I’ll be doing an on-screen introduction for the 30th anniversary of “Clerks” at Cineplex’s Classic Film Series this May.
“Years after Kevin Smith used his four years of experience working as a clerk in New Jersey convenience stores as the basis for his first film, he told me, ‘I didn’t make ‘Clerks’ wondering what the critics would think. I made it because I wanted to see it. I wanted to see what it would look like.'”
“Smith says he was inspired by Richard Linklater’s “Slackers” to make movies, so much so, he enrolled at the Vancouver Film School. After just four months he decided to quit, thinking that making his own film was a better use of money…” Buy tickets HERE!
I’ll be doing the on-screen introductions for “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Rear Window” at Cineplex’s Classic Film Series this October and November!
Find out which famous film director was so traumatised by “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” he became a vegetarian for four years after seeing the film and my favorite line in “Rear Window.”
50 years ago, five youths on a weekend getaway in the Texas countryside fell prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family, and horror cinema would never be the same. Violent, confrontational, and shockingly realistic, director Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre terrified audiences in a way never thought possible when it was unleashed on a politically and socially tumultuous America in 1974.
Rear Window (1954)
Select Screenings from Nov. 8 – 14
Tickets on sale soon
The story of a recuperating news photographer who believes he has witnessed a murder. Confined to a wheelchair after an accident, he spends his time watching the occupants of neighbouring apartments through a telephoto lens and binoculars and becomes convinced that a murder has taken place.
More info from Cineplex.com:
From creepy classics to new nightmares, Cineplex has genre fans covered with a spooktacular Halloween lineup. Kicking off with the 50th anniversary of Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacreand the late, great Shelley Duvall’s final film, The Forest Hills, Cineplex will also screen the 40th anniversary of Wes Craven’s timeless slasher A Nightmare on Elm Street, the 20th anniversary of the zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, the 10th anniversary of the supernatural horrorIt Follows, before wrapping up Halloweekend with the 65th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s gripping North by Northwest.
Continuing to honour the master of suspense, Cineplex will present additional Hitchcock classics with the 70th anniversaries of Dial M for Murder and Rear Windowon the big screen throughout Noirvember, as well as the 75th anniversary of Orson Welles’ memorable performance in The Third Man.
From Cineplex: In celebration of Keanu Reeves’ milestone 60th birthday this September, Cineplex will honour the legendary actor with special screenings of his most timeless films. From his roles as the reluctant hero Neo to the lovable and clueless Ted to the vengeful and intense John Wick, Reeves is one the most beloved Hollywood stars to come out of Canada. Cineplex invites audiences to celebrate his remarkable career by screening six indisputable classics at ‘Keanu-Fest’. Cineplex will commemorate the 35th anniversary of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the 25th anniversary of The Matrix, and the 10th anniversary of John Wickby bringing these essential films back to the big screen for a limited time. There will also be VIP one-night-only screenings of his unforgettable supporting roles in Parenthood,Something’s Gotta Give, a fun screening of Point Break with RiffTrax, providing comedic live commentary on this 90’s classic, and a Saturday matinee of his hilarious appearance in the family favourite The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run.
Screening from August 30 throughout September in select theatres nationwide, the special screenings are part of Cineplex’s year-round programming.
Celebrate Keanu’s birthday month and the 25th anniversary of “The Matrix” with a special introduction from Richard Crouse during select showings from Sept. 6 – 19, 2024. Check cineplex.com for more details.
“The Meg” stars Jason Statham. There’s a giant shark. Its tagline is “Pleased to eat you.” There is no need for a review. You know exactly what you’re getting into here but, because I am paid by the word, here we go.
Based on the book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten, “the Meg” sees action-man Statham play Jonas Taylor, a rescue diver who must face his fears to save the crew of a marooned deep-sea submersible from a fate worse than sharknado. Think Quint from “Jaws” without the expressive range. Years before Taylor narrowly escaped being eaten by a 70-foot shark, the Carcharodon megalodon—“Meg” for short—a 100,000 pound, prehistoric great white thought to have been extinct for about 2 million years. Now it appears the giant beast is back and hungry for the crew trapped inside the submersible. Hired by Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao) Taylor must not only save the stranded sailors but also make sure the Meg doesn’t eat the world… or something. “Man versus Maggie isn’t a fight,” he grunts, “it’s a slaughter.
“The Meg” tries to take all of the thrills of Shark Week and compress them into two hours. It almost gets there but not quite. There are some silly thrills but humungous squids, scientific mumbo jumbo and b-movie dialogue that would make Roger Corman blush buffer the excitements.
“The Meg” is ridiculous. Start to finish. It’s a giant shark story that plays like a watery “Valley of Gwangi.” The key to its ridiculous effervescence is twofold. First, the aforementioned giant shark. Second, Jason Statham, the po-faced hero who, deep down, knows this is silly but is too stoic to admit it to himself or to us. Some people are method actors, relying on past experiences to create their performances. Statham simply glowers. He’s an actor whose dead-eyed stares make up 95% of his method. Running, punching and blowing up sharks comprise the other 5%. Range? He don’t need no stinking range, he just needs to save the world or at least whatever is in peril. A reassuring presence, he’s exactly the same in every movie regardless of the plot. No surprises, just extreme machismo with a side order of sentimentality. Here it works. He’s like a silent movie star, easy to read and fun to watch and without him “The Meg” wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.
