Squid Game

If you only have time for one series this year, then please let it be Squid Game. This South Korean Netflix show is a visceral, nail-biting, thrill ride. It's violent, disturbing, and you will not be able to stop watching. If you want a sense of what it's all about, it's kind of like if you crossed Parasite with The Hunger Games. What makes it so arresting to watch is the bold crayon colours used in the show, they are outlandish and cartoonish contrasted with the gruesome carnal violence which blood soaks every episode. It's a head trip for sure and one not for the faint of heart. Themes of financial inequity, financial injustice, and what we are willing to do for a buck (or a million) swirl around each episode like the money offered up in a giant plastic piggybank. Lots of questions and mysteries, both ethical, existential, and practical - what's really going on here? Squid Game will worm into your brain and hold on to you long after you have stopped watching. It has a huge budget and an outstanding cast. The lead, Jung-jae Lee, is just a marvel. Please give this man a Golden Globe nomination as well as most of the supporting cast. I can't say enough about Squid Game. Watch it now on Netflix. 

The Green Knight

 I don't like Lord of the Rings. There, I said it. I appreciate the level of detail, the costumes, the look of the films, and to some extent, some of the performances. And Gollum. Everyone likes Gollum. But no, I thought the whole thing was dreadfully dull. So, when I saw the trailer for The Green Knight, I thought, no, I don't think so. But it got really good reviews but audiences hated it. Then I was somewhat intrigued. I watched. I didn't realize until after the director is David Lowery, the gentleman who brought us Ghost Story (with Casey Affleck). Lowery is a director who plays with time. He shows us possibilities, sometime over decades or more, then rolls us back to the present so we may proceed again on a different path; time lapse trickery. Time, mortality, and honour are the themes of The Green Knight, a far more adult version of a knight's quest. And let me tell you, it's a beautiful film. I mean really gorgeous to look at. I was deeply surprised how much I like this film. Dev Patel (Lion) who plays the lead, is really excellent. Come for the aesthetics, stay for the meditation on mortality and have an adventure along the way. Catch it in the theatre if you can, otherwise on streaming services.   

Brand New Cherry Flavor

I binged it in two days. I LOVED IT. What's it all about? Rosa Salazar plays Lisa Nova, a young and enthusiastic film maker who has made a short film that Hollywood producer Lou Burke (Eric Lange) wants to turn into a feature length film. Lou is in need of a hit and Lisa, well she is just happy her dream of becoming a movie director is coming true. Except Lou, turns out he is an asshole, so Lisa Nova gets Boro (Catherine Keener) to put a hex on him. Set in L.A. of the 1990s, it feels like a cross between David Lynch and David Cronenberg, surrealism meets body-gross-out identity crisis, when both directors where doing some of their best work. The whole thing is a bit of an acid trip with a bag of mixed and sometime heavy emotional performances. Salazar's performance has been highly praised. She is really really good. But her supporting actor, Eric Lange as Lou Burke, is phenomenal. I hope when the Golden Globes comes around, they don't overlook him. Catch this freak show on Netflix.  

Mandibles

One of the delights of having the Bytowne Cinema back up in running in Ottawa is that the city gets exposed to European, Asian, Middle Eastern, etc. - films outside of the standard North American fare. Mandibles is a French Comedy about two losers, petty criminals, who are in need of some cash for basic existence. When Manu (Grégoire Ludig) gets offered a job to transport a briefcase from point A to point B, no questions asked, he jumps at the chance. He steals a car (because he doesn't have one or anything) and pulls in his good friend Jean-Gab (David Marsais) to share in the action. Think Harry and Marv from Home Alone, the wet bandits, and you get the idea. Well our two clowns discover a giant fly in the trunk of the stolen car. That's right, a fly the size of a mid sized dog, in the trunk of the car. Jean-Gab has the brilliant idea to train the fly to steal stuff for them, like food, and maybe even rob