This is Gwar

This is a documentary on the band known as Gwar. These are my people If you’re like me, then you might have heard of Gwar but never really paid close attention to who they are or what they are all about. Gwar is a blood spewing, monster ejaculating, punk/thrash metal band. This largely theatrical, costumed, gross out band was founded from a few students attending Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia in 1984. These were art students who loved Dungeons & Dragons and comic books - geeks - who were told comic book art wasn't art. So, with a rebellious attitude of screw-you-art-department, went to make a science fiction film and got a local band Death Piggy to perform the soundtrack. Death Piggy and costumed theatre geeks merged and birthed out the monster now known as Gwar. This is a fun documentary, as fun as any rock band documentary; maybe the most fun ever! With over a hundred different band members, the documentary follows the main crew from inception to now. It's a hell of a fun ride. Catch "This is Gwar" streaming on Shudder. 

The Patient

Steve Carell. Let's talk about Steve Carell for a minute. Full confession, I never watched "The Office." Well, I watched the first season of the original Ricky Gervais one but never went further. I did catch a few episodes of Carell in his version of "The Office" - a role from which I thought he would never really escape from or grow beyond (he did this from 2005-2013). Thankful I was wrong. 2014, the year after his stint at "The Office" ended, Carell did "Foxcatcher;" a memorizing film with Carell delivering a performance to match. "Foxcatcher" was a film, not just goofy comedy but something of art and Carell's performance was something for everyone to stand up and take notice of. Steve has kept making smart choices: "The Big Short," "Last Flag Flying," the heart retching "Beautiful Boy," "Vice," and Apple+'s TV show, "The Morning Show" (I loved this). So, this brings us to "The Patient," the new series streaming on Disney+. What's it all about? A serial killer, Sam (Domhnall Gleeson) wants to stop killing so he has chained his therapist, Dr. Alan Strauss (Steve Carell) to the floor in his basement to work through his issues. I was riveted.

The show dives deep into the Jewish psyche. I was raised in a secular household with Christian grandparents, so Christmas and everything that goes along with that has been on my religious field. Judaism, not so much. But I know enough to believe this show would be even more profound for my Jewish friends. There is a meditation here on death and guilt and there is powerful imagery of the Holocaust in dream sequences. It's also about family, Sam's relationship with his parents and ex-wife, and Alan's broken relationship with his son Ezra. Steve Carell has given one of his best performances on top all the smart ones he has given since leaving "The Office." Check into therapy and catch this new show on Disney+.  

Blonde

It blew me away. This might be the best film of 2022. What's it all about? Marilyn Monroe of course. But it's really about a girl named Norma Jeane (Ana de Armas - I will come back to her in a minute) who had a mentally ill mother and no father; so a girl with daddy issues invents and lives inside a character by the name of Marilyn Monroe. That's the movie, based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates. I was glued to it. As I type my little blog review, I have not one, but two Marilyn Monroe posters adorning my film nerd workspace. Marilyn has always been a tragic figure in my mind; someone who represents all the glitz of Hollywood and all the behind-the-scenes, suffering-in-silence that goes on in the land of studio make-believe. Again, this is the movie, all the suffering and anguish, the mental breakdown of Norma Jeane. Ana de Armas, who has been in both The Gray Man and No Time to Die, is far more than a pretty face. She gave everything to this performance and if she doesn't get an Oscar for it, well the Academy will have lost its way. And the look of this movie - it's like a newspaper collage of black and white, colour, dream sequences, quirky film techniques and styles; if that sounds arty, well it is. For me, it worked. I loved it. Andrew Dominik has crafted one of the best movies of the year. Catch it now streaming on Netflix. 

