Monkey Man

Dev Patel ("Chappie," "Lion," "The Green Knight"). I like him. He's extremely likeable. Somehow he imbues an underdog quality and you want to root for him in every role he's in. "Monkey Man" is Dev Patel's action love letter to India. It's grimy and dirty and it has a turbo charged tuk-tuk! It's a revenge story. I love a good revenge story. A bad man killed his mom and wiped out his village. Dev's nameless character is going to kill that man. Simple. Well not so simple. Dev has been getting into fighting shape by Thai boxing in a monkey mask in the grimy underground fight world of India. He infiltrates his wealthy nemesis's fortress-of-opulence by becoming kitchen staff and making friends with a stray dog. Patel punches with his fists and with his camera - he wrote and directed this. With nods to "Rocky" and "John Wick" Patel's action sequences hit like a spicy curry rolling across your tongue. This is one of the best action movies you will see this year. Get hit in theaters now. 

Baby Reindeer

This series streaming on Netflix, based on the experiences of Richard Gadd, is a warts-and-all, can't-look-away-car-crash of epic proportions. Richard Gadd stars as Donny Dunn, a man living in London, who is working at a pub while he tries to get his comedy career off the ground. A woman walks into a pub - sounds like the beginning of joke. It's no joke. Her name is Martha. If you recall Kathy Bates in "Misery" then you are pretty close to Martha. Donny becomes her obsession. Just when you think this show is all about stalking, it takes an even darker turn. This is traumatizing stuff. It's also darkly funny and extremely honest, intelligent, and well made. Richard Gadd is exceptional in this. His performance is worthy of all the awards, whatever they may be. The human condition is laid out here, exposed, and it's a raw messy thing, not logical or rational most of the time. We do things, fucked up things, and we don't understand why; this is the great honesty on display here; it's what makes the show great and compelling. Catch one of the year's best shows now streaming on Netflix.  

Arcadian

arcadia (merriam-webster) 
noun
ar·ca·dia är-ˈkā-dē-ə 
often capitalized 
    : a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet

Nic Cage plays a father who has raised two twin teenaged boys in a post apocalyptic world where something bad lurks in the darkness of night. Daytime looks like something out of "Little House on the Prairie" but at night, they go into full lockdown. If you took "A Quiet Place," crossed it with "It Comes at Night" and threw in a little of last year's "The Boogeyman" you would have something that resembles "Arcadian." This little low budget horror film directed by Benjamin Brewer has a wonderful feel of authenticity - everyone feels real, their actions, their home, their neighbours - you believe it all. It's a horror film and we have seen much of everything here before, but it's really well done. I fully bought in largely because of the young cast, the boys (Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins) and the neighbours' daughter (Sadie Soverall); they were all so brilliant. These kids felt real. Catch this hairy beast in theatres now.  

Civil War

This isn't a time travel movie but you could argue it's a "what if" movie, as in, what if the Germans had won WWII - you get "The Man In the High Castle" and other such books and films. "Civil War" seems to me to be a hypothetical, what if Trump insurrection had been successful? What if he was able to maintain control of his presidency and keep himself in power even into a third term? What would the US become? What would it look like? Alex Garland has given us his vision and it seems pretty darn spot on to what I imagine the answers to be. I've been a Garland fan from the start of his writing/film career began. His last film, "Men" made my top ten list of 2022. I'm sure "Civil War" will land in the top 10 films of 2024. From the outset, Garland grabs the audience and doesn't let go. It's an intense ride as we follow a group of four journalists (Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson) who are attempting to get to the capital in hopes to interview the President before his government is overthrown by Western Forces. It's a dark film and some of powerful images are enhanced by an uber-cool soundtrack like something out of "Miami Vice." It's enthralling stuff. Catch one of the year's best films now in theatres. 

