The prizes, which honour the best in Canadian film, are to be handed out March 8, with the show airing on CBC-TV.

The leading nominees are Jean-Marc Vallee’s sweeping romance Cafe de Flore with 13 nods, followed by 11 for David Cronenberg’s psychoanalysis drama A Dangerous Method.

A striking number of Hollywood stars are among this year’s pool of Genie nominees, including Oscar nominee Michelle Williams as well as Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Taylor Kitsch and Rachel Weisz.

Monsieur Lazhar, from Quebec director Philippe Falardeau, has nine nominations going into the Genies.

It’s also vying for a best foreign-language film Oscar at the Academy Awards, which take place Feb. 26.

Said Martin in a statement: “I am thrilled to be hosting the Genies with George Stroumboulopoulos, one of Canada’s most eligible bachelors … I also like film.”

Responded Stroumboulopoulos: “The truth is, while I am happy to be a part of the Genies this year, I mostly agreed to do this because I thought Andrea was asking me on a date.”

The Genies are put on by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Source: The Toronto Star

The fest, which runs April 26 to May 6, plans to screen a retrospective highlighting Brault’s achievements as a director and cinematographer.

Brault is known for “direct cinema” – a style that had its origins in Quebec documentaries of the late 1950s and ’60s. Known for his use of hand-held cinematography, Brault has over 200 film credits, including the celebrated Mon Oncle Antoine.

A Governor General’s Award recipient, Brault is expected to attend the festival. Previous recipients of the oustanding achievement award include Nick Broomfield, Werner Herzog and Errol Morris.

Hot Docs has also announced plans to fete Emmy-nominated filmmaker John Kastner with its “Focus On” retrospective, which celebrates a Canuck filmmaker in mid-career.

Kastner’s most recent film, Life With Murder, earned him the Emmy recognition. Past “Focus On” subjects include Ron Mann, Jennifer Baichwal and Zacharias Kunuk.

Source: The Toronto Star

The Surprises

“The Help” wins big: “The Help’s” win for ensemble performance over perceived front-runners and Golden Globe winners, “The Artist” and “The Descendants,” certainly makes the Oscar race a little bit more interesting. While The Wrap thinks the silent French film starring Jean Dujardin and Uggie, the wonder dog, will still take home the Oscar for best picture, it’s hard to call the movie’s win a lock.

Viola Davis wins, George Clooney loses: Like “The Help’s” ensemble prize, Viola Davis and Jean Dujardin’s wins also make the outcome of the Academy Awards seem a little less certain. Will Meryl Streep be able to win her third Oscar for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher? Will George Clooney, or maybe even Brad Pitt, be able to conquer the charming Frenchman? We’ll know soon enough.

“Modern Family” lets the kids speak: “Modern Family” won the SAG Award for ensemble in a comedy series for the second year in a row. While it wasn’t surprising that the cast would try to switch things up and let the kids make the speech – “How cute will this be,” they must have thought – it was shocking how badly it went. The clearly scripted speech began with Nolan Gould declaring “I think it was the late, great W.C. Fields who said ‘Never work with kids or animals.’ Well, he can kiss my …,” before being pulled away from the mic. As TV Guide’s Damian Holbrook tweeted, “another sign that the Modern Family writers are awesome … and necessary #SAGAwards”

The Snubs

Steve Carell loses: This was Carell’s final nomination for playing Michael Scott on “The Office.” But alas, Alec Baldwin won for his role on “30 Rock” for the sixth year in a row. (And then gave his speech like an excited tween would.)

During his seven seasons on the NBC mockumentary, did Carell win a SAG Award? Nope. An Emmy? Nah-ah. A Golden Globe? Just one, in 2006. Come on, SAG voters! Sure, Carell’s last season wasn’t his best. But couldn’t you have rewarded him for his undeniably fantastic body of work?

So did Kyle Chandler: Okay, Chandler’s loss to Steve Buscemi isn’t really that egregious of a snub, especially considering Coach Taylor won the Emmy. But like Carell, it would have been nice for Chandler’s work on the now-defunct football show that wasn’t really about football to have been recognized. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose (except at the SAGs, I guess.)

