It was another exciting weekend in the city of Cornwall, as CAPE, or the Cornwall and Area Pop Event, returned once more (like any good superhero franchise) – this time attracting more than 3,500 excited visitors for the Saturday and Sunday festivities on April 20th and 21st, 2024. People of all ages, many in glorious costume (ranging from Evel Knievel and Deadpool to fantastical personal creations), flooded the Benson Centre, primed to explore its many exciting booths. . . fans were excited to see similar items from previous years, including retro toys, Funko pops, original artwork, comic books and literature, while they were also lucky enough to find some new vendors offering up unique items that have not been seen at the event for many a year – including vintage movie posters (Rolled & Folded Movie Posters), old school video games (Video Game Mansion), and a cool array of goodies from Cornwall Stamp Co. - Rock & Roll Print Shop.
Here’s hoping that everyone has been enjoying the beginning of 2017. The end of last year was certainly a difficult one for us film fans, as we lost both Star Wars’ Carrie Fisher and her mother, icon Debbie Reynolds just one day apart. This followed the loss of so many other iconic actors, ranging from Alan Rickman (one of the best voices in the business) to Robert Vaughn (the last living member of The Magnificent Seven), and many, many more. Thankfully, we have their work to remind us of their amazing talents. Yet, it was not all doom and gloom – it was exciting to be able to witness two milestone birthdays, as two members of Hollywood royalty, Kirk Douglas and Olivia de Havilland, both turned one hundred this past year.
Last weekend, on Saturday the 3rd of September to be exact, the St. Lawrence International Film Festival held an upscale special screening/gala in the beautiful Performing Arts Centre at SUNY Potsdam in historic Potsdam, NY. Bringing an audience together from both the United States and Canada, the event was hosted by Ogdensburg native Mark Valley. The star television actor charted the course for the evening, mixing equal parts class and humour as he lightened the mood prior to the screening of the Tribeca Audience Award Winning horror suspense thriller Here Alone.
Nestled in the heart of the Adirondacks, the cleverly named Trekonderoga is a highly unique comic convention. Located in Ticonderoga, New York, the event not only boasts celebrities, vendors, reminiscences, discussions and a perfect reincarnation of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise (built using the original blueprints from the series – which is celebrating its 50th year), but also features the rich history and striking natural surroundings at the heart of the small locale. Misty mountains, lush green forests, a rapidly flowing miniature waterfall, the impressive structure that is Fort Ticonderoga, historic buildings and other forms of beautiful nature are all found in the location that straddles both Lake George and Lake Champlain.
For the second year running, Cornwall’s Benson Centre hosted CAPE, the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo. Fantasy Realm’s Randy Sauvé and fiancee Carol Grant (founders of the event), once again ran the show (congratulations to the couple who married in a truly unique ceremony that took place on Saturday evening at CAPE). After a more than successful first year (with more than 3500 people attending the one day event), hopes were high for year two.
I thought this would be a good time to highlight some of the things that have been added to the site over the last little while. For those of you who did not catch my ‘Vigilante Justice’ column, there is now a ‘dual’ style review where I can compare and contrast two movies. You will […]
On a cold and blistery winter’s night (Friday, February 12th, 2016 to be exact), where drivers were hit with snow squalls, white outs, icy roads and frigid temperatures, more than three hundred people made their way to the seventy-five year old historic Port Theatre in Cornwall, Ontario to attend the first movie premiere the city has ever held. Though some arrived late and others would not make it to the cinema (some having to turn around, while others had to be towed home), most arrived unscathed, gathering to mingle in the lobby as writer, director, producer, editor and actor Marcus Ovnell waited to graciously greet the attendees.