I join the Bell Media Radio Network national night time show “Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift” for “Booze & Reviews!” This week I talk about the deep sea survival movie “Last Breath” and I suggest cocktails that will put you in the mind of the ocean.
Listen to me on the life and legacy of Gene Hackman HERE!
Listen to the oceanic pleasures of Booze & Reviews HERE!
I sit in with CKTB morning show host Steph Vivier to have a look at movies in theatres and streaming including the dark comedy “My Friend Zoe,” the survival drama “Last Breath” and the feel good “Superboys of Malegaon.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Andrew Pinsent to talk about the new movies coming to theatres and streaming including he dark comedy “My Friend Zoe,” the survival drama “Last Breath” and the feel good “Superboys of Malegaon.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to do a high five! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the dark comedy “My Friend Zoe,” the survival drama “Last Breath” and the feel good “Superboys of Malegaon.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: “Last Breath,” a new thriller starring Woody Harrelson and Simu Liu, and now playing in theatres, is the true story of deep-sea saturation divers as they attempt to rescue a crew member trapped hundreds of feet beneath the ocean’s surface.
CAST: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Djimon Hounsou, Mark Bonnar. Directed by Alex Parkinson.
REVIEW: A ticking clock survival drama, “Last Breath” juxtaposes tight spaces with the vast openness of the ocean depth to create tension.
The claustrophobia of the submersible is a nightmare for anyone (like me) with a fear of enclosed spaces, but the lonely, seemingly endless enormity of the ocean in the underwater scenes emphasizes the helplessness of feeling being stranded and deepens the movie’s impact.
The film’s atmosphere of danger is its most important asset and is used very effectively by director Alex Parkinson, who co-directed an acclaimed documentary of this same story in 2019.
Given that this is a well-documented story and the ending (NO SPOILERS HERE) is not exactly a surprise, Parkinson wisely mines the extremes in settings for all they are worth. Whether the actors are packed tight or left stranded in the underwater wilderness, Parkinson takes a very specific situation and makes it universal by playing on the audience’s primal fears.
The stars, Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole, take up much of the on-screen time.
Harrelson is the big-hearted jokester who leads with emotion and instinct. Liu is the stoic technician, who displays grace under pressure while Cole is the newbie, willing to take risks to prove himself. They are disparate characters, bonded by a sense of duty and compassion and the camaraderie between the men, who risk everything for a paycheque, is the film’s second big selling point.
“Last Breath” is a simple story of an extraordinary effort that succeeds because it’s not just about survival or the unusual situation, but because of the heroic, human effort that went into the rescue.
SYNOPSIS: In the dark comedy “My Dead Friend Zoe,” now playing in theatres, Afghanistan veteran Merit is haunted by her late best friend Zoe. Now in civilian life, Merit searches for a way forward as she suffers from PTSD and tends to her retired Lieutenant-Colonel grandfather.
CAST: Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Gloria Reuben, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. Directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
REVIEW: A study of the effects of PTSD, “My Dead Friend Zoe” is part dark comedy, part ghost story and part family drama but in its totality is greater than the sum of its parts. Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who co-wrote the film with AJ Bermudez, based the heart and soul of the film, the despair of a veteran who left friends behind, on personal experience and the weight of that permeates the film’s every frame.
As such, “My Dead Friend Zoe” raises awareness about the importance of mental health assistance for veterans and does so in a heartfelt but entertaining way.
A trio of performances from Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales and Ed Harris bring the story to heartfelt life.
As Afghanistan veteran Merit, Martin-Green blurs the line between anguish and the practiced stoicism of a person trying desperately to hold it together. It’s powerful work that could easily become maudlin, but Martin-Green infuses every line with emotion while keeping Merit’s two feet firmly on the ground.
Morales, as the recently departed title character, is a live wire, ironically filled with life as she pops in and out of the picture, a reminder of the hurt Merit carries.
As Merit’s retired Lieutenant-Colonel grandfather, Ed Harris is a force of nature who commands his limited time on screen. He’s a hard man, one toughened by the Vietnam War and the negative reception he received upon his return and is an interesting counterpoint to Merit and her experience.
These fine performances smooth over Merit’s epiphany, an ending that feels rushed in an effort to wrap things up conveniently and expediently. But despite “My Dead Friend Zoe’s” soft finale, it does an otherwise remarkable job of balancing heart and humour with the real-life issues faced by soldiers returning from conflict.
SYNOPSIS: “Superboys of Malegaon,” a new feelgood Hindi language biopic now playing in theatres, is based on the true story of an amateur filmmaker who would stop at nothing to see his vision on the screen.
CAST: Adarsh Gourav, Vineet Kumar SingH, Shashank Arora, Anuj Singh Duhan, Riddhi Kumar. Directed by Reema Kagti.
REVIEWS: Inspired by true events, and a 2008 documentary called “Supermen of Malegaon,” this is a crowd-pleasing underdog story with humour and heart.
A movie about the power of storytelling, “Superboys of Malegaon” stars Adarsh Gourav as wedding videographer Nasir. On the side he plays classic Hollywood pictures for the small handful of friends and family who show up to his movie nights.
His Charlie Chaplin screenings may not draw crowds, but when his mash-up of a Bollywood movie with some American blockbusters proves popular, he comes up with the idea of making his own versions of popular movies.
With a ragtag group of friends, including screenwriter Farogh (Vineet Singh), Nasir is on the way to becoming a Malegaonian Roger Corman but egos and money get in the way of his dreams of making his own films. But later a change of fortune brings the gang back together to create their magnum opus, a superhero movie based on their lives.
At just over two hours “Superboys of Malegaon” has down moments, including a long marriage section, but the uplift of the story, mixed with comedy, drama and tragedy, carries the day.
In the Hindi language with subtitles, it’s also a statement on the movie business. The movie Nasir and his friends make is a superhero template, that, in context to the film, is charming and life-affirming, but imitative in its execution. “Superboys of Malegaon” seems to live by the credo, “Give the people what they want,” originality be damned, but it’s also about the power of movies as an artform to build community. It’s a lovely notion, coupled with the importance of representation in art and the joy that movies can bring that makes up for the film’s narrative shortcomings.
I join “The CTV National News with Sandie Rinaldo” to have a look at the beginning of Gene Hackman’s illustrious career.
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 4:40)
I join Kyle Horner of AM 800 in Windsor, Ontario to discuss the life and career of Gene Hackman.
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
