Warfare

If there is one theme which seems to run throughout the films of Alex Garland ("Men," "Civil War") it is that men are overly fixated on sex, they are dangerous, and can be extremely violent. This is my own interpretation of his work and if it's an accurate one, it's a thesis I agree with. This time ,Garland's lens gives us the violence men can inflict on each other in this snapshot of modern warfare. It's an honest and brutal depiction of U.S. soldiers in Iraq in 2006. Why they are there, what the purpose of their mission is - we have no idea. We are just plopped down with these men as they suddenly find themselves in serious danger. It's based on the memories of the real soldiers who were in this fight. It's immersive, traumatizing, and important. Do we need another reminder of the horrors of war? Yes we do because we can't seem to get it through our collective heads that war is horrible. There is nothing glorified here. Gripping, realistic and devastating. It's not an easy, relaxing film, but a tense and important one. There were moments in my screening where nobody dared to munch popcorn - you could hear a pin drop as we watched these men move through their paces. I'm sure this will land on my list of top films of 2025. Catch it in theatres now. 

The Darjeeling Limited

I have a complicated relationship with Wes Anderson. I love some of his films: "Rushmore," "Isle of Dogs," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "The Royal Tenenbaums." However a lot of his work feels repetitious. Anderson's characters always remind me of J. D. Salinger's fictional Glass family - white, precocious, wealthy, and liberally educated in the arts. In an Anderson film, a character will read a list of things they are packing in a suitcase, or a list of things they need to do. Sometimes this can be charming or even funny, but often I find it annoying. This isn't Anderson's problem, it's mine. If I don't enjoy it, I shouldn't watch. Which is maybe why I avoided "The Darjeeling Limited" for so long. It came out in 2007 when my kids were just one and three and it quickly passed me by. Recently two of my closest film nerd friends told me I should watch it; "It's good" they said. One of them was Peter Thompson, owner and operator of Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Maybe he was telling me that at the time to make sure I purchased from him the old Blockbuster DVD I held in my hand. I bought it. Watched it. "The Darjeeling Limited" might just be my new favourite Anderson film. It's certainly his most personal film, most human. What's it all about? Three brothers (played by Owen Wilson, now two-time Academy Award winning actor, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) travel through India after their father's untimely passing to find their mother who is at a Christian monastery. It's a road trip movie. I was delighted from the opening shots. There is a warmth and honesty these characters have which doesn't often permeate Anderson's other work, or at least not as much. I loved this film. Catch it streaming or go rent it from Peter at Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. 

Inland Empire

Recently we lost filmmaker David Lynch. Here in Ottawa, the Mayfair Theatre has once again stepped up and has been putting on a David Lynch retrospective - applause, Mayfair; job well done. I had the good fortune to catch "Inland Empire," one of only two Lynch films I hadn't seen. I like weird, I like surreal. The films of Alejandro Jodorowsky for example, "The Holy Mountain" and "El Topo." And such recent wonders as, "Titane," and "Beau is Afraid." Lynch's other films, "Blue Velvet," "Wild at Heart," "Lost Highway," and "Mulholland Drive" all fall into this dreamscape world. "Inland Empire" might just be Lynch's most ambitious work. It's a movie about a dream, set inside a movie about a dream - maybe? Yes, that makes no sense, and neither does "Inland Empire." It might just be the strangest and most challenging of Lynch's works. Days later I'm still digesting it. Packed with strange situations and repeating themes, it's a mental workout in a gym where everyone suddenly breaks into dancing. Lynch is painting in dreams. As a result, sometimes it feels impenetrable, you're grasping for something to hold onto but the handrail has turned into a homeless person begging for change. This is not for you Marvel film goer. This might not be for those folks who like art films. This is for hardcore Lynch fans and people who like to sit around in coffee shops and pretentiously say, "I watched 'Inland Empire' and it was simply brilliant," (insert person sipping a cappuccino, pinky extended). I jest, although I think there might be some pretentious Criterion film nerd shit going on with anyone who says they love and/or understands this film. It's certainly a film I'm glad I saw and I think it may be Lynch's masterpiece, at least in his own mind, or did I dream that? Go rent it from Movie 'N Stuff here in Ottawa or watch it on the Criterion channel.  

