Category Archives: The Seventies

The other 40th anniversary

Posted on October 1, 2017 by garpinbc

One of the benefits of having a good revue cinema in your neighbourhood is that it forces you to see old movies you’ve been putting off renting. On Monday I went and saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind at … Continue reading →

Posted in Brampton, Commercial Drive, Memoir, Movies, Rio Theatre, The Seventies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

That thing I didn’t do in Toronto

Posted on June 11, 2017 by garpinbc

Visiting Toronto always feels like I’m watching a home movie about my life. Toronto was the first city I lived in on my own after I left home. It’s been nearly 30 years since I moved to Vancouver, but whenever … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Movies, Queer Culture, The Eighties, The Seventies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Old Friends: Revisiting Armistead Maupin and the Tales of the City.

Posted on May 14, 2017 by garpinbc

On Friday I saw the new Armistead Maupin documentary, The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin. The movie is basically a love letter to Armistead Maupin and the Tales of the City. I liked the film, even though there were moments … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Humor, LGBT, Memoir, Movies, Pop Culture, Queer Culture, The Eighties, The Seventies | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s hard out there for a debt collector: Watching Skip Tracer on National Canadian Film Day

Posted on April 27, 2017 by garpinbc

I’ve always been a champion of Canadian film. Growing up, I was the only person I knew who watched the Genie Awards telecast. I also recognized the directors Sandy Wilson (My American Cousin), and Patricia Rozema (I’ve Heard the Mermaids … Continue reading →

Posted in Brampton, Movies, Pop Culture, The Seventies, Vancouver | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back to my Roots: All the books I’ve loved before

Posted on March 14, 2017 by garpinbc

A couple of weeks ago I saw a great musical by  the local playwright, Dave Deveau, called the Elbow Room: The Musical, about the Davie Street breakfast spot that is an institution in Vancouver’s gay community. I’m sucker for stories … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBT, Memoir, Memoir/biography, Pop Culture, Queer Culture, The Eighties, The Seventies, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Watching Blazing Saddles in the current political climate

Posted on September 24, 2016 by garpinbc

If there’s an upside to the rash of celebrity deaths this year, it’s that The Rio Theatre has been honouring the deceased with retrospectives of their best movies. First it was Bowie, then it was Prince, and lately it’s been … Continue reading →

Posted in Brampton, Commercial Drive, Current Events, Humor, Memoir, Movies, Politics, Rio Theatre, The Seventies, Vancouver | Tagged , , | Leave a comment