Ryan Reynolds, Colin Hanks say their John Candy doc offers lesson in grief

TORONTO - A new documentary presents beloved Canadian comic John Candy as a people-pleaser who loved to make others laugh.

It’s a common trait among comedians, but the film’s producer Ryan Reynolds says it was a dangerous one for Candy because it masked private struggles – among them, unresolved childhood trauma, anxiety and self-esteem issues.

“Growing up in that industry is difficult,” Reynolds said during a round of media interviews at the recent Toronto International Film Festival, where the film premiered.

"I do think that the intersection of people-pleaser and mental health issues, there's something interesting happens at that place where you still want to say, 'I'm fine.' And you're not. And it's a very dangerous thing," said the Vancouver-born star, who adds another project to a resume that ranges from '00s rom-com "The Proposal" to the R-rated "Deadpool" franchise and soccer series "Welcome to Wrexham."

Alan Doyle wants to try everything once, so he co-wrote the musical ‘Tell Tale Harbour’

TORONTO - To hear Alan Doyle tell it, he's stumbled into all his creative pursuits since the success of his folk-rock group Great Big Sea. 

The name and voice recognition he earned fronting that band got him opportunities: as an actor in Ridley Scott's 2010 film adaptation of "Robin Hood," as the composer for the CBC sitcom "Son of a Critch," as an author with three memoirs published so far and a fourth on the way. 

"I'm a guy in a band, that's my main job," he says. "All the other stuff has come to me. I never went looking for any of it." 

The latest thing to come to him? A starring role in a musical he co-wrote. 

Cineplex reports September box office revenue $37.7M, up from $35.2M a year earlier

TORONTO - Cineplex Inc. says its box office revenue for September totalled $37.7 million, up from $35.2 million a year earlier.

The movie theatre company says the result was helped by a strong showing by horror movie The Conjuring: Last Rites.

Cineplex says box office revenue for the third quarter totalled $159.5 million, down from $174.9 million a year earlier.

Cineplex chief executive Ellis Jacob says outside a tough comparative last August, with the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, the third-quarter box office performed well compared with a year ago.

Director Colin Hanks’ doc a sweet tribute to beloved Canadian comedian John Candy

“He was a grand man,” Dan Aykroyd says of his colleague and friend John Candy.

Now streaming on Prime Video, this new look at the life and work of the late Canadian comedian is more of a joyful celebration than a hard-hitting documentary.

But why not? John Candy: I Like Me may get a little repetitive and obvious in its overlong runtime, but mostly it’s a sweet, affectionate and appealing tribute that perfectly matches its subject.

“I wish I had bad things to say about him,” Bill Murray jokes in the opening interview, which makes it clear right off the hop that this film, from director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds, is not going to be some scandal-mongering, tell-all exposé.

From sculpture to olive oil, a look at some of the gifts Carney received as PM

OTTAWA - Mark Carney has received more than a dozen gifts from world leaders since becoming prime minister — everything from Hermès ties and crystal bowls to a sculpture of Winston Churchill.

But the gifts he received from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are among his favourites, his office told The Canadian Press.

From Meloni, Carney received a ceramic olive oil vessel, Modena balsamic vinegar and bottles of olive oil.

During the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., in June, Sheinbaum gave Carney an Indigenous soccer ball handcrafted by Menchaca Studio.

Cineplex lawyer defends online booking fee disclosure at drip pricing appeal hearing

The Competition Tribunal erred in ruling Cineplex Inc. misled theatregoers by not immediately disclosing an online booking fee, a lawyer for the theatre giant argued at the Federal Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

Cineplex is appealing a tribunal decision from September 2024 related to the fee of up to $1.50, which some customers had to pay for booking their tickets online.

The Competition Bureau, which triggered the case in 2023, said the practice amounted to drip pricing — where a low price draws people in before they're caught off guard later in the checkout process by fees that cause their total to climb.

Cineplex has maintained it was upfront about the charges, which could be avoided by purchasing tickets at a theatre.

Movie Review: ‘Tron’ franchise returns in a dazzling, action-packed sequel with plenty of nostalgia

“Tron: Ares” may have the tagline “No Going Back” but Disney doesn't like to leave money on the table. So here we are, going back with a third entry in a cult franchise that's somewhat trapped between the human and digital worlds.

Ride-or-die Tron-iacs are going to need a few things to be happy — the cool motorbikes that kick off light walls, those glowing Frisbee things attached to everyone's back, and, of course, Jeff Bridges. Director Joachim Rønning gives us all those things and much, much more. Maybe too much.

