Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to brush your teeth. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join “CTV News Toronto at Five” with anchor Zuraigah Alman to talk about the anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 12:20)
I join CTV Atlantic’s Stephanie Tsicos to talk about anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Akshay Tandon to talk about the new releases in theatres, including The anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join “CP24 Breakfast” hosts Nick Dixon and Jennifer Hsiung to talk about the anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the animated adventures of Disney+’s “X-Men ’97” and the Prime Video “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Minions & Monsters,” a chaotic animated film now playing in theatres, the jellybean shaped Minions unleash real monsters on Los Angeles when they try and make a monster movie.
CAST: Pierre Coffin, Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, George Lucas, Phil LaMarr. Directed and co-written by Pierre Coffin.
REVIEW: A Valentine to the movies, “Minions & Monsters” is equal parts shambolic and sentimental. The trademarked Minion madness is still firmly in place, but director Pierre Coffin wears his love of movies on his sleeve, weaving tributes to 100 years of the Universal logo, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, “The Blob,” the pioneering 1902 film “A Trip to the Moon” and the opening scene of “Citizen Kane” throughout.
The action begins with a tour through the Universal Studios museum. Exhibits include George Lucas (playing himself) in a glass case and statues of Minion movie legends James and Henry (Pierre Coffin supplies the voices of all the Minions). When the tour group admits they don’t know anything about the Minions, eager tour guide Olivia (Alison Janney) gives them a history lesson. “They are legends who changed Hollywood forever,” she says.
As the story goes, the Minions, on a quest to work for the worst villains in history, stumble into a train robbery movie shoot in 1920s Hollywood. Thinking the robbery is real, and they’ve come across a new bad guy they could work with, they are instead discovered by studio heads Frank and Elwood Bright (both voiced by Jeff Bridges) who instruct director Max (Christoph Waltz) to cast them in a series of slapstick silent movie comedies.
They become “Kings of the Box Office,” but their time at the top is cut short. Unable to adapt to the advent of sound because of their incomprehensible gibberish language, they lose their film contract, but not their passion to make movies. Shunned by Hollywood, James comes up with an idea to make his magnum opus, “Minions & Monsters.”
To find the perfect monsters they use a stolen spellbook to conjure up real beasts like the Lovecraftian Gary Orcam Oliver Magma Ichabod the Deceiver, a.k.a. Goomi (Trey Parker), sea creatures Phillip (Bobby Moynihan) and Howard (Phil LaMarr) and a multi-eyed orange blob and “eater of worlds” called Irene.
When the creatures reveal their secret, evil apocalyptic plan, the Minions must embrace their heroic side to save the world and their movie.
“Minions & Monsters” isn’t really about the story, it’s about a heartfelt love of movies—”Watch the movie play in a theatre full of people,” says tour guide Olivia about the film-within-the-film. “There’s nothing better.”—and the antics of the title characters.
The sheer silliness on display is infectious. Conjuring up memories of everything from vaudeville and Bugs Bunny to The Three Stooges and silent era comedians like Harold Lloyd, they go beyond slapstick to create something akin to pure unadulterated joy.
I chose the word “unadulterated” for a reason. The definition fits, their comedy is pure and untainted, but I also believe it’s humor for un-adults. That’s people of all ages who allow their inner child to get lost in the movie’s juvenile humor.
The movie cleverly suggests the Minions could have been silent movie stars, and, for sure their absurdist, physical humor is perfectly suited to the medium. But “Minions & Monsters” isn’t a silent movie and if I have a quibble, it’s that I found some of the Minionese—i.e. their gibberish Banana language—scenes less effective than their slapstick sequences.
“Minions & Monsters” has fun animation, better action scenes than “Supergirl” and loads of laughs for movie fans of all ages.
SYNOPSIS: Seven years after the frenemy mystery “A Simple Favor,” comes a sequel to Prime Video appropriately called “Another Simple Favor.” Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are reunited as Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson, with director Paul Feig, for another adventure.
The last time we saw them, vlogger Stephanie and Emily’s husband Sean (Henry Golding) facilitated sending Emily to jail. Now, she’s out and asks Stephanie to be her maid of honor at her extravagant wedding on the Isle of Capri. Cue the murder and mayhem. “To old friends and new beginnings,” Emily says, toasting Stephanie with a martini. “And not getting poisoned,” adds Stephannie.
CAST: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, Elena Sofia Ricci, Henry Golding, and Allison Janney. Directed by Paul Feig.
REVIEW: At oner point in the action Alison Janney says, “It doesn’t make any sense.” She is, of course, not referring to “Another Simple Favor,” but she could have been. A zig-zaggy sequel to the 2018 thriller, it features enough plot twists to give Agatha Christie whiplash. The sun-drenched island of Capri setting still allows for many dark corners for this story of murder, messy relationships and mafia to unfold.
