SYNOPSIS: “The Bad Guys 2,” the animated sequel to the 2022 hit “The Bad Guys,” reunites the above-the-title stars, Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina in a story about trying to do the right thing. “Things sure have changed,” says Bad Guys leader Mr. Wolf. “Not everyone believes it, but the Bad Guys went good.”
CAST: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade, Lilly Singh, Alex Borstein, Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, Natasha Lyonne. Directed by Pierre Perifel.
REVIEW: Based on the children’s book series “The Bad Guys” by Australian author Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys 2” the titular naughty characters, ringleader Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), master of disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson) and the gang’s short-tempered “muscle” Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), have gone straight.
Or at least they’re trying to.
Framed for a series of robberies they didn’t commit, they’re kidnapped by the Bad Girls, a band of baddies led by a devious snow leopard named Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), who blackmail them into one last heist. “Life is like is like a car chase,” says Mr. Wolf ((Sam Rockwell). “There will be bumps along the way.”
Like a riff on “Oceans 11” but for kids and with an outer space component, “The Bad Guys 2” has a groovy soundtrack that mostly sounds like it escaped from a mid-Sixties Matt Helm movie, stylish animation and the quick pacing of a kid’s adventure movie.
“It’s not the action, it’s the distraction,” says Mr. Wolf about the movie’s elaborate cons, but he may well have been speaking about the movie. There are big action sequences sprinkled throughout “The Bad Guys 2” but that is just the distraction from the clever character work from the voice cast.
Sam Rockwell voices Mr. Wolf with an appealing George Clooney swagger, so much so I’m surprised George isn’t asking for residuals, and the rest of the cast keeps up, delivering fun and funny characters that round out the cast. MVP Awards belong to Marc Maron for his lovestruck delivery of Mr. Snake and Richard Ayoade as the diabolical Professor Rupert Marmalade IV.
Unlike “Jason X,” the tenth installment of the Friday the 13th series which was buried by a trip to outer space, “The Bad Guys 2,” and (NO SPOILERS HERE) their trip to the cosmos plays pretty well although it goes on a bit too long, dragging out the film’s finale, without the sharp writing of everything that came before it.
Still, it’s a funny movie for the whole family about doing the right thing, even if it isn’t the easiest option, that has entertainment value for all ages.
SYNOPSIS: After 31-years “The Naked Gun” franchise returns to theaters with Liam Neeson playing Police Squad detective Frank Drebin Jr., son of the bumbling cop made famous by the iconic Leslie Nielson in the TV show “Police Squad!” and the1988-1994 trilogy. Directed by Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, “The Naked Gun” sees Drebin Jr. following in his father’s footsteps, blundering his way through a murder investigation involving the brother of femme fatale Beth (Pamela Anderson) and tech giant Richard Cane (Danny Huston).
CAST: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston. Directed by Akiva Schaffer.
REVIEW: The last few years at the movies have been no laughing matter. The Hollywood studios, dollar signs dancing in their eyes, by and large stopped making comedies, opting instead to cater to international audiences with IP-driven superhero movies, sci-fi epics and action franchises.
With a mix of absurd humor, sight gags, and deadpan delivery the rebooted “The Naked Gun” hopes audiences will once again embrace their inner silliness at the theatre.
Based on David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker ‘s crime parody television show “Police Squad!,” which inspired three big screen comedies starring Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police lieutenant Frank Drebin, the new film captures the spirit and, more importantly, the rat-a-tat rapid-fire joke density.
In other words, don’t like a joke? Don’t worry, the movie is so tightly packed with gags you won’t have to wait long for another laugh. It’s not subtle. From farce and spoof to beastly puns and even pretend bestiality, it’s willing to try anything to raise a smile, including poking fun at itself with a gag about O.J. Simpson, who starred in the original three movies.
It wouldn’t work if Liam Neeson wasn’t game. Whether he’s prancing around in a schoolgirl’s outfit or ripping the arms off a bad guy and using them to beat him into submission, he’s fully committed to playing it straight amid the chaos. His commanding presence, coupled with echoes of the dramatic work that has dominated his career, brings gravitas to a character who does idiotic things. It’s that push-and-pull that generates the film’s anarchic humor.
Leslie Nielsen will always be the king of “The Naked Gun” style comedy, as a pioneer of the sincere deadpan, but Neeson may be the genre’s clown prince.
At his side is Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, femme fatale and Drebin’s love interest. Following up her Golden Globe nominated role in “The Last Showgirl,” she pivots to a character that plays off her bombshell image but allows her to showcase her comedic chops. She embraces the absurdity, as seen in her preposterousness jazz scat solo scene. Once seen, it will not soon be forgotten.
