Canadian Crossing

Dream of a Starlight Canadian film channel should shift to a streaming service

A group of influential people in Canadian film came together in 2012 and 2013 to get a cable channel devoted to Canadian film to be a required-carry channel as designated by the CRTC.

That didn't happen and the Starlight concept disappeared into thin air. The dynamics seemed to be either acceptance as a required-carry channel or not at all. The numbers of people who would voluntarily subscribe might not be enough to reach the significant goals: their idea was to get enough funds to produce 8-12 films that would debut on the channel before being released into theatres.

Starlight was a marvelous idea in the "long-ago" era of 2013 but times have rapidly changed. The concept of Starlight is still needed but with a boost to a more ideal format.

Starlight is key to opening up eyes to Canadian film

Canada Screens uses Internet to showcase Canadian film

How many Canadian cities would run a Canadian film in a theatre?

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Canada Screens is a wonderful asset, showcasing Canadian films with categories and suggestions from Canadian film icons.
Drawbacks: charge per film instead of monthly fee; only available in Canada; very limited Canadian film menu

CBC Gem has mostly television but also carries Canadian films. CBC Gem has a ad-free section for a small monthly fee but otherwise does not charge.
Drawbacks: more TV than film; not that much film

Acorn TV, along with Britbox, shows British TV for a monthly fee. The service does carry Murdoch Mysteries and Republic of Doyle.
Drawbacks: very little Canadian TV, no Canadian movies

So how to build a Canadian streaming service?

Classic content: We discussed some time ago the idea of a CBC Classic cable channel to help finance the operation. Older Canadian films don't have a home. They could be the gateway to discovering the influences of modern Canadian film through its past. They wouldn't interfere with the Netflix desire for current Canadian content.

TV and movies: Netflix and Amazon Prime have a combination of both TV and cinema. The introduction of 30-minute and 60-minute programming offers variety to the streaming consumer.

Programming with perspective: The Filmmakers is a good resource to supplement a Canadian streaming service. Older films and TV need context so Canadians can learn the history of their art.

International support: United States, United Kingdom, and Australia are prominent English-speaking countries outside of Canada where Canadian content can shine. Add in a multitude of French-speaking countries around the world for Quebec programming and you can spread Canadian content well past the 49th parallel.

Canadian content has a wide variety within its borders. If you think the streaming service will be too marrow, consider that Disney will launch a streaming service devoted to its content.

Canada doesn't have a devotion to Canadian films on cable the way American cable runs tons of American films. Turner Classic Movies is all about older films. Starlight could have removed the excuses for why Canadians couldn't see Canadian films.

Starting with classics might deviate from promoting current Canadian content. Having older material at the start can lure potential streaming consumers whose experience will only be enhanced by new releases.

video and photo credit: YouTube/StarlightTVCanada

Video review: The Life Before This

We pitched the idea of a film to showcase the amazing female Canadian onscreen talent. I came across a Canadian film that has Sarah Polley, Emily Hampshire, Alison Pill, Alberta Watson, Leslie Hope, and Catherine O'Hara. My film idea is better.

The Life Before This has a gimmick. Lives take a tragic turn during a shootout at a coffee shop (yes, this is a Canadian film).

The film goes on to show us what would have happened if events ran differently before that fateful moment. So if you think you've seen the ending in the beginning, you have to see the whole film to find out the conclusion.

The ensemble concept means little screen time for any subplot. Polley and Hampshire have a scene together. Watson and O'Hara are in the same subplot.

Callum Keith Rennie has a small role as the brother of a main character.

The drama in the film is a bit over the top. The only common theme is that there is a lot of drama in these people's lives.

The idea that a small coffee shop would have that many souls with tragic turns in one location feels a bit much.

A Canadian film idea to showcase female Canadian acting talent

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The concept of a mass shooting in a coffee shop was quaint for the 1999 film. Unfortunately, the mass shooting at The Danforth as well as the van tragedy on Yonge Street in 2018 make the scenario not as quaint.

