Smile 2

I loved the first one. I re-watched it and it was even better than I remembered. Something as good as "Smile" it's hard act to follow. If "Smile" is an A, then "Smile 2" is an A-, good enough for a proper entry here on the Marquee. The sequel picks up 6 days after the first film ends as Joel (Kyle Gallner) is trying to lose his inner demon. The demon ends up in global pop super-star, Skye Riley's (Naomi Scott) body as she is about to embark on her comeback tour. Skye is coming back from drugs and alcohol, and a car crash which has left her with a few large scars, not to mention some serious mental trauma. Naomi Scott's performance is utterly fantastic as the pop queen diva. Anyway, soon enough, fans are grinning at her in the most horrible way as Skye's inner demon grows inside her mind. Parker Finn is the writer and director of both films and understands what makes a good horror movie is the same as what makes a good movie: a strong central character - a fully living and breathing character with a back story. Finn has not only created a clever monster, he has now written two great female leads, robust and fully formed. Horror fans will grin. Film nerds should smile, twice. Catch this one now in theatres, just in time for Halloween. 

A Pure Formality

"Cinema Paradiso" is directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It's probably my favourite film about film, the love of film. It came out in 1988 when I was eighteen. I never bothered to follow Tornatore's career or seek out his other work. I'm not sure why. Peter Thompson, owner and operator of my favourite video store Movies 'N Stuff recently told me I needed to watch, "A Pure Formality." Directed by Tonatore, it stars Gérard Depardieu and Roman Polanski. Depardieu plays a writer, lost in the rain in the French countryside, running away from what exactly, we don't know; a mystery. Polanski is a detective trying to solve a fresh homicide. This is a clever game of cat and mouse. It's a visual treat, a Hitchcockian thriller. For me, to watch a relatively young, Gérard Depardieu was also such a great joy. He was an actor who was a regular staple of my cinema watching (like Michael Caine or Gene Hackman) growing up. He is an unconventional leading man because of his hulking stature - it has always endeared me to him even more. Anyway, "A Pure Formality" is a cinephile's wet dream. The ending may be controversial - go see Peter at his store after you have watched it to talk about the ending. And you can thank me later. For rent at Movies 'N Stuff.  

The Deliverance

You might call it a black "Exorcist" film with the only white person hanging around being, Glenn Close. Close has been possessed by the demons of Russell Crowe and Nicolas Cage (viz. "The Pope's Exorcist" and "Renfield") in a performance which is brave, unflattering, and bananas. Close has never been shy to experiment with different roles and I applaud her choices. What's this film all about? It revolves around Ebony (Andra Day) and her three kids and her white mother, Alberta (Close) who have all moved into yet another new house. Ebony, a single mother, struggles with alcohol, anger, and regular check-ins from her social worker (Mo'Nique). Ebony is trying to keep it together. Her youngest, Andre (Anthony B. Jenkins) starts to uncharacteristically act out at school by doing some very unsavory things. We know how exorcism stories go, it's the house! GET OUT! Ha. Well, things go quickly from bad to worse and we get some pedestrian ghostly stuff. Here is the thing, this film would be great on its own without the added possession story, as a portrait of a family trying to survive in modern America. The Exorcist stuff doesn't bring it down - it's kind of like, the meal comes with dessert. So there you have it. Catch it now this Halloween season, streaming on Netflix. 

  

Saturday Night

Now into its 50th season, Saturday Night Live is a late night staple for North America and has been the birthplace of some of the most influential comedians: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Bill Hader; and the list goes on and on. SNL, arguably one of the most important television shows ever, "Saturday Night" is the story of how Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) managed to get the first episode to air (or almost didn't). It's riveting stuff. Jason Reitman's camera zooms and jumps from scene to scene with the manic energy of cocaine and too much pot. Part of the fun is seeing the impressions of the young cast of John Belushi (Matt Wood), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), and Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt). Each actor did such a great job it felt like I was watching the real cast, an incredibly talented bunch of unknowns. How truly gifted these young people were. Reitman gives each of them time to shine while the tornado of the set swirls, the minute hand of the clock spinning towards 11:30, live showtime. Shout out to Nicholas Braun who plays both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson - Braun is great. It's a nostalgic ride with a whip smart and punchy script.  Catch one of the best films of the year, now in theatres.  

