Films That Matter
No Caine, No Gain
Following in the recent action craze launched by John Wick, fusing it with The World is Not Enough Bond villain’s inability to feel pain, adding in some of the sadism found in Home Alone and its sequel, and throwing in some rough and tumble comedy to boot, Novocaine (2025), co-directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, holds no punches, or perhaps packs quite the punch if you’d prefer. Not for the weak of heart... an early warning to the wise – if you don’t like R rated violence then this movie is likely not for you, as it does not hold back in any which way. Though it does contain action, comedy, and romance, don’t let those last two genres suggest that this is a light date night foray for couples.
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The Cat Came Back
The Cat Came BackMay 9, 2016As a child, I was enamoured with a kooky Canadian animated short film called The Cat Came Back. Available on VHS (for those of you too young to remember what this is, ask your parents) at my local library, I would take it out every time I entered the historic building. It is likely that I played a huge part in wearing down that cassette tape. Thanks to the National Film Board of Canada, who produced the flick, it is available for free on their website.
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Vigilante Justice USA/UK Style
Dirty HarryGet CarterMay 6, 2016Dirty Harry, starring the legendary Clint Eastwood, has to be one of the most iconic characters in film history. Eastwood truly brings the essence of Harry Callahan to life, delivering a gritty performance that captures the hero’s gruff, no nonsense ways and vigilante-style justice. In 1971, the same year Eastwood starred in Dirty Harry, Michael Caine was cast as the lead in a British motion picture called Get Carter, which carries many of the same themes.
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A Southern Delicacy
Fried Green TomatoesMay 3, 2016Certain novels, and their respective films, capture the beautiful yet complicated nature of the American south. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and To Kill a Mockingbird are two such examples. A third book that has been transformed into a motion picture that illustrates this intriguing subject is Jon Avnet’s 1991 movie Fried Green Tomatoes.
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Join the Madness
Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever ToldMay 1, 2016Though I consider myself well versed in most areas of film, I must say that I knew nothing about the horror cult classic Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told, until I began researching for my interview with Beverly Washburn, who starred in this quirky motion picture that was filmed in 1964, though it was only released in 1967 (due to issues with finances and poor distribution).
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Get Your CAPE On
April 29, 2016For the second year running, Cornwall’s Benson Centre hosted CAPE, the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo. Fantasy Realm’s Randy Sauvé and fiancee Carol Grant (founders of the event), once again ran the show (congratulations to the couple who married in a truly unique ceremony that took place on Saturday evening at CAPE). After a more than successful first year (with more than 3500 people attending the one day event), hopes were high for year two.
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Star Pick with Jenny Lampa
How Hours Mark the TimeThe HoursApril 26, 2016Interweaving multiple stories can be a complicated thing to do. For every film that succeeds at structuring several tales into one powerful story, there are twice as many that fall flat. One movie that takes on this challenging task, tackling three separate narratives that take place in very different eras, is the 2002 dramatic motion picture The Hours. The film features several powerhouse performances from three superb actresses (Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore), so it is perhaps not surprising that actress Jenny Lampa, who has earned rave reviews and has received a number of acting nominations for her performance in the Swedish thriller The Break-In, selected this as one of her favourite movies.
