Posts by lee.fenton2002@gmail.com

‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’ sticks to the proven formula of a Dick Wolfe production; while combining cultural aspects of Canada –  to great success. As a longtime fan of the franchise and a self-admitted “procedural drama junkie”, I’m a fairly good judge of what makes a cop-show work. Dialogue and pacing is one of the most important factors. Each episode is a self-contained mystery, so the story needs to be engaging yet delivered somewhat opaquely. Anticipation and intrigue is key.

The pilot episode’s plot is fairly straightforward:

 A crypto mogul is missing after attending an event on Lake Ontario, taking with him hundreds of millions in cash from his clients. Has he absconded with the money or is it possible that foul play is involved? 

1. Hugh Jackman is an Australian actor and performer.

2. Playing the superhero “Wolverine” has been very profitable for Jackman. Four of his five highest grossing movies are part of the X-men film franchise. But there is one role that has earned him pay on par with this; his turn as P.T. Barnum in the musical-epic ‘The Greatest Showman’. [1]

3. Jackman is known for starting his career on stage, performing in theatrical productions like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Oklahoma!’ – earning an award nomination for the latter.

4. He had the privilege of hosting the 81st Academy Awards (2009).

5. His full name is Hugh Michael Jackman.

6. The actor’s film debut came all the way back in 1999, in a little known independant movie ‘Erskineville Kings’.

7. Hugh Jackman was named Sexiest Man Alive by People.com/Magazine. But the “Aussie” celeb isn’t the only actor from Down Under who’s earned that moniker – Chris Hemsworth shares the title – however, Hugh was first! [2]

‘Made in Canada’ 

is a CBC Television scripted-comedy series that ran for five consecutive seasons between the years of 1998 - 2003. It lampoons the television industry – focusing specifically on Canadian content and productions; and the often hilarious struggles of marketing, broadcasting, and the day-to-day running of an office. It’s a precursor to shows like ‘30 Rock’, and more tangentially ‘The Office’ (UK & USA). 

This is a must-watch series.

Here’s a quote from IMDb to sum it up:

“Richard Strong” (Rick Mercer): 

[first line of the series] All my life I wanted to make movies. A good movie can change lives. A great movie can change the world. But television, it's different. It's not about making a difference. Television's about making one thing only. Money. [1]

The man who started it all – Sir Sean Connery – receives the honour of being star of the WDM(c) choice for No 1 top 007 film of all-time. 

Screw being a knight, this is way better. 

 Connery’s ability to play James Bond is bar none. He brings a certain vitriole; suave, yet ready to leap-into-action at any moment. I’m sure – it could be argued that Craig portrayed the character with more physicality along with a cool, cold-demeanor. I won’t deny that, however Connery managed a certain poise while giving a highly charismatic turn as the globe-trotting secret agent. His facial acting conveyed superb tact and ego; 007’s trademark attributes. And the man’s innate classiness went a long way in convincing the audience that he excelled at espionage within high society.

Connery was hands down the most suited in the role of master-of-disguise, something that later Bond entries tend to overlook. In his role as an MI6 agent, James Bond needs to blend in amongst: Fortune 500 billionaires, oligarchs, oil tycoons, and international royalty – as well as other rich and powerful figures. Sean Connery always managed to play the character with a dash of poshness, actuated by the refined edge of 007, a characteristic lifted directly from the pages of Ian Flemming’s novels.

1. Her cinematic debut came with Spiderman: Homecoming in 2017, playing the role of “MJ Watson” – an indirect adaptation of Mary-Jane Watson from the comics, Peter Parker’s off-and-on-again squeeze. Zendaya’s on-screen character is named Michelle Jones-Watson, a slight alteration on the source material.

2. Zendaya enjoys watching the Harry Potter films more often than you would think, being quoted as saying, “People think I’m crazy, but I watch Harry Potter, like, once a day.” [1] BusinessInsider.com

3. Her heritage is African-Americana, Scottish, and German.

4. She holds the record for youngest contestant of ‘Dancing with the Stars’, finishing 2nd place in the competition — at just 16 years of age.

5. Zendaya won an Emmy for her portrayal of “Rue” in the HBO series ‘Euphoria’.

6. She is a part of the main cast of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune duology, playing the Fremen “Chani Kynes”; future companion and concubine of Paul Atredes – the main character of the story.

There's been a lot of discussion lately in the news, on social media, and all over that thing we call "the internet" -- mostly centered around the recent failings of blockbuster films, and what that means for the film industry.

Is this just a temporary dip in the market, or is it a symptom of a much larger problem?

Well, there's a number of contributing factors to consider -- first and foremost -- the ubiquitous rise of streaming platforms as the preferred method for watching movies and television. Indeed, even the term TV is seeing a downtrend in usage, as most have adopted the term "streaming series" when referring to the long-form content that apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, AppleTV, and Disney+ host.

The tonally alacritous adaptation of a hugely popular video game franchise, Fallout (a Prime Original) is a smashing success – critics and fans alike agree that the show manages to deliver a surreal, quirky, and hilariously authentic take on the source material. Bethesda Game Studios was the company responsible for kicking off the Fallout franchise success, peaking in the mid 2000’s with Fallout 3 & Fallout New Vegas. The show incorporates aspects from both those entries into the series and the more recent as well; namely Fallout 4, Fallout 76.

Ella Purnell and Walter Goggins seem to be the two leads of the show ; both of them garnering the greatest amount of screen time, and occupying equally important positions within the narrative, however Aron Moten occupies the unusual spot of tritagonist — complicating the plot structure somewhat. 

If I were to guess – it’s the look of the film.

That (VFX) over-glossed aesthetic is not helping ticket sales at all. 

The original was a low-budget Australian picture, gritty, and grounded in realism – being of the exploitation era of filmmaking, the first Mad Max was shot with camera/lenses that were extremely low-grade. This ensured it had a “mockumentary” feel and look, even though that’s not the genre the ‘Mad Max’ films belonged to. The closest comparison I can think of is Dennis Hopper’s ‘Easy Rider’ or ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, both titles heralded the revolution of independent films in the 70s. Then as budgets inflated; each subsequent release became more slick and polished, continuing to this day with the latest entry, ‘Furiosa’. 

His pictures are iconic, visually stunning, and often enigmatic. An auteur, Bong Joon-ho  봉준호 utilizes a cinematic tone that is simultaneously plangent and hopeful.

A South Korean filmmaker that has the joy of being the recipient of the only Academy Award for Best Picture awarded to a film that’s not in english, Joon-ho has more accolades than any other international director, writer, producer. He continues to craft award winning cinema that lampoons societal issues; examining the differences between standards of living among the poor and rich – with stories that commonly have dark comedic undertones.

Is Tarantino the best new-age director of our lifetime?

Quite probably.

Is ‘Jackie Brown’ one of his most underappreciated films – regardless of the cult status it’s gained in the years since its inception?

Also, yes.

One of the lesser known Tarantino classics – adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, ‘Jackie Brown’ is a story about a woman who’s nearing middle-age and has landed herself in a heap of legal trouble. With her wits, charms, and guile – will she get herself out of the jam? Well, when 70s grindhouse star Pam Grier is playing a character; “she ain’t nobody’s sucka”.

See Grier’s other films, ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ for examples of this.

Directed & Written by: Quentin Tarantino 

Original date of Release: December 25th / 1997