Adam Whybray An absolute peach of a film about a "quiet man" Steven Penny (played by director John Paizs himself) and his desires to pen the greatest colour crime movie ever told. His attempts are lovingly documented by his chipper and inquisitive neighbour Kim (Eva Kovacs), who becomes fascinated by Steven after reading scraps from his discarded screenplays, which Steven has thrown to the trash. For you see, Steven is a tormented artist. He can write the beginnings and endings of screenplays, but not the middles... and what screenplays they are! They tell sordid tales of hapless and violent Elvis impersonators; murderous Amway recruits; self-destructive self-help gurus! Yet, however sordid these cutaways become, the film retains a giddy innocence amidst the darkness. It also achieves a feat that very few films achieve, which is to use kitsch in a way that is wholly earnest and sincere, rather than ironic. The whole film has the feel of an after-school special, or those awkwardly mannered edutainment titles reserved for the classroom, but the spirit of parody remains wholly affectionate and the film is often touching and beautiful. This is especially impressive for a film with such strong meta-fictional elements, since it would be easy for such an exercise to become distanced and cynical. However, when Kim educates the viewer about persistence of vision, passing on the knowledge given to her by Steven, we are simply caught up in the joy of it, rather than smirking some knowing smirk as to how clever-clever the enterprise is. With the entrance of criminally insane script doctor Dr. Jolly (Neil Lawrie) the film threatens to become rather dark, yet still retains a lightness of touch. It's a magical piece of filmmaking, quite unlike anything you've ever seen before, one infused with the joys of filmmaking, friendship and the wonder of childhood with the experience of being an adult. It's a beaut.

davidmar Along with the brilliant Guy Madden (ARCHANGEL, TALES FROM GIMLI HOSPITAL), John Paizs is another Winnipeg native who shot his first films there. Check out his short films (especially SPRINGTIME IN GREENLAND) which are absolutely hilarious. There must be something in the tap water in Winnipeg. As for CRIME WAVE, I can't say enough good things about this movie. My VHS copy is one of my prize possessions in my movie collection. Despite its somewhat crude production values and spotty performances, it exhibits ten times as much imagination, creativity, and wit as most Hollywood comedies. TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN is also wonderful in its own schizophrenic, bizarre way.

pippy-8 I've seen this brilliant film at least ten times, and always marvel at the way director John Paizs captures the ambition, self-doubt, and frustrations of artists. I'm a professional artist myself, and find it hard not to identify with Stephen Penny, a quiet man, who aspires to be the greatest color crime movie maker in the world.Beautiful, touching, weird, inspiring, and fall-down funny!One of the best films about the artistic process ever. For everyone who ever dreamed of reaching THE TOP!

Joe Blevins I don't want to spoil anything in this fantastic movie, so I'll just say: SEEK IT OUT. The CBC runs it every now and again, which is where I saw it. If you are a fan of David Lynch, John Waters, or just bizarre filmmaking in general, you will *love* this flick. It is often uproarious and occasionally poignant. One of my all-time favorites. Viva Steven Penny!