FeverDog420
10-05-2002, 06:09 AM
In honor of Masters JoBlo and Arrow, I'd like to take time to celebrate some movies produced by our neighbors to the north. While the following films may not be the best ever made, they all (for me at least) have that certain je ne sais quois that Canadian cinema is known for. If nothing else, these movies can stand as a national apology for giving us Tom Green.
Crash. There are several Cronenberg movies that are worth mentioning, but I'm limiting myself to one meditation on man's evolving relationship with technology; since Crash has few defenders on these boards, I'm once again praising its attributes. Sex is as unstoppable an urge as rubbernecking auto accidents on the highway, and Cronenberg does a masterfully artistic job in connecting these facets of human nature.
The Sweet Hereafter. Chronicling the aftermath of a fatal school bus accident and its effect on a rural community, Atom Egoyan's subdued drama is a beautiful bummer with impeccable acting and haunting score.
Ginger Snaps. While I don't think this movie is all that great, I feel the Horror Schmoes would crucify me if I omitted it. There's a terrific ninety-minute movie squeezed into its two-hour running time, but you gotta dig the whole puberty/werewolfism correlation going on here. Extra points for its awesome opening credits sequence.
Last Night. A revue of Canada's acting elite, Last Night thoughtfully ponders the actions of a group of Canucks during the final hours of Earth. Don't look for anarchy and lawlessness here; Last Night's intelligence shames the braindead noise of Armageddon, and the final image is pure poetry - both visually and emotionally.
The Reflecting Skin. Stark, weird and mesmerizing, The Reflecting Skin defies description. Is it a vampire flick? An allegory of lost innocence? A requiem for false, obsolete values of yesteryear? Whatever it is, its exploding frog scene is notorious.
The Hanging Garden. A boy (maybe) kills himself only to return years later to attend his sister's wedding, where the groom tries to resume the affair they had as teens. Or something like that. Trust me, I could go into detail that explains this odd story, but I wouldn't be able to convey the attention to characterization or the lush Nova Scotia landscape.
Cube. Yeah, Horror Schmoes rave about it. I like it too, but doesn't the constant screaming get on their nerves too? But Cube is proof that a low budget doesn't hinder creativity. [Extra credit goes to Maurice Dean Wint (Quentin), who also played the Sugar Daddy in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.]
Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy. Who doesn't dig the Kids? How can one dislike a movie with dialogue like, "The nipples of Mother Hype have run dry"? Bright, ironic, and rockin', it's queercentric humor that's fun for the whole family. Yeah, right.
Tales From the Gimli Hospital. Canada's version of Eraserhead, this low-budget, surreal mindbender is not for all, or most, tastes, but its black-and-white minimalism is worth a look for adventuresome filmlovers. I don't recall a bit of plot, but IMDb states: "While their mother is dying in the modern Gimli, Manitoba hospital, two young children are told an important tale by their Icelandic grandmother about Ainar the lonely, his friend Gunnar, and the angelic Snjofrieder in a Gimli of old." So, if you found Edward Scissorhands too difficult or boring to follow, maybe you should skip this one.
Bedroom Eyes. Who says Canadians don't produce sleaze? Like Body Double, Bedroom Eyes is about a Peeping Tom who witnesses a murder. I first saw this movie on the cusp of puberty, and I loved it. Looking back, I realize the acting isn't too good, but the blonde chick who gives the foot job in the restaurant is as sexy as ever.
No Skin Off My Ass. Part romance, part hardcore (gay) porn, NSOMA is no classic, but an interesting fusion of these two mainstays of moviemaking. A hairdresser invites home a lonely skinhead who later fucks his sister. This is a movie that won't be found at Blockbuster, but it's an example of Canada's homocore subgenre (see also the equally explicit Super 8 1/2 and Zero Patience).
Dog Park. No great shakes, but when do I ever let an opportunity pass to profess my love for Janeane Garofalo? Dog Park is a perfect date rental; it's got Luke Wilson, a couple of Kids in the Hall, a chick from 90210, and the babe from Species, in a warm, soothing plot with no surprises. You can turn it off at any time when more amorous activities come to mind.
Happy Birthday to Me. Reaching down, down, down to the barrel's bottom, this cheap slasher whodunit has Mary Ingalls freaking out in showers and recurring nightmares. HBtM promises "six of the most bizarre murders you will ever see," but "bizarre" is not, in this case, synonymous with "interesting." Still, you can fast-forward through the boring exposition to the "twist" ending, which, in retrospect, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
So, Canada, you're forgiven for Tom Green (and for, of course, that bitch Anne Murray too).
