1901 - The F Word

Now.  THIS is an example of making an accessible, commercial film inside of Canada.  But Michael Dowse is no stranger to that with Good.  Dowse is easily one of my favorite working directors in Canada.  I've been tracking this film for a while because two of my friends have small parts in it, but I'd be tracking it anyway because of Dowse alone.
It's easy to label this film as an update on When Harry Met Sally, but it's more than just that.  It throws you right into a head-on witty banter and doesn't let you go from that.  Of course you're in for a will they/won't they type film, but the situations they're put into aren't just for laughs or annoying suspense.  You feel their angst and confusion.  There's a pitch-perfect scene that takes place inside of a change room which anyone writing an effective rom-com should study.  It's a fantastic moment and the film is full of them.  Radcliffe is quite charming once you get used to the idea of him as a romantic interest (which does take a moment to adjust to) and Zoe Kazan is downright adorable - Adam Driver rounds out the cast nicely.
This film made a big splash at TIFF, and rightly so, so I think it won't be long before you can see it yourself.  Make sure you do.

1763 - The L.A. Complex: season two

This is a tricky one to right up because I've got some friends that are involved in this series and, if I'm honest, I'd love to work on this show if it comes back for a third season (please, oh please come back for a third season).  After the first season I liked this show a lot - there were some story lines that I wasn't crazy about and characters that I wasn't big on - but this second season came back swinging and realized that it was okay to not like all of the characters, so long as they were made interesting.  What's strongest about this series is that it has absolutely no problem with upsetting the status quo and putting it's characters through hell.  You actually believe that a character might leave and never come back, because that happens, because that's true to life.  This world inside of this show is messy, and despite being a bit of a soap opera, it's also quite real.  Characters are given hard choices, and even when they win they have to do so by losing something else.  Martin Gero and his writing staff understand how much loss plays into victory, and there's always sacrifice, especially when it comes to something so personal as following your dreams. 
If you're in Canada you can watch this series for free off of Much Music's website - otherwise I'm sure there's re-runs and on-demand type stuff.  It's easily my favourite Canadian series, and I'm proud of the work they've done on it.  As Jewel Staite in the (hopefully not series) finale, "We made something".  They certainly did.  And also the season wrapped up quite well, I could personally go for another round.

1696 - Young People Fucking

This is a film that I find myself continuing to come back to.  I've got several friends and colleagues that are in this, and that tends to make me enjoy it all the more.  I'm a big fan of ensemble films and I think I'm going to be watching a string of them in the next little bit just to get my headspace back around that sub-genre of film.
For those who haven't seen this film yet the title kind of says it all.  It juxtaposes several story lines that take place over the course of a sexual encounter and does so with a really lovely raw honesty and a sense of humour.  The film is filled to the brink with great performances from a phenomenal ensemble cast.  When people complain about how cliched Canadian films are they aren't talking about this one.
It's on netflix, so if you haven't seen it you should remedy that.  It's pretty godmn great.

1693 - The L.A. Complex: season one

So some reports are calling this a mid-season finale and others are calling it the season finale.  I wonder if they're not waiting to see the numbers that CW pulls in to decide whether or not it gets an extended first season and/or a second season.  I have to say though if this should doesn't get another season it will be a shame. 
It follows a group of Canadians living and trying to make it in L.A.  As someone who works in the entertainment industry I can tell you that I've witnessed a fair share of the terrible things that happen in this show, or I know people they've happened to.  It's a tough industry and this show makes no bones about it.  It's a very honest and harsh show in that capacity and good for it for having the balls to be so.  Take for example one particular story where a girl completely sells herself out, morals and everything, and in the end realizes that if she'd just waited she would have been fine.  Such is life. 
I believe that you can still stream episodes off of the much music website, so if you haven't watched yet give it a shot.  I love some of the characters, like others, and hate a few - but the few I hate are, I'm pretty sure, intentional. 
I'm really hoping this show gets extended.  I think it's got a lot more life in it and a lot more interesting stories to tell.  Please don't let it be another of those amazing Canadian shows that just doesn't get it's full chance.

Wipeout Canada - starts April 3rd!

For those who don't know, in addition to my film work, my main bread and butter is as working as an editor, and for the last several months I've been working on the upcoming Wipeout Canada.

For those familiar with the series you're in for a real treat.  For those who aren't - hit YouTube - they have full episodes of other country's versions that are on there to see.  So you can get caught up.  For fans, the first thing you'll notice about our edition is that we're working with the "first season" course - but don't think for a second that means that we're the typical Canadian counterpart.  I honestly believe that we've learned from the other editions of this show and created the best version of Wipeout possible.  It's got great energy, great contestants, and the best hosts that this series has ever had.  I've always liked the US's hosts, but they've always been a bit awkward to me, not in a good way.  Our hosts - Jonathon Torrens, Ennis Esmer, and Jessica Phillips are the exact kind of people you want guiding you through a show like this. 

So starting this Sunday (April 3rd) at 8pm on TVTropolis the episodes will start airing - and this first episode in particular is one that I personally worked on a lot, and I'm quite proud of.  And if you stick around until the Dizzy Dummy round you'll even get a cameo from me in way of my voice.  You'll probably hear me pop up in future episodes as well.  Feel free to throw popcorn at the screen.

So check it out - it's airing all across our fine country - looking forward to your thoughts!!!