2015

So it’s Day 3, and I’ve already failed at updating daily. I knew that was ambitious…

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Anyway, so far I’ve only seen one film — Where to Invade Next. It’s Michael Moore’s best work since Bowling for Columbine. Saw it at the World Premiere on Opening Night with filmgoers, press and film buyers. Apparently the film had never been unspooled for anyone at that point, and you could tell Moore was nervous and anxious before and after the film was done. I’ll have a review up shortly with my brief thoughts.

 

weloveyoujakeCelebrity wise, I saw Moore that night, along with Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts on the red carpet for Demolition. I’ve been doing red carpets for six years taking pics (and trying for selfies), but ever since camera phones have caught on, it seems like I get more shots of those than I do the celebrities. Or whatever enterprising idea autograph hounds have for getting their attention and ensuring the autograph turns out. Or whatever attention this girl desperately wanted from Gyllenhaal.

So here are my best efforts. Continue Reading

tiff40Tomorrow marks the beginning of TIFF — the Toronto International Film Festival. It runs for 11 days every September, this year’s running September 10-20. Nearly 300 films are screened from all over the world, and the buzz and excitement is simply unrivaled. There is just so much to do, and so much to see, that it actually becomes quite stressful planning it all. Are you going to see movies? See stars? Try to sneak into the parties? There is no right answer as everyone does something different.

I took a bit more time off work this year, so I am hoping to beat my record of seeing 19 films in 11 days (though I will not try beating my record of seeing 5(!) films in a day). And unlike previous years, I will be blogging and writing capsules of all of the films I manage to see. I may even put up a few of my best celeb photos. The goal is to be on here daily, telling stories and letting you know which films to seek out during and long after the festival when some of these movies finally see the light of day.

I have seen 2 films so far (at private and embargoed critics’ screenings last week), and their reviews should go up sometime in the next few days over on Mr. Will Wong’s website. I know I said I’ll be posting celebrity photos, but none of mine will ever compare to his — so keep an eye on that site for updates, and for reviews from me and the rest of the crew who will be all over the festival.

So kick back and prepare for the madness. But just remember, we’ll get through this.

Another Blu-ray/DVD release #ShortCuts review for you this week — this time for Cameron Crowe’s Aloha. Pretty proud of how quickly I wrote this one up. It came out a lot longer than I thought it would. But trust me, be glad I saw it and you didn’t.

 

alohaposterRemember when I was complaining about how awful Hot Pursuit was a few weeks back? Well, I had the privilege of watching Aloha a short time later – and I think I may have found the worst movie of the year. Even that retched excuse called The Wedding Ringer was better than whatever the hell this is. Is it a comedy? Is it a romance? Is it a drama? Is it some hybrid mix of the three with thinly veiled allusions and commentaries on…everything? I could not tell you for the life of me, and I doubt writer/director Cameron Crowe could either.

Now it may sound like I am just jumping on the bandwagon and bashing this movie like everyone else did when it was released in May. But I am a huge Crowe fan – Almost Famous is legitimately one of my top five favourite films of all time. I love Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Say Anything…, Vanilla Sky and Jerry Maguire, and I did not hate Elizabethtown or We Bought A Zoo (Singles is sitting in a pile of movies waiting to be watched). But Aloha is easily the worst film he has ever done. It just lacks any form of cohesive story, the performances are all wasted, and it just comes off like a total disaster. I can readily admit I was not fully paying attention at all times, but it felt like the film had new ideas being introduced every 15 minutes, and then fully resolved without much conflict quickly afterwards.

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American Ultra – Review

By David Baldwin

Six years ago in the thick of Twilight fever, Kristin Stewart starred with Jesse Eisenberg in the little seen but ridiculously enjoyable and offbeat Adventureland. It tragically came and went without much fan fare, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the film has still not found its true audience. The film was great, and the pair were great together. And now they are reuniting for this week’s offbeat American Ultra — and it may prove to be another film that will struggle to find an audience.

Mike (Jesse Eisenberg) is a stoner living with his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart) in a small US town. He is not all there and has a number of behavioural and social problems. While he struggles to control his issues, he harbours a secret even he does not know — he is actually a fully trained government operative, and has been marked for extermination. But all bets are off when this “sleeper agent” is activated.

It gets a little more complicated from there, but at its heart, American Ultra wants to be a genuinely silly action/comedy. It just lacks all the ingredients to successfully pull it off.

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As a writer, my problem has consistently been brevity. I always write too much and tend to overwrite in some cases. So as an exercise, I’ve devised #ShortCuts — short, timed reviews that I write within 15-minutes, check for spelling and grammar, and that’s it. The idea is a bit daunting for someone who has never really been limited with what he writes, but it’s something I’m keen to try out. I will continue writing long form reviews, but may try to post these a few times every few weeks and see if it helps make my writing a bit more concise.

