Year: 2024

Well, Harvey Weinstein is in the news again.

I’m sure you’ve heard – a recent appeals court has thrown out Weinstein’s 23 year conviction for sexual assault against three women in 2020. Before everyone floods the streets in a #METOO movement – like the world has never seen, it would pay to keep in mind that the septuagenarian film mogul is still set to serve a 16 year prison term for a conviction from another rape case in 2022.

So there is justice, kind of?

Without getting too into the nitty-gritty of the legal situation: character witnesses were introduced into the 2020 court case to supply background on Weinstein, in favour of the prosecution. At the time – the prosecution was hoping that these witnesses would establish a modus operandi for the jury, and convince them of the defendant’s (Weinstein) guilt. And it was a success – the jury ruled against Weistein, serving him a 23 year sentence in prison.

-James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario.

-His films have earned over 8 billion in total gross sales (worldwide).

-James Cameron is one of the most prolific directors of our lifetime.

-His net worth is in excess of 800 million, which makes him the 4th richest director in the world.

-Some of his biggest (and most culturally relevant) releases include ‘Titanic’, ‘Aliens’, ‘Avatar’, ‘Avatar 2: The Way of Water’, ‘Terminator 2’, ‘Terminator’, and ‘The Abyss’.

-James Cameron’s style is bombastic. His pictures tend to incorporate massive set pieces, cutting-edge special effects, and big name actors/actresses.

-In the 90s he almost made a Spider-Man film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the web-slinger and Schwarzenegger as “Spidey’s” many-limbed foe Dr. Octopus.

-His country of birth is Canada.

-James Cameron has helped to revolutionize the special effects industry, and is seen as one of the most important progenitors of modern science fiction.

-His ability for visual composition is among the top of mainstream Hollywood directors.

Why not an apocalypse themed movie?

Ever wondered what it would be like to hang out with Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and Jay Baruchel, as they all get blitzed off their asses – during the end of the world?

If your response is “Armegeddon outta’ here!” then please, stop reading.

But if you do have a penchant for these members of the ‘Superbad’ alumni; their gross-out comedy and stoner hijinks, then by all means read on – in fact, you better be prepared for what may be the laziest movie of all-time. Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily, and at its heart the meta-commentary in ‘This is the End’ about Hollywood slackers wouldn’t be complete unless the film ignores most (if not all) story structure elements; skewering Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ writing wheel and encouraging an hour and half of improvisational humour.

-Emerald Fennell received her first acting role in 2007, playing “Sheena” on the television series Trial & Retribution.

-Her birthday is Oct. 1st, 1985

-Emerald Fennell’s story is empowering to women everywhere; working hard for years in Hollywood and later being able to showcase her artistique inspirateur (artistic inspiration) for the masses.

-’Saltburn’ is the talk of the town, although the reception was a bit lukewarm in comparison to her last feature — the picture has still garnered praise for being an innovative reimagining of ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’. 

The film examines social hierarchies among the elite and how it affects our societal obsession with status.

Road House (2024)

I was hesitant going in.

Hell, I think we all were.

But thankfully, the pairing of Jake Gyllenhaal and Connor McGregor managed to work, and gave us a smashing update to the 80s classic that we all know and love, ‘Road House’ (1989).

Yet, there will be detractors –- those who prefer Swayze’s take on the beat-em-up action flick — which enthralled audiences with its unabashed update of a revisionist western. Interestingly, the original ‘Road House’ was a retelling of ‘Shane’, a 1957 western – that starred a laconic hero who rolled into town and went head-to-head with the local riff-raff.

Take 1 part milk-toast neurotic (Ben Stiller’s signature character trait)

and mix well with 1 manic-pixie dream girl played by Jennifer Aniston.

The result?

In the end, you get a movie that managed to achieve a level of popularity rarely seen in offbeat romantic comedies. In the early “aughts” (2001-2009) this formula was still fairly fresh, and the way in which John Hamburg directs ‘Along Came Polly’ highlights the importance of character driven comedy over laugh-a-minute antics.

There is a studio that isn’t really that known to the public, and it’s responsible for housing the productions of some major motion pictures. It isn’t a production company in itself, no, rather it is just a space for established film studios to rent out – enabling them to utilize Toronto’s largest modernized  film production facility.

 I know. It’s a tad confusing, isn’t it?

Well, to simplify things – here’s a quote from Wikipedia: “A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company that makes films. They may have their own privately owned studio facility or facilities; however, most firms in the entertainment industry have never owned their own studios, but have rented space from other companies. The day-to-day filming operations are generally handled by their production company subsidiary.” [1]

1. Sydney Sweeney was born on September 12, 1997 in Spokane, Washington.

2. She began her acting career at a young age, appearing in commercials and short films.

3. Sweeney made her television debut in 2009 on the series "Heroes".

4. She gained recognition for her role as Emaline Addario in the Netflix series "Everything Sucks!" in 2018.

5. Sweeney has also appeared in popular TV shows such as "The Handmaid's Tale," "Sharp Objects," and "Euphoria."

6. In 2019, she starred in the horror film "Countdown."

7. Sydney Sweeney has a strong presence on social media, with over 2 million followers on Instagram.

‘North of 60’

is a desideratum, when it comes to fictional depictions of what life is like for white and indigenous people residing in the truly remote regions of Canada.

The television series debuted in 1992, created by Barbara Samuels and Wayne Grisby for the CBC; (Canadian Broadcasting Network) it was later syndicated worldwide. The show is based on the fictional town of “Lynx River” – located in the Delcho Region of the Northwest Territories. ‘North of 60’ tackles serious subject matter, as well as the ins-and-outs of everyday life in Lynx River.

Well, this isn’t the Denis Villenieuve one.

No, long before the French-Canadian visionary decided to grace us with his reimagining of the renowned sci-fi classic, David Lynch attempted the challenging feat of adapting Frank Herbert's ‘Dune’.

And when I say attempted, what I really mean is -- failed miserably.

David Lynch's version had some constraints due to the tech of the time - however, plenty of other motion pictures of the 80s that featured futuristic settings, managed to succeed where ‘Dune’ failed, suggesting that this film has more systemic flaws than just special FX or believability of setting.