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue or Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

My zombie film education continues. "The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue" or "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" - I don't understand the title confusion. It has a different Spanish title and a few more English ones. Whatever. I had never heard of this film in any of its multiple titled iterations. Like any great zombie film, there's a take-away lesson - this one, it's environmental: don't mess with nature or . . . you will get zombies! Of course. This came out in 1974 and apparently nobody listened. And look where we are now! Anyway, this well-shot, well-enough-acted, and coherent film is one of the best of the zombie genre. I said "coherent" because a lot of the Italian zombie pictures of this same era don't really have a good story - they are just gross-out, gore-fests with people running around doing things at random. Most are hard to follow and don't make a lot of sense. "The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue" has a plot: A young couple gets blamed for murders, murders committed by zombies! Ridiculous? Definitely. But there's some real suspense and mood here. This is a well-put-together film for a low-budget zombie movie from 1974. Some of the zombies are truly freaky - and everyone drives like lunatics through the English countryside which honestly just adds to the charm. I had a ball. If zombies aren't your thing, I get it - give this one a skip. But if you've got a taste for the undead, this is must-see stuff. It's more like a B film and normally I only write about A films here on the blog, but this is an A-level zombie flick, so it's getting a full entry here on the Marquee. You can find it streaming on Shudder. 

Adolescence

Way back in December of 2021 I posted a review of "Boiling Point" starring Stephen Graham. If you haven't seen that film, you can go rent it from Movie 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Stephen Graham and director Philip Barantini are back with a four-part series currently streaming on Netflix. Once again, like "Boiling Point," each episode is one-shot, one-take, with no edits or cuts. It's become a thing, this one-shot style. I'm not sure it always works or is necessary in general, but here, it works oh-so-very well. With this technique, there is no time to look away. It creates an incredible intimacy between you, the viewer, and the characters. You are there with them as it's happening in real time, you get to experience it as they are experiencing it. In this case, the arresting of Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) for a crime and the fallout for his family - dad (played by Stephen Graham), mom (Christine Tremarco), and sister (Amelie Pease). These actors are all wonderful, but Owen Cooper - my god, this kid was outstanding. Hats off Mr. Cooper, you are a star. And Stephen Graham, he brought me to tears with his performance - pass the tissues. Graham knocked it out of the park. There is an episode where Jamie speaks to a psychologist who is played by Erin Doherty - she also gives a tremendous performance. This series is riveting, heartbreaking, and extremely heavy. It's also one of the best series I've seen in a long time. Catch it streaming on Netflix. 

The G

Back in 2021 I wrote about a film called "I Care a Lot" about a woman who was putting seniors into homes against their will and stealing all of their assets. Now, imagine that dark comedy turned more serious and directed by Jeremy Saulnier ("Blue Ruin," "Rebel Ridge"), you'd have something that looks like, "The G." Except "The G" is actually directed by Canadian  filmmaker, Karl R. Hearne and the "G" stands for Great. This Canadian film, set in the U.S., has Dale Dickey playing Ann Hunter, a tough alcoholic senior looking after her bedridden husband when suddenly she is forcibly removed and relocated to a private institution. Her granddaughter, Emma (Romane Denis), fights on getting her grandparents out and reclaim their life savings. Dale Dickey - what a show she puts on, what a performance. Like I mentioned before, the film has a "Blue Ruin" low-budget grittiness to it and the soundtrack - a mix of retro and modern synth - keeps the tension strung high. Guns, Grannies, Gritty Greaseball Gangsters, and Greenbacks - "The G" is simply Grand. Catch it streaming on Crave.