Canadian Crossing

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person wins 2023 WIFF Prize in Canadian film

We're thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2023 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film is HUMANIST VAMPIRE SEEKING CONSENTING SUICIDAL PERSON!

Read more of the announcement: https://t.co/VRp49cWMcz pic.twitter.com/WP8gutCr1T

— WIFF (@WindsorFilmFest) October 29, 2023

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person | Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant might have surprised a few people by winning the 2023 WIFF Prize in Canadian film at the 2023 Windsor International Film Festival. The jury, like your humble narrator, saw all 10 films. The subject matter might be a bit daunting, but this film handled the subject matter in a meaningful way. The vampire story was all too human on a few levels.

The $25,000 prize goes to director Ariane Louis-Seize, who also co-wrote the film with Christine Doyon.

Sara Montpetit is wonderful as Sasha, a very complicated vampire. You might remember Montpetit from Falcon Lake, where she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a Film, as well as Maria Chapdelaine.

Félix-Antoine Bénard is very good as Paul, the young suicidal boy. The film also features Steve Laplante and Patrick Hivon, who played brothers in Babysitter from WIFF 22.

"We are proud to give the WIFF Canadian film prize to a film notable for its skillful and inventive approach to genre (well several genres really), its stellar lead performance, its beautifully downbeat comic tone and distinctive directorial touch," said jury president Steve Gravestock in a press release. "The jury was deeply impressed by the quality of all the films selected and wanted to thank the festival and the city of Windsor for showing us such a great time."

Dealing with films about suicide that could be triggering

Here is a full list of all 10 films in nomination along with their directors:

Blackberry (Matt Johnson)
The Dishwasher (Francis Leclerc)
Frontiers (Guy Édoin)
Humanist Vampire Seeks Consenting Suicidal Person (Ariane Louis-Seize)
Irena's Vow (Louise Archambault)
My Mother's Men (Anik Jean)
The Nature Of Love (Monia Chokri)
One Summer (Louise Archambault)
Seven Veils (Atom Egoyan)
Solo (Sophie Dupuis)

Louise Archambault had a 20% chance to win because she had 2 films on the list. Seven Veils, Irena's Vow, and BlackBerry have crossover potential. Every film except for Solo was pretty good to rather good. Frontiers and My Mother's Men were pleasant surprises.

"It's been an exciting weekend of celebrating Canadian film and filmmakers. Our audiences have fully embraced this year's nominees," said Vincent Georgie, executive director and chief programmer of WIFF, in a press release. "We're thrilled to be celebrating Ariane Louis-Seize's Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as the 2023 winner of the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film. Ariane's film is a refreshing, subversive and very well-cast film that is both risky and memorable."

The jury members are Steve Gravestock, former senior international programmer, TIFF; Apple TV programming lead Kerri Craddock; filmmaker Maxime Giroux; film critic Peter Howell, who is a member of the Critics Choice Association; and filmmaker Tiffany Hsiung.

2023 WIFF preview

Riceboy Sleeps wins the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The 10 Canadian films were shown on October 27-28 at the 2023 Windsor International Film Festival.

We will have much more on the festival and Canadian films in our wrapup next month. The festival runs through November 5.

Twitter capture: @WindsorFilmFest
photo credit: Windsor International Film Festival

2023 CFL Week 21 preview: Final regular season weekend

Winnipeg wants the last game to be boring and injury-free. Calgary would like a 7th win and gets the Blue Bombers at home. McMahon Stadium used to be a tough place for visiting teams, but not lately. Calgary is 3-5 at home so far in 2023.

This is the lone Friday game.

The East Division dominates the Saturday doubleheader. Hamilton finishes up at Molson Stadium in Montréal in the late afternoon. They know their fate, meeting next Saturday for the playoffs in the same stadium. Shouldn't see too many new moves.

The Toronto Argos travel to the nation's capital to finish up with Ottawa opposite Hockey Night in Canada. The Argos are undefeated within the division and the RedBlacks are winless in the division.

BC get an extra week of rest before the playoffs. Saskatchewan has a lot of questions to ask and a search for a new head coach. Edmonton watches its home field turned into a place for the NHL.

TSN

Friday
Winnipeg @ Calgary, 9p
Saturday
Hamilton @ Montréal, 4p
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7p

Bye week: BC, Edmonton, Saskatchewan

The BC Lions have only recently mustered decent playoff momentum since snapping a 20-season streak of making the CFL playoffs. That streak was snapped in 2017.

The current Calgary streak will be at least 18 thanks to a Stampeders win and Saskatchewan loss. Calgary got running back Kadeem Carey going against the Lions. Compelling moment: A 12-play, 109 yard drive after stopping BC on the 1-yard-line at the end of the first half.

Toronto backup quarterback Cameron Dukes launched a comeback drive to give the Argos yet another win. The Roughriders comeback ended in a turnover.

Saskatchewan finished 6-12 for the second year in a row: 6-5 as of Labour Day, 0-7 afterward in both seasons. Jason Maas and Cody Fajardo wore the goat's horns, deserved or not, last season, While some Roughriders fans wanted all 3 to go — Craig Dickenson (head coach), Jeremy O'Day (general manager), and Craig Reynolds (president/CEO) — only Dickenson won't come back. Dickenson was at the end of his contract; O'Day got a new contract. Offensive linemen, a game plan using running backs a lot more often: this would help.

The 2019 and 2021 Saskatchewan squads reached the West final, losing to Winnipeg both times. Paradise compared to the last 2 years.

