With the massive success of Laurel and Hardy, who producer Hal Roach had paired together after signing them separately in 1926 (they would remain with his studio until 1940), the man had the bright idea of creating a female counterpart duo, bringing together Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd. The team would make seventeen popular shorts from 1931-33, their first two, Let’s Do Things and Catch-As Catch-Can, looked at here today. Like all good comedy teams, you have two very different character types. Zasu comes across as the slightly depressed, nervous and fretful brunette, while Thelma is a much more vibrant and colourful blonde dame. . . the former’s desperation often dragging her more put together friend into rather unorthodox situations. In Let’s Do Things, they find themselves as employees selling music for a giant department store... while looking for a way out of their dead-end jobs.
After all these years, it is almost hard to believe that the key to success in an intricate Mission: Impossible adventure would literally be... a key. Yes, that is the all important piece that must be gathered in the seventh feature of the long running franchise, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One... with the bookend making its way into theatres in approximately one year. Co-written and helmed once more by Christopher McQuarrie (this is his third straight effort), it is quite clear that he has the formula down to a tee. Deftly fusing high stakes action, sight-seeing adventure, perfect comedic timing, and enough drama to keep even the more serious viewers involved, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) finds himself in a, dare I say it, even more impossible situation than ever before.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet and interview Amanda Bearse at CAPE 2022 (Cornwall & Area Pop Event). A multi-talented actor and director, she is perhaps best remembered as troublesome neighbour Marcy in the long running television sitcom Married... with Children (she appeared in an impressive 259 episodes, while she also sat in the directorial chair 31times). Yet, two years earlier, she appeared in what must have seemed at the time to be a horror quickie that would come and go... except the annals of cinema history were not done with Fright Night – it becoming a true cult classic of the 1980s that is still growing its viewing audience today. After wrapping Married, she decided to step behind the camera more often than not, directing numerous television series, including The Jamie Foxx Show, Dharma & Greg, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Reba, Mad TV, to name but a few. For the first time in awhile, she is back in front of the camera with last year’s Bros and the upcoming comedy Tapawingo.
After a raucous Saturday crowd, CAPE, or the Cornwall and Area Pop Event, had what has to be its biggest second day turnout yet. Excited crowds, many dressed in costume, flooded the Benson Centre, primed to explore its many booths. . . ranging from Funkos and vintage toys, to original artwork and literature, while others were looking to meet their favourite celebrities from film and television. With The Walking Dead continuing its reign as one of the supreme draws to any pop culture type weekend, organizers extraordinaire Randy Sauve and Carol Grant were able to bring in heavy hitters Cooper Andrews (who plays fan favourite Jerry... the right hand man of King Ezekiel, who first arrived on the scene in season seven)
Covering some new and old ground in the longest feature of the franchise (coming in at a whopping two hours and forty-nine minutes), John Wick: Chapter 4, directed by Chad Stahelski (who has helmed each of the four films), starts us off pretty much right after the previous picture. Flipping the script a bit from the last one, Wick (Keanu Reeves), now healed (boy, does he do that quickly – though it’s supposed to be a couple months later), must deal with the claustrophobic landscape that has enveloped him due to his unsatiated revenge-filled drive. Walking the perilous path of dealing with hitmen, as well as friends and enemies (who can often switch allegiances on a dime), the memorable faces of the underground web weaver – the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), New York powerhouse – Winston (Ian McShane), his trusty concierge – Charon (Lance Reddick, who sadly passed away on March 17th), and the head of the table – Elder (George Georgiou), will all make appearances again... though perhaps not in the ways we might expect.
Now three movies in, there is no doubt that Robert Eggers is one of the more creative minds working in the film industry today. With The Northman (2022), the co-writer (along with Sjón), director, and producer brings forward his most accessible piece yet... but that doesn’t mean that this is not as creative, intricate, challenging, or authentic as his The VVitch and The Lighthouse. This time taking a deep dive into Norse history and mythology, it might surprise some that the main source they worked from was the story of Amleth... a tale which appears in the “Gesta Danorum” (History of the Danes) – as it is also the main inspiration for William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (it is easier to spot the similarities once you are aware of the connection).
I was fortunate enough to get a quick interview with Joe Gatto after his first ever comedy show in Ottawa on March 3rd, 2023. For those of you who have somehow missed him over the years, Gatto has brought joy and hilarity to the world with buddies Sal, Q, and Murr on the comedy series Impractical Jokers. After nearly a decade on television (creating worldwide catchphrases like: “Scoopski potahtos”, “Larry!”, “Up your ass and to the left”, “Who vants to paint!”, as well as so many others), Joe parted ways with the Jokers after nine seasons to focus more on family. Despite this, you’ve had ample chances to stumble upon him – sometimes with his buds as the Jokers go viral on Youtube, or by way of his very active social media accounts... and, of course, on his comedy tours. His first time in Canada, he regaled the audience with a fantastic combination of outright jokes, venue improv, past stories, and his own unique brand of physical comedy. After nearly a two hour show (which included his friend and opener Jiggy – who has also made some appearances on Impractical Jokers), the audience left with a number of jokes and stories that could make anyone laugh, as well as several local gags that only those attending would get (who knew Canadian royalty was sitting in the theatre box).