The Phantom of the Open

Mark Rylance stars as Maurice Flitcroft in this true story of a crane operator, who, at age 44 took up golf. Not unbelievable at all except two years later, with mail-order golf clubs and no formal training, entered into the 1976 British Open as a professional. After rising to fame for his stupid stunt, Flitcroft snuck back in the following year wearing a fake moustache and posed as a Frenchman, Gerald Hoppy, If you enjoyed "Eddie the Eagle," then this film is sure to please. The movie would be flat if it was just about a hopeless golfer out of his depth; it's about Maurice's attitude towards life and the relationships he has with his wife and three sons. His eldest and adopted son, Michael found his father's antics to be a complete embarrassment and drove a wedge (see what I did there) in their relationship - a good chunk of the story is about the healing of family. Maybe a tad cliché but I am a sucker for underdog sports movies. Catch this hole-in-one in cinemas or on streaming services.  

Mad God

I must confess, I had no idea who Phil Tippett was until the power of Google and Wikipedia told me- he (and some other folks) are the people who gave us those  AT-AT Imperial Walkers in "Return of the Jedi." Tippett has been nominated five times for an Academy Award for his special effects work and has won twice. Tippett is a stop motion master and "Mad God" is his thirty year side project, which according to my internet findings, resulted in Tippett being checked into a mental health facility. Well let me tell you, "Mad God" is one of the most craziest things I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. What's it all about? This is my best shot: it's about a little chap, dressed like a World War One miner (metal helmet, gas mask, bulky grey hazmat like apparel) who descends in a sarcophagus like container/elevator, through a multilevel science fiction hell. He has a map and a quest to blowup this nether world. He is captured, and his guts are surgically removed in a "let's dig a hole in the sand" method - it's pretty gross. Inside our little gas-miner friend is a squealing baby insect like thing which is then brought to a kind of high priest like figure - something out of Alejandro Jodorowsky's "The Holy Mountain." The baby bug is squished and the result is the ending of "2001: A Space Odyssey." Well not quite, but close enough. It's kind of like a stop motion version of "The Cremaster Cycle" crossed with the sensibilities of Heavy Metal magazine. There is no dialogue. It's bonkers. Catch one of the most visually interesting things in your local rep cinema or on streaming services.

Crimes of the Future

I have been a David Cronenberg fan for close to 40 years. "Dead Ringers" was the film though that really turned me into a "Rabid" fan. Themes of mutation and transformation run deep throughout Cronenberg's filmography; think of "Dead Ringers," "The Fly," and "M. Butterfly," as examples. The body as identity - for Cronenberg, it's not 'we live in our bodies' but rather 'our bodies live in us.' Or more explicitly, we are organic machines and we can get tune-ups, upgrades; our individual identities coming from, to a large extent, our bodies ("Crash," "eXistenZ") - there is no separation, you are your flesh; and for Cronenberg the flesh is often both deeply sexual and grotesque. Cronenberg has been talking about beauty contests for internal organs since "Dead Ringers." Which is a nice segue to talk about his latest masterpiece, "Crimes of the Future." To me, this movie felt like an accumulation of a body of work, all of Cronenberg's themes and ideas about the body, sexuality, and criminality; and I mean this in the best possible way. What's it all about? Viggo Mortensen (this is his fourth movie with Cronenberg) stars as Saul Tenser, a man who grows internal organs of unknown purpose in his abdomen in a giant walnut like bed/pod. When it's time to have the organ harvested, his partner, Caprice (Léa Seydoux) performs public surgery (while people gawk with martinis and cigarettes) as a piece of performance art - yes it's completely bananas. I found it to be grotesque, perplexing, and wildly entertaining. I don't profess to understand it but was certainly challenged by it. Time flew by. It's must viewing for Cronenberg fans. If you enjoyed "Titane" from my last year's recommended list, then this is your next foray into weird. The future in now. Catch it in cinemas if you can or on streaming services. 

The Righteous

 

Hallelujah! It's been a while since I've watched a blog worthy film. This Canadian suspenseful drama/horror, is a meditation on good and evil, redemption, grief, and sin. It is remarkable debut. It's written, directed, and stars, Mark O'Brien. Shot in black and white, it felt like a Hitchcockian play. With nods to "The Exorcist," and a few other films, O'Brien has crafted a nifty piece of arthouse cinema. What's it all about? A couple has just lost their adopted daughter. The father, Fredric (played by Henry Czerny) was a priest until he met Mimi (Ethel Mason), his now wife. They live together in the countryside in a modest old house. They are grieving their daughter when a stranger, lost in the woods, shows up asking for help. The stranger is Aaron (Mark O'Brien). He is odd, young, and his manner is somewhat intimidating, yet charming; he's a mystery. Mimi falls in motherly love with him. Aaron's motives are unclear and so the tension in the little house begins to rise. Mark O'Brien's performance is extraordinary and played against Henry Czerny's, the pair reminded me of James Dean and Raymond Massey in "East of Eden." - well done gentlemen. Mark O'Brien, this is a name to watch for. Catch "The Righteous" at your local rep cinema.   

Shining Girls

Welcome to the best thing since "The Outsider." Elisabeth Moss plays Kirby, a woman who is the sole survivor of a serial killer on the loose. The killer, played with very effective creepiness by Jamie Bell, is lurking, stalking, and we get to see him move through time from victim to victim. Kirby, since she was attacked, has memory problems; things change on her, so she scribbles in a notebook to keep it all straight - where she lives; the objects on her desk, etc. She works at a newspaper as a researcher, digging up information for all the journalists. She becomes friends with Dan (Wagner Moura) who works the crime beat and is investigating the homicide of the killer's latest victim.  Dan is a drunk and is looking for redemption in this investigative story. The show has overtones of "Dark City," "Memento," and last year's "Last Night in Soho." This eerie thriller is compelling viewing and it has a dirty-fingernail, dirty-ashtray, straight-whiskey, black-coffee texture that will keep you glued to your set. Catch this headscratcher streaming on Apple +.