The announcers have pointed out that the Stampeders have played well but haven't caught too many breaks. The July 15 win over Saskatchewan in Regina by a 33-31 score came after they gave up a late TD pass to Tevin Jones because some Calgary defenders made a play for an interception. Imagine where this playoff race would be if the Roughriders held on to that lead.

Saskatchewan caught a break with Edmonton's CJ Sims didn't run out the kickoff after the Roughriders tied the game at 11-11 very late in the game. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor never pointed out Sims unsportsmanlike penalty in that moment.

2023 CFL Week 20 preview

AJ Ouellette made it to 1,000 yards rushing for Toronto. Nic Demski made it to 1,000 yards receiving, making Demski and Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg) the first Canadian combo on a team to do 1,000 in each category. Demski, Oliveira, and some guy named Andrew Harris all came from Oak Park High School in Winnipeg.

There haven't been all that many Canadians who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season. We don't have an exact number but 2-3 hands worth.

BC Lions defensive end Mathieu Betts got 18 sacks, setting a new record for a single season among Canadian players. Brent Johnson had 17 in 2005 for BC.

Vernon Adams Jr. didn't make it to 5,000 yards passing. A very impressive season for the BC Lions quarterback.

Edmonton wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux has at least a reception in 146 consecutive games, dating back to July 4, 2010.

2023 CFL Week 19 preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Classic Doug 😆👊 @DougFlutie pic.twitter.com/tPfvwKqpuq

— CFL (@CFL) October 21, 2023

I knew the quote from somewhere. Matt Dunigan drags it out every so often.

Farhan Lalji and Duane Forde with Blake Price got to work in Vancouver Friday night for the BC Lions final home regular season game.

Rod Smith and Glen Suitor could have uttered that phrase in Regina on Saturday afternoon with Brit Dort saying the phrase to herself instead of into a microphone. They should have had a recording of Dunigan saying that phrase played at opportune moments for Saskatchewan.

Dustin Nielson and Matt Dunigan with John Lu got to spend their final 2023 regular season date in Winnipeg.

Jim Barker and Paul LaPolice hung on both days on the CFL on TSN panel. Dave Naylor filled in for Davis Sanchez on Saturday. Kate Beirness was the one constant.

logo credit: CFL
photo credit: TSN/CFL
Twitter capture: @CFL

2023 WIFF preview

WIFF is thrilled to be sharing the 2023 nominees for the WIFF Prize in Canadian Film! The award carries a cash value of $25,000 which goes to the director of the chosen film.
All nominated films will be screened during #WIFF23.

Explore the list: https://t.co/XL190ZajN5 pic.twitter.com/QL8CWA4Jmv

— WIFF (@WindsorFilmFest) September 14, 2023

The 2023 Windsor International Film Festival only comes a year after the previous festival. The 2022 Windsor International Film Festival made its mark after a 3-year absence.

There won't be a film such as Women Talking to make an impact and perhaps rearrange schedules. Then again, we didn't know Sheila McCarthy would be in person in 2022 when the festival started.

The festival debuts around 9 am Eastern today. You can get inspired by the list of films, Canadian or otherwise.

As we saw in 2022, the festival has a 2023 prize in Canadian film. The directors are scheduled to appear, subject to travel plans. These are the Canadian film nominees with their directors:

Blackberry (Matt Johnson)
The Dishwasher (Francis Leclerc)
Frontiers (Guy Édoin)
Humanist Vampire Seeks Consenting Suicidal Person (Ariane Louis-Seize)
Irena's Vow (Louise Archambault)
My Mother's Men (Anik Jean)
The Nature Of Love (Monia Chokri)
One Summer (Louise Archambault)
Seven Veils (Atom Egoyan)
Solo (Sophie Dupuis)

You will notice that Louise Archambault has 2 films on the list. Sophie Nélisse, who stars in Irena's Vow, was born in Windsor. We have loved the titles we've seen from her in the past, including Gabrielle, Il pleuvait des oiseaux | And the Birds Rained Down, and Familia.

Sophie Dupuis is on the list with Solo, which won Best Canadian Film at TIFF23. We recoiled over seeing her debut film Chien de Garde. Within reason, you have to give directors a chance to redeem themselves. We want Solo to be way better than Chien de Garde.

We've seen Blackberry. We've met Atom Egoyan. We would love to meet Monia Chokri. The films will run on October 27-28. 

There are logistics to cramming all of this since the 10 films are shown in 8 timeslots, just like 2022. We are highly resourceful.

We hope to have a wrapup on Monday with the 2023 WIFF Prize in Canadian film.

Canadian film review: BlackBerry

2023 TIFF wrapup

2023 TIFF leftovers

2023 TIFF preview

2023 TIFF Rising Stars

2023 TIFF Canadian film preview

TIFF23 winners Kanaval and Seagrass are not in Windsor. TIFF winner Tautuktavuk (What We See) is in Windsor. WIFF had a screening of Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe about Ernie Coombs earlier this fall.

A number of Canadian documentaries played at HotDocs in Toronto earlier this year.

The WIFF23 closing night film is 299 Queen Street West, a documentary on the history of MuchMusic aka Canadian MTV.

Canadian film review: The Pizza City You've Never Heard Of

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review

Riceboy Sleeps wins the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

2022 Windsor International Film Festival preview

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Here is a list of the Canadian films, outside of the WIFF Prize, that are scheduled to air in the festival. We will do our best to cover these films either at the festival or in the near future.

I'm Just Here For The Riot about the Vancouver Canucks will eventually be part of the ESPN 30 for 30 film series.