“The Naked Gun” has a few things going for it. In 84 tight minutes (with two post credit scenes), it’s nostalgic and doesn’t play it safe but most of all, it brings laughter back to the theatres. Surely, you might ask, the reboot can’t be as fun as the original movies. Yes it is, and don’t call me Shirley.
SYNOPSIS: There’s togetherness, the feeling that couples get when they reach a certain comfort level, and then there’s “Together,” the darkly funny story of a couple whose attachment issues are solved by a situation beyond their control.
CAST: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman, Mia Morrissey. Directed by Michael Shanks.
REVIEW: The story of lovebirds Tom and Millie (real life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie), “Togetherness” uses icky body horror to investigate themes of love, codependency, attachment and commitment.
When we first meet them, they’re packing up their city life to move to the country. Millie has taken a job to teach at a smaller school where she feels she can really make a difference to her students. Tom, a mostly unemployed musician, whose recently lost his record deal, is reluctant, but goes in support of his girlfriend.
On a hike near their new house, they have an experience that transforms their relationship in unimaginable ways.
“Togetherness” is an unholy mix of rom com and body horror flick; a movie that imagines what could happen when you completely surrender to your other half. There’s co-dependency and then there’s (NO SPOILERS HERE) what happens to Tim and Millie, emotionally and physically.
Much of the success of “Together” comes from its leads. Franco and Brie not only have chemistry, but they find the balance between the humour and the horror. Oddly, given the film’s tone, there’s a sweetness to them, even when the going gets weird and gooey.
Speaking of gooey, the body horror delivers in a way that is disturbing but also acts as an effective, if literal, metaphor for co-dependency. Even as they try and assert their independence, there is a magnetism between them, and later, an actual bond, that spiritually and physically binds them.
Is it extreme? Yup, but it’s also poignant, and a darkly humorous ode to the all-consuming nature of love. If David Cronenberg was to make a love story, it might look something like this.
“Together” navigates a blend of genres—and one very appropriate Spice Girl needle drop—to deliver a movie that is contemplative on the subject of what it means to be a couple but is also as horrific as it is hilarious.
On the Saturday July 26, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we meet award-winning comedian, bestselling novelist and actor Brent Butt. He’s been voted Best Male Stand-Up in Canada by his peers. He also created and starred in two successful sitcoms – “Corner Gas,” which was seen in 60 countries) and “Hiccups.” Add to that, two theatrical comedy films (“No Clue,” “Corner Gas: The Movie”) and four seasons of “Corner Gas Animated,” and you have one of the most successful comedians that Canada has ever produced.
Today we’ll be talking about a career first for Brent, the release of a full-length comedy album. Called “easily Distracted,” it features his signature blend of wry observations and effortless storytelling and, of course, lots of laughs.
Then we’ll meet Aurora Stewart De Peña. In her new book she satirizes the creative industry she’s spent years working in. The book, “Julius Julius” is a satirical novel set in the world’s oldest advertising agency, a surreal, labyrinthine building with a 2,000-year history tracing back to an ad man in ancient Pompeii. Through three voices from different eras, the story explores the absurdities and moral dilemmas of the creative industry.
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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SYNOPSIS: “Happy Gilmore 2,” the Netflix sequel to Adam Sandler’s much loved 1996 golf comedy, begins with the sports legend in a bad way. “Remember Happy Gilmore?” asks newscaster Pat Daniels. “He’s making news on the golf course again, but not the good kind.”
Broke and unwilling to play golf after a tragedy during a tournament that plunged him into alcoholism, he’s a t rock bottom. When his daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) needs tuition for a prestigious dance school in Paris, he must pull his life together and pick up his old golf clubs. “There’s only one way to make that money fast,” says Happy’s brother Johnny (real life golfer John Daly). “Grip it and rip it.”
CAST: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, Ben Stiller, Dennis Dugan, Kevin Nealon, Sunny Sandler, Eric André, Jim Downey, John Farley, Marcello Hernandez, Oliver Hudson, Scott Mescudi, Haley Joel Osment, Kelsey Plum, Margaret Qualley, and Nick Swardson. Directed by Kyle Newacheck.
REVIEW: There are probably more celebrity cameos in “Happy Gilmore 2” than actual belly laughs, but I doubt Sandler’s fans will care. A mix of heart, rage and silliness, it’s a familiar underdog story that captures the spirit but not the magic of the original.
Fan service is the name of the game.
