On the Saturday March 8, 2025 edition of “The Richard Crouse Show” we’ll meet Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. You know the Canadian Screen Award winner as family patriarch Appa on “Kim’s Convenience,” and as Inspector Albert Choi, the new head of Station House No 4, on “Murdoch Mysteries” and as Captain Captain Carson Teva on the Star War series “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka.”
Today we’ll talk about all that and his new film “Night of the Zoopocalypse,” a new animated adventure now playing in theatres, a space virus turns the animals at Colepepper Zoo into gummi-bear looking zombies. As an animal apocalypse develops, a timber wolf and a mountain lion search for a cure and a way to stop Bunny Zero, leader of the mutants.
Then, we’ll meet British actor Lucien Laviscount, star of “Emily in Paris” and the new rom com “This Time Next Year.” It’s the story of two Londoners, Quinn and Minnie who meet by chance and realize they were born in the same hospital on the same day, a minute apart, but their lives have gone in different directions since that day.
Each week on the nationally syndicated Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
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I join CTV NewsChannel anchor Scott Hirsch to talk about the strange sci fi of “Mickey 17,” the kid-friendly “Night of the Zoopocalypse” and the suspense of “Seven Veils.”
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make some toast! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the strange sci fi of “Mickey 17,” the kid-friendly “Night of the Zoopocalypse” and the suspense of “Seven Veils.”
SYNOPSIS: In “Night of the Zoopocalypse,” a new animated adventure now playing in theatres, a space virus turns the animals at Colepepper Zoo into gummi-bear looking zombies. As an animal apocalypse develops, a timber wolf and a mountain lion search for a cure and a way to stop Bunny Zero, leader of the mutants.
CAST: Gabbi Kosmidis, Scott Thompson, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and David Harbour. Directed by Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis.
REVIEW: The name Clive Barker is synonymous with horror. The Bram Stoker Award winning writer and director’s oeuvre, like “Hellraiser,” the “Books of Blood” and “Nightbreed,” is the stuff of nightmares, but the latest film adaptation of his work is very definitely aimed at a family audience.
Based on an “original concept” by the horror legend, “Night of the Zoopocalypse” is a colourful zombie adventure that is more “Hotel Transylvania” than “The Walking Dead.”
The action begins when a small asteroid crash lands in the zoo’s rabbit house. When a cute and curious bunny takes a nibble of the extra-terrestrial treat, they’re turned into a mutant with a bad attitude and otherworldly, smooth skin.
As the alien virus takes over the zoo, Gracie (Gabbi Kosmidis), a young quirky timber wolf and gruff mountain lion Dan (David Harbour), lead a crew of animals to safety and, hopefully, a cure.
Like “The Blob” for kids (recommended age: 8 and up) or “Madagascar” with zombies, “Night of the Zoopocalypse” is a monster movie in love with monster movies. There’s even a film buff character, a self-aware red ruffed lemur named Xavier (Pierre Simpson), who comments on the action. “Act three is the best,” he says. “Everything comes to a head.” It’s a cute gimmick that harkens back to b-horror movies and adds to the retro genre feel.
Also appealing is the character design. The mutant characters are easy to spot. Brightly coloured with the strange gummi like appearance, they are hideous and hilarious and wouldn’t have been too out of place in a Roger Corman b-movie.
Alongside Gracie and Dan, the hero animals—a capybara, monkey, and ostrich—are exaggerated versions of real animals that are more in line with traditional kid’s CGI 3D animation.
Kids may not get the thing that makes “Night of the Zoopocalypse” so much fun. They’ll enjoy the characters, the antics and the themes regarding teamwork and acceptance, but the movie’s real selling point, for me anyway, is the way it pays homage to low-budget horror films. From the premise to the look of the film, directors Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis conjure up a horror epic for film fans, young and old.
Sometimes called the “Stephen King of children’s literature,” R.L. Stine has inspired bad dreams for decades. The author of hundreds of horror fiction novels for youngsters, including the classic “Goosebumps” series, returns to the big screen this week with “Zombie Town,” a teen horror comedy based on his 2012 novel of the same name.
The action takes place on one eventful night in Carverville, a small town named after legendary b-movie horror director Len Carver (Dan Aykroyd). “This whole town is just a bunch of zombie following idiots,” grumbles Mike (Marlon Kazadi), the only guy in town who doesn’t like zombie movies.
It’s the eve of the premier of Carver’s latest “flesh drenched extravaganza,” his first film in decades. “You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll kiss your five bucks goodbye!” screams the film’s trailer. Everyone in town is excited except for Mike, who works at the theatre, and will have to watch the film whether he likes it or not.
