The Plague

Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams) - I have said it before but in case you weren't following along, I will say it again: I will follow Mr. Edgerton wherever he goes. He continues to pick material which is always smart and engaging. He only has a supporting role here in The Plague as the coach of a young boys' water polo camp. Our main protagonist is Ben (Everett Blunck), a geeky kid from out of town who is just trying to fit in with the well-established pack of boys led by Jake (Kayo Martin). "Jake" - a name reserved for the cool kid and I can hear  Anthony Michael Hall saying it in Sixteen Candles. Pardon me, I digressed. Also in the water polo camp is Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), who all the kids say has the plague because he has a bad skin rash, which I believe is eczema or psoriasis. They run away from Eli and if anyone comes into contact with him, they run to the tap to wash off "the plague." Kids can be downright cruel. Mean rotten little bastards, which is the whole subject here. When Ben tries to form a friendship with Eli, suddenly he finds himself on the outside of the clique. . .  and wait, what is that red bump forming on his skin? It's well-worn territory, The Lord of the Flies being the major pig head on the pole. Why should you watch this one then? It's gorgeous - the underwater shots are particularly hypnotic, upside down, you will be spun around like poor Ben. It also verges on body horror (which may or may not be your thing). The main reason to watch is the performances of these young men. Kenny Rasmussen as Eli is a standout - his dance scene in the rain is wow. These young actors are going to go places. Catch this in a rep theatre if possible, streaming, or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff. 

Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other

This is simply a beautiful film. It's a documentary about famed American photographer, Joel Meyerowitz and his unfamous wife, Maggie Barrett (although, after this, I suspect that might change). Joel was born in 1938 and is now 88 years old. He married Maggie (his second marriage) in 2001. This is Maggie's fifth marriage. Maggie's own life journey is something of a rollercoaster, having spent time in a mental hospital, struggling with drug addiction, finding recovery, and ultimately becoming a therapist herself. Maggie is also a writer. While she never landed a traditional publishing deal, she has written at least four novels, a collection of stories, and a play in which she starred. Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other is a portrait of navigating aging, fame, relationships, and love. It is very personal, and both Joel and Maggie go all in here, in what I might call a kind of performance art of the personal. They are each on full display, holding nothing back. There is a scene when they return to their New York apartment after living in Tuscany for many years, and Maggie has a completely unhinged breakdown while Joel hangs on for dear life - remaining calm. Given her history, one could write her off as unstable, but that feels too simplistic. I think we have all been there - a displacement of aggression, grieving the loss of their Italian home - we hurt the ones we love most because they can usually take it. This was not edited out. There is a lot of raw material here. It's also one of the most aesthetically pleasing films I've seen in a very long time. Each shot is a photograph, which feels fitting for Meyerowitz. It's like looking through a gorgeous coffee table book. You will want to spend time with Maggie and Joel. Catch it in the theatre if possible, or rent it at Movies 'N Stuff.  

Lee Cronin's the Mummy

Lee Cronin, who's that? That was my first question. I'm not great with names, especially as I get older. Google/IMDB tells me he's the director of Evil Dead Rise. I loved that movie! I suppose name recognition is important and I suppose it helps distinguish this film from The Mummy franchise starring Brendan Fraser or the recent The Mummy outing with Tom Cruise. This film has nothing to do with those - and honestly, it could be called, Evil Dead Egypt. Before I get into it, if you aren't a fan of The Conjuring or The Exorcist, you might as well stop reading, because this film is not for you. If you are, then you are one of my people. What's it all about? Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) is working as a journalist in Egypt with his wife Larissa (Laia Costa) and their two kids when their youngest, Katie, goes missing. This alone is horrific. It gets much worse. Egyptian authorities find her eight years later - in a coffin that looks like it was designed by David Cronenberg. Yeah! Not so fast! Katie seems to have something physically wrong with her, and her mental state is full-on sarcophagus cuckoo. Katie's mom is convinced that all Katie needs is a good supportive, loving home and things will go back to normal. Charlie is not convinced. I think the audience is on Charlie's side. This is a mix of body horror, supernatural possession, and one of the worst hangnails you have ever seen. You may need therapy and a pedicure after watching this one - it doesn’t just get under your skin, it gets under your nails. Catch this one in the dark crypt of a movie theatre, or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

