From Jim Bawden:
Link: Beyond The Spectrum Is Must-See TV
It’s the sheer honesty and deep commitment of two parents that should immediately strike you when watching the brilliant new TVOntario documentary Beyond The Spectrum: A Family’s Year Confronting Autism.
The 86-minute production premieres on TVOntario Wednesday Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. and is must-see TV at its best. Continue reading.
From a media release:
VICE Studio Canada and Rogers Media announced today two new, original, documentary series: The Wrestlers, an examination of the wrestling world’s underground, and Post Radical, an exploration of skate culture and its many sub-cultures. Both series are slated to premiere early next year, with additional broadcast details to be announced at a later date.
The Wrestlers follows long-time VICE host, legendary Toronto punk band F*cked Up front man, and wrestling fanatic, Damian Abraham, as he explores the modern day manifestations of the world’s oldest combat sport. Each episode looks beyond the polished pro wrestling scene to the gritty, often dangerous, world of unscripted wrestling. From the grueling “Death Tour†across First Nations communities in rural Manitoba to Juarez Mexico’s Lucha Libre scene, Abraham travels across North America to examine the religious zeal of wrestling participants and fans.
Hosted by pro-skater and amateur anthropologist Rick McCrank, Post Radical will explore skate culture in all of its various forms in the signature aesthetic style of VICELAND’s break-out success Abandoned. Each episode will focus on the groups and individuals that make up a specific skateboarding sub-culture, ranging from the best female skaters in the world to those at the intersection of skate and religion. Post Radical looks at the differences between each group as well as their connections to the wider skate community.
From a media release:
Christina Jennings, Chairman and CEO of Shaftesbury, was honoured at the Content Innovation Awards gala last night with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. Jennings, who founded the multi-platform content company in 1987, has been an industry leader not only in producing original TV and feature film content, but also for creating groundbreaking series for digital and social media platforms, mobile apps and VR experiences.
Shaftesbury’s award-winning television titles have been sold in 120 countries worldwide. One of the company’s best-known series, Murdoch Mysteries, is now in production on its 11th season. The series, Canada’s #1 drama, has been licensed to broadcasters in 110 countries and territories, including the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Australia and the Middle East. The company’s current television slate also includes Frankie Drake Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, and Slasher for Netflix.
As Shaftesbury continues to produce award-winning primetime television series, Jennings’ vision and willingness to explore new technologies, platforms and opportunities has led the company to successfully adapt to and address the rise of digital and changing viewership habits. In 2014, Shaftesbury launched the hugely successful digital series Carmilla on YouTube, a modern spin on the cult gothic vampire novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, fully funded by U by Kotex®. Carmilla has been viewed in 193 countries, translated in over 20 languages by fans and more than half the views across all its content come from outside North America. The Carmilla brand continues to grow – Carmilla the Movie is slated for release this fall, licensing deals are in place for publishing, apparel and accessories, and Shaftesbury is in development on a TV adaptation. The company also recently announced a partnership with Walmart Canada and Interac® for a new branded entertainment series Upstairs Amy.
Outside of Shaftesbury, Jennings serves as Chair of the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), Canada’s premiere training center for content creators. Named to top Canadian newsmagazine Maclean’s Power List of Canada’s 50 Most Powerful People, Jennings’ other recent awards and honors include Playback’s Producer of the Decade, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s prestigious Academy Achievement Award and the Innovative Producer Award at the Banff World Television Festival.
The Content Innovation Awards are presented by Digital TV Europe and TBI (Television Business International).
It’s understandable if you’ve dismissed the Slasher horror anthology series as simply a gore-fest jam-packed with characters ripe for picking off. But you’d be totally wrong. Though the genre is bursting with projects like that, Slasher isn’t just about the scare and the gore; Aaron Martin has created intricate storylines and interesting, believable characters that you feel badly for as they’re being dispatched in horrible, awful ways.
Just in time for Halloween, the sophomore season Slasher: Guilty Party drops on Netflix in its entirety on Tuesday, with a some returning faces to augment newbies assembled for slaughter. Where Season 1 of Slasher followed murders committed in a small-town, Guilty Party boasts the classic horror movie setting: a summer camp. It’s there that a group of former summer camp counsellors who—while attempting to cover up a crime they committed years before—become the target of a murder spree. Is it revenge, or happenstance?
