Summer Reading List (2018)

Summer is fast approaching, and there are three books on my summer reading list so far.

I'm a fan of Michael Ondaatje's fiction and poetry, so a new Ondaatje book is an event for me. Warlight, I trust, will be an interesting read. Tanya Talaga's book Seven Fallen Feathers has been on my reading list for some time now, and I think it'll be one I'll need to reflect on. Summer seems like good timing. Haruki Murakami's book of short stories, Men without Women, looks appealing. I loved his memoir, What I Think About When I Think About Running, and I'm curious about his fiction.

They're relatively new titles. But I look forward to following my interests and curiosity along the way. I may end up reading more Murakami. I may also end up reading more Canadian fiction and non-fiction.

Warlight

By Michael Ondaatje

Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City 

By Tanya Talaga

Men without Women

By Haruki Murakami

Cycling Along the Toronto Waterfront

I cycled along the Martin Goodman Trail in Toronto yesterday from the Humber River in the west to the Beach in the east. Toronto is truly at its finest in the city.

I took lots of photos that I posted on my Instagram:

Queen's Quay bike lane! #toronto #martingoodmantrail

A photo posted by Albert Wisco (@albertwisco) on Jul 4, 2015 at 2:12pm PDT

The Time I Met B.B. King

B.B King died this week.

I had the great fortune of interviewing B.B. King one cold January night over a decade ago when I covered Arts.

My crew and I had waited patiently outside Massey Hall for a 15 minute interview. It was freezing. I was a young producer hungry to grab my interview. Time was getting tight. We were waiting for a CBC reporter to wrap up. They always went over their scheduled time. Lol.

When it was my turn, my cameraman, sound man and I boarded his tour bus and had the best 10 minutes. He showed me his guitar, Lucille, and shared a couple of great stories only Bluesmen can tell. He didn't rush us and was gracious as the most humble up-and-coming artists I've interviewed.

The best 10 minutes.

We said our goodbyes. Then, my crew hustled to take our spots in the media pit inside Massey Hall. And 20 minutes later, he took the stage, thrilling the packed audience.

The King.

Nelson Mandela Capture Site

The Nelson Mandela Capture site in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is quite stunning.

TNelson Mandela capture site. Howick, KZN. #southafrica #madiba

A photo posted by Albert Wisco (@albertwisco) on Dec 27, 2014 at 9:15pm PST

Top 10 #TIFF14 Films

From T. Marie's Pancrhome I, II, III

The internet loves lists. So here's my list of top 10 movies from the Toronto International Film Festival (and I've linked to my Instagram ticket for each title):

• The Kingdom of Tears and Madness (Directed by Mami Sunada) 
• Two Days, One Night (Directed by Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne) 
• While We’re Young (Directed by Noah Baumbach) 
• Foxcatcher (Directed by Bennett Miller) 
• Goodbye to Language (Directed by Jean-Luc Godard) 
• Hill of Freedom (Directed by Hong Sang-soo) 
• Leviathan (Directed by Andrey Zvyaginstev) 
• Tigers (Directed by Danis Tanovic) 
• Horse Money (Directed by Pedro Costa) 
• Panchrome I, II, III  (Directed by T. Marie)

My 10 Favourite Films of 2013

I saw almost 100 films this year. This includes the 40 or so screenings combined at the Hot Docs Festival in the spring and the Toronto International Film Festival in September. As well, I usually catch well-regarded Festival films when they're programmed during the year at TIFF. Watching movies is one of my passions and I'm happy to report that I once saw six movies in day at TIFF (including Lagaan -- a 3 1/2 hour epic!)

Here's a list of my favourite 10 films for 2013:

1. 12 Years a Slave (Directed by Steve McQueen)
2. Gravity (Directed by Alfonso Cuarón)
3. The Wind Rises (Directed by Hayao Miyazaki)
4. Inside Llewyn Davis (Directed by Ethan Cohen and Joel Cohen)
5. August: Osage County (Directed by John Wells)
6. Philomena (Directed by Stephen Frears)
7. Blue is the Warmest Color (Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche)
8. The Known Unknown (Directed by Errol Morris)
9. Leviathan (Directed by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel)
10. Stories We Tell (Directed by Sarah Polley)

Special Mentions to Films with Stellar Performances:

• Blue Jasmine (Directed by Woody Allen, Starring Cate Blanchett)
• All Is Lost (Directed by JC Chandor, Starring Robert Redford)
• Before Midnight (Directed by Richard Linklater, Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy)

Summer Solstice , 11 pm, Jordaan

My short film Summer Solstice, 11 pm, Jordaan will be screened this weekend at a film festival in Switzerland. Thrilled for Swiss audiences to see it.