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| Antoine-Olivier Pilon in Mommy, the Canadian Screen Awards frontrunner. |
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| Maps to the Stars |
Canadian film was mostly in the spotlight this week after trades cited figures of the Canadian film industry including David Cronenberg, TIFF’s Jesse Wente, and film critic Richard Crouse slamming online film critics in a recent article by the Canadian Press. (Can we please stop these articles about how covering film should and shouldn't be?) Cronenberg’s mostly dismissive comments saw the most virality, although I’ll still root for Maps to the Stars to earn some love from the CSAs even if he thinks I’m just wasting my time. Maps is Cronenberg’s best Canadian film since Crash and it simply deserves to be acknowledged, especially for Bruce Wagner’s excellent screenplay and Julianne Moore’s gutsy performance (and with nominations for Sarah Gadon and Mia Wasikowska while we're at it!).
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| Anne Dorval and Xavier Dolan on the set of Mommy. Photo: Shane Laverdière. |
One thing that is certain, though, is that this year’s
announcement should show more of the Academy’s efforts to improve the awards as
they enter their third year as a combined endeavour for film, television, and
digital media. (I’m covering only film.) This year’s film side includes two new
categories to recognize the craftwork in documentaries (editing and
cinematography). Moreover, and this is a greater improvement for the awards,
while the CSAs still allow for a mix of submissions from films released
theatrically in 2014 and from those that screened at two or more qualifying
festivals, films accepted on festival screenings must confirm their intended theatrical
release before March 1st, 2015. This change essentially allows
festivals to act as qualifying runs might for some independent films in the
Oscar race (ex: Still Alice) before
being released in time to capitalize on the awards. I think this amendment to
the rules is more appreciated and necessary because it ensures fairness for the
other films that submit and, even better, allows Canadians to see the films
with the help of awards hype. That’s the whole point of an award show, eh?
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| Tu Dors Nicole |
Contenders from 2014 Theatrical Releases
Among the competitors from this year’s theatrical slate are the aforementioned Mommy and Maps to the Stars, which gives the Canadian Screen Awards a formidable Best Actress race between Mommy’s Anne Dorval and Cannes winner and Golden Globe nominee Julianne Moore. Next in the mix is their fellow Cannes-con hit Tu Dors Nicole, which is probably a dark horse and could have done well in any other year. However, Nicole got somewhat lost in Canadian theatres, barely opening outside Quebec and TIFF Bell Lightbox, and it’s a notable example for how some great Canadian films could benefit with the kind of exposure offered by events such as the Oscars. Mommy presumably is the front-runner across the board and looks likely to continue the five-year streak of Canada’s Oscar submissions landing the top prize.
Once one moves beyond the Cannes hits, however, nothing else
really seems viable. Canada’s top grosser Pompeii
probably has the best chance of rivalling Mommy
and Maps for the most overall
nominations among the film nominees, for this Canadian-German co-pro features
some spectacular production values even if it struggles to offer much
substance. On the other hand, the aforementioned Miraculum could garner a healthy crop of acting nominations, but
don’t expect it to score well elsewhere (maybe the editing) since the politely-mixed
reception for the film most says that the film is only as strong as its
performances are, although Podz’s films generally do well with the Academy.
More likely to show up among the nominees boasting theatrical releases is the Quebec box-office hit 1987, which has generally favourable reviews for its coming-of-age story. I caught the film last night and was pleasantly surprised by it (I'll have a review soon) and think it could bring director Ricardo Trogi and producer Nicole Robert back to the show after nominations for films like Quebec-Montreal, L’affair Dumont, and 1987's predecessor 1981. I think the amendment to the rules will help films like 1987 that played outside the festival circuit, so we’ll see one or two more non-festival films than usual in the Best Film line-up.
More likely to show up among the nominees boasting theatrical releases is the Quebec box-office hit 1987, which has generally favourable reviews for its coming-of-age story. I caught the film last night and was pleasantly surprised by it (I'll have a review soon) and think it could bring director Ricardo Trogi and producer Nicole Robert back to the show after nominations for films like Quebec-Montreal, L’affair Dumont, and 1987's predecessor 1981. I think the amendment to the rules will help films like 1987 that played outside the festival circuit, so we’ll see one or two more non-festival films than usual in the Best Film line-up.
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| 1987 |
Toronto distributor Mongrel Media, meanwhile, might have a
rare year without a Best Film nomination. Mongrel won a majority's share of the awards only three years ago with Still
Mine, Midnight’s Children, and
Rebelle (plus Stories We Tell in the doc category),
but it barely has much to offer on the Canadian front this year aside from Fall, which had a quiet release in
Toronto in December after premiering at the Vancouver International Film
Festival, and well-ish-received Heartbeat.
