Tag Archives: Featured

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Skindigenous celebrates the heritage and importance of Indigenous tattoos

People who get tattoos usually do it for a reason. For some, it’s to salute a band or loved one. For others, it’s a way to express a mantra. For the folks documented in Skindigenous, it’s to remember the heritage of Indigenous people around the world.

Debuting Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN, Nish Media’s Skindigenous is a 13-part adventure that takes viewers into the lives of tattoo artists and their unique culture to discover the tools, techniques, symbols and traditions that shape their art. At its origins among ancient cultures, tattooing was only practiced by those with special standing in the community. Today, modern-day tattoo artists use their art to re-connect with the heritage of their ancestors and to ensure that their stories are not lost.

Gorgeously shot, Episode 1 travels to the green hills of the Philippines to visit a woman and her grandnieces who keep the ancient tattooing tradition alive. Forget the whirring needles and bottles of colour you see in any Canadian city; 100-year-old Whang-Od Oggay (pictured below) and grandniece Grace Palicas practice the hand-tapping technique handed down through generations of members of their Kalinga tribe. Dubbed “the islands of the painted ones,” by Spanish explorers 500 years ago, the Phillippines’ tattooing traditions, as Whang-Od explains, surrounded marking men who killed or wounded opponents during ancient tribal wars.

As narrator Candy Palmater outlines, Whang-Od’s first tattoos were made in the 1940s on those who had fought against the Japanese in the Second World War. Now nature serves as inspiration for Whang-Od’s art via stylized mountains, rivers, centipedes and python scales that signify spirituality and strength. Tattoos in this culture can represent a number of things, including beauty and social status. The show’s producers use CGI brilliantly, showing the intricacies of the tattoo patterns and key locations where they are placed on the body.

Thousands of tourists visit Whang-Od’s small town of Buscalan every year, injecting the local economy with much-needed money. Determined to keep the economy of the area up and continue her art after she passes, Whang-Od has taught grandnieces Grace and Elyang the old traditions. Made from charcoal scraped from the bottom of a cooking pot, placed in a coconut husk and mixed with water and sweet potato, the ink is applied using a thorn of the pomelo tree tapped against the skin.

Upcoming episodes of  Skindigenous travel to Indonesia, Alberta, New Zealand and Hawaii, continuing the stories and art of Indigenous tattoo artists.

Skindigenous airs Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

Images courtesy of Nish Media.

 

 

 

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries, Orphan Black, Web series

Kristian Bruun says goodbye to Murdoch Mysteries in The Book of Jackson

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Spoiler alert! Do not continue reading unless you have watched the Season 10 finale of Murdoch Mysteries.

As much as I love Murdoch Mysteries, I didn’t like the way the show said goodbye to Constable “Slugger” Jackson. There was a lot going on in the Season 10 finale and Season 11 premiere, so his loss felt a little shoved to the side for fans. But now I feel like we—and the most lovable lug in Station House No. 4—have gotten a proper sendoff thanks to this season’s Murdoch Mysteries web series The Book of Jackson.

Written by Noelle Girard, the six-episode series—available now at CBC.ca—kicks off with the members of Station House No. 4 continuing to grieve the loss of Constable Jackson as they pack up his belongings. But the arrival of a distraught woman looking for the deceased Jackson and the discovery of a hidden notebook filled with a secret code lead Murdoch, Crabtree, Higgins and Watts working to unravel the case Jackson was working on in secret before he died.

I spoke to Kristian Bruun about playing Jackson for so many years and what it was like to return to the Murdoch Mysteries set to film The Book of Jackson.

I’ve watched The Book of Jackson and it was nice to take the time to really have a heartfelt goodbye for Slugger Jackson. He was taken so suddenly at the end of Season 10, it was hard to really grasp his exit.
Kristian Bruun: Yeah, it was nice. At the beginning of Season 11, we’re worried about Murdoch being framed for murder and that Crabtree is OK. They did have a nice little salute to him at the end of the episode that misted me up when I watched it. But it was so nice for me to have the opportunity to put the uniform back on and say goodbye my own way. I was pleasantly surprised and honoured to come back and put the uniform on.

