Great Canadian Cinema? Yep, at the Toronto Underground

Starting December 2nd, the Toronto Underground Cinema is running a four day showcase Canadian movies, under the title Good Canadian Cinema? TUG ran an online survey, and the result is definitely an eclectic mix.  Whether it’s the genre defining sex comedy Porky’s, which I haven’t seen since the days of mom and pop video stores, or the mind bending Naked Lunch, with David Cronenberg’s most under-appreciated film, it’s pretty clear that fans of the Toronto Underground have great taste when it comes to Canadian film.

Friday’s co-presentation (with Rue Morgue and ChiZine) of Pontypool will be attended by stars Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle as well as writer Tony Burgess, who wrote both the book and screenplay.  Pontypool, directed by Bruce McDonald, is one I’m particularly looking forward to.  Though I haven’t read the book and suspect that some nuances got lost in translation to film, Pontypool is a cerebral and unique take on the zombie genre.  I wasn’t sure if I was missing something when I caught it in its initial run, so it bears a second viewing.  Even with some reservations, the tension in this film is amazing and Steven McHattie’s performance as a big city DJ who was kicked to small town early morning radio is note-perfect.

Finally, a shout out to Noah over at Dorkshelf.  When I went to get the trailers for this post, I saw that he had already posted them.  Instead of me cribbing them, you can check them out here.

Great Canadian Cinema? line-up

Thursday, December 2

7:00 — The Sweet Hereafter (Atom Egoyan, 1997) : Probably Egoyan’s most beloved film, The Sweet Hereafter received Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Ian Holm and Sarah Polley star in this drama about a small town coping with a school bus accident.

9:30 — Last Night (Don McKellar, 1998) : Torontonians come to terms with an imminent and unexplained apocalypse.  Starring Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, and just about every other Canadian actor you can name, Last Night is easily one of the best movies ever made about this city.

Friday, December 3

6:45 — Hard Core Logo (Bruce McDonald, 1996) : Is it too much to say that this is the movie Spinal Tap wanted to be? Yes, it probably is, but Hard Core Logo is a spectacular mock-rockumentary in its own right.  Hugh Dillon and Callum Keith Rennie star in this chronicle of one punk band’s implosion.

9:00 — Pontypool (Bruce McDonald, 2008) : A postmodern adaptation of a postmodern novel about a postmodern zombie invasion.  Even more of a mind-f–k than it sounds.

Stars Stephen McHattie and Lisa Houle will attend the screening, alongside author Tony Burgess, who’s responsible for both the screenplay and the original novel.  This special screening is co-presented with Rue Morgue and ChiZine Publications.

Saturday, December 4

7:00 — Porky’s (Bob Clark, 1981) : Depending on which studio is spinning the numbers, this legendary sex comedy may or may not still be the top-grossing Canadian film of all time. And unlike Bon Cop, Bad Cop, there is no gratuitous Rick Mercer cameo.

9:00 Cube (Vincenzo Natali, 1997) : People wake up inside cube-shaped rooms. Each room is connected to other, identical rooms.  No one knows how they got there, but they want a find a way out of the maze.  The quintessential Canadian sci-fi thriller.

Screenwriter André Bijelic will attend.

Sunday, December 5

7:00 Naked Lunch (David Cronenberg, 1991) : Cronenberg adapts several William S. Burroughs stories into this… thing.  It is trippy, it is fun, and it stars Peter Weller (RoboCop!).

9:30 Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (Kelly Makin, 1996) : Dave Foley, Scott Thompson, Mark McKinney, Bruce McCulloch, and Kevin McDonald play all the roles in this wacky comedy about a pharmaceutical company that introduces a powerful new antidepressant. Siskel loved it; Ebert hated it.