When Carver takes ill before the show, the screening is cancelled, but Mike’s friend Amy (Madi Monroe) convinces him to give her a private screening. As white light bounces off the blank screen, strange things begin happening. Mike and Amy protect themselves from the weird glow with film cannister lids embossed with an ancient symbol.
The symbol’s mystical power protects them from the film’s magical spell, but outside the theatre, all over town, the good folks of Carverville have been transformed into the living dead. “You have to get over your fear of zombies,” Amy says. “It is just us and them now.”
Mike and Amy realize that if they are to save themselves and their town, they must track down Carver and put an end to his film’s zombie curse.
The zombies in “Zombie Town” may amble around with George A. Romero style menace, but this is no “Night of the Living Dead.” Thrills and chills are few and far between, pitched toward the younger end of the YA scares of “Goosebumps.”
Director Peter Lepeniotis aims for an Amblin PG-13 feel, that mix of plucky young people and the supernatural, but falls just short because the film has no real menace. Sure, the town has been zombified, but the peril and the frights are kept to a minimum. Raising the stakes and ramping up the horror may have given the movie more edge, without risking the alienation of the core audience.
It’s a bit of fun to see Aykroyd ham it up as the tormented filmmaker in “Zombie Town,” and cameos from Chevy Chase, Henry Czerny and “Kids in the Hall” alums Scott Thompson and Bruce McCulloch add some texture, but overall it doesn’t bring quite enough life to the undead.
On this edition of the Richard Crouse Show we meet producer/writer/comedian Dan Galea. The two-time Canadian Comedy Award winner’s debut musical comedy album “Inter-Dan-Mensional” on Comedy Records, executive produced by Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall who also appears on the album, is available next week at dangalea.ca. Dan spent twenty years working on the album, which he describes as a comedic diary of his life. It has everything from Disco to Metal and every song gives you a peek into who he is and what he is all about. Some songs are just silly, he says, “but so am I.” Scott Thompson joins us late to talk about his involvement with the record and why he loves comedian Flip Wilson.
Then we’ll get to know bestselling Edmonton author and professor Thomas Wharton. He has written several books, including his award-winning debut novel, “Icefields,” and “Salamander” which was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction. His latest book is “The Book of Rain,” a suspenseful sci-fi novel about nature, environmental stewardship and the fate of the planet. “The Book of Rain” is a multi-plotted novel set in a world where ghost ore, a new minable energy source much more lucrative than gold, can disrupt time and space and slowly make an environment inhospitable. In one of three ghost ore hotspots in the world, the Alberta mining town of River Meadows, residents have been evacuated, except Amery Hewitt can’t seem to stay away.
Each week on the nationally syndicated Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
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This week on the Richard Crouse Show we have a look at a new series on Prime Video that reunites one of Canada’s favorite comedy troupes. From 1989 to 1995 the Kids in the Hall, comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson, bounced around the dial, with their eponymously named television show, bringing with them subversive comedy and loads of laughs.
These days there is a Kids in the Hall renaissance of a sort happening. A biography by Paul Myers titled “The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy” is available wherever fine books are sold, a two-part documentary called “The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks” will feature archival footage from the quintet’s earliest years, behind-the-scenes clips from their sketch series and in-depth interviews… most excitingly, there the Kids are back together in front of a camera for a new eight-episode season on Amazon Prime, executive produced by Lorne Michaels. The revival is set to broadcast on May 13, 2022.
Joining me to talk about the Kids in the Hall, past and present is co-founder Dave Foley and Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet drummer Don Pyle, whose song “Having an Average Weekend”, was used as the theme to original Kids TV show.
Listen to the whole thing HERE! (Link coming soon)
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Each week on the nationally syndicated Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Ethan Hawke, director Brad Bird, comedian Gilbert Gottfried, Eric Roberts, Brian Henson, Jonathan Goldsmith a.k.a. “The most interesting man in the world,” and best selling author Linwood Barclay.
Listen to the show live here:
C-FAX 1070 in Victoria
SAT 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
SUN 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
CJAD in Montreal
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
CFRA in Ottawa
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 610 CKTB in St. Catharines
Sat 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1010 in Toronto
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
NEWSTALK 1290 CJBK
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
AM 1150 in Kelowna
SAT 11 PM to Midnight
BNN BLOOMBERG RADIO 1410
SAT 8 PM to 9:00 PM
Click HERE to catch up on shows you might have missed!
On the Saturday March 8, 2025 edition of “The Richard Crouse Show” we’ll meet Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. You know the Canadian Screen Award winner as family patriarch Appa on “Kim’s Convenience,” and as Inspector Albert Choi, the new head of Station House No 4, on “Murdoch Mysteries” and as Captain Captain Carson Teva on the Star War series “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka.”
