In the summer of 2006, an independent film called Growing Op was shot in Moncton. A few of my students had been hired as extras, and one even got to say a couple of lines. I had totally forgotten about this, until I read about it in Here Weekly.
Despite the fact the film was shot in the city, it had yet to be screened in Moncton. This did not surprise me. It’s often difficult for Canadian film to find an audience. The absence of the move from local multiplex probably would have gone unnoticed had a concerned citizen not written a letter to the Times and Transcript. Luckily, the manager of the Trinity Drive Empire Theatres arranged to have two special screenings this past Saturday.
Amanda and I decided to attend the 4:30 show despite not knowing much about the film. We thought it’d be cool to see Moncton on screen, but we were a little afraid that it would be a stupid stoner comedy that would only be funny if we were high. We were pleasantly surprised.
The first surprise was the crowd; the show sold out. I was worried the movie would play to an empty house. Too often I’ve watched independent cinema in near empty theatres. The worst example of this was back in university, when my friend Jeff and I enjoyed The Divine Ryans with two other people. At the time Jeff worked at a local radio station and one of his perks was free movie passes, so there were only two people that night who’d actually paid to see the movie. I felt so guilty that after the movie I tried to pay the price of admission. To make up for not paying, Jeff and I encouraged our friends to go see the movie and we even convinced a few to go, but when they went later in the week- the movie had already been replaced.
So luckily, Growing Op did not suffer the same low attendance. There was an enthusiastic crowd on hand to watch this unique coming of age story. Quinn is an isolated 17 year old, who mows lawns part-time to avoid helping his parents run their in-house marijuana grow-op. He seems to be more uptight and conservative than his family and longs to be normal. Quinn is lonely and tired of being home schooled; he develops a crush on the girl next door and decides against his parent’s wishes to enrol at the local high school. He quickly realizes that life as a normal teenager is not exactly what he expected and by the end of the movie wishes that he’d not gotten caught up in the drama of high school.
Growing Op has an aesthetic similar to other Canadian movies like C.R.A.Z.Y. or New Waterford Girl. There’s quirky humour, smart dialogue and lots of local content. There are scenes that take place at Moncton High School, Assomption Place, L’Ecole Odessay and obvious shots of Moncton’s skyline. The movie is set in Riverview, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be Riverview, NB.
There was a scene late in the film, when Quinn finds money and it’s obviously the greenback. The film makers want to keep the locale generic enough, in hopes of getting American distribution. However, there is enough CANCON to make it feel Canadian. There were token references to both Degrassi and The Guess Who. The movie also prominently features songs by Maritime musicians Jill Barber, Joel Plaskett, Jenn Grant and Matt Mayes. Watching this movie was an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The movie has likable characters and is thoughtful without being too sentimental. If you have a chance to see it you should definitely check it out. This movie deserves to have an audience. Canadians should support this movie.
Showing posts with label Moncton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moncton. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Faulcon's Pryde
I’ve always had a love hate relationship with improv comedy. I’ve never found Whose Line is it Anyway? terribly stimulating; however, I did enjoy watching my college roommate’s improv troupe. There’s nothing more topical than biting improv and sketch comedy, but they can be terribly painful to watch, if poorly executed. (That’s why Saturday Night Live is such a roller coaster lately, for three minutes I’m laughing my ass off, then for the next twenty I want to poke out my eyes. Thank God for PVR).
Attending Improv shows also freaks me out a little. I’m paranoid about getting called on to participate. It’s not that I’m shy of getting attention or don’t enjoy performing, but I need to be in the right head space. When I go to watch a show, I’m there to blend into the audience and not be put on stage. So it was with a little anxiety that Amanda and I went to see Scott Faulconbridge and David Pryde perform their improv show at the Empress Theatre.
