Tag Archives: Jay Baruchel

Cosmopolis: Cronenberg’s lost it!

Robert Pattinson and a host of other actors star in David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. Courtesy of eOne Films


Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Oscar winning writer/director David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises, Crash, The Fly) has delivered numerous critically acclaimed films making fellow Canadians proud…until now. His latest film, will undoubtedly have most people asking “Has he lost his mind?”

In Cosmopolis, we follow a 28-year-old billionaire as he ventures through a large city meeting with a plethora of unusual people, in the comfort of his high-tech limousine.

It is simply baffling that Cronenberg could deliver such a load of mindless trash to the viewing public. The adapted screenplay of Don DeLillo’s novel is completely void of any kind of cohesion. The character’s motivations and actions are senseless, but does it really matter when we are unable to relate to them anyway? Any fan of his past work will most likely be staring at the screen thinking this is a convoluted mess, that is, if they haven’t already decided to walk out of the theatre.

Every line of dialogue read by the vast cast sounds as if they’re reciting a cheap philosophical novel. Robert Pattinson (Twilight, Remember Me) looks as if he’s constipated throughout most of the film. The only performance that felt worth watching is Paul Giamatti’s (Rock of Ages, Cinderella Man) – Even if the above mentioned scene is a total disaster.

From a technical or artistic standpoint, there are absolutely no redeemable aspects to this movie.

Bottom Line: David Cronenberg should be paying people a handsome fee to sit through this drivel.

Grade F

Runtime: 108 minutes
IMAX: No
3D: No


Goon: Shoots and scores!

Liev Schreiber and Seann William Scott duke it out in Goon. Courtesy of Alliance Atlantis


For most hockey fans, fighting is seen as part of the game. As barbaric as it seems, there is a sense of enjoyment when two players drop the gloves and duke it out. For the first time, a story of hockey’s all-important enforcer is being told.

Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) was a mild mannered bar bouncer until he is recruited by a semi pro hockey team to protect one of their star players. Mild mannered only begins to describe how polite and kind Glatt is.

Such a character can be corny in the wrong hands. Luckily, Seann William Scott never once reeked of cheese which toned down the brutality of the on ice antics. Liev Schreiber (Defiance, Salt) plays his formidable rival to perfection with the added bonus of a superb Canadian accent (St. John’s, Newfoundland, to be exact).

I really enjoyed the screenplay adapted from the novel Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg. They gave all of the characters in the film charisma, and left out any unnecessary clichés. You can’t help but get caught up in the team spirit and heart of the movie.

I do have to warn all who do not deal with violence well; While the main character is sensitive, this movie features some pretty gruesome fight scenes. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

Bottom Line: A knock-out film not just for hockey fans.

Grade A-

Runtime: 92 minutes

IMAX: No

3D: No


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