Crash. There are several Cronenberg movies that are worth mentioning, but I'm limiting myself to one meditation on man's evolving relationship with technology; since Crash has few defenders on these boards, I'm once again praising its attributes. Sex is as unstoppable an urge as rubbernecking auto accidents on the highway, and Cronenberg does a masterfully artistic job in connecting these facets of human nature.
The Sweet Hereafter. Chronicling the aftermath of a fatal school bus accident and its effect on a rural community, Atom Egoyan's subdued drama is a beautiful bummer with impeccable acting and haunting score.
Ginger Snaps. While I don't think this movie is all that great, I feel the Horror Schmoes would crucify me if I omitted it. There's a terrific ninety-minute movie squeezed into its two-hour running time, but you gotta dig the whole puberty/werewolfism correlation going on here. Extra points for its awesome opening credits sequence.
Last Night. A revue of Canada's acting elite, Last Night thoughtfully ponders the actions of a group of Canucks during the final hours of Earth. Don't look for anarchy and lawlessness here; Last Night's intelligence shames the braindead noise of Armageddon, and the final image is pure poetry - both visually and emotionally.
The Reflecting Skin. Stark, weird and mesmerizing, The Reflecting Skin defies description. Is it a vampire flick? An allegory of lost innocence? A requiem for false, obsolete values of yesteryear? Whatever it is, its exploding frog scene is notorious.
The Hanging Garden. A boy (maybe) kills himself only to return years later to attend his sister's wedding, where the groom tries to resume the affair they had as teens. Or something like that. Trust me, I could go into detail that explains this odd story, but I wouldn't be able to convey the attention to characterization or the lush Nova Scotia landscape.
Cube. Yeah, Horror Schmoes rave about it. I like it too, but doesn't the constant screaming get on their nerves too? But Cube is proof that a low budget doesn't hinder creativity. [Extra credit goes to Maurice Dean Wint (Quentin), who also played the Sugar Daddy in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.]
Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy. Who doesn't dig the Kids? How can one dislike a movie with dialogue like, "The nipples of Mother Hype have run dry"? Bright, ironic, and rockin', it's queercentric humor that's fun for the whole family. Yeah, right.
Tales From the Gimli Hospital. Canada's version of Eraserhead, this low-budget, surreal mindbender is not for all, or most, tastes, but its black-and-white minimalism is worth a look for adventuresome filmlovers. I don't recall a bit of plot, but IMDb states: "While their mother is dying in the modern Gimli, Manitoba hospital, two young children are told an important tale by their Icelandic grandmother about Ainar the lonely, his friend Gunnar, and the angelic Snjofrieder in a Gimli of old." So, if you found Edward Scissorhands too difficult or boring to follow, maybe you should skip this one.
Bedroom Eyes. Who says Canadians don't produce sleaze? Like Body Double, Bedroom Eyes is about a Peeping Tom who witnesses a murder. I first saw this movie on the cusp of puberty, and I loved it. Looking back, I realize the acting isn't too good, but the blonde chick who gives the foot job in the restaurant is as sexy as ever.
No Skin Off My Ass. Part romance, part hardcore (gay) porn, NSOMA is no classic, but an interesting fusion of these two mainstays of moviemaking. A hairdresser invites home a lonely skinhead who later fucks his sister. This is a movie that won't be found at Blockbuster, but it's an example of Canada's homocore subgenre (see also the equally explicit Super 8 1/2 and Zero Patience).
Dog Park. No great shakes, but when do I ever let an opportunity pass to profess my love for Janeane Garofalo? Dog Park is a perfect date rental; it's got Luke Wilson, a couple of Kids in the Hall, a chick from 90210, and the babe from Species, in a warm, soothing plot with no surprises. You can turn it off at any time when more amorous activities come to mind.
Happy Birthday to Me. Reaching down, down, down to the barrel's bottom, this cheap slasher whodunit has Mary Ingalls freaking out in showers and recurring nightmares. HBtM promises "six of the most bizarre murders you will ever see," but "bizarre" is not, in this case, synonymous with "interesting." Still, you can fast-forward through the boring exposition to the "twist" ending, which, in retrospect, doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
So, Canada, you're forgiven for Tom Green (and for, of course, that bitch Anne Murray too).