A LITTLE BIT ZOMBIE - Review By Greg Klymkiw - A terrific script is almost undone by wildly erratic direction that veers from overwrought comic styling to TV-styled camera jockeying.

A Little Bit Zombie (2012) dir. Casey Walker
Starring: Kristopher Turner, Crystal Lowe, Shawn Roberts, Kristen Hager, Emilie Ullerup and Stephen McHattie, George Buza, Robert Maillet

**1/2

By Greg Klymkiw

Mixing horror with comedy is a noble enough tradition. An American Werewolf in London, Shaun of the Dead and Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn have become modern classics of this winning hybrid, but what makes them great is that the emphasis is always on horror and the comedy elements stem naturally from the drama. Even Sam Raimi's sequel/remake to his decidedly serious The Evil Dead manages to adhere to this with several clever Looney Tunes homages doubling as whacko POVs whilst Bruce Campbell's Ash is increasingly infused with terror and paranoia.

A Little Bit Zombie breaks this rule, but not too successfully. It's first and foremost a comedy, but as such, seems to just miss the boat on the laughs. I think the problem is that for much of the film, director Casey Walker tries too hard to make it funny. A lot of the performances and comic set-pieces are played broadly to the point of annoyance and seem just plain juvenile. That said, I watched it with my 11-year-old daughter and she laughed all the way through it. Best of all, for her, she was never scared and enjoyed all the jokey violence.

She is, however, 11-years-old.

I ultimately think the movie would have genuinely been so much funnier and possibly even deliciously creepy if Walker had pitched things much straighter. There's frankly an overabundance of "Hey Ma, look at me, I'm funny" mugging amongst a few of the actors.

The movie, however, is paced like shit through a goose and the screenplay is full of so many clever ideas that it still manages to be entertaining enough for a die-hard horror and dark comedy fan like myself. I just wish I didn't have to groan all through the picture - lamenting how one great idea after another kept hitting the floor like lead balloons due to the overwrought pitch of the direction.

It's a great story, though.

Two couples drive to a remote cabin in cottage country to plan the upcoming nuptials of Steve (Kristopher Turner) and Tina (Crystal Lowe). Steve's sister Sarah (Kristin Hager) is a smart, unpretentious lassie and detests her soon-to-be-sister-in-law's prissy consumerist girlie-girl nattering and attitudes. Craig (Shawn Roberts) is both Steve's best friend and Sarah's husband. He's an amiable, dimwitted beefcake with a heart of gold.

When Steve is bitten by an especially aggressive mosquito, his body temperature starts to plummet and no matter what he eats, he immediately barfs it up. Once he starts getting an overwhelming craving for brains, we know trouble is just around the corner.

And yes, just around the corner in the same cottage country region, the grizzled, trigger-happy Max (Stephen McHattie) and the young, brilliant, babe-o-licious scientist Penelope (Emile Ullerup) are deep in the woods, tracking down zombies via some mysterious orb that detects the undead. Max just wants to splatter zombie brain with his shotgun. Penelope is searching for a cure to the zombie disease.

We follow the adventures of both parties until the inevitable showdown.

What's especially cool about the script by Trevor Martin and Christopher Bond is the unique take on Steve's turn to zombie-dom. Steve is still Steve. He just wants to eat brains. That's all. Oh, and he has no pulse. Some of the funniest ideas involve the trio of non-zombies trying to find ways of dealing with Steve's affliction. Even potentially funnier is how the prissy Tina is adamant that the wedding will go as planned.

I say "potentially" because everything that should elicit laughs pretty much doesn't. One is constantly amused with all the cleverly funny ideas, but most of the gags miss their mark.

McHattie is suitably over-the-top, overplaying within the context of the character he's rendering. Max is supposed to be bigger-than-life. Many of the other characters shouldn't be. I just wish someone had told this to Crystal Lowe, for example, who amongst the two beleaguered couples is so broad, that her shrill, nasty harping out-harridans even the most vile harridans we've come to know and love in the movies (notably many of the villainous harpies in the Whatever Happened to Baby Jane-styled thrillers of the early-to-mid-60s).

Even the likeable presence of Kristopher Turner as Steve gets sucked into the realm of the overwrought. When he underplays, he's terrific, but when he pushes the envelope, someone needed to keep him reined in. Shawn Roberts's bigger qualities suit his character and he's genuinely funny. Finally, it is up to Kristen Hagerman and Emile Ullerup to maintain the best balance and deliver consistently enjoyable performances by playing the crazy material straight and subsequently eliciting considerable laughs.

While there are numerous exigencies of production that can contribute to elements being less than perfect, there are so many elements that are right with the picture that I made a point of seeing it twice to pinpoint why it is that it falls short.

It has a clever script (that could have easily been interpreted closer in tone to the aforementioned classic horror pictures with comic elements), there are some genuinely on-the-money performances (and even those that fall short are not without some sporadic merit), the production value is genuinely high and we seldom see the seams of the picture's obvious low budget, the effects are skillfully and imaginatively cheesy in all the right ways, the film is well photographed and finally, the superb editing by Michael Mason addresses the elements of both pace and narrative thrust with occasional cuts of considerable aplomb.

At the end of the day, much of the success or lack thereof, finally must be attributed to the direction. Even on a first viewing, one of the things that bothered me was how so many of the dialogue scenes were shot with endless one-ers and most annoyingly the constant reliance on dirty-over shots. I longed for good master shots and solid two-shots.

There's an early scene where the couples are driving at night in their car. Much of the dialogue is between Steve and Tina in the front seat while Craig and Sarah sleep in the back. Given that this is a long dialogue scene, and especially given that much, if not all of it is rendered in the old reliable poor man's process to makes it seem like the car is actually moving, I simply had no idea why much of the conversation was not composed with a nice two shot of the couple so that their dialogue could play out in a series of longer takes and only when necessary would there be a punch-in on a oner, closeup or dirty-over.

Instead, we seemed to be cutting on virtually every line of dialogue and no nice master two-shot carrying the bulk of the scene. On a first viewing, I chose to be charitable and think that maybe the masters existed, but that the performances could not sustain that approach and it was up to the editor to save the scene and performances by using the remaining camera-jockeyed coverage.

But then, there occurred a lengthy dialogue scene on the shore of the lake and the entire conversation seemed comprised of an identical approach when clearly a much more interesting and effective way to shoot it would have been a complete reverse angle to allow for longer takes in two-shot and only occasional dirty overs, but from the front, which still could have include the lake and surrounding wilderness.

To keep the camera always behind the actors might have worked if there had been a simple wide master, followed by a few dirty overs from behind and then gradually working into the reverse angle so we could actually see the actors dead-on and let good chunks of the scene play in much longer takes.

This kind of dull, though vaguely competent TV-like approach to covering the dialogue, coupled with so much of the great script being pitched far too high suggested that direction was indeed the one primary aspect of what kept A Little Bit Zombie from being more than mildly engaging.

All this said, when I do the math on the picture, it still managed to provide enough entertainment value - even for jaded genre geeks.

So, without further delay, let's do the math:

A Zombie mosquito.

First-rate zombie head explosions and general zombie carnage.

Stephen (God) McHattie.

Some farting.

More vomiting and regurgitation than I've ever seen in one movie.

3 Babes (1 ultra babe, 1 mega babe, 1 nasty babe).

1 manly, good-humoured hunk.

1 fey, sensitive lad for those so inclined.

Good natured, though mild homophobic homo humour.

Biting into a bunny rabbit's head.

Bunny rabbit brain eating.

White Trash Butcher who is a brain gourmand (courtesy of George Buza).

"Clinking" squirrel brains together as "bottoms up" toast.

WWF wrestling maestro Robert Maillet.

A slam-bang CAT-FIGHT twixt Ultra Babe and Nasty Babe.

Ultra Babe and Nasty Babe dolling up like hookers to seduce Robert Maillet.

Slurping brains out of someone's head with a straw.

A final 10 minutes that's so good, it makes up for all the movie's flaws.

And yes, allow me to reiterate - babes.

The sum total: If the above appeals to you - GO FOR IT!

You can, ultimately, do a lot worse than a zombie comedy that's not as funny as it really should be.

"A Little Bit Zombie" is the Closing Night Gala of the Canadian Film Fest at the Royal Theatre in Toronto. For more information, visit the Festival website HERE.

CANADIAN SHORT FILMS at CANADIAN FILM FEST 2012 - Review By Greg Klymkiw

CANADIAN SHORT FILMS at CANADIAN FILM FEST 2012
Reviewed By Greg Klymkiw
The Canadian Film Fest 2012 at the Royal Theatre in Toronto is feature-heavy, but luckily, there are a number of shorts that will provide a nice glimpse into what several Canadian filmmakers can achieve with few dollars, tiny running times and scads of talent. Below are reviews of a few short films I had the opportunity to screen prior to the festival. Most of these will be screened in a short film program on Saturday, March 31 at 12:00pm. The following reviews are presented in alphabetical order. For tickets and further information visit the Festival website HERE.

Everybody Wing Chun Tonight (2011) dir. Karen Suzuki
Starring: Karen Suzuki, Mike Dufays, Kevin Robinson, Christopher Mott
**
By Greg Klymkiw
A group of sexist, misogynistic boneheads harass a woman verbally as she walks through the park. Little do they know she possesses the prowess of a highly skilled martial artist. It's one thing to fantasize about what she'd like to do to them, but is her true power in the knowledge that she could decimate them? Slight and didactic martial arts lesson makes its point - perhaps a bit too clearly.

Hangnail (2011) dir. Cavan Campbell
Starring: Tasha Lawrence, Dylan Scott Smith
****
By Greg Klymkiw
Shot completely in one take, this exquisitely written, acted and directed kitchen sink domestic drama examines a great divide between a couple in their bathroom. He's an immature video-game-and-porn-obsessed mall employee. She's a "dancer" in a "gentleman's club". He's taking a dump. She's taking a shower. Both of them are smoking cigarettes. The sniping is vicious, the pain is palpable. Love, however, finds itself in the strangest of places and in the most unusual circumstances. It's rare to find this level of maturity and dramatic resonance in short films these days when the emphasis in this medium is usually on one-note jokes and empty "calling card" endeavours. Hangnail takes us into the territory of despair among the disenfranchised. Though these characters live on the fringe and are often the types whose existence we'd prefer to repress, this evocative slice of their life is more universal than most will care to admit. Out of anguish can come incredible tenderness and compassion. This is a powerful work. It creates levels of complexity within a simple framework and I have to admit the film has continued to haunt me since first seeing it. I am especially eager to see more films from this clearly gifted filmmaker. He's the real thing.

