100% Homegrown: Top 10 Canadian Film Picks
Jennifer Watts
1. Last Night (Director: Don McKellar)
What would you do if you had one night left before the world ended? Starring a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Sandra Oh and Don McKellar, this allegory about the last day on Earth is funny, eerie, and dysfunctional, and by far my favourite film on the list.
2. The Sweet Hereafter (Director: Atom Egoyan)
From acclaimed director Atom Egoyan, this film enjoyed both critical and commercial success (a challenge for many Canadian films). Witness the effects a tragic bus crash has on a small town; the young, wheelchair-bound girl who survived the accident; and the determined lawyer on a mission to avenge those responsible.
3. Fubar (Director: Michael Dowse)
This “mockumentary” follows the daily lives and the aspirations of two aging, beer-guzzling rockers (complete with mullets and acid-wash). Though the “F-Bomb” is dropped more than 270 times, this cult classic is worth viewing. Turn up the good and turn down the suck.
4. New Waterford Girl (Director: Allan Moyle)
“Get Pregnant Now. Lose Virginity Later.” If this tagline doesn’t pique your interest, then I don’t know what will. Touching and visceral, this film about a gifted teenager who dreams of a life beyond her small town won awards at the “Genies” and the Toronto Film Festival.
5. The Corporation (Director: Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott)
A documentary about the effects of the corporate identity on modern society. Insightful, compelling, and at times cringe-worthy, this film is both a crowd- and a critic-pleaser.
6. Hard Core Logo (Director: Bruce McDonald)
Dubbed a “rockumentary,” this film chronicles the reunion and last-ditch efforts of the quasi-punk band Hard Core Logo. If you liked This is Spinal Tap, then check out this “life on the road” film.
7. Crash (Director: David Cronenberg)
Not to be confused the crappy and clichéd Oscar-winning film of the same name, Crash takes the viewer into an underworld of sex and car crashes. This film is controversial and fetishistic, and definitely not for the faint of heart.
8. Strange Brew (Director: Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas)
A Hamlet-inspired, Canadian comedy about two very popular “hosers” who enlist as beer bottle inspectors, only to find something very rotten in the state of the Elsinore Brewery. This one will always be an iconic favourite, eh?
9. Goin' Down the Road (Director: Donald Shebib)
Two drifters make the trip from Nova Scotia to Toronto in search of a better life. Bouncing from job to job along the way, this forlorn film explores whether the grass is really greener on the other side. A thought-provoking time capsule of Toronto life in the 70s.
10. The Decline of the American Empire (Director: Denys Arcand)
Oscar-nominated and a winner at Cannes, this film is about a group of intellectuals who gather at a dinner party and discuss sex, intimacy, and success in the context of their own lives. This film is both witty and entertaining, and provides unique insight into different factions of society. |
