In “Rustin,” a new reverential historical drama now streaming on Netflix, Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo plays Bayard Rustin, a gay Black man whose vision and tenacity had an outsized effect on the Civil Rights Movement. He’s been largely forgotten by history but “Rustin,” produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, serves as a potent reminder of his activist legacy.
The story of the run-up to 1963’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, “Rustin” sets the stage with harrowing images of 1950s segregation.
Cut to 1960 and a plan between Rustin and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s. (Aml Ameen) to launch a protest march on the Democratic National Convention. The plan is thwarted by U.S. Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr’s. (Jeffrey Wright) threat of a misinformation campaign, linking the two men romantically. Powell’s allegation, while untrue, causes a rift between the two men that sees Rustin kicked to the curb.
Three years later Rustin hatches another plan, a massive, non-violent march on Washington to pressure the Kennedy administration to initiate a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress.
With little to no support from DC’s power base, due to racism, his former communist membership and his sexuality—“When it comes to the old guard,” he says, “I’m considered a pariah.”—Rustin seeks support from his estranged friend King. “Do this Dr. King,” he says. “Own your power.”
The next eight tumultuous weeks find Rustin balancing his personal life—an affair with married preacher Elias (Johnny Ramey)—and his work with King and their band of “angelic troublemakers” as they arrange one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history. “On August 28,” he says, “Black, white, young, old, rich, working-class, poor will descend on Washington, DC.”
“Rustin” tells the story of a landmark moment in the battle for Civil Rights, but this isn’t just a history lesson. It’s really is a character study of the charming, driven man who made it happen.
The movie itself is stagey and straightforward, prone to grandstanding with an over-reliance on exposition, but it comes alive whenever the charismatic Domingo is on screen.
As portrayed in the film, Rustin is a powerhouse, a man predisposed to challenging authority, to giving voice to hard truths, to never backing down. Domingo inhabits him, embracing the strength to never apologize for who he is or his quest for justice and equality. “On the day I was born Black, I was also born homosexual. They either believe in justice and freedom for all, or they do not,” he rails against his detractors. It’s a muscular, timely performance that makes up for the film’s other shortcomings.
By times, “Rustin” feels rushed. Several scenes end prematurely and without explanation, giving the film an odd rhythm. But, the final moments as the march comes to life, are moving, empowering and pack an emotional punch, as does the portrait of a behind the scenes trailblazer and hero.
“Who’s Yer Father,” a new comedy hailing from P.E.I. and now playing in theatres, is a comedy caper film, but underneath the crime and slapstick is a romantic beating heart.
Larry Constable (Chris Locke) is P.E.I.’s only PI. After a week of training, he hangs out his shingle, cornering the market on the small island. “Larry Constable on the case,” he sings. “I’m showing up at your place.”
He gets the gig of his life when seafood magnate Luke Thorne (Matt Wells) hires the guileless PI to look into black-market lobster sales that are taking a piece of his business in the tiny village of Sandbar Cove. “What I need you to do is find out who is buying the lobster,” Thorne says.
During his investigation, he meets plucky convenience store clerk Rhonda (Susan Kent). She has a way with a phrase—”This is getting dirty enough to grow potatoes in,” she says at one point.—and a willingness to help Larry. But when their stakeout reveals that Thorne’s wife Nicole (Kaniehtiio Horn) is having an affair, they decide to blackmail her—“It’s not blackmail,” Rhonda says, “it’s more like manifesting.”—and run away to a happily-ever-after with the cash.
Distracted by the burgeoning love affair with Rhonda, Larry allows the situation to spiral out of control.
“Who’s Yer Father”—the name comes from Maritime shorthand, a way to quickly figure out family and friend connections in close knit communities—is an unapologetically silly movie that feels like an East Coast Kitchen Party in tone, loose, fun with delicious seafood chowder (courtesy of Rhonda’s secret recipe).
Larry is a classic comedy character, a hapless guy, in over his head, but Locke makes sure there’s a sweetness to him as well. That goes a long way to keeping us onside with Larry and Rhonda as their blackmail scheme goes awry.
Kent plays Rhonda as a sharp-tongued troublemaker, the romantic interest who leads Larry on the movie’s central, hairbrained plan. She’s having fun, and Rhonda, with her downhome sayings and chowder recipe, would be a hoot to hang with.
Fun performances make “Who’s Yer Father?” crowd pleasing hokum, a mostly good time, but like a lot of parties, even ones with laughs and good food, it goes on a bit too long.
According to horror maestro Stephen King, there are three levels of horror movies: The Gross-Out, Horror, and Terror. For busy people at Halloween, in thirty-ish seconds, Richard Crouse suggests three movies in each category.
I sit in with NewsTalk 1010 host Jim Richards on the coast-to-coast-to-coast late night “NewsTalk Tonight” to play the game “Did Richard Crouse Like This?” This week we talk about David Fincher’s thriller “The Killer,” the mascot mayhem of “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and Emily Blunt in “Pain Hustlers.”
“The Pigeon Tunnel,” a new documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris, now streaming on Apple TV+, is a look at the extraordinary life of David Cornwell a.k.a. prolific author John le Carré. Through a retelling of his life, Cornwell examines the very essence of truth, and how memory and manipulation play a part in how we shape our world and our perceptions.
The set-up is simple, the story is not. Morris, who does not appear on camera, allows Cornwell/ le Carré, a leisurely ninety minutes to tell the story of his astonishing life. Dressed in an elegant blue businessman’s suit, he looks every inch the erudite MI6 intelligence officer he actually was from 1960 until 1964 when his career was cut short by the betrayal of double agent Kim Philby.
