Beautiful Boy

When I grew up I had a friend who introduced me to all kinds of things, including smoking, Jimi Hendrix, hashish, Peter Gabriel's back catalog, LSD, Nirvana (the band, before many had heard of them), Charles Bukowski, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, Southern Comfort, The Doors, and the list goes on and on. He was charming, super smart, and an extremely talented writer. He had a gift for language. He also had a thing for drugs. He like drugs and romanticized them. And my friend was fearless - needles didn't bother him. He liked them. He became a heroin addict. He almost died. Then he got better, got clean. Then cancer killed him at 29.

So when I watched Timothée Chalamet give his stunning performance as Nic Sheff, an arty kid with a gift for language and a taste for the dark side, I couldn't help but think of my friend. I know that guy; that guy is real, that guy is my friend.

I found my eyes wet more than once in the first hour of the film because of Steve Carell. He is also fantastic in this film. He plays David Sheff, Nic's dad. I'm a father with two kids and I know that I would do pretty much anything to help them. So when David is speaking with a counsellor about his son with such urgency and earnest, well it brought me to tears. Beautiful Boy isn't just the story of David and Nic, it's about how drug abuse affects an entire family; we get a good look at David's mother, step mother, and his siblings. It's unflinching, raw, and very human. It's also a beautifully shot film. It's seriously nice to look at despite the tough subject matter. It is one of the best films of 2018 and it would have made my list had I seen it earlier. Catch it when you have a chance.

Unbreakable, Split, Glass

Let's talk about M. Night Shyamalan for a minute. I don't know of a director who has received more unwarranted insults, bad mouthing, and criticism than M. Night Shyamalan has. It's some sort of weird obsession film reviewers have to criticize his entire backlog at every opportunity. I can't explain it. Whenever I hear that M. Night is coming out with a new film, I'm excited in the same way when I hear names like Darren Aronofsky‎, Steve McQueen, Christopher Nolan or Ana Lily Amirpour are releasing a new film - I can't bloody wait to see it! For me, Shyamalan is much like De Palma, a student of Hitchcock, who is the master of suspense. M. Night knows where to put the camera, he knows how to create tension. This doesn't mean I have loved everything he has done. There have been slips. But why go on and on about them? I didn't like Nolan's Dunkirk, but when Nolan comes out with a new film, I'll be there in a heartbeat. Same goes for M. Night Shyamalan. He is a director I want to watch.

Reviewers piss all over M. Night's twist endings too. Can't the same mockery be made about Christopher Nolan's films - think Memento, The Prestige, Inception, and Interstellar, they all end with a twist. But nobody is speaking disparagingly about Nolan, not like they do about Shyamalan. I believe M. Night Shyamalan has been unfairly treated and he deserves your time as a movie goer. You should be watching his films, because most of the time, they are good (The Happening, The Visit) and some of them are great (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Split).

So, let's get to M. Night Shyamalan's comic book masterpiece of Unbreakable, Split, and Glass(BTW, Nolan has one of these too and Batman Begins is the weakest of the three in my opinion, but it might be the third, and of course the second is his masterpiece).

1.Unbreakable

Shyamalan's second Hollywood film, is just as good as his first; that being The Sixth Sense. I think there is an argument to be made that Unbreakable might even be better because you can watch Unbreakable multiple times, whereas The Sixth Sense is a special kind of one trick pony (although I recently re-watched it with my kids and after such a long time between viewings, I loved it almost as much). Don't listen to anyone bad mouthing Unbreakable, just watch it if you haven't already. And if you haven't seen it in a while, time to see it again, because it holds up over time.

2. Split

Split is the Godfather II of the series. I absolutely loved it from the opening shot right to the end. In fact I have re-watched the opening five minutes of this film several times. It's the open shot of Anya Taylor-Joy sitting alone in a crowded restaurant, muted, and different; we all know something awful is about to happen. It's riveting stuff.
This is James McAvoy's film. He plays a man with 23 personalities and a 24th is about to reveal itself. James McAvoy was so good I thought he was deserving of an Oscar nomination - he didn't get it.
Split had me on the edge of my seat the entire movie and it's one of my favourite films of 2016. "I have red socks." 

