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The results are in: Your Concordia has won the Concordia Student Union elections. CEO Oliver Cohen sent out the unofficial results early Friday morning. The results were close, with the Your Concordia executive winning by just under three-hundred-and-fifty votes. 

Your Concordia took nearly a clean sweep of councilors, Board of Governors members and senate representatives. JMSB councilors will be made up of Action candidates and ENCS will be split. There will also be only one Action member on senate.

The referendum question to ban bottled water passed easily. Queer Concordia won its fee levy of two cents. However, both The Void and CJLO were denied their increases.

Voter turnout was huge, breaking the previous record.

Check cjlo.com/news over the weekend for more elections updates.

The Green Party of Canada is challenging a decision not to include Elizabeth May in the upcoming broadcasted leaders’ debates. On Tuesday, a consortium of broadcasters decided to exclude May from the April 12 and 14 debates. That consortium includes CBC and Radio-Canada. The NDP, Conservatives, Liberals, and the Bloc Quebecois were invited. 

The party submitted a complaint to the Federal Court of Appeal. They’re asking that the court review the regulations that say the broadcasters do not have to include every party leader. 

CBC ombudsman Kirk Lapointe says it is accurate to note that the Green Party does not have a sitting MP. Lapointe also says that the almost seven per cent of votes they garnered in the most recent elections represents a million people. He says they could therefore play a role in a new minority government.

First of all, let me just say that I have not seen filmmaking and imagery like this in a very long time. It grips and shocks you from the beginning and takes you on this terrifyingly epic journey through what will be the next cult classic. Hobo with a Shotgun started in a very magnificent and innocent way; Jason Eisener had originally made a simple trailer for Hobo with a Shotgun as part of a trailer competition sponsored by Robert Rodriguez. Eisener’s trailer won the competition and the reward opened dozens of doors and provided his art with an opportunity to expand and grow within the Canadian film industry.

Hobo with a Shotgun is the touching tale of a hobo, played by the incredible Rutger Hauer, who wants a fresh start. He hops a train and arrives to a horrific and terribly distraught town. The town is corrupt and run by murderous thugs; Drake (Brian Downey) is the sick and twisted Head Boss and his two villainous sons Slick (Gregory Smith) and Ivan (Nick Bateman) terrorize the neighbourhood with murder and torture. The Hobo notices the extremity of the violence in the town and decides to do something about it; he purchases a shotgun with the little change he has and decides to rid the streets of the corrupt, rapists, murderers and the fucking crazy.

This film is highly stylized and one must be aware that the violence and gore is extreme and very visual. This story is set in another place and time and should not be taken literally. Writer John Davies provided a wicked location for all the chaos to take place. The dialogue offers incredibly witty and intense one-liners that will leave you clutching your sides with the delicious pain of laughter, or they will leave you holding your hand up to your mouth in pure shock. Each character is unique and exaggerated; they each have their own disturbing characteristics that leave you saying, “This is crazy!” Hobo with a Shotgun reminds me of Tarantino and Rodriguez but with more crudeness; Eisener revealed that he was inspired by horror films from the 80s and 90s, and you can clearly see that influence unfold before your eyes. The use of primary colours and close to perfect editing give this little Canadian film a chance beginning the long awaited new generation of unique independent filmmakers.

Hobo with a Shotgun was one hell of a ride that kept me on the edge of my seat and had me biting my nails with anxiety and discomfort. The performances are memorable and emotional; Hauer delivered a pretty badass performance that carried the film with ease and sophistication. The violent imagery is not for the faint of heart; some scenes are very shocking and can make or break the film for certain viewers, but Eisener mentions that he had to fight for certain scenes to remain in the film and believes how every scene is there for a reason. Hobo with a Shotgun is worth seeing over and over again; everything in this film is stimulating, and will cause great conversation and certainly inspire the filmmaker in you.

Four our of Five Stars

-Andrea Boulet

In a recent public address, Syrian president Bashar al-Hassad has decided not to give in to protesters’ demands for reform. In a highly anticipated speech, the president did not announce any significant political reforms, disappointing protesters and international observers alike.

He declared that the preservation of Syria’s stability is most important at this time, despite having been labelled a ‘reformer’ by the Obama administration. He claims that protesters are taking advantage of the calls for reform  in order to get people to join their demonstrations. He refers to these people as enemies of the country.

His plan is similar to that of leaders in Saudi arabia, Bahrain and Jordan: acting with impunity while riding out the protests.