Documentary: ‘Born to Bowl’
Every sport has its own unique cast of characters — and that goes double for bowling. This Ben Stiller-produced docuseries (Crave, beginning March 16) follows several bowlers on the pro circuit, showcasing not only their quirks (one travels with his own fridge to avoid eating casino food; another picks out his Bob Ross-like ’fro midgame), but also their deep determination to triumph over their competitors. (The trailer includes the famous moment in which bowling champion Pete Weber screamed, “Who do you think you are?! I am!”) — Briony Smith
TV: ‘Rooster’
Of the two new academia-set rom coms currently streaming (Netflix’s “Vladimir” is the other), “Rooster” (Crave) emerges as the subtler and funnier. Steve Carell is charming as an airport-novel author navigating life with his adult daughter, whose philandering husband has just dropped a bombshell. He also connects with one of his kid’s colleagues, a professor who teaches a course on Bad Bunny (Danielle Deadwyler). Bright writing (by “Bad Monkey”’s Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses) and game supporting performances by the likes of John C. McGinley, highlight the first episode of a very promising series. — Doug Brod
Album: ‘Vermin’ by Kingdom of Birds
This jittery post-punk trio have been a staple of Toronto’s DIY music scene for years, and they’ve siphoned all the anarchic energy of their live shows into their latest eight-song LP. Singer-guitarist Asa Berezny hollers razor-sharp lyrics alongside Beatrice Richard’s volatile drumming and Annabel Barbon-McGuire’s effortlessly slick bass on standouts like “Quake” and “Cherry Picker.” It’s the type of music that makes you want to sprint to your closest and dingiest neighbourhood music hall. — Kristjan Lautens
Theatre: ‘What You Won’t Do for Love’
Four years ago at Toronto’s Luminato Festival, I witnessed something utterly beguiling and completely unexpected: environmentalist David Suzuki and his wife, Tara Cullis, on stage in an autobiographical play about their 50-year relationship. In Why Not Theatre’s production of “What You Won’t Do for Love,” the couple sat around a dining table, breaking bread and sharing stories about how they met and fell in love. The play — cocreated by Suzuki, Cullis, Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes — is deeply personal, intimate and vulnerable. But through these stories, they ask the audience a simple question: what if we cared for the environment with the same unyielding love that we have for those closest to us? What would our world look like then? Four years after that world premiere, the show is back in Toronto on March 20 and 21 for two performances only at the Harbourfront Centre. Don’t miss it. And pack tissues. — Joshua Chong
