The Royal Canadian Movie Podcast

This week, Becky sits down with documentarian Ngardy Conteh George to discuss her latest film, Mr. Jane and Finch.

Equal parts charming and frustrating, this portrait of Winston LaRose, an 81 year old community activist and documentarian in his own right is one you won’t want to miss. Mr. Jane and Finch follows Winston’s journey as he runs for city council in Toronto during the tumultuous 2018 elections, representing Ward 7 which includes the area of Jane and Finch.

Find out more about the movie and Oya Media, and pathways to industry at the mr Jane and Finch website.

This week, Canadian icon of stage and screen Rosemary Dunsmore brings us the hilarious How to plan an orgy in a small town from 2015.

After almost 4 decades in Canadian film and television, and with resume that hits every major iconic series filmed in Canada - including Anne of Green Gables, Orphan Black, Street Legal, and The Littlest Hobo, you can bet she’s full of incredible insights. Compound that that she has a small role in the film she chose, and this episode is chock full of inside stories.

Don’t be fooled by the title into thinking this is a raunchy and vapid sex-comedy filled with cheap shots and gratuitous nudity (If that’s your thing. No judgement. This just isn’t that). Equal parts funny and insightful, this grown-up film will surprise you with it’s depth and frank but funny views on sex and relationships. Featuring powerful performances from a stacked cast including Jewel Staite, Katharine Isabelle, Tommie-Amber Pirie, Kristian Bruun, Ennis Esmer, Mark O’Brian, James McGowan, and Jonas Chernick (who’s name Becky is incapable of pronouncing for some reason - Sorry Jonas)

Make sure you stay to the end of the episode, where Rosemary gives us a sneak peek into her character and an upcoming plot line on the return of Street Legal!

We all heartily recommend checking out How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town. Available on iTunes and Google Play for $3.00 to rent, and to stream on Amazon Prime. Give Jeremy LaLonde your money now.

This week, Becky sits down with writer/director Roz Owen and producer Dr. Raven Sinclair to discuss their film Trouble in the Garden .

The film follows Raven, ( Cara Gee) a radical eco-activist and 60’s scoop surviver, who is jailed for protesting development on disputed Indigenous land. Long estranged from her adoptive family, she never imagined her brother Colin (Jon Cor) would be the one to bail her out. Compelled to stay at his suburban home, she discovers he’s in real estate — pre-selling houses on the very land she’s been trying to save.

Trouble in the Garden will be rolling out in Landmark cinemas across Canada starting February 15th 2019.

Read the description on Netflix of this gem of a film and you might mistake this heartwarming drama for a total bummer. Luckily actress, voice over performer, coach and singer Sunday Muse brought us the 2011, Oscar Nominee Monsieur Lazhar.

This movie is so good. Subtle, poignant and reflective, with just the right dose of humour. We’re excited for you to discover it if you haven’t yet. For our part, we’re going to talk about Philippe Falardeau’s interest in making stories about immigrants, translating one-man-shows into full fleshed out films, and Sunday brings amazing insight into the capacity of children for accessing their emotions.

Monsieur Lazhar is available on Netflix in Canada and on streaming services across the world.

This week, Becky sits down one one of the team members behind the documentary The Accountant of Auschwitz, Ricki Gurwitz.

In 2015, former SS guard Oskar Gröning goes on trial for the murder of 300,000 people in 1944. It’s a tangled and shameful story, involving a collective and convenient amnesia, one that is only now being sorted out with the investigations of a handful of nonagenarians who might not live long enough to be tried.

It’s a challenging film, asking a lot of questions that resonate today about culpability, legal and moral responsibility, and the importance of documenting the stories of eye witnesses.

The Accountant of Auschwitz is available for free this month as part of the documentary channel’s preview for the month of February. Visit the documentary channel website for more information.

This week, we’re crashing straight into “So Bad It’s Good” territory with the undeniably bananas Nurse 3D. We’re in luck, as artist Stephanie Avery actually worked on this movie for a few days back in 2013 (although we mistakenly say 2011), and she has some great behind the scenes stories.

We give the nurse lots of attention, going back through the whole history of it’s conception through to the train wreck that the set culture was, into its limited run on the screen in the 3D it was meant to be seen in. We hope to convince you that at least the first and last 5 minutes are totally worth a watch.

Nurse 3D is available on iTunes. Check out Tim Palen’s photography at his website (NSFW).

This week it’s a one two punch of interviews as Becky sits down with two incredible women about their new film, Into Invisible Light.

First up is articulate and stunning Canadian icon Jennifer Dale who stars in and co-wrote Into Invisible Light. Jennifer fills Becky in on the inception of the film, working with Martha Henry, Peter Keleghan, and her own inspirations for both her acting and writing work.

Secondly is visionary director and co-writer Shelagh Carter. If you’re not familiar with Shelagh’s work you should be. Creating beautiful images and stories from her hometown of Winnipeg Manitoba, Shelagh brings a poetic sensibility to the screen that you should be checking out right now. Becky speaks with her about creating movies from classic theatrical inspirations and making movies in the middle of the prairies.

Into Invisible Light opens in select cities across Canada THIS FRIDAY (February 1st 2019). For more information and for updates about VOD and other releases visit the A71 website and Darkling Pictures.

This week, we’re finally getting around to Canada’s very own Enfant Terrible, Xavier Dolan and his 2013 film Tom à la Ferme. Actor and writer Brandon Hackett brings us this award winning thriller/drama which we all enjoyed.

We have a great time talking about Cam and Brandon’s knowledge of queer cinema and how this fits in, what’s the difference between experiencing acts of violence on stage vs. in film as an audience member, and why people have such an issue with Xavier Dolan as a wunderkind.

Tom à la Ferme is available through the OutTV go app, your local library streaming service, and iTunes.

This week, Becky and Cam sit down with Rachel E. Beattie - the Assistant Media Archivist at Media Commons Media Archive at the University of Toronto. Living up to her job title, Rachel has combed the archives and brought a wealth of research and documentation about 1996’s unforgettable queer romance drama Lilies.

The last film funded under the Ontario Arts Fund before it was defunded by Premiere Mike Harris, this film beat out Crash and Hardcore Logo in the 1996 for best film at the Canadian Screen Awards and is not to be missed. We’re talking about the greatness of Brent Carver, the history of films that are films about plays being performed within prisons, and the history of John Greyson’s filmmaking.

A correction from our episode, emergency room doctor Tarek Loubani was not killed, but was seriously injured while under arrest in Egypt as they passed through attempting to make their way to Gaza. You can read more about Greyson and Loubani’s arrest and time in prison at the CBC and on Toronto Life.

Lilies is available through various streaming services as well as, of course, through the UofT media archive.

This week, Becky and Cam sit down with one of their favorite Canadian comedy personalities, the prolifically hilarious Mark Little to talk about one of their all time top 5 Canadian Horror films - 1987’s Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou - The Haunting of Hamilton High.

Becky and Cam have been dying to do this bizarro slice of comedy horror and Mark was eventually game to come along with us to talk about portals to hell, great villains, fair use of music, horses with tongues, Rob Zombie, and what it takes to make something truly, enduringly strange and wonderful.

Prom Night 2 is available…

Ron Oliver’s IMDB Photo is here.

Check out Mark Little’s Gary and His Demons streaming on CBC right now! And you can check out Room for Rent on iTunes.