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I invite you to jump on the Knights bandwagon

- May 17th, 2013

Are you a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Are you dejected and weary?

Are you tired of supporting a bunch of losers?

Then I have great news for you: If your heart is still broken, there’s a winning hockey squad that would gladly welcome your support.

Just imagine — a group of players who are still playing hockey in May, not golf.

I’m talking about the London Knights — and this is your invitation to jump on the bandwagon with the rest of us in the Forest City.

Here in London, we’re bursting with pride for our hometown boys.

If you want an example of why the team has such devoted supporters in Southwestern Ontario, consider this: On Monday, in Game 7 of the OHL championship series, the Knights scored with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to clinch the J. Ross Robertson Cup.

On the same night, the Leafs blew a three-goal lead and lost in their own Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.

You don’t have to be an English major to understand the symbolism: While the Knights fought to the very last tenth of a second, the Leafs found a way . . . to collapse in historic style.

If you’re a typical Leafs fan, you’re likely a little tired of saying “Just wait until next year” every spring.

Let’s face facts: The truth is that the only reason Toronto even got into the playoffs this time is because of the lockout-shortened season.

You’re likely tired of saying “If only we had a better goalie” or “What we need is a bigger centre” or “The Leafs would really take off with seasoned defencemen.”

You’re tired of making excuses for your favourite NHL squad. I get that.

I’m 44 years old. The Leafs haven’t been in a Stanley Cup final in my lifetime. The unromantic truth is, they are a big business — and they would rather make money than win.

Thanks to unquestioning fans like you — who buy tickets to games, watch on TV and purchase merchandise — the Leafs rake in the cash, hand over fist. They are the most valuable sports franchise in North America, and what did you get in return for your decades of loyalty? A nice thank-you video.

The Knights, on the other hand, are perennial playoff favourites.

In 2005, they won the Memorial Cup. Last year, they went to the Memorial Cup final again, losing in OT. Just this week, they jetted off to Saskatoon to vie once more for the Holy Grail of CHL hockey.

Oh, and they were also chosen to host the Memorial Cup in 2014 — based on the quality of their team. This is probably a hard concept for Leafs fans to grasp, but the Knights are already considered contenders for next season. No talk here about what fixes are needed.

The Knights don’t have to apologize to anyone for a lacklustre effort. They don’t have to make excuses.

Of course, I can predict how some of you are going to react to my invitation: You’ll say wait, no need to switch allegiance, look at the bright spots on the horizon for long-suffering fans in the Big Smoke.

That Nazem Kadri, for instance, looks to be an up-and-comer. Where did he learn to play hockey like that? Right here in London at Budweiser Gardens, of course.

That’s right: The best thing about the Maple Leafs, they owe to the London Knights.

So why not get on the Forest City bandwagon and and cheer for a real team for a change?

I won’t even go into how the OHL is free of the personality politics and labour BS that plague the NHL.

Support a winner for once in your life. Who knows, it might feel better than the constant creeping suspicion that someone is taking advantage of you and making you look foolish.

Graphic-novel group: Ghost World

- May 10th, 2013

The assignment for Saturday’s meeting of the L.A. Mood graphic-novel group was to read Ghost World and watch the movie adaptation.

I really like the book, even if I don’t like the characters. I think the story is going to prompt a lot of good discussion.

As always, we meet the second Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. in the basement of L.A. Mood. The store is located on the same side of Richmond St. as City Lights, just a few doors south.

Newcomers are always welcome, so I hope to see you there!

Blood Pressure: An alternative to the usual Hollywood crap

- May 8th, 2013

If you’re in the mood for a big, loud summer blockbuster, go see Iron Man 3.

If you’d prefer a change of pace — and you dig smaller, character- and dialogue-driven films — head over to the Hyland Cinema and check out Blood Pressure.

The Sean Garrity picture isn’t just surprising; Blood Pressure takes the viewer to a place beyond surprise where, paradoxically, you’ll find yourself thinking in the final minutes, “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but nothing that could happen would surprise me at this point!”

It’s that stunning.

The plot takes the form of a mystery: A vaguely unhappy suburban wife and mother played by Michelle Giroux starts receiving letters from a mystery sender. Each new missive is more personal, more demanding.

Giroux’s middle-aged Nicole is intrigued at first. Slowly, invevitably, she’s drawn into the drama playing out in the head of the letter writer.

We don’t know who’s sending the letters. Is it her disgruntled husband? Her boss at the pharmacy where she works? Her best friend?

Is the epistolary seduction a test of her loyalty to her family? Is it all taking place in her imagination? What we do know for sure is that she’s risking the destruction of her comfortable life by playing along: Don’t throw it all away, a co-worker (Catherine Disher) warns: “I think you should go to the police.”

Considering she is in almost every shot of Blood Pressure, Giroux does an admirable job, although — just for fun — I did imagine the comedic possibilities of Disher switching roles with her.

What I really enjoyed is how Garrity keeps the film’s special effects in service to the plot. When Nicole opens a new letter, she not only hears the words in her mind, but they seem to drip from the walls of her Toronto-area home like wet paint. There is one overtly cinematic moment in the film — involving a romantic rooftop assignation — in which viewers come to understand how Nicole’s mystery correspondent is able to charm her.

And, I have to say, I love a movie in which Canada’s biggest city is not a stand-in for New York or Chicago or Detroit. This is Toronto in all its flawed glory, so in that sense it belongs in the canon alongside pictures like Brain Candy, the 1996 Kids in the Hall vehicle.

By the way, there’s nothing wrong with Iron Man 3. Ben Kingsley is amazing, the best supervillain since Jack Nicholson’s Joker.

But where Iron Man 3’s bombast will likely give you a headache, Blood Pressure’s psychological thrills leave only food for thought in their wake.

Blood Pressure opens Friday, May 10 at the Hyland. You can get to the Hyland’s website by clicking here.

Comic-book fans, rejoice: it’s your day!

- May 3rd, 2013

Read my Free Comic Book Day preview by clicking here!

Enjoy all the freebies and sales today!

Zombie festival stays alive

- May 2nd, 2013

Remember that zombie fest in St. Thomas? Well, it has lived to see another day — despite opposition from local pastors.

Check out our story by clicking here.