by Tom Swanky | Jun 17, 2013 | Movie Reviews
By an overwhelming margin, professional movie critics love “The Master.” Yet a Rotten Tomatoes sample of 41,000 fans is only lukewarm. Why this disconnect? Great movies frequently enjoy a strong critical following. They also often enjoy an enthusiastic broad fan base. “The Master” clearly is not that kind of movie. Yet you will want to see it more than once. This is one of those movies that cannot be appreciated without first knowing how it ends.
by Tom Swanky | Jun 3, 2013 | Movie Reviews
However the many critics might try to dress up their varying proclamations of distaste for Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby”, what may be going on here, underneath, is that they are shooting the messenger.
by Tom Swanky | May 23, 2013 | Canada's 'War', News
The reclamation of PKOLS to replace the colonial name Mount Douglas recognizes the nation-to-nation agreements negotiated here and supports ongoing efforts of indigenous and settler people to restore balanced relationships to the lands they call home.
by Shawn Swanky | May 19, 2013 | Filmmaking Tips
Movie lovers have given up hope that movies will deliver, on a consistent basis, the added experience that one can get only in the cinema. But not me. For the first time in years I am excited about movies. In fact, now may be one of the most exciting times ever to be a movie lover. Have I gone mad?
by Tom Swanky | May 11, 2013 | Canada's 'War', News
On May 22, the Saanich and Songhees indigenous people, whose territories host much of Greater Victoria, will ask their guests to honour the area’s most notable landmark by calling it with the same name as they do, PKOLS (p’cauls.) Settlers now call it Mount Douglas. Restoring the indigenous presence here would be a strong symbol of cultural unification or sharing.
by Tom Swanky | Apr 28, 2013 | Canada's 'War'
Before April 1862, the indigenous population of what became British Columbia had no reason to think that its relationship with settlers would be any different from its mutually beneficial experience trading with the HBC. Then, suddenly, everything changed.
