The Long Walk

Before The Hunger Games, there was The Long Walk, penned under Stephen King's other writer name, Richard Bachman. Televised sporting events where participants fight to the death seem to almost be a dystopian sub-genre or maybe you're just watching a Gladiator movie? Regardless, The Long Walk seems to be set in a fictional 1950s/1960s where America looks like, well today, economically depressed, at least for the working class. How to inspire the country to work hard? Show them a bunch of teenaged boys (50, one per state) walking, walking until there is only one left. The winner gets one wish and a ton of money. The catch, if you fall below 3 mph, you get a warning - a few warnings, then you are shot dead. It's walk or die, with no end, until there is only one left. It's riveting. It's slow and terrifying and I found myself getting rather emotional at times. The amazing cast is lead by Cooper Hoffman (Ray) and David Jonsson (Pete). Every single actor in this is great. Mark Hamill plays The Major. The colours of this film are washed out, greys and browns - it felt like something out of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, with a kind of post WWI depression-era sensibility to it. Big open skies and roads. Walk or die.  March yourself over to the cinema and catch this marathon of terror, now playing. 

The Conjuring: Last Rites

This marks the 4th and potentially last film in The Conjuring series (not to mention the Annabelle and The Nun spin offs, each with multiple entries of their own - The Conjuring Universe). Although this horror franchise seems to be doing well because they keep making them - conjuring up money I say - so you never know if it's really over (one last jump scare, a few more dollars, eh?). Take my money! I have loved them all, at least The Conjuring films. The chemistry between Lorraine and Ed Warren (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) is undeniably great - I would watch another four Conjuring films! So, is Last Rites any good? I'm biased but of course it is! It's great! Maybe the best since the first. Ignore the Rotten Tomatoes score! Pay no attention. What's this one all about? Well the Warrens have a daughter, Judy (Mia Tomlinson) and she seems to have inherited her mother's powers to perceive unwanted spirits. A family needs help but Ed's heart isn't good, so he shouldn't be fighting ghosts - doctor's orders. But hey, this family really needs help and The Warrens, well they don't run from a fight. Sinks of blood, haunted mirrors, axe wielding ghost farmers, creepy dolls, and a bunch of other ghoulish nonsense to get us ready for the Halloween season ahead. Exorcism fun for the whole family. Grab some popcorn, the body of Christ, and some holy water and catch this entity in theatres now. Rent it from Movies N' Stuff in Ottawa when it becomes available.     

Caught Stealing

Darren Aronofsky is a director I truly admire. His film, Requiem for a Dream is on my list of films to see before you die. I would say any film nerd worth their weight in salt has a healthy respect for the man. His contemporary, Christopher Nolan has achieved more success, more notoriety, than Aronofsky, or at least it seems that way to me. However for me, (I'm about to use a geeky Star Trek analogy) Nolan's films feel like they were directed by Mr. Spock (cold and mathematical). Whereas Aronofsky's films feel like they were directed by Leonard McCoy (passionate, jaded, with a chip on his shoulder). I love Spock with all my being, but McCoy, damn it, well he just might be my favourite. Back to the review!

What's it all about? Caught Stealing is a crime caper very much in the wheelhouse of such directors as Guy Ritchie, the Coen Brothers, and Quentin Tarantino - a fast paced action thriller with lots of seedy gangsters milling about. Austin Butler plays Hank, a once high school baseball prodigy destined for the big leagues, only to have an injury sideline his career. Now he is a bartender and a drunk who is dating Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). Hank's mohawk sporting punk neighbour, Russ (Matt Smith - of Dr. Who fame, who is wonderful here) suddenly has to leave town and gives his cat to Hank to look after. This is when the bad guys show up and the madness ensues. There have been tons of these mistaken identity type things, a fish out of water mad-capped crime comedies, but this one feels surprisingly fresh. And fun. I haven't enjoyed this type of film in what seems like forever. It's great. For Aronofsky, it's a departure from his dark art-house sadness. There is still plenty of seediness and a whole lot of crazy (Aronofsky trademarks) but it feels light and silly, albeit gruesome and violent at times. It reminded me of Martin Scorsese's After Hours. Caught Stealing is also full of great small performances by Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Carol Kane to name a few. Catch this foul ball of fun in theatres now. 

