Newshawk

The Newsroom DVD revealed that Ken Finkleman's project following the "Escape" movie was to be called 100% Perfect Girl. We have this instead.

I can't really think of what to make of this new incarnation of the Newsroom. The comedy is gone, replaced by a very, very dark satire. It's certainly less accessible than the previous one, and even more so than the movie. I can't figure out if this is intentional, or whether Finkleman desperately wants to move onto different things and wants to put this dead horse out to pasture as cruelly as he can.

An alternative take could be that the previous cast improvised much of the script, making it absolutely hilarious. Now that the cast is deprived of comedians and now uses true-blue actors, that ad-libbing is gone, and the show is far drier. Jeremy Hotz and Mark Farrell have been replaced with Jody Racicot as a character with no personality (to date), Douglas Bell as a reluctant co-conspirator to the distorting of the news, and Matt Watts whose sole function seems to be listening to George's ranting. Nancy Beatty has been replaced as George's boss by Kate Trotter, and Tanya Allen has been replaced as the intern by Holly Lewis. Only 2 original cast members remain (Finkleman and Keleghan), along with Hines, likely an intentional gesture after the disastrous ratings shown for the Escape film with a nearly identical cast to the first series.

While the expected potshots on today's issues are certainly there, the broad laughs are not. That about sums it up. It's a shame, because I hate having to be so predictable about sequels/spinoffs.

I managed to catch this short unexpectedly on Showcase. This was a powerful piece of work. A good view into the logic of a young person's behaviour when forced to face difficult choices - abiding by a father's impossible rules by committing a criminal act, or facing a father's wrath.

Finally, after the many Maclean's articles, bad word of mouth, and even rejection by its own director, Picture Claire was finally released to the public in June 2003, via DVD and Video.

I'm puzzled to see how Alliance Atlantis considered "Texas Rangers" to be worthy of a wide release, while they chose to write off their $11 million investment in the first decently-budgeted Canadian film.

With a pair such as Semi Chellas, who writes "The Eleventh Hour" series on CTV, and Bruce McDonald, one of Canada's most satanic directors with "Roadkill" and "Highway 61" under his belt, how could you go wrong?

They did not. This was a stylish, original movie, which was a treat to watch. Adding to the glamour was seeing some of those little things we take for granted in Ontario, such as passports, drivers' licences, and the Maple Leaf plastered up there on the screen, likely on film for the first time. Paul Haslinger's music score was certainly something new and eclectic, along the same lines as Nash The Slash brought in McDonald's earlier films.

There were a few rough edges - Camilla Rutherford's pointless role, Peter Stebbings' over-the-top dorkiness, Gina Gershon's seeming ineptitude with a garretting wire, Juliette Lewis' slow drawl. But what the heck, I liked it and enjoyed it.

This may be Canadian film's ultimate swan song. Check it out before our country's cultural apathy forces the video store to get rid of it.

"Escape" begins much like "The Newsroom" did. Finkleman is marvelous with his dialogue. We don't have Mark Farrell or Tanya Allen anymore, but Christian Potenza and Regean Pasternak are worthwhile replacements.

The film reaches a point in which Finkelman's trademark surrealism takes over, and this film jumps into the realm of "art" rather than "entertainment", complete with a blunt damning of the whole concept of reviving this show! Unfortunately, while The Newsroom quite often provided great entertainment, the "art" that is "Escape" does not.

Escape continues the tone established by More Tears, Foolish Heart, and Foreign Objects, none of which were nearly as successful as The Newsroom was, with good reason. Dry, biting satires are wonderful if done with some entertainment value, but lose their effect when they're just downright inaccessible, as this film had become. It's hard to be entertained at jokes about people dying from Anthrax.

Things do start to make sense at the end - you realize what Finkleman wanted to say and he then returns to the same lovable humour we've come to expect from him. Now that his point has been made (roughly 10 times now, from all of his series), he can get back to writing the wonderful satire we've come to enjoy so much.