DTF St. Louis

If you like your Desperate Househusbands of suburbia spicy, then this limited series on HBO Max is fantastic, albeit melancholic; maybe even downright sad. Starring Jason Bateman (Ozark) as Clark Forrest, the local TV weatherman who is having a midlife crisis and ends up having an extramarital affair with Carol (Linda Cardellini). She is married to Floyd Smernitch (David Harbour) who does interpretive signing (for the hearing impaired) for Clark's weather reporting. You may know David Harbour as the gruff and lovable cop from Stranger Things. He gives a performance that Daniel Day-Lewis would be proud of - from hip-hop dancing, to trying to give his troubled stepson life lessons, to allowing a gay man to kiss him for not wanting to hurt his feelings - Harbour should be nominated for all the TV awards. The show is also a murder mystery and the two detectives who work the case, played by Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday, are an oddly delightful pair. If David Harbour is nominated for his lead role, then Best Supporting should go to Peter Sarsgaard (in eyeliner) as the roller-skating man who wants nothing more at times than to hold hands - fabulous. Writer and creator, Steve Conrad has made a very unique show about troubled and sad people. It has qualities of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm or Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys. It's dark and at times, extremely funny, and really weird. To borrow and paraphrase one of the show's catchphrases, "Nobody is normal; it just looks that way from across the street." The show is sad, like a used and discarded dirty magazine found in the change room of a community swimming pool that's closed for the season. Have yourself a wild affair with this show. Catch it streaming on HBO/Crave or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff when available.      

Prime Minster

Women in politics have it rough. The world is getting better but let's face it, much of it ass-backwards and women are treated as second-class citizens in a good chunk of it, especially in politics. This documentary is about the five-year term served by Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's Prime Minister. New Zealand and the world were lucky to have her. She got into politics to essentially make the world a better place. When she took over the Labour Party back in 2017, her party was way down in the polls. She turned it around. She became New Zealand's 40th Prime Minister. Not only did she find herself leading her country, she also discovered she was pregnant. She gave birth to her daughter, Neve, on June 21, 2018. Ardern is the second woman ever to do so (Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1990), was the first). The film follows Ardern through three major crises, the two biggest being the Christchurch mosque shootings and the Covid-19 pandemic. Her response to the shootings was one of empathy and compassion for the Muslim community and she was lauded for it. But it wasn't just thoughts and prayers, she took action.  The Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Act 2019 of New Zealand came into law and the result was that over 19,000 firearms and 70,000 gun accessories were surrendered by mid-September 2019. Amazing. I see this documentary as inspirational to all women who want to venture into politics. And sadly as a warning too. Ardern looks like she aged more than the five years she was leading. Running a country, guiding it through an uncharted global crisis while being a first-time mother - Ardern was a force but that takes a lot out of anyone. It should be noted that she has an amazing and supportive husband, Clarke Gayford who is also featured in the film. Catch this remarkable film about a remarkable woman, streaming on CBC Gem or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.  

The Drama

When Hollywood pigeonholed actor Matthew McConaughey into playing romantic lead roles in often goofy rom-coms, he stepped back and waited 18 months before scripts started coming in for things like Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, and True Detective. A risky but smart call. There is nothing wrong with rom-coms, but McConaughey didn't want to make them and I don't want to watch them. Which brings me to Robert Pattinson, best known for his teen Twilight saga vampire role of Edward Cullen. Like McConaughey, Pattinson has been making smart film choices post pale neck-sucker phase (as has Kristen Stewart), such as Goodtime, The Lighthouse, The King, The Batman, Die, My Love, and now, The Drama. The Drama might be considered a rom-com, albeit a completely twisted and messed up one. And I loved it. I was trepidatious going in, like Indy in The Last Crusade when he takes a leap of faith, Pattinson caught me off guard - maybe even off-guard twice. What's it all about? Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are about to get married when at wedding menu tasting, the activity becomes: "confess the worst thing you've ever done." Emma is the last to disclose. She drops a bomb and the real drama begins. Without giving away anything, the confession leads to some serious marital jitters. The Drama goes places I didn't expect and it's darkly funny at times. You will want to get hitched to this one - catch it like a bouquet of razor wire in theatres now or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.  

Alpha

What's up with the water in France? Two of the most exciting and interesting female directors working today are Julia Ducournau (Titane, Raw) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance, Revenge). Both hail from France, both working in the tradition of Cronenberg-ian body horror. Ducournau has a new film, Alpha. It has a much more linear storyline than her last outing, Titane (about a woman who is impregnated by a car). Alpha focuses on a thirteen-year-old girl, Alpha (Mélissa Boros) who received a homemade tattoo at a party during a near-future time when a blood-transmissible illness is becoming a global crisis. This illness slowly turns people into marble (like the stone). Yes I know it sounds bizarre, and it is. Alpha lives with her single mother (Golshifteh Farahani) who is a doctor and has great concerns about her daughter's possible infection. Along comes Alpha's uncle Amin (Tahar Rahim) who is sporting a junkie habit and Alpha likes to turn her uncle's hole ridden arm into a connect-the-dots puzzle. The disease seems like an obvious metaphor for the AIDS crisis. The film looks at the alienating behaviors, how we treat the sick, the addicted. It will make you uncomfortable at times - think Kids, Requiem for Dream. For something which seems to be slow-paced, it moves along at a riveting clip - I was never bored. The marble transformation of victims is a unique visual from an equally unique and gifted filmmaker. Grab a bottle of Evian at the theatre or go rent this one from Movies 'N Stuff when available.