Martin has assembled an impressive all-Canadian cast for Season 2, including Degrassi‘s Melinda Shankar as Talvinder, Being Erica‘s Paula Brancati as Dawn, Alias Grace‘s Rebecca Liddiard as Andi, The Strain‘s Jim Watson as Noah, Heartland‘s Kaitlyn Leeb as Susan and Lost & Found’s Music Studios‘ Lovell Adams-Gray as Peter; the sextet portray the counsellors. The ensemble is rounded out with Season 1 performers Joanne Vannicola, Christopher Jacot and Jefferson Brown in new roles alongside Leslie Hope, Paulino Nunes, Ty Olsson, Sebastian Piggott and Madison Cheetatow.
Though there are plenty of scares, Guilty Party does have some sweet moments; one we watched during filming at a Scouts Canada camp just outside Orangeville, Ont., boasted Shankar’s Talvinder receiving a necklace from Brancati’s Dawn.
“It was a bonding scene between the two,” Shankar says. “Tal is being gifted a nice necklace, but of course whenever there is a nice, sweet moment there is always something to contrast that.”
For Brancati, who had worked with Martin on Being Erica, signing on to Slasher: Guilty Party was a no-brainer.
“Dawn is a character that I don’t always get to play,” Brancati says. “On the outside, she’s wealthy, privileged, with a crusty exterior and a bit bitchy at times. She comes from a divorced home and has a lot of vulnerabilities that she’s masking with her sarcastic humour. She definitely has no filter.” Brancati says none of the characters is an archetype; they’re layered and very flawed.
“Aaron is unafraid of being unfiltered,” Brancati says of her showrunner. “He’s got a really dark mind and isn’t afraid to push the envelope.” Brancati, who is new to acting in the genre, admits she’s had nightmares after reflecting on the scenes she and her co-stars have filmed after a day of production. The result? It’s not hard to play scared.
Brancati divulges a bit more of the plot of Guilty Party, explaining the counsellors return to the camp, which has since become a commune, creating conflict between the visitors and those who now call the place home. Weather also adds to the drama: a massive winter storm ensures everyone is kept in tight quarters and unable to escape.
“There is a lot of gore and a lot of horror, certainly, but the characters are really textured and the relationships are really interesting and complicated and messy,” Brancati says. “Character-driven stories are interesting TV to me.”
Slasher: Guilty Party‘s full season of eight episodes arrive Tuesday, Oct. 17, on Netflix.
Images courtesy of Shaftesbury.
It was just two weeks ago on Murdoch Mysteries that Rebecca James announced she was leaving Toronto for her own private practice in Chatham, Ont. And, after an excellent episode featuring a return appearance of Alexander Graham Bell and the introduction of Helen Keller and hotel detective Ralph Fellows, we’ve got a new face in the morgue. As previously announced on the Murdoch Mysteries Facebook page, Shanice Banton has joined the cast in a recurring role, capably filling the void left by Ms. James.
Here’s the official CBC episode synopsis for Monday’s new episode, “The Canadian Patient,” written by Simon McNabb and directed by Laurie Lynd:
Murdoch investigates a surgeon whose cutting-edge organ transplants wreak medical havoc and run afoul of Mary Baker Eddy and The Christian Science movement.
And here’s some non-spoilery info from us after watching a screener.
Meet Violet Hart
Shanice Banton portrays Violet Hart, who is introduced immediately after the opening credits, manning a booth at the Toronto Medical Exposition. Her easy smile and good humour make an immediate impression on George. Speaking of George, he has a hilarious speech in the morgue that fans will love.
Jayne Eastwood guest stars
The veteran actress plays Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science movement, who believes sickness can be cured by prayer.
George’s gift shines
We love it when George just misses coming up with the trademarked name for a real product. He’s up to his old tricks again on Monday when he just misses naming an invention Violet is promoting.
Julia and William’s Season 11 journey?
Showrunner Peter Mitchell teased a new domestic drama will consume Julia and William’s lives this season. We’re pretty sure we know what it is after watching Monday’s instalment thanks to a woman named Marilyn Clark.
Margaret returns!
Seriously, it has been too long since Mrs. Brackenreid was back in our lives. We’re still chuckling over her interactions with H.P. Lovecraft. When we catch up with her in this episode, she’s pretty upset with her husband, and for good reason.
Murdoch‘s crew comes through
I’ve always been impressed with the work the Murdoch Mysteries does to make everything as historically accurate as possible. Everyone involved in the operating theatre scene is to be congratulated for their work on set decoration, wardrobe, special effects, lighting and camera angles. It’s stunning.
Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.
