We have a dollhouse in our home. It’s an antique passed down to my girlfriend from family before her. Delicate, its walls have threadbare patterns, curtains are a little worse for wear and I’m afraid to touch it for fear something will crumble. Still, it’s cool to look at and admire the skill that went into building it and the wee furniture held within.
The history of dollhouses, and the ingenuity behind them and their creators, are on display in Best in Miniature.
Available now on CBC Gem, marblemedia’s latest creation—they’re the production company behind the ingenious Blown Away, Race Against the Tide and Landscape Artist of the Year—pits 11 artists against one another as they create the ultimate miniature house. Hosted by Aba Amuquandoh and judged by Emma Waddell and Michael Lambie, Best in Miniature showcases something that may not be appreciated, or known, by many.
In the debut episode, “Open House,” Amuquandoh introduces the competitors, as well as judges Waddell, who is recognized as the “world’s only interior designer for miniature houses,” and Lambie, a design artist. Then it’s right to work as the participants have just hours to create a miniature home from scratch. Competitors like Tom, Phillip and Susette make an immediate impression with their designs, vision and confidence. Others? Well, let’s just say time management becomes an issue.
Subsequent episodes track the dwindling pool of participants as they fill the bath, living, dining and bedrooms of their homes with furniture while competing in side projects that showcase their ingenuity.
Like Blown Away (glass blowing), Race Against the Tide (sand sculptures) and Landscape Artist of the Year, Best in Miniature pulls back the (little) curtain on a unique art form and celebrates it.
Season 1 of Best in Miniature is available on CBC Gem.
Director Jill Carter has had a wide and varied career. She’s been behind the camera on Beauty and the Beast, Private Eyes, Spiral, Heartland, Murdoch Mysteries and The Murders. But her latest gig, on Astrid & Lilly Save the World, might be the most interesting and well-received so far.
Airing Wednesdays on CTV Sci-Fi Channel, media on both sides of the border have been universal in its praise for Astrid & Lilly Save the World, celebrating its cast—led by Jana Morrison (Astrid) and Samantha Aucoin (Lilly)—co-creators Noelle Stehman and Betsy Van Stone, and plot. Combining the horrors of high school with monsters, a portal to another dimension, humour and regular-looking characters has drawn comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but Astrid & Lilly is definitely a unique beast.
We spoke to Jill Carter about joining the show, her cast and what goes into creating the world Astrid and Lilly are in.
The last Newfoundland-shot supernatural series I loved was Surreal Estate, which was, sadly, cancelled. I’m thinking that Astrid & Lilly Save the World is going to fill that hole. I really enjoyed the first episode. Jill Carter: Thanks! We definitely had fun making it. I had been to Newfoundland but hadn’t worked there. It was a really wonderful experience and obviously a very beautiful province.
Actors audition for a project. How does it work for a director on something like this? JC: I have an agent in the U.S. and an agent in Canada, and they have a pulse on everything that’s happening, either that’s already in production or things that are coming into production or in development. They will either pitch their directors or writers or whoever before there’s a call. There are variables that can go into how you are pitched a project or how they pitch directors on a project.
And then they just go through the rounds of meeting who they think might be the type of person that could deliver the type of show that they are looking to deliver, and also might bring some new ideas to the table. They were meeting with people and my agent pitched me and they liked the idea and, I think, the fact that I had just done the opening two episodes of The Bold Type.
I was sent the first two scripts, the ones that I ended up directing, and the show bible. Immediately, on the first three pages in, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is so fun.’ Their writing was so clear, there was a clear POV and you really immediately understood who these people were, the dynamics of the characters and what was happening.
Jana Morrison (left) and Samantha Aucoin. Image courtesy of Jill Carter.
It was so nice to read something that was so strong and had a clear perspective and was also highlighting things that all of us as human beings have been in high school. It doesn’t even happen to happen in high school these days, where we haven’t felt like we’ve been able to be our full selves. We’re judged unfairly or we aren’t able to fully be the unique people that we are for a multitude of reasons. I think it’s a throwback or a fun trip down memory lane.
The show is built on that friendship and they’re very unique girls. Their friendship is so important to what makes the show relatable. I was very charmed by what I was reading and the ideas that were being put forth and then getting to play in a dimension that I actually hadn’t had.
