Teebz's Movie Club: On Location

I took some time for myself tonight and watched a movie. I normally end up writing these blogs while a movie is on, but I actually watched a movie tonight without the laptop open. That movie was the latest Woody Harrelson project called Champions where Harrelson's character coaches a team of intellectually-disabled basketball players following a series of screw-ups. I have to admit that I enjoyed this movie as it's funny, has some heartfelt moments, and is entertaining. However, rather than this being a basketball movie review on a hockey blog, I want to talk about where Champions was filmed because its locations were quite familiar.

Over the last couple of years, Hollywood has served up some great movies like Champions, Nobody starring Bob Odenkirk, and Violent Night starring David Harbour that feature a number of scenes shot in Winnipeg. While Violent Night takes place mostly at one house in the city, both Champions and Nobody have a vast number of scenes shot in and around Winnipeg with buildings and locations very visible to the trained eye if one knows those landmarks. Goon, starring Seann William Scott, was another film that had a myriad of shots from around Winnipeg that even ventured into areas that one may not to expect see film crews!

From the Canada Life Center (Goon) to the Duckworth Center (Champions) at the University of Winnipeg, from the Palamino Club (Nobody) to the Hotel Fort Garry (Violent Night), from the Manitoba Hydro building (The Italian Job) to the University of Manitoba dance studio (Shall We Dance?), Winnipeg might just offer Hollywood everything it wants when it needs a specific look for a scene. The mixture of older architecture and modern aesthetics found downtown and in the Exchange District gives Winnipeg different looks from block to block in some cases.

I'm not here to shill for the film industry. I know Manitoba's film industry works really hard in trying to attract major motion pictures to this city, and we've been very lucky in having some of those films choose Manitoba for its locations. Seeing some of the locations used in the movies listed above while recognizing what they are in everyday life makes me smile as I know that Winnipeg's somewhat scruffy look occasionally cleans up nicely.

While Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver seemingly offer things that Winnipeg can't, the costs of filming there sometimes forces movie studios and directors to look elsewhere for locations. Coastlines in Vancouver can be replicated along Lake Winnipeg. The architecture of old Montreal can be found in Winnipeg's Exchange District. The modern, sleek lines of Toronto's downtown can be represented by the new buildings going up in Winnipeg. Whether it be a school campus, a dance studio, a snowy street, or a hockey rink, Winnipeg has shown it can replicate, duplicate, and become Anywhere-On-The-Planet with a little decorating of the location.

As it stands, there are a number of Hallmark and Lifetime movies scheduled to be filming in and around the Manitoba capital in the near future. One of the bigger film titles being filmed here is Psycho Killer, based on a screenplay written by Andrew Kevin Walker who wrote the screenplay for the Morgan Freeman thriller Se7en. It sounds like Georgina Campbell and Logan Miller are set to star in the movie, so it seems like it will be another busy summer of filming in our great city.

Just for the record, Champions was worth watching and I do recommend it as it gets ★★★★☆ (four out of five stars). While Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olson are very good in the film, one can't help but admire the innocence and comedy from actors like Kevin Iannucci, Madison Tevlin, and Casey Metcalfe. Harrelson and Olson do a good job in keeping the story moving, but it's the players who bring the real heart to the movie as Iannucci's Johnny shows all sorts of range in his acting while Tevlin's comedic timing is fantastic for laughs. Champions will make you smile with its story, but the cast really brings it to life with their warmth.

If you do sit down to watch Champions, keep an eye peeled for all the Winnipeg landmarks. You'll see them throughout the movie as Winnipeg plays a large part in the final act of the movie itself. Who knew that "Muddy Water" looked so good?

Until next time, see you at the movies!