Reviews
The Snow Walker (2003)
if you are looking for heart stopping action, look elsewhere
If you want a story of human values and a glimpse into an ancient and disappearing land and the culture that it supports, watch this movie. See it and get a glimpse into a world that is fast disappearing. The acting is wonderful, and the production values are top quality. If some license was taken technically, I don't think it was done out of ignorance, but for the flow of the story. I applaud the makers of this film for keeping "un-Hollywood". Not that I don't like Hollywood, it just does not have a place in a film of this genre.
I live in the arctic. This is what it is, folks, rocks, cold, ice, snow ... and a lot of us kabloonas who would not survive outside our cities without the Inuit. The animals, fire and water are life. I think this wonderful piece of film making should be part of the school curriculum for those in the south. It is based on a story by the legendary Farley Mowat, and is an accurate portrayal of life and survival in the north.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
you can't just watch once
Every time I watch this movie (and I have watched it several times) I catch something that I missed. It is full of clever lines, irony, and humour, some of it dark, some of it just plain fun (their agent is Phyllis Stein). I loved the music, my favourite is "Wig in a Box'. The performances were excellent, the costumes were outrageous
I could go on and on. This is not a macho car chase movie, not a chick flick it is an acquired taste, shall we say. If you like `Priscilla Queen of the Desert', give it a try.
Atanarjuat (2001)
Portrayal of women - spoilers
The telling of an ancient tale, in the real Inuit world, with real Inuit faces, I know because I have been there. I agree with the comment made about visiting the official website, it explains a lot. I am familiar with some aspects of Inuit life, and I found the website invaluable.
Space-13, did you watch the same movie I did? The women in this movie were strong, wise and complex. After Puja seduced her brother in law, Atuat and Uluriaq forgave her, and asked that she be accepted back, and she was. I don't think I would have been so quick to do so. Only after Puja was forgiven and taken back was Amaqjuaq forgiven. Promptly after she is taken back into the family, Puja removes Atuat and Uluriaq from the scene and marks the tent so Oki and his friends can kill he husband and brother-in-law. No doubt in my mind that she was aware of what she was doing, and why she was doing it. Male or female is not important here, evil is evil, good is good. Gender roles are different in this culture, don't examine these people with the same eyes as we look at ours - it's apples and oranges. I saw Puja, although cute as a button and obviously appealing, a spoiled brat, who lied easily and cries when she's caught.
In my favourite scene, Sauri's children were cast out at the end by their own grandmother, although they were forgiven. Are we so quick and able to forgive? As hard as it was for her, she had to expel them; their inherent evil made them a risk to the community.
Yellowknife (2002)
it's NOT about Yellowknife
This is an OK film, acting was OK, story was OK. I will admit I tuned in because of the name, but I had to force myself to watch the whole thing. Patsy Gallant was the best part of the movie - we should see more of her. But ... it has absolutely nothing to do with Yellowknife, except it is their intended destination. When they finally get there, they town the portray is not even close to what it's like in Yellowknife. Want to see Yellowknife? Watch "Frostfire".
Frostfire (1995)
this is what the North looks like
I was an extra in this movie, so I guess I'm not totally objective. It was shot on location - with real Northen people, shown in true situations. Some of the actors have never acted before, and you can tell - but there are the pros like Wendy Crewson and Robert Clothier. It started out pretty good, then suddenly I got the feeling they ran out of time or money and had to finish in a hurry, so they completed it in Toronto... was the second half of the movie made by different people? The first half is worth watching, the Toronto part was just OK.