The Grizzlies

You could argue that this is just another white-man saviour movie and in some sense you wouldn't be wrong. What is The Grizzlies all about? You could say it's about a privileged white guy who goes up North to the Arctic and teaches down and out Indigenous kids about Lacrosse. That would be an oversimplification. It's also an unflinching look at Indigenous life in Nunavut. The film addresses teen suicide, poverty, and the affects of the residential school system have had on generations of Canada's Indigenous people. It's also a fantastic underdog sports story. And it based on true events.

I find often that Canadian films look terrible. I can't explain it, they just have a horrible CBC look to them - like they were cheaply made. The Grizzlies isn't like that at all. It's really good, well acted, and the dialogue, for the most part, sounds authentic. If you see one Canadian film this year, make sure it's The Grizzlies. This snowy tale warmed my heart.
In Ottawa, catch it at Imagine Cinemas Ottawa. Catch it at a rep cinema near you.

Easy

"Easy" is a Netflix show. There are three seasons, about eight episodes each, and they run about 30-40 minutes long. Easy to watch. What's it all about? I'm going to say it's about relationships. Couple relationships. Men and women; women and women. It's also about sibling relationships and parent-child relationships. Even neighborly relationships. It's more drama than comedy and every episode is different, although over the course of three seasons we get to see some of the same characters reappear. Sometimes one character will make a brief appearance in another episode. For the most part though, they are stand alone episodes. The only thing they all share is they are set in the city of Chicago.

Why did I love it so much? I found it fascinating. The dialogue was some of most authentic dialogue I have every heard in any film or TV show. I'm not sure if the actors went ad lib, but everyone in the show was so believable. Some of these episodes were about characters that are never given a voice in regular movies or film. There is an episode in season three entitled "Number One Seller" about a black man with a neck tattoo selling glow sticks and plastic swords to families in the park - I loved it. There are some many characters to love in "Easy" - you will see yourself or someone you know in all of them.

Relationships are hard, so maybe that's the joke of the title, Easy. Catch it all on Netflix.