“Passages,” a new Paris-set erotic relationship drama from LGBTQ+ director Ira Sachs, now playing in theatres, is the story of an intolerable narcissist made tolerable by the lead performance from Franz Rogowski.
German actor Rogowski plays Tomas, a self-involved filmmaker fresh off the set of his latest movie. Controlling and uncompromising, his marriage to long-time partner Martin (Ben Whishaw) is beginning to fray around the edges. At the wrap party for the film, Martin doesn’t feel like dancing, so Tomas hits the floor with Agatha (Adèle Exarchopoulos). They dance, they flirt and spend the night together.
The next morning Tomas returns home to an understandably upset Martin. “I had sex with a woman,” Tomas says. “Can I tell you about it?” Martin is unenthusiastic as Tomas describes his “exciting” night with Agatha. Martin writes off the one-night stand as Tomas blowing off some steam. “This always happens when you finish a film,” he says, but their bond unravels further as Tomas becomes smitten with Agatha. He quickly moves in with her, leaving Martin high and dry.
When Agatha announces she is pregnant, Tomas feels the weight of his actions.
“Passages” is a study of toxic behavior. Tomas is brusque, unscrupulous, self-absorbed; concerned only with his own feelings and pleasure. It’s a trick to create a monster, a character devoid of any emotional intelligence, and yet still set him up as the object of desire. Rogowski slithers through the film, using magnetism to manipulate Martin and Agatha, drawing both into his tumultuous world. It’s an impressive performance, equal parts maddening and mesmeric.
Rogowski dominates the film, but Whishaw and Exarchopoulos are given latitude to be more than just victims of the charismatic Tomas. He is their weakness, but neither are weak characters. Both have scenes that display their strength and lives outside of Tomas’s toxic circle.
“Passages” feels like a throwback to the erotic relationship films of the 1980s and 90s. It is an adult, sexual film with a couple explicit scenes, but more than that, it is explicit in its emotional complexity.
In the early 1980s it seemed the Devil was lurking around every corner. Parents, concerned that heavy metal was bringing their kids over to the dark side, played records backwards, searching for hidden diabolical messages. Rumors circulated that a major toothpaste brand had secret satanic messages embedded into their logo and sordid tales of human sacrifices, incestuous orgies and ritual abuse at the hands of Devil worshippers were guaranteed ratings gold for afternoon talk shows.
Ground Zero for the satanic panic was “Michelle Remembers,” a bestselling memoir co-written by Victoria, BC based psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Smith, his long-term patient and future wife. The book, and the resulting reverberations caused by its allegations, are the subject of “Satan Wants You,” a new documentary now playing in theatres.
Based on Smith’s “repressed memories,” the book details lurid and often absurd claims of child abuse she says she suffered at the hands of a cabal of satanists led by her mother Virginia Proby. As the book gained popularity, with excerpts in People and the National Enquirer, Pazder and Smith became media celebrities, spreading the now debunked message that satanists lurked everywhere, and no one was safe from their devilish grasp. Despite no actual evidence of satanic activity—Smith claims the Virgin Mary visited her and removed scars and other signs of abuse—their sensational claims got a hold in the zeitgeist.
Directors Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams methodically work their way through the story and misinformation, supported by audio recordings of Smith’s unsettling hypnotherapy sessions with Pazder, cheesy reenactments, loads of archival footage and new interviews with family and friends of the main characters. What emerges is a portrait not only of a conspiracy and moral panic spun out of control, and lapped up by an eager media, but also of the exploitive relationship between the doctor and patient.
The film’s focus on that aspect of the story gives the larger picture a bit of a short shrift. The panic caused by “Michelle Remembers” ruined the reputations of falsely accused people and cost others a fortune defending themselves in costly court trials.
Instead, the film forges a connection between the 1980s satanic frenzy and the recent conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon. In the world or misinformation, the film suggests, everything old is new again.
“Satan Wants You” is a time capsule of 1980s moral outrage, but more than that, it demonstrates how quickly and easily misinformation can cause an epidemic of mass hysteria.
Film critic and pop culture historian Richard Crouse shares a toast with celebrity guests and entertainment pundits every week on CTV News Channel’s talk show POP LIFE.
Featuring in-depth discussion and debate on pop culture and modern life, POP LIFE features sit-down interviews with celebrities from across the entertainment world, including rock legends Sting, Meat Loaf and Robbie Robertson, musicians Josh Groban, Shania Twain and superstar jazz pianist Diana Krall, You Tube superstar Gigi Gorgeous, comedian Ken Jeong, writer Fran Lebowitz, stand-up comedian and CNN host W. Kamau Bell, actors Danny DeVito and Jay Baruchel, celebrity chefs Bobby Flay, Gail Simmons and Nigella Lawson, and many more.
On the August 5, 2023 edition of the Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies. The an alternative country and folk rock band have been together, producing albums and touring, since 1985. Early on their version of the Velvet Underground song “Sweet Jane” earned them critical success and, the song’s writer, Lou Reed claimed that their version of “Sweet Jane” was his favourite. They are back with a new record called “Such Ferocious Beauty,” the band’s first release of new material in five years and follows their heralded 2022 collection of covers, “Songs of the Recollection.” It is a mix of styles Alternative? Rock? Americana? Roots? And a rumination on aging, losing parents and facing mortality.
