Archive for the ‘Canadian Film’ Category

  • 17 Jun

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    Paul Gross’ Passchendaele Gets TIFF Premiere

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    Passchendaele Movie PosterI first saw a teaser for the upcoming war drama Passchendaele starring Canadian mostly funny-man Paul Gross at a First Weekend Club screening. I was immediately surprised. This didn’t look like Gross’ typical fare and the fact that he had also written and directed the project caught my attention.

    Gross plays Michael Dunne, a soldier injured in France who comes home to Calgary and falls in love with a nurse whose younger brother is fighting in Passchendaele, one of the major battles of WWI. Impassioned, he returns to France in search of the young man.

    Monika over at Cinematical posted some news this morning that Gross’ film will open 2008′s TIFF, right on the heels of last year’s WWII drama Fugitive Pieces (our review). Passchendaele doesn’t have an official release date yet but if last year’s film is any indication, those unfortunate enough to miss its TIFF premiere won’t get to see it until late spring in 2009.

    In the meantime, I share with you the first trailer for the film which looks much better than the teaser trailer suggested. I’m very excited to see what Gross has up his sleeve for us.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 11 Jun

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    Egoyan’s Next Project is Wondrous

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    Atom EgoyanOne of Canada’s most recognized directors is Atom Egoyan. Though response to his most recent film Adoration, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, was mixed, Egoyan walked away having received the Ecumenical Jury Prize, awarded for movies that celebrate spiritual values. Adoration tells the story of a teenage boy who re-creates his own identity on the Internet.

    That film has been picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics who will likely release it later this year but in the meantime, Egoyan is setting up his next project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the director is continuing his fascination with the internet by tackling the story of a woman who becomes obsessed with the relationship of a commercials director and her boyfriend. The online connection? The two women meet on the internet. I’m sure there will be much more intricacy in Egoyan’s story but this sounds like a good start.

    Interestingly, the film will follow the commercial director as she films commercials at the Seven Wonders of the World which suggests that Egoyan’s budget may be a fair bit higher this time around. Considering that this is being set up at Universal, I wouldn’t doubt the larger budget though there is talk that the film will still be made through the “independent” model. On the one hand, I hard time believing this but on the other, I doubt Egoyan would partake in a project he didn’t have complete control over so I’m hopeful his vision won’t be dampened by the studio.

    The news story also notes that Egoyan is considering directing other projects, projects he has not written. This, in and of itself, is interesting news when one considers that Egoyan has always worked from his own scrip.

    All and all, looks like the Canadian is keeping himself busy!

  • 11 Jun

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    Young People F*cking Pillow Talk Event [Toronto/Vancouver]

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    Young People FuckingYes, I’ve posted about this film before but there’s good reason for that. Not only is Young People Fucking very funny, it also happens to be the film that seems to have sparked (or at least added wood) the heated, on-going debate surrounding Bill C-10. The bill itself isn’t all that funny but I must admit to laughing a little at the over reaction by some Parliament members who were invited to a special screening of the film.

    The film opens nation wide on Friday, June 13th, and the First Weekend Club is taking full advantage of the opportunity to discuss the film, the status of the film industry, Bill C-10 and really, anything else that might come up. On Saturday, June 14th, screenings in Vancouver and Toronto will be followed by a “Pillow Talk” discussion.

    Both discussion panels are impressive including everyone from the film’s director, distributor and even stars which should make for lively conversation. For all details including the screening times and locations of the events, head over to the First Weekend Club’s website.

    In the meantime, be sure to check out the trailer under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 12 May

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    Review: The Stone Angel

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    The Stone Angel Onesheet

    Director: Kari Skogland
    Writer: Kari Skogland, Margaret Laurence (novel)
    Producers: Elizabeth Jarvis, Phyllis Laing, Kari Skogland
    Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Christine Horne, Cole Hauser, Ellen Page, Dylan Baker, Kevin Zegers
    MPAA Rating: 14A
    Running time: 115 min

    “A member of the holy trinity of Margaret’s.” That’s how I once heard Margaret Laurence referred to and for years, that’s how I remembered who she was but like me, if you continue with any post secondary education, you’re likely to bump into any one of Laurence’s novels and though my first brush was with “The Diviners”, “The Stone Angel” is considered one of her greatest novels – a feat in and of itself considering her long and prestigious career. It was only a matter of time before the story of feisty Hagar made it to the screen but I had expected more from a film adaptation of the novel and although Kari Skogland’s adaptation is nothing to scoff at, it’s lacking the energy captured by Laurence in her writing.

