This image released by Universal Pictures shows Jake Gyllenhaal, left, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a scene from "Ambulance." (Universal Pictures via AP)
"Transformers" director Michael Bay鈥檚 movies are so distinctive the internet has coined a new term to describe his pedal-to-the-metal action style: Bayhem. His latest, the chase flick 鈥淎mbulance,鈥 starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jake Gyllenhaal, and now playing in theatres, falls in line. It keeps the foot on the gas in true Bayhem fashion.
Decorated veteran Will (Abdul-Mateen II) is desperate for money. His wife needs surgery, but the coffers are dry. To raise the cash, he reluctantly asks his adoptive brother and career criminal Danny (Gyllenhaal) if he can help.
Turns out Danny can help, if Will is willing to bend the rules to get the money.
A lot of money.
Danny is planning a bank heist with an estimated bounty of US$32 million. 鈥淚 need an extra man,鈥 Danny says. Will isn鈥檛 sure, but Danny is persuasive. 鈥淗ave I ever gotten you in anything that I couldn鈥檛 get you out of?鈥
The bank heist goes off without a hitch, but the getaway is rough. With things falling apart, they hijack an ambulance. Trouble is, the ambulance is transporting a wounded policeman (Jackson White) and a paramedic (Eiza Gonz谩lez). With police in hot pursuit, they take the ambulance on a high-speed chase through the streets of Los Angeles. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not the bad guys,鈥 Danny says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to get home.鈥
The stakes are life and death. Cue the Bayhem.
鈥淎mbulance鈥 isn鈥檛 a heist movie. Bay milks excitement out of the setup and execution of the sequence, but this is a getaway flick with an interesting family dynamic between Danny and Will.
Gyllenhaal鈥檚 performance as the charismatic, sociopath older brother is as amped up as the movie itself, which is to say it鈥檚 pedal-to-the-metal all the way.
Bay鈥檚 relentless camera is in constant motion. It zooms, caresses the actor鈥檚 faces in extreme closeups, flies up and down the sides of buildings, and, of course, cruises alongside the ambulance as it careens through the streets of Los Angeles. The camera work and the editing are so fast it鈥檚 as though Bay has his finger on the fast forward button the entire time.
If you get motion sickness, you might want to take some Gravol along with your popcorn.
If 鈥淎mbulance鈥 was music, it would be a Yngwie Malmsteen guitar solo. Fast and heavy, it bowls you over with technical skill, but doesn鈥檛 engage much more than that. There鈥檚 no sense of pacing, it鈥檚 all forward momentum. As Danny and Will say several times, 鈥淲e鈥檙e a locomotive. We don鈥檛 stop,鈥 but occasionally tapping the brake might give the viewers and the actors a chance to catch a collective breath.
鈥淎mbulance鈥 is raw, unadulterated Bayhem. From the frenetic editing to the characters, who all speak like they are in a Michael Bay action movie, and the anxiety inducing soundtrack, it is frantic Bayhem with all the good and bad that implies.
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Jim Carrey in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." (Paramount Pictures via AP)
Bright blue extraterrestrial hedgehog Sonic comes bounding back into theatres with the imaginatively titled 鈥淪onic the Hedgehog 2,鈥 a Sega sequel to the highest-grossing video game movie of all time.
At the beginning of the flick, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), a hedgehog whose lightning-fast reflexes and ability to run faster than the speed of sound, have helped him save the world on numerous occasions, is living with his adopted 鈥減arents,鈥 Montana police officer Tom (James Marsden) and his veterinarian wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter).
When Tom and Maddie go on a Hawaiian vacation, Sonic is left to his own devices. That opens the door for the hedgehog鈥檚 nemesis, baddie Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to return with anteater sidekick Knuckles (voice of Idris Elba). Robotnik is still sore from his exile on a remote planet, but has returned with a thirst to exact revenge on the spiny blue mammal who put him there and a plan to take over the world.
