2009 Slamdance Film Festival, 2008 Pusan Film Festival, Toronto Fashion Week Spring 2009

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FILM & FASHION
2009 Slamdance Film Festival, Sundance lounges and all that (Utah) jazz
Less shocking than the fact that Utah was warmer than the East Coast arctic freeze was the fact that, despite a down economy, the atmosphere in Park City still electrified during a blitz of food, folks and film.
coverage by Wade-Hahn Chan, Yuan-Kwan Chan and Nicole C. Wong

Reviews:

"A Quiet Little Marriage": The Grand Jury Award winner for Best Narrative Feature at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival lifts the rose-scented veil to give a painfully funny look at the day-to-day truth newlyweds need to cope with.

Related: Director reveals why "A Quiet Little Marriage" came to be

"I Sell the Dead": The film centers around the misadventures of two professional body snatchers who begin to steal supernatural bodies at the behest of a sinister doctor. Also included: a capsule review of short film "A Little Mouth to Feed."

"Rare Chicken Rescue": The 26-minute documentary takes a delightful look at one of those small slices of life that wouldn’t otherwise extend beyond its cocoon had it not been for the advances of film – in this case, the world of poultry breeders.

Lounges:

The best and worst of the Sundance lounges: Regardless of the current financial environment, L.A., New York and their brethren still came to Park City, Utah, to invite, entertain, reject and annoy. Here is a look at the best and the worst of the hospitality lounges for 2009.

FOOD
U.S.’s first fully organic restaurant serves simple satisfaction: GustOrganics is the first USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) certified organic bar and restaurant in the United States. by Pei Chien
Video: Interview with GustOrganics General Manager Eyal Amir by Derrick Henry

EVENTS
One man's view of the Inauguration: An estimated 1.4 million people turned out on a chilly day in Washington, D.C., to watch Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States. One of those was Meniscus photographer Kwai Chan.

FOOD - RAMEN RUN
The ramen obsession: It all started a decade ago: In a (yet another) new column titled "Ramen Run," Editor-in-Chief Yuan-Kwan Chan takes an autobiographical look at her fascination with ramen over the years.

ARTS
Art Basel Miami Beach 2008
coverage by Yuan-Kwan Chan

Picking through and around Art Basel Miami Beach: The eighth American version of the longtime Swiss art festival - as well as the dozens of simultaneously occurring satellite events - has become a wintertime go-to destination for those seeking the next big thing in contemporary art. And the highlights were plentiful.

FILM
2008 Pusan International Film Festival
Meniscus headed back to Asia for more coverage, this time for Busan's celebrated annual film festival in South Korea.
coverage by Christopher Bourne

A guide to the Pusan International Film Festival (and Busan, South Korea): Pusan is well deserving of its reputation as the most important film festival in Asia. Here is a guide to navigating the city and the festival, should you attend next year. | Video: Pusan volunteers cheer attendees

"The Housemaid": One of the enduring classics of Korean cinema, Kim Ki-young’s 1960 expressionist masterpiece was screened in a new digital restoration that originally premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

"Land of Scarecrows": Roh Gyeong-tae’s second feature, which shared the New Currents Award, is one of the great discoveries one always hopes to find at a film festival, especially one with as vast a selection as Pusan’s.

"35 Shots of Rum": One of Denis’ greatest works, "35 Shots of Rum" conveys the ebbs and flows of life with uncommon sensitivity, and makes one wish that he or she could spend many more hours in the endlessly fascinating world of this film.

FASHION
Toronto Fashion Week - Spring 2009 Collections
And now for some insight on how our neighbors dress just north of the border...
reporting by Wade-Hahn Chan; photography by Kwai Chan

Afshin Feiz: Feiz seemed to keep his collection tightly focused, keeping his clothes consistent yet never boring by falling into patterns.

Andy Thé-Anh: Thé-Anh’s theme for this collection was “Glamour Redux,” a play on classic Hollywood style with modern influences. | Video

Aqua di Lara: This season’s Aqua di Lara bathing suits love bosoms and hate butts. | Video

Evan Biddell: Although it was entertaining, it was hard to tell how much of the "Project Runway Canada" winner’s show poked fun at or embraced media overexposure. | Video

Joeffer Caoc: During the final walkthrough, it was too apparent that the better outfits – which completely outshined the lesser, simpler ones – were outnumbered.

Morales: The tone of Renata Morales’ show could have easily slipped into artily standoffish territory. However, the Mexican-Canadian artist and designer’s latest line struck a keen balance between the wearable and the fantastic. | Video

Photo galleries and more videos:

Carlie Wong - Women's Collection | Video
Damzels in This Dress - Women's Collection | Video
Denis Gagnon - Women's Collection
Evan & Dean - Women's Collection
Lucian Matis - Women's Collection
Mellinda-Mae Harlingten - Women's Collection
NADA - Women's Collection
Nada Yousif - Women's Collection
Playdead Cult - Women's, Men's and Children's Collections | Video
Rudsak - Women's and Men's Collections
Thien Le - Women's Collection
Zoran Dobric - Women's and Men's Collections

BOOKS & FOOD
"The Korean Table": A solid cookbook for beginner chefs: If you are curious about or want to dabble in Korean cooking, "The Korean Table: From Barbecue to Bibimbap" is a good start. by Pei Chien

TECHNOLOGY - FLAWED GENIUS
Blowing up your Faces of War: In a new column titled "Flawed Genius," Associate Editor Wade-Hahn Chan examines video games of yesteryear that few people may have bought at the time because of minor flaws, but today may just be forgivable. Up first: the Ukrainian-developed World War II strategy game Faces of War.

Capitol Hill on Inauguration Day

The scene on Jan. 20, 2009, in Washington, D.C., when Barack Obama was sworn in as the new President of the United States.
photo by Kwai Chan

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