    The Stone Angel Movie StillSkogland spent years trying to make this film and had The Stone Angel been released a few years ago it would likely have been much more successful partly because it would not be compared to The Notebook. Though this story precedes Sparks’ novel by decades, the stories do share various similarities and considering The Stone Angel’s much smaller budget, it’s likely that some folks may see it as a rip-off of Cassavetes’ film. The truth is that even with its problems, Skogland’s film is much more mature than Cassavetes’, even if it does not share the same emotional punch in the gut.

    The film tells the parallel narratives of Hagar. On the one hand, she’s a 94-year-old woman struggling against her family who want to put her in a nursing home while on the other she’s a young woman fighting her father and his wishes for her to marry well. Hagar is a strong willed independent woman who’ll do what she pleases and she chooses to marry Bram, a local rancher – a man of little means and even less money. We see her struggle with her marriage and eventually leave only to return years later. As is to be expected, Hagar’s life is full of trauma and complications but what makes her character rich and vibrant are Laurance’s observations unfortunately, many of those, along with the intimacy of the various relationships and Hagar’s inner thoughts, are missing from the film narrative and though it makes for a faster paced film, it also results in a film that only hints at richness and complication of the characters.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 12 May

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    Review: Fugitive Pieces

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    Fugitive Pieces Onesheet

    Director: Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer: Jeremy Podeswa, Anne Michaels (novel)
    Producer: Robert Lantos
    Starring: Stephen Dillane, Rade Sherbedgia, Rosamund Pike, Ayelet Zurer, Rachelle Lefevre, Robbie Kay
    MPAA Rating: R
    Running time: 104 min

    Canadian novelist Anne Michaels has always been a force in Canadian literary circles but it was her first novel, 1997’s “Fugitive Pieces” that brought her international acclaim winning her a number of large prizes including the prestigious Orange Prize. Michaels’ work is likely to get yet another boost this year as her story of a man’s struggle with his demons is now a gorgeous film from another Canadian talent, writer/director Jeremy Podeswa.

    Fugitive Pieces Movie StillFugitive Pieces stars Stephen Dillane as Jakob, a man struggling to get through the days because he is haunted by survivor’s guilt. Though he is in constant search for his sister, Jakob is the apparent sole survivor of his family, all of who were killed by Germans in WWII. A young Jakob made a narrow escape and was soon discovered by a Greek Anthropologist named Athos, portrayed by the mostly bit-player Rade Serbedzija, who smuggles him into Greece. When the war ends, Athos relocates to Canada, taking Jakob with him and raising him as his son.

    The story is told, to great effect, in an intricate web of flashbacks and dream sequences. We see Jakob unhappily married and we quickly learn the story of his relationship which almost immediately fall apart as his wife, wonderfully played by the gorgeous Rosamund Pike, reads his diary and comes to know Jakob’s past and his true feelings towards her and their relationship. Pondeswa wastes no time setting up the grown up Jakob and as his adult life falls apart, we see the tragedy of his youth and the events that have shaped the man. Robbie Kay, a relative newcomer, steals the film as young Jakob – believably speaking three languages and capturing the pain, confusion and trauma of what he’s seen. The film works because we believe that what young Jakob has seen has somehow damaged his psyche and much of the film’s success is due to Kay’s fantastic performance.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 30 Apr

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    Review: Carts of Darkness

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    Carts Of Darkness Onesheet

    Director: Murray Siple
    Producer: Tracey Friesen
    MPAA Rating: PG
    Running time: 63 min

    Westcoasters may complain about the weather but ask anyone who has lived in Vancouver for any significant amount of time and they’re likely to agree that moving is out of the question. Sure there’s rain, high living costs, a mediocre transit system but to balance it off there’s the gorgeous mountains, access to world class skiing, kayaking, mountain climbing…all in the “back yard”. It’s no wonder so many folks on this side of the coast are obsessed with the outdoors.

    Director Murray Siple was one of those guys. He’d been on the edge, participating in extreme sports and making skateboarding and snowboarding videos until a car accident ten years ago left him unable to walk and removed him not only from partaking in the sports he loved but also from making films. And then he met Big Al.

    Carts Of Darkness Movie StillNorth Vancouver isn’t exactly slumming it. One of the pricier neighbourhoods in BC, the city is full of prized mansions and million dollar views but hidden amongst those riches is a group of roamers – individuals living on the streets, collecting bottles and participating in the most extreme of extreme sports: shopping cart riding.

