Canadian Crossing

Stephan James, Ryan Gosling fall short of 2019 Oscar nominations

The 91st Academy Awards have a foreign flavour with The Favourite and Roma each having 10 nominations. Unfortunately, Canada isn't a strong part of those foreign ingredients.

Canada does have a pair of nominees in the best animated short category: Animal Behaviour from Vancouver-based Alison Snowden and David Fine via the National Film Board as well as Toronto-raised Domee Shi for Pixar's Bao. The other nominees in this category are Late Afternoon; One Small Step; and Weekends.

Montréal is the unifier for a pair of nominees in the live action short film category with Jeremy Comte for Fauve and Marianne Farley for Marguerite. The other nominees in this category are Detainment; Mother; and Skin.

Sound mixer Paul Massey is up for Bohemian Rhapsody and set decorator Gordon Sim is nominated for Mary Poppins Returns.

Toronto's Charlie Tyrell was a finalist for best documentary short with My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes but did not make the cut.

Canadians Oscars nomination scoreboard

The Best Actor category could have had a pair of Canadians in the mix. Ryan Gosling could have had his third nomination in that category for First Man. Stephan James received a Golden Globe nomination for the TV show Homecoming but could have easily picked up a Oscars nomination for If Beale Street Could Talk.

Getting buzz is not as good as getting a nomination, but that buzz will certainly help James in what else a relatively young career.

The nominees in this category ended up being Christian Bale (Vice); Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born); Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate); Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody); and Viggo Mortensen (Green Book).

Chien de Garde fails to make Oscars shortlist

The list of 9 films was reduced to 5 this morning for the Best Foreign Language Film category:

Never Look Away (Germany)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Roma (Mexico)
Cold War (Poland)

Birds Of Passage (Colombia); The Guilty (Denmark); Ayka (Kazakhstan); and Burning (South Korea) got bad news earlier this morning.

Roma, which does mention Quebec in its film, is a rare foreign film that is also up for Best Picture. Amour (2012) in French from Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke, is the only other film in the 21st century to reach that mark.

Yorgos Lanthimos, who is nominated for Best Director in this year's ceremony for The Favourite, got his first big break in the Best Foreign Language Film category for Dogtooth (Greece). In the 2011 ceremony, Dogtooth was also up against Incendies (Canada) from Denis Villeneuve. Those films lost out to In a Better World (Denmark) from Susanne Bier.

You also might know Lanthimos from The Lobster, which also features Rachel Weisz, nominated for The Favourite for Best Supporting Actress.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The 2019 version of the Academy Awards will be without a host for the first time since 1989. Hard to imagine the Academy had a list of one, and that one was Kevin Hart.

The 91st Academy Awards will be on February 24 on ABC and CTV.

photos credit: If Beale Street Could Talk; First Man

Canadian rock and roll documentary makes Independent Lens debut on PBS

I was at a social event last month where they were showing Rock and Roll Circus on a continuous loop. Taj Mahal was playing on the screen. I looked at the band on screen and recognized Jesse Ed Davis on guitar. Then I remembered where I first learned about him: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World.

You can learn about Jesse Ed Davis and other native people and their contributions to rock and roll thanks to the Canadian documentary debuting tonight on Independent Lens on PBS.

I saw Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World during the 2017 Windsor International Film Festival. I enjoyed the film and found the information new, interesting, and well-presented.

I knew nothing about Link Wray and his influence on many well-known rock-and-roll stars. There were more unknowns to me, such as Jesse Ed Davis. I knew of Robbie Robertson and The Band as well as Buffy Sainte-Marie. 

I consider myself an expert on rock and roll and the influences that went into that music. And I was surprised how much I learned from this documentary.

You'll hear music that you might know from artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Redbone. Doctor My Eyes from Jackson Browne features Davis on a great guitar solo.

2017 WIFF Canadian films in review

2017 WIFF Canadian films in review: Documentaries

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The Canadian documentary from Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana won 3 Canadian Screen Awards last spring for Best Feature Length Documentary, Best Editing in a Documentary, and Best Cinematography in a Documentary.

The film won Best Canadian Documentary + Best Documentary at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.

Rumble won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival.

TIFF Canada's Top 10 from 2017

The film made the list of Top 10 best Canadian films as determined by the Toronto International Film Festival.

You can access more of the PBS coverage of the film. Check your local listings for the PBS station in your area and when the station will show the film.

video credit: Independent Lens/PBS
photo credit: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World film

CBC Gem allows Canadians easy access to Canadian films

We've mentioned CBC Gem recently, CBC's new streaming service, in our recent Canadian TV updates.

