American Star

The aged old hitman, out on what might be his last job, it's almost a sub genre of the action genre; George Clooney in "The American;" Liam Neeson in "Memory," and you might lump in most recently, Michael Fassbender in David Fincher's excellent film, "The Killer." Do we really need another film about this? "American Star" stars, Ian McShane as a hitman on what might be his last job - settling down on a tropical island presents itself as an option. You might know Ian McShane better as Winston from the John Wick series - all the good folks there are hitmen or hitwomen or hitpeople. Anyway, I was expecting a run of the mill, by the numbers hitman's-last-job film. I was also expecting it to be not very good. What I found was art. ART. It has the pacing and feel of "Sundown" or "Aftersun" or maybe a film by Wim Wenders or Terrence Malick. It’s a film by Gonzalo López-Gallego and he has crafted something special. It's slow and thoughtful but it grips your attention. Ian McShane’s performance is beautiful. A single bullet in this film is worth 10,000 bullets in "John Wick" - there is power and purpose. This is an excellent piece of cinema. Catch this in the theater if possible or on streaming services when available. Or grab a copy from your local video store. In Ottawa that would be Movies 'N' Stuff. 

Dogman

Luc Besson. The man has given us so many riveting action films: "Nikita," "The Fifth Element," "Léon: The Professional," and has been the writer or co-writer on "Taken," "Unleashed," and "District B13," just to name a few. Besson writes B-action movies like nobody else. His writing is so well done he manages to elevate his material to a solid A. Besson is back after a four year hiatus and he has given us "Dogman," a story which in someway echoes Besson's own life. If you read Besson's IMDB bio, he was on his way to becoming a marine biologist specializing in dolphins when an accident left him unable to drive and he went into film. The story of "Dogman" is about a young boy who suffers an injury, leaving him unable to walk and proceeds to get a biology degree while being heavily involved in the theatre arts. Dogman is about, Douglas Munrow, played by Caleb Landry Jones. It is because of Caleb Landry Jones' performance that this movie has landed here on the Marquee. He has delivered a captivating drag-queen Hannibal Lecter like performance; Douglas is calm, well mannered, and has a fierce intelligence behind his eyes. He prefers the company of dogs over humans. When he picks a fight with the local mob boss, well it all goes woof woof. The story is ridiculous, absurd, but again, Besson raises high these roofbeams. And the final shots - all pure cinematic ice-cream and I loved it. Catch this one in the theatre or on streaming services when available.  

30 Coins

HBO Europe! It's a thing. I didn't know it even existed. Well it does and in 2020 they released a show entitled, "30 Coins." If you are okay with subtitles, keep reading. What's it all about? It's kind of like if you crossed "The X-Files" with "The Exorcist" as if it was made by the love child of Robert Rodriguez and Matthew Barney - it has a bullets-dipped-in-holy-water "From Dusk Till Dawn" sensibility. It's bananas. It's about a Priest, Padre Vergara (Eduard Fernández) who has come to a small Spanish village to be the town's man of God. He is an exorcist with a troubled past and that trouble has followed him to the town. The town mayor's, Paco (Miguel Ángel Silvestre) has a thing for the town's veterinarian, Elena (Megan Montaner) and together they Mulder-and-Scully the bizarre events which happen inside their little village. The bigger story line is about the thirty pieces of silver, the 30 coins, Judas received for betraying Jesus. There are dark forces at work who want these coins as they wield great demonic power! At times the show's imagery is gory as a "Saw" film - a wall of fly covered pig heads! It's exciting, bizarre, thrilling, and even contains the melodrama of a soap opera. I LOVED IT! This show is one of the wildest things on TV. Go check it out on HBO/CRAVE. If you don't fall in love in the first seven minutes of the first episode, well then you can stop watching. 

Jojo Rabbit

Again, not really sure why I didn't watch this film back in 2019. It has been at the urging of my sister-in-law, Claire, to get my ass to watch this. I'm happy to report, it was excellent, blog worthy. What's it all about? Roman Griffin Davis plays Jojo Rabbit, a ten year old  Nazi living in Germany six months away from the end of WWII. Like most ten year old Nazis who have lost their big sister and have a father who has gone off to fight in Italy, Jojo has an imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler. Imagine Big Bird from Sesame Street pretending to be Hitler and you kind of get the idea. Jojo's mother, played by Scarlett Johansson, has a secret, a young Jewish girl living in the walls of her house. Jojo comes upon the girl and the film is about their relationship as Jojo discovers what the Nazi movement is all about. It's clever, funny, and surprisingly emotional. It kind of has a Wes Anderson feel about it, however in this film you actual care about the characters and the dialogue is far more interesting. I thought it was brilliant. Hats off to director, co-writer, and star, Taika Waititi (he plays Hitler). Catch this gem from 2019 streaming on Disney. Or grab a copy from your local video store. In Ottawa that would be Movies 'N' Stuff. 

