Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to stamp your feet! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the intense “Civil War,” the spider horror film “Sting” and the serial killer flick “Damaged.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
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 the intense “Civil War,” the spider horror film “Sting” and the serial killer flick “Damaged.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join CP24 to have a look at the intense “Civil War,” the spider horror film “Sting” and the serial killer flick “Damaged.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Renee Rogers to talk about the intense “Civil War,” the spider horror film “Sting” and the serial killer flick “Damaged.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in with CKTB morning show host Tim Denis to have a look at the intense “Civil War,” the spider horror film “Sting” and the serial killer flick “Damaged.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk the new movies coming to theatres and streaming including the intense “Civil War,” the spider horror film “Sting” and the serial killer flick “Damaged.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
“Damaged,” a new crime drama starring Samuel L Jackson and Vincent Cassel, and now streaming on VOD, is a feature that feels like episodic television, right up to a cliffhanger-y ending that should come with a “To Be Continued” end credit.
When Edinburgh, Scottish police discover a body killed in a ritualistic fashion—the victim’s arms and legs are dismembered and left in a cross formation—they bring in Dan Lawson, a brilliant Chicago police detective with a drinking problem, who investigated a series of murders with the same MO years before.
“Kills five seemingly random people in Chicago,” says a Captain Ford (Mark Holden), “then lays low for six years. Do you think it’s a copycat?”
“We never published any images of how the body parts were laid out,” Lawson says. “I want in on this.”
Upon arrival, he’s told the Scottish police have never seen a case as violent as the gruesome remains left at the crime scene. But Lawson has. Five years before this same serial killer murdered his girlfriend.
As Lawson and Scottish Detective Chief Inspector Glen Boyd (Gianni Capaldi) chase down clues, the red herrings and twists keep the killer just out of reach. By the time Lawson’s former partner Bravo (Cassel), now a crime writer who designs security systems on the side, shows up, there are more bodies, including one that makes the case even more personal.
“Damaged” is a pastiche of serial killer movies with a mystical “DaVinci Code” flavor and some very charming Scottish accents. Despite the extreme situation—cops working on the murder of their loved ones—the movie follows familiar police procedural beats.
Jackson is reliably good, and it is fun to hear him do a toned-down riff on his “Pulp Fiction” Ezekiel 25:17 speech, even though for the rest of the movie he mostly recites lines straight out of Police Speak 101. Lines like “I didn’t come here to sit on the sidelines,” or “What is wrong with this picture?” bring a generic feel that permeates the rest of the film.
Truth is, there’s nothing wrong, exactly, with “Damaged.” First-time feature director Terry McDonough, has a ton of episodic television under his belt, shows like “Killing Eve,” “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” and knows how to keep the action moving along, but there’s nothing here that feels really fresh.
“Damaged” has star power and a twisty-turny plot, but feels like a small screen diversion.
Check out the Richard Crouse Show on NewsTalk 1010 for January 26, 2018! This week Richard speaks with Stefan Grambart and Richard Rotter, part of the creative team behind the immerse web series “Damaged.” Synopsis: “Damaged” is a digital psychological thriller and interactive experience, about a young man who tries to unravel the mystery of a local gang and their connection to a serial killer called The Wolf. Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Here’s some info on The Richard Crouse Show!:
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 Ethan Hawke, director Brad Bird, comedian Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Roberts, Brian Henson, Jonathan Goldsmith a.k.a. “The most interesting man in the world,” and best selling author Linwood Barclay.
Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed! Read Richard NewsTalk 1010 reviews HERE!
The show airs:
NewsTalk 1010 – airs in Toronto Saturday at 9 to 10 pm.
For Niagara, Newstalk 610 Radio – airs Saturdays at 6 to 7 pm
For Montreal, CJAD 800 – Saturdays at 6 to 7 pm
For Vancouver – CFAX 1070 – Saturdays 6 to 7 pm.
For London — Newstalk 1290 CJBK, Saturdays 10 to 11 pm
