Apple Tree Yard, released theatrically in 2017 is now available as a series well worth resurrecting. Sure, there are problems with pacing and our changing feelings about the characters, but hang on – the slow burn is ideal, things feel lifelike and resonant and at the en when we are slammed with a wildly unexpected double twist, we say to ourselves, I thought I knew them, how did I miss that. The sexually driven suspense thriller based on the novel by Louise Doughty stars Em

The moodiest of moody murder mysteries, the original series Shetland now on BritBox enters its tenth season with the deeply shocking murder of an elderly woman on a remote, isolated island farm. Septuagenarian Eadie ( Maria MacDonell ) is found dead by neighbour Colin, a gruesome outdoor scene in full view of the surrounding empty lands. Tulloch had been bound and strangled with heavy ropes the kind used in the local fishing industry, and left in place for several days. DI

It’s 1910 and Murdoch Mysteries takes us on a brief train ride to Calgary, where Det. Murdoch and Inspector Brackenreid are to attend the first ever Calgary Stampede, known then simply as The Stampede. Google states stampede has many shades of meaning and they apply in tonight’s Murdoch in the Saddle . “ Key Characteristics Sudden & Uncontrolled: Movement happens quickly and without order. Fear/Excitement: Often driven by panic or high emotion. Directional: A shared, rapid

If you feel you’ve had too many happy moments during the holidays and need to balance your fate with something grim, be sure to catch the multi -award winning thriller Rosemead. Lucy Liu plays Irene, a struggling Los Angeles single mother with terminal cancer – she hasn’t told her schizophrenic son Joe ( Lawrence Shou ). He’s in a world of his own pain following the death of his father and is unpredictable, violent and acts out at school; his irresponsibility leads to prob

Rowan Atkinson stars as Trevor Bingley in the comedy series Man vs Baby a meek fellow separated from his beloved wife and daughter and living alone in an isolated farmhouse. Christmas nears and he expects be with them but they’re both going to Barbados with his wife’s new beau. He’s a caretaker and oddsbody at a local school setting up for the Christmas Pageant. He finds an infant in a basket on the front step, no note and everyone’s gone. He pits it in the manger. He can’t

One of the most enduring marriages in the world of entertainment, between Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon has lasted thirty-seven years. They made three films together – Lemon Sky, Pyrates and Murder in the First and their fourth, The Best You Can opens on Christmas Day. Quite a statement about enduring and enjoying one another personally and professionally – it warms the heart. The film opens as Kyra’s Cynthia is told her much older husband Warren (Judd Hirsch) has dementia;

Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar opens with her powerful statement. “Ill use my pain. If you want to hear something from me, you’ll hear it. I’m gonna thunder this through their brain”. Given her life story, forced into acting as a child, based on her beauty and fortunately, talent, as a “commodity” (in her words) there seems to have been strong resentment and a sense of rebellion, but there was lnothing she could do. She was forced to do love scenes with middle actors whe

If you were conscious in 1975 and lived in North America, you will remember it as a turbulent year, of upheaval, new ideas and post hippy social awareness. It was a banner year for bold, impressive and timely films; that’s the lens through which Morgan Neville illustrates what happened and why in his superb documentary Breakdown: 1975 . His premise is that America suffered a “nervous breakdown” due to the pressures of old values that were no longer viable. Twenty years figh

Maria Friedman’s feature direction of the live version of 4-time Tony-winning Broadway musical Merrily We Roll Along surprised me in all the right ways. Now in theatrical release it follows a trio of friends, lyricist Charley played by Daniel Radcliffe, composer Franklin from Jonathan Groff with Lindsay Mendez as writer Mary over twenty years -backwards! Expecting it to feel hemmed in, limited to a single set, “theatrical” and confusing, it’s a brilliant experiment that cas

Jane Seymour’s Irish private investigator series Harry Wild has proven to be a fan favourite for Acorn TV. To celebrate, the current S4 ends with a bang with a feature length episode that has all the series’ bells and whistles. Seymour’s deeply intuitive approach to her work, is aided by her young, rather brilliant “intern” Fergus (Rohan Nedd) who shares her gift and drive for the job. They attend the wedding of Vicky and Cormac, a couple of upper crusties and everyone’s