Director Jerry Ciccoritti and writer Semi Chellas take us on an intellectual exercise. The film mostly works with the performances giving the edge in a positive result.

The more you like the idea of fate and destiny, the more you will like this film. Or you could love those Canadian actors and want to see them regardless. You might also be interested who gets killed in the first scenario versus the end of the film.

If your curiosity is not enhanced, skip it and watch other Canadian films featuring those actors.

The Life Before This is currently available in the U.S. on Amazon Prime.

photo credit: The Life Before This film

The necessity of Canadian films that don't seem Canadian

A few years back, I saw the opening night film at the Windsor International Film Festival. The World Before Her was identified as a Canadian film. What we saw was a documentary about the contrast between the Miss India pageant and a training camp for Indian women to fight against Christianity, Islam, and Western culture.

Rebelle (War Witch), Old Stone, Ava. Let's not forget the works of Deepa Mehta. All Canadian films that don't feel Canadian.

The process that goes into picking which Canadian films to review

We focus on Canadian films that are shot in Canada with Canadian actors because they deserve recognition, especially in their home country.

I recently did see Ava thanks to Amazon Prime. Outside of the credits, there is not a shred in Canada on screen. Ava is a Canadian film because Sadaf Foroughi is Iranian-Canadian. This is an observation without judgment.

We see young women speaking in ways that we might not think they would speak with such frankness on boys and sex. Ava (Mahour Jabbari) fights an uphill battle against her mother. Her father is more lenient but that doesn't carry too much weight.

Ava's mother (Bahar Noohian) tries to control every aspect of Ava's life and is rather successful.

Ava is a very good film, though the story suffers from rooting for Ava even if nothing seems to be going her own way. That may be a reflection of the reality especially since the story is supposed to somewhat based on Foroughi's personal experience.

What makes 'Chloe' a Canadian film?

'Visibly Canadian' is a reasonable goal for Canadian film

Canadian films should tell more stories about Canada

Other countries produce films with little visual element from that country such as Mustang set in Turkey in Turkish but is a French film. However, Canada is in a unique spot in the world in terms of bringing films to the screen that would have trouble otherwise.

Mehta's work, particularly Fire, Earth, and Water, belongs in many ways to the world, even if the films look Indian and are Canadian films.

Ava might not exist if thought about as an Iranian film. Wadjda from Saudi Arabia has proven to be a grand exception, but doesn't deal with teenage girls and thoughts about sex.

Canada is a very inclusive multicultural country. While the United States can claim that on some level, Canada has an advantage in being a more ideal destination for people that have trouble telling their stories outside their country. Their films would be more difficult to make in the United States and more likely to get lost in that film community.

Albert Shin, born in Canada of South Korean descent, made his debut feature film, In Her Place, in Korean in South Korea. "(Shin) feels a film can be 'uniquely Canadian' due to the artistic sensibility of its writer and director, even when it is set outside of Canada and filmed in a language other than English, French or an Indigenous language."

Telefilm Canada shouldn't limit funding by language but reward films shot in Canada with Canadians

We still support the idea of rewarding Canadian films shot in Canada with Canadians. There also needs to be support for films tied to countries that would make them difficult to release.

Since films are often co-produced by several countries, we could create a UN type concept to help fund and promote films that fall in these categories. They can still belong to the countries of origin but get a chance to tell stories that otherwise might be lost.

The actresses who played Ava (Mahour Jabbari) and her best friend Melody (Shayesteh Sajadi) were denied travel visas by Canada to attend the film's premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Among the many issues involved were a lack of "family ties in Canada."

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Ava made the TIFF Canada's Top Ten list of the best Canadian films of 2017. The film received 8 Canadian Screen Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Foroughi), Best Actress (Jabbari), and Best Supporting Actress (Noohian). Ava won for Noohian and Best First Feature.

