There's only one Frank Sinatra, but Canuck crooner Michael Buble is doing his damnedest to change that.
In fact, since bursting into the public consciousness seven years ago by offering new packs of fans a steady diet of standards and lounge favorites, Buble's formula for success has been a bit of Rat Pack swagger combined with the shockingly good looks of Harry Connick Jr. and the humor and pop culture savvy of Justin Timberlake.
Sounds like Superman, right? Not even the Man of Steel could bring classics from the Great American Songbook — previously reserved for grandma's Victrola — to this generation of jaded, Wii-playing youth like Buble has.
His 2007 album, Call Me Irresponsible, made its way to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums charts with Buble covering golden oldies like "Always On My Mind" and "I've Got The World On A String." He finally broke through to No. 1 with his latest offering, "Crazy Love."
The difference: In addition to renditions like Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind," and the title track originally by Van Morrison, Buble also co-penned a couple of spectacular songs, including the hit single, "Haven't Met You Yet."
That's right. Now he no longer needs Sinatra's songs. He's got his own.
The sky's the limit for Buble whose show has to be one of the best date destinations currently available in the continental United States.
Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, and Christopher Abbott in Wolf Man.
The title Wolf Man conjures up similarly titled movies throughout film history, going all the way back to The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney in 1941. And, of course, werewolves as a concept date back even further, with the idea having been used for horror, teen comedy, romance, and more throughout the years.
This Wolf Man, from Blumhouse Productions, has a straightforward horror vibe, if not always the results. A prologue informs us that Blake (Christopher Abbott) grew up with an ultra-stern father (Sam Jaeger) who was intent on hunting down a strange creature prowling the forest near their Oregon home. Thirty years later, Blake now lives in San Francisco with his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), when he’s called back home again by a notification stating that his long-lost father has been declared dead.
The three run into trouble almost as soon as they get close to his former home when they’re attacked by a wolf man on the road to the house. Seeking shelter in the house, Blake soon discovers that a scratch he received in the attack has infected him, bringing on many unusual changes. Terrified both by the wolf man outside and the transformation of Blake, Charlotte and Ginger are torn between their family love and survival.
Directed by Leigh Whannell and written by Whannell and Corbett Tuck, the film has about as slow of a build as you’ll find in a horror movie. In fact, for the first hour of the 100-minute film, the only significant action comes during the family’s arrival in Oregon. Whannell’s approach seems to work, though, as the suspense of not knowing what the creature is doing outside and how Blake’s body will continue to be altered keeps tensions high.
Things start to get a bit hairy, in both senses of the word, as the family makes multiple attempts to escape, and Whannell tosses in a few gnarly scenes that up the discomfort level considerably. But it becomes clear that the filmmakers skipped a few storytelling steps along the way, as elements are revealed that might have had a bigger impact if they had included just a little more information earlier in the film. Instead of a grand finish, the film peters out, giving little sense of resolution.
Whannell and his team also make some interesting choices with the makeup they use for the two wolf men. Instead of a full transformation, Blake’s features take on a slightly mutated look so that he’s still somewhat recognizable as himself. There are some parts that are more disturbing and gruesome than others, but the overall impact is much more subtle than expected.
Abbott and Garner have each had good careers so far, with Abbott having a key role in Poor Things and Garner shining in The Assistant. Abbott is required to do little more than grunt for half of the film, while Garner is tasked with reacting in horror to what has befallen her husband. Neither requires all that much from either actor, although each commits fully to their bits.
As the first horror film of the year, Wolf Man doesn’t fully deliver the goods, but it’s far from the worst viewing option out there. It’s a small film that perhaps holds a bit too much back, with the suspense side working much better than any of the gorier scenes.
