The Alabama Solution

Slavery is alive and well in the United States of America. If you have seen the 2016 Netflix documentary 13th, which explores the history of incarceration in the U.S., then you will know what I’m talking about. Roughly 60% of those in prison are non-white (Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian), while these groups make up only about 40% of the U.S. population. There are private companies running clothing manufacturing operations using what is essentially slave labour. Since that documentary came out, I don’t think anything has changed—based on the evidence presented in The Alabama Solution. In fact, if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself incarcerated in the state of Alabama, things are far worse than they were in 2016. But now, the prisoners have cellphones. The Alabama Solution tells the story of a 2022 statewide prison strike led by three individuals: Robert Earl Council, Melvin Ray, and Raoul Poole. The conditions these prisoners endure are horrendous—flooded areas, filth, rats. They are unfit for human beings. The documentary also focuses on Sandy Ray, who is seeking justice for her son, Steven Davis, who was beaten to death by a prison guard. Conditions in these prisons were (and are) so bad that the DOJ (Department of Justice) threatened to take control from the state. However, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey insisted it was an Alabama problem that required an “Alabama solution.” That “solution” was to build three giant mega-prisons, funded in part by diverting money from the education budget. This is a tough watch, but it’s an important one. It was nominated for Best Documentary at this year’s Oscars—rightfully so. Films like this shouldn't just inform, they should provoke. Because what's shown here isn't broken - it's functioning exactly as intended. And that should terrify you. Catch it streaming on Crave/HBO or rent it from Movies ’N Stuff when available.

The Voice of Hind Rajab

So you are going to have to have a mental health care professional and/or a box of tissues on hand for this one. It's going to rip your heart to shreds. Then why should you see it? It puts the cost of war front and center, makes it real, makes it human. It's powerful. Like a tank explosion. This isn't just a news story about a foreign land that you can flip past and ignore, this movie brings you right into the action, which is the war in Gaza. This is a reenactment, a true story, of an emergency call that comes into a crisis 911 operations centre from a six-year-old girl, Hind Rajab (Hanood is her nickname) who is trapped in a car in the middle of a war zone. She is pleading to be rescued. Begging. Her voice alone will cause your eyes to well up. The voices on the calls are the real voices and the actors playing these emergency phone operators are sometimes overlapped with the real footage of the people they are playing. It's as tense as any good thriller and made all the more powerful knowing this happened. We watch and wait as the call centre must negotiate a safe passage for an ambulance to navigate to the car where Hanood is trapped. Hanood's voice is her real voice. This isn't a condemnation of the Israeli government (although you could read that into it) but rather, it's about the cost of war. Each person who is killed was a person, with a life, with a family, and the ripple effects are an explosive wave. The Voice of Hind Rajab is a powerful anti-war film and one that should be seen. Catch it in theatres or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.  

A Poet

This Colombian film by writer and director Simón Mesa Soto stars Guillermo Cardona as Efrain, a poet. Efrain is a sad man because he is a poet and he feels deeply about the world. His writing career has stagnated. For like thirty years. He published two books to some acclaim, then nothing. He is divorced and he feels like he is an embarrassment to his daughter, which he is. Efrain is also broke and living with his elderly mother. In an attempt to get his life back on track, he takes a job as a high school literary teacher. Efrain discovers Yurlady (Rebeca Andrade), a talented young woman who writes elegant and honest poems in her journal. Efrain takes it upon himself to guide this smart young lady towards literary stardom whether she really wants it or not (mostly not). Things begin to fall apart for Efrain and he keeps digging himself deeper and deeper into trouble. The film becomes this slow-motion comedic descent into failure - it's sad, horrifying, and at times, deeply amusing. You may find yourself whispering at the screen, "No, no, no, don't do that!" Simón Mesa Soto used many non-actors including Guillermo Cardona (Efrain) - he was fabulous. This film is a black Sharpie, hand-drawn heart on your chest. By the end, you will come around to love a character you didn't think you could. Catch it at your local rep theatre or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff. 

