Best Films of 2022

Here are my favourite films of 2022 - My TOP TEN and everything else. There are some films I have yet to see which might rightfully belong on this list. There is only so much time. Click on any of the film titles to read my full review. Enjoy!

My Top Ten

1.  Blonde

2.  Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

3. Elvis

4. The Batman

5. Emily the Criminal

6. Bones and All

7. Resurrection

8. Barbarian

9. Men

10. Everything Everywhere All at Once  

And the rest of the best films of 2022 (in no real order)

11. The Black Phone

12. Official Competition

13. Terror on the Prairie

14. Hustle

15. Nope

16. The Gray Man

17. God's Waiting Room

18. Mad God

19. Prey

20. Thirteen Lives

21. The Phantom of the Open

22. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent  

23. Pearl

24. Vesper

25. Smile

26. The Silent Twins

27. Kimi

28. Drinkwater

29. Crimes of the Future

30. The Righteous 

The Guilty Pleasures/Honourable Mentions:

Canadian Horror films: Kicking Blood, Bloodthirsty 

Zombie films: The Sadness, Virus-32

Other horror films: X, Hellraiser (2022), Soft & Quiet

Action: Top Gun Maverick

South Korean Sci Fi film: Alienoid

Dramas: Armageddon Time

Great films of 2021 I only got around to seeing in 2022

1. Licorice Pizza

2. American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story

3. Drive My Car

4. The Worst Person in the World

5. Catch the Fair One

6. Flee

7. The Innocents

8. The Fallout

9. Scarborough

10. This is Gwar

The Worst Films/Biggest Disapointments of 2022:

1. Moonfall

2. Ambulance

3. Northman

4. The Lost City

5. Jurassic World: Dominion

6. Memoria

7. Where the Crawdads Sing

8. Black Adam

9. EO

10. The Eternal Daughter

11. The Fabelmans

12. Next Exit

13. Pray For the Devil

14. Babylon

15. Avatar: The Way of Water

The Devil’s Hour

Have you been missing Shining Girls? Well, "The Devil's Hour," the new series on Prime, should fill the void nicely. It's stars Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) as Gideon, a serial killer who seems not to care very much that he has been caught. Gideon is obsessed with Lucy (Jessica Raine) a woman who awakens every night at 3:33 am. Lucy has a son who seems to be autistic/extremely odd. Lucy, when she is not busy with her social work job or taking her kid to the therapist, is having visions. She is seeing events before they happen or are they events on a different timeline? Can she alter what she knows is coming? And what's with Gideon and his obsession with her? Lots of mysteries, lots of questions - if you are looking for a binge worthy head-scratching/mind-bending thriller, then let this charming little devil of a series keep you company over the holiday season. Catch it streaming on Prime. 

Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

There is no doubt "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" is one of the most interesting, artistic, and visually stunning films of the year. What's it all about? Simply, it's the story of Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho) who is a journalist and a documentary film maker who has left his home country of Mexico to raise his family in the USA. He is returning with his family to receive an award and then travelling back to the US to receive yet another. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu is Mexican and has given us some great films: 'Amores Perros' (2000), '21 Grams' (2003), 'Babel' (2006), 'Biutiful' (2010), 'Birdman' (2014) and 'The Revenant' (2015). "Bardo" is his most personal film yet; I suspect it to be semi-autobiographical. It's also clearly his most experimental and artistic film to date. The closest thing I can compare it to is "Synecdoche, New York" but if it was directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. It's about a middle-aged man going through a midlife crisis, an artist crisis, about the anxiety and fear and stress revolving around the creation and recognition of his work. It's about his relationship with Mexico, history, his family - his wife, kids, and his parents. It's about life, death and everything in between. It's a lot and with a 2 hour and 40-minute run time, it does covers a ton of ground. Breathtaking, brilliant, and at time times brutally honest. Catch this in a theatre near you. If you wait long enough, it will show up on Netfilx. Best to catch this one on a big screen if you can.  

Bones and All

I tried to express to my 18-year-old daughter that this movie was a stripped-down vampire movie, but she insisted these were cannibals, NOT vampires. After 171 episodes of "The Vampire Diaries" and from a kid who grew up on The Twilight saga, I tend to think her view might be slightly skewed. All the vampire purest debate aside, this is a striped down vampire movie, a teen love story, and a bloody beautiful film that looks like it came out of the 70s. What's it all about? It's about Maren (Taylor Russell) who has turned 18. After eating her friend's finger like it was a chicken wing (presumably because she was unable to control her urges to feed) her father has cut her loose, told her he can't do it anymore, left her cash and some clues to where she might find her mother. Thus begins a road trip where she meets fellow eater Sully (Mark Rylance - creepy as hell!) to explain what she is, an eater (they need to eat people and have an incredible sense of smell). Along the way she meets Lee (Timothée Chalamet) and romance ensues. This is a Twilight/Bonnie and Clyde romance movie and it's bloody as a slaughterhouse. I loved it. Definitely one of my favourite films of the year and one of the best-looking movies of the year. Catch this finger licking tasty picture at a theatre near you.  

Drinkwater

Normally I only put A-, A, or A+ work on my blog. There have been a few exceptions. Stuff which is B+ but is worthy because it deserves a little recognition. "Drinkwater" falls into this category, a B+ film but it deserves a rightful entry on this blog because it has so much heart. "Drinkwater" is intensely Canadian, eh! - Hockey, a Wayne Gretzky shrine, the Tim Horton's drive-thru scene and a soundtrack composed of Men Without Hats, Loverboy, Corey Hart and many other Canadian super groups. Shot and set in Penticton, British Columbia, this is the most Canadian thing you will ever see (up there with "One Week"). What's it all about? (ahboot as our American neighbours would say about our Canuck accents) It's about Mike Drinkwater (Daniel Doheny) who is a high school geek whose passion seems to be martial arts movies, Bruce Lee being the penultimate master of kicks and punches. Mike, without a single kung-fu lesson has hilarious moves. He lives with Hank, his father, who is illegally collecting disability and wears a neck brace and rides a mobility scooter even though he seems to have fully recovered from whatever injury landed him into this state of misfortune in the first place. There are strong parallels to "Pretty in Pink" and even direct references to it. Mike's neighbour and classmate, Wallace (Louriza Tronco) wears a Molly Ringwald "Pretty in Pink" dress (stitched together by her grandmother) to the prom. Mike is in love with the wrong girl when Wallace is standing right in front of him. John Hughes would be smiling at it. It's both homage and something fresh, with maybe a little ode to "Meatballs" and running thrown in. There is lots of heart and humour in "Drinkwater." It's Eh+ in my books. Catch it a Canadian rep theatre if you can. 

