Archive for April, 2023

NEWSTALK 1010: THOMAS HAYDEN CHURCH + MELANIE SCROFANO + JUSTIN CRONIN

On this edition of the Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Thomas Hayden Church. He became a star as Mechanic Lowell Mather on the sitcom “Wings,” was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in “Sideways” and has had supporting roles in films such as Tombstone, George of the Jungle, The Specials, and Demon Knight. Today, we talk about his new movie, Acidman. In the film, he plays Lloyd, a reclusive man who lives in in the middle of nowhere, and spends his time searching for UFOs. He is estranged from his daughter Maggie and has been given the nickname “Acidman” by the locals. One day his daughter arrives to pass along some important news and they attempt to make contact, with UFOs and each other.

We’ll also meet actor Melanie Scrofano. You know her from everything from the Crave comedy series Letterkenny and the comedy-drama series Being Erica, to the CTV fantasy-drama series The Listener and the Syfy modern Western drama Wynonna Earp. Today we talk about her latest movie, “The End of Sex.”

Later in the show we’ll meet author Justin Cronin. In 2010, novel “The Passage” became a phenomenon. The unforgettable tale that critics and readers compared to the novels of Cormac McCarthy, Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Margaret Atwood became a runaway bestseller and loved by readers around the globe. His latest book, “The Ferryman” is a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia—where the truth isn’t what it seems. No less an expert than Stephen King said, ““The Ferryman is next to impossible to put down once you’ve read the first few pages. Exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying, this is a book to get lost in…”

Listen to the whole thing HERE!

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:

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NEWSTALK TONIGHT WITH JIM RICHARDS: DOES RICHARD CROUSE LIKE THESE MOVIES?

I join NewsTalk 1010 host Jim Richards on the coast-to-coast-to-coast late night “NewsTalk Tonight” to play the game “Did Richard Crouse Like This?” This week we talk about the coming-of-age story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the sports biopic “Big George Foreman” and the relationship dramedy “The End of Sex.”

Listen to the whole thing HERE!

NEWSTALK 1010: THE ENTERTAINMENT COURT IS IN SESSION!

I join the host of NewsTalk 1010’s “The Rush” for a segment called “Entertainment Court.” Each week I serve as the judge, Reshmi as the juror, and we render a verdict on the week’s biggest pop culture stories.

This week we ask, Are you team QR Code or Team Program? How much do we really need to know about celebrities? Does it ruin the movie or television experience for you if you know about a major plot twist in advance?

Listen to the whole thing HERE!

 

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RICHARD’S WEEKEND MOVIE REVIEWS FROM CP24! FRIDAY APRIL 28, 2023.

I joined CP24 to have a look at new movies coming to VOD, streaming services and theatres.  Today we talk about the coming-of-age story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the sports biopic “Big George Foreman” and the relationship dramedy “The End of Sex.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!

CP24 BREAKFAST: WHAT TO WATCH IN THEATRES AND ON STREAMING THIS WEEKEND!

I join “CP24 Breakfast” to talk about what to see in theatres and on streaming service this weekend, including the sports biopic “Big George Foreman,” the true crime series “Love & Death” ion Crave and the Netflix special “The Light We Carry: Michelle Obama & Oprah Winfrey.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!

CKTB NIAGARA REGION: THE TIM DENIS SHOW WITH RICHARD CROUSE ON MOVIES!

I sit in with CKTB morning show host Tim Denis to have a look at the coming-of-age story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the sports biopic “Big George Foreman” and the relationship dramedy “The End of Sex.”

Listen to the whole thing HERE!

CFRA IN OTTAWA: THE BILL CARROLL MORNING SHOW MOVIE REVIEWS!

I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk the new movies coming to theatres including the coming-of-age story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the sports biopic “Big George Foreman” and the relationship dramedy “The End of Sex.”

Listen to the whole thing HERE!

YOU TUBE: THREE MOVIES/THIRTY SECONDS! FAST REVIEWS FOR BUSY PEOPLE!

Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to roll the dice! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the coming-of-age story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the sports biopic “Big George Foreman” and the relationship dramedy “The End of Sex.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!

BIG GEORGE FOREMAN: 3 STARS. “BY THE BOOK BIOPIC. Raging Bull” this ain’t.

To some people he is an “as seen on TV” pitchman who spent much of the last thirty years shilling for the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine. To others he is an indestructible two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. To still others, he is Reverend Foreman, a man of faith who preached on street corners before becoming the minister of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston.

He’s George Foreman, the subject of “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World,” a new biopic now playing in theatres.

When we first meet Foreman (Khris Davis) he is a young boxer from an impoverished background with a mighty punch and anger issues. “George should change his name from Foreman to Poor-man,” taunt the kids at his school.

Scarred by a troubled past, and narrowly avoiding being arrested, he leaves Houston to find “his unrealized potential” with the Job Corps, a government run vocational training center.

It’s here, under the tutelage of trainer Doc Broadus (Forest Whitaker), that he learns to channel his anger into a winning streak in the squared circle. “Listen to me George,” says Broadus, “you got a punch like I’ve never seen. But in every battle, the greatest foe we will combat, is in here,” he continues, pointing at the fighter’s forehead.

After the 1968 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division, he followed a string of knockouts to the big time, a 1972 match against the undefeated and undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier. He walked into the ring a 3:1 underdog, and left it with a champion belt.

Two years later he lost the belt to Muhammad Ali (Sullivan Jones) at the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire. With no title, he spent the balance of the 1970s chasing a rematch and another chance at the belt before a near death experience set him on a spiritual path that saw him spend ten years as a minister. “It’s like He reached inside me and took all my anger,” he says. “I can’t even make a fist anymore.”

When his church and community center fall into financial trouble, he laces up the gloves again. “There’s only two thongs I know how to do,” he says, “box and preach. And preachin’ won’t pay the bills.”

Sports commentators call him an old man in a young man’s game, but he is a minister on a mission, and unbelievably, becomes, at age 45, the oldest World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever.

“Big George Foreman” is a by-the-book biopic, by the way of the good book. It’s a standard, faith-based cradle to grill biography that hits the highs and some of the lows—like hiding under an open sewer pipe to avoid police—in service of its messaging.

“Raging Bull” this ain’t.

Davis captures the glower, born out of internalized anger, that characterized Foreman’s early career, and the lighter attitude that came to the fore in his later life. He makes Foreman a compelling, charismatic character, despite a script that plays it safe and without a hint of grit.

“Big George Foreman” shaves down all the rough edges of the boxer’s story, replacing them with uplift and life lessons. It never feels entirely authentic, but its messages of the importance of faith are heard loud and clear.