Voodoo, and Zombies, and Ghosts, Oh My

An inside joke for fans of Buster Keaton, they surely know that he often wears a pork pie hat in his films. Well, while watching 1928's Steamboat Bill, Jr., there is a scene where his uncle takes him to buy a new hat – to replace the effeminate French beret that currently adorns his little head. A revolving number are tried on by the young man, with the closest to his original being wholeheartedly rejected. Though he does eventually purchase a much larger version of a pork pie hat, it flies off of his head and into the flowing river, not to be recovered. This, in many ways, is symbolic of the changing era the talented silent comedian found himself in. After the box office debacle that was The General (now considered one of his greatest features), Keaton was no longer blessed with carte blanche when making his movies – the studio keeping a keen eye on spending and limiting his overall control.

Showing off his immense skills in a rather unusual way, Buster Keaton heads to College in this 1927 feature that followed up The General; a Civil War set picture that is now known as a classic (and often considered his masterpiece), its expansive story bloated the budget and somehow brought lackluster reviews, leading to a rare bust at the box office. So, his next film (the above mentioned College) was designed to be more commercially viable and Keaton was reeled in, forced to be under the thumb of co-director James W. Horne (who according to Keaton, did virtually nothing) as well as producer Harry Brand (publicity chief for Keaton’s usual producer Joseph Schenck – he had just become president of United Artists), the latter constantly scrutinized every penny Keaton spent, making sure he didn’t go over budget like with The General. Further annoying the funnyman, the producer made sure that he received a "Supervised by Harry Brand" credit on the film. Receiving another batch of ungracious reviews, it was Keaton’s second bomb in a row. Despite that, College, like The General, is considered by most today to be a classic (though more of a middling effort compared to some of his other motion pictures).

Fans of one of the most popular Canadian films of all-time, 2006's Bon Cop, Bad Cop often wondered why a sequel was never made. . . well, out of the blue, eleven years later, everyone was just as surprised when Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 arrived in theatres, catching many off-guard – very much like the original unexpected hit. Reuniting Colm Feore and Patrick Huard once again, the former, Martin Ward, is now a senior federal officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, while the latter, David Bouchard, is a provincial officer with the Sûreté du Québec. Unbeknownst to either, the former quasi-friends, who have grown apart over the years, are working the same case, though Bouchard is undercover.

Arguably the highest grossing Canadian domestic film of all-time (not including inflation), 2006's Bon Cop, Bad Cop skewers both official languages, pairing a stuffy English-speaking Provincial Police detective with a foul mouthed, bon vivant French detective for the Sûreté du Québec. Directed by Erik Canuel, the unusual pair are brought together when a body is found straddling the Ontario/Québec border sign (it is literally impaled on the metal welcome guidepost). Arguing over whose jurisdiction it falls under, Torontonian Martin Ward (Colm Feore) suggests that it is their case, as "his heart is in Québec", to which Montrealer David Bouchard (Patrick Huard – who also came up with the scenario for the film) wryly replies, "but his ass belongs to you".