If you are a fan of Canadian films made in Canada with Canadians and upset about films such as Ava competing for awards, then let's work to make those films more competitive. Film has a world stage and that is the real competition. Streaming services give consumers lots of choices. Work hard to make all Canadian films a part of that world.

video credit: YouTube/TIFF Trailers

Canadian Screen Awards showcase nominees in Canadian theatres

This isn't quite the TIFF Top 10 Canadian films, but Canadians in a few major cities will be able to see some of the Canadian Screen Awards nominees in an actual movie theatre.

The screenings of 5 films will start on Saturdays during March. The Canadian cities for the screenings are Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, St. John's, and Iqaluit.

Here are the Canadian films for the screenings:

March 2 Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume
March 9 Immaculate Memories: The Uncluttered Worlds of Christopher Pratt
March 16 Sashinka
March 23 What Walaa Wants
March 30 (March 29 in Toronto) Stockholm

Only 2 of the 5 have significant Canadian content on the screen. The initial film is the only entry for Best Motion Picture. If I were in one of those Canadian cities, I might pick a couple and watch.

The major criticisms of the Best Motion Picture nominees were that no one had seen the films (only Genesis | Genèse had played in a theatre outside of this festival) and that none of the nominees were in English.

Comparing the Canadian Screen Awards to the Academy Awards is unfair. Part of the fun with the Oscars is that even if you haven't seen a film, someone else in your group has seen the film.

Schitt's Creek, Anne with an E lead TV nominations for 2019 Canadian Screen Awards

Chien de Garde fails to make Oscars shortlist

I've seen 1 of the 5 Best Motion Picture nominees and that was a dreadful film. If I were rooting for a Best Motion Picture nominee, I would select The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur mostly because director Maxime Giroux also did Felix and Meira.

Roman Duris is not nominated for The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur and Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume but I would see a film because he is in the cast. I know I've seen more films with Roman Duris than all my friends combined.

Beth Janson, chief executive of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, which administers the CSAs, said in an interview that the films were curated films for a specific audience "films that have a broad appeal, because if you put your most challenging content first, you’re not going to catch as many people."

This is a nice symbolic gesture with the emphasis on symbolic, a pebble in Lake Ontario. The pebble is nice and shiny.

TIFF selects Top 10 Canadian films of 2018

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

This is the part when I talk about which films I have seen. I haven't seen any of these films. I had to look up 2 titles.

I've seen 3 of the TIFF Top 10 Canadian films from 2018. What Walaa Wants is the only film on the Top 10 that is a part of this festival. If I can't keep up, I can't imagine most Canadians will try as hard as I do. Then again, if I lived in Toronto, I could add 5 more films in March.

The Canadian Screen Awards ceremony will air on March 31 on CBC. You can find out more details on the screenings.

photo credit: Canadian Screen Awards

Domee Shi wins for best animated short at 2019 Oscars

Congrats to 🇨🇦 Domee Shi who won best animated short for #Bao! First woman to direct a #Pixar short! 👏🏽 Shi: « To all the nerdy girls who hide behind their sketchbooks, don’t be afraid to share your stories with the world. » #oscars2019 #oscars pic.twitter.com/5izOkrDytZ

— Zulekha Nathoo (@ZulekhaNathoo) February 25, 2019

Toronto-raised Domee Shi won an Oscar for best animated short for the Pixar production Bao. The category was filled with Canadians including David Fine and Alison Snowden for Animal Behaviour as well as Weekends set in 1980s Toronto by Canadian-born director Trevor Jimenez. Fine and Snowden now have 4 Academy Award nominations, including a win for Bob’s Birthday.

"To all of the nerdy girls out there who hide behind their sketchbooks — don't be afraid to tell your stories to the world," said Shi in her acceptance speech.

Paul Massey finally won an Oscar in his 8th try. Massey won the award with Tim Cavagin and John Casali for sound mixing for Bohemian Rhapsody. As you can tell from the acceptance speech, Massey was born in England but did live in Toronto for 13 years. Roma's Craig Henighan was also nominated in the sound mixing category.