Fall’s chances mostly lie in Michael
Murphy’s strong performance unless Cronenberg fatigue sets in and gives the
film an edge since it’s one of the few Anglophone films in contention. Mongrel
also has a viable contender in Preggoland,
which has been getting raves for its screenplay and for the lead performance by
Sonja Bennett, but they’re advertising a Spring release.
A few other flicks had small Toronto releases and are
hovering on the fringe for a nomination here and there, but unless they’re
repped by a distributor with enough money to gamble up to $4000 on a submission
fee with mixed chances of recouping said costs, they’re unlikely to compete as Vic + Flo reportedly declined to do last
year. On the other hand, comparatively commercial films with bigger backers
like eOne tend to do better at the CSAs, so one can expect films like Afflicted and Stage Fright to score some technical gongs.
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| The Captive |
Many of this year’s other Canadian theatrical releases—Dr. Cabbie, Hector and the Search for Happiness, and The Captive—had varying degrees of commercial success, but comparatively
lesser critical acclaim. But you just know that The Captive’s showing up somewhere amongst the nominees since it
has a fan here and there, and every Egoyan film finds its way to the show. Ryan
Reynolds is probably the film’s best shot and, like Murphy in Fall, stands to gain by having
competition that’s largely Quebecois.
One of Canada’s other auteurs,
Denys Arcand, had just as much of a misfire as Egoyan allegedly did, since An Eye for Beauty disappointed both
artistically and commercially by garnering a ho-hum response at the Quebec
box-office and a similarly muted response at TIFF before appearing on VOD. (It
probably benefited from screening directly before The Cobbler.) It could surprise since Arcand, like Egoyan, is an
Academy staple, but its bland leads face stiffer competition and the Best
Original Screenplay category is very competitive, so Beauty might not garner any love outside an unlikely nomination for
cinematography or for the supporting players.
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| Corner Gas: The Movie |
Corner Gas: The Movie
could therefore be a default nominee since the competition is relatively
sparse. The consensus largely states that it’s strictly for fans only, but
three of the show’s five seasons won the top prize at the Geminis and Academy
voters might actually be the ones to cheers it with Tim Horton’s. (The film
also received one of 2014’s few swanky Movie Nights on the Hill for government
and industry types.) Lesser commercially-oriented Canuck fare has appeared
amongst the nominees and even The Trailer
Park Boys Movie earned a Best
Picture nomination, and Corner Gas could
show that the voters are just as receptive of broad comedy as they are to
festival fare.
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| Félix and Meira |
Festival Films
Most cases of
the Genies and Canadian Screen awards usually contain only one film among the
Best Picture nominees that didn’t
screen at TIFF in September. (See: Maïna
in 2013, L’affair Dumont in 2012, 2011 had zero non-TIFF films vying for the top prize, and 2010 had two: 10 ½ and Splice. 2009’s Polytechnique
marks the most recent film to win without a TIFF premiere.) This observation
certainly bodes for Maps, Nicole, and Mommy since the rest of the field is relatively low-key or more
commercial than artistic in nature.
Two festival flicks can expect to have their names called out when the nominations are announced on January 13th. Those films are Félix and Meira and Elephant Song. The former film is the surprise winner of the Best Canadian Feature Film prize at TIFF this year, a Canada’s Top Ten pick, and the champ of the Whistler Film Festival with a whopping four prizes (Best Film, Director, Screenplay, and Actress) to its name. The latter film marks one of the more hotly buzzed Canadian films at Toronto, although with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Both films have confirmed releases to meet the Academy regulations for festival films, for Félix and Meira screens in February and Elephant Song opens February 20th. (Both films screen in Ottawa at The ByTowne in February). Expect at least one, if not both, of those films among the Best Picture nominees.
Two festival flicks can expect to have their names called out when the nominations are announced on January 13th. Those films are Félix and Meira and Elephant Song. The former film is the surprise winner of the Best Canadian Feature Film prize at TIFF this year, a Canada’s Top Ten pick, and the champ of the Whistler Film Festival with a whopping four prizes (Best Film, Director, Screenplay, and Actress) to its name. The latter film marks one of the more hotly buzzed Canadian films at Toronto, although with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Both films have confirmed releases to meet the Academy regulations for festival films, for Félix and Meira screens in February and Elephant Song opens February 20th. (Both films screen in Ottawa at The ByTowne in February). Expect at least one, if not both, of those films among the Best Picture nominees.
