Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun,” the body horror rom com “Together” and the stylish kid’s flick “The Bad Guys 2.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV Atlantic anchor Todd Battis to talk about the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun,” the body horror rom com “Together” and the stylish kid’s flick “The Bad Guys 2.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
Deb Hutton is off, so I sit in with host Jim Richards on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and let you know what’s happening in theatres. We talk about King Charles’ soldiers honoured Ozzy Osbourne with a musical tribute, “South Park’s” huge ratings, the new MuchMusic YouTube channel and the eye popping ticket price for the Grateful Dead’s 60th aniversary concert. Plus, I’ll do a quick review of “The Naked Gun.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I joined CTV NewsChannel anchor Roger Peterson to have a look at new movies coming to theatres, including the stylish cartoon action of “The Bad Guys,” the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Andrew Pinsent to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the stylish cartoon action of “The Bad Guys,” the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun” and the body horror rom com “Together.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join the Bell Media Radio Network national night time show “Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift” for “Booze & Reviews!” This week I review “The Naked Gun” and suggest some detective inspired cocktails to go along with the movie.
Click HERE to listen to Shane and me talk about Lindsay Lohan getting away from it all, Eddie Murphy’s new gig and a vicious new movie called “Bambi: The Reckoning.”
For the Booze & Reviews look at “The Naked Gun” and some cool cocktails to pair with it, click HERE!
SYNOPSIS: After 31-years “The Naked Gun” franchise returns to theaters with Liam Neeson playing Police Squad detective Frank Drebin Jr., son of the bumbling cop made famous by the iconic Leslie Nielson in the TV show “Police Squad!” and the1988-1994 trilogy. Directed by Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, “The Naked Gun” sees Drebin Jr. following in his father’s footsteps, blundering his way through a murder investigation involving the brother of femme fatale Beth (Pamela Anderson) and tech giant Richard Cane (Danny Huston).
CAST: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston. Directed by Akiva Schaffer.
REVIEW: The last few years at the movies have been no laughing matter. The Hollywood studios, dollar signs dancing in their eyes, by and large stopped making comedies, opting instead to cater to international audiences with IP-driven superhero movies, sci-fi epics and action franchises.
With a mix of absurd humor, sight gags, and deadpan delivery the rebooted “The Naked Gun” hopes audiences will once again embrace their inner silliness at the theatre.
Based on David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker ‘s crime parody television show “Police Squad!,” which inspired three big screen comedies starring Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police lieutenant Frank Drebin, the new film captures the spirit and, more importantly, the rat-a-tat rapid-fire joke density.
In other words, don’t like a joke? Don’t worry, the movie is so tightly packed with gags you won’t have to wait long for another laugh. It’s not subtle. From farce and spoof to beastly puns and even pretend bestiality, it’s willing to try anything to raise a smile, including poking fun at itself with a gag about O.J. Simpson, who starred in the original three movies.
It wouldn’t work if Liam Neeson wasn’t game. Whether he’s prancing around in a schoolgirl’s outfit or ripping the arms off a bad guy and using them to beat him into submission, he’s fully committed to playing it straight amid the chaos. His commanding presence, coupled with echoes of the dramatic work that has dominated his career, brings gravitas to a character who does idiotic things. It’s that push-and-pull that generates the film’s anarchic humor.
Leslie Nielsen will always be the king of “The Naked Gun” style comedy, as a pioneer of the sincere deadpan, but Neeson may be the genre’s clown prince.
At his side is Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, femme fatale and Drebin’s love interest. Following up her Golden Globe nominated role in “The Last Showgirl,” she pivots to a character that plays off her bombshell image but allows her to showcase her comedic chops. She embraces the absurdity, as seen in her preposterousness jazz scat solo scene. Once seen, it will not soon be forgotten.
“The Naked Gun” has a few things going for it. In 84 tight minutes (with two post credit scenes), it’s nostalgic and doesn’t play it safe but most of all, it brings laughter back to the theatres. Surely, you might ask, the reboot can’t be as fun as the original movies. Yes it is, and don’t call me Shirley.
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to do a high five! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the transformational horror of “Wolf Man,” the resilience of “The Last Showgirl” and star power of “Back in Action.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: Pamela Anderson hands in the performance of her career in “The Last Showgirl,” a new film now playing in theatres, about sudden endings and new beginnings.
CAST: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, Billie Lourd, and Jason Schwartzman. Directed by Gia Coppola.
REVIEW: To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, Shelly Gardner’s (Anderson) job as one of the lead showgirls in a mid-market revue called Razzle Dazzle came to an end in two ways, gradually, then suddenly. An avatar of old Vegas’s glitter and excess, Shelly’s brand of fantasy burlesque has slowly fallen out of favor, replaced by bottle service, DJs and the hallucinogenic eye candy of The Sphere. She’s a relic of another time, blinded by her costume’s sequins to the realities of the changing world around her. “Las Vegas used to treat us like movie stars,” she says ruefully.
The setting of “The Last Showgirl” is very specific. From the darkened backstage dressing rooms to the sun dappled strip and neon drenched casinos it’s a singular place, but the film’s messages regarding ageism, regret, resilience and reinvention are universal. As an avatar for everyone who feels chewed up and spit out by a job, Shelly discovers, the hard way, that the thing she loved—her job—didn’t love her back.
As Shelly, Anderson plumbs previously unseen depths. Famous for decades, she has never been given the opportunity to sink her teeth into a role like this, one that allows her to play off her reputation as a sex symbol while deftly commenting on the way show business can cruelly abandon those who have given their lives to it. Her presence brings poignancy to the film, but this isn’t simply the stunt casting of a woman who was similarly betrayed by the biz. Anderson delivers the goods, doing a high wire act, playing Shelly as simultaneously steely and vulnerable.
She’s very good in this, and her work is sweetened by the fact that while Anderson may have been a Shelly at a certain point in her career, she is now on the rebound, defying expectations and giving herself a much-deserved new act in life.
Anderson is ably supported by Jamie Lee Curtis as Annette, Shelly’s best friend and former showgirl. Now an overly tanned cocktail waitress, Annette finds herself increasingly pushed aside in favor of younger servers, but she loves the life and is unwilling to walk away. Her performance to Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is a showstopper, at once sad yet defiant.
“The Last Showgirl” is a touching story about women tossed aside from jobs they love, but it’s also a universal story of resilience in the face of being let go from a dream job, no matter what the profession.