The we get to know director, actor, writer Sharon Lewis. She talks about her documentary “With Wonder,” an intimate look at the journey of members of the Queer, Christian community of colour and their attempts to answer the question: Can you be both Christian and Queer? We’ll talk about her personal experiences and how she extended the documentary into a multipart series on YouTube called WITH WONDER: Untold Stories.
Finally, improviser and comedian Kris Siddiqi. In addition to his work as an improvisor at Second City and in clubs, the Canadian Comedy Awards nominee who has played a role in the Gemini winning Showcase series ‘Cock’d Gunns’, has written for and hosted YTV’s Saturday morning show CRUNCH!, the Showcase series Almost Heroes & Lost Girl, MTV’s Scare Tactics, My Babysitter’s a Vampire, and Disney’s Life with Boys. Kris is now one of the stars of the new Family Channel show “I Woke Up A Vampire.”
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!
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Five years ago “The Meg,” a prehistoric creature feature starring a CGI shark and underwater actionman Jason Statham, took a $500 million bite out of the worldwide box office. This weekend, Ben Wheatley, a director best known for the arthouse, satirical thrills of movies like ”High Rise” and “Kill List,” dives in for the sequel, hoping to make a splash by reteaming Statham with a super shark. Question is, will “Meg 2: The Trench” be fin-tastic or does it jump the shark?
The fishy business centers on billionaire philanthropist Jiuming (Wu Jing) and eco-warrior Jonas Taylor (Statham). Jiuming owns an oceanographic institute, home to its own captive Meg, a nickname for a megalodon—think Bruce the Shark from “Jaws” on steroids—once thought to have been extinct for about 2 million years. Taylor is a former U.S. Marine whose steely gaze is rivalled only by the dead eyes of the Meg.
The unlikely pair lead a dangerous mission to an “ancient ecosystem untouched by man,” an oceanic trench twenty-five thousand feet under the surface of the ocean. The mission goes sideways when an illegal mining operation sets off an explosion that creates a breach in the thermocline, trapping Jiuming, Jonas and crew six kilometres deep, surrounded by colossal, Megs and all manner of aggressive, primordial undersea creatures. “Three massive Megs and who knows what else have escaped the breach!”
Midway through “The Meg: The Trench” Statham rasps, “This ain’t good.” It’s a meta moment that feels like the actor has broken the fourth wall to comment on the movie. He hasn’t of course. The movie isn’t clever enough to have that kind of built-in self-awareness.
But he’s not wrong.
From the reams of cliched dialogue seemingly borrowed from other, better action movies and half-hearted homages to “Jaws” and “Jurassic Park” to the rehash of Statham Stock Character #2—the man with a past who must protect a young, innocent child—and lame attempts to create a catchphrase (“See you later chum.”), “The Meg 2: The Trench” doesn’t add up to much until it becomes a creature feature in its last half hour. Even then, the alleged giant octopus is left mostly to the viewer’s imagination and seen only as a tentacle or two sticking out of the water.
“Meg 2: The Trench” spends much of its runtime underwater, which makes sense, because for 95% of its running time, it’s all wet.
When I first heard there was a new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movie in the pipeline, I wondered, “Why?” From their beginnings as a superhero parody comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird to becoming a surprise cultural phenomenon, the anthropomorphic turtle brothers have been rebooted as a television show, toys and a bunch of movies.
The difference this time around is that “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” a new animated adventure now playing in theatres, captures the irreverent, rambunctious spirit of the comics that inspired it, without losing any of the heart that made turtle brothers— Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael—so beloved in the first place.
An origin story, the new movie is a coming of age for the resourceful Donatello (Micah Abbey), the charming Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr), the reliable Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) and the brave Raphael (Brady Noon). Raised by a mutant rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan) in the sewers of New York, under the orders of their overprotective, adoptive father, they only visit the human world to gather supplies. Splinter does not trust humans, and fears for his son’s safety if they are exposed to the human world.
But the turtles are restless. They long to be accepted, to go to high school, to do the things they see human teenagers do on television and in movies. “If we weren’t monsters, shunned by society, what would we do?”
On one of their clandestine visits to the city, they meet April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), an aspiring journalist who wants to tell their story. “This is insane,” she says. “Turtles. Mutant. Karate. Teens. I want to know everything about you.”
Meanwhile, New York City is being terrorized by Superfly (Ice Cube), a mutant housefly with a plan to kill and capture all humans and turn all animals on Earth into mutants. “Humans will be executed, enslaved, turned into food. Could be pets,” he says. “Any crazy thing you can think of, pitch it.”
Teaming with April, the turtles plan to take on Superfly and become heroes. “We take out Superfly and then everyone will think we’re cool,” says Donatello. “They’ll accept us!”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” has a loads of scrappy heroes-in-half-shell spirit. The gorgeous rough ‘n tumble animation is computer generated, but feels organic, like a mix of the hand-drawn aesthetic of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Gerald Scarfe. It’s vibrant, exciting and will give your eyes a workout.
