Adolescence

Way back in December of 2021 I posted a review of "Boiling Point" starring Stephen Graham. If you haven't seen that film, you can go rent it from Movie 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Stephen Graham and director Philip Barantini are back with a four-part series currently streaming on Netflix. Once again, like "Boiling Point," each episode is one-shot, one-take, with no edits or cuts. It's become a thing, this one-shot style. I'm not sure it always works or is necessary in general, but here, it works oh-so-very well. With this technique, there is no time to look away. It creates an incredible intimacy between you, the viewer, and the characters. You are there with them as it's happening in real time, you get to experience it as they are experiencing it. In this case, the arresting of Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) for a crime and the fallout for his family - dad (played by Stephen Graham), mom (Christine Tremarco), and sister (Amelie Pease). These actors are all wonderful, but Owen Cooper - my god, this kid was outstanding. Hats off Mr. Cooper, you are a star. And Stephen Graham, he brought me to tears with his performance - pass the tissues. Graham knocked it out of the park. There is an episode where Jamie speaks to a psychologist who is played by Erin Doherty - she also gives a tremendous performance. This series is riveting, heartbreaking, and extremely heavy. It's also one of the best series I've seen in a long time. Catch it streaming on Netflix. 

The G

Back in 2021 I wrote about a film called "I Care a Lot" about a woman who was putting seniors into homes against their will and stealing all of their assets. Now, imagine that dark comedy turned more serious and directed by Jeremy Saulnier ("Blue Ruin," "Rebel Ridge"), you'd have something that looks like, "The G." Except "The G" is actually directed by Canadian  filmmaker, Karl R. Hearne and the "G" stands for Great. This Canadian film, set in the U.S., has Dale Dickey playing Ann Hunter, a tough alcoholic senior looking after her bedridden husband when suddenly she is forcibly removed and relocated to a private institution. Her granddaughter, Emma (Romane Denis), fights on getting her grandparents out and reclaim their life savings. Dale Dickey - what a show she puts on, what a performance. Like I mentioned before, the film has a "Blue Ruin" low-budget grittiness to it and the soundtrack - a mix of retro and modern synth - keeps the tension strung high. Guns, Grannies, Gritty Greaseball Gangsters, and Greenbacks - "The G" is simply Grand. Catch it streaming on Crave.  

Samia

I had the honour to go to the open night of Ottawa Black Film Festival. They screened "Samia," to kick things off. Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of Samia, who grew up in war-torn Somalia and dreamed big for herself. She dreamed of not only winning the local race in her village, but going all the way to the Olympics. If you have been reading this blog, you will know I'm a sucker for underdog sports films. This is another one. Very much like "The Swimmers" (the film about Syrian refugee sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics), "Samia" is the tale of her journey to the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Samia was only 17. The other part of this film follows her attempt to flee Somalia to compete in the 2012 London games. The film echoes others like "El Norte" and "Flee" - escaping illegally by way of dubious men in boats, or shipping containers, or both. Films such as "Samia" remind me how lucky I am to not live in a large portion of the world where authoritarian regimes (often orthodox Islam) are running the show. I am free and don't have to worry about being shot at and have access to clean drinking water. Samia story is one of perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, of courage, and I found it to be very moving. llham Mohamed Osman who plays older Samia and Riyan Roble you plays younger Samia are both wonderful. It might be a hard film to find. Be like Samia, you will find it if you just keep looking. 