The Bear - Season 2

I have never written about a show twice, until now. You can read my first review here: "The Bear." I'm uncertain why I waited so long to watch the second season. For reasons unexplained, I waited until after the Golden Globes where Jeremy Allen White won Best male actor in a TV series – musical or comedy, for the second year in a row! Ayo Edebiri won for Best female actor in a TV series – musical or comedy for her role as Sydney. And where Ebon Moss–Bachrach was nominated (but sadly didn't win) for his role as cousin Richie. Richie is my favourite character on the show - he is loveable and flawed and heartbreaking. "The Bear" won for Best TV series – musical or comedy. The Golden Globes kicked me into watching season 2.

"Breaking Bad" is my favourite show of all time. I loved it. I still love it. However, "The Bear" might now be tied with it, on the verge of surpassing it. Season 1 was good. Season 2 is mind-blowing phenomenally good. What's it all about? Season two focuses on The Beef, the long time Chicago sandwich diner, becoming a high end restaurant, The Bear. It's the transformation of the physical space but more importantly it's the mental transformation of the staff. It also offers us deep insight into the backstory of why this family is the way it is. Episode 6, "Fishes" - this guest star-studded episode I think scarred me. It was so raw and wild and it left me breathless and emotionally wrecked. Episode 7 "Forks" about cousin Richie was even better. And the final episode of the season, 10 "The Bear" had me on the verge of a panic attack for the first half and then punched me emotionally for the second half. Wild. I LOVED THIS. Streaming on Hulu, streaming on Disney. Go watch it now.  

Society of the Snow

J.A. Bayona (who gave us "The Impossible") has crafted a gripping and visceral account of the 1972 plane crash of the Uruguayan rugby team in the Andes mountains. The crash landing will haunt you. I'm an atheist, vegetarian, who hates the snow. I don't think I would fair so well in the snowy mountains of the Andes. I haven't watched the 1993 version of this story, entitled "Alive," so I have nothing to compare it against. Not a whole lot to eat in the snowy mountains - "I see dead people" to borrow a "Sixth Sense" phrase. Things go "Soylent Green" pretty quickly as time moves very slowly. These people were trapped for months in brutal conditions, starving. It's horrific. When the rescue does finally come, I was moved to tears - what an ordeal. There is a scene where two of the characters ask each other what is the point of it all - there is no real answer. Why should you watch? It's another example of our built in drive to survive. This is who we are as humans; good society goes out the window quickly when your life depends on it. Catch this nail biter (maybe the whole finger - tastes like chicken (too soon?)) now streaming on Netflix. 

The King

Normally I only write about current films, the current year (2024) or last year (2023). I'm making an exception. And I think I will continue to make exceptions from here on in; if a film is great, it should end up on the Marquee. Right? So why have I travelled all the way back to 2019 to watch, "The King?" It was at the urging of Sam, my co-worker who has a love for period pieces - knights and horses and all things plague infested and medieval. I dislike period pieces. Any frilly lace or chainmail around someone's neck and I'm out. Westerns are about as far back as I am willing to go. I like contemporary dramas. After months of Sam's prodding I finally relented and watched "Seven Kings Must Die." I turned it off after half an hour. Sam conceded I needed to watch "The Last Kingdom" first. With great reluctance I threw on "The King" next. Bewitched; a one-eyed hag hunchback must have put a spell on me! I loved it. What's it all about? Timothée Chalamet plays Henry V, a reluctant king forced to take the throne after the death of his tyrannical father (Ben Mendelsohn). Henry goes to war against the French King's son (Robert Pattinson) and consults his good friend Falstaff (Joel Edgerton) for advice. That's the movie. It doesn't sound like much but the writing by director David Michôd and Joel Edgerton is so fabulous it completely won me over. I believe Joel Edgerton to be some sort of mad genius. And Timothée Chalamet - the kid has acting chops. However my favourite performance was by Robert Pattinson. Brilliant. Catch this medieval period piece streaming on Netflix. Trust me, Sam knows what he is talking about (wink).