A tsunami of flashbacks, callbacks and refurbished jokes from the original, it’s like a cover version of “Happy Gilmore” or an echo from 1996 emanating from the screen. The more familiar you are with the original, the more enjoyment you’ll wring out of the sequel. Casual viewers may be left in the dark, even though director (and professional pickleball player) Kyle Newacheck does everything possible to remind you of Happy’s former glories.
Still, at the heart of it all is Sandler. Almost thirty years later he’s still able to play the rageaholic Gilmore as a tightly wound col ready to spring at any time. “I always power my drives the old-fashioned way,” he says of his unique golf swing, “with rage.”
The intensity is good for a laugh, and he still has a way of stringing words together in the most insulting way ever, but there’s more to Happy than the temper that so often gets him in trouble. Sandler’s natural likability doesn’t actually smooth down any of the ironically named Happy’s rough edges, they are still there, but because of his sincerity he’s an easy underdog to root for. It doesn’t feel new, but it does have a certain amount of charm.
With its surfeit of cameos, returning characters and Sandler movie regulars, “Happy Gilmore 2” seems like the kind of movie that was more fun to make than it is to watch. Some will find it lazy, pandering to Sandler’s fans without offering anything new, but for hard core aficionados of Sandler’s 90s comedies, it’s a blast from the past.
SYNOPSIS: Set on the 1960s-inspired parallel Earth-828, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the new Marvel movie now playing in theatres, sees Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) defend Earth from the gargantuan planet-devouring villain Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his emissary, the cosmic surfboard riding Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
CAST: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson. Directed by Matt Shakman.
REVIEW: Like a lot of great speculative fiction, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” isn’t really about the spectacle or the saving the world. Sure, there’s a humungous villain who makes the Statue of Liberty look like a Lego Minifig and the fate of mankind hangs is in the hands of the Four, but that stuff is there simply to act as a delivery system for a story about community, hope and family.
A standalone film—you won’t need to read the MCU wiki page to get up to speed—it dispenses with the origin story in a zippy newsreel that explains how scientists Reed Richards and Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and test pilot and astronaut Ben Grimm gained superpowers after exposure to radiation cosmically altered their DNA during a space mission, transforming them into Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing.
With that out of the way, director Matt Shankman gets to the world building.
Set in a retro-chic 1960s-inspired New York City, the film’s look is part “Mad Men,” part “Jetsons,” and reflects the Camelot style optimism of the era.
That it’s a tip of the hat to 1961, the year “The Fantastic Four” debuted, and visually sets the film apart from all other MCU movies, are nice thematic and visual bonuses.
More importantly, director Shakman and screenwriters Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer blend the existential threat of the end of the world (What’s a superhero movie without the threat of the end-of-the-world?) with a surprisingly intimate portrait of The Fantastic Four as a close-knit family.
Sue and Reed are expectant parents, managing the anxiety of having their first child who may, or may not, inherit their altered DNA. Sue’s brother, the hot-headed Johnny, who can burst into flame at will, and family friend Ben, who has permanently morphed into the gentle giant The Thing, are set up to be doting uncles when they aren’t goofing around or saving the world.
None of it would work if the cast didn’t click.
Pascal brings intelligence and emotional depth to Reed while Quinn plays Human Torch as an impulsive but warm-hearted character. The movie’s heart and soul, however, comes from Moss-Bachrach’s motion-capture performance and Kirby’s portrayal of a mother who will sacrifice everything to protect her child.
Even under a digital mountain of CGI, Moss-Bachrach finds pathos in Ben/The Thing’s situation. He’s a genial presence in the family unit, bringing warmth and humour, but it’s the truncated scenes with love interest Rachel Rozman (Natasha Lyonne) that humanizes the craggy, 500-pound character. They’re brief and under-written, but Moss-Bachrach makes the most of them.
Fierce yet vulnerable, compassionate yet steely, Kirby delivers a version of Sue Storm that has depth, as a maternal character and a superhero.
The emphasis on family, community and character are at the very heart of the film. There is spectacle, and the movie ultimately submits to a busy climax, but it’s not an all-out Action-A-Rama. The fireworks come from the characters, not the battle scenes, and while it may be a tad earnest and a bit straightforward for fans looking for loud ‘n proud battle scenes, it succeeds because it takes interesting, thoughtful first steps into a new superhero franchise.
SYNOPSIS: In “Oh, Hi!,” a dark romantic comedy now playing in theatres, Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac’s (Logan Lerman) first romantic weekend away turns into a farce when he tells her he isn’t interested in a serous relationship. “What if you give me twelve hours to show you what we could be together?” she asks.