Adaptation
Attila
Backspot
The Beast (co-production)
Coco Farm
Days Of Happiness
Depraved Mind
Fitting In
Forest For The Trees: The Tree Planters
I Don't Know Who You Are
I'm Just Here For The Riot
In Flames (co-production)
Lac-Megantic: This Is Not An Accident Episodes 1-4
Lebanese Burger Mafia
Man Who Stole Einstein's Brain, The
My Animal
Perfect Story, The (in name only)
Respectable Woman, A
Rojek
Satan Wants You
Someone Lives Here
Swan Song
Tautuktavuk (What We See)
Twice Colonized (co-production)
Two Days Before Christmas
Valley of Exile
Who's Yer Father?
Without Precedent: The Supreme Life Of Rosalie Abella
You Can Call Me Roger

Rojek is Canada's entry into the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

Your humble narrator has seen the last 26 Canadian entries in this category, not counting Rojek. The most recent one I haven't seen is Not Me! | Sous-Sol from the Oscars in 1997.

The 2023 Windsor International Film Festival starts tomorrow and runs through November 5.

Twitter capture: @WindsorFilmFest
photos credit: me; WIFF; me

2023 Toronto Raptors NBA preview

Raptors’ full 2023-24 schedule: pic.twitter.com/qmpARnUigs

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) August 17, 2023

The 2023-2024 Toronto Raptors goals are rather basic. Do well enough to avoid the play-in tournament. Maybe win a playoff round.

The Raptors worked hard to get Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland ended up dealing Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes are the most recognizable names on the Toronto Raptors squad with rookie head coach Darko Rajakovic. Gradey Dick is the 1st round pick for the Raptors.

The Raptors finished with a 4-0 preseason record.

Toronto opens its 2023-2024 schedule tonight at Scotiabank Arena against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The season ends on April 14 with back-to-back away games at Miami.

The NBA has a new in-season tournament group play setup. The Raptors play Boston, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Orlando. The Raptors play 2 games the week of December 4 based from those games.

If you want to circle the return of former head coach Nick Nurse to Toronto, the Philadelphia 76ers visit Canada on October 28 and March 31. Former Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet comes to Toronto with his Houston Rockets on February 9.

Rogers Sportsnet and TSN will split the TV and radio schedules with each outlet carrying 41 games.

Matt Devlin, who spent part of his off-season calling Toronto Blue Jays games on Rogers Sportsnet, is back to his day job as the play-by-play voice for all 82 Raptors games. NBA TV Canada produces all 82 Raptors telecasts. 

TSN: Jack “The Coach” Armstrong on colour analysis with Kayla Grey as the sideline reporter
Rogers Sportsnet: Former Raptor Alvin Williams provides colour analysis and Savanna Hamilton is the sideline reporter.

Eric Smith handles play-by-play duties on Sportsnet 590 The FAN and TSN 1050 Toronto. Paul Jones is the colour analyst for Sportsnet 590 and Jevohn Shepherd is the colour analyst on TSN 1050.

The Raptors will have little U.S. national exposure. Toronto has 3 road games on NBA TV: at Philadelphia on November 2, at Washington on December 27, and at Indiana on February 26. The lone TNT game is in Toronto as Chicago comes to visit on January 18. ESPN has no scheduled Toronto Raptors games, mimicking their "love" for Canada in the NHL.

2023 Toronto Raptors preseason schedule

Canadian film review: The Grizzlie Truth

2023 NBA Toronto Raptors play-in tournament preview

Jully Black opens the door for O Canada lyrics change

2022 Toronto Raptors NBA preview

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

We are counting last year's play-in tournament as the "playoffs" even if that happened in the blink of an eye.

Toronto Raptors playoffs history

2023	Chicago	0-1
2022	Philadelphia	2-4
2020	Boston	3-4
2020	Brooklyn	4-0
2019	Golden State	4-2
2019	Milwaukee	4-2
2019	Philadelphia	4-3
2019	Orlando	4-1
2018	Cleveland	0-4
2018	Washington	4-2
2017	Cleveland	0-4
2017	Milwaukee	4-2
2016	Cleveland	2-4
2016	Miami	4-3
2016	Indiana	4-3
2015	Washington	0-4
2014	Brooklyn	3-4
2008	Orlando	1-4
2007	New Jersey	2-4
2002	Detroit	2-3
2001	Philadelphia	3-4
2001	New York	3-2
2000	New York	0-3

Twitter capture: @JLew1050
logo credit: Toronto Raptors/NBA

2023 Heritage Classic preview: Battle of Alberta at Commonwealth Stadium

The Battle of Alberta on outdoor ice will finally be an event. The 2023 Heritage Classic won't be at Lake Louise, which would have been an awesome experience. The site is Commonwealth Stadium, home of the CFL Edmonton Elks, the original place for the first outdoor NHL game in the modern era. The NHL stole this idea and allow American-based teams to dominate the outdoor schedule.

The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers meet on Sunday at 7 pm Eastern/5 pm Mountain in the 2023 Heritage Classic.

Gary Bettman and the NHL have gone out of their way in recent times to reduce the significance of any Canadian outdoor game by placing them so early in the schedule, when even Edmonton isn't that cold.

The embarrassment continues on the U.S. side because TBS, a channel that has never carried a regular season NHL game, will carry the game. Rogers Sportsnet, with announcers who understand the Battle of Alberta, will have the game in Canada.

We will update the TBS announcers when the release comes out this week. You can also check for yourself. Ugh.