Set decorator Gordon Sim was nominated for Mary Poppins Returns, but lost out to the crew from Black Panther.

The live action short film category had 2 finalists from Montréal in Jeremy Comte for Fauve and Marianne Farley for Marguerite, but both films lost out to Skin.

Stephan James and Mike Myers were Canadian presenters. James presented with Elsie Fisher for makeup and hairstyle. Myers and his Wayne's World buddy Dana Carvey introduced Bohemian Rhapsody as a Best Picture nominee. The song features prominently in Wayne's World.

Stephan James, Ryan Gosling fall short of 2019 Oscar nominations

Canadians Oscars nomination scoreboard

Chien de Garde fails to make Oscars shortlist

Roma was a rare Best Picture nominee that was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, but did win the latter award. "I think the nominees tonight have proven we are part of the same ocean," said director Alfonso Cuarón.

Roma beat out Never Look Away (Germany); Shoplifters (Japan); Capernaum (Lebanon); and Cold War (Poland) for the honour.

This is the second film from North America to win Best Foreign Language Film. Denys Arcand's Barbarian Invasions won the award for Canada at the 2004 Oscars.

Will be curious if Canada can ever deliver a film that could make the impact Roma did last night. The film won Best Director and Best Cinematography and received 10 overall nominations. Good to see the Academy consider this in a film that is not in English.

The Canadian Media Fund debuted its MADE | NOUS campaign celebrating Canadian content during the red carpet special on CTV, the Academy Awards network in Canada.

Christopher Plummer narrated the ad; Plummer is the only living Canadian actor who grew up in Canada to have an Oscar. The ad notes the Canadian impact on such projects as Arrival, The Handmaid’s Tale, Orphan Black, Deadpool, and Stranger Things. The ad also features Canadian actors Karine Vanasse and Jacob Tremblay.

The ad is sharp and such a brilliant idea. We will likely write more about this in the future.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? won Best Documentary at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Saturday afternoon in Santa Monica, CA. The documentary on Fred Rogers, which recently aired on PBS, completely leaves out the crucial Canada portion of his career. The documentary didn't even get a Oscars nomination.

Roma (Mexico) won Best International Film over Burning (South Korea); The Favourite (United Kingdom); Happy as Lazzaro (Italy); and Shoplifters (Japan).

"I'm optimistic right now that it seems we are reaching a moment in which a greater diversity is happening in cinema. And I think that diversity is going to very soon make this category irrelevant," said Roma director and writer Alfonso Cuarón. I would argue that the category should remain to give love and appreciation to cine mundial as defined as film outside the United States.

If Beale Street Could Talk won major awards for Best Feature, Best Director (Barry Jenkins), and Best Supporting Female (Regina King) but Stephan James wasn't even nominated.

Twitter capture: @ZulekhaNathoo
video credit: YouTube/Made_Nous

Video review: Pontypool

Most of what happens in Pontypool happens off-screen. The dungeon-type radio studio in a former church separates the primary cast from the outside world in a radio War of the Worlds type drama.

Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie) is the long-in-the-tooth morning disc jockey trying to figure out whether the reports they get are serious or an elaborate prank. Sydney Briar (Lisa Houle) is the level-headed radio producer. Laurel Ann Drummond (Georgina Reilly) is the assistant producer.

Bruce McDonald does a wonderful job of keeping the suspense and mystery. The radio show has to report the story but they want to report what is actually happening.

Pontypool is also a zombie film though the film is more of a thoughtful, psychological zombie film. Since certain English words trigger the zombies; in a bilingual country, the radio staff has to be clever to use a mix of French and English to communicate.

McHattie is perfectly cast as the crafty radio veteran. Houle and Reilly are also very effective.

Bruce McDonald directed Pontypool but Tony Burgess adapted the screenplay from his novel Pontypool Changes Everything.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

A thoughtful zombie film may have trouble appealing to those who like zombie films or thoughtful films. Pontypool is more of a psychological scare than typical horror films. Most of the known is unknown on the screen.

