I join CTV Atlantic’s Todd Battis to talk about the monstrous and messy “The Bride!,” PIxar’s “Hoppers,” the hockey drama “Youngblood” and the teen drama “Sweetness.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Sweetness,” a new teen thriller now playing in theatres, the thin line between reality and fantasy is blurred when a 16-year-old meets her drug addicted rock star idol.
CAST: Kate Hallett, Herman Tømmeraas, Aya Furukawa, Justin Chatwin, Steven Ogg, Amanda Brugel. Directed by Emma Higgins.
REVIEW: A “Misery” for a new generation, “Sweetness” essays a teen crush as it escalates from fandom-from-afar to an up-close-and-personal obsession.
Like many 16-year-olds, Rylee (Kate Hallett) has posters of her favorite singer Payton Adler (Herman Tømmeraas) plastered over her bedroom walls. The lonely girl, still stinging from the loss of her mother in a drunk driving accident, finds an escape in his lyrics. His music changed her life. Before she found his songs, she says, “I was really messed up.”
The chance to see her idol perform live in concert turns into something else when, after the show, she gets separated from her best friend Sidney (Aya Furukawa) and is almost injured when Adler, driving while high, runs her down.
As he drives her home, she realizes he is battling addiction and makes the snap decision to save him from himself by kidnapping him and holding him hostage at her home.
As Payton detoxes, the situation escalates pushing Rylee to extremes to prove her tough love is genuine. “Helping you will be the greatest thing I ever do,” she says.
Despite the title, there’s very little sweetness in Rylee’s tale of obsession.
Writer/director Emma Higgins keeps the story taut as she details what happens when Rylee’s, (played with urgent Annie Wilkes energy by Kate Hallett), parasocial relationship becomes flesh. Her empathy soon turns evil as the situation spins out of control, leaving her convinced that nobody understands her except the rockstar she has chained up in the basement.
Recent films like “Lurker” and “Hurry Up Tomorrow” have examined the obsessive nature of fandom, but Higgins, while going hard at the premise, offers up some moments of dark humour that help take some of the edge off Rylee’s extreme behavior; actions born from obsession, grief and loneliness.
“Sweetness” may not have an entirely original take on obsessive fandom, but interesting work from the leads and some shocking twists earn it a recommendation.
SYNOPSIS: In “Dark Match,” a new horror wrestling flick now playing in theatres, mixes amateur wrestling with ritualistic sacrifice.
CAST: Chris Jericho, Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Sara Canning, Mo Jabari, Michael Eklund, Jonathan Cherry. Directed by Lowell Dean.
REVIEW: According to Wikipedia, in the wrestling world a dark match refers to a non-televised match, often used to test new talent or warm up the crowd. The term takes on a different meaning in “Dark Match,” a new down and dirty indie that sees an amateur company of wrestlers unwittingly take a gig from a cult leader, played by Chris Jericho, to be human sacrifices in literal death matches.
A mix-and-match of retro 1980s wrestling and lurid horror, “Dark Match” is a fun movie right up until, but not including its final shot. The abrupt ending is a bit of a bitter pill (no spoilers here), but until then it’s an energetic romp that features the same kind of oversized showmanship that makes wrestling such a hoot. The ritualistic kills are gorey, often ridiculous and often bigger and more effective than you might expect from a low budget film.
Director Lowell Dean embraces the grindhouse aesthetic, bringing dynamic camerawork and inventive lighting to create energy and suspense. There are plots holes you could suplex The Rock through, but the verve Dean brings to the material ensures you likely won’t notice… or care.
“Dark Match” is an over-the-top exercise in genre filmmaking that finds occasional grace notes—mostly from Ayisha Issa’s performance as Miss Behave who brings some welcome emotion to the film—amid the wild antics.