Faulconbridge and Pryde are veterans of the Montreal’s improv scene and were performing in Moncton, as part of the Hubcap Comedy Festival. They took to the stage with lots of energy and quickly got the show started with a timed-game where they play a scene for sixty seconds, and then they repeated the same scene in 30, 15 and 7.5 seconds. It really engaged the crowd. There was a little local colour added in the scene, because to start, Mr. Faulconbridge asked for a public place to set the scene, and an enthusiastic audience member shouted “at Tim’s!” For a brief moment, the actor was little taken back, until he realized she meant Tim Horton’s. You could tell he’s not on a first name basis with Moncton’s favourite place to enjoy really bad coffee.
The show continued at a lightning quick pace, as the two went through a series of popular improv games. I was really impressed at how well both performers could control their bodies and contort their faces to create exaggerated characters. They also had impeccable comic timing and knew exactly when to stop a scene. There’s nothing worse than watching a scene that’s obviously going nowhere and they knew how to cut every scene with the audience begging for more.
Both Faulconbridge and Pryde were disciplined performers, who played off each other extremely well. You could tell there was a lot trust between them. They were able to take the suggestions from the audience and turn them into a series of entertaining scenes. They also taught the audience a valuable lesson about improv.
The actors ignored zany and obscene audience suggestions and instead chose ordinary or mundane topics. It’s important for audiences to realize that it’s the actors’ job to create the entertainment not the audience members. If you pick something nonsensical to start a scene, it’s difficult for the actors to create an effective sketch. The only scene during the 60 minute set to flop was based on an audience suggestion of “making a doody.” There are only so many places you can take a scene about having a dump.
Faulconbridge and Pryde’s fast paced, laugh-filled performance has given me a brand new appreciation for improv comedy. It was such an enjoyable hour of entertainment that I can’t wait to check out another Improv show. I hope the Hubcup Comedy Festival considers brining more acts like this next year, because it’s a welcome contrast to stand-up comedy.
Attending Improv shows also freaks me out a little. I’m paranoid about getting called on to participate. It’s not that I’m shy of getting attention or don’t enjoy performing, but I need to be in the right head space. When I go to watch a show, I’m there to blend into the audience and not be put on stage. So it was with a little anxiety that Amanda and I went to see Scott Faulconbridge and David Pryde perform their improv show at the Empress Theatre.
Faulconbridge and Pryde are veterans of the Montreal’s improv scene and were performing in Moncton, as part of the Hubcap Comedy Festival. They took to the stage with lots of energy and quickly got the show started with a timed-game where they play a scene for sixty seconds, and then they repeated the same scene in 30, 15 and 7.5 seconds. It really engaged the crowd. There was a little local colour added in the scene, because to start, Mr. Faulconbridge asked for a public place to set the scene, and an enthusiastic audience member shouted “at Tim’s!” For a brief moment, the actor was little taken back, until he realized she meant Tim Horton’s. You could tell he’s not on a first name basis with Moncton’s favourite place to enjoy really bad coffee.
The show continued at a lightning quick pace, as the two went through a series of popular improv games. I was really impressed at how well both performers could control their bodies and contort their faces to create exaggerated characters. They also had impeccable comic timing and knew exactly when to stop a scene. There’s nothing worse than watching a scene that’s obviously going nowhere and they knew how to cut every scene with the audience begging for more.
Both Faulconbridge and Pryde were disciplined performers, who played off each other extremely well. You could tell there was a lot trust between them. They were able to take the suggestions from the audience and turn them into a series of entertaining scenes. They also taught the audience a valuable lesson about improv.
The actors ignored zany and obscene audience suggestions and instead chose ordinary or mundane topics. It’s important for audiences to realize that it’s the actors’ job to create the entertainment not the audience members. If you pick something nonsensical to start a scene, it’s difficult for the actors to create an effective sketch. The only scene during the 60 minute set to flop was based on an audience suggestion of “making a doody.” There are only so many places you can take a scene about having a dump.
Faulconbridge and Pryde’s fast paced, laugh-filled performance has given me a brand new appreciation for improv comedy. It was such an enjoyable hour of entertainment that I can’t wait to check out another Improv show. I hope the Hubcup Comedy Festival considers brining more acts like this next year, because it’s a welcome contrast to stand-up comedy.
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