Tornado

Want a period piece which feels like it was made by the lovechild of Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone and stars Tim Roth as the bad guy? Of course you do! That lovechild is writer and director, John Maclean, who only has one feature-length film before this to his credit, Slow West (a film I haven't seen but now intend to). Tornado is about a young girl, who goes by the name of Tornado (Kôki). She and her samurai father are travelling through the English countryside in 1790, occasionally stopping to put on puppet shows in their travelling theatre stagecoach. Along comes Tim Roth and his band of bad guys and well I won't spoil a thing. Go watch it. The famous Sergio Leone facial close-ups are on full display. The patience of Kurosawa, the slow stress-building of Leone - Maclean has learned from the best to take his time. The thing I dislike about Marvel movies is they are so loud and inelegant; beastly like a neon pig-ape draped in the American flag. Tornado is Zen beauty. It's in no hurry, but then suddenly it cuts fast and clean - you don't see it coming. For me, it's one of the best Westerns I've seen in a while. It's a mosaic of grey and brown but it's gorgeous nonetheless. With a short runtime of 90 minutes, it's a piece of candy. Taste this treat streaming on Crave or see if Peter has it at Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. 

Reflection in a Dead Diamond

When you go to a fancy restaurant and they make something like a deconstructed peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, you might get something which has the three elements, peanuts, jelly, and some sort of bread product - it might just be a cracker - on a plate and it might look like modern art. Some might call it pretentious. This kind of fun isn't for everyone. Reflection in a Dead Diamond is a deconstructed Bond film. All the elements of a spy thriller are here, Mission: Impossible-style rubber masks, '80s ninja assassins, and cars with machine gun headlights, but it was like they were handed off to David Lynch. There is story here but to say it's coherent would be misleading. Some might call it pretentious. Co-writers and directors, Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani have created an eye-popping ode to Bond as well as a deconstructed one. I would say it's film-nerd fun. The opening sequence of a man on a beach having a drink is worth the price of admission alone, which was cheap because I found this little gem - this diamond - streaming on Shudder. It feels to me like MUBI or The Criterion Channel would be the more appropriate place to find such an arty post-modernist film experiment. If you are tired of spy tropes, then this one will shake things up for you (not stir them) and give you something to reflect on. 

The Baltimorons

If John Cassavetes had ever gotten around to making a romantic Christmas movie, I feel like it would have looked very close to Jay Duplass's The Baltimorons. This movie gives off serious Sideways vibes. What's it all about? Cliff (Michael Strassner) is a recovering alcoholic, ex-standup performer trying to get his life together with his fiancée, Brittany (Olivia Luccardi). On Christmas Eve, Cliff has an accident which lands him in the care of dentist Didi (Liz Larsen). Didi is divorced, a grandmother, and her ex has just gotten remarried to a younger woman. Her grown daughter has invited Didi to partake in the festivities of her ex's new nuptials, on Christmas Eve. Didi has no intention of going, but then Cliff happens. I won't say any more. I loved this little film. Liz Larsen gives us something that resembles Gena Rowlands in a Cassavetes film, a tough-gal, no-nonsense woman with a big heart if you can crack that tough-nut exterior. Didi has seen some life in her life. And Cliff, he is damaged goods. They both are. You want to cheer these two on. I laughed a few times out loud - a rare thing for me. Like I said, I loved this little film. I'm sure it's destined to become and indie Christmas classic. If you are looking for quirky fun, then let this be your oddball match. Catch it in theatres now or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff when available.      

Gomorrah

Criterion keeps educating me, keeps expanding my film knowledge, reaching around the globe. This time it has taken me to Naples, Italy. The year is 2008. The fictional film is based on the nonfiction book by Roberto Saviano about the crime mafia of the region known as The Camorra. When I hear Italian "mafia" I think of films like The Godfather, Goodfellas, and The Untouchables. I think of men in suits, smoking cigars, and fancy cars. I think, Robert De Niro. Gomorrah isn't like that at all and De Niro is nowhere in sight. This is a grittier, Boyz N the (Italian) Hood style film. It was like Andrea Arnold or Sean Baker were asked to make an Italian mob movie - let me film-nerd translate that for you: What you get feels like a documentary style feature with its focus being on working class people and low level gangsters, in some cases, kids desiring to work for thugs. With a runtime of 137 minutes, director Matteo Garrone has made a big sweeping film with multiple overlapping story lines. One of which is about two adolescent young men who find a stockpile of mob guns. These two run around quoting Scarface, shooting off machine guns in their underpants by the edge of a shallow river - it's a crazy scene. Another story line follows a tailor who secretly sneaks off to help a rival Chinese company with their clothing - Italian fashion is cutthroat. This movie is shocking, riveting, and unforgettable. If you are looking for a contemporary crime drama with people in underpants, you could watch Joaquin Phoenix in Joker or you could watch Gomorrah. I would choose the latter, if you know what's good for you. Streaming on the Criterion channel or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa. 