This is Gwar

This is a documentary on the band known as Gwar. These are my people If you’re like me, then you might have heard of Gwar but never really paid close attention to who they are or what they are all about. Gwar is a blood spewing, monster ejaculating, punk/thrash metal band. This largely theatrical, costumed, gross out band was founded from a few students attending Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia in 1984. These were art students who loved Dungeons & Dragons and comic books - geeks - who were told comic book art wasn't art. So, with a rebellious attitude of screw-you-art-department, went to make a science fiction film and got a local band Death Piggy to perform the soundtrack. Death Piggy and costumed theatre geeks merged and birthed out the monster now known as Gwar. This is a fun documentary, as fun as any rock band documentary; maybe the most fun ever! With over a hundred different band members, the documentary follows the main crew from inception to now. It's a hell of a fun ride. Catch "This is Gwar" streaming on Shudder. 

The Patient

Steve Carell. Let's talk about Steve Carell for a minute. Full confession, I never watched "The Office." Well, I watched the first season of the original Ricky Gervais one but never went further. I did catch a few episodes of Carell in his version of "The Office" - a role from which I thought he would never really escape from or grow beyond (he did this from 2005-2013). Thankful I was wrong. 2014, the year after his stint at "The Office" ended, Carell did "Foxcatcher;" a memorizing film with Carell delivering a performance to match. "Foxcatcher" was a film, not just goofy comedy but something of art and Carell's performance was something for everyone to stand up and take notice of. Steve has kept making smart choices: "The Big Short," "Last Flag Flying," the heart retching "Beautiful Boy," "Vice," and Apple+'s TV show, "The Morning Show" (I loved this). So, this brings us to "The Patient," the new series streaming on Disney+. What's it all about? A serial killer, Sam (Domhnall Gleeson) wants to stop killing so he has chained his therapist, Dr. Alan Strauss (Steve Carell) to the floor in his basement to work through his issues. I was riveted.

The show dives deep into the Jewish psyche. I was raised in a secular household with Christian grandparents, so Christmas and everything that goes along with that has been on my religious field. Judaism, not so much. But I know enough to believe this show would be even more profound for my Jewish friends. There is a meditation here on death and guilt and there is powerful imagery of the Holocaust in dream sequences. It's also about family, Sam's relationship with his parents and ex-wife, and Alan's broken relationship with his son Ezra. Steve Carell has given one of his best performances on top all the smart ones he has given since leaving "The Office." Check into therapy and catch this new show on Disney+.  

Blonde

It blew me away. This might be the best film of 2022. What's it all about? Marilyn Monroe of course. But it's really about a girl named Norma Jeane (Ana de Armas - I will come back to her in a minute) who had a mentally ill mother and no father; so a girl with daddy issues invents and lives inside a character by the name of Marilyn Monroe. That's the movie, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates. I was glued to it. As I type my little blog review, I have not one, but two Marilyn Monroe posters adorning my film nerd workspace. Marilyn has always been a tragic figure in my mind; someone who represents all the glitz of Hollywood and all the behind-the-scenes, suffering-in-silence that goes on in the land of studio make-believe. Again, this is the movie, all the suffering and anguish, the mental breakdown of Norma Jeane. Ana de Armas, who has been in both The Gray Man and No Time to Die, is far more than a pretty face. She gave everything to this performance and if she doesn't get an Oscar for it, well the Academy will have lost its way. And the look of this movie - it's like a newspaper collage of black and white, colour, dream sequences, quirky film techniques and styles; if that sounds arty, well it is. For me, it worked. I loved it. Andrew Dominik has crafted one of the best movies of the year. Catch it now streaming on Netflix. 

The Silent Twins

I have been accused by my friend Ross of enjoying films where the level of craziness in the protagonists is high. Well "The Silent Twins" does nothing to counter his argument; these are some of the craziest people I've ever seen (times two - they are twins!) and I really enjoyed this film. Enjoyed - maybe not quite the right word. I go to the movies for many reasons; often it's to have an empathetic experience or an emotional experience. "The Silent Twins" is a sad movie, horrific at times, and yet there is something extraordinary here; similar to "A Beautiful Mind"  - if you "enjoyed" that film, then you will experience something comparable. "The Silent Twins" isn't just about the mental illness of one person, but of two, identical twin sisters, June and Jennifer Gibbons. It was like they were two people with one personality - and growing up they would only communicate with each other. They lived in a world of make-believe, which is depicted in the film with the use of stop motion animation - it's this and other film fantasy sequences which make Agnieszka Smoczynska's film really something special. It is through their shared creative voices the twins are able to escape an almost self made prison. It's fascinating. Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance as June and Jennifer Gibbons are both fabulous. Catch this one in a rep cinema near you. 

Smile

“Smile” is bright enough to light up a theatre of horror movie fans even if it might not have brushing as hard as it could have been. What’s it all about? Similar to HBO’s “The Outsider,” Wes Craven’s “Shocker,” or recent horror hit, “It Follows,” we have a creature which moves from victim to victim assuming false identities and hiding in plain sight. In the case of "Smile" the creature stalks the next target as the last witness of the previous victim's suicide. The creature takes on different forms, reflections in mirrors, other people, relatives, etc. Its trademark, it's always smiling psychotically at its next potential victim. The next target is Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) after she witnessed a patient kill herself in front of her. "Smile" is a well crafted horror movie with a soundtrack which I adored. The score reminded me of great horror movie soundtracks of the 70s - "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "Shock Waves," and "The Exorcist." 2022 has given us some great horror movies, so there is lots to Smile about (see what I did there). With Halloween around the corner, go catch this one in a dark theatre as soon as possible. 