Long Branch (2011) dir. Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart
Starring: Alex House, Jenny Raven, Al Maini
***1/2
By Greg Klymkiw
She wants a one-night stand. He's into it - bigtime. Her place is not an option. Luckily, his is. The problem, as it turns out, is that he lives two hours away via public transit. Subway. Bus. Bike. All in the frigid, snowy climes of a Canadian winter. She wants simple, fun, no-strings-attached sex. Two hours, however, leaves many opportunities for conversation. The last thing she wants is to get to know him. He's too nice. Like Willard's journey into the heart of darkness neither is quite sure what will be waiting for them in deepest, darkest suburbia. Hopefully, it won't be Col. Kurtz. Long Branch is a bright, breezy and thoroughly delightful romantic comedy. The dialogue is crisp, gorgeously performed by the two attractive leads, shot with clear, simple and direct compositions to let the magic and movement work within the frame so that every cut counts as a truly resonant dramatic beat. Though the soundtrack is peppered with far too many whiny, upbeat indie-styled songs for this curmudgeon's liking, most normal people - especially those who are not curmudgeons - will love it as much as everything else in the picture that truly deserves - uh, love.

My Loss Your Gain (2011) dir. Elli Raynai
Starring Chris Handfield
**1/2
By Greg Klymkiw
This Sci-fi-tinged one-hander is replete with cool retro-styled effects and an effectively odd obsessive quality. Take a lone scientist, a fly in a jar and imagination - the results can prove to be quite revelatory.

Onion Skin (2011) dir. Joseph Procopio
Starring: Zachary Peladeau, Vanessa Qualiara
***1/2
By Greg Klymkiw
Gorgeously photographed, well written tale of a young man who has a major crush on a beautiful young lady who is new to his high school. Instead of utilizing the contemporary communication techniques of text messaging and cel phones, he takes the time to craft a series of hand-written love letters. In our age of technologically convenient approaches to getting a message across, the young lady is initially flummoxed by this "odd" approach. Infused with heartfelt sentiment and romance, Procopio demonstrates a natural gift for creating images that are as beautiful as they are dramatically resonant. There isn't a single performance in the film that rings any less than true. All this said, there is a gorgeously acted and directed scene in the middle of the film that, from a writing standpoint provides a too convenient impetus for the young lady to discover and accept the approach of this wildly romantic suitor. It's a minor quibble, but given how terrific the film is, it's one of those elements that sticks out prominently. In time, however, I have no doubt Procopio will discover any number of narrative shorthands that will allow him to craft many more fine films that avoid the sorts of pitfalls that are ascribed in a knee-jerk fashion to young filmmakers, but are, in fact, quite prominent in any number of mainstream works made by people with far more experience and who should ultimately know better.

The Perfect Vacuum (2011) dir. Alana Cymerman
Starring: Natalie Choquette, Carl Alacchi, Pierre Lenoir, Géraldine Doucet
**
By Greg Klymkiw
Mona lives for her vacuum cleaner. She's lost her true passion and this normally inanimate object takes on a life of its own. At first she shares her perverse love with neighbours and suitors. However, in order to regain her lost passion, she abandons human contact to keep the dirt-sucking phallic symbol all to herself. Will this achieve the desired result or will tragedy strike? This slender, mildly amusing comedic musical vignette is clearly rooted in operatic and melodramatic tradition. Its visual compositions and art direction are both lovingly rendered with aplomb - resembling a curious amalgam of Frank Tashlin, Douglas Sirk and Arthur Freed. One, however, wishes the approach to the material had been less over-the-top. The material itself is already imbued with a bigger-than-life quality. Straighter playing of it might have brought out its richly and potentially hilarious perversities much more pointedly.

Sonata For Christian (2010) Dir. Stéphane Oystryk
Starring: Benjamin Beauchemain, Onalee Ames, Claire Thomas
**1/2
By Greg Klymkiw
A young lad in the leafy burbs of Winnipeg has the hots for his piano teacher. His Mom assumes he is lazily wanting to avoid going to his lessons. Nothing could be further from the truth. He fantasizes about a romantic tryst with the sexy neighbourhood keyboard instructor. This manifests itself in obsessive masturbatory shenanigans in his bedroom. If anything, he's terrified of acting on his amorous impulses. And what might be the result if she should respond? In spite of tentative performances and a script that doesn't quite deliver on its potential, there is clearly a strong talent here for visually rendering a narrative.

THE UNLEASHED - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Mediocre Canadian paranormal thriller replete with good intentions, but predictable and overlong.

The Unleashed (2011) dir. Manuel H. Da Silva
Starring: Trisha Echeverria, Jessica Salgueiro, Caroline Williams, Malcolm McDowell

*1/2

By Greg Klymkiw

God knows, and those who know me as intimately as Our Lord, are well aware of the fact that I worship the horror genre with a fervour not unlike that of a fundamentalist Bible Thumper and/or dyed-in-the-wool Satanists. I especially enjoy tales of the paranormal and have been waiting patiently for a good movie that uses a Ouija board as more than a simple prop in a scene or two, but in fact, uses the board front and centre.

The Unleashed partially answered my prayers - the movie has mega-Ouija Board action. Alas, the picture is barely watchable. It's too bad. Buried deep within the endless 108-minute running time is the framework for a decent genre effort within the script itself. Unfortunately, someone needed to take an axe to much of the screenplay before the film was shot and most importantly, a decent script editor, or even someone with something resembling taste, might have been able to excise a lot of the dumb dialogue and the endless yapping that doesn't really serve the plot and feels like filler. Even if the script had been shot as written, a good producer and editor might have been able to rescue this plodding would-be thriller in post-production.

The movie begins in a so-far-so-good manner. With a tone of creepy portent over the opening titles, we hear the familiar voice of Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, O Lucky Man, Time After Time) as he narrates the following:

Along with the modern spiritual movement, there came a widespread interest in communications with the dead. The talking board is yet another tool to inspire hope that a world beyond our own can be reached. The question is this: Are the dead taunting the living or is the living taunting the dead?

Well, Malcolm, I've gotta say (after seeing the whole movie), the REAL question is this: Given that the above is the sum total of your involvement in this picture, were you paid by the hour, the day or the word? There are 52 words. If I had been your agent, I'd have negotiated the rate based on that, but I'm not, so it's a moot point.

In fairness to the producers of the film, McDowell's name does not appear on the film's poster, but much of the hype surrounding the premiere of The Unleashed at the Canadian Film Fest in Toronto was the appearance of everyone's favourite Droog at the red carpet screening.

Given that I personally try to know as little about a movie as possible before I see it, I was super-pumped. All I knew was that I'd be seeing a new low budget Canuck horror feature with a great poster AND the participation of Malcolm McDowell. What kept drifting through my mind as I watched the movie was this? When's Malcolm McDowell showing up? He doesn't. Now you know, so if you see the movie when it opens theatrically, don't bother giving his involvement a moment's thought - just let the picture work its magic.

That said, the movie has virtually no magic - certainly none of the cinematic kind. After Malcolm's narration, we get a decent seance scene set in the late 1800s involving an old crone using a Ouija Board. Decent carnage occurs and we flash forward to the present. We're clumsily introduced to the lead characters - a babe-o-licious woman who's been away from home for eight years and has returned after her Mother dies to deal with the estate, her babe-o-licious best friend from days gone by and a babe-o-licious professor of paranormal studies who is holding a series of lectures at the local secondary school. (Gee, I sure wish I had gone to a secondary school like that!)

So far, so good.

When the returning daughter's friend offers to stay with her in the family house (which, by the way, is haunted), I'm at this point thinking - "Good deal!" I did some quick math: Ouija Boards, carnage, ghosts, haunted house, babes and Sappho-action. Yee-haa! The latter, alas, does not occur (though there is one scene with the two babes in bed, but they're fully clothed and clearly have not been indulging in any forbidden nectar.)

Even worse is the fact that it took the picture 35 or so minutes to give me a tiny shiver of fright. As the film proceeds there were three or four minor jolts, many half-hearted (though nobly-intended) attempts at atmospheric horror, a few decent special effects, unexciting but certainly competent cinematography and a handful of good performances - all of which were elicited by the female actors. (The male actors in the movie are either dull and competent or just plain godawful.)

The movie throws out a couple of plot twists and surprises, but they're the sort that had me thinking early in the movie: "Oh God, I hope they're not going to , , ," And Yup, they do. I saw the ending coming far too early in the proceedings. (Even my 11-year-old daughter, who, by the way, really loved the movie, was bummed out by the ending.) Knowing where a picture will end up doesn't have to ruin it if the ride is worthwhile, but The Unleashed is not The Zipper, but rather, a merry-go-round that keeps stopping and starting.

"The Unleashed" is the Friday night red-carpet gala at this year's Canadian Film Fest running March 28-31 at the Royal Theatre in Toronto. For more information, visit the festival's website HERE.

This is a terrific trailer. Don't let it fool you though. All the best stuff is right here:

THE GUANTANAMO TRAP - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Director Thomas Sellim Wallner has crafted an eminently fascinating and moving film. He delivers a picture that stands as one of the great humanist documentaries of the new millennium.

The Guantanamo Trap (2011) dir. Thomas Sellim Wallner
Starring: Murat Kurnaz, Diane Beaver, Matthew Diaz, Gonzalo Boye

****

By Greg Klymkiw

“Inverted totalitarianism, unlike classical totalitarianism, does not revolve around a demagogue or charismatic leader. It finds expression in the anonymity of the Corporate State. It purports to cherish democracy, patriotism, and the Constitution while manipulating internal levers.” - Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

America - the real America as promised in its constitution, as exemplified in its (mostly) great people and in the vision of Abraham Lincoln to build an economically powerful empire within its borders (thus rejecting the insane expansionism of Manifest Destiny) and to tirelessly serve the world as a genuine defender of the tenets of democratic human rights - that America is dead.

Currently operating as one of the most corrupt oligarchies in the world, insanely going to war under the guise of Lincoln's great dream but in reality enhancing the economic power of the rich, America has duped millions of its own citizens and both foreign and domestic lenders out of billions of dollars - sending the world into a major economic crisis. The America that now exists has reduced the majority of its populace to an existence of poverty and near-Third World conditions while spending billions on a false war on terrorism.

The cherry on the American Empire's ice cream sundae of Decline is the illegal kidnapping of (mostly) innocent people all over the world. Their subsequent incarceration on Guantanamo includes being held without formal charges, hearings or trials for years and being tortured in order to spill their guts about spurious accusations of terrorist activities.

