National Post - Arts

Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache have a pragmatic relationship

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:16:54 Z

There’s a particular song that French director Eric Toledano has gone out of his way to include on his iPhone

The problem with bringing sex to the suburbs

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:59:02 Z

Fifty Shades of Grey has become part of the zeitgeist, leading to all kinds of new sexual ideas in the 'burbs — meaning trouble looms on the horizon

Josh Brolin on being the meanest Man in Black

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:22:21 Z

Typical of the Men in Black series, humour and sci-fi special effects are blended by director Barry Sonnenfeld, with Brolin’s portrayal the unique addition

Dave Bidini on escaping horrible bosses

Sun, 27 May 2012 17:02:07 Z

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s remarks that “there is no such thing as a bad job” confirms suspicions that the member from Whitby never worked at an industrial laundromat

Rodarte’s Laura and Kate Mulleavy usher in denim Don Giovanni

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:08:06 Z

Shinan: Rodarte’s dirty little secret? Turns out, it involves denim. You might call it their “Blue Period”

Chris Knight at Cannes: Cronenberg returns to the Croisette with Cosmopolis

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:32:55 Z

Cosmopolis did not receive universal acclaim from critics after the screening Friday, although the love-it-or-hate-it reactions actually bode well at a festival which often rewards divisive films

Cadence Weapon uses his poetic licence on Hope in Dirt City

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:20:00 Z

Becoming Edmonton’s poet laureate was probably the best thing that could have happened for Rollie Pemberton’s rap game

The Listener is the thinking man’s program

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:14:22 Z

The curious thing about The Listener is that the show’s titular character is not notable for his listening skills

Of Monsters and Men on their ‘weird’ journey to the Top 10

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:24:01 Z

The Islandic band signed with Universal in the fall of 2011, but there were a lot of other good things that were happening before that

Britney Spears denies storming off X Factor set

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:23:13 Z

“She was not upset. She just took a short break, which is not uncommon for judges to do in these taped shows,” Spears' publicist says, in contrast to reports published by TMZ

Film Review: Men in Black 3

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:10:58 Z

(3 stars) Fifteen years later, audiences still remember the shiny neuralyzer, the slimy aliens, the zippy one-liners and the young wise-cracking cowboy paired with the strict, stony veteran

Popcorn Panel: The Dictator

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:00:57 Z

Finally, an answer to the question of whether Sacha Baron Cohen is as funny in a scripted scene as he is when he’s making unsuspecting civilians uncomfortable

Chris Knight at Cannes: The Paperboy a prison break for cast

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:32:41 Z

The film marks some of the best work from stars Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron and John Cusack in some time. And the actors seemed to realize it

Paul Gross on getting fired from Battleship

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:37:15 Z

"Hollywood cannot bring itself to fire anybody," Gross says of his brief stint writing for the Hollywood flop. "So they invent all these euphemisms for what’s happened”

Justin Bieber’s Vancouver fans start Twitter campaign over tour snub

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:07:35 Z

Vancouver-based Justin Bieber fans were in disbelief on Thursday after the 18-year-old pop star announced an extensive North American tour that didn’t include a local stop

American Idol season finale recap: Phil Phillips with the win!

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:30:25 Z

Phillips beat out pint-sized singer Jessica Sanchez to be crowned the winner of American Idol 2012. Here's how it all shook down

Fighting the not-so-good fight in Continuum

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:54:38 Z

Scott Stinson: We can say this for the bleak futuristic dystopia offered up in the new sci-fi series Continuum: At least no one appears forced to fight each other for food

Cold Specks makes desolation a beautiful thing

Wed, 23 May 2012 21:02:53 Z

Shrouded in a mystique not seen in Canada since the rise of The Weeknd and, perhaps before that, Arcade Fire, Cold Specks is a genre-busting soul singer who makes music unlike anyone else

Canadian artists browse Sotheby’s auction

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:30:23 Z

Ahead of the Sotheby's 'Important Canadian Art' auction, Melissa Leong took three Canadian artists shopping at the Royal Ontario Museum for their dream purchases with the Post’s imaginary credit card

DC Comics to reintroduce well-known character as gay

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:09:09 Z

The web is already aflutter with discussions of who might be coming out of the closet, with guesses ranging from Batman to the Green Lantern

