Thankfully, I Didn't Spend $10

Although I may be behind the times when it comes to catching up on the latest Hollywood Blockbusters, but in this situation, I was very happy to be about 6 months behind.

Well, I finally saw Sherlock Holmes. It was a tragedy. When, what some would call a film, came to theatres, my mother was very intrigued (understandably so, generally Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are quite entertaining) but I was hesitant and therefore we never made it to the cineplex to catch the 'epic'. Fast forward six months and my mother and I are renting a film for the evening. I didn't feel much like using my brain that evening so we did the unthinkable. We rented Sherlock Holmes.

Needless to say, I was disappointed. However, I cannot tell you exactly what it was that disappointed me. The film was so awful, that to be truthful, the entire thing was just a plain old mess. Perhaps the last 15-minutes were enjoyable but I think this was so because I knew the thing must be almost over.

Well a few days passed and I finally felt ready to go back to video store and attempt renting another film. This time, I chose a Korean film called Mother. I remember seeing that it had won many awards in South Korea so I was intrigued.

The IMDB plot summary describes it as:

A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Now, it's his mother's call whether to prove him innocent or to leave him imprisoned.

The film was absolutely phenomenal. It was shocking, exciting and I was literally on the edge of my seat. It was a thriller at its best. I would suggest checking out this film. Especially if you would like to see filmmaking at its finest unlike, ahem, the disaster that was Sherlock Holmes.

Local Film Critic Hates Canadian Film

I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of Canadian film is lacking but for some time I have done my best to update myself on Canadian films. However it would seem that not all Canadians believe in promoting our cinema. Mike Sage, the film reviewer for Peterborough This Week wrote a review of Splice in which he knocked the Canadian film industry.

"I have a confession to make. I'm Canadian but I kind of hate Canadian film. When you finally see something made by Canucks, it's typically boring and pretentious if it isn't weird, nonsensical and artsy. The genre stuff most of us crave is extremely rare and it unfortunately usually stars Paul Gross. "

Just a feminists hate hearing women saying "I'm not a feminist but..." frankly, I am tired of hearing "I'm a Canadian but I hate Canadian film"

Yes, sometimes Canadian films can be trying. However, if you are not willing to watch these films you will never experience great projects created by extremely talented Canadians. I don't understand why the "greatest" films come from Hollywood when you often see the same story lines, plots and Hollywood Endings. Hollywood is so predictable that they have their own classification for endings!

However, I understand that not everyone can catch a Canadian film seeing as they are often left out of our Cineplexes. In fact, in order to catch The Trotsky, I had to venture to Toronto where it was playing at only several of the many theatres in the GTA.

To counter argue Mike Sage's eloquently stated hatred for Canadian film, I suggest taking a look at your local video store (if you are in Peterborough, check out Have You Seen) and see for yourself what is available in the way of Canadian film.

My suggestions would include Away From Her, C.R.A.Z.Y, Defendor, The Trotsky, Canadian Bacon and One Week. If you feel like checking out some classic Canadian directors, check out something by David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan or Guy Maddin.

Personally, there are so many films I can't wait to see, including Cooking with Stella, Passenger Side, The Wild Hunt, J'ai tué ma mère and Because I am a Girl.

Finally, if you want to learn more about Canadian film check out the National Film Board of Canada and the Toronto International Film Festival. Each year TIFF showcases many great Canadian films and in January, they have their Canada's Top Ten showcase which is a series not to be missed!