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Saying goodbye to Twin Peaks

The world bid farewell to the David Lynch series this week. But that doesn't mean conversations about its representation, failures and successes should end

Lisa Whittington-Hill@nerdygirly

When Laura Palmer’s dead body washed up, wrapped in plastic, on a riverbank in Twin Peaks, Washington, I was 18—a year older than Laura was when she died. I met Laura on Sunday, April 8, 1990, when I, along with 34.6 million other viewers, tuned in to watch “Northwest Passage,” the two-hour pilot episode of […] More »

Oh, The Horror: Scaretastic Halloween Edition

Hana Shafi

In this very special Halloween edition of Oh, The Horror, I’ve put together a list of horror films that are both frightening and socially progressive. With diverse casts, strong women in the lead, insightful social commentary, and some very eerie twists, these films will keep you screaming in your seats without inducing any angry rants […] More »

Gender Block: pop culture for good

Hillary Di Menna

On September 20, United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador and actress Emma Watson, addressed the UN (transcript here) at its New York headquarters about gender equality in association with HeForShe movement. The video went viral, some people got mad, others lauded the message, and then there were the ones who missed the point entirely, focusing on […] More »

On taking a pop culture time out

Lisa Whittington-Hill

A couple of weeks ago, I came home to my worst nightmare. I turned on my television and nothing happened. No picture, no noise, not even some static or a TV test pattern. I was overcome with fear. No Chuck Bass. No feeling better about my evening wine consumption via the drunks on Intervention. No […] More »
May-June 2011

This45: Natalie Samson on educator Tamara Dawit

Natalie SamsonWebsite

Tamara Dawit co-founded the 411 Initiative for Change, a non-profit public education program, to tackle the problem of community disengagement among young Canadians. Through 411 she produces and tours 90-minute school assemblies on social issues such as human rights, HIV/AIDS, and girls’ empowerment to encourage students to learn about and get active in their communities. […] More »
March-April 2010

In some corners of the web, pirates serve as curators of high culture

Navneet AlangWebsite

There’s more to online piracy than Beyoncé singles and porn In the summer of 1999, a terrifying rumour began circulating on the then-young internet, gluing millions to their screens: Napster, the illegal music service, was about to be shut down. It seemed like the party with an endless soundtrack was coming to an end. The […] More »
September-October 2009

How film festivals like TIFF can end up hurting indie movies

Jason AndersonWebsite

It’s a familiar ritual in movie palaces and multiplexes all over the country. You find yourself in a lineup for a film that you know nothing about, aside from its reputation as a remarkable new work by a hot young director from the Carpathians, or maybe Polynesia. For sustenance, you have foregone popcorn in favour […] More »
September-October 2009

High and low culture collide in a glorious mess on Tumblr.com

Navneet AlangWebsite

[Editor’s note: If you’re curious, This Magazine has its own Tumblr blog. Visit quote.this.org] I have never left a cinema with as big a grin on my face as when I watched the spectacularly awful Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Every complaint I had heard was spot-on—that the acting was abysmal, the plot incomprehensible, the […] More »
May-June 2004

Lords Of The New Church

Liisa Ladouceur

From the godfather of punk to the underground's fairy gothmother, meet the leaders of a lifestyle revolution, whose style and attitude long ago transcend the mainstream More »
September-October 2003

Unchain your melodies! Why we should stop worrying about ‘stolen’ music

Hal NiedzvieckiWebsite

Why indie artists should stop worrying about “stolen” music More »
September-October 2003

Writers of the World, Unclench

Darren Wershler-HenryWebsite

Digital technology is making it impossible to control the spread of intellectual property. So, how are artists supposed to make a living from their work? Give it away. More »