With that, here are my #ShortCuts reviews for Hot Pursuit and Unfriended, both hitting Blu-ray/DVD this week.

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Southpaw – Review

By David Baldwin

If you have had the misfortune of seeing the trailer for this week’s Southpaw, you may be disappointed when you watch the movie. It is common place for a film trailer to give away the best parts of the movie. That is nothing new. But Southpaw‘s trailer gives away all but the entirety of the film. A little disheartening but even with that in mind, the film may still rank as one of the best this summer has given us.

Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an unstoppable force as a boxer. He has a storied past as an orphan and a criminal, but he turned it all around with the help of his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams). He is at the top of his game when tragedy strikes, losing Billy everything including the custody of his daughter Leila (Oona Laurence). With nothing to lose, he turns to veteran boxing trainer Tick Wills (Forest Whitaker) to help him turn it all around.

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Entourage – Review

By David Baldwin

I made the mistake of not boarding the Entourage train during the height of its popularity. By the time I started actively watching the show during Season 6, it was already going downhill. The show was still fun to watch, but lacked the creativity and heart of what preceded it. College Humor posted this sketch outlining the show’s formula perfectly – and it became all too obvious how true it was in those last few seasons.

So following the varied success of the Sex and the City films, we finally have an Entourage movie just over four years since the Series Finale. And it starts off as if the show never ended.

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Furious 7 – Review

By David Baldwin

I am at a loss for words trying to write this review of Furious 7 – or as the film’s credits and director James Wan call it, Furious Seven. The series has developed a core fan base that continues to grow with each new entry in the genre-bending action saga, and they all come expecting to see ludicrous action set-pieces and insane stunts. And of course, the occasional race or two.

On all of those fronts, Furious 7 delivers in spades. Whether it be a brutal fist fight, a daring hillside chase and rescue or grand theft auto from the top of skyscrapers, the film one-ups itself at every chaotic turn, pausing only momentarily between each action beat. It concerns itself very little with its threadbare revenge story and characters, focusing more on the goofy one-liners and the set-up for the next action scene. It is thrilling and wildly exhilarating, and IMAX only bolsters the insanity.

Now if this sounds like exactly what you want to see, then you will not be disappointed in the least.

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Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters II came out in the summer of 1989. I was 2-years-old, but remember seeing it in a hotel room during a family trip at some point around then. I distinctly remember the pink slime in the sewers, and the guys riding on the Statue of Liberty. I watched the original Ghostbusters religiously before and after that time (on a taped VHS no less), but did not see that movie again for many years after that. From what I can tell and surmise, it continues to not hold up very well at all. Yet I clamoured for more adventures from Venkman, Egon, Spengler and Winston beyond the Saturday morning cartoons, but the years and rumours came and went, and Ghostbusters III never arrived.

In 2009, the flawed but really enjoyable Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released with the majority of the original cast intact, along with a story taking place very shortly after the second film. It was not the sequel we all had been hoping for, but it was as close as we ever got.

I say this all because what I really want to see, and what I will bet just about every film fan alive in the 1980’s and early 1990’s wants to see, is Ghostbusters III. But with Harold Ramis passing away, and the remaining cast not getting any younger, this pipe dream seems like a virtual impossibility.

But fear not – because Sony confirmed yesterday that on top of Paul Feig’s female-lead spiritual sequel/reboot/reinvention/whatever coming next July, they also have a Channing Tatum-lead follow-up planned, another follow-up involving an Avengers-style team-up between both of the new Ghostbuster teams, and some form of a prequel. Whether this is a full-fledged remake of the first film or not remains to be seen. So more or less, Sony is creating another enchanted cinematic universe. Continue Reading

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Fifty Shades of Grey – Review

By David Baldwin

I am by no means the target audience for Fifty Shades of Grey, but I was just as curious as everyone else when the film was first announced. This may have been due to the baffling initial casting of Sons of Anarchy‘s Charlie Hunnam, but mostly because of everything I had heard and read about E.L. James’ massively popular book series. Sadly Hunnam dropped out, but my interest remained piqued for the Twilight-inspired saga.

Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) is an English literature undergrad on the cusp of graduation. Her roommate is sick, so she offers to sub in to interview billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) for the school paper. Despite their awkward first encounter, there is an immediate connection between the pair. After a few more not-so casual meetings, they quickly realize their mutual attraction. Anastasia wants a normal relationship, but Christian is interested in something a bit more kinky.

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