Ready to explore the wonderful world of indie films you've heard about but haven't seen? Me too! Though I haven't seen these particular titles, the first two come well recommended by others, starting with Moolaadé, the last film by the esteemed director Ousmane Sembene, who passed away earlier this year. Cinematical's Kim Voynar described it as "a film about courage, survival, and the strength of the human spirit ... perhaps one of the most socially relevant" of the decade. The DVD from New Yorker Video includes a "making of" feature, interviews and additional material, and a deluxe collector's booklet.

Whisky Romeo Zulu is an Argentinean film that dates back to 2004, when it debuted at the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival. My curiosity was piqued at the time by Deborah Young's review in Variety, which described the intriguing premise revolving around an airplane accident: "Former pilot and whistleblower Enrique Pineyro expertly recounts a crash in full behind-the-scenes detail in his double role as director and main actor (playing himself)." Andrew Wright of The Stranger also had a positive reaction when it played at the Seattle film festival. The film was never picked up for US distribution, but Home Vision has now released it on a bare bones DVD, evidently with just a trailer, that sounds worth seeking out.

Both Interview and The Rocket received mixed critical notices. Our own Ryan Stewart said Interview "turns out to be a mediocre 'night to remember' film in which the half-intrigued, half-bored actress [Sienna Miller] and the caustic journalist [Steve Buscemi, who also directed] try to get the best of each other." The Sony Classics DVD includes an audio commentary by Buscemi and a feature on Dutch director Theo Van Gogh, who directed the film that served as the source material.

The Rocket tells the true story of legendary ice hockey star Maurice Richard, played by Roy Dupuis. I heard good things about the film when it played at the AFI Dallas festival earlier this year; it may be a good bet if you're looking for an inspirational sports story -- or if you're Canadian. The DVD from Palm Pictures features deleted scenes and a tribute to the great Richard.

I heard good things about The Rocket from people who saw it. They described it as 'more than a feel-good movie'; an older gentleman I know felt it was one of the best films he'd seen in years. Ice hockey fans -- and Canadians of a certain age -- will probably recognize "The Rocket" as the nickname of the legendary Maurice Richard. For those of us, like me, who are ignorant of his achievements, Wikipedia says he played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1942 to 1960 and was "the most prolific goal-scorer of his era." I imagine the film has special resonance for folks from Quebec, since it depicts "the struggles of a French Canadian in the National Hockey League [NHL] dominated by Anglophones," as described by IMDB.

Directed by Charles Binamé, The Rocket opened theatrically in Quebec in November 2005. Audiences loved it; at CinemaClock, readers (64 of them) rated it 9.5 out of 10. Eye Weekly's Jason Anderson wrote: "The decision to so strongly emphasize Richard's importance as a political and cultural figure gives greater heft to the many conventional sports-flick tropes and cornier bits of dialogue. ... It's bold, gripping, passionate hokum punctuated by the most exciting hockey scenes ever presented in a feature film."

Finally American audiences will be able to see what all the fuss is about. As reported by indieWIRE, Palm Pictures has acquired US rights to The Rocket and plans a theatrical release later this year, with plans for a DVD to follow in 2008. If you scroll down Palm's "In Theaters" page at their site, you'll see that The Rocket is slated to play in Scottsdale, Arizona on October 5. Perhaps that's a one-off screening; it coincides with the beginning of the NHL regular season for local team Phoenix Coyotes. When we hear more details, we'll be sure to share them.

Quebec definitely seems to be the prolific cup from which the Canadian Genie Awards grabs its nominees. Last year, Jean-Marc Vallee's C.R.A.Z.Y. rightfully dominated the awards, scoring 10 of their 12 nominations. This year, the French province is still reigning over the awards, vastly overshadowing any English offerings. If more people actually paid attention to these awards, people might just think that the French are the only ones to make films up here.

Acting as the lone English entry for best picture stands the Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, which is not a surprise nomination considering its success, but it is almost sure to be beaten by one of the French selections which range from the hugely popular, Colm Feore-starring Bon Cop, Bad Cop to Roger Frappier's Guide de la Petite Vengeance, and the hockey biopic -- Maurice Richard/The Rocket. However, there are three English films fighting for many of the remaining spots -- getting a lot more Canadian love than they did from the world-at-large. The actresses of Snow Cake have trumped the acting nominations with three, but I am holding out for newcomer Jodelle Ferland, from Terry Gilliam's quirky Tideland, to dance her way to a Genie win as best actress. The third of the stronger English-language-nomination-grabbers is Beowulf & Grendel, a visually stunning film that is already being overshadowed by Robert Zemeckis' adaptation.

The ACTRA strike, which is now a few days in, shouldn't affect the distribution of the awards, or so Paul Gratton, the Genies' chairman claims. However, there's a good chance it will affect next year's possible nominees if an agreement isn't reached soon.

For a full list of nominees, visit The Hollywood Reporter's article.