It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

I struggle with how to assess documentaries in general. If you know nothing of the subject matter, then you should care about the subject matter by the end of the doc. At least that's how I feel about documentaries. Musical biographical docs are particularly tricky. Sometimes I worry that I'm biased. For example, earlier this year I blogged about Becoming Led Zeppelin. I love Led Zeppelin, so I was already invested. I still believe it to be a fascinating doc. Whereas I knew nothing about Jeff Buckley. I knew his name and I assumed I would know his music - I don't pay a great deal of attention to the names of songs and who sings what (or as much as should). I was expecting to hear songs that I knew and be like, "Oh yeah, so that's Jeff Buckley." However, those revelations did not come. I grew up in the grunge era, the same time Jeff Buckley was touring with his first album, Grace. Jeff's life is a fascinating one, trying to distinguish himself from his somewhat famous father, Tim Buckley, and yet wanting to have a relationship with a man who didn't want to have one with him. Jeff's musical tastes were all over the map, from Edith Piaf to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, to his favourite, Led Zeppelin. Buckley had a friendship with Chris Cornell, and David Bowie called Grace the best album ever made. I had no idea about any of this. When Robert Plant told Buckley he was the next greatest thing since slice bread (I'm paraphrasing) Buckley turned white and disappeared for two days. Interviews conducted with ex-girlfriends and his mother tell a story of a brilliant young man with self doubt and lots of ambition. This is a portrait of a musical genius who left the world tragically too soon. This documentary will make you care, make you feel for a man you don't know, and that's the best a doc can do. Catch it in theatres now.  

Weapons

I’m confident, even with a bunch of October Halloween releases coming, that Weapons will be my favourite horror movie of the year. Not only a horror film, but it will be landing in my top ten movies of 2025. Writer/director Zach Cregger has crafted a very special film - it’s spectacular. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, don’t. Just go. I won’t spoil a thing. All that I will share is that it’s about a small town and some kids who go missing - The Exorcist: Believer, Prisoners, Poltergeist, etc.  There have been lots. This is a fresh take. The story itself is told in a similar manner to Strange Darling. If you haven't seen that, then more film homework for you. What I mean is, Weapons is told through overlapping timelines and from six different perspectives of the same story. It's brilliant, it's riveting and it very, very slowly builds to one of the craziest endings I've seen in a while. There is an on-foot chase scene that is my favourite thing I've seen since Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break. Actor Amy Madigan - she was my favourite part of this movie. OMG did I love her in this. Best supporting actress nominations please. Julia Garner and James Brolin star and they are also both wonderful. Go get armed and get yourself to Weapons in theatres now. 

Sketch

I saw this at the St. Laurent Theatres here in Ottawa. Occasionally they have first run films, like this one, but mostly it’s second run stuff and a lot of Indian action movies. I didn’t want it to go past everyone without it getting the attention it deserves. It is distributed by Angel Studios, a Christian-themed entertainment company. As an atheist I have no problem watching anything put out by any religion, so long as I don’t feel like I am being judged or preached at. There is nothing preachy happening here. This is simply a great family film, a kid’s film, with a great concept. It’s about Amber (Bianca Belle), a young girl who channels her emotions into her sketchbook. Amber’s drawings are often dark, monstrously so. Her brother discovers a magical pool of toilet bowl blue water that can fix things. When Amber’s sketchbook accidentally falls in, her drawings come to life. The movie feels like something that would have been produced in the 80s. By today’s standards, it’s frightening - Pet Sematary, Jeepers Creepers, and Arachnophobia spring to mind, but not quite as visceral. It’s a family movie after all. First-time writer director Seth Worley has made a special film, touching, and delightful. Let this one draw you in and colour your day. In theatres now. Rent it from Movies’N Stuff when available. 

Together

Relationships are hard, especially for artists, and extra especially if they aren't hugely successful. Just read my review on Materialists and you will get an earful. Together is the horror movie version of Materialists. Well not quite, but close enough. Dave Franco plays Tim, a mid-thirties musician who still hasn't "made it" on the scene. His teacher girlfriend, Millie - played by Alison Brie - has accepted a job two hours away from the big city teaching in a small town. City boy Tim has agreed to move there, although he doesn't seem thrilled about it. Their ten-year relationship needs some work. They need some bonding time. Well they get it alright. This is a body horror picture and it puts together (see what I did there) different pieces of different horror movies - The Descent, The Shining, Alien, The Thing, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers to name a few. It glues aspects of these films together (wink) and gives us something that feels fresh thanks to writer/director, Michael Shanks. Together also has some outstanding and terrifying visuals. You should definitely get together for this one. In theatres now or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff in Ottawa when it comes out.