Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun,” the body horror rom com “Together” and the stylish kid’s flick “The Bad Guys 2.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV Atlantic anchor Todd Battis to talk about the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun,” the body horror rom com “Together” and the stylish kid’s flick “The Bad Guys 2.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Deb Hutton is off, so I sit in with host Jim Richards on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and let you know what’s happening in theatres. We talk about King Charles’ soldiers honoured Ozzy Osbourne with a musical tribute, “South Park’s” huge ratings, the new MuchMusic YouTube channel and the eye popping ticket price for the Grateful Dead’s 60th aniversary concert. Plus, I’ll do a quick review of “The Naked Gun.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I joined CTV NewsChannel anchor Roger Peterson to have a look at new movies coming to theatres, including the stylish cartoon action of “The Bad Guys,” the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Andrew Pinsent to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the stylish cartoon action of “The Bad Guys,” the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun” and the body horror rom com “Together.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join the Bell Media Radio Network national night time show “Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift” for “Booze & Reviews!” This week I review “The Naked Gun” and suggest some detective inspired cocktails to go along with the movie.
Click HERE to listen to Shane and me talk about Lindsay Lohan getting away from it all, Eddie Murphy’s new gig and a vicious new movie called “Bambi: The Reckoning.”
For the Booze & Reviews look at “The Naked Gun” and some cool cocktails to pair with it, click HERE!
SYNOPSIS: After 31-years “The Naked Gun” franchise returns to theaters with Liam Neeson playing Police Squad detective Frank Drebin Jr., son of the bumbling cop made famous by the iconic Leslie Nielson in the TV show “Police Squad!” and the1988-1994 trilogy. Directed by Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, “The Naked Gun” sees Drebin Jr. following in his father’s footsteps, blundering his way through a murder investigation involving the brother of femme fatale Beth (Pamela Anderson) and tech giant Richard Cane (Danny Huston).
CAST: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston. Directed by Akiva Schaffer.
REVIEW: The last few years at the movies have been no laughing matter. The Hollywood studios, dollar signs dancing in their eyes, by and large stopped making comedies, opting instead to cater to international audiences with IP-driven superhero movies, sci-fi epics and action franchises.
With a mix of absurd humor, sight gags, and deadpan delivery the rebooted “The Naked Gun” hopes audiences will once again embrace their inner silliness at the theatre.
Based on David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker ‘s crime parody television show “Police Squad!,” which inspired three big screen comedies starring Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police lieutenant Frank Drebin, the new film captures the spirit and, more importantly, the rat-a-tat rapid-fire joke density.
In other words, don’t like a joke? Don’t worry, the movie is so tightly packed with gags you won’t have to wait long for another laugh. It’s not subtle. From farce and spoof to beastly puns and even pretend bestiality, it’s willing to try anything to raise a smile, including poking fun at itself with a gag about O.J. Simpson, who starred in the original three movies.
It wouldn’t work if Liam Neeson wasn’t game. Whether he’s prancing around in a schoolgirl’s outfit or ripping the arms off a bad guy and using them to beat him into submission, he’s fully committed to playing it straight amid the chaos. His commanding presence, coupled with echoes of the dramatic work that has dominated his career, brings gravitas to a character who does idiotic things. It’s that push-and-pull that generates the film’s anarchic humor.
Leslie Nielsen will always be the king of “The Naked Gun” style comedy, as a pioneer of the sincere deadpan, but Neeson may be the genre’s clown prince.
At his side is Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, femme fatale and Drebin’s love interest. Following up her Golden Globe nominated role in “The Last Showgirl,” she pivots to a character that plays off her bombshell image but allows her to showcase her comedic chops. She embraces the absurdity, as seen in her preposterousness jazz scat solo scene. Once seen, it will not soon be forgotten.
“The Naked Gun” has a few things going for it. In 84 tight minutes (with two post credit scenes), it’s nostalgic and doesn’t play it safe but most of all, it brings laughter back to the theatres. Surely, you might ask, the reboot can’t be as fun as the original movies. Yes it is, and don’t call me Shirley.
On the Saturday August 31, 2024 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Amanda Marshall.
You know the name, but could be forgiven if you wondered what happened to her. After hits like her 1996 single, “Birmingham”, which reached number 3 in Canada and charted on the US, and diamond and certified 3× platinum albums, she disappeared from the charts and the music scene for more than 20 years.
She says the legal battle with her former manager that kept her away from the spotlight for two decades “turned out to be the very best thing that ever happened to me.” We’ll find out why in this interview.
Then, we’ll meet three-time Academy Award nominee for Best Actor Viggo Mortensen. From his film debut in 1985’s “Witness” to the “Lord of the Rings” movies that made him a superstar to his more recent work, like the Oscar winning “Green Book,” he has been a constant, welcome presence on screens for 40 years. Joins me today as the writer, director, star, and composer of “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” a great new Western now available on all major platforms for Digital Purchase and Digital Rental.
Then, we meet Salah Bachir, author of a new memoir, “First to the Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People Who Happen to Be Famous,” available now wherever fine books are sold.
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 Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
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SYNOPSIS: “The Crow,” a re-imagining of the classic gothic superhero series of the same name, sees troubled souls Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård,) and Shelly Webster (FKA Twigs) become soulmates after escaping from a rehab center. On the run from bad man Vincent Roeg’s (Danny Huston) violent thugs, the pair form an unbreakable bond, even in death. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Draven navigates the worlds of the living and the dead to seek vengeance against her killers. “Kill the ones who killed you, and you will get her back.”
CAST: Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs, Danny Huston, Josette Simon, Laura Birn, Sami Bouajila, Isabella Wei, Jordan Bolger. Directed by Rupert Sanders.
REVIEW: “The Crow” is back, but, unfortunately, never really takes flight. Director Rupert Sanders and cinematographer Steve Annis create a beautiful, neo-noir gothic canvas as a backdrop to the story of the power of love as a tool for revenge, but no amount of atmosphere can make up for spotty storytelling and murky mythology.
The film’s first forty minutes, the story of star-crossed lovers Eric and Shelly, drags as the two meet, flirt and get to know one another. Trouble is, sparks don’t exactly fly. The basis of the story is immortal love, one that cannot be broken by anything, even death, and yet their courtship feels impetuous, not particularly romantic. That lack of chemistry blunts the effectiveness of the movie’s emotional foundation and delays the start of The Crow ‘s story until midway through the film.
As for the action, it does deliver some OTT John Wick style violence, but I wouldn’t call this an action movie. The action is used sparingly, relegated to two big set pieces. Of those, it’s the opera house sequence that delivers the cathartic, nasty kills fans might want. It’s gross and gory as Draven gives new meaning to the question, “Why don’t you smile?” (You’ll know what I mean when you see the movie.) It goes for it, delivering the straightforward revenge vibe you expect, but it also makes you wonder why the rest of the movie doesn’t have the same energy or comic book sensibility.
Skarsgård is suitably angsty, and can handle himself in the action scenes, but despite his best efforts, the specter of Brandon Lee’s indelible performance in the original cult classic looms large over this version.
“The Crow” suffers from a lackluster villain (the usually reliable Danny Huston) and slow pacing, but its worst crime is that for a movie about soulmates, with a baddie who dooms souls to hell, “The Crow” feels soulless.
