Archive for October, 2020

Did Borat really crash Mike Pence’s CPAC speech? Here’s what videos from the day showed. – Courier & Press

From Ali G to Borat, here's a look back at some of his most memorable moments. USA TODAY

More than a decade after college students everywhere raised their hands for high fives and hollered "very nice," the sequel to the 2006 film Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is set to be released.

Amazon Prime will release the movie featuring Sacha Baron Cohen's raunchycharacter on Oct. 23. The feature film is titled "The Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

The film follows BorattouringAmerica again, but this time with his daughter. In a trailer released by Amazon, Borat is shown with what appears to be his daughterover his shoulder as he breaks into the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)dressed like President Donald Trump, offering her toVice President Mike Pence.

I brought the girl for you! Borat calls out.

You can see the moment in the trailer here. If you rewind to watch the mockumentary'strailer in full, be warned, you may find itextremely offensive.

So, was that film real, or was that just Hollywood getting creative with editing? It's true that Cohen interrupted Pence's remarks at CPAC onFeb. 27, 2020, in National Harbor, Maryland. Whether he was holding a real actress over his shoulder or a life-size doll, is not immediately clear.

Multiple cameras from media and guests in attendance captured the moment a few minutes into Pence's speech. On CSPAN, Borat's voice can be heard trying to appeal to Pence before the crowd starts to collectively chant "USA, USA, USA."

The stuntbegins around the 9-minute mark, and Cohen, looking like Trump, can beseen in the crowd around the 9:43mark.

Onlookers can be seen liftingcell phones to document Cohen being escorted out of the room in the network's footage, without the woman he appears to have carried into the hall. Here's what one look of the actor's exit looked like from someone in the room:

The Daily Caller, a conservative opinion media group, put several onlookers perspectives of Cohen's exit together, too.

Charges against Cohen were not pursued after the incident.

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Nate Chute is a producer with the USA Today Network. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute

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Did Borat really crash Mike Pence's CPAC speech? Here's what videos from the day showed. - Courier & Press

Movies playing in Southeast Michigan, theaters to open Oct. 9 – The Oakland Press

Many theaters are planning to reopen in Southeast Michigan, Oct. 9, following Gov. GretchenWhitmer's Executive Order2020-183,to reopen movie theaters and performance venues in Michigan, at 20-percent occupancy.

The following list includes movies available at local theaters. The list also includes movies that are available to watch through through online streaming subscription services including: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu, FandangoNow, YouTube, Disney+, HBO Max and more.

The War with Grandpa (PG): Comedy about a sixth-grader named Peter (Oakes Fegley) who is forced to give up his bedroom when his recently widowed grandfather Ed (Robert De Niro) moves in. Peter tries to drive out grandpa with elaborate pranks, but grandpa resists. Based on the award-winning book by Robert Kimmel Smith. Also starring Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Cheech Marin, Laura Marano and Jane Seymour.

Tenet (PG-13): action epic from the world of international espionage, directed by Christopher Nolan. It is a co-production between the United Kingdom and United States, filmed on location across seven countries. Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia and Michael Caine.

Cut Throat City (R): Action heist movie, set in New Orleans afterHurricane Katrina devastation. Starring Demetrius Shipp Jr., Shameik Moore, Kat Graham, Eiza Gonzlez and Wesley Snipes.

Hubie Halloween (PG-13): Family comedy film about Hubie Dubois, who thanklessly spends every Halloween making sure the residents of his hometown, Salem stay safe. But this year, an escaped criminal and a mysterious new neighbor have Hubie on high alert. Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta and Rob Schneider. Available Oct. 7 on Netflix.

The Glorias (R): Biopic about Gloria Steinem, journalist, fighter, and feminist, based on Steinems own biographical book My Life on the Road. Starring Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Bette Midler, Lulu Wilson and Ryan Keira Armstrong. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The Boys in the Band (R): Based on Mart Crowley's play about a group of gay men who meet for a birthday party in 1968 New York City. Starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells and Charlie Carver. Available on Netflix.

Enola Holmes (PG-13): Based on the book series by Nancy Springer, the film is set in England, 1884. Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) wakes on her 16th birthday, to find that her mother (Helena Bonham Carter) has disappeared, leaving behind an odd assortment of gifts. Placed under the care of her brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), Enola escapes to search for her mother in London. Available on Netflix.