鈥淪ince I鈥檝e been gone,鈥 he says, 鈥淚鈥檝e discovered the source of ultimate power.鈥
That power stems from a mystical emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. To save the world, Sonic teams with Tails (voiced by Colleen O鈥橲haughnessey), a yellow fox with two tails who appears through a magic portal.
Sonic鈥檚 plan to make sure Robotnik doesn鈥檛 destroy the world? 鈥淪tep one, light taunting,鈥 he says. 鈥淪tep two? I have no idea.鈥
Plan or no plan, Sonic鈥檚 tenacity could save the day.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e unskilled, untrained, unworthy,鈥 says Knuckles.
鈥淵ou forgot one,鈥 Sonic replies. 鈥淯nstoppable.鈥
Story wise, 鈥淪onic the Hedgehog 2鈥 is about as imaginative as its title. A standard, save-the-world video game story with an unusual amount of CGI, it doesn鈥檛 pave any new paths forward, but fun performances鈥攂oth live and CGI鈥攌eep things buoyant for most of the slightly too long two-hour running time.
Sonic is the star, the heart and soul of the franchise, but it is Jim Carrey who steals the show with a performance that goes over-the-top in search of a new top. It鈥檚 big cartoony work that brings an organic touch to an overload of computer-generated animation.
More understated, but just by a hair, is Natasha Rothwell as Maddie鈥檚 sister Rachel. She brings the funny and brings some respite to the non-stop blur of action.
鈥淪onic the Hedgehog 2鈥 is a family film for video game fans, comprised of a series of big, loud set pieces banged together to entertain the eye while sprouting messages of the importance of family and teamwork.
Johnny Depp in the movie 'Minamata.' (Photo courtesy Samuel Goldwyn Films)
鈥淢inamata鈥 is a mix-and-match of a few different things. The story of celebrated 鈥淟ife鈥 photojournalist W. Eugene Smith as he documented the effects of toxic mercury poisoning in Japan is part biopic and part expos茅 of corporate malfeasance, with just a hint of 鈥淔ear and Loathing in Las Vegas鈥 thrown in for colour.
The story begins in 1971 in New York. Smith (Johnny Depp) is at the tail end of a legendary career. His reclusive and erratic behaviour has eroded his relationship with 鈥淟ife鈥 editor Robert Hayes (Bill Nighy) and years spent as a Second World War photographer haunt his memory.
Aileen (Minami), a translator for Fujifilm, suggests he go to Japan to witness and document the effects of mercury pollution in the city of Minamata. For more than a decade, the locals have suffered a neurological disease caused by mercury poisoning, the result of toxic waste dumped into Minamata Bay by the Chisso chemical plant. Aileen wants the eyes of the world to focus on the problem.
The gruff Smith is initially reluctant, but his growing fondness for Aileen, an assignment from 鈥淟ife,鈥 and his own sense of journalistic integrity change his mind. The resulting trip and story transforms both Smith and the perception of the situation in Minamata.
The long delayed 鈥淢inamata鈥濃攊t premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020鈥攊s an uneven film anchored by a rock-solid performance from Johnny Depp. He humanizes the curt Smith, milking out a redemption arc for the character as he atones for past transgressions by applying his craft to make the world a better place for the people of Minamata. His torment is made clear in a speech about the old belief that a photograph steals the soul of its subject. 鈥淲hat gets left out of the fine print,鈥 he says, 鈥渋s that it can also take a piece of the photographer鈥檚 soul.鈥
It鈥檚 mature work, without a trace of Captain Jack Sparrow. A flash of Hunter S. Thompson peaks through in Smith鈥檚 abuse of methamphetamine, alcohol and general disregard for the niceties of being respectful to one鈥檚 editor, but overall, Depp digs deep and brings a rough-hewn mix of charm and compassion.
