Air

This is the true story of how the Air Jordan Nike basketball shoe became to be. If you were wondering how this could possibly be a movie, let alone a good one, a riveting one, well you're not alone. Even after watching the trailer, I thought, "I don't know about this." There is a nostalgia factor here at play for people my age or older. The mid 1980s, for the Gen-X crowd, well that's our youth, so to go back there, this is part of the charm of "Air." Every since "Stranger Things" came out, the flood of nostalgic 80s films and TV has developed into its own pipeline of material. "Tetris" currently streaming on Apple+ is another example. What makes "Air" so good are the performances of  Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Viola Davis, and Chris Tucker. Everyone here is fabulous. And Ben Affleck does more than just a competent job at directing, he's good. I think we could lump this film into the docudrama category of great films such as "Moneyball," "The Big Short," "Hoosiers," and "The Social Network;" these are big films to compare to - if the shoe fits. Catch this slam dunk at theatres near you. 

Riceboy Sleeps

I was on the verge of tears for most of the film. I'm sure this will win best picture at the Canadian film awards. It's really a gut punch of a film. This is the story of So-Young (Choi Seung-yoon) and her immigration to Canada with her young son,  Dong-Hyun (played by Dohyun Noel Hwang then by Ethan Hwang as a teenager - both are excellent). Set in the 1990s, this story of cultural integration into Canadian white society is deeply affecting. Writer, director, and star, Anthony Shim, has created an immigration story which rings true. I'm not an immigrant but my mother was and from her stories, being an outsider is always tough, especially when we are dealing with children (who often don't know how to behave when confronted with something foreign). Shim captures Dong-Hyun's childhood experience brilliantly. This is also the story of a mother's relentless love for her child and how she would climb a mountain for him; almost literally in this case. When the story takes a dark turn, mother and son travel to Korea to reconnect with Dong-Hyun's father's parents. Again, Shim films beats with honest notes, one after the next, when Dong-Hyun hangs out with his young uncle and his grandparents. This is a special film, so try to catch it at a Canadian rep cinema near you or on streaming services when available. 

Smoking Causes Coughing

With a breezy runtime of 80 minutes, is such a short film worth your time? Absolutely! What's it all about? Well it's bonkers. It's a French film from writer/director Quentin Dupieux. His film "Mandibles" was the first film I remember seeing at the reopening of the Bytowne Theatre during the COVID pandemic. I loved "Mandibles." This time around, Dupieux has created a series of short stories, strung together with the help of Power-Rangers-looking like super heroes known as The Tobacco Force. These heroes, (after battling a giant rubber turtle and exploding it by giving it cancer - yes, this is the dark and twisted mind of Dupieux, and I love it) are sent on a retreat to build group cohesion. Their boss is a drooling rat Muppet whom women adore. Put on your thinking helmet and be prepared for a slow, dark, existential French horror comedy - and talking fish that tell outrageous stories! Catch this one in rep theatres near you.  

I Like Movies

There have been quite a few movies recently about movies, or people's love of movies. Last year gave us Spielberg's self indulgent "The Fabelmans;" "5-25-77;" was  Patrick Read Johnson's film obsessed story; the grotesque mess of "Babylon;" and "Empire of Light." It's never enough to stand around screaming "I Like Movies;" you need to care about the characters who are doing the screaming. Which brings me to Chandler Levack's wonderful film, "I Like Movies." Set in the early part of the 2000s, its central character is Lawrence (played by Isaiah Lehtinen). Lawrence LOVES movies and wants to go to NYU for film studies but has no money. So he gets a job at his local Blockbuster-style video store where he can wax poetically about Todd Solondz's "Happiness" or Paul Thomas Anderson's "Punch Drunk Love." We care about Lawrence but at times we might not even like him very much - he is down right mean to his best friend Matt. However, Lawrence leans heavily into the spectrum.- his socialize awareness is horribly lacking, plus he comes with lots of heavy baggage and a slightly overprotective mother. As a result, we sympathize with him - Lawrence feels real, fully 3D and it speaks to the quality of Chandler Levack's writing. Lawrence's boss at the video store, Alana (Romina D'Ugo) is also damaged goods and Romina D'Ugo gives us a great performance. I really liked this Canadian film - it makes fun of Canadian film! If you like movies, then please go check out "I Like Movies" in a Canadian theatre near you.

All Quiet on the Western Front

So this was the last Oscar nominated film I had to watch in the Best Picture category. I saved it to the end because I was dreading to watch it. I didn't like "1917" and I didn't care for "Dunkirk." That and I had seen the original film and read the novel in high school. I was convinced it would be a waste of my time and it would bore me for the almost two an half hour runtime. I was so wrong. If I had seen it last year, it would have been on my top ten list of best films of 2022. Have you looked at the paintings of Rembrandt? Edward Berger, the film's director has delivered a visual masterpiece - each shot is a work of art, its own Rembrandt if you will. It's a stunning film. With the pointless invasion of Ukraine happening right now, this feels every so relevant. 17 million people died in World War I - for what? The absurdities, the unfounded patriotism built on propaganda and lies, and the brutality of war are all on full display here as we follow Paul (Felix Kammerer) through battle after brutal battle. The film is grizzly and gorgeous. I was captivated for its entirety. Easily one of the best films of 2022. Catch this film now streaming on Netflix. 

Infinity Pool

While you could argue "Infinity Pool" has flaws, it has stuck with me. It's directed by Brandon Cronenberg, son of David Cronenberg. He seems to be carrying on his father's legacy of the strange and grotesque but also the continued investigation of the body as it relates to identity and transformation (think of David's works like "Dead Ringers," "The Fly," Rabid," and "M. Butterfly") . So what is Brandon's film all about? A couple, James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) go on holiday to an unnamed foreign country. There they meet a flirtatious Gabi (Mia Goth) and Alban (Jalil Lespert). After a friendship has loosely formed, Gabi and Alban convince James and Em to leave the heavily guarded compound of the resort for a picnic by the ocean. Lots of wine is consumed and on the way back, in the dark, James runs over and kills a local farmer - they flee without calling the police. The next day James is arrested - his punishment, death, at the hands of the farmer's son. However the police give James an option: for a good sum of money, the police will clone James and let his new doppelganger take the fall for him. Then things get really strange. It's like "Fantasy Island" crossed with "The White Lotus." Once again, Mia Goth ("X" and "Pearl") gives a standout performance. Catch this tropical therapy session from hell in rep theatres or on streaming services.  

Knock at the Cabin

Knock, knock. Who's there? M. Night Shyamalan. I look forward to each and every time one of his films comes knocking on my door. Like any artist, not every film can be brilliant. But there is always something special about each of his films, something interesting. "Knock at the Cabin" is one of his brilliant films. What's it all about? A same sex couple, Eric and Andrew along with their adopted daughter Wen, have rented a cabin in the woods. Along come four strangers, led by Leonard (Dave Bautista) who knock on their cabin's door. Once they have made their way forcibly inside, they make an announcement: Eric, Andrew and Wen must pick someone in their family to die and then kill that person themselves otherwise the world will end. Does that sound bananas? It does! And it sounds bananas to Eric, Andrew and Wen too. Let this intense, fun, thrill-ride begin! Dave Bautista, that hulking mass of an actor, is phenomenal. I hope he receives a nomination for this role because he deserves it. In fact the entire cast is amazing. Kristen Cui, who plays Wen is a stand out by a child actor. This gripping emotional thriller is something you should check out in the theatre if you can, or catch it now on streaming services. It's a knock out.