The story isn’t quite as exciting. It won’t take you anywhere really new, superhero movie wise, but it does update the TMNT lore. The use of actual teenagers to voice the four turtle brothers brings youthful energy that also adds some oomph and even poignancy to their coming-of-age/outsiders storyline.
The real stars of the show are Edebiri, Chan and Ice Cube. No longer just a supporting character, Edebiri gives April three-dimensions, with foibles–sometimes her nerves get the best of her—and objectives that help guide the story. Chan is very funny, but also humanizes the rat with his overly protective fatherly concerns. Ice Cube brings a considerable amount of swagger to the megalomaniac Superfly, spitting out his lines with humor and some cartoony menace.
Seven feature films in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” does something kind of remarkable. It takes a decades-old franchise and makes it feels contemporary with humor and heart while still providing a nostalgic blast for long-time fans.
The anti-rom com “Shortcomings,” a new film directed by Randall “Fresh Off the Boat” Park and now playing in theatres, is brave enough to center its story around an annoying twerp whose pretentiousness is matched only by his negativity and the ignorant remarks that fall so effortlessly from his lips.
Based on the 2007 graphic novel by Adrian Tomine (who wrote the script), Justin H. Min plays the antisocial Ben, a wannabe filmmaker and Berkeley arthouse theater manager. He has lots of personality, all of it bad. He says in school he was discriminated against, but not because he is Asian.
“It was because of your inherent bad personality,” says his BFF Alice (Sherry Cola).
“Exactly,” he says.
When his long-suffering girlfriend Miko (Ally Maki) accepts a temporary internship across the country in New York, he uses their “break” to selfishly dip his toe back into the dating pool. He pursues Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), a young performance artist who works at his theatre, and strikes up a relationship with Sasha (Debby Ryan), a friend of Alice who just broke up with her girlfriend.
When he realizes that he didn’t know what he had until it was gone, it’s may be too late. “Is this your rock bottom,” asks Alice. “High school was my rock bottom,” he replies unconvincingly.
“Shortcomings” does a great job of making, and keeping, its main character as toxic as possible. Director Park and Min make no attempt to shave down Ben’s rough edges, or make him more agreeable. But as unlikable as the self-loathing character is, he is compelling in his toxicity. Min is fearless in his portrayal of Ben’s foibles and flaws, and yet you feel empathy for him because he is so lost. As Alice says, “change is hard for assholes like us,” and it’s up in the air if Ben has it in him to put in the effort to embrace the change that will make his life better. It’s an unbending character you don’t normally find in movies with a romantic edge.
Clocking in at just under ninety minutes, Park’s economical film is stacked with ideas.
“Shortcomings” delivers laughs—Ben and Alice are a playful odd couple—and examines cultural expectations, but it really succeeds because of its uncompromising character study.
“A Compassionate Spy,” a new documentary from director Steve “Hoop Dreams” James, should work as a compelling companion piece for audiences in an Atomic Age state of mind after seeing “Oppenheimer.”
Like “Oppenheimer,” the documentary’s main character is a nuclear physicist. Ted Hall was an eighteen-year-old Harvard undergrad when he was brought on to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create a bomb as part of the Manhattan Project in 1944.
Three years later he met, and courted Joan, a left-leaning undergrad at the University of Chicago. They connected quickly, but his marriage proposal came with a catch. He quietly told her that he didn’t share the jubilation felt by his scientist colleagues for their part in ushering in the Atomic Age. Disgusted by the destructive power of the bomb he helped build, he attempted to level the playing field between super powers by leaking secrets to the Soviet Union. He felt if both countries had nuclear access the idea of mutually assured destruction would keep either from hitting the button.
(SIDENOTE: In “Oppenheimer” the Manhattan Project spy was reported to be German theoretical physicist Klaus Fuchs.)
Joan, who appears in the film, agrees to keep Ted’s secret, and does as they raise a family under a campaign of intimidation by the FBI, in a marriage that lasts more than 50 years. Using Joan’s words coupled with (sometimes overtly) dramatic recreations, archival footage and a tell-all, never-before-seen video, taped before Ted’s 1999 death, “A Compassionate Spy” details their life together and the lengths they went through to keep their secret.
Set to a soundtrack of Ted and Joan’s favorite music—Mahler, Mozart and Schumann—“A Compassionate Spy” is part family drama, part historical drama and part hagiography of a controversial and complex person. Like any good espionage story there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns, mostly told in first hand by people who were there. It’s the personal touch that elevates the story from historical and geopolitical tell-all to a different, and in many ways, more compelling story of intergenerational secrecy.
The political underpinnings of Hall’s actions are observed and commented on by historian Daniel Axelrod and physicist Michio Kaku, but the title gives away the filmmaker’s point of view. “A Compassionate Spy” is a forgiving look at Hall, painting him as a man who acted against zealous nationalism, not against his country.
“A Compassionate Spy” is a very compelling story knocked down a notch or two by an overuse of dramatizations. They don’t add much to the overall presentation, and often reduce the power of the interviews. Nonetheless, the story of one man who changed the world, for better and for worse, and why, is one worth telling.
