by MATTHEW HAYS

Having proven quite successful with his Web site, where he’s reviewed hundreds of movies and interviewed a bunch of actors and filmmakers, local critic Berge Garabedian (aka JoBlo of JoBlo.com) has launched his first book, The 50 Coolest Movies of All Time (Quiet Storm, pb, $17.95).

Garabedian’s writing style is infectiously enthusiastic, as he rants on about his favourite bits and pieces of various streams of cinema. And I’ve nothing against lists like this one, even though they’ve been widely criticized by many (most notably Martin Scorsese, who has said that trying to decipher a list of the greatest cinematic works is a preposterous task).

But the Montreal-based critic appears to have overlooked something while creating this book. What with the widespread proliferation of VCRs and now DVDs, a new generation of filmgoers have become much more movie literate. Frankly, I suspect most of the choices the author has come up with will hardly register as the least bit revelatory with readers who have even a moderate knowledge of cinema.

Take, for example, Aliens, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Die Hard, Mad Max, The Matrix—the question isn’t about the quality of these entries, but rather: who hasn’t seen these films? His writing style can be fun, but his choices seem a wee bit too obvious.

Yes, Garabedian has punctuated the book with celebrity endorsements—his foreword is penned by Kevin Smith (director of Clerks, one of the 50 movies listed by the author), while Steven Spielberg is quoted as exclaiming “I love JoBlo.com!” But I’d like to challenge the author to take his clear passion for movies and write a second book: The 50 Coolest Movies You’ve Never Seen. Because DVDs are proving such a cash cow for the studios, a whole range of films that have been out of circulation for years are now hitting vid shelves. Why not do some research, screen some little-known or largely forgotten films (honestly, those are often more intriguing than the ones that took home gazillions at the box office) and tell us something we don’t already know? After all, the vast majority of people I know (and I’m talking non-film critics) who are interested in movies are usually looking for new discoveries when they rent a movie, something difficult to do when the stands are often overrun with the latest blockbuster.

Legendary poet Irving Layton, now 90, will be profiled this Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. on CBC in A Red Carpet for the Sun. The film traces his career back to the ’59 collection of poetry that first brought Layton to national (and international) attention. The film, by director Donald Winkler (who also directed 1986’s Poet: Irving Layton Observed), examines Layton’s roots in Yiddish-speaking Montreal, while incorporating interviews with students, friends and former spouses of Layton. A Red Carpet for the Sun (named after Layton’s collection) is an intimate, beautifully realized portrait of one of the founders of the contemporary Canadian literary tradition. :

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