Where did all the time go? Was it really seven years past that I first lent my pen to the fine folks at Hollywood North magazine to write movie reviews, articles, and conduct the occasional interview? We’ve sure been through a lot together during that time: Several VIFFs, one in-person trip to the Whistler Film Festival, several Leo Awards, celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and the bulk of my writing: movie reviews, all chronicled in some 350+ pieces I have penned for this site over the last three quarters of a decade.
Writing at least 300-500 words every week for editor Nick Wangersky and associates allowed me to develop a writing discipline that I believe will serve an even greater purpose in developing my own stories and screenplays. I wasn’t always just a film editor or movie reviewer as in my early 20s, I wrote, produced, and directed several short films and one feature with my faithful like-minded friends back in Edmonton. I’ve regrettably let this skill set atrophy over the years and since I’m not getting any younger, I believe now is the time to announce that I am officially concluding my time at Hollywood North Magazine effective Dec 31.
Before I first came aboard at HN mag, I had met Nick some time earlier through a mutual friend of ours, Ira Cooper (who also acted in one of my Edmonton movies). Then again, we may have briefly said hi to each other at one of the many indie filmmaker mixers held in the Vancouver area. “Booze n’ Schmooze” most likely.
I’m certain it was at one of these get-togethers that the subject of me joining the magazine was first broached. I had developed a habit of posting lengthy reviews of movies on my Facebook wall (Letterbxed wasn’t on my radar yet), particularly if I loved or loathed them. I submitted samples to Nick and he promptly sent over the contract for 2 cents per word (raises would eventually follow).
My first review. They grow up so fast…
Our unspoken mandate at Hollywood North is to keep the focus on Canadian content and talent. In addition to official CANCON productions, this can also include films shot in Canada or starring and directed by Canadians. My very first review, One Magic Christmas, fit at least the first criteria having been shot in Ontario and featuring many Canadian actors among the supporting cast.
As I got plugged into the film publicity ecosystem, I would start to get emails from publicists looking to promote their movies in theatrical runs, VOD, or sometimes broadcast. The fine folks at Route 504 would go the extra mile to mark their CDN content with a maple leaf so I would often give their monthly rosters a first pass in the search for new movies to review.
The pickings were even more plentiful during film festival season, especially at VIFF which thanks to Nick, I haven’t had to pay to attend since 2016! I would often request and review screeners ahead of time so I could get the reviews over with and spend time enjoying all the treats the festival had on offer.
A Canadian and Australian discussing an American movie
On occasion, VIFF would bring a big name to town and I’d request an interview. The most famous person I met doing this was actor and filmmaker Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty, The Gift) who was in town in 2018 to promote his gay-converssion therapy drama Boy Erased. Like other prominent festival attendees, he was safely ensconced in the Sutton Place Hotel behind multiple layers of entourage. Once I passed this gauntlet, we had an excellent 10 minute chat and photo op before I was swiftly ushered out of the room in anticipation of the next eager interviewer.
I could’ve talked for hours with this legend, transcription be damned…
Legendary film editor Walter Murch was far more accessible. Despite being one of the most well-known individuals in the film editing profession, most regular folks would be unable to pick him out of a lineup. He simply met me in the hotel’s press room during VIFF 2019 and we proceeded to do a considerably longer interview about his career, work methods, and his then-latest work, Coup 53.
Overall, I didn’t do interviews nearly as often as my fellow HN writers as while the conversations were excellent, the subsequent transcription was positively mind-numbing. I honestly wouldn’t wish the torture of transcribing human speech on my worst enemy. But it was a necessary step since paying someone to do it would erase any profits and free trials of AI transcribers weren’t up to snuff (although given recent technological advancement, I should try them out again soon).
Pierre Poilievre might not be so gung ho about defunding the CBC if they still made shows like this.
The most ambitious writing project I took on was enabled by the COVID pandemic severely choking the available slate of movies in early/mid-2020. Since the film industry itself was shut down and I wasn’t doing any film editing, I had more time than ever to take on the task of a three-part series chronicling one of my favourite TV shows growing up: The Odyssey (1992-94). Over the course of several months I tracked down the cast and crew who brought this cult classic to life including the show’s creators Paul Vitols & Warren Easton who were all very generous with their time and slightly bemused that someone was contacting them about this series nearly 30 years on.
The HN Mag team at the 2019 Leo Awards
One of the best perks of being a member of the press was being able to cover the Leo Awards which are essentially the BC film industry’s Oscars and Emmys. I attended the red carpets in 2018 and 2019 and got soundbites from the likes of Brent Butt (Corner Gas) and Lexa Doig (TekWar). The free dinner and show afterward was a nice bonus (we also attended in 2024 with no red carpet and no dinner but free champagne at least).
The movies I reviewed covered the gamut from excellent (The Grizzlies) to middling (The Corruption of Divine Providence) to deplorable (Project Ithaca). I like to think I was fair in my assessments of each film and have failed to ruffle many feathers minus one irate director who took it upon himself to complain to the publicist about my appraiser of his actresses’ performance. My editor Nick will award a special no-prize to the reader who correctly guesses the film and short-tempered director.
I’ll certainly miss the extra $$ at the end of the month that come with this gig, but I’ll also fondly remember discovering exciting new films before the general public and having deep-dive conversations with legendary filmmakers and bright new talent. It was a privilege to do this kind of work, even as a side hustle and I hope my successor has even more fun in the same endeavour.
NEXT WEEK: My HN Mag tenure ends with my Top 5 movies of 2024!
P.S- I also met Simon Pegg at a Whistler Film Festival Mixer in 2019. Cool guy!