This is only for those in Canada, but if you are in Canada, you get a lot.

There are 2 different options: free and $4.99/month. The monthly fee takes away ads from the programming, though children's programming doesn't have ads, and includes live streaming of CBC News Network.

You get programming from 14 local CBC channels, so you can keep up with other parts of Canada.

You can stream current and past episodes to a lot of CBC shows. You can also access international shows from the United States and the United Kingdom. You can also watch French language programming from the ICI Tou.TV streaming service.

You can also stream the entire season of shows, including current programming.

The other major cool part is getting access to Canadian films.

You can access many more details on the CBC Gem service.

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

I did access the old CBC app to watch shows on Canadian soil when I was in Windsor in November. This is how I was able to watch Crawford.

The app, even with ads, was very efficient. And I could even pull up older shows such as X Company.

You may not get some Canadian films that you would like to see. But you will get to see a lot of Canadian films.

Canada's cable TV reforms could deal blow to Canadian content

The live stream of CBC News Network is a nice incentive if you are getting one of the skinny basic services we've written about in the past. If you are from Halifax and now live in Toronto, being able to watch local Halifax newscasts and political coverage would be an important asset.

August 31 marks digital transition for Canadian TV signals

American and Canadian CBC viewers get 1-year reprieve on losing analog TV signals

CBC lost an lot of retransmissions that didn't make the transition to the digital world. CBC fans in Moncton and Saint John in New Brunswick, Quebec City, Saskatoon, and London, ON need cable or satellite to watch CBC.

This is a wonderful way to take advantage of programming that your tax dollars already pay for. If I lived in Canada, I would have signed up right at the start.

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We don't want this to seem like a plug for the CBC, specifically. Great Canadian TV can be found on all different kinds of platforms. After all, Global has brought us Mary Kills People and Private Eyes. Letterkenny is on Bell Media. Let's not forget Orphan Black on Space via Bell Media.

The CBC does have a lot of great Canadian TV shows and this option also brings you Canadian film you might not be able to find otherwise.

photo credit: CBC Gem

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2018

The Toronto International Film Festival has a Canada's Top Ten for 2018 Canadian films with new guidelines for presentation. Week-long engagements throughout the year will replace the January festival.

"We're still making the list of films, so that doesn't change at all," said TIFF's co-head Cameron Bailey. "It's really just how those films get delivered to audiences."

The list has 6 films directed or co-directed by women. Here is the 2018 Top Ten list with the directors and province of origin:

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky | Ontario
Sgaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife) Gwaai Edenshaw, Helen Haig-Brown | British Columbia
Firecrackers Jasmin Mozaffari | Ontario
The Fireflies Are Gone (La disparition des lucioles) Sébastien Pilote | Quebec
Freaks Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein | British Columbia
Genèse (Genesis) Philippe Lesage | Quebec
Giant Little Ones Keith Behrman | Ontario
Mouthpiece Patricia Rozema | Ontario
Roads in February (Les routes en février) Katherine Jerkovic | Quebec
What Walaa Wants Christy Garland | Ontario

I've seen 3 of these films: Anthropocene: The Human Epoch; The Fireflies Are Gone; and Giant Little Ones (below). Edge of the Knife; Firecrackers; Freaks; and Mouthpiece are on my radar.

Both major TIFF 2018 winners made the list. The Fireflies Are Gone won Best Canadian Feature Film and Roads in February won Best Canadian First Feature Film. The latter film takes place mostly in Uruguay.

What Walaa Wants, one of 2 documentaries on the list, focuses on the quest to be one of the few women in the Palestinian Security Forces.

Sgaawaay K’uuna (Edge of the Knife) is the first feature made entirely in the Haida language.

Genèse (Genesis) from Philippe Lesage is from the same director as the molasses-paced The Demons.

2018 TIFF Canada's Top 10

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2016

We will be highly curious as to whether the strategy works in Canada to improve accessibility to Canadian films by Canadians. We also don't know about possible changes in patterns of how the list will work in the United States. People outside New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans would like to see Canadian films.

This would be more fun if I were stationed in Toronto. I would be able to give some depth as to whether these were the best titles. Chien de Garde, Canada's nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, is nowhere to be found on the list. Can't say Roads in February would be a better film but likely couldn't be any worse.

2018 WIFF Canadian films in review

The Filmmakers shows what Canadian female directors go through to make a film

Film review: The Fireflies Are Gone

2018 TIFF Canadian film wrapup

2018 TIFF preview

2018 TIFF Canadian film preview

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

There also is the criticism that most Canadians haven't had access to most or all of these films in 2018. Hopefully, through theatres or Netflix or other streaming service, Canadians will have a chance to see these top titles in Canadian film.