What was the production schedule like? When did you film The Book of Jackson? It sounds like it was after Season 10 wrapped.
It was sort of similar to how we did the previous year’s web series, Beyond Time, which I was a part of as well. It’s best to film it when the season is up and running when everybody is around, the sets are in order and nothing has been shut down for the winter. Basically, they use the weekends to film the web series, so it’s extremely daunting for the cast and crew that are there all the time because they’ll shoot the regular work week and then will come in on Saturday and Sunday to shoot the web series, followed by another work week. It creates two straight weeks of super-long days. I think we shot this in November, so it was already near the end of the [filming] season and everyone was exhausted. And they fit so much into those two days. I mean, I remember working on the last one and trying to cram so much time travel jargon into my brain. It was such a blast but it’s a whirlwind.

So, I came in in November—I’ve been living in Los Angeles for a year now—and at the end of Season 10, we had a feeling one of us was going to die. We filmed the season finale and didn’t know who it was going to be at the time. I wish I’d known it was going to be me at the time because I would have taken the opportunity to say goodbye to the cast and the crew. But, they wanted to figure out what would be best for the fans and the mystery. I wanted to come back because I love the show, but I also understood that logistically I was the one actor who had moved away and that was just a timing thing because of my career and looking for the next thing after Orphan Black. I knew I was on the chopping block but I was hoping it wouldn’t be me. [Laughs.] But that’s the way it goes.

I was very sad to get that email from Peter Mitchell. He’s such a funny guy. He was like, ‘You’ll land on your feet, don’t worry.’ He wasn’t worried at all; meanwhile, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, what do I do? I had two shows but they just ended at the same time!’ It was stressful, but having the chance to say goodbye this way and see the crew one last time … who knows, maybe this isn’t the last time. Who knows? But it was certainly nice to come back and do some flashbacks with everybody.

It must have been emotional to return for those two days after time away and reunite with the cast and crew working that weekend.
There were a lot of strong hugs. [Laughs.]

It’s interesting to hear the circumstances surrounding your departure from Murdoch. I did think perhaps you asked to leave because you were heading to L.A. on the heels of Orphan Black ending.
I was a little bit concerned people would think that; that I had left the show for so-called greener pastures. That’s absolutely not the case and I want the fans to know that. It was a story decision and if I were to do that, I would have released a statement. It was not my decision but it’s one that I fully understand. [Laughs.] It was almost like, ‘Sorry we killed you off, here’s a web series!’

I was sorry that the relationship between Jackson and Watts wasn’t explored more fully before Jackson’s demise.
Daniel Maslany and I are good friends now because we’ve gotten to work together and because I’m really, really good friends with his sister, Tatiana, of course. I loved working with Daniel because we just had so much fun together with the dynamic between Jackson and Watts. They are two very different characters, which always makes for good TV. We were just starting to find our stride as those characters and having fun working together.

Jackson is a wonderful character. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is fiercely loyal to his friends.
They really gave me the opportunity to make him more human. Getting a chance to grow a character is an honour and you don’t always get that chance. Jackson started off as this rival constable from another station way back in Season 5 and grew into another member of the gang. In the memorial to Jackson and the picture up on the wall, they don’t forget him.

Watch all six episodes of The Book of Jackson via CBC.ca.

Were you happy to see Jackson back in the world of Murdoch Mysteries? Do you have a message for Kristian Bruun? Let me know in the comments below.

 

 

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Cardinal, Featured

Comments and queries for the week of February 16

I liked this season [of Cardinal] way more than Season 1, partly from the change of season but also because I thought the villain was way better this time. Like a lot of white people in Canada, I’ve been learning what racial appropriation is this year. It’s interesting to see it turn into a serial killer’s pathology. —Wim

Great series, really enjoy the characters of Cardinal and Delorme. I hope there is a fourth series commissioned to complete the books. Looking forward to Season 3, which is hopefully not 12 months away. —Toni