The Silent Twins

I have been accused by my friend Ross of enjoying films where the level of craziness in the protagonists is high. Well "The Silent Twins" does nothing to counter his argument; these are some of the craziest people I've ever seen (times two - they are twins!) and I really enjoyed this film. Enjoyed - maybe not quite the right word. I go to the movies for many reasons; often it's to have an empathetic experience or an emotional experience. "The Silent Twins" is a sad movie, horrific at times, and yet there is something extraordinary here; similar to "A Beautiful Mind"  - if you "enjoyed" that film, then you will experience something comparable. "The Silent Twins" isn't just about the mental illness of one person, but of two, identical twin sisters, June and Jennifer Gibbons. It was like they were two people with one personality - and growing up they would only communicate with each other. They lived in a world of make-believe, which is depicted in the film with the use of stop motion animation - it's this and other film fantasy sequences which make Agnieszka Smoczynska's film really something special. It is through their shared creative voices the twins are able to escape an almost self made prison. It's fascinating. Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance as June and Jennifer Gibbons are both fabulous. Catch this one in a rep cinema near you. 

Smile

“Smile” is bright enough to light up a theatre of horror movie fans even if it might not have brushing as hard as it could have been. What’s it all about? Similar to HBO’s “The Outsider,” Wes Craven’s “Shocker,” or recent horror hit, “It Follows,” we have a creature which moves from victim to victim assuming false identities and hiding in plain sight. In the case of "Smile" the creature stalks the next target as the last witness of the previous victim's suicide. The creature takes on different forms, reflections in mirrors, other people, relatives, etc. Its trademark, it's always smiling psychotically at its next potential victim. The next target is Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) after she witnessed a patient kill herself in front of her. "Smile" is a well crafted horror movie with a soundtrack which I adored. The score reminded me of great horror movie soundtracks of the 70s - "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "Shock Waves," and "The Exorcist." 2022 has given us some great horror movies, so there is lots to Smile about (see what I did there). With Halloween around the corner, go catch this one in a dark theatre as soon as possible. 

Vesper

In the world of film, most visions of the future look like inferior copies of "Blade Runner," "Mad Max," or a "Star Wars" ripoff. So it's pretty rare to get a bold new vision of the future; "Vesper" is pretty unique. What's it all about? It follows the story of Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) who lives in the wastelands outside of the wealthy citadel (where all the rich people live) with her bedridden father. She forages in the mud for edible roots and eats grub-slime soup. The world of "Vesper" is one which is dirty, wet, organic, and dismal. Vesper's world is a place where genetic engineering has run amuck; the closest film I've seen to something similar is Alex Garland's "Annihilation." Vesper communicates with her father with a flying google-home like device which kind of looks like an old apple computer with the guts of a pumpkin if you peek inside. Her father is like a droid sidekick as she sneaks about stealing seeds from her uncle (Eddie Marsan - he is a great character actor) in hopes of growing food. A ship from the citadel has crashed bringing with it a genetic designer and his daughter who seems to have a strange power to heal. "Vesper" has the organic sliminess of a Cronenberg film without being overly grotesque but it's just as smart. Catch one of the most original science fiction films to come out in decades, now on streaming services.  

Halloween 2022 - Special Horror Film Post

Well with my favourite holiday season around the corner, Halloween, I thought I would give you a few lists of what you might want to watch this October.

Let's start with a list (Thirty!) of my

Favourite horror movies of all time:

1. John Carpenter's The Thing - My favourite horror movie of all time. "I suggest we prepare our own meals and only eat out of cans." I'm sure this is a phrase we used during the COVID pandemic. If you have never watched this one, you are in for something special. Kurt Russell battles a space monster in Antarctica.

2. Jaws. Not only one of my favourite horror movies but one of my favourtie movies of all time. You are going to need a bigger bowl of popcorn.

