After being snubbed by Oscar, except for the single citation for best make-up, Barney’s Version is suddenly strutting proudly again as the nominations leader in Canada’s Genie Awards.
Richard J. Lewis’ drama scored 11 Genie noms on Wednesday, one more than Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Incendies, which is competing in the Oscars for best foreign-language film.
The searing drama 10-1/2 by Quebec filmmaker Podz (also known as Daniel Grou) earned eight noms.
Barney’s Version, Incendies and 10-1/2 are all competing for best picture, along with Vincenzo Natali’s inventive horror movie Splice and Xavier Dolan’s intimate menage-a-trois drama Heartbeats (Les Amours Imaginaires).
The looming Canadian showdown between Barney’s Version and Incendies is perfect for Canada: The two solitudes are fighting it out on the same turf, each side with a quality production. And things are really culturally complex this time.
Barney’s Version, based on a novel by famed Montreal writer Mordecai Richler, was filmed mostly in Montreal and primarily in English by a Toronto-born filmmaker. Incendies, based on a play by Lebanese-Canadian Wajdi Mouawad, was filmed in the Middle East in both French and Arabic by a Montreal filmmaker.
Overall in the best picture race, there are two English-language productions and three French-language productions. Incendies is the critical darling. But the balance in the nominations may mean that Toronto-based movie mogul Robert Lantos, who produced Barney’s Version, has a good chance to triumph when the Genies are held in Ottawa on March 10. CBC-TV will broadcast the awards ceremony live from the National Arts Centre.
The biggest problem for the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is visibility, as usual. Only one one of this year’s nominated films is a box-office hit.
There are big names in the acting categories, however. American veteran Paul Giamatti is nominated as best actor for playing the lead in Barney’s Version. He had missed out on a possible Oscar nom for the title role, although he did win a Golden Globe. Among others, Giamatti will be up against Jay Baruchel, nominated for The Trotsky. Baruchel is having a hot run over the past year. He is also the lead voice talent for the Oscar-nominated How to Train Your Dragon.
In the supporting-actor category, Hollywood legend Dustin Hoffman is nominated for playing Barney’s irascible father. Among others, he is up against Rossif Sutherland, Donald Sutherland’s other acting son.
The best-actress race features both Molly Parker and Tracy Wright, co-stars of Bruce McDonald’s extraordinarily intense drama Trigger. When Wright felt seriously ill, McDonald put the film into nearly instant production. Wright died before Trigger made its premiere at the 2010 Toronto filmfest. Included in Parker and Wright’s competition is Rosamund Pike, the refined English actress who plays Barney’s longest-suffering wife.
Singer-actress Minnie Driver is included in the supporting-actress category for Barney’s Version. Among others in that race is famed Newfoundland comic Mary Walsh, up for Crackie.
Absurdly perhaps, because the Canadian film industry works on such a small scale, 22 different feature films scored at least one nom. Among them is the gonzo action-horror movie Resident Evil: Afterlife. It got five noms, among them the citation for Denise Cronenberg (David Cronenberg’s sister) for best costume design. She also works on most of her brother’s films, most recently Eastern Promises.
Resident Evil: Afterlife, which scored mostly in craft categories, also gets the Golden Reel Award for generating the best box office of any Canadian production in a given year of release in Canada. Its tally was $7 million. The worldwide take is now $296.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That makes it the best-grossing Canadian-made movie of all time, although this status is misleading. Resident Evil: Afterlife, part of the popular sci-fi action franchise, is an international co-production, with German, French and British involvement.
Among the most obvious Genie snubs is William Phillips’ goofy and funny Gunless, starring Paul Gross. It is a camp western satire, but the humour must have been lost on the voting committees at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Gunless generated only two noms, one for Callum Keith Rennie as best supporting actor. You know him as a ruthless cylon in Battlestar Galactica.
More complicated is the treatment of Heartbeats (Les Amours Imaginaires). It earned four noms, one for Xavier Dolan as best director. But the Quebec wunderkind was overlooked for his screenplay and his performance in the movie. In acting categories, the only one to make it from his film was Anne-Elizabeth Bosse as best supporting actress.
The Trotsky was also marginalized, despite the nom for Baruchel as best actor. Jacob Tierney got named in the best original screenplay race, but not as a director. The Trotsky, which earned four noms overall, obviously was also left out of the best picture sweepstakes. Ditto for Trigger, which had been considered a contender before Tuesday’s announcements. One kick-ass B-movie, Fubar II, did poorly with only two noms.