Yes, tortured.

We all know it. The powers-that-be know it. The victims certainly know it. Alas, the paid pawns of the mainstream media, who also know it, continue to go out of their way to defend the actions of this democratic dictatorship which is ruled by the Christian Right Wing in tandem with the corporate powers who really run America.

Even those on the left betrayed their ideals, reverting, when the going got too tough to the self-preservation and/or nest-feathering their right-wing foes engaged in. A perfect example of this is noted human rights lawyer Barbara Olshansky. She was working for the nonprofit Centre For Constitutional Rights (CFCR) who were suing the government of the United States to acquire the list of all the prisoners (America calls them "detainees") at Guantanamo. Though the U.S. Supreme Court officially ruled that Guantanamo's prisoners were legally allowed to challenge their imprisonment, their potential chief advocates needed to know who they actually were. The military refused to divulge this information; hence, the lawsuit.

At one point, Olshansky met one Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Diaz, a Navy lawyer at Guantanamo. He was quite moved by her pleas for the list of prisoners. He finally made the personal decision to furnish these names. He sent them to her in an envelope, the list tucked inside a Valentine card to avoid detection. Receiving this package, she immediately suspected it was a hoax at best, and at worst, a classified document that might potentially compromise American security and safety.

Hello, babe! This is what you were whining for.

Even more horrendous is that Diaz extracted the information from his Guantanamo computer and was himself shocked to find that the documents were not marked classified. Olshansky herself testified that these documents were not marked as classified, so to this day it makes no sense why she suspected they might be.

Instead of using the lists to further her worthy cause, she decided to inform the trial judge that she had them in her possession and then boneheaded-ly allowed a minion from Homeland Security to pick them up. It didn't take long for the FBI and the Justice Department to track the list back to Diaz. Olshansky betrayed her ally - she refused to acknowledge she had ever met or spoken with Diaz and other than her relatively inconsequential testimony at Diaz's trial, she has avoided addressing the matter publicly.

Diaz, of course, was branded a traitor, stripped of his military credentials, his law credentials and served a surprisingly lenient 6-months in prison.

Matthew Diaz is one of four subjects examined in The Guantanamo Trap. Thomas Sellim Wallner's feature length documentary presents a tragic portrait of people caught in the web of Guantanamo's literal and symbolic evil. Diaz's story is especially affecting. This is a young man who lived for the military. It was his way out of a world of uncertainty and where he used his time there to make a living, gain an education and eventually a law degree.

We follow his story, including the aforementioned Olshansky Valentine betrayal, right up to the present where he has no qualifications to do any other work than which he's no longer allowed to pursue. He has no benefits, no pension, a criminal record and a military dismissal which, in spite of his intelligence and experience, presents a formidable hurdle in acquiring the most basic employment. Adding insult to injury, his family home in which his daughter lives has a foreclosure order against it.

Olshansky, on the other hand, continues quite comfortably with her life - writing books, accepting speaking engagements wherein she crows on about human rights abuses and, of course, holds numerous prestigious academic positions.

Diaz tried to do the right thing. He lost his whole life. Olshansky, on the other hand, maintained her nicely feathered nest. She also repeatedly ignored requests from the filmmakers of The Guantanamo Trap to present her side of the story in the film.

No need, one supposes, to tarnish one's comfy position as an - ahem - well-heeled lefty.

What finally makes The Guantanamo Trap both infuriating and almost unbearably sad is that it's ultimately a story of betrayal. The other individuals whose stories we follow were as screwed over by getting caught in Guantanamo's net as poor Diaz.

Murat Kurnaz, a German of Turkish descent was arrested by police in Pakistan and sold to the Americans for a healthy bounty.

A bounty!!!

He was imprisoned in both Afghanistan and eventually in an outdoor cage in Guantanamo - where he was physically and psychologically tortured for five years.

Diane Beaver served as a military lawyer at Guantanamo and wrote a legal memo which supported the use of "enhanced" interrogation techniques. When you see the film, you can be your own judge, but they sure sound like torture to me - in spite of her protestations to the contrary. Though there's no question that she was an integral part of Guantanamo's evil, her orders were to generate a legal opinion on what forms of interrogation could be used.

Beaver, of course, was betrayed by her own government. Not a single entity in authority - all of whom had to provide approvals - did not actually have their names linked to said approvals. Beaver's name is the only official name attached to any document advocating physical and psychological torture. Beaver was hung out to dry as a patsy by the government she continues to declare her loyalty to.

Now a civilian, Beaver is haunted by her legacy and tries to carve out a new life.

Gonzalo Boye is a criminal prosecution lawyer in Spain who is spearheading charges against the Bush administration for illegal incarceration and various war crimes (that include torture). Boye himself was a victim of wrongful incarceration and torture in his home country. During his harrowing fourteen years in prison, he studied to become a lawyer. And now, one of his chief targets is Diane Beaver and his star witness is Murat Kurnaz.

Director Wallner presents these stories with a considerable degree of detachment - he lets the individuals guide their own narratives, and in so doing, the dramatic thrust of the film. As such, the most fascinating revelation - at least for me - is how organized, man-made religion is a driving force for both Kurnaz and Beaver. Kurnaz continually displays his devout Muslim beliefs by refusing to shake hands with women or making a point of avoiding certain foods and/or libations. Beaver mentions, not just once, but twice (and emphatically to boot) that everything happening to her is part of "God's plan".

In "War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning", Chris Hedges notes that the “moral certitude of the state in wartime is a kind of fundamentalism. And this dangerous messianic brand of religion, one where self-doubt is minimal, has come increasingly to color the modern world of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.” Beaver has no self doubt at all with respect to her place in America's "War on Terror" and her own "fundamentalism" is rooted in "God's Plan" - not her own self-will, nor that employed by those who betrayed her. Kurnaz, too, uses his religion to justify his own sexism, potential misogyny and veiled racism.

It's like we're amidst the Crusades - Christians fighting the infidel (and vice-versa) for goals that are lofty and inextricably linked to God or as Hedges notes in "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America" that those who are "numbed by isolation and despair, now seek meaning in a mythical world of intuition, a world that is no longer reality-based, a world of magic.”

Fairy tales, it seems, are at the root of this insanity.

And much as Beaver and others justify what they must do to protect America, Hedges simply and astutely points out that war makes no sense - certainly not in a Christian context since "Jesus was a pacifist."

Wallner has crafted an eminently fascinating and moving film. He was inspired to make it when he was placed on America's terror watch list for five years when he refused to take part in a retinal scan. His shock and anger was so considerable that the impetus was initially vengeance. As he proceeded, he realized he needed to strip away his voice as much as he could in order to present the effects of war upon humanity.

Much as I respect and admire this decision and as terrific as his film is because of it, there is a part of me that wonders about the same film within the context of its maker's art becoming an act of revenge. I try to imagine that film and when I do, I think it might have been equally worthy and certainly just as powerful.

That said, Wallner delivers a picture that stands powerfully on its own two feet as one of the great humanist documentaries of the new millennium.

"The Guantanamo Trap" is now playing in Toronto at the Hot Docs Bloor Cinema via Kinomith. For tickets and showtimes, visit HERE.

SERVITUDE - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Low-brow Canuck comedy replete with laughs and sits nicely in the same territory as Adam Sandler movies, Harold and Kumar and, of course, Freddy Got Fingered!

Servitude (2012) dir. Warren P. Sonoda
Starring: Joe Dinicol, Dave Foley, Margot Kidder, Jayne Eastwood, Wayne Robson, John Bregar, Rachel Skarsten, Kristin Hager, Linda Kash, Enrico Colantoni, Aaron Ashmore

***

By Greg Klymkiw

I am the world's biggest apologist for Adam Sandler and Tom Greene. While I won't dare declare that Jack and Jill or Road Trip were even remotely good, I will admit they both made me laugh several times. That said, I will proudly proclaim that You Don't Mess With The Zohan is genuinely terrific and that Freddy Got Fingered is a bonafide, utterly brilliant masterpiece.

Though perhaps questionable to a few pole-up-the-ass types, my taste in such matters is lofty enough that I believe it deserves a pedestal-like status. For example, while there is not a single Harold and Kumar movie I didn't like, I had the necessary acumen to declare The Hangover Part II as one of the most embarrassing, disgraceful, unfunny comedies I've ever seen.

If you go to see Servitude, you will be the judge of my critical reason.

You'll probably also have a good time.

So, let's do the math on Servitude.

Vomit jokes.

Fart jokes.

Homo jokes.

White Trash jokes.

Nazi jokes.

Babes (multiplied by three, though one of them is a mega-babe).

A goodly number of cute and/or hunky (and funny) stud-muffins.

A grotesquely hilarious Margot Kidder with (I hope) mega-Botox makeup.

Kids in the Hall's Dave (Always Funny) Foley.

Jeigh Madjus as the funniest mincingly delicious faggot in Canadian Cinema.

Jayne Eastwood (Canada's Phyllis Diller, but way better looking and funnier).

Wayne Robson (Canada's estimable answer to Wally Cox).

A fetish I've not seen extolled in a comedy of recent vintage - one that makes the attributes of Stifler's Mom in the American Pie franchise utterly old hat.

A variety of amusing non-vomit-fart-homo-WhiteTrash-Nazi-fetish jokes.

Oh, and babes.

Have I mentioned them yet?

The babes?

So, what do these figures all add up to?

Well okay, so we're not talking the most sophisticated comedy of the year, here, but we are talking about a decent low-brow, low-budget Canadian-made knee-slapper involving a rag-tag band of restaurant workers who find out that a Nazi - oops, I mean, German - corporation is taking over their place of employment and will probably fire the lot of them.

In retaliation they spend the rest of the night turning the tables on all their rude, obnoxious customers - the annoying old couple, the family of inbreds, the table of vile preppies - a veritable cornucopia of every jerk that every server has ever wanted to decimate.

Even when revenge does not involve a hobo with a shotgun, it proves to be decidedly sweet.

The leader of this revolt is Josh Stein (Joe Dinicol), a sweet, young lad who has been toiling for three years at The Ranch Steakhouse, part of a chain of family bistros where all the servers are referred to as "Ranchers" and the cowboy-hat-adorned manager Godfrey (Dave Foley) is as genial as he is perpetually harried. Josh has agreed to this life of servitude in deference to his Dad who wants sonny-boy to get some real-world experience before he pulls out the chequebook to put Josh through Law School.

