Calgary Suggested Itineraries

The Most Anticipated Films of 2009

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:51:37 -0500

[CDATA[The cream of 2008's cinematic crop still flickers on screens, yet this year's most eagerly anticipated films have already lined up release dates and trickled out promo materials. Cinematically, 2009 will prove the year of re-imagination, with updates, reboots, and adaptations abounding. Here's a look at the headliners. ]]

Today in Calgary: Chicago, The Musical

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:31:20 -0500

[CDATA[If you're looking for pure Broadway...then look no further, CHICAGO is back in town! The Tony Award Winning tale of sin, celebrity and Razzle Dazzle delivers, in its own delinquent way. Chicago, which hits the stage Sunday, January 4, at 7:30 PM at Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, is the production you can always count on to <--quote#right-->give you the thrills that only come from seeing a Broadway musical. Based on a 1926 play (itself based on a true story) by Chicago Tribune reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, CHICAGO tells the saga of Roxie Hart, a Jazz Age chorus girl. With little plot to begin with - Roxie kills her lover and convinces her husband to pay for a pricey defense lawyer and principle performances aside, the show still has much to recommend it. Chicago should be seen by anyone who loves musicals, theatre or just a great night out. It is funny, charming, stirring and invigorating and a reminder of how, quite simply, no other art form offers so much pure entertainment value as the Broadway musical at its finest. Sunday, 2:00 PM Tickets ]]

Today in Calgary : Default hits Calgary's Stampede Casino

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:21:54 -0500

[CDATA[Alternative post-grunge rockers Default dole out music you've definitely heard before, even if you don't immediately realize it. Perhaps calling <--quote#right-->them alternative rockers is giving them too much credit, they are far more mainstream than that. Discovered by Chad Kroeger, the unwashed lead singer of Nickelback, he helped them put out their first and second album. Essentially the formula works as long as they can keep coming up with riffs. New Year's Eve is over: if you haven't gotten it out of your system, then you had better be at the Stampede Casino. Default plays Stampede Casino Friday, January 2. ]]

Today in Calgary: Glass Tiger Provides a Little Certainty in a Casino

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:10:07 -0500

[CDATA[It's nice to have an element of certainty in a casino. Glass Tiger hasnt come out with a new CD in more than 15 years, so you know what you're going to get. You know youll hear the classics such as "Dont Forget Me When Im Gone" and "Someday" because they dont have anything else to play. They did release a DVD in 2006 which showed them playing live in the 80s. They also hinted in 2006 that they would be releasing new material soon but that never happened. 2006 was a big year for them. But now, as its about to be 2009 all they really have is "Dont Forget Me When Im Gone" and "Someday". They'll be a lot of fun to see and sing along too live, especially at the start to a New Year. They play Stampede Casino tonight. Full New Year's Eve Listings. -A.C. ]]

Today in Calgary: Un Conte de Noël at the Uptown

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:32:30 -0500

[CDATA[Tomorrow night will be big. Tonight's a good evening to take it easy, though we would never suggest staying in. You're thinking, "I should go to a flick." You're right, but don't waste the opportunity on a googleplex. Instead, take in fine cinema at the always wonderful Uptown. Tonight, it's playing Un Conte de Noël. Nothing stokes the fire of familial ire like a martyr holiday. Christmas stories are rife with battling families (see The Family Stone, Home for the Holidays) and with good reason (stuffing and wrapping paper are contentious entities). Here, a family of disparate personalities reunite to break bread, battle with ghosts (the figurative kind), and hazard revelations. Co-writer and director, Arnaud Desplechin, helmed Mathieu Amalric's coming out party, Rois et reine. Since then, Amalric has gone on to a number of hugely lauded starring turns, notably in Le Caphandre et le Papillon (the Diving Bell and the Butterfly). Now the two re-team along with the always-fantastic Catherine Deneuve as a possibly doomed matriarch. The beautiful Anne Consigny (Le Caphandre et le Papillon) also features. ]]

Today in Calgary: Hot Little Rocket Takes off at the HiFi

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:25:54 -0500

[CDATA[Proverbially, I'm not a rocket scientist (sorry) but I know this: post-turkey lethargy should be treated with local rock. Calgary's long-running combo, Hot Little Rocket brings its typically frenetic antics to the HiFi Club tonight. With shades of post-emo indie and hints of mid-90s lo-fi, the band has a fervid following and a fan in Steve Albini (that's something). Axis of Conversation is also on the bill. ]]

Holiday Film Preview '08/'09

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:35:30 -0500

[CDATA[Occasionally, sub-par flicks or foul weather make it difficult to convince people to head out to the cinema (remember February?). However, in late early winter the watchful eyes of a golden bald man make the task simple. Familiar comedies and big budget action flicks faded as snowdrifts began to cover crumpled leaves. Prestige pics and post-Fest(s) curios have at last hit theatres. The best time of year to be a cinephile has commenced. Here is what you should see. ]]

Calgary Holiday Social Calendar 2008

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:06:26 -0500

[CDATA[So it's December: it's cold. There are irritating Christmas jingles everywhere. You resent the fuzzy feeling of warmth and hope that is creeping up on you, and deny its existence. You want some semblance of normal life. But what do you do in cold, cold Calgary on a cold, cold December's night? Let martiniboys.com help you out; we've searched high and low to come up with some more than viable options to keep you busy this holiday season. ]]

New Years Eve: Best In Calgary 2009!

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:02:40 -0500

[CDATA[You will be smoking again by February; your gym membership will lapse; you will not be kinder, you will not eat better, you will not put down the crack pipe. I think hobbies ("vice" has such a negative connotation) are important; we don't want to hear about your job, for god's sake, so take another hit, eat a bacon double cheeseburger and trance-dance yourself into a big glossy party. The events that you see in the following pages represent the best NYE feats in the city. Check 'em out, find the one that speaks to you, and nab your tickets. ]]

Winter Movie Preview '08/'09

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:24:52 -0500

[CDATA[Occasionally, sub-par flicks or foul weather make it difficult to convince people to head out to the cinema (remember February?). However, in late autumn/early winter the watchful eyes of a golden bald man make the task simple. Familiar comedies and big budget action flicks faded as snowdrifts began to cover crumpled leaves. Prestige pics and post-Fest(s) curios have at last hit theatres. The best time of year to be a cinephile has commenced. Here is what you should see. ]]