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 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!
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.
I join the CTV NewsChanel to talk about the teen horror of “Whistle,” an amorous “Dracula” and the mockumentary “The Moment.
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to slam the door! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the teen horror of “Whistle,” an amorous “Dracula” and the mockumentary “The Moment.
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: “Dracula,” a new take on Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel, now playing in theatres, is a love story about a 15th-century prince who spends four hundred years searching for the reincarnation of his late wife.
CAST: Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, Matilda De Angelis, Ewens Abid, David Shields, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Raphael Luce. Directed by Luc Besson.
REVIEW: This isn’t Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” It’s maximalist French director Luc Besson’s “Dracula” with all the good and bad that implies.
A love story and an origin tale, the movie begins with Prince Vladimir of Wallachia (Caleb Landry Jones) i.re. Vlad the Impaler, renouncing God after the death of his beloved wife Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu) at the hands of the Ottomans.
Now called Dracula, he spends the next four hundred years drinking blood to stay “alive,” and using a specially formulated vampire perfume to entice women as the lovelorn vampire searches for the reincarnation of his late wife.
“I’m just a poor soul condemned by God and cursed to walk in the shadow of death for all eternity,” he says, “and sustain myself on fresh blood. Human blood is recommended.”
During real estate negotiations Dracula discovers that Mina (Zoë Bleu again), the wife of Parisian solicitor Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), is the woman he’s been searching an eternity for. Tracking her down, he convinces her that she is the reincarnation of Elisabeta and offers her eternal life.
“I would recognize you in another lifetime, entirely in different bodies, different times, and I would love you in all of them until the very last star in the sky burned out into oblivion.”
Meanwhile, a Vatican-sponsored vampire hunting priest (Christoph Waltz) is on the hunt for Dracula and his deadly disciples.
Luc Besson has never been known for a light touch. His films, like “The Fifth Element” and “Léon: The Professional,” are crowd-pleasing, style over substance movies that entertain the eye with high concept visuals and high energy action. Unafraid of spectacle, his films are often bold, often cheesy and often sumptuous.
“Dracula” is all those things. Besson’s study of eternal love has philosophical undertones, but, true to form, excess is the name of the game here, not metaphysical discourse. A scene in the court of Versailles, for instance, where Dracula tests out his special perfume is both lovely and lurid, but another sequence in which Drac repeatedly tries to kill himself in the wake of his wife’s death doesn’t have the intended pathos. Instead, it feels like an outtake from one of Abbott and Costello’s horror comedies.
Gorgeous costume and set design set the stage for Besson’s flashy gothic romp, distracting from a distinct lack of chemistry between the star-crossed soulmates. Landry is more convincing as a monster than lovelorn creature of the night, even if his 400-year-old-man makeup is a little rough. If this pair met in a singles bar, you wouldn’t think they had enough of a spark to make it to the dance floor, let alone inspire a lusty 400 yearlong journey.
Despite flaws that would put a stake in the heart of many other films, “Dracula” is entertaining, if only because Besson shakes up the familiar story to focus on the amorous rather than the murderous.
SYNOPSIS: A thoughtful retelling of Mary Shelley’s gothic science fiction novel, Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” now streaminng on Netflix after its theatrical run, is an ambitious story of what it means to be human.
CAST: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Lauren Collins, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz. Directed by Guillermo del Toro.
REVIEW: Bold, bombastic and beautiful, Guillermo del Toro‘s “Frankenstein” is an emotionally charged story of father and son, of beauty and beasts and literary romanticism.
Del Toro is faithful to Shelley’s novel. He frames the story as Victor Frankenstein’s (Oscar Isaac) dying confession aboard the ship of an Arctic explorer, keeps Shelley’s empathetic take on The Creature (Jacob Elordi) and allows “the monster” a voice and the language to eloquently describe the heartbreaking tragedy of his life.
(MILD SPOILER ALERT) The most significant change comes at the end as del Toro opts for understanding over nihilism.
