Posts Tagged ‘Mean Dreams’

CTV NEWSCHANNEL: Richard interviews “Mean Dreams” star Colm Feore!

screen-shot-2016-10-22-at-1-01-36-pmRichard sits down with “Mean Dreams” star Colm Feore for the CTV NewsChannel.

Watch the whole thing HERE!

CTV NewsChannel: Richard interviews “Mean Dreams” director Nathan Morlando!

screen-shot-2016-10-22-at-1-02-38-pmRichard interviews “Mean Dreams” director Nathan Morlando about working with his cast for the CTV NewsChannel.

Watch the whole thing HERE!

RICHARD’S WEEKEND MOVIE REVIEWS FROM CP24! FRIDAY OCT 21, 2016.

screen-shot-2016-10-21-at-4-42-43-pmRichard and CP24 anchor Stephanie Smythe have a look at the weekend’s new movies, the up-close-and-personal action of “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” the supernatural thrills of “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” the spy comedy “Keeping Up with the Joneses” and the new Canadian indie “Mean Dreams.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!

RICHARD’S CTV NEWSCHANNEL WEEKEND MOVIE REVIEWS & MORE FOR OCT 21.

screen-shot-2016-10-21-at-10-38-32-amRichard sits in with Marcia MacMillan to have a look at the weekend’s new movies, the up-close-and-personal action of “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” the supernatural thrills of “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” the spy comedy “Keeping Up with the Joneses” and the new Canadian indie “Mean Dreams.”

Watch the whole thing HERE!

MEAN DREAMS: 3 STARS. “Echoes of ‘Badlands’ hang heavy over this film.”

screen-shot-2016-10-17-at-2-22-30-pmThe word hardscrabble comes to mind while watching “Mean Dreams,” a new thriller from director Nathan Morlando. The two lead characters, star-crossed teenagers Casey (Sophie Nelisse) and Jonas (Josh Wiggins), don’t have any easy go of it. Her father Wayne (Bill Paxton) is a physically abusive drunk, while Jonas’s dad treats the fifteen-year-old like an adult. It’s a hard knock life, one that forces the two to mature quickly and make grown-up decisions.

Casey and Wayne are new to town. Wayne divides his time between drinking and looking for ways out of their new podunk town. He’s a lawman with little respect for the law, anything or anyone, including his daughter. When Wayne almost kills Jonas, Casey’s new neighbour and love interest, and local law enforcement (Colm Feore) doesn’t seem interested in helping, the young man takes it on himself to put some space between his new girlfriend and her abusive father. Their new life begins with the theft of $1 million in drug money, an action that brings serious consequences.

Echoes of “Badlands,” Terrence Malick’s tale of young love on the run, hang heavy over “Mean Dreams.“ Casey and Jonas are more innocent than Holly Sargis (Sissy Spacek) and Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen) but their journey into antisocial behaviour rings a bell. Director Morlando may not be treading new ground here, but emotionally he veers off the beaten track, adding elements of innocence among the wolves that lends the story a welcome human aspect and motivation for their actions.

The villains—Paxton and Feore (SPOILER ALERT) are suitably villainous, amoral and sleazy excuses for human beings, but it’s too bad they feel like they just stepped out of Central Casting. Paxton is undeniably entertaining as the ruthless and vicious father figure, but he’s a mish-mash of every redneck creep we’ve seen before. Feore is given even less dimension, but is an imposing figure nonetheless.

The real heart and soul of “Mean Dreams” lies with Nelisse and Wiggins. If we don’t care about them, we don’t care about the movie and the two young leads are appealing even when they are pushed to extremes.

TIFF 2016: Breaking In & Staying In: The Art of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ as a Filmmaker

screen-shot-2016-09-11-at-6-28-27-amRichard hosted this panel that brought together filmmakers who have broken into the business with a first feature and successfully continued to make films. The directors will discuss how they crafted a career and captured attention in the evolving marketplace. How does a filmmaker deal with heightened expectations after the debut feature? Are there secrets to not only surviving, but thriving? What are the effective strategies for managing increasing budgets and new financing and creative partners?

Watch the whole thing HERE!

With guests:

Kim Nguyen was born in Montreal. His features Le Marais (02) and Rebelle (12) screened at the Festival. His other films include Truffe (08), La Cité (10), and the documentary Le nez (15). Two Lovers and a Bear (16) is his latest feature.
April Mullen was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario. She studied theatre at Ryerson University in Toronto and the Royal Welsh College of Drama in Cardiff. She has directed and acted in Dead Before Dawn 3D (12), 88 (15), and Farhope Tower (15). Below Her Mouth (16) is her latest feature.

Nathan Morlando was born in Toronto and holds a Master’s degree in philosophy. His film Edwin Boyd – Citizen Gangster (11) won the Best Canadian First Feature prize at the Festival. Mean Dreams (16) is his second feature.