3. Glass

It's hard to stick the landing. The Godfather III, Back to the Future III, Return of the Jedi, Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome, The Matrix Revolutions, to name a whole bunch of films that wobbled and fell trying to land the trilogy. All of these films had great starts. Great starts and in some cases, even better sequels (The Godfather II, The Empire Strikes Back, Split).
Glass is worth your time if only to see James McAvoy do it again (although it's not as much fun as the first time). What's really fun is M. Night's super hero fight sequences. This isn't Marvel stuff where nobody really gets hurt and it's just noise and explosions and you sit there bored to tears. When James McAvoy and Bruce Willis fight, it feels like a gritty bar fight, where someone might actually get seriously hurt. It's refreshing.
Glass may be the weakest of the three, but should you see it? Absolutely. Make sure to see Unbreakable and Split first.

Channel Zero

How does a knife-wielding-contortionist-clown-who-hides-under-your-back-deck sound to you?


When I was a kid, I would tape old episodes of The Twilight Zone on my VCR and watch them before I went to school, or at lunch, or right after school. Watching Rod Serling introduce us to the "dimension of imagination" was something I cherished. As a teenager I watched Tales From the Dark Side. This was a lower budget, cheesier, but maybe slightly creepier version of The Twilight Zone. I loved it too; maybe not as much, but there was not much else at the time - this was the 80s.
A few years back I discovered a show called Black Mirror. I thought I had found my show, something contemporary that gave me the nostalgia of The Twilight Zone and yet it was fresh and updated. Black Mirror isn't really that, it's much more. It's often a commentary on modern society, technology, and/or our use of social media. Black Mirror is a smart show that makes you think and makes you intentionally uncomfortable. But the problem for me is the ugly nihilism the show seems to have for its characters and sometimes even its viewers . I haven't watch a show yet where there is any real sense of redemption. It's just ugly. And that's fine. But after watching two shows with my wife, she said, "I don't like this show, I don't want to watch this." So now I watch Black Mirror alone.
Last year, flipping about my digital world, I came across an odd looking icon of what looked like a white skull and took a chance on a show called, Channel Zero. It had a nice Twilight Zone sounding name; Channel Zero. I'll watch one and see. Oh man did I fall hard for this show. As I type this, the American SYFY network has now released four seasons of this series. Each one is a stand-alone season, much like American Horror Story. The latest one, The Dream Door, ranks up there as one of the best. Each season is six episodes and all episodes clock in around the 60 minute mark. The only big name actors are John Carroll Lynch from season two and Rutger Hauer from season three.
The only person I have met who has seen this show is my dental hygienist, Jennifer. I was so happy to talk to her about it. She loved it too.
Channel Zero taps into the same zeitgeist as The Twilight Zone - there is something compelling here, and slightly frightening. It's a fantastic and fantastical show and you need to watch it so I can talk to you about it.


Catch it on the SYFY network, Shudder, or Showcase On Demand. 

Love

So the first TV show I would like to recommend to you is Love, which is a Netflix show and one of the co-creaters is Judd Apatow. Now if you don't know Mr. Apatow's work, he is the man who wrote and directed such comedy treats as, Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and This Is 40.This Is 40 has become one of my favourite films in the past decade. The funny-honesty that pervades, This Is 40 also pervades throughout the short and sweet 3 seasons of Love.
The key players are Gus (Paul Rust) and Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) and this is their love story. It's set in contemporary L.A. Gus is a major geek. In his spare time he hangs out with his friends and they compose movie theme songs for movies that don't have theme songs. It's geeky funny stuff. Mickey on the other hand is a jaded unhappy girl with an alcohol and drug problem. An unlikely pair as there could be.
The show is sweet, funny, and it's often uncomfortably honest; in a good way. The episodes are short, running around the 30 minute mark. So if you are looking something short and light, check out this series that you may never have heard about. Catch it on Netflix.

Private Life

Okay, the first movie in 2019 I want to recommend is, Private Life starting Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn. It’s written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, who brought us The Savages. I loved The Savages (Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman star) which is about a brother-sister relationship and putting their father into an old age home. Linney played a playwright and Hoffman a writer. It seems that Tamara Jenkins likes writers and playwrights. In Private Life, Giamatti is the playwright and Hahn is the writer, not brother-sister, but a husband and wife who are trying to get pregnant, in their late forties.