The Ugly Stepsister

Last year my favourite film was The Substance. If you haven't seen it, you really should. If you were to take it and mash it together with Cinderella, you would have The Ugly Stepsister. This Norwegian horror comedy is something I wasn't expecting and didn't know I needed until I watched it. Quite frankly, I find it wild that it actually exists. I don't like period pieces - frilly lace, candelabras, and horse-drawn carriages usually are not my cup of tea. It's got to be pretty darn good to get my attention and The Ugly Stepsister is just that. First off, it's gorgeous - the costumes, the sets, the lighting. It feels like money, time and a lot of care went into it. Secondly, it's bananas - a body horror version of Cinderella. Seriously. And then, thirdly, Lea Myren . She plays Elvira, one of the stepsisters of Cinderella (known as Agnes in the film and played by Thea Sofie Loch Næss). Lea Myren is absolutely fantastic as the jealous, bug-eyed, will-do-anything (and I mean anything) character trying to beautify herself in order to win the hand of Prince Charming. I wish she would be nominated for some best actress awards, but sadly I think Hollywood Cinderellas will cause her to be overlooked. Like The Substance, this film is not for the squeamish - there is a lot of disturbing, gross, and very dark humour here. I loved it. Let writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt be your sick and twisted fairy godmother and catch it streaming on Shudder (or hopefully you can find a copy at Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa). Do it, before you turn into a pumpkin.      

The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo

So one of my favourite films this year is Weapons. If you have seen it or even seen the poster for it, you will see children running with their arms out, like the napalm girl in the famous 1972 Vietnam war photograph credited to photojournalist, Nick Út. Weapons writer/director, Zach Cregger based his children's unique running style on that famous photograph. That photo won Nick Út the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography and the World Press Photo of the Year in 1973. The photo made Nick Út an international star. This photo has been attributed, partially, with ending the war in Vietnam. So for 52 years, this was the story. Then Carl Robinson showed up. His story changes everything. Not the power of the image - that remains intact. It's who took the picture. Robinson, who was working with the Associated Press (AP) at the time in 1972, was told by his boss, to change the name on the napalm girl photo from the stringer (a low level paid Vietnamese contract photojournalist) Nguyễn Thành Nghệ to Nick Út. Robinson did what he was told but it haunted him, especially since Nick Út received and took all the credit for the photo. This documentary reminded me of  Batman & Bill, which is about Bill Finger, the co-creator of Batman, and one might argue, the main creator of Batman. Bob Kane took all the credit and Bill Finger died alone and penniless. Bill Finger is now listed in the credits of all DC Batman related movies and comics. I hope that Nguyễn Thành Nghệ, because of this documentary, The Stringer, will be given his proper acknowledgement. Catch this fascinating documentary streaming now on Netflix. 

After the Hunt

I'm in the minority of people who liked this film. In fact, most critics and audiences hated it (as I type this, the Rotten Tomatoes scores stand at a dismal 37% and 38% respectively). And I will say this, the film is pretentious, sort of. I can understand if people feel this way. It didn't bother me. It reminded me of Fincher's The Social Network. There is a cool-hipster vibe here, intellectual PhD tigers on leather sofas like they were in an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot. They drink wine and spirits like they were the drinking the blood of weak first year undergraduates, ready to pounce on any struggling idea. Eat them alive. What's it about? Its focus is Yale College professor, Alma (Julia Roberts), her psychoanalyst husband, Frederik (Michael Stuhlbarg), her star student, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), and Alma's fellow professor Hank (Andrew Garfield) as Alma and Hank vie for tenure. Maggie, post smarty-pants party accuses Hank of sexual assault and then everything falls into chaos. There are no clear answers given and no clear villains. I'm not exactly sure what we are to take away from it all. Perhaps it's a commentary on all the #Metoo films we have had, or maybe it's telling us that truth is messy, as is life. What it definitely is, it's captivating. And the soundtrack! If Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest is an example of how to ruin a film with a jazzy soundtrack, then After the Hunt is how make a film great with a jazzy soundtrack. Looking for a film that may challenge you? Want to see Julia Roberts give a performance that will knock your socks off? Then check out After the Hunt in theatres or go rent it from Movies 'N Stuff here in Ottawa.