After Season 1 I started looking for Giles Blunt’s John Cardinal novels. The first one I found (and read) was No. 4 in the six-book series, By The Time You Read This which was so gripping! So when Season 2 started, and the “Catherine and John” thread started revealing itself, I knew right away what was coming! At times, it was a little too distracting to watch, seeing actors I’m more familiar with on 19-2 and Orphan Black (is Kevin Hanchard always going to play a cop?). However, you can also look at it from the opposite perspective, e.g. Kris Holden-Ried, who played LaSalle the biker bar owner, but also appeared as a priest consoling a troubled Frankie Drake (Frankie Drake Mysteries). I’ve admired Krist as an actor since I first saw him in Showcase’s Paradise Falls. I think he’s got range! —Stephen

I thought the opening credits for this show were the most beautiful I have ever seen. Anyone who thinks Northern Canada can’t be beautiful needs to view the first two or three minutes of the show. Aside from that, as a fan of Giles Blunt’s books, I was disappointed by the changes made, especially taking out Ray Northwind’s heritage as a Cuban. It makes the whole mysticism much more believable than the way the TV series showed him as coming from Sudbury. —Wendy

Pure quality and totally absorbing. —AnnH

U.S. fan, blew my mind the ending. Loved this season! Great sophomore to a brilliant first season. Characters phenomenal! Landscape gorgeous. There certainly is beauty in pain. Cannot wait for Season 3. —Kim

 

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

 

 

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Crawford, Featured

Crank it up! CBC Music releases Crawford’s playlist

Music is a huge part of television. The right orchestral piece can add incredible drama and the correct bit of rock can add pop to a scene. Crawford definitely uses music to that advantage.

Available for streaming via CBC.ca and the CBC TV app, Crawford centres on a dysfunctional family headed by Cynthia (Jill Hennessy), an award-winning cereal executive trying to juggle work, her husband Owen, and her lover; and Owen (John Carroll Lynch), a former police chief who suffered a bullet wound on the job and communicates via an app on his smartphone. Adding to the nuttiness are siblings Don (Kyle Mac), a musician who returns home following an emotional breakdown; Wendy (Alice Moran), Brian (Daniel Davis Yang) and a family of raccoons. Yes, you read that right. Raccoons.

Now CBC Music has teamed with Crawford co-creators Mike Clattenburg and Mike O’Neill for the ultimate playlist. The series’ original soundtrack, along with additional songs from TUNS, The Weeknd, The Tragically Hip, A Tribe Called Quest, Tracy Chapman, Prince, Holy Fuck and Rush make up a list of 92 curated tracks. Check them out below.

“It’s what would happen if some of the of the people who worked on Crawford, including me, took turns playing music at a party. Some of it is thematic some of it is personal,” O’Neill says. Clattenburg, O’Neill and executive producer Laura Michalchyshyn, and cast—Jill Hennessy, John Carroll Lynch, Kyle Mac, Alice Moran, Daniel Davis Yang—share some of the music that served as inspiration while writing and filming the series.

In the below video, O’Neill and Clattenburg discuss how they scored Crawford‘s original soundtrack.

 

Crawford‘s first season is available for streaming via CBC.ca and the CBC TV app. It will be broadcast on CBC later this year.

Images courtesy of CBC.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Photo gallery: Rocky Mountain Railroad; plus sizzle reel

I grew up being fascinated with trains. Some of my most treasured memories as a child are of bombing along country roads outside of Brantford, Ont., with my dad (he was behind the wheel) as we chased trains to railroad crossings. That feeling has never changed. I still get a thrill out of watching—and riding in—trains.

I know I’m not the only one. Heck, Discovery already celebrates that mode of transportation with Mighty Trains—Season 2 is currently in production—proving lovers of these rail riders is an international affection.

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Now Discovery focuses solely on the country of Canada with Rocky Mountain Railroad. Debuting Monday, March 5, at 10 p.m. ET, the series features the folks and machinery of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Ontario Northland Railway. Cameras capture how the elite crews assembled keep the nation’s critical freight and passenger trains rolling during the winter months by battling deadly avalanches, monster icicles, steep rockslides and dangerous wildlife.

Take a peek at some of the trains featured in Rocky Mountain Railroad above and check out the teaser trailer for what to expect on March 5.

Rocky Mountain Railroad airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET beginning on March 5.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

 

 

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