With the cancellation of the NHL season, CBC is introducing ‘Movie Night in Canada’ which will replace Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC) on its TV broadcast schedule.
What the public broadcaster is calling “a celebration of acclaimed Canadian films” kicked off this past Saturday with a double bill of Bon Cop, Bad Cop and sequel Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2.
Back-to-back films will air Saturday evenings beginning at 7 p.m. (8 AT, 8:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem. The line-up includes a double-bill featuring Scarborough-raised actor Stephan James; Paul Gross’ acclaimed war drama Hyena Road; and Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, which delves into the hockey legend’s comeback at age 44.
The schedule to date, which the public broadcaster says is subject to change, is outlined below:
Saturday, March 21
7 p.m. (8 AT, 8:30 NT) – Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story (2013, drama, directed by Andy Mikita). The story of the 1973 hockey season when aging legend Gordie Howe returned to the ice at the age of 44. Starring Michael Shanks (Unspeakable) and Kathleen Robertson (Northern Rescue).
9 p.m. (10 AT, 10:30 NT, 10:30 PT) – Goalie (2018, drama, directed by Adriana Maggs). The life of a professional hockey player was not always a glamorous one. For legendary goaltender Terry Sawchuk (Mark O’Brien, Marriage Story), each save means one more gash to his unmasked face and one more drink to numb the pain. Even with a wife (Georgina Reilly, Murdoch Mysteries) and seven children at home, he is haunted by the void left from his childhood which he tried to fill with cheering crowds. Sawchuk traveled across the country racking up 103 shutouts and 400 stitches to his face, proving that this is a man who lives, breathes, and dies a goalie. Also starring Kevin Pollak (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).
Saturday, March 28
7 p.m. (8 AT, 8:30 NT) – Hyena Road (2015, drama, directed by Paul Gross). Three men, three different paths, caught in conflict but brought together to save lives: a highly skilled sniper who can’t think of his targets as human; an intelligence officer who has never killed while on duty; and a legendary Afghan warrior who left war behind but gets pulled back to battle. Starring Rossif Sutherland (Catastrophe), Paul Gross (Caught), and Christine Horne (Hey Lady!), with Allan Hawco (Caught) and Clark Johnson (Bosch).
9:30 p.m. (10:30 AT, 11 NT, 10:30 PT) – The Right Kind of Wrong (2013, comedy, directed by Jeremiah Chechik). The Right Kind of Wrong is the story of Leo Palamino (Ryan Kwanten, True Blood), a failed writer-dishwasher made famous for his many flaws and shortcomings in a blog called “Why You Suck,” written by his ex-wife. He meets Colette (Sara Canning, Nancy Drew), the girl of his dreams, on the day she is marrying the perfect man. And so the ultimate underdog love story begins in which Leo, a fearless dreamer, risks all to show Colette and the whole world all that is right with a man famous for being wrong. Also starring Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek).
Saturday, April 4
7 p.m. (8 AT, 8:30 NT) – Race (drama, 2016, directed by Stephen Hopkins). Based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympic Games, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler’s vision of Aryan supremacy. Race is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend. Starring Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk).
10 p.m. (11 AT, 11:30 NT, 12 MT, 10:30 PT) – Across The Line (drama, 2015, directed by Director X). A young, black NHL hopeful (Stephan James, If Beale Street Could Talk) living in a racially divided Nova Scotian community finds his career prospects in jeopardy when tensions in his community come to a head.
Saturday, April 11
7 p.m. (8 AT, 8:30 NT) – Hector And The Search For Happiness (2014, comedy, directed by Peter Chelsom). Hector is a successful, well-meaning and eccentric professional, filled with childlike wonder, but he’s stuck. He’s a psychiatrist with a busy practice, living with his beautiful girlfriend in London, but his patients aren’t getting any happier and his relationship isn’t going anywhere. And so, Hector sets off on a global quest in search of happiness. Starring Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible), Emmy® Award winner and Oscar® nominee Toni Collette (United States of Tara), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Golden Globe winner Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl), Jean Reno (Ronin), Veronica Ferres (SCHTONK!), and Oscar®-winner Christopher Plummer (Beginners).
9:30pm (10:30 AT, 11 NT, 10:30 PT) – Dr. Cabbie (2014, comedy, directed by Jean-François Pouliot). An unemployed doctor-turned-cab driver (Vinay Vermani, who also co-wrote the screenplay) becomes a local hero when he converts his taxi into a mobile clinic. Dr. Cabbie is a heartwarming comedy about a young Indian doctor who immigrates to Canada and faces roadblocks in his effort to heal others but discovers his true purpose, and true love, along the way. Also starring Adrianne Palicki (The Orville) and Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory).
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