The best actress race could easily have another strong
contender in Patricia Clarkson in Rubba Nada’s October Gale. The film disappointed at TIFF, earning mostly
negative reviews for Nada’s effort at genre, but Clarkson’s excellent
performance nearly redeems the film in some eyes (including mine) and October Gale could legitimately benefit
from Clarkson’s presence at the awards (even if it’s in name only) before it
heads to theatres. Boutique distributor Pacific Northwest Pictures made a successful
bid last year landing Tatiana Maslany a nomination for Cas & Dylan before releasing the film theatrically, and it
wouldn’t be surprising if they do the same. Add Scott Speedman to the mix for
Best Supporting Actor, then, too.
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| Elephant Song |
Several of the year’s other hotly buzzed festival films—In Her Place, Corbo, Preggoland, Big Muddy,
and Bang Bang Baby—all have distribution
and the proper festival requirements, so keep them on the radar. In Her Place and Corbo are most likely to advance given their larger profiles and
Canada’s Top Ten kudos, although Corbo’s
release date recently changed from March to April, so don’t be surprised if
they waited for next year. (But given the response to the film at Toronto, I’d
assume they submitted.) The film’s bound to touch a nerve, especially as too
few films dramatize the history of the FLQ, and I’m rooting for Corbo to be among the nominees
spotlighting new talent. On the other hand, few of these films (or any of the
unreleased festival films) have the same high profile and distributorial influence
as last year’s nominees Enemy, The Grand Seduction, The F Word or Tom at the Farm. If any ‘festival film’ makes the cut in a big way,
it’s probably going to be Elephant Song
given the comparatively larger profile, star status, and investment of the
film… even if it’s arguably weaker than many of the films in the competition.
On the other hand, popular festival title and Canada’s Top
Ten entry Violent doesn’t have a
distributor to foot the bill for a qualifying theatrical run before March, so
it could be the acclaimed Canuck flick absent from the festivities. But anyone
can book a week at the week at the Carlton if they’re determined enough!
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| Monsoon |
The Docs
The Screenies are giving documentaries more love this year
and so will I. No film could better justify the addition of a cinematography
award for docs than Sturla Gunnarsson’s Monsoon.
The film has the depth to match the scope of its inspiring visuals and it’s
arguably a frontrunner among the docs. Ditto Julia Kwan’s beautifully shot and
resonant Everything Will Be. Harold
Crooks’s The Price We Pay, like Monsoon and Everything Will Be, respectively, has fans in both Canada’s Top Ten
and the Vancouver Film Critics. Alanis Obomsawin, on the other hand, looks to
make back-to-back nominations with Trick or Treaty? after last year’s nominee Hi-ho
Mistahey!. Obomsawin has yet to win from the Canadian Academy despite four
nominations, including one for her landmark doc Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, and she’s arguably one of the
most overdue talents in the field. Other successful Canuck docs from festivals
and theatrical runs include Just Eat It,
Hot Doc champs The Backward Class, Out of Mind, Out of Sight, the powerful The Secret Trial 5, the fun Kung Fu Elliot, the controversial
docs The Sheik and Citizen Mark, the strikingly-shot docs Guidelines and Joy of Man’s Desiring, and, finally, my favourite among the docs, The Wanted 18, which could give the NFB
a monopoly on the doc categories alongside Everything
Will Be and Trick or Treaty?.
Without further ado, here are some predictions for this
year’s Canadian Screen Awards.
(Disclaimer: Please take these predictions with a grain of salt. They're more for entertainment's sake and for stimulating discussion than for scoring points by hitting a bull's eye.)
(Disclaimer: Please take these predictions with a grain of salt. They're more for entertainment's sake and for stimulating discussion than for scoring points by hitting a bull's eye.)
Canadian Screen Awards Predictions:
Best Film:
1987
Corbo
Corner Gas: The Movie
Elephant Song
Félix and Meira
Maps to the Stars
Mommy
Mommy
Tu Dors Nicole
If up to 10 nominees: In
Her Place, Preggoland
What about: Violent, Big Muddy, The Valley Below, The Husband,
Bang Bang Baby, Pompeii
Don’t count out: The
Captive
Best Director:
David Cronenberg, Maps
to the Stars
Mathieu
Denis, Corbo
Xavier
Dolan, Mommy
Maxime Giroux, Felix
and Meira
Stephane Lafleur, Tu
Dors Nicole
What about: Albert Shin, In
Her Place; Charles Binamé, Elephant
Song; Andrew Huculiak, Violent;
Ricardo Trogi, 1987.
