Fresh off its season three premiere last Sunday, The Killing filmed scenes of Adrian ( Rowan Longworth) with a soccer ball, leaving the school grounds… Read More »SHOOT: “Picasso Drawing” Artist Rowan Longworth Films THE KILLING – Updated
Published May 29, 2013 on Vancouver is Awesome
Hometown comedy couple Brent Butt and Nancy Robertson are set to co-host the 15th anniversary of the Leo Awards, celebrating the best of B.C.-made film and television, at the Westin Bayshore Hotel on Saturday, June 8th. Expect more than the usual hijinks with professional comedians as hosts and and a crowd of outstanding homegrown nominees led by Vancouver born-and-bred Jessie James Miller’s feature film Becoming Redwood with 14 nominations, Vancouver-cop-from-the-future series Continuum with 16 nominations and filmed-in-Vancouver-and-Yellowknife aerial adventure series Arctic Air with 14 nominations.. For tickets, click here.
The 1970s era coming-of-age film Becoming Redwood‘s 14 nominations include well-deserved director and writing nods for Jesse James Miller and performance nods for Ryan Grantham as the young golf-obsessed long-haired title character Redwood; Jennifer Copping (Miller’s wife) as Redwood’s mother; Chad Willett (producer) as Redwood’s draft-dodging, pot-dealing father; Derek Hamilton as Redwood’s red-neck stepfather Arnold and Scott Hylands as Arnold’s basement-dwelling elderly father Earl. Miller shot the Vancouver International Film Festival’s most popular Canadian feature in rural Langley for 24 days in the late spring of 2011. By contrast, Random Acts of Romance, the only other motion picture nominee I’ve seen on screen, filmed in several downtown and East Van locations like the Waldorf Hotel, as befits a movie whose tagline is “Sex, Abduction, Stalking and You Thought Romance Was Dead” about interconnected Vancouverites. Director Katrin Bowen is nominated for the twisted romcom, as is Sonja Bennett for her performance as a wacky stalker.
In the television category, Continuum dominates with 16 nominations for its first hit season, including nods for creator and UBC grad Simon Barry for his season finale script End Times about time traveller Kiera Cameron’s failure to stop “terrorist” group Liber8 from blowing up a downtown tower, a definitive moment in her corporations-rule-the-world future. Continuum digitally-imploded an Arthur Erickson-designed tower on West Georgia on screen and then filmed the aftermath on a blast-and-rubble set at CBC Vancouver.
Read More »LEO AWARDS: Brent Butt & Nancy Robertson Host Leo Awards on June 8th
Last night’s Leo Awards nominations, celebrating the best of B.C.-made film and television, favour Jesse James Miller’s 70s-era coming-of-age film Becoming Redwood, Vancouver-cop-from-the-future TV series Continuum and northern adventure TV series Arctic Air. The many tweets of congratulations to all the nominees today are a great way to recognize B.C.’s creative talent ahead of tomorrow’s provincial election. So please go vote and as the hashtag says, #SaveBCFilm.
Becoming Redwood‘s 14 nominations include well-deserved director and writing nods for Vancouver-born-and-raised Jesse James Miller and performance nods for Ryan Grantham as the young golf-obsessed long-haired title character Redwood; Jennifer Copping (Miller’s wife) as Redwood’s mother; Chad Willett (producer) as Redwood’s draft-dodging, pot-dealing father; Derek Hamilton as Redwood’s red-neck stepfather Arnold and Scott Hylands as Arnold’s basement-dwelling elderly father Earl. Miller shot the Vancouver International Film Festival’s most popular Canadian feature in rural Langley for 24 days in the late spring of 2011.
Related: Jesse James Miller’s Becoming Redwood Opens at International Village
In the television category, Continuum dominates with 16 nominations, including nods for creator and UBC grad Simon Barry for his season one finale script End Times and for performances by Richard Harmon, Brian Markinson, Jennifer Spence and Liber8 “terrorist” Lexa Doig. Lead cop Rachel Nichols is not nominated but she is American and not considered a BC actor, even though she lives here for half-a-year each season and owns Vancouver Canucks season tickets (what more do you need?)
Over at Arctic Air, bona fide BC actors Kevin McNulty and Pascale Hutton are nominated for their lead performances on the filmed-in-Vancouver-and-Yellowknife aerial adventure series, two of 14 nominations for the CBC show. Read More »LEO AWARDS: Film BECOMING REDWOOD & TV series CONTINUUM & ARCTIC AIR Top 2013 Nominations
Who is the human? And who is the android?
Human John Kennex (Karl Urban of Star Trek) and android Dorian (Michael Ealy) are police partners investigating crimes in Los Angeles 35 years from now. But in this partnership, the android displays more emotions than the human because John is shut down after getting seriously hurt on a mission. From J.J. Abrams and former Fringe showrunner Joel Wyman, this new series pays homage to Fringe in so many ways. The production used many of the former Vancouver Fringe crew as well as its production signs BELLY. Some of the set dressing looked familiar too, with futuristic kiosks like Quick Volt electric car stations and Quick Stands offering everything from Experience Enhancers to Intellect Expanders and Synthetic Pets on set. Almost Human filmed for three weeks in the Vancouver area in familiar Fringe locations from the downtown business district to Gastown’s Winters Hotel to under the Cambie Bridge to the Terminal City Ironworks complex dressed like a Blue Light district.
Related: TV pilot Almost Human Films Armoured Car Heist in Vancouver’s Business District
Related: Karl Urban & Minka Kelly film TV Pilot Almost Human in Vancouver’s Business District
Read More »GREEN LIT: FOX Orders Joel Wyman’s ALMOST HUMAN (formerly Human) to Series
Fringe’s Fifth and Final Season DVD/Blu-ray has this charming extra — Unusual Side Effects: Gag Reel — featuring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika… Read More »BLOOPERS: Gag Reel from FRINGE’s The Complete Fifth and Final Season DVD
Futuristic Los Angeles police officer John Kennex (Karl Urban) and his android cop partner Dorian (Michael Ealy) led a team of human and android police officers in a raid to rescue a kidnapped policeman this morning held inside the historic but rundown Winters Hotel in Gastown. This is the first time I’ve seen the buddy cops on set together for J.J. Abrams and Fringe showrunner Joel Wyman’s TV pilot Almost Human (formerly Human) and they had a good time of it — except Urban seemed fed up with being photographed at open shoots in Vancouver. Production moved inside the hotel to film the attempted rescue for the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. Fringe fans know the interior of the hotel as the “pocket reality” in the season five episode “Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There”.
Related: Karl Urban & Minka Kelly film TV Pilot Almost Human in Vancouver’s Business District
Read More »SHOOT: Karl Urban & Michael Ealy Film TV Pilot ALMOST HUMAN at Winters Hotel in Gastown
