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Film by FFWD Staff Top of the Food Chain Starring Campbell Scott, Tom Everett Scott and Fiona Loewi Directed by John Paizs Opens Friday, March 31 Check listings Critics claim that a cult movie cannot be planned – that it happens after the fact, often without intention. The Canadian nucleus of Top of the Food Chain definitely had cult movie status in their sights from day one, and this calculation takes nothing away from the spontaneity and lunacy of the film. The ’50s B-film send-up is set in the small backwater town of Exceptional Vista, an economically forgotten place where people are devolving, and are obsessed with sex, TV and fishing. Their world is turned upside down when it is discovered that someone, or something, is eating the townsfolk! The arrival of a handsome and mysterious atomic scientist, Dr. Karel Lamonte (Campbell Scott), arouses suspicion in some locals and intrigue in others, including local beauty Sandy Fawkes (Fiona Loewi) and her overly protective brother and sometime lover Guy (Tom Everett Scott). With the oddball local police behind them, Dr. Karel, Sandy and Guy seek a method of destroying the scourge. Winnipeg-born director John Paizs and producer Suzanne Berger lured three notable indie actors to star in this offbeat comedy and their enthusiastic performances propel this unabashedly funny film above its occasional weak moments. It took Paizs many years after his ultra low-budget film Crimewave to launch another project in the spirit of his talents, and his hand is solid, even if a so-called cult film can only reach a certain level of skill. The production value doesn’t suffer from the film’s obvious low budget. Top of the Food Chain has excellent cinematography and sound, and very creative production design. And while Top of the Food Chain is a tad too self-conscious to be seriously considered a cult film, there’s no doubt about the expertise and care that Paizs and company has infused it with.

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