Source: The Washington Post

“We are aware of the challenges that these establishments have faced with current regulations and in fact over the last several months have been examining the policy implications and are currently considering what changes may be appropriate,” Ms. Bond said in a statement. “We look forward to having to more say about this in the near future.”

Historically, B.C. has not allowed movie theatres to hold a “liquor primary” licence, reflecting concerns around alcohol and underage moviegoers.

“We are working to try and balance the desire to assist business owners in being successful with the responsibility of regulating liquor in the interest of public safety,” the statement continued.

B.C. facilities that do mix movies and alcoholic drinks operate under different provisions. The Silver City movie complex in Coquitlam, for example, has been issued a licence for a “food primary” lounge. And the Vancouver International Film Centre is licensed as a club and is therefore allowed to serve alcohol. Current regulations, however, do not allow movie theatres to obtain a “liquor primary” licence.

Changes, if they come, won’t immediately help the Rio Theatre, a Vancouver theatre that sought and obtained a liquor primary licence – at the cost of no longer being able to show movies.

“That doesn’t really address our issue – which is, we’ve made it pretty clear that we’re asking to show movies without alcohol,” Rio owner Corinne Lea said on Wednesday. “The Liquor Control Licensing Board has not changed their stance on the matter – they’re still holding to that, that we are not allowed to show any movies, at any time.”

Ms. Lea applied for a liquor licence with the intent of gaining permission to serve alcohol at live events to which minors would not be permitted.

Officials warned her that she would have to choose between being a live-events venue and a movie theatre, Ms. Rea conceded. But, based on advice she said she was given by a liquor inspector, she sought a licence in the belief that the Rio would be able to serve alcohol at live events and still show movies without booze being served – and issued a press release to that effect on Jan. 19.

The next day, on Jan. 20, however, she was forced to backtrack, after the province imposed a condition on the Rio’s licence stating that the establishment was “not to show movies or any type of cinematic screenings at any time.”

“They went the extra step to put the nail in the coffin on our movie – and they made it extreme – and they made it so that we are not allowed to show any movies, at any time,” she said.

Ms. Lea argues that the Rio is a “multipurpose” venue. She and supporters have also challenged the province’s public-safety rationale, saying that large facilities are licensed to serve alcohol at other events, such as concerts and sporting events, that minors frequently attend.

The Rio scenario has generated considerable public support, including a Facebook group and support from city Councillor Heather Deal, who plans to introduce a motion calling on the province to amend its liquor laws.

The controversy over the Rio has highlighted the issues of provincial liquor laws, some of which have come under fire for being too complex and weighing down business growth and innovation.

B.C. MP Dan Albas last October put forward a private member’s bill that would amend a federal law that makes it illegal to ship wine across provincial boundaries.

Source: The Globe and Mail

“I was screaming,” the 32-year-old laughed in a telephone interview shortly after the nominations were announced. “I was with my girlfriend and my daughter, and we were screaming in front of the computer.”

In fact, there was plenty of good cheer to go around as two National Film Board of Canada productions landed Oscar nominations for best animated short film.

Calgary-based filmmakers Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby earned the other nod for their Prairie-based picture Wild Life, while Doyon claimed the honour for his debut Dimanche/Sunday.

They’ll compete against La Luna from Pixar Animation Studios, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (Moonbot Studios) and A Morning Stroll (Studio AKA).

Dimanche/Sunday is a winsome animated fable that follows a bored young boy trying to escape a dreary Sunday. Doyon says the film is based on his memory of his own childhood – specifically spending numbing grey afternoons after church with parents and grandparents – but injected with sufficient whimsy to keep the charming tale from being autobiographical.

The work was Doyon’s first professional short film – his only other credit being Square Roots, a three-minute film he crafted while a student of an NFB program for emerging filmmakers – so he greeted the nomination with awe.

“It is special,” he said, before joking: “I don’t expect that on every film.”

Forbis and Tilby, meanwhile, have more experience with the Oscars.

They were nominated together in the same category for their 1999 collaboration When the Day Breaks, while Tilby also received a nod for her 1991 short Strings.