Vesper

In the world of film, most visions of the future look like inferior copies of "Blade Runner," "Mad Max," or a "Star Wars" ripoff. So it's pretty rare to get a bold new vision of the future; "Vesper" is pretty unique. What's it all about? It follows the story of Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) who lives in the wastelands outside of the wealthy citadel (where all the rich people live) with her bedridden father. She forages in the mud for edible roots and eats grub-slime soup. The world of "Vesper" is one which is dirty, wet, organic, and dismal. Vesper's world is a place where genetic engineering has run amuck; the closest film I've seen to something similar is Alex Garland's "Annihilation." Vesper communicates with her father with a flying google-home like device which kind of looks like an old apple computer with the guts of a pumpkin if you peek inside. Her father is like a droid sidekick as she sneaks about stealing seeds from her uncle (Eddie Marsan - he is a great character actor) in hopes of growing food. A ship from the citadel has crashed bringing with it a genetic designer and his daughter who seems to have a strange power to heal. "Vesper" has the organic sliminess of a Cronenberg film without being overly grotesque but it's just as smart. Catch one of the most original science fiction films to come out in decades, now on streaming services.  

Halloween 2022 - Special Horror Film Post

Well with my favourite holiday season around the corner, Halloween, I thought I would give you a few lists of what you might want to watch this October.

Let's start with a list (Thirty!) of my

Favourite horror movies of all time:

1. John Carpenter's The Thing - My favourite horror movie of all time. "I suggest we prepare our own meals and only eat out of cans." I'm sure this is a phrase we used during the COVID pandemic. If you have never watched this one, you are in for something special. Kurt Russell battles a space monster in Antarctica.

2. Jaws. Not only one of my favourite horror movies but one of my favourtie movies of all time. You are going to need a bigger bowl of popcorn.

3. Alien - Ridley Scott's other space masterpiece ("Blade Runner" being the first).

4. Halloween - this one gave me nightmares for months when I was a kid. There might be a few follow up films I believe (wink). directed by John Carpenter

5. The Shining - Check into the Overlook Hotel and have a bath. directed by Stanley Kubrick

6. The Conjuring - Let's play the clap game! directed by James Wan

7. Poltergeist - Ghosts are unhappy with urban sprawl directed by Tobe Hooper

8. Silence of the Lambs - Enjoy this one with your favourite Chianti. directed by Jonathan Demme

9. Nightmare on Elm Street - Don't fall asleep, bitch! directed by Wes Craven

10. Invasion of Body Snatchers (1978) - People turn into Mr. Spock, starring Spock. 

11. Hereditary - Allergy alert! This one is nuts! 

12. The Babadook - Your favourite kid's book!

13. Jeepers Creepers - Scarecrows are mean and scary. 

14. Barbarian - The worst dark basement adventure ever.

15. Psycho - Check into the Bates Motel and have a shower. directed by Alfred Hitchcock

16. The Ring - Girl in well needs a haircut and makeover 

17. Crawl - Competitive swimmer finds the right motivational coach 

18. Don't Breathe - Home invasion goes wrong, get out the turkey baster.

19. Us - Home invasion with red jumpsuits, "Siri, call the police" directed by Jordan Peele

20. Saw - "I want to play a game." No thanks! directed by James Wan

21. Dead Ringers - Twin gynecologists do drugs and have sex. directed by David Cronenberg

22. Hellraiser - The Rubik's Cube from hell! directed by Clive Barker

23. The Cell - visually breathtaking, J Lo and Vince Vaughn go into the mind of a serial killer

24. Event Horizon - Black holes drive people nuts!

25. Freaks (1932) - Cirque du Soleil, not!

26. The Manitou - Tony Curtis (Jamie Lee's dad) was in this bananas horror movie

27. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - I just love this one!

28. The Fly (1986) - Scientist and fly have a bromance. directed by David Cronenberg

29. Scream - tips on how to survive a horror movie. directed by Wes Craven

30. Evil Dead II - relaxing with a book at the cottage. directed by Sam Raimi

Favourite Zombie Films

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - The real monsters are racists. This is the film which gave us our contemporary version of the zombie. This is George A. Romero's classic and it's brilliant. 

2. Dawn of the Dead (2004 remake) - She having a baby! directed by Zack Snyder

3. 28 Days Later - The real monsters are men. directed by Danny Boyle

4. Army of the Dead - Escape from Las Vegas, a zombie heist movie. directed by Zack Snyder

5. It Stains the Sands Red - The real monsters are men.

6. Shaun of the Dead - A zombie comedy - let's go to the pub for a drink!

7. Train to Busan - South Korean zombie masterpiece, run!

8. Shock Waves - The soggy undead.

9. Zombie (Lucio Fulci's 1979 film) - eyeball splinter! 

10. The Sadness - It's a bloody one!

 

Favourite Vampire Films

1. Fright Night (1985) - What's going on next door?

2. The Lost Boys - Noodles or worms? directed by Joel Schumacher

3. Martin - George A. Romero did more than zombie films.

4. Dracula (1931) - Bela Lugosi will always be Dracula for me. After this, go watch "Ed Wood"

5. Let the Right One In (2008) - Kids will be kids

6. 30 Days of Night - Vampires go hang out in Alaska

7. Daybreakers - In a world of vampires they are running out of human blood

8. Near Dark - vampires in a van! directed by Kathryn Bigelow

9. The Hunger - David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, and Catherine Deneuve get sexy directed by Tony Scott

10. Vampire's Kiss - Watch a very young Nic Cage is one of his best roles

Favourite (Scary) Stephen King Movies

1. Misery - A writer finds unexpected motivation for his next novel. directed by Rob Reiner

2. IT (2017) parts 1 and 2 - Sewer clown; nobody really likes a sewer clown.

3. The Shining - A writer is suffering from a bad case of writer's block. directed by Stanley Kubrick

4. The Dead Zone - The future looks grim. directed by David Cronenberg

5. Carrie - Worst prom date ever. directed by Brian De Palma

6. 1408 - You will want your room upgraded.