CAST: Molly Gordon. Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, and John Reynolds. Directed by Sophie Brooks.
REVIEW: A rom com that shifts gears to become a darkly playful psychological thriller, “Oh, Hi!” begins with a fun sequence that captures the unpredictable energy of two young people who can’t keep their hands off one another.
After four months of dating Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac (Logan Lerman) take what should have been a quiet weekend away at a quaint, country Air BnB. It’s a comfy, cozy and even romantic retreat until Iris mentions how much she’s enjoying their “first trip as a couple.”
With his matter-of-fact response, “I’m not really looking for a relationship,” the movie reveals itself for what it really is, a quirky look at miscommunication and lack of commitment.
His relationship update leads to what Iris calls, “a bit of a situation.”
Feeling like Isaac led her on, she leaves him tied to the bed, courtesy of some S&M gear they found in a closet, and tries to help him “resolve” his relationship issues. (Think a modern “Misery.”) When her friend Max (Geraldine Viswanathan) and her boyfriend Kenny (John Reynolds) arrive, common sense does not prevail. “I’ll tell you what,” Kenny tells the kidnapped Isaac, “I’m not going to let them kill you.”
“Oh, Hi!” is at its strongest in its first half as Iris and Isaac explore the ins-and-outs of modern dating. Gordon and Lerman share great chemistry, at the beginning at least, and even do a convincing version of Kenny and Dolly’s love song “Islands in the Stream.”
“Sail away with me to another world, where we rely on one another, ah-ah.”
It’s an unusual but interesting way to kick off a story about extreme relationship anxieties, heartbreak and what happens when one partner isn’t as committed or open as the other.
There’s a light tone to much of it, especially as Iris’s behavior becomes more intense and erratic, but it feels authentic, rooted in pain and romantic reality. It works because Gordon, who co-wrote the script with director Sophie Brooks, is given free rein to exercise her comedic chops tempered by a healthy dose of vulnerability. Fans of “The Bear,” where she plays Carmy’s crush Claire, already know she brings warmth to the screen, but here she displays a deeper emotional range.
It’s when the film introduces the best friends and embraces its wackiness that it begins to go over-the-top. Viswanathan and Reynolds are fine in their roles, but they bring with them a heightened sense that we’re not in the real world of heartbreak anymore.
But despite its tonal challenges “Oh, Hi!” is a showcase for Gordon and its eccentric mix of tenderness and terror.
SYNOPSIS: The new documentary, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” now playing in select theatres, is a look at the life, activism and career of the groundbreaking Oscar winning actress.
CAST: Marlee Matlin, Henry Winkler, Troy Kotsur, John Maucere, Aaron Sorkin, Lauren Ridloff, Jack Jason. Directed by Shoshannah Stern.
REVIEW: “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” is a celebrity documentary, a look back at an actor who burst on to the scene, earning an Oscar in her very first film role.
But it’s also much more than that.
It begins with the making of 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God,” the film that catapulted Marlee Matlin to fame and the subsequent tumultuous and abusive relationship with William Hurt, which meets the standard of any other slick Hollywood biography, but it does so with the Deaf community at the top of mind.
A longtime advocate for the Deaf community, Matlin’s story is told using a number of techniques to advocate for Deaf audiences. Interviews are closed captioned, but color coded so it’s easy to identify who is speaking, and one-on-one interviews with Deaf subjects, like the Oscar winning actor Troy Kotsur and John Maucere are presented in silence to highlight the natural fluidity of ASL conversation without the voice of a translator.
In another effective sequence, director Shoshannah Stern, who is also Deaf, shows Matlin at a family get-together, but we hear it from her perspective and are immersed in muffled, distorted sound. It’s impossible for her, or us as the audience, to discern what’s being said. More than any other part of the film, this scene illustrates Matlin’s isolation when she is the only deaf person in the room.
Connect that with another scene in which Matlin is directing an emotional episode of the TV drama “Accused.” When a scene featuring a deaf character, played by Lauren Ridloff, recounting her difficult upbringing with hearing parents wraps, Matlin breaks down, undoubtedly affected by the echoes of her own past.
These scenes speak to the heart of Matlin’s personal story and activism, which is less known than her high-profile acting career. Since becoming the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1987, she has worked tirelessly for Deaf representation in film and TV, closed captions on television and policies that ensure equal access to education, employment, and media for Deaf individuals.
There are revelations about her troubled relationship with William Hurt and the sexual abuse she suffered, but by the time the end credits roll “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” reveals itself to be a touching story of strength and resilience, not a typical Hollywood tell-all biography.
