Posts Tagged ‘Canadian films’

MAPLE SYRUP FOR YOUR EYES VOLUMES 1 – 9! CAN COM COMEDY, DOCS, SCI FI AND MORE!

Check out the first four episodes of my podcast “Maple Syrup For Your Eyes.” It’s a quick and entertaining trip through the films of the Great White North. Have a listen, they’re like Butter Tars, but for your ears.

VOLUME ONE: CAN CON COMEDY: Listen to it HERE:

I present a list of Canadian comedies that are more fun than a two four of Moosehead. We’ll meet the “Governor of Givin’er,” a bingo caller named Ned, an obsessive film fan, a free-spirited teen whose birthday mushroom trip brings her face-to-face with her 39-year-old self and writer director Cody Lightning and his film “Hey Viktor!”

VOLUME TWO: CAN CON DOCS: Listen to it HERE:

I present a list of Canadian documentaries that are more fun than a bucket of Beavertails. I’ll tell you about a major art forgery, the beginnings of a beloved band, a five-year-old orphan on the streets of Chennai, India, who went on to become one of Toronto’s most celebrated chefs and a journey across the 24,000 kilometers of our big, beautiful country. First up, a documentary about a family secret.

VOLUME THREE: CAN CON SCI FI: Listen to it HERE:

I present a list of Canadian sci fi and fantasy films that will wrap their robotic arms around you in a warm Canadarm hug. I’ll tell you about a government manhunt to eliminate the rise of the machine consciousness, a war-ravaged totalitarian future, marginalized superheroes, a slimy bipedal creature and an animated, malevolent rock star.

VOLUME FOUR: CAN CON SCARES: Listen to it HERE:

I present a list of Canadian horror films that are scarier than the Frankenstein Burger King on Clifton Hill. I’ll tell you about a 3D archaeologist, a werewolf movie that reinvents the genre, the first slasher flick, a vocal virus and much more.

VOLUME FIVE: CRONENBERG FAMILY VALUES: Listen to it HERE!

From a bloodthirsty brood, to celebrity viruses and a euthanasia program, on this week’s edition of “Maple Syrup For Your Eyes” I have a look at two generations of filmmaking Cronenbergs, David, Brandon and Caitlin.

MAPLE SYRUP FOR YOUR EYES VOLUME 6: HOLY MACKINAW! CANADIAN SPORTS MOVIES: Listen to it HERE!

I present a list of Canadian sports movies guaranteed to light the lamp! From airborne bloody Chiclets  and a hockey icon to the story of Saul Indian Horse and an elegy for a man who spent much of his career earning $25 a game, I have a look at Canada’s favorite game on the big screen.

MAPLE SYRUP FOR YOUR EYES VOLUME 7: BRAAAIIIINS AND GORE! CANADIAN ZOMBIE MOVIES: Listen to it HERE! 

Here’s a list of Canadian zombie movies with both gore and Braaaaains. I’ll tell you about a kid friendly zombie flick, heavy metal flesh eaters and a Civil War era zombie story that Variety says merits appreciation for really trying something different.

MAPLE SYRUP FOR YOUR EYES VOLUME 8: CANADIAN DRAMA KINGS AND QUEENS! Listen to it HERE!

Here’s a list of Canadian dramas more flavourful than a bag of ketchup chips. Coming up I have the story of a mystical child on a remote island off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, a journey to justice for Christopher Plummer, the tale of a young women who went from wilderness of Alberta to the wild runways of the fashion world and a young Indigenous woman guided by spirits to exact revenge against a vicious Government Agent. First stop on our dramatic journey, Nova Scotia.

MAPLE SYRUP FOR YOUR EYES VOLUME 9: THE “BLACKBERRY” SPECIAL! Listen to it HERE!

On this special episode of “Maple Syrup For Your Eyes” I have an in-depth look at the movie “Blackberry,” the lessons learned from the film, about what it means to be Canadian, why we don’t celebrate our own stories and much more with the film’s stars Jay Baruchel and Matt Johnson (who also co-wrote and directed).

National Canadian Film Day: What homegrown cinema lovers can expect on April 29

maxresdefaultBy Richard Crouse – Metro Canada

“For the past nine years, Reel Canada has been introducing young people and new Canadians to great Canadian films and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Jack Blum, executive director of Reel Canada.
This year on Tuesday, April 29, the Can-con boosters are kicking their outreach up a notch with the establishment of National Canadian Film Day.

“We thought it would be great for one day a year to extend that invitation to all Canadians,” Blum says. “We just believe that if we can overcome the ‘awareness’ barrier created by the huge promotional budgets Hollywood commands for its product, that people will embrace our fantastic legacy of great cinema.”

To help celebrate the inaugural National Canadian Film Day, Cineplex has donated screens to show a variety of homegrown films, including the festival hit C.R.A.Z.Y. and Paul Gross’s Passchendaele. The Reel Canada website boasts that great Canadian films will be “available in more communities on a single day than ever before in our nation’s history.”

“There are screenings happening all over the country,” says Blum, “literally in every province and territory as well as online and on TV. Of course, if you’re in Toronto, the place to be is the Royal on College, where Bruce McDonald and Don McKellar will be presenting Highway 61 and Last Night.”

Blum waves the flag when discussing the importance of exposure to Canadian films. “Canadian movies reflect Canadian experience. Period. When people see themselves and their world depicted on screen it gives them a stronger sense of where they live and what community or communities they belong to.”’