Still, they were elated by the recognition.

“It doesn’t get old,” said Tilby, 51, on the line from Calgary.

“On a personal level, it’s just so gratifying because we spent years on it and went through a lot of insecurities about whether it’s working, whether it’s understood, whether it touches people at all.”

Set in Alberta in 1909, Wild Life tells the story of an affluent Brit who immigrates to Western Canada to establish a ranching career, but finding himself devoid of practical skills, spends his time instead playing badminton, birdwatching and quaffing liquor.

The filmmakers were inspired by their own ancestors, Prairie-bound Englishmen who “did not fare very well” in their fumbled attempt at farming. They had been concerned that the sprightly short was too overtly Canadian to receive recognition from the Academy, but obviously they needn’t have worried.

“(It) certainly was a concern because it is such a deeply Canadian tale … (but) our hope was that you could really tell a story about anything and anywhere and if it’s well told, it would reach people,” Tilby said.

Oscar vets that they are, Tilby and Forbis can now begin preparing for the ceremony – which isn’t always a pleasant proposition.

“I think the last time we told ourselves: ‘We’re going to have fun, we’re going to treat this like a lark, we’re not going to take it too seriously,’” Tilby said. “And then as the day draws near, you get whipped up into a frenzy of nerves just at the prospect of having to stand up in front of however many billion people. Who can relax with that?

“So anyway, we’ll try to not dwell on that, because we have a very good chance of not having to get up.”

Interjected Forbis, 48: “It’s just all the preening that we find really terrifying. All the shopping you have to do, and making sure you look good, and the facials and the massages.”

“Men have it easy,” Tilby agreed. “You can just go and rent a tux.”

The 84th Academy Awards will take place Feb. 26 in Los Angeles.

Source: The Toronto Star

For his romantic roundelay set in the City of Light, the 76-year-old Allen picked up his seventh Academy Award nomination in the director category; Allen also was nominated for his original screenplay.

He won the director prize 34 years ago for “Annie Hall,” the best picture winner that also netted Allen and Marshall Brickman the original screenplay Oscar.

Allen already has won the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for his “Midnight” screenplay, and he is nominated for WGA and BAFTA Awards in the screenplay category. He is also nominated for a DGA award for his direction of the film. He was honored with the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

Scorsese, one of the most influential directors of the last 40 years, also collected his seventh nomination for his direction of the Paris-set valentine to cinema. Scorsese, 69, earned his first director Oscar nomination for 1980’s “Raging Bull” and won the award five years ago for gangster film “The Departed.” Scorsese won the Golden Globe, the Boston Society of Film Critics and the National Board of Review honors for directing “Hugo.” He is also nominated for a DGA Award and the BAFTA. Scorsese also earned a nomination Tuesday as one of the producers on the film, which is nominated for best picture.

For his black-and-white silent movie, 44-year-old French filmmaker Hazanavicius earned a director nomination, and also was nominated for his original screenplay. (The last director to receive a director Oscar for a silent film was Frank Lloyd for “The Divine Lady” at the 1928-29 ceremony.) Hazanavicius already has won a number of awards for the charming tribute to the early days of the talkies – including the Critics’ Choice Movie Award and the New York Film Critics honor. He is nominated for DGA and BAFTA Awards, and will compete at the Independent Spirit Awards in the director and screenplay categories.

Payne, though, also could pull through with a victory in the category. The 50-year-old writer-director earned his second director Oscar nomination for “The Descendants,” a family drama set in Hawaii. He was previously nominated in this category for 2004’s “Sideways,” for which he won the Oscar for adapted screenplay. He also was nominated Tuesday as a producer on the film, which was nominated for best picture prize, and for the film’s adapted screenplay penned with Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Payne also is nominated for DGA and WGA awards. “The Descendants” won the Golden Globe for best motion picture drama.

For his existential drama about a Texas family, the iconclastic Malick, 68, earned his second director Oscar nod. He also was nominated for his original screenplay. Malick previously was nominated in the director category for 1998’s “The Thin Red Line,” for which he also earned an adapted screenplay nomination. Malick won the Palme d’Or last year at the Cannes Film Festival for “The Tree of Life” and has won several critics’ honors for his direction of the film, including honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn., the National Society of Film Critics and the Toronto Film Critics Assn.

