Oh! Canada

As today is the annual Canada Day holiday, I thought I would offer up a Canadian playlist of sorts for all the non-Canadians who frequent this blog. While it would take forever to highlight all the great films that come out of this country, I opted to highlight a few of my favourites. I recommend renting any of the following movies if you want to feel like an honorary Canadian for a day.

Hard Core Logo

Depending on where you live Bruce McDonald’s Pontypool might probably be easier to find at your local video store, and is worth the rental by the way, but Hard Core Logo is my top pick from his stellar list of films. McDonald’s mockumentary about the fall of the Hard Core Logo punk band is funny, bittersweet, and immensely entertaining. The film is a Canadian classic in my opinion!

waydowntown

Man I love this film! waydowntown takes place in Calgary where many of the downtown buildings are connect via tunnels and skywalks. A group of co-workers make a bet to see who can survive the longest without going outside. The film follows the group over the course of one rather harsh lunch hour in the competition. If you have every worked in an office, I am pretty sure you will find this film amusing on several levels.

Rude

Clément Virgo has really established himself nicely as a director. I have been a big fan of his ever since I saw Rude. The movie follows three separate narratives over the course of one weekend. The thing that connects them all is the omnipotent pirate radio deejay named Rude. The films film may not be as polished as Virgo’s other work, Love Come Down or Lie With Me for example, but that only adds to the overall charm of the picture.

Marion Bridge

If you are a fan of Ellen Page and/or Molly Parker then let me bring your attention to a small film that never got the love I thought it deserved. Marion Bridge looks at three unique sisters who are forced back together when their mother becomes ill. The film is an honest look at both the joy and pain that comes with family

Cube

Vincenzo Natali’s film Cube is one of those films that still amazes me every time I see it. The premise is simple: a group of strangers wake up and find themselves stuck inside a big Cube. Within the cube are a series of rooms that are filled with deadly traps. The fact that Natalia crafts such a tense, and visual thrilling, film on a small budget is a sight to behold.

Love, Sex, & Eating the Bones

Similar to Clement Virgo, David “Sudz” Sutherland is another director to keep an eye on in the future. While Love Sex & Eating the Bones is easily the most mainstream film on today’s list, this does not mean it should be ignored. The story revolves around Michael, a guy who must confront his addiction to pornography or risk losing the woman who is his perfect match. I liked that Sutherland made an urban love story with characters that were not mere stereotypes or caricatures.

Maelström

Denis Villeneuve’s Polytechnique was one of my top ten films of 2009. Yet if you ask me which film of his is my absolute favourite? The answer is simple…Maelström. The film is tale about a woman who accidentally kills a fishmonger…only to end up falling in love with the fishmonger’s son soon after. Did I mention that the film’s narrator is a fish being butchered? Odd as the whole thing may sound this is a fantastic film that dissects love and guilt in a unique way.

Again this is only a small sample of some of the Canadian films I adore. It would literally take me a month to go through the rest of films on my list. Happy Canada Day!