Chris Cuthbert, who called the 2003 game in Edmonton, will also call the 2023 version. Of course, Cuthbert had called many events at Commonwealth Stadium, mostly CFL games for CBC and later for TSN.

We will also update this entry with Sportsnet info. Ron MacLean has said the HNIC crew will be in Edmonton the night before the 2023 Heritage Classic.

NHL the month in preview October 2023

INJURY UPDATE ⬇️

Connor McDavid suffered an upper body injury during last night’s game vs. the Jets & is expected to be out of the #Oilers lineup for one to two weeks. pic.twitter.com/qU5dNKuUcC

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 22, 2023

The one element the NHL and yes, even Bettman wanted in the 2023 Heritage Classic was a healthy Connor McDavid. His recent upper body injury will likely keep him out of the game.

2022 Heritage Classic wrapup

2022 Heritage Classic preview

Edmonton and Calgary played Les Habs in previous Heritage Classic games. The Oilers lost 4-3 in 2003 to Montréal at Commonwealth Stadium in 2003. Calgary shut out Montréal 4-0 at McMahon Stadium in 2011.

Each team has also played the Winnipeg Jets in the Heritage Classic. Edmonton won 3-0 over the Jets at Investors Group Field in 2016. The Flames lost 2-1 in overtime at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan in 2019.

The #NHL ice truck has arrived and they have begun setting up for the 2023 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic. #Oilers #Flames pic.twitter.com/jd1DC3Ep5c

— Derek Van Diest (@DerekVanDiest) October 17, 2023

The Edmonton Elks announced that the team will close the upper bowl in 2024. The 2023 Heritage Classic should be the last time for awhile where we see fans in the upper bowl.

This is how we remind you Nickelback is playing the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic between the @EdmontonOilers
and @NHLFlames. ⤵️ https://t.co/cQrUcP0EwT

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) October 13, 2023

The U.S. outlets don't usually cover too much of the in between period action. This might be a good thing for the 2023 Heritage Classic since Nickelback is playing. Nickleback is Canadian but the band is still … Nickleback. First, a documentary (Hate to Love: Nickelback) and now this.

CanadianCrossing.com Alberta coverage

The NHL Network offers a rebroadcast in the hopes of carrying the Rogers Sportsnet feed. The only rebroadcast is in a 90-minute block so the whole game won't be shown in the rebroadcast. The NHL Network would never do that to the U.S.-based outdoor games. That rebroadcast runs at 2 pm Eastern on October 30.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

We will report back on this game in November since we have other priorities. This is way too early in the season to play this significant of a game.

Canadian NHL teams in outdoor games

Year	Date	Stadium	Result
2003	November 22	Commonwealth Stadium	Montréal 4, Edmonton 3
2011	February 20	McMahon Stadium	Calgary 4, Montréal 0
2014	January 1	Michigan Stadium	Toronto 3, Detroit 2 (SO)
2014	March 2	BC Place	Ottawa 4, Vancouver 2
2016	January 1	Gillette Stadium	Montréal 5, Boston 1
2016	October 23	Investors Group Field	Edmonton 3, Winnipeg 0
2017	January 1	BMO Field	Toronto 5, Detroit 4 (SO)
2017	December 16	TD Place	Ottawa 3, Montréal 0
2018	March 3	Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium	Washington 5, Toronto 2
2019	October 26	Mosaic Stadium	Winnipeg 2, Calgary 1 (OT)
2022	March 13	Tim Hortons Field	Buffalo 5, Toronto 2
2023	October 29	Commonwealth Stadium	Calgary vs. Edmonton

photo credit: NHL
Twitter captures: @EdmontonOilers; @DerekVanDiest; @NHLdotcom

2023 CFL Week 20 preview

If the East Division is your CFL jam, you might want to look elsewhere this weekend. Every game is out west and the only East team playing is the Toronto Argonauts.

Calgary needs a win, even with a tough road destination in Vancouver. The lone Friday night game starts at 10 pm Eastern, 11:30 pm in most of Newfoundland.

Toronto and Saskatchewan meet for the first time since Touchdown Atlantic in Halifax. There will be some daylight in Regina with the 2 pm local kickoff time on Saturday.

The Roughriders need a win just to put the pressure on Calgary for the last playoff spot.

Both BC and Saskatchewan will play their final game at home this week.

The Edmonton Elks travel to Winnipeg in the timeslot opposite Hockey Night in Canada. The Blue Bombers need a singular win to officially capture the West Division title. This is the last game of the year for the Elks.

The cities are opposite in the HNIC late slot with the Jets in Edmonton to face the Oilers. A different kind of doubleheader.

Hamilton, Montréal, and Ottawa: Every East team that isn't Toronto gets to reflect and maybe watch a little hockey on Saturday night.

TSN

Friday
Calgary @ BC, 10p
Saturday
Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 4p
Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 7p

Bye week: Hamilton, Montréal, Ottawa

Having Dane Evans come off the bench in Hamilton to win the game for the BC Lions was straight out of CFL centre casting. The Lions have a limited chance to get the top seed in the West but have to play for that opportunity.

Evans might be a factor even if Vernon Adams Jr. starts after the knee injury. The playoffs is the priority.

⚖️ OVERRULED BY THE JUDGE ⚖️

PICK SIX @calstampeders from @CameronJudge! #CFLGameday on TSN
📲 Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/oSFU9LnJwu

— CFL (@CFL) October 14, 2023

Saskatchewan has lost 7 games in a row and the Roughriders still have a chance at a playoff spot despite losing to Calgary. The Stampeders have the tiebreaker and control their own destiny. Calgary launched a nice comeback after trailing 13-0. The Cameron Judge Pick 6 helped.

