Diversions pages 15 to

Horoscopes for the week of Dec. 7

Zodiac tips for surviving life at the U of M

Damien Davis, staff

ARIES

Your tarot card for the week is the Queen of Cups. Have you ever found yourself staring too hard at the flames in the fireplace? December will have you asking where your passion went, and the Queen of Cups reminds you to think with your heart rather than your mind. The skeleton of your body is made of forest fires, and the embers of your heart can keep you warm in the blizzards to come.

TAURUS

Your tarot card for the week is Justice. The moon phase tonight is waxing gibbous in Taurus, more than 50 per cent full but not yet at 100 per cent. Be warned, you are not immune to the consequences of your actions. At night you dream of open fields and a wind so strong it takes you to the highest peak of your existence.

The Justice card asks you to consider while under the moonlight: does avoiding accountability have value, or could you flourish more in being honest?

GEMINI

Your tarot card for the week is the Ace of Wands. Have you been hearing voices again? You’ve been trying to decode whispers of creativity and wondrous inspiration in your academic and personal projects, but have yet to be fluent in the language. The Ace of Wands wants you to know that this is the sign to start what you’ve been waiting to start. Do not be nervous to look in the mirror, it’s not a stranger. CANCER

Your tarot card for the week is the Five of Pentacles. Loneliness can come even when surrounded by those who love you. You have not been abandoned. As a cancer, you’re no stranger to giving without receiving. The Five of Pentacles acknowledges that this isn’t fair, but pay no mind. Splash water onto your face and remember where you come from. Meditate to the sound of running water. You will find your way home. Treat yourself tenderly during the winter break. You come first.

LEO

Your tarot card for the week is the Two of Cups. Grinding your teeth and holding your tongue will finally produce fruit this December. Have you been dreaming of someone to share in your success? The texture of blue velvet and taste of pomegranate remaining in your senses long after you’ve woken up? When in the intimate spaces of the Art Barn, share glances with strangers and you may find who you’re looking for.

VIRGO

Your tarot card for the week is the Magician. All the practice and progress that has gone into your talents has been successful, but are you starting to gloat? The Magician is a card that symbolizes mysticism, willpower and desire. However, it can also call out deception and trickery. Sometimes we do things with good intent and still hurt others. Be sure to respond to your messages and letters, unless you want others to feel you’re too good for them. The bark of birch trees resembles eyes, but who’s watching who? LIBRA

Your tarot card for the week is the Knight of Swords. When lightning strikes, it sets alight the tip of the sword you’ve pierced into yourself. Self-sacrifice can be tempting, and even easy, but does martyrdom suit you? The knights of old did more than die in battle, and so should you. The Knight of Swords encourages you to do what you always do: maintain the balance. Don’t confuse perfectionism with careful planning. Don’t be frightened of the empty hallways full of empty lockers at the bottom of St. Paul‘s college.

SCORPIO

Your tarot card for the week is the Ten of Pentacles. It asks you: what did you inherit from your family? We do not all come from hopeful beginnings, but we can all choose to arrive at hopeful endings. It’s not silly to put so much stock in roots that you’ve worked so hard to plant and grow. You’re sowing seeds for future generations, and you belong to a tree far bigger than you know. Take a walk through the bottom floor of Helen Glass. Consider joining a club and making another root.

SAGITTARIUS

Your tarot card for the week is the Wheel of Fortune. We all exist within a cycle and this card reminds you of that. One tragedy can create another opportunity. Are you nervous about the changing seasons of your life? Of adjustments? Of shedding the feathers that have taken you this far? Don’t be, you’ll find yourself worse for wear resisting the winds. Cut the rope and trust that you’ve prepared enough to land exactly where you’re meant to. These old appetites no longer serve you. CAPRICORN

Your tarot card for the week is the Five of Swords. Put down your fists and think carefully on the difference between revenge and vengeance. Even the most docile of creatures can leave senseless violence in their wake, but is that what is needed of you right now? Five of Swords acknowledges that you have been wronged by someone, be it a professor or a friend, but it reminds you that as an earth sign, you’re resilient, but not immune to the poison that comes naturally to others.