As someone who spent close to three years travelling down the fertility highway with my wife, and having written my own comedic book about it (The Cube People – shameless plug) I know the material well and Private Life is authentic, not only in its mechanics, but the in how the characters behave, feel, and react. Like, The Savages, Tamara Jenkins has written real people with candid dialogue. And it’s funny. Not roll-on-the-ground funny, but there is an honesty to the characters and what they say, and it will put a smile on your face. It's also heartbreakingly sad.

I love Paul Giamatti and Sideways is one of my all-time favourite films. He is as good in this film as any of his best work (Sideways, American Splendor, or Barney's Version).

Anyone who has been down the fertility highway will know this material, but even if you don’t, I think Private Life is worth the trip. Catch it on Netflix.

Top Films of 2018

Let’s first start with great films of 2017 that I didn’t see until 2018 that deserve mentioning.

All the Money in the World – Christopher Plummer and Charlie Plummer (no relation) are both fantastic in this film based on the true story about the Getty family. Riveting.

Columbus – One of the most aesthetically beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Every shot could be a photo to hang on your wall. Plus there is a great story here with great performances. This is one to check out for sure.

Molly’s Game – another film based on a true story about high stakes poker in New York. Loved it.

Landline – a quiet family dramady with Edie Falco and John Turturro. If you are looking for something light and off the beaten path.

Super Dark Times – coming of age film, kind of River’s Edge, kind of Mean Creek, and it’s dark.

OKAY, 2018 the Best films I’ve seen this year. The top ten in no real order.

1. Lean on Pete – Charlie Plummer (a name to watch) stars in a story about a boy and his horse. It’s heart wrenching stuff.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lean_on_pete

2. White Boy Rick – based on a true story of a 14 year old kid turned FBI informant, growing up in 1980s Detroit poverty. Matthew McConaughey’s best performance since Mud/Dallas Buyers Club. It’s dark, sad, and one of the best films of the year. “We are lions.” It haunts me.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_boy_rick

3. American Animals – docudrama told by the players themselves, this fascinating film about bored white kids trying to pull off an art heist. I found it captivating.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/american_animals

4. Annihilation – Imagine John Carpenter’s The Thing, but set in Maine with an all-female cast. This is a smart movie that will leave you thinking.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/annihilation

5. Puzzle – A housewife learns she is really good at doing puzzles and she meets someone who is also really good at doing puzzles. It’s a drama. It’s really good. Watch it.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/puzzle_2018

6. Under the Silver Lake – Reminded me of The Player, Burn After Reading, to name a few. There is homage to Hitchcock, Film Noir, and films of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. It’s a stoner comedy with the backdrop of a mystery set in the Hollywood Hills. I had a lot of fun with this one. If you like old movies and own a twisted sense of humour, check it out.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/under_the_silver_lake

7. First Man – Neil Armstrong goes to the moon. I was completely pulled in. I felt like I was in the capsule with him. As good as The Right Stuff or Apollo 13.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/first_man

8. Hereditary – My favourite horror film of the year. It’s a bit bananas. My hand actually covered my mouth during one scene – I was like, “Oh my God! I can’t believe they did that.” They did.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hereditary

9. Revenge - #Metoo on steroids. This is what should happen when you rape a girl and leave her for dead (not that you should be doing that obviously). This is a film Tarantino would have proud to have made. It’s way over the top and bloody as all hell, and I absolutely loved it. (female director Coralie Fargeat)
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/revenge_2018

10. Mission Impossible: Fallout – I can’t believe this made my top 10, but it did. I fell out of love with the Mission Impossible franchise a few films back. This one is as good as any of the Bourne movies or as good as any of the great Bond films. It was non-stop action and I was always on the edge of my seat. Impressive. It’s hands-down the best action picture of the year.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_fallout

The 2018 Honour Roll

All of these movies could easily be in somebody else’s top ten. They would be part of my top 22 of 2018 and worth your time.

First Reformed, Blackkklansman, A Prayer Before Dawn, Sorry to Bother You, Three Identical Strangers, RBG, You Were Never Really Here, Mandy, Eighth Grade, The Endless, Green Book, and The Old Man and the Gun