SYNOPSIS: In “Marty Supreme,” a new drama now playing on theaters, Timothée Chalamet plays an ambitious table tennis player who will stop at nothing in his pursuit of success and a lost dog. “Losing doesn’t even enter my consciousness,” he says.
CAST: Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher. Directed by Josh Safdie.
REVIEW: I might normally be skeptical about a movie that gives Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary billing, just under names like Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, but “Marty Supreme” is such a blast of pure energy I’m willing to let it go.
Set in 1952, “Marty Supreme” begins with the title character brash New Yorker Marty Mauser (Chalamet) working as a show salesman to finance a trip to the British Table Tennis Open. He’s a prodigy, a world class ping pong player who believes the sport is the next big thing, and he wants to be part of that wave.
His quest for fame and fortune, however, is more unpredictable than a no-look serve in a ping pong match.
Equipped with only his talent, determination and arrogance, Marty’s rise, fall and redemption put him in contact with actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), her cruel business mogul husband Milton Rockwell (O’Leary), a violent dog owner (legendary filmmaker Abel Ferrara) and the irate husband of his childhood best friend Rachel (Odessa A’zion).
At 2 hours and 29 minutes “Marty Supreme” is an epic, Sammy Glick-style story of a guy who feeds off confidence and daring. Marty’s a fast talker in a propulsive movie that zips along as quickly as the quips that spoil effortlessly from his lips. It’s an exhilarating ride, a pedal to the metal—or paddle to ping pong ball—experience that showcases Chalamet’s career best performance. A bundle of desperation and inner struggle hidden under a veneer of overt confidence, Marty is pushed to extremes by ambition and Chalamet gets every sweaty, eager beat exactly right.
But it’s when things aren’t going Marty’s way that Chalamet shines. A squirmy, humiliating encounter (NO SPOILERS HERE), reveals both defiance and vulnerability, and it is that push and pull, that duality, that illustrates Marty’s determination into high gear. Like all good sports movies, it’s not about the big match at the end, it’s about the journey to the match and with chaotic scenes like this, and many others, “Marty Supreme” is a hell of a ride.
Chalamet is supported by a top-notch cast, including Odessa A’zion, who, in a breakout role, is the warming element that keeps the stratospheric story earth bound.
No story about the American Dream on steroids would be complete without a money-grubbing meanie, a character who values cash and power over Marty’s ambition and talent. Safdie didn’t look much beyond “Shark Tank” when he cast Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary, who lends his smarmy reality show energy to the film. He delivers but delivers exactly what you would expect in a movie that defies expectations at every turn.
“Marty Supreme” is exceptionalism both in its story and execution. A grand tale of aspiration and consequences, à la “Boogie Nights” and “Goodfellas,” it’s one of the year’s best films.
SYNOPSIS: In “Anaconda,” a new comedy starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Thandiwe Newton now playing in theatres, a group of lifelong friends get more than they bargained for when they act on their childhood dream of making a movie.
CAST: Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, and Selton Mello. Directed by Tom Gormican.
REVIEW: Is “Anaconda” a remake of the cheesy 1997 JLo action horror film, or is it an homage, a parody, or a “spiritual sequel” as Jack Black’s character calls the movie-within-the-movie? Truth is, it’s all those things.
Ronald (Paul Rudd) and Doug (Jack Black) were inspired to make movies after watching the 1997 cult film “Anaconda” over thirty times in theatres. Their homemade flick, a Bigfoot inspired monster movie called “Squatch” didn’t lead to bigger things, and now Doug makes wedding videos in his hometown while Ronald struggles to make a go of it as an actor in Los Angeles.
Reunited at Doug’s birthday, Ronald announces that he has the rights to “Anaconda.”
“What are you going to do with them?” asks Doug.
“Not me,” Ronald says. “Us.”
He convinces Doug and pals Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton) to remake the Jlo actioner “indie style” on location in the Amazon.
Once on site their lo-fi shoot spirals out of control as they get involved with Illegal gold miners, an off-kilter snake wrangler and a real anaconda the size of a dinosaur. We came out here to make Anaconda,” says Doug, “and now we’re in it.”
“Anaconda” is a silly but amiable and enjoyable story of following your dreams. Doug and Ronald are lovable losers, in a shared mid-life crisis, whose optimism is infectious, even when they’re being chased by a giant snake.
Most of the humour is character driven, from Black’s high-energy routine and Rudd’s immaculate timing to Zahn’s scene stealing stoner act and Newton’s up-for-anything Claire. They’re a fun ensemble that keeps the laughs coming, even when the movie leans into the horror dynamic in the film’s second half, which is a good thing given that the horror isn’t scary and the action is shot mostly in close-ups which narrows the focus in the big set pieces. But no matter, you’ll likely be laughing too much to mind.
As a comedy based on the unintentionally funny original film, “Anaconda” lovingly pokes fun at the original 1997 movie, while simultaneously celebrating its cheeseball charm.
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the gameplay of “Marty Supreme,” the slithery charms of “Anaconda” and the tuneful “Song Sung Blue.”