You can track the screenings throughout the year at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.

video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers

The Northwest Angle is one of several Canada-U.S. border disputes

We talk about the 49th parallel bordering the U.S. and Canada since that is the border from Manitoba west to British Columbia. Everything above the 49th parallel belongs to Canada except for the Northwest Angle.

The Northwest Angle consists of a small land mass jettisoning north separating Manitoba and Ontario via the state of Minnesota. Reportedly, about 120 people live in this extension.

There is a petition in the United States to give that land back to Canada. The petition is called "Give Canada back the Northwest Angle located in Manitoba." The petition is launched under We the People under the White House Web site. If a petition reaches 100,000 signatures, they are reviewed by administration officials for an official response.

During warmer weather, residents of the Angle can access the rest of Minnesota by boat through the Lake of the Woods. During colder weather, the only way for those people to reach the United States is to drive through Manitoba.

If the Northwest Angle were to revert to Canada, that would be a great way to try and claim to be in Canada. Being forced to move just to stay in your country would seem rather unfair.

The other oddity of note is Point Roberts, Washington, a skin flint of an area that hangs below the 49th parallel just south of Tsawwassen in the Vancouver suburbs.

Point Roberts is reportedly used by the United States government as a place for witness relocation since the area is surrounded by 3 sides by water and the fourth side by the Canadian border.

Like the Northwest Angle, you can get to the rest of Washington state via Canada.

U.S. border patrol annoys Canadians by land and by sea

The recent documentary Lobster War focuses on the Gray Zone, 277 square miles of sea off the coast of Maine and New Brunswick.

You might recall this was the area where U.S. border patrol was harassing Canadian seafood harvesters in disputed waters back in July.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian society coverage

CanadianCrossing.com U.S. society coverage

The world is filled with places distinguished by unique geography on the border of countries. Pheasant Island (Ile des Faisans in French; Isla de los Faisanes in Spanish) is shared by France and Spain every 6 months. Gibraltar, owned by the United Kingdom, and Spain had an unique relationship.

The Northwest Angle and Point Roberts wouldn't be as isolated if the United States and Canada had a Schengen relationship like we currently see in the European Union. The likelihood of flipping either place is as slim as getting a borderless system between Canada and the United States but we continue to dream.

maps credit: Google

Sandra Oh host and winner at the 76th Golden Globes

Sandra Oh already won for her performance as a first-time host of the Golden Globes. Oh did win an actual Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama for Killing Eve.

Oh thanked her parents in Korean and English in accepting the award. This was the second Golden Globe for Oh, who also won a Golden Globe in 2006 for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or TV film for Grey's Anatomy.

There were 2 other Canadians who received nominations at the 76th Golden Globe awards last night. Stephan James was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama for Homecoming. James lost to Richard Madden for Bodyguard. Jim Carrey received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy for Kidding. Carrey lost to Michael Douglas for The Kominsky Method.

Killing Eve was also nominated for Best Television Series – Drama but lost to The Americans.

Tatiana Maslany, Sandra Oh lose out on 2018 Emmys to Claire Foy

IFC mistakes Canadian Sandra Oh as an American

Patricia Clarkson called out Sharp Objects director Jean-Marc Vallée: "You demanded everything of me except sex, which is exactly how it should be in our industry." Clarkson won the award for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie.

"I said yes to the fear of being on this stage tonight because I wanted to be here to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change," Oh said in the opening. "Right now, this moment is real. Trust me, it is real. Because I see you and I see you — all of these faces of change — and now so will everyone else."

Oh is the first Canadian to host the Golden Globes. Then again, there have only been 9 people who have hosted, including Oh and her co-host Andy Samberg.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Carrey was part of a bit in the opening where Oh and Samberg jokingly tease Carrey that he is sitting in the movie section when he should be in the TV section.

Mike Myers, who was in Bohemian Rhapsody, introduced the film as one of the top nominees.

Samberg mentioned Oh's Canadian upbringing when he "accidentally" read Oh's lines.

photos credit: Golden Globes/NBC

Chien de Garde fails to make Oscars shortlist

For 5 of the last 6 Oscars seasons, Canada didn't make the shortlist of the Best Foreign Language Film award. The last 2 attempts didn't generate any significant chatter with Hochelaga, terre des âmes and Chien de Garde.

Xavier Dolan's Juste la fin du monde was the only film in that streak to make the shortlist and even that film didn't make the Top 5 cut.

