ann m

Has anyone hired this film yet?

It stars Joshua Jackson (currently in Fringe and used to be the other guy in Dawson's Creek many moons ago). I didn't initially realise he was Canadian, by the way. D'oh!

The film shows a wonderful and subtly amusing journey across Canada, from Toronto to Tofino on Van Island, and highlighting some really silly landmarks along the way, all to the storyline of a guy who has just discovered he has cancer. Laugh a minute, huh?

But it's really good. It made me smile anyway. It is sooooo Canadian. The narration is wonderful.

It must be just about the lowest budget film I have ever watched - special effects, forget it. You can shiver at how cold the main character becomes in this vast land, though from the colours in the background, I'd say it was filmed in the autumn.

The director's extras on the DVD are worth watching too.

Anyway, that's my recommendation for the week. It's not a chick flick - but it might make you momentarily ponder the big stuff in life. Enjoy.

Butch Cassidy

Move over Barry Norman

Hobbess

Little bit of help for you on this can be found here.

Another really Canadian low budget movie I just watched is the Sweet Hereafter (link on Zip.ca if you are on that). It's another movie with a not very cheery subject dealing with the after effects of a school bus crash, but really well done and worth a rent.

BristolUK

Couldn't they afford the full journey across Canada?

ann m

Noted!

One Week is not depressing - although the premise is a sad one, the story is just good. A Norton, the Stanley Cup, the world's biggest tee-pee - it's just silly, and amusing, and very Canadian.

Nah, not on their budget! Think the director lived in Toronto, and they could only afford to go one way, so West it was!!!

Flossie and Jim

Been there, done that.....

ann m

Fab picture !

ScottDrummer

I love this film, acted well, scripted well, great narration.
I saw it at the 2008/9 Whistler Film festival premiere, the whole room was in tears at some points.
Its a great feelgood film, some dry comedy.

Highly recommend it for a quite night in, rainy day, which were not getting much of at the moment in BC.

dingbat

That film is so very sad. It is a brilliant depiction of small town Canada though.

ScottDrummer

Did you not watch it all the way through to the end?
I guess you can take various approaches to the film; to me , the whole point of the film is that the guy is having the time of his life, doing what he always wanted, not sad at all.

Ben W Bell

And of course the US is saved on a 24 hourly basis by the most American Canadian out there, Kiefer Sutherland.

ann m

I think Dingbat may be referring to Sweet Hereafter ?

I found moments of One Weeks sad, but like you ScottDrummer, I found it quite uplifting, funny and hopeful.

ScottDrummer

Oops, ah I see. Sorry Dingbat

Hobbess

I'll add 2 more Canadian movies worth a watch:
Radiant City - "documentary" about living in the suburbs, filmed in Calgary
Last Night - about the lsat night on earth and how some Canadians chose to spend it

And one to avoid:
My Winnipeg - was liked by a few critics but way to bizarre for me, it's a poem/love letter in a film dedicated to Winnipeg

I've added One Week to my ziplist to give that a shot.

ScottDrummer I tried to apply your reply about One Week to the Sweet Hereafter and even though it is about one man's journey (Ian Holm), he is definately not having the time of his life!

Ben W Bell

Great Canadian Film. Bon Cop, Bad Cop. A crime conedy/drama about a body that turns up straddling the border between Ontario and Quebec. As a result both a Quebec and Ontario detective have to work together to solve the murder, and the unravelling mystery. Different attitudes and styles of police work, plus switching back and forth between French and English (there are subtitles, don't worry) leads to a lot of language jokes, cultural differences, hockey and an entertaining film that couldn't be set anywhere else in the world but Canada.