The Last Duel

The Last Duel is, so far, my favourite picture of 2021. If that's not a good enough reason to go see it then let me tell you you it was directed by Ridley Scott, who is one of my favourite directors (Blade Runner being the greatest film of all time). If this were not enough reason to go out and see The Last Duel, then how about the fact that it was written by Oscar winners, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (and Nicole Holofcener this time too). Ben and Matt didn't win for acting, they won for writing. Good Will Hunting is one of the reasons I became a writer - I thought if these guys can win an Oscar for writing, why can't I? (Hey! I'm still working on it. I will get there - sit tight). Anyway, what's it all about? Based on a true story, let's call it the #metoo of the 14th Century. It's a story told from three different perspectives in a similar way the TV show The Affair gave us different points of view. I’m not a huge fan of period pieces and I loved this. It's gripping, exciting, well written, well acted, and it looks impeccable. Go out and watch what is likely the best film of the year.   

The Rescue

If you remember the kids, the soccer team, that got got stuck in that cave in Thailand back in 2018, well this film, this National Geographic documentary is about that story; it's The Rescue. We get to  find out exactly who "they" are when people say, "They rescued them." If you think you know the story, you might not know all the harrowing details. Even knowing the outcome, The Rescue is truly gripping. It almost brought me to tears a few times. If you want to get into the mood, get a sense of who "they" are (recreational cave divers, people who go down into the dark depths for hours at a time in tight confining spaces, places if anything were to go wrong, well it's usually not good) then check out the documentary, Dave Not Coming Back on Netflix - another cave diving rescue mission of a different kind and from the title alone, not such a happy finish. It's good, but not nearly as captivating as The Rescue. This documentary will no doubt be nominated for an Oscar. Heck, it might even win. Catch it in theatres now. 

The Alpinist

Move over Alex Honnold, there is a crazy Canuck who is climbing, free soloing even bigger and more dangerous mountain faces than El Capitan and his name is Marc-André Leclerc. If you don't know who Alex Honnold is, then go watch Free Solo. I didn't think anyone in my lifetime would top Alex Honnold's climb of El Cap until I watched The Alpinist, the documentary about Marc-André Leclerc. Marc-André climbs rock faces like Alex but he also climbs ice walls and switching back and forth between ice and rock as he ascends a mountain. He does this without ropes or a safety net; just ice boots and two ice picks and up, up, up he goes. When I watched the Alpinist, my hands were literally perspiring - this is the most bananas thing I've ever seen. Every step up is potentially a deadly one; one slip and Marc-André is a goner. Marc-André seems like a kid hell bent on getting the next high, literally getting high by getting high. In drug terms they call that chasing the dragon, always trying to recreate the great first high by always having to go bigger. Mountain climbing, like drug use, never seems to end well for a lot of people. Those who are addicted, they just can't stop. Watch this one at your own risk. If you don't like heights, The Alpinist will have you gripping your chair. 

Coming Home in the Dark

This blog is about great film and TV shows I think you should check out. Part of my job, I feel, is to include those little films you might not have heard about, like Coming Home in the Dark. It's a low budget film out of New Zealand. I would describe it as the family-fun version of Deliverance - if that sounds grim, it is. If you haven't watched Deliverance, I have given you your next film homework assignment. Daniel Gillies play Mandrake, the main villain, the family's tormenter. But all is not quite what it seems when Mandrake starts to interrogate the father about his school teaching past. Good and bad become a little blurry. What remains good the entire film is Daniel Gillies - what a great performance! Is it great enough to be noticed by the Golden Globes? Unlikely but I have my fingers crossed. I thought the ending of the film was slightly weak, but the overall movie is strong enough to recommend here on the Marquee. Be a hostage on this ride and catch it in theatres if possible or on streaming services when available. 

Physical

 Apple+ keeps churning out some great stuff. All of Apple+ shows look great but not all of them are. Physical is one where the content is as good as the packaging. It is a dramatic-comedy series set in the early 1980s in San Diego. The main character is Sheila Rubin (fabulously played by Rose Byrne - you might know her the rich and annoying bridesmaid in the movie, Bridesmaids). Sheila has bulimia; her favourite thing to do is order a bunch of cheeseburgers and fries and head to a nearby motel, check in, get naked, binge, then vomit. Despite her body image issues, Sheila is smart and funny and very resourceful. Her hippy dippy husband Danny (Rory Scovel) decides to quit teaching Political Science and run for politics. Sheila has barfed most of their savings away and needs money. She comes across an 80s aerobics class and falls in love with it, ends up teaching it. There is a buffet of supporting characters to eat and love, including her cocaine-smoothie aerobics partner Bunny (Della Saba) and her beach bum boyfriend Tyler (Lou Taylor Pucci). There is a lot repression and denial going on in the show including a strange hair fetish. I loved it. Let yourself get physical with this great show on Apple+. 

The Card Counter

 

Don't let this one get lost in the deck of movie releases! The Card Counter isn't really a film like The Hustler or The Cincinnati Kid, both films referenced in The Card Counter by character William Tell (Oscar Isaac) aptly noting the Hustler was about pool, not cards. Like The Mauritanian or The Report this is a fictional story about the crimes committed by American soldiers in Abu Ghraib prisons. Horrific abuses occurred there for which William Tell went to an American prison and learned to count cards. He always plays it cool, knows when to get out and not bring unwanted attention to himself. This all changes when he runs into his old torture-master boss, Gordo (William Dafoe) at a hotel doing the security conference circuit. William meets Cirk (Tye Sheridan) who wants to kill Gordo as revenge on what he did to Cirk's father. William talks him out of that and the two go on the gambling road with a baker, La Linda (Tiffany Haddish) - she is the love interest. The movie is about revenge and redemption, PTSD, and finding love. It felt like a Michael Mann film (Heat, The Insider, Manhunter). It's produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Paul Schrader. This movie is aces. Catch it in theatres if you can. 

Maid

Domestic abuse is the subject of this Netflix series. Margaret Qualley plays Alex, the mother of Maddy, who is running away from Sean (Nick Robinson) her controlling alcoholic husband who is mentally abusive, especially when he's had a few. Alex packs up Maddy in the middle of the night to escape their trailer home only to be swept up in a bureaucratic nightmare of social services. Alex has nothing, no job, no schooling, nothing. To qualify for housing, she needs a job and lands temporary employment as a maid - hence the title of the show. Alex's mother is Paula, played by Andie MacDowell (Margaret Qualley's actual mother). Paula is an artist also living in a trailer and she is bipolar. Alex's father is a born again Christian who is remarried with a new family, an alcoholic abuser himself. The show is packed with sad characters, a ton of mental illnesses and depressing situations all around - if that sounds grim, it is. Surprisingly I found the show rather uplifting - maybe uplifting isn't the term. I was happy to cheer for Alex, who remained, for the most part, positive and resilient enduring one terrible hardship after the next. Margaret Qualley is fabulous as is the entire cast. After you finish Squid Game, here is another great show about financial inequality (as well as domestic abuse, bureaucracy, mental illness, PTSD, and lots more fun). Ultimately though, the show is about the power of a mother's love (and the dream of becoming a writer) to overcome the toughest of obstacles. Catch this fabulous show on Netflix.