Other than Beauty and the Beast, I hadn’t really done a lot of work in that area. It was fun to have the opportunity to play with prosthetics and visual effects in that way and create a fun language around it.
Being the director of the pilot episode, there’s that added responsibility of helping to build this world using colour. I’m imagining it must be a collaborative process between yourself, your cinematographer and the two co-creators as well. JC: That idea was something I pitched when I was interviewing. It was a thought that came to me as I was reading the material and trying to figure out what would I want to see. Being a teenager is such an emotional time in your life, navigating feelings, and the colour wheel kind of popped into my head. I started thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to have each monster, because of the nature of how the monsters were being presented, and how they were capturing their prey?’
They were going after people that they wanted to ultimately kill. Our first monster preys on people’s sadness, so what does that look like in a colour and how can you subtly infuse the story and make it stronger without hitting people over the head? Working with Betsy Van Stone, [producers] Danishka Esterhazy and Samantha Levine and Anne Tipper, our cinematographer, our production designer, Helen Kotsonis … working with the key creatives to say, ‘OK, this is the idea, this is what we want to do.’
Jill Carter (left) and cinematographer Ann Tipper. Image courtesy of Jill Carter.
Is this a first for you, working with key creatives who are all female? JC: It’s definitely up there. I think this is the first show where we’ve had non-binary and women in every key position.
Both the leads are relative newcomers to the industry. What was it like working with Jana and Samantha? JC: I cannot say enough good things about both of the girls. Day in and day out they blew me away. On Day 1 we had a big steady cam scene that was covering two, three pages through the hallways of the school. I was literally saying, especially to Sam, because she’d never done this before. I’d be asking her to do these things and talking to her, and she was unbelievably natural. I actually don’t know that I’ve ever worked with an actor who was that natural.
They were lovely, lovely human beings, very open, very curious, unbelievably prepared.
Astrid & Lilly has been positively reviewed by Canadian and U.S. media. That must be gratifying. JC: It’s really exciting. I love the fact that despite the fact that the girls are struggling in high school and trying to figure out how to fit in, one of the things that are so amazing is that they really do like themselves. Everybody has moments of insecurity, but they really are genuinely who they are and you don’t meet characters like that very often. I don’t feel like their struggles are presented in a stereotypical way. It’s very positive messaging that the show puts forward.
Astrid & Lilly Save the World airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern on CTV Sci-Fi.
Last year at around this time, I previewed Season 1 of Rock Solid Builds. I praised the storytelling, setting and projects featured. I wasn’t alone in liking it. Rock Solid Builds was second only to Murdoch Mysteries for the positive comments it received here at TV, Eh?
Season 2—kicking off Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada—sticks with its winning formula of spotlighting Randy Spracklin of Newfound Builders and his team of equally entertaining folks renovating and building homes on The Rock. Supported by a sprightly soundtrack, Randy, Scott, Nikki, Paul and Josh jump between jobs in the spring, juggling projects in St. John’s and their homeport of Brigus, working on old and new homes, with a few quirky projects thrown in. Aside from new additions to the Newfound Builders family in the form of canines, there are new responsibilities too as Nikki wants to add more to her plate.
The first project to visit is in St. John’s, where homeowners Ros and Katie want to make changes to their 100-year-old abode. The plan? To demo the existing kitchen and turn it into a music room while moving the existing music room in favour of a massive kitchen. Also on tap are updating two bathrooms. It’s a big job, but Randy is confident it will all look great in the end.
Meanwhile, across Conception Bay in Carbonear is a 19th-century root cellar that needs attention. The owners want theirs repaired and Randy is happy to oblige, first doing some demolition and then, alongside his father Scott, showing the traditional way of building a rock wall.
And, aside from the work, there is plenty of play … and laughs. Rock Solid Builds showcases the beauty of Newfoundland and its people with episode-ending opportunities to step ‘er down and reinforce that feeling of family Randy has instilled in the company.
Rock Solid Builds airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.
Many successful sports movies have been made in Canada or by Canadians over the years, more than you may first think. The movie business in this country has a long-running and interesting relationship with both professional and amateur sports and they are much deeper than you probably realized. The Canadian film industry has produced some memorable, hard-hitting sports-themed pictures and the latest rumours suggest we could be treated to a few more in the not too distant future. Movie-making in this part of the world is thriving, gaining recognition from some successful past releases but always pushing the boundaries.
