Somehow You Get Sucked In..."Heartland"

Heartland (2007)

Starring Amber Marshall, Graham Wardle, Shaun Johnston, Chris Potter, Michelle Morgan

The Story:

Heartland is the story of a family that owns and operates a large ranch/equestrian center in Alberta Canada. It centers on Amy (Marshall) who has a gift for working with horses and her relationship with Ty (Wardle) the local ranch hand that is crazy for her. The family has come together after Amy's mom passes in a tragic accident and they are all left to pick up the pieces.

10 seasons later, those pieces are still being picked up and moved around.

:)

So welcome to Canada's answer to the soap opera format.

It's filled with actors you've probably never seen, and some of the plots are thin, nonexistent, totally contrived or just downright silly sometimes.

Yet...

It's endearing enough that you find yourself wrapped up in the lives of this crazy family, scratching your head at some of the decisions they make and often wondering how any of them have survived this long on their own.

As I mentioned, the 10th season is rolling out in Canada as we speak, and quite possibly available to those in America who have been watching in some way, shape or form.

For the rest of us, Netflix has the first 7 seasons available to stream as I write this review.

At this point, I'm somewhere in the middle of season 5.

I haven't seen every episode, but I've seen enough to stay caught up with what is going so that I'm not terribly lost if I've missed a few episodes here or there.

For me, the standout of the series is Grandpa Jack (Johnston), the patriarch of the family. He's strong, but fair, and adds a nice underlying layer of humor to his character that enriches every scene he's in.

Other characters have come and gone from the series over the years, but the main cast I've listed is still going strong with the show.

So nothing fancy, and a show that is probably not for everyone, but if you love horses, the cowboy life, or the scenic vistas of Canada, you might be entertained.

Final Grade: B

Since Half Of America Is Going To Move There Now..."Being Canadian"

Being Canadian (2015)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Robert Cohen

The Story:

Cohen left Canada to come to America and become a comedy writer. Along the way, the more he met people, the more he began to realize how misunderstood the world sees Canadians. He set out on a cross country trek across his homeland to see if he could discover what it truly means to be a Canadian.

Now, as I'm not Canadian, I cannot vouch for the confirmation of 90% of all stereotypes that Canadians are known for that Cohen runs across in the film.

But yeah, he pretty much ticks them off, like a checklist, and most are confirmed as true.

However, don't let that get you down, as the majority of Canadian stereotypes are not exactly a bad thing.

Excessively polite.
Very funny.

You could actually stop right there, and yes, those two are indeed addressed in the documentary.

Each trek of his journey tackles another facet of being Canadian, and he gets answers from everyday Canadians as well as many who have become quite famous on either side of the border.

It's light, it's breezy, it's fun.

Final Grade: A-

So Are You Going To "Love It, Or List It" ?

Love It Or List It (2008)

The Story:

Homeowners face the dilemma of moving to something bigger and better, or staying put and remodeling. This HGTV series takes it one step further by enlisting the aid of realtor David Visentin and decorator Hilary Farr. Armed with a series of renovations and what it would take to get them to move, each tackles their part of the job in the hopes of luring the reluctant partner to change their mind and either stay, or go.

But is this show really worth watching?

Yes, yet it is.

Hilary and David are both pleasant to watch, and you can get a lot of tips and ideas on how to decorate or what to look for during your next move.

What does it teach you?

1) Prices in Canada are insane, eh?

Seriously, it seems like every couple lives in a dump.

A dump valued at $650,000 or more!

: /

I'm thinking I need to move to Canada and earn some of their money to buy a dump like that!

2) There is almost some problem in the house that destroys Hilary's budget, and makes her unable to provide all the renovations she planned on.

Seriously, the amount of times she doesn't run into a problem can probably be counted on one hand. So yes homeowners, you aren't alone. Apparently anything that can go wrong will go wrong to the homeowner.

3) Everyone wants to move to a bigger house...in the exact same neighborhood they are in... for about the same price.

Seriously.

The hoops David has to jump through to get people to even entertain leaving their neighborhood (my friends are here... my family is here... my kids like it here...) are astronomical.

Live a little people.

Get out of your comfort zone!

Life is an adventure.

Finally,

4) The homeowners are normally annoying as all get out.

Can't lie about this one, it's amazing the whining and mind-changing these guys do in the course of an episode.

I don't recommend binge watching this show, as those 4 things become repetitive quickly, but taken one or two episodes at a time, it's doable.

I suppose one last thing often happens in each episode as well:

5) The owners make the wrong decision.

Normally they are always offered a better house, not much more than they're spending now, in a newer house with less problems.

Then they get sentimental about how much they love their drafty house... and they stay.

Morons.

:)

Some episodes available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: B