A FEW MORE WORDS ON CRIME WAVE *UPDATED*

Well, I had already appeared in my short films in the central roles doing this kind of Buster Keaton stone face thing. Really, I just kept going with what I thought had been working for me - John Paizs, notcoming.com

Steamboat Bill Jr / Crime Wave

My fascination with John Paizs’ Crime Wave has bled over in to 2022 (I guess you could also say the same thing about modern Canadian cinema on a whole as I have pretty much been posting/writing about Canadian films for the last few months).

After posting my thoughts on his feature debut last year (which you can read by clicking here), I discovered even more direct & indirect visual similarities that I thought I’d share with you all.


Enjoy…

Crime Wave / The Kids In The Hall

Crime Wave / The Kids In The Hall

Bruce McCulloch (and the other Kids) really dug CRIME WAVE, and wanted to see whether my style might mesh with theirs in some of their sketches - John Paizs, theskinnymag.com

*BONUS* a similar moment between an earlier John Paizs short film and a kids in the hall sketch...

The International Style / The Kids In The Hall

Crime Wave / The Kids In The Hall

Bruce McCulloch is the reason I got involved with The Kids in the Hall. He saw CRIME WAVE on pay TV and really liked it, so he got their producers to find me. And it was very lucky for me. It really changed the course of my life - John Paizs, canuxploitation.com

The Three Lives Of Thomasina /
Crime Wave

60s live-action Disney films also had their impact, in particular THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA and THAT DARN CAT. I drew heavily from them for CRIME WAVE! - John Paizs, notcoming.com

That Darn Cat /
Crime Wave

I loved the Technicolor look of Rear Window [1954], Leave Her To Heaven [1945] - John Paizs, Slate

Rear Window /
Crime Wave

Rear Window /
Crime Wave

Rear Window /
Crime Wave

Leave Her To Heaven /
Crime Wave

Quite possibly Fellini's 8 1/2. I'd certainly seen it before writing Crime Wave, and it may well have influenced me, subconsciously anyway, in that regard. It does have similar kinds of fantastical interactions. And hey, it's also about writer's block! - John Paizs, Slate

8-1/2 / Crime Wave

Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt was a big influence, no question - John Paizs, brooklynrail.org

Shadow Of A Doubt / Crime Wave

Shadow Of A Doubt / Crime Wave

If Uncle Charlie had murdered prose instead of widows it would have been almost the same movie! I got the whole darkness-in-a- small-town framework from that movie, plus the two Charlies' relationship has a definite parallel - John Paizs, matchboxcineclub.com

Shadow Of A Doubt / Crime Wave

Another possible subconscious Hitchcock influence appears later on in the film...

North By Northwest / Crime Wave

North By Northwest / Crime Wave

Meet Me in St. Louis has always stood out for me as a particularly evocative use of Technicolor - John Paizs, notcoming.com

Meet Me In St. Louis / Crime Wave