Caligula The Ultimate Cut

So the original film, "Caligula" from 1979 had this reputation of being soft core porn and an utterly stupid waste of your time. Big budget trash. A skin rag for the big screen. I had never seen it, the original that is, but was always curious about it; see the horror with my own eyes. It had become something of a cult film, then I think people stopped caring completely. Forty plus years later, this new Ultimate Cut has been released with a run time of almost three hours. I was never bored for a second. Being a film nerd, to see Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gielgud, Helen Mirren, and of course, Malcolm McDowell all young (relatively) and walking around was a thrill in itself. I've tried to separate my enthusiasm and be objective to what I witnessed, which was an absolutely wild ride. If you took The Twilight Zone's "It's a Good Life" (the one about the kid who has supernatural powers to control everyone including his parents) and turned it into a three hour movie set in the Roman Empire and it was produced by Penthouse in 1976, you would get this feral film, a completely unforgettable experience. I don't know if Malcolm McDowell would now be eligible for an Oscar (I'm sure there are rules against it) for this re-release, but I would love to see him nominated if such a thing were possible. What you see here cannot be unseen. If you remember the scene in "Rob Roy" where Tim Roth's character rapes Jessica Lange's, well McDowell's Caligula does one better. It's dark and crazy and I couldn't stop watching it. This is something to behold. Catch it in the theatre if possible. The Ultimate Cut is out now.  

Cuckoo

Air Aster brought us to Sweden in "Midsommar." Director and writer, Tilman Singer takes us to Germany in his new film, "Cuckoo." Being half Danish myself, I get the weirdness factor that Scandinavian/Germanic vibes can give off; cultures that feel somewhat OCD about cleanliness, clean furniture lines, and has a thing for pickled cabbage - sauerkraut. Like Midsommar," "Cuckoo" revolves around a young American girl, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) travelling abroad. She hits the Alps with her father, stepmother and mute half sister. She finds herself working in a hotel in the German mountains. The hotel and its owner give off an aura of uncomfortable and strange right from the outset. Things only get stranger and creepier as we go deeper in - hotel guests vomiting in the lobby. It's just what you want in a horror film, hitting the right dissonant notes putting the whole thing into the key of crazy. Cuckoo indeed. Check yourself in for a stay at this niffy little horror film, in theatres now. If you are in Ottawa, rent it from Movies 'N Stuff when it becomes available. 

Trap

Well this film has tanked on Rotten Tomatoes but I think M. Night Shyamalan gets an undeserved bad rap. My favourite director is Alfred Hitchcock and "Trap" is the most Hitchcockian thing Shyamalan has given us to date. What's it all about? A dad, Cooper (Josh Hartnett) takes his tween daughter to see a pop concert, Lady Raven (played by Saleka Shyamalan, M. Night's real daughter) at a large stadium. Police arrive in droves. They are there to set a trap for The Butcher, a serial killer who they believe will be in attendance at the concert. They will be checking all men leaving the show. They know who they are looking for and he looks a lot like Cooper. The fun is watching how Cooper struggles to get his way out of it. The film starts somewhat with a slow tempo but quickly builds. It's not "North by Northwest" but it's in the ballpark of that kind of fun. It was great to see Josh Hartnett back in a leading role. Saleka Shyamalan was fabulous as Lady Raven. I was highly entertained. Go get caught up in this one and see it in theaters now or rent it when it comes out on disc from Movies 'N Stuff if you're in Ottawa. 

Ghostlight

"Ghostlight" is one of the best films of the year and I'm sure you don't know anyone in it. Keith Kupferer (have you heard of him?) plays Dan - a construction worker, a father, a husband, and a man with a very short fuse. After Dan has a physical altercation with a driver at his construction site, a woman named Rita (Dolly De Leon - who you might know from "Triangle of Sadness") invites Dan to join her community theatre group. The group is putting on Romeo & Juliet. Dan is a man who is grieving, who is angry, who needs to find a release for his pain. As it turns out, this theatre troupe is exactly what Dan needs. Dan's family is also struggling and both his wife and daughter begin to suspect that he is having an affair; turns out he is just sneaking off to rehearsals. It's an emotional film, and like any Shakespeare, even tragedies, there are some comedic bits along the way. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Kupferer or De Leon were nominated, come award season, for some prizes. Maybe even Katherine Mallen Kupferer who plays Dan's daughter. If you are looking for an intelligent film in a summer of blockbuster stupidity, this is your next movie. Catch it in theatres now.

The King Tide

If Robert Eggers ("The Witch" "The Lighthouse") were to birth out something Canadian, I feel like it would look an awful lot like "The King Tide." Well Eggers didn't, director Christian Sparkes did. And it's weird. What's it all about? A tiny fishing community on a small island off Canada's East coast is gifted a child, Isla. She is a gift from the sea, granted to couple who just lost a child during pregnancy. Isla is no ordinary child - what magic ocean baby is, right? Isla has a power to heal others - from hangovers to cuts to life threatening poisonous berries, Isla can fix you up. She can also do things like kill bees and summon fish - Dr. Doolittle meets Wolverine. Once Isla is exposed to a traumatic event, her powers seem to wane. This is when the town begins to implode and things get interesting. Kids with superpowers is far from new  - "Let the Right One In," "The Innocents," "Firestarter," etc. Now add "The King Tide" to the pile. Like those aforementioned, this film is excellent. It's beautiful and haunting. It also has Aden Young (from the series "Rectify" (which I loved)). Catch this one on streaming platforms or from your local video store - Movies N Stuff in Ottawa. You will thank Isla.  

Thelma

June Squibb, at 92, does all her own stunts, just like Tom Cruise in all his "Mission Impossible" movies. Squibb stars as Thelma, a grandmother who is living alone. She is doted upon by her grandson Daniel (Fred Hechinger). Daniel, who is always making sure Thelma is wearing her alert bracelet and helping her with her phone and computer. Thelma falls victim to a telephone scam and she mails off ten thousand dollars thinking she is helping her beloved Daniel. When the ruse comes to light and she realizes the police can do nothing, Thelma takes matters into her own hands; she is going to get her money back. Thus begins this action adventure comedy. Thelma employs the help of Ben (Richard Roundtree) and together they ride out of Ben's assisted living facility on his double red mobility scooter. Thelma is sweet in that Pixar "Up" kind of way. It's also very funny. I don't think I've been as amused at a film like this in quite some time. I loved it.  Clark Gregg, Parker Posey, and Malcolm McDowell all have supporting roles. Catch "Thelma" now out in theatres. 

Dark Matter

This sci-fi show streaming on Apple+ is a head-scratching, "It's a Wonderful Life", multiverse box of fun. Joel Edgerton (who continues to appear in interesting things) plays Jason, a mild mannered college professor of physics. He is married to Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), the love of his life and they have a teenage son. Jason's life might have turned out quite differently had he chosen work over family. But what if he hadn't? What if he didn't choose love? Maybe he would have gone on to do great things in physics, like building a giant box which could access the multiverse - sort of like time travel, except all these different realities are happening at the same time. And what if this ambitious, workaholic Jason wasn't happy with his life and used his magic box to find the quiet life he always wanted, maybe get rid of his doppelganger and step into a whole new life. This is "Dark Matter." This is a "Twilight Zone"  Tilt-A-Whirl-House-of-Mirrors and you definitely want to take a spin on this amusement ride. When I hit episode eight, I looked at the show like Jason looks at his wife, "I will never stop loving you." Jennifer Connelly, I will watch anything she decides is worthy of her time. Go watch this now. Streaming on Apple+