There is a path for Saskatchewan to lose 8 games in a row to finish the season and still make the playoffs. That requires Calgary to lose its last 2 games, a viable possibility.

Roughriders fans might be wondering about deja vu. Saskatchewan has been 0-13 after September 4 over the last 2 seasons. Jason Maas and Cody Fajardo got the bulk of the blame after last season; they will have a home playoff game in 2023 with the Alouettes. 

The battle over mediocre teams is not as good as the battle of top teams, as we saw in Calgary. The CFL has a history of below .500 teams in the playoffs. Every East third-place team was under .500 from 1974-1985. The 2000 BC Lions were the first team to be under .500 (8-10) and win the Grey Cup. Hamilton (8-10) was under .500 in the 2022 CFL playoffs.

125 yards to the 🏡 for @JJ_Letcher!!!👀

Go Als Go!🏈pic.twitter.com/QkvesPXovr

— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) October 14, 2023

Montréal clinched the home playoff game against Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats lost and the Alouettes had a comeback win in Edmonton. Both teams get a week off and while they play each other, the teams will likely not show off too many new tricks, knowing that will play on November 4 at Molson Stadium.

James Letcher Jr. proved to be another weapon for Les Alouettes.

A Saskatchewan win over Toronto means Calgary needs to sweep the last 2 games. If the BC Lions beat the Stampeders on Friday night, a Roughriders win give Saskatchewan a playoff spot. Calgary has the tiebreaker but has to beat BC and Winnipeg to guarantee that playoff spot.

Toronto finished its home season undefeated. Ottawa still hasn't won against the East. The teams will play in Ottawa next week with noting at stake, except honour and pride.

2023 CFL Week 19 preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Marshall Ferguson started out with Duane Forde with Matthew Scianitti Friday night in Hamilton. Rod Smith got a game in this weekend with Forde with Scianitti on Saturday night in Toronto.

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor never left Alberta all weekend with Brit Dort on Friday in Calgary and Ryan Rishaug on Saturday in Edmonton.

Farhan Lalji came east to sit in the Toronto studio for Kate Beirness.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @CFL; @MTLAlouettes

Canadian film review: The Trotsky

Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) thinks he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. He is searching for his Vladimir Ulyanov (Bronstein and Ulyanov were the original last names of Trotsky and Lenin). Leon meets an older woman Alexandra (Emily Hampshire), to whom he immediately pledges his love (Alexandra was Trotsky's older wife).

Leon tries to organise a union in his father's (Saul Rubinek) business. His father takes him out of private school and forces Leon to go to a public school, Montréal West high school. Leon wants to organise a union at his new school, against the wishes of his principal (Colm Feore) and vice-principal (Domini Blythe).

Jacob Tierney, also known for Good Neighbours and Letterkenny, brings us a comedy with a touch of history. A silly story yet with touches of reality and a bit of history. The joy of the film is that everyone is in on the fun of the story, no matter where they fall within the film.

Geneviève Bujold is delightful as the school board leader Denise Archambault. American actor Michael Murphy, who has done a few Canadian films, plays Leon's mentor Frank McGovern and Denise's ex-husband.

Anne-Marie Cadieux is funny as Leon's shiksa stepmother. Jessica Paré as Laura, Alexandra's friend; Kaniehtiio Horn as Caroline, Leon's school friend; and Tommie-Amber Pirie as Sarah, Leon's younger sister -- they stand out in smaller roles.

Ben Mulroney has a cameo as himself, interviewing Leon Bronstein on eTalk.

Bronstein is 17 in the film, an age where a lot of Montréal students are in CEGEP, kind of the transition between high school and university. CEGEP applies more to French students than English students, so this is not a mistake in the film. Like in Good Neighbours, Tierney's world for The Trotsky is the west side of Montréal, the anglophone part.

Checking out the 23 best Canadian film comedies

The Trotsky is a clever comedy and should have been on this list of Canadian film comedies. While I enjoyed BlackBerry, The Trotsky has more laughs.

The chemistry is wonderful all around with the cast. A film you can watch more than once.

Canadian film review: Good Neighbours

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The Trotsky made the TIFF Top Ten list of Canadian films for 2009. The film is available on several streaming services in the United States, including Peacock and Tubi.

video credit: YouTube/eOnefilms
photo credit: The Trotsky

2023 CFL Week 19 preview

BC wants to be in the Grey Cup in Hamilton so the Lions gets to check out the Grey Cup field at Tim Hortons Field.

Saskatchewan and Calgary play for the tiebreaker. The game in Regina is still a great memory for the twists and turns. Calgary is coming off the holiday bye week. Don't leave the game near the end because there should be a good finish. You might even take a nap and stay up for this game on Friday night.

Montréal would like some breathing room in its chase to host a East playoff game. Edmonton at home is as hot as the team can get these days. This is as close to a day game as we may see for awhile. They start the Saturday doubleheader.

The Maple Leafs are at home on the first Hockey Night in Canada for the season. So don't expect a huge crowd at BMO Field for the Ottawa RedBlacks in Toronto.

This is also the last week of the CFL season with 4 games on the weekend.

The U.S. audience has CFL+ and no more TV options. Sayonara to the CBS Sports Network for 2023.

Winnipeg had a bye 3 weeks ago and gets another bye. Rest up for the playoffs.

