Latest news with #Commotion
CBC
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
In The Final Reckoning, Mission: Impossible forgets to be fun
Social Sharing Arguably the heaviest hitter in this year's summer blockbuster lineup is Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. The eighth movie in the franchise just landed in theatres, and it picks up where Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One left off a couple years ago. Tom Cruise is back leading as special agent Ethan Hunt, whose latest impossible mission finds him trying to take down an AI enemy technology called the Entity. For 30 years, the Mission: Impossible franchise has promised audiences a fun night out at the movies. But does this latest — and perhaps final — installment deliver? Today on Commotion, culture critics Teri Hart, Rebecca Jennings and Eli Glasner join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to get into the highs and lows of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, including a discussion about the incredible AI-generated errors recently published by a lauded Chicago newspaper, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Eli, the idea that this movie is weighted by the legacy of the franchise itself — eight movies, bajillions of dollars made — that's interesting to me. So walk me through the franchise and then arriving at this moment in the franchise. Eli: The problem with this film is that it takes itself so seriously. When Mission: Impossible started, let's remember: this was a remake of a kind of wacky TV show where people had disguises, and the main gambit when the Mission: Impossible movies started with Cruise was they had masks…. That was fine. That was nice. So it was basically like an off-brand James Bond. Like, "OK, Bond's got that thing covered — he's suave, he's international. We don't have that. We're gonna get Cruise to run around. Things are going to explode. He's going to get his gang of friends," and it was fine…. It was just fun. Elamin: But it got bigger. Eli: But then it got bigger. And I think the problem is, it got to this point where they didn't remember what we enjoyed about it. It wasn't an event when Mission: Impossible movies started, but it was fun. Like in between the various Bond films, check out a Mission: Impossible, and it was a good time. But now, it's so reverential— Elamin: He's carrying the box office on his back, Eli! Eli: But he's not. The problem of the film is that it treats it like he is, and like this is the most important thing in the world. Even the plot now is so nonsensical that there's no enjoyment anymore. The problem is they assume that we have a level of interest and knowledge of the franchise. Like, there's a bad guy, Gabriel — I can barely remember his backstory. They're doing all these callbacks! Elamin: I don't want continuity. Like, please, this is Mission: Impossible we're doing here. Eli: I didn't do my Mission: Impossible homework. I just went in kind of blind, and they're pulling all these things … I don't remember. The movies are all convoluted on their own, and now to try and weave together 30 years of shenanigans — there's so much gravitas, it's like we're on Jupiter. It is so solemn. It is so reverential. Elamin: Rebecca, we come to this place for magic, you know? There's something to be said about the escalating scale of the Mission: Impossible movies…. The gambit was, this will be a good time at the movies. You're not going to remember the plot. You don't need to remember who Gabriel is. But you will remember the stunts. You'll remember the thing as an event. For you, as you were sort of walking in and being like, "I'm saying goodbye to this universe." Did you feel the weight of that watching this movie? Rebecca: Well, I think the movie really wants you to feel the weight of that…. The first hour is mostly flashbacks or flash-forwards. The point of a Mission: Impossible movie is you go into the theatre, and then it all completely erases from your brain the moment you step out of it. Elamin: The minute you leave, it's gone. Rebecca: And that's why I love Mission: Impossible. But even though the movie was so divorced from reality in any stake sense, and it had to keep reminding you about what the timing was, but it's like, oh, that's not really the time. I think because this one was so weighed down by the myth of Mission: Impossible, which no one really cares about — it's not like a Marvel or a Harry Potter movie, you don't have to watch the previous ones to get it. But I think if they're calling this the final one, then great, wipe the slate clean. Start a new thing with the same name. But don't make us care about Gabriel, and Tom Cruise's 75 love interests over 30 years. Like, the way they kept flashing back to these various women that Tom Cruise has kissed, I'm like, who was that? Elamin: Well, the whole thing was that he was trying to protect his wife at the end of the first one…. You guys don't remember that? That's crazy to me. Rebecca: The fact that he had a wife, I'm like, what? This is like, just insert some brunette lady; that's his love interest. Watching movie stars do crazy stunts, that will never get old. But you don't need the Entity and Gabriel and the wives to do that. Elamin: "The Entity and Gabriel and the Wives" sounds like a great sequel, by the way, if any executive is listening.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
How Late Bloomer represents the breadth of the South Asian experience in Canada
Social Sharing Late Bloomer just wrapped up its second season, and the verdict is in: people love it. The Crave dramedy follows an aspiring content creator named Jusmeet Dutta, who's based on the show's creator and star, Jasmeet Raina (a.k.a Jus Reign). The series loosely mirrors Raina's own experience as a YouTuber and Punjabi Sikh millennial in Canada. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud speaks with journalists Jeevan Sangha and Joyita Sengupta about the acclaim for Late Bloomer and their favourite moments from this season. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: Season two of Late Bloomer is being called the best one yet. Joyita, how did you feel about it? Joyita: I really liked it. I loved the first season, as well. I think the second season is even more ambitious than the first. And like it really leans into the drama side of the dramedy equation, although there are some really funny moments. But I think probably one of my favourite things about Late Bloomer, and specifically Season 2, is that in the canon of North American shows about South Asians, there's often, in my opinion, a huge lack of class representation. I always feel like I keep seeing the same stories about an upper middle class brown person whose parents are a doctor or something, and they want to go to an Ivy League school and blah, blah, blah. And they're made by great trailblazing creators, for sure — and they sometimes centre whiteness in a way that I don't appreciate — but it does speak to some people's experiences. But when it comes to Late Bloomer, you get to see a community that truly doesn't need to centre anyone else but themselves. And in terms of the class part of that equation, you see the first season ended with him [Jasmeet] falling out with his parents, mainly his dad. And now it starts with him living in a basement apartment with a bunch of international students. And there is a bit of tension there because those students are looking at him like, "You could just go home if you wanted to. You keep rocking the boat because you don't know struggle like we do." But then on the other hand, he's hanging out with this girlfriend who comes from a far more privileged and wealthier family, and there is a lot of discomfort around that and how they move through the world as South Asians. And I just think seeing that breadth of our experience from a class perspective? So refreshing. Elamin: Last week, [Joyita] was on this very show, talking about anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiments being aimed at Brampton, Ont. — specifically South Asian communities — being stoked by places like 6ixBuzz. Jeevan, what does a show like Late Bloomer offer to that conversation, do you think? Jeevan: I think this episode [Episode 6, which follows an international student who is also a food delivery person] of Late Bloomer, to me, is required reading for everyone in my life. I think that there are so many conversations about international students, about newcomers that are so vitriolic and so aggressive. One scene in that episode — it was very quick, but really important — is, after having the worst day ever, the protagonist of this episode opens his phone, and sees a video that he thinks is fun about folks that are just like him, and opens the comments, and it's just some of the most troubling and disgusting comments that you could ever see. And like any racialized person in Canada, but particularly South Asians in the last few years, know that feeling of seeing something on Instagram about someone in your community and just having to brace for impact. And I think the level of complexity that this episode brings to the international student experience, and presents to Canadians through the extensive research that was done, is so needed in this cultural moment in time. It is urgent to me, so if you haven't watched it please, please, please consider it.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Lido Pimienta's new album feels like 'sitting in a rainforest listening to an orchestra'
Content creator Gloria Malone discusses the beauty of the Polaris Music Prize winner's latest work Image | Lido Pimienta Caption: Lido Pimienta performing at the 2021 Grammys. (for The Recording Academy) Open Image in New Tab Polaris Music Prize winner Lido Pimienta brings classical music to her newest album, La Belleza. The Colombian Canadian singer, songwriter and musician impresses audiences with her unique sound and constant experimentation. Today on Commotion, content creator and Lido fan Gloria Malone tells host Elamin Abdelmahmoud why La Belleza makes her feel like she's "sitting in a rainforest listening to an orchestra," as well as her favourite songs and themes running through this new release. You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts. Interview with Gloria Malone produced by Ty Callender.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
What's behind Emily Henry's wild popularity?