Professional sports is a huge part of the culture in Canada and it has always been that way. As any Canadian national – or even anyone who has ever visited Canada in the past – will confirm, ice hockey is the most popular sport here and by some distance too. Followers love to attend matches, watch games on TV, keep up with the scores on their smartphone apps or a live stream and gamble on the outcome of fixtures at one of the popular, legal and secure Canada online betting apps.
Plenty more enjoy getting involved in the national game, playing with friends or jumping into the minor leagues. The pathway from school age hockey to professional hockey is a clear one in Canada which allows any young ice hockey fan an opportunity to go all the way, if they are good enough, talented enough and dedicated enough. Only the best of the best go on to make it in the pro leagues or appear at the Winter Olympics, but that doesn’t stop millions more from dreaming.
There’s something for everyone With the long winters, easy access to rinks and the popularity of hockey, it’s obvious why Canadians love ice hockey so much but it’s not the only sport popular in the country and it’s not the only sport that has been covered by filmmakers. Other popular sports catapulted onto the big screen include skiing, rowing, wrestling and lacrosse and they have been every bit as popular as ice hockey-themed movies.
Looking for something to watch this winter when not following your favourite sports? We have a list designed to keep you entertained until the first shoots of spring. There is no getting away from Canada’s love for ice hockey and we wouldn’t want to overlook that either, it just wouldn’t be an accurate representation of the culture, the people or the movie business.
Ice hockey is represented on our list of three Canadian sports-themed movies but we have made the effort to cover as many sports as possible. That means, even if you go against the grain and aren’t into ice hockey as much as some others, there will be at least one movie for you to enjoy. Let’s get started.
The Boy in Blue Top actor Nicolas Cage plays the lead role in this movie which portrays the life, career and struggles of former rowing ace Ned Hanlan. Released in 1986, it is full of the kind of cliches you’d expect from movie making at the time but it is an interesting and educational watch. If you are unfamiliar with the career of Hanlan and how he was treated outside of the sport that dominated his life, this is the best way to bring yourself up to speed.
Grizzlies Released in 2018, this is one of the newer Canadian sports-themed movies. Grizzlies takes the viewer through the story of a youth Lacrosse team that was set up by the Inuit community. It’s a passionate yet exciting movie, one that will grip your attention from the opening scene. Good enough to give any ice hockey movie a run for its money.
Goon It could be argued that Goon is the most famous movie ever to come out of Canada, certainly for lovers of sports films. It is billed as a comedy and Goon will have you in fits of laughter but there are some intense, even dark moments and it doesn’t lack in mindless violence either. If you haven’t already seen Goon it’s time to find out what all the fuss is about. A spectacular example of Canadian movie-making, humour and culture.
Ralph Fellows has quickly become one of Detective William Murdoch’s most dangerous foes. Colin Mochrie’s portrayal of the villain is smart, smug and truly devious, the perfect foil for our hat-wearing hero.
Ralph returns in Monday’s instalment, “Rawhide Ralph,” written by Peter Mitchell and directed by Bosede Williams. Here is the CBC’s official synopsis:
Murdoch’s son Harry is coming to visit when he and Ogden, who is pregnant, are abducted by a nefarious, vengeful foe.
And here are more observations from me after previewing the episode.
Additional guest stars Aside from Colin Mochrie, look for Brandon Oakes (Diggstown, Anne with an E) as Uriah, the return of David Andrew Reid as Milo Strange, and Dylan Trowbridge and Tammy Isbell, who have both guested on Murdoch Mysteries in the past as different characters.
The action starts right away Harry and Julia, who are headed to Toronto by a horse-drawn coach, run afoul of a nefarious vengeful foe almost immediately. Taking the scenic route does have its drawbacks. Far from being meek about the situation, Harry promises to keep Julia safe from Ralph. And while he has a sharp tongue, it may lead to harm. Also, it may not be what Julia may have planned, she and Harry bond over their circumstances.
Back in Toronto… Milo is begging Watts to attend his latest fete, but the latter is concerned about keeping a low profile and wary of being in an additional relationship. Watts is barely able to reflect on his next steps when the case of a missing woman comes in Station House No. 4, the wife of a man Watts knows very well.
Violet and Arthur Things may appear to be all smiles between these two, especially in public, but the truth is far darker.