You might also watch the film twice to see if you missed something on the first screening. More than likely, you won't mind watching the film again.

video credit: Pontypool
photo credit: Pontypool

2019 Valentine's Day: Our love for Sandra Oh

We have taken the idea of Valentine's Day over the years to celebrate Canadian women in various tributes, some more enlightened than others.

I want to take 2019 to focus on one particular Canadian woman whose story of perseverance and determination has finally won her rewards that she deserved many years ago.

Sandra Oh has done exceptionally well with her current TV show Killing Eve on BBC America and Bravo in Canada. Oh got an Emmy nomination but did win top honours from the Critics' Choice Television Awards, Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild.

Fans of this blog know that Oh distinguished herself early in her career with her performances in Double Happiness and Last Night. Oh won a Genie for her role in Double Happiness and a Gemini for The Diary of Evelyn Lau.

Oh has also been in other great Canadian films such as Wilby Wonderful, Hard Candy, The Red Violin, Long Life, Happiness & Prosperity, Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming, and Meditation Park.

Sandra Oh host and winner at the 76th Golden Globes

IFC mistakes Canadian Sandra Oh as an American

She has been featured in popular U.S. films such as The Princess Diaries, Under The Tuscan Sun, Sideways, and Guinevere.

Oh also managed to have a successful TV career for 10 years as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy with 5 straight Emmy nominations and also starred on Arliss.

Celebrating Canadian women accomplishments on Valentine's Day 2018

Video review: Better Than Chocolate

My Canadian Valentines 2016

My Canadian Valentines 2015

Ellen Page: still a cool Canadian role model

Seeing the multiple layers of beauty of famous Canadian women

I wish they all could be … Canadian girls

Yet until Killing Eve, Sandra Oh had been lost in the background. She played the lead in those Canadian classics Double Happiness and Last Night as well as the animated film Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming but rarely had the lead. Her first 5 Emmy nominations were for a supporting role. She played the best friend in Under The Tuscan Sun, Sideways.

I wondered for years why Hollywood didn't see what I saw. Then again, I've seen these Canadian films so I knew what Oh was capable of doing.

There were a few in Hollywood who wondered about Oh in leaving Grey's Anatomy. "Wasn't this the best Oh was going to find?" some may have wondered. If you hadn't seen Window Horses or Meditation Park, you might really have wondered where Oh went.

Oh is finally getting some very deserved recognition after 8 episodes of Killing Eve. The United States is finally getting to see what Canada has seen for some time: Oh can and should be the lead in projects. She has earned this and more.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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Season 2 of Killing Eve premieres April 7 at 8 pm Eastern on BBC America.

photos credit: Golden Globes/NBC

Schitt's Creek, Anne with an E lead TV nominations for 2019 Canadian Screen Awards

Schitt's Creek and Anne with an E each have 15 nominations for the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards. Cardinal on CTV has 14 nominations.

Drama

The best lead actress opened up with Tatiana Maslany and Orphan Black in the mix. A bit surprised to not see Lauren Lee Smith in that category for Frankie Drake Mysteries. A bit surprised to see Kristin Kreuk for Burden of Proof in that category. I'm a big fan of Caroline Dhavernas in Mary Kills People.

