I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Akshay Tandon to talk about the new releases in theatres, including The anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join “CP24 Breakfast” hosts Nick Dixon and Jennifer Hsiung to talk about the anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the animated adventures of Disney+’s “X-Men ’97” and the Prime Video “Legally Blonde” prequel “Elle.”
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 anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Listen to 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 anarchy of “Minions & Monsters,” the relationship woes of “The Invite” and the music bio “Peter Asher: Everywhere Man.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Minions & Monsters,” a chaotic animated film now playing in theatres, the jellybean shaped Minions unleash real monsters on Los Angeles when they try and make a monster movie.
CAST: Pierre Coffin, Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, George Lucas, Phil LaMarr. Directed and co-written by Pierre Coffin.
REVIEW: A Valentine to the movies, “Minions & Monsters” is equal parts shambolic and sentimental. The trademarked Minion madness is still firmly in place, but director Pierre Coffin wears his love of movies on his sleeve, weaving tributes to 100 years of the Universal logo, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, “The Blob,” the pioneering 1902 film “A Trip to the Moon” and the opening scene of “Citizen Kane” throughout.
The action begins with a tour through the Universal Studios museum. Exhibits include George Lucas (playing himself) in a glass case and statues of Minion movie legends James and Henry (Pierre Coffin supplies the voices of all the Minions). When the tour group admits they don’t know anything about the Minions, eager tour guide Olivia (Alison Janney) gives them a history lesson. “They are legends who changed Hollywood forever,” she says.
As the story goes, the Minions, on a quest to work for the worst villains in history, stumble into a train robbery movie shoot in 1920s Hollywood. Thinking the robbery is real, and they’ve come across a new bad guy they could work with, they are instead discovered by studio heads Frank and Elwood Bright (both voiced by Jeff Bridges) who instruct director Max (Christoph Waltz) to cast them in a series of slapstick silent movie comedies.
They become “Kings of the Box Office,” but their time at the top is cut short. Unable to adapt to the advent of sound because of their incomprehensible gibberish language, they lose their film contract, but not their passion to make movies. Shunned by Hollywood, James comes up with an idea to make his magnum opus, “Minions & Monsters.”
To find the perfect monsters they use a stolen spellbook to conjure up real beasts like the Lovecraftian Gary Orcam Oliver Magma Ichabod the Deceiver, a.k.a. Goomi (Trey Parker), sea creatures Phillip (Bobby Moynihan) and Howard (Phil LaMarr) and a multi-eyed orange blob and “eater of worlds” called Irene.
When the creatures reveal their secret, evil apocalyptic plan, the Minions must embrace their heroic side to save the world and their movie.
“Minions & Monsters” isn’t really about the story, it’s about a heartfelt love of movies—”Watch the movie play in a theatre full of people,” says tour guide Olivia about the film-within-the-film. “There’s nothing better.”—and the antics of the title characters.
The sheer silliness on display is infectious. Conjuring up memories of everything from vaudeville and Bugs Bunny to The Three Stooges and silent era comedians like Harold Lloyd, they go beyond slapstick to create something akin to pure unadulterated joy.
I chose the word “unadulterated” for a reason. The definition fits, their comedy is pure and untainted, but I also believe it’s humor for un-adults. That’s people of all ages who allow their inner child to get lost in the movie’s juvenile humor.
The movie cleverly suggests the Minions could have been silent movie stars, and, for sure their absurdist, physical humor is perfectly suited to the medium. But “Minions & Monsters” isn’t a silent movie and if I have a quibble, it’s that I found some of the Minionese—i.e. their gibberish Banana language—scenes less effective than their slapstick sequences.
“Minions & Monsters” has fun animation, better action scenes than “Supergirl” and loads of laughs for movie fans of all ages.
