The Brenaissance continues as Brendan Fraser turns in another fantastic performance, one that leans into his abilities to be both comedic, and deliver great gravitas, often in the same scene. Fraser stars as Phillip, a struggling American actor living in Japan. When he gets a gig as ‘Sad American’ at a funeral, it opens a…
Tag: funny
TIFF 25: Bad Apples dir. Jonatan Etzler
Saoirse Ronan shines as Maria, an elementary school teacher pushed too far in Jonatan Etzler’s darkly funny thriller, Bad Apples. If you’ve read the tagline for the film, do yourself a favour and don’t read anything else about it. Go in with the knowledge that Maria is working to keep her class engaged. She has…
TIFF 25: John Candy – I Like Me dir. Colin Hanks
Hockey. Maple Syrup. The Hip. The Sky Dome. John Candy. Quintessentially Canadian. Friendly, polite, beloved. Candy has left an indelible mark on film and our hearts. And Colin Hanks delivers a beautifully poignant and insightful look into the man. Aided by hi family and SCTV alumni, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Bill Murray and Dan Akryoyd,…
Clerks (1994) – Kevin Smith
I remember when Clerks came to VHS. I was working at a video store and it resonated with everyone of us. It was like someone had taken our lives and put it on the screen. We as a crew identified so much with the film that we’d printed up labels with our names on it…
Get Smart (1965) – Our Man in Toyland, Now You See Him, Now You Don’t, and Washington 4, Indians 3
Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) discovers that KAOS is shipping classified information about a national defense system known as SkyBlast to foreign countries through talking dolls. Special agent 86, Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) and 99 are on the case! They head to the department store responsible for shipping the information and work to uncover what is…
Companion (2025) – Drew Hancock
Companion was a super-enjoyable film with a not-so-subtle commentary about how we, as a society, use and abuse technology, including AI, for our comforts. Which shouldn’t be a surprise considering we do that each other. Often funny, and filled with sharp dialogue, and whip-smart performances from Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, and Harvey Guillen. You know…
Gotcha! (1985) – Jeff Kanew
I remember greatly enjoying Gotcha! when I rented it on video back in the day. And though it’s always been floating round in the back of my mind, I haven’t watched it since… until now. And let me tell you, this one stands up. There’s a couple of things that don’t stand the test of…
Stargate SG-1 (2005) – Citizen Joe, and Reckoning: Part 1
Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, guest stars in Citizen Joe. Written by Damian Kindler from a story by Robert C. Cooper this episode debuted on 18 February, 2025. It’s a unique kind of clip show, with excerpts featuring the writing of Cooper, James Crocker, Peter DeLuise, Jonathan Glassner, Victoria James, Kindler, Joseph Mallozzi,…
Farscape (2001) – Scratch ‘n Sniff, and Infinite Possibilities Part 1: Daedalus Demands
Crichton (Ben Browder) and D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe) have pissed Pilot (voiced by Lani John Tupu) off, so he as banished them, along with Jool (Tammy Macintosh) and Chiana (Gigi Edgley). They are on enforced vacation, and it’s going to be a wild ride, as they get drunk, and rolled. Lots of laughs in this one,…
I Only Read Murder (2023) – Ian and Will Ferguson
I didn’t know where to go after I finished Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series. I hadn’t been moved and entertained by books like that in a long time. So I decided to go the opposite way, and find something light and fun. Enter: I Only Read Murder by Canadian authors Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson. It…
The Mind Reels 