I appear on “CTV News at 6” with Andria Case to talk about the best movies and television to watch this weekend. I’ll tell you about the family drama “Ezra” and the inspirational Michael Caine film “The Great Escaper.”
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 38:18)
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to stamp your foot! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the family drama “Ezra,” the inspirational “The Great Escaper” and the cheerleading drama “Backspot.”
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 family drama “Ezra,” the inspirational “The Great Escaper” and the cheerleading drama “Backspot.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join “CTV News Toronto at Five” with host Natalie Johnson, to talk about the family drama “Ezra” and the inspirational “The Great Escaper.”
Watch the whole thing HERE! (Starts at 16:20)
I join CP24 to have a look at the family drama “Ezra,” the inspirational “The Great Escaper” and the cheerleading drama “Backspot.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join the CTV NewsChannel anchor Roger Peterson to talk about the family drama “Ezra,” the inspirational “The Great Escaper” and the cheerleading drama “Backspot.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in with CKTB morning show host Steph Vivier to have a look at the family drama “Ezra,” the inspirational “The Great Escaper” and the cheerleading drama “Backspot.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Graham Richardson to talk the new movies coming to theatres and streaming including the family drama “Ezra,” the inspirational “The Great Escaper” and the cheerleading drama “Backspot.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
LOGLINE: Based on a true story, in “The Great Escaper,” a new Michael Caine-Glenda Jackson movie now playing on theatres, a World War II veteran sneaks out of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
“He has done it before,” says wife Rene (Jackson) of her husband’s trip, “but then they were shooting at him.”
CAST: Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, Will Fletcher, Laura Marcus, John Standing, Jackie Clune, Danielle Vitalis, Brennan Reece, Wolf Kahler. Directed by Oliver Parker.
REVIEW: This stranger-than-fiction story has all the hallmarks of a British against-all-odds, stiff-upper-lip drama, but transcends the “cheeky chappie” stereotypes and platitudes of those kinds of feel-good films with the performances of the late, great Glenda Jackson and eternal favorite Michael Caine. The story of a sprightly old codger cutting loose is deepened by the characters, a wartime couple who have rarely spent a moment apart since the end of WWII, and the film’s examination of loss, survivor’s guilt and screenwriter William Ivory’s celebration of growing up and growing old.
It’s heartfelt, but not sentimental. Jackson, who passed away months after filming, and Caine, who says this will be his last film, bring with them the lived-in mannerisms of a lifelong couple, people who have weathered life’s ups and downs, devoted to their lives together. It’s mostly in the subtext, but is summed up, touchingly and succinctly by Rene. “We have never wasted one second of our time together. We’ve only done, normal, little everyday things, but, by God we did them well. And we still do.”
Even though Caine and Jackson spend most of the film in separate countries, and are rarely ever in the same frame, their bond is the glue that holds “The Great Escaper” together.
Also touching, but again, not overly sentimental, are the interactions between Caine and fellow veteran Arthur (John Standing). The pair are strangers who meet on the way to the D-Day anniversary, but their common experience as soldiers, and shared psychological pain, give them a unique connection.
“The Great Escaper” uses the story to make a comment on the futility of war, while paying respect to those who perished. “What a waste,” Caine says, standing in a French soldier’s cemetery, as the camera pulls back to reveal hundreds of soldier’s graves. It’s a chilling and powerful show-me-don’t-tell-me moment that effectively uses images to make an impact.
“The Great Escaper” could easily have traded on nostalgia to tell its tale, softening the portrayal of the aging leads, but instead takes a much more realistic approach to make broader points about the lasting effects of war, our treatment of veterans and the risks of glorifying combat. It’s not a gritty film, but there is grit in the way it expresses itself.
