SYNOPSIS: In “The Christophers,” a new dark comedy now playing in theatres, the greedy, estranged children of a once famous artist hire an art restorer to complete their father’s unfished paintings so they can sell them after his death. “This isn’t about the unfinished Christophers is it?” asks Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen). “I won’t paint them. I can’t paint them. Please don’t ask me. Please don’t even speak of them. My children are obsessed with them.”
CAST: Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, James Corden. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
REVIEW: A finely observed story of second chances, “The Christophers” is given heart by top tier work from stars Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel.
McKellen is Julian Sklar, an ailing artist whose portraits of his ex-lover Christopher made him a sensation in the 1990s. His star faded in a swirl of cancel culture accusations, his work going the way of “the lava lamp and the leisure suit.” He lives alone in a cluttered London apartment, surrounded by memories of his heyday, visited only by health care workers and delivery people.
Even his children are forbidden from stopping by. “She’s s trainwreck; completely off the walls,” he says. “He’s a shipwreck, completely sunken.”
His hermetic existence is interrupted by Lori (Michaela Coel), a forger hired by his estranged children Barnaby and Sallie (James Corden and Jessica Gunning).
She is to pose as his assistant, find the unfinished paintings of his most famous subject, complete them and secret them out of the house for resale. “How would you know how I would have painted them when even I don’t know how I would have painted them?” he asks.
As Julian and Lori spend time together, what began as a small-scale art heist becomes a war of wills and a study of restoration of art and life. “It’s almost worth staying alive for,” Julian says.
A chamber piece, “The Christophers” is essentially a two hander. Director Steven Soderbergh opens up the action somewhat, with the occasional scene outside of Julian’s home, but the vast majority of the story happens with the two leads face-to-face.
Intimate, edgy and sweet, the back-and-forth between McKellen and Coel sparkles. In those moments the movie sings.
He’s a lion in winter, unrepentant, ravaged by time but filled with piss and vinegar. McKellan gives the verbose Julian a fierce intelligence and humor always tinged with acidity. It’s a masterful performance, theatrical yet human, funny but touched with tragedy.
Although temperamentally different, Coel’s Lori is a perfect match in this battle of wits. She’s chillier than Julian, more subdued but radiates intensity, intelligence and a sense that there is more to her relationship with Julian than is immediately obvious. It’s layered work that acts as an anchor to McKellan’s more heightened performance.
“The Christophers” would likely work well as a stage play. Dialogue-heavy and character-driven, the fireworks here come from the performances and ideas on friendship, art and legacy, more than from Soderbergh’s tasteful, subtle presentation.
SYNOPSIS: In “Lorne,” a new documentary now playing in theatres, Oscar winning filmmaker Morgan Neville goes behind the scenes to details the career and influence of “Saturday Night Live” creator and producer Lorne Michaels.
CAST: Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey, Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Kristen Wiig, Mike Myers, Paul Simon. Directed by Morgan Neville.
REVIEW: “Lorne” attempts to peel away the shroud of mystery that surrounds the most powerful, but also most elusive, man in television. For nearly half a century—he took five years off after the show’s fifth season—the Toronto born Michaels created the template for what makes us laugh.
His influence on popular culture is immeasurable, but don’t buy a ticket for “Lorne” looking for insight into his process. Michaels is, as presented in the film, a reluctant subject. Like the Wizard of Oz, he’s the enigmatic man behind the curtain.
As a result, director Morgan Neville frames the film as a kind of comedy, an irreverent look at a serious comedic virtuoso.
Off the top Neville asks him a direct question. “What is funny?”
“It’s one of those things like pornography,” Michaels replies. “You know it when you see it.”
It’s a dryly witty line, cerebral and cryptic, and it is about as close as Michaels comes to explaining his craft.
“SNL” cast members like Tina Fey, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig and Mike Myers reverentially chime in with stories about their time working with the producer.
Among the tales told is John Mulaney’s story about having dinner with Michaels when a random person approached their table with a script. Michaels takes the script with the assurance that he’d have a look. Why? To avoid a repeat of what happened in 1968 when record producer Terry Melcher declined to sign aspiring musician Charles Manson to a contract. Manson got his revenge with the infamous murders on Cielo Drive, so Michaels isn’t taking any chances.
The story has a mythological edge to it, as do many of the accounts of Michaels’s life.
Anecdotes of his calm amid the chaos of “SNL,” his resilience in the high stakes world of network television—” People come in every year and they leave,” Michaels says, “but I’m still here.”—of navigating cultural challenges, and his vampiric hours (goes to bed at 4 am, up at noon, at work by 4 pm), take on a folkloric tone.
In keeping with that fabled tone, Mike Myers uses a pastoral metaphor to explain Michaels and his knack for finding talent. On a trip through the country Michaels spots a pumpkin patch. Free pumpkins as far as the eye can see. In the middle of it is a guy selling pumpkins.
Why should I buy from you when I could just take the free pumpkins? “Because I have the eye,” the seller says, “I know the good pumpkins.”
“Lorne knows the good pumpkins,” says Myers.