Depp shines in a movie that travels a well-worn path. Stories of activism versus corporate malfeasance tend to follow a similar trajectory, and 鈥淢inamata鈥 is no different. It hits familiar beats of corporate callousness, but offers something new in the stunning recreations of Smith鈥檚 photos, specifically 鈥淭omoko in her Bath,鈥 the most famous picture from the portfolio.
鈥淢inamata鈥 takes liberties with historical timelines, but this isn鈥檛 a documentary, it is a dramatic recreation of Smith鈥檚 call to arms, and as such, delivers a compelling, if familiar, story.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly has said some 45,000 Canadians could be in the country, though only about half that number have registered with the embassy in Beirut.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a federal judge's decision to keep him in jail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges.
This week, Avery Haines follows migrants' harrowing journeys across the Darien Gap. Strict new rules to stem the flood of migrants through the notorious stretch of dense jungle appear to be working, but advocates fear it could backfire.
It had been 48 hours since the winds and rains from Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina and Sam Perkins still had not heard from his parents.
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
If you're struggling to find a name for your baby, you may find some inspiration in a new list of popular names.
A B.C. condo owner who was blamed for a cockroach infestation in her building and charged thousands of dollars for the cost of eradicating the bugs must be refunded, the civil resolution tribunal ruled.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly has said some 45,000 Canadians could be in the country, though only about half that number have registered with the embassy in Beirut.
Seas of orange shirts have come to represent a growing awareness of Canada's history of oppressing Indigenous Peoples 鈥 but that awareness must translate into more "substantive changes" from the government, according to a B.C. chief.
A child was sent to hospital after being attacked by a coyote in northwest Calgary.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
Dockworkers kicked off a three-day strike at the Port of Montreal on Monday, shutting down two terminals that handle more than 40 per cent of the container traffic at Canada's second-largest port.
More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a federal judge's decision to keep him in jail while he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges.
For the first time in Rwanda鈥檚 history, its health ministry is dealing with an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a rare but deadly hemorrhagic disease similar to Ebola 鈥 but unlike Ebola, there is no treatment or vaccines for Marburg, and it has a fatality rate of 88 per cent.
A man who authorities say spent 12 hours camped outside Donald Trump's golf course before Secret Service spotted him with a rifle pleaded not guilty on Monday to federal charges including attempted assassination.
Nearly 6,000 people in Haiti are starving, with nearly half the country's population of more than 11 million people experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse as gang violence smothers life in the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond, according to a new report released Monday.
Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz will meet Tuesday in the lone vice presidential debate of the 2024 election, bringing together undercards who have spent two months going after each other and the opposing nominees who top the major-party tickets.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly is asking members of the United Nations to counter growing political polarization abroad while taking shots at Conservative rhetoric at home.
The Liberal government is announcing more details on its existing strategy and funding to fight hate crimes.
Migrant groups are pushing the federal government to reverse its cap on international study permits and tightening post-graduate work permit qualifications, claiming it will leave many students 'in limbo.'
Health Canada issued a recall last week for various sexual enhancement products for containing prescribed drugs like tadalafil and sildenafil.
The family of Kendyl Smith-Trimm, a young girl who bravely battled cancer, has raised a staggering $66,500 in her memory for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.
The fertility rate in Canada reached an all-time low in 2023, and the lowest rate was recorded in British Columbia, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday's arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
The space rock 鈥 2024 PT5 鈥 was first spotted in August by astronomers at Complutense University of Madrid using a powerful telescope located in Sutherland, South Africa.
Canadian innovators and technical leaders gathered in Ottawa Thursday to demonstrate the latest cutting-edge technology.
A New Mexico judge on Monday denied 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed's request for new trial and upheld her involuntary manslaughter conviction for the 2021 death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Oasis shocked fans by announcing a reunion tour last month, ending a 15-year hiatus and, presumably, the long-held feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. But those were only U.K. dates. On Monday, the band shared that they're planning on heading to North America in 2025, too.
Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, has died.
Three tobacco giants are yet again seeking to extend an order suspending legal proceedings against them, as they negotiate a settlement with creditors in a long-running case involving an order to pay out billions to some 100,000 smokers and their loved ones.
Dockworkers kicked off a three-day strike at the Port of Montreal on Monday, shutting down two terminals that handle more than 40 per cent of the container traffic at Canada's second-largest port.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resetting of the economy that followed it made hourly workers more aware of their value. Some experts think employers should expect to field demands for flexible hours and other workplace incentives even as the labor market weakens.
Have you been caught in a bind, far from home, that could have been avoided with the timely purchase of an insurance package? We want to hear from you.
Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.
Many people consider eating less meat, be it for health, environmental or animal-welfare reasons. (Livestock accounts for nearly half of agricultural emissions fueling climate change.) But they sometimes hesitate because they are concerned about how they would replace all that lost protein.
Ryan Hunter's athleticism has been on full display since his arrival in the CFL, but the Canadian's versatility is now shining through.
Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri tried to lay to rest rumours that he has friction with Edward Rogers, the executive chair of Rogers Communications, Inc.
Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Famer who was one of the best defensive players in NBA history and a longtime global ambassador for the game, died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the league announced. He was 58.
General Motors鈥 Cruise autonomous vehicle division will pay a US$1.5 million penalty after the unit failed to fully report a crash involving a pedestrian, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.
On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.
A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.
When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
A fire burning near Oak Street and West 49th Avenue in Vancouver Monday afternoon has created a massive cloud of black smoke, visible from kilometres away.
The leader of the BC Conservative Party pledged to build bridges and promote economic reconciliation with First Nations on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a move Indigenous leaders slammed as 鈥減olitical opportunism.鈥
The residential 鈥渟chool鈥 survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day 鈥 and the 鈥淓very Child Matters鈥 movement 鈥 says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.
Toronto police have identified a man who was found fatally shot early Monday morning in a plaza in the city's Weston area.
Toronto police have charged a suspect with second-degree murder following a deadly stabbing at a Scarborough home on Sunday afternoon.
Toronto police say they have identified two suspects who allegedly assaulted and spat at police during a pro-Palestinian protest downtown earlier this month, and they are trying to identify one more.
Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox says the death of Jon Wells on Sept. 17 after a scuffle with police at a Calgary hotel has brought back memories of a public inquiry in the 1980s that 'underscored the cultural gap' between his community and police.
The Calgary police homicide unit is investigating after two people were found dead in a home in the community of Penbrooke Meadows.
A 14-year-old has been missing from Marlborough for two weeks, and police are hoping you can help find them.
Health Canada has granted a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to one of Lowertown's safe consumption sites that will allow the facility to continue operating.
The smell of sage and sweetgrass floated in the air Monday over a mostly sombre ceremony to reflect on the legacy of residential schools and remember those who survived 鈥 and the thousands who didn't.
Ontario Provincial Police laid charges against an Ottawa driver after a child was found to not be wearing a seatbelt inside a vehicle early Sunday morning.
A 19-year-old man convicted of killing a Montreal teenager outside his school in October 2021 was sentenced to six years on Monday.
Several windows were damaged and spray painted with 'Free Gaza' during a protest at Concordia University Sunday night, Montreal police say.
A group of 23 bilingual municipalities are in Quebec Superior Court today to ask a judge to suspend the application of several portions of the province's 2022 language reform.
Mike Hoffman's shot at a spot on the Edmonton Oilers' roster is over.
Mounties say one person is dead in the aftermath of a collision involving two vehicles south of Calmar on Sunday.
Kim Ruether lifted her son's eyelid and saw his still, dilated pupil staring at the ceiling as he lay on a stretcher in a northwestern Alberta hospital hallway a decade ago. She says she didn't need a doctor to tell her the boy was dead.
