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What are your top three favorite Canadian films?

posted a month ago by whynotwriteme (7720)
28 replies | jump to latest

Mine are:

1. The Silent Partner (1978) - American actor Elliott Gould, Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, and British actress Susannah York in a Hitchcock-style doublecross story about a nerdy bank teller and a psychopathic bank robber. Great late 1970s scenes of Toronto, especially the Eaton Centre and Yonge Street.

2. Rituals (1977) - A group of doctors on a fishing trip to Northern Ontario run afoul of a horrifically scarred WW2 veteran hermit. More disturbing than Deliverance and no "Squeal like a pig" funny stuff.

3. Scanners (1980) - David Cronenberg's first big success. A dystopian SF adventure about a near future Montreal, plagued with rogue telepaths called Scanners, resulting from a thalidomide-like drug. Exploding heads!

[–] capuchin (3182) a month ago

Videodrome
Incendies
Ginger Snaps

[–] Nanook (1937) a month ago

Great list. Ginger Snaps is a top three werewolf movie, easy.

[–] db20db (17235) a month ago

I agree on Scanners. Really enjoyed that when I first saw it.

I'll offer Mean Dreams (2016), just off the top of my head. It's Bill Paxton's swan song and damn if he didn't go out in a blaze of glory with his performance in it.

I'm trying to remember a Canadian crime series that I binge watched and also enjoyed.

[–] MartyDeniro (4171) a month ago

The Sweet Hereafter
Meatballs
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

[–] jriley555 (8117) a month ago

The Wrong Guy
The Triplets Of Belleville
Monsieur Lazhar
Enemy

[–] Nanook (1937) a month ago

Another great list, though haven't seen M. Lazhar yet. The Wrong Guy is criminally underexposed in the States; incredibly referenceable.

[–] jriley555 (8117) a month ago

My name ? Jones, enema bag Jones.

[–] Nanook (1937) a month ago

Fresh crop o' corn...

[–] nyctc7 (43591) a month ago

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)

This is, I think, the only Canadian film I've ever seen (where Canada is the only listed country of origin on IMDb) and it's a good one.

Edit: Post below reminds me that I've also seen Cube (1997). Good movie.

[–] Nanook (1937) a month ago

Can't find fault with your last two, and The Silent Partner looks great, thanks! Couple favorites not yet mentioned:

Cube (1997)
Class of 1984 (1982)
Anything for Jackson (2020)

Darn, couple of my first picks were joint productions; had to dig a little deeper to find pure Canadian. And tried to diversify the genres more, but then my list would be less honest.

[–] nyctc7 (43591) a month ago

I don't think joint productions should automatically be disqualified, despite what I wrote above. Case-by-case basis.

[–] Nanook (1937) a month ago

Didn't mean to imply they should, paisan'. I do tend to get get a bit pedantic when assembling my own lists just because it makes it more challenging and fun for me. And didn't even see your post until just now. Looks like we posted about the same time.

And Atanarjuat was a big contender for me, too.

[–] whynotwriteme (7720) a month ago

Joint productions are fine. All 3 of my picks had British and/or American involvement.

[–] whynotwriteme (7720) a month ago

You'll love The Silent Partner if you watch it. Great movie!

[–] Nanook (1937) a month ago

It really looks right up my alley! Might even have to break my October horror streak.

And the other reason I rejiggered my list is my #1 was going to be yet another Cronenberg: Dead Ringers. I mean, he's awesome, but wanted to call attention to more Canadian filmmakers, heh.

[–] Kowalski (75520) a month ago

I WOULDN'T KNOW WHICH OF MY FAVORITES ARE CANADIAN🤷🏻‍♀️

[–] parkerbot (8993) a month ago

Kim Cattrall from Mannequin has Canadian citizenship - that sort of counts.

[–] pumpspunk (170) a month ago

I remember really enjoying Silent Partner. I wanted to re-watch it recently but couldn't find it streaming anywhere.

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