Tag Archives: Featured

Blackstone, Featured

APTN’s Blackstone ending after five seasons

It’s the end of the road for Blackstone: APTN’s gritty, award-winning drama will conclude with a final eight episodes next month.

“It’s been quite a run and when I say ‘No. 5,’ I’m a little shocked,” says Ron E. Scott, Blackstone‘s writer, executive producer and director. “The show still has a lot of momentum, people aren’t saying, ‘Oh, they’re doing that again?’ After five seasons I think it’s time.”

Critically-acclaimed by critics, beloved by fans and winner of numerous Leo, Gemini and Alberta Media Production Industries Association Awards, Scott’s series hasn’t shied away from hard-hitting First Nations stories. Instead, he’s shone a bright light on such topics as alcoholism, sexual abuse, corruption and violence, societal issues faced on reservations and across the country.

Season 4 was particularly harrowing: former Blackstone chief Andy Fraser (Eric Schweig) was in prison and missed his wife Debbie’s (Andrea Menard) funeral; his son, Alan (Justin Rain), was injured during a blockade against Shale Industries’ plans to drill for oil on Blackstone; and Leona (Carmen Moore) and Gail Stoney (Michelle Thrush) suffered anguish when Wendy (Miika Bryce Whiskeyjack) was kidnapped by Darrien (Julian Black Antelope). Child welfare will be a big focus in the final eight episodes, as will violence against native women, a topic top of mind in Canada because of real-life events surrounding the death of Tina Fontaine and assault on Rinelle Harper.

Season 5 picks up right after the events of last season’s cliffhanger, with Andy still reeling from Debbie’s demise, who he described as the only one who truly knew him. Scott teases Andy comes to the realization he can never go back to being the guy used to having luck and good fortune fall his way. Alan’s injuries affect Andy, as does his relationship with brother Daryl (Steven Cree Molison), who appear to be on the verge of a cash windfall after allowing Shale to conduct test drilling on their private land. Scott describes Gail’s journey this year as “wonderful”; after years of being knocked down, she is going to enjoy a lot of wins thanks to improved health and a renewed focus on life.

Scott, meanwhile, has got several projects in development with networks but has left the door open to more Blackstone stories, including a TV movie if the opportunity came along.

“In this TV market, I don’t know if anyone knows it it’s truly over,” Scott says with a chuckle. “It’s exciting, as a content creator, because there are so many platforms. I would love to do a Blackstone movie, I think that would be really interesting.”

Blackstone airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on APTN beginning Nov. 3.

The past four seasons of Blackstone can be watched on APTN’s website.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Comments and queries for the week of October 30

Georgina Reilly: Why I left Murdoch Mysteries

I was so sad to see you go, Georgina. You were like a ray of sunshine. Bright, perky and very spunky. You will be missed. Good luck in the future, and I hope someday to see you back on Murdoch. —Marie

All I have to say is that was one hell of an episode. There was excellent acting, real tension and even some new camera work. I think everyone upped their game so Dr. Grace would have a proper sendoff. I only wish every episode of the show was that good. Georgina Reilly showed what a great actress she is. Congratulations on an excellent job. —Rob

I will miss the character of Emily. She added a lot to the show. Best of luck in your future and I hope many great parts will come your way. —Mary

Good luck, will be looking for you on TV or movies as the years go on. Good luck to Mark as well. My advice? Use this slow time to make a baby. You will be missed. —Gloria

England has far more to offer. Their programs are superior to anything shown in Canada or the U. S. and Canada’s programs are far more intelligent than anything shown in the U.S. Since she is searching for quality, she will be disappointed with what she finds in the U.S., except for HBO; they carry a few decent shows. —Lee

I am sad to see you leave the show, but I wish you much success in the near future. You are an amazing actress and great things are lining up your way. Thank you for the time you spend with all of us here in this beautiful Canada. I hope to see you pop up into a episode here and there. Best of luck. Hasta pronto. —Barbara

I personally truly enjoyed Emily and Lillian’s relationship—it holds a special place in my heart. I’m gay and it was so nice and refreshing to see a same-sex relationship that was portrayed like every other relationship on this show. It wasn’t in your face or for the shock value, unlike so many other shows. It was mundane, boring, adventurous and so loving—like seeing what the other wanted to have for dinner that evening or what they were going to do once they got to London.

