Genies Pic Picks

Love 'em or hate 'em, the annual Oscar overload and other big foreign flick awards shows South of the border are mercifully done. The BAFTAs are put to bed, too. So now we can finally focus on the more important movie celebration: The Genie Awards.

This year brings twenty awards nomination categories for Canadian-made film from 2010, including Best Motion Picture, Best Performances by Actors and Actresses in Leading and in Supporting Roles, Best Direction, Best Original and Adapted Screenplays, Best Cinematography, Best Song, and (of course) Best Documentary. You can find the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's complete list at http://www.genieawards.ca/genie31/main.cfm

And so, in an attempt to help everyone - including me - get on the same page about the 31st annual Genies, I've put together a detailed list of the five Best Motion Picture nominees in no particular order, with links and poster art from the usual suspects*. Most of these movies are still playing on the big screen or are already available on DVD (or Video on Demand). Check it out:

The 2011 Genie Awards, Best Motion Picture nominations

10 1/2 (2010)
117 minutes, Rated 18A (www.ofrb.gov.on.ca)

8 NOMINATIONS:
Best Motion Picture (Pierre Gendron), Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design (Gilles Aird), Achievement in Cinematography (Bernard Couture), Achievement in Direction (Podz), Achievement in Editing (Valérie Héroux), Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Robert Naylor), Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Martin Dubreuil), Original Screenplay (Claude Lalonde)

SYNOPSIS:
"Tommy, dix ans et demi, est trouvé inconscient et battu dans un terrain vague. Il s'agit d'un enfant bien connu des services sociaux qui ont tenté, sans succès, de comprendre et corriger son comportement agressif et violent. Dans le nouveau centre où il est envoyé, Le Tremplin, la plupart des éducateurs semblent dépassés par cet enfant sauvage, rebelle à l'autorité comme à l'affection."

WEBSITE:
http://www.10etdemi-lefilm.com/

TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCdVaoq6is

IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591622/

WIKIPEDIA:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_%BD

FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/10etdemi

Les amours imaginaires/Heartbeats (2010)
95 minutes, Rated 14A (www.ofrb.gov.on.ca)

4 NOMINATIONS:
Best Motion Picture (Xavier Dolan, Carole Mondello, Daniel Morin), Achievement in Cinematography (Stéphanie Weber-Biron), Achievement in Direction (Xavier Dolan), Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Anne-Elizabeth Bossé)

SYNOPSIS:
"L'histoire de Francis et Marie, deux amis qui, épris de la même personne, se livrent à un duel malsain pour la conquérir. De rendez-vous en rendez-vous, la tension monte et, bientôt, chacun interprète de manière obsessionnelle les comportements ambigus et destructeurs de l'objet de leur désir."

WEBSITE:
http://www.lesamoursimaginaires.com/

TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gCPIof4kNQ

IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1600524/

WIKIPEDIA:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Amours_imaginaires

FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/LesAmoursImaginaires

Barney's Version (2010)
132 minutes, Rated 14A (www.ofrb.gov.on.ca)

11 NOMINATIONS:
Best Motion Picture (Robert Lantos), Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design (Claude Paré, Elise de Blois), Achievement in Make-Up (Adrien Morot, Réjean Goderre, Valli O'Reilly, Micheline Trépanier), Achievement in Costume Design (Nicoletta Massone), Achievement in Direction (Richard J. Lewis), Achievement in Music - Original Score (Pasquale Catalano), Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Giamatti), Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Dustin Hoffman), Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Rosamund Pike), Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Minnie Driver), Adapted Screenplay (Michael Konyves)

SYNOPSIS:
"Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel - his last and, arguably, best - BARNEY'S VERSION is the warm, wise and witty story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. A candid confessional, told (as the title implies), entirely from Barney's point of view, the film spans four decades and two continents, taking us through the many highs, and a few too many lows, or our hero's long and colorful life."

WEBSITE:
http://www.barneysversionthemovie.com/

TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/user/moviequips#p/f/0/1Z52vBL3zlc

IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1423894/

WIKIPEDIA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney's_Version_(film)

FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/barneysversion

Incendies (2010)
130 minutes, Rated 14A (www.ofrb.gov.on.ca)

10 NOMINATIONS:
Best Motion Picture (Luc Déry, Kim McCraw), Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design (André Line Beauparlant), Achievement in Make-Up (Katryn Casault, André Duval), Achievement in Cinematography (André Turpin), Achievement in Direction (Denis Villeneuve), Achievement in Editing (Monique Dartonne), Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Lubna Azabal), Achievement in Overall Sound (Jean Umansky, Jocelyn Caron, Jean-Pierre Laforce, Benoit Leduc), Achievement in Sound Editing (Sylvain Bellemare, Simon Meilleur, Claire Pochon), Adapted Screenplay (Denis Villeneuve)

SYNOPSIS:
"Lorsque le notaire Lebel (Rémy Girard) fait à Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) et Simon Marwan (Maxim Gaudette) la lecture du testament de leur mère Nawal (Lubna Azabal), les jumeaux sont sidérés de se voir remettre deux enveloppes, l'une destinée à un père qu’ils croyaient mort et l’autre à un frère dont ils ignoraient l’existence. Jeanne voit dans cet énigmatique legs la clé du silence de Nawal, enfermée dans un mutisme inexpliqué lors des dernières semaines avant sa mort. Elle décide immédiatement de partir au Moyen Orient exhumer le passé de cette famille dont elle ne sait presque rien..."

WEBSITE:
http://www.incendies-lefilm.com/

TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpEy5FdadDY

IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/

WIKIPEDIA:
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incendies

FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/IncendiesLeFilm

Splice (2009)
104 minutes, Rated 18A (www.ofrb.gov.on.ca)

4 NOMINATIONS:
Best Motion Picture (Steven Hoban), Achievement in Direction (Vincenzo Natali), Achievement in Editing (Michele Conroy), Achievement in Sound Editing (Dave Rose, Rod Deogrades, David McCallum, John Sievert)

SYNOPSIS:
"Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing together DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiments."

WEBSITE:
http://www.splicethefilm.com/

TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/splicethefilm

IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017460/

WIKIPEDIA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splice_(film)

FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Splice-Movie/103910776306692

*Sources: moviequips.ca, genieawards.ca, youtube.com, imdb.com, wikipedia.org, facebook.com and impawards.com

Thanks for checking in.