I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Renée Rodgers to talk about the origin story “Clayface,” the stop-motion animated “Wildwood,” the documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” and the adult fairy tale “Wicker.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in with CKTB morning show host Steph Vivier to have a look at movies in theatres including the origin story “Clayface,” the stop-motion animated “Wildwood,” the documenary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” and the adult fairy tale “Wicker.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to wind your watch. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the origin story “Clayface,” the stop-motion animated “Wildwood” and the documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: Third feature in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, “Clayface” is the origin story of one of Gotham City’s most notorious villains. “This is gonna be hard for you to believe. Matt Hagen can change his face.”
CAST: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan. Directed by James Watkins.
REVIEW: An origin story that doesn’t spare the violence and gore, “Clayface” is a bloody good time that breathes the same fetid air as body horror flicks like “The Fly” and “The Substance.”
The DC standalone action of “Clayface” centers on rising movie star Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries). From the rough-and-tumble streets of Gotham City to the big screen and an Oscar nomination, things are going great until he has an ill-advised dalliance with local crime boss Markos Szabo’s (David Dencik) girlfriend (Joana Ribeiro). In revenge Szabo takes a razor to Hagen’s face, rendering him disfigured and unrecognizable.
Scarred and with his career in tatters he looks into an experimental treatment to regain his old looks and identity offered by Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomi Ackie). “Even if it kills me,” he says, “I’ll be better off than I am now.”
The miracle nanocell serum yields results, and Hagen’s movie star good looks return, but, as Dr. Corr says, “The procedure is causing troubling… physical changes.”
As the grisly side effects manifest themselves, his body shapeshifts into living clay, making him able to absorb and change into his foes.
As his life and body transform, his vain quest is overtaken by a thirst for revenge. “You want to know how I feel?” he asks. “The people I trusted betrayed me. The justice system failed me. They stole my career, my money, my life…! I’m a monster.”
Dark, violent and grimly entertaining, “Clayface” isn’t the same old from DC. It’s a body horror film that goes surprisingly hard, capped with a charismatic performance from star Tom Rhys Harries.
It’s a multifaceted role for the Welsh actor as he metamorphoses from movie star to monster. As his identity and sanity slip away, his shift from charismatic actor to desperate victim to vengeful villain is seamless. Those transformations are made tragic (despite his dreadful behavior) by Harries’s deft work.
Adding to the overall vibe are practical effects that give the movie a gooey, visceral Cronenbergian feel that make for vivid, cringe-inducing visuals.
A twisted tale touched by human tragedy and revenge, “Clayface” is not your typical origin or comic book movie, but it is a welcome addition to the DC Universe.
I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Akshay Tandon to talk about the new releases in theatres, including the adventures of Star wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the absurd social commentary of “I Love Boosters” and the demonic road trip “Passenger.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to brush your teeth. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the adventures of Star wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the absurd social commentary of “I Love Boosters” and the demonic road trip “Passenger.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In the raucous “I Love Boosters,” a surreal new satire starring Keke Palmer and now playing in theatres, professional shoplifters wage revolutionary war against a cutthroat designer.
CAST: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore. Written and Directed by Boots Riley.
REVIEW: A tale of class warfare filtered through a Looney Tunes filter, “I Love Boosters” is an imaginative, heightened movie whose real-life thought-provoking messages on labor exploitation, capitalism and consumerism cut through the surreal story.
Keke Palmer stars as Corvette, the leader of the Velvet Gang, alongside Sade (Naomi Ackie) and Mariah (Taylour Paige). They’re boosters, i.e. shoplifters, who, like couture Robin Hoods, steal high end fashions to resell at deep discount from make-shift shops in their apartments.
Their main target is Christie Smith (Demi Moore), a high-flying designer whose empire has been built on culture appropriation and exploitative labor.
Their boosting takes a sci fi turn when they meet Chinese garment factory worker Jianhu (Poppy Liu) and her high-tech teleportation device.
“I Love Boosters” is an absurd movie. And I mean that in the best possible way. Writer and director Boots Riley creates a world in which Smith lives in a tall, shiny tower in the city center that is tilted at a steep 45 degrees angle. We’ve seen big buildings before, but this one feels off. It’s familiar and yet quite unlike anything you’ve seen before. Riley uses this and other strange visuals to keep the viewer off balance, as if anything could happen in this strange world.
Keeping pace with Riley’s whimsical vision are a cast who help keep the sky-high story grounded in reality. Even when the film gets outrageous, depicting 30-second lunch breaks, teleporters and a paperwork boulder that follows Corvette around, the charismatic Palmer and the cast are game, bringing a sense of play but also emotion, which prevents the whimsy from taking over completely.
Riley has a lot on his mind. Labor exploitation, materialism and class are essayed but the propulsive comic aspects of “I Love Boosters” are the spoonful of sugar that makes the movie’s messages go down.
I join the CTV NewsChannel to have a look at the documentary “Melania,” the desert island drama of “Send Help” and the déjà vu of “Shelter.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join the CTV NewsChanel to talk about the desert island drama of “Send Help,” the déjà vu of “Shelter” and the awesome animation of “ARCO.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
