I appear on “CTV News at 6” with anchor Andria Case to talk about the Netflix documentary “Untold: Raygun: Breaking Bad” and the Apple TV+ action movie “Mayday” with Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh.Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 36:33)
I join “CTV News Toronto at Five” with anchor Zuraidah Alman to talk about the stylish and satirical “Onslaught,” the big stars of “Mayday” and the vengeance of “By Any Means.”Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 14:08)
I sit with NewsTalk 1010 guest host Jim Richards on NewsTalk 1010 to talk about the Dollyfest celebratation of Dolly Parton, more “Odyssey” and the new Apple TV+ movie “Mayday.”Listen to the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 25:23)
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Renée Rodgers to talk about the stylish and satirical “Onslaught,” the big stars of “Mayday” and the vengeance of “By Any Means.”Watch the whole thing HERE!
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Watch the whole thing HERE!
CAST: Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova, David Morse. Written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
REVIEW: “Mayday” is a throwback to odd couple flicks like “Red Heat” that mixed big stars with Cold War concerns and comedy.
Set in 1987, the movie stars Ryan Reynolds as U.S. pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly sent on a top-secret SR-71 mission over Soviet Russia. When a midair collision forces him to pull the ejection cord, he lands, alone and injured, in the Russian wilderness.
He wakes up in the cabin of Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), an ex-KGB agent whose home is decorated with American flags, Coors posters and a well-worn VHS copy of “Top Gun.”
“This may shock you,” he tells Kelly. “I admire your country very much. Your democracy, your culture, and your films, and your food. I have never had McDonald’s, but I suspect I would love it.”
With the Kelly’s promise of American citizenship for Ustinov and his daughter (Maria Bakalova), the unlikely duo find a way to work together to find a way to thaw the Cold War.
“Mayday” may have two above-the-title stars, but make no mistake, this is Kenneth Branagh’s movie. Dusting off his “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”/”Tenet” Russian accent, his lovable but lethal Nikolai steals every scene.
There are lots of action scenes—from the high-flying ejection scene and a chase through Moscow in an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launcher to a zero-gravity airplane cabin fight scene and a wild train jump—that feel reminiscent of the 1980s movies that clearly inspired directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.
But despite all the action, “Mayday” wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if not for Branagh’s comedic performance. He makes up for Reynolds’s one note, same-old performance and the film’s lack of an interesting villain. Even when he has to mouth some gag worthy dialogue—”You have found so many ways to fight us, but you never take the time to get to know us.”—he still dominates.
“Concussion” is a movie about the discovery of long-term neurodegenerative changes in professional athletes. That synopsis conjures up images of people in lab coats peering into microscopes and that is certainly part of the story, but there’s more. Add in a David and Goliath storyline, some romance and a condemnation of complacency and you’re left with a movie that has something important to say but doesn’t know exactly how to say it.
Will Smith is Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Nigerian forensic neuropathologist who happens to be on duty the night the body of football legend Mike Webster (David Morse) is delivered to the morgue. As a scientist Omalu can’t understand the events leading to Webster’s death. Why did the seemingly healthy man act irrationally and slowly waste away?
A study of Webster’s brain uncovers irregularities likely caused by concussions suffered on the football field. Naming the condition Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Omalu publishes his findings in a medical journal and almost immediately finds himself under fire from the NFL who feel the doctor’s study implies playing football is bad for your health. If it is bad for football, they suggest, it is bad for America.
Death threats and looming legal action punt Omalu and his new wife’s (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) lives into the end zone as new cases of CTE come to light.
“Concussion” is the kind of movie you know is going to feature at least one figurative Gatorade Shower, a feel good moment geared to excite audiences. The resolution of the David and Goliath angle is meant to be a crowd-pleasing story element. Smith plays Omalu as a proud, moral man, someone with the strength of his convictions who is pushed aside by an evil empire. When he is proven right—that’s not a spoiler, just historical fact—it should be a rousing moment but like much of the film it simply doesn’t quicken the pulse.
Smith is understated and strong as Omalu, bringing every ounce of his movie star charisma to the lead role. A script bogged down by a tagged-on love story and heavy-handed exposition, however, thwarts his good work. The core of the story—how the NFL ignored potentially life-saving information—should provide enough righteous indignation to fuel the movie but doesn’t. “Concussion” doesn’t back down from pointing the finger at the suits who demeaned Omalu’s work but it lacks the passion to truly work up a head of steam.
