Because Everybody Else Has One

And now for something actually worth seeing this week. I mean, aside for the Force Awakens for the 7th time... (Or, in my case, only the 3rd - but I really do want to see it in IMAX) Anyway, back to Steve Jobs, this review is also up at Channel 24 . What it's about A character study of Apple founder Steve Jobs, centred around three product launches over three decades, that examines his work, his relentless quest for perfection and his extremely complicated, often adversarial relationships with even those closest to him. What we thought Standing in stark contrast to the decidedly ordinary biopic, Jobs, which saw Ashton Kutcher in the eponymous role trying his best – but ultimately failing – to capture the many diverse sides of Steve Jobs over pretty much his entire adult life, Steve Jobs is an almost impressionistic take on the man that says everything it really needs to say by focusing on a mere three vital days in his professional life. We don't ge...

The movie that almost started World War III. Well, not really but it's still funny to think that a silly Seth Rogen flick caused this much of a ruckus. Especially after seeing the thing. This should also be up at Channel 24 at some point and I'l post a link if and when that happens. What it's about Dave Skylark, the charismatic but not too bright anchor of an entertainment news show, is invited for a once-in-a-lifetime interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Before he and his best friend/ producer, Aaron Rapaport, head off for their rendezvous with the infamous “Supreme Leader” in his home country, however, they are enlisted by the CIA to use their almost unheard of close proximity to Jong-un to discreetly assassinate him. What we thought At this point, the Interview is far more famous for the bizarre circumstances in which it was released than anything within the film itself – and, honestly, that's probably for the best. It's no...

Another new movie and another one also up at Channel 24 . Don't worry, I'm sure I'll have more old reviews soon! What it's about A chemical biologist (Seth Rogen) travels across country with his mother (Barbara Streisand) to reunite his mother with her long lost love and to finally find a buyer for his revolutionary new cleaning product. What we thought At the outset, there is little that isn't terrifying about the idea of spending an hour and a half on a cross-country road trip with Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand, especially with the latter in full-on stereotypical Jewish-mother-mode. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with either Rogen or Streisand (I especially don't get the hate that Seth Rogen so often gets) but given the wrong material, they can both be very, very annoying and a film with so hysterical a title as “The Guilt Trip” doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The bad news then is that Streisand is unfortun...

And now for the film of the week...   50/50 is that most tricky of balancing acts: a gut-wrenching drama about cancer that also happens to be consistently laugh-out-loud funny. That it's gut-wrenching isn't particularly surprising when you consider that, tragically, the topic of cancer (no play on "Tropic of Cancer" intended, smart asses) has probably ever been more relevant. It's hard to find anyone who hasn't tackled with this most infernal of infernal diseases in their own life, whether suffering personally or watching a loved one struggle with it. What makes 50/50 a truly worthwhile work, though, is its perfect use of well-timed comedy and properly-placed sentiment (a well-worn book in a bathroom, perhaps?) to elevate what could so easily have been an unpleasant, probably mawkish, masochistic viewing experience into something truly humane, uplifting and exquisitely moving. And, yes, at times very, very funny to boot.