This was a definitely a series ahead of its time, a victim of indecisive CBC programmers who chose to delay this series for almost a year and burn it off just prior to the new television season and after the leads had moved on to other projects.

Aired over three consecutive evenings, this series represented a major first for Canadian television; namely that Canada can put out a spy show in the same leagues as anyone else.

The plot revolves around a surveillance operation gone wrong. When several Canadian agents are killed in a joint Canada-U.S. operation, the FBI suspects a mole in Canadian operations. In order to preserve domestic control over national security, the heads of CSIS and the RCMP (Jackie Burrows and Philip Craig, respectively) recruit their best agents, neither of who initially want to participate, let alone be based in Toronto. Andrew Chase (Colin Ferguson) is a straight-arrow Mountie from Calgary who has unknowingly been working on the case for some time through his investigation of Gregory Pechorin (Gregory Hlady), while Caroline Neron is a reluctant but flamboyant CSIS agent who would prefer to remain on her home turf, away from old demons and well distanced from Anglophone Canada. Meanwhile, Malloy (Neville Edwards) portrays the ambitious FBI agent assigned to oversee American involvement and, potentially, its dominance over Canadian security.

The series had many successes: Philip Craig seemed born to play the role of Endicott, while Gregory Hlady's portrayal of Pechorin was outstanding. Outdoor locations were well-chosen (Yonge Street, and Rosedale especially) and the Ottawa Parliament Building sets were as close to the real thing as can be expected.

"Cover Me" featured an interesting premise but, at the same time, viewers of the series were cheated. Producers gambled on being picked up for a second run of episodes, and chose to leave a great deal of questions unanswered at the end of the 6th episode, leaving a sense of disappointment. This is Canada, and it's naive to think series set domestically will absolutely survive to see a second season.

Should this series ever re-air, make an effort to check it out.

Due South was a breakthrough in many ways. It proved that a U.S./Canadian weekly co-production which satisfied to both cultures was indeed possible and that it could be done with a lot of class and taste.

Every upcoming episode possessed some form of anticipation. It was never known what tone the next episode may possess, for some were comedic, some were dramatic, some were a decent mix of both. Most of all, its viewers were left feeling good in the end despite the fact that not every issue had been resolved. Most of all, any farfetched twists were minimal, leading one to believe that people like Fraser do indeed exist. Throughout the first two seasons, Fraser and Ray involved themselves in the lives of characters in trouble who needed to turn their lives around. The retooled version of the show which appeared in 1997 loses that quality, choosing to set its leads in precarious situations and mainly helping themselves rather than the people living in the city of Chicago.

Paul Haggis should be proud of his creation. It was a terrific show while he remained a part of the production. Unfortunately, it never again regained its peak once he and Kathy Slevin departed.

The fans are hoping we may perhaps see a sequel to "Victoria's Secret" within the next while? Only once Providence is cancelled (if ever), may it be a reality! Melina Kanakaredes' newfound popularity may entice potential new viewers to respond as well.

Due South was a breakthrough in many ways. It proved that a U.S./Canadian weekly co-production which satisfied to both cultures was indeed possible and that it could be done with a lot of class and taste.

Every upcoming episode possessed some form of anticipation. It was never known what tone the next episode may possess, for some were comedic, some were dramatic, some were a decent mix of both. Most of all, its viewers were left feeling good in the end despite the fact that not every issue had been resolved. Most of all, any farfetched twists were minimal, leading one to believe that people like Fraser do indeed exist. Throughout the first two seasons, Fraser and Ray involved themselves in the lives of characters in trouble who needed to turn their lives around. The retooled version of the show which appeared in 1997 loses that quality, choosing to set its leads in precarious situations and mainly helping themselves rather than the people living in the city of Chicago.

Paul Haggis should be proud of his creation. It was a terrific show while he remained a part of the production. Unfortunately, it never again regained its peak once he and Kathy Slevin departed.

The fans are hoping we may perhaps see a sequel to "Victoria's Secret" within the next while? Only once Providence is cancelled (if ever), may it be a reality! Melina Kanakaredes' newfound popularity may entice potential new viewers to respond as well.