Funny thing is, though - Josh kind of likes his job. His social climbing girlfriend (Kristin Hager), however, can hardly wait until he turns in his order pad to dive into the soul-sucking world of law. God knows, it's humiliating enough to have to explain to her equally success-oriented friends that her boyfriend is a waiter, but the thought that he actually enjoys what he does simply mortifies her.

On this good night, two people enter Josh's life that will change it forever.

The first is the Nazi - oops, I mean, German - auditor from the corporation. During his inspection, Franz (Enrico Colantoni) declares that changes will be in order. Passing around the corporation handbook (emblazoned with a prominent Swastika-like logo), Franz is especially eager to examine the ovens.

The second potential life-changing personage who waltzes into Josh's sphere is a new waitress trainee whom he is asked to coach. Alex (Rachel Skarsten) is a babe. No, let me re-phrase that - she is a MEGA-BABE. She's also funny, friendly, charming, smart and unpretentious - everything his emasculating girlfriend isn't.

Hell is just around the corner from breaking loose.

Servitude is just plain fun. Granted, it occasionally feels like a glorified feature length pilot for a sitcom (albeit a naughty one), but in spite of this, the proceedings are deftly directed by Warren P. Sonoda who wisely understands that the best comedy is played, Howard Hawks-like, in simple two-shots and mediums with a minimum of unnecessary cutting. He also understands when and how to move the camera and when he does, he dazzles us with a few Scorsese-inspired dipsy-doodle steadicam and dolly zingers (courtesy, no doubt, to cinematographer Samy Inayeh).

At times, some of the movie feels a trifle shrill in terms of performance and a handful of scenes tend to drag on a bit long, but for the most part, the picture delivers the goods required of its entertaining lowly station.

Another fun element of the film is its production design. Given that most of the picture is set in the steakhouse, there's always something cool to look at during the film's occasional longueurs. Art Director Diana Abbatangelo delivers a restaurant that looks real and lived-in; from the tacky dining room - blending every western-themed cliche known to the human race - the grotesque kitchen (with its filthy, blackened oven that the Nazi - oops, I mean, German - is obsessed with), the packed-to-the-rafters storage rooms and Godfrey's grungy office - all have the whiff of reality and imaginative touches of humour.

An element in the film that is of supreme importance to the art of cinema is its emphasis upon several actions involving Josh's best buddy, fellow server Tommy (John Bregar). Few low-brow comedies would take the opportunity to examine elements of contemporary anthropological significance as is done here. The filmmakers have truly put themselves on the line to go the extra distance required to not simply deliver laughs, but plunge us, almost Robert Bresson-like into a semi-neo-realist exploration of the human condition.

Tommy is, first of all, a master of the "cuppie" - a unique physical action involving the cupping of one's hand over one's anus, releasing a rank fart and immediately cupping said cupped hand over the nostrils of an unsuspecting recipient of the delectable aroma. Secondly, we are witness (a la Bresson) to Tommy's obsessive fetish involving MILFS with rounded, squeezable bellies that have not been liposuction-ed of all their glorious fat content.

This, of course is where Margot Kidder comes in. Hubba-Hubba!!!

Fetishists take note!!!

Servitude is a fun, good-natured youth comedy. It doesn't quite ascend (or descend, depending upon how you look at these things) to the heights/depths of American gross-out comedies - it's a wee bit too Canadian to go there - but when the completely nutzoid gags come, the movie inspires more than its fair share of belly laughs.

God knows, Margot Kidder's belly inspires some of the film's most aggressive yuk-yuk-grabbers. (Damn, she's a good sport in this one! Hats off to her!) Lois Lane with Botox and a Belly is a sight to behold.

Speaking of sights to behold, Servitude might also be of considerable interest to Canadian filmmakers. The first credit that blasts upon the silver screen when the movie ends is that it was developed with the assistance of the esteemed Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab. An official Telefilm Canada release on their website dated 2010/11/03 tub-thumps this program from the esteemed Canadian Film Centre (founded by Norman Jewison) in collaboration with the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal. Projects accepted to the program become eligible for up to $75,000 in development funding through the Canada Feature Film Fund. According to Telefilm's "what's new" bumph:

Successful inaugural year

As a result of last year’s program, Servitude will go into production later this month.

Through last year’s program, the workplace-revenge comedy from Buck Productions and Victory Man Productions (participants in 2009) received assistance by such Hollywood heavyweights as producer Ivan Reitman, director Donald Petrie, screenwriter Etan Cohen and Gloria Fan of Mosaic Media.

It appears that the applications are closed for the program, but keep your eyes and ears peeled. If and when the next application deadline rolls around, anyone who has a feature screenplay with vomit-fart-homo-WhiteTrash-Nazi-fetish jokes and/or non-vomit-fart-homo-WhiteTrash-Nazi-fetish jokes, the Gouvernement du Canada via Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Film Centre are clearly your go-to guys.

Comedian Yakov Smirnoff was often astounded with the freedoms in America with his oft-repeated line, "What a country!" Perhaps the Gouvernement du Canada needs to enlist Smirnoff's services to promote its liberal support of films featuring vomit-fart-homo-WhiteTrash-Nazi-fetish jokes and/or non-vomit-fart-homo-WhiteTrash-Nazi-fetish jokes.

In the meantime, anyone in Canada who enjoys solid laughs should probably hightail it down to their multiplex and see Servitude.

Oh, and full disclosure is necessary: I was kicking around the Canadian Film Centre for 13 years in a number of capacities (as you can plainly read on my biography pasted onto this site), but I had had absolutely nothing to do with the aforementioned Comedy program. Though a blood relative at the Canadian Film Centre had quite a bit to do with the program, he started at that esteemed joint long after I was there and never talked to me about what he was doing behind the scenes.

All we ever really discussed were the best places to get kishka and garlic sausage.

"Servitude" opens March 30 in Toronto and Vancouver via Alliance Films.

CLOUDBURST - Review By Greg Klymkiw - Thom Fitzgerald, the director of "The Hanging Garden" delivers a beautifully written ode to love on the run - replete with k.d. lang music, pickup trucks, roadside cafes, Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker and a Nova Scotia that's never looked more heart-achingly beautiful.

Cloudburst (2011) dir. Thom Fitzgerald
Starring: Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker, Ryan Doucette, Kristin Booth

****

By Greg Klymkiw

"They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'" - Jack Kerouac, On The Road

The open road is freedom, but in reality and in the best popular culture, there is always a point where one must reach the end of the road. Sometimes it's sad and empty, sometimes it's not what you expected, often it's bittersweet. Whatever lies at the end of the journey, it's the ride that should always be the thing. It's what you discover and celebrate on the road that is often far more important than what's waiting there (if anything) when it ends.

Stella (Olympia Dukakis) and Dot (Brenda Fricker) have lived an incredible journey of love and mutual respect as a couple for over 30 years, but when circumstances seemingly beyond their control threaten the joy and happiness they've had, the open road becomes the only real way to obtain a pot of proverbial gold at the end of a new journey.

Family, it seems, is not always defined by blood - it takes love - and for this couple, family comes in the unlikeliest of places and circumstances. Love is what defines lives well lived and this couple have had love in spades, but in order to keep it unfettered from the unwelcome intrusion of a well meaning, but completely out-to-lunch blood relative - public affirmation becomes the ultimate goal. They must marry.

The problem is that they live in the United States and can only gain the legal status as a married couple in Canada. What's a foul-mouthed, cowboy-hat-adorned, k.d. lang-obsessed, self-described old dyke and her jolly, sweet, visually-impaired longtime companion to do? What would you do? Me, I'd hop in my half-ton pickup truck, stock it with k.d. lang CDs, pick up a hunky male hitchhiker headed to visit his ailing Mom in Nova Scotia and cross the 49th parallel to get myself good and hitched - kind of like Stella and Dot do in the lovely, funny and touching new film written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald.

Cloudburst is a movie that needed a deft directorial touch and a script that could take the cliches normally associated with road movies and generate truth, humanity and humour and thankfully, for the most part it succeeds in this regard.

For years I kept wondering when director Thom Fitzgerald, who made one of the most thrilling feature debuts of the 90s, The Hanging Garden, was going to generate a picture that fulfilled the considerable promise displayed in that exquisite heartbreaker of a movie. This is not to discount the intervening years of work, but Cloudburst feels like a return to form and, on occasion, a step or two forward.

Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker are tremendous actresses, but given the emphasis these days upon demographics and the usual requirements from studios and other financiers to cater exclusively to younger audiences, the number of great roles for talents in this august age group are getting fewer-and-far-between-er. Fitzgerald crafted two roles that any great actress would love to sink her teeth into and frankly, Dukakis and Fricker are so captivating, moving and funny, I have to admit it feels like they were born to eventually step into these parts.

Set against the lush, superbly photographed backdrop of Nova Scotia, Fitzgerald took this story, a sort of gentle retirement-age Thelma and Louise, and both wisely and bravely delivered a tale that's as mature as it's downright universal. Love should have no boundaries and his direction indelibly captures a love story that's familiar, but bolstered by such genuine compassion, that I frankly can't imagine any audience not succumbing to it's considerable charms.

There are a few overwrought moments of humour that try a bit too hard, but for the most part, I found myself laughing heartily and genuinely and damn it all, I shed more than a few tears.

It's one of the few unabashedly sentimental celebrations of love I've seen in quite some time. The picture wears its heart proudly on its sleeve and while there's something just a little bit old-fashioned about that, Fitzgerald handles the proceedings with such grace, that everything old becomes happily new again. Some might choose to deny the power of sentiment, but they'd be lying (or just plain foolish). We all need sentiment from time to time and Cloudburst is the right time, the right place and just the right film to make us all feel grateful for the joy that life, with all its ups and downs, bestows upon us and hopefully prepares us for whatever journey we take beyond the end of the road.

"Cloudburst" is the opening night gala presentation at this year's Canadian Film Fest running March 28-31 at the Royal Theatre in Toronto. For more information, visit the festival's website HERE.

GENIE AWARDS 32 - By Greg Klymkiw - Live Coverage

Here are some of my musings during the 32nd Annual Genie Awards as they sprouted from my mind, shot through my fingers and spewed into cyberspace.

By Greg Klymkiw

The pre-show show is now going on for the "less important" awards. They gave the Golden Reel Award to Starbuck. This is still the weirdest award ever - given to the highest grossing Canadian movie of the year. Do the Oscars acknowledge the highest grossing film of the year with an award? No, because supposedly such awards ultimately (or supposedly) have to do with artistic achievement.

