Tonight's tonic: @TinaKotek becomes the 2nd ever out lesbian elected as a U.S. governor. The 1st @Maura_Healey was declared the winner in Massachusetts on Tuesday night. Both strong awesome women.
#USPolitics #LGBTQ
Friday, November 11, 2022
Monday, September 26, 2022
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Saturday, September 3, 2022
This weekend's tonics: "In His Desk!" and "Democrats flip Alaska seat and defeat Sarah Palin in special election, big loss for GOP!"
I posted these two on my Twitter late this week:
The Democrats do appear to have major wind in their sails as they enter the home stretch before the mid-term elections in early November...
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Monday, August 8, 2022
Today's tonic: "How Jan. 6 Plan Emerged From Military Coup Plot | The Beat Exposes Trump's Criminal Intent"
Today's tonic: In light of today's FBI raid on Trump's Florida home, I thought I'd share MSNBC's Ari Melber must-see report from a few days ago, 'How Jan. 6 Plan Emerged From Military Coup Plot'.
 |
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Saturday, August 6, 2022
Today’s tonic: Conspiracy theories aren’t theories, they’re stories. Let’s treat them that way.
Starting a daily post I’ll call, “Today’s tonic”: articles that bring reason, intelligence, & common sense to counter the nonsense, lies, & bigotries currently on the rise in our society.
Starting with Dan Leger today:
#cdnpoli #onpoli #uspoli #conspiracy
Monday, April 18, 2022
The great Joan Guerin: 1944 to 2022
 |
| My late aunt Joan Guerin |
Just weeks after we lost Janis Murray (the youngest sister of my mother Dianne), my aunt Joan Guerin, the younger sister to my late father Fred, passed away in Peterborough, Ontario.
Joan struggled for years with health issues, her heart finally failing on April 5th, 2022.
Joan had one of the sharpest minds I had ever encountered and I was proud to call her my aunt. A lawyer by training, she spent a career building a family law practise in Peterborough, Ontario.
In recent years, she reminded me greatly of my late father, in physical mannerisms, in outlook, in humour, in intellect, and in spirit. One of the few women in the Guerin family, she never married, but devoted her time to her extended family, including her many nephews, as well as friends, clients, and colleagues.
Joan was also political and a bit of a NDP supporter in a family of mostly Liberals. It made for interesting conversations over the years, and we shared many values. While months or sometimes even years could go by between our conversations, the bond she built with me, as she did with all of her nephews, was strong.
I was honoured when she asked me, plus another cousin, Marc Guerin, along with a longtime friend and colleague Suzanne Essex, to be the three co-executors on her will.
"But there won't be much money left to distribute," she joked to me years ago. "I intend to spend my money!"
Sadly, my dear cousin Marc, who was only a couple of months older than me, lost his own battle with cancer in February 2021.
Thus, Suzanne and myself have been working away since April 5th making plans for Joan's celebration of life and doing the work that goes with these responsibilities. Thank you to my older brother David who's given me good advice on these important duties.
With the help of family, I'm proud of the obituary we've written for Joan, which is posted on the website for Comstock-Kaye funeral home in Peterborough. This Saturday April 23rd, we will follow Joan's wishes and bury her ashes at the same cemetery plot where her late parents were buried in Peterborough. And soon thereafter, family, friends and former colleagues will gather to celebrate her life.
I've been reflecting on losing two fabulous women in our families in so short of a time. While we had some expectations the losses were coming, it nevertheless saddens. I've only begun to process these events, and I expect I'll continue to do so for months and years. But I also want to celebrate their great lives.
These women were awesome! Some would call them "kick-ass". They set their own courses in life and lived them to the fullest. They were inspirations. They taught us how to do it.
Thank you, Joan, for everything you did for our family! I love you and will miss you!
Friday, March 25, 2022
My official list of Favourite Films of 2021
 |
| Spider-Man hotties Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire together in one multiverse |
The Oscars this Sunday will provide a bit of fun and distraction amid these otherwise trying times.
I'm happy to finally share my official list of Favourite Films of 2021. I'll be happy if I surprise you a bit.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home - This may strike some people as not very high-minded of me, but I'm going with my heart. This was the best Spider-Man movie ever. It beautifully pays tribute to all previous Spider-Man movies with tender thoughtfulness. The scenes with Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire were so enjoyable, the tragic twists of the plot highly moving, including the bittersweet yet appropriate ending. I have such love for Marvel movies, this one will be played again by me over and over for years to come. Lots of fulfilling and emotional themes here elevate the work beyond a typical super hero movie.
2. The Power of the Dog - Beautiful scenery, astonishing acting, haunting music, sensational filmmaking all around. This sly story about a young man who goes to great lengths to protect his mother from a complicated, alpha-male anti-hero is a fascinating one, even if the characters are mostly repulsive or odd.
