Mike's Bloggity Blog

Summer can be an awesome time of year here in Calgary, between the mountains, the rivers and the Stampede, there’s an endless amount of outdoor activities. However, for me and movie buffs from Hawkwood to Mackenzie Towne, the summer is really all about the movies. For a few months of the year, movie theatres are packed with big action films, long-awaited sequels and gut-busting comedies.  With so many to choose from, here are some of my Bloggity-approved picks.

Nothing brings audiences together a like good ole fashioned summer action blockbuster. The highly anticipated superhero movie, The Avengers (5/4), will likely bring in record numbers. I’ll do my best to ignore Rihanna and Liam Neeson’s attempts to save the world in the board game adaptation of Battleship (5/18), but watching Kristin Stewart withstand the evil witch in Snow White and the Huntsman (6/1) looks like a lot of fun. I’ll be excited to know if Prometheus (6/8) is, in fact, the long-rumoured Alien movie prequel that we’ve been waiting for, while Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (6/22) should be just the right amount of campy.

Sacha Baron Cohen returns with his special brand of squirm-inducing comedy in The Dictator (5/11). Speaking of squirming, I’m not expecting much from What to Expect When You’re Expecting (5/18). For that matter, I’ll skip Adam Sandler’s That’s My Boy (6/5) and wait for Seth McFarlane’s Ted (7/13) to get my fix of crude belly laughs. August will bring us Neighborhood Watch (8/27) with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, followed by Dog Fight (8/10) with Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell as two bumbling candidates battling it out for the 2012 Presidential election. How’d they pick just two?

Sequels and threequels, whether we asked for them or not, will probably dominate the box office. Ten years after the sequel, Will Smith suits up for Men in Black III (5/25) and notorious franchise-saver, The Rock, might make me want to see G.I. Joe: Retaliation (6/29). Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy concludes with The Dark Knight Rises (7/20) and Arnold Schwarzenegger joining the aging action star franchise in The Expendables 2 (8/17), which might be just too good to pass up.

Remakes, reboots and retellings, oh my! Johnny Depp sheds light on Dark Shadows (5/11) and  Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone take the reins of a super successful franchise in The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3^rd). Finally, Matt Damon hands over his forgetful memory to Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy, part of which was filmed in Kananaskis country.

The Broadway smash, Rock of Ages, gets the big screen treatment starring Tom Cruise (6/15) and musical fans will want to see the late Whitney Houston on the big screen one last time in Sparkle (8/17); a remake of the 70’s film by the same name.

As for the family fare, I’ll be calling my friends who have kids, so I can go to see Pixar’s Brave (6/22) and Ice Age: Continental Drift (8/13). Then I’ll call my pretentious movie buff friends to see some early Oscar hopefuls like Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz (6/29) and Oliver Stone’s gritty Savages (7/6) with Oscar winner Benecio Tel Toro. Seventeen-time Oscar nominee, Meryl Streep, also headlines Great Hope Springs (8/10) with Steve Carell and Tommy Lee Jones; another must-see.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to a private screening of The Hunger Games. I signed a contract that I would not breathe a single word about the movie until…right now. So instead of a word, here’s 99 of them:

Fans rejoice, the movie is good, really, really good. The story is as gripping and daring as the one we’ve read on the book’s pages and I really think you won’t be disappointed. Things are dropped from the book, but you likely won’t notice. Instead, pay attention to the wonderful score and its timing. It’s jarring to not hear what’s going on from Katniss’ perspective, but Jennifer Lawrence is an immaculate fit for the challenging and physically demanding role. The movie is shocking and bold, it’s sad world, but one that I was happy to be a part of.

The Hunger Games opens on March 23rd. 

Last night, the best in Canadian film was celebrated in a star-studded gala known as the Genies.

The night’s biggest winner, was hardly a surprise. The Oscar nominated Monsieur Lazhar picked up a total of six Genies including Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Lead Actor (Mohamed Fellag) and Best supporting actress for Sophie Nélisse, who is only eleven years old. 

David Cronenberg’s psychoanalytical thriller, A Dangerous Mind, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightly (None of them Canadian) won five Genies including best art direction, Howard Shore best musical score and best supporting actor for Mortensen.

Before the Genies were handed out, Café de Flore went into the night with the most nominations.  The movie is of note, particularly because it stars Johnny Depp‘s girlfriend Vanessa Paradis.  In the end, the movie walked away with only three Genies, but one of them was for the mother of Depp’s children, who one for Best Actress.

