NOWHERE BOY
The movie has been overshadowed in some circles by the tabloid fodder fall-spring relationship between British director Sam Taylor-Wood and her young star, Aaron Johnson, but Nowhere Boy has also been heralded as a great film about the early days of John Lennon. And the soundtrack? Hey, doesn’t everyone love the Beatles? $10, students and seniors $7. Friday, Oct. 29, 9:10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 30, 6:50 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 31, 2:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Bytowne, 325 Rideau St., 613-789-FILM, www.bytowne.ca
EBA OPEN HOUSE: “INTIMATE WORLDS” (FREE!)
Gorgeous art; cool space. Check out what it’s like to be a real artist by taking in the Enriched Bread Artist’s annual studio tour. This visual arts collective, which is housed in an old three-story bread factory, injects life into Ottawa’s arts scene year-round. But this is the one time of year you get to get up close and personal with the city’s leading creators and their works in progress. More than 15 artists exhibit their work over two weekends. On view are works by the likes of Sarah Anderson, Danny Hussey, Gayle Kells, and Carl Stewart. Friday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 30, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday night bonus: In what is becoming a bit of an EBA Open Studio tradition, Danny Hussey will perform a subsonic set of original music with a few obscure cover tunes thrown in for good measure. That’s on Friday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. 951 Gladstone Ave., 613-729-7632, www.enrichedbreadartists.com
THE TURN OF THE SCREW
Historic Laurier House becomes the creepy setting for a theatrical retelling of one of the most eerie ghost stories ever created. In June of 1872, a young governess travels to a country estate to take care of two orphaned children. The girl does not speak; the boy has just been expelled from school. No sooner does she begin to care for the children than she sees the ghostly figures of a man and woman around the estate and inside the mansion. She suspects the children and the spirits are linked, but can she unravel the mystery before terror unravels her? $25, students and seniors $20. 8 p.m. Wed. – Sun., Oct. 27 – Nov. 7. Laurier House, 335 Laurier Ave. E. at Chapel. turnofthescrew.ca
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
Skulls made of wood, sugar, and bone, are used to symbolize death and rebirth in the Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead. For three days each year, Mexican civilians don calacas and dance to honour their deceased relatives. You can witness and take part in some of the rituals in this special program presented by the Ballet Folklorico Aztlan of Ottawa-Gatineau. In partnership with the Embassy of Mexico. $15 adults, $12 museum members and children. Saturday, Oct. 30, 8 p.m. Museum of Civilization, 100, rue Laurier, Gatineau, 819-776-7000, www.civilization.ca
HAUNTED WALKS
What better way to celebrate Halloween than by scaring yourself silly? Sign up for a tour that will take you through some of Ottawa’s creepiest locales. The Ottawa Jail Hostel? Check. The site of the last working gallows in Canada? Check. Haunted buildings? Check. Our pick for can’t-miss-tour is “A Haunted Night at the Museum of Nature” (offered this Thursday only). After dark, wind through the quiet halls of this historic building and see for yourself where ghostly encounters have taken place. If you dare…Halloween edition tours are offered nightly until Oct. 31. $10-$17.75, students $8-$16.75, children (six to 12) $8-$10.75, cost varies by tour. 613-232-0344, see website for schedule www.hauntedwalk.com
SEVENTEEN VOYCES
This chamber ensemble combines their musical talent with that of a silent screen legend. In this madcap affair, Buster Keaton’s 1927 silent film The General will be projected on a giant screen and accompanied by live choral music and organ virtuoso Matthew Larkin. It’s a modern re-imagining of the film, which is based on “The Great Locomotive Chase” of 1862 and casts Keaton as an engineer who’s trying to save his girl on a hijacked train. The film is ripe with Keaton’s signature physical comedy, making it a fun romp for film and music lovers alike. $25, students $15. Oct. 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m., St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 217 First Ave., 613-234-5482. www.seventeenvoyces.ca
OTTAWA FASHION WEEK
Ottawa designers will once again show off their new collections in this year’s Ottawa Fashion Week. Newcomers and established designers feature their work on the runway beneath the glass ceiling of the Great Hall in the National Gallery of Canada. Designers include Karen McClintock (Friday, 8 p.m.), award-winning Andrew Majtenyi (Saturday, 7 p.m.), and season two Project Runway runner-up Jessica Biffi (Sunday, 9 p.m.). Come gather among key industry buyers, boutique designers, and fashion enthusiasts for a weekend of glamour and art. $40 week pass, or $30 pass for all OFW events of a particular day. Oct. 29 to 31, starting at 5 p.m. daily. National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Dr., www.ottawafashionweek.ca