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Paul Gross' latest: "ZOS: Zone of Separation" on Movie Central/Network 19 Jan 09

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The latest from Paul Gross - Is it just me, or could they have done a WAY better job forming the good captain's beret, or teaching everyone a bit more about the concept of standing at attention (see attached photo)?  I know, I'm nitpicking, but they DID have a (retired) CF advisor on the payroll, though.  Highlights mine....

Welcome to Jadac - The Frontline Where Chaos and Civility Collide in The New Pay TV Drama ZOS: Zone of Seperation
The Movie Channel news release, 16 Dec 08
News release link

Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral Media’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) present the premiere of ZOS: Zone of Separation, a powerful eight-part Canadian original series premiering Monday, January 19 at 9 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 10 p.m. ET on The Movie Network.

ZOS: Zone of Separation catapults viewers into a world devoid of civility, where the complex and conflicting emotions and actions of those people caught in the chaos, and those trying to uphold peace, are exposed. This series is about the life and death struggle to enforce a U.N.-brokered ceasefire in the fictional, Sarajevo-like town of Jadac. The town and its age-old rivals, the Christians and Muslims, are on the brink of spiraling out of control. The only thing keeping them from each other is a frazzled contingent of international peacekeepers – made up of unarmed U.N. Military Observers (U.N.M.O.s) and armed U.N. soldiers – whose distrust in one another only augments the hardships they suffer as they try to police the chaos and maintain sanity in an absurd “war of peace” that is the Zone of Separation.

“ZOS: Zone of Separation is not a war story, but instead it’s about the people caught within a conflict zone, absent of law,” said writer, executive producer and show runner Malcolm MacRury. “Born from the fact that Canada is a peacekeeping nation, ZOS: Zone of Separation shows, in gritty detail – and through depth of character, surprising comedy and sheer wildness – a fictionalized version of just what our troops are up against in their peacekeeping missions overseas.”

Led by a female commander, Captain Sean Kovacs (Michelle Nolden), the mission of this team of U.N.M.O.s is to try to defuse the crisis and maintain the fragile ceasefire between Muslim and Christian factions. The rival groups are led by westernized Muslim George Titac (Colm Meaney), a charming but ruthless coffee bar owner, and Mila Michailov (Lolita Davidovich), a beauty shop owner and widow of the Christian militia’s brutal warlord, along with her unpredictable side-kick, and gun-wielding leader of the Christian paramilitary fighters, “Speedo Boy” (Enrico Colantoni). The peacekeepers are always in danger and never trusted – even by the armed U.N. soldiers led by Major Gavin Hart (Rick Roberts), who are prepared to maintain order by any means possible.

“With the recent success of his feature film Passchendaele, Paul Gross and the talented creative team from Whizbang Films are back with a very timely, modern day take on international conflicts,” said Erica Benson, Vice President, Programming, Movie Central. “With a strong woman at the heart of this story and a colourful cast of complex characters, this series is, at its core, about relationships, dysfunctional love and surviving in extreme circumstances. It’s an extraordinarily powerful series that reflects the unmatched depth and cinematic possibilities that pay TV audiences have come to expect from our dramas.

"There is nothing else like ZOS: Zone of Separation on TV – it is its own experience,” said Michelle Marion, Director, Canadian Independent Production, The Movie Network. “Far from a history lesson, ZOS: Zone of Separation is a rock 'n' roll journey, a peek behind the curtain of geopolitical conflict and peacekeeping to the madness, chaos, sex, greed and intrigue. This is not what you'd see on the nightly news. With the creative freedom enjoyed by pay TV, the voice and point of view of the show are highly original – agree or disagree with it, it is hard to not get drawn in."

ZOS: Zone of Separation also stars Allan Hawco, Nick Mancuso, Paul Doucet, Jim Codrington, Peter Mooney, Joanna Boland, Alan C. Peterson, Nicholas Campbell and Paulino Nunes. The series is executive produced by Paul Gross, Frank Siracusa, Malcolm MacRury and series director Mario Azzopardi and was written by Malcolm MacRury, Peter Mitchell, Jason Sherman, John Krizanc and Paul Aitken. Major John Russell, a retired officer in the Canadian Armed Forces served as the military advisor on the series.

As a companion site to the series, ZOStv.com will launch on January 1, 2009, with three online components: a Virtual Jadac, an interactive cinematic experience in which visitors can find their way out of the Zone of Separation; general support information about the series; and a virtual journalist who provides deeper insight into the events as they unfold, with field reports and in-character interviews with cast members.

Movie Central and The Movie Network will give viewers advance access to the first episode of ZOS: Zone of Separation on Movie Central On Demand and The Movie Network OnDemand starting Tuesday, December 23 to Tuesday, January 2. ZOS: Zone of Separation will be simulcast on The Movie Network and Movie Central’s High Definition channels and new episodes will also be available each week on The Movie Network OnDemand and Movie Central On Demand. Following each episode premiere, the series will repeat on Fridays at 11 p.m. ET/MT on HBO Canada.