7. The Mist - The ending will haunt you. 

8. Creepshow - George A. Romero did more than zombie films.

9. Christine - A bad case of road rage - directed by John Carpenter

10. Children of the Corn - Kids will be kids

Pearl (and X)

I watched the movie "X" this summer. What's it about? It's set in 1979. A group of young folks head off to a rented farmhouse to make a pornographic film. Somebody comes along and chops them up. It's your typical slasher film and it's well done for what it is. It's great Midnight Madness stuff; gory, bloody "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with a touch of "Evil Dead" and a splash of "Lake Placid." "X" is a fun horror movie but I didn't think it was blog worthy. I gave it a B+. It's made the hounorable mention list for 2022. 

So when I heard that "Pearl" was a prequel to "X" and it was released in the same year, I was more than curious. I was expecting more of the same. And I got that, sort of. What I was surprised about was the film's audacity. Director Ti West has birthed a cinephile monster infused with film DNA. In other words, this is a movie made by someone who knows movies and loves film as much as I do. It's also a bloody, gory Midnight Madness movie but as arty and well crafted as any Tarantino picture (the open title freeze frame credit was gold).. "Pearl" has the taboo sexuality of "The Wicker Man" and a "Wizard of Oz" 1940s almost goofy innocence - the colour of the picture is old school vivid, like a Doris Day picture. What's "Pearl" all about? It's about young Pearl, who dreams of being a dancing star and leaving the misery of the family farm; her cruel and overbearing German mother and her wheelchair bound incapacitated father. Pearl is played by Mia Goth (she is also the star of "X" but as a different character). Let me tell you, Mia Goth has given us an Oscar worthy performance. The speech she delivers near the end of the film was a remarkable for not only it's rich emotive qualities but also for it's long duration. I said to myself, "Wow, this kid is something else." Catch "Pearl" in a theatre near you and then go catch "X" on streaming services. It's a bloody good time.     

Barbarian

There is always one horror movie which stands out as the clear winner of the year (and this year is far from over and Halloween is just around the corner). I'm guessing "Barbarian" will be my favourite horror film of 2022. What's it all about? Well, without giving away any more than what's in the trailer, I will sum it up like this: An Airbnb mix-up, in the burned-out ghetto of the Detroit suburbs, leads two strangers into the creepiest, scariest, don't-go-down-there basement adventures of all time. This film has serious mommy issues. It stars some horror movie favourites; Bill Skarsgård (he was Pennywise in the latest movie adaption of "It") and Justin Long (one of the stars of "Jeepers Creepers" (I loved "Jeepers Creepers" - if you are looking for a Halloween movie, check out 1 & 2, they are both great)). Justin Long plays  AJ, a narcissistic actor who is accused of sexual misconduct. Watching AJ calculate extra square footage is one of the best things you will see all year. "Barbarian" also stars relative newcomer, Georgina Campbell as Tess. Tess is put through horror movie hell - she takes it like a champ. The movie is not only scary as hell, it's also funny as hell, and well put together - it's smart and leaves the audience to put the pieces together. Get your Halloween funk on and catch this one in a very dark theatre near you.  

The Bear

If you have every worked in a restaurant, then Hulu's show "The Bear" will ring true - Ding, order up. It stars Jeremy Allen White as Carmen (you might know him as Lip on "Shameless"). Carmen has come back to Chicago after the death of his brother by suicide to run the family restaurant - a sandwich shop with colourful characters both outside and in. Carmen isn't just anyone, he is one of the world's best chefs and he wants to turn the failing business into something great - maybe as a way of repairing his relationship with his dead brother. The show is packed with flavourful characters who all feel 3D and real. The best of which is  Ebon Moss-Bachrach as cousin Richie. Ebon's performance is a Golden Globe worthy one of a best supporting actor - I can't say enough about how good he is. And Jeremy Allen White, well he seems to be channeling Dustin Hoffman - I mean this in the best possible way. Each episode clocks in under 30 minutes and each one is a piece of tapis that will leave you satisfied but craving more. Episode seven "Review" was like riding a rollercoaster - intense, manic, and I felt breathless after it was over. I loved this show. Catch it streaming in Canada on Disney+.    

Emily the Criminal

I love heist pictures. I don't remember the last one I saw that I enjoyed as much as I did with "Emily the Criminal." If pressed, "Drive" would be the last one which might compare. What's it all about? It's about Emily (Aubrey Plaza - who is fabulous) who is saddled with almost unmanageable student debt, who works at a food catering business delivering eats to office parties and the like. She can't seem to get ahead because she has a DUI and an assault charge sticking to her like a sign saying "Do not hire this woman." Her co-worker offers her a number to call for $200 for an hours work to thank her for covering his shift. She calls. Turns out it's to buy a TV with a stolen credit card. She does it, gets the money, then they offer her more. More money, higher stakes. Emily and one of her new criminal bosses, Youcef (Theo Rossi) form a relationship as Emily embraces the life of credit card fraud. All good things must come to an end - and the end is great. I loved "Emily the Criminal" and was glued to it. Catch this one in rep cinemas before it gets away. 

Thirteen Lives

So if you haven't watched the National Geographic documentary, The Rescue, then this is your chance to watch the remarkable dramatization by director Ron Howard, starring Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell. I loved "The Rescue" and I'm not sure there was a need to make a dramatization, however they did, and well, it's one of the best films of the year. What's it all about? This is the true story of a young soccer team and their coach (13 of them) who became trapped in a lengthy Thailand cave when the monsoon rains came early and floated the cave - this is the tale of how they were rescued. It's truly a fascinating and almost unbelieve tale of survival. Viggo Mortensen is as good as I have ever seen him and Colin Farrell, the same - lots of walking around in wetsuits and looking pensive but they do it oh-so-well. If you are claustrophobic, this one gets real tight and you might find it hard to breathe. Catch it on Amazon Prime. 

