[Issue#56 Of The Month] Let The Right One In. Killzone 2. Pets. Trevor Risk is Number 1!

[1] Twitter
How often do you Twitter? We’re on there all day, every day sucking in factoids, details about what you had for dinner and how Shaq is doing. Please add us when you get a moment. It’s an amazing way to keep abreast of ION-related activities and contests.
www.twitter.com/ionmagazine

[2] Tough Economic Times Tips
Hey, has the economy gotten better yet? No, it hasn’t. It’s gotten worse. Much, much worse. Thanks for asking, asshole. Before one of you stockbrokers takes a flying leap out of your office building (a lot of stockbrokers read ION), maybe you should check out page 18 of this issue. We got Ninja Tune’s Mr. Scruff to do a whole cartoon with some money saving tips for these tough economic times. Turn your stretch limo into a bus to earn some extra cash? Genius!

[3] DVD—Vinyan
Okay, let’s get a little bit weird. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favour and watch Fabrice Du Welz’s Calvaire aka The Ordeal. It’s one of the best horror movies of this young millennium. It took a while, but this brilliant Belgian has finally followed it up with Vinyan. Predictably, the subject matter is unnerving. A couple’s child dies in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Months later, at a fundraiser for Burmese children, the wife believes she sees her son in some grainy footage of the Burmese jungle. So the couple hire some shady folks to take them on a mission to Burma to find their son who likely isn’t there. Insanity, violence, obsession, thieves and gangs of wild children who like to bury people alive in mud. Vinyan is Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness meets Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible.

[4] DVD—Let The Right One In
Serious and artistic filmmakers tend to get hung up on issues like, say, human rights, or drug abuse when they choose which stories to tell. Well, Let the Right One In is for people who enjoy those sorts of of smart, contemplative, beautifully lensed dramas, but who also want to see a vampire scale a hospital building and tear someone’s throat out. Taking place in a snowy early Eighties Stockholm, the film focuses on lonely only-child Oskar and his friendship with a young girl, Eli. The two both appear to be 12-years old and for the most part do what 12-year-olds do. They play in the snow, make secret codes, hug and have a perfectly adorable boy-girl friendship. The catch is that Eli also has this thing where she’s immortal and has to kill people so she can drink their blood. Through her friendship and guidance, Oskar learns to deal with the violent problems in his life by tackling them head-on rather than passively accepting the actions of his tormentors. The film uses gore and special effects sparingly, instead choosing to focus on the relationship between the two. It plays out more interestingly as a result.
-Kellen Powell

[5] Pet—Alu Motor Gobi
Are there any better cats than tabby cats? We think not. We’re sure there’s a very interesting story behind Alu Motor Gobi’s name. More interesting is her eyes though. She looks likes she’s charging them up so she can fire lasers out of them at you. It’s probably time for you to feed her. Send cute pictures to pet@ionmagazine.ca to have your pet immortalized in print.

[6] Store—Super Bored
Remember back in September ‘08 when we were bitching that you can’t find Wrongwroks clothing anywhere in Vancouver? Until quite recently, we had to hop a plane to Japan, where you can find it in pretty much every store going. And that’s exactly what we did (okay, maybe buying it online would have been smarter). But we digress, our prayers have been answered! Tony from Wrongwroks has opened up his own store in Kitsilano and you should go check it out. Not only can you find Wrongwroks clothing, but lines like Stay Real, Shadowgraph, Outerspace and Fever as well. Super Bored, 1701 West 4th Ave
www.superbored.wordpress.com

[7] Game—Killzone 2
What can be said about Killzone 2 that hasn’t already been said about futuristic interplanetary warfare? A shitload. So we’ve been playing this game for about two weeks now and it has melted our faces exactly seven times. The in-game graphics are the same as the cut scenes, which illustrates how visually amazing it is. The game play is fast-paced and smoother than a ride in your uncle’s Rolls. Killzone 2 really excels when you have been playing it for seven hours and it’s about two in the morning and a giant tank charges at you out of nowhere and you scream loud enough to wake up your entire family… or maybe that’s just us. Either way, get this game and prepare to kiss your social life goodbye.
- Zia Hirji

[8] Shameless Self Promotion
Our music editor Trevor Risk was recently named number one DJ in Vancouver by the Westender, the eighth most popular free newspaper in Vancouver. Congratulations, Trevor, but don’t get cocky. You have a long way to come before you’ll top our editor in chief’s accomplishment of being named Best Busser in Vancouver (2005) by Clubvibes.com, the second most popular webforum for club-related discussion in Vancouver.

[9] Art Show—The New Photographers
Oh great, another art show. They better have alcohol. Not so fast! The New Photographers show is not to be missed. It features past and present ION contributors Fiona Garden and Jody Rogac, as well as a few other rising talents like Cedric Bomford, Lila Bujold, Jeff Otto O’Brien and Jeff Petry. Be sure to make it on down to the opening on April 3 at 8pm at Gallery Atsui on 602 East Hastings (the show runs until April 29 in case you can’t make it). Not sold? Well fine then, there’ll be booze too.
www.galleryatsui.com