I join “Mopore in the Morning” host John Moore to talk about why Canadians and the “elbows up” movement doesn’t appear to include Canadian movies and television.
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Richard and Jim Richards will host a special Canada Day live edition of “Maple Syrup for Your Eyes” with loads of clips and interviews on NewsTalk 1010! Check back for exact time!
Listen to the show HERE!
On the Saturday June 28, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet acclaimed Canadian filmmaker R.T. Thorne. Known for his work on television series like The Porter and Utopia Falls, he brings a unique perspective shaped by his Trinidadian and Chinese heritage, as well as his roots in Calgary and Toronto.
Today we’ll talk about “40 Acres,” a poignant exploration of family, survival, and resilience that premiered at TIFF and garnered praise at festivals like SXSW and Red Sea. It’s a post-apocalyptic film starring Danielle Deadwyler and Michael Greyeyes, in which a family fights invaders and cannibals to protect their remote 40-acre plot of land.
Canadian Olympic gold medalist, television host, and inspirational speaker Jon Montgomery. He won the men’s skeleton event at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, famously celebrating with a “beer walk” through Whistler Village, and since 2013, he has hosted “The Amazing Race Canada,” earning two Canadian Screen Awards. Today we’ll talk about his latest project, “Savour the North” is a new, docu-style cooking series showcasing Canadian brands, recipes and the unique, authentic stories behind them.
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!
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I join guest host Amanda Galbraith on the Vassy Kapelos Show to taklk about “F1,” upcoming summer blockbusters and more!
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I joined the “CTV National News with Sandie Rinaldo” to discuss the new director for the next film in the James Bond franchise, Canadian Denis Villeneuve.
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Feel the need for speed as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make a pitstop Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the pedal to the metal “Grand Prix,” the vroom vroom of “Rush” and the wicked quick “F1.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: Three years after the first film, “M3GAN 2.0” sees Gemma (Allison Williams), an author and AI regulation advocate, upgrade child-sized humanoid robot doll M3GAN to stop Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), a military android, from wreaking havoc with an AI takeover. “Humans are no longer necessary,” says Amelia.
CAST: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Amie Donald, and Jenna Davis, Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp, and Jemaine Clement. Written and directed by Gerard Johnstone.
REVIEW: Not every movie needs a sequel. Case in point, “M3GAN,” a 2022 anti-hero story that blended kitsch, humor and horror with some snazzy dancing and a knowing wink. It’s a standalone bit of fun.
In other words, almost the exact opposite of its sequel.
Plotwise it’s basically a remake of “Terminator 2,” the movie that saw a revamped T-800 protect young John Connor from the new and improved T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
Similarly, over the course of two movies M3GAN (performed by Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) has morphed from villain to hero. The once deadly doll with an overprotective disposition and some cool dance moves still has a mean streak but now uses it to rescue her best pal Cady (Violet McGraw) from the hands of a homicidal military android named A.M.E.L.I.A. (Ivanna Sakhno). “Everyone deserves a second chance,” says Cady.
Like the T-800, Megan 2.0 develops human values and finds redemption and becomes the hero of the story.
So, “M3GAN 2.0” says, “Hasta la vista, baby” to creativity, which would be OK—Hollywood cannibalizes itself all the time—if it maintained its sense of buoyancy. Instead, director Gerard Johnstone made a talky film that manages a laugh or two and has some frenetic action but is a bit of an anemic slog.
Exposition heavy, it’s as these characters never met a situation they couldn’t over explain. Much of the talk reflects Hollywood’s AI anxiety, and much time is spent on AI’s ability to evolve beyond its programming and/or develop a moral conscience.
“M3GAN 2.0” trades the kitschy horror vibe of the original for a convoluted plea for rules surrounding AI. It’s got a bad case of sequelitis, the main symptom of which is forgetting what made the first one so much fun.
SYNOPSIS: In “F1 The Movie” Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a Formula One driver who became “the best who never was” after his career was sidelined in a terrible crash. Thirty years later he gets back into the game when his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), now the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team, recruits him to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP). “If the last thing I ever do is drive that car,” Sonny says, “I will take that life. A thousand times.”
CAST: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bardem. Directed by Joseph Kosinski.
REVIEW: A pedal-to-the-metal crowd pleaser, “F1” rides immersive racing scenes and dynamic lead performances to the finish line.
A loud ‘n proud blockbuster by design, director Joseph Kosinski is all about spectacle. Whether that means sweeping sequences of Formula 1 cars whizzing around the track, or beauty shots of star Brad Pitt filling the screen with charisma, Kosinski entertains the eye.
The straightforward tale, however, won’t give your brain the same workout it gives your eyes.
Plot wise, it’s essentially an earthbound “Top Gun: Maverick.” A story of rivals, high speeds and a mentor with something to prove, it follows a very identifiable sports movie blueprint, but you’ll likely be too busy taking in the adrenalized spectacle to feel the déjà vu.
As washed-up racer Sonny Hayes, Pitt does a riff on his “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” character. Cocky and charismatic, he an older lone wolf bound to butt heads with rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Hayes may be a walking, talking cliché, a Jack Kerouac character forced to confront his past so he can have a future, but through sheer force of will Pitt makes him feel authentic.
Pitt shares an edgy chemistry with Idris. Their rivalry is the film’s heart—much more so than Pitt’s romantic involvement with Kerry Condon’s character Kate—and the evolving relationship between the “the best who never was” and the up-and-comer provides a human backdrop in a movie mostly driven by a need for speed.
The “F” in the title could stand for formulaic, but expertly shot racing sequences and pulse pounding tension make up for the familiar bits.
It’s an old-fashioned summer blockbuster, that, despite its setting, is driven by Pitt’s star power rather than the really fast cars on display.
SYNOPSIS: “His Father’s Son,” a new Canadian drama now playing in theatres, focusses on an Iranian family in Toronto thrown into conflict when a family friend, who they haven’t spoken to since they left Iran years before, leaves $1 million to youngest son Mahyar (Parham Rownaghi). “What better way to show his love for our family to leave it to our youngest,” Farhad (Gus Tayari). “It’s the symbolism. That’s how Persians are.”
CAST: Gus Tayari, Mitra Lohrasb, Alireza Shojaei, Parham Rownaghi, Romina D’Ugo. Directed by Meelad Moaphi.
REVIEW: A quiet family drama, “His Father’s Son” is a story of secrets and truth, but truth be told, the secret at the heart of the story isn’t that well-hidden. No spoilers here, but the big reveal is little more than a McGuffin. It’s the event that drives the narrative toward the film’s more interesting aspects, like the study of family and interpersonal dynamics and cultural representation.
Writer-director Meelad Moaphi, in his feature film debut, carefully and methodically builds tension through the conflict of the brothers, Amir (Alireza Shojaei) and Mahyar (Parham Rownaghi), and, more pointedly, between Amir, an aspiring celebrity chef who chose Italian cuisine over Persian flavors, and his more traditional father Farhad (Gus Tayari). It’s within these fractured relationships that “His Father’s Son” finds its purpose.
Key to the film’s success is the portrayal of the family. As in real life, each family member is flawed, but it is in their foibles that they emerge as real people. From the ambitious, philandering Amir’s stubborn refusal to embrace his heritage and Farhad’s generational distance from his sons to Mahyar’s naiveté, the family and their interactions feel authentic, sometimes frustratingly so. But that’s just how families sometimes are.
“His Father’s Son” is at its best when it focusses on family. When it drifts, as it does on the way to its rather sudden ending, it loses some of its well-earned momentum but nonetheless remains a well-crafted essay on family dynamics.
