Mid-August is upon us. And cultural events abound. Here are some ideas for refueling.
A visit to Metallica is never trivial. This time around, it’s downright event-driven: the heavy metal giants will perform twice in Montreal—Friday and Sunday—and promise to offer completely different programs each night. Where ? In the biggest amphitheater in town, where hardly anyone dares to erect a stage and where Metallica had one of its worst career nights 31 years ago: at Olympic Stadium. We don’t know if the sound will live up to this legendary group, but we wouldn’t want to miss it.
The First Peoples’ Festival continues throughout the weekend with, among other things, a high-level musical program. In addition to the screening of the documentary Chasseuse de son, by and about Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq (Thursday, 6 p.m., at the Grande Bibliothèque), it will be possible to hear Soleil Launière (Thursday, 8:30 p.m., at Place des Festivals), Joseph Sarenhes (Friday, same time, same place) and also Laura Niquay (Sunday, same time, same place). Other activities, such as an introduction to Abenaki cuisine, literature or Aboriginal instruments, also take place throughout each day.
Dedicated to Eastern and Western culture, the Orientalys festival will be held from August 10 to 13 in the Old Port of Montreal. Artists from Iran, Afghanistan, China and Japan, among others, will perform every night. For children, free embroidery, dance, percussion, martial arts, calligraphy and language workshops will also be offered as part of the festivities.
The International Festival of Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, which has been in full swing for two months, offers, on Saturday at the end of the afternoon, the show Sous les ponts de Paris with the Orchester symphonique de Québec. The young Quebec soprano artist Florie Valiquette will participate in the musical rendezvous, which will bring together well-known composers and others less known such as André Grétry and Étienne Nicolas Méhullequel. Mathieu Lussier will conduct the 100% French-speaking concert. The next day, at 3 p.m., Laura Anglade will sing Jerome Kern with the Orchester national de jazz de Montréal and Jean-Nicolas Trottier.
The Zones musicales continue all weekend in Laval. The public is invited to come and see its free outdoor shows spread over eight zones throughout Laval. This 8th edition still offers something for all musical tastes, with among others the French pop-jazz of singer Diane Tell (at the Center de la nature, Saturday 12); flamenco by Mirada Flamenca (Zone Vieux-Sainte-Dorothée, August 11); the alternative folk of Salomé Leclerc (Centre de la nature, 11); and Shauit’s Innu folk pop (Zone Berge aux Quatre-Vents, Thursday, August 10).
The Fééries de Charlevoix circus show, the new night activity in La Malbaie, begins this Thursday and will be on view until October 2. The Fééries de Charlevoix organization announces that 10,000 tickets have already found takers. Éclats is a creation of the collective Les 7 Doigts de la Main is presented on the site of the Hôtel-Casino de Charlevoix complex, transformed into a big carnival! “The show offers a unique cabaret experience where it will be possible to admire the talent of many Quebec artists who have proven themselves internationally,” the press release said.
It’s been a long time since we’ve heard of Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Donatello. Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears (The Mitchells vs the Machines) come up with a movie for teens, where the four turtles want to play hero in order to be accepted by New Yorkers. Starring Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo) and Brady Noon (Raphael), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Ultrom) Ice Cube (Superfly) as well as Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil). “Rather than the bright colors, clean images and defined lines of most animated films, the palette is darker and the style textured and saturated. You could compare it to the scribblings of a teenager in a notebook. The themes of affirmation, membership and coming of age should also resonate more with older people,” journalist Pascal LeBlanc tells us in his review published on August 2.
Elsie (Léanne Labrèche-Dor is given a special mission, the day after her mother’s death: to find her five husbands (played by Colm Feore, Patrick Huard, Jean-Simon Leduc, Marc Messier and Benoît Gouin) and invite them to underline her disappearance in a symbolic way. “My Mother’s Men is a controlled and touching work. A beautiful film [the cinematography and staging are frankly successful], full of music [the soundtrack includes Nick Cave as much as Mara Tremblay], who displays her artistic ambitions without ever taking herself for an aesthete’s film. Which we will certainly not blame her. Maryse Latendresse and Anik Jean enter the world of cinema through the front door with that movie,” journalist Alexandre Vigneault tells us in his review published on August 4.