ManufacturedLandscapes Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Well... The Genies for 2007 have come and gone. Unsurprisingly, the French films remained supreme, although I'm sure there will be much discussion on which films were most worthy. The big victor was the Quebec biopic -- The Rocket. Based on Maurice Richard, a hockey legend from the Montreal Canadiens, the film nabbed 9 of the 13 categories it was nominated for -- including Direction, Actress, Actor, Editing and Cinematography -- basically most of the big ones.

But the biopic didn't nab best movie. You might think that it was because a superior, stunning cinematic achievement took the prize, but no. The honor went to, surprisingly, Bon Cop, Bad Cop. Sure, it's the top-grossing Canadian film of all time, which is great and all, but that honor used to be held by Porky's, and would you consider that award-winning fare? The Colm Feore feature beat out the likes of The Rocket, Guide de la Petite Vengeance and those Trailer Park Boys for the top spot. I'm glad to see a Feore film getting recognized, but it's just not award-winning material.

Tideland, Terry Gilliam's quirky tale, suffered a complete shut-out. Granted, it's a quirky, strange and sometimes slammed piece of cinema, but there is some art to it. No Best Actress win for the young and talented Jodelle Ferland, as I had hoped. She lost to honor to Rocket star Julie LeBreton. On the English-speaking side of things, Carrie-Anne Moss won the Supporting Actress Genie for her role in Snow Cake, and Jennifer Baichwal's Manufactured Landscapes won for Best Documentary. I guess every year can't be a C.R.A.Z.Y. year.

Canada's Top Ten is an annual film list that showcases notable Canadian films. More than just a list, the films have screenings in the New Year that include panel discussions and often appearances by the filmmakers themselves. In the past, they've showcased the likes of Spider, Childstar and Where the Truth Lies. In its sixth year, the list is stirring up some complaints, as it has neglected to include the top two box office draws -- Bon Cop, Bad Cop and Silent Hill.

Don Cormody, producer of Silent Hill, sites the exclusion as the divide between the tastes of the critics and the tastes of the general public. We've heard this critique before, but I wonder when the distinction between the cinematic best and the fan favorites will be made? Personally, my favorite films rarely, if ever, are the films I consider the best, because there's a difference between entertainment and cinematic achievement. However, the list throws a fork in that rationale, because it includes Trailer Park Boys The Movie. With that film amongst the ranks, how did they NOT choose the comedy that grossed more? Is TPB a better film?

Detractors aside, the list includes a number of great films and notable Canadian directors. There is Sarah Polley's feature directorial debut Away From Her, Don McKellar's long-time editor Reginald Harkema's latest feature, Monkey Warfare, and best Canadian documentary winner Jennifer Baichwal's Manufactured Landscapes. For a full list of films, plus information on the February screenings, you can visit the Top 10 website.

Well, if you are going to sit down and watch a documentary about how the world is slowly going to hell in a hand basket, you might as well get to look at some pretty pictures along the way. It worked for Werner Herzog in his film Lessons Of Darkness about the Iraqi oil fires during Desert Storm, so it might work again with Manufactured Landscapes.

Variety announced that US distribution rights for the documentary film have been purchased by Zeitgeist Films. The film is directed by Jennifer Baichwal, and is about the environmental impact of the new industrial revolution in China. The film uses Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky and his photographs of the construction of China's Three Gorges Dam project as a commentary on industrial pollution. This is Baichwal's second project with Zeitgeist Films; her first was about the author Paul Bowles (The Sheltering Sky). Burtynsky is an award-winning artist known for his large-scale photographs of landscapes that might appear beautiful, but are of some of the worst ecological danger zones -- and they are amazing photographs, inspiring competing feelings of admiration and horror.

Unlike a documentary like An Inconvenient Truth, which handles environmental subject matter in more conventionally informative way, Manufactured Landscapes is a little more abstract. The question is, will audiences still get the message?