Joyland

"Joyland" - there is really no clearer example of why I go to the movies. This is a film that is so wildly different from my life and yet I was so clearly made to understand everything happening to these characters, the repression in their society and the cultural expectations placed upon them. I understood it like it were a roadmap. Repressed feeling are just that - these things are universal. So are expectations and obligations. I felt all of it in this weighty film. There is not a lot a joy in "Joyland." This Pakistani film is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Set in contemporary Pakistan, it follows the story of  Haider (Ali Junejo) as a man who finally lands a job - he has been a house husband for many years to the shame of his father. However, Haider's new job is a backup dancer for surly trans woman, Biba (Alina Khan) at the local burlesque club. Haider is infatuated with Biba. They end up having an affair. At the same time, Haider's wife suddenly finds herself pregnant and unhappy. Haider's father is elated. Everything goes downhill from here. Let me stop there. It almost felt like a documentary, that's how real it all felt to me. It's a wonderful film. The IMDB website informed me "Originally banned in its country of origin, Pakistan, a censor board review committee ultimately cleared it. However, a ban remains in the province of Punjab, where the movie is set." Catch this gorgeous but tragic film at your local rep cinema or on streaming when available. 

 

Leave the World Behind

In 1996 a film entitled "The Trigger Effect" came out starring, Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue, and Dermot Mulroney. I was somewhat obsessed by it. I would insist people watch it. The premise was simple - what happens if the power goes out? Chaos, panic, and mistrust of our fellow humans is what happens, at least in "The Trigger Effect." In 2003 the power grid in Ontario and a good chunk of the northeastern US actually went out for about 12-24 hours; longer in some places. 2003 being a recent post 911 world, whispers of terrorism were rumored - it was actually a software bug. Society remained intact and no mass lootings or deaths were reported. Now, 20 years after the North American blackout, Netflix has given us, "Leave the World Behind," staring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon in another gripping apocalyptic thriller. It's kind of like an updated version of "The Trigger Effect" if you mashed it with M. Night Shyamalan's "Knock at the Cabin" (which came out at the beginning of this year). "Leave the World Behind" gripped me for the entire 2 hour and 20 minute runtime. Julia Roberts. Fantastic. I loved her in this. There are two scenes - one where she is dancing with Mahershala Ali and another where she is screaming at deer with actor Myha'la Herrold. Just fantastic. It's unfortunate Netflix has chosen to give the movie such a limited theatrical release when it's such a big screen film. You will be able to catch it streaming on December 8th, on Netflix. Don't leave this one behind. You can also grab a copy from your local video store. In Ottawa that would be Movies 'N' Stuff. 

Dream Scenario

Nic Cage plays Paul Matthews, a tenured professor of biology. He stands out as much as a zebra in a herd - a mostly bald, middle-aged man, whose wardrobe pallet is a mixture of brown, grey, and beige. Paul Mathews is your average Joe, married with two teenage daughters who has never stood out. Then, suddenly he does. Everyone in America starts to dream about him. At first he appears as an innocuous figure, just standing there, doing nothing. His sudden appearance in everyone's collective consciousness (or maybe unconsciousness) vaults Paul into going viral. PR firms want him to sell Sprite and everyone wants a photo with him. Paul seems to relish the attention, at first. However he wants to write an academic book, not sell soda. But then the dreams turn into nightmares and Paul becomes everyone's Freddy Krueger as he performs horrific acts in the minds of strangers. He becomes a persona non grata. People are traumatized by his very presence. "Dream Scenario" is a lucid, self-aware, wide-awake, dark comedy about contemporary societal norms and values. Nic Cage is brilliant, funny, and I hope he receives an Oscar nomination for this - one of his best roles to date. Catch this dreamy film in theatres now. 