Jephte Bastien gets the Claude Jutra Award this year for directing Exit 67 (Sortie 67), a gritty crime drama which focuses on a Montreal gang member. Named for a legendary Quebec filmmaker, the Jutra recognizes outstanding achievement by a first-time feature filmmaker.
GENIE NOMINEES:
Nominees announced Wednesday for the 31st Genie Awards (Canadain film), to be handed out March 10 in Ottawa:
BEST MOTION PICTURE / MEILLEUR FILM
10 1/2 - Pierre Gendron
LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES / HEARTBEATS - Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello, Daniel Morin
BARNEY’S VERSION - Robert Lantos
INCENDIES - Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
SPLICE - Steven Hoban
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION / MEILLEURE RÉALISATION
XAVIER DOLAN - Les amours imaginaires / Heartbeats
RICHARD J. LEWIS - Barney’s Version
VINCENZO NATALI - Splice
PODZ - 10 1/2
DENIS VILLENEUVE - Incendies
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION MASCULINE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
JAY BARUCHEL - The Trotsky
PAUL GIAMATTI - Barney’s Version
ROBERT NAYLOR - 10 1/2
TIMOTHY OLYPHANT - High Life
FRANÇOIS PAPINEAU - Route 132
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION MASCULINE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
MARTIN DUBREUIL - 10 1/2
DUSTIN HOFFMAN - Barney’s Version
ALEXIS MARTIN - Route 132
CALLUM KEITH RENNIE - Gunless
ROSSIF SUTHERLAND - High Life
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE DANS UN PREMIER RÔLE
LUBNA AZABAL - Incendies
TATIANA MASLANY - Grown Up Movie Star
MOLLY PARKER - Trigger
ROSAMUND PIKE - Barney’s Version
TRACY WRIGHT - Trigger
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE / INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE DANS UN RÔLE DE SOUTIEN
SONJA BENNETT - Cole
ANNE-ELIZABETH BOSSÉ - Les amours imaginaires / Heartbeats
MINNIE DRIVER - Barney’s Version
TERRA HAZELTON - FUBAR II
MARY WALSH - Crackie
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY / MEILLEURE ADAPTATION
MICHAEL KONYVES - Barney’s Version
LEE MACDOUGALL - High Life
VIC SARIN, DENNIS FOON, CATHERINE SPEAR - A Shine of Rainbows
PATRICK SENÉCAL - Les sept jours du Talion / 7 Days
DENIS VILLENEUVE - Incendies
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY / MEILLEUR SCÉNARIO
LOUIS BÉLANGER, ALEXIS MARTIN - Route 132
CLAUDE LALONDE - 10 1/2
ADRIANA MAGGS - Grown Up Movie Star
PETER STEBBINGS - Defendor
JACOB TIERNEY - The Trotsky
ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION / PRODUCTION DESIGN / MEILLEURE DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE
GILLES AIRD - 10 ½
ANDRÉ LINE BEAUPARLANT - Incendies
ARV GREYWAL - Resident Evil: Afterlife
MYRON HYRAK - FUBAR II
CLAUDE PARÉ, ÉLISE DE BLOIS - Barney’s Version
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY / MEILLEURES IMAGES
BERNARD COUTURE - 10 ½
RONALD PLANTE - Piché: entre ciel et terre / Piché: The Landing of a Man
CLAUDINE SAUVÉ - The Wild Hunt
ANDRÉ TURPIN - Incendies
STÉPHANIE WEBER-BIRON - Les amours imaginaires / Heartbeats
ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE
MICHELE CONROY - Splice
MONIQUE DARTONNE - Incendies
MATTHEW HANNAM - Trigger
VALÉRIE HÉROUX - 10 1/2
YVANN THIBAUDEAU - Piché: entre ciel et terre / Piché: The Landing of a Man
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN / MEILLEURS COSTUMES
DENISE CRONENBERG - Resident Evil: Afterlife
MARIO DAVIGNON - The Trotsky
NICOLETTA MASSONE - Barney’s Version
PATRICIA MCNEIL - The Wild Hunt
BEVERLEY WOWCHUK - Gunless
ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP / MEILLEURS MAQUILLAGES
KATRYN CASAULT - Incendies
PAUL JONES, LESLIE SEBERT, VINCENT SULLIVAN - Resident Evil: Afterlife
ADRIEN MOROT, MICHELINE TRÉPANIER - Barney’s Version
HÉLÈNE-MANON POUDRETTE - The Wild Hunt
MARLÈNE ROULEAU, CJ GOLDMAN - Les sept jours du Talion / 7 Days
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SCORE / MEILLEURE MUSIQUE ORIGINALE
BRENDAN CANNING - Trigger
PASQUALE CATALANO - Barney’s Version
JONATHAN GOLDSMITH - High Life
KEEGAN JESSAMY, BRYCE MITCHELL - At Home, By Myself... With You
SOOK-YIN LEE, BUCK 65, ADAM LITOVITZ - Year of the Carnivore
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC - ORIGINAL SONG / MEILLEURE CHANSON ORIGINALE
BUCK 65 - Year of the Carnivore - What’s Wrong With That?
