Arrow

LEO AWARDS: Brent Butt & Nancy Robertson Host Leo Awards on June 8th

by Susan Gittins
May 30, 2013July 7, 2014
Arctic Air, Arrow, BC Film, Continuum, CTV Series, Fringe, Leo Awards, Mr. Young, Primeval: New World, R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, YVRSHOOTS Series

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.

Becoming Redwood production still – courtesy of Jesse James Miller

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.

SHOOT: ARROW’s Archer Showdown on Hudson’s Bay Roof for Tonight’s Season Finale

by Susan Gittins
May 15, 2013August 17, 2013
Arrow

Two Men. Two Bows. One Roof.

Emerald Archer vs Dark Archer for the season finale.

A late April rehearsal of Hudson’s Bay rooftop fight scene at dusk in downtown Vancouver, part of Arrow’s final shoot of the season.

Arrow has been building to the ultimate showdown between Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman)’s alter egos for much of the season. Is this it? If so, who will be victorious? It didn’t look good for The Hood from my vantage high above in the Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre (often featured in Arrow cityscapes).

Update: The slumped figure near the open door turns out be Diggle (David Ramsey) in the season finale.

Rehearsing catching one of the Hood’s arrows.

STUNTS: ARROW’s Top 20 Action Moments Countdown

by Susan Gittins
May 15, 2013May 15, 2013
Arrow

Arrow does have the best fight scenes on TV right now – Ken Tucker, former EW TV critic.

No argument from me. Arrow has my favourite fight scenes and stunts on TV.

Arrow Fight Designer James “Bam Bam” Bamford recently presented a Top 20 Action Moments Countdown in three videos. Absent are any sequences from tonight’s season finale so there is no spoiler alert.

The Top 5 includes my personal favourite- the huge Parkour Sequence with Stephen Amell and stunt double Simon Burnett filmed in Gastown.

[sz-youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQQ7ke2FuJw&feature=player_embedded” /]

LEO AWARDS: Film BECOMING REDWOOD & TV series CONTINUUM & ARCTIC AIR Top 2013 Nominations

by Susan Gittins
May 13, 2013July 28, 2013
Arctic Air, Arrow, BC Film, Continuum, Fringe, Leo Awards, Mr. Young, Primeval: New World

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.

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

PROMOS: Images of ARROW 1×21 The Undertaking (Harbour Cruises & Hastings Park)

by Susan Gittins
April 30, 2013August 3, 2013
Arrow

What is The Undertaking? We’ll find out more in some Starling City flashbacks on tomorrow night’s Arrow. After the death of his wife in The Glades, did Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) plot with Robert Queen (Jamey Sheridan) to destroy the ghetto?

John Barrowman & Jamey Sheridan © 2013 The CW Network

Arrow filmed other Starling City flashback scenes on the docks of Harbour Cruises & Events in Coal Harbour. Are we going to see Robert Queen and his son Oliver (Stephen Amell) depart on their fateful voyage aboard the family yacht, Queen’s Gambit? That would explain Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson)’s presence on set. And why Laurel (Katie Cassidy) seems to be kissing her beloved Ollie goodbye for three weeks that will turn into five years.

Meanwhile, in present-day Starling City, Oliver turns to IT gal Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) for help with his vigilante mission. Here she is looking very not-IT-gal in a striking red dress on the gaming floor of Hastings Park race track.

Emily Bett Rickards at Hastings Park on Gaming Floor. © 2013 The CW Network

Of course something goes wrong and Oliver’s vigilante alter-ego The Hood has to fight to save Felicity from an armed gunman, wrecking the casino in the process.

SHOOT: Stephen Amell & Co. Film ARROW at Telus Tower for 1×22 – Updated

by Susan Gittins
April 27, 2013August 3, 2013
Arrow

What will it take for Oliver Queen and his vigilante alter-ego The Hood (Stephen Amell) to stop The Undertaking and save Starling City, as well as defeat the archer who last put him in hospital? The Big Bad of the final episodes of Arrow’s first season is nefarious Starling City businessman Malcolm Merlyn and his alter ego The Dark Archer (John Barrowman).

Everyone wants to see the next showdown. So when John Barrowman tweeted the view from high up in an unidentified office tower in downtown Vancouver three weeks ago Saturday and then Stephen Amell indicated he was filming there too, local Arrow fans hunted down the Telus Tower in time to see both men down in the lobby dressed in business suits. No bows. No arrows.

Meanwhile, Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) and girlfriend Thea Queen (Willa Holland) are trying to find The Hood too. Fans and photographers pressed up against the glass to see a rehearsal of how close they get as Roy and Thea run into her brother Oliver (but not his alter-ego) in what [turned out to be the lobby for Merlyn Global Group].

Update: In the scene, Oliver tells Roy sternly that it’s a bad idea to seek out the vigilante which makes Oliver a wimp in Roy’s eyes. Roy might change his mind about Oliver when he finds out who the Hood really is.

Update: And what was Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) doing in the lobby dressed in a red Big Belly Burger jacket?

TONIGHT: Deadshot Returns on ARROW 1×20 Home Invasion

by Susan Gittins
April 24, 2013August 3, 2013
Arrow

Diggle (David Ramsey)’s obsession with vengeance against his brother’s killer Deadshot (Michael Rowe) leads to a falling out between the dynamic duo — Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Diggle — tonight. Not because Oliver doesn’t share Diggle’s desire to take out the assassin, but because he has [different priorities.]

Michae Rowe as Deadshot. Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW — � 2013 The CW Network.

Arrow filmed Diggle meeting with federal agent Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) about Deadshot inside The Pinnacle Hotel in Read More »TONIGHT: Deadshot Returns on ARROW 1×20 Home Invasion

SHOOT: You Won’t See This Running Stunt by ARROW Stunt Double Simon Burnett on 1×18 Tonight

by Susan Gittins
March 27, 2013August 3, 2013
Arrow

Oliver Queen and The Hood stunt double Simon Burnett did stunt after stunt for tonight’s Arrow episode Salvation in Gastown in late February. He wove through traffic on a motorcycle, slid down a fire escape ladder, jumped from the roof of one building to another on a wire and jumped over a semi-trailer piled with plywood crates through a yellow Starling City cab and ran into an alley. It’s the last stunt you won’t see on screen tonight. Why? Because star Stephen Amell executed it so well that there was no need for a double. So here are Amell and Burnett prepping for the stunt and Burnett doing it.

SHOOT: Stephen Amell & Katie Cassidy Do ARROW Flashbacks in Coal Harbour for 1×21 – Updated

by Susan Gittins
March 15, 2013August 3, 2013
Arrow

Why are Oliver Queen & Laurel Lance kissing? It’s flashback time in the [third-to-last} episode of Arrow’s hit first season. I hope this isn’t Laurel (Katie Cassidy) saying goodbye to her Ollie (Stephen Amell) before he heads off on the Queen’s Gambit with his Dad and Laurel’s sister. Was younger Oliver really such a cad?

Update: Yes he was. Oliver makes a call to Laurel’s sister Sarah when he spots Laurel – “Hey Sarah. You here? You might want to circle around the block a few times. Your sister just showed up.”

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