Congrats to all the winners, it looks like it was fantastic night!

This weekend was all about the Oscars but here in Canada, the real box office champ was the Canadian flick Goon!

The hockey movie, which stars Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber, topped the box office scoring more than $1.2 million dollars!  Seriously guys, a Canadian movie topping the box office?  This like NEVER happens!

So how impressive is the tally? 2008′s One Week only made $680,000 throughout its entire run.   I could be wrong, but I think the last time a Canadian movie opened at #1 was all the way back in 2006 with The Trailer Park Boys: The Movie.

The film also seems to be a hit with the critics, right now it has a 77% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a great score!

I initially didn’t think I would go see this movie, but with so much buzz, it may be hard to ignore!

Well I don’t know even know what we did to deserve this honour, but when Titanic 3D sails into theatres this April, we lucky Canadians will get to see it first…by one day.

Canadians from coast to coast will be the first people in the world to get a sneak peek at the re-release of the movie that turned Leo and Kate into huge stars!  On April 2nd, we’ll be able to see the Real3D one-night only special advance screenings that will take place at 6:30pm at select 3D movie theaters across the country!  Buying tickets to the screening will also score you  a collectors edition pair of Titanic RealD 3D glasses and a limited-edition Titanic movie art lithograph!

The same event will take place in the USA the next day.

Here is the complete listing of Canadian theatres showing the special screening.

Because I’m so stoked to see this movie, I for one will be taking advantage of this one day special screening.  I know that it’s just another way for James Cameron to make more money, but I’ve always loved this movie, so any chance I get to see it again, is fine by me.  When it came out in 1997, I was a teenager living in Fredericton.  We only had one movie theatre and if you remember correctly, Titanic was the #1 movie from December until April.  That’s insane.  I actually saw the movie 8 times in theatres. EIGHT.

Fun fact that I just happen to have in my head: Lost in Space was the film that finally sunk Titanic at the box office.

So are you excited for the re-release? Who still cries when they think about the old couple drowning in bed together?

We’re just a few days away from this year’s Oscar telecast, but that doesn’t mean a lot of people are already thinking about next year’s ceremony, especially those who have films that are just premiering to acclaim at this year’s festivals.

One film that will certainly have Oscar voters attention next year is Quebec’s War Witch, which just picked up a big award at the Berlin Film Festival. The film stars Rachel Mwanza, a 15 year old who plays a girl who is kidnapped by rebel soldiers in Africa, forced to kill her own parents and becomes the mistress of the rebel leader of the rebel army.

Woah. That’s heavy.  Asterisk and Obelix this is not.

Anyway, even though she can’t legally drive a car, Mwanza picked up the Best Actess award at the film festival this past weekend. She accepted the Silver Bear award for best actress from jury member Jake Gyllenhaal. Talk about a big night for the young star!

It’s a little too early to know what this means for next year’s Oscars, but it’s a big step toward the red carpet.

There’s no release date for War Witch, I think that will depend on how well the film continues to do a film festivals.

Congrats Rachel!

Anyone else?

A few days ago, a small Canadian film got a lot of attention, when it nabbed one of the coveted Best Foreign picture film nominations at this year’s Oscars.   Monsieur Lazhar was directed by acclaimed director Philippe Falardeau. The movie tells the story of Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, who is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir’s painful former life

You know, typical Quebec comedy…..

So if you’re like me, and you happen to enjoy movies, you’re probably wondering where you can see this small but acclaimed movie.  Well, it isn’t on DVD yet, but it is still playing in some theatres across the country, although won’t likely ever receive a full across country rollout.  I decided to do a little investigating and see where in Canada you can see the movie RIGHT NOW.  I’m guessing, as Oscar night gets closer and closer, the film hopefully might start to pop up all over the country, but for now, here’s what I found, as of Friday, January 27th:

Vancouver, BC:
International Village Cinemas

Edmonton, AB:
City Centre

Calgary, AB
Eau Claire Market

Winnipeg, MB
Globe Cinema

Toronto, ON
TIFF Bell Lightbox

Sherbrooke, QC
Galaxy @ Sherbrooke

Montreal, QC
AMC Forum 22

Happy viewing, make sure you report back and tell me if it’s worth the effort to see it…although I’m sure it is.

It’s not secret that Canadians are awful at going to see Canadian films.  Maybe it’s because the marketing budgets aren’t as exuberant, or the explosions as big as our American counterparts, but it seems like Canadians would rather support their stars like Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds, then actually go see a Canadian film.

