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Syrian Troops Move in Hama
Syrian troops in the city of Hama have advanced deeper in to the city taking up new positions. The move comes a day after 24 people were killed by Syrian forces on the first day of Ramadan.
The troop presence is thought to be a preventive measure to stop protests during Ramadan. During the month large crowds of Muslims gather for prayer, the government fears these could turn in to large protests.
Since protests began in March against President Bashar Assad's regime, 1700 civilians have been killed activists say.
The Syrian government disputes the number and blames foreign conspirators for the turmoil.
A Hama activist told AP that troops including eight tanks and numerous personnel carriers set up about one kilometre from the western entrance to the city. He also said that smoke was seen billowing from an overcrowded jail nearby, leading him to believe inmates may be rioting.
Information about the situation is difficult to verify or obtain as reporters are not allowed in the area.
Fantasia: Detention
Directed by Joseph Kahn
Written by Joseph Kahn, Mark Palermo
Cast Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook, Jesse Heiman
Produced by Ricahrd Weager, Mary Ann Tanedo, Bob Abramoff
Detention is a fast-paced action flick with a lot of high school humour that is sure to get you feeling nostalgic. It will definitetly get more than a few laughs out of you. Our main character is Riley Jones, an outcast and misunderstood girl who just wants to fit in and live a normal life; sound familiar? She quickly learns that there is a vicious Scream-like killer on the loose in her town and all the pretty little people around her are being repeatedly stabbed and murdered.
The film has elements of sci-fi and horror classics; it is a postmodern teen slasher comedy, and Joseph Kahn pulls it off brilliantly. There are so many different characters that are very entertaining to watch and try to relate to. There is even a silly Canadian exchange student that ends up being quite important. The film also includes your stereotypical teen characters running around who receive a few laughs here and there.
The film is super fast paced and never ever slows down; it is never boring and even has time travel cleverly added to the plot, and you know what? It all works. It might seems like there a lot going on in the film, and believe me there is (aliens, murderers, prom, teenage angst, rebellion), but Kahn makes everything flow evenly and successfully. Dane cook even made me chuckle which is a very rare thing. I guess it’s because he isn’t using his own material. The kids eventually end up in detention which is where we learn the true identity of certain imposters and it’s fun seeing all the different characters all in one place trying to figure out who the killer is.
Detention is clever and I would definitely see it many more times; it’s the kind of film that the more times you view it, the more details you are most likely to pick up. It is well written with witty and funny one liners that leave you wanting more. It might be a little to fluffy because of all the teenage drama, but adding a unknown blood thirsty killer in the mix makes for a good flick.
3 out of 5 stars
-Andrea Boulet
Nuits D'Afrique:Grupo Fantasma
The 25th anniversary of the Festival Nuits D’Afrique is turning out to be one of the most party oriented ones that I have ever witness. Over the years, I have attended and taken part in some of the festivals; they were all entertaining and fun, but the 2011 edition of the festival stands out as a marriage of new musical ideas from all the bands that I have seen so far.
It all started with Manu Dibango & Le Soul Makossa Gang opening the festival on July 13th at Metropolis. The result was a night of dancing and fun. I then took in the series of the Syli D’or finalists for 2011. That in itself became a carnival at the Cabaret Du Mile-End on July 17th.
On July 19th I went to see Grupo Fantasma, a Latin American band from Texas. They're a band that should not be missed the next time they grace our shores for a show.
They really focus on the funk elements of Latin American music. In consequence, they began their set with the lead singer announcing that the front part of the stage was there for dancing and that’s how it was for the rest of the show.
The horn and rhythm section keep it nice and tight, while the guitarist reminded us all of living legend Carlos Santana. The bass player had this deep melodic sound which gave you that real groove of a reggae bass player that just seems to make you say “YEAH!".
A good show by a groovy band is all that it takes to keep the house dancing on a hot, July Tuesday night in Montreal, and this band did it all and then some.
-Pete Douglas hosts The Live Wire Show every Saturday from 9-10am
August 1st 2011
News read by Tommy Marshall and produced by Sofia Gay.
Stories written by Chris Hanna, Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo and Sofia Gay.
Concrete slab collapses in Ville-Marie tunnel
A slab of concrete fell onto the Ville Marie Expressway on Sunday morning. A beam fell onto the eastbound side of the highway around 9 a.m. No one was injured.
The Ville Marie tunnel is used by more than 100,000 cars every weekday.
The tunnel will remain closed between De La Montagne and Panet streets.
Engineers are studying the structure and need to determine whether emergency repairs are required. They are also trying to figure out what caused the collapse.
Mayor Gerald Tremblay said this incident is no reason to panic, but acknowledged that infrastructure problems in the city are piling up. Quebec Transport spokesperson Caroline Larose said the tunnel will not be reopened until the agency is sure it is safe.