Scarecrow (1973)

 As you are likely aware, we recently lost the great Gene Hackman. Here in Ottawa, the Mayfair Theatre (Ottawa's oldest movie theatre and my favourite place on earth) has been putting on a Gene Hackman retrospective to honour the late actor. Class act, Mayfair. Last night I went with a good friend to watch "Scarecrow," staring Hackman and a very young Al Pacino. I took film very seriously at a young age and there was a time when I sought to watch all the films of actors like Gene Hackman - if they weren't available for rent at my local video store, didn't play at the Mayfair, or weren't shown on TV, there was no other way to find them. "Scarecrow" was one of those films I missed. What a delight this movie is. From the opening shot, watching Hackman come down that sun-soaked hill to the credits, I thought, "They just don't make them like this anymore." Hackman plays an ex-con looking to open a car wash business and runs into Pacino, an ex-sailor. Their adventure begins. Part "Midnight Cowboy," part "Cool Hand Luke," part "The Last Detail," it's a whole lot of nostalgia - for both the actors, a time before cellphones, and an are when you could smoke a cigar inside a department store. I don't think it has the emotional punch of "Midnight Cowboy" but "Scarecrow" certainly features two wonderful performances by two great actors in their prime. Definitely a film to seek out. Go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. 

Severance

I confess, I started to watch the show when if first aired. I turned it off I think before the end of the first episode and didn't go back until two weeks ago. “Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me and only in me shall their stain live on. I am thankful to have been caught, my fall cut short by those with wizened hands. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.”

That's a little inside joke for those of you who have watched this already. I went back to watch because a few of my close friends told me I needed to. They were correct. So now I'm telling you, you need to watch this. What's it all about? The main character is Mark Scout (Adam Scott) who has had a tubular computer chip implanted in his head. When he goes to work on the Severed Floor at Lumon Industries, he doesn't remember who he was, doesn't remember his outer self. When he leaves work, he doesn't remember his inner self. I don't think I want to tell you any more. It's a science fiction show but it's about loss, identity, power and corruption, and love. It's a David Lynch-Terry Gilliam style surreal dark comedy and one of the most interesting shows you will find streaming today. Catch it on Apple + or go rent it at Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Do it now or I will send you to the break room.  

Last Breath

On a recent trip to Toronto to hang out with some fellow film nerds (a hangout we have self titled, Film Camp), our schedule got slightly derailed by a sell-out showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Because Film Camp never rests, we substituted "Last Breath" in its place. A lark. I went in (I think we all went in) with low expectations - a procedural rescue film. How many of these have we seen - "Apollo 13," "The Impossible," "Thirteen Lives,"/"The Rescue," and then how many underwater adventures have we seen (albeit science-fiction or sci-fi-horror films) "The Abyss," "Deep Star Six," "Leviathan," etc. So an underwater procedural film staring Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, and Finn Cole (from TV's "Animal Kingdom") seemed like just the correct piece of junk food we were looking for - we could makes jokes about it all weekend. No, no, no. I was gripped from the outset. As these three gentlemen entered their live-in tank chamber for what was to be a month spent at a super high compression to allow them to work underwater at a depth of 1000 feet repairing equipment in the North Sea, my claustrophobia flared up something fierce. It takes three or four days to decompress before you can get out of these metal sarcophaguses - if anything goes wrong, there is really nothing to be done; you would be crushed or exploded into jelly depending on where the accident occurred. This is a based on a true story of when a routine mission turned into a rescue. It was like I suddenly found myself treading water with a shark - I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Great fun. Great movie. Don't forget to breathe. Catch this harrowing film in theatres now. 

I'm Still Here

Winner for the Oscar for the Best International Feature Film, "I'm Still Here" tells the true story of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres - also nominated for her role). In 1971, Brazil’s military dictatorship abducted her husband Rubens Paiva, along with many others. Brazil's dictatorship killed Paiva, along with many others. Eunice was left to raise their five children. The film is portrait of a woman trying to keep it together, a family trying to keep it together in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Eunice not only managed to raise her family but she went back to school and became a lawyer and human rights defender. The film is personal, filled with details of a large family, playful, loving. It's what makes it all that more devastating when Rubens is ripped away. In our current climate of uncertainty with our US neighbours, where everyone seems on edge of possible human horrors that could be unleashed (there are some cases already happening by ICE forces) - this film seems ever so timely. Catch it in theatres now.