2049 - The F Word (aka What If)

If you're in the USA or UK then you might know this by the unfortunate title "What If" but here in Canada it's got the awesome title of "The F Word".  I love this movie so hard.  I'm a romantic-comedy nerd, so I give a lot of them a pass just because I like the genre, but when I find one that's done so amazingly well it makes me want to scream from the rooftops - and this one does.  It's a wicked funny script, a charming as hell cast, and a really mature direction that's also playful.  I think this was my favourite film at TIFF last year, and it's up there with my favourite of the year in general.  It's being added to the ranks of When Harry Met Sally and it deserves to be.  Elan Mastai and Michael Dowse have crafted a beautiful, funny, sweet, and heartfelt romance that isn't shy at all about being set mostly in Toronto.
This film came out wide in Canada this weekend and I think it's still in the USA - please please please go check it out - it deserves a huge audience.  If you see this film and don't laugh a fair bit it's likely because you're dead inside.  I love it and can't wait to own it!

2035 - The Grand Seduction

I tried to see this while it was on the festival circuit last year but it was always up against something I couldn’t miss - but it worked out nicely since I was able to go see it with my wife.  This is the kind of film where if you hated it, I might just accuse you of being dead inside.  It’s pretty damn charming.  It’s simple and sweet and entertaining.  Often films that take a gentler approach to innocent comedy pander a lot to their audience where this one felt pretty smart in it’s comedy.  I found myself laughing out loud regularly.  And Gordon Pinsent gives one of his most entertaining performances (in a career full of them) - also lovely to see Peter Keleghan as well.  Brendan Gleason was simply perfect as the small town man that steps up to rally the troops together and save the town.  If you’re from a small town, or just like good hearted films, please do yourself a favour and check this out - especially if you’re looking for something to do on Canada Day!

1901 - The F Word

Now.  THIS is an example of making an accessible, commercial film inside of Canada.  But Michael Dowse is no stranger to that with Good.  Dowse is easily one of my favorite working directors in Canada.  I've been tracking this film for a while because two of my friends have small parts in it, but I'd be tracking it anyway because of Dowse alone.
It's easy to label this film as an update on When Harry Met Sally, but it's more than just that.  It throws you right into a head-on witty banter and doesn't let you go from that.  Of course you're in for a will they/won't they type film, but the situations they're put into aren't just for laughs or annoying suspense.  You feel their angst and confusion.  There's a pitch-perfect scene that takes place inside of a change room which anyone writing an effective rom-com should study.  It's a fantastic moment and the film is full of them.  Radcliffe is quite charming once you get used to the idea of him as a romantic interest (which does take a moment to adjust to) and Zoe Kazan is downright adorable - Adam Driver rounds out the cast nicely.
This film made a big splash at TIFF, and rightly so, so I think it won't be long before you can see it yourself.  Make sure you do.

1749 - Goon

I've been wanting to see this film for a long time but just kept missing all the opportunities - but thanks to the beauty of Netflix here it is!  First off, I'm a big fan of a lot of people in this film - Baruchel, Schreiber, Pill, and the director Michael Dowse, so I was primed to enjoy this film.  Despite being a Canadian I'm not really into hockey or sports in general, although growing up in the house of a guy who loved the Leafs I picked up enough to be able to appreciate the game - and my family was close with Marty McSorely so I know a thing or two about hockey goons (no offense, Marty!). 
This is a big fun film and told a great hockey story in the way that I think Score: The Musical wishes it had.  Nothing personal against that other recent Canadian hockey flick, but it was a tad hokey for my personal sensibilities, and Goon gived more with my personal tastes. 
Sean William Scott is pretty damn great here as a lovable loser who just wants to do best by those that he cares about.  He's dumb as a puck, but he'll stick by you till the end.  It's impossible to not love this character.  I like that the film never becomes a typical sports film and really just focused on the aspect of Goonery as it's main focus.  There was some geniune winces that came out of me whilst watching.
If you're Canadian and a lover of all things hockey, this ones a no brainer - check it out and spread the word damnit.  It's the kind of film our country needs to make more of in term of it's wide appeal and pure enjoyment.  Good on ya, Baruchel.  Good on ya!

1641 - Take Me Home Tonight

First off, I'm a big fan of Michael Dowse and I'll check out anything he's involved in.  It kills me that they shelved this film for four years because they were scared of all the cocaine use.  Especially considering that that was probably all in the script.  I suppose the reason is that it's because it's a comedy…  weird.  So.  I think this film might not have done super well at the box office which is a shame because it's a pretty damn good film.  It's feels like an eighties teen comedy - not a parody and that's the big difference, it never feels like they're trying to send anything up here.  This just feels like one of those films that I grew up loving, although updated for modern audiences.
It's about a group of twenty-somethings who don't know what the next step of their life is going to be, and so they stumble through figuring it out over the course of a single evening at the end of summer.  A lovely little coming of age film with a lot of laughs and a decent amount of heart.  I love Topher Grace as an actor and there is this really great sequence involving himself, Teresa Palmer, and a trampoline that is a really wonderful and great moment.  All comedies with romance plots should have a scene as good as that one.
This is an easy recommend, it's funny, it's full of characters you root for, there's absolutely no reason not to give this film a try - especially if you're a child of the 80's!