Harper condemns Syrian raids
Stephen Harper has spoken out about the raids that killed a hundred and forty people in Syria on Sunday. Insanity ruling not likely for Breivik
The head of the panel mandated to review the psychiatric state of Anders Behring Breivik says the suspect is unlikely to declared insane.
Dr. Tarjei Rygnested is the head of the Norwegian Board of Forensic Medecine. He’s also at the head of the board that will review Breivik’s psychiatric evaluation, the man accused of killing 77 people in Norway on July 22nd.
Rygnested says that an insanity ruling is unlikely because he doesn’t think Breivik was in a state of psychosis at the time. Norwegian law states that a culprit must have been in a state of psychosis to be legally declared insane. That means Breivik would have had to lose contact with reality to the point of losing control.
Breivik pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, which carry a maximum sentence of 21 years. However, those could be changed to a charge of crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity carry a 30 year maximum sentence. Breivik confessed to the July 22nd massacre on Monday. He will be held in complete isolation for at least the next 8 weeks.
Fantasia: The Divide
Directed by Xavier Gens
Written by Karl Mueller
Cast Michael Biehn, Lauren German, Milo Ventimiglia, Rosanna Arquette, Courtney B. Vance
Produced by Ross M. Dinerstein, Juliette Hagopian, Darryn Welch
I was given a fair warning at the screening of The Divide that it would “fuck” with my head. It most certainly did. It's set in a post apocalyptic New York City that's being bombarded by enormous fire engulfed comets; the occupants of a building seek shelter in the basement of their lodging. Only a certain few are able to safely get inside of the basement while others are turned into dust.
Panic and chaos genuinely drive the first hour of the film as the viewers establish which characters are taking charge and which are being abused and taken advantage of. Just as the title entails, the characters divide into many different paranoid groups: the leaders and the ones who must be obedient or face their death. It must not be easy trying to survive the end of the world with psychotic strangers who are forcing you at gun point to chop up a dead body with a blunt axe. As the film progresses the violence and will to survive increases to an unsettling degree. People are viciously murdered and battered.
This film was intense and dramatic, the actors did a wonderful job at keeping me on the edge of my very uncomfortable theater seat; my palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding at the thought of what could possibly go wrong next. The claustrophobia and the will to survive have these characters doing anything and everything to get the hell out of the basement and into any kind of nostalgic and safe environment. The group of survivors becomes miniscule towards the end of the film but the action and paranoia never quits.
Xavier Gens did a miraculous job of keeping me feel disturbed and almost nauseous, while the actors were passionate and intense. There was humour were it was needed to help balance out all the craziness and drama. If you enjoy a good old fashion shit show survivor’s tale, with perfectly developed characters and bloody revenge then this is one film you should pick up.
4 out of 5 stars
-Andrea Boulet
Nuits D'Afrique: Emeline Michel
"Charmante" est le premier adjectif qui nous vient en tête en rencontrant Emeline Michel. La soirée du 16 juillet était chaleureuse. L’amour qu’Emeline illustrait pour son pays d’origine, Haiti, pour sa ville natale, les Gonaives, pour ses admirateurs et sa famille, qui étaient nombreux dans la salle, laissait place à une ambiance enivrante. Il y avait une atmosphère joyeuse pendant qu’Emeline Michel nous racontait des anecdotes reliées à ses chansons, nous faisait part de ses projets futurs, dont un nouvel album qu’elle veut enregistrer en Haïti et qu’elle prévoit de lancer en 2012. Il ne faut surtout pas oublier la danse. Danse folklore haïtienne toujours présente dans ses concerts qu’elle interprète avec beaucoup d’émotions. Les spectateurs n’ont pas tardé à se joindre à elle sur la piste de danse. Les rythmes d’"A.K.I.K.O.", son succès international des années quatre-vingt, clôtura la danse. Nous avons également eu droit à un amalgame de musique sélectionnée parmi ses neuf albums créés pendant ses 25 ans de carrière. Elle est toujours aussi belle et d’une énergie sans pareil. Je suis heureuse d’avoir pu assister à ce concert intime qui m’a permis de revisiter plusieurs souvenirs d’enfance forgés la première fois que j’ai assistée à un concert d’Emeline Michel. Elle m’avait charmé à l’époque et l’a encore fait cette soirée là.
Photo (gauche à droite): Sweet Maxi, Emeline Michel, Kelly B
-Sweet Maxi est occasionnellement co-hôte de Beat The World les samedis de 12h-14h
News July 29th 2011
Read by Josh Nemeroff
Produced by Erica Bridgeman
Stories written by Michael Lemieux, Danny Aubry and Nikita Smith
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