A Dangerous Method won Best Art Direction and Production Design. Here in the press room, Richard Crouse is up on a mini-stage interviewing him (and other winners) for our benefit while the pre-show is broadcast without sound. Richard graciously takes a lot of time with the winners and allows ample opportunity for questions from the assembled press corps. Still, there are murmurings from a few that they'd rather be watching the pre-broadcast show onstage.

Crouse is now interviewing the winners of the various short film prizes. I think I will eat my hot buffet while this is going on.

Great, the Jutra prize for first feature films is also deemed unworthy of the live broadcast. Way to support emerging talent, CBC!!!! Winner Anne Emond, director of Nuit #1 is gracious in the press room and Crouse does a lovely job interviewing this clearly intelligent, talented young filmmaker. Too bad the CBC didn't think it was worth broadcasting her win to the rest of Canada.

La Nuit, Elles Dansent / At Night, They Dance is the winner of Best Feature Documentary Award. It's about a family of Belly Dancers. Something tells me Julia Ivanova's movie Family Portrait in Black and White about a woman who cares for unwanted mixed-race orphans in Ukraine got hosed.

Fantastic, they're doing the tribute to great Canadians in the movie business who died during the pre-show. Way to go, CBC. Way to support our cultural heritage and the passing of those who contributed to it, by NOT sharing it with the rest of the country.

I'll grant that Starbuck is not much good, but again it sucks that the Best Original Screenplay Award is presented in the pre-show. Way to go CBC! Way to support screenwriting!

HERE IS MY DELICIOUS MEAL:

The live broadcast has begun. Some guy I've never heard of is singing a lame song.

Viggo - not surprisingly - wins Best Supporting Actor. His speech is going on a bit. Big deal. It's Viggo. The orchestra is playing - signalling to Viggo to get off the stage. Viggo is making a funny Canadiens joke. CBC wants Viggo offstage. Now Viggo is unfurling a Habs flag. They still are trying to urge him to leave. What to go CBC! Real classy! I guess they have something better to air after the Genies. God knows, the CBC would not want to go overtime.

Oh Jesus, they have figure skaters skating during the Best Song nominees. Way to go CBC! Kitsch Galore!

Backstage, Viggo admits to wearing a pair of Ken Dryden's old gitch and that in spite of a few holes in them, they're very clean.

Ingrid Veninger has just asked if she should have some lasagna now. I choose not to stop her.

That cute little girl from Monsieur Lazhar just won. In my heart I knew this was the no-brainer decision, but part of me thought that the Academy would toss a nod to The Whistleblower here. I was wrong. Happily wrong.

Oh Jesus, more figure skating!

This show is moving so fast it's kind of oppressively dull because of it. Sort of like how Michael Bay cuts his movies.

Strombo: Wondering how people are doing in their Genie Pools? Genie Pools? Is this some kind of hot tub?

Had myself a nice cigarette outside while Falardeau picked up his Best Director Genie.

Sorry folks, I'm going to switch to Facebook and Twitter for awhile. See you there.

On the eve of the Genie Awards, Canada's newspaper of record in that dying medium has asked several experts to weigh in on their thoughts regarding the current state of Canadian Cinema. Here are my thoughts in response.

A collection of experts weighed in on "What the Canadian Film Industry Needs Most" via Gayle MacDonald in the March 7, 2012 Edition of the Globe and Mail. On the eve of the 32nd Annual Genie Awards, only one of them directly addressed what I suspect is the real problem. Here then are my responses to some of the comments and my own thoughts on the matter.

What the Canadian Film Industry Needs Most Is Less Punditry. That Said, Here's More Pundrity. It's the Canadian Way!

By Greg Klymkiw

CAMERON BAILEY

Cameron is one of Canada's most astute film critics and since he took over as co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), we're alternately all the better for it (as he seeks out great cinema for us to watch) and all the worse for it (since we don't get to read his punchy, musically-styled prose on cinema on a regular basis). Cameron suggests that English Canadian Cinema needs to snuffle back a bit o' that magical Quebec oxygen. He opines:

"Quebec is turning out films of ambition and depth that look outward rather than just in. I think there's talent equal to Quebec in the rest of Canada, but maybe somebody needs to throw open a window and let some of that air in."

I suspect Cameron would, if given a few more column inches, have admitted the whopping number of Quebec films that do NOT look outward. While many of these indigenously delightful Joual-tinged knee-slappers go through the roof in their home province, they certainly do zero business outside of French Canada (and not just in English Canada, but worldwide and EVEN in French-speaking territories outside of Canada).

Frankly, English Canadian Cinema has, especially since the late 80s and early 90s, often looked outward, and in fact, has performed extremely well in foreign markets. The list includes David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, Patricia Rozema, Vincenzo Natali, Brad Peyton and a whole whack of others. On the homefront, though, things are more dire. I shall opine on this later.

RUBBA NADDA

Rubba Nadda is the director of Sabah, Cairo Time and the upcoming thriller Inescapable. Here are her thoughts:

"Sometimes I just think it needs more balls, more courage. The Canadian industry is so afraid of taking risks. When I took the script for "Inescapable" to the United States, everyone wanted to do it. I got the first support from the States, not from Canada. It’s the Canadian way to hesitate."

I have no quarrels with this. Canada (particularly on the English side) is a country that is far too mired in the sort of bureaucracy that places emphasis on "fairness", "committee" decision-making, political correctness bordering on fascism and pathetically obvious self-serving nest-feathering which results in a seemingly conservative approach to all matters cultural. It's the Canadian way to smile whilst stabbing in the back instead of looking directly into one's eye as they gut you. This dweeb-ish cowardice is abominable. The worst thing is when purse-string holders - even within private business - are more apt to hide behind the proverbial "we". "The committee" is the oft-used term as opposed to "I". We need more people within the system to take personal responsibility for their often wrong-headed decisions - rooted in the kind of "well-meaning" approaches that are hardly a conducive approach to the "balls" and "courage" Ms. Nadda refers to above.

KEVIN DEWALT

Kevin Dewalt is one of Canada's most successful producers from Regina. He hits a nail on the head here that's been bugging me since I started in this industry.

"Canadian films need larger budgets to attract bigger international stars to compete in the international market place. There are tax schemes in Britain for private investors to invest in British films. The King’s Speech is a prime example. Without private-equity funding out of the U.K., this movie would never have been made. By creating similar private-investor programs in Canada, we would be able to increase our budgets and compete more effectively in the global marketplace."

Though I'm not sure larger budgets are ALWAYS going to be the answer, this country desperately needs an aggressive and progressive tax shelter. End of story. Everyone focuses upon the negative aspects of the Canadian tax shelter days, but for all the bad movies generated during that period, the number of artistically and/or commercially significant works produced then equals if not betters what's been generated without it. Filmmakers need the freedom to generate truly private investment. My oft-repeated no-brainer formula of aggressive tax shelters, larger tax credits and substantial tax incentives for marketing, exhibition and distribution may seem simplistic, but there's the old screenwriting adage, KISS ("Keep it simple, stupid") which is best applied to most things in life.

ROBERT LANTOS

Robert Lantos is the closest thing Canada has to a bonafide mogul. He began his illustrious career hawking the New York Erotic Film Festival and steadily built more than enough empires in this business based on his vision and astute dipping into every public trough imaginable. Here is the sum total of his thoughts on this:

"Prime-time access to and meaningful investment from broadcasters, as is the case in France, Germany, Italy, the U.K. and most other countries where films are made."

Thank you, Robert, for your detailed response.

NIV FICHMAN

Niv Fichman is not only a mensch and a half, he's produced one great Canadian film after another. Beginning his career overseeing some of the most world-class arts and culture productions ever made and then delivering gems like Last Night, The Saddest Music in the World and Hobo With a Shotgun, he can certainly be forgiven for his part in the recent career of Paul Gross (most notably Passchendaele and GOD HELP US ALL - Gunless).

"What Canadian film most needs right now is a new voice. The voice of a young generation that grew up with the Internet and YouTube and digital cameras and [video editing software] Final Cut Pro. A generation that has been making films since they were children and self-distributing their work on YouTube."

In theory, I agree. In practise, I think it's unhealthy to encourage the "anyone can make a film" tradition that's sprouted from the digital revolution. I do agree that genuinely talented young voices need to be supported. Interestingly, I think there already exists a new hope in English Canadian Cinema. They call themselves "Astron-6", a filmmaking collective from Winnipeg that's been generating a series of mind-blowing short films and two features for absolutely no money. Their influences have been 80s direct-to-video genre pictures as well as the post-modern flights of fancy already pioneered by their 'Peg confreres John Paizs and Guy Maddin. In 2011 these psycho kids - who are REAL filmmakers with a distinctive voice - delivered one of the most insane sci-fi love letters to the 80s I've ever seen. Imaginative, naughty and knee-splappingly hilarious, MANBORG, replete with tres-cool visuals, was made for just over $1000. Their other triumph is FATHER'S DAY, a truly brilliant splatter-fest that was made for a mere $10,000 (courtesy of Troma's Lloyd Kaufman) and has played theatrically all over the United States. This particular item focuses upon a serial killer from hell who specializes in raping and butchering fathers and is hunted down by a rag-tag group of brave avengers (led by a one-eyed Jason Statham-lookalike). This a truly warped, sick, funny, disgusting and deliciously bum-blasting masterpiece. Niv! These guys need someone just like YOU! Ditch this Paul Gross fellow and embrace the utter madness that is Astron-6.

INGRID VENINGER

Ingrid Veninger might well be cinema’s only living equivalent to a whirling dervish. Like a dervish, she honours her Creator (cinema), her prophets (Cassavetes, Leigh and others), then whips her creative concoction into a frenzy – literally living and breathing cinema – producing film from within herself, her devotion and life itself. Ingrid has produced a whack of features including the mega-Genie-nominated Nurse Fighter Boy and has directed three terrific features including i am a good person/i am a bad person. Here's what she had to offer:

"Exhibition quotas. Our cinemas should be mandated to screen a percentage of Canadian content, just like our television broadcasters and radio. People say, “Theatrical quotas will never happen. It's impossible,” but I say, “People make the impossible happen every day.” Claude Jutra (Mon oncle Antoine) once said, “Not making the films you want to make is awful, but making them and not having them seen is worse.”

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (as I've said this many times before and will keep saying it), English Canada needs an exhibition quota.