On the Saturday December 20, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet author Joe Hill. His bestselling novels & short stories have inspired hit adaptations like “Locke & Key,” “Horns,” and “The Black Phone,” as well as “In the Tall Grass” (which he adapted for film and co-wrote the novella of with his father Stephen King.) Today we’ll talk about “King Sorrow,” a genre-bending horror epic that spans 25 years. It follows six college friends who summon a dragon using a book bound in human skin. Each year, they must choose a sacrifice—or become one.
Then we get to know Jen Viens. They work in both film and theatre across Canada. When Jen is not wearing one of their many hats on set or on stage, they coach actors of all ages and keep productions safe and creative as an Intimacy Coordinator
Then we spend some time with Will Arnett. The Canadian born actor, comedian, and producer is known for his voice roles, particularly as the title character in the Netflix series BoJack Horseman and as Batman in “The Lego Movie” franchise. He is also famous for his live-action roles, most notably G.O.B. Bluth in “Arrested Development.” He is also the host for the US version of “LEGO Masters.”
He has been Primetime Emmy Award-nominated for “Arrested Development,” “30 Rock,” and “BoJack Horseman.” Since 2020, he has hosted the Fox reality series Lego Masters. Arnett began co-hosting the comedy podcast “SmartLess” alongside Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman.
Today we talk about his new film “Is This Thing On?” In the film, which is already getting Oscar buzz, he plays Alex, who, after many years with Tess, played by Laura Dern, reach an amicable end to their marriage. As they figure out how to live separately while raising two boys and maintaining their friendships, Alex discovers stand up comedy and, in the process, learns more about himself and his relationship.
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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Every once in a while, a conversation about entertainment turns into a conversation about… everything else.
This week’s episode of Entertainment Is Broken starts with something we don’t usually talk about when we’re arguing over movies and algorithms… losing control of your own face.
Richard opens the show by talking about recovering from Bell’s palsy. Not in a dramatic, TED Talk way. In a practical, unsettling way. One side of your face just… stops cooperating. Smiling becomes a project. Cheeks go on strike. Eyebrows refuse to negotiate.
And suddenly you realize how much of your life is built on things you never once thanked for showing up.
Which, weirdly, turns out to be a pretty good place to talk about culture.
Because when something stops working… whether it’s your face, a touring model, or the entire concept of “television” … you don’t immediately panic. First, you notice. Then you reassess. Then you start asking uncomfortable questions like: Why did we think this was the only way it could work?
From there, the conversation widens… into legacy. Into the idea that some people don’t really leave when they go. They stick around as flickering images. As lines of dialogue you’ve accidentally memorized. As catchphrases that have fully moved into your brain without paying rent.
Pop culture has always done that. It sneaks past your defenses. You think you’re just watching a sitcom… and twenty years later you realize it taught you how not to be a terrible person.
Which is why the timing of all this disruption feels… loaded.
The Oscars are heading to YouTube. Podcasts are becoming television. Instagram wants to live on your TV. Netflix is flirting with radio. Everything is blending, collapsing, remixing itself into something that doesn’t have a clean name yet.
And the reflex reaction is to say, Well that’s the end of old media.
Maybe it is.
Or maybe it’s just the end of pretending there was ever a clean line between “serious culture” and “new platforms.” People didn’t stop caring about stories… they just changed how they find them. The audience didn’t disappear. It moved to the couch. Then the phone. Then the TV again… somehow.
We also talk about aging artists. Musicians whose bodies are quietly filing HR complaints. Performers who still love the stage but maybe not the buses, the schedules, or the expectation that passion should hurt.
There’s a real tension there. Between can I still do this? and should I still do this the same way?
And maybe the answer isn’t bigger stages or louder speakers. Maybe it’s smaller rooms. Concert films. New formats. Intimacy over spectacle. Art that adapts instead of insisting on reenactment.
Because nothing meaningful stays frozen.
Fans want comfort food. Artists want evolution. Platforms want your attention. Bodies want rest. Culture wants to keep going… just not like it used to.
Which brings us back to where the episode starts.
Loss doesn’t always announce itself with sirens. Sometimes it shows up quietly, makes you rethink what you assumed was permanent, and then hands you a strange gift… perspective.
I join the CTV NewsChanel to talk about the epic “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the absurd “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” the feel-good divorce drama “Is This Thing On?” and the psychological thriller “The Housemaid.”
I join CTV Atlantic’s Todd Battis to talk about the epic “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the absurd “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” the feel-good divorce drama “Is This Thing On?” and the psychological thriller “The Housemaid.”
Deb Hutton is off this week so I sit with Jim Richards on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and let you know what’s happening in theatres. Today we talk about the Academy Awards on YouTube, The Rolling Stones cancelling their 2026 tour and I review “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
I sit in with CKTB morning show host Steph Vivier to have a look at movies in theatres including the epic “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” rthe absurd “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” the feel-good divorce drama “Is This Thing On?” and the psychological thriller “The Housemaid.”