Here are the Best Foreign Language Film nominees for the 91st Academy Awards in 2019 alongside their directors:

Birds Of Passage (Colombia) Cristina Gallego/Ciro Guerra
The Guilty (Denmark) Gustav Moller
Never Look Away (Germany) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Shoplifters (Japan) Hirokazu Kore-eda
Ayka (Kazakhstan) Sergei Dvortsevoy
Capernaum (Lebanon) Nadine Labaki
Roma (Mexico) Alfonso Cuaron
Cold War (Poland) Pawel Pawlikowski
Burning (South Korea) Lee Chang-dong

Cold War is from the same director who did Ida, the film that won 4 years ago. I loved Shoplifters, which won the Palme d'Or prize at Cannes. I also enjoyed Border (Sweden), a film that a few people were surprised did not make the list. Then again, Roma is the odds-on favourite to win. 

This list of 9 nominees will be reduced to 5 films on January 22. The Oscars ceremony will be on February 24.

Film review: Family First

Chien de garde is Canada's Best Foreign Language Film entry

While I didn't think much of Chien de Garde, Canada wasn't going to be a player in this year's discussion.

The depth of foreign films is rather strong. Denys Arcand and Xavier Dolan did release films in 2018 but Dolan's film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan is in English. Arcand's film La chute de l'empire américain has attracted little attention outside Quebec.

Canada can't rely on Arcand and Dolan, even though the 2 filmmakers have accounted for 7 Canadian entries in the Oscars category. The winning streak of top 5 nominees for Canada from 2013-2015 feels like a distant memory.

Video review: Hochelaga, Land of Souls

Video review: Maelstrom

I have prided myself of seeing the Canadian entries for Best Foreign Language Film. Of the 22 films nominated since 1997, I have now seen 18 of them. My consecutive streak goes back to 2003 for The Barbarian Invasions.

In 2018, I saw Maelstrom (2000) and Hochlega, Land of Souls (2017) to help the streak.

These 4 films are the missing films since 1997. I came close to seeing Emporte-Moi but the event hosts couldn't find a version with subtitles.

Year	Film title English	Film title French	Director
1998	August 32nd on Earth	Un 32 août sur terre	Denis Villeneuve
1999	Set Me Free	Emporte-moi	Léa Pool
2002	Soft Shell Man	Un crabe dans la tête	André Turpin
2004	Far Side of the Moon	La face cachée de la lune	Robert Lepage

 

I have seen 6 nominated films that were released before 1997: Mon oncle Antoine (1971); Les Ordres (1975); Le Déclin de l'empire américain (1986); Jésus de Montréal (1989); Léolo (1992); and Le Sexe des étoiles (The Sex of the Stars) (1993).

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Should Canada make films that will do well in the Best Foreign Language Film category? Canada should make good films and let the world decide. In the 3 years after the winning streak, the Canadian entries were all fine films but didn't click on the world stage. Canada could be proud of those entries. The entries from the last couple of years produced more puzzled looks than cheers.

Let's hope for a return to a Best Foreign Language Film entry from Canada that Canadians can be proud of nominating.

video credit: YouTube/Bandes Annonces Cinéma
image credit: Chien de Garde film

Video review: Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

Glenn Gould is one of those Canadian figures who Canadians know but few outside Canada are familiar with his work.

Yet Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould works well as a biography film because Gould's eccentricities are illuminated by the genius of Colm Feore (as Gould), director Francois Girard, and writer Don McKellar (with Girard).

Glenn Gould was a renown piano genius most associated with his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. His idiosyncrasies such as shaking people's hands while wearing gloves adds to a character worth exploring.

Gould only lived to be 50 (1932-1982). Gould was one of the finest concert pianists until he abruptly retired after playing on April 10, 1964 and never performed in public again.

The film is filled with different storytelling elements: dramatic versions of key events with interviews with real people who knew Gould. The film skips around in seemingly a random order but feels like a carefully crafted order of the chaos.

The highlight might indeed be Gould on Gould where Feore as Gould interviews himself. The scene can play out like an internal monologue among himself but gives space to explore what might be happening in his brain. Girard shoots the scene in shadows to hide Feore's face to play with the illusion.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Even Canadians may struggle with the story if they don't know too much about Gould. The film doesn't offer much context or explanation about his story. You almost could enjoy this as a story about a fictional character who was actually real.

The film is entertaining enough as a way to tell a story about a person's life. You can watch the film and then learn more about Gould. I didn't know that much about Gould before the film and the film held my interest.

Glenn Gould was an intriguing figure in classical music in the 2oth century. His life needed an unique way to tell his story. Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould accomplishes that goal.

