REVIVAL69: The Concert that Rocked the World

After spending a summer of watching some amazing concerts with my wife (Foo Fighters, Billy Talent, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Pitbull, BUSH, The Headstones, Iggy Pop, Shania Twain, Weezer, Daniel Lanois, Bran Van 3000, Tegan and Sara, Death Cab for Cutie, Mumford & Sons, and many more!) I realize that 2023 in Ottawa was one of the most spectacular musical events I will see in my lifetime. Maybe one day in the future, like 53 years into the future, there will be a documentary about the 2023 Ottawa Blues and CityFolk festivals that happened here in this little sleepy town. And  maybe somebody will be amazed about all the musical talent that was brought together. Maybe. This brings me to "REVIVAL69: The Concert that Rocked the World," the new CRAVE documentary about a rock concert that took place in Toronto in 1969 that involved some of the worlds greatest rock and roll artists of all time. I was amazed. The lineup included, Chicago, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Barry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Alice Cooper, The Doors, and John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band, and many more. And Geddy Lee was there in the audience, on LSD! This is the concert that put the final nail into the coffin of The Beatles and freed John Lennon to go at it alone. This documentary is a time capsule and boy oh boy was it fun to open up and see what was inside. Travel back in time and let a motorcycle gang escort you to one of the most amazing concerts that you didn't know existed (at least I didn't) and almost didn't happen. Catch it streaming on CRAVE. 

Birth/Rebirth

If you told me David Cronenberg had made this movie as a modern remake of Re-Animator, I would almost believe you. Almost. It's far too feminine for Cronenberg, despite all the surgical shenanigans, autopsies, stapled incisions, and science beakers full of bloody liquids. Yes, "Birth/Rebirth" doesn't shy away like some stereotypical 60s housewife who nicked her thumb slicing a cucumber ("Is it bad? I can't look at it, I hate the sight of blood.") This is co-writer and director Laura Moss's first feature length film and she doesn't seem to be shy at all about showing us the insides of people. She certainly left a scar on me. What's it all about? Obstetrics nurse Rita (Monique Gabriela Curnen) loses her daughter to meningitis but mad-scientist/doctor, Rose (Marin Ireland) helps bring Rita's daughter back to life using her own aborted fetuses - as I'm typing this, I realize how insane and gross this sounds. Well it is and I loved it. Welcome to the fertile imagination of Laura Moss. She has birthed out a Frankenstein nightmare of pregnancy and motherhood. It's a tale about how far mothers would go to save their children; in the case of Rita, her actual child and in the case of Rose, her child of a science experiment. Marin Ireland as Rose, the wide-eyed, vegan, genius-on-the-spectrum, mad-scientist is so much fun to watch. The film is too small and likely won't get noticed but I would love to see Marin Ireland get a nomination for her performance. Do yourself a favour and get reborn - catch this one streaming now on Shudder.  

Mob Land

"Dog Day Afternoon," "The Silent Partner," "Heat," "Blood Simple," "No Country For Old Men," "Hell or Highwater," "Good Time.," "Dragged Across Concrete" - these are some of my favourite heist pictures. Now "Mob Land" is on that list. I said it before (when I reviewed "Old Henry") and I will say it again, "I will watch anything Stephen Dorff participates in. If he feels like it's a worthy project, I'm in." This is co-writer and director, Nicholas Maggio's debut feature film and he has exploded onto the screen like a shotgun blast. The plot: Shelby (Shiloh Fernandez), who is scrapping to get by, is convinced by his brother-in-law Trey (Kevin Dillon) to rob a dodgy Oxycodone clinic in their small town. The problem is the dodgy clinic is owned by the mob and they send Clayton (Stephen Dorff) to get the money back. Travolta plays the town sheriff and is the uncle of Shelby. Dorff is absolutely riveting every single time he is on screen and is worthy of a best supporting nomination. Hell, so is Travolta - I loved him in this. And the dialogue in this movie is like Tarantino meets Jean-Paul Sartre. I am simply jealous of how good the writing for this movie was. And the music choices! Bravo. I'm certain this film will make my top ten of 2023. Catch it on streaming services or in a rep theatre near you. 

Painkiller

I confess, I often look at Rotten Tomatoes to see what other reviews are saying before I watch something, especially if it's a TV series where there is a potential for a large amount of my time to be consumed. Like everyone, I only have so much free time. It was my wife's recommendation to watch "Painkiller," based on her friend's advice. As I write this, currently Rotten Tomatoes has "Painkiller" at 49% and an audience score of 61%. Well I'm here to tell you, ignore this. It reminded me of "The Big Short" (the movie about the housing marketing collapse in 2008). I loved that film. "Painkiller" is about the Opioid crisis; more specifically, how Richard Sackler's (Matthew Broderick) pharmaceutical company, Purdue, turned OxyContin into one of the most prescribed drugs in America. OxyContin, the stuff is basically heroin. It has killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed as many families. I found this series to be just as riveting as it is heartbreaking. Each episode begins with a true tale of a person who has lost someone because of this drug. This is a story about power and greed and evil. It's worth every minute of your time. Catch this addictive show (oh I couldn't resist! - forgive me) now streaming on Netflix.