The Darjeeling Limited

I have a complicated relationship with Wes Anderson. I love some of his films: "Rushmore," "Isle of Dogs," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "The Royal Tenenbaums." However a lot of his work feels repetitious. Anderson's characters always remind me of J. D. Salinger's fictional Glass family - white, precocious, wealthy, and liberally educated in the arts. In an Anderson film, a character will read a list of things they are packing in a suitcase, or a list of things they need to do. Sometimes this can be charming or even funny, but often I find it annoying. This isn't Anderson's problem, it's mine. If I don't enjoy it, I shouldn't watch. Which is maybe why I avoided "The Darjeeling Limited" for so long. It came out in 2007 when my kids were just one and three and it quickly passed me by. Recently two of my closest film nerd friends told me I should watch it; "It's good" they said. One of them was Peter Thompson, owner and operator of Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Maybe he was telling me that at the time to make sure I purchased from him the old Blockbuster DVD I held in my hand. I bought it. Watched it. "The Darjeeling Limited" might just be my new favourite Anderson film. It's certainly his most personal film, most human. What's it all about? Three brothers (played by Owen Wilson, now two-time Academy Award winning actor, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) travel through India after their father's untimely passing to find their mother who is at a Christian monastery. It's a road trip movie. I was delighted from the opening shots. There is a warmth and honesty these characters have which doesn't often permeate Anderson's other work, or at least not as much. I loved this film. Catch it streaming or go rent it from Peter at Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. 

Inland Empire

Recently we lost filmmaker David Lynch. Here in Ottawa, the Mayfair Theatre has once again stepped up and has been putting on a David Lynch retrospective - applause, Mayfair; job well done. I had the good fortune to catch "Inland Empire," one of only two Lynch films I hadn't seen. I like weird, I like surreal. The films of Alejandro Jodorowsky for example, "The Holy Mountain" and "El Topo." And such recent wonders as, "Titane," and "Beau is Afraid." Lynch's other films, "Blue Velvet," "Wild at Heart," "Lost Highway," and "Mulholland Drive" all fall into this dreamscape world. "Inland Empire" might just be Lynch's most ambitious work. It's a movie about a dream, set inside a movie about a dream - maybe? Yes, that makes no sense, and neither does "Inland Empire." It might just be the strangest and most challenging of Lynch's works. Days later I'm still digesting it. Packed with strange situations and repeating themes, it's a mental workout in a gym where everyone suddenly breaks into dancing. Lynch is painting in dreams. As a result, sometimes it feels impenetrable, you're grasping for something to hold onto but the handrail has turned into a homeless person begging for change. This is not for you Marvel film goer. This might not be for those folks who like art films. This is for hardcore Lynch fans and people who like to sit around in coffee shops and pretentiously say, "I watched 'Inland Empire' and it was simply brilliant," (insert person sipping a cappuccino, pinky extended). I jest, although I think there might be some pretentious Criterion film nerd shit going on with anyone who says they love and/or understands this film. It's certainly a film I'm glad I saw and I think it may be Lynch's masterpiece, at least in his own mind, or did I dream that? Go rent it from Movie 'N Stuff here in Ottawa or watch it on the Criterion channel.  

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue or Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

My zombie film education continues. "The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue" or "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" - I don't understand the title confusion. It has a different Spanish title and a few more English ones. Whatever. I had never heard of this film in any of its multiple titled iterations. Like any great zombie film, there's a take-away lesson - this one, it's environmental: don't mess with nature or . . . you will get zombies! Of course. This came out in 1974 and apparently nobody listened. And look where we are now! Anyway, this well-shot, well-enough-acted, and coherent film is one of the best of the zombie genre. I said "coherent" because a lot of the Italian zombie pictures of this same era don't really have a good story - they are just gross-out, gore-fests with people running around doing things at random. Most are hard to follow and don't make a lot of sense. "The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue" has a plot: A young couple gets blamed for murders, murders committed by zombies! Ridiculous? Definitely. But there's some real suspense and mood here. This is a well-put-together film for a low-budget zombie movie from 1974. Some of the zombies are truly freaky - and everyone drives like lunatics through the English countryside which honestly just adds to the charm. I had a ball. If zombies aren't your thing, I get it - give this one a skip. But if you've got a taste for the undead, this is must-see stuff. It's more like a B film and normally I only write about A films here on the blog, but this is an A-level zombie flick, so it's getting a full entry here on the Marquee. You can find it streaming on Shudder. 

