Posts Tagged ‘Inuit science fiction film’

OSCARS 2023: IN DEPTH WITH AUSTIN BUTLER + BAZ LURHMANN + NYLA INNUKSUK + CIAN CRUISE

On this week’s Richard Crouse Show we tell you about “Elvis,” the new film about the King of Rock and Roll from Moulin Rouge director Baz Lurhmann. The movie covers the twenty-ish years in the lives of Elvis and his manager Colonel Tim Parker. Through the birth of rock ‘n roll of the late 1950s and the cheesy Hollywood years to the legendary 1968 Comeback Special and the Las Vegas rise and fall, Elvis and the Colonel shimmied and shook their way to the top of the charts and into the history books.

I caught up with director Baz Lurhmann and his stars Austin Butler, who hands in a terrific performance as Elvis and Olivia DeJonge who plays Elvis’ wife, Priscilla. We talked about what the story of Elvis’s life can tell us about America, Priscilla’s role in the singer’s life and mushc more.

Then, Nyla Innuksuk, director of “Slash/Back,” a cool new coming of age story with an Indigenous and sci fiction twist, and a message about friendship and what it means to fight for community, stops by to tell us about the challenges of taking a crew of 50 people to Baffin Island in the summer of 2019, to make this film.

Finally meet writer Cian Cruise. He has a degree in film studies and philosophy and is a new dad. He combines all those avenues from his life in his new book, “Dad Bod: Portraits of Pop Culture Papas.”

A clever collection of essays about father figures in popular culture, he has a look at everyone from Gandalf to Homer Simpson, to unpack the qualities that inform our collective image of fatherhood. Stick around and find out what he says Rambo, as seen in First Blood, can teach us about the behaviour of toddlers.

Listen to the whole thing HERE!

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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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SLASH/BACK: 3 STARS. “equal parts social commentary, charm and scares.”

Most horror movies take place in the dark but the spunky, microbudgeted “Slash/Back,” a new coming-of-age alien invasion movie now playing in theatres, is unique. Set in Pangnirtung, a remote fishing community in Nunavut, the action happens under the relentless glare of twenty-four-hour summer solstice sunlight.

The main action kicks off as the rebellious Maika (Tasiana Shirley) and friends, Jesse (Alexis Vincent-Wolfe), Leena (Chelsea Pruksy) and Uki (Nalajoss Ellsworth), hijack a boat and set off to explore some local sun dappled scenery. Instead of the beauty of nature, they are confronted by a polar bear, but not just any polar bear. Big and bloodthirsty, it attacks Maika’s younger sister Aju (Frankie Vincent-Wilfe) before Uki takes a shot at the beast, scaring it off, but not before it sprouts eel-like tentacles.

The friends quickly assume the polar bear was actually a shape shifting Ijiraq, an evil creature of folklore, who can appear in many different forms. Or is it an alien? Or both?

Whatever it is, it’s bad.

To protect their community, the friends take up ulu knives, machetes and even the odd hockey stick, combined with innate courage, a deep understanding of horror films and traditional knowledge gleaned from Maika’s father, who used to be the town’s greatest hunter, to save the people and place they love. “Nobody f***s with the girls from Pang,” is their battle cry.

“Slash/Back” evokes memories of “Attack the Block,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “The Thing,” with a dash of ”Super Eight,” for good measure, and yet manages to do something unique. It works as a coming-of-age story with sci fi overtones, but it’s the characters and the location that sets it apart. Mixing an exploration of Indigenous identity and culture with badass kids summoning all their ability to protect their community deepens the story, adding layers of subtext to a familiar-ish action story.

The cast brings more charm than acting chops, but each brings something special. From Maika’s “No Justice on Stolen Land” slogan splashed across the back of her leather jacket to the quiet and lovelorn Jesse, the characters are easy to root for and, above all, authentic.

Director Nyla Innuksuk’s “Slash/Back” is a clever, lo fi genre movie, that is equal parts social commentary, charm and scares.