WITH GUNS BLAZING
Free Fire shoots to thrill while Heigl aims to kill this week, writes Chris Lackner.
Big releases on April 17: Free Fire; Unforgettable
Big Picture: First, a movie with the slogan, “all guns, no control.” (Yes, it appears that the NRA has finally broken through into the Hollywood moviemaking business.) Free Fire is a half-loaded shootout comedy. Quips fly almost as fast as the bullets. It’s also a poor-man’s Guy Ritchie flick, in which moustaches and quirky accents masquerade as character development. The film is set in a dank, dirty warehouse — the site of a major arms deal gone sour (faster than a speeding bullet). Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer co-star. Think of it as a modernday western that skips directly to the shootout scene, and drags the gunfight out for more than 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, Katherine Heigl plays off her volatile, high-maintenance reputation in Unforgettable — the 21st-century reversal of Fatal Attraction. As the film’s tag line intones, “When love ends, madness begins” (worst potential Hallmark card ever). Heigl stars as Tessa, a woman fighting a losing battle to keep her sanity after her ex-husband becomes engaged to the lovely Julia (Rosario Dawson). Watching Julia tag in for her as mom and live in her old home proves too much. Tessa brings out the knives (literally and figuratively).
Forecast: I don’t think this is what Nat King Cole had in mind when he wrote Unforgettable, but this thriller could mark a new career path for Heigl. Embrace that inner villainess the tabloids have raved about! Next up? Why not an Evil Witch or Evil Queen? (Lots of those parts to go around. Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie can’t possibly play them all.) Maybe break through the glass ceiling (with The Force) to play a Sith Lord? On cable TV turf, she could also pass for a long-lost Lannister sibling on Game of Thrones. There may be no depths she can’t descend.
Honourable mention: Born in China. Speaking of stalkers, Disney Nature follows three reclusive, endangered clans in China: families of snow leopards, monkeys and pandas. Faster than you can say “Earth Day,” you’ll say “awww.” This nature documentary offers “a journey into the breathtaking wild of China,” and then shows us how humanity is doing its best to destroy it. If only we could find a way to narrate, humanize and personalize every threatened animal on the planet, we’d all be vegetarians and devote environmental guardians. (To any animal patriarchs or matriarchs reading this column: save yourself; start your Kickstarter film fundraising campaign now.)
TV
Big events: Girlboss (April 21, Netflix); Bill Nye Saves the World (April 21, Netflix)
Big picture: Britt Robertson (The Longest Ride, Under the Dome) stars in this new fashion-industry drama inspired by Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso. Essentially, Sophia learns to flip clothes like other people flip houses — first through digital marketplaces like eBay, and then via her own Internet startup. “I’ll never have to get another job again,” the anarchistic 20-something pixie explains. (If you’re over 40, this series is also educational: It will help explain why you’re rapidly becoming irrelevant to the modern workplace and economy. Watch it with a stiff drink in hand!).
Meanwhile, Bill Nye Saves the World — probably the best thing to happen to Planet Earth since Ernest Saved Christmas way back in 1988. The Science Guy in a bow tie is back with a new Netflix show blending eggheadfriendly special guests (e.g. Zach Braff and Wil Wheaton) with field reports that investigate everything from climate change and sex to GMOs and alternative medicine. He’s like a mad scientist without a plot to destroy the humanity: Bill is on our side.
Forecast: By this time next year, Bill Nye will become a formal member of The Avengers and begin saving the universe. By 2019, he’ll have found a cure for The Hulk.
Honourable mention: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (April 22, HBO Canada); Fargo (April 19, FX Canada). Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne star in this adaptation of Rebecca Skloot’s non-fiction account of a woman whose cancerous cells were harvested in the 1950s — paving the way for decades of ground breaking research. We all owe Henrietta a debt. Meanwhile, Fargo returns, jumping to 2010, and focusing on two rival brothers — one a handsome, thriving success story, and one an unattractive, abject failure. Oh, and the siblings are both played by Ewan McGregor (Emmy whispers have already begun). You’re darn tootin’!
MUSIC
Big releases on April 21: Brad Paisley (Love and War); Ron Sexsmith (The Last Rider)
Big picture: Fair enough, Brad. It’s America. What else is there to write about? On his 11th studio album, this cowboy superstar sticks to his comfort zone. Album collaborators include Timbaland, John Fogerty and Mick Jagger. Meanwhile, veteran Canadian songwriter Ron Sexsmith hits lucky album No. 13. This time around, the prolific musician changed up his routine — inviting his touring band into the studio to lay down 15 new tracks. They recorded in the acclaimed Bathouse Studios (located in a converted 1842 coach house) operated by the Tragically Hip); the results are “Fully Completely” magical.
Forecast: Paisley’s album will be the first in a trilogy: Up next: Apple Pie and Free Fire. The third: Eagles and Missiles.
Honourable mention: Ray Davies (Americana). Speaking of Americana, everyone’s favourite Kink paints the nation in faded, flaking red, white and blue — and members of The Jayhawks even join him on a couple stellar tracks.