Insanity takes us to higher places.

It seems fitting that a film called The Hangover would be such a monumental box-office success.  Having grossed over $459 million worldwide, the film made over $400 million in profits; over thirteen times its $35 million budget.  All of this is fairly impressive when one considers that the film follows a fairly standard story line – boys go out to party, get into trouble, and somehow the would-be groom goes missing.  It’s definitely the ridiculous moments, pop-culture references and no-brain-required aesthetic that have made the film the hit that it is.  That, and the fact that there are tigers.

As one who typically gravitates much more toward more independent obscure works of cinematic art, I am generally more amused by smaller-budget productions; they seem less formulaic and their quirky flavor lends itself to profound personal discoveries, questions of style, and moments where I catch myself thinking: ‘I could do that… I should try that!’

On the menu this month: You are Not my Friend, The Winking Circle, and Polytechnique.  You are Not My Friend, directed by Gyrogy Palfi, which I took in at the Festival De Nouveau Cinema is a film about a bizarre love triangle involving hot slavic women fucking other people’s husbands, and conniving manipulative womanizing men.  It made me laugh, almost made me cry, and definitely made me wish I still had an asymmetrical angled bob haircut.

Polytechnique is a film made in Quebec; a thriller based on an actual event — a horrific murder where 13 students were murdered at the Polytechnique institute in Montreal.  It caused a wave of controversy when it was realeased in theatres; people thought it distasteful to make a film about something so recent (the murder happened on December 6, 1989).  Referred to by some as the Montreal Massacre, the event will go down in history as one of Montreal’s least proud moments.  Raw. Edgy. Dramatic, and Freaky.

My favorite film this month, however, is definitely The Winking Circle. Completely obscure, directed by Torontonian Benny Zenga, this film combines super 8 film footage with video to tell the story of a “circle of creative fools committed to the… eccentrification of the world!”  who occupy themselves building mutant and multi-tiered bicycles, spray-painting cars and mini-vans, and celebrating creativity–and life–in other unconventional ways.  There is only one word for this.  AWESOME!!