TSN

Friday
BC @ Hamilton, 7p
Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 9:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Edmonton, 4p
Ottawa @ Toronto, 7p

Bye week: Winnipeg

Butterfly effect? 👀

You can’t deny that our Friday night finish was all-world! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/z8eBCa7QbH

— CFL (@CFL) October 8, 2023

We often say the CFL comes down to the final 3 minutes. Friday night in Vancouver, the game nearly ended on the last play. BC receiver Dominique Rhymes running toward the end zone. Winnipeg defensive back Jamal Parker caught Rhymes from behind at the 5-yard line. A 65-yard completion is impressive; 70-yard completion would have given the BC Lions the tiebreaker.

The magic number to host the West final is 1 thanks to that tiebreaker. The Winnipeg second half comeback continued into overtime. The BC Lions dominated the first half.

The game dubbed the Gravy Bowl was worth a fresh hot roll sopping up the leftover gravy.

Winnipeg will likely host the West final while BC will likely host the West semifinal.

Mr. 💯!

Shawn Lemon records his 100th career sack, becoming only the 13th player in CFL history to reach the milestone.#MontreALS #AlsIn #Redblacks #CFLpic.twitter.com/uEuCy12x7f

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) October 9, 2023

Speaking of gravy and turkey, the Ottawa RedBlacks looked like they have a dose of turkey, as in tryptophan. A bit sleepy in the Thanksgiving game.

Montréal is 5-7 against teams not based in the Canadian capital; 4-0 against Ottawa. The American viewers on the CBS Sports Network might have wondered why the Habs were up 1-0 over the Senators after the first period, er, quarter.

As a selective eater, was fun to hear Duane Forde say he doesn't like to eat roasted meats cold. Hot is better than cold but your humble narrator is not picky.

Tre Ford.

ARE YOU KIDDING.#Elks #Edmonton #Argos #Toronto #CFLpic.twitter.com/cUPdo64QnO

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) October 7, 2023

The Elks lasted as long as they could in terms of playoff elimination. You might have wondered if Labour Day meant Edmonton couldn't make the playoffs. Toronto remains undefeated at home, including the win in Halifax.

Tre Ford threw for 220 yards, a touchdown, and 2 interceptions in the loss. Ford grew up in nearby Niagara Falls.

Ford will finish with 10 straight starts if he starts every game through the end of the 2023 season. This matches Nathan Rourke's streak, tops in the modern era for a Canadian quarterback.

CFL 2023 playoff scenarios: Toronto, Montréal, and Hamilton -- same 3 teams as last season -- are in the playoffs in the East. Winnipeg and BC will host playoff games. Saskatchewan or Calgary will advance, but not both teams. Edmonton and Ottawa are out.

Toronto hosts the East final; the other hosting scenarios are not clinched. A Winnipeg win or a BC loss sets the final at IG Field and the semifinal at BC Placc. A Montréal win or a Hamilton loss sets that semifinal at Percival Molson Stadium.

Saskatchewan has lost 5 in a row since the Labour Day Classic in Regina. Yet the Roughriders are in the driver's seat for a trip to the West semifinal, up 1½ games ahead of Calgary. Beat Calgary and the Stampeders are out of the playoffs. A Calgary win gives the Stampeders the tiebreaker. Saskatchewan gets the tiebreaker if there is a tie with a 1-point differential in the first 2 games.

The Roughriders host Toronto next week while Calgary goes to Vancouver. The Stampeders host Winnipeg in the final week.

Either way, the 3rd place team in the West will likely have a worse record than Hamilton.

"I came. I played. I stayed."

And so he will stay—Saskatchewan Forever.

💚 34 pic.twitter.com/0k8GtoESUr

— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) October 9, 2023

George Reed. The 2013 champions. Plenty of mojo at Mosaic Stadium and the Roughriders fumbled away that mojo. Hamilton got out to a 22-2 lead and won their first game in the relatively new Roughriders stadium.

Hamilton has won 5 of 7 games with the only losses being to Toronto.

Bo Levi Mitchell looked like the quarterback of old at Mosaic Stadium. He only played in the first quarter. Matthew Shiltz and Mitchell both will have receiver Derel Walker this week.

2023 CFL Week 18 preview: Thanksgiving weekend

The CFL (1958-present) has never had a playoffs without a team from Alberta in the mix. The Calgary Stampeders have had 17 seasons in a row making the playoffs. The Edmonton team has had a few years being the only Alberta franchise in the playoffs.

The Elks are out. The Stampeders are out with a loss to Saskatchewan. A Calgary win means more work needs to be done.

Craig Dickenson (Saskatchewan) and Dave Dickinson (Calgary) desperately need a win on Friday.

2023 CFL Week 17 preview

TSN runs multiple hours of NHL coverage on Trade Deadline Day. The CFL trade deadline does not warrant such coverage though an hour might be fun to watch.

The folks at 3 Down Nation point out there have been no deadline day trades in the 2020s. The last trade of note was back in 2019 where Toronto traded a quarterback, some guy named Zach Collaros, in 2019 to Winnipeg. The Argonauts received a 3rd-round pick and a conditional 1st-round pick in the 2020 CFL Draft. The Winnipeg got Collaros and a 5th-round pick.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde drew double and holiday duties in Toronto for the big 150th celebration for the Argos and Thanksgiving in Montréal. Matthew Scianitti (Toronto) and Kenzie Lalonde (Montréal) helped out from the sidelines.

Farhan Lalji and Matt Dunigan with Blake Price covered the top of the West battle in Vancouver on Friday night. Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor with Brit Dort saw green in Regina on Saturday.