3. CODA - If you're not into great super hero movies or odd character studies, chances are you'll love this movie about a teenage girl, the only hearing member of a deaf family, who is surprised to discover after joining her school’s choir that she has astonishing, natural singing talent. This is a beautiful film. Troy Kotsur deserves his many awards for his hilarious gem of a performance.
4. The Lost Daughter - I luxuriated in the serene world of this film and often wished I could be on the same beach as Olivia Colman’s character, when she was alone at least. Astonishing directorial debut here by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
5. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Exciting, wondrous, sexy, hilarious. I’ve watched it about six or seven times since its release last summer. Yes, I love good Marvel movies, as you can see.
6. Belfast - Very touching and timely tale about a family struggling amid the early troubles of Northern Ireland.
7. Don't Look Up - That final scene with Meryl Streep is the stuff of comedy legend. I’ll say no more.
8. No Time To Die - They saved Daniel Craig’s second best Bond flick for last.
9. West Side Story - Very entertaining and accomplished re-imagining of the 60s classic.
10. Cruella - Colourful and engaging new classic!!
11. King Richard
12. The Tragedy of Macbeth
13. Being the Ricardos
14. Licorice Pizza
15. Dune
16. Passing
17. The Eternals
18. Mountain Lodge
19. Tick Tick...Boom!
20. Black Widow
21. Chaos Walking
22. Fisherman
23. Boy Meets Boy
24. Fear Street: Part One - 1994
25. Seaspiracy
26. I Carry You With Me
27. In The Heights
2021 FILMS I HAVEN'T SEEN BUT STILL WANT TO SEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, in order of preference:
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
The King's Man
Nightmare Alley
Spencer
Drive My Car
Cyrano
Scarborough
Night Raiders
Respect
Fear Street: Part Two - 1978
Fear Street: Part Three - 1666
Last Night in Soho
Benediction
Mothering Sunday
OTHER 2021 FILMS I SAW WHICH UNDERWHELMED ME, in alphabetical order:
Moffie
Sequin in a Blue Room
Voyagers
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
The fabulous Janis Murray: 1955 to 2022
 |
| Jan and me at my 40th b-day party |
My aunt and dear friend Jan Murray passed away today after a long battle with cancer. I took the time a couple of weeks ago to write a love letter to her:
Dear Jan,
We’ve shared a lot of beautiful memories of good times together.
My absolute favourite story you’ve ever told is the occasion in the mid-1970s when you were living in Guelph while attending university. We also lived in Guelph, where my mom and dad met and eventually married in 1967. In 1972, the year I was born, our family moved into a home on Eleanor Court in the city’s north end. You must’ve started at University of Guelph probably in 1973 or 1974, although you were living elsewhere in town. But you visited us often on Eleanor Court.
One day, my mom Dianne, your eldest sister, had driven you back to your student apartment (I think somewhere near Water and Gordon Streets?) after one such visit to our home. Mom brought two or three-year-old me along for the ride and I was buckled up tightly into a kid’s chair in the backseat. If I was three, it would’ve been 1975.
Now as we know, you and my mom could talk. You had long, beautiful conversations your whole lives. And that day was no different. Mom’s car pulled up to drop you off at your student apartment, but of course there was still more to talk about. So you both kept on talking about whatever was on your minds that afternoon. I was no doubt unhappy about being tied to a chair and stuck in the backseat. I’m not sure what time of year it was, so no telling if it was a warm Guelph day. But as you can imagine, three-year-old me was getting impatient.
I must’ve finally deduced that the delay I was experiencing getting out of this baby seat was due to the fact that Mom and you were still talking in the front seat. And that relief would only come for me after you finally got out of the car so we could drive back home and I could be released from this bondage.
So little three-year-old me blurted out, “Jan, get out.”
You told me you and Dianne looked back at me and then broke into uproarious laughter. No doubt, my protestation probably brought the adult conversation that afternoon to a swift end and you took your exit to resume another week of studies. Mom drove me home and released me from the backseat.
Jan, you told this hilarious story again and again over the decades. Every time I introduced you to new people in my life, or you introduced me to people in your life, you mentioned this hilarious story about the impatient toddler who told you to “Get out” of the car. And I loved each and every time you told it.
But you didn’t really get out of the car, did you? You stuck around, metaphorically speaking of course, and my life and the lives of our whole family, the lives of everyone you ever met, were enriched and made more beautiful because of you.
Jan, when I think of you, I think of:
Joie de vivre
Passion
Great style
Hard-work
Studiousness
Perseverance
An open heart
Strength
Street-smarts
Wisdom
You embraced the most cosmopolitan of lives in Toronto as an adult. When I was a teenager, I always looked up to you and was inspired by the example you gave. You often mentioned your “gay buddies” as early as the 1980s. Your presence and your example gave me hope as a closeted teen. It showed me a way forward in the family, that a happy life could be possible. You were talking about gay people living happy lives whom you called “friends”. That meant so much to me in those days.