    Carts of Darkness shares many similarities with extreme sports films: high octane action, loud pounding music, crashes and war stories but there’s a much more intimate story at play here. This isn’t just Siple sharing with us the tragic and sometimes funny stories of some of these ‘free birds’, it’s also a film about himself and his self discovery and re-birth and where some documentaries might fail miserably at incorporating the film maker, Siple’s story feels genuine and all of stories and emotions within the film the culminate into an equally sad, heartwarming and exciting film.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 28 Apr

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    Ellen Burstyn in The Stone Angel Trailer

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    The Stone Angel Movie StillIt was only a matter of time before Margaret Laurence’s best selling classic “The Stone Angel” made an appearance on the big screen and here it is, over 40 years later.

    Adapted and directed by Kari Skogland, The Stone Angel is the story of Hagar Shipley, a strong headed old woman who is fighting against being put in a nursing home, something she sees as a sign of death. The story is intercut with flashbacks to her youth where we see her falling in love with a hot-headed man, thereby separating herself from her family. Sound familiar? I hope Nicholas Sparks paid Laurence a hefty sum – he did, pretty much, take “The Notebook” from Laurence’s vastly superior work.

    The film stars a load of Canadian regulars including Ellen Burstyn as the aging Hagar, new comer Christine Horne as the young Hagar, Cole Hauser, up and comer Kevin Zegers, the fabulous Dylan Baker and new Canadian Icon Ellen Page.

    I’m quite excited to see what comes of this production. The trailer looks promising and with that cast of talented actors, I’m expecting a good film loaded with strong performances. We’ll have to wait to see if Skogland and crew deliver.

    The Stone Angel opens in Toronto and Vancouver on May 9th, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax on May 23rd and in the US on July 11th.

    Trailer is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 21 Apr

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    The Vampyre Chronicles: 1st Bite

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    1st Bite CaptionOh, how to resist writing a review on Hunt Hoe‘s unusual, often frustrating, but just as often satisfying cultural-cuisine-genre fusion without resorting to facile food metaphors or puns? Maybe I should indulge. 1st Bite (opening on one lonely screen in the Greater Toronto suburbs after a two year run on festival circuit) often does, throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the screen is a diaspora of mythologies, philosophies and visuals. If you are looking for consistency or restraint, this film is not it. However, there is a certain charm in its earnestness that hearkens back to the Hammer Studios or those Roger Corman-Edgar Allen Poe productions on display here that seeps around the Club Med slash Celestine Prophesy aesthetic.

    The movie opens with a master chef, Gustave serving up haute-cuisine in an upscale restaurant in Montreal. He is good enough, his Thai boss, Om, explains that he hired him, a white-french-Canadian as head chef of a highly reputable Thai restaurant. All the while a drop of the same bosses blood ends up in the food going out to the local crime boss. In the middle of a toast to the chef, the boss is carted off to the hospital to have his stomach pumped, and his somewhat goofy goons are hunting down Gustave for a bit of the ole acid reflux. Om, ever the sympathetic boss, gets the beleaguered Gustave (it is notable that David Le Haye spends the film looking like a seriously hung-over Tim Roth, and the state of his hair tells more about what is going on than his blank-slate expression) a plane ticket to Southern Thailand and the address of Zen-master of cooking who resides on a small island. There Gustave vacillates between the sex-tourists and the twenty-something-super-hot niece of the Zen master (who is absent) and here little brother.

    And herein lies the crux of the film. Either a strength or a weakness is how cliche both sides of the coin are represented. On one hand, the western tourists are represented in broad (but likely valid) strokes by a boorish Australian clod and a few hard bodied twenty somethings amongst the locals who are either fire-throwing beach dancers or prostitutes. On the other hand, the local dose of cultural exoticism is played by young Thai actress Napakpapha Nakprasitte (infamous for staring in Thailand’s own gore-masterpiece Art of the Devil 2). She provides a particular sinister and sexy performance under the most painfully cliche circumstances, reminiscent of another westerner-directed Thai supernatural horror film, Paul Spurrier‘s difficult to find 2005 film P.