AQUARIUS

Your tarot card for the week is the Fool. Have you been taking yourself seriously this week? Consider doing so for the winter break. What happened to your unwavering confidence as a water bearer? As a visionary? The Fool is often underestimated when they are in fact always in control. They create chains of events that lead kingdoms to ruins. The Fool assures you that things like freedom, innocence and adventure should not be taken lightly.

PISCES

Your tarot card is the King of Wands. You are at risk of transitioning from a leader to a tyrant. It’s perfectly fine to know your worth, but remember that nobody gets to where they truly are by themselves. Remember your origins, and be kind to the people who have always been in your corner. With all this done you can see the big picture more clearly, and others will gravitate back to your boldness and optimism. Heavy is the crown, but also heavy is the heart.

’Toban Tips

How to help a friend in a toxic relationship

Dear Toby,

I have a friend stuck in a toxic relationship. I want to help her see what’s wrong with it, but I don’t want to lose the friendship. What should I do?

Please help,

Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned Friend,

It is hard to see that your relationship is toxic when you’re in it. All you can do for your friend is express your concerns in a compassionate, non-judgmental way and hope that she gets the message. Above all, be there for her. Support her decisions, but don’t be afraid to tell her the truth when she asks for it. If it is time to intervene, do it calmly. Let her know that you are confronting her for her own sake. You could tell her stories about situations that reflect the toxicity in her relationship. That might give her an idea of what’s happening from an outside perspective.

However, after you’ve said your piece you should leave the situation alone, since continued confrontation about the relationship could go poorly and might drive your friend away. If and when she is ready to leave, she will need a caring friend like you for support, so just be patient with her as she goes through this.

We here at the ’Toban support healthy relationships and wish the best for you and your friend.

Best of luck,

Toby the Bison

To ask ’Toban Tips a question, email comment@ themanitoban.com.

The ’Toban staff’s holiday favourites

All the comforting watches and eats you need to get you through the holidays

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Yes, Stanley Kubrick’s uncanny, erotic psychodrama Eyes Wide Shut is indeed a Christmas movie. The obviously fake New York City streets are lined with fairy lights, and the film ends with a beautiful moment of familial reunification in a department store decked out in seasonal decorations.

At first glance, the film contains none of the jolly warmth that you might want out of a holiday film, but as I get older, the haze of psychosexual confusion and strange dream logic that Eyes Wide Shut operates under is maybe the predominant feeling of the season.

Going Christmas shopping in a mall is about as psychologically horrifying to me as going through whatever Tom Cruise feels in this movie.

So, pick a fight with your wife and get yourself mixed up in something you shouldn’t even know about this holiday season. Put on Eyes Wide Shut with your family, you won’t regret it.

— Alex Braun, arts and culture editor Buddy’s breakfast from Elf (2003)

Buddy the Elf, from the classic holiday film Elf, is a character beloved by many holiday film fanatics. Not to sugar coat anything, but Buddy has some eccentric ideas of what humans need to sustain themselves. Buddy explains that the four main food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup. One of the most iconic scenes in the film is when Buddy is seen eating an exceedingly sweet breakfast.

To create this iconic dish, you will need one serving of spaghetti, marshmallows, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, M&M’s, sprinkles and a fudge flavored Pop-Tart — for crunch, of course.

Once all the ingredients have been acquired, boil the pasta for about 9 to 10 minutes, then plate it.

The next step is to spread the M&M’s, sprinkles and marshmallows on top of the pasta. After this is done, drizzle both the chocolate and maple syrup on top.

Toast a chocolate Pop-Tart for some added crunch, and voila!

Once consumed, Santa may not be the only mythical figure visiting this holiday season. Look out for a dollar under your pillow when you lose your teeth to cavities. Happy sugar rush!

— Ashley Puchniak, news reporter Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

The ’60s stop motion musical television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is an event of its own.

Rudolph is a reindeer with a bulbous red nose that lights up. The other reindeer bully him until the North Pole is faced with its first-ever instance of weather conditions so severe they threaten to cancel Christmas.

Rudolph goes from outcast to the saviour of Christmas in a blink when Santa realizes Rudolph works well as a headlight, and the film ends with a song from a narrator-snowman voiced by — and made to look like — Burl Ives.

My mom has told me every year of my life that the abominable snow monster freaked her out when she was a kid. I just appreciate that the effects are practical. The weird, janky movement and characters’ limited facial expressions remind me that humans made the film.

Holiday media should reflect the holidays as they are: gatherings of herky-jerky weirdos. I look at Rudolph’s nose and I can only think about how a bioluminescent snout would absolutely sleigh.

— Jessie Krahn, arts and culture reporter “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean” (1992)

While in Manitoban years past I have spent most of my time dunking on the 1964 stop motion Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer movie, I feel like this year calls for something entirely positive.

This might sound too millennial of me, but growing up with a dial television meant very little choice in holiday programming. While I will always be nostalgic for Beave and Buckley’s Santa Tracker, for me nothing says it’s the holidays more than when the CBC plays “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean.”

The show is simply episode seven of the ITV Mr. Bean series that aired in the ’90s. It has since become a heartwarming — and hilarious — classic that has transcended the original series. Mr. Bean interrupting the Harrods department store figurine nativity scene with a toy T-Rex, as well as the infamous scene where Mr. Bean loses his watch inside the turkey and then pretends the turkey isn’t stuck on his head, will always be funny.

However, what always brings me back to the show is the scene on Christmas morning, where Mr. Bean’s teddy bear Teddy receives button eyes for Christmas and Mr. Bean receives a pair of new socks. It’s a moment so simple — and, honestly, so stupid — yet it warms my heart every time and reminds me the holiday season is about spending time with the people you cherish the most.

— Grace Anne Paizen, managing editor A Madea Christmas (2013)

Despite having been released in 2013, A Madea Christmas rests fresh upon my young mind, just as every Madea film does.

Our story follows the titular Madea as she heads into the quaint countryside with her great-niece Eileen to visit her great-niece’s daughter, just as the Christmas season begins. However, trouble arrives when it turns out that Eileen’s daughter is romantically involved with a man Eileen would not approve of.

Unfortunately, that is as much as I can say without spoiling this movie. The movie’s major saving grace is the bizarre acting and low-brow comedy of Tyler Perry as Madea. The rest of the cast, save for Larry the Cable Guy, plays the premise very straight to a boring degree.

A majority of the movie is actually a very ham-fisted racial commentary that simultaneously lectures the audience on acceptance while also being filled to the brim with insulting stereotypes.

Like all Madea movies, it is either a hate-watch or a guilty pleasure. Objectively, it is a boring movie, but the little shimmers of Tyler Perry’s off-colour humour and the bizarre interactions in the film keep you in your seat.

— Braden Bristow, columnist

Gimme Some Truth documentary festival returns

Docs on a wide variety of topics screening Dec. 7 to 11

Damien Davis, staff

Returning for its 13th run, the Cinematheque plays host to the 2022 Gimme Some Truth documentary film festival held from Dec. 7 to 11.

Opening night will feature the newly annual documentary challenge Gimme 10 in 30!

A challenge with a cash prize of $500 for the audience favourite, Gimme 10 in 30! tasks 10 contestants with creating and completing a documentary film in 30 days, without any restrictions other than that the film cannot be over seven minutes long. As long as the films are documentaries, they can be anything from narrative to experimental in nature.

The contest encourages film makers to work outside of their comfort zones.

Olivia Norquay, programming co-ordinator at the Cinematheque, explained that the challenge highlights the Winnipeg Film Group’s core goals.

“This is what the film group is all about,” she said. “Encouraging filmmakers in general, and giving people access to equipment and cameras, and paying screening fees.”

The festival itself aims to provide an experience that mixes lectures and workshops with special events, as well as feature film screenings and short programs.

The opening night of the event will also include a reception at the PLATFORM Gallery with local filmmaker Kevin Nikkel. Nikkel will also be hosting a curated screening Dec. 10 called Not Forgotten Docs: Winnipeg Documentaries from the 1970s.

After the opening reception, a 9 p.m. screening of Ever Deadly is scheduled. This documentary directed by Chelsea McMullan and Tanya Tagaq combines concert footage with sequences filmed in Nunavut, bringing viewers through stories and songs with award-winning musician Tagaq at the lead.

The festival will also see several filmmakers in attendance, including Alexandre O. Philippe, who will be delivering a workshop titled “Scripting the Unscripted” followed by a screening of his two newest films The Taking and Lynch/Oz.