In English Canada, there is one primary target: Cineplex Entertainment. The "Canadian" exhibition chain owns and/or controls more screens than anyone in the country. They'll always argue that their only concern is their stockholders and that they'll play any Canadian movie as long as it makes money. That's all well and good when it comes to no-brainer programming choices like the start-studded Cronenberg spanking-fest A Dangerous Method or Michael Dowse's brilliant hockey splatter fest GOON, but what about the rest of the product?

A secondary target for scrutinous ire-infused debate on the state of Canada's domestic motion picture product is the gaggle of domestic film distributors that adhere to the status quo, but in all fairness to them, they're only going to spend money on the marketing necessary to keep the product on screens if they actually GET screens. Cineplex Entertainment is stingy with those. They have far too many Hollywood movies to play (often to empty or near-empty houses given the ridiculous number of screens said product hogs).

There's no two ways about it. English Canadian cinema lags far behind other indigenous industries outside of North America in terms of audience support for its own work. Canadian audiences are not quick to embrace their own cinema, but in order to embrace it at all, the work needs venues. This, of course, is not (and has never been) a problem in Quebec as the province has had very stringent guidelines regarding Quebec-based distributors and a more-than-level playing field for the exhibition of French-language product - thus allowing for the development of audiences ravenous for homegrown movies.

I'd also argue it's not necessarily always the fault of the product, either. Many decent, perfectly entertaining and/or artistically challenging movies get little chance to be seen.

If screens cannot be secured and held onto, there is no real way to adequately develop an interest in domestic product. Until Cineplex Entertainment does the right thing and gets off its lazy corporate duff and waggles its piggy tail in the direction of Canadian cinema and - even at a loss - does its corporate duty with respect to AGGRESSIVELY making DECENT screens available to said product, thus fulfilling their responsibility in supporting cultural initiatives in this country, then things are going to continue their snail-paced incremental changes.

Here are some thoughts I shared at a previous juncture on this site:

I saw Don Shebib's classic Canadian feature Goin' Down the Road when I was a kid at a huge first-run theatre in Winnipeg. I loved it then and loved it more every time I saw it. When I heard Shebib had crafted a sequel, Down the Road Again, I was imbued with a bit of healthy skepticism. That said, I was still excited to see it.

I was out of town for the first two weeks of the film's theatrical run at Cineplex's flagship Toronto venue, the Varsity Cinema. When I returned during the film's third week of release, I hightailed it down to the Varsity (not bothering to check the showtimes as is my wont) and was shocked (genuinely) that it wasn't playing. I quickly accessed my iPhone movie listings and was even more distressed that the movie, at least for that evening, was playing absolutely nowhere in Toronto.

There was, however, one lone screening the following evening at the Royal cinema, everyone's favourite indie venue in Little Italy. What shocked me even more was that Barbara Willis Sweete's film adaptation of Billy Bishop Goes To War was the other film playing at the Royal the same evening - first run and ENDING!!! Okay, my fault for being out of town, I guess. Excuse me all to hell for expecting movies with a reasonable pedigree by Canadian standards were (a) not available on any Cineplex screen in the country's largest city and that (b) they were both ending.

No matter, I sashayed on down the next night to The Royal. I really enjoyed Billy Bishop. I first experienced it as a kid in Winnipeg when John Gray and Eric Peterson presented the play at the Manitoba Theatre Centre's Warehouse venue. I loved it then and was delighted to see a film that preserved its theatrical roots. (I won't rant about one of my many pet-peeves involving the idiotic, myopic assumption on the part of critics and film types who should know better that anything and everything based upon a theatrical piece MUST be opened up for the cinema. Just don't get me started and I promise to stop now.)

My first thought was, "Hmmm, there are wads upon wads of people my age and older who love this play ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. This would have been a perfect film to platform wide in the Front Row Centre-styled exhibition format that Cineplex has been exploiting in big cities and beyond." I played out a release pattern for the film in my mind whilst waiting for the Shebib to begin: Coast-to-coast, hugely hyped one-shot screenings of the film at the premium Front Row Centre prices. You'd have to blow a decent whack o' dough on advertising, BUT, with the same kind of thought and elbow grease that USED to go into marketing ANY movies (never mind Canadian films), there would be all sorts of alternate advertising venues with far more reasonable ad rates than traditional outlets anyway. As well, there would be an inordinate number of cross-promotions and tie-ins with theatre companies and arts groups across the country. Hell, target theatre schools also - not just including private companies, or even secondary schools, but given that virtually every post-secondary institution has a theatre program, promote the picture there. In any event, my fantasy release of Billy Bishop then included regular screenings one week later in many of the same venues it played at in the Front Row Centre release. Those post-Front-Row screenings may or may not have had numbers to sustain the secondary runs that long, BUT, the important thing is that Canadians would have been able to see the movie on a BIG SCREEN in a COMMUNAL ENVIRONMENT. This, in turn, would have created a far more advantageous bed of hype and anticipation for any number of home entertainment venues.

Alas, the way the movie was released feels like home penetration was the only real goal.

Whose fault was it?

Well, I can't be sure if the film's distributor considered my aforementioned form of theatrical penetration, nor do I know if the movie was even offered Cineplex. What I can say is this. SOMEONE should have thought about it and SOMEONE should have committed to playing it in this fashion. In fact, give the success of these types of special event showings in the Cineplex chain, you'd think someone THERE might have thought about approaching the film's distributor about mounting the film in this fashion.

Here's the thing. The business has changed for the worst, but it's not impossible to reapply good old fashioned showmanship on both sides of the distribution and exhibition fence. I started my life in this business as both a writer ABOUT movies and then as a film buyer on behalf of independent exhibitors in the late 70s and early 80s. I lived through the "old ways", lamented the shift in delivery and accessibility of product and now I get absolutely livid when I see how complacent and lazy both sides have become.

Down the Road Again was an entirely different story. I loved the picture, but also conceded its theatrical appeal would be limited. Limited, yes - but there IS an audience out there that would have loved to see the movie on a big screen. Part of this IS a distribution issue. However, I also think Canada's major exhibitor is shirking its place in creating a proper venue for Canadian cinema. Responsibility to shareholders be damned. Besides, even leaving Canadian Cinema out of the equation, those shareholders are going to have very little to count on if things don't change in the exhibition industry.

And yes, it IS the fault of exhibition - especially within major chains like Cineplex. They offer no real choice. Pure and simple. They rest on the laurels of whatever crap they're handed. I live for much of the year in a remote rural area. Cineplex has a seven-screen multiplex. All the same movies are locked in there for ages. I can assure you that in the late 70s and early 80s, the small market audiences had FAR more CHOICE in what was available than they do now. And idiotically, it's not that the product is NOT there. There's tons of product. Much of it good and much of it never getting screen time. Yes, having to program and promote such product takes time and effort. Yeah? So? Do it. They call it elbow grease.

As for Canadian product, I will ultimately and vigorously ALWAYS point an accusatory finger at Cineplex. Every major country outside of North America had or continues to have strict indigenous content quotas. Many of these countries have leaps and bounds on Canada by decades in this respect. Many of these same countries are making indigenous product that appeals to their national audiences and, in many cases, to international audiences. Much of this product isn't of the blockbuster variety, either. It often provides entertainment to niche audiences - theatrically. These audiences exist because efforts had been made in the past to ensure cultural sovereignty. These movies mostly do NOT compete with Hollywood, anyway. In fact, they enhance the viability and attraction to theatrical exhibition period.

I do not propose legislating exhibition quotas anyway.

I frankly think it would be good for business if Cineplex undertook a major corporate responsibility in exhibiting Canadian films - EVEN IF THEY LOSE MONEY! Oh horrors! Isn't that horrible?

Down the Road Again needed far more marketing and promotion than it got. This, to be sure, a distribution issue. That said, movies like this will NEVER find a theatrical audience if they are not out there. I personally think a movie like Shebib's sequel DEMANDED being placed in more cinemas across the country and held longer - even at a loss. Take one screen in every bloody multiplex and screen Canadian product exclusively. Take another screen in every bloody multiplex and program product of an indie nature exclusively - booking it, if necessary in a repertory style.

Cineplex is a Canadian company.

Forgive me for thinking Canada is different than our neighbours to the south. We are. We have higher literacy rates, more progressive values AND most of all, we ARE innovators. Cineplex should FORCE themselves to exhibit Canadian films at a loss. (I'm sure there are potential tax incentives that can be whipped up for this anyway.)

Why, you say, at a loss? Because there could well be a pot at the end of the rainbow. If the product - good, bad, middle of the road - is made available on a consistent basis, audiences might eventually develop a thirst for a certain type of product that speaks to THEM.

It's worked everywhere else in the world - out there, beyond the confines of North America.

It was, however, legislated. I say again, though, legislation is no longer the answer. Besides, such quotas would fall under provincial jurisdiction, so getting all the provinces on board would be ridiculous. Cineplex as the most powerful exhibitor in the country should legislate it THEMSELVES as corporate cultural policy within their business mandate. They could actually become world leaders in this extraordinary move to actively build an audience. More importantly, they could take a leadership role even beyond Canadian product and offer theatrical accessibility to a far wider range of product.

This, frankly, is good for Canada, good for foreign product, good for Hollywood, good for AMERICAN independents, good for cinema as the greatest artistic medium of all time and MOST IMPORTANTLY, good for the end-users, the customers, the myriad of movie lovers who have been lured away from the communal experience for many different reasons, but most of all, because of a lack of diversity in programming.

In the meantime, though, the true heroes of Canadian theatrical exhibition are Alliance Cinemas, AMC Theatres, Independent Canadian Exhibitors (The Royal, Revue, Winnipeg Film Group Cinematheque, Canadian Film Institute, Pacific Cinematheque, etc.). They all regularly screen Canadian films - both first-run and second. TIFF Bell Lightbox in just over a year has displayed incredible courage and commitment to screening Canadian product theatrically.

They, however, are just a small part of the equation.

It's up to a major corporation like Cineplex to do their duty.

GENIE AWARDS 32 - By Greg Klymkiw - The Nominees, What Should Have Been Nominated, What Should Have Won If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It, What Should Win, What Will Win, What DID Win

The 32nd Annual Genie Awards
and The First Annual Klymkiw Genie Awards
By Greg Klymkiw

A new day is dawning on the Genie Awards (Canada's version of the Oscars) with a whole new Board of Directors and a new head honcho, the inimitable Canadian Cinema Dynamo: Helga Stephenson. I'm also happy to report that the 32nd Awards ceremony is finally back where it belongs and will be broadcast on Canada's Peoples' Network, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). When the CBC decided a few years ago to stop participating in the Genie Awards I was utterly gob-smacked! Ratings be damned! The CBC is a public broadcaster and has a duty to celebrate homegrown cinema. End of story!