Dave Naylor and Jim Barker did some studio work, maybe just for the turkey on Monday.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter captures: @3DownNation (x2); @sskroughriders
photo credit: TSN/CFL

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in the 2023 offseason

The NHL regular season started last night for all 7 Canadian teams. Hockey Night in Canada returns to the CBC on Saturday night. This kicks off a months-long hiatus away from Canadian films on CBC on Saturday nights.

The 2023 offseason had fewer "family films" and more debuts than we remember. Sometimes the Saturday night collections had some relevant theme, at least until 1 am local time.

We had some interesting debuts to the CBC Canadian film selection including Death of a Ladies Man (2020), Splinters (2018), Best Sellers (2021), Sweetness in the Belly (2019), Richard III (2022), The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (2018), and Carmen (2021).

There were some fine coming of age Canadian films such as Giant Little Ones (2018), Sleeping Giant (2015), and Honey Bee (2018).

This shows out the variety you can find in Canadian films, even ones on the CBC on a Saturday night.

Some of these Canadian films may have been featured recently on CBC. The films should also be available on CBC Gem.

Here was the schedule for late spring, summer, and early fall 2023.

April 15: Goon (2011)

May 13: Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006)

June 17: Wildhood (2021) / Giant Little Ones (2018) / Octavio Is Dead (2018)

June 24: Rustic Oracle (2019) / Through Black Spruce (2018) / Trouble in the Garden (2018)

July 8: Death of a Ladies Man (2020) / Splinters (2018)

July 15: Best Sellers (2021) / Meditation Park (2017)

July 22: Sweetness in the Belly (2019) / Funny Boy (2020)

July 29: Sleeping Giant (2015) / Brooklyn (2015)

August 5: Richard III (2022) / Mouthpiece (2018) / Level 16 (2018)

August 12: The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (2018) / The Song of Names (2019) / Two Lovers and a Bear (2016)

August 19: Werewolf (2016) / Honey Bee (2018)

August 26: Carmen (2021) / Clara (2018)

September 2: Tammy's Always Dying (2019) / Mean Dreams (2016) / Man Running (2018)

September 9: Percy (2020) / Angelique's Isle (2018) / Into Invisible Light (2018)

September 16: Disappearance at Clifton Hill (2019) / American Woman (2019) / Sleeping Giant (2015)

September 23: Charlotte (2021) / Akilla's Escape (2020) / Bon Cop Bad Cop (2006)

October 7: Breakaway (2011) / Goon (2011) / The Grizzlies (2018)

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early October 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late September 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early September 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late August 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early August 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late July 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for early July 2023

CBC Saturday night Canadian film schedule for late June 2023

A recap of CBC Saturday night Canadian films in the 2022 offseason

Generally, these Canadian films are available on CBC Gem. Our American readers can find quite a few of these Canadian films. You could even watch them on a Saturday night even when there is hockey on CBC.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We will cover more Canadian films on CBC during small breaks in the Stanley Cup playoffs as well as the 2024 offseason.

logo credit: CBC
photo credits: The Death and Life of John F. Donovan; Through Black Spruce; Akilla's Escape

NHL the month in preview October 2023

The original TNT press release didn't mention the 2023 Heritage Classic but the U.S. company got talked into carrying the game. Let's bury the 2023 Heritage Classic on TBS, a channel that has never carried a regular season NHL game. Ouch.

The U.S. audience is way better off with the NHL Network carrying the Rogers Sportsnet feed. U.S. announcers don't get the significance of the Battle of Alberta.

TNT won't feature a Canadian team in October.

ESPN is taking some anti-anxiety pills. The channel is carrying the Maple Leafs on the road in the U.S. capital (24) and its first home game outside Alberta (in Year 3 of the contract) with a home date with Los Angeles on Halloween.

ESPN+/Hulu hasn't forgotten its Connor McDavid road obsession as his Edmonton Oilers are in Philadelphia on October 19.

The NHL Network throws us a curve in showing Chicago at Montréal (14) for the first Hockey Night in Canada game of the season. Connor Bedard might be the reason for the switch. The U.S. channel goes back to showing Toronto on the road in HNIC games in Tampa (21) and Nashville (28).

The NHL Network gives us a rare Ottawa home game with Tampa Bay (15) and the lone NHL game that night with the Habs in Buffalo (23).

A reminder that the NHL Network offers alternative games for most telecasts so if you live in a featured NHL market that is blacked out, you might get a different game in that slot.

We will preview the 2023 Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton later this month.

There should be a NHL Center Ice free preview. This will be odd for those watching the Canadian teams since all 7 teams play on Wednesday but no Canadian teams play on Thursday or Friday in the first week.

A reminder for our U.S. readers that games not on a major channel or the NHL Network are available on ESPN+.