The film never quite nails its subject, but it entertainingly portrays a show biz survivor whose legacy is his work; fifty years of “SNL” and countless films as a producer. By the time the end credits roll Michaels remains a mystery, but by his own choice. “All of life is reinvention,” he says. “To be understood? Not gonna happen.”
SYNOPSIS: In “Mile End Kicks,” a new coming of age rom com now playing in theatres, Barbie Ferreira plays a music critic who moves to Montreal in search of inspiration to write a new book but finds much more than she bargained for.
CAST: Barbie Ferreira, Devon Bostick, Stanley Simons, Juliette Gariépy, Jay Baruchel, Robert Naylor, Emily Lê. Directed by Chandler Levack.
REVIEW: If “Almost Famous” was an indie-flavored rom com it might look something like “Mile End Kicks,” the newest film from “I Like Movies” director Chandler Lavack.
Barbie Ferreira is 22-year-old Grace, a Toronto music critic who moves to Montreal for inspiration as she works on her latest project, a 33 1/3 book about Alanis Morissette’s album “Jagged Little Pill.”
Working on the book takes a backseat to her interest in Quebec’s indie rock scene. Specifically, she’s interested in Bone Patrol, a quirky band fronted by the charismatic but insufferable Chevy (Stanley Simons). “Charles Manson’s solo material is a big influence on me,” he says.
Also in the band is the socially awkward Archie (Devon Bostick), a sweet-natured but celibate guitarist who has a crush on the self-involved Grace despite her attraction to the flashier Chevy.
Over the summer Grace navigates the chaos of love vs. lust and young adulthood all set to a banging soundtrack with new songs courtesy of the Montreal band TOPS and needle drops from Joanna Newsom, Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne.
“Mile End Kicks” is a romantic coming-of-age story that captures the messiness of the realities of growing up.
Ferreira, best known for her role as Kat Hernandez in the HBO series “Euphoria,” brings humor, charm and relatability to Grace, even when she’s being driven to selfishness by her own insecurities. It’s a career best performance that does something very difficult. It takes a character to the edge of unlikability but never allows her to topple over the edge.
Bostick also stands out, finding the sweet spot between charm and dorkiness. He’s the only character here you’ll root for, and, as the only character who treats Grace with respect, he’s a perfect foil for Simons’s narcissism.
“Mile End Kicks,” with nicely observed details of its characters and the scene they inhabit—like club goers snorting cocaine off a toilet seat in the club—is as funky and cool as the famous Montreal neighborhood that serves as its backdrop.
On the Saturday April 11, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we meet JUNO award-winner Meghan Patrick. Her bold honesty and powerhouse presence has made her one of country music’s most compelling voices. Her 2026 JUNO nomination for Country Album of the Year for “Golden Child” marks another major milestone for the Ontario native, who now lives in Nashville, in a career built on authenticity, critical acclaim, and growing international impact.
“Golden Child” is Patrick’s most personal work to date – an 18-track project rooted in self-reflection, growth, and emotional honesty. Anchored by a breakout title track that became one of the most successful releases of her career, the album has helped propel her beyond Canadian borders and into a new chapter of global recognition.
Then, we get to know Andy Hines, a Canadian filmmaker from Nova Scotia, whose feature film debut Little Lorraine is in theatres on April 17.
The son of photographer Sherman Hines, began his career as a music video director, creating videos for artists such as Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, Jason Derulo, Lizzo, Coldplay, Matthew Good and many others. He’s a Grammy nominee and his video for Big Sean’s “One Man Can Change the World” was the winner of a MTV Music Video Award for Best Video with a Social Message.
Today we’re talking about his directorial feature film debut. “Little Lorraine” tells the true story of a group of coal miners in Little Lorraine, Cape Breton who lose their jobs after a mining accident. Seeking new livelihoods, they join an uncle on his lobster fishing boat, only to discover the boat is part of a larger cocaine smuggling ring. As the operation expands, involving funeral homes and caskets, the friends find themselves in too deep. The film explores themes of family, loyalty, and the consequences of getting involved in criminal activity, all against the backdrop of a close-knit community facing an extraordinary crisis.
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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Imagine you’re the hottest new act in the country. You’re trending on TikTok, the critics are obsessed, and the industry is banging on your door. Most people would take that moment to show the world exactly who they are. But what if you did the exact opposite? What if you wore a mask, played instruments no one else could tune, and leaned into the “jankiness” of being real in a world that’s becoming increasingly fake? In this episode of Entertainment Is Broken, Sarah Hanlon and I look at the Montreal phenomenon Angine de Poitrine—and why their refusal to “play by the rules” is the smartest move any artist can make right now. From the basement tapes of Springsteen’s Nebraska to the fringe of Orville Peck, we’re diving into the “Anti-Fame” economy. Why are we so drawn to the space left by missing information? And why is Quebec the perfect ecosystem for this kind of creative rebellion? We’re pulling back the curtain on the art of staying hidden on Entertainment Is Broken.
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to lock the door. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about a modernized “Hamlet,” a reflective “Outcome” and a hypnotic “Exit 8.”
