Crime Wave

I had the opportunity to see the newly restored print of this Canadian cult classic at TIFF '14 (free screening, no less!) The director was present and told us the DVD release date is in November. The print is awesome, with great sound, brilliant colour and fine detail, very unlike the VHS release. I last saw the tape about 15 years ago, and quality aside the quirky humour, micro-budget sets, costumes and effects, and lovable non-actors still work together perfectly to create outsider movie magic.

After the screening i remarked to Mr. Paizs that the overall tone of pre-Peewee's Playhouse naive child-adult humor was brilliantly counter-pointed by the sleazy "colour crime" sequences, and the occasional acts of gory violence got the biggest laughs due to being totally unexpected. I was rewarded with a lovely silk-screened poster, which i have framed and put up in our guest room.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, be sure to give it a viewing. It really is The Top!

Crime Wave is an absolute gem. In fact, I promise you that it's the best move that you've never heard of -- a post modern masterpiece.

Hopefully a distribution company will come along and make it available to you. Currently, if I'm not mistaken, it's only on VHS, and only in the hands of people, like me, who purchased a second hand copy.

But honestly, if you are a person who likes innovative films, and I'm assuming that you are one of those people, do yourself a favor and find a way to catch this one. I can't imagine it being any better than it is.

Good luck, and enjoy!

As far as commenting on the film is concerned, I can only echo what others have already said. "Crime Wave" is brilliant and beautifully filmed. I watched the film today and I found the Kodak film used is no longer available so perhaps another film with just this look will never be possible again?

Now to the exciting news: I have just purchased (and received on 8 February 2009) copies of "Crime Wave" and "Springtime in Greenland" on DVD.

The guidelines prevent me from linking directly to the site but just use Google and look for "John Paizs" and "Crime Wave". I hope the 'availability' clause still won't prevent this comment from appearing.

Such a great film on so many levels! It is about a struggling Crime Wave writer that can only write the beginning and ending to any of his stories. Further more, he can only write by the luminance of the street light. But that is only the beginning, the whole film has such a delightfully surreal feel to it. Oh, and not to mention it is narrated by a small girl. There are murderous Elvis impersonators, bio suit wearing escapades, psychopathic cowboy doctors, truck driving dogs and that is just the tip of the bizarre ice berg. The film never gets boring and is just as clever as it is funny! A film that definitely thinks much outside the box to give the audience a thoroughly entertaining experience. The only downside is it is not on DVD at all. You must find an old copy of the VHS or hope your local independent theater is cool enough to screen it. If this ever gets a DVD release I know so many folks that buy it right up! It would come in from the North and move right to the top! (This last sentence will make more since once you see the film). :)

An absolute peach of a film about a "quiet man" Steven Penny (played by director John Paizs himself) and his desires to pen the greatest colour crime movie ever told. His attempts are lovingly documented by his chipper and inquisitive neighbour Kim (Eva Kovacs), who becomes fascinated by Steven after reading scraps from his discarded screenplays, which Steven has thrown to the trash. For you see, Steven is a tormented artist. He can write the beginnings and endings of screenplays, but not the middles... and what screenplays they are! They tell sordid tales of hapless and violent Elvis impersonators; murderous Amway recruits; self-destructive self-help gurus! Yet, however sordid these cutaways become, the film retains a giddy innocence amidst the darkness. It also achieves a feat that very few films achieve, which is to use kitsch in a way that is wholly earnest and sincere, rather than ironic. The whole film has the feel of an after-school special, or those awkwardly mannered edutainment titles reserved for the classroom, but the spirit of parody remains wholly affectionate and the film is often touching and beautiful. This is especially impressive for a film with such strong meta-fictional elements, since it would be easy for such an exercise to become distanced and cynical. However, when Kim educates the viewer about persistence of vision, passing on the knowledge given to her by Steven, we are simply caught up in the joy of it, rather than smirking some knowing smirk as to how clever-clever the enterprise is. With the entrance of criminally insane script doctor Dr. Jolly (Neil Lawrie) the film threatens to become rather dark, yet still retains a lightness of touch. It's a magical piece of filmmaking, quite unlike anything you've ever seen before, one infused with the joys of filmmaking, friendship and the wonder of childhood with the experience of being an adult. It's a beaut.