By Jim Henshaw A decade of boneheaded moves by Canada’s broadcast regulator, the CRTC, were the original inspiration for my blog. And over its life I’ve repeatedly weighed in on just how dim-witted or out of touch our CRTC Commissioners have been with their decisions. The last was a couple of months ago with the first […]
He wrote Canadian film into being
By Jim Henshaw While writer muses come and go at their will, each of us is granted a mentor. Very early on I was lucky enough to be taken under the wing of the best screenwriter Canada has produced, John Hunter. I don’t remember how John and I first met. All I know is he […]
Alice Cooper, Canadian icon
By Frank Moher Did I miss the part where Alice Cooper became a Canadian? Because otherwise, HBO Canada’s new doc Super Duper Alice Cooper appears to mark some strange turning point in Canadian film funding. And believe you me, this is a Canadian film — at least if its list of financiers is anything to […]
The Video: Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Owning Mahowny”
The 2003 Canadian film Owning Mahowny, based on Gary Ross’s book No Limit, was made for pennies. It grossed pennies. But when Philip Seymour Hoffman wanted to play a role, wanted to make a film, he made it. Roger Ebert wrote of his performance: “Philip Seymour Hoffman, that fearless poet of implosion, plays the role […]
Universal appeal, still no audience
By Rachelle Stein-Wotten When you score big financially, does anybody write you a congratulatory cheque? No? Well what’s wrong with you? Because if you’re a Canadian filmmaker and you write or direct the top-grossing Canadian film in any given year, you get a cool $20,000. Telefilm Canada says its Golden Box Office Award is intended […]
Canadian Screen Awards: More Short -pipes, please
By Rachelle Stein-Wotten If it wasn’t for host Martin Short, the Canadian Screen Awards last night would have been a real dud. This first year of the awards, aired on CBC, was partly a grand experiment. The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television combined the bereft-of-an-audience Genies and Geminis — separate awards for film and […]
Son of “Midnight’s Children”
By Mark Leiren-Young When I walk into the downtown Toronto hotel room to meet Salman Rushdie, I can’t help scoping the halls for bodyguards. Even though he’s no longer in hiding, there’s still a three million dollar bounty on the writer’s head and he’s still the most buzzed about celebrity at the 2012 Toronto International […]
Let the multiplexes die
Film distribution in Canada is in trouble, at least if you believe the Globe. Seems Canada is one of the top pirating countries in the world. Hollywood execs are threatening to delay — or even halt — distribution of their films here. So there’s a chance that future hits like The Hills Have Eyes 2 […]
Morgan Freeman saves the Canadian film industry
By Frank Moher If Morgan Freeman wasn’t the coolest guy in Hollywood already, he certainly is now. This weekend, Freeman’s production company, Revelations Entertainment, joins with computer chip manufacturer Intel to make his latest movie, 10 Items or Less, available online for download. That’s the same 10 Items or Less that premiered in movie theatres […]
The Duke of Vancouver
By Frank Moher Daryl Duke, the Vancouver-born TV director and producer who died last Saturday, was the real deal. In an industry full off hypesters, especially in B.C., where there are 20 would-be producers for every dollar of financing available, Duke had sufficient credits that he didn’t need to tell you all about them: you […]