ZOS: Zone Of Separation, a high-definition production shot in Tulza, Bosnia, Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, is developed and produced by Whizbang Films and Sulari Productions Inc. Movie Central and The Movie Network developed, commissioned and invested in the series. It is produced with the participation of the Canadian Television Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Media Development Corporation, The Independent Production Fund, the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund and The Rogers Cable Network Fund. Alive Entertainment holds worldwide sales and distribution rights.


- edited to remove link to photo and replace with attached copy -
 
On the surface it appears that this offering lacks the attention to detail found in "Passchendaele".
 
I just watched this first episode off my digital cable and needless to say I was less than impressed. Seems far too hollywoodized to me.
 
First Impression:

Far from a history lesson, ZOS: Zone of Separation is a rock 'n' roll journey, a peek behind the curtain of geopolitical conflict and peacekeeping to the madness, chaos, sex, greed and intrigue. This is not what you'd see on the nightly news.

or reality!

 
S.Stewart said:
Seems far too hollywoodized to me.

I think producers have to insert a degree of "hollywood" into a serie like this, otherwise it wouldn't attract an audience outside of military circles.  Even "Band of Brothers" had a degree of Hollywood. 

Its not easy to take 20 years of modern peacekeeping and condense it into eight 40 minutes episodes.  Unfortunately you end up with characters who have every conceivable situation happen to them in the span of a single tour.  Makes it less than realistic for those who have lived it for real, but it is entertaining for the audience and it has the merit of giving the audience a degree of understanding of what troops on peacekeeping duty have to live with.  I have seen the first two episodes, and found that it wasn't as bad as I had feared. 

At the end of the day, anything that enhances the public's understanding of what troops on peacekeeping duties go through is positive, even if not 100% accurate.  As far as educating the public, in my opinion, it beats anything CBC would have put together.   
 
Hey, the perspective was highlighted for you in the opening post,

Far from a history lesson, ZOS: Zone of Separation is a rock 'n' roll journey, a peek behind the curtain of geopolitical conflict and peacekeeping to the madness, chaos, sex, greed and intrigue. This is not what you'd see on the nightly news. With the creative freedom enjoyed by pay TV......


Were you expecting the balanced journalistic integrity of Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky?
 
Is this what's being discussed, http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea4Usapv4H0 ?
If so, I didn't even get past the 30 sec mark.....
 
Cataract Kid said:
Is this what's being discussed, http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea4Usapv4H0 ?

I have only seen the first two episodes, and this segment doesn't look anything like it.  Doesn't mean it isn't from a subsequent episode though.  I agree that if this was the only thing I could judge the serie from, it wouldn't turn my crank either.
 
Hey it is cable so lots of gratuitous nudity.

I'm up to episode 4 now ( all available on TMN on demand) and am waiting patiently for a CSM type to show up, teach them how to do drill, shape berets, fix the uniform errors, the weapons (old M-16s with beaver tail hand guards etc.), and my personal irritant, sort out the female Capt's medals. Her ribbons  a) don't match the tours she's been on and b) keep switching around as if the costume person forgets which way to put them on in each take.

I need to pause the credits next time to catch the name of this so called advisor. My 4 year old nephew could do a better job.

Really bad series in fact so bad it's like a car wreack I can stop watching. Ah well there is the nudity.
 
It's the stupidest thing I've seen since I allowed one of my kids to PPV Jackass 2.
 
Danjanou said:
I need to pause the credits next time to catch the name of this so called advisor. My 4 year old nephew could do a better job.

Major John Russell, according to the first post.
 
Watched this for the first time the other night. As a Naval Officer I was astonished at the absolute stupidity of the show. I cannot imagine what a member of the Army must think of that crap.
 
Eye In The Sky said:
Major John Russell, according to the first post.

He should be given a smack in the head for the most disgraceful depiction of CF personel ever to grace a TV screen!

FSTO, I lasted about 5 minutes into whatever episode was on and switched channels in pure disgust. A complete and total train wreck of a show that makes reality TV look like "high art"!
 
That coked up clown running around in a g string and trench coat, killing anyone who looks sideways at his dog,  is the most ridiculous TV character I've ever seen.
 
...and another thing:  "The Canadians are coming in.  Knowing my luck, they'll be Albertans."  WTF is that supposed to mean?  Utter crap!
 
Kat Stevens said:
...and another thing:  "The Canadians are coming in.  Knowing my luck, they'll be Albertans."  WTF is that supposed to mean?  Utter crap!

Sensationalist Eastern Canada anti-Alberta crap. Did you honestly expect anything less. 8)
 
not back the the east vs. west (you guys should just except the fact that the east is superior)

I agree with FSTO, as a Naval Officer (Cadet) I was astonished with the errors in portraying the CF.  Thought the show was crap but had fun pointing out all the errors (so many at that).  As well, I cannot imagine what you army pers think of all that shit.
 
ncs_eng 081 said:
not back the the east vs. west (you guys should just except the fact that the east is superior)

:rofl: That's the funniest thing I've read today!
 
Who gave them the CadPat frag vests? Did the CF read the script before lending their support to this thing? Or did they see Paul Gross's name and went with it?

Sigh
 
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