I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Akshay Tandon to talk about the whale of a tale “Whalefall,” the pulpy and pious “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,” the documentary “You Can See Everything” and the rock ‘em, sock ‘em action “Street Fighter.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko to talk about the whale of a tale “Whalefall,” the pulpy and pious “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” and the rock ‘em, sock ‘em action “Street Fighter.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to wind your watch. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the whale of a tale “Whalefall,” the pulpy and pious “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” and the rock ‘em, sock ‘em action “Street Fighter.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Street Fighter,” a new martial arts film based on the iconic Capcom video game of the same name, a battle between estranged fighters Ryu and Ken uncovers a wide-ranging conspiracy. “This tournament isn’t what you think it is,” says Chun-Li (Callina Liang). “If you want to save your brother, then you must fight.”
CAST: Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Jason Momoa. Directed by Kitao Sakurai.
REVIEW: The “Street Fighter” franchise returns to the big screen for the first time since the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raúl Juliá (in his final role) and Kylie Minogue team up earned a 20% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Set in 1993, the new movie sees estranged friends and martial artists Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) brought together by Chun-Li (Callina Liang), an envoy of power mad dictator Lord M.Bison (David Dastmalchian), to battle in the second World Warrior Tournament. “The fiercest, strongest, deadliest fighters on Earth. This is Street Fighter!”
Fists fly, but when Ryu and Ken learn of a deadly conspiracy to siphon the fighter’s “Psycho Power” to energize Bison, a Hurricane Kick to the face or a Buffalo Headbutt will be the least of their problems.
There’s more, but the story doesn’t matter much. It’s mostly a framework to showcase the fights, which are plentiful and should please fans who want their kung fu action unencumbered by a coherent plot. Highlights are a 2D anime-inspired flashback to the Ryu vs. Sagat fight, a showdown between Jason Momoa’s big green fighting machine Blanka and Ryu and a slapstick infused hotel room fight between Ryu and Ken. The fight choreography takes its lead from the games, and provides the rock ‘em, sock ‘em action fans expect.
Apart from the visceral fight fun, there isn’t much here for those unfamiliar with the games.
Noah Centineo, Cody Rhodes, who plays the elaborately coiffed fighter Guile, and ring announcer Eric Andre understand the assignment, fully embracing the silly, ‘90s throwback vibe.
“Street Fighter” is pure fan service. It’s more faithful to its source material than the 1994 version and comes with plenty of spectacle but the slack pace and disregard for story will likely test the patience of non-fans.
SYNOPSIS: “Presence,” a new ghost movie directed by Steven Soderbergh and now playing in theatres, sees a dysfunctional family, Rebekah (Lucy Liu) and Chris (Chris Sullivan) and their teenagers, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Calliana Liana), move into a newly renovated hundred-year-old house. As the hard driving Rebekah dives head long into work, Chris flounders, Tyler reveals a mean streak, and Chloe mourns the loss of her best friend. When things mysteriously move on their own, and shelves crash in Chloe’s bedroom, a question arises, Are the odd events manifestations of Chloe’s grief or is there a strange presence in the house? “There is mystery in this world,” says Chris.
CAST: Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Chris Sullivan. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp.
REVIEW: Told from the point of view of the ghost, the scares in “Presence” are muted and not particularly supernatural. The horror here is the carefully observed, callous behavior between several of the characters.
Using a flamboyantly handheld camera, Soderbergh personifies the ghostly presence through camera movement. We see what the ghost sees, and that otherworldly surveillance reveals a family at odds with one another. Rebekah favors her athletic son and thinks that Chloe is being self-indulgent. “She cannot take us down with her,” she says. Chris grapples with family issues, fearing for the health of his marriage while Chloe acts out, drinking and hanging out with her brother’s strange friend from school (West Mulholland).
The result is a quietly unnerving movie—an emotional roller ghoster?—that values tension over outright frights.
It’s a stylish, visually interesting twist on a ghost story, so it’s a shame the characters aren’t well developed enough to engage the audience on anything other than a superficial level. As Chloe, Liang does much of the heavy lifting, but she’s surrounded by underwritten characters.
Add to that a third act twist that is much more conventional than you’d hope for a movie with this pedigree, and you’re left with a ghost story that entertains the eye but won’t move the spirit.