Telefilm is actually one of the biggest funders of Canadian projects, and they just announced their next five big funding projects and I thought I’d share them with you, you know, to see if any of them might peak your interest.  Are any of them the next One Night, Ginger Snaps or Men With Brooms?  You tell me.

The Boy Who Smells Like Fish (Ontario and Nunavut Region)
At first glance, Mica seems like a perfectly normal boy. But first glances can often be deceiving… For one, Mica’s house is now a museum dedicated to Guillermo Garibai, the legendary Spanish crooner. Mica spends most of his time there, giving guided tours to aging Garibai fans. But stranger still, Mica smells. Like fish. Numerous doctors, his life-long therapist and even his own parents are at a loss. No one wants to be Mica’s friend. Girls won’t talk to him. His life appears pointless, uneventful, doomed. That is, until Laura walks into it.

Cottage Country (Ontario and Nunavut Region)
Todd wants everything to be perfect at the family cottage, where he plans to ask Cammie to marry him. Things take a bad turn when Salinger, Todd’s lazy brother, shows up with his girlfriend, Masha. When Todd accidently kills his brother with an axe, Cammie decides not to let Salinger’s murder—or Masha’s less-than-accidental death—get in the way of the couple’s happiness. Todd’s proposal goes swimmingly (just as the bodies of the two guests disappear into the lake), and the lovers return to the cottage—where a party is in full swing, making things even more complicated. Dov, Salinger’s buddy, starts to seriously question where the missing guests are, and tensions rise (along with the number of bodies) when the cops arrive.

Foxfire (Ontario and Nunavut Region)
Upstate New York, 1953, a working-class neighborhood in a small town. In this violent post-war culture controlled by men, a group of headstrong teenage girls unite into a sisterhood of blood: they form the Foxfire gang, a secret female-only society, recognized by the flame tattoed on the back of its members’ shoulders. ‘Foxfire’ for pretty foxes, but also ‘Foxfire’ for fire and destruction. Legs, Maddy, Lana, Rita and Goldie cannot accept any longer to be humiliated and discriminated against for being poor, and being girls. Headed by the feisty Legs, the girls set on a trip for revenge, and try to pursue their impossible dream: living according to their own rules and laws, no matter what. But there’s a price to pay…

Still (Ontario and Nunavut Region)
Still is the true story of Craig and Irene Morrison.  Married for sixty-five years, Craig and Irene were still very much dedicated to each other and their family. They had lived most of their lives in the same house overlooking the Bay of Fundy, but now it was in serious need of repairs. Add to that fact Irene was now starting to show signs of dementia, and it was only a matter of time before their home would be unsuitable. Though Craig was nearly ninety, he decided to build the house himself. When he started, he never envisioned the obstacles he would confront. Still is the story of love, of independence and of dignity.

The Disappeared (Atlantic Region)
Six men, two lifeboats, the fight of their lives. If they succeed, they live. If they fail, they die. They die together, lost and alone in the vast, unforgiving emptiness of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Sadly, it doesn’t look like anyone has picked up my idea to turn CBC’s The Racoons into a full length future film, at least not yet.  I like the plot line of The Disappeared.  Sorta like Open Water mixed with Paranormal Activity.

What do you think?

Who knew being the most famous person in my family would be so hard?

First it was my grandmother, who now has her own viral video, and now my cousin Ashley McKenzie and her partner Nelson MacDonald have been named finalists of the fifth annual Air Canada enRoute Film Festival. Their film’s called Rhonda’s Party and it’s already won a handful of awards and I have a feeling it will pick up the top prize here too…

The winner of the Best Short Film Award will receive a cash prize of $5,000 courtesy of Cineplex Entertainment, plus an all-inclusive Air Canada trip for two to the Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. Achievement Award winners will also be going to the festival in France courtesy of Air Canada.

The other Air Canada enRoute Film Festival finalists are Miles Jay and Orlee-Rose Strauss for Blink, Timothy Chan for A Starry Night.

If you’re lucky enough to be in the Toronto-area, there will be a free public screening of the nominated short films next Thursday, November 10 in Cinema 7 at Scotiabank Theatre from 7 to 8 p.m.

If that wasn’t cool enough, my cousin’s film will be viewed by millions of Air Canada passengers who will be able to view the selected short films on in-seat monitors on any Air Canada plane.

Congrats Ashley and Nelson!