Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

targosfan1 I had the opportunity to see the newly restored print of this Canadian cult classic at TIFF '14 (free screening, no less!) The director was present and told us the DVD release date is in November. The print is awesome, with great sound, brilliant colour and fine detail, very unlike the VHS release. I last saw the tape about 15 years ago, and quality aside the quirky humour, micro-budget sets, costumes and effects, and lovable non-actors still work together perfectly to create outsider movie magic.After the screening i remarked to Mr. Paizs that the overall tone of pre-Peewee's Playhouse naive child-adult humor was brilliantly counter-pointed by the sleazy "colour crime" sequences, and the occasional acts of gory violence got the biggest laughs due to being totally unexpected. I was rewarded with a lovely silk-screened poster, which i have framed and put up in our guest room.If this sounds like your cup of tea, be sure to give it a viewing. It really is The Top!

constantcreations I just watched this film today at school. The professor brought it out to cheer the class up since it had been raining and cold all day. He labeled it as the funniest Canadian movie of all time and he really wasn't far from the truth. The beginning of the film is a bit weird and campy, and it's hard to imagine that it will actually produce real laughs. By the end of the first scene, however, you'll have laughed out loud and will be in anticipation for what will happen next. This continues for th entire movie. Every scene has at least a few great moments in it that are really funny (mostly in strange, sometimes uncomfortable, and unexpected ways). Some of the greatest moments happen while Kim reads the "middles" that have been discarded. The Halloween party is also fantastic. When the film ended the effect on the entire class was clear. Everyone was smiling, laughing, and making comments about the very last joke in the film. The rainy day had been forgotten and some students were even whistling the music that had accompanied the end credits. The film is a must see at any time, but even more so when you need something to bring a smile to your face.

smilingzipper I only saw this movie once on CBC years ago so it's fuzzy, but the scene with the cowboy and the main character has stuck with me because it has the kind of creepiness that leaves the mouth dry.Okay, Lynch may not have "ripped" the scene from this movie but when I saw the scene in Mulholland Drive with the cowboy I only took me a fraction of a second to drag out this little scene from Crime Wave which was lost somewhere in my memory banks. I think this is a good thing, because how else could I have reclaimed my interest in Piazs' film, introducing it to you now and maybe even getting you to be interested in it too?Both scenes have similar settings, a failing light from above, and both involve a meeting with a menacing character in a cowboy hat. When I saw Mulholland Dr. I just KNEW Lynch had to have seen this movie too. Anyways, you all inspire me: Maddin, Paizs, Lynch, Georges Melies, Miranda July, Godard...

jz1360 I happened to catch part of Crime Wave on CBC late one night in the 80s and I was hypnotized by it's underground feel and truly offbeat humor. Then I didn't think about it again for about fifteen years until I came across a used copy in a video store that was going out of business. I have watched it a few times and each time my eyes widen like a little child. John Paizs as Steven Penny is a deadpan delight, future anchorwoman Eva Covacs is perfect as the precocious Kim. And of course there's Dr. Jolly. The cornfield scene is probably the weirdest scene of any film I've ever seen.Overall if you appreciate low-budget comedy miracles, this is a prototype.