Source: The Los Angeles times

Jackson hopes the 48-frames-a-second rate – twice the 24 frames that has been the custom since the 1920s – will help bring about a gradual transition to faster speeds that can bring more life-like images and action to the screen.

Digital cameras allow for shooting at 48 frames or faster, reducing the blurry effect known as strobing that can come with 24-frame filming.

Jackson said he hopes there will be a fair number of theaters equipped with digital projectors that can handle the faster film speeds by December, when Warner Bros. will release “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first chapter in his two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy classic.

“You shoot at 48, project at 48 and you get an illusion of life that’s remarkable. You don’t realize just how strobing and how flickery 24 frames is,” Jackson said at the Sundance Film Festival, where he presented the documentary “West of Memphis,” produced by him and his wife, “Hobbit” co-writer Fran Walsh. “You look at something at 48 frames, and it looks gorgeous. It looks like real life. It’s amazing.”

Other digital pioneers are making the same push for higher film speeds. “Avatar” creator James Cameron has said he will shoot the sequel to his science-fiction blockbuster at 48 or 60 frames a second.

At the CinemaCon convention for theater owners in Las Vegas last March, Cameron showed footage he shot at 24, 48 and 60 frames a second. The faster speeds noticeably reduced or eliminated blurriness in action sequences or when the camera panned and dollied down the length of a crowded banquet table.

As Hollywood moved into the digital age, movie makers generally have stuck with the 24-frame speed at which celluloid film moves through cameras and projectors. “The Hobbit” will show that it’s an outdated way to shoot films, Jackson said.

“I’m hoping it’ll be just the first gentle step into changing film rates because we can change them, especially with all the digital technology now,” Jackson said. “Twenty-four is irrelevant. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s just a traditional thing. It’s far from the best visual way to present a film.”

“The Hobbit” has had a hard road to the screen after Jackson’s blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” trilogy,” whose 2003 finale, “The Return of the King,” swept the Academy Awards with 11 trophies, including best picture and director.

Jackson planned only to co-write and co-produce “The Hobbit,” but he stepped in to direct after Guillermo del Toro dropped out because of delays caused by the bankruptcy of MGM, which owned half of the project.

“It’s actually been a reasonably joyous thing to do,” said Walsh, who returned as a co-writer and co-producer. “I’m surprised to say that because I thought it would be very hard. Certainly, it was a difficult birth of this film. It was protracted and fought. … But it’s surprisingly pleasant, if I can use that word. Pleasant. So far. So I hope I haven’t jinxed it.”

The two films are being shot simultaneously in 3-D, with the second one, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” due in theaters in December 2013.

British actor Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who acquires the evil ring that sets the action of “The Lord of the Rings” in motion. Cast members returning from that trilogy include Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis.

Jackson joked that the snowy mountains surrounding Sundance’s home in the ski resort of Park City remind him of the heavy workload still ahead on “The Hobbit.”

“We have a hundred days of shooting to go, which still feels like we’re at the bottom of a mountain. I kind of don’t like being in Park City because I look up the mountain, and I kind of think, well, ‘The Hobbit’s’ at the top of that mountain. I’ve got to kind of climb this. It looks pretty daunting,” Jackson said.

Yet Jackson said he’s having a great time revisiting Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

“If I show up at work every day happy to be there and excited about what we’re shooting, to me, that’s always a good sign,” he said. “So I think we’re making a couple of pretty entertaining movies.”

Source: The Washington Post

For 11 days every January, Sundance becomes the focal point of the independent film world as established directors and stars mix with up-and-coming talent, while theatrical distributors prowl the festival looking for the next indie hit and film lovers just have a good time being the first audiences to see new movies.

“You can’t make a film with a festival in mind, and it’s not something I would have expected or taken for granted. But it’s always kind of the dream in the back of your mind,” said Lauren Greenfield, who premiered her debut documentary “Thin” at Sundance in 2006 and returns this time with one of the opening-night films, “The Queen of Versailles,” chronicling the housing-bust story of a couple that tried to build a palatial 90,000-square-foot mansion.