Despite the ridiculous story swerves, it’s all played with a relatively straight face. The chemistry between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively keeps things sparkly, but with a wink. It’s as if the characters know the things they are doing are implausible, but they’re happy to be along for the ride.
Kendrick brings her trademarked likability which plays in nice contrast to Lively’s charismatic screw loose take on Emily. Together they weather the script’s red herrings, holding the splintered story together with the sheer force of their chemistry.
The sinister tone of the original is missing, and it goes on a bit too long, but the sense of absurdity that drove the 2018 film is here in abundance. In other words, it’s a crime story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you.
Despite citing everything from “Apocalypse Now” and “Blade Runner” to “District 9” and “Paper Moon” as influences for his new sci fi epic “The Creator,” director Gareth Edwards has made a strikingly original film that doesn’t feel derivative.
Set in 2065, a decade long war between humans and artificial intelligence continues unabated.
“Ten years ago today, the artificial intelligence, created to protect us, detonated a nuclear warhead in Los Angeles. For as long as AI is a threat, we will never stop hunting them. This is a fight for our very existence.”
When the architect of AI, The Creator, builds an unstoppable weapon that could control all technology, recently widowed special forces agent Joshua (John David Washington) and his team are brought in to find and retrieve the weapon.
“Our mission is to find the weapon designated Alpha O,” says Colonel Howell (Allison Janney). “You are authorized to kill on sight.”
Behind enemy lines on occupied AI territory, they discover the deadly weapon is actually an AI in the form of a small child named Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles).
“We are close to winning the war,” says General Williams. “Execute her, or we go extinct.”
There is a lot happening in “The Creator.” It is an ambitious allegory for oppressed minorities and American imperialism, but above all it is soulful sci fi.
Visually, director Edwards looks to “District 9” and “Apocalypse Now” for inspiration to create a unique looking slice of speculative fiction. Shot in Thailand, the film takes advantage of that country’s other-worldly, old-world locations, juxtaposed against the high-tech AI robots and sleek, futuristic aircraft and weapons. The mix of old and new, of nature and technology, make for a grand backdrop to a story that thrives on intimate moments.
Big action scenes do light up the screen, but Edwards appears to value emotional fireworks more than spectacle.
At its heart, “The Creator” is a love story. Joshua, still hurting from the disappearance of his wife (Gemma Chan), is driven by heartache. The discovery of Alphie, played with heartrending innocence by Voyles, shifts the story to a father-daughter dynamic, à la “Paper Moon,” but maintains the film’s emotional core as the young robot looks at humanity filtered through AI eyes.
“The Creator” builds a dystopian world that feels unique, and it is certainly nice to have a new sci fi tale not based on existing IP, even if it feels like a pastiche. But for all the admirable ambition and emotion, Edwards occasionally runs off in all directions all at once, leaving nuance and subtlety behind.
Like Rodney Dangerfield, Sue Buttons (Alison Janney) gets no respect. In the new dark comedy “Breaking News in Yuba County,” now available on VOD, she discovers that with respect and unwanted attention comer hand in hand.
A help-desk operator, Sue is verbally abused by random callers, her half-sister Nancy (Mila Kunis) doesn’t remember her birthday and even shopkeepers talk down to her. “You’re important. You’re strong. You matter,” she says into the mirror, despite all the evidence to the contrary. When her husband Karl (Matthew Modine), who has been laundering money for crime boss Mina (Awkwafina), goes missing after a tryst with his mistress (on Sue’s birthday no less), people begin to take notice of Sue. Elevated to local celebrity status, Sue weaves a web of lies to keep policewoman (Regina Hall), deadbeat brother-in-law (Jimmi Simpson) and reporter Nancy from discovering what really happened to Karl.
“Breaking News in Yuba County” is part suburban satire, part character study. As a satire it aims to peel back the soft underbelly of big box stores, small town attitudes and middle-age angst.
As a character study, it follows Sue as she blossoms from wallflower into the anxious center of attention.
In a well-oiled machine, these two elements would sit comfortably side-by-side but here the satire doesn’t cut and the characters don’t compel.
The performances, particularly from Janney, tap every ounce of interest from the script, but the underwritten story from Amanda Idoko doesn’t dig deep enough for the satire. Mean spirited instead of insightful, it attempts the kind of juggling act Joel and Ethan Coen perform in films like “Fargo,” where crime, character and satire blend to unveil a more universal truth. Here, Sue’s search for acknowledgement and fame is as uninspired as her oft-repeated mantra, “You’re important. You’re strong. You matter.”