Nocturama

This is a French film from 2017, from writer and director, Bertrand Bonello. It was recommend to me by an English faculty member from Carleton - what's the world coming to, French films being recommended by the English department. Chaos! Speaking of which, "Nocturama" is exactly about this, manufacturing chaos! A group of young  people, for reasons maybe even unclear to themselves, decide to stick it to society, stick it to France, and go blow some stuff up in Paris. And that's what they do and after that, they go hide out, after-hours, in a multilevel department store in downtown. If you took "Dog Day Afternoon," and Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" and crossed them with "The Breakfast Club" and "Dawn of the Dead" you would get "Nocturama." I feel it's a commentary on the restless nature and the idealism of youth conflicted and contrasted against the materialism of contemporary society - look at me being all confusing and academic English-like - ha! What it is, it's riveting stuff. Gripping viewing. Another film to check out on Criterion or at your local video store.   

Fish Tank

Andrea Arnold directed one of my favorite films in the last decade, "American Honey" staring Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf. At a runtime of 2 hours and 43 minutes, it's a beast. It's white trash America on full display, in an almost documentary style of realism. I love "American Honey." I have no explanation as to why I never bothered to seek the other films of Andrea Arnold, that is, until now. "Fish Tank" is a film from 2009. A banger, as they might say in the UK, although I believe that term is generally reserved for songs or sausages. "Fish Tank" is a banger. This is another white-trash, (Eurotrash?) fairytale about a young girl, Mia growing up with her alcoholic mother and her younger sister in a poor flat in London. Mom brings home new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender) and he turns out to be a real treat. "Fish Tank" is a dark coming of age tale and at times it's uncomfortable to watch - this film goes to dark places. It's a slow burn and I was riveted by it. Catch it streaming on Criterion or grab a copy from your local video store.    

Knox Goes Away

Another hitman on his last job movie! The second one this year! "American Star" being the first. It seems like everyone wants in on Liam Neeson's share of his action corner market. Michael Keaton (one of our favourite bat people) directs and stars in, "Knox Goes Away," a film about an aging hitman who has developed Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a fast moving form of dementia. Knox only has weeks left before things go south for him. He has to cash-out and make things right with his estranged son Miles (James Marsden). Coincidently Miles has done something bad and needs his father's help. The movie is somewhat pedestrian, we have seen all this before, however the supporting cast is so good, especially the performance of James Marsden, which was a standout for me. Al Pacino plays Knox's boss - he reminded me of Dr. Teeth from the Electric Mayhem (The Muppet Rock Band). This movie was floating between being an honourable mention and a full entry on the blog. I didn't want to let Knox go away without giving Keaton the attention his clever film deserves. Catch it in theatres if possible, or on streaming services when available, or rent it from your favourite video store: in Ottawa that would be Movies 'N' Stuff. 

Hundreds of Beavers

There's a cutesiness to it and after the first ten minutes, I wasn't sure if I would be able to get into it. I'm happy to report, I did. Won over by the sheer amount of cleverness on display. This "Wallace and Gromit" Wile E. Coyote-Bugs Bunny, Buster Keaton, slapstick, video-game, mashup is a silly and joyous wonder to behold. On a shoestring budget of 150 thousand dollars, "Hundreds  of Beavers" is far superior to most of the 150 million dollar CGI messes Hollywood likes to inflect upon movie going audiences. What's it all about? Ryland Brickson Cole Tews plays Jean Kayak, a drunken apple Cider farmer who has lost everything due to pesky beavers. He must video-game-level-up one beaver pelt at a time to finally win the hand of The Merchant's daughter. The beavers look like people in beaver costumes, which is what they are. When sliced open, they contain a plastic human skeleton, bits of Styrofoam, and plush fuzzy organs - of course they do! The film crescendos with Jean Kayak infiltrating the giant beaver damn as if it were the fortress of Dr. No or Han's Island Fortress of "Enter the Dragon." "Hundreds of Beavers" is one of the most creative and fun movies you will see this year. Catch it in rep theatres now.