    Meanwhile, the spoiled-but-sensitive western tourist (call him Neo, er, Gustave) who gets private access to her little beach cave home and is educated in the local lore, cuisine and philosophy while bedding her down, and ultimately heart-breaking her in the leaving. Of course, when she has lines like “We kill, we eat, what we love,” you have to question the sanity of Gustave sticking around her little cave paradise. It takes a poisoning (or is it simply too much of a good thing) which sends him via a hallucinatory train-ride into the arms of famous Indian character actor Dr. Mohan Agashe who runs some sort of religious/cult/wellness compound where the global village really digs on the ancient art of shadow puppetry. While detoxifying there, Gustave does indeed gets both barrels of indoctrination via a fish-eyed lensed litany of religious-philosophy that is equal parts James Redfield , The Mahabharata and Hell’s Ground. Finally back in Montreal, Gustave finds Om has flown the coop and so he falls in the restaurants current owners. A rich couple played by Gordon Pinsent‘s daughter Leah, and her sinister sugar daddy and always entertaining Michael Ironside (here a bit against type as a pragmatic intellectual). The picture at this point morphs into something between a lurid adultery melodrama and an episode of the Outer Limits (on binge eating of all subjects) where the Montreal is made to look both gothic and sexy. Through a baffling and late act plot contortion the picture wraps up in a mystical pastel-palletted divine intervention that cannot be adequately described here in its sheer oddity. 1st Bite, at the very least, does boast of the strangest collection of behind and in front of the camera talent which perhaps adds to the many shifts in tone.

    All that plot detail is telling in that the strength of 1st Bite is not the scripting or thematic depth, but rather a fun unpredictability in what genre or style it is going to leap to next. There were expectations a foodie-vampire flick going in that would display a lot of sumptuously prepared meals contrasted with some artful and erotic bloodletting and world-hopping thrown in for good measure. In the end, the film didn’t quite deliver expectations, and that is not a bad thing; like Peter O’Toole in Ratatouille, I want directors, even (especially?) Canadian-Malaysian ones, to “Surprise Me.” While never quite attaining the divinity tourist Lynchian mind-fuck achieved with Dune (or for that matter Mulholland Dr.) nor the subtle walking of the line in terms of exploiting cultural exoticism of say Kim Ki Duk. But compared to the blase straightforwardness of something like the Can-Asian ghost story They Wait, 1st Bite does succeed in a novel enough way. By comparison, it is Gore-met, even. Ugh, told you I couldn’t resist.

  • 10 Apr

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    Young People Fucking Trailer

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    Young People Fucking Movie StillHow’s that for an attention grabbing title?

    Martin Gero’s sex comedy made the film festival rounds late last year gaining a lot of audience love in both Toronto and Vancouver. I had a chance to catch up with the film before its official release as part of Canada’s Top Ten and yes, it’s pretty darn funny. Young People Fucking isn’t out to re-invent the wheel but Gero and fellow writer Aaron Abrams certainly seem to be experienced in the fine art of sex and love as is proof by the situations and dialog the various characters end up in.

    The film has been picked up for distribution and Maple Pictures is getting ready to release the comedy nationwide on June 13th but THINKFilm, who own the US rights, aren’t only lacking a release date, they don’t have a listing of the film anywhere on their site. I’m assuming the US release will come later this year.

    Thanks to the fabulous Twitch folks for the fun trailer which you can check out under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 06 Mar

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    Canadian Film At the MoMA

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    Canadian Film IconOne of the entries on my “bucket list” is to visit NY and take in all of the sights, particularly the MoMA, one of those mysterious places that I’ve heard about for years and never been to. Turns out, the New York art crowd is interested in more than just paintings, photographs and installations. They’re also fans of Canadian film.

    CBC is reporting that MoMA senior film curator Laurence Kardish has chosen eight films to be a part of the “2008 Canadian Front program” which kicks off on March 13 and runs through to March 20. This year’s films include Denys Arcand’s darkly comedic L’Âge des ténèbres (Days of Darkness), Bruce McDonald’s experimental The Tracey Fragments (which is also scheduled to open on May 9th) and Laurie Lynd’s comedy Breakfast With Scot which I hear is very funny. Poor Boy’s Game, Continental, un film sans fusil (Continental, A Film Without Guns), Contre toute espérance, Family Motel and Le Ring round up the lineup.

    I’m impressed by the lineup but surprised that Guy Maddin’s My Winnipeg isn’t listed – easily one of the artsier entries into the Canadian film stage but all in all, a very good group of films for the fifth annual festival. If you’re in the area, be sure to check out some of Canada’s noteworthy exports!

  • 04 Mar

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    Recapping the Genie Winners

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    The Genie AwardsThe Genies hit the airwaves yesterday with the great Sandra Oh presenting and though I missed the show, I didn’t miss the winners.

    This was the first time in years that the field of English language films was so darn strong but I must admit to being a little disappointed that Deny Arcand’s fantastic Days of Darkness didn’t get any love. However, Canadian sweetheart Sarah Polley’s directorial debut cleaned house picking up seven awards, David Cronenberg’s excellent Eastern Promises also picked up seven, mostly technical, awards while François Girard’s little loved Silk only picked up one award.

    All in all, a strong year for Canadian film. I can only hope that next year will be as successful!

