Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos is quickly becoming a director I love. I confess I didn't care for The Lobster. However, as my friend Edward likes to say, maybe I watched it wrong. The Killing of a Sacred Deer I was riveted by. Poor Things made my Top Ten List of 2023, and Kinds of Kindness made my 2024 list. Bugonia marks Emma Stone's third straight appearance in Lanthimos films. There must be a kind of weird they both enjoy. Yorgos Lanthimos makes weird films; strange, arty, and very beautiful. I'm grateful for them. Jesse Plemons is back again too from Kinds of Kindness, a three-story film, the middle one being about a man who believes his wife to be an alien. Bugonia is almost this same story, with the exact same actors. Bugonia is actually based on the 2003 Korean film by Jang Joon-hwan, Save the Green Planet. I saw it at TIFF with my friend Jeff but have little recollection of it until he brought it up. Thank you Jeff! So what's it all about? Teddy (Plemons) believes Michelle (Stone) is an alien and he would like to meet the high-ranking alien overlord to negotiate Earth's release from captivity. That's all I'm giving you. It's strange, compelling, and funny. The ending of the film actually made me love it more - often films struggle to land the ending, this one is the opposite. Catch it in theatres now or go get it from Movies 'N Stuff when available. 

Eddington

Savage. This word not only perfectly describes Ari Aster’s latest film but it's also a word frequently used by the late great writer Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson used it to describe the work of his often-collaborator, artist Ralph Steadman. As I watched Eddington I thought about the work of Steadman, especially from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Steadman’s portraits of Americans are often grotesque, unflattering, and as Thompson would say, savage. So too, is Ari Aster’s Eddington, a film that takes place in the early days of the pandemic, more specifically, May 2020, in the small New Mexican town of Eddington. Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) doesn't enjoy wearing a mask and doesn't think anyone should who is uncomfortable doing so. The town's mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) is running for reelection and is unhappy with his town's law enforcement. Cross decides to run for mayor himself - it's buffoonery. The whole film has a Coen brothers feel to it, Burn After Reading crossed with No Country for Old Men. It's darkly funny. At times as ridiculous as South Park, and I mean this as a compliment. Ari Aster was already one of my new favourtie directors. Beau is Afraid was my top pick for 2023. Eddington solidifies Aster is one of the best writers and directors working today, up there with Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, and the Coen brothers. Eddington is a scathing, savage, and tremendously funny portrait of modern America. Catch it in theatres now. In Ottawa, it's currently playing at the Bytowne.   

Kinds of Kindness

Yorgos Lanthimos has followed up his brilliant masterpiece, "Poor Things" with, "Kinds of Kindness." Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, and Willem Dafoe have come along for the ride. Jesse Plemons has joined in Lanthimos's brand of fun - let me tell you, it's a squirting sulphuric-acid, clown-flower brand of fun. "Kinds of Kindness" tells three separate tales with the same cast playing different characters. The first story revolves around a man, Robert (Plemons) in the employment of his controlling employer Raymond (Dafoe). Every action Robert makes, from what he wears, to when he should fuck, is dictated by Raymond. Then Robert is let go and the real fun begins. The second tale revolves around an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" type scenario between a married couple (Stone and Plemons); a "Twilight Zone" gross out. The third installment might be the most interesting and completely weird. A couple from a bizarre water cult are looking for a twin who has the power to raise the dead. This one felt like Lanthimos was invoking the powers of David Lynch - Emma Stone driving like a maniac in a purple sports car and performing a wild and wacky dance. It's bananas. I can understand how some people might see the whole film as pretentious and strange without purpose. I will say this: the film is close to three hours and I was never bored for a minute - time flew by. It is likely to be the most interesting film you will see this year. Catch this one now in theatres.