Prey

"Prey," is a "Predator" prequel, set 300 years ago on the land of the Comanche Nation (another franchise film from the original 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger one where muscly, glistening, dudes descended into the jungle and battled an alien hunter from outer space -yes ridiculous but fun!). There have been five other "Predator" sequels/reboots if you count the two "Alien Vs. Predator" spin offs. "Prey" marks the sixth sequel. It is by far the best and, dare I say it, might even be better than the original. What's it all about? Amber Midthunder play Naru, a young Comanche woman who wants to be a hunter like her brother and his friends, a role that in 1711 seems to be predominately male run. She has learned the way of medicine, so she is brought along for for help. She secretly practices throwing her tomahawk - and she is an ace with it. But against one of the most deadly hunters in the galaxy? Really? Surprisingly "Prey" find ingenious ways to keep this battle fresh and somewhat believable. The entire film looks great - the French colonialists are a treat. Did I mention Amber Midthunder is fantastic! I have seen quite a few films of late where Indigenous  women have taken the lead (which is great) but "Prey" is by far my favourite. Catch it streaming on Disney +. 

The White Lotus

HBO has a sassy, whip-smart, dark comedy series entitled, "The White Lotus." It's about eight VIPs checking into the swanky Hawaiian hotel and spa, The White Lotus. There is a newlywed couple, Shane and Rachel Patton - he is young, rich, and his mommy booked them the pineapple honeymoon suite. The hotel manger, Armond (Murray Bartlett) double booked the room. Shane won't let it go and it becomes the unravelling of the manager. I hope Murray Bartlett gets a Golden Globe for this. Then there is a family of four plus the daughter brought along a friend. The family are rich, white, rude, selfish, and narcissistic. Steve Zahn plays the father and he has to come to terms with his own father's past. The daughter is a spoiled little bitch (the black friend, not so much). The son spends all his time on his tablet, gaming. The last guest is Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge - Stifler's mom from "American Pie") plays a sad, rich, drunk flake, trying to dispose of her abusive mother's ashes. Tanya, without even being aware of her own actions, strings along the woman running the spa with promises of "going into business together" because the spa lady is just so wonderful. All the characters are well drawn, like razor sharp - because they feel so real, it makes the show oh so compelling. And the music! The Hawaiian whistling theme of the show is force driving everything forward. Check in immediately to "The White Lotus." on CRAVE/HBO.  

Resurrection

 Rebecca Hall has given us one of the most riveting performances of the year. Knowing the Oscars, I doubt she will even be nominated. Whatever. Let me tell you, Hall's performance grips you and you believe it. She plays, Margaret, a single mom to an almost 18 year old girl. Margaret has a senior position in a company, big office - I'm not exactly sure what she does but she is orderly, tidy, and in command. She seems to have her shit together, that is, until she spies out of the corner of her eye, David (Tim Roth) at a conference. Margaret has a full blown panic attack and takes off running all the way home. Suddenly Margaret is unravelling. We suspect maybe a volatile former relationship. When David makes a few more peripheral appearances in various locations, Margaret goes to the police for, you guessed it, no help at all. David and Margaret's sordid past comes out when she confesses everything to a young intern at her work. Let me tell you, it's bonkers. Without spoiling anything (or too much), David would make Margaret perform what he called, "Kindnesses." They were forms of both physical and mental torture. Present day David says he will leave Margaret and her daughter alone if she would just do a few more of these kindnesses for him. Tim Roth has never been so evil! The ending of the film will stick with you for the rest of the year! Do yourself a kindness and check out this thriller in rep cinemas or on streaming services when you can.

God's Waiting Room

Let's do a 180 from "The Gray Man" to a small indie film from a first-time director, Tyler Riggs. I'm far more excited to write about this film. Like "American Honey," "Honey Boy," "Zola," "The Florida Project," and "Red Rocket," (I could keep going!) "God's Waiting Room" shares an intimate and candid portrait of its subjects in an almost documentary style. In all of these films, we are dealing with working class to impoverished people, substance abuse, and people hustling to get out of their horrid situations. In this case we have Rosie (Nisalda Gonzalez) who is living with her single dad, Nino (Ray Benitez) who works doing interlock driveways for wealthy homeowners in central Florida. Rosie wants to be a song writer/singer. Her dad wants her to go to school. Rosie has been hanging out with Jules (Matthew Leone) - a small time hapless drug dealer - to the disapproval of her friends and father. The story also follows a young man just released from prison after serving 12 years for murder, played by Tyler Riggs. Tyler Riggs - what a talent this guy is! He wrote, directed and stars in this movie and it's really good. I'm not sure if the songs that Rosie sings were also written by Tyler Riggs but they are truly special and Ms. Gonzalez sings the shit out of them. These kids, these people, they felt real to me and you could feel the sticky humidity of Florida on your skin. Films like "God's Waiting Room" are why I love going to the movies - there is beauty and tragedy at play here and it would well be worth your time to have a seat in "God's Waiting Room." Catch it at your local rep cinema, if possible, or on streaming services. 

The Gray Man

Looking for a big, dumb, fun, action film? This year's "The Gray Man" with a reported 200 million dollar budget, is the James Bond-like, hail of bullets, over-the-top car chases, ridiculous ride you want to handcuff yourself to your couch for. The Plot, (like it matters) is about Six (Ryan Gosling) who was offered a get-out-of-prison deal (basically a "La Femme Nikita" ripoff) if he became a hitman for the CIA. Fast forward twenty years or so and Six has become a lethal machine. When his latest assignment turns out to be killing one of his own, things change. His target is carrying proof that the CIA is abusing it's power! What? No way? Who could be behind such abuses? Why it's Captain America with a moustache! (Chris Evans) Billy Bob Thornton play Six's CIA mentor and segregate father figure. When Bad Captain America captures him and his niece, Six has to rescue them and bring the information of abuse to light. It's all ridiculous but hey, I enjoyed myself. I only regret I didn't see it on the big screen. Catch this CIA agent on the run, on Netflix. 

Nope

Okay, I admit it, I was disappointed. What a way to start a review about films I recommend! But wait, hear me out. So, when Jordan Peele released "Get Out," I thought it was good but I didn't love it the way some reviewers did. I watched it again at the Mustang Drive In in Prince Edward County and liked it much more the second time. Then came "Us." I really liked it - it made the blog! So I had high expectations for "Nope," largely due to the trailer. I think Peele is just as an important film maker for black culture as Spike Lee has been, and Peele is as good creatively on the horror front as M. Night Shyamalan. So Peele has raised the bar high. I think I set it too high in my mind. This is Peele's third film and he swung for the fences. He almost made it - and for that, he makes the blog. "Nope" is one of the most interesting films of 2022 and it's full of great imagery which has stuck with me long after the movie ended. What's it all about? It's about OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) who runs a horse business for Hollywood. There is something in the sky and Emerald wants to get it captured on film - get rich off of it. At the neighbouring ranch, Ricky Park (Steven Yeun) also has a similar idea, but he wants to sell tickets to see the thing in the clouds, make it a show - sell alien toy dolls and slushy drinks. Well it doesn't work out well for anyone. There is also a back story about a chimpanzee named Gordy. It was my favourite part of the film and I won't say anymore about it. I suspect I will like "Nope" more the second time I watch it. Catch this sci-fi Western in theatres while you can. 

Hustle

Adam Sandler. There hasn't been a lot I've loved. There has been a few films I really enjoyed; "The Wedding Singer," "50 First Dates," "Click," "Spanglish." I loved him in "Uncut Gems." He followed that up with a Netflix Halloween film, "Hubie Halloween" - I didn't watch it because it looked dreadful. This is Sandler's latest, "Hustle." I'm sure I've told you a bunch of times, I'm a sucker for underdog sports films. So here we go again. Sandler plays, Stanley Sugerman, a man who's sports career was sidelined by an injury and now he travels the globe as a talent scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. His secondary dream of coaching also gets sidelined, forcing him back out on the road to find a prospect. He finds Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez) sitting around in Spain hustling pick-up basketball for money in a grimy working class neighbourhood. This kid is Stanley's ticket back to the NBA and for Bo Cruz, this is his "Rocky" golden-ticket chance to change his life. Yes, the film has a training montage. Yes, just when you think it's going to be okay, back to the bottom you go. You have seen it all before but "Hustle" has got a few fresh moves and it's one of Sandler's best roles to date. Catch this three pointer on Netflix. 

Terror on the Prairie

 

Well if you enjoyed my recommendation of "Old Henry" last year, you will enjoy this. It's essentially the same film, except you replace Tim Blake Nelson with Gina Carano (Hattie) and a crying baby, and you replace Stephen Dorff with Nick Searcy (The Captain), and you get Gabriel-Kane Day Lewis to play the son (Daniel Day-Lewis's real son), and switch up the plot to be a revenge tale of a group of confederate soldiers, post civil war, looking for those responsible for the death of the Captain's daughter. Hattie has to defend herself and her two kids from those evil doers who have encircled her home - you have seen this story a hundred times before but trust me, this is a great version of it. If I controlled awards shows, Nick Searcy would get a nomination for best supporting actor - he makes a great villain. It you like Sam Peckinpah movies or you like your Westerns served bloody with a shot of whiskey, then mosey up on over and find this little beauty of film (it really is a handsome looking movie with pretty mountains - everyone likes pretty mountains and artistic shots!) on streaming services now. 

Official Competition

An aging billionaire wants a legacy to leave behind - let's build a bridge and name it after him! Better yet, let's make a movie! And in Trump like style, let's get the best people and make the best movie, like ever! That is the premise of "Official Competition," a film which ridicules the wealthy, pretentious and narcissistic actors, and pokes fun at art/artists as a whole. Does that sound fun? Well let me tell you, it is! It stars Penélope Cruz as Lola, the hot "it" director (the best!) hired to make the billionaire's dream come true. Antonio Banderas plays the hunky sex star and Oscar Martínez plays the classically trained actor with whom each is paired against as brothers in conflict in the movie's plot. Lola, who scrapbooks her scripts with taped cigarette butts and other nonsense, puts them through absurd acting exercises - run lines under a giant suspended boulder to induce feelings of stress; Saran-wraps the pair together and destroys their acting awards in front of them for some sort of imagined artistic liberation. It's basically a series of outlandish absurdities, one after the next. I found myself laughing aloud at times. If you enjoy film (said in the most pretentious way possible), you will certainly enjoy this. Catch this movie about the making of a movie in a rep theatre near you.

The Black Phone

"Stranger Things" seems to have opened a door, a gateway I suppose, to Gen-Xers' nostalgic hunger of 70s and 80s horror films. We have had a splatter of very recent examples; "Fear Street: 1978," "American Horror Story: 1984," and "X" (set in 1979) to name a few. Now we have "The Black Phone," set in 1978 in a Colorado suburb. Kids are disappearing and the only clue left behind, a sinister black balloon. Meanwhile Finney (played by the wonderful Mason Thames) is being picked on in middle school by bullies - Finney needs to learn to stand up for himself, like his younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) who also is having dreams about the missing kids. The film is based off of a short story by Joe Hill and it has similarities to his even more famous father's work, "Carrie." Ethan Hawke plays the mask wearing, child abducting, creep-o (I think he will get a best supporting Oscar nod for this one) and he is terrifying. Oh and if you didn't guess already, Finney gets taken by old creep-o and some ghosts, by the way of a broken phone, help Finney out. Sounds ridiculous, however it's extremely well done - that's how it got on the blog! Only good stuff here people. I don't scare easily but there were a couple of jump scares that got me good. Well done. Answer the call and see this one in the theatres while you can.  

