The T.O. Do List: August 8 & 9, 2009

by: Toronto Notes

August 08, 2009 12:00 AM

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1. If Michael Bay were given a trunk full of hallucinatory drugs and a chance to direct Mission: Impossible 4, the result might look something like Dhoom 2 (2006), a sequel to the 2004 cops-and-robbers saga Dhoom and one of the most financially successful and riotously entertaining films to come out of India in recent years. Playing Aug. 9, 4pm at the Studio Theatre at Harbourfront (235 Queens Quay W.) as part of their World Routes program, Dhoom 2 is a Hollywood-modeled action thriller filtered through an amusingly outlandish Bollywood sensibility, daring to ask the immortal question: “What would a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie look if the snarling star suddenly engaged in a ferocious dance-off, singing a song about love in a pink, unbuttoned shirt?”

Said snarling star is Hrithik Roshan as “Mr. A,” an international super-thief with abs you can grate cheese on and a seemingly endless number of perfectly-coiffed hairstyles. Hot on his trail: no-nonsense agent Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan, son of Amitabh) and broad comedy-relief sidekick Ali (Uday Chopra). The pursuit takes the cops to Brazil, where Mr. A is plotting an ambitious jewel heist with his new partner Sunehri (Aishwarya Rai).

The film is two-and-a-half hours, and one terrific scene follows another. Using only a single jar of white cream, Mr. A successful disguises himself as a white statue and steals a diamond using a remote-controlled robot that goes unnoticed by apparently depth perception-challenged security. Mr. A in an old-man disguise falls into a sewer and rises five seconds later on a geyser of water in a completely different disguise. Jai Dixit drives emerges from a river on a motorcycle in completely dry clothes. Through it all, Roshan is constantly photographed with a slow motion, shampoo-commercial coolness that elevates him to Godlike dimensions. All that and dance numbers, too! As an introduction to the peculiar delights of Bollywood cinema, Dhoom 2 is a sure bet. It goes so far beyond “so-bad-it’s-good” that it lands squarely, gloriously back at awesome. (Will Sloan)

2. How did Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent become the patron saint of post-riot grrrl indie rock experimentalism? Answers can be found at her performance on Saturday at the Horseshoe Tavern, in support of her new album, Actor. With Gentleman Reg. 9pm. 370 Queen W. $13 from Ticketmaster, Rotate This, Soundscapes, Horseshoe; $15 door. For more, check Chris Bilton's cover-story interview with Clark from this week's EYE WEEKLY.

3. Like the dubstep genre itself, east London’s Sukh Knight (performing Saturday at Suba) is already a force to be reckoned with. The 19-year-old up-and-comer’s forthcoming EP, Cheese Loueez, includes his strongest music to date, with snappy hooks, choice South Asian samples and enormous bass. With DJs Spyne, Sidenote, Evidence. 292 College. $10 until 11:30pm, $15 after.

4. Some bands are so unique, they deserve their own genre. Let us officially christen the music of unkempt Brooklyn duo Woods “scraggle rock.” Extremely lo-fi with a melodic collage aesthetic, the band traverses the leafy pines of Neil Young and J Mascis to create unravelling freak folk, a sound best depicted in the triumphant singles “Rain On,” “The Hold” and “To Clean.” The band plays Sneaky Dee's (431 College) Saturday night (Aug. 8) with Wand. $10 from Horseshoe, Soundscapes, Rotate This, Ticketmaster.

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