I was also very pleased to see those important in Emily’s life, supported her regardless of whom she loved. It put a smile on my face to see Brackenreid be this “fatherly” protective figure—that one episode where he warned her to be careful about her relationship with Lillian. I think he did it more out of fear for her rather then hatred.

I know there are a ton of George/Emily shippers out there—they were cute. But this is life. Sometimes things don’t happen the way it should and things change. It’s a part of life. Emily and George found love with other people but they will always love each other as well—just not like that.

I’m sad, yes, but I hope that she can do a few episodes in the future. I hope that Emily finds love again no matter what shape or form it comes in. —Kate

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Banger Films returns to TV with excellent Rock Icons

Are you ready to rock? Four years after Banger Films brought the history of metal music to television with Metal Evolution, the boys are back with Rock Icons.

Debuting Sunday on HBO Canada (after a first window broadcast on VH1), Rock Icons celebrates the men and ladies who have built incredible careers in the music industry. Beginning this week with a focus on Rush frontman Geddy Lee, upcoming instalments boast Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, Ted Nugent, Heart’s Ann Wilson, Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine, Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Daryl Hall, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan.

“Picking these icons was really a collaboration between ourselves and VH1,” says Sam Dunn, who co-directed the series with Scot McFadyen. “We had our favourites and they had theirs and we created a list where we felt there were stories to tell and they felt there was an audience for.” Dunn and McFadyen’s Banger Films have produced a must-watch list of feature documentaries on the subject of rock and metal music, from Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey to Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, Iron Maiden: Flight 666 and Super Duper Alice Cooper, building trust within the music community. That trust gave them access to folks like Wilson, who is notoriously shy when it comes to granting interviews.

Even well-versed fans of bands like Rush and Mötley Crüe will be surprised by what the Banger crew uncover; Lee’s interest in music was inspired by Roy Orbison and Sixx is the reason the glam rockers existed in the first place.

“The story of Nikki Sixx has always been the same, the sex, the drugs and the rock and roll,” Dunn says. “We didn’t want to do that. We wanted to look at who this person was. We came up with the title The Architect, because he really is the architect behind Mötley Crüe. He guided and shaped that band and is a really smart guy, and we felt that was a more interesting story than talking about the Sunset Strip again.”

Dunn acknowledges the 10-part first season barely scratches the surface on all of the icons they’d love to celebrate, but at this point there’s no Season 2 planned. Not that he and the Banger Films team are sitting around. Their latest feature documentary, Satan Lives, is available on iTunes and On Demand across Canada now, and a two-part doc on the history of hip-hop called The Message: Hip-Hop Evolution is on the way. The company also launched a kids’ programming division called B Minors; Gaming Show (In My Parents Garage) currently airs on CHRGD.

When I mention the possibility of a documentary celebrating the Scorpions, Dunn doesn’t miss a beat.

“Someone needs to make that film,” he says. “They’re the biggest musical act to come out of Germany. They’re the biggest metal band to come out of North America, the U.K. and the English-speaking world. Someone’s gotta do it and we’d love to do it. I better call some German broadcasters.”

Rock Icons airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada.

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Featured, The Nature of Things

The Nature of Things explores obesity and our guts

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Turns out our gut bugs may be creating oversized guts. That’s one of the suggestions given as to why some suffer from obesity while others don’t. Airing Thursday under CBC’s The Nature of Things banner, “It Takes Guts” posits the 100 trillion microbes living in our digestive system influence obesity in some.

The story begins with Adrianna, who has always battled her weight. Tired of being “the fat girl,” she started an exercise regimen in her 20s and cut fast food from her diet. She didn’t lose any weight. That’s because, according to obesity expert Dr. Arya Sharma of the University of Alberta, some bodies are predisposed to being that way thanks to the microbes inside them.

Geneticist Professor Tim Spector is up next, explaining microbes influence how we eat, what we eat, how we get energy from our food, protect our immune system, help us harvest calories and produce key vitamins and nutrients. These super-small spirals, blobs and other shapes are integral in our lives, and aren’t all bad.

