Richard Crouse’s “Canada AM” rundown of this year’s Oscar nominees and snubs.
Canada AM’s film critic Richard Crouse with a rundown of this year’s nominees and snubs. Plus, his picks for best actor, actress and picture.
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Archive for January, 2014
Chris Pine ready for duty as latest Jack Ryan recruit. Metro Canada – In Focus
By Richard Crouse In Focus – Metro Canada
In your mind’s eye when you picture ex-Marine turned CIA analyst Jack Ryan, who do you see?
Is he a dark-haired, suave six-foot movie star with a hot temper and a racy Twitter account? Or maybe a world-weary fellow with a scar on his chin and a resemblance to Indiana Jones? Or how about the Red Sox fan formerly known as Bennifer?
Created by writer Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan is the lead character in nine novels and the star of five films. This weekend we’ll see him uncover a Russian plot to destroy the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Chris Pine, best known as Captain Kirk in the recently rebooted Star Trek series, is the newest member of the Ryanverse, and hopes to bring something new to the character.
“I can’t be Alec Baldwin,” he told Empire. “I can’t be Harrison Ford. I can only really do my own thing and stay true to the pillars of this character.”
Baldwin originated Ryan on screen in the 1990 high-tech thriller The Hunt for Red October.
The movie could have been the beginning of a James Bond-esque franchise for Baldwin, but he left the series after just one outing despite the film being one of the top grossing movies of the year. In a Huffington Post blog he says he was pushed aside for another actor “with much greater strength at the box office.”
Baldwin doesn’t name names, but Harrison Ford soon signed on, playing Ryan in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.
Author Clancy, who passed away in 2013, was not a fan of the Ford years. He thought the two movies dumbed down his original stories and thought Ford was too old to play the role. “Giving your book to Hollywood is like turning your daughter over to a pimp,” he said.
Next up was Ben Affleck, who took over in the 2002 prequel The Sum of All Fears.
“The day I received the offer to play Jack Ryan,” said Affleck, “I was filming a Pearl Harbor scene with Alec Baldwin. He was very sweet and said I should do it.”
The part’s originator has become the go-to guy with actors who sign up to play Ryan. When he was offered the part, Pine was shooting Guardians of the Galaxy with Baldwin. “He urged me to hold onto it,” said Pine, “and to attack it.”
how did Leonardo Di Caprio insult the Hollywood Foreign Press?
CTV’s film critic Richard Crouse highlights some of his favourite moments from the Golden Globes. Find out how Leonardo Di Caprio dissed the Hollywood Foreign Press!
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Watch Richard’s Golden Globe Predictions on Toronto’s CP24
Watch Richard’s Golden Globe predictions with Toronto’s CP24 hosts Nneka Eliot and Pooja Handa HERE!
Watch Richard play Golden Globes charades with Toronto’s CP24 hosts Nneka Eliot, Jamie Gutfreund and Pooja Handa HERE!
Golden Globe Nominations. No Predictions but the picture is a clue…
Follow the Golden Globes with this handy nomination sheet. No predictions from Richard but the picture is a clue…
Motion picture, drama
“12 Years a Slave”
“Captain Phillips”
“Gravity”
“Philomena”
“Rush”
Motion picture, musical or comedy
“American Hustle”
“Her”
“Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Nebraska”
“The Wolf of Wall Street”
Actress in a motion picture, drama
Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock – “Gravity”
Judi Dench – “Philomena
Emma Thompson – “Saving Mr. Banks”
Kate Winslet – “Labor Day”
Actor in a motion picture, drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor – “12 Years a Slave”
Idris Elba – “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom”
Tom Hanks – “Captain Phillips”
Matthew McConaughey – “Dallas Buyers Club”
Robert Redford – “All Is Lost”
Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams – “American Hustle”
Julie Delpy – “Before Midnight”
Greta Gerwig – “Frances Ha”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – “Enough Said”
Meryl Streep – “August: Osage County”
Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Christian Bale – “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern – “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “The Wolf Of Wall Street”
Oscar Isaac – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
Joaquin Phoenix – “Her”
Supporting actress in a motion picture
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine”
Jennifer Lawrence – “American Hustle”
Lupita Nyong’o – “12 Years a Slave”
Julia Roberts – “August: Osage County”
June Squibb – “Nebraska”
Supporting actor in a motion picture
Barkhad Abdi- “Captain Phillips”
Daniel Brühl – “Rush”
Bradley Cooper – “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave”
Jared Leto – “Dallas Buyers Club”
Director
Alfonso Cuarón – “Gravity”
Paul Greengrass – “Captain Phillips”
Steve McQueen – “12 Years a Slave”
Alexander Payne – “Nebraska”
David O. Russell – “American Hustle”
Screenplay
Spike Jonze – “Her”
Bob Nelson – “Nebraska”
Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan – “Philomena”
John Ridley – “12 Years a Slave”
Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell – “American Hustle”
Foreign Language Film
“Blue is the Warmest Color”
“The Great Beauty”
“The Hunt”
“The Past”
“The Wind Rises”
Animated Feature film
“The Croods”
“Despicable Me 2”
“Frozen”
Original Song
“Atlas” – “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
“Let It Go” – “Frozen”
“Ordinary Love” – “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
“Please Mr. Kennedy” – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Sweeter Than Fiction” – “One Chance”
Original Score
Alex Ebert – “All is Lost”
Alex Heffes – “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Steven Price – “Gravity”
John Williams – “The Book Thief”
Hans Zimmer – “12 Years a Slave”
TV series, drama
