The Genie countdown begins... by MATTHEW HAYS The Genie nominations were announced earlier this week, and the reactions were predictable. Some expressed a sense of boredom around the event, which is considered Canada's own answer to the Oscars. Others I brought up the award ceremony with said they didn't quite know what they were. It's an odd predicament for the organizers of the Genies, who rightly want to help bolster our national film industry by highlighting key films with awards. But Canada doesn't actually create a huge volume of films each year, so at times the Academy seems strained by the choices. This year, not all, but many of the nominations listed seem very strange on their own. There are six best-picture nominees listed (breaking from the Oscar tradition of only five), and waydowntown, Gary Burns' much-praised film is not among them. In Genie tradition, a number of the films up for grabs I haven't even seen yet, including Clement Virgo's Love Come Down and Here's to Life. This year's noms include some high-profile foreign talent, including Tilda Swinton (Best Actress for Possible Worlds), James Whitmore (Best Actor for Here's to Life) and Kim Hunter (Best Actress for Here's to Life--yes, the one who played Zira in the Planet of the Apes movies). Several of the categories have two nods for one film, including Best Actor (two for The Perfect Son and two for My Father's Angel) and Best Actress (two for Laura Cadieux... La Suite). My odds-on favourite for Best Picture would be Maelstroem, Montreal director Denis Villeneuve's exceptional riff on fate and the consequences of love. The awards ceremony will take place in Toronto and will be aired on CBC on January 29. This Friday, Dec. 15, Montreal's gay and lesbian film fest, Image&Nation, is presenting a benefit screening of Burlesk King. The film takes a steamy look at the sex-worker underground in the Philippines, tracking one young man's search for his parents. Burlesk King unreels at 7 p.m. at the Parisien. Congrats must go out to local filmmakers Léa Pool and the aforementioned Denis Villeneuve. Both have been invited to present their films, Lost and Delirious and Maelstroem respectively, at the high-profile and mighty prestigious Sundance Film Fest in January. Though Maelstroem has already been released in Canada, it remains fairly unknown in the U.S., so this will prove a crucial launch for the film. Pool's film, which includes a lesbian subplot and is based on a Susan Swan bestseller (The Wives of Bath), is her first in English. Imagine my horror last Wednesday morning, when I rewound my videotape and found that The Mary Tyler Moore Show, normally airing at 1 a.m. early Wednesday, did not screen for some weird reason. As it turns out, there is no need for widespread panic, as the show was back in its regular slot this week on CFCF-12. All Mirror readers should know that I remained a vigilant watchdog on this ever-important front. COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com