Beavra....

[fajrdrako]

On Sunday I went to the November meeting of the Ottawa Science Fiction Society, called OSFS (pronounced oss-fiss) by its members. I've been a member off and on (mostly on) for about twenty years. I got myself elected Secretary of the club this time. Do I regret it? Not yet. But already I am involved in a political battle and remember why I once said never, never again would I take executive position in a science fiction group.

We watched a film called Beavra. I can honestly say I've never seen anything like it. See, last year Toronto Trek (the Toronto Star Trek convention) had a contest for filmmakers to make videos of trailers for a nonexistant Canadian grade-B movie.

The Montreal group, MONSFFA, with their trailer for a movie called Beavra, the plot along the lines of: Suppose Godzilla was made by Canadians? It's more than a trailer; it contains scenes of the non-existent movie.

The giant monster terrorizing Canada is, of course, a giant beaver.

It is very funny and very silly. Keith Braithwaite (the writer, director and producer) was there to introduce it. He told us about the making of it, and showed us some of the cardboard-and-duct-tape props and set pieces - including the dread monster Beavra herself, a plastic model about 3" long. He showed us the blooper reel, only slightly less funny than the real film. Keith himself is a friendly, apparently sane man - amazing what hilariously demented depths of cleverness lie below his deceptively normal exterior.

I am told that Americans find this film as funny as we did. That seems hard to imagine, since most of the references are so Canadian, but I guess Americans are pretty perceptive about humour.

It was also fun to see some people I know in the cast. Yes, congratulations to Keith and friends; it was a well-earned award.