Best Dramatic Series
Anne with an E
Bad Blood
Blood and Water
Frankie Drake Mysteries
Vikings

Best Lead Actor
Kim Coates Bad Blood
Jerry O'Connell Carter
Aaron Ashmore Killjoys
Yannick Bisson Murdoch Mysteries
Eric McCormack Travelers

Best Lead Actress
Amybeth McNulty Anne with an E
Caroline Dhavernas Mary Kills People
Wendy Crewson The Detail
Melanie Scrofano Wynonna Earp
Kristin Kreuk Burden of Proof

Best Supporting Actor
Salvatore Antonio Mary Kills People
Daniel Petronijevic Cardinal
Louis Ferreira Bad Blood
R.H. Thomson Anne with an E
Brent Carver Save Me

Best Supporting Actress
Sharron Matthews Frankie Drake Mysteries
Chanelle Peloso The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco
Mackenzie Porter Travelers
Geraldine James Anne with an E
Selena Lee Blood and Water

Comedy

Kim's Convenience is missing from the comedy awards, but for a very good reason. The show aired in the fall of 2017 and the winter of 2019, but not in 2018. Seeing Private Eyes in the comedy category might be a one-time thing since, well, the show isn't a comedy. Amanda Brugel, who also appears on Kim's Convenience, got a nod for her work on Workin' Moms.

For U.S. viewers, the second half of the second season of Private Eyes finally starts on Ion Television starting this Sunday.

Best Comedy Series
Letterkenny
Mr. D
Schitt's Creek
Second Jen
Workin' Moms

Best Lead Actor
Jared Keeso Letterkenny
Jason Priestley Private Eyes
Gerry Dee Mr. D
Daniel Levy Schitt's Creek
Eugene Levy Schitt's Creek

Best Lead Actress
Cindy Sampson Private Eyes
Annie Murphy Schitt's Creek
Catherine O'Hara Schitt's Creek
Catherine Reitman Workin' Moms
Dani Kind Workin' Moms

Best Supporting Actor
Chris Elliott Schitt's Creek
Noah Reid Schitt's Creek
Peter Keleghan Workin' Moms
Ennis Esmer Private Eyes
Colin Mochrie Tiny Plastic Men

Best Supporting Actress
Mary Walsh Little Dog
Emily Hampshire Schitt's Creek
Jennifer Robertson Schitt's Creek
Jann Arden Workin' Moms
Amanda Brugel Workin' Moms

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Film

A pair of films received 8 nominations to lead the way: Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume and The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur) from Maxime Giroux, who directed Felix and Meira.

The best motion picture nominees are all French-language films, including the nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, Family First (Chien de garde). I haven't seen the other nominees but Chien de garde was horrible. Anthropocene: The Human Epoch leads the nominees for best feature-length documentary.

Chien de Garde fails to make Oscars shortlist

60% of the best director nominees are women.

Best motion picture

• A Colony | Une colonie
• Family First | Chien de garde
• Genesis | Genèse
• Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume
• The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur

Best director

• Sophie Dupuis Family First | Chien de garde
• Jasmin Mozaffari Firecrackers
• Geneviève Dulude-De Celles A Colony | Une colonie
• Maxime Giroux The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur
• Daniel Roby Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume

Best feature-length documentary

• Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
• Immaculate Memories: The Uncluttered Worlds of Christopher Pratt
• Letter from Masanjia
• The Devil's Share (La Part du diable)
• What Walaa Wants

I can't speak to the other nominees in the best actor category but Pellerin should win this without a fight. I may have hated the film but he acted his way into a win. The performances in The Grizzlies were wonderful, but those 3 are the only ones I've seen on these lists. I like Sarah Gadon but haven't seen this film.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

• Michael Rowe Crown and Anchor
• Theodore Pellerin Family First | Chien de garde
• Martin Dubreuil The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur
• Paul Nutarariaq The Grizzlies
• Brandon Oakes Through Black Spruce

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• Emilie Bierre, A Colony | Une colonie
• Carla Turcotte Sashinka
• Valeria Henríquez The Padre
• Rose-Marie Perreault Fake Tattoos | Les faux tatouages
• Brigitte Poupart Les Salopes or the Naturally Wanton Pleasure of Skin | Les salopes ou le sucre naturel de la peau

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

• Richard Clarkin The Drawer Boy
• Paul Doucet With Love | L'Amour
• Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie A Colony | Une colonie
• Paul Ahmarani Genesis | Genèse
• Michel Robin Just a Breath Away | Dans la brume

