I appear on “CTV News at 6” with anchor Andria Case to talk about the biopic “Michael,” the action thriller “Fuze” and the grounded fairy tale “The Bearded Girl.”
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 35:48)
I join “CTV News Toronto at Five” with anchor Zuraidah Alman to talk about new movies in theatres including the biopic “Michael,” the grounded fairy tale “The Bearded Girl” and the action thriller “Fuze.”
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 12:39)
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Renee Rogers to talk about the new releases in theatres, including the biopic “Michael,” the grounded fairy tale “The Bearded Girl” and the action thriller “Fuze.”
Watch 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 biopic “Michael,” the grounded fairy tale “The Bearded Girl” and the action thriller “Fuze.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make your bed. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the biopic “Michael,” the grounded fairy tale “The Bearded Girl” and the action thriller “Fuze.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Fuze,” an explosive new race-against-time crime thriller now playing in theatres, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a bomb-disposal specialist brought in to manage the fraught situation when a World War II-era bomb is discovered in London. Complicating things are a group of thieves who use the explosive discovery as cover to steal a load of diamonds.
CAST: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Worthington. Directed by David Mackenzie.
REVIEW: A ticking clock thriller, “Fuze” isn’t interested in its characters as much as it is making your pulse race.
Set in contemporary London, the action in “Fuze” begins with the discovery of an unexploded 1000-pound WWII bomb at a busy construction site, sparking citywide chaos.
“Could it blow any minute?”
“Theoretically, yes.”
As Chief Superintendent Zuzana (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) organizes an immediate evacuation, and military bomb squad led by the unflappable Major Will Tranter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) get to work, an order to cut off power to the whole area makes an already charged situation more difficult.
Using the blackout as cover, a gang of thieves, led by Karalis (Theo James) and X (Sam Worthington), drill underneath a nearby bank to steal a cache of diamonds and money.
As the clock ticks, both groups work to complete their missions. “When everything is on the line,” screams the film’s tagline, “there’s no turning back.”
“Fuze” doesn’t mess around.
Within one minute of the opening credits the bomb has been discovered, and director David Mackenzie already has the pedal to the metal. More concerned with momentum than the characters, Mackenzie, working from a pulpy, convoluted script by Ben Hopkins, keeps the action tight, upping the tension throughout.
The result is a slickly cool caper film with charismatic turns from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Theo James, and some unexpected twists and turns that, if you don’t think about it too hard, is an entertaining time waster.
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Renee Rogers to talk about the thriller “Relay,” the neo-noir “Honey Don’t” and the rock doc “DEVO” on Netflix.
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Relay,” a new thriller now playing in theatres, Riz Ahmed plays Ash, a “bribe broker” who arranges payments between corrupt corporations and whistleblowers. Mysterious and meticulous, his carefully crafted set of rules go out the window when he falls for a client, former bio-tech company employee Sarah Grant (Lily James). With a high-tech investigation team on her trail, her life is in danger unless Ash can make a deal.
CAST: Riz Ahmed, Lily James, Sam Worthington, Willa Fitzgerald, Matthew Maher, Victor Garber. Directed by David Mackenzie.
REVIEW: A thriller that runs headlong into its suspenseful plot, only to stumble and fall in its last half hour, “Relay” does not stick the landing.
It begins with promise. The idea of a champion for whistleblowers is an intriguing one and as we learn the ins-and-outs of how the secretive Ash runs his business, the movie earns our attention. For instance, Ash, who lives in a shadow world, faceless and nameless, communicates with his clients via the Tri-State Relay Service, which uses an operator who converts text to voice and vice versa. It’s usually reserved for the Deaf community, but, because no records are kept of the transitions Ash uses it as a tamper-proof means of exchange.
It also allows for a running joke in a rather dry movie, as the relay operators sign off every call, no matter how contentious, with “Thanks you for using the Tri-State Relay Service. Have a wonderful day.”
There’s all the stuff of classic conspiracy thrillers; pseudonyms—like Archie Leach, which was Cary Grant’s real name—secret, fortified storage lockers and tense exchanges of information.
That’s all well and good, and director David Mckenzie even stages several twitchy scenes that amp up the suspense. When a set piece in Times Square that should have been a simple exchange of information erupts into chaos, Mckenzie visually captures the chaotic, dangerous nature of Ash’s business.
Later, a concert hall sequence put me in the mind of Brian DePalma, but soon afterwards the carefully constructed cat-and-mouse game falls victim to a plot upheaval—calling it a twist is too mild a term—that is as silly as it is predictable.
It’s a shame that the same film that allows Ahmed the chance to do such layered, interesting work with minimal dialogue chooses to put such a pedestrian cap on a story that began with so much promise.
Chris Pine’s new movie “Outlaw King” is set in the 14th Century but the true tale of Scottish king Robert The Bruce’s defeat of the much larger English army has a timely message of resistance.
Beginning in 1303 with Bruce (Pine) and other Scottish noblemen begrudgingly pledging allegiance to Edward I of England (Stephen Dillane). As days and months Bruce and his countrymen become less and less tolerant of English rule, bristling at paying taxes to a king who does nothing for them. Taking his rightful crown as King of Scotland, Bruce puts his wife (Florence Pugh) and child (Josie O’Brien) into hiding and cobbles together a small rag tag army, including his two bravest warriors Angus Macdonald (Tony Curran) and James Douglas (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), to fight for Scottish Independence against the dictatorial King and his hot-blooded son, the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle).
“Outlaw King” is a historical epic that feels both modern and intimate. Director David Mackenzie doesn’t spare the spectacle—at one point early on Edward announces, “Friends, join us. We have a spectacle!”—but he makes sure to infuse the story with character building moments and personal details to give us a sense of who Bruce is beyond an expert in carnage. Pine humanizes the great warrior, placing him in the context of a family man who risks everything to forward his cause.
The humanity on display in “Outlaw King” is all well and good but it is the battle scenes you’ll remember. An orgy of blood and broken bones, they are up-close-and-personal, not-for-the-weak-of-stomach. Also, horse lovers beware. They are visceral, realistic and fulfill the early promise of spectacle.