Over the years, you became a dear friend, a confidant, someone I knew had my back and would always listen. I have tried to be that friend and confidant back for you. We’ve shared so many glasses of wine or delicious meals together. Maybe too much wine on occasion, but who cares? We were having fun! We’ve sat through so many amazing movies or had so many great conversations about the world we’re living in.
You joined our family for every holiday event you could attend. We’d often meet up in downtown Toronto or in Mississauga and you’d give me a drive to Guelph or Cambridge. Sometimes I’d pay for the gas, sometimes I’d pay with a bottle of wine we’d enjoy at the festivities, but often you simply accepted no payment. You were so generous and loving. You became a staple of my life and of our family. You made our world bigger than it was because of all you brought to the table.
I related to your struggles in life, as I shared them. Even though we are of different generations, we came from the same family and were facing the same challenges of modern times. We had each other to turn to. Thank you for all the listening and advice you’ve given me. I hope I’ve been able to give you a modicum of what you have given me.
There are too many memories and occasions to count that brought such joy. Some that stand out as I write this:
Your absolutely adorable crush on Chris Pratt. The way you swooned when you first laid eyes on that hunky actor in Guardians of the Galaxy brought such a smile to my face and everyone else in the room at the time. Yes, you have very good taste in men. It was so much fun watching you swoon again when we watched Chris Pratt in Jurassic World in Montreal last year.
I also remember the relaxing drinks we enjoyed at the open window bistro in old Montreal this past June.
The time you insisted I read out loud my entire first screenplay for you.
The time we went off to New York state to attend the wedding shower for a gay buddy of yours marrying an American. We enjoyed the house party, but nothing was more entertaining than the karaoke performances we saw later that night at the bar next to our hotel. We didn’t sing ourselves because we understand the limitations of our talents, unlike most of the folks who got behind the microphone that night. But man, some of those folks were awesome to watch.
There are too many memories to count. I cherish them all.
Every room you entered was made brighter, more fun and more full of love because you arrived.
Yes, I am very glad that you “didn’t get out of the car” after all. You stayed with us and changed all of our lives.
With love,
Matt
Saturday, January 15, 2022
My Favourite Films of 2021? Still thinking about it... ;-)
***UPDATED March 6, 2022 **** As I watch more 2021 films, I'll move them up if I love them. Please expect a new post on my Top Favourites before Oscar Night. *****
I've always enjoyed compiling my list of Favourite Films each year. Before COVID, it was easy for me to check out many new films long before the end of the year by attending film festivals or heading often to movie theatres. Nowadays, the release of some films on streaming services like Netflix partially makes up for the loss the festivals and open movie theatres during lock down.
But I'm still far behind in my viewing of the biggest films of 2021. Furthermore, I'm also hesitant to come out with my big list too soon because I have found that my thoughts on my favourite films evolve over time. The test of time for me is to acknowledge which of my favourite films I actually watch over and over again because they excite me and deliver each time. That's not something you can know from one viewing. It takes months to acknowledge which Blu-ray I'm turning on again and again (I always buy Blu-rays of my favourites.)
So I'm going to think long and hard about the films of 2021 before I come up with any kind of final list of favourites. And again this year, I still have so many acclaimed movies even to see for the first time. I imagine I will come up with a final list before this March's Oscars.
In the mean time, I'm going to simply list the 2021 films I've seen so far which I would consider to be major contenders for my heart or my Top Ten, in alphabetical order so as not to preempt my own deliberations. This is tentative, of course, as there are many other 2021 films I still need to see.
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2021 I'VE SEEN SO FAR, in alphabetical order (updated March 6, 2022):
Belfast
CODA
Don't Look Up
King Richard
The Lost Daughter
No Time To Die
The Power of the Dog
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider Man: No Way Home
West Side Story
OTHER 2021 FILMS I'VE SEEN WHICH I ENJOYED AS WELL, in alphabetical order:
Being the Ricardos
Boy Meets Boy
Black Widow
Chaos Walking
Cruella
The Eternals
Fear Street: Part One - 1994
Fisherman (extremely sexy short gay film)
I Carry You With Me
Licorice Pizza
Mountain Lodge
Passing
Seaspiracy
Tick Tick...Boom!
The Tragedy of Macbeth
2021 FILMS I STILL WANT TO SEE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, in order of preference:
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Spencer
The King's Man
Cyrano
Nightmare Alley
Drive My Car
Respect
Scarborough
Night Raiders
Fear Street: Part Two - 1978
Fear Street: Part Three - 1666
Last Night in Soho
Benediction
Mothering Sunday
OTHER 2021 FILMS I SAW WHICH UNDERWHELMED ME, in alphabetical order:
Dune
In The Heights
Moffie
Sequin in a Blue Room
Voyagers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)