Best Actor in a Lead
Role:
Jean-Carl
Boucher, 1987
Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Mommy
Bruce Greenwood, Elephant
Song
Michael Murphy, Fall
Ryan Reynolds, The
Captive
If deemed a lead: Xavier Dolan, Elephant Song
What about: Anthony Thierren, Corbo; Martin Dubreuil, Félix
and Meira; Brent Butt, Corner Gas:
The Movie (or No Clue)
Best Actress in a
Leading Role:
Sonja Bennett, Preggoland
Marilyn Castonguay, Miraculum
Anne Dorval, Mommy
Julianne Moore, Maps
to the Stars
Hadas Yaron, Felix and
Meira
What about: Patricia Clarkson, October Gale; Suzanne Clément, Sitting
on the Edge of Marlene; Julianne Côté, Tu
Dors Nicole; Yoon-Da Kyung, In Her
Place; Nadia Litz, Big Muddy; Gabrielle Miller, Corner Gas (don’t be surprised if she
cracks the nominees); Mia Wasikowska,
Maps to the Stars.
Best Supporting Actor:
Evan Bird, Maps to the
Stars
Claudio Colangelo, 1987
Xavier Dolan, Elephant Song (or Miraculum)
Claudio Colangelo, 1987
Xavier Dolan, Elephant Song (or Miraculum)
Fred Ewaniuk, Corner
Gas: The Movie
Marc-André
Grondin, Tu Dors Nicole
What about: Stephen McHattie, Big Muddy or Meetings with a
Young Poet; Christopher Plummer, Hector
and the Search for Happiness; Patrick Huard, Mommy; James Caan, Preggoland;
Danny Trejo, Preggoland, Scott Speedman, October
Gale, Antoine L’Ecuyer, Corbo
Best Supporting Actress :
Sandrine Bisson, 1987
Suzanne Clément,
Mommy
Marie-Josée Croze, An Eye for Beauty
Marie-Josée Croze, An Eye for Beauty
Anne
Dorval, Miraculum
Catherine Keener, Elephant
Song
What about: Sarah Gadon, Maps to
the Stars; Carrie-Anne Moss, Elephant Song; Janet Wright, Corner
Gas: The Movie; Katie Boland, Fall; Ahn
Ji Hye, In Her Place, Mia Wasikowska, Maps
to the Stars.
Best Original
Screenplay:
Félix and Meira
In Her Place
Maps to the Stars
Mommy
Tu Dors Nicole
What about: Corbo,
Preggoland, The Captive, 1987, An Eye for Beauty, Fall, Wet Bum.
Best Adapted
Screenplay:
Big Muddy
Corner Gas: The Movie
Elephant Song
Hector and the Search
for Happiness
Sitting on the Edge of
Marlene
What about: Hard Drive
What about: Hard Drive
(This category is pretty bare, so it’s possible that both
screenplay categories will be collapsed into one.)
Best Cinematography:
Corbo
An Eye for Beauty
Mommy
Pompeii
Tu Dors Nicole
What about: Afflicted,
Stage Fright, Maps to the Stars, The Captive, Félix and Meira, Violent,
Fall, Big Muddy, Bang Bang Baby, Wet Bum.
Best Film Editing:
Corbo
Maps to the Stars
Mommy
Mommy
Pompeii
Tu Dors Nicole
What about: Afflicted,
Stage Fright, In Her Place, Hector and the Search for Happiness, Miraculum, 1987, Bang Bang Baby.
Best Score:
Heartbeat
Maps to the Stars
Mommy
Tu Dors Nicole
Violent
What about: No Clue, Stage
Fright, The Captive, Bang Bang Baby, Wet Bum
Best Song:
Bang Bang Baby
Heartbeat
Songs She Wrote About
People She Knows
Stage Fright
Stage Fright
Best Art Direction:
1987
Bang Bang Baby
Corbo
Pompeii
Stage Fright
Best Costumes:
1987
Corbo
Elephant Song
Mommy
Pompeii
What about: Stage
Fright, Maps to the Stars, Dr. Cabbie, Bang Bang Baby
Best Visual Effects:
Afflicted
Corner Gas: The Movie
Maps to the Stars
Pompeii
WolfCop
Best Make-up:
Afflicted
Maps to the Stars
Pompeii
Stage Fright
WolfCop
What about: 1987, Mommy, Big Muddy, Corner Gas
Best Sound:
The Captive
Maps to the Stars
Mommy
Pompeii
Stage Fright
Best Sound Editing:
Afflicted
Maps to the Stars
Pompeii
Stage Fright
Stage Fright
Wolfcop
Best Documentary
Feature:
The Backward Class
Everything Will Be
Monsoon
The Price We Pay
Trick or Treaty?
What about: Just Eat
it; Sol; Out of Mind, Out of Sight, The
Wanted 18
Best Cinematography
in a Feature-Length Documentary:
Everything Will Be
Guidelines
Joy of Man’s Desiring
Monsoon
Where I’m From
Best Editing in a
Feature Length Documentary:
Monsoon
The Price We Pay
Trick or Treaty
The Wanted 18
Best Short
Documentary:
Best Animated Short:
Best Live Action
Short:
