Tag: Allie MacDonald

Art of a Hit was sent to me early as a screener. You can see an interview I had with two of the stars, here!

What happens to yourself if you get a little bit famous, but can never surpass that level? And you both plateau, and then fade away into obscurity? You were so close to greatness, and yet it is all gone.

That is what happened to our band. They had a few hits in the 90s, things were okay. But then their bass player (Rob Raco), who had all of their personality and star potential (weird for a bass player…), got offered a solo gig and took it to grow his career, and the rest of the band had…nothing!

So now here it is over a decade later, the band is sort of together, but not really. They never quit, but that doesn’t mean they play together as much. They have side projects, they still make music, but they aren’t together. But with their record label, they get an offer to head to France, to work with a mythical record producer (Charlie Saxton), to see if they can get their sound back. To see if they can make a hit song or a hit record with him. And maybe taste that sweet sweet glory.

While this happens, the band leader, Ryan (Ryan Donowho) has to manage all of the personalities, the producer, and the record label (who actually dropped them and isn’t paying for this, whoops!). While finding himself mentally, and literally, haunted at this daunting task in front of him at this spooky castle.

Also starring Allie MacDonald, David Valdes, James Earl, and Tim Jo.

“This is going to ruin the tour.”
“The what?”
“The world tour.” This film is labeled as a horror, but really it is not. First, it is far closest to a drama. There are scenes that suddenly get…gorey? I guess that is the right way to describe it. Accidents, self mutilation, being literally chased. But those scenes are few and far in between, and they are almost all in the band leaders head or dreams (not a spoiler). So if anything, maybe its more of a thriller, because of all of the uncertainty they are dealing with, and how most of it manifests in terms of fears of failures.

Honestly, the real scary stuff is happening at the end, and it is literally indescribable. Indescribable because of a spoiler, and I don’t want to get into that, but the ending is definitely horror in a non traditional sense of the genre.

Instead what I am mostly watching and interested in, is the band dynamics, the secrecy of their former bandmate who left, and how natural the group feels. And hell yeah, the band feels like a real band, with baggage and history. Exactly like one would hope. Only one member was awkward with them, and that was because he is new to them for the plot. I think Donowho carries a lot of weight in his face, with his fears of mediocrity, and it shows.

I believe I have been told all of the people did re-record the music that was made for this film. The band Jets to Brazil wrote the songs for the movie, but the actual actors (who all happen to be musicians), re-recorded it and we get to hear what they actually sound like together, and that is awesome. No weeks of intense strumming camp for these folks.

Either way, Art of a Hit I think would be better if they focused less on these few horror elements, and more on the very real dramatic and scary elements of being faced with fading into nothingness, with people barely remembering your name after you were so close to superstardom. That is a strong story. But I do understand these sorts of movies are harder to get funding for, than cheap horror. You never know when the cheap horror film will skyrocket and become popular, after all. A good story, just with some dumb horror moments.

3 out of 4.

There comes a time in every movies life when it needs to pick a genre out of a hat and just run with it. Sometimes, they get genres accidentally stuck together when it comes to be their time, so they might get odd combinations like “Thriller Comedy” or “Urban Sci-Fi”. In the case of Stage Fright, it was able to pull out “Horror Musical”. Sure, musicals could be in really any genre. But even the ones with “darker themes” such as Rocky Horror Picture Show or Little Shop of Horrors or Cannibal! The Musical are all just actually musical comedies. I guess the closest we have right now is Repo! The Genetic Opera. But that is all sorts of weird.

So can Stage Fright be the musical that is also truly a horror?

Well, it has a horror musical veteran in this, so why not?

The movie starts with the worldwide premiere of The Haunting of the Opera, which is a fake Phantom of the Opera, obviously. Similar plot and all. It’s star is miss Kylie Swanson (Minnie Driver), who was killed after her opening night wonderful performance. Awkward. She left behind two kids, Buddy (Douglas Smith) and Camilla (Allie MacDonald). They are taken in by Roger (Meat Loaf), the director or producer or something of the original musical and long time friend of Kylie.

Then, ten years later. Roger has started a musical summer camp for kids to grow their talent and put on shows, to teach everyone that musicals are great! Camilla and Buddy are not campers, they just work in the kitchen. But the camp this year is putting on their own Japanese inspired version of The Haunting of the Opera. That is terrible. But Camilla feels strangely allured to it. She wants to audition for the lead role, like her mom did, and truly honor her.

Yadda yadda yadda, other people want the part. We got an annoying director (Brandon Uranowitz), another lead lady (Melanie Leishman), a weird lead actor (Ephraim Ellis), and a head tech guy who likes Camilla (Kent Nolan). Oh, and eventually a killer starts taking out parts of the cast and crew. Shit, again? What’s up with that? Is that musical haunted or something?!

Haunting musicals can make women fall into trance. A modern day snake charmer, really.

Well, turns out this musical, like the others, really isn’t too scary. Nope, but it does half original music and actually a decent number of laughs! Maybe horror musicals are just inherently funny, because it is hard to take it too seriously when people just belt into song?

There actually weren’t too many original songs in this, just a couple, and then a song from the musical that gets song a few times. But the songs that they did make up were very entertaining/clever/funny. So props to them there!

I find it funny that I can’t think of anything really else to say analysis wise. Not really scary, but the gore existed at some points. The killer isn’t a big shocker. But I am just so happy that they tried to do something like this, and it was decently amusing, that hey, it gets a nice grade.

3 out of 4.

Oh Candaa. The home and native land to many a hockey player. Shit, they invented the sport.

So it comes as no surprise to see that Score: A Hockey Musical eventually came to be. I mean fuck. It has two things I love. Musicals. And Hockey.

How can this love song to Canada be bad?

“I don’t know what to do with my hands.”

Well, his name is Farley Gordan (Noah Reid) and he is going to be the next Crosby. Just no one knows of him, because he has never played any sort of organized team play, just pond hockey with his friends. That is because his parents (Marc Jordan, Olivia Newton-John) are pretty strict liberalists. They have home schooled him his whole life, controlling all aspects, trying to raise him to be Gandhi.

But after a local minor league hockey team owner (Stephen McHattie) sees him play, he gets an offer to join the slightly big leagues! But anyone that knows the minor leagues knows that they are rough and dangerous. Farley is a frail kid, can he take a hit? Can he handle a fight? Can he score with professionals?

No. No he cant. He is a pacifist. The Moose (Dru Viergever), the teams goon cannot protect him. The coach (John Pyper-Ferguson) doesn’t want a sissy on his team, no matter how well he can score. Hell, even the ginger goalie (Chris Ratz) doesn’t approve.

Can Farley figure out how to survive in a fighting league? Can he earn respect? When will he realize his best friend Eve (Allie MacDonald) is more than a friend?!

JUST HOW MUCH TEAM DANCING AND SINGING CAN I EXPECT?

Score may be one of the worst movies made in 2010. However, it easily transcends into “so bad it is good” territory, in my mind. The actual movie is very tongue-in-cheek. It is a movie that is a cheesy musical, while being aware that it is a cheesy musical. Hell, multiple lines sound a bit Whedon-like from his previous works.

The singing isn’t the best either. Newton-John didn’t even sound good, and some of the lyrics will make you cringe, mostly by throwing in too many words to make the rhyme work. But there /is/ some good singing. Allie MacDonald is actually a great singer. They had her sing a bit of Sometimes When We Touch, almost to tease her actual great singing voice, making it an even bigger joke. Noah Reid isn’t a bad singer either. The problem lies with the actual lyrics. Most of the lyrics are just song/spoke, that in between, and it just doesn’t sound the best.

But this movie has some real gems in terms of songs.

The song Pacifism’s Defense, where Farley tries to argue he shouldn’t have to fight, versus his whole team who disagrees. We get awkward manly time, dancing in the locker room, and some interesting rhymes.

The radio version of the finale, Hockey, The Greatest Game In The Land is hilarious in its catchy-ness and how it switches from hockey to just Canada in general.

Every good musical needs a ballet, and this one has one in the form of an bench clearing brawl. “Jab Jab, Hook Hook, Kidney Punch”. Hell, it also has cameos from Walter Gretzky and Theo Fleury.

I say if you are going to watch this movie, don’t take it too seriously, watch it to make fun of, and it will be good. On its own, yes, it is poorly acted and sung. But if you Give It A Shot, it might just make you proud to be a hockey fan. Or the opposite of that.

And yes, that is Nelly Furtado as rambuncious homer fan of a minor league hockey team.

3 out of 4.