5 Things to See at SharpCuts ‘10

Going into its fourth year, SharpCuts Indie Film & Music Festival returns to bring some wondrous offerings from indie filmmakers both local and international. This year, In Magazine is proud to sponsor the fest, and in doing so offers this sneak peak into five of the must see films at this year’s SharpCuts.

5) Juiced

Granted, it may be self-serving to give one of these spots to a Synn Studios effort (Synn Studios, Inc. is the parent company of In Magazine), but director Tom Brown has successfully combined absurdist conceptualizing with pitch-perfect timing and execution. The plot of Juiced: an orange sets out to reap vengeance on the apple that killed his family, and it’s all acted out using real fruit. It takes a special kind of mind to look at a bowl of fruit and see a Bronson-esque tale of gritty, urban revenge, and fortunately, Brown’s got that kind of head on his shoulders.

4) Sneaky Business

The guys behind South Park may be in a touch of hot water as of late, but they might find good company in the pair of filmmakers behind Sneaky Business, a ball’s out comedic piece that’s part satire and part politically incorrect romp that will have you choking on the offense you’re taking while laughing yourself stupid. The plot involves a talking snake that’s acting as a coyote and smuggling desperate Americans into Canada on a cruise ship so that they might get a chance to have the benefits of gay marriage, free healthcare and low crime. Plus, to cap it all off, Celine Dion (as played by a man in drag) saves the day. Trust me, this has to be seen to be believed, and unbelievably it comes not from the mind of a couple of crazy Canucks, but the New York-based George Sanders and Shawn Curran

3) Heels on Wheels

Roller derby’s been steadily making a come back over the last few years, which was helped cemented in no small part thanks to Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It last fall. Our own local roller derby team, the Tri-City Roller Girls based in Kitchener, will get the spotlight in this new short documentary by filmmaker Pablo Perez. Focusing on how the team finds empowerment, camaraderie and self-expression through the sport, look for Heels on Wheels to put the emphasis on personality over game play.

2) Dear John

Director Mark Lammert takes a cue from Michael Moore’s Roger & Me days by packing up the van for a road trip to Moline, Ill., the home base of John Deere. The reason for his trip is to learn from company head honchos why and how they took away Welland, Ontario’s leading industrial employer after decades of loyal service. With the common touch Moore’s kind of lost in the 20 years since Roger, Lammert and his crew turn their quest into a full blown chronicle about the impact of the post-industrial age on the working men and women that are suffering through the current recession. Timely and insightful, Lammert also does the seemingly impossible by giving the viewer a touch of hope. A truly enrapturing indie doc.

1) Frozen

After making a splash at Sundance before chilling the bones of many a critic when it was released earlier this year, Frozen finally arrives in Guelph as the feature presentation of SharpCuts’ Thursday Thriller Night. The plot finds three young people (led by the original Ice Man, Shawn Ashmore) trapped on a ski lift and forced to decide between freezing to death together, or making tough choices so that a couple of them can live. It’s been said that seeing Frozen will do for the viewer and skiing what Jaws did for people and going into the ocean. See it with someone that does better under pressure then you do.

Written By Adam A. Donaldson