More than a hundred people marched on Cape Breton鈥檚 Membertou First Nation on Monday 鈥 the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The St. Andrews Historical Society in St. Andrews, N.B., announced that it would exhibit 鈥渙ne of the most significant 18th-century treaties between Great Britain and two First Nations of Canada鈥 at Drewhaven Town & Country on Thursday.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
Thousands of Manitoba Hydro customers are without power Monday after strong winds barrelled through parts of the province overnight.
Residents in Tadoule Lake, Man., and Churchill can expect to see heavy rain trickle in Sunday afternoon, lingering until Monday evening.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen touched down in Winnipeg this week, ahead of his lunar mission set to launch in a year鈥檚 time.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is warning of high winds affecting some regions of southeast Saskatchewan.
A man is in custody after allegedly robbing a business in McLean, Sask. with an edged weapon on Saturday.
The Friends of the Regina Public Library (FRPL) sponsored an architectural tour on Sunday, for folks looking to learn more about the history of the library's historic central branch.
Communities across the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with events honouring survivors of residential schools and remembering those who never made it home.
An Etobicoke resident was taken to hospital after he told a Guelph Police officer he had been stabbed during Homecoming celebrations near the University of Guelph.
A woman has been charged as part of a murder investigation in Brantford.
With the writs expected to drop this week for the Saskatchewan general election, political experts say Scott Moe's Saskatchewan Party is on track for a fifth majority government but will lose seats to Carla Beck's NDP.
Monday marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation across Canada 鈥 a time to honour the Indigenous peoples impacted by the brutal legacy of residential schools.
The fourth and final walk in memory of Megan Gallagher drew around one hundred people in Saskatoon on Sunday.
A 73-year-old man on a mobility scooter was killed Sunday night in Sudbury after being hit by a vehicle on Lasalle Boulevard and Barry Downe Road.
If you're struggling to find a name for your baby, you may find some inspiration in a new list of popular names.
A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.
A pair of homes are destroyed on Penhale Avenue in St. Thomas, Ont. after an electrical fire set a garage ablaze Sunday night.
Students from three elementary schools in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) were taking part in a day of learning on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The City of London is informing drivers about temporary road restrictions on Wellington Street as part of the Downtown Loop Phase 3 finishing work and surface paving.
The fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation saw plenty of community members gathering across Barrie on Monday, reflecting on the impacts of residential schools and honouring survivors.
Around 20 South Simcoe Police officers attended the 47th annual Canadian Police and Peace Officers' Memorial Service in Ottawa on Sunday with three fallen constables in their hearts.
An early Sunday morning fire in Colgan that caused significant damage is under investigation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $11,000 US from an inbound American citizen at the Ambassador Bridge.
A section of Drouillard Road will close this week for an infrastructure renewal project.
The City of Windsor has unveiled plans for the 鈥淧ark in Perfect Harmony鈥 initiative in the downtown core.
The residential 鈥渟chool鈥 survivor whose story sparked Orange Shirt Day 鈥 and the 鈥淓very Child Matters鈥 movement 鈥 says she is worried the cause is being forgotten.
British Columbia drivers are reminded that winter tires and chains are mandatory on most highways in the province starting Tuesday.
The leader of the BC Conservative Party pledged to build bridges and promote economic reconciliation with First Nations on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a move Indigenous leaders slammed as 鈥減olitical opportunism.鈥
Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.
A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.
The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.
A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.
A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.
Overnight on Thursday as the community of Elliot Lake was resting to prepare for the upcoming Kraft Hockeyville celebrations, when vandals struck a building that has been top of mind for the northern Ontario city for more than a year.
Ontario Provincial Police remind the public that 鈥榓 case is never closed until it is solved,鈥 while highlighting the force's continued investigation of the 1996 disappearance of Melanie Ethier.
Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people鈥檚 basic human right to food.
A soccer game in England on Tuesday night drove a spike in online traffic across the Atlantic to a website launched by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
