Mort Ransen's Margaret's Museum proved to be the audience favourite in 1996, playing 16 weeks on 30 screens, and demonstrating the viability of regional cinema if produced at this SEE HOW THEY RAN... level of excellence. Both female leads, Helena Bonham Carter and Kate Nelligan, turn in strong performances, and the film has resurrected the career of a talented director who has been toiling In descending order of length of run, here in the trenches of Canadian cinema for over 30 years. are the Canadian feature films and documentaries that The Toronto critics, however, chose Bruce McDonald's Hard played in Greater Toronto from November 1, 1995, to Core Logo and Robert Lepage's Le confessional as the year's best. October 31, 1996. (The first number in pararenthesis Hard Core Logo, which received the greatest number of votes for represents the total number of weeks the film played, Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director (shared with the second the total number of screens.) Robert Lepage), is McDonald's finest film to date: an innovative mock-documentary from a director working at the top of his form, and although not as widely popular as Margaret's Museum, Hard Core Logo is a major step forward for McDonald. Robert Lepage was also named top director and his script for Le Margaret's Museum Mort Lulu Srinivas Krishna, confessional was a tight second to Noel S. Baker's Hard Core Logo. Ransen, Malofilm (16/30) Alliance Releasing (2/2) Lepage has moved easily from stage to film and his reputation Le confessionnal Mesmer Roger Spottiswoode, in Europe alone assures him of generous funding whenever he Robert Lepage, Alliance Cineplex (2/2) decides to venture into theatre or film. The fact that he was able Releasing (13/17) Michelle Apartments to finance a second feature, Le polygraphe, in less than a year John Pozer, Cineplex (2/2) after completing his first, has made Lepage a leading figure in The Kids in the Hall Brain Candy Turning April Geoffrey Quebec cinema at a critical juncture in that province's history. Kelly Makin, Paramount Bennett, Affiance Releasing Pictures (7/55) Martha Henry and William Hutt, who turn in outstanding, (2/2) well-rehearsed performances in David Wellington's faithful Long Day's Journey Into Power Magnus Isacsson, Night David Wellington, N.F.B. (2/2) recreation of the Stratford production of Long Day's Journey Into Cineplex (6/6) Night, take the acting laurels. Henry's only competition coming Heavy Metal Gerald Crash David Cronenberg, Potterton, Columbia from the two women of Margaret's Museum; Hutt's from Hugh Alliance Releasing (4/31) Pictures (re-release 2/2) Dillon and Callum Keith Rennie, the trash-talking punk rockers Curtis's Charm John Lilies John Greyson, from Hard Core Logo. Peter Mettler's wonderfully evocative film L'Ecuyer, Cineplex (4/4) Alliance Releasing (1/2) about the Northern Lights, Picture of Light, topped out in the Screamers Christian First Degree Jeff documentary category. Duguay, Allegro Films (3/35) Woolnough, Norstar Releasing (1/1) 1996 saw very strong regional representation with two of the Never Talk to Strangers Peter Hall, Alliance Iron Eagle IV Sidney Furie, best films emanating from opposite Coasts, Hard Core Logo and Releasing (3/15) Norstar Releasing (1/1) Margaret's Museum; one very promising debut from the Prairies, Blood & Donuts Holly Once in a Blue Moon The Suburbanators; Quebec's Le confessionnal; and Cronenberg's Dale, Malofilm (3/3) brilliant and intensely controversial film, Crash, from Ontario. Philip Spink, Malofilm (1 / 1) House Laurie Lynd, Despite this wealth of new and old talent, however, Canadian