Oh CANADA, our home and native land!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on what our first official blog post should be about. Our big brothers in the south have a great blog that everyone should check out http://blog.blockbuster.com, but I wanted to talk about something that is unique to us Canadian movie lovers.

I think it’s fair to say that movie lovers around the world tend to appreciate movies that they can relate to. Although I can’t think of any films that focus on poutine or ketchup chips there are plenty of great films that take place in Canada!

It changes the way you interpret a movie when you can say “I’ve been there!” or “I know that place!”

So here are a few films that take place in our home and native land.

One Week

This movie pays great compliment to many of the great landscapes that Canada has to offer. Stopping at various landmarks Joshua Jackson travels from Toronto to Vancouver Island on a vintage motorcycle. As the drama in this movie unfolds and Jackson travels further along his journey, we are offered cinematography that is so visually stunning it will make you realize how beautiful our country is.

Bon Cop, Bad Cop

Hailed as one of Canada’s first truly bilingual films, it was originally filmed in both English and French and was edited afterward to include both languages interchangeably. Rich with Canadian talent and writing that includes Anglophone and Francophone humour, this film is a must-see for all Canadians!

Trailer Park Boys

On the east coast we’ve got Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles as the Trailer Park Boys. With 7 seasons of their comedic mockumentary television series and 2 feature length films under their belts these boys from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia are a force to be reckoned with.

Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day was released in late 2009, now the only question that remains is what’s next for this great Canadian Franchise?

C.R.A.Z.Y

The title derives from the first letter in the names of five brothers: Christian, Raymond, Antoine, Zachary and Yvan. This French-language Canadian film follows the life of Zachary struggling with identity while growing up in Quebec during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Winning 11 of 13 awards at the 2006 Genie Awards this is a truly a great Canadian Film.

Chloe

Atom Egoyan’s erotic thriller stars Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried and is unmistakably set in Toronto. Several famous Toronto landmarks, hotels, hot spots and restaurants are seen in this film with their actual names, including: Allan Gardens, The Rivoli, and Levack Bloc. It hasn’t been released on DVD or Blu-ray yet, but I’ll keep you posted on the release date once it is announced.

Our beautiful country is often used in movies and credited as another location. It is very exciting when we are able to share our space and proudly call it by its real name. The above list is a small sampling of times that this happens. Help grow the list of films by commenting below!