L.C. Willis RSS

• 2009 in review: Top 5 favourite online shopping spots

  Published at 12:16 pm on December 29, 2009
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  Nothing is quite as satisfying as shopping at three a.m. in your nightie. There’s a world of deals at your fingertips, but here were my favourite places to buy from this year.

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• 2009 in review: Top 5 favourite Toronto shopping spots

  Published at 2:40 am on December 28, 2009
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  Toronto has a lot to offer for just about any tastes. Here were a few of my favourite places to shop in the past year, and some of the best deals I found there.

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• First-person: Confessions of a deal-a-holic on the best shopping day of the year

  Published at 2:11 pm on December 26, 2009
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  For some people, the holiday season conjures memories of family gatherings, presents under the tree and extravagant meals. For others, the season exists for one purpose, and one purpose only: Boxing Day sales.

  Other people frantically scour the stores before December 24 for the perfect gift, and remain snug in their beds the day after Christmas – stomachs full and wearing their new socks. I don’t subscribe to that philosophy. I rest up the week before, saving my money and scouring the sale flyers online.

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• Suggestions for a spooktacular weekend

  Published at 8:40 am on October 29, 2009
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  On a dark autumn night, when the barrier between this world and Otherworld – between life and death – is thinnest, people would adorn costumes and masks to ward off harmful spirits. Today, Halloween has become synonymous with miniature chocolate bars, haunted ghost walks and French maid costumes.

  Whether you’re celebrating the summer’s end of Samhain or commemorating saints, Toronto is filled with events and parties for Halloween.

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• Photo Gallery: 7th annual Toronto Zombie Walk

  Published at 12:45 am on October 25, 2009
  1 Comment 7 images
  

  When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the streets of Toronto.

  The 2009 Toronto Zombie Walk kicked off at Trinity Bellwoods Park this afternoon. Despite the threat of rain, the weather held up until the undead reached their destination: The Bloor Cinema for a zombie double feature.

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• Photo Gallery: Walking tall to stop violence against women

  Published at 3:46 pm on October 1, 2009
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  Brothers, husbands and fathers banded together to raise $65,000 during a charity walk to end violence against women.

  The men, decked out in business suits and high-heeled shoes, walked through downtown for the first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event held in Toronto. The event is part of the White Ribbon Campaign’s efforts to end gender-based violence. Toronto is one of 161 cities that have participated in Walk a Mile events so far this year.

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• Photo Gallery: Celebrating Independence

  Published at 12:35 am on September 20, 2009
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  Crowds gathered in Nathan Phillips Square to celebrate the 199th anniversary of the independence of Mexico today, hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico in Toronto.

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• TIFF: Chronicling the life of a legendary folk artist

  Published at 12:35 am on September 19, 2009
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  Fans of all ages flocked to Yonge-Dundas Square for a free premiere screening of the American Masters documentary Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound tonight, part of the Toronto International Film Festival.

  There wasn’t an empty seat as viewers lined the square to see Baez, considered to be the “voice of a generation”, perform an intimate 35-minute concert following the film.

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• A mother’s love knows no limits in horror film

  Published at 12:01 am on September 15, 2009
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  The horror movie genre has tackled taboos and pushed boundaries for nearly a century, but nothing is quite so terrifying, in any genre, as the mortality of a pregnant woman or her unborn child.

  The latest release in the recent frenzy of zombie movies arrives on DVD today. In Grace, the first feature film from writer-director Paul Solet, a woman faces the frightening prospect of losing her fetus in the final trimester, only to discover that something far worse has occurred.

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• TIFF: Survival of the fastest during the Toronto Zombie Walk

  Published at 10:00 am on September 14, 2009
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  The streets of downtown Toronto were laden with blood on Saturday – or, at least, various concoctions of fake blood and faux rotting flesh.

  The Toronto Zombie Walk: Special Director’s Cut Edition assembled a couple hundred undead aficionados to lurch and shuffle their way from Alexandra Park to Yonge Dundas Square for a special presentation and free outdoor screening of Night of the Living Dead. The celebration was part of the Toronto International Film Festival’s recognition of legendary director George A. Romero. Romero, now officially a Canadian citizen, presented his newest film, George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead, as part of TIFF’s Midnight Madness program.

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• Fat and fierce: fashion and fitness for fuller figures dominate expo

  Published at 4:51 am on September 13, 2009
  2 Comments 7 images
  

  Personal empowerment workshops, fitness advice and full-figured fashion shows encouraged women to embrace their curves in downtown Toronto on Saturday afternoon.

  The Fuller Woman Expo, now in its second year, showcased clothing from international retailers and an appearance by plus-sized model Mia Amber at the Delta Chelsea Inn. Women of all ages and sizes congregated to peruse clothing and jewellery vendors, and participate in seminars dedicated to promoting a “sexy at any size” attitude.

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• TADFF 2009: Ghouls and goblins (dis)embody the holiday spirit

  Published at 5:39 am on August 21, 2009
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  An up-and-coming Hollywood filmmaker criticized the lack of originality and innovation in mainstream theatrical releases, and implored the audience to spread the word about lesser-known films during a rare screening of his directorial debut on Thursday night.

  Michael Dougherty, writer and director of the highly-anticipated horror film Trick ‘r Treat, discussed his beliefs with the capacity audience at the Bloor Cinema during the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Hollywood is hesitant to produce films that aren’t remakes, sequels or adaptations, he responded when asked why the film’s release was delayed for nearly two years.

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• TADFF 2009: Undead soldier takes a bite out of crime

  Published at 4:37 am on August 17, 2009
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  If there is anything as predictable as the rising of the sun, it’s the loyalty of horror fans to zombie films.

  Throngs of the walking dead invaded the Bloor Cinema for Zombie Appreciation Night, featuring the international premiere of the latest critically acclaimed undead comedy. The hordes lurched, shuffled and strolled in costume to the third day of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, where festival director Adam Lopez joined forces with Toronto Zombie Walk organizer Thea Munster to honour the living dead with half-price admission. (More …)

   

• TADFF 2009: Sadism, survival and insanity dominate film festival’s second day of programming

  Published at 3:36 am on August 16, 2009
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  Horror fans ventured out to the Toronto After Dark Film Festival for the final installment of a Brazilian exploitation trilogy that marks the end of the filmmaker’s self-imposed 20-year hiatus.

  Director Jose Mojica Marins reprises his role as satanic undertaker Coffin Joe in Embodiment of Evil – the follow up to the wildly popular sixties films At Midnight I Will Take Your Soul and This Night I Will Enter Your Corpse. The trilogy follows Coffin Joe as he rapes and brutalizes women while searching for one who is worthy of carrying a son – maintaining “continuity of the blood” and bringing him immortality.

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• TADFF 2009: Fans explode with laughter on film festival’s opening night

  Published at 12:58 am on August 15, 2009
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  Laughter erupted from hundreds of film fans who packed the Bloor Cinema for the start of the Toronto After Dark Film Festival on Friday night.

  Festival founder Adam Lopez introduced Black Dynamite to the enthusiastic crowd. Best described as a parody of popular blaxploitation films from the 1970s, the film was co-written by the star, accomplished actor Michael Jai White, and directed by Scott Sanders. Sanders answered questions from the audience following the film, and discussed the movie’s reception at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

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