“The Meg” has a few scenes that’ll make you chew your popcorn a bit faster and doesn’t skimp on the silly. In fact, there probably won’t be a more hare-brained underwater adventure this year until “Aquaman.”
From cineplex.com: The Terminator. Back to the Future. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Shaun of the Dead. The Big Lebowski. The Iron Giant. All classic movies with one thing in common: they’re coming back to the big screen! For one week only from Feb. 2-8, select Cineplex theatres are hosting the Flashback Film Fest, a once-a-year festival that offers you the chance to revisit fan favourite movies, all for a special lower ticket price. If you’ve been yearning to see your favourite classic movie on the big screen, or to introduce a friend or family member to a film that spawned a generation of catchphrases, now’s your chance!
To gear up for this event, we asked film critic Richard Crouse and our own Pre-Show host Tanner Zipchenwhat movies they’re most excited to see in this year’s FBFF. Watch the video HERE!
Cineplex Events today announced that the 9thannual ‘Flashback Film Fest’ is back to provide another dose of nostalgia-inducing cinema. Canada’s only coast-to-coast film festival will offer action, sci-fi and comedy favourites curated with the help of renowned film critic and host of Pop Life, Richard Crouse. Guests will have a chance to see their favourite cyborg assassins, bumbling ex-cons, time travelling teenagers and more when they return to select big screens in 27 locations and cities across Canada from February 2-8, 2018.
Please click here to view this year’s ‘Flashback Film Fest’ trailer.
“This year’s line-up is made up of timeless films that are sure to evoke the same excitement the audience felt the first time they saw them in theatres,” said Brad LaDouceur, Vice President of Event Cinema, Cineplex. “The ‘Flashback Film Fest’ is a part of our ever-growing Event Cinema programming that offers guests a chance to get up close and personal with acclaimed stage productions, iconic works of art, highly-anticipated sporting and concert events by heading to their local Cineplex theatre.”
“We are living at a time when there is an amazing appetite for 80s and 90s pop culture and we had that in mind when selecting the films for this year’s ‘Flashback Film Fest’,” said author, film critic and host of Pop Life, Richard Crouse. “Many of today’s successful films and TV shows are either influenced by or pay homage to films included in the festival’s line-up. I’m really looking forward to celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Big Lebowski because if there’s ever an opportunity to see ‘The Dude’ back on the big screen, fans should abide.”
The 2018 ‘Flashback Film Fest’ line-up includes:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) *43 year anniversary
Drunken Master (1978) *40 year anniversary
WarGames (1983) *35 year anniversary
Dune (1984)
Gremlins (1984)
The Terminator (1984)
A View to a Kill (1985)
Back to the Future (1985)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D (1991/2017)
The Big Lebowski (1998) *20 year anniversary
TheIron Giant (1999)
Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s Cornetto Trilogy:
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Hot Fuzz (2007)
TheWorld’s End (2013)
Tickets for festival films cost $8.99 per admission, $7.99 for 3 or more films, or the ‘Flashback Film Fest’ pass, perfect for film fanatics, which allows access to all 15 films for a price of $5 per admission, or $75 total. For the full festival schedule and to purchase tickets when they go on sale Friday, January 12, visit Cineplex.com/FBFF.
From Cineplex.com: “For movie lovers, February should be officially changed to Oscarary because it’s that special time of year for us! The nominations have been announced, we’ve debated and speculated, and now it’s time to make our predictions! Our very own Tanner Zipchen and film critic Richard Crouse sat down together to discuss the nominees’ chances in each of our favourite categories: Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Animated Feature!”
The Flashback Film Festival is happening Feb 3-9th, 2017. For the festival lineup and tickets, go to Cineplex.com/FBFF
The 2017 Flashback Film Fest Line-up includes:
Air Force One (1997) *20 year anniversary
Blade Runner – The Final Cut (2007) *10 year anniversary/35 year anniversary of original
Blood Simple (1984)
Fargo (1996)
The Fifth Element (1997) *20 year anniversary
Fight Club (1999)
The Fugitive (1993)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Heat (1995)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Legend (1985)
The Princess Bride (1987) *30 year anniversary
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Running Man (1987) *30 year anniversary
Shallow Grave (1994)
Starship Troopers (1997) *20 year anniversary
Trainspotting (1996)
Tickets for festival films cost $7.99, $6.99 for 5 or more films and new this year film fanatics can buy the “I Want It All” pass for $69.99 allowing them access to all 17 films for a price of $4.11 per admission. For a complete list of show times, or to purchase tickets, visit Cineplex.com/FBFF .
Check out the new Cineplex newsletter at Cineplex.com. Richard writes about the 2oth anniversary of one of the most popular movies of all time.
“These days Hollywood routinely thinks in terms of billion dollar grosses. That’s billion with a b. In 2016 the movie biz broke records, raking in north of $11.4 billion and in the last two years eight movies have cracked the billion-dollar threshold.
“In 1990s, however, those numbers were a rarity. Jurassic Park stomped all over its competition in 1993 but it took the story of a sinking ship to float to the very top of the box office. For a good chunk of the Clinton years (Bill, not Hillary) Titanic, James Cameron’s lush romance-disaster, celebrating its twentieth birthday at Cineplex in February, was, as Empire noted, “the planet’s favourite film…” Read the whole thing HERE!
I’ll be doing an on-screen introduction for the 30th anniversary of “Clerks” at Cineplex’s Classic Film Series this May.
