I sit with Deb Hutton on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and movies playing in theatres. We talk about actors covering musicians, how Matthew McConaughey trademarked likeness, voice, famous catchphrase to squash AI fakes, why Pamelas Anderson doesn’t want to sit next to Seth Rogen and a quick review of “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join the CTV NewsChanel to talk about the fiery “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” the crime drama “Dead Man’s Wire” and the shake, rattle and roll of “The Testament of Ann Lee.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join the Bell Media Radio Network national night time show “Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift” to talk about the first animal ever nominated (and then to win) in a major acting category typically reserved for humans, the nexty season of “The White Lotus,” and two David Bowie stories to make fans smile. Then, on Booze & Reviews I have a look at “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” and suggest some drinks to enjoy while watching the movie.
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
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 fiery “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” the crime drama “Dead Man’s Wire” and the shake, rattle and roll of “The Testament of Ann Lee.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: The fourth installment in the post-apocalyptic “28 Days” film series, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” picks up with young Rage Virus survivor Spike (Alfie Williams) joining cult leader Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal’s (Jack O’Connell) notorious gang. Meanwhile, Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) bonds with a figure from the infected world. These alliances raise an important question: who should we fear, the ruthless survivors or the infected?
CAST: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, Chi Lewis-Parry. Directed by Nia DaCosta.
REVIEW: A mix of brutality and compassion, and laced with dark humour, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” finds empathy amid chaos in a smart horror film heavy with subtext.
When the action picks up, soon after the events of last year’s grisly coming-of-age story “28 Years Later,” twelve-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams), cut adrift in the Rage Virus infected mainland after the death of his father, is a reluctant member of a sadistic gang called the Jimmies, who model their look on notorious predator Jimmy Savile.
Led by sadistic cult leader Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (“Sinners” star Jack O’Connell), the self-proclaimed “favorite son of Old Nick,” the band of post-apocalyptic marauders—who all have names like Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman), Jimmy Fox (Sam Locke), Jimmy Snake (Ghazi Al Ruffai), Jimmima (Emma Laird)—make the Droogs of “A Clockwork Oranges” look like do-gooders.
As they slice-and-dice their way through the world of the infected, inflicting their twisted ritualistic torture on anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path, elsewhere, former GP Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) discovers a kernel of humanity inside Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) the Alpha leader of the infected.
In Kelson’s Bone Temple, a wooded area decked out with skulls as a loving tribute to the dead, the Jimmies’ cruelty and Kelson’s indelible humanity collide.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” features many gross and gory images. Samson scoops brains out of the skull of one of his victims with his fingers, and several folks are flayed alive in one particularly unpleasant sequence, but it isn’t the horrific bloodletting that will stick in the memory. The gruesome stuff is effectively done and highlights the inhumanity of the situation, but it is one bravado sequence, laden with heavy metal swagger, that imprints.
No spoilers here, but Iron Maiden has never looked so cool or so threatening. After the sequence, and you’ll know it when you see it, the audience I saw this with cheered and burst into applause like they were at a rock concert.
Laced with commentary about empathy over evil and extremism, about the double-edged search for purpose—one that leads the ruthless Jimmies down a path to savagery, while Kelson chooses a more benevolent journey—and the power of connection, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” paints a vivid picture of moral complexity in troubled times. That it provides thrills, one fiery, knock-out sequence, and manages to make Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” seem poignant, are added bonuses.
Rich in tone and story and propelled by terrific performances from Fiennes and O’Connell, it engages the head and heart.
I sit with Deb Hiutton on NewsTalk 1010 to go over some of the week’s biggest entertainment stories and movies playing in theatres. We talk about how influencers and Onlyfans models dominate elite US artist visas, Spencer Pratt’s run for mayor of Los Angeles, how “Once Battle After Another” broke an awards season record and I review Ralph Fiennes in “The Choral.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
I join the CTV NewsChanel to talk about the Lucy Liu heartbreaker “Rosemead,” the historical drama “The Choral” and the family dynamics of “Father Mother Sister Brother” and the feelgood divorce movie “Is This Thing On?”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
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 Lucy Liu heartbreaker “Rosemead,” the historical drama “The Choral” and the family dynamics of “Father Mother Sister Brother.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “The Choral,” a new historical drama starring Ralph Fiennes, and now playing in theatres, a controversial choirmaster takes the reigns of a Yorkshire choir, whose ranks have been devastated by World War I conscription.
CAST: Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, and Simon Russell Beale. Directed by Nicholas Hytner.
REVIEW: “The Choral” is an old-fashioned, often witty diversion about music’s ability to bridge societal gaps, buoyed by a terrific lead performance by Ralph Fiennes.
Set in 1916 Yorkshire, the story is set against the backdrop of World War I, and the bloody battles of the Western Front. Their ranks depleted by conscription, the Choral Society in (the fictional town of) Ramsden is determined to continue, but first they’ll need new members and a new choirmaster.
As the locals and patients from a nearby military hospital audition for a spot in the choral, the Ramsden elders make a controversial choice by recruiting Dr. Henry Guthrie (Fiennes) as choirmaster. A gay atheist, his worst trait is that he’s also a Teutonophile; a fan of German culture.
When he chooses a piece by Bach for the choir he’s greeted with a brick is thrown through the rehearsal room window with a note calling him a “Hun muck.”
Shifting gears, Guthrie suggests staging Elgar’s oratorio “The Dream of Gerontius” instead. Although usually performed with 200 singers and a full orchestra, Guthrie persists, casting a Salvation Army worker (Amara Okereke) with a beautiful voice and Clyde (Jacob Dudman), a war veteran and talented tenor.
As the war rages, and choir members are called to battle, the choral society overcomes difficulties to provide Ramsden with a much-needed sense of harmony, both musical and societal.
There is much to enjoy in “The Choral.” As an ode to the redemptive power of art to create community and bring people together, it hits the right notes. “A man should hear a little music,” Guthrie says,” read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful that God has implanted in the human soul.”
It’s a lovely message, one at the heart of the film’s story, but when Alan Bennett’s screenplay expands to include repressed emotion, sexual awakenings and class divisions it becomes bloated with underdeveloped ideas.
Luckily, Fiennes, in a restrained but powerful performance, is the glue that holds everything together. His presence at the center of the story acts as a sounding board for the film’s various themes. Through him “The Choral’s” thoughts on community, human connection and repression come into focus, grounding the story with his humanity.
“The Choral” may try and play too many notes thematically, but when it sticks to the power of music, it strikes a chord.
