Springtime in Greenland

No one takes ordinary, everyday events and reveals their odd, bizarre, and hysterical nature like John Paiz. Boiled down, this is simply a movie about a backyard party in the suburbs. The suburbs are presented in the style of a retro 1950s documentary complete with a homey old narrator describing things as if he were narrating home movies. There is even a film within a film, another mock 50's documentary, to suggest that things have always been the same here. But, there is trouble in paradise: Buster Keaton-like, silent Nick is less than happy (a real anomaly in this environment). He senses there is more hinted at behind his surroundings than what shows on the surface. In the middle of a thunderstorm, he leaves his house to look into someone's window but whatever mystery is revealed to him there is never shown to us. Other cracks do show up however: Nick's sister keeps dropping things. Another party-goer gets the cramps. Unsmiling Nick has a diving contest around the pool against a grinning He-Man Alpha Male. Down the street, a few odd cars, bicyclists, and make-shift floats make up the annual neighborhood church parade. Winnipeg "keeps" its secrets though ordinary life there seems odd enough.

I first saw this film in my Canadian cinema class. It is arguably the best thing I have ever seen this term. The shots are amazing. The main character is silent bob, on steroids, with the competitive spirit of an Olympic champion. This film has something for everyone. It's a little action, romance, experimental, comedy, drama, and documentary. All tied in one awesome package!

Deadpan, colorful, and vaguely homoerotic, the master stroke in this short, absurd comedy is the narrator, which in its forced enunciation sounds like John Wayne playing an Indian in one of his Westerns. The mostly visual story is about a smiling, sneering macho man with dark sunglasses and a porn star mustache vs. the sensitive, silent man in the skimpy red speedo as they challenge each other with competitive dives into the swimming pool. I haven't seen any of Paizs' other films, like the more famous "Crime Wave" (apparently this silent character is recurring in his films), but it makes sense that he would have directed episodes of "Kids in the Hall." I don't know how readily available this short is, as it was shown in a film class. 8/10