EGOYAN’S CAPTIVATING CANCON
New thriller one to watch
MOVIES
Big Release on Sept. 5: (The Captive)
Big Picture: Canada’s Atom Egoyan (Exotica) directs Scott Speedman (Barney’s Version) and Vancouver’s Ryan Reynolds (Scarlett Johansson’s ex-husband — Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place) in this Hitchcockian suspense thriller about a kidnapped child. But the true revelation could be Mireille Enos (superb on AMC’s The Killing) as a grieving mother with buried secrets. Plot twists and red herrings abound, and all signs point to a conspiracy. That doesn’t sound like Canada! (But Egoyan co-wrote the screenplay and set the film at home). Reynolds’ tormented father is initially a suspect in the crime. Eight years later, new evidence is found in a hotel room — a comb that looks like it belongs to the lost girl. Ominously, a hidden camera is also found.
Forecast: This one could boost Reynolds’ career as a “serious actor.” That is, unless the trick ending involves him transforming into the Green Lantern again to save his daughter.
TV
Big Events: (Houdini, Sept. 2, Showcase); Utopia (Sept. 7, Fox, Citytv)
Big Picture: The trailer features Houdini asking, “What’s your biggest fear? Drowning. Heights. Crowds?” (For the record, my two biggest fears are extraterrestrial invasion — and waking up next to a Kardashian.) Adrien Brody is perfectly cast as the eccentric, mysterious titular magician whose name is still synonymous with magic nearly 90 years after his death. This two-part miniseries promises a revealing look at the personal and professional exploits of the iconic escape artist and illusionist. Kristen Connolly (House of Cards) co-stars as his wife Bess.
Meanwhile, Fox presses the reset button on civilization when 15 people are shipped to the middle of nowhere to “dedicate a year of their lives to build a dream society.” No family, no food, no heat. Just a 200-person production crew, three acres of land and hundreds of cameras streaming 24-7 for 52 straight weeks. Worryingly, the producers only chose American contestants. Naturally, it doesn’t take long for religious, ideological and political tensions to brew. (Next time you’re in a random packed elevator, imagine being dropped in the wilderness with your fellow passengers and forming a new society. You may never sleep again). The show moves to its regular Tuesday and Friday night time slots at 8 p.m. on Sept. 9 and 12.
Forecast: Abracadabra! TV magic! Houdini deserves to be a multiyear series. Meanwhile, Utopia gives humanity a chance to screw things up all over again. (If I know my humanity, my guess is we’ll deliver.) But it could be fun to watch the group invent their own laws, leadership and societal norms. (BTW: If I was in charge, I make everyone communicate only in song, establish a Ministry of Silly Walks à la Monty Python. Oh, and gluttony? No longer a sin.)
Honourable Mention: Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sept. 7, 9 p.m. ET/ MT). The final season begins. Walter’s White’s anti-hero swan song is a tough act to follow. Good luck Nucky Thompson.
MUSIC
Big Release on Sept. 2: Zeus (Classic Zeus)
Big Picture: My favourite Canadian label, Arts & Crafts, releases another potential gem. Zeus’s third full-length album finds the Toronto band shifting from ’70s classic rock influences into modern indie pop. What emerges is a more dynamic sound than previous efforts. But with the band’s familiar harmonies and sense of humour.
Forecast: It’s bold naming yourself after a god — let alone the “king of the gods.” Zeus may not yet fully deliver on their name, but this divine effort would certainly get some rotation on the radio station in Olympus. I predict other Canadian bands with embrace the Greek-Roman pantheon. (I want Feist to change her name to Aphrodite, or an East Coast rock band named Poseidon’s Trident.)
Honourable Mention: Blonde Redhead (Barragan); Nick & Knight (self-titled). Nick & Knight? The new Simon and Garfunkel? A new formulaic cop show? Nick Carter from Backstreet Boys and Jordan Knight from NKOTB unite as a duo! Meanwhile, the evercreative, New York alt-rockers, Blonde Redhead, return with an album title that sounds like typo. But the music should be errorfree.