MARY MILNE - The Trotsky - Already Gone
CHERIE PYNE - Crackie - Tender Steps
MARK SASSO, CASEY LAFORET, STEPHEN PITKIN - Grown Up Movie Star - West End Sky
PAUL J. SPENCE - FUBAR II - There’s No Place Like Christmas
ACHIEVEMENT IN OVERALL SOUND / MEILLEUR SON D’ENSEMBLE
CHRISTIAN COOKE, STEVE MOORE - Defendor
LEON JOHNSON, STEPHAN CARRIER, KIRK LYNDS - High Life
MICHEL LECOUFLE, DANIEL BISSON, LUC BOUDRIAS, JEAN-CHARLES DESJARDINS - Les sept jours du Talion / 7 Days
JOHN THOMSON, ANDREW STIRK, ANDREW TAY, MARK ZSIFKOVITS - Resident Evil: Afterlife
JEAN UMANSKY, JEAN-PIERRE LAFORCE - Incendies
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING / MEILLEUR MONTAGE SONORE
PIERRE-JULES AUDET, MICHELLE CLOUTIER, NATALIE FLEURANT, NICOLAS GAGNON - Les sept jours du Talion / 7 Days
STEPHEN BARDEN, STEVE BAINE, KEVIN BANKS, ALEX BULLICK, JILL PURDY - Resident Evil: Afterlife
SYLVAIN BELLEMARE, SIMON MEILLEUR, CLAIRE POCHON - Incendies
MARK GINGRAS, TOM BJELIC, KATRIJN HALLIDAY, DALE LENNON, JOHN SMITH - Defendor
DAVE ROSE, DAVID MCCALLUM - Splice
BEST DOCUMENTARY / MEILLEUR DOCUMENTAIRE
LA BELLE VISITE / JOURNEY’S END - Jean-François Caissy
IN THE NAME OF THE FAMILY - Shelley Saywell, Deborah Parks
LAST TRAIN HOME - Lixin Fan, Mila Aung-Thwin, Daniel Cross
LEAVE THEM LAUGHING - John Zaritsky, Montana Berg
YOU DON’T LIKE THE TRUTH, 4 DAYS INSIDE GUANTÁNAMO - Luc Côté, Patricio Henriquez
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT DRAMA / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE DRAMATIQUE
FILE UNDER MISCELLANEOUS - Jeff Barnaby, John Christou
MARIUS BORODINE - Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, Vincent Hoss-Desmarais
OUT IN THAT DEEP BLUE SEA - Kazik Radwanski, Dan Montgomery
SAVAGE - Lisa Jackson, Lauren Grant, Lori Lozinski
VAPOR - Kaveh Nabatian, Stéphane Tanguay, Cédric Bourdeau
BEST ANIMATED SHORT / MEILLEUR COURT MÉTRAGE D’ANIMATION
LIPSETT DIARIES / LES JOURNAUX DE LIPSETT - Theodore Ushev, Marc Bertrand
LA TRANCHÉE / THE TRENCHES - Claude Cloutier, Marc Bertrand
CLAUDE JUTRA AWARD / PRIX CLAUDE-JUTRA
JEPHTÉ BASTIEN - Sortie 67
*Honourable mention / Mention d’honneur - PETER STEBBINGS - Defendor
GOLDEN REEL AWARD / PRIX BOBINE D’OR
RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE
Producers / Producteurs : Don Carmody, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer,
Distributor / Distributeur : Alliance Films
Total Canadian box office in 2010 / Recettes totales au guichet canadien en 2010 - $7,026,559