunction to delay it's implementation Wednesday.

The Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice filed for the injunction in November, saying the law violates the timeline implemented by Canada when it overturned a federal law banning doctor-assisted death.

Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould says the government was hoping Quebec would wait until the newly-elected Liberal party had debated the matter and decided on its own law.

INTERNATIONAL
by Catlin Spencer

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that it's country’s Bureau of Meteorology has been the victim of a major hacking attack.

According to BBC News, unnamed officials are blaming China for the alleged hack that could take years and cost millions of dollars to repair.

While Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology will not say what was affected, it did say its systems were fully operational.

The bureau provides climate and weather information that is relied on and used by military and commercial transport.

Wednesday December 2nd 2015

Hosted by Jocelyn Beaudet

Stories by Catlin Spencer

Produced by Catlin Spencer

Tonight on Champions of the Local Scene: ELAN joins us in studio: 6pm

Tonight we are happy to have ELAN Quebec in studio with us for Champions of the Local Scene! English Language Artist Network Quebec is an organization that works to provide support, networking, and services to english speaking artists in Quebec. They both promote and advocate for their artist membership, building bridges between english and french speaking arts communities. They emphasize the arts in education as a means for social and economic development as part of their mandate. Tune in at 6pm to hear more about their role in the Montreal arts community and how artists can get involved with ELAN!

ELAN hosts monthly mixers and workshops, including their upcoming December Music Mixer, happening December 7th at 6pm at Clara Lichtenstein Hall, Mcgill Campus (555 Rue Sherbrooke West). This event is free and open to all, with complimentary wine and snacks! ELAN Program Co-ordinator Amy Macdonald will join us in studio, where we will play some of their favourite Montreal musicians and hear what's coming for ELAN in 2016.

This special episode is hosted by Saturn De Los Angeles of Shibuya Crossing and Thinkbox from The Machine Stops! Tune in at 6pm!

 

 

News for December 1st 2015

LOCAL
by Danny Aubry

 
 
 
Local Montreal university student Adam Schachner recently completed two separate Bachelors degrees- one from Concordia University and one from McGill.
 
According to CBC News, he enrolled in Mechanical engineering at McGill back in 2010, but afterwards decided to take a second degree in film animation at Concordia.
 
Schachner says that he went into engineering out of his desire to create things, but felt limited by the degree.
 
He also says that despite his overwhelming schedule, he kept his double life a secret from both administrations, seeing no reason why he couldn't attend both universities.
 
 
 
NATIONAL
by Pauline Nesbitt
 
 
 
Ottawa is increasing the amount of armed police officers in its force.
 

Twelve Ottawa police officers have been temporarily reassigned to the guns and gang unit, as the force struggles to deal with an increase in the number of shootings over the past three weeks.

According to CTV News, Ottawa’s police chief, Charles Bordeleau, says that he has requested 25 additional officers in the 2016 budget to permanently increase the officers assigned to the guns and gangs unit.

Bordeleau noted that additional officers were assigned to the force’s direct action response team on a temporary basis last year, when there was a significant increase in crimes committed by street gangs.

 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL
by Julian McKenzie
 
 

The gunman who allegedly killed three people and wounded nine others at an abortion clinic in Colorado Springs has been told he could be sentenced to death after a court appearance on Monday.  

According to the Globe and Mail, Robert Lewis Dear is facing numerous charges including first-degree murder. 

 
Dear appeared in a Colorado court via video and was told that charges would be filed against him during a scheduled court appearance on December 9th.

If convicted, Dear will face either a minimum penalty of life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

A police officer was among the three deaths in the shooting. 

 
The attack is believed to be first on an American abortion clinic in six years.

Tuesday December 1st 2015

Hosted by Danny Aubry

Stories by Danny Aubry, Pauline Nesbitt & Julian McKenzie

Produced by Batman

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