Adolescence

Way back in December of 2021 I posted a review of "Boiling Point" starring Stephen Graham. If you haven't seen that film, you can go rent it from Movie 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. Stephen Graham and director Philip Barantini are back with a four-part series currently streaming on Netflix. Once again, like "Boiling Point," each episode is one-shot, one-take, with no edits or cuts. It's become a thing, this one-shot style. I'm not sure it always works or is necessary in general, but here, it works oh-so-very well. With this technique, there is no time to look away. It creates an incredible intimacy between you, the viewer, and the characters. You are there with them as it's happening in real time, you get to experience it as they are experiencing it. In this case, the arresting of Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) for a crime and the fallout for his family - dad (played by Stephen Graham), mom (Christine Tremarco), and sister (Amelie Pease). These actors are all wonderful, but Owen Cooper - my god, this kid was outstanding. Hats off Mr. Cooper, you are a star. And Stephen Graham, he brought me to tears with his performance - pass the tissues. Graham knocked it out of the park. There is an episode where Jamie speaks to a psychologist who is played by Erin Doherty - she also gives a tremendous performance. This series is riveting, heartbreaking, and extremely heavy. It's also one of the best series I've seen in a long time. Catch it streaming on Netflix. 

The G

Back in 2021 I wrote about a film called "I Care a Lot" about a woman who was putting seniors into homes against their will and stealing all of their assets. Now, imagine that dark comedy turned more serious and directed by Jeremy Saulnier ("Blue Ruin," "Rebel Ridge"), you'd have something that looks like, "The G." Except "The G" is actually directed by Canadian  filmmaker, Karl R. Hearne and the "G" stands for Great. This Canadian film, set in the U.S., has Dale Dickey playing Ann Hunter, a tough alcoholic senior looking after her bedridden husband when suddenly she is forcibly removed and relocated to a private institution. Her granddaughter, Emma (Romane Denis), fights on getting her grandparents out and reclaim their life savings. Dale Dickey - what a show she puts on, what a performance. Like I mentioned before, the film has a "Blue Ruin" low-budget grittiness to it and the soundtrack - a mix of retro and modern synth - keeps the tension strung high. Guns, Grannies, Gritty Greaseball Gangsters, and Greenbacks - "The G" is simply Grand. Catch it streaming on Crave.  

Samia

I had the honour to go to the open night of Ottawa Black Film Festival. They screened "Samia," to kick things off. Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of Samia, who grew up in war-torn Somalia and dreamed big for herself. She dreamed of not only winning the local race in her village, but going all the way to the Olympics. If you have been reading this blog, you will know I'm a sucker for underdog sports films. This is another one. Very much like "The Swimmers" (the film about Syrian refugee sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics), "Samia" is the tale of her journey to the 2008 Beijing Olympics when Samia was only 17. The other part of this film follows her attempt to flee Somalia to compete in the 2012 London games. The film echoes others like "El Norte" and "Flee" - escaping illegally by way of dubious men in boats, or shipping containers, or both. Films such as "Samia" remind me how lucky I am to not live in a large portion of the world where authoritarian regimes (often orthodox Islam) are running the show. I am free and don't have to worry about being shot at and have access to clean drinking water. Samia story is one of perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, of courage, and I found it to be very moving. llham Mohamed Osman who plays older Samia and Riyan Roble you plays younger Samia are both wonderful. It might be a hard film to find. Be like Samia, you will find it if you just keep looking. 

Scarecrow (1973)

 As you are likely aware, we recently lost the great Gene Hackman. Here in Ottawa, the Mayfair Theatre (Ottawa's oldest movie theatre and my favourite place on earth) has been putting on a Gene Hackman retrospective to honour the late actor. Class act, Mayfair. Last night I went with a good friend to watch "Scarecrow," staring Hackman and a very young Al Pacino. I took film very seriously at a young age and there was a time when I sought to watch all the films of actors like Gene Hackman - if they weren't available for rent at my local video store, didn't play at the Mayfair, or weren't shown on TV, there was no other way to find them. "Scarecrow" was one of those films I missed. What a delight this movie is. From the opening shot, watching Hackman come down that sun-soaked hill to the credits, I thought, "They just don't make them like this anymore." Hackman plays an ex-con looking to open a car wash business and runs into Pacino, an ex-sailor. Their adventure begins. Part "Midnight Cowboy," part "Cool Hand Luke," part "The Last Detail," it's a whole lot of nostalgia - for both the actors, a time before cellphones, and an are when you could smoke a cigar inside a department store. I don't think it has the emotional punch of "Midnight Cowboy" but "Scarecrow" certainly features two wonderful performances by two great actors in their prime. Definitely a film to seek out. Go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa.