By Ryan Kelly
The other night, some close friends of mine were smoking a marijuana joint outside of a bar. A plainclothes bouncer outside tipped off another bouncer inside and my friends were informed that the bar has a strict anti-drug policy. They weren’t allowed back inside to finish their drinks. All of this is a bit surprising.… Continue reading Stoned is the way of the walk…
When Mike Blondal assumed a position as a coach for the University of Calgary swim team in 1989, the Dinos women had never won a championship banner. Fast forward 21 years; the Dinos swimming teams rewrote the history books this past weekend by winning the men’s and women’s national Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship banners for… Continue reading Top of the pool
By Ryan Pike
The past 10 years of cinema has seen a great deal of progress and peculiarities. In the 2000s, for better or worse, a glut of films have been released. Some of them were flat-out awful.Unfortunately, because of the sheer number of films released during the decade, a lot of bad films saw the light of… Continue reading Decade in Review: Film
By Ryan Pike
Calgary-Nose-Hill Four candidates will compete for a Parliamentary seat in Calgary-Nose-Hill, the riding tied for the fewest contenders in the city. Long-time Conservative Member of Parliament and current Small Business and Tourism Secretary of State Diane Ablonsky returns to vie for a sixth term. Ablonsky garnered 68 per cent of the vote back in 2006.… Continue reading Calgary’s ridings in brief
By Ryan Pike
Sometimes, you just run out of time. The Gauntlet’s pair of opinionated geeks had another month of columns planned, then realized they only had an issue left. In the interest of getting everything covered, we now present The Lightning Round, where as many topics are covered as time and space will allow. Enjoy! MTV to… Continue reading The Lightning Round
By Ryan Pike
Crime films are often violent, unrealistic affairs that romanticize criminal activity. In this filmmaking realm, some directors have cultivated reputations for crafting films that show crime for what it is–a conscious choice made by individuals, either because of extenuating circumstances or simply to pay the bills. Sidney Lumet’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is… Continue reading Old people can still make great films
By Ryan Pike
Throughout the 1990s, the realm of animated film was ruled over by Disney. Bolstered by such award-winning films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, Disney could do no wrong. Soon the ’90s ended and traditional cell animation gave way to computer-generated animation, leaving Disney out in the cold.… Continue reading Every little thing she does is magic
By Ryan Pike
Much of the musical landscape is littered with solo acts, typically band members pursuing side projects that allow them to stray from their regular repitoire. Since 1992, Raine Maida has been part of the Canadian musical landscape–not only as the frontman of Our Lady Peace, but also as a writer and producer for artists such… Continue reading Spun: Raine Maida
By Ryan Pike
In 1964, a former cop-turned-screenwriter named Gene Roddenberry came up with an idea for a new science fiction television series called Star Trek. The series followed the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the USS Enterprise on its five-year mission to boldly go where no man had gone before. Despite being well-received for its… Continue reading Boldly going where many have gone before
By Ryan Pike
It’s easy for filmmakers to cultivate a reputation, good or bad, through repetition. For Joel and Ethan Coen, that reputation was for crafting a series of quirky films filled with odd-ball characters. The approach has served the brothers well over the past two decades–garnering them legions of fans, critical acclaim and a combined five Academy… Continue reading A pleasant trip to the Country