Director Rob Freeman will also be in attendance, virtually joining the screening of his new film Drop the Needle, a film about the Toronto record store Play De Record.

Queer film historian and programmer Elizabeth Purchell will be introducing her film Ask Any Buddy, described as a “snapshot of urban gay life,” as well as the film Sex Demon.

Chase Joynt will be present virtually for the screening of his new documentary, aimed at dissecting the media’s ongoing fascination with trans people, Framing Agnes.

All told, the Cinematheque has put together several diverse, new, local and Canadian short narrative and experimental documentaries for the festival.

13TH ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL DEC 7 —11, 2022

NEW WORLD DOCUMENTARIES PREMIERES OF LOCAL DOCS GIMME 10 IN 30! FILMMAKING CHALLENGE

SPECIAL GUESTS: ALEXANDRE O. PHILIPPE ELIZABETH PURCHELL (VIRTUAL) CHASE JOYNT (VIRTUAL) ROB FREEMAN (VIRTUAL)

DAVE BARBER CINEMATHEQUE 100 ARTHUR STREET @WFGCINEMATHEQUE / WINNIPEGCINEMATHEQUE.COM

VIEW THE FULL PROGRAM AND GET YOUR

TICKETS AT:

GIMME SOME TRUTH .CA

photo / Winnipeg Film Group / provided

More information on the Gimme Some Truth documentary film festival can be found at winnipegfilmgroup.com.

arts@themanitoban.com

’Toban about town

Double D’s Cheesecake & Coffee House

Jessie Krahn, staff

I like to tell myself I am too metropolitan in spirit to enjoy frequenting the same places and meeting the same familiar faces. But part of the appeal of living in Winnipeg is that you can rely on this city to always feel the same and change only for the stranger.

Just a stone’s throw away from St. Vital Centre, Double D’s Cheesecake & Coffee House is a south Winnipeg staple.

The café’s coffee menu is reliable, with just enough variety that it does not get overwhelming. Holiday standbys make their mandatory seasonal appearances, and everything is generally good quality.

However, the cheesecake at Double D’s is what gives the place its reputation.

Offering both party-sized cheesecakes and mini, pucklike cheesecakes, Double D’s has one of the most idiosyncratic recipes I have encountered. Its cheesecake is no-bake, a process which mystically manifests airy — borderline foamy — sweetness.

I have a fiendish craving for chocolate most days, but rich and thick chocolate cheesecakes almost always hurtle me into nap-mode. Double D’s Rolo minis, as well as its mint-chocolate chip minis, are my light and breezy go-tos. They satisfy cravings without the sleep-inducing side-effects of heavier cheesecakes.

I am told by my dairy-despising friends that there is not the overpowering cheesy aftertaste to the minis that heavier cheesecake recipes have, either. The flavours are subtle, and there is a wide range to sample.

There are some eternal disadvantages to the Double D’s no-bake recipe, however. In particular, if you bring any of its cheesecake home with you, you absolutely must keep it in the freezer. Unfortunately, if you do, the stuff becomes so hard that it is inedible.

There also isn’t anything to bind the base together in place of heat fusion, which means that if you take a risk and stab your frozen cheese-

photo / Faith Peters / staff

cake during a dessert frenzy you will fire crumbly sugar shrapnel in all directions.

This is why Double D’s cheesecake works best for me in the café itself, as it is served in that optimal frothy-solid pre-liquid window. A fine compromise, since the café is cozy and welcoming.

After recently undergoing a change in ownership, the café has seen a few quirky changes. Cheesecakes are served on cutesy miniature cutting boards with little forks. The most notable of any aesthetic changes is the café’s newest tenant Cheeko, a giant stuffed bear who now occupies one of the corner barstools.

I have been stopping in at Double D’s regularly for the past year to write and fuel up on lattes and minis because — aside from walk-in customers — I can always count on the place to be a warm and familiar spot. The owners are friendly and never complain when they see me, no matter how erratic and wind-swept a state grad school has left me in.

We will cycle through another round of holiday-themed syrups and tired Frank Sinatra covers, and all the while Cheeko sits, watchful over Double D’s, the familiar but strange fuzzy sentinel in a Winnipeg staple.

Double D’s Cheesecake & Coffee House is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

arts@themanitoban.com