Rat Race

 Are you kidding me? Am I kidding you? I'm not joking around here. This is a comedy from 2001 which I believe I promptly ignored upon its release. I'm not sure why I ignored it because it's directed by Jerry Zucker, who has given us, along with his brother David Zucker, such comedy classics as 'Airplane!" and "Top Secret!" - two films which I love. I was rooting around my local video store, Movies 'N Stuff and came across "Rat Race." I might have made some disparaging comment to owner and operator, Peter Thompson. He heard me and subsequently discovered I hadn't seen it. He insisted I should. I took it home and watched. I laughed out loud - a rare thing for me. It's a race for two million dollars. It stars Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green, Jon Lovitz, Breckin Meyer, and Amy Smart. Jon Lovitz has never been funnier. This movie will be proudly displayed on the McPherson Movie Marquee Shelf at Movies 'N Stuff - just ask Peter to point you to it. And if anyone ever asks you if you want to buy a squirrel, seriously considerate it. One of the best slapstick comedies you will every see. No joke.  

Bird

Andrea Arnold ("Fish Tank" "American Honey") has crafted another brilliant film about wayward youth living below the poverty line. The story follows 12 year old Bailey (Nykiya Adams) as her young father Bug (Barry Keoghan) announces his plan to marry to his new girlfriend. Bug would like Bailey to be a bridesmaid - pink leopard-skin, tight spandex is the wardrobe choice for bridesmaids. Bailey wants nothing to do with it. Outside her flat she discovers, Bird (Franz Rogowski "Passages") a grown man looking for his parents who used to live in Bailey's neck of the woods. Bailey's mother lives with an abusive boyfriend in a dirty flat with presumably Bailey's sisters or half sisters. The world of "Bird" is graffiti soaked; hallways, alleyways, and every building seem to be awash in hastily scrolled spray-paint. Barry Keoghan's topless frame matches: he is covered in bug tattoos; a centipede crawls up his neck and pokes onto his cheek. "Bird" is a harsh world, where vigilante justice comes in the form of a swarm of young men in clown masks armed with box cutters. But like Arnold's other films, there is a beauty here too. And humour - watching Bug and his mates sing Coldplay's "Yellow" to a toad so it excretes a psychedelic slime (Bug's get-rich scheme) is highly amusing. Arnold contrasts worlds of urban grit with almost idyllic shots of birds in flight, perhaps representing freedom, elegance, and perspective. "I wanted to see where I am," explained Bird to Bailey as to why he was standing on the roof of a tall building. This is a film, a world, where you get lost in it. It will give you a new perspective on the people living in it. Catch one of the year's best films in theatres now.   

Anora

Writer, director, and editor, Sean Baker, who gave us, "The Florida Project" and "Red Rocket," has a brilliant new film out, "Anora." In the wheelhouse of films like John Cassavetes's "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie," Elaine May's "Mikey & Nicky," or Benny and Josh Safdie's "Uncut Gems," "Anora" is the story of Ani, a.k.a Anora (Mikey Madison - I hope she is nominated for all the awards) who is an exotic dancer in a strip club. She meets a Russian boy, Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) who has extremely wealthy parents and seems to have an endless supply of money and appetite for drugs, alcohol, and Ani. He pays her for a private week (a kind of "Pretty Woman" scenario) and ends up in Vegas. Ivan's antics are discovered by his parents' keepers and what follows is a mob like intervention to detangle the relationship between Ivan and Ani. It's a long and often hilarious journey through bars, restaurants, candy stores, and strip clubs. It's a wild and messy ride, a broken vodka bottle soaked carpet and a double kick to the face. This is one of the best films of the year and it's now playing in theatres. 

Conclave

The Pope has died and Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is to run the conclave for selecting the next one. There are four main candidates vying for the position. John Lithgow plays a corrupt Cardinal. Stanley Tucci plays the left leaning, progressive voice. The far right is portraited by Sergio Castellitto. And there is a black Cardinal played by Lucian Msamati who quickly becomes disqualified by the dirty tricks of Lithgow's character. Days of voting go by, which looks like mostly white men in red robes folding pieces of paper, babbling out Latin, and going for smoke breaks in the courtyard. It does sound dull but it's rather exciting. This isn't edge of your seat stuff, however the film remains captivating throughout. There are some excellent little speeches about faith and doubt. Isabella Rossellini shows up looking pensive and slightly pissed off - yes, she plays a nun. I thought I figured out the end, and I did, but this one gives us an extra twist M. Night Shyamalan would be proud to own. Catch the holy moly in theatres now. Amen. 

The Promised Land

Fans of "The Man in the Iron Mask," "Tombstone," "The Count of Monte-Cristo," and this kind of historical period piece should check out co-writer and director, Nikolaj Arcel's film, "The Promised Land." This Danish film stars Mads Mikkelsen as Ludvig Kahlen, a 30-year, army-serving captain who wants to turn the vast wasteland of Jutland into a habitual farming community - in the name of the King! And Ludwig would like a noble title and some servants of his own in return. It's an underdog story. It's a story about class, racism, cruelty, and ego. It's about winning at the expense of those we love. Ludwig's neighbour, Frederik De Schinkel (Morten Hee Andersen) is a rich, spoiled drunk who wants Ludwig to fail at all costs. And the woman Frederik has his eye on for marriage, well she wants nothing to do with Fredrick and all to do with Ludwig. So there you have it. This film is a captivating drama and it's beautiful to look at. I'm not a huge fan of period pieces and I loved this one. Catch it on CRAVE or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa.