Archive for January, 2018

POP MYTHOLOGY: Richard on the Flashback Film Fest & the influence of 80s films

Richard spoke with Pop Mythology writer John K. Kirk about Cineplex’s Flashback Film Festival and why he loves “The Big Lebowski.”

“Dudism.” Richard agrees. “There are 220,000 of them somewhere out there. In New York, there was a store I used to shop at, called “The Little Lebowski”. It’s gone now but it was a store that sold The Big Lebowski merchandise. There are not that many movies that have reached that level of fandom. I think it’s because it’s a wild movie. The story really doesn’t matter; it’s about the characters, the process, and once you get into its weird little rhythms, it seduces you.” READ THE WHOLE THING HERE!

MIDNIGHT RETURN: 3 ½ STARS. “makes the most of its talking head presentation.”

In 1978 the movie “Midnight Express” was a big hit. The true story of Billy Hayes and his escape from a Turkish prison packed audiences, won a screenwriting Oscar for Oliver Stone and made Hayes a media star. It also enraged the Turkish people and led to a major decline in tourism to that country. A new documentary is part true-life crime story, part making-of doc and part mea culpa.

Written and directed by Sally Sussman “Midnight Return” gathers all the original players—Hayes, Stone, director Alan Parker and more—to tell the tale of Hayes’s arrest in Istanbul, at age 23, for smuggling hashish. The year was 1970 and Hayes was sentenced to four years and two months in a Turkish prison. After serving the bulk of the time he was resentenced to life behind bars. He escaped in 1975, making his way to Greece and then into the waiting arms of his parents in the United States.

Upon his stateside arrival he was a cause celeb. His book, “Midnight Express,” detailed his ordeal in gruesome detail. The film, starring Brad Davis, drew praise from critics but was criticized for its portrayal of Turkish people. Director Parker even admits the Turkish actors aren’t even speaking Turkish in the film and hat no effort was made to be culturally authentic. Despite accolades at home Hayes was vilified in Turkey, seen as an agent of propaganda and universally hated.

This entertaining doc details Hayes’s life and efforts to rehabilitate his reputation in the country that once held him prisoner. Chock full of anecdotes about the making of the film—Stone and Parker did NOT get along— and insights to Hayes’s life both before and after his arrest, “Midnight Return” makes the most of its talking head presentation.

Of all the characters Hayes stands out. He’s a showboater but despite his extroverted ways it is apparent his time away had a profound impact on him. The film’s final third, his trip back to Istanbul, reveals the deep level of hurt that lies beneath his bravura exterior. Those revelations, mostly captured on home grade video, deepen the impact of the movie, elevating “Midnight Return” from talking head doc to character study.

THE INSULT: 3 ½ STARS. “a serious, powerful film that offers emotion and empathy.”

“The Insult,” Lebanon’s first-ever Academy Award nomination for best foreign-language film, centers around a small slight that escalates until the eyes of a nation are turned toward it.

The problems begin with a leaky illegal drainpipe on Lebanese Christian auto mechanic named Tony’s (Adel Karam) Beirut balcony. When it drips water unto a construction crew working below, Palestinian Muslim refugee Yasser (Kamel El Basha) patches it. Enraged a stranger has tampered with his property Tony undoes the work and demands an apology. “He thinks he’s a hotshot but he’s not.” Tony rants. “He better apologise for insulting me.” When the men meet Tony, who is revealed as a fan of anti-Palestinian Christian leader Bachir Gemayel, blurts out “I wish Ariel Sharon had wiped you all out.” A physical confrontation leads to a court trial which becomes a media sensation.

Writer-director Ziad Doueiri, who worked as a camera assistant under Quentin Tarantino on “Pulp Fiction” and “Jackie Brown,” uses the small story of two men and a disagreement to shine a light on an old and continuing deadlock in the Middle East. Buoyed by terrific performances—El Basha won the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival—the film comments on the Lebanese civil war in microcosm. Boiling the country’s history of unrest between Sunni Muslims and Christians down to a personal story puts a human face on a huge problem. Doueiri humanizes the conflict metaphorically, showing the effects of dehumanizing rhetoric and hate.

“The Insult” is a serious, powerful film that offers not only emotion but also empathy.

IN THE FADE: 3 STARS. “story of violence against immigrants is a timely one.”

To paraphrase James Baldwin, “The most dangerous creation of any society is the woman who has nothing to lose.” “In the Fade” (“Aus dem Nichts”), the new thriller from German director Fatih Akin, brings this truism to life.

When we first meet Katja (Diane Kruger in her first German language film) she has a normal life. Living in Germany, married to Turkish immigrant accountant Nuri (Numan Acar), she has a young son named Rocco and a large extended family. Her well ordered life is disrupted, forever changed, when Nuri and Rocco are killed in a Neo-Nazi nail bomb attack. Her life in shards she attempts suicide, endures a drawn out court trial—“Imagine if they had gotten me and Rocco and Nuri had lived. He wouldn’t have stood for all this chit chat,” she says of the court case.—and finally, a showdown between her and the people responsible for tearing her life apart.

“In the Fade’s” story of terrorism and violence against immigrants is a timely one. Footage like the bombed out storefront where Nuri did business have become commonplace on the nightly news. What is less commonplace, on the news anyway, is the revenge aspect. Her need for vengeance, no matter the cost, drives the final third of the film.

Broken into three distinct segments, “The Family,” “Justice” and “The Sea,” the film almost feels like three separate shorts bound together by one character. Kruger is the glue that makes the movie as compelling as it is. A churning vessel of rage, hurt and despair, she is a very human presence at the centre of a bleak story.

“In the Fade” closes with a title card detailing the violence against immigrants in Germany each year. It is a powerful statement made in a movie that drives the point home by honing the horror of widespread violence down to one, very personal story.

NEWSTALK 1010: THE RICHARD RADIO SHOW FROM JANUARY 27, 2018.

Check out the Richard Crouse Show on NewsTalk 1010 for January 27, 2018! This week Richard welcomes “Badsville” director April Mullen, Sharon Lewis, writer/director of the new film “Brown Girl Begins” and Craig Lauzon, who talks about “The Drawer Boy” as part of the 50th Anniversary of Theater Passe Muraille.

Here’s some info on The Richard Crouse Show!: Each week on The Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favorite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Richard also lets you know what movies you’ll want to run to see and which movies you’ll want to wait for DVD release. Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed! Read Richard NewsTalk 1010 reviews HERE!

The show airs:

NewsTalk 1010 –  airs in Toronto Saturday at 9 to 10 pm. 

For Niagara, Newstalk 610 Radio – airs Saturdays at 6 to 7 pm 

For Montreal, CJAD 800 – Saturdays at 6 to 7 pm 

For Vancouver – CFAX 1070 – Saturdays 6 to 7 pm. 

For London — Newstalk 1290 CJBK, Saturdays 10 to 11 pm

GEEK HARD PODCAST: Episode 399 – Altered Killer Flashbacks

From geekhardshow.com: We talk with actor Abigail Winter. Abigail can currently be seen as Jess on the new season of Mary Kills People. We talk about what’s been happening in season two, her music and more. Born in Vancouver, BC, Abigail Winter began acting at the age of six – her first role being Gretl in The Sound of Music (Royal City Musical Theatre). She continued on in various theatre productions such as The Music Man and Beauty and the Beast until joining the Stratford Festival company in 2007 where she spent six seasons. Other film and TV credits include The Collector, The Fog, Sanguine, Emma, Copper, Rookie Blue, Warehouse 13, Unless, V. Morgan Is Dead, Saving Hope, Between, and The Detail. Abigail is also thrilled to be releasing her first original EP, Chemistry, in the spring of 2018.

Our review of Netflix’s Altered Carbon starring Joel Kinnaman, James Purefoy and Martha Higareda. Synopsis: Based on the classic cyberpunk noir novel by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon is an intriguing story of murder, love, sex, and betrayal, set more than 300 years in the future. Society has been transformed by new technology: consciousness can be digitized; human bodies are interchangeable; death is no longer permanent. Takeshi Kovacs is the lone surviving soldier in a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned – on ice – for centuries until Laurens Bancroft, an impossibly wealthy, long-lived man, offers Kovacs the chance to live again. In exchange, Kovacs has to solve a murder … that of Bancroft himself.

We also speak with film critic and host of Pop LifeRichard Crouse. Richard will be joining us to talk about the 2018 Flashback Film Fest, coming to select Cineplex Cinemas in February. Richard chats about the lineup for this year’s fest as well as his adventures while interviewing celebs. The event is Canada’s only coast-to-coast festival, bringing a line-up of sci-fi, fantasy and fan favourites back to the big screen. This year, Cineplex Events and renowned film critic, Richard Crouse, curated a line-up of 15 of the most blood-pumping, thrill-inducing and heart-warming films in cinema that will screen in over 27 cities across the country from February 2-8, 2018.

It was a great show!

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THE DRAKE COMMISSARY OSCARS PARTY 2018 WITH RICHARD CROUSE.

We’re celebrating everyone’s favourite award show with host Richard Crouse in true Drake style, this year @ DRAKE COMMISSARY for the first time! Put on your best threads + play our Oscar pool while cheering on your picks from the silver screen. Don’t want to miss a minute? We’ve got a trophy-worthy prix-fixe that’ll save your spot for the night!

To book your spot, call 416.432.2922 or email [email protected]

PRIX-FIXE MENU_$35
App
Sunchoke / hazelnut/ endive
Or
Green salad

Main 
Lamb shoulder/ Romano bean/ kale
Or
Arctic char/ horseradish/ dill/new potatoes
Or
Tortilla with Brown Butter Chanterelles

Snack
Caramel Corn

  • Property: Drake Commissary
  • Venue: Drake Commissary
  • Type: Live
    Culture
  • Cover: Free | $35 prix-fixe to reserve seating
  • Time: March 4, 2018, 6 p.m.

NEWSTALK 1010: INFO ON THE RICHARD CROUSE SHOW FOR JANUARY 27, 2018!

Check out the Richard Crouse Show on NewsTalk 1010 for January 27, 2018! This week Richard welcomes “Badsville” director April MullenSharon Lewis, writer/director of the new film “Brown Girl Begins” and Craig Lauzon, who talks about “The Drawer Boy” as part of the 50th Anniversary of Theater Passe Muraille.

Here’s some info on The Richard Crouse Show!: Each week on The Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favorite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Richard also lets you know what movies you’ll want to run to see and which movies you’ll want to wait for DVD release. Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed! Read Richard NewsTalk 1010 reviews HERE!

The show airs:

NewsTalk 1010 –  airs in Toronto Saturday at 9 to 10 pm. 

For Niagara, Newstalk 610 Radio – airs Saturdays at 6 to 7 pm 

For Montreal, CJAD 800 – Saturdays at 6 to 7 pm 

For Vancouver – CFAX 1070 – Saturdays 6 to 7 pm. 

For London — Newstalk 1290 CJBK, Saturdays 10 to 11 pm

RICHARD’S CTV NEWSCHANNEL WEEKEND MOVIE REVIEWS FOR JANUARY 26.

Richard sits in with CTV NewsChannel anchor Merella Fernandez to have a look at the weekend’s big releases “The Maze Runner: The Death Cure,” Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” and the thriller “Hollow in the Land.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!