The Devil All the Time (R): A young man is devoted to protecting his loved ones in a town full of corruption. Starring Tom Holland II, Bill Skarsgrd and Riley Keough.

The Garden Left Behind: A Mexican trans woman struggles to build a life for herself as an undocumented immigrant in New York City. Starring Michael Madsen, Ed Asner, Carlie Guevara and Danny Flaherty.

"Antebellum" (R): Thriller about a successful author who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality. Starring Janelle Mone, Eric Lange and Jena Malone.

I am Woman (NR): Story of Helen Reddy, a single mother from Australia who rose to fame with the song, "I Am Woman," which became an anthem for the women's movement in the 1970s. Starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Danielle MacDonald and Evan Peters.

Mulan (PG-13): Live action remake of the 1999 animated Disney film of the same name about Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, who steps in to take the place of her ailing father, to serve in the Imperial Army. Starring Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen and Jason Scott Lee. Available on Disney+.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (R): Based on novel by Ian Reid, the film stars Jessie Buckley as a young woman who takes a road trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Also starring Toni Collette and David Thewlis. Available on Netflix.

Bill and Ted Face the Music (PG-13): Bill and Ted, now middle aged, set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. They are helped by their daughters and a few music legends. Starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and Samara Weaving.

Get Duked (R): Dean, Duncan and DJ Beatroot are teenage pals from Glasgow who embark on the character-building camping trip -- based on a real-life program -- known as the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Starring Samuel Bottomley, Rian Gordon and Lewis Gribben. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The New Mutants (PG-13): Film based on the Marvel comic series about five young people who demonstrate special powers and are brought to a secret institution to undergo treatments they are told will cure them of the dangers of their powers. Starring Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Anya Taylor-Joy and Alice Braga.

The Personal History of David Copperfield (PG): Comedy-drama, based on a Charles Dickens novel. Starring Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie and Tilda Swinton.

Benjamin (NR): Comedy about a rising star filmmaker premiering his second film at the London Film Festival when his publicist introduces him to a French musician. Starring Colin Morgan, Anna Chancellor and Phnix Brossard.

The One and Only Ivan (PG): Disney animated film based on a Newbery Medal-winning book about a gorilla named Ivan, who tries to piece together his past with the help of an elephant named Stella, starring Angelina Jolie, Sam Rockwell, Danny DeVito and Bryan Cranston. Available on Disney+.

Unhinged (R) : Russell Crowe stars in this psychological thriller that takes road rage to a terrifying conclusion. Rachel (Caren Pistorius) is running late getting to work when she crosses paths with a stranger (Crowe) at a traffic light. Soon, Rachel finds herself and everyone she loves the target of a man who feels invisible and is looking to make one last mark upon the world by teaching her a series of deadly lessons.

The Sleepover (PG): Two siblings learn their mother is a highly trained former thief kidnapped for one last job, and only they can save her. Starring Sadie Stanley, Maxwell Simkins and Ken Marino. Available on Netflix.

She Dies Tomorrow (R): A woman is convinced that she is going to die tomorrow, and her life begins to unravel. Her delusions become contagious to those around her. Starring Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley and Chris Messina.

"Words on Bathroom Walls" (PG-13): The story of Adam (Charlie Plummer), who appears to be a typical young adult with aspirations to become a chef. Expelled halfway through his senior year, Adam is diagnosed with a mental illness and sent to a Catholic academy, where he meets outspoken Maya (Taylor Russell).

Project Power (R): A mysterious new pill on the streets of New Orleans unlocks superpowers unique to each user, but the effects are not known until after taking the pill. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback and Jamie Foxx. Available on Netflix.

The Burnt Orange Heresy (R): Art critic, James Figueras (Claes Bang), has fallen from grace, and goes to work in Milan lecturing tourists about art history. He is contacted by wealthy art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger) who asks him to steal a painting from a reclusive artist, Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). Also starring Elizabeth Debicki.

The Empty Man (R): On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a supernatural entity. James Badge Dale, Joel Courtney and Stephen Root.

The Tax Collector(NR): Two longtime "tax collectors" for a crime lord face difficulties when a rival crime lord returns to the area, set in Los Angeles. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Bobby Soto and George Lopez.

