Due to the significant outrage sparked by our previous “Oscar Snubs” list, and the end of Oscar season forecasting a barren eight months for movie thinkpieces, The McGill Tribune is proud to present our latest innovation in the Oscar-related content you crave. Welcome to The McGill Tribune’s Oscar Snubs Snubs. The[Read More…]
Articles by Maxime Scraire
Album review: Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) – Car Seat Headrest
Before 2016’s brilliant Teens of Denial cemented his status as one of contemporary music’s most fascinating figures, Will Toledo spent years recording songs on his personal computer, uploading new records on Bandcamp under his Car Seat Headrest moniker at a frequency matched only by Lil B. For his 11th record, the[Read More…]
Get to Know: The Nicotines
Davide Spinato, singer-guitarist of the indie-grunge-rock outfit The Nicotines, had a lot on his mind when we met. “Most bands are entitled,” Spinato said. “They think that because they play a show, that because they come out with something, people are automatically going to respond and show up.” Sitting upright[Read More…]
Sam Rockwell shines in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Writer-director Martin McDonagh’s (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) world is inhabited by broken souls; well-intentioned but flawed people who hurt the ones they love because they have not found any other way to cope. Pain passes between individuals in an endless cycle of violence, and we watch as it grows, infects,[Read More…]
Short guides to active viewership and listening
Active Viewership Throw your cellphone, food, and “friend” out the window Rather than splitting your time between different distractions, do one thing at a time! Ask “Why?” Take for granted that filmmakers know what they are doing, and that all things happen for a reason. Questioning every artistic decision will[Read More…]
‘The Cradle Will Rock’ offers a snapshot of American socialist history
The McGill English Department’s production of The Cradle Will Rock will show Thursday, Nov. 30 to Saturday, Dec. 4. at Moyse Hall. Today, Marc Blitzstein’s musical The Cradle Will Rock (1937) is remembered not for its content, but for the outrage sparked by its original production. Directed by Orson Welles (Citizen Kane),[Read More…]
Nonfiction November—The Tribune’s favourite reads
Short of listening to a podcast, or reading a long article start-to-finish, reading nonfiction literature remains the best way of feeling like an intelligent, contemporary being. As finals season begins to rear its ugly head, and long days turn into longer nights spent in McLennan, pleasure reading can feel like[Read More…]
Nuné Melik fights for inclusivity in Classical music
“Do you mind if I shoot the interview?” Nuné Melik’s friend asked as we settled in The McGill Tribune’s office. “It is pretty much just to brag [on social media] about how important and famous I am,” Melik added with a self-deprecating smile. She might not be famous just yet,[Read More…]
‘Blade Runner 2049’ sets a new standard for Hollywood sequels
For decades, it seemed like a Blade Runner (1982) sequel was doomed to be an artistic failure. Arguably Ridley Scott’s magnum opus, the cyberpunk cult classic lives on in major part because of its absolute disinterest in offering clear answers to the questions it raises. The prospect of a follow-up threatened[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Selling horror
Three weekends into its theatre run, Andrés Muschietti’s It continued to lead the box-office with an impressive $29.8 million three-day total. Simultaneously, Darren Aronofsky’s mother! kept collecting dust with a meek $3.3 million in its second weekend despite strong TIFF word-of-mouth and Jennifer Lawrence’s star power. Both films are critically-acclaimed,[Read More…]
Album Review: LCD Soundsystem – american dream
“We’re all going to die someday, so you change your mind,” James Murphy responded to a fan’s concerns regarding LCD Soundsystem’s (LCD) 2016 reunion. This type of casual wisdom has defined the frontman’s work ever since the group’s first single “Losing My Edge’s” tongue-in-cheek jabs at hipster culture: “I hear[Read More…]
Around the world with Xavier Rudd
Australian surf-roots musician Xavier Rudd has been around for more than a decade, spreading his message of acceptance and love all over the world. After no less than seven solo albums—most of which went either platinum or gold in his home country—the outspoken environmentalist decided to form The United Nation,[Read More…]
From the Viewpoint: Chance the Rapper, Family Matters Tour
There is definitely something strange about showing up alone to a tour titled “Family Matters.” Not that everyone had brought their grandparents to the Olympia—as I was secretly hoping they would—but the title of the show insisted on celebrating the purest and most complete type of love that, and as[Read More…]
Album Review: Fading Frontier – Deerhunter
Last December, Deerhunter’s lead member, Bradford Cox, got hit by a car while crossing the street. The incident was the beginning of a paradigm shift for the songwriter that led him to seriously consider the idea of settling down. He has since acquired a dog, and bought a house in[Read More…]
Past vs. Present: Puccini’s Madama Butterfly vs. Weezer’s Pinkerton
“Tired of Sex” is the first song of Weezer’s 1996 cult classic Pinkerton and is possibly one the most thrilling album openers of all time. Featuring drummer Patrick Wilson’s salvage stomping—which alone has almost enough power to excuse the band’s latest 15 years of generic pop music—and lead-singer Rivers Cuomo’s[Read More…]
Album Review : Caracal – Disclosure
Three years ago, house-pop duo Disclosure took the reins of the U.K. house revival movement by dropping the one-two punch of singles “Latch” and “White Noise.” Their major-label debut, Settle, ended up being nothing less than a feature-studded masterpiece that redefined dance music. By mixing both past and present Disclosure[Read More…]