“I think it’s this really magical environment, a place that’s such a nurturing, supportive influence for independent films. Even when you’re out there making your film, I think that you think about Sundance, and it just kind of gives you motivation.”

Also opening Thursday is “Hello I Must Be Going,” actor-turned-director Todd Louiso’s U.S. dramatic entry which centers on a love story between a 19-year-old man and a 35-year-old divorcee that stars Melanie Lynskey.; the world-cinema drama “Wish You Were Here,” a dark story of a vacation gone wrong from Australian filmmaker Kieran Darcy-Smith that stars Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer; and Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul’s world-cinema documentary “Searching for Sugar Man,” a portrait of promising 1970s singer-songwriter Rodriguez and his fade into obscurity.

Sundance also is a launch place for films that already have distributors, who show off their films hoping to build buzz among audiences and the legions of cinema journalists and bloggers who attend the festival.

“All the film press in North America is at Sundance to discover films,” said Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, which is showing director Nadine Labaki’s Lebanese drama “Where Do We Go Now?” and Gareth Huw Evans’ Indonesian action tale “The Raid” at the festival. “Sundance is like the best place to set up a film for release. You have instant press junkets at Sundance.”

Among the more established filmmakers showcasing their work at the festival are Spike Lee with his urban drama “Red Hook Summer,” in which he reprises the character he played in “Do the Right Thing”; Stephen Frears with his sports-wagering caper “Lay the Favorite,” starring Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rebecca Hall; documentary veteran Joe Berlinger with his Paul Simon portrait “Under African Skies”; and Julie Delpy with her relationship comedy “2 Days in New York,” in which she stars with Chris Rock.

The Sundance Film Festival continues through Jan. 29.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

“It’s a real honour to be accepted by Sundance.. one of the pre-eminent film festivals in the world,” Montreal filmmaker Yung Chang said of the annual indie movie celebration established by Robert Redford.

“It means your film gets to be an on international stage and a lot of eyes will be watching it,” he told CBC News.

Chang’s China Heavyweight is one of three Canadian docs to screen in competition (World Documentary program) at the festival, which runs Jan. 19-29 in Park City, Utah.

Another high-profile competitor is Toronto filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal’s Payback, an NFB production based on Margaret Atwood’s Massey Lectures book about debt, its influence on society and its effect on the planet.

Chinese-born Canadian director Chang said he feels “a little more pressure with this sophomore film,” following the success of his feature debut Up the Yangtze in 2008.

Though Up the Yangtze garnered positive reviews after its world premiere in Vancouver in fall 2007, it soared to new heights after screening at Sundance the following January, when it secured distribution deals as well as a host of international fans.

Though Chang said he finds the competitive nature of film festivals difficult, he’s looking forward to China Heavyweight’s world premiere in Sundance. He’ll be there accompanied by the movie’s star — a charismatic boxing coach who scours the Chinese countryside searching for potential star fighters.

“He hasn’t seen the movie yet. I’m saving it for the world premiere so that the audience can see him come up and he can hopefully relish that moment a little bit,” Chang said.

“There’s something amazing about film festivals and that’s this camaraderie, this environment where people who love watching movies come together and share the experience. That’s what I’m looking forward to at Sundance. That’s something very unique and special.”

For Winnipeg-based filmmaking team Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky, the Sundance debut of their Indie Game: The Movie will also represent an important milestone: the first time a large audience will see it.

“We’ve only shown it to, like, 20 people. Actually having an audience at Sundance – critics, distributors – is crazy, overwhelming,” said Pajot.

Having their tale about independent video game developers selected out of thousands of submissions has been a strange and surreal experience, Swirsky added.

“It’s something you dream about or you always aspire to — don’t say it out loud. Certainly when you’re planning the movie, you don’t write that down as part of your strategy: ‘Premiere at Sundance.’”

Just making it into the lineup was a learning experience, since the duo were inundated with emails, messages and attention about their film — a shoestring-budget effort that benefited from $130,000 the couple raised online. They’ve spent the last few weeks finishing the movie and preparing promotional materials before heading down to Utah.

“It’s special being from Winnipeg and making this film. Winnipeg is full of small teams, go-getters, people that want to do something on a bigger scale… but on their own terms. That’s what this film is about,” Pajot said.

“Indie games can reach millions of people. Like us, they’re making something they’re passionate about.”

The festival’s screenings for all three Canadian docs have sold out.

Source: CBC News

1. When life throws you lemons, make Florida Orange Juice.
Florida Orange Juice fortifies you with more than Vitamin C, it gets you through the day, no matter what your day may bring. At least that’s what the Florida Orange Juice campaign would have you entertain. One glass in the morning will brace you from the evils of teenagers, unforeseen chaos at work, and dating wackos. The net/net of the campaign is that drinking a glass of Florida Orange Juice in the morning will support you with the equanimity suggestive of weed, coupled with the physical stamina of speed.

Like snake oil, a gulp in the morning will give you everything you need to take on all the pulp life has to offer. Isn’t that wonderful?

Challenges such as turning on your TV and being subjected to the new Rogers’ campaign.

2. Like it or not, Rogers is your partner in life. With a new and ubiquitous campaign that uses slice of life commercials that also break the fourth wall, the communications company attempts to show how interwoven their products and services are with every facet of our life. A curious conceit was the casting of the same boorish red-haired* actor throughout each spot for continuity. Very risky business if you don’t cast properly. Perhaps you saw him in Rogers’ Christmas commercial every 15 minutes like I did? If not, I paraphrase the spot below:

A 30-something red-haired husband and his wife are sitting at their dining room table. He is playing orgasmically with a new tablet (which comes free with two new mobile phones from Rogers). The wife is idly fiddling around with a ribbon on a gift she just wrapped. 

I’m thinking about how to find Mom a good divorce attorney when I remember it’s only a Rogers commercial. Then I wonder why on earth a slice-of-life commercial breaks the fourth wall? It’s a poor technique that makes one feel like the husband is omnipotent. (Keep that notion in mind.)

One more from Rogers. Again, I paraphrase.

In a generic office, an officious boss (the same red- haired blowhard) walks past the work cubicles and stops for a split moment to leer at an underling who is watching a hockey game on his computer. The employee is noticeably shaken.

And bring your computer.

Breaking the fourth wall, the boss smirks straight to camera.

The Brief hates this campaign and there are so many more spots in this series to disparage. But to Rogers’ credit, The Brief believes this campaign is nothing if not honest. 

The protagonist is an omnipotent bully. Just like Rogers. 

Herein lies the perfect example of a brand being too true to its essence.

3. Scotiabank says I’m richer than I think. I’m so happy? This great expectations campaign has been running throughout this not-so-great depression and has the gall to insist: “You’re richer than you think.”

Even while they nickel and dime you with hidden fees, Scotiabank personifies itself as the bank that finds you hidden cash. Please.

On Scotiabank’s homepage is the visual of an autumn leaf. (At my age I take that to be a metaphor.) The headline reads – Richness is: All around you. Look under the bed and come back. 

Not surprisingly, the copy squirms like an eel, like a Wall Street con, out of the premise. 

You have to read the copy. 

“You define richness. Not us, that’s for sure. We do know that everyone’s definition of richness is different and it’s rarely about money. Let’s talk about what richness means to you, starting with your next five years.” 

“Rarely about money”! ARE THEY INSANE? 

We all know what our idea of “richer” means in the context of banking. But, Scotiabank isn’t discussing how to get richer, or even rich; they’ve slyly replaced the idea of “rich”, which we understand as the accumulation of wealth, with the nature of “richness.”

A Deepak Chopra kind of richness. Good luck buying a house with that. 

Thank God I started my day with Florida Orange Juice.

Sources:

• Rogers Communications has continued to cast red-haired actors in their new campaigns. Your guess is as good as mine. Write in.

• http://scotiabank.com/

Please send me feedback about what you feel about the climate of creativity and strategy. Always eager to hear from you.

—–

Comment to Linda at this address: thebrief@to411.com.
LinkedIn // Facebook // Twitter