Episode 020: I Wish My Brother George Was Here

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This week, I'm sharing the audio of an interview I did with my friend and mentor, George Toles. Those of you familiar with the structure and style of my interviews will notice that this one is different. George invited me to record a conversation for his Hitchcock class about two of my favourite Hitchcock films, The 39 Steps and North By Northwest. So he's interviewing me. It’s a huge honour to have been asked. and it was a delightful conversation. We talked for almost three hours - only an hour of which we recorded. I'm grateful he's allowed me to use the audio for Geek 4.

George is an academic, a teacher, a screenwriter, director, actor. He is Distinguished Professor in the English, Theatre, Film and Media Department at the University of Manitoba. To some, people he’s best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Guy Maddin. George wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for such films as Archangel (1990), Careful (1992), Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997), The Saddest Music in the World (2003), and Keyhole (2011). He also wrote the dialogue for Guy’s docu-fantasy, My Winnipeg (2007). He wrote the screenplay for Neil Burns’ stop motion film, Edison and Leo (2008). He’s published dozens of scholarly essay and two books on film, A House Made of Light and the book on Paul Thomas Anderson for The University of Illinois Press’s director series.

George Toles as Countess Knotkers In Guy Maddin’s Careful (1992)

George Toles as Countess Knotkers In Guy Maddin’s Careful (1992)

Episode 019: Bizarre Cards

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This week, I talk about one of my latest obessions: strange Victorian greeting cards. It started over the Christmas holidays, with posting these weird Christmas cards on my social media. I’ve moved on to New Years Cards and am currently sharing bizarre Victorian Valentine’s Day cards.

One for the pot?

One for the pot?

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A loving Christmas greeting....from this ex bird.

Nothing says “Happy Christmas” like a jester teasing a man in the stocks

Nothing says “Happy Christmas” like a jester teasing a man in the stocks

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Let’s have a good old fashioned Christmas.... kidnapping and traumatizing children.

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When Tommy Snowman told Meg that she'd ”always be in his heart, ” she understood that very differently than Tommy.

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I see this restaurant serves children.

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Gnomes

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Ice cold

Episode 018: Draining 3s with Matt Shantz

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Today I’m talking with my friend (and former coworker) Matt Shantz. Matt’s a huge basketball fan and a devotee of the Toronto Raptors. We talk about discovering basketball as a Canadian kid, how he started writing about basketball and the Raptors for Raptors Republic, and the role surprise 2014 draft pick Bruno Caboclo played in his life.

 

Matt and I briefly reminisce about trading tweets with Melissa Fumero of Brooklyn 99 and I ask the standard basketball question about Matt’s personal dream team.  

 

You can follow Matt on Twitter at @m_shantz and read his stuff over at Raptors Republic