TBS

October 29
Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p (2023 Heritage Classic)

ESPN

October 24
Toronto @ Washington, 6p
October 31
Los Angeles @ Toronto, 8p

NHL Network

October 14
Chicago @ Montréal, 7p (HNIC)
October 15
Tampa Bay @ Ottawa, 7p
October 21
Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p (HNIC)
October 23
Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p
October 28
Toronto @ Nashville, 7p (HNIC)

ESPN+/Hulu

October 19
Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 7:30p

Hockey Night in Canada

October 14

Minnesota @ Toronto, 7p/Chicago @ Montréal, 7p/Calgary @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Vancouver @ Edmonton, 10p

October 21

Toronto @ Tampa Bay, 7p/Washington @ Montréal, 7p/Vancouver @ Florida, 7p
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 10p

October 28

Toronto @ Nashville, 7p/Winnipeg @ Montréal, 7p/Ottawa @ Pittsburgh, 7p
NY Rangers @ Vancouver, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet national telecasts

October 11 Montréal @ Toronto, 7p/Ottawa @ Carolina, 7p/Winnipeg @ Calgary, 10p/Edmonton @ Vancouver, 10p

October 16 Chicago @ Toronto, 7p

October 18 Washington @ Ottawa, 7p

October 19 Vancouver @ Tampa Bay, 7p/Edmonton @ Philadelphia, 7:30p

October 20 Calgary @ Columbus, 7p

October 22 Calgary @ Detroit, 5p

October 23 Montréal @ Buffalo, 7p

October 24 NY Rangers @ Calgary, 9:45p

October 26 NY Rangers @ Edmonton, 9p

October 27 St. Louis @ Vancouver, 10p

October 29 Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p (Heritage Classic)

October 30 NY Rangers @ Winnipeg, 7:30p

October 31 Nashville @ Vancouver, 10p

Tracking the NHL 2023 media changes

NHL over-the-air broadcasts have been rare of late. Even Chicago has all of its games on cable.

Rogers has pushed a game or 2 onto Citytv in Vancouver, which is CKVU-DT, Channel 10 during the World Series. The games are usually out east so Channel 10 can still show the primarily American TV lineup from Citytv.

The new uptick in sports channel instability has led to some changes. Las Vegas Golden Knights games will now be on KMCC, Vegas 34, a channel licensed to nearby Laughlin, Nevada.

The Arizona Coyotes will be on Channel 15.2 (KNXV-2), the Antenna TV network feed, in Phoenix. KNXV-1 is the ABC station. The Coyotes TV numbers have traditionally been absolutely terrible.

The Los Angeles area teams usually have some local games: KCAL-TV (Channel 9) has 6 Los Angeles Kings games while KCOP (Channel 13) has 3 late season Anaheim Ducks games.

If the MLB 2023 patterns spill over into the NHL, we may see some Bally Sports channels flip into some other streaming or over the air service midseason. We noticed that the MLB Network would often carry those feeds (Arizona, San Diego) in their live telecasts. The NHL Network may likely do so, hopefully not on Hockey Night in Canada games.

In case you missed the news yesterday, Barry Melrose is retiring from ESPN after receiving a Parkinson's disease diagnosis.

2023 NHL preseason schedule

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) replaces the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). There are 6 teams with 3 in Canada and 3 in the U.S.: Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Boston, and Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

The inaugural season will have 24 regular season games. This season won't start until January, though reportedly subsequent seasons will start in November.

Alex DeBrincat leaves the Ottawa Senators in part to search for a nearby Chipotle

Our guide to the NHL Canadian teams coverage

A post-script to our #KraftHockeyville game today: in 1994, @jamiemclennan29 (nicknamed “Noodles” because he made Kraft Dinner in a crockpot on the bus while playing junior) was one of the NHL players featured by Kraft on boxes of KD. That’s the Mount Everest of endorsements. pic.twitter.com/WLAFyAb4Z2

— Gord Miller 🌻🇺🇦 (@GMillerTSN) October 2, 2023

Rogers Sportsnet ended up carrying only one of the last 4 Kraft Hockeyville winners on the NHL preseason schedule. Rogers Sportsnet (and CBC before this) carried the Kraft Hockeyville games before the pandemic. 

Of course, the lone Kraft Hockeyville game Rogers Sportsnet carried involved the Toronto Maple Leafs.

TSN carried the game in Sydney, Nova Scotia with Florida and Ottawa. Gord Miller and Jamie McLennan had a lot of fun in Sydney. We even learned more about why McLennan is called Noodles. Seems he was a bit obsessed with Kraft Dinner in the minors.

Rogers Sportsnet has the national contract and should carry the national games. Give them to CBC if nothing else. TSN is clearly an option. TSN 5 had the game in Canada and the NHL Network took that feed. Ironic that the game would be national in the U.S. and only regional in Canada.

Another great event on TSN5 and the NHL Network was the Ottawa-Pittsburgh preseason game at the Scotiabank Centre in downtown Halifax. Turns out Sidney Crosby and the Penguins made their first trip to Halifax since 2006. 

Crosby is from nearby Cole Harbour in Nova Scotia. You might remember that the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship was played in that arena as well as Moncton, New Brunswick. Would love to see Halifax get a NHL preseason game every year.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

Allow him to reintroduce himself.

Adam Lowry, Captain of your Winnipeg Jets ✈️ pic.twitter.com/ZweKi36B7z

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) September 12, 2023

The Winnipeg Jets have a captain again. Mikael Backlund is the new captain for the Calgary Flames. Quinn Hughes is the new captain in Vancouver.

Calgary Flames hired Ryan Huska to replace Darryl Sutter as head coach.

The hockey world is still mourning the loss of Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow, passing away due to ALS. 

Michael Andlauer is the new majority owner of the Ottawa Senators with Eugene Melnyk's daughters retaining 10% of the team. Andlauer had to sell his part interest in Les Habs before taking over as the Sens owner.

We don't encapsulate offseason changes for the Canadian NHL teams like we used to do. We are relying on Rogers Sportsnet previews for each team:

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Montréal Canadiens

The Winnipeg preview was published before the Jets signed Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele to considerable extensions.

Spring is a lot more disappointing for Canadian NHL teams. Just enjoy the fall and winter and very early spring.

photo credit: NHL
Twitter capture: @GMillerTSN; @NHLJets