Tag: History

The War of 1812 Hits the 2018 Victoria Fringe Festival, and it’s a Hoot!

The War of 1812By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Location:
Langham Court Theatre
805 Langham Ct.
Victoria, BC

Remaining Showtimes:
Aug 31 7:15 pm
Sep 01 12:00 pm
Sep 02 8:15 pm

Wes Borg, Morgan Cranny, Mike Delamont, and Rod Peter Jr. need to teach Social Studies! While I can find them performing at the Victoria Fringe Festival, I have to wonder how they can handle a classroom of attention deficit youths. Back when I went to high school, I found Canadian history boring. The War of 1812 gets unpolitically correct. No one is being blamed for how it started, but to see how all three sides (Britain, USA and Canada) dealt with the annexing of trade was explored in comedic context. With this heavyweight of comedic talents—all of whom are well known in the Victoria, BC theatre scene—I can ace any final exam!

I am not sure how accurate the information in the “historical reenactments” is, but this comedic revue had a lot of moments which made me laugh out loud. There were cross-dressing and innuendo. To witness how this country was built certainly puts one song from Jefferson Starship to shame. While it’s easy to build a city on rock and roll, what about the politics and businesses involved? There were pointed shots which I loved. There was never a moment which did not have me in stitches.

The War of 1812

When this show started with a student (played by Borg) giving a presentation (it was obvious he had no sense of patriotism) and faster than anyone could say Charles Dickens, he gets visited by the ghost of Pierre Berton and they go back in time to learn how this country was made free. After several battles, role switches and home invasions, this boy gets it. I doubt the adults in the room (the audience) needed reminding, but to see two burly men, an average and one thin figure (Peter Jr.) just have fun made my night. There was singing and clapping, and even wiffle balls being thrown. The gang was not intentionally tripping each other up; I saw moments where giggles had to be stifled.

Borg’s artistry is infectious. He and Paul Mather originally wrote this work back in the late 90’s, and this show has seen revisions over the years and infrequent performances. It was an all musical production back in the early days, and just how much of it was revised requires knowing how the past versions looked. YouTube is great for looking some iterations up. With this new version, I empathized with the wrapping narrative. Plus, I want to see this show (and see Delamont in drag) again. Borg’s lyrical stylings are comparable to that of The Arrogant Worms. Both are similar in content, but to say I love to see all Borg all the time requires paying full attention to what goes on in the theatre scene. Yes, I have been assimilated.

5 Stars out of 5

100+ years of Cinema and the Sequential Art, A Retrospective

Neither does cinema and the sequential art medium needs to involve Sony, Fox or Disney (merger-driven or not). As long as the work has more substance than style, people will flock to it.

Cinema and the sequential art medium may have began with BlondieMovies based on comic strips/books are big business, and not all of them were based on superheroes. The idea to adapt popular titles began way before Marvel and DC comics formed and this essay offers a highlight reel of these other popular works. Not everyone realises cinema and the sequential art medium go hand in hand.

In the early days of cinema, French journalist Georges Sadoul believed Louis Lumière‘s L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895) was an adaptation of L’Arroseur (The Gardener), a strip by artist Hermann Vogle. [1] The next work which followed was based on the British comic Ally Sloper (1867). Three films were made.

In the golden age of cinema, superheroes did not command the screen. Instead, these projections were humourous looks at everyday life. Harold Teen (1928) may well be the first to arrive on the big screen in North America. Blondie (1930) was immensely popular because of its look at middle-class suburbia. The early years followed the romance of this eponymous character to Dagwood, the comic relief, and the media buzz upon their marriage is comparable to the media hoopla when Peter Parker aka Spiderman married Mary Jane.

To be fair, certain key heroes like Batman and Superman will be explored. Also, television played an important role in popularizing this genre. Periodic looks at what happened on this front will also be offered.

Continue reading “100+ years of Cinema and the Sequential Art, A Retrospective”

The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia Preview (North American Edition)

The War of 1812
Available on Amazon (regular edition)The War of 1812 and as a Deluxe EditionThe War of 1812

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

  • Spoiler Alert
  • Publication Date: June 19, 2018

The best part of owning a physical copy of The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia is in reading how all the lore from the video games ties together by being able to flip back and forth to the references to other sections. This work sadly does not include Breath of the Wild because it was originally published in Japan last year, at the same time the game made its release. It’s safe to assume an addendum will happen. In the meantime, for fans of the games prior, there are 332 pages of goodness to digest. It completes the Goddess Collection—Hyrule Historia The War of 1812and Art & ArtifactsThe War of 1812. If the Tri-Force symbol needs its centre to be filled, a fourth volume is inevitable.

Continue reading “The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia Preview (North American Edition)”

Bringing Ethel and Ernest to Animated Life, A Movie Review

Despite having some dark overtones in Ernest’s socialist ideals and we have to watch the inevitable (their death) unfold, this movie is one I wish to examine further with a fine tooth comb.

The War of 1812By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Ethel and Ernest (voiced by Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn) is a very nostalgic and sentimental animated film about these two individuals. It has an illustrative style reminiscent of Tintin. Based on the graphic novel of the same name written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs, this product certainly brings to life the ragtime era of Edwardian London in its opening act. Technically, the year is 1928 and all of this era’s sublime and romantic nature is the highlight. The music is recreated in its vintage glory and it steals the show. I was happily humming along.

Continue reading “Bringing Ethel and Ernest to Animated Life, A Movie Review”

The Founder does not Flounder the History of McDonald’s

The world can either love McDonald’s or hate this fast food franchise chain even more after watching The Founder.

cezgbkauyaa20xxBy Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The world can either love McDonald’s or hate this fast food franchise chain even more after watching The Founder.

Myself, I find myself in the position of thinking this company had a huge share of problems when Ray Kroc was in charge during this company’s heydays. The fictional version is wonderfully and perfectly played by Michael Keaton. He oozes sleaze and I kept on being reminded of Donald Trump. When Kroc saw the potential of what Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch) McDonald — the true innovators — tiny operation could do: to provide fast food in a timely and tasty manner. Their expertise set the standards other operations now imitate and nobody can patent the assembly line process (If they could, I’m sure they’d be raking in the dough). Instead of having an expansive menu, they provided the basics and the people of San Bernardino, California loved it.

Kroc was a struggling travelling salesman working for a manufacturer of kitchen aids, Prince Castle. As the story introduces him trying to sell milkshake makers that can churn out eight of them at a time, nobody was interested. His shtick was to show them how progress has to be handled through efficiency. But his snide tactics had many a restaurateur closing the door on him. When a large order came from the McDonald’s operation, he drove all the way from Illinois (using route 66) to see what’s up. When he got there, he saw the potential of how the brother’s operation can become nation-wide.

Continue reading “The Founder does not Flounder the History of McDonald’s”

Delving into Chile’s Dark History in Colonia

colonia-poster

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Please check local listings for its limited engagements in theaters in USA and Canada.

Emma Watson must love taking on challenging roles to show her growth as an actress. In the film, Colonia, she’s a flight attendant who gets caught up in a political upheaval which took place in Santiago, Chile. The democratically elected government of Salvador Allende was overthrown by a coup d’état in 1973. The dictatorship was headed by General Augusto Pinochet. Equal parts history, romance, and thriller, just exactly what kind of film this is meant to be needs an introduction by German director and co-writer Florian Gallenberger. An inter-title with a quote from a Chilean poet would have set the tone better than witnessing two lovers crossing paths at the worst time possible in this country’s history.

Continue reading “Delving into Chile’s Dark History in Colonia”