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

• Kate Moyer Our House
• Romane Denis Slut in a Good Way | Charlotte a du fun
• Sarah Gadon The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur
• Anna Lambe The Grizzlies
• Irlande Côté A Colony | Une colonie

You can find all the nominations in film, television, digital media, and special awards. The 7th Canadian Screen Awards will be on March 31 and will air on CBC.

photos credit: Critic Choice Television Awards/CW network

Video review: Paris or Somewhere

Callum Keith Rennie and Molly Parker have a shared history in film and television. That magic and chemistry started in Paris or Somewhere, a TV-movie that dates back to 1994.

The film starts with Christy Mahon (Rennie) hitching a ride to cross over into Canada. Mahon arrives in town bragging about killing his father. Meanwhile, there is a serial killer on the loose who wears a red bandanna. Mahon is wearing a red bandanna.

Mahon ends up getting a job in the local general store run by Peg Kennedy (Parker). Kennedy is engaged but doesn't seem bothered by that fact.

Kennedy thinks the stranger wants to leave with her and go some place such as Vancouver. Turns out Mahon is exactly where he wants to be in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.

One minor character spends the entire film wearing a CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders hat.

John Vernon, known in some circles as Dean Wormer from Animal House, appears in the film. You might think Vernon's presence is an American ringer, but Vernon in secretly Canadian.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The film is a bit slow moving. While a TV-movie, you can only tell that because of breaks that look built in for commercials. The quality of the film is a lot stronger than typical TV-movies.

Paris or Somewhere is based on the 1907 play Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge.

Rennie and Parker are the reasons to watch this film. They have a coolness alone and with each other. Hollywood films supposedly have chemistry but have less chemistry that these two have in an awkward TV-movie from a long time ago.

At press time, Paris or Somewhere is available on Amazon Prime Video in the United States.

photo credit: Paris or Somewhere film

Remembering Canadian actress Karen Dwyer

Karen Dwyer had bright red hair but still blended in well as a Canadian actress in film and television. I can’t say I’ve seen most of her work. Her Republic of Doyle episode work was from 2010 where Dwyer played a role that seemed much younger than her then 35 years on the planet.

Dwyer was best remembered for her lead role as Maggie in Better Than Chocolate, a film that I consider to be one of the best lesbian films ever, Canadian or otherwise. Her naked protest toward the end of the film was amazingly vulnerable.

I got invited to a party in 2016 in Toronto. Sometimes you are talking to someone at a party for awhile before you realize the significance of the person in front of you. When I found out her connection to the film, I went a bit overboard over how much I loved her in Better Than Chocolate.

Video review: Better Than Chocolate

When I wrote the Better Than Chocolate film review in 2017, I pointed out that I met Dwyer at that party. "She was very nice and let me go on about how much I loved the film."

The party was a very nice gathering and meeting Dwyer was a highlight.

"Dwyer suffered from anxiety and depression and committed suicide on 25 September 2018 at the age of 43."

That is from the Wikipedia page on how Dwyer passed away last fall.

Here are a bunch of Canadian films that pass the Bechdel test

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

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I debated over writing this story. After all, every year has significant deaths of Canadian actors, actresses, and filmmakers. I did feel a special connection to the film, to her character, and later to the actress.

You hope that when you meet someone you admire or like that the meeting will go well. I can honestly say the meeting went exactly the way I wanted it to go once I found out who she was.

Alberta Watson remembered as a great Canadian actress

While Canadian actors and actresses pass on, I hadn’t had quite a reaction since the death of Alberta Watson in 2015. Watson and Dwyer gave a lot and had so much more to give. So I say thank you to Karen Dwyer for what she gave on-screen and her kindness off-screen, RIP.

Editor's note: For full disclosure, director Anne Wheeler (Better Than Chocolate) is a friend of a friend, though I saw the film before I met my friend.

photo credit: NorthernStars.ca; Better Than Chocolate