In keeping with this momentous event, please find below all the Genie Nominee categories I care to cover. Each category will list the official nominees, but will be accompanied with my own picks for films that SHOULD have been nominated and films that SHOULD have won had the Genie Awards bothered to Nominate them. These categories (highlighted below in bold italics) comprise my picks for The First Annual Klymkiw Genie Awards. You'll also notice in a couple of categories my own personal picks for what's best DO correspond to the Genie nominations.

I will also opine on what of the nominated films SHOULD win (as determined pour moi) and my predictions on what WILL win.

The full list of the First Annual KLYMKIW Genie Awards will Be Summarized at the bottom of this piece, so if you don't feel like going through all the other stuff and ONLY want to see what I think represents the best of Canadian Cinema in 2011, just scroll down.

Some of the Canadian films that I chose for my own accolades didn't even bother submitting their films to the Genie Awards for a variety of reasons - either the fees to enter the awards were too high or they just didn't think the Genie Awards were worth entering. I've personally always had a problem with the idea of producers having to submit their films for consideration and PAY for the privilege. Every film released within the Academy's guidelines should be considered and should NOT have fees attached to them. It lacks class. End of story.

During the awards I will report on the actual winners of the awards live from the Genie Awards Press Room and update this column when this information becomes available. I might also present a few quips along the way at the bottom of this piece and occasionally tweet a few thoughts on Twitter (so you're welcome to check in here and/or follow me on Twitter @GregKlymkiwCFC).

As you'll see below, many of my own nominees and winners differ considerably from the Genie nominees, but as James Cagney says in Raoul Walsh's Strawberry Blonde, "Thet's just the kind of hairpin I am."

I left a few categories right off that I have no opinion on (Best Song and all the shorts), but everything else is detailed below. In reality, I can't imagine too many people outside of the Canadian film industry will be watching and/or care, but perhaps the ratings will prove me wrong. In any event, Let's have a blast.

Just before we begin,
feel free to watch the
32nd GENIE AWARDS TRAILER



Best Motion Picture

A Dangerous Method – Martin Katz, Marco Mehlitz, Jeremy Thomas
Café De Flore – Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin, Jean-Marc Vallée
Monsieur Lazhar – Luc Déry, Kim Mccraw
Starbuck – André Rouleau
The Whistleblower – Christina Piovesan, Celine Rattray

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Daydream Nation - Trish Dolman, Christine Haebler
Father's Day – Lloyd Kaufman, Astron-6
Keyhole - Jody Shapiro
Le Vendeur - Marc Daigle, Bernadette Payeur
Take This Waltz - Susan Cavan

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Le Vendeur - Marc Daigle, Bernadette Payeur

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Monsieur Lazhar – Luc Déry, Kim Mccraw

What Will Win:

Monsieur Lazhar – Luc Déry, Kim Mccraw

And the winner is:

Monsieur Lazhar – Luc Déry, Kim Mccraw

Achievement In Art Direction/Production Design

Jean Bécotte – Funkytown
Aidan Leroux, Rob Hepburn – Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
James Mcateer – A Dangerous Method
Patrice Vermette – Café De Flore
Emelia Weavind – The Bang Bang Club

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

In Darkness - Erwin Prib
Keyhole - Ricardo Alms, Matt Holm
Le Vendeur - Mario Hervieux
The Mountie - Jim Goodall

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Keyhole - Ricardo Alms, Matt Holm

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Emelia Weavind – The Bang Bang Club

What Will Win:

James Mcateer – A Dangerous Method

And the winner is:

James Mcateer – A Dangerous Method

Achievement In Cinematography

Miroslaw Baszak, C.S.C. – The Bang Bang Club
Pierre Cottereau – Café De Flore
Jon Joffin – Daydream Nation
Jean-François Lord – Snow & Ashes
Ronald Plante – Monsieur Lazhar

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

In Darkness - Jolanta Dylewska
Keyhole - Benjamin Kasulke
Le Vendeur - Michel La Veaux
The Mountie - Rene Smith
Take This Waltz - Luc Montpellier

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Le Vendeur - Michel La Veaux

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:
Miroslaw Baszak, C.S.C. – The Bang Bang Club

What Will Win:
Pierre Cottereau – Café De Flore

And the winner is:

Jean-François Lord – Snow & Ashes

Achievement In Costume Design
Denise Cronenberg – A Dangerous Method
Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh – Afghan Luke
Ginette Magny, Emmanuelle Youchnovski – Café De Flore
Heather Neale – Keyhole
Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt – Funkytown

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

In Darkness - Jagna Janicka, Nadine Kremeier, Katarzyna Lewinska
Manborg - Astron-6

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Manborg - Astron-6


What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Heather Neale – Keyhole

What Will Win:

Denise Cronenberg – A Dangerous Method

And the winner is:

Marie-Chantale Vaillancourt – Funkytown

Achievement In Direction

David Cronenberg – A Dangerous Method
Steven Silver – The Bang Bang Club
Jean-Marc Vallée – Café De Flore
Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar
Larysa Kondracki – The Whistleblower

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Daydream Nation - Michael Goldbach
Father's Day - Astron-6
Keyhole - Guy Maddin
Le Vendeur - Sebastien Pilote
Take This Waltz - Sarah Polley

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Le Vendeur - Sebastien Pilote

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar

What Will Win:

Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar

And the winner is:

Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar

Achievement In Editing

Jean-François Bergeron – The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom
Michael Czarnecki – In Darkness
Patrick Demers – Jaloux
Stéphane Lafleur – Monsieur Lazhar
Ronald Sanders, C.C.E. A.C.E. – A Dangerous Method

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Father's Day - Adam Brooks
Keyhole - John Gurdebeke
Le Vendeur - Michel Arcand
The Mountie - Kerry Davie
Take This Waltz - Chris Donaldson

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Father's Day - Adam Brooks

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Michael Czarnecki – In Darkness

What Will Win:

Ronald Sanders, C.C.E. A.C.E. – A Dangerous Method

And the winner is:

Stéphane Lafleur – Monsieur Lazhar

Achievement In Make-Up

Christiane Fattori, Frédéric Marin – Café De Flore
Amber Makar – Amazon Falls
Virginie Paré – Bumrush
Tammy Lou Pate – Snow & Ashes
Leslie Ann Sebert, David R. Beecroft – Take This Waltz

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Father's Day - Steven Kostanski
Manborg - Steven Kostanski

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Manborg - Steven Kostanski

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Christiane Fattori, Frédéric Marin – Café De Flore

What Will Win:

Christiane Fattori, Frédéric Marin – Café De Flore

And the winner is:

Christiane Fattori, Frédéric Marin – Café De Flore

Achievement In Music – Original Score

Ramachandra Borcar – Jaloux
Mychael Danna – The Whistleblower
Martin Léon – Monsieur Lazhar
Philip Miller – The Bang Bang Club
Howard Shore – A Dangerous Method

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Father's Day - Brian Wiacek
Keyhole - Jason Staczek
Manborg - Brian Wiacek, Jeremy Gillespie
The Mountie - Ivan Barbotin

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Manborg - Jeremy Gillespie, Brian Wiacek

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Howard Shore – A Dangerous Method

What Will Win:

Howard Shore – A Dangerous Method

And the winner is:

Howard Shore – A Dangerous Method

Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role

Fellag – Monsieur Lazhar
Garret Dillahunt – Oliver Sherman
Michael Fassbender – A Dangerous Method
Patrick Huard – Starbuck
Scott Speedman – Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:
In Darkness - Robert Wieckiewicz
Keyhole - Jason Patric
Father's Day - Adam Brooks
Le Vendeur - Gilbert Sicotte
Take This Waltz - Seth Rogen

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Le Vendeur - Gilbert Sicotte

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Fellag – Monsieur Lazhar

What Will Win:

Fellag – Monsieur Lazhar

And the winner is:

Fellag – Monsieur Lazhar

Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role

Antoine Bertrand – Starbuck
Kevin Durand – Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster
Marin Gerrier – Café De Flore
Taylor Kitsch – The Bang Bang Club
Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Father's Day - Mackenzie Murdock
Keyhole - Louis Negin
Marécages - Gabriel Maillé
Marécages - Luc Picard
The Mountie - Earl Pastko

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Keyhole - Louis Negin

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method

What Will Win:

Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method

And the winner is:

Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method

Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role

Catherine De Léan – Nuit #1
Pascale Montpetit – The Girl In The White Coat
Vanessa Paradis – Café De Flore
Rachel Weisz – The Whistleblower
Michelle Williams – Take This Waltz

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Daydream Nation - Katt Dennings
Father's Day - Amy Groening
Manborg - Meredith Sweeney
Marécages - Pascale Bussières

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Marécages - Pascale Bussières

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Take This Waltz - Michelle Williams

What Will Win:

The Whistleblower - Rachel Weisz

And the winner is:

Vanessa Paradis – Café De Flore

Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role

Roxana Condurache – The Whistleblower
Hélène Florent – Café De Flore
Julie Lebreton – Starbuck
Sophie Nélisse – Monsieur Lazhar
Charlotte Sullivan – Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Daydream Nation - Katie Boland
In Darkness - Agnieszka Grochowska
Keyhole - Isabella Rossellini
Le Vendeur - Nathalie Cavezzali

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Le Vendeur - Nathaie Cavezzali

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Sophie Nélisse – Monsieur Lazhar

What Will Win:

Roxana Condurache – The Whistleblower

And the winner is:

Sophie Nélisse – Monsieur Lazhar

Achievement In Overall Sound

Stéphane Bergeron, Yann Cleary, Lise Wedlock
– Marécages

Pierre Bertrand, Shaun Nicholas Gallagher, Bernard Gariépy Strobl
– Monsieur Lazhar

Jean Minondo, Jocelyn Caron, Gavin Fernandes, Louis Gignac
– Café De Flore

Lou Solakofski, Stephan Carrier, Kirk Lynds
– The Bang Bang Club

Orest Sushko, Christian Cooke
– A Dangerous Method

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Manborg - Jeremy Gillespie
Keyhole - John Gurdebeke, Lou Solakofski, Stan Mak
Le Vendeur - Stéphane Bergeron, Olivier Calvert, Gilles Corbeil

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Keyhole - John Gurdebeke, Lou Solakofski, Stan Mak

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Lou Solakofski, Stephan Carrier, Kirk Lynds – The Bang Bang Club

What Will Win:

Orest Sushko, Christian Cooke – A Dangerous Method

And the winner is:

Orest Sushko, Christian Cooke – A Dangerous Method

Achievement In Sound Editing

Fred Brennan, James Bastable, Gabe Knox, John Sievert
– You Are Here

Claude Beaugrand, Olivier Calvert, Natalie Fleurant, Francine Poirier
- Marécages

Wayne Griffin, Rob Bertola, Tony Currie, Andy Malcolm, Michael O’farrell
– A Dangerous Method

Martin Pinsonnault, Blaise Blanchier, Simon Meilleur, Mireille Morin, Luc Raymond
– Café De Flore

Jeremy Maclaverty, Daniel Pellerin, Geoff Raffan, Jan Rudy, John Sievert, James Mark Stewart
– In Darkness

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Keyhole - David McCallum, David Rose, Krystin Hunter
Le Vendeur - Olivier Calvert

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Keyhole - David McCallum, David Rose, Krystin Hunter

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

In Darkness
- Jeremy Maclaverty, Daniel Pellerin, Geoff Raffan, Jan Rudy, John Sievert, James Mark Stewart

What Will Win:

A Dangerous Method
- Wayne Griffin, Rob Bertola, Tony Currie, Andy Malcolm, Michael O’farrell

And the winner is:

A Dangerous Method
- Wayne Griffin, Rob Bertola, Tony Currie, Andy Malcolm, Michael O’farrell

Original Screenplay

Anne Émond – Nuit #1
Eilis Kirwan, Larysa Kondracki – The Whistleblower
Ken Scott, Martin Petit – Starbuck
Jean-Marc Vallée – Café De Flore
Ryan Ward, Matthew Heiti – Son Of The Sunshine

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:

Daydream Nation - Michael Goldbach
Father's Day - Astron-6
Keyhole - George Toles, Guy Maddin
Le Vendeur - Sébastien Pilote
Marécages - Guy Édoin

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:

Keyhole - George Toles, Guy Maddin

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

None of them

What Will Win:

Jean-Marc Vallée – Café De Flore

And the winner is:

Ken Scott, Martin Petit – Starbuck

Adapted Screenplay

Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar
Ryan Redford – Oliver Sherman
David Shamoon – In Darkness
Steven Silver – The Bang Bang Club

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

David Shamoon – In Darkness

What Will Win:

Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar

And the winner is:

Philippe Falardeau – Monsieur Lazhar

Achievement In Visual Effects

A Dangerous Method -
Dennis Berardi, Mathew Bornett, Mike Borrett, Wilson Cameron, Ovi Cinazin,
Jason Edwardh, Oliver Hearsey, Jim Price, Milan Schere, Wolciech Zielinski

Snow and Ashes
Éve Brunet, Jacques Lévesque, Philippe Roberge
Marc Côté, Stéphanie Broussaud, Gary Chuntz, Vincent Dudouet,
Cynthia Mourou, Eric Normandin, Martin Pensa, Luc Sanfaçon, Sylvain Théroux,

Café De Flore -
Nathalie Tremblay

Bumrush -
Geoffroy Lauzon

Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster -
Tom Turnbull, Ian Britton, Robert Crowther, Tony Cybulski

What Should Have Been Nominated But Wasn't:
Manborg - Steven Kostanski

What Should Have Won
If The Genies Had Bothered To Nominate It:
Manborg - Steven Kostanski

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:
Tom Turnbull, Ian Britton, Robert Crowther, Tony Cybulski – Edwin Boyd: Citizen
Gangster

What Will Win:
Tom Turnbull, Ian Britton, Robert Crowther, Tony Cybulski – Edwin Boyd: Citizen
Gangster

And the winner is:

Café De Flore -
Nathalie Tremblay

Best Feature Length Documentary

Beauty Day
– Jay Cheel, Kristina Mclaughlin, Kevin Mcmahon, Roman Pizzacalla

Family Portrait In Black And White
– Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov

The Guantanamo Trap
– Thomas Wallner, Amit Breuer, Patrick Crowe

La Nuit, Elles Dansent / At Night, They Dance
– Isabelle Lavigne, Stéphane Thibault, Lucie Lambert

Wiebo’s War
– David York, Nick Hector, C.C.E., Bryn Hughes, Bonnie Thompson

What Should Win Based Upon The Nominees as They Stand:

Family Portrait In Black And White
– Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov

What Will Win:

Family Portrait In Black And White
– Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov

And the winner is:

La Nuit, Elles Dansent / At Night, They Dance
– Isabelle Lavigne, Stéphane Thibault, Lucie Lambert

THE FIRST ANNUAL "KLYMKIW" GENIE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE NOMINEES
Daydream Nation - Trish Dolman, Christine Haebler
Father's Day – Lloyd Kaufman, Astron-6
Keyhole - Jody Shapiro
Le Vendeur - Marc Daigle, Bernadette Payeur
Take This Waltz - Susan Cavan

BEST PICTURE WINNER:
Le Vendeur - Marc Daigle, Bernadette Payeur

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN NOMINEES
The Bang Bang Club - Emelia Weavind
In Darkness - Erwin Prib
Keyhole - Ricardo Alms, Matt Holm
Le Vendeur - Mario Hervieux
The Mountie - Jim Goodall

BEST ART DIRECTION/PD WINNER:
Keyhole - Ricardo Alms, Matt Holm

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEES
In Darkness - Jolanta Dylewska
Keyhole - Benjamin Kasulke
Le Vendeur - Michel La Veaux
The Mountie - Rene Smith
Take This Waltz - Luc Montpellier

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY WINNER:
Le Vendeur - Michel La Veaux

BEST COSTUME DESIGN NOMINEES
A Dangerous Method - Denise Cronenberg
Café De Flore - Ginette Magny, Emmanuelle Youchnovski
Keyhole - Heather Neale
In Darkness - Jagna Janicka, Nadine Kremeier, Katarzyna Lewinska
Manborg - Astron-6

BEST COSTUME DESIGN WINNER:
Keyhole - Heather Neale

BEST DIRECTOR NOMINEES
Daydream Nation - Michael Goldbach
Father's Day - Astron-6
Keyhole - Guy Maddin
Le Vendeur - Sebastien Pilote
Take This Waltz - Sarah Polley

BEST DIRECTOR WINNER:
Le Vendeur - Sebastien Pilote

BEST EDITING NOMINEES
Father's Day - Adam Brooks
Keyhole - John Gurdebeke
Le Vendeur - Michel Arcand
The Mountie - Kerry Davie
Take This Waltz - Chris Donaldson

BEST EDITING WINNER:
Father's Day - Adam Brooks

BEST MAKEUP NOMINEES & WINNERS:
Father's Day - Steven Kostanski
Manborg - Steven Kostanski
*NOTE* NOTHING COMES REMOTELY CLOSE
TO THE WORK IN THESE PICTURES.
NOTHING! NADA! THIS IS IT!

BEST MUSIC NOMINEES
A Dangerous Method - Howard Shore
Father's Day - Jeremy Gillespie, Brian Wiacek
Keyhole - Jason Staczek
Manborg - Jeremy Gillespie, Brian Wiacek
The Mountie - Ivan Barbotin

BEST MUSIC WINNERS:
Father's Day - Jeremy Gillespie, Brian Wiacek
Manborg - Jeremy Gillespie, Brian Wiacek

BEST ACTOR NOMINEES
In Darkness - Robert Wieckiewicz
Keyhole - Jason Patric
Father's Day - Adam Brooks
Le Vendeur - Gilbert Sicotte
Take This Waltz - Seth Rogen

BEST ACTOR WINNER:
Le Vendeur - Gilbert Sicotte

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR NOMINEES
Father's Day - Mackenzie Murdock
Keyhole - Louis Negin
Marécages - Gabriel Maillé
Marécages - Luc Picard
The Mountie - Earl Pastko

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR WINNER:
Keyhole - Louis Negin

BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES
Daydream Nation - Katt Dennings
Father's Day - Amy Groening
Manborg - Meredith Sweeney
Marécages - Pascale Bussières
Take This Waltz - Michelle Williams

BEST ACTRESS WINNER:
Marécages - Pascale Bussières

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS NOMINEES
Daydream Nation - Katie Boland
In Darkness - Agnieszka Grochowska
Keyhole - Isabella Rossellini
Le Vendeur - Nathalie Cavezzali
Monsieur Lazhar - Sophie Nélisse

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS WINNER:
Le Vendeur - Nathalie Cavezzali

BEST SOUND NOMINEES
The Bang Bang Club - Lou Solakofski, Stephan Carrier, Kirk Lynds
Manborg - Jeremy Gillespie
Keyhole - John Gurdebeke, Lou Solakofski, Stan Mak
Le Vendeur - Stéphane Bergeron, Olivier Calvert, Gilles Corbeil
Marécages - Stéphane Bergeron, Yann Cleary, Lise Wedlock

BEST SOUND WINNER:
Keyhole - John Gurdebeke, Lou Solakofski, Stan Mak

BEST SOUND EDITING NOMINEES:
In Darkness
Jeremy Maclaverty, Daniel Pellerin, Geoff Raffan,
Jan Rudy, John Sievert, James Mark Stewart
Keyhole
David McCallum, David Rose, Krystin Hunter
Le Vendeur
Olivier Calvert
Manborg
Astron-6
Marécages
Claude Beaugrand, Olivier Calvert, Natalie Fleurant, Francine Poirier

BEST SOUND EDITING WINNER:
Keyhole - David McCallum, David Rose, Krystin Hunter

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY NOMINEES
Daydream Nation - Michael Goldbach
Father's Day - Astron-6
Keyhole - George Toles, Guy Maddin
Le Vendeur - Sébastien Pilote
Marécages - Guy Édoin

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY WINNER:
Keyhole - George Toles, Guy Maddin

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY NOMINEE AND WINNER:
David Shamoon – In Darkness
*NOTE* NOTHING COMES REMOTELY CLOSE TO THIS ONE,
IT'S GREATNESS AS AN ADAPTED SCREENPLAY CANNOT
BE TARNISHED BY ASSOCIATING IT WITH OTHERS.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS NOMINEE AND WINNER:
Manborg - Steven Kostanski
*NOTE* FORGET ALL THE REST!!!
THIS IS THE CAT'S ASS!!!
THIS ROCKS BIGTIME!!!

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY NOMINEE AND WINNER:
Family Portrait In Black And White
– Julia Ivanova, Boris Ivanov
*NOTE* NO PUSSY-FOOTING AROUND HERE!
THE BEST CANADIAN DOCUMENTARY I SAW ALL YEAR!