The 1993 film received 6 Genie Award nominations and won 4 Genies, including Best Motion Picture and Best Direction for Girard.

video credit: YouTube/Reel Canada
photo credit: Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould

Tatiana Maslany makes her debut on The Daily Show

"If people aren't watching, then it doesn't matter."

Tatiana Maslany finally got on The Daily Show well after her success on Orphan Black. Maslany was promoting her current work in the Broadway play Network based on the 1976 film written by Paddy Chayefsky.

Maslany plays television executive Diana Christensen, the role Faye Dunaway had in the film. Bryan Cranston plays Howard Beale in the Broadway version.

Had a blast talking to the wonderful @Trevornoah about @DestroyerMovie & @NetworkBway. Check it out tonight 11pmET @TheDailyShow pic.twitter.com/U0IauDEd4y

— Tatiana Maslany (@tatianamaslany) December 11, 2018

"It's about fake news. It's about the way entertainment and news have become fused and the line is blurry and the people that we let go on television and speak and let their beliefs be what we then ingest."

Trevor Noah also referred back to her work and many accents on Orphan Black. Noah resorted to the stereotypical question about whether Maslany would be bored playing only one character.

Tatiana Maslany, Sandra Oh lose out on 2018 Emmys to Claire Foy

A Canadian film idea to showcase female Canadian acting talent

Day 1 for Kelly and Ryan in Niagara Falls: Justin Trudeau and Tatiana Maslany

Tatiana Maslany wins the Lead Actress Emmy for Orphan Black

Maslany was on the program to promote her role in the Nicole Kidman film Destroyer. The film looks pretty intense. Maslany joked that she did a lot of drugs while filming Destroyer.

Noah pointed out that Maslany is drawn to characters that nobody would want to play and have to find the human side.

CanadianCrossing.com Daily Show coverage

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At press time, there is no extended interview with Maslany. If that changes, this article will be updated. Last week, Noah had lost his voice so he had help from the correspondents. Noah had no trouble with his voice on Monday.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah airs on Comedy Central in the United States and the Comedy Network and CTV in Canada.

video and photo credit: Comedy Central/The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Twitter capture: @tatianamaslany

Video review: Hochelaga, Land of Souls

Hochelaga, Terre des âmes was not a white whale on the level of Goin' Down the Road. Waiting for the film to cross the border in some form had been frustrating but mostly to satisfy the streak of seeing the Best Foreign Language Film entry for the Oscars. After seeing the film and Chien de Garde, the streak goes back to 2005.

The premise is that the history of Quebec is tied to a spot around the 30-yard line at Percival Molson Stadium, home for the McGill Redmen and CFL Montréal Alouettes.

In a game with McGill hosting Bishop's Gaiters from nearby Sherbrooke, a massive sinkhole opens up and swallows the Redmen's kick returner.

The film goes back and forth from ancient Quebec stories to Mohawk archaeologist Baptiste Asigny working on his thesis by investigating remains from the sinkhole in the football stadium. We hear the Asigny name in a conversation between 2 indigenous men in a faraway time.

François Girard wrote and directed Hochelaga, Land of Souls. Girard has a fine reputation, including Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould and The Red Violin.

The modern-day shots are presented with as little fanfare as possible. They recite the dialogue but you aren't excited about anything that happens in the modern time. The girlfriend of the deceased player is visible on screen but not in dialogue. Samian, who is more musician than actor, plays Asigny with as much blandness as poutine without cheese, gravy, and the cooking of the fries.

As someone who doesn't think history is boring, Girard goes out of his way to make the Quebec history pretty boring. Why were these stories chosen? We do see a story about Jacques Cartier but there isn't much there.

Breaking down 2016 WIFF Canadian films

I've seen Quebec historical stories such as Chaise Galerie (Wild Run) and Louis Cyr, so I know Quebec history can be told in interesting ways. Hochelaga, Terre des âmes isn't one of those films.

We do see a couple of prominent Canadian actresses in small roles. Karelle Tremblay plays a nun in a hospital in one of the historical scenes. Caroline Dhavernas plays a TV news anchor in the modern times. We also hear a sports radio talk show conversation about P.K. Subban.

Hochelaga, terre des âmes gets Canada nod for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

If you fast-forward through the modern sequences, you can come up with a decent look at Quebec history that will be in almost as much context as if you watched the whole film. Hochelaga, Terre des âmes is certainly not the worst Quebec film to go before the Academy Awards (Chien de Garde holds that honour) but there are better ways to learn about l'historie du Quebec.

video credit: YouTube/Victoria Film Festival
photo credit: Hochelaga, Land of Souls