Chris Knight at Cannes: On the Road was a long ride

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:43:24 Z

The Kerouac adaptation embodies "the very beginning of a social and political awakening," according to director Walter Salles, who unveiled his film at the Cannes film festival on Wednesday

Louis C.K. to headline Just for Laughs spinoff JFL42 in September

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:16:14 Z

The stand-up veteran, actor, writer and creator of TV’s Louie will perform “all new material” in four concerts at the Sony Centre on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28

Justin Bieber announces North American tour with seven stops in Canada

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:58:40 Z

The 18-year-old will play shows in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto to support his third full-length album, Believe

Liner Notes: Why we won’t let musicians rest in peace

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:04:57 Z

It’s the same for actors, authors and artists — whether it’s an increase in exposure or a supply-induced demand, public hunger for a person’s work grows exponentially following their passing

Chris Knight at Cannes: The Angels’ Share is too ribald for its own good

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:49:47 Z

Ken Loach's film may not have the right stuff to walk off with the serious Palme d’Or prize, but it’s a rollicking, ribald, crowd-pleasing comedy

Pablo Larraín’s No means more than no

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:36:49 Z

Director Larraín, who hails from a right-wing family of wealth and political power, often employs overbearing metaphor to make his points

Northstar, Marvel’s first openly gay character, to marry his beau in June comic

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:27:13 Z

Northstar revealed he was gay in the pages of Alpha Flight No. 106 in 1992.

Concert Review: Joel Plaskett gets the crowd moving in Toronto

Tue, 22 May 2012 19:14:59 Z

It’s a testament to Plaskett’s masterful knack for turning any room into an appropriate forum for the many aspects of his multi-faceted persona

Chris Knight at Cannes: Killing Them Softly gets a little Freudian

Tue, 22 May 2012 17:52:19 Z

Brad Pitt’s final line in the film — “America isn’t a country; it’s a business,” followed by a directive to pay up — echoed in many a critic’s mind after the screening

Norah Jones finds a beguiling new voice

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:05:06 Z

‘Should we go into the bedroom?” asks Norah Jones. I’ll admit, it is an intriguing question

Fulford: Hermeneutics is up for interpretation

Mon, 21 May 2012 20:03:08 Z

Hans-Georg Gadamer was the decisive figure in the development of 20th-century hermeneutics

Chris Knight at Cannes: Body horror runs in the Cronenberg family

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:28:19 Z

It’s a historic year for the Cannes film festival – never before have a father and son both had films screened in the official lineup

Founding member of Bee Gees Robin Gibb dead at 62

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:51:39 Z

Robin Gibb, a founding member of the Bee Gees who helped propel the group to international stardom, has died. He was 62

Will Smith couldn’t be happier to fight aliens again in Men in Black 3

Fri, 18 May 2012 22:44:14 Z

Will Smith’s been out of pictures for three years, but he’s back with Men in Black 3. The good news is he’s as jokingly juvenile as he used to be

Xavier Dolan says cutting film's length would be 'unbearable'

Sun, 20 May 2012 17:26:45 Z

Only 23, Quebec director Xavier Dolan showed up at Cannes with his most ambitious film yet, the nearly 3-hour long Laurence Anyways

Screenwriter Nick Cave drawn to ‘sentimentality and brute violence’ of Lawless

Sat, 19 May 2012 18:28:09 Z

Chris Knight at Cannes: “I really loved the kind of classical love stories,” Cave said after the Prohibition-era movie’s first screening Saturday. “And the excessive violence”

The importance of zombies to Canadian life

Sat, 19 May 2012 01:40:58 Z

Dave Bidini: The British Columbia government recently took to using a staged zombie invasion as a way of preparing Lotus Landers for potential disaster scenarios

Author Craig Davidson on seeing Rust and Bone onscreen at Cannes

Sat, 19 May 2012 02:06:23 Z

It all started when I knocked a glass of water on to a film director’s hat. A lovely chapeau. Brushed felt

Even Andoni Aduriz photographs his meals on occasion

Fri, 18 May 2012 22:48:30 Z

Shinan Govani: “I should take a picture of you taking a picture of my food,” said Rob Gentile, his face aglow even with that five o’clock shadowing his face, here in the hallowed ground underneath King Street West

Dan Harmon out as Community showrunner

Sat, 19 May 2012 04:33:17 Z

As Abed might say, it truly is the darkest timeline: Friday night news broke out that Community creator and showrunner Dan Harmon is not returning for the sitcom’s fourth season