I appear on “CTV News at 6” with anchor Andria Case to talk about the passing of entertainment legends Dolly Parton andTim Curry, and the live action/animagtion hybrid “Coyote VS. Acme,” now playing in theatres.
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 38:04)
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 13:38)
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the animated anarchy of “Coyote VS Acme,” the dystopopian “The Dog Stars,” the fresh rom com “Finding Emily,” the silly smarts of “Idiots” and the supernatural slasher “Buddy.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
CAST: Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P.J. Byrne, John Cena. Eric Bauza, Kenneth Choi, Candi Milo, Jim Cummings. Directed by Dave Green.
REVIEW: Shot years ago and shelved as a tax write off by Warner Bros. Discovery in 2023, “Coyote vs. ACME” is finally getting its richly deserved chance at a big screen release courtesy of Ketchup Entertainment.
Anyone familiar with Wile E. Coyote’s endless pursuit of the Road Runner, will also know of his unsuccessful use of rocket-powered roller skates, anvils, dehydrated boulders and many other tools of destruction manufactured by ACME.
After years of unsuccessfully using their products Wile E. Coyote has had enough. Holding a placard reading “ACME SUCKS,” he hires down-on-his-luck attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) to sue ACME Corporation for selling defective gadgets. “ACME has knowingly been making dangerous products for decades!”
As ACME’s lawyer, the ruthless Buddy Crane (John Cena), prepares to go scorched earth on Avery—“I don’t just want him scared, I want him ruined!”—the case reveals ACME as a profit-obsessed conglomerate with no regard for the safety of its customers. “Wile E. Coyote,” says Crane, “is reckless and all his injuries are self-inflicted.”
A mix of live action and animation, à la “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Coyote vs. ACME” blends a high-level comedic cast, led by Will Forte, and classic cartoon characters in a rambunctious comedy that captures the anarchic spirit of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies films.
It’s a love letter to the cartoons that inspired it, but it’s not simply a rehash of decades old animated movies. Instead, it takes well-known characters, like Wile E. Coyote, the Roadrunner, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck and many others (mostly voiced by Canadian actor Eric Bauza), and creates a new world for them to inhabit without losing what made them fun in the first place.
Wile, for instance, is taking on ACME, an even bigger foe than The Roadrunner, but just like in the old shorts, he refuses to give up no matter what. His perseverance against Sisyphean odds is the thing that makes him lovable, and when echoed in Avery’s rediscovery of what the law can do for his client, brings a nice symmetry to the storytelling. “He’s one of the most hard-working people I’ve ever met,” Avery says of Wile. “He would never think of quitting. And I think everyone should be inspired by that.”
Fans will uncover Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies tributes throughout. “That’s all folks,” written in dust on the back of Avery’s car, is a throwback reframed as a veiled threat from opposing council. The non-consensualist Pepé Le Pew is blasted with anti-predator spray, and Foghorn Leghorn as ACME CEO.
Hard core fans will note that Forte’s character, Kevin Avery shares a last name with Tex Avery , director and co-creator of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies style.
“Coyote vs. ACME” is a lot of fun, creating something new from the nostalgia fans feel for these characters and their trademarked brand of comedic chaos. It hits the anvil on the head (or should that be the other way around?) with impossible cartoon physics, humor—Forte and Cena are live action but have a fun cartoon vibe—heart and even some unexpected anti-corporate messaging.
SYNOPSIS: In “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” a brand-new, hand-drawn 2D animated adventure feature now playing in theatres, chewing gum infected with alien goo turns earthlings into zombies. In a strange twist, the fate of the world lies in the hands of odd couple Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.
CAST: Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Directed by Pete Browngardt.
REVIEW: The first fully animated feature-length film in Looney Tunes history pays tribute not only to the legendary cartoons and the kind of b-movies that populated drive in screens when John Diefenbaker was Prime Minister, but also the friendship between Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, both played by Canadian voice actor Eric Bauza.
For longtime Looney Tunes fans, a sense of nostalgia hangs in the air.
The character designs harken back to the Bob Clampett-directed cartoons from 1939-1945, the heart of the Looney Tunes classic era, as does the anarchic brand of comedy on display in the movie’s big set pieces. Director Pete Browngardt, who co-wrote the script with Darrick Bachman along a laundry list of nine other writers, shows genuine respect for the history of the franchise but adds in some modern touches.
In order to pay for the upkeep of their home, bequeathed to them by their adoptive father, Farmer Jim (voice of Fred Tatasciore), Daffy gets a very 21st century job as a barista, but in keeping with his explosive personality, the testy duck loses it when people order complicated drinks.
None of it, the jokes, the slapstick or the cartoon anarchy, would mean much if the relationship at the heart of the movie didn’t work. Daffy and Porky are lifelong friends and the film’s portrayal of their camaraderie, which is threatened by the end of the world scenario, is both amusing and touching. There’s even a hint of passion as Porky and Petunia (voice of Candi Milo) become romantically involved. It’s all very sweet and provides a nice emotional counterpoint to the film’s preposterous humour.
Jam packed with jokes, sight gags and the well-worn friendship between Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” creates a world for the characters that should please old fans and get new viewers up to speed.
