Results tagged “unionstation”

It's hard to deny that Robin Williams can be a funny fellow, and he even earned an Oscar for Good Will Hunting, which, of course, was shot here.

Though film shoots in our city have really taken off in the last fifteen or twenty years, they did make movies up here before we gained any kind of rep as “Hollywood North.” It’s fun to watch some of them old movies at least partially because they’re better, on average, than a lot of what’s made nowadays. On the other hand, they present more of a challenge for us here at Reel Toronto.

Here's a film that should have been good. But it wasn't. Killshot is based on a Elmore Leonard novel which, amazingly enough, starts off in Toronto at the Hotel Waverly. It was directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) and the cast includes Rosario Dawson, pre-Wrestler Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Johnny Knoxville was also in the film but his scenes were cut.

     

Toronto is getting the first of what are planned to be several new bicycle stations this morning, aimed at making cycling a more comfortable option for commuters. Nestled into the pedestrian underpass on York Street right by Union Station, the station provides secure, monitored storage for bicycles, as well as changing facilities, a repair stand, and a few other thoughtful amenities, like a vending machine that dispenses tubes and lights.

MUSIC: After the devastating cancellation of their show in 2003 (remember that SARS thing?), Billy Joel and Elton John will finally bring their Face 2 Face Tour to the Air Canada Centre tonight. The piano men, who last graced our city with their communal presence in 1995, will blow minds this evening with inevitable renditions of "Piano Man," "Philadelphia Freedom," and "Crocodile Rock." Mr. Joel and Mr. John will be playing a second date this Saturday, in case you can't make it out tonight. Air Canada Centre (200 Bay Street), 7:30 p.m., $70–$275.50.

So, here we are. Another average, big-time Hollywood film that treats our hometown like so much innocuous background. Damn you, Hollywood! Mr. Magorium isn't a terrible movie, but it sure is mediocre, especially given the front-of-camera talent here.

We got all fired up last week when we started working on Four Brothers and found Mark Wahlberg is the king of Toronto action films. We figured we'd try to dig up a couple more in celebration of what we've dubbed "Marky Mark Movie Month." It didn't take us long to find the New York–set, recently-released Max Payne was a natural choice for where to go next.

              

"This is why we'll never have the Olympics," remarked one of Torontoist's companions last night, as we spotted the large and impressively deep pools that had formed in the stairs leading down to Osgoode Station. We then heard an announcement over the public address system: a water main had burst and flooded Union Station, necessitating evacuation. So we headed down University to get a look.

Photo by sarnya from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

MUSIC: There comes a time in every band's career when they bid farewell to their fanbase and stop playing shows forever. Tonight, that band is Shitt Hottt, who are having their last hurrah at the Horseshoe Tavern. It's not just a goodbye show—they'll also be releasing their new (and final) EP, The Low Five. There will be a free giveaway of Shitt Hottt collectors items including t-shirts, CDs, and handjobs from band members. Did we mention they're not even the headliners? Yeah, this is actually a show for Mint Records band The Pack A.D., and The Speaking Tongues and The Schomberg Fair will also be playing sets. It's gonna be crazy! Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen Street West), 9 p.m., $8.

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city.

Raising awareness for Sunnybrook's Underwear Affair, a group of daring individuals dressed in underwear-based costumes—makeshift superheroes if you will—entered Union Station's Great Hall during rush hour, and froze in place for five minutes, as home-bound commuters rushed by, doing double-takes all the way.

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city.

New glass recycling program will save local municipalities millions of dollars. It turns out that you can turn used glass into other things than smaller bits of broken glass!

Torontoist is ending the year by naming our Heroes and Villains of 2007––the people, places, and things that we've either fallen head over heels in love with or developed uncontrollable rage towards over the past twelve months. Get your dose, starting Boxing Day and running into the new year, three times a day––sunrise, noon, and sunset.

London's transport museum, located smack dab in Covent Garden in central London, reopened last Thursday after a two-year, $44 million redesign. This weekend saw lineups (queues?) of two hours long, filled with people who weren't just your stereotypical transit aficionados––those nervous-looking sweaty men who curl up in bed reading train timetables from the summer of 1973––but rather families, young couples on dates, professional types, and tourists. If you can't make it to London, you...

Primate cloning a success. No, we don't have cloned monkeys yet, but we do have cloned monkey stem cells, which could in turn be used to generate human-compatible monkey organs. Man, it's fun just to type the word "monkey." Monkey.

Toronto has been called a city of neighbourhoods: The Beach, Yorkville, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, The Annex; all have their defining characteristics that make them appealing to locals as well as visitors. And when it comes down to it, most of these areas are well-defined by the intersection of two major streets. Photo by Metrix X from the Torontoist Flickr Pool. A short walk east of Union Station will take you to one of Toronto’s...

Each week, Torontoist shows off the most interesting, creative, and cool submissions to our Torontoist Flickr Pool. We're especially partial to photos that show our city in a new light, highlight a recent event, and remind us why we live here. Join the Flickr pool and show us what you've got.

Every weekday, we pick an image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve!

Last night at City Hall, Councillor Adam Vaughan conceded defeat in the fight to keep the John Street Roundhouse from becoming a big box retail outlet. He withdrew his motion [PDF] calling for a temporary freeze on the redevelopment of the Roundhouse into a Leon's outlet. The news derails a movement against the proposed furniture store that had been gathering steam recently.

Torontoist has seen its fair share of Google Maps mashups. For geography nerds like us, maps are always fun to play around with, but most of the mashups we've seen so far have not been particularly useful. That is, unless you're dying to know where they keep all the Timmy's or bust all the grow-ops.

According to an anonymous reader, the White Stripes are playing a free surprise show, right now (3:30 p.m.) at Yonge & Grosvenor. No need to get out yer wallets for tonight's show at the Amphitheatre after all...

Nine months into their existence, Porter Airlines chugs along, still under the radar of most. As the Toronto Star recently reported, the young airline is still struggling to find a steady stream of regular business customers. With traffic on the 401 at an all-time high, getting to Pearson during rush hours can potentially take as long as a flight to Montreal. On a weekend getaway, the give-or-take ten hours spent traveling to La Belle Province and back are costly. And with flights available for not much more than a regular fare round-trip on VIA to Montreal, it made sense to give Porter a shot.

27 Front Street East, 2 blocks East of Union StationHaving attended a number of these things, Torontoist humbly recommends that they're worth going to if, A) you want to learn more about the nature of our energy and environmental challenges, and/or B) you want to learn more about the possible solutions. If, on the other hand, you already have some ideas about what you could personally do to make a difference, you might want to invest your time in actually doing them instead of sitting in a dark room listening to people talk.

The Star's website is reporting that at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, the TTC will announce details of a plan to blanket the city in a network of sixty to eighty kilometres of Light Rapid Transit (or LRT, as it's affectionately called).

Torontoist was recently alerted by one of our readers, Val A., about a new advertising campaign that a good many Torontonians are going to get to see on a daily basis.

We're experimenting with a new daily photo posting. Each weekday morning, we'll pick a recent image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve!

For every subway car you have partied on, for every flag you have captured, for every bubble you have blown and for every pillow you have fought with, Newmindspace invites you to celebrate the year 2006 with a massive party in Union Station.

Jingle Bell Rock: A Holiday Ball
Friday, December 15th 2006
Union Station (upstairs)
Press play at 9:09 PM