SYNOPSIS: In “Eleanor the Great,” the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson now playing in theatres, June Squibb plays a woman who tells lies to fit in with a new group of people.
CAST: June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Scarlett Johansson.
REVIEW: A story of loss and grief, “Eleanor the Great” gives 95-year-old star June Squibb the best role of her decades long career.
When we first meet Eleanor (Sqibb) she’s living in Florida with Bessie (Rita Zohar) her best friend of 70 years. Their husbands have passed, and the two are so tight they share everything, including a bedroom equipped with twin beds. When Bessie has nightmares of her time in a concentration camp during the Holocaust, Eleanor comforts her with conversation and tea.
When Bessie passes away, Eleanor she moves in with her daughter (Jessica Hecht) in New York. Lonely without her best friend, she attends a support group, unaware it’s for Holocaust survivors. A convert to Judaism, Eleanor is Jewish but grew up in the Midwest, far from the horrors of the Holocaust. Flustered when she is pressed to share her experience, she co-opts Bessie’s stories, telling them as her own.
When Nina (Erin Kellyman), a young journalism student takes an interest in her stories, the lie gets bigger than she ever could have imagined.
For her directorial debut Johansson tackles a touchy subject. The use of the Holocaust as a plot device and the essaying the ethical implications of Eleanor’s fabrications is daring stuff, but Johansson and screenwriter Tory Kamen use the story to study themes of grief, community and friendship. Eleanor’s telling of Bessie’s experiences is her way of keeping her friend alive, in memory anyway. It is a lie, and a hurtful one, but it is her misguided expression of grief for the loss of her closest friend.
Squibb hands in a feisty performance. Eleanor is quick witted, with a bit of an attitude, but she exhibits an emotional depth that conveys the heartbreak that fuels the events of the movie.
“Eleanor the Great” is a solid, if uneven debut for Johansson, but it provides Squibb with a career high.
SYNOPSIS: “The Strangers: Chapter 2” is a survival of the dumbest film, pitting three masked marauders against a victim who perseveres even though she makes endlessly stupid decisions.
CAST: Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath. Directed by Renny Harlin.
REVIEW: Part two of a proposed trilogy, “The Strangers: Chapter 2” should probably have been called “The Strangers: This Time It’s Not So Random.”
The story of three masked, axe and knife wielding killers, known for choosing victims at random, picks up where the last movie left off. “Chapter One” saw the prerequisite good looking young couple Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez), targeted and terrorized by the Strangers while vacation in the creepy little town of Venus, Oregon.
Axes chop flesh, knives get stabby and blood spurts but for the first time ever the trio of marauders leave one of their victims alive.
In “Chapter 2” they return to finish the job. Revenge of the Random Killers. Cue ninety minutes of near misses, terrified gasps, jump scares with a dollop of nihilism and general unpleasantness.
“The Strangers: Chapter 2” isn’t so much a story as it is a collection of slasher movie tropes—like the masked killer who menacingly scrapes his blade against a metal surface to inspire terror, every door has a creaky hinge, and every radio station is tuned into religious fire-and-brimstone programming—randomly thrown at the screen.
The randomness of the murders, which has always been the franchise’s calling card, is out the window, and with it goes any sense of menace. In its place is flat footed horror with no sense of imagination.
“The Strangers: Chapter 2” ends with a “To Be Continued” title card and scenes from Chapter 3, which, given how bad this movie is, seems like a warning rather than an advertisement.
On the Saturday September 20, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we meet musician, songwriter, and director Gerald Casale. Best known as a co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and bassist of band DEVO. He was a key creative force behind DEVO’s satirical, art-driven sound and aesthetic, contributing to hits like “Whip It” and directing many of their innovative music videos. His work is deeply influenced by his experiences as an art student at Kent State University during the 1970 May 4th massacre, which shaped his views on societal devolution, a core theme in DEVO’s music. Today we talk about evolution of a band famous for singing about devolution.
Then, we spend time with actor, director, producer, screenwriter and political activist Rob Reiner. He starred on the classic sitcom “All in the Family,” directed the coming-of-age drama “Stand by Me,” the romantic fantasy “The Princess Bride,” and the rom-com classic “When Harry Met Sally,” and his company Castle Rock Entertainment produced hits like “Seinfeld and “The Shawshank Redemption.” Today we talk about the classic “Spinal Tap,” which he directed and starred in, the new sequel “Spinal Tap: The End Continues” and his new book, “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.”
Then actor Rade Šerbedžija stops by to talk about “Rise of the Raven,” a 10-part historical epic series about Hungarian commander János Hunyadi’s battles against the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century, and tell a grewat story about working with Maggie Smith.
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 appear on “CTV News at 6” with anchor Andria Case to talk about the weekend’s best movies, on streaming and in theatres. We have a look at the historical drama “The History of Sound” and the fiery Matthew McConaughey drama “The Lost Bus.”
I join “CTV News Toronto at Five” with guest anchor Zuraidah Alman to talk about new movies in theatres including the football horror film “HIM,” the fiery “The Lost Bus” and the romantic “The History of Sound.”
I sit in with host Deb Hutton on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and let you know what’s happening in theatres. We talk about a Jimmy Kimmel, Bad Bunny, Jay-Z’s casino and have a look at the movie “Him.”
I join CP24 to talk about the big movies hitting theatres and streaming this week including the football horror film “HIM” and the fiery “The Lost Bus.”
I joined CTV NewsChannel to have a look at new movies coming to theatres including the football horror film “HIM,” the fiery “The Lost Bus” and the romantic “The History of Sound.”
SYNOPSIS: In “Eleanor the Great,” the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson now playing in theatres, June Squibb plays a woman who tells lies to fit in with a new group of people.