    BEST MOTION PICTURE
    L’ÂGE DES TÉNÈBRES / DAYS OF DARKNESS – Denise Robert, Daniel Louis
    AWAY FROM HER – Daniel Iron, Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss – WINNER
    CONTINENTAL, UN FILM SANS FUSIL / CONTINENTAL, A FILM WITHOUT GUNS – Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
    EASTERN PROMISES – Robert Lantos, Paul Webster
    SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL – Laszlo Barna, Michael Donovan

    ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
    DENYS ARCAND – L’Âge des ténèbres / Days of Darkness
    SARAH POLLEY – Away From Her – WINNER
    DAVID CRONENBERG – Eastern Promises
    ROGER SPOTTISWOODE – Shake Hands With the Devil
    BRUCE MCDONALD – The Tracey Fragments

    PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
    ROY DUPUIS – Shake Hands With the Devil
    MARC LABRÈCHE – L’Âge des ténèbres / Days of Darkness
    CLAUDE LEGAULT – Les 3 P’tits Cochons / The 3 Little Pigs
    VIGGO MORTENSEN – Eastern Promises
    GORDON PINSENT – Away From Her – WINNER

    PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
    ANNE-MARIE CADIEUX – Toi / You
    JULIE CHRISTIE – Away From Her – WINNER
    ELLEN PAGE – The Tracey Fragments
    MOLLY PARKER – Who Loves the Sun
    BÉATRICE PICARD – Ma tante Aline / My Aunt Aline

    PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
    DANNY GLOVER – Poor Boy’s Game
    GUILLAUME LEMAY-THIVIERGE – Les 3 P’tits Cochons / The 3 Little Pigs
    ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL – Eastern Promises – WINNER
    MICHEL ANGE NZOJIBWAMI – Shake Hands With the Devil
    GILBERT SICOTTE – Continental, un film sans fusil / Continental, a Film Without Guns

    PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
    MARIE-GINETTE GUAY – Continental, un film sans fusil / Continental, a Film Without Guns
    VÉRONIQUE LE FLAGUAIS – Surviving My Mother / Comment survivre à sa mère
    LAURENCE LEBOEUF – Ma fille mon ange
    FANNY MALLETTE – Continental, un film sans fusil / Continental, a Film Without Guns
    KRISTEN THOMPSON – Away From Her – WINNER

    BEST DOCUMENTARY
    PANACHE / ANTLERS – André-Line Beauparlant, Danielle Leblanc
    RADIANT CITY – Gary Burns, Jim Brown, Bonnie Thompson, Shirley Vercruysse – WINNER
    SHARKWATER – Robert Stewart

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA
    APRÈS TOUT – Alexis Fortier Gauthier, Élaine Hébert – WINNER
    FAIRE CHALUIM MHIC LEÒID / THE WAKE OF CALUM MACLEOD – Marc Almon, Nona MacDermid
    REGARDING SARAH – Michelle Porter, Amy Belling
    SCREENING – Anthony Green, Philip Svoboda
    THE TRAGIC STORY OF NLING – Jeffrey St. Jules, Larissa Giroux

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT
    HERE AND THERE – Diane Obomsawin, Marc Bertrand
    JEU – Georges Schwizgebel, Michèle Bélanger, Marcel Jean
    MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI – Maciek Szczerbowski, Chris Lavis, Marcy Page – WINNER

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 19 Feb

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    Tracey Fragments Heads South

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    The Tracey Fragments Movie Still2007 wasn’t just a great year of Hollywood film, it was also a great year for Canadian film; Away from Her, My Winnipeg, Eastern Promises, but aside from Maddin’s film (which I expect to be a bit experimental in his own Maddin way), the most interesting film I saw last year, Canadian or otherwise, was Bruce McDonald’s fragmented experiment The Tracey Fragments.

    I never imagined that the film would get any sort of American release but looks like Ellen Page’s Oscar nod carries a lot of weight. ThinkFilm has decided that Page’s name is enough to get butts in seats and Variety has news that the distributor will put McDonald’s experiment into release starting in New York on May 9th, followed by a platform theatrical rollout. Exciting!

    The film stars Page as “15-year-old Tracey Berkowitz [who] is naked under a shower curtain at the back of a bus, looking for her little brother Sonny, who thinks he’s a dog”. That funny plot synopsis comes care of IMDb and aside from the interesting style, the film is accompanied by great performances and a fantastic score by Canadian indie sensation Broken Social Scene.

    Keep an eye out for The Tracey Fragments coming to a theater near you and to get yourself warmed up for the visual smörgåsbord, be sure to check out the trailer behind the cut.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

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