Tag: sparked
‘BlackBerry’ review: Comedy is sparked from true tech tragedy
Tech icons Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs have inspired prestigious dramas like The Social Network and Steve Jobs. But for Mike Lazaridis, Doug Fregin, and Jim Balsillie, the minds behind the groundbreaking Blackberry, their rise and fall is the stuff of comedy. Or at least it is as presented by co-writer, director, and co-star Matt Johnson in the frenetic BlackBerry.
Making its North American Premiere at the SXSW Festival, BlackBerry is in good company with Tetris, another tech-centered biopic that turns potentially boring business matters into chuckle-rumbling bits. Beyond their surface similarities, both films succeed or fail because of their central cast.
What’s BlackBerry about?
In 1996, Doug (Johnson) and Mike (Jay Baruchel in a glistening silver wig) tumbled into a meeting that would change their lives forever. The inventing besties aren’t much to look at. Ever-bedecked in a sweatband, juvenile graphic tees, and gym shorts, Doug’s disdain for business as usual is as pungent as his raggedy headgear. Meanwhile, Mike, wearing geeky aviator glasses and a shirt the color of an old envelope, looks more like an unassuming bank clerk than tech’s next big star. It’s little surprise then that ball-busting exec Jim (Glenn Howerton shaved into a balding menace) can barely contain his repulsion. But a great idea is a great idea, and even with their clumsy pitch — “a cellphone and an email machine all in one thing” — it’s clear this is a great idea.
Despite their personality clashes and bouts of distrust, the Canadian trio turns this hybrid device into a whole new industry. BlackBerry charts their hardscrabble beginnings, their heady success, and then the outrageous manipulations — and crimes — committed to trying to keep them on top of the smartphone game once the iPhone arrives.
BlackBerry is a cautionary tale jolted with humor and heart.
Through the three interweaving arcs of Doug, Mike, and Jim, the script (co-written by Johnson and Matthew Miller) charts a stark tale of Goofus vs. Greed. Doug is the kind of guy who’ll pointedly quote Star Wars in a business pitch and fight passionately to preserve silly office traditions, like a plunger’s quirky placement and a weekly movie night — deadlines be damned! But as their company’s potential grows, Mike’s being lost — as Doug might put it — to the Dark Side.
Jim, a shark in a suit, is always on the move up the corporate ladder, and he won’t suffer fools or dawdlers. Where Johnson brings an almost obnoxious aw-shucks demeanor to Mike, Howerton channels the comic rage he’s shown throughout It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to a ruthless point, plunging it mercilessly into BlackBerry’s corporate culture. Sure, at first Mike pushes back to preserve his invention’s integrity and his employees’ loyalty. But money changes people. By the time BlackBerry hits its predictable mid-way movie makeover, Mike is looking sharper in more ways than one.
Glenn Howerton hits hilarity; Jay Baruchel struggles in a straight-man role.
Credit: IFC Films
Amid business meetings, snarled contract negotiations, and outright screaming matches, BlackBerry is less interested in the story of the phone than it is in the battle for Mike’s soul. Johnson casts himself and his guileless exuberance as the gawky angel on Mike’s shoulder, while Howerton is a capitalist devil. They both deliver performances that brush off the cobwebs of prestige biopics in favor of something funnier and fiercer. As a longtime Sunny fan, Howerton’s outbursts alone make BlackBerry worth watching. Unfortunately, Baruchel at its center fumbles.
A comedic actor who’s made his mark by playing lovable goofs, he’s oddly cast as a meek introvert who mumbles and emotes through tediously repressed expression. Baruchel is earnest in his portrayal, shedding the jovial smile and shouldering a stiff physicality that speaks to Mike’s internalized struggle. But he never quite clicks in the role, feeling like a drag amid warring dragons. Without punchlines or pluck, Baruchel is lost. And as his character is the emotional stakes of the movie, BlackBerry never quite comes together.
As a filmmaker, Johnson’s energy is infectious. Ahead of the SXSW premiere, he took to the stage in Doug’s costume, excitedly chattering to the audience about the cuts made to the film since its World Premiere at the Berlinale. His vaguely chaotic vibes infuse BlackBerry with jolting pacing, racing through the plot, montages, and archival footage with the help of acutely captured stock characters. For example, Michael Ironside crackles as a business bully, while Rich Sommer warmly shrugs as a humble yet ingenious nerd.
Even if you don’t know the story behind BlackBerry, which is based on the book Losing the Signal by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff, you might well predict it, as tech icons in movies rarely get Hollywood happy endings. So, Johnson smartly wastes no time, moving swiftly — though not quite gracefully — through plot points, occasionally resting to relish in character moments and comeuppance, one of which drew cheers from the tech-savvy SXSW audience.
Though occasionally a bumpy ride, Johnson brings plenty of earnest nostalgia for this era to the movie with a soundtrack that boasts Joy Division, Moby, and Mark Morrison, as well as prop elements like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II on VHS, and, of course, the cathartic click of keys on the titular device. Overall, the journey is more rollicking than rocky. While not amid this year’s most gut-busting comedies, BlackBerry manages to find the humor in the heartbreak of this true tale, delivering an ending that is simple yet satisfying.
BlackBerry made its World Premiere at SXSW 2023; a theatrical release will follow on May 12.
Train Sparked Miles Before It Derailed in Ohio, Videos Show
Videos of the Norfolk Southern Railway train that went off the tracks in Northeastern Ohio show that the train was on fire miles before it derailed on February 3 and caused an ongoing hazardous chemical disaster.
Drag Queen whose children event at Tate Britain sparked protest described himself as a ‘role model’
Gemma Collins updates fans on mystery foot agony that left her unable to walk and sparked fear she’s ‘cursed’
GEMMA Collins has given fans an update on her mystery aching foot that left her unable to walk – sparking rumours that she is ‘cursed’.
Ever since the GC , 41, arrived home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with fiancé Rami Hawash, she has been in excruciating pain.
Gemma gave fans an update on her agony foot and explained she was feeling much better[/caption]
Gemma told fans she was back on her feet and shared snaps of her day out in the countryside with her fiance Rami[/caption]
Recently the star invited a personal trainer, physiotherapist and spiritual healer to her home to ease her discomfort.
Of the three, the physio appeared to have the greatest success, with Gemma.
Speaking about her treatment after, Gemma said: “I’m in agony. Oh my God, is this man the G-O-D. One session I’m walking, I’m up, I’m round the kitchen. I can’t tell you the agony I’ve been in it’s like a curse.
She continued: “I don’t know what’s happened. Whoever put the curse on me take it off. It’s been nothing but hassle the minute I stepped back in the UK.”
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And it appears the single session is all Gemma will need after her early morning update.
She wrote on Instagram: “It’s a miracle. I am up and walking this morning like a new woman. Phew. Let’s get 2023 on the road now thank you.”
Now the iconic TV star has given fans an update on her foot agony.
Alongside a sweet snap of her with her partner Rami, Gemma penned: A beautiful Sunday I’m back on my feet and loving what Mother Nature had to offer today also had the best roast @foxandgoosechelmsford #winterwalks
Fans were thrilled to see the GC back in action as they rushed to the comments to wish her well.
One fan wrote: “So glad you are feeling better now Gemma, stay safe.”
Another commented: “You’ve got this Gem!x”
A third penned: “Looking gorgeous as ever! Glad to see you are much better now.”
A fourth added: “Glad you are well. Thank Jesus for your recovery.”
A fifth gushed: “Wow. Looking good Gem,” along with a fire emoji.
Last week Gemma had a spiritual awakening when she visited the birthplace of Jesus.
She broke down in tears and shook with emotion at the Church of the Nativity in Jerusalem, which is said to be the exact place where Jesus was born.
The star recently invited a spiritual healer and physiotherapist to her house to help ease her discomfort[/caption]
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Chilling moment ‘racist gunman’ stumbles into hair salon after attack that left three dead and sparked riots in Paris
A SUSPECTED gunman stumbled into a hair salon still brandishing a weapon after three people were shot dead, chilling footage appears to show.
William M, 69, gunned down a woman and two men and injured at least three others in a horror attack in Paris, authorities say.
The alleged attacker was then escorted away in handcuffs[/caption]
The retired train driver, who is suspected far-right extremist, had been released on bail just days earlier for attacking two migrants with a sabre-type sword.
Riots erupted in the French capital on Friday after three people, all understood to be Kurdish activists, were shot dead.
Police rushed to the scene to the 10th arrondissement in the north of Paris just after midday (11am GMT) following reports that at least eight gunshots had been heard.
A haunting clip has now emerged appearing to show the alleged killer entering a barber clutching a gun after the attack.
CCTV footage shows customers and staff running away from the salon floor just moments before the man walked in.
He then appears to shoot in the direction of those hiding.
A scuffle then seems to break out as the workers and customers detain and disarm the suspected gunman.
One of the men can be seen carrying the gun away while another starts making calls.
The suspected attacker was arrested before being taken to hospital with facial injuries.
The clothing worn by the man in the clip matches the description of the outfit worn by the gunman arrested.
Investigators are considering a possible racist motive for the shooting as anti-terror police in France probe the incident.
The French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that the suspect “obviously wanted to target foreigners”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the country’s Kurds were the target of a “heinous” attack.
He tweeted: “Thoughts for the victims, those who are fighting to survive, to their families and loved ones.”
Anger erupted following the shooting as rioters clashed with police, started fires and formed barricades.
Riot cops unleashed tear gas while pictures showed an injured protester being carried to safety by the crowd and hurt police officers being pulled away by colleagues.
The shooting took place close to a Kurdish cultural centre on Rue d’Enghien in the 10th Arrondissement of the French capital.
It is just minutes from Gare du Nord station, where millions of Brits arrive every year on the Eurostar from Kings Cross.
The district of northern Paris has a large Kurdish population.
Riot police surrounded by clouds tear gas[/caption]
At least three people were killed in the shooting[/caption]
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Brandy Sends Love to Brother Ray J After He Sparked Fan Concern For Sharing Suicidal Thoughts
As far as entertainment industry siblings go, few can boast being as close as Brandy and Ray J.
Having spent most of their lives working as singers and actors, the two have made no secret of their bond over the years – a status doubled down on by their frequent joint projects and regular praise of each other for career and personal wins.
The post Brandy Sends Love to Brother Ray J After He Sparked Fan Concern For Sharing Suicidal Thoughts appeared first on ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. – Thirsty?.