Beau is Afraid

I'm not afraid to tell you, this may be my favourite film of 2023. It will definitely be in my top ten of the year, however it would take an extraordinary film to knock it from its current first-place spot; this is because "Beau is Afraid" itself is an extraordinary film. This is writer and director's  Ari Aster third major theatrical film; his first two films were "Hereditary" and "Midsommar" - two horror films, both of which I loved. However, upon seeing the trailer for "Beau is Afraid" I knew this film was going to be a departure. What's it all about? Well it breaks into four parts/four acts, which I have named: 1) Beau's Apartment, 2) Beau's Recovery, 3) Beau's Theatrical Adventure in the Woods, and 4) Beau's Motorboat. Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau, a grown man in his late forties with an estranged relationship with his mother. Beau has phobias about everything and suffers from confusion and anxiety; the world is a scary place. The plot: Beau misses his flight to visit his mother; gets into an accident; people help him recover in a kind of "Misery" like home hostage situation, he escapes this and runs into a theatre troupe in the woods where he has an existential journey ("The Impossible") and winds up in a small motorboat in a theatre of judgment (something out of "The Truman Show"). I can't really do more to explain it and what I have told you makes little sense. The film for me is about sex and death, fears and anxiety, legacy, and Freud. There is a lot going on in this film. Last year's "Bardo" or "Everything, Everywhere All at Once" are the closest things I could compare it to. It's a juggernaut of creativity and I'm still digesting it all days later. It's darkly funny. Twisted. I can't say enough about it. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and it's 3 hours long. I will gladly watch it again. Now playing in a theatre near you.  

How to Blow Up a Pipeline

It felt more like a heist film rather than a "Fight Club" manifesto on the need for radical environmental terrorists. So it's not as preachy as it could have been - quite frankly, I think it could have used a bit more Tyler Durden spice; but it's a minor criticism. "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" is pretty much what it sounds like, a group of environmental activists decide to take action and blow up an oil pipeline in Texas to help stop climate change. Will this film plant some potentially explosive ideas for people? For sure! Will it cause conversations on the environment to erupt? I certainly hope so. But is it a good movie? Absolutely yes! Think of  William Friedkin's "Sorcerer," or Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" combined with "American Animals" and  "Hell or High Water." It's an exciting film that will keep you duct- taped to your seat like an explosive device waiting to explode. Catch this one in the theatres before time runs out - trust me, it's the bomb. 

Evil Dead Rise

It's too early to say for sure but "Evil Dead Rise" might end up being my favourite horror film of 2023 (it's only April after all). If you are unfamiliar with the "Evil Dead" series of films, well it doesn't really matter; although if you are, your enjoyment factor will go up by at least the length of a chainsaw. What's it all about? A single mom and her three kids are living in a run down apartment building which was built atop a former bank. When an earthquake hits, it opens a hole into the bank vault where the book of the dead is discovered. Through old vinyl (just in time for Record Store Day!) the book is activated and EVIL is released. Blood, guts, and lots of vomit come next. With nods to past "Evil Dead" movies, it also pays homage to Kubrick's "The Shining" (elevators full of blood) and John Carpenter's "The Thing"  (bug-like mutated mushed monsters). The whole thing is a total bloody gross out and I loved it. Catch this elevator ride to hell in theatres now and don't forget to bring your cheese-grater (wink). 

The Lost King

Last year gave us a documentary film entitled "Jurassic Punk" about the life and times of computer animator, Steve 'Spaz' Williams. He is responsible for the ground breaking computer animation of "Jurassic Park." Oscars were handed out - not to Spaz. He didn't even get thanked in the speeches people made when they received their awards based on Spaz's work. What has this got to do with "The Lost King?" Well essentially it's the same story but with entirely different subject matter. The story is of the uncredited, the disbelieved, the discarded; someone who despite being ignored and/or dismissed, goes on to achieve something extraordinary and in the end, others take credit for their work ("Batman & Bill" is yet another great example). "The Lost King" is the story of Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) as an amateur historian looking for the grave site of King Richard III. Philippa is dismissed at every turn but she presses on, largely supported by her ex-husband John (Steve Coogan). Philippa is a tad bonkers, hallucinating King Richard sitting outside her bedroom window; eventually winding up having full conversations with him. Philippa didn't get the credit she deserved at the time but now she has this film. Catch this fascinating film in rep theatres or on streaming services when it becomes available.   

Beef

Have you been missing "The White Lotus?" Looking for another dark comedy about the lives of damaged people? Then look no further, "Beef" is your new show. What's it all about? What begins as a road rage incident between Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong) quickly devolves into a series of escalating acts of aggression post caught-on-doorbell-footage of their car incident. Amy has a successful houseplant business, a stay at home husband, and some mental health issues around sex, aggression, and self-esteem. Danny on the other hand is a petty criminal, with a brother, a serious criminal cousin, and a dream to build his Korean parents their dream home. Danny is a borderline sociopath; so is Amy really. This "War of the Roses" style comedy is a hoot if you take your comedies black (think "Fargo"). The show mocks the art world; it's also a satire on wealth and religion; and it's a commentary on what it's like to be Asian in a predominantly white culture. This show is smart, entertaining, and fast paced. Steven Yeun and Ali Wong are both bloody great. Catch this binge worthy, middle-finger-giving satire on Netflix now.    

Brother

I thought the Canadian Screen Awards would have a clear winner this year with "Riceboy Sleeps," but then I watched "Brother;" the new film co-written and directed by Clement Virgo. Here we have another immigrant story of a single mother, this time raising two boys in Scarborough in the 90s while she works full time; even doing late night shifts, leaving the boys alone - we do what we need to do. "Brother" is also about the relationship between older, confident, handsome, and charming, Francis (Aaron Pierre) and his younger, shy, timid brother, Michael (Lamar Johnson). Francis leads his brother into dangerous situations (climbing electric towers, leaving their apartment at night while their mother is working, etc.) but also gets him out of them (thwarting bullies, thwarting physical attacks, etc.). We know from the outset that something bad has happened to Francis and the film's journey is one of discovery (what happened?) and one of mourning and grief. "Brother" is also about being black and growing up on the tough streets of Scarborough. The film switches back and forth from different timelines, moving from childhood to adolescence, to post-Francis with surprising coherence and ease. "John Wick" can fire off thousands of bullets and nobody cares about a single one.  When "Brother" fires off a weapon, the impact of each shot is felt and noticed like somebody dropped a piano out a three story window. Catch one of the best Canadian films of the year in theatres now. 

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.