Dreams

The opening of this film gripped me and almost gave me a panic attack. Michel Franco is a name I now have noted that I need to pay attention to. The last two films he directed were, Sundown and Memory. They were, well, memorable (see what I did there). If you haven't seen these two, they are also worth checking out. Memory starred Jessica Chastain, and the experience must have been a good one because she is back again in Dreams. This time she plays Jennifer, the grown daughter of an extremely wealthy man. They have the kind of wealth where a philanthropic donation of a collection of paintings to fill a wing an art gallery is a Wednesday afternoon. She has fallen in love with Fernando (Isaac Hernández), a professional dancer from Mexico who has already been deported from the U.S. once for being an illegal alien. He is at least a decade younger than Jennifer. Fernando is her boy toy and he is frowned upon by her father and brother. The film is about power relations and speaks on a larger level to the relationship the U.S. currently has with Mexico and its citizens - happy to have you around doing the cleaning up, but as soon as there is whiff of disobedience or a request for fair treatment, it's time to call ICE. Dreams is like El Norte (if you haven't seen this film, it's a must-see) but the hot and steamy version. Dark, erotic, timely, and it's very much worth your time to sneak across the border and into a theatre to catch this film. Or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

Crime 101

With a February release date, one is skeptical of films like this. Big Hollywood names starring in a heist thriller - either this didn't test well with audiences or the studio thought they had a dud on their hands. I'm not sure. What I do know is it's rare to have a film this good come out at this time of year. When I saw the trailer for Crime 101 I thought it was the trailer for Heat 2, which is apparently coming. This is not it, but it could be. Drive, Dragged Across Concrete, The Dark Knight, Hell or High Water, Emily the Criminal, and The Accountant, are all examples of contemporary crime dramas, and they are all excellent. Add Crime 101 to this list. Chris Hemsworth plays a calculating jewel thief. Mark Ruffalo plays the cop who is trying to catch him. Mark Ruffalo seems to be born to play detectives (Zodiac, Task) with his Columbo-bed-head of locs. If there ever were to be a Columbo reboot, this man is a shoo-in. Then there Barry Keoghan who plays a competing thief. Nick Nolte plays the big bad guy boss. I was happy to see Payman Maadi from the Iranian film, A Separation. Jennifer Jason Leigh shows up for two glorious minutes - she is delightful. And finally there is Halle Berry. To those folks who hand out little statues to actors at the end of the year during award season, please don't forget Halle Berry for her role here - she was fantastic. I loved this film from the opening upside-down shot. The pounding soundtrack will keep your pulse up. The characters and dialogue are are well crafted and fully formed. This is a banger. Lose your getaway car at the movie theatre parking lot and go see this on the big screen. If that's too risky, then plan your next video heist at Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

Matt Johnson is the co-writer, costar, and director of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a new Canadian comedy film set in Toronto. I thought I had never heard of him, but he is the director of 2023's Blackberry and last year he was the actor in a wonderful little indie romantic comedy Matt and Mara which I loved. You don't need to know anything about Matt or his costar Jay McCarrol to enjoy their new movie. They have been long-time friends and collaborators in real life. They play fictional versions of themselves in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. Matt plays the guy who is always coming up with crazy ways to get themselves noticed, ways to make it big and land a gig at a Toronto club, The Rivoli. Jay is the dutiful friend who follows Matt on his crazy schemes. But 17 years on, the failed chicken-scratched whiteboard plans have grown old and Jay isn't happy - maybe a solo trip to Ottawa is the answer? Without giving anything away, I had a ball with this movie. I watched it at the ByTowne here in Ottawa with a large crowd and they loved it. So did I. Chock-full of Toronto and Canadian references, this is going to be a new maple leaf classic. Get an large RV-sized doze of belly laughs and catch Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, at the movies, or rent it at Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

Bunny

Sean Baker meets Woody Allen; John Cassavetes meets Mel Brooks; Goodtime meets My Weekend at Bernie's. Bunny is an indie, stoner, comedy and it's funny as hell. It features a cast of characters that could have walked off the pages of a Bukowski novel, characters created by co-writers and costars, Mo Stark (Bunny) and Ben Jacobson (Dino). Jacobson also directs this, his first feature length film and it's a banger. What's it all about? It's Bunny's birthday and his girlfriend Bobbie (Liza Colby) is throwing him a party: she presents Bunny with another good-time girl and some of the best molly Bobbie could acquire. But Bunny is having none of it - one of his gigolo gigs went sour and his headspace is not in party mode. Bunny and Bobbie live in a small two-bedroom apartment, in a four or five-storey New York City walk-up full of colourful characters on every floor. Two cops spend most of their day parked outside asking where to find the best shawarma. Most of the film is shot within the building and there is a manic energy to it - people running up and down the stairs, doors slamming open and closed, people squeezing by in cramped hallway quarters. Bunny and Bobbie are Airbnbing one of their rooms as parties are being thrown, as stoves are being moved from one apartment to another, while Bunny is always helping his one neighbour with his cart of laundry. It's a whirlwind of action and the dialogue is always funny - and peppered with film references. There is even a rabbi. I had a blast with Bunny and his friends. This party is messy, affectionate, and absurdly funny - a birthday bash worth crashing. Catch it streaming on Netflix or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.