Vancouver

aka Vansterdam, Terminal City, Vancity

Keeping Vancouver In Stitches For Thirty Years

Kuma | September 3rd, 2010

Vancouver can claim a multitude of fashion institutions. We brought the world Westbeach, Lululemon and as much as many would deny it, Gene Simmons’s fave denim brand, Dussault Appareal.

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Keeping It Funky From Vancouver And Beyond

Kuma | August 31st, 2010

Having been DJing as long as I can remember, there’s two things that have really continued to hold my interest, ass shaking and low-end theory.

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In Praise Of Vancouver’s Darkest Artery

Kuma | August 26th, 2010

The portion of Granville street that runs through downtown takes a tremendous amount of shit. Considered by many to be the darkest artery, delivering the bridge and tunnel crowd to the rest of the city, it cuts across the heart of Vancouver’s downtown core, a gaudy strip of blood and noise on a polite face.

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Embracing the International Language of the Tardis

Kuma | August 23rd, 2010

I can’t help it. In the face of an upcoming season of shows that retread long standing sci-fi ratings hits like Heroes, The X-Files and even Firefly, there’s few things with consistency that I want to lock onto. That is, of course, but for the most consistent man in television, the Doctor. Read More

Ten Vancouverites You Should Be Following On Twitter

Kuma | August 17th, 2010

People always ask about the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of a city. Do you get your fixed gear bike out and trawl the streets? Do you plunk a lawn-chair down in front of city hall or the bar at Fortune Sound?

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Hollywood, You Can Surprise Me By Not Screwing This Up

Kuma | August 16th, 2010

I like weird foreign films. I loved the original Insomnia, I adore the work of Takeshi Miike and am a grand appreciator of Mike Leigh’s more degenerate work. So it makes sense then, that I would fall for the cinematic adaptations of author Stieg Larrson and his Millennium Trilogy.

Those of of you not familiar with the literary trilogy’s original title, may recognize the films better as the adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and, the soon-to-be-released, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

Having been sucked in by Noomi Rapace’s starring role as possibly deranged, bisexual punk rock hacker Lisbeth Salander, and the cinematography of Jens Fisher, I threw myself into the rest of the novels and was pleasantly surprised. It’s rare you get a good anti-heroine in literature these days, let alone one that’s Swedish.

The Cinematic Followup kicks just as hard, with Rapace’s tendency towards chameleonic shifts serving her well. The rest of the cast? They’re alright. Michael Nyquist’s Mikael Blomquist serves handily to play the stoic womanizer that the books brought to life, but he’s not going to blow your mind. Then again, it’s not about him, it’s all about the lady.

One can only hope that the upcoming Hollywood remake holds true, but Lord knows it won’t be anywhere near as dark or as pointed. Daniel Craig is as stiff as a board playing James Bond so, in a way, he’s perfect for the role as Blomquist. Then again, Clive Owen would’ve at least brought life to piece.

As for the Hollywood replacement for Lisbeth? If they were smart, they’d invest six months in English lessons for Noomi Rapace. Look for a indie starlet to take the role — my pick would be Miley Cyrus. Stil, the schadenfreude in me would love to see it become Miley’s own I Know Who Killed Me.

Maybe Hollywood will surprise me and not screw it up. They didn’t destroy a long lineage of Hong Kong action remakes or Japanese horror films, right?

And The Award For The Most Ridiculous…

Kuma | July 15th, 2010


I love the MTV Movie Awards. I am not a tween, I have not seen Twilight, I do not wear Uggs or Extreme Couture and I do not own a Miley Cyrus record. But I do believe that the MTV Movie Awards are the greatest awards show on the face of the earth. Read More

Shifting Perspectives From Japan’s New, Old Hands

Kuma | July 13th, 2010

Online, translation is not always needed. Design speaks all languages, as does color and typography. Some days you may not get the fine print, but when the content is as impressive as the work of the good people at Shift, you don’t always need to sweat the small stuff.

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Vancouver’s Greatest Struggle: Man vs City Council

Kuma | July 9th, 2010

Vancouver has been known as the “No Fun City” for as long as I’ve lived here. Conservative licensing laws, gentrification, economic reliance on the bridge and tunnel crowd, and the NIMBY generation have all played a part in this. Read More

Kicking Off Festival Season With Poutine

Kuma | July 8th, 2010

Let’s take a right turn for a moment, far right. Way right and all the way on to Montreal. It’s a guarantee that every year, a chunk of Vancouver picks up, brushes off its French and heads to La Belle Province. The reason? Mutek.

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Making Nordic Trax To The Dancefloor

Kuma | July 7th, 2010

Round this time of the year, young people’s minds turn to thoughts of summer. A period that in Vancouver is defined by sun, skin and the gloriousness that is the Nordic Trax label.

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Powering The Dancefloor With Love and Electrik

Kuma | July 1st, 2010

I love these guys, I really do. It’s hard not to have a sense of local pride when you see musicians you’ve known for ages come up and do really well. The only thing that makes it better is that they have a talk box and a keytar.

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Livestock: Not Just For Farmers Anymore

Kuma | June 29th, 2010

There will always be something or someone out there trying to pimp hard to the sneaker freak in you. You know it’s there inside you, that itch, that need, that part of you that lights up at the mere mention of limited to 400 Air Jordan’s in mauve and neon pink. So when satiating this need, you gotta have someone you can trust. Vancouverites have Livestock.

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If I Can’t Be In South Africa, We’ll Make Do With This

Kuma | June 24th, 2010

Every four years, June slows down, time stops and the world puts aside its differences to spend the majority of the month in front of the TV. It’s not the end of Lost or the end of ten years of American Idol. It’s soccer time baby and the World Cup has officially begun. Read More

Reflections On The Mother Corp’s Trojan Horse

Kuma | June 21st, 2010

In a time when independent Canadian artists are at their peak and continuing to show the world what they can do, few people within Canada have stepped up to put money where their mouths are. That is, except for the great Trojan horse in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s cupboard.

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