Perfect Days

Wim Wenders. He was a director that I greatly admired back in the late 80s. "Wings of Desire" and "Paris, Texas" were (and still are) important films to me. They were arty and intelligent and had an emotional punch to them. They were/are brilliant. Then I got older and like a stuffed toy from my childhood, I forgot about Wim Wenders. Looking over his career on IMDB I realize I have only seen a few of his films since then; documentary "Buena Vista Social Club" and docu-dancery "Pina." Like cleaning out an old closet, I found Wim Wenders again! He has been in Tokyo making "Perfect Days." This film follows Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) as a man who cleans Tokyo's public toilets. Say wut? Yes, you read that right, our protagonist is a kind of Tokyo toilet cleaning monk and we follow him on his daily journey from the moment he wakes up until the moment he goes to bed. He has a routine (as we all do) and he follows it almost religiously (or maybe it's a little OCD). Hirayama doesn't seem to be concerned at all with his status or what others may think of him; he is living his best life, moment by moment, appreciating the trees, reading his novels, and enjoying American rock classics on cassette tape as he drives his toiletmobile minivan about the city. This voyeurism into the life of someone we normally wouldn't pay attention to is the brilliance of Wim Wenders, the brilliance of his film; that's the joy of it. It's a wonderful film if not a touch melancholy. Catch it in a theatre near you or on streaming services or on DVD when available.      

The Empty Man

I pride myself in knowing what films are coming out; I watch tons of movie trailers. I try and keep a pulse on everything coming out from blockbusters to small indie films, foreign films, documentaries, etc. How "The Empty Man" from 2020 flew by me without noticing is odd. It was the pandemic after all but still. This is a horror film I had never heard of, had no knowledge of until last week. On a whim I watched it. Blown away. "The Empty Man" is one of the best horror movies I have watched in the last few decades, ranking up there with last year's "Talk to Me," and giving it a place alongside "Don't Breathe," "It Follows," "Hereditary," "Us," and "Split." It's a firecracker with a somewhat slow burn: clocking in with a runtime of two hours and eighteen minutes, it flies by. It's big and ambitious. What's it all about? To keep it simple, it starts out with a "Candyman" style teenaged ritual, blow into a bottle and the boogeyman will appear. Then it turns into an investigation of a missing teen by a former cop with a drinking problem and a tragic past (played by James Badge Dale, who is bloody fantastic in this). His investigation leads him to something bigger, strange, San Francisco-weird! The movie is a blast with strong performances from all of the supporting cast. And the music! Oh man, did I love the music - like tasting different spices from other horror films - you know them but can't name them, a kind of subtle thematic ode to beloved films of the 70s and 80s. I loved this movie. Catch it streaming now on Disney+. Or grab a copy from your local video store. In Ottawa that would be Movies 'N' Stuff. 

Land of Bad

In terms of military action thrillers, we are in the Land of Good. One time Academy Award winner and two time Golden Globe winner, Russell Crowe has recently been in a string of films which geographically have been located in the Land of Bad. I'm happy to inform you, Crowe has snuck across the border, along with Liam Hemsworth, into the Land of Good. This military action movie follows in the footsteps of such films as "The Covenant," "The Outpost"  and "Black Hawk Down." In this film, a group of American muscly military commando types are on a dangerous mission in a foreign county (the Philippines), to acquire the asset - some kidnapped fellow. Along with our seasoned combat vets is the rookie (Liam Hemsworth) who they have nicknamed, Playboy or Airforce. The eyes in sky (and the bringers of doom) are Reaper (Russell Crowe) with his partner (Chika Ikogwe) who are back in the US controlling a drone remotely. Of course shit goes sideways and Playboy must go it alone with only the help of Reaper and his partner to guide him. I had a ball (which was in the shape of a grenade, tossed at my feet - run, run, RUN!). Russell Crowe ordering artisanal vegan cheese at the deli counter might just be one of my favourite guilty pleasure moments of cinema this year. Catch "Land of Bad" in theatres now. 

American Nightmare

My wife and I have been watching true crimes shows together for over twenty years. Friday or Saturday nights often included "Unsolved Mysteries" or "Dateline." Now it seems Netflix has cornered the market on TV true crime. These docuseries or documentaries are usually pretty good but they often get repetitive. Spouse killing spouse, affair boyfriend killing husband, affair turned into a "Fatal Attraction" style killing; we have seen it all before. There isn't a whole lot new. Like a serial killer looking to up his game, "American Nightmare" has done it. When my wife suggested we watch, it was with great reluctance and some mild protest ("Oh god, not another one") but I finally agreed. We binged all three episodes of this short true crime miniseries. Fascinating. This is home invasion/kidnapping. It was the media's, police's, and the FBI's responses which I found the most fascinating  and shocking - including my own biases I brought to the table. There is no handbook on how people act or should act when they have been violently attacked. The year prior to this "Gone Girl" had been released and it seemed to have played deeply into the psyche of America and into all those involved in this case; most troubling, law enforcement. Fascinating. Emotional. Powerful. Catch one of best of the true crime series I've seen in a while, now streaming on Netflix. 

Memory

Unforgettable? Not sure about that but it's unlikely to be forgotten anytime soon. Peter Sarsgaard plays Saul, a man who has dementia and Jessica Chastain plays Sylvia, a damaged woman who works at an adult daycare; adults with some sort of cognitive impairment (Down syndrome, etc.). For reasons unclear, Saul follows Sylvia home from their high school reunion. From there, their strange love affair begins. Peter Sarsgaard - I've pretty much liked him in everything he has done. He has that John Malkovich style of a simple and understated delivery but you can feel a looming intellect behind it. And Jessica Chastain - loved her in " The Eyes of Tammy Faye" and "Molly's Game." We have two fine actors playing damaged people crashing into each other. It works. I found it to be absorbing and emotional. One of the most unconventional love stories to come along ever. It's rather fascinating. Don't forget about this one (see what I did there - I'm sorry). Catch this one in the theatres now or on streaming when available (or even at your local video store - Movies 'N' Stuff here in Ottawa). 

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.