Mandibles

One of the delights of having the Bytowne Cinema back up in running in Ottawa is that the city gets exposed to European, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc. - films outside of the standard North American fare. Mandibles is a French Comedy about two losers, petty criminals, who are in need of some cash for basic existence. When Manu (Grégoire Ludig) gets offered a job to transport a briefcase from point A to point B, no questions asked, he jumps at the chance. He steals a car (because he doesn't have one or anything) and pulls in his good friend Jean-Gab (David Marsais) to share in the action. Think Harry and Marv from Home Alone, the wet bandits, and you get the idea. Well our two clowns discover a giant fly in the trunk of the stolen car. That's right, a fly the size of a mid sized dog, in the trunk of the car. Jean-Gab has the brilliant idea to train the fly to steal stuff for them, like food, and maybe even rob banks for them. It sounds ridiculous and it is! Goofy fun. Have a laugh, catch this one when you get a chance.

Nowhere Special

What's it all about? John (James Norton) is a window washer, a single dad of a three year old son, Michael (Daniel Lamont) and John is dying (presumably of some inoperable cancer). If it sounds grim, it is. John, with the help of social services is trying to find a new home for Michael when John finally succumbs. Bring a big box of tissues for this one, like a big one. Maybe some paper towels too. There will be tears. It's a subtle and thoughtful film about fatherhood, other people's values, and the fragility of everything. It's also a moving portrait of a father and son. If you are up for a deeply emotional ride, I highly recommend going to Nowhere Special. Catch it on streaming services.

I Care a Lot

How do you take your comedies? I take mine black. I Care a Lot is dark. It has a cruelty and goofiness which is reminiscent of a Coen brothers picture. What's it all about? Rosamund Pike plays Marla Grayson, a conniving, evil woman who dupes seniors; Marla has them fraudulently committed to old age homes or psychiatric care against their will, has a judge give her all the rights to manage their affairs, and then she goes about selling off all their material wealth so she can steal it all for herself. She's an evil piece of work. Things are moving along just fine until Marla happens to put the wrong old lady in a home (played by two time Oscar winner, Dianne Wiest). Wiest wasn't nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, but she steals ever scene she is in. She is a joy to watch. Peter Dinklage plays her son Roman. He is just as evil as Marla. Let the games begin. This is a battle of wills between two monsters and it's a zany fun ride. Rosamund Pike was nominated and won the Golden Globe for best actress in a Musical or Comedy. Well deserved. Catch this on Amazon or Netflix depending on where you live. 

A Quiet Place Part II

It's rare for sequels to be better than their originals - The Empire Strikes Back, Godfather II, The Raid 2, to name a few. A Quiet Place Part II now ranks amongst them. I enjoyed the first but I loved the second. This is an origin story - what happened on day one. For those of you who didn't see the first one, we have monsters running around that have super hearing. If they hear you, they will find you and eat you. They have ruined the entire planet and have wiped out most of humanity. A Quiet Place Part II works so well because everyone is in jeopardy in parallel but in different places. You cut from one dramatic scene to the next, over and over; it's relentless and breathtaking. Let me tell you, you will be on the edge of your seat for the duration. John Krasinski has taken his talent to the next level. It's a hell of a fun ride. Catch it on Amazon.

Raging Fire

After having watched The Raid 2 and The Villainess, two of the best action films (out of Indonesia and Korea respectively) in the last decade, I thought I wouldn't see anything comparable for years. Wrong. Raging Fire stars martial artist Donnie Yen (of Ip Man fame or maybe you know him as the blind Jedi Monk from Rogue One). Donnie Yen is 58 years old. 58. He moves like a man in the prime of his twenties. He is rather remarkable. In Raging Fire he plays a cop (Bong). Bong's moral integrity has cost him promotions at work. It also sent six of his fellow officers to prison for beating a kidnapper to death. Bong could have lied and colleagues would have walked. But no, Bong's a moral man. So these cops, they served their time and now they are out and want revenge on Bong and the rest of the police department. That's about all the plot I need to explain. There is lots of shmaltzy melodrama mixed in, typical of many Asian action films - it's part of the charm if you ask me. So now onto the the action. Bananas! None stop gun fire, car chases, and hand to hand martial arts ass kicking! It's a blast. It will be hands down the best action film you see this year and maybe for the next several. Catch it where and when you can. 

Pig

Stage 3 of Ontario's reopening plan is now here and the first thing I did was go to the Mayfair Theatre to see "Pig" starring Nicolas Cage. I missed the Mayfair so much during the pandemic. It's one of my favourtie places on the planet. Anyway, back to Pig. For the last two decades, Cage has been churning out films like the machine at the exhibition churns out mini-doughnuts; sometimes yummy, mostly garbage. There have been rumours of financial problems, hence the overzealous output to pay off debts. Cage is actor know for his crazy, manic performances. Some of these B films he has made in recent years have been rather spectacular: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Color Out of Space, and my favourite of his most bananas roles, Mandy. The best thing I saw from Cage was Joe - this is  an excellent film and you should take the time find it and watch it. Most have been garbage films, mini doughnuts, fun to eat, not a meal to remember. And along came Pig. Pig is about Robin, living off the grid, deep in the woods, with his foraging truffle pig. I really don't want to tell you more because I don't want to spoil it for you. I suspect Cage will be nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for this one. It's a beautifully shot film, gorgeous in subtle palate colours. Pig is a meal you will remember for a long time. Catch it in Theatres, and if you live in Ottawa, catch it this week at the Mayfair.

Army of the Dead

Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for Zombie films. I also dig a good heist film. Here we have have both. It's Ocean's Eleven meets Dawn of the Dead with a little Escape from New York thrown in. What's it all about? An army experiment/asset (a fast moving zombie) escapes during transport in the Nevada desert. The zombie beelines it for Las Vegas and quickly the whole city turns into Zombie Town. The entire city is walled off by box cars. The government's solution is to nuke the city of Vegas. So with 96 hours before the scheduled bombing, a rich Japanese billionaire (Hiroyuki Sanada) asks Scott Ward (decorated former mercenary) who is down on his luck and could use the money, to hand pick a team and go into Zombie Town and steal millions from a Vegas casino before the city is annihilated. Dave Bautista plays Scott. I like Dave Bautista, however this role could have been played by any of Hollywood's current A-list action stars (The Rock, Vin Diesel, etc.). I wish I had watched this in the theatre, post pandemic. It would have been the best move to see in the theatre because it's just so ridiculous. This is a big splashy zombie action film (lots of Zack Snyder slow-mo gun fire) with a runtime of 2.5 hours! Bananas! I loved it. It's by no means high art. It is the equivalent to spending a day a the fair grounds: candy floss, the haunted house ride, the rollercoaster, and the long line to the porta-potty (it's not all good). If you are looking for some dumb fun, bet it all on Zombie Elvis. Brains, baby, brains. Catch it on Netflix.