Before ducking into that (TTC) station's west-side entrance, Al decided to take in some city art.
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Sunday Fun: Strolling Bloor Street West of Spadina
Late this morning I met an old friend, and former Film Effects coworker, for lunch: beer and food at Pauper's Pub; good ol' "Pauper's". I had not visited that venerable "Annex" hotspot since before the Covid lockdown... that long ago. While Al and I chatted for a few minutes it suddenly occurred to me that all the seating has been reupholstered, freshened up. It looks great!
The above pic is my "tourist photo". It's a beautiful day here in Toronto. The temperature currently sits at 10 Celsius (50). Tomorrow's forecast is calling for 16 (61).
Picturing: JD Rouette Peaceful in Toronto on Sunday
I've known Jean-Denis Rouette since the summer of 1991. He had been sent my way by mutual Montrealer friends. He's a talented editor, a "working editor", and a collector of physical video media: DVDs and BDs (Blu-ray Discs). I have a few Criterion titles, but my collection would pale.
What makes "JD" so cool to me: he believes that Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) is not the worst film ever made. That, beyond its own filmic and production shortcomings, it has something vital to say. (I agree, as would "Cult Movies" author Danny Peary.)
Perhaps my favourite story regarding my old friend: Jean-Denis is a big Orson Welles fan. We once got into a discussion about Citizen Kane (1941). Effortlessly we transitioned to The Six Million Dollar Man, a 1970s television series we both watched in our youth: from Welles' greatest picture to ABC's bionic man, specifically the "Bigfoot" episodes. When JD mentioned "Good Bigfoot", and we addressed it with the same reverence as we would Charles Foster Kane, I knew I had met an intelligent lover of the motion picture form.
Postscript: We dined at Peaceful Restaurant last Sunday. It gets a five-star review from me. JD was familiar with the small chain from when he lived in Vancouver. It figures that an out-of-towner introduces me to an establishment that's but a few minutes from where I live.
Peaceful Restaurant
515 Bloor St WToronto
* * *
ISO speed: 1000
F-stop: f/3.3
Exposure time: 1/200
Friday, March 6, 2026
Flash Poem: The Cat's But
My cat asked for
my homage
But
If I failed to
comply
He would pay
homage to
me and my
my homage
But
If I failed to
comply
He would pay
homage to
me and my
___
2017
Simon St. Laurent
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Picturing: A Powerful Canadian Button Message
When I boarded a TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) subway train car this afternoon and took my seat, I found I had a seat partner. One of my cameras boarded the transportation machine with me, and the natural thing to do was pose the "I Love Canada" button and snap away.
I too love Canada... more and more, with each passing day.
* * *
Canon SX720 HS camera data:
ISO speed: 1600
F-stop: f/3.5
Exposure time: 1/100
Monday, February 23, 2026
Picturing: A Special Gift from a Valued Client
Late this afternoon one of my lovely clients surprised me with a box of a half dozen delicious Jamaican patties. How did this come to be? Last week I joked with him and his wife that one can get extra customer service from me if I'm fed.
"As a matter of fact, I sometimes prefer food over money."
I also mentioned that I love Jamaican colas.
Guess what I got: that's right, two bottles of Jamaican cola... two different flavours.
Immediately I devoured two patties. My oh my were they good. I could have easily gone for more.
The point of this post, believe it or not, was not to impress my readers with how amazing my life is, but to shout-out the patties' source....
George's Tastee Bread Ltd.
600 Denison Street,
Markham, Ontario
* * *
George's Tastee Patties:
A half moon of flakey pastry filled with ground grade "A" beef, and a perfect blend of Caribbean hot peppers and exotic spices.
Okay, okay, okay! I get it!
I'll take a case....
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Sunday Fun: Going Back in Cinema Fun Time
Watching a home-programmed double feature of Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams movies is easy. We know what we're getting, even to the point of unwelcome nausea and gastric ejections.
One weekend a few years ago I went random, self-programming two disparate, in time and place (and style), narrative feature films.
Beyond the Time Barrier (1960 - Edgar Ulmer)
True Stories (1986 - David Byrne)
Beyond the Time Barrier I saw a few times in my childhood as it played often on television and at least once at my local movie theatre (the Astral in CFB Borden, Ontario). Watching it as an adult makes one appreciate its themes. For a child it was more about the interesting visual stylings, and chills. (Those horrific mutants.) The environmental theme is up front: testing of nuclear weapons 'back' in the early 1970s led to a horrible plague, all but decommissioning the human race. The survivors moved underground; the human birthrate eventually dropped to zero. There's more, all leading to a memorable ending — it stuck with me for decades. This time, Beyond the Time Barrier was better overall than what I had remembered it being, which is odd given that rewatching a fondly remembered matinee flick years, or decades, later often invites: "I remember it being better than that." The passage of time in this case actually helped. By the way, the X-80 rocket plane that flies star Robert Clarke to the astounding year 2024 is in fact a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger.