“Breaking Bad”
“Downton Abbey”
“The Goodwife”
“House of Cards”
“Masters of Sex”
TV Series, Comedy
“The Big Bang Theory”
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
“Girls”
“Modern Family”
“Parks and Recreation”
TV movie or mini-series
“American Horror Story: Coven”
“Behind the Candelabra”
“Dancing on the Edge”
“Top of the Lake”
“The White Queen”
Actress in a TV series, drama
Julianna Margulies – “The Good Wife”
Tatiana Maslany – “Orphan Black”
Taylor Schilling – “Orange is the New Black”
Kerry Washington – “Scandal”
Robin Wright – “House of Cards”
Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston – “Breaking Bad”
Liev Schreiber – “Ray Donovan”
Michael Sheen – “Masters of Sex”
Kevin Spacey – “House of Cards”
James Spader – “The Blacklist”
Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Zooey Deschanel – “New Girl”
Lena Dunham – “Girls”
Edie Falco – “Nurse Jackie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – “Veep”
Amy Poehler – “Parks and Recreation”
Actor, TV Series Comedy
Jason Bateman – “Arrested Development”
Don Cheadle – “House of Lies”
Michael J. Fox – “The Michael J. Fox Show”
Jim Parsons – “The Big Bang Theory”
Andy Samberg – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
Actress in a mini-series or TV movie
Helena Bonham Carter – “Burton and Taylor”
Rebecca Ferguson – “White Queen”
Jessica Lange – “American Horror Story: Coven”
Helen Mirren – “Phil Spector”
Elisabeth Moss – “Top of the Lake”
Actor in a mini-series or TV movie
Matt Damon – “Behind the Candelabra”
Michael Douglas – “Behind the Candelabra”
Chiwetel Ejiofor – “Dancing on the Edge”
Idris Elba – “Luther”
Al Pacino – “Phil Spector”
Supporting actress in a series, mini-series, or TV movie
Jacqueline Bisset – “Dancing on the Edge”
Janet McTeer – “White Queen”
Hayden Panettiere – “Nashville”
Monica potter – “Parenthood”
Sofia Vergara – “Modern family”
Supporting actor in a series, mini-series or TV movie
Josh Charles – “The Good Wife”
Rob Lowe – “Behind the Candelabra”
Aaron Paul – “Breaking Bad”
Corey Stoll – “House of Cards”
Jon Voight – “Ray Donovan”
RICHARD’S “CANADA AM” REVIEWS FOR JAN. 10, 2014 W/ MARCIA MACMILLAN.
“Canada AM’s” movie critic Richard Crouse sounds off on his reviews for ‘Lone Surivor,’ ‘August: Osage County,’ and ‘Her.’
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Richard’s “Canada AM” interview with Actress Meghan Ory.
Richard’s “Canada AM” interview with Actress Meghan Ory on her new CTV action drama (and the most watched new TV show of the season) “Intelligence.”
In Intelligence, Josh Holloway stars as Gabriel Vaughn, a high-tech intelligence operative enhanced with a super-computer microchip in his brain. With this implant, Gabriel is the first human ever to be connected directly into the global information grid. He can hack into any data center and access key intel in the fight to protect the United States from its enemies. Marg Helgenberger stars as Lillian Strand, the director of the US Cyber Command who supports Gabriel and oversees the unit’s missions. She assigns Riley Neal (Meghan Ory), a Secret Service agent, to protect Gabriel from outside threats, as well as from his appetite for reckless, unpredictable behavior and disregard for protocol.
Watch the whole thing HERE!
From Blue Crush to Lawrence of Arabia: Hot movies to warm yourself by this winter
By Richard Crouse & Mark Breslin Reel Guys – Metro Canada
Synopsis: The Reel Guys are hardy Canadians, but with the sub-zero weather we’ve been having lately even the most robust Canuck deserves a snow day. With that in mind, the Reel Guys have put away their long underwear, ear muffs and dignity and decided to stay home. At the risk of earning ridicule from our friends in Saskatchewan and other places where it regularly gets frigid, here are our ideas for movies to take your mind off the deep freeze. Close the drapes, turn up the heat and enjoy…
Richard: Spring Breakers was shot in St. Petersburg, Florida, so expect lots of beach shots, beautiful sunsets and a young cast — featuring Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine—stripped down to clothing that would cause instant frost bite for those us of living in the Great White North these days. The story of the illegal way they try to make money for spring break plays more like a wild music video than traditional film, but there’s no denying the heat that comes off the screen.
MB: Summer camp? I’m with you on the Canadian classic Meatballs, with the great Bill Murray. But there’s another counter-intuitive way to go here, Richard. And that is to watch movies that depict a world so hot, you’ll be wishing for some refreshing snowflakes. Just put on the great Lawrence of Arabia. You’ll want to make a snowman by the second hour. Or Gus Van Sant’s Gerry or Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point, both of which take place in literal and existential deserts. Dune would probably work too, although I’ve never met anyone who could watch it all the way through.
RC: Talk about flipping from one extreme to the other. I’ll stick with a more moderate climate for my last pick. Under the Tuscan Sun is a hot love story starring Diane Lane set in moderate, but enjoyable temperatures.
MB: A lovely movie. But let’s not forget the old standby: The Yule Log, burning brightly on DVD. Not much of a cast, the acting is wooden, but the dialogue crackles!
GABRIELLE: 4 STARS. “thought provoking French language film is a tender tearjerker.”
Canada’s entry for the Best Foreign Film at this year’s Oscars, Gabrielle is the touching story of the title character (Gabrielle Marion-Rivard), a young woman with developmental disabilities who falls in love with Martin (Alexandre Landry), a singer in her choir. Unfortunately his mother doesn’t approve and pulls Martin from the group in an attempt to end their relationship. In return Gabrielle takes control of her life for the first time. This thought provoking French language film is a tender tearjerker, but undeniably soul-stirring. Marion-Rivard, in her debut performance, is riveting and lovable; a character you can’t help but root for.
