The shows you have to see
MONDAY
á Twisted Pair Watch this for: A disaster movie of a different sort. On election night, you needn’t content yourself with watching the results come in (or Murdoch Mysteries). If you have enjoyed entertainingly terrible movies such as Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, you need to acquaint yourself with the films of Las Vegas’ Neil Breen, whose selfcasting and humble talents evoke Wiseau. He certainly doesn’t have Wiseau’s money
— in his latest, Twisted
Pair, a Nevada college campus seems to stand in for all kinds of locations, and the acting is often delightfully shabby — but he does have sociopolitical axes to grind. (Royal Cinema, 608 College St., 8 p.m., advance tickets at universe.com)
—Garnet Fraser
WEDNESDAY
á Jah Wobble
Watch this for: The whole package — supple bass man, avant-punk original, bandleader, raconteur. Né John Wardle, he made a name with his inventive bass playing in the original Public Image Ltd. lineup, and after that, with and among a host of top-shelf musical minds all over the map. Among all these left turns from PiL’s rather po-faced post-punk into jazzier, more global neighbourhoods, one of the constants has been this Invaders of the Heart band he brings, a long-running touchstone of his that in concert pulls it all together to explore his extensive back pages — and he has plenty of those. Dubby and merry, he’s also a seasoned author/storyteller, so expect some laughs as well. (Horseshoe, 370 Queen St. W., doors 8 p.m.)
—Chris Young
á Japanese Problem
Watch this if: You need an engaging Canadian history lesson. Last year, the Vancouver indie theatre company Universal Limited premiered their site-specific production Japanese
Problem in a warehouse that in 1942 was used as a station that sent persecuted Japanese-Canadians to internment or work camps. That horrible moment in Canadian history is where Japanese
Problem gets its name, and the B.C. production was so well-reviewed that it has travelled to Toronto, its first stop on a national tour. Advance tickets are already sold out, but lucky theatregoers in the rush line will be able to catch this important show. (Young Centre for the Performing Arts, 50 Tank House Lane, 7 p.m., through Oct. 28)
—Caroline Maga
THURSDAY
á Alice Merton Watch this because: She’s a rising star we can claim, at least partly, as one of our own. She’s German-born, raised in Canada and England, with a voice for the world — if you showed up early for her warming of that Tash Sultana lakeside gig over the summer, maybe you’re already onto her. But if catch-up is required, know that with an upcoming debut LP and a hit single “No Roots” already having conquered the charts, she’s a rover seemingly ready for this first Toronto headline gig with her three-piece band along to provide grounding. Let’s call it a sort of homecoming, and a stomping fine time seems a good bet. (Opera House, 785 Queen St. E., doors 8:30 p.m.)
—CY
á Youth Unstoppable, at Planet in Focus
Watch this if: You want to meet a new generation of Earth defenders. Toronto’s annual festival of films about the perils facing the environment, Planet in Focus presents many grim topics for viewers to worry about, but there are stories and people who’ll inspire you, too. That’s the aim of Youth Unstoppable, a celebration of the many young ecowarriors and activists who are doing all they can to protect the Earth and tackle the climate-change crisis. This stirring doc by Toronto filmmaker Slater Jewell-Kemker launches the 19th edition of Planet in Focus, whose lineup of screenings, panels and other events continues to Oct. 28. (Royal Cinema, 6:30 p.m., planetinfocus.org)
—Jason Anderson
á The Assembly: Episode 1 Watch this if: Your biggest fear is talking politics. Now that it’s peak Halloween season, what could be scarier than … talking politics across the cultural divide? The Assembly: Episode 1 looks at what happens when Canadians of opposite political beliefs confront each other, inspired by the year that creators Annabel Soutar, Alex Ivanovici and Brett Watson spent interviewing Donald Trump supporters. Those attending Thursday’s performance will also enjoy a post-show panel on polarized political discussions with Canadaland’s Jesse Brown and Jonathan Goldsbie, and former Star reporter Michelle Shephard. (Streetcar Crowsnest, 345 Carlaw Ave., 8:30 p.m., through Nov. 3)
—CY
á Art of Time Ensemble: Best of Dance & Music
Watch this if: You want the best of two (or three) art forms combined. Art of Time Ensemble is kicking off its 2018-2019 season by bringing back a lineup of highlights from its 20-year history. Best of Dance & Music fuses some big names in contemporary dance with the kind of classical music that AoTE is known for: James Kudelka choreographs excerpts from Beethoven’s 15 Heterosexual Duets and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Peggy Baker works with John Cage’s In a Landscape and David Earle tackles Allegre’s Miserere. Director Ravi Jain handles the entire production and a performed piece of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a bonus. (Harbourfront Centre Theatre, 231 Queens Quay W, through Oct. 27)
—CY
FRIDAY
á Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Watch this if: You like your half-witch, half-human protagonists woke. This series created by Riverdale’s Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is darker than the comic books and 1990s sitcom it’s based on. Mad Men’s Kiernan Shipka is engaging as Sabrina Spellman, whose warlock father and human mother died in mysterious circumstances and who now lives with her witch aunts and cousin in their funeral home. Though she’s being pressured to give up her human life to swear allegiance to the devil, Sabrina takes her free will seriously along with the welfare of her non-supernatural friends. (Netflix)
—Debra Yeo
SATURDAY
á Terrified at KinoVortex Watch this if: You want to get ready for Halloween with a South American shocker. There’s no better time for scary movies than Halloween. And of all the scary movies on local screens this week, the scariest may be Terrified. In this acclaimed thriller by Argentina’s Demian Rugna, a neighbourhood is plagued by a series of paranormal occurrences. As investigators soon discover, the freakiness ranges from the mild, furnituremoving-by-itself variety to the kind that may necessitate the changing of underwear. Colin Geddes’ monthly cultflick series KinoVortex hosts the Toronto premiere a few nights before next week’s annual spook-fest. (TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. W. 9:30 p.m., www.tiff.net)
— JA
SUNDAY
á Howards End Watch this if: Your idea of TV heroines includes smart, charismatic Edwardians. As in the best period dramas, it’s the relationships that are key in this adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel, although the sets and costumes provide plenty of eye candy. Hayley Atwell is the standout as Margaret Schlegel, an intellectual, art-loving, independent Londoner who falls in love with an older man (Matthew Macfadyen) who doesn’t share her idealism or sense of social justice. Despite the turn-of-the-20th-century setting, watching Margaret and younger sister Helen (Philippa Coulthard) navigate the restraints of Edwardian society has modern resonance. (Super Channel Fuse at 9 p.m., on demand the day after broadcast)
—DY