So-called comedy desperately needs a script

So-called comedy desperately needs a script

Going by the trailers and clips online, one could hope the comedy The House holds the promise of a rollicking and timely satire on, say, American corruptibility, attendant with the erosion of the middle class.

Don’t bet on it.

Instead, this film from director Andrew Jay Cohen is a pretty weak example of the throw-the-spaghetti-at-the-wall approach to contemporary screen comedy: only a couple of scenes stick.

Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler play Scott and Kate Johanson, a pair of suburbanites desperate to earn some money after their beloved daughter’s college scholarship falls through, owing to the machinations of a greedy/creepy town councillor (Nick Kroll).

Jets salvage point in Chicago

CHICAGO — Ever have one of those days where you should have just stayed in bed? That pretty much sums up how Thursday went for the Winnipeg Jets here in the Windy City.

It began with the bad news that top defenceman Josh Morrissey’s wrist issue is more serious than feared, and he likely won’t be back in the lineup any time soon. Then, veteran forward Vlad Namestnikov, coming off his best game of the young season, crashed into the boards at the end of morning skate, suffering an upper-body injury that sent him to the sidelines.

Off to the game itself, which began with Dylan DeMelo hitting the post on the first shift, a parade of Winnipeg penalties helping the home team build a healthy early lead and, last and certainly least, an eventual 4-3 overtime loss at United Center.

It actually could have been worse.

MMF eyes Brandon for expansion of its real estate holdings

The Manitoba Métis Federation is ramping up its Brandon presence and it’s eyeing buildings downtown.

MMF President David Chartrand said the federation has placed a $2 million offer on two sites Assiniboine Credit Union owns.

It submitted an offer last week for a three-storey office and former branch at 220 10th St., and 1020 Princess Ave., Chartrand said.

Assiniboine Credit Union didn’t respond to an interview request by end of day Saturday.

Manitoba Hydro to replace dozens of electrical substations over 20 years

Manitoba Hydro is promising fewer power outages in Winnipeg once it replaces or converts 41 electrical substations in a project the utility says will last up to 20 years and cost as much as $1.2 billion.

Author Emily St. John Mandel’s Exit Party a story of hope in dark times

If Emily St. John Mandel’s new novel Exit Party is in any way prophetic, Americans should be worried.

The B.C.-born, New York-based author’s bestselling fourth novel, 2014’s Station Eleven, chronicled a performing troupe in a post-pandemic world. The novel experienced a second wave of popularity when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, and when HBO’s Station Eleven miniseries premièred in late 2021.

Mandel launches Exit Party, her seventh novel, at McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park location tonight, where she’ll be joined in conversation by Winnipeg novelist Joan Thomas.

Published in September by HarperCollins, Exit Party sees Mandel once again working in the near future, in this case in a novel that features two timelines — one (dubbed the A-side in the novel) where the U.S. has fractured into a number of small countries following a civil war, and another (the B-side) where a singular, autocratic surveillance state has tightened its grip over its citizens.

Possibility of Hellebuyck’s return grows each day as pay slips away

CHICAGO — Buckle up, folks. The next plot twist in the ongoing soap opera between the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck could be a doozy.

Let’s start with a few cold, hard facts. Or, if you prefer: “Previously on As the Hellebuyck Turns…”

The franchise goaltender, with five years remaining on a contract extension he willingly signed with Winnipeg in 2023, refused to report to training camp last month as he awaits word on a trade request made at the end of last season. He’s the first NHL player in more than a quarter century to essentially go on strike.

The Jets are under no obligation to move Hellebuyck, but have indicated they would try to accommodate him if another team meets their needs. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has made it clear he needs to “get this right” and wants a haul for a three-time Vezina Trophy winner and one-time Hart Trophy recipient.