Stranger Things

"Stranger Things" was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. In the show, the year was 1983. The main character, Eleven was about the same age as the actress playing her, Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 (Eleven was 12 years old - confusing I know). The same age as my daughter at the time. My son was 10. The fourth season of the show has now aired in 2022. In the show, it's now 1986. The characters have only aged three years but the actors have aged six. My kids were were 10 and 12, now 16 and 18. Big years for them, big for the kids in the show. We have watched them grow up in parallel. It's been a family adventure and one which I have cherished because the creators of the show, The Duffer Brothers, tapped into my childhood - a montage of 80s films referenced: "E.T.," "The Goonies," "Carrie," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and John Carpenter's "The Thing" all figured prominently in the first season. Now we are into the epic fourth season, films like "Nightmare on Elm Street," "House" (1985),"Alien," "Sixteen Candles," and "Lifeforce," pepper this season's imagery - darker and more mature, like our teens.

If you haven't watched it, it's about a small town called Hawkins and they have a government facility, a lab, and they are performing secret experiments on kids. A teen has gone missing. Turns out he was trapped in an alternate world just below the town itself - The Upside-down. I won't bother to explain more. It's a science fiction/horror show likened to the films I previously referenced. There is a heavy nostalgia factor for me and it's been a joy to share with my own kids. It's smart, it's fun, and it's one of the best things on TV. Take a trip to the Upside-down on Netflix, Kate Bush will meet you there in season 4.

Men

I've been an Alex Garland fan since he penned the screenplay for "28 Days Later." His first writing/directing debut was "Ex Machina" and he followed it up with "Annihilation" (think of an all female version of John Carpenter's "The Thing" but in the tropics Vs. the Antarctic). The men (or a good chunk of them) of "28 Days Later" and "Ex Machina" are portrayed as sex crazed evil doers. In Garland's latest film, "Men," he has done nothing to elevate the stature of the male gender in any way. In fact, the men in "Men" seem to be violent, emotionally needy, and likely sex crazed. I hypothesize Garland's view to be: men equate sex with love and if the sex is lost, so too are the men. What's it all about? Jessie Buckley plays Harper, a woman who has gone on holiday in the English countryside after the suicide of her husband James. She is haunted by the memory of James and physically haunted by some strange man in the woods - although all the men around her cottage-house are creepy as fuck. The film has a superb sense of unease, dreed, and horror. It becomes surreal in the end and this horror/meditation about the weight women bare is brought out in some of the most disturbing, deranged, and dreadful imagery I have every seen. The images have haunted me. It's extremely well done. Catch this horror show at your local rep cinema or on streaming services.

Elvis

In a world where there are literally dozens of Elvis impersonation festivals held around the world, meaning thousands upon thousands of people, every year, dress up and sing like the King of Rock and Roll, Austin Butler, the young man who plays Elvis Presley in the new movie "Elvis" had a giant rhinestone jumpsuit to fill. Let me tell you, Austin Butler will no doubt be nominated for an Oscar, I also believe he will win. The kid knocked it out of the park - I was looking at Elvis Presley for close to three hours. As my friend Edward told me, (and I'm paraphrasing) "You can't capture somebody's life story in two or three hours." I agree. However "Elvis" does a great job of giving us a history lesson of the black culture Elvis grew up in, the gritty dirty blues and the gospel church singing - gyrating to the point of enraptured ecstasy. This music so powerfully influenced him, the result was it gave 'Black' music to white conservative audiences. The music in the film occasionally transitioned to contemporary rap - felt almost "Moulin Rouge!" at times - bringing that musical history some weight (some people might not like it but I loved it). The movie has a breakneck pace and holds its foot on the pink Cadillac gas pedal to the floor. Tom Hanks (with an accent that might be the movie's only flaw) plays Elvis's manager, the Colonel. He helped bring Elvis to super stardom but also prevented him from becoming something potentially even greater. The Colonel exploited Elvis and was the cause of the great singer's demise. Catch this likely to be Oscar nominated film in theatres before it leaves the building. 

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 +.  

Outer Range

 Oh boy, giddy up! This is one of best things to come along since "Channel Zero" packed it in; and I LOVED "Channel Zero." I loved this too. "Outer Range" - if it sounds like "The Outer Limits" goes to farm; well you wouldn't be wrong. Yes, this is a sci-fi Western (not normally something I would be drawn to). I tuned in because I'm a big fan of Josh Brolin. I didn't realize Lili Taylor was in it - love her too. The cast is really suburb - Will Patton as Wayne Tillerson was a standout for me. What's it all about? I don't want to give too much away; we have a long standing feud between neighbors, the Abbotts and the Tillersons and now Wayne Tillerson wants a piece of the Abbott's land, the West pasture. On this piece of land, there is a giant hole with a kind of floating fog in it - very mysterious. There is also a homicide and a detective (Tamara Podemski as Deputy Sheriff Joy - she is great!) trying to solve the case. Also there is a mysterious backpacker (Imogen Poots as Autumn) whose motives are unclear. That's all I'm going to tell you. Go watch it! It's so well made and it becomes so strange it feels like David Lynch is pulling the strings - there is some twisted singing! Go saddle up with this show on Amazon Prime.  

Scarborough

 "Scarborough" won the 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Picture; deservedly so. What's is all about? It revolves around the children of three families who attend a drop-in reading centre in, you guessed it, in Scarborough. This is Canada's version of "The Florida Project" - if you are unfamiliar with that movie, then let me describe it this way: It's a gritty realistic portrait about families living in poverty, specifically kids. In the hood of Scarborough, the film gives us snap-shots of drug addition, mental illness, racial biases, white privilege, and some undiagnosed autism. It also addresses the broken system of social services for those who have no power, money, or privilege. It's grim, and yet despite some horribly tragic events which take place, there is a kindness to the film, and dare I say, maybe even a little hope. The child actors are phenomenal - Anna Claire Beitel as Laura (the daughter of a meth-head mom and an impoverished neo-Nazi dad) was a standout for me. If you are looking for great Canadian cinema, the take a trip to "Scarborough." Catch it a your local rep cinema or on DVD or Streaming services. 

The Sadness & Virus-32

I don't normally combine reviews, however these felt so closely linked that I thought it just makes sense. 

If you are into Zombie movies, please continue. If not, you can skip this. So, let's talk zombies. I'm going to quote myself from my review of "The Dead Don't Die."- "Since George A. Romero's 'The Night of the Living Dead,' zombie has equaled social commentary about society's pressing issues - whether it be race relations in 'The Night of the Living Dead' or consumerism in 'Dawn of the Dead' - the zombie motif is usually a fun way to talk about all different aspects of humanity's cruelty and ignorance which we inflict upon one other and the Earth. Jim Jarmusch isn't traditional and we could certainly use a conversation about climate change. " I wrote that in 2019. It's now 2022. The world endured four years of Trump, two years of a pandemic, the environmental crisis is worse than ever, and inflation is at the highest point it's been in decades. Plus the Russian invasion of Ukraine. People, I think it's fair to say, are mad, like really really mad. What does that give us in terms of zombie films - it gives us fast and pissed offed zombies, and in the case of "The Sadness" violence and blood like I've never seen before. This Taiwanese film is actually written and directed by a Canadian,  Rob Jabbaz. McPherson's Movie Marquee is still hoping to hear back from Rob about his movie. Anyway, in "The Sadness" the virus which infects people, it doesn't just turn them into your standard zombie, no, this turns them into homicidal axe wielding maniacs (with a slight zombie head tilt). If you are into zombie films, blood and guts B-horror movies, then "The Sadness" is blood-curdling screaming for you. 

Then there is "Virus-32," a zombie film out of Argentina and Uruguay! This one isn't nearly as violent but it does have the same manic energy to it and the zombies are also running full tilt. There is the same sense of chaos, a society gone mad - a sign of the times I think. What's this one about? A woman and her daughter find themselves under undead siege in a sports complex. As far as B-zombie films go, this one has tasty brains.

If you are in Ottawa, catch "The Sadness" at the Mayfair Theatre this week and then soon on streaming and blu-ray. Catch "Virus-#2" streaming on Shudder.  

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

If you're are a Gen-Xer like myself, you grew up on Nicolas Cage movies: "Vampire's Kiss," "Moonstruck," "Raising Arizona," "Wild at Heart;" then later, large action blockbusters such as "The Rock," "Con Air," and "Face/Off." Cage won an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas," and has been in other films which have endeared him to audiences like, "The Family Man," and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin." The he did some great work in films like "Matchstick Men," "Adaptation," "Lord of War," and "The Weather Man." Then there were rumours of financial troubles and for the last decade plus, Cage has been working like no other actor, churning out film after film, many it seemed, straight-to-video/streaming. I have watched many of them. There is a lot of mediocre stuff, some great stuff ("Joe," "Pig") and some off-the-wall bananas stuff,("Mandy," "Color out of Space"). Cage has never stopped working.

In his latest film, now out in theatres, Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage, an actor in debt needing a hit film. He resorts to take a million dollar gig (to pay off his debts) to show up and be the guest of a wealthy olive oil farmer in Mallorca, Javi (played by Pedro Pascal). Javi is a huge, obsessive Nicolas Cage fan and he would like Nick to read his screenplay. The movie is a riot and Nicolas Cage has fully embraced it like only Nicolas Cage can. Other actors have played fictional versions of themselves before, like Jean-Claude Van Damme did in JCVD and I have always enjoyed those who can poke fun at themselves, but Cage takes it to a new level of self deprecating narcissism which is a joy to behold. Catch this one now in theatres.  

We Need to Talk About Cosby

I'm white, if you didn't know (pretty much anyone reading my blog knows me personally, but just in case you didn't). I grew up in the 1970s and 80s in a pretty much white, middle to upper class community in Ottawa, Canada. I knew a total of five black kids by name and I was only really close with one. I think I was mature enough to understand the black people depicted on the TV show "Good Times" were, to a large extent, a truer representation of American black society in the 1970s - namely, poor and struggling. Then came along "The Cosby Show," a show where an American black family was depicted as not only, NOT poor, but well off, rich and educated. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) was a doctor and his wife Clair was a lawyer. The show depicted a family where there was a lot of love and laughter - white, black, brown, etc., it didn't matter what colour you were, everyone wanted to have a joyous home like the Huxtables had. I understood the importance of the show for black audiences in America. It's important to have yourself represented in a place of power and authority so people know it's achievable. 

I grew up on Cosby. I watched the cartoon show "Fat Albert" and loved it. I saw Cosby on "The Electric Company," in Jell-O ads, and in Coke ads, and then in "The Cosby Show." Bill Cosby was loved by everyone.

Unlike Harvey Weinstein and Michael Jackson, rumours of sexual misconduct hadn't been swirling around Bill Cosby for years, or at least not in the same public way as the other two. Everyone suspected Jackson was into kids and Weinstein was known for his casting couch. But it wasn't until 2014 that I heard anything bad about Bill Cosby. Drugging and raping of women? Shocking. Disappointing. This, this couldn't be true, could it?

Welcome to the four part, documentary series on the life and times of Bill Cosby. 

It's tough but important viewing. It showcases not only all Bill did for black actors, black stunt performers, kids, comedians, comedy, and North American black culture, but it chronicles the five decades of drugging and raping Bill Cosby did to the 60 women who have come forward. The victim count might well be double that, or more. This documentary is a survivors' diary. It's brutal and traumatic. 

Michael Jackson is dead but his music still plays on the radio - I have a tough time with that. Weinstein is in jail, his Miramax company is destroyed; people still watch Miramax films, or at least I do (I cringe when I see his name in the credits). Bill Cosby is out of jail and nobody is watching the Cosby show. Catch this powerful series on Showtime/CRAVE.