In the classic 1998 film “Smoke Signals” Cree actor Cody Lightning played the younger version of the lead character Victor. “I’m Cody Lightning,” he says, “Little Victor, as most people know me. Or should know me. ‘Smoke Signals.’ Big movie. I was in it.”
A quarter century later comes “Hey Viktor!,” a new mockumentary, now playing in theatres, starring Lightning as an exaggerated version of himself as he desperately seeks to relive old glories.
“I did not want this movie to end,” said Gene Siskel of “Smoke Signals.” “In fact, I wanted a sequel.”
In the new film, Lightning aims to give Siskel his wish and create a sequel to the movie that started it all for him. “When ‘Smoke Signals 2’ comes out,” he says, “game over.”
We first meet Lightning, as an alcoholic teacher of a very intense acting classes for kids while performing in cut-rate pornos in his off hours. “A lot of people don’t understand the artist’s life,” he says.
When his ex, and mother of his kids, begins dating “Canada’s latest Indigenous superstar” (Peter Craig Robinson) and announces she’s moving to the United States, he hits rock bottom.
We see all this, because the documentary crew following him around isn’t actually making a movie about his life and career, they’re actually from an intervention style TV show called “Getting Sober” hosted by Craig Broner (Colin Mochrie).
He takes the opportunity to realize his dream. Along with the crew and his manager and BFF Kate (Hannah Cheeseman) he begins production on “Smoke Signals 2.”
“If we don’t do this,” he tells Kate, “I have nothing. I’m losing my kids. I’m not getting parts. I’m losing you. Let’s do this for us.”
“Hey Viktor!” may be the “Spinal Tap” of child actor movies. Funny and absurd, but with an undercurrent of reality that grounds the heartfelt moments, it delivers laughs and some bittersweet moments. Make no mistake, this is a comedy, first and foremost, and a raunchy one at that, but as it works its way to the end, it careens through a dysfunctional journey of self-discovery.
At the heart of the film is Lightning. Playing a character who wants to overcome the demons that plague his adult life, he makes peace with those he has wronged, and with himself. It’s not a subtle performance, the nudity, the poop jokes and the ruthless swearing see to that, but it is a heartfelt one.
He’s supported by nice performances from the cast, including Cheeseman, who does powerful work as Lightning’s faithful friend, Mochrie, who brings the fire and Simon Baker, who plays himself as a grown-up star of “Smoke Signals.”
“Hey Viktor!” is a go-for-it comedy that matches humour with heart.
On this week’s Richard Crouse Show I’ll tell you about a new movie playing in theatres right now. “Run Woman Run” is the story of Beck, an Indigenous single mom at a crossroad. Ambitionless, when she isn’t binge eating, she’s hopping in the car to go check the mail… from the mailbox at the end of her driveway. Following a health scare, she decides to change her life through marathon running.
“Run Woman Run” is a lighthearted film with serious messages of recovery from residential school trauma, self-discovery and the erasure of Indigenous languages. It doesn’t shy away from the big topics, but at its heart it is an underdog story about overcoming obstacles and belief in one’s self.
I spoke with the film’s director Zoe Hopkins and breakout star Dakota Ray Hebert in separate interviews, which I have stitched them together to tell the story of the making of this wonderful film.
Then, Chris Hadfield, astronaut, engineer, singer, and fighter pilot and now author of a thriller called “The Apollo Murders” stops by to talk about his book and much more.
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.
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Richard joins host Jim Richards of the NewsTalk 1010 afternoon show The Rush for Booze and Reviews! Today we talk about Sandra Bullock and Tatum in “The Lost City,” the inspirational dramedy “Run Woman Run” and the poignant “Learn to Swim.” Then, we tell you all about the cocktail named for “Tomb Raider” Angelina Jolie.
On the surface “Run Woman Run,” a new dramedy starring Dakota Ray Hebert and now playing in theatres, is about running but it succeeds because of larger themes examining dissatisfaction, respect, ambition and family.
Hebert stars as Beck, an Indigenous single mom at a crossroad. Ambitionless, when she isn’t binge eating, she’s hopping in the car to check the mail… from the mailbox at the end of her driveway.
She is at odds with her sister and son, but when she falls into a diabetic coma her life comes into focus. She finds motivation in conversations with Tom Longboat (Asivak Koostachin), an Iroquois icon and long-distance runner who won the Boston marathon in 1907, and died fifty years before Beck was born.