“Tron: Ares” bites off so much — a light cycle chase through downtown Vancouver, a laser attack by a massive, hovering vehicle, a Jet Ski pursuit, dozens of crushed police cars and endless flipping between Earth and no less than three computer grids — that it gets a bit deafening and numbing after two hours, like a late-stage Marvel movie.

How do you go back and yet forward at the same time? The filmmakers have rather cleverly done that by incorporating plot points from the first two movies and building out with new characters and blurring the divide between flesh and digital worlds.

Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri on sex, lies and academics in ‘After the Hunt’

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Andrew Garfield would like everyone to know about his gesticulating. Not in his performance as a Yale philosophy professor accused of sexual misconduct in “After the Hunt,” but while discussing an actor’s responsibility to comment on the work they’re putting out in the world.

It’s a blue-sky day outside the luxurious Hotel Cipriani and Garfield is seated alongside his co-stars Julia Roberts and Ayo Edebiri discussing a film that has, for better or worse, become the topic of some spirited debates. Just a few days prior at the Venice Film Festival, journalists at a press conference asked Roberts and filmmaker Luca Guadagnino if the film undermines the feminist movement.

“I don’t think it’s the actor’s responsibility at all to express anything in public. Ever,” Garfield said, using his hands for extra emphasis. “Please, tell them about the gesticulation.”

Roberts chimed in: “The hair as well.” (It was bouncing).

Cineplex drip pricing case headed for appeal could serve as warning

TORONTO - Cineplex Inc. is headed to court Wednesday to fight a decision — and record $38.9-million penalty — that experts say should serve as a warning for other companies.

The theatre giant is appealing a Competition Tribunal decision from September last year that found Cineplex misled theatregoers by not immediately disclosing a fee up to $1.50 some customers had to pay for booking their tickets online.

The Competition Bureau, which triggered the case in 2023, said the incident amounted to drip pricing — a practice where a low price draws people in before they're caught off guard later in the checkout process by fees that cause their final total to climb.

Cineplex, which declined to comment for this story, disagreed with the ruling, saying it was upfront about the charges, which can be avoided by purchasing tickets at the theatre.

What to watch: Choice TV about good, evil and the in-between

In art, the tension between black and white, wrong and right can draw a very satisfying narrative frame. But the real interesting bits are found in characters and stories that resist the binary. Here are some viewing suggestions that explore some of the stops on that spectrum.

Disney Plus to increase prices by up to $3, bring Hulu branding to Canada

TORONTO - Disney Plus is rolling out another price increase in Canada.

The streaming home to the Star Wars and Marvel franchises says the monthly cost of its commercial-free streaming packages is set to rise by up to $3 starting in November.

A representative for the company says the price of its standard high-definition subscription will increase by $3 to $15.99 per month, while the price of its premium 4K package will rise by $1 to $16.99 per month.

The price for Disney's standard subscription with ad breaks will stay at $8.99 a month.

Exhausting tale of family strife no match for actors’ talents

Ronan Day-Lewis makes his directorial debut in this exhausting, emotionally gruelling British drama about a missing father — an enigmatic man named Ray who has been holed up in a cabin in the forest for years, leaving behind a family who waits for his return.

The best thing about Anemone is that it stars the filmmaker’s own father, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, who — rather like his character — disappeared eight years ago into a mysterious retirement and now comes back to the screen to remind us how good he is.

The worst thing about Anemone is that the overly schematic, thuddingly symbolic script never matches the elder Day-Lewis’s genius.

The film begins with a series of children’s drawings of the Troubles — Irish flags, British soldiers, guns and bombs. Cutting to a working-class home in a town in the north of England, it then tracks the ways the history of Northern Ireland has bled into the present — and into the complicated relationships between fathers, sons and brothers.

Ontario cinema cancels South Asian film screenings after arson attempt, shooting

OAKVILLE - A cinema west of Toronto says it is cancelling screenings of South Asian films after an arson attempt and a shooting on its property in the past week. 

Film.Ca Cinemas says both incidents at its Oakville, Ont., location occurred overnight while the theatre was closed and no one was injured. 

It says the incidents "may be connected to disagreements" within the South Asian film industry and it made the difficult decision to pull the screenings for the safety of its staff and guests. 

Halton police say they are investigating after two suspects used a flammable liquid to set the theatre's entrance doors on fire on Sept. 25, although the blaze remained contained and didn't cause significant damage.