Woman of the Hour

Anna Kendrick. When I thought of that name I used to think: bubbly, smart, charming, rom-com type of girl. After seeing her in "The Accountant" (one of my favourite action films in the last few decades) and in "Up in the Air," my thoughts of Anna Kendrick began to change. This is a girl capable of bigger things and seems to desire more serious material. Well now, after "Woman of the Hour" I have a whole new and deepened respect for Ms. Kendrick. David Fincher has set the bar for serial killer movies, in my book. Do we need another one? Ms. Kendrick felt we did and after watching "Woman of the Hour" I can't say she is wrong. Women, so I have read, are the main consumers of true crime fiction. Maybe that's because men are dangerous and Ms. Kendrick would very much like to remind of us of that fact. There are few scenes from this film which have haunted me since it's viewing. Dark stuff here. What's it all about? It's the true story of rapist and murderer, Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) as he sets foot on The Dating Game as one of three suitors for Cheryl Bradshaw(Anna Kendrick). It's also about the women Alcala meets and kills along the way, told in a jumping timeline. Anna Kendrick may not be Fincher (who is?), but she can hold her own and has proven she is capable of a lot more than maybe people thought (myself included). This is an engrossing thriller. Catch it in theatres now.   

The Idea of You

Goddamn it, I didn't want to like this movie. A romantic-comedy-drama with Anna Hathaway. I mean come on, I watch films, not this nonsense. Ah, who am I kidding, I pretty much watch everything to bring you this blog of only the best stuff. I wade through the Hollywood trash dump and occasionally I find a treasure. Like "Pretty Woman," "The Idea of You" is a gem found in a toilet bowl of romantic comedies.  Nicholas Galitzine plays Hayes, a world famous 24 year old star in a boy band. He accidently runs into Solène (Hathaway) who has taken her daughter to see Hayes' group perform at Coachella. This is the goofy setup. Paparazzo, internet gossip, dealing with an ex-husband and juggling a teenager: it all fuels the comedic fire of, "The Idea of You." If this sounds pedestrian and stereotypical of the genre, well it is. But here is the thing, it doesn't feel so by the numbers and I'm not exactly sure why. I think it's co-writer and director Michael Showalter's really smart script and the fabulous performances of the two leads. They have steamy chemistry for sure. I found myself sucked into their relationship like a soap opera, waiting to see how it would all play out. Will it win any awards? Absolutely not. Well maybe a Golden Globe nod. Will you enjoy yourself? I think so. Catch it steaming and streaming on Prime or catch it on video when it gets released.    

Mother, Couch

Sigmund Freud would have loved it! Surreal, strange, the unconscious is working overtime here, or at least writer and director, Niclas Larsson is. What's it all about? Ewan McGregor plays David, a man who has found himself in a run down, bargain-bin, furniture warehouse, where large empty spaces are filled with boxes, lamps, and furniture is covered in plastic wrap. David's mother, played by the great Ellen Burstyn, has decided to take a seat on a couch on the second floor. She refuses to move. Why? It never becomes clear. Nothing here is clear. And yet, I found it compelling. David's marriage is on the fritz and he finds himself in all kinds of stressful situations. Maybe the film is a parlor trick? Compelled to watch arguably for characters and a story we don't really understand. But here is the thing, I don't feel duped. Just the opposite, delighted I was on the strange and compelling journey - maybe equally happy to see Ewan McGregor not doing dumb Disney Star Wars shit. F. Murray Abraham also stars in this. "Mother, Couch" - go check into therapy and catch this one at a rep theatre near you.