Emily Henry is back with one of the most anticipated novels of 2025, Great Big Beautiful Life. The romance and women's fiction author has become a phenomenon in the past few years, with her books topping bestseller lists. Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by Rolling Stone's internet and culture writer CT Jones and bookish content creator Alicia Foshay to discuss what makes Henry's writing so popular and whether she lives up to the hype. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: A lot of the discourse around her books are around the writing style and the idea of straddling the genres between romance and literary fiction — or more specifically, women's fiction — moving between those two universes. I think we've got to define these categories. CT, how would you describe the difference between this idea of romance and women's fiction? CT: I am so glad you asked. What a beautiful question, Elamin. The answer is sexism. I'm joking — actually, I'm not joking. Elamin: That's real. Get into it. CT: Women's fiction is an umbrella term…. It's kind of this term to be like, "We think girls will pick this up in a library and we think that moms who are on vacation to Mallorca will see this in the middle of the airport and say, 'I could read this for a couple days.'" That's what people think of when they think of women's fiction. It's also important to note that there is no comparable version for men's fiction because people just assume that men can understand genres better. So instead, you don't have to be like, "This is for the boys." You just get to write a book and put dragons on it, and everyone apparently knows who it's for. But one of the things about women's fiction that you can usually tell it by, is people usually market it if there's a big emotional journey, some kind of giant life change, or people are working through their emotion, their feelings about being human in general, or some kind of historic event. And then romance, the easiest way that I can think about it is: emotions can occur and sometimes it's awesome if they do, but if there isn't a happily ever after at the end of the book, there will be hell to pay. Elamin: That's the expectation. Take me to that place. Alicia, famously, men don't have emotions, that's why they just call [their books] "fiction," I believe. What are your thoughts? Alicia: I am in complete agreement, and I don't think we should pull back on the sexism thing. I think it's completely true. I think people, in general, are comfortable with things tailored to women that are one-dimensional. And so they like to fit things into boxes because the idea that a book tailored to women could be about more than romance, love and daisies is unfathomable. It's the same way that George R. R. Martin can write Game of Thrones, which is a highly sexualized fantasy series, and it's not called "dragon smut." But when Rebecca Yarros does it — the exact same thing — it is [called "dragon smut"], and it is tailored to women, and it's viewed as not an important book in the space of fantasy. I also think that it's almost a little bit insulting to men too. You, Elamin, are reading Emily Henry and you're enjoying them, like men can enjoy highly emotional books. We all have the capacity to move between genres, and I think that's kind of what Emily Henry is doing with the evolution of her books.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Festival of Literary Diversity
The Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) was the first of its kind in Canadian literature: a book festival celebrating diverse authors both at home and beyond. The festival takes place in Brampton, Ont., and aims to make space for writers to discuss their craft and the challenges involved in creating stories that "ask difficult questions, expose hard truths and push literary boundaries." Since its launch, the FOLD has evolved to include a reading challenge, a kids festival, an author visit series and monthly online webinars. Now, coming up on its 10th anniversary, founder and author Jael Richardson joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to reflect on how far book publishing has come in Canada — and how far it still has to go. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube (this segment begins at 17:52): Elamin: You founded this thing 10 years ago, and now look at us here. How does it feel to have arrived at the 10-year mark? Jael: It feels surreal. It definitely doesn't feel like 10 years, I think, because we started thinking it was only going to be in person in Brampton, and we had two years virtual. Now we're hovering over both spaces. Each iteration feels like its own version of the festival. And so I have to remember the culmination of all that. Elamin: Walk me through a little bit of why you felt like you needed to start this festival to begin with…. What need were you trying to fill, in that moment? Jael: I think there were obvious things going on at the time I started this. There was a movement with We Need Diverse Books in the States that was addressing a lack of diversity in publishing. And I don't talk about this a lot, but it's also a little bit of selfishness, you know? I'm a writer. I had a book come out. I wasn't at literary festivals, even though the book was about my dad who was a CFL quarterback. And I sort of thought, if you have this famous story in Canada and you can't get on a stage, maybe there's no room if you're an ordinary person. And so I wanted to start something that I could build, somewhere where I could go and talk about my books. And then I recognized just how important it was to other authors from marginalized communities to have a space where they could go, and be amongst one another, and be experts in craft. That was a big thing, too: not being forced to talk about identity. Being able to talk about it, but also being able to do a workshop on writing fiction or writing a memoir, which many authors said that they hadn't been asked to do before. Elamin: I think there's a feeling of like, "I want to come and talk about the ways that I've approached writing this book. That sometimes includes talking about identity, but not always. Sometimes it does include, why did I make the specific choices I made as a writer?" And what FOLD really allows you to do is sit in that space. Do you feel like Canadian literature has become more diverse in the last 10 years or so since you started FOLD? Jael: I do. I think there are festivals across the country that have diverse lineups and are really thinking about it — have always been thinking about it, too, in different ways, perhaps. And there are publishers who are actively taking an interest in not only seeking out marginalized voices, but creating spaces that are safer, more effective than they have before. I won't say it's all rose-colored glasses and everything's great. But I do think there's a baseline of conversation we can have now that I felt we were fighting to have 10 years ago. Jael: We had a really great event last night where we talked about conflict and community, and how we move through hard times. There was a really great after party. I want to shout out a woman named Eve who lives out west on her own, on a farm, and just talked about the need for connection; that was really important to me. I'll also say we have a really great event on Saturday called "Eat the Books" with Ozoz Sokoh, who's a chef working with Afrobeat Kitchen, to talk about books, talk about Nigerian culture, talk about food. I love when we get to mix books and some other art form — in this case, food. Elamin: Jael, I appreciate you. I appreciate everything that you've built. Thank you so much for everything that you put your energy into, and congratulations on 10 years. Thanks for being on the show, friend. Jael: Thank you so much.