She Came to Me

Peter Dinklage plays Steven, an opera composer who is blocked, can't seem to get his musical mojo on and his assistant just quit on him. He is married to his therapist, Patricia (Anne Hathaway), who he calls Doc. Patricia has a son, who is dating the daughter of their house cleaner. The house cleaner is married to a controlling man who likes to participate in American Civil War reenactments. Patricia also has a thing for cleanliness - close to godliness. Patricia has an affinity for nuns. So, if you can't follow all that, well it gets more confusing. Patricia kicks Steven out of the house to go find some musical inspiration. He ends up meeting sex and love addict, Katrina (Marisa Tomei) at a bar and they have an affair. Katrina is a tug boat captain. This accidental rendezvous gives Steven the inspiration he needs to finish his new opera. Does it all sound bananas? It does. And it is. That's the fun of it. It's chock-full of crazy characters and oddball situations - it's wonderful. As strange as these people are, they feel real, like somehow all this is possible and could actually happen. It's charming and funny and I loved spending time with oddball group of people. A film like this can often feel pretentious. This did not; it felt smart, funny, heartfelt, and earnest. "She Came to Me" - The movie won't come to you, you have to go find it - in rep theatres or catching it on streaming when available. 

The Holdovers

Let me begin by saying that "Sideways," directed by Alexander Payne and staring Paul Giamatti is one of my favourite films - easily in my top ten favourite moives of all time. "The Holdovers" sees Payne once again in the director's chair and Giamatti in front of the camera. If you were to take "Sideways" and smash it together with "Dead Poet's Society" you would have something which resembles, "The Holdovers." What's it all about? Set in 1970 at a boys private school, the students about to go on Christmas break, Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, senior history teacher, curmudgeon, and the chosen babysitter for all the boys who can't get home for the holidays. There is Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) who plays the school's cook, who has just lost her son in the Vietnam War. There is a handful of students who remain behind which dwindles down to only Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa). These three, with their suitcases of grief and pain make up the unlikely trio of this holiday story. It's good. I heard Payne wanted to make a film that felt like it was made in the 1970s. He did. It could be an hidden gem from that era. This is a funny and touching drama. If you are looking for something warm and personal for the holidays, then add "The Holdovers" to your holiday viewing list. In theatres now. 

The Killer

"The Killer" is David Fincher's newest film and it stars Michael Fassbender as The Killer - a hitman that follows a self imposed set of rules so he doesn't get caught. He is a man of cold precision and finesse. He doesn't allow emotion into plans, he sticks to them. Until one day, he doesn't. Okay, let's a take a pause here for a second. This sounds like a plot to your average Liam Neeson film, something pedestrian, the plot of an action thiller we have seen so many times before. Do we really need to see this story again? I'm convinced after watching "The Killer" that David Fincher could make watching paint dry a riveting experience. In fact, Liam Neeson could have done this role, well maybe 20 year ago, so Fassbender is an excellent choice. And I'm saying nothing disparaging about either actor - I love them both. What I'm trying to say is, Fincher has elevated the source material from B thriller to an A+ Hitchcock masterpiece by simply being a superior director. Take his 2002 thriller, "Panic Room" for example. This is a B home invasion plot but Fincher elevates it to make it cinematic art the way Hitchcock or De Palma or Scorsese have. "The Killer" had me glued for it's entire two hour run time - felt like 90 minutes or less. I haven't had so much fun since I watched "The Accountant." "The Killer" is simply killer. Catch it in theatres now or streaming on Netflix in November.  

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person

"Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person" - The title alone is great. This is Quebec writer/director Ariane Louis-Seize first feature length film and it's lovely. The film has a sensibility of somewhere between Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive" and Ana Lily Amirpour's "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night." What's it all about? It's about a vampire family, the youngest of which is Sasah. She has empathy towards humans. As a result, she can't seem to muster up the fangs to kill anyone. Her parents give her IV bags of blood to suck on and she wanders about drinking them like they were juice boxes. When she hits her vampire teenage years (something like 68 years old) her parents cut her off. They send Sasah (Sara Montpetit) off to live with her aunt - it's about time Sasah learned to hunt on her own. A chance encounter with suicidal teen Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) leads to something of a teen romance. I found myself captivated by this film, charmed by it. And it's French Canadian, so there are great shots of people eating poutine. I smiled, with fangs, from beginning to end. Catch this one in your local rep cinema or on streaming services when it becomes available.