films Affiance Releasing (3/3) The Road Home Dean still remain marginal in their own market. Greater Toronto, which Hamilton, Astral (1 / 1) is the largest market for English-Canadian films in Canada, has 284 Pieties of light Peter Mettler, Grimthorpe Films (3/3) Rowing Through Masato screens owned by either Famous Players or Cineplex; over 52 Harada, Aska Film (1/1) weeks that amounts to 14,768 screens. The 30 Canadian feature The Suburbanators Gary Burns, Everest Baseball Girls Lois Seigel, films and documentaries tracked by Take One in 1996 showed on a Entertainment (3/3) N.F.B. (1/1) total of 260 of them. This amounts to 1.75 per cent. In 1995, the Salt Water Moose Stuart Project Grizzly total was 2.8 per cent. This is dearly intolerable. Will something be Margolin (2/29) Peter Lynch, N.F.B. (1/1) done about this imbalance before Canadian films sink to less than Hard Core Logo one per cent in their own market? ■ Rude Clement Virgo, Wyndham Wise Bruce McDonald, Everest Cineplex (re-release 1/1) Entertainment (2/4) Black List Jean-Marc Vallee, Astral (re-release 1/1) Take One wants to thank the following critics who participated in this year's poll: Cameron Bailey, (BC Stereo's 'The Arts Tonight." Now; Angela Baldassarre, Word. Pamela Cuthert, Freelance; Marc Glassman, URI "On the Arts,' Take One; Steve Gravestock, Festival; Brian D. Job , Maclean's; Martin Knelman, The Financial Post; Ingrid Randoja, Now; Rob Salem, Toronto Star; Denis Seguin, Eye; Shlomo Schwartzburg, Festival.
26 WINTER 1997
11 _ Hard Core Logo Crash
® Long Day's JOU1111eY Inlo Right -et_ Le confessionnal BEST FILMS• 5. Margaret's Museum / lua • •A Take One's TOP TEN CANADIAN FEATURE 7. Lilies 8® Once in a Blue Moon The Suburbanators FILMS of 1996 as chosen by Toronto's Film Critics. 10. Screamers Best Best Best Actors Best Actors Directors Screenplays (Male) (Female)
1. Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo) Robed Lepage (Le confessionnal) 3. David Cronenberg (Crash) 4. David Wellington (Long Day's Journey Into Night) 5. Mort Ransen (Margaret's Museum) John L'Ecuyer 1. Hard Core Logo (Curtis's Charm) (Noel S. Baker, based on a 7. John Greyson book of poems by Michael Turner) 1. William Hutt 1. Martha Henry (Lilies) (Long Day's Journey (Long Day's Journey 8. Gary Burns 2. Le confessionnal Into Night) Into Night) (Robert Lepage) (The Suburbanators) 2. Callum Keith Rennie 2. Helena Bonham Carter S Christian Duguay 3. Margaret's Museum (Hard Core Logo) (Margaret's Museum) (Gerald Wexler and Mort (Screamers) 3. Hugh Dillon 3. Kate Nelligan Peter Mettler Ransen, based on a short story by Gerald Wexler) (Hard Core Logo) (Margaret's Museum) • (Picture of Light) Long Day's Journey 4. Lothaire Bluteau 4. Martha Burns Into Night (Le confessional) (Long Day's Journey (based on the play by Into Night) Eugene O'Neil) 5. Maurice Dean Wint (Curtis's Charm) S. Deborah Kara Ungar S. Crash Tom McCamus (Crash) (David Cronenberg, based (Long Day's Journey Mary Elizabeth Rubens on the book by J.G. Ballard) Into Night) (Michelle Apartments) Curtis's Charm Deanna Milligan (John L'Ecuyer, based on 7. Brent Carver (Once in a Blue Moon) the short story by (Lilies) Tushka Bergen Jim Carroll) Elias Koteas (Turning April) (Crash) 7. Lilies Kristin Scott Thomas (Michel Marc Bouchard, 9. James Spader (Le confessionnal) based on his own play) (Crash) 10.Holly Hunter 8. The Suburbanators 11Clive Russell (Crash) (Gary Burns) (Margaret's Museum) 9. House (Laurie Lynd and Daniel Madvor, based on his play) Screamers Best Documentaries (Dan O'Bannon and 1. Picture of Light Miguel Tejada-Flores) 2. Project Grizzly
3. Baseball Girls Power