3. Alien - Ridley Scott's other space masterpiece ("Blade Runner" being the first).

4. Halloween - this one gave me nightmares for months when I was a kid. There might be a few follow up films I believe (wink). directed by John Carpenter

5. The Shining - Check into the Overlook Hotel and have a bath. directed by Stanley Kubrick

6. The Conjuring - Let's play the clap game! directed by James Wan

7. Poltergeist - Ghosts are unhappy with urban sprawl directed by Tobe Hooper

8. Silence of the Lambs - Enjoy this one with your favourite Chianti. directed by Jonathan Demme

9. Nightmare on Elm Street - Don't fall asleep, bitch! directed by Wes Craven

10. Invasion of Body Snatchers (1978) - People turn into Mr. Spock, starring Spock. 

11. Hereditary - Allergy alert! This one is nuts! 

12. The Babadook - Your favourite kid's book!

13. Jeepers Creepers - Scarecrows are mean and scary. 

14. Barbarian - The worst dark basement adventure ever.

15. Psycho - Check into the Bates Motel and have a shower. directed by Alfred Hitchcock

16. The Ring - Girl in well needs a haircut and makeover 

17. Crawl - Competitive swimmer finds the right motivational coach 

18. Don't Breathe - Home invasion goes wrong, get out the turkey baster.

19. Us - Home invasion with red jumpsuits, "Siri, call the police" directed by Jordan Peele

20. Saw - "I want to play a game." No thanks! directed by James Wan

21. Dead Ringers - Twin gynecologists do drugs and have sex. directed by David Cronenberg

22. Hellraiser - The Rubik's Cube from hell! directed by Clive Barker

23. The Cell - visually breathtaking, J Lo and Vince Vaughn go into the mind of a serial killer

24. Event Horizon - Black holes drive people nuts!

25. Freaks (1932) - Cirque du Soleil, not!

26. The Manitou - Tony Curtis (Jamie Lee's dad) was in this bananas horror movie

27. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - I just love this one!

28. The Fly (1986) - Scientist and fly have a bromance. directed by David Cronenberg

29. Scream - tips on how to survive a horror movie. directed by Wes Craven

30. Evil Dead II - relaxing with a book at the cottage. directed by Sam Raimi

Favourite Zombie Films

1. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - The real monsters are racists. This is the film which gave us our contemporary version of the zombie. This is George A. Romero's classic and it's brilliant. 

2. Dawn of the Dead (2004 remake) - She having a baby! directed by Zack Snyder

3. 28 Days Later - The real monsters are men. directed by Danny Boyle

4. Army of the Dead - Escape from Las Vegas, a zombie heist movie. directed by Zack Snyder

5. It Stains the Sands Red - The real monsters are men.

6. Shaun of the Dead - A zombie comedy - let's go to the pub for a drink!

7. Train to Busan - South Korean zombie masterpiece, run!

8. Shock Waves - The soggy undead.

9. Zombie (Lucio Fulci's 1979 film) - eyeball splinter! 

10. The Sadness - It's a bloody one!

 

Favourite Vampire Films

1. Fright Night (1985) - What's going on next door?

2. The Lost Boys - Noodles or worms? directed by Joel Schumacher

3. Martin - George A. Romero did more than zombie films.

4. Dracula (1931) - Bela Lugosi will always be Dracula for me. After this, go watch "Ed Wood"

5. Let the Right One In (2008) - Kids will be kids

6. 30 Days of Night - Vampires go hang out in Alaska

7. Daybreakers - In a world of vampires they are running out of human blood

8. Near Dark - vampires in a van! directed by Kathryn Bigelow

9. The Hunger - David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, and Catherine Deneuve get sexy directed by Tony Scott

10. Vampire's Kiss - Watch a very young Nic Cage is one of his best roles

Favourite (Scary) Stephen King Movies

1. Misery - A writer finds unexpected motivation for his next novel. directed by Rob Reiner

2. IT (2017) parts 1 and 2 - Sewer clown; nobody really likes a sewer clown.

3. The Shining - A writer is suffering from a bad case of writer's block. directed by Stanley Kubrick

4. The Dead Zone - The future looks grim. directed by David Cronenberg

5. Carrie - Worst prom date ever. directed by Brian De Palma

6. 1408 - You will want your room upgraded.

7. The Mist - The ending will haunt you. 

8. Creepshow - George A. Romero did more than zombie films.

9. Christine - A bad case of road rage - directed by John Carpenter

10. Children of the Corn - Kids will be kids