Films That Matter
Star Pick with Kurt Angle
It was an absolute pleasure to meet and get a quick interview with the great Kurt Angle this past summer in Ottawa. First making a name for himself on the amateur wrestling circuit, it all culminated with a gold medal win (with a broken neck, no less) at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. The ultimate achievement for most amateur athletes, this was not the end for Angle, but only the beginning. Just a mere two years later, he had signed on to the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE or World Wresting Entertainment), a leap that would soon find him taking professional wrestling by storm. Making his television debut in November of 1999, he was a natural, not only at the wrestling, but also on the mike.
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Star Pick with Sharon Osbourne
Lawrence of Arabia an Epic MasterpieceLawrence of ArabiaDecember 17, 2014Last week, Sharon Osbourne, the media personality known for her reality television show The Osbournes (along with rock star husband Ozzy and their children), as well as being a judge on America’s Got Talent and more recently, one of the co-hosts of the daytime series The Talk, was gracious enough to sit down with me for a few minutes to talk film. It did not take Mrs. Osbourne long to single out her favourite – the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia. She was captivated by the superb scenery and the brilliant cinematography of legendary director David Lean (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago), which made this movie and its imagery unforgettable.
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Star Pick with Jesse Winchester
Good Will for This Classic 90’s MovieGood Will HuntingDecember 17, 2014The National Hockey League season is now underway and for those who are fans of the sport, this is an exciting time of year. I was lucky enough to golf with Jesse Winchester this year, and though it was a somewhat rainy afternoon, it was still an excellent day. The Long Sault native is making his way back to our neck of the woods, as his team, the Colorado Avalanche, are playing in Ottawa on Thursday and in Montreal on Saturday – so I thought it would be a good time to visit this NHLer’s favourite movie – Good Will Hunting.
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Star Pick with Joel O'Keeffe
Die Hard with AirbourneDie HardDecember 17, 2014I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of interesting and famous people in my life. One such person is rock star Joel O’Keeffe, the lead guitarist and singer of the Australian hard rock and roll band Airbourne, whose song Live It Up went number one in Canada this year (the first of their career in any country). I have been able to spend quite some time with the guys from Airbourne, and as you can probably guess, it did not take long for the conversation to turn to movies. Joel’s favourite film is the legendary action flick Die Hard, which he calls "the greatest film ever!!" He also added that, "Die Hard literally set the benchmark and wrote the book for the ‘One Man vs. heaps of Terrorists’ blockbuster action flick".
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Star Pick with Billy Gibbons
Casablanca on TopCasablancaDecember 17, 2014We are now in the middle of the awards season and are closing in on the holy grail of film festivities: the Academy Awards, or as we all like to call him – Oscar. This month, I will be reviewing four motion pictures that have won at least one of the major prizes of either best director, actor, actress or picture.
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Star Pick with Jacques Demers
A Race for GoldChariots of FireOctober 6, 2014I must say that when I asked Senator Jacques Demers the question of what his favourite movie was at the Children’s Treatment Center Roast a few weeks ago – he was caught off-guard. He initially named the previously reviewed Forrest Gump, yet after he roasted local MP Guy Lauzon, he pulled me aside in order to mention that the Hanks’ offering was not the sole movie at the top of his list – the 1981 Academy Award Best Picture Chariots of Fire was equally as important to him.
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Star Pick with Peter MacKay
Victory Over Adversity in The NaturalThe NaturalSeptember 25, 2014As I stood talking with The Honourable Peter McKay the night of the Children's Treatment Center Roast, his eyes lit up as the conversation turned from his comedic favourite, Stripes, to the subject of baseball and the excellent sports drama The Natural.
