1821 - The Trotsky

I've been wanting to revisit this film for some time now and figured tonight was as good a night as any.  This film is just chalk full of actors that I absolutely love Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Tommie-Amber-Pirie, Jessica Pare, Michael Murphy, Saul Rubinek, the list just goes on and on and on. 
This time around I watched it with the commentary which just made me like Jacon Tierney all the more.  It's an honest, casual commentary with his editor and well worth the listen.  Made me want to revisit the film with the actual sound (which I very well may do).  If you haven't seen this film it's an absolute must see!  A contemporary classic, if you will.  I hadn't planned to make this a week filled with Canadian cinema, but so be it - there are much worse ways to spend my viewing times by far, and this was a great one to go out on.  Be a good person - watch some Canadian films this week!

TUWOPS - Canadian Comedy Award nomination!

Today the Canadian Comedy Awards announced their nominations and we were fortunate to get a nod in the Best Directing category for my feature film The Untitled Work of Paul Shepard.  This came as a wonderful surprise and it's the kind of thing that means a lot to me, mostly because it means more people are going to discover the film, and potentially it might help the next film get made as well.  Here is the list of my fellow nominees and I'd like to take this chance to congratulate all.  Of them I've only had the chance to see Good Neighbours, but I look forward to tracking them all down over the next few months!

Jacob Tierney - Good Neighbours
Jeremy LaLonde - The Untitled Work of Paul Shepard
Jesse Shamata - Break A Leg
Jacob Medjuck - Summerhood
Seth W. Owen - Peepers

For a complete list of nominees in all categories check out this link here.
For those who keep asking me when the film is going to be released I sadly do not have an answer, but I'm on good authority that we should know very very soon.  So thank you for being patient and thank you for all of the support you've shown the film thus far!  It's not easy to get a film made, but it's even harder to get people to watch it - so thanks for giving a damn!

1425 - The Trotsky

Caught this on the flight from Toronto to Edmonton. Loved it. This is a smart, fun, well crafted film and if it doesn't become a cult classic I'll be amazed. Baruchel, as always, is phenomenal, and the supporting cast is as well. Ben Mulroney even gets a pretty great dig at himself in. This is a film that I think people of all ages could love, but more importantly I think it's a great film to speak to teens. I know it got a pretty healthy release and I'm glad for it. Hoping to meet Jacob one day, I still need to see his first film, but I'm a big fan. Do yourself a favour and check this out as soon as possible.

1408 - Good Neighbours

I feel badly that this is the first Jacob Tierney film that I have seen. I will remedy that. Those who read this with any regularity know that I love Jay Baruchel, so I'll shut up about that guy (he's great in this, of course). I won't go on about the plot too much only because there's a bit of a mystery to this and I don't want to spoil anything. I will say, however, that I was a little let down there there weren't a few more twists and turns. I figured things out pretty quick and it didn't deviate. Now that would be a problem if the film wasn't so enjoyable to watch. It's more or less a chamber piece taking place almost entirely within an apartment building Quebec during the referendum. The style of the film is really great, the look, the lighting, composition, coloring, production design - it's all great. There's a really playful and fun score that plays throughout as well.
I think this is a film that anyone who enjoys the macabre will really dig. The Canadian films I've seen at TIFF this year are far better than any I've seen in my many years of attending TIFF and it really gives me hope for this country's film industry. Please see this when it comes out - you will enjoy.