In the mid 1980s I was a bit of a fan of the band Talking Heads, so it made sense that when band leader David Byrne released his True Stories I would arrive at Toronto's (now gone) Uptown Theatre with bells on. I left slightly disappointed. About a dozen years ago I gave the film another shot, this time on VHS. The loosely connected stories about the quirky but human inhabitants of a fictitious Texas town called Virgil resonated more with this viewer that time around. Spinning the Criterion 2018 DVD release made me appreciate True Stories even more. And there're those always cool Talking Heads tunes. A few months back, the motion picture side of things came up in conversation with a couple friends of mine. They both had much the same reaction: a gentle shake of the head and a "I didn't like it". One added, "The music was really good, of course".
After my double feature finished I realized that both flicks were filmed in Texas. True Story.
Postscript: What's next? Perhaps Aguirre, the Wrath of God and The Endless Summer.
One weekend a few years ago I went random, self-programming two disparate, in time and place (and style), narrative feature films.
Beyond the Time Barrier (1960 - Edgar Ulmer)
True Stories (1986 - David Byrne)
Beyond the Time Barrier I saw a few times in my childhood as it played often on television and at least once at my local movie theatre (the Astral in CFB Borden, Ontario). Watching it as an adult makes one appreciate its themes. For a child it was more about the interesting visual stylings, and chills. (Those horrific mutants.) The environmental theme is up front: testing of nuclear weapons 'back' in the early 1970s led to a horrible plague, all but decommissioning the human race. The survivors moved underground; the human birthrate eventually dropped to zero. There's more, all leading to a memorable ending — it stuck with me for decades. This time, Beyond the Time Barrier was better overall than what I had remembered it being, which is odd given that rewatching a fondly remembered matinee flick years, or decades, later often invites: "I remember it being better than that." The passage of time in this case actually helped. By the way, the X-80 rocket plane that flies star Robert Clarke to the astounding year 2024 is in fact a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger.
In the mid 1980s I was a bit of a fan of the band Talking Heads, so it made sense that when band leader David Byrne released his True Stories I would arrive at Toronto's (now gone) Uptown Theatre with bells on. I left slightly disappointed. About a dozen years ago I gave the film another shot, this time on VHS. The loosely connected stories about the quirky but human inhabitants of a fictitious Texas town called Virgil resonated more with this viewer that time around. Spinning the Criterion 2018 DVD release made me appreciate True Stories even more. And there're those always cool Talking Heads tunes. A few months back, the motion picture side of things came up in conversation with a couple friends of mine. They both had much the same reaction: a gentle shake of the head and a "I didn't like it". One added, "The music was really good, of course".
After my double feature finished I realized that both flicks were filmed in Texas. True Story.
Postscript: What's next? Perhaps Aguirre, the Wrath of God and The Endless Summer.
Thursday, February 19, 2026
Quote: John Waters on the Age of Irony
"Irony ruined everything. Even the best exploitation movies were never meant to be 'so bad they were good'. They were not made for the intelligentsia. They were made to be violent for real, or to be sexy for real. But now everybody has irony. Even horror films now are ironic. Everybody's in on the joke now. Everybody's hip. Nobody takes anything at face value anymore."
John Waters is great at "social criticism with wit".
Monday, February 16, 2026
Picturing: Does That Say What I Think It Says?
As I walked down to my local coffee shop this morning, something caught my attention. Does that say what I think it says? Perhaps my wording would be less vulgar, but given my feelings toward all those self-described "Loves Jesus" charlatans we have among us today, I might articulate my pencil work as: "Fuck that, you hateful so-called 'Christians'."
Postscript: The original label-maker and poster probably does love Jesus, and sends love to all.
Athot for the Day: A Mind Full
Sometimes I think my cat has a PhD in Neurophilosophy. And at those times I know my smartest move is to just refill her bowl and disengage.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Sunday Fun: Sparkling Fun With More to Come
For Christmas one of my clients gifted me with a bottle of wine. I'm hardly alone on that count, but not popping the cork till a few minutes ago, I'm probably a rarity.
While I've known for years about Martini wines, I had never indulged in a bottle, due partly to the fact that I'm not a big drinker. My idea of wine is opening the odd bottle of Inniskillin Baco Noir or Pino Noir. Now I'll partake in a Martini Asti Sparkling. Product of Italy.
Since I got a fair bit of work done today, I figured it was time to treat myself.
POP!!!
