Back in January, we wrote about director AJ Schnack's (Kurt Cobain: About a Son) efforts to create awards for non-fiction filmmaking that would be ... somewhat more relevant than the Academy Awards. Back when the Oscar shortlist for docs came out, Schnack wrote an angry diatribe about the process and the films selected (and, more importantly, those that were not selected) that echoed the sentiments of many of us who write about, or make, documentary films.

Although I'm not at all displeased that Alex Gibney ultimately won the Oscar for Taxi to the Dark Side, and would have been equally happy if No End in Sight had won, there were some glaring omissions in the Oscar shortlist that were truly appalling, most notably In the Shadow of the Moon and King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Have you recovered from your holiday eating binge? Are you ready for some pie? Reviewing Waitress at Sundance earlier this year, Cinematical's James Rocchi described it as "a light, breezy romantic comedy with a crackerjack cast and a certain degree of faux-Southern charm that never descends to cornpone mawkishness, and also has a whip-smart comedic sensibility in every scene." The late Adrienne Shelly wrote, directed, and co-stars with Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion and Andy Griffith. The DVD includes several featurettes and an audio commentary with Russell and producer Michael Roiff.

The Namesake very much impressed our own Kim Voynar, who called it "a deeply felt look at the ties of family and birthplace, the loneliness of living far from your home, and the connections that hold everything together, sometimes in ways we don't appreciate until much later." Mira Nair directed; the film stars Irfan Khan, Tabu, Kal Penn and Sahira Nair. The DVD features an audio commentary by director Nair and several featurettes, plus deleted scenes.

Critics gave high marks (83% positive, per Rotten Tomatoes) to documentary Manufactured Landscapes. It's said to be an "investigation of photographer Edward Burtynsky's legacy, with its aesthetic studies of industrial landscapes. ... It uses the topic of Burtynsky as a springboard." Jennifer Baichwal directed. The DVD includes additional scenes, a stills gallery and a discussion with Baichwal and Burtynsky.

We can never get too many rebellious child prodigy dramas, can we? Vitus fairly well divided critics: 34 positive and 21 negative, according to Rotten Tomatoes. The veteran and versatile Bruno Ganz is the most recognizable name in the cast. The DVD features an interview with Ganz, a "making of" feature and an audio commentary by director Fredi M. Murer.

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?