“It Takes Guts” offers a lot of information in an interesting way, mixing expert interviews with colourful graphics while explaining how eating processed foods is like dropping a nuclear bomb on microbes—courtesy of Spector’s son, Tom—and what we can do to cultivate and enrich the critters in our gut on the path to better health. And that artificial poop machine at the University of Guelph? Make sure you tune in for that.

The Nature of Things airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls review: The Black Pine aka Pino Noir

The second episode of season 3, entitled Pino Noir, opens with Bailey (Jennifer Pudavick) and Trumpet ( Kevin Loring) luxuriating in a hot tub, sipping wine, and planning exotic trips together in his yacht. This might lead the viewer to believe that the title is invoking Pinot Noir: the wine, sometimes referred to by sommeliers as “sex in a glass”. But, as this episode unfolds, it becomes clear that our ladies are dealing with healing, positive life choices, and building strong stable relationships in all facets of life, more akin to the medicines of the Black Pine or Lodgepole Pine.

We begin with Caitlin (Heather White) receiving some self-help books from her on again room-mate Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne). Caitlin has decided to adopt a new healthy lifestyle that includes positive food choices, exercise, and working on her self-confidence. She even chooses to enlist personal trainer Leon (Alain Chanoine) to help her with a fitness regimen. (Did we see some sparks flying between these two? Time will tell). Later in the episode Caitlin runs (literally) into her father (Lawrence Bayne) and Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) and she finally takes steps to positively move forward, away from these two toxic men in her life. GO CAITLIN!

For her part in healthy choices, Anna (Maika Harper) opts to take Sose’s (Glen Gould) advice, and connect with her Mohawk culture. Being a student, she seeks out knowledge the way most students do, via Wikipedia. Anna decides to make a healing salve for Tulip (Jayli Wolf) in order to make peace following their bar brawl. She heads out into the woods on her medicine hike, gathering the plants she hopes will make the salve according to the recipe she found online.

We next see Anna covered in welts on Tulip’s doorstep presenting Tulip with her peace offering. Tulip promptly refuses the salve. Anna then turns to Thunder (Kyle Nobess) for consolation, who sweetly teases her, “Why would you go to the internet for Mohawk culture when you are living in the real thing? You don’t need to prove how Mohawk you are to me.” YES!! Team Thana LIVES!

This week Zoe returns to work following her vacation/hibernation and uses her selfie with Lollipop (Devery Jacobs) as proof that all is well following the wedding meltdown. Unfortunately, according to her mother, The Chief, played by Tantoo Cardinal, these efforts are too little too late. Band members have written letters declaring Zoe’s behaviour violated the moral code she has in place as the Band’s legal counsel. Her mother declares that Zoe has once again shamed the family with her selfish behaviour, making it clear that she believes Zoe is “the joke of the town” and needs to “suck it up and give her grand-kids”.

This all sends Zoe back to Dom (Kyle Switzer) who has decided that she needs to be punished (since he had a stressful day as “Principal” of the Bradford School – REALLY?!?!). Zoe gladly submits to his lashing. The question is, did Zoe finally realise that this lifestyle is not really for her? Later we see Zoe, ever the pragmatist, compiling a spreadsheet in order to find a suitable single Mohawk man. As it turns out Osherase is the winning candidate for boyfriend material and Zoe wastes no time in bringing him home to meet her family.

Lastly we return to Bailey. The girls all discover that Bailey is indeed having an affair with Trumpet and judge her for it. Meanwhile Watio (Jimmy Blais) makes it clear to all who will see that he is still interested in Bailey, despite their horrendous date last season. Bailey is again quick to judge Watio and we learn that although he is on welfare (for “political reasons”), he volunteers every day for the Kahnawa:ke youth centre. Following a disappointing date with Trumpet and a run in with his wife Lollipop, Bailey begins to question this adulterous relationship. Finally after another revealing conversation with Watio, Bailey dumps Trumpet. We close out the episode with our foursome discussing what comprises a healthy relationship and Bailey quickly goes to Watio, staking her claim.

So, has Zoe actually turned away from Dom and the BDSM lifestyle in favour of a more traditional, and presumably healthy relationship with Osherase? What is next for Anna as she explores Mohawk culture? Can Bailey make a go with a relationship involving Watio? Has Caitlin turned a new leaf with her new healthy attitude and lifestyle? (and were there sparks between Caitlin and Leon?) Let me know what you think in the comments below.

 

 

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