TS & ENTERTAINI ELIZABETH FYLES STAFF WRITER Last Tuesday night (October 26th) the Multiplex hosted Billy Talent in concert. Arriving just before the show started the first thing I noticed was the high num- bers of pre-teen children who were there with their parents. I could only just restrain myself from asking several of the parents what they hoped to accomplish‘by bringing a ten year old to a punk- rock concert. But, despite the slightly disappointing number of younger people the crowd seemed pumped for Billy Talent to start playing. _ Surrounded mostly, by 15 and 16 year-olds I watched the opening act, The Waking Eyes, take the stage. As I have never heard this band before I was pleasantly sur- prised when they began. Their music was original and entertain- ing and the crowd responded in tune. The Winnipeg-based band con- sists of Rusty Matyas on guitar, Matt Petters also on guitar and Steve Senkiw on drums with all of them singing. The Waking Eyes formed early in 2002 and are cur- rently on tour with several other bands until late in November. The band performed seven or eight songs and got the crowd going and ready for more. When Billy Talent finally took the stage I found myself squished in a crowd of about 2000 people and standing directly behind a really tall guy. Working my way in front of him I was able to enjoy Billy Talent who started the night off with a big crowd favourite “River Below.” Throughout the night, the lead singer, Benjamin Kowalewicz, pro- vided us with inspirational (and sometimes cheesy) speeches, including encouraging and embracing differences and going for your dreams. Kowalewicz also indulged in a little “Bush Bashing” and encouraged the crowd to show support by yelling “F**K George Bush!” obviously to no Children Cannot Spoil Billy Talent avail as this reporter was disap- pointed to discover the day after the election. Some of the crowd favourites were, “Try Honesty” and “The Ex” which brought around especially rowdy rounds of moshing from the audience members old enough to know what that was. I found that the music was creative and impressively innovative with intel- ligent lyrics and an interesting voice in the form of the front man, Kowalewicz. Billy Talent is a band that has their own sound and sets itself apart from other punk and popu- lar bands of the time. The band, which has been together since high school, consists of Kowalewicz (vocals), Ian D’Sa on guitar, John Gallant on bass and Aaron PHOTOS BY MAGGIE GILBERT The Billy Talent show on October 26th was a hit... for ten year olds. The show was pretty rocking and there were many “hip young teenagers.” Solowoniuk on drums. This was their last tour date after 19 months of touring. Billy Talent is now headed back to the studio to get started on a new CD which I look forward to hearing. Joe ‘Shithead’ comes to UNBC By JONAS GAGNON OPINIONS EDITOR On the 28th of October, Joe Keithley, the front man of D.O.A. was at UNBC on a tour to plug his new book “I, Shithead: A Life in Punk.” He only did one overt plug for his book, mostly just telling sto- ries to the creative writing class. For the uninitiated, D.O.A. is a Canadian punk band that has trav- elled the globe. It is considered by some affluent critics to be the best Canadian punk band ever. They have been around for a while and are still rocking, as demonstrated at their show that night at the Generator. Joe Keithley is a true rock star, from clothes to language. He told stories from his book about his life as a punk rocker. He didn’t actual- ly read from his book because he felt it would be better to tell his stories fresh. His stories gave insight into the “glamorous” life of a rock star. He talked about punk rock accommo- dations, sleeping in a van outside McDonalds, and cleaning in its washroom. He also told of the excessive partying that plagued them on tour. Keithley was also a very politi- cal speaker and encouraged the audience to try to make change. He was very optimistic about the way people can change the world. As well, Keithley told stories about various rallies they had played, and activists they had met along the way. He was refreshingly optimistic, a wonderful change from the learned world instead of the weary pretentious pessimists that can get to you. He was a very. different speaker than what we usually have up here on the hill. It was an interesting hour and a half. International Film COREY SCOFIELD- STAFF WRITER Last week saw UNBC’s third annual International Film Festival that showcased a variety of films inspired by UNBC’s international affiliations and UNBC’s international student body. Sponsored by the International Centre and encom- passing a range of genres, the festival. showed movies from Japan, México, Germany, Australia and Russia, presenting works from renowned directors such as Alfonso Cuaron, recently famous for the soon to be released Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Aimed at presenting students with a taste of the diversity of cultural influences here at UNBC, the festival presented a total of five foreign films throughout the week. These films included The Japanese sci- fi masterpiece Godzilla Mothra and King Ghidorah Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the Mexican erotic drama Y Tu Mama Tambien directed by Alfonso Cuaron, as well as the German film Aimee & Jaquar, the Russian film. The Cuckoo, and Better than Sex from Australia. Although only able to attend the first two movies due to pub- lishing deadlines, this reporter would encounter his first Godzilla experience at this festi- val and find it extremely enter- taining (although a tad cheesy at times; the monsters where obvi- ously actors in costume lumber- ing across a sound stage of Yokohama.) The intensity of the action and fast paced movement through the plot made it extremely easy to suspend one’s disbelief and enjoy the film’s entertainment value. On a more serious note, I was able to attend Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mamma Tambien, a movie which has been criticized and ultimately censored throughout many parts of the world for its portrayal of teenage sex and some pretty heavy erotic under- tones. For my part I found this Fest a Huge Success GRAPHIC PROVIDED The International Film Festival had something for everyone, whether it was seri- ous movies about life and love, or shallower fare, such as Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah Giant Monsters All- Out Attack. movie to be one of the best I have ever seem, an extremely uplifting and passionate film of the celebration of life and love. The central message of free- dom and giving I found to be very pertinent given the intense divisions of our time. Both the films I had the pleasures of watching were well attended and enjoyed by everyone pre- sent, made evident by the stimu- lating discussions occurring in the hallways after each movie. By accepting donations of non-perishable foods stuffs the International Centre was able to collect a large amount of dona- tions for Prince George’s local food bank. On the whole, this year’s International Film festival proved an outstanding success for all involved. It truly was fas- cinating as well as refreshing to view how the media of film is being utilized in parts of the world other than the Hollywood of the United States and how far this media can go in capturing the essence of these countries’ cultural identities. After viewing these films, I highly encourage everyone to not limit their future movie nights to new releases at Blockbuster. Travel On An Amazing International Program! Are YOU ready? Discover other countries and other regions of Canada! Learn about social justice and development issues! Live and work with people from other cultures! Canada World Youth has international volunteer programs for youth 17 — 24. Contact CWY at www.cwy-jcm.org or toll free 1-866-7-VOYAGE. Apply now for programs that start summer 2005! Priority deadline January 15°"!