What a noise! I almost jumped. But I did laugh out loud at the mini explosion in my kitchen.
A sip. It's good! A sweet taste. That was a bit of a surprise, but a pleasant one.
My uneducated guess says it'll go nicely tonight with a movie....
Postscript: My old friend Stéphane told me a story years ago about opening and ultimately devouring an entire bottle the night before while watching That Hamilton Woman. My palette and liver both won't accept a full bottle, however a "large goblet" will work. Oh!... Monty Python and the Holy Grail will make a fun drinking partner!
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Sunday, February 8, 2026
Pop-Up Post: Happy Birthday, Johnny Williams!
Minutes ago I learned that today marks composer John Williams' ninety-fourth birthday.
While he's not my favourite film composer to have ever practiced that craft, that would be the late great Jerry Goldsmith, by a large margin, the maestro's connection with populist filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas vaults him to the very top of the public register. Some of Williams' concert works are equally fine, but not as well known to the average person, for obvious reasons.
When John Towner Williams passes on we will be left with... Hans Zimmer.
How the art has fallen!
An extra special birthday wish to a modern motion picture legend....
I recorded the above from NBC Today on Monday, March 27th, 1989.
Me On PM Stephen Harper's Post-Defeat Speech
"There stood an unfortunate soul: a ministerial sad sack in an ill-fitting coat; Scurf of the Conservative Party of Canada."
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Book: Pierre Elliott Trudeau (Nino Ricci)
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
by
Nino Ricci
Penguin Canada
2012
Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919 - 2000) fascinates many of us who remember when he was this great country's leader (1968 - 1979, 1980 - 1984). Whether or not Trudeau was a great Prime Minister continues to be hotly debated in some (knowledgeable) circles all these years later, with his influence on Canada and Canadian identity effectively evading denial.
Canadian writer Nino Ricci wrote a book on Trudeau that warrants being read if one has any interest at all in Canadian politics, or wonders what all the fuss from the Right is about and why they cannot dig Canada's 15th Prime Minister out from under their sensitive skins.
Part reportage, part history lesson, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2009) is to me an important work about an important Canadian figure.
Ricci starts off the book by telling the Trudeau Tale from his own perspective. One of his elementary school teachers was watching a program on the politician on the school's portable television set. He said to the future award-winning Canadian writer that Pierre Elliott Trudeau was going to be an important man in Canadian politics. End of first chapter.
I could not put this book down. At one point there were just eighty pages to read and I picked up the book intending to knock off about half. I finished it in one sitting. Nino Ricci knows how to tell a story. The read was highly instructive from a background and historical perspective: This reader was surprised to learn that fellow Liberal party member Judy LaMarsh (1924 - 1980) absolutely hated the man, and had not known that Trudeau could be a physical bully — in a back coffee room he all but pushed Quebec premier René Lévesque around right before an important cabinet vote.
Canadian writer Nino Ricci wrote a book on Trudeau that warrants being read if one has any interest at all in Canadian politics, or wonders what all the fuss from the Right is about and why they cannot dig Canada's 15th Prime Minister out from under their sensitive skins.
Part reportage, part history lesson, Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2009) is to me an important work about an important Canadian figure.
Ricci starts off the book by telling the Trudeau Tale from his own perspective. One of his elementary school teachers was watching a program on the politician on the school's portable television set. He said to the future award-winning Canadian writer that Pierre Elliott Trudeau was going to be an important man in Canadian politics. End of first chapter.
I could not put this book down. At one point there were just eighty pages to read and I picked up the book intending to knock off about half. I finished it in one sitting. Nino Ricci knows how to tell a story. The read was highly instructive from a background and historical perspective: This reader was surprised to learn that fellow Liberal party member Judy LaMarsh (1924 - 1980) absolutely hated the man, and had not known that Trudeau could be a physical bully — in a back coffee room he all but pushed Quebec premier René Lévesque around right before an important cabinet vote.
The joke for me is that I've never read any of Nino Ricci fictional works... time to turn a page.
No doubt more than one book is being written about our last prime minister, Justin Pierre James Trudeau. As long as it's not a mindless bitter Conservative's unbound rant, I will read.
Postscript: On one of my trips to England years ago, I had an interesting experience during a morning hotel breaky moment. A gent sharing a small table with me — the joint was packed — was from St. Louis. Somehow we got onto the subject of PET. The 'American' said: "I liked Trudeau!"
Friday, February 6, 2026
Flash Poetry: You Must Find Yours
They did
you see
They said
to me
Behold!
Bliss dropped from
the sky
But I
know not where
... nor why.
you see
They said
to me
Behold!
Bliss dropped from
the sky
But I
know not where
... nor why.
___
2017
Simon St. Laurent
