Canuxploitation Primer

(To continue the Films Cochons topic, check this out. Bet you never thought there was such a thing as Canuxploitation...)
Although they are often discussed with uneasiness by critics, B-movies and cult films map out an alternative history of cinema. Even Canada's relatively young feature film industry has a rich heritage of forgotten "trash" and low budget gems, hastily swept under the carpet by embarrassed critics and confused audiences alike. Together they present us with a film legacy entirely different from our traditional understanding of Canadian movies as either languid art films or happy tales of Prairie life. It is this seedy underbelly of Canadian movies that is the phenomenon known as "Canuxploitation".
In the truest sense of the term, Canadian exploitation films are simply low-budget genre films which were made in Canada. But they are much more as well. Because exploitation films are designed to play on the fears and desires of an audience, looking at the way Canada's genre films have changed throughout the years can reveal more about how Canadians interpret themselves than any "art film." And, as opposed to most of today's Canadian films which seem intended for film festival audiences, Canuxploitation can actually be entertaining.
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Films Cochons: The Making of Quebec Popular Cinema

While many Quebec filmmakers looked to the French "cin�ma direct" movement and directors like Goddard and Truffaut for inspiration, entrepreneurs like Denis H�roux and Claude Fournier did not. Through simply being in the right place and the right time and possessing a profound ability to exploit their audience, H�roux and Fournier created a popular boom of sex films at a critical time in the history of Quebec cinema.
The demise of censorship in Quebec finally took place in 1967, when Quebec's censorship bureau was replaced by more conventional film ratings. Coincidentally, the Canadian Film Development Corporation was established the following year, a crown corporation which offered loans and financing to Canadian film productions. Stepping in at this critical point were directors Denis H�roux and Claude Fournier, who knew that when you added up free love and free government money, the result could be a successful mix of comedy, nationalism, and nudity.
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Nation’s Love Affair With Lord Of The Rings Threatening Its Relationship With Star Wars

America's love affair with the J.R.R. Tolkien epic-fantasy saga Lord Of The Rings, a romance which has flowered ever since the 2001 release of the Fellowship Of The Ring film adaptation, has damaged the nation's long-term relationship with George Lucas' Star Wars saga, perhaps irreparably.

Star Trek: Nemesis

Originally posted Dec 20, 2002. I dug this one up in my main blog, and thought it might go better in the Film section.
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So we ended up going to see "Star Trek: Nemesis". God, that movie sucked. I'm not a religious person, but GOD, that movie sucked.

A Brief History of Lightsabres

OK, I like to think of myself as a moderate StarWars geek. That said, this guy is nuts:
"Whilst there is certainly a coherence to the blade, and there is certainly a degree of light visible, its behaviour is NOT consistent with the coherent light beams of laser generators. Indeed the light seen is probably little more than a side effect. There are a number of possible explanations for explaining this glow. Perhaps it is the decay of the 'particles' of which the blade is made, as they 'spin away' from the cutting core. Perhaps the glow is from the annihilation of air molecules as they drift into the blade ... there are no canonical examples of sabres activated in vacuum or underwater, but numerous apocryphal sources suggest that the glow is constant under these conditions. If this is so - then the 'decay' model is preferred."

CHUD – Cinematic Happenings Under Development

Here's a really cool film site:
Several years ago, I was trying to figure a way to put my useless film knowledge and extensive trips to the theater to good use, and after finding a few people who gave a damn I started an emailing list where I'd send reviews on a weekly basis.

Was Chuck Barris a CIA Assassin?

Barris is certainly guilty of many offenses. He was a pioneer of reality TV, bringing to life The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game and other unscripted programs designed to allow participants to humiliate themselves before a national audience. He then stepped in front of the camera with his most infamous creation, The Gong Show.

Night on the Galactic Railroad

In an age where films cater to the most base desires of the low class film-goer, and animation is dismissed as "kid's movies", along comes another Anime title that turns all of that upside-down. Gisaburo Sugii's "Night On the Galactic Railroad" ("Ginga tetsud� no yoru")(1985) is just such a film, and ranks up among some of the best Anime ever created, alongside the works of Hayao Miyazaki, including "Spirited Away," "Princess Mononoke," and "My Neighbor Totoro."

Lenore Animated Movie

Sony Family Entertainment has optioned the right to develop LENORE into an animated feature film. The project is currently "under development" and has not begun production, which means there is still no cast, director or final script. We will let you know how the project develops, but it will be at least a few years before it hits theaters.

Movies for Me Dot CA

Weird... Now you too can rent movies by mail at Canada.s Source for Online DVD Rentals: "We.ll ship 3 DVDs by Canada Post; your DVDs will arrive in 2 to 3 days; return a DVD in the postage-paid mailer; we.ll send the next DVD in your list."