Michael Greyeyes, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice and Michelle Thrush lead a small cast in Meadowlarks from Tasha Hubbard. They’re Cree siblings – Anthony, Connie, Marianne and Gwen, taken from their shared mother and sent to non-Indigenous homes. The Canadian government took by force native children from their home and families to send them to residential schools. There, they would be taught to be white Christians. The horrific practice under four Prime Ministers – John Diefenbake

Ok, so Frank Hathaway and Lu Shakespeare (Mark Benton, Jo Joyner) had a “disagreement” and broke up their two-person detective agency in Stratford-Upon-Avon after four seasons. Shakespeare and Hathaway S5 launches on BritBox Nov 25 but what to expect? After two years not speaking, and launching separate agencies, they find themselves thrown together to investigate Rina and Preston a pair of celebrity TV home renovators. Both “couples” are spatting. Our dicks are called in

Publishing feminist pioneer Jule Campbell is the subject of a documentary with a cultural edge, written and directed by her daughter Jill. Beyond the Gaze looks at the groundbreaking career of the photographer’s decades putting together the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. The annual issue dramatically outpaced any other by leaps and bounds , the highest earner, typically bringing in $15 M a year (equivalent $78M today). A no brainer, right? Sports fans – presumed to be

How heartbreakingly ironic that just days before the release of Sallywood , the fact-based feature on her career and bond of friendship with a fan that could have relaunched it, Sally Kirkland passed away. She’d entered hospice in Palm Springs yesterday for an unknown condition. She died today (Nov 11) leaving a legacy of 275 film projects, one Best Actress Oscar and a heartbroken young friend. Kirkland plays herself in the true story of a young dreamer/writer and number one

Guillermo de Toro’s florid version of Mary Shelley’s classic horror story Frankenstein gets the full CGI, over the top treatment typical of the filmmaker. It could have benefitted from a slightly less in-yer-face with some degree of naturalism, more suggestion than showmanship. It’s the famous fable about playing around with death, as Dr. Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) did in enlivening corpses by applying artificial energy. He felt he’d taken medicine to a new level to help peo

A traumatic event occurred in high school when we members of the senior class were shown a black and white documentary called Night and Fog, by Alain Resnais. We were flooded by gruesome films and stills that taught us more thoroughly than any lecture could have – the irrefutable truth and reality of Germany’s Nazi concentration camps. I’ve never forgotten the impact of that film that laid out unspeakable acts, officially sanctioned with the intention of wiping out a race.

Times are troubled globally, and many people feel hopeless. Richard Gere’s documentary Wisdom of Happiness: A Heart to Heart with Dalai Lama may comfort and strengthen those who feel stuck. In brief, AI describes the Dalai Lama as “the current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the head of the Gelug school, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, Nobel Peace Prize winner. He is seen as the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion and was recognized as such at age tw

John Candy was a giant of his generation. Physically big, yes, but in spirit, personality and comedy gifts, a behemoth. Born in Newmarket, Ontario and once established, a Queensville farm owner, his artistic journey to the top of the comedy heap was rapid. Colin Hanks and Ryan Reynolds’ documentary John Candy: Like Me is thorough and incredibly moving. Son, daughter and wife Chris Candy, Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, Rosemary Candy offer heartfelt love and admiration of the late

The ninth annual, three-day Weengushk International Film Festival and Cultural Event on Manitoulin Island launches Friday with a full slate of Canadian and global indigenous films, live storytelling, arts and culture and free virtual screenings. This year’s theme is Legacy Makers: Honouring Chiefs Who Paved the Path Forward . Artistic Director Dr. Shirley Cheechoo’s aim is to wishes to “create lasting impact that honours the past, embraces the present and builds a strong fu

Let’s celebrate June Squibb! Hardworking, tiny, mighty, she has an uncanny acting gift – a mix of power and subtlety She’s enlivened more...