“Ali & Ava,” a lovely and warm character piece starring Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook and now playing in theatres, is a study of opposites, of happiness and struggle, of love and loneliness.
Living in the West Yorkshire, England city of Bradford, Ali (Akhtar) is a music-obsessed Pakistani-British man, with a taste for punk rock and hip hop who manages several properties. He lives with his wife Runa (Ellora Torchia), but it is a marriage in name only. They’re separated but are staying “together” to appease their traditional families.
Ava (Rushbrook) is a recently widowed teacher’s assistant, mother to four kids, including the hot-headed Callum (Shaun Thomas), and grandmother to five. Her taste in music runs to country music and folk.
The thing that brings them together is Sofia (Ariana Bodorova), a young girl who lives in one of Ali’s apartments and goes to Ava’s school. She is new to the country and is having trouble fitting in. One day, after school, during a rainstorm, the kindly Ali offers Sofia a lift home. Ava comes along for the ride and sparks fly as he joshes her about her taste in music.
Over time their natural rapport gives way to romance, despite the disapproval of Callum, who still reveres his late, abusive father. Ali and Ava’s differences melt away as their romance blooms. Ali even admits respect for Bob Dylan’s folk song “Mama, You Been on My Mind.”
British writer-director Clio Barnard brings an almost documentary style intimacy to “Ali & Ava.”
This isn’t a rom com with finely appointed homes, exotic locations and snappily tailored clothes. It’s a social realist look at two people and their opposites-attract love story. Barnard’s camera is a fly on the wall, observing the highs and lows of Ali and Ava’s courtship without judgment. It’s an emotionally raw treatment, that allows the story’s empathy and warmth to shine. Never saccharine, it’s a British kitchen sink drama, without the disillusionment.
“Ali & Ava” is a slow burn romance. There are no huge moments or grand gestures, just a series of personal obstacles to be overcome in service of their relationship. The authentic chemistry shared by Akhtar and Rushbrook illuminates their character’s vulnerabilities and strengths, but, most importantly, their joy.
I join join Reshmi Nair and Scott MacArthur, hosts of NewsTalk 1010’s “The Rush,” to discuss the life and legacy of the late, great Paul Sorvino, who passed away today at age 83.
When I first heard “My Aim Is True” it spoke to me, and now I speak to “Dangerous Amusements” podcast host Stu Arrowsmith about my decades long love affair with that record.
I write about the Ford Motor Company’s first customer for the Toronto Star.
“More than a century ago, half the cars on American roads were made by the Ford Motor Company, but the success of the automobile giant is owed to one man, a German-born dentist based in Chicago.
“Ford’s famous quote “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently,” was birthed out of experience. The Ford Motor Company would go on to become one of the world’s largest and wealthiest companies, but, in 1903, the industrialist had a legacy of two failed companies and one bankruptcy…” Read the whole thing HERE!
On this week’s Richard Crouse Show Martin Freeman stops by. You know the Emmy, a BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award winning actor from playing Tim Canterbury in the original British series of “The Office.” He was Dr. John Watson in the British crime drama series “Sherlock” opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” film trilogy and will soon be seen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” reprising the role of Everett K. Ross. Today we’ll talk about his newest project, the critically acclaimed police series “The Responder,” now playing on Brit Box.
Then, we meet Emmy-award winning documentary filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine who have created a fascinating look at iconic Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen called “HALLELUJAH: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” that uses one of his most famous songs as a starting point. We’ll find out why one of Cohen’s most famous songs was rejected by his record company and more.
Later in the show we’ll meet Gregory Sestero, star of a new found footage film called “Infrared.” In the film he plays the creepy caretaker of an abandoned schoolhouse. If Greg’s name rings a bell, it’s likely because you’ve attended one of the midnight madness screenings of “The Room,” a movie so deliciously awful, it has become a cult favorite since its release in 2003. Gregory turned the experience of making the so-bad-it’s-a-hoot movie into a book, which eventually went on to become the Oscar nominated movie The Disaster Artist, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. We talk about “Infrared” and whether or not, twenty years on, if “The Room” is an embarrassment or a source of pride.
Listen to the whole thing HERE! (Link coming soon)
Here’s some info on The Richard Crouse Show!
Each week on the nationally syndicated 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 hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
Listen to the show live here:
C-FAX 1070 in Victoria
SAT 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
SUN 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
CJAD in Montreal
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
CFRA in Ottawa
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 610 CKTB in St. Catharines
Sat 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1010 in Toronto
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1290 CJBK
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
AM 1150 in Kelowna
SAT 11 PM to Midnight
BNN BLOOMBERG RADIO 1410
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed!
I appear on “CTV News at 6” with anchor Pauline Chan to talk about the best movies and television to watch this weekend. This week I have a look the Disney+ documentary “Million Dollar Moon Heist,” the final season of “Better Call Saul” on AMC, the Netflix thriller “The Gray Man” and, in theatres, the Jordan Peel sci fi flick “Nope.”
This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Chris Strikes and Joella Crichton. Their movie “Becoming a Queen,” which is now on VOD, is a documentary about Joella Crichton, Canada’s most decorated Caribbean Carnival Queen. The film, directed by Chris Strikes, covers Joella’s attempt to win a historic tenth title in her last ever competition. The movie explores expressions of cultural identity, Caribbean artistry and a community’s struggle against a lack of understanding of Carnival in the larger society.
We’ll also meet author KL Armstrong. She has written over 40 books, including the bestselling young adult series the “Darkest Powers” and “Darkness Rising,” the YA book “Aftermath,” the middle-grade novel “A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying” and the adult thriller “Alone in the Wild.” On television the SyFy series “Bitten” was based on her book the “Women of the Otherworld.”
Her new novel is “The Life She Had,” a thriller about two women with secrets they want to keep buried, but when a body is discovered nearby, they must move quickly to prove their innocence and protect the lives they’ve built for themselves. We talk about how she comes up with her intricate stories and characters, and why she sometimes writes under a pseudonym.
Finally, we’ll get to know Jon Harvey, bassist and lead singer of Monster Truck. The JUNO Award-Winners are one of Canada’s hardest-working rock and roll bands, a reputation they’ve cemented by touring relentlessly. Their new single, “Get My Things & Go” is available now wherever you legally buy and download great music.
Each week on the nationally syndicated 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 hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
Listen to the show live here:
C-FAX 1070 in Victoria
SAT 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
SUN 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
CJAD in Montreal
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
CFRA in Ottawa
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 610 CKTB in St. Catharines
Sat 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1010 in Toronto
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1290 CJBK
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
AM 1150 in Kelowna
SAT 11 PM to Midnight
BNN BLOOMBERG RADIO 1410
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed!
I join the hosts of NewsTalk 1010’s “The New Rush” with Scott MacArthur and guest host Deb Hutton, for a new segment called “Entertainment Court.” Each week I serve as the judge, Reshmi and Scott the jurors, and we render a verdict on the week’s biggest pop culture stories.
This week we ask, How do we feel about Roger Waters dissing our hometown heroes Drake and the Weeknd? How would you react to your child majoring in Harry Styles in college? Do we agree with Captain America? Is the loss of the home button a blow to iPhone users?
Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to saddle a horse! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the sci fi thriller “Nope,” Ryan Gosling as “The Gray Man” and the volcanic documentary “Fire of Love.”
“Ali & Ava,” a lovely and warm character piece starring Adeel Akhtar and Claire Rushbrook and now playing in theatres, is a study of opposites, of happiness and struggle, of love and loneliness.