The Creature has always been a sympathetic character, but del Toro and Elordi humanize him in a way unlike any other portrayal. The hulking Creature is seemingly indestructible physically, but emotionally he’s a soulful character in search of family and love.
It looks like a Gothic horror movie but can’t rightly be called a traditional horror film. The horror of the story comes not from violence or gore, but from the abuses foisted upon the Creature by Victor his creator, but certainly not his protector. “If you will not reward me with love,” the Creature says to Victor, “I will indulge in rage.”
Victor’s existential quest, fueled by his sense of powerlessness over his mother’s passing, drives him create a life to defy death. In his success, however, comes the ultimate cruelty; the creation of a life, complete with deeply felt human emotions, but one unable to make a human connection.
It’s here, in this philosophical, reflective film, that del Toro amps up the empathy, weaving in notes of hope and questions about existence and one’s purpose in the great big world. The director loves monsters and that affection is infused in every frame of the film.
At 149 minutes del Toro allows himself the time to dig deep. He balances the story’s existential aspects with a touching sequence involving a blind man (David Bradley) who shows the Creature kindness, some adventure, colorful characters and even some superhero style action.
Del Toro’s movie is “Frankenstein” on a grand scale but in its reanimated heart, it is a simple story of father and son, of connections and family ties.
“Pinocchio,” the wooden boy with a lie detector for a nose and dreams of becoming a real boy bouncing around his sawdusty brain, is one of the most reimagined characters in children’s literature. Earlier this year Tom Hanks starred in a traditional remake of the 138 year-old-story that echoed the classic Disney film.
The Oscar winning director of “The Shape of Water” takes the story in his own direction in “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio,” a stop motion retelling, now playing in theatres and coming soon to Netflix. In what may be the only version of the story featuring a cameo by Mussolini, the movie travels a different, darker path than previous adaptations.
Del Toro keeps the original story’s Italian location, but places the action between World Wars I and II. Woodworker Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) is a skilled artisan, lovingly teaching his young son Carlo the ropes of the craft while working on large crucifix at a local church. When Carlo is killed in a bombing raid, Geppetto spirals into despair and alcoholism.
While soothing his loss with booze, the heartbroken Geppetto cuts down an Italian pine tree near his late son’s grave and builds a roughhewn puppet as a replacement for his boy. Gangly, with a long nose, the puppet sits slumped in Geppetto’s workshop until a magical Wood Sprite (voice of Tilda Swinton) breathes life into him and appoints Sebastian J. Cricket (voice of Ewan McGregor), a mustachioed insect who lives inside the puppet, as his guide and conscience.
The rowdy newborn, dubbed Pinocchio (voice of Gregory Mann), doesn’t make a great first impression on Geppetto or the local townsfolk. But as Geppetto warms to him, the locals, including fascist government official Podestà (Ron Perlman), don’t quite know what to make of him.
“Everybody likes him,” says Pinocchio, pointing to the still under construction crucifix. “He’s made of wood too. Why do they like him and not me?”
As Pinocchio tries to figure out his place in the world, he soon discovers that not everyone has his best interests in mind.
This is not your parent’s “Pinocchio.” Del Toro sticks to the bones of author Carlo Collodi’s original plot, but expands the story with a deep dive into what it means to be human, mortality, the weight of expectation and the horrors of fascism. It doesn’t sound particularly family friendly, but while there are some intense, nightmarish images, this is a fairy tale in the Brothers Grimm tradition. It speaks to the issues surrounding growing up, whether you’re made of wood or flesh and blood, and should be fine for kids ten and up.
Visually spectacular, the stop motion animation gives the movie a more organic feel than it may have had if rendered in computer generated images. Rich in detail and imagination, the film’s style mixes and matches dreams with nightmares to create a palette that paints the fanciful and the earthbound in equal measure.
“Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio” does something remarkable. Just as the Wood Sprite breathed new life into Geppetto’s puppet, Del Toro breathes new life into a very familiar and often-told story. He is buoyed by fine voice work and visuals, but it is the auteur’s allegorical stamp that really brings this wooden boy to life.