In measured tones, he eloquently describes a childhood that initially seems at odds with the sophisticated man seen in front of the camera. The son of Ronnie Cornwell, a career criminal and con man, says, “reality did not exist in my childhood. Performance did.”
And what follows is a performance of a sort. One that does not rely on truth as a cornerstone.
Early on, Ronnie schooled his son in the ways of duplicity, training that came in handy in his future careers as a raconteur, spy and a novelist. Cornwell/ le Carré, who died in 2020 shortly after the interviews for this film were completed, was a master fabulist, a storyteller who created a persona for himself in addition to the characters he created for his novels. He admits that much of what he says in the film isn’t true, that his recollections have been manipulated by the vagaries of memory and the trauma of youth.
A “long family background of betrayal,” from his father’s transgressions, his mother’s abandonment and later life changing disloyalty from his friend Philby, shaped him, and that is at the heart of what Morris wants the film to illuminate.
On the surface, it’s a look at an extraordinary life. But beyond the well-told stories, the real insight comes with how he sees the world. It doesn’t matter if the biographical details are true or not, what matters is his perception. It is how David Cornwell sees himself that is important and revealing. “I see my own life as a series of embraces and escapes,” he says.
“The Pigeon Tunnel” is as compelling as any le Carré novel. Cornwell/ le Carré knows how to tell a tale, and like any good spy, he knows what details to include, and which to hide away. Morris doesn’t attempt to chip away at the façade and get at the underlying truth, because he knows, in the hands of master storyteller, a good story is a good story, whether it is true or not.
On the Saturday September 23, 2023 episode of the Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Bill Welychka. Fans of Much Music and MuchMoreMusic will remember Bill as the longest serving VJ on those channels, including a long stint as the host of the channel’s country music series Outlaws & Heroes. These days Bill is still working in broadcast television, and has recently written a book about the lessons he learned from hanging out with many of the music industry’s biggest stars. The book is called “A Happy Has-Been (Exciting Times and Lessons Learned by One of Canada’s Foremost Entertainment Journalists.)” Today we talk about the book, Much Music, and his battles with depression.
Then, we’ll get to know Canadian singer/songwriter, Astrid Young. She is the younger sister of Neil Young, with whom she toured and recorded for many years, and an accomplished musician whose discography dates back to 1984 and boasts over forty releases, including four solo albums and a multitude of credits as a side-musician and background singer. Through the years, Astrid has played stages large and small, from the Whiskey-A-Go-Go in Hollywood to Paradiso in Amsterdam, Brazil’s Rock in Rio, and everywhere in between. Today we talk about the rerelease of her album ‘One Night At Giant Rock’ and some new songs, including “Lay Me Down (Borrowed Tune),” which I can’t stop listening to.
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!
Listen to the show live here:
C-FAX 1070 in Victoria
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CJAD in Montreal
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
CFRA in Ottawa
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NEWSTALK 610 CKTB in St. Catharines
Sat 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
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BNN BLOOMBERG RADIO 1410
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Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed!
On the September 16, 2023 edition of the Richard Crouse show we’ll meet Jon Heder, Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez, the stars of “Napoleon Dynamite,” the movie Jim Carrey said “changed comedy movies.” The story of a listless and alienated teenager who decides to help his new friend Pedro win the class presidency in their small western high school, while dealing with his bizarre family life back home, is one of the most quoted movies of all time, and now you can revisit the fun when the stars bring “Napoleon Dynamite” to Toronto for a special screening and Q&A at the Elgin Theatre as part of Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27.
Then, we’ll get to know comedian Ronny Chieng. You know him as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show, the star of Ronny Chieng Takes Chinatown, one of the stars of “Crazy Rich Asians” and the recent blockbuster “M3GAN,” and as one of the most I demand comedians out there. Today we’ll talk about why he waited until he was in university to give stand-up comedy a try and why he says, “I’m still trying to figure out if I am funny,” despite selling out theatres across the world, including two shows at the Meridian Hall in Toronto on September 23 and 24th as part of Just For Laughs Toronto.
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!
Listen to the show live here:
C-FAX 1070 in Victoria
SAT 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
SUN 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
CJAD in Montreal
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
CFRA in Ottawa
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 610 CKTB in St. Catharines
Sat 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1010 in Toronto
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1290 CJBK
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
AM 1150 in Kelowna
SAT 11 PM to Midnight
BNN BLOOMBERG RADIO 1410
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed!
I join Marilyn Denis and Jamar of the CHUM-FM morning show to talk about TIFF moments, like the Mr. Dressup tickle trunk on the red carpet for “Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe,” watching “Seven Veils” at the Canadian Opera Company, where the movie was shot, and favorite films like “Hit Man” and “Flora and Son.”
I appear on “CTV News at 6” with anchor Andria Case to talk about what’s happening at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend. I have a look at TIFF hits “Dumb Money,” a financial drama starring Paul Dano, the concert film “Stop Making Sense,” the crime drama “Reptile” and the meditative “Perfect Day.”
In “Rustin,” a new reverential historical drama now streaming on Netflix, Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo plays Bayard Rustin, a gay Black man whose vision and tenacity had an outsized effect on the Civil Rights Movement. He’s been largely forgotten by history but “Rustin,” produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company Higher Ground, serves as a potent reminder of his activist legacy.