Whether Longboat is a spirit or a hallucination, he provides her with the inspiration she needs to change her life and try something new, like marathon running.
“Run Woman Run” does a great job of blending the comedy and drama, the spiritual and the physical, in a story that is specific in its setting but universal in its themes of embracing change, and making better life choices.
Director Zoe Leigh Hopkins creates a vivid small-town world for her characters. It’s a place where Beck’s dreams have gone to die, but it’s also a community that will ultimately support her when she begins a new chapter in life.
Filled with heart and hope, “Run Woman Run” may not have worked so well if the actors weren’t so strong. Hebert is relatable and wonderful and brings Beck’s arc to life. I don’t know anyone who would drive to the end of the driveway to get the mail, but she made me believe people like that are out there.
“Run Woman Run” is a lighthearted film with serious messages of recovery from residential school trauma, self-discovery and the erasure of Indigenous languages. It doesn’t shy away from the big topics, but at its heart it is an underdog story about overcoming obstacles and belief in one’s self.
In “Learn To Swim,” a new film about memories and music, and now playing in theatres, first time feature filmmaker Thyrone Tommy tells the story as though he was creating a jazz riff. The love story may be familiar but he bends the notes just enough to create something new.
The story of gifted sax player Dezi (Thomas Antony Olajide) is told on a broken timeline. His past affair with singer Selma (Emma Ferreira) is shot in warm, welcoming colors as the two create music and fall in love. Interspersed are colder, harder scenes from Dezi’s present day. Bitter and alone, he is isolated from the world, unable to play music because of a jaw infection.
It is a study of Dezi’s relationships, with Selma, others around him and his connection to music. Like real life, those relationships are often messy and chaotic, but even as the disparate parts of Dezi’s story threaten to become obtuse, Tommy brings the story back into focus as the sax player’s pain becomes a common thread between the two timelines.
“Learn To Swim” is a simple story told in a way that adds depth and complexity. Dezi is an interesting character, talented and troubled, yet still, often sympathetic. Olajide brings him to life in a quietly powerful performance that emphasizes not only the character’s talent but the love and loss that shaped his creativity.
Ferreira is an effective foil, but never loses sight of what makes Selma tick.
The real star here, however, is Tommy. He and co-writer Marni Van Dyk create a story palette to paint a portrait of love, loss and beautiful music. It is a very promising feature debut, one that expertly balances performance and feel, just like the best jazz.
The very best zombie movies are never simply about the dead coming back to life. Sure, the good ones smear the screen with buckets of blood but just as important as the gore are the brains, and not just the kind the undead use as entrees. The memorable ones use the flesh-hungry creatures as metaphors for societal ills. George A. Romero knew this and infused his movies with allegories to social justice and consumerism, among other issues. Director Jeff Barnaby knows this as well. His exciting new zombie film, “Blood Quantum,” new to VOD this week, contains a powerful central premise: Indigenous people put in danger by allowing white folks on their land.
The film begins with an ancient settler’s proverb. “Take heed to thyself, make no treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering.” It’s a portentous warning that foreshadows “Blood Quantum” action. Set on an isolated Mi’gmaq reserve called Red Crow, it takes place before, during and after a plague that has turned most of the world into bloodthirsty zombies. The Red Crow, however, are immune, placing tribal sheriff Traylor (“Fear the Walking Dead’s” Michael Greyeyes) in the position of having to protect the reserve, including ex-wife Joss (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), sons Lysol (Kiowa Gordon) and Joseph (Forrest Goodluck), Joseph’s pregnant girlfriend Charlie (Olivia Scriven) and father Gisigu (Stonehorse Lone Goeman), from hordes of undead outsiders.
“Blood Quantum” offers up the blood and guts you expects from a movie like this but director Barnaby also infuses every frame with a vivid sense of indigenous heritage. From the title—which refers to a much-despised colonial blood measurement system used to establish a person’s Indigenous status—to using a zombie apocalypse as metaphor for the fight against annihilation by colonial settlers, it drips with social awareness and gore.
A new take on the zombie apocalypse tale, it brings a fresh perspective to a much-examined genre. The characters are well defined and have emotional arcs amid the madness and skull crushing. The use of occasional animation sections adds visual interest to an already cool looking film—Barnaby has a deadly eye for composition—and will even make you laugh from time to time. A broken narrative timeline doesn’t work as well it should but Barnaby and Co. deliver on entertainment and intellectual levels.
Come for the entrail eating, stay for the cultural observations… and more entrail eating.