I Used to Go Here (NR): An author becomes involved in the lives of a group of college students after being asked to speak at her alma mater. Starring Gillian Jacobs, Josh Wiggins and Jemaine Clement.

The Secret Garden (PG): Based on the classic novel written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Set in England, the film follows a young orphan girl who is sent to live with her uncle, where she discovers a magical garden on his estate. Starring Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx.

The Secret-Dare To Dream (PG): Based on the best-selling book by Rhonda Byrne, about a young widow, Miranda (Katie Holmes), who is raising her three children and dating her boyfriend (Jerry OConnell). A devastating storm brings an enormous challenge and a mysterious man, Bray (Josh Lucas), into Mirandas life.

"Rebuilding Paradise" (R): National Geographic documentary about how residents of Paradise, Calif., come together to heal their community after a devastating wildfire. Directed by Ron Howard.

365 Days: Don Massimo Torricelli (Michele Morrone) is a member of the Sicilian Mafia family and Laura (AnnaMaria Sieklucka) is a sales director. While on a trip to Sicily trying to save her relationship, Massimo kidnaps her and gives her 365 days to fall in love with him.Available on Netflix.

The Rental (R): Two couples take a weekend trip at an oceanside getaway rental house and start to suspect the host may be spying on them. Starring Alison Brie, Dan Stevens, Jeremy Allen White, and Sheila Vand. Horror film, directed by Dave Franco.

The Kissing Booth 2 (NR): After a romantic summer with her reformed bad-boy boyfriend Elle Evans (Joey King) heads back to high school for her senior year. Also starring Jacob Elordi, Joel Courtney and Taylor Zakhar Perez. Available on Netflix.

Ghosts of War(R): American soldiers assigned to hold a French Chateau near the end of World War II, encounter a supernatural enemy. Starring Brenton Thwaites, Alan Ritchson and Theo Rossi.

A Nice Girl Like You (R): After being accused of being too inhibited by her ex-boyfriend, a violinist creates a rather wild to-do list that sends her on a whirlwind journey of self-discovery. Starring Lucy Hale, Leonidas Gulaptis, Mindy Cohn.

Easy Does It (NR): Two friends embark on a treasure hunt in the 1970s American South. Starring Linda Hamilton, Dwight Henry, Bryan Batt and Ben Matheny.

Fatal Affair (NR): After a brief encounter with an old boyfriend, a woman tries to mend her marriage, but finds the boyfriend has other plans. Starring Nia Long, Stephen Bishop and Omar Epps. Available on Netflix.

Greyhound": (PG-13): Tom Hanks wrote the screenplay and stars in this World War II naval drama about an international convoy of 37 Allied ships, led by captain Ernest Krause (Hanks). Also starring Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan and Elisabeth Shue. Available on Apple TV+.

"The Old Guard" (R): A group of immortal mercenaries, led by a warrior, Andy (Charlize Theron), have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. When their extraordinary abilities are exposed, its up to Andy and Nile (Kiki Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to protect their power. Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka. Available on Netflix.

Force of Nature (R): A group of thieves plan a major heist during a hurricane. Starring Mel Gibson, Kate Bosworth, Emile Hirsch and David Zayas.

Hamilton (PG-13): Broadway hit musical, live stage production recording, based on the story of Alexander Hamilton - politician, statesman and Founding Father. Starring Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Leslie Odom Jr., LinManuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos. Available on Disney Plus.

Miss Juneteenth: A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her teenage daughter for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant. Starring Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson and Alexis Chikaeze.

You Should Have Left (R): Psychological thriller based on a novel by Daniel Kehlmann. A successful middle-aged man (Kevin Bacon) and his much younger actress wife, (Amanda Seyfried) seek a restful vacation with their young daughter at a secluded countryside house, that has a dark past. Produced by Jason Blum.

Artemis Fowl (PG): Walt Disney film based on the book by Eoin Colfer, where a 12-year-old genius and descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds finds himself in a battle against a race of powerful underground fairies. Starring Ferdia Shaw, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Colin Farrell and Judi Dench. Available on Disney+.

Da 5 Bloods (R): Directed by Spike Lee, a story of four African-American veterans Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) who return to Vietnam to search for the remains of their fallen squad leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure. Available on Netflix.

The Last Days of American Crime (TV-MA): To combat terrorism and crime, the U.S. government plans to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts. Graham Bricke (Edgar Ramrez), a career criminal teams up with Kevin Cash (Michael C. Pitt), and Shelby Dupree (Anna Brewster), to commit the heist of the century, before the signal goes off. Based on the Radical Publishing Graphic Novel. Available on Netflix.

Shirley (R): Based on a novel about famous horror writer, Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss), who finds inspiration for her next novel when she and her husband take in newlyweds. Also starring Michael Stuhlbarg and Odessa Young. Available on disc/streaming.

"The High Note" (PG-13): Set in the world of the LA music scene comes the story of superstar Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Graces overworked personal assistant who aspires to become a music producer. Also starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Ice Cube. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

"The Vast of Night (PG-13): Science fiction adventure set in the 1950s, about two young radio station workers in New Mexico who investigate an odd frequency coming through their radio. Starring Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz. Available on Amazon Prime Video.

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Movies playing in Southeast Michigan, theaters to open Oct. 9 - The Oakland Press

Movie reviews: ‘On the Rocks’ is laugh out loud funny, for a time anyway – CTV News

ON THE ROCKS: 4 STARS

Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray have only worked together twice, but On the Rocks, in select Theatres now and on Apple TV+ on October 23, makes you wish they would become exclusive. She gets him in all his scampish glory, allowing the septuagenarian to revel in playing a smooth talking, lovable old scamp who drinks Cutty over ice and teaches his young grandkids to bluff at poker. Murray is the Michelangelo of mischief, a clown prince with heart and soul and Coppola knows how to mine it.

Set in pre-pandemic New York City, the story centers on Laura (Rashida Jones), an author and mom who discovers that shes not as happily married as she thought. Her high-tech businessman husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) is aloof, never home and when she finds a strange make-up case in his luggage, he makes a lame excuse straight out of Cheaters 101.

Her father Felix (Bill Murray), a loquacious, jet setting art dealer knows about infidelity. Hes a scoundrel who knows, for instance, that The Plaza is the best place to have an affair because it has exits on three different streets for a fast extra-marital escape. Hes not shocked Dean might be having an affair, hes just surprised hes doing it at the Soho House, a building he considers dclass.

Over a birthday dinner at the ritzy 21 Club, at the table where Bogart proposed to Bacall, Felix suggests they investigate on their own, using his knowledge of the cheating mind to catch Dean in the act. In a cherry red sportscar they set out on their missionThis is wartime, he says.but the relationship they expose isnt the one they expected.

On the Rocks isnt a rom com or a screwball comedy or an adventure film. Its a Sofia Coppola film, a movie that teleports the viewer into a heightened world of privilege while still mining a deep emotional core. And its laugh out loud funny, for a time anyway.

It is light, plot wise, but exists to showcase the chemistry between Murray and Jones. Their relationship is the real love story in the film, as fractured and dysfunctional as it may be. They look at the world through very different eyes but are bound by blood.

During the caper portion they have an almost Nick and Nora vibe, exchanging sharp, smart and funny repartee. Later when the action turns introspective, they get real, exposing their feelings in a raw, real and regretful way.

Murray is loose, droll and deadpan. Hes a walking, talking anachronism who says things like, Women. You cant live with them. You cant live without them. That doesnt mean you have to live with them, and yet there is a bittersweet quality to the work that adds unspoken layers. It is a very particular performance and one unique to his style.

Jones plays off Murray with a different kind of performance. Shes warm, vulnerable and naturalistic, even when they are mid-escapade. The trick here is to not let Murray steal the show, and she ably manages to share the spotlight.

On the Rocks also features nice supporting work from Wayans who dials down his comedy instincts to play it straight and Jenny Slate as an over-sharer Laura bumps into now and again. Both bring much to the proceedings but the main attraction here are the leads. Coppola knows that and while the ending may be a bit pat, the endearing characters are the draw, not the story.

The Trial of the Chicago 7, now playing in theatres, sees Aaron Sorkin return to the courtroom twenty eight years after he put the words You cant handle the truth, into Jack Nicholsons mouth. This time around hes re-enacting one of the most famous trials of the 1960s, using transcripts from the actual proceedings as a basis for the script. There is no one moment as powerful of Nicholsons truth declaration, but there is no denying the timeliness of the films fifty-two-year-old story.

Heres the basic story for anyone too young to know the difference between Yippies and Yuppies.

The trial, which was originally the Chicago Eight until Black Panther leader Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) had his case severed from the others, saw 60s counterculture icons Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong) of the Youth International Party (the aforementioned Yippies), and assorted radicals David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), John Froines (Daniel Flaherty), and Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins) charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot stemming from their actions at the anti-Vietnam War protests in Chicago, Illinois, during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Behind the prosecution desk is the young and meticulous Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) acting as assistant to the truculent chief prosecutor Tom Foran (J. C. MacKenzie). On the defense is lawyer William Kunstler (Mark Rylance), a boldfaced name in civil rights litigation. On the bench is Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella), a conservative judge who once presided over an obscenity case against Lenny Bruce.

Those are the players and to a person they deliver solid performances, making the most of Sorkins snappy, rapid-fire dialogue. Of the ensemble cast Baron Cohen stands out, handing in a straight dramatic role; theres no Mankini in sight. Hes too old by half to play the character who once famously urged kids to, Never trust anyone over thirty, but maintains the edge that make his comedic characters so memorable.

Sorkin, who also directs, has made a period piece that reverberates for today. A bridge that spans the five decades from the actual events, its a bit of history that comments on contemporary hot-button topics like protest, civil rights, and police brutality. The sight of Seale, the lone Black defendant, bound and gagged at the judges order, is a potent reminder of racial injustice in the penal system. Re-enactments of police brutality during the riots and the consequent discussion of who is to blame for the violence, the protesters or the bill club swinging cops could be ripped from todays headlines.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 isnt perfect. Gordon-Levitts character is a cypher, a prosecutor who breaks with his colleagues at a crucial moment and Hoffman is played as a pantomime villain, but as a reminder of how history is repeated, it is a compelling watch.

The Glorias, now on VOD/Digital, is an ambitious retelling of the life of a trailblazer. Women's-rights icon Gloria Steinem has led such a multi-faceted life it takes four people to play her over the course of the film.

Based on Steinem's 2015 memoir My Life on the Road, the story is told on a broken timeline that uses a bus metaphor to shift through the various aspects of Steinems life.

From life as a child (played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong) with a transient salesman father whose optimistic motto is, You dont know what will happen tomorrow. It could be wonderful, and former journalist mother Ruth (Enid Graham) to rebellious teen (Lulu Wilson) to magna cum laude graduate and journalist () who went undercover (Alicia Vikander) at Playboy Club to adult activist Gloria (Julianne Moore), the film offers a detailed if somewhat fragmented look at a remarkable life.

To tell the tale director Julie Taymor uses a variety of vibrant colour palettes, newsreel footage, animation, some theatrical techniquesadult Steinem gives advice to her younger self on the aforementioned busand biographical notes. Larger than life characters like social activist Bella Abzug (Bette Midler), businessperson and co-founder of Ms. Magazine Dorothy Pitman Hughes (Janelle Mone) and Lorraine Toussaint as lawyer, feminist, activist Flo Kennedy are brought to vivid life, helping to establish a sense of time and place for a story that hop scotches through time.

The Glorias isnt a standard biopic, but it also isnt as radical as its subject. Its an artfully arranged greatest hits package of a remarkable and influential life that dilutes its impact by trying to cover eighty of Steinems years. Nonetheless, the four performances fit so neatly together to form a whole that we see Steinem's growth as she evolves into the person who made history.

2067 is a rarity. Its an ambitious sci-fi drama, complete with quantum time machines and messages from the future, that portrays a possible end-of-the-world dilemma. Weve seen that before but we havent seen a big Hollywood-style genre pic like this with Australian accents.

Aussie director Seth Larney, who worked in various capacities on everything from The Matrix Reloaded and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith to X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Lego Movie, aims for the stars with 2067, now playing on Apple TV, Bell, Cineplex, Cogeco, Eastlink, Google Play, Microsoft XBOX, Rogers, Shaw and Telus.

Set in the year 2067 in a world ravaged by climate change, where oxygen is a precious resource and its synthetic alternative is making people ill. If humanity doesnt find a cure life on earth will end. With all present-day remedies exhausted Chronicorp, the worlds leading supplier of manmade oxygen, builds a time machine to search the future for descendants who may be able to point the way to survival.

Its a long shot but a message from 400 years in the future gives everyone hope. It says, succinctly, Send Ethan Whyte. Whyte (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a tunnel rat, an underground worker with a bad attitude and an ailing wife. Shot into the future with no idea of what awaits, he becomes humanitys last hope.

2067 is humanist sci fi. The grim picture it paints of a world destroyed by climate change is evocative but the focus isnt on the quantum time doodads or rocketing through time, its about the characters and how these unfortunate situations affects them.

Kodi Smit-McPhee brings the attitude of a young man thrown into a situation he cant comprehend, effectively portraying the resilience and determination needed to put together the disparate pieces of the plots puzzle.

The audience will need to share some of this resolve. Director Larneys story is a bit of a spider web. Tangential connections are established between Whyte and the other characters, but the plot points that could make this story compelling are often telegraphed so far in advance the audience knows where the story is going before the characters have caught up. It is a straight line approach that doesnt trust the viewer to stay with the movies twists and turns.

And to that an undeniably distracting melodramatic score and 2067 becomes an ambitious but underwhelming sci fi survival story.

We have seen movies about assassins and weve seen movies about mind control but Possessor Uncut, the new film by Brandon Cronenberg (yes, hes Davids son and seems to share some of his obsessions) now playing at select theatres and drive ins, mixes and matches the two in an unsettling, surreal hybrid of sci-fi and horror.

Anyone with trypanophobiafear of needlesmay want to cover their eyes during the films opening minutes as a young woman (Gabrielle Graham) impales herself with a long needle, right through the cranium. The needle is attached to a box with a dial. A twist of the dial and soon she is gruesomely stabbing a man in the neck, in public.

Turns out, its not really her brandishing the knife but a mercenary named Tasya (Andrea Riseborough), a mind control assassin who possesses peoples minds via brain-implant technology and forces them to do her bidding. Her handler, Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh), helps her find her way back to her own identity after sublimating herself in someone elses brain.

Tasyas latest gig involves parasitically getting into the mind of former cocaine dealer Colin (Christopher Abbott), a trainwreck of a man whose girlfriend Avas (Tuppence Middleton) father (Sean Bean) is John Parse, a high-powered executive. A rival wants Parse dead and Colin is the perfect patsy to do the deed.

From the films savage opening minutes through the sex and gore splattered landscape of the middle section to the climax Possessor is like a nightmare. Surreal visuals of Tasya and Colin as one hideous being or a severed hand unfurling its fingers are direct from night terrors, but Cronenberg takes pains to ensure that, unlike nightmares that are disconnected scenes that play in our heads, his psychodrama has depth and meaning. His highly developed visual senseand a bloody colour palette that would make Dario Argento enviousis eye-catching and consistently interesting but it is the films ideas that linger like the unsettled feeling after you wake from a nightmare.

The movies exploration of how technology and humanity intersect is an increasingly timely question. Possessor takes that crossroads to a narrative extreme but Tasya and Colins technological melding is a terrifying vision of a future that feels like it might be right around the corner.

Cronenberg's sophomore movie, after 2012s Antiviral, is disturbing and ambitious with an icy, cerebral veneer that will linger in your mind for a long time afterward.

Save Yourselves!, opening in theatres across Canada this weekend, is a whole new genre of movie. A mix of romance and aliens, it is, as far as I can recall, the first apocalyptic rom-com.

Young Brooklynites Su and Jack (Glows Sunita Mani and John Reynolds of Stranger Things) are at a crossroads in their lives. Their jobs are unfulfilling and when they bump into an old friend who now runs a company that makes sustainable 3-D printed surfboards out of algae, they realize their lives arent contributing to society at large.

To get their heads together and figure out a path forward they go off the grid, disconnect from their devices and spend a week hibernating at a cabin in the mountains. The lack of technology doesnt bother Jack, but Su has a harder time cutting the iPhone and laptop cord. When she sneaks a listen to a strange voicemail from her mother, she doesnt register that something really weird is happening in the world outside of their idyllic getaway.

When an alien creature, imagine one of Star Treks Tribbles, or as jack says, a tiny, furry footstool, shows up on the property, they must fight for their lives. Trouble is, as Su says, We dont have any skills.

What they do have, however, is each other.

Save Yourselves! is a slight but enjoyable rom-com with a quirky premise but some real chemistry between the characters. Su and Jack are what may kindly be called cidiots, people who think anything north of 125th Street is Upstate New York. Unprepared for any crisis outside of a Starbucks pumpkin spice shortage, they are forced to adapt and engage with their new surroundings.

Its here the movie works best.

Mani and Reynolds bring the funny during the crisis but the humour is always grounded in some sort of situation that recalls the issues in their relationship that pushed them to visit the cabin in the first place. Director/writers Eleanor Wilson and Alex H. Fischer have crafted a story about two hapless folks trying to improve their lives without a clue of how to do it. It has humour and heart and despite a lull in the middle, Save Yourselves! is goofy good fun.

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Movie reviews: 'On the Rocks' is laugh out loud funny, for a time anyway - CTV News

Obama offers prayers for Trump, while the presidents campaign insults Obama in a fund-raising letter. – The New York Times

Former President Barack Obama and Senator Kamala Harris of California offered their prayers for President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, on Friday evening, colliding with the timing of an emailed fund-raising appeal from the Trump campaign.

The subject line: Lyin Obama.

Lyin Obama and Phony Kamala Harris are calling up their Liberal MEGA DONORS to come and rescue Joe Bidens failing campaign, read the message. Theyre holding a COASTAL ELITE fund-raiser RIGHT NOW.

Just minutes earlier, Mr. Obama and Ms. Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president, had opened their virtual fund-raiser by wishing the president and his wife a speedy recovery, with the former president urging all Americans to hope for the presidents recovery even in the middle of a contentious campaign.

The combative tone of the email came hours after the Biden campaign pulled down all its negative ads against the president, though some already in circulation could take time to stop airing.

The Trump campaign has said it has no plans to stop its attack ads against the Democratic nominee. Announcing an event on Thursday in Peoria, Ariz., to be headlined by Vice President Mike Pence, the campaign accused Mr. Biden of advocating for the far-lefts agenda and having turned his back on Arizonans.

During the online fund-raiser for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mr. Obama told watchers: Even when were in the midst of big political battles with issues that have a lot at stake, that were all Americans and were all human beings, and we want to make sure everybody is healthy. Michelle and I want to make sure we acknowledge the president and the first lady at this difficult time.

Ms. Harris offered her deepest prayers, adding, Let it be a reminder to all of us that we must remain vigilant and take care of ourselves and take care of each other.

The two officials, who were joined by the actor Michael B. Jordan, also tried to assuage concerns and dispel misinformation about voting, particularly casting ballots by mail. Mr. Trump has spent weeks waging a disinformation campaign about the integrity of the American electoral system.

All three said they planned to cast their ballots by mail.

Im going to fill it out at my kitchen table and Im going to get over to the drop box and Im going to drop it off as early as I can, said Ms. Harris, who added she had the date to request her ballot circled on her calendar.

Mr. Obama, who rattled off the name of his polling place in Chicagos Hyde Park neighborhood, said he had cast mail-in ballots since winning the presidency, in part to avoid the crowds that slow down lines when he appears.

When I vote in person, theres a price, he said. It slows down a whole bunch of folks.

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Obama offers prayers for Trump, while the presidents campaign insults Obama in a fund-raising letter. - The New York Times

Does the Obama Foundation Own 82% of Mail-In Ballot Printers? – Snopes.com

On June 26, 2020, the ObamaWatcher website published an article positing that 82% of mail-in ballots in the U.S. were printed by entities owned and operated by the Obama Foundation:

[N]early 82% of all American mail-in ballots are printed by Smoovy-G class 5 dot-matrix replicators All of which are owned and operated by the Obama Foundation.

The Obama Ballots, as some pundits are now calling them as the story has begun to go viral, are being produced in main distribution centers in Baggertits, Ohio, Queefgas Swamp, Florida, and Laniasnatch, Colorado. Ballots are printed by the millions per day, no doubt, with Democratic candidates names already checked off on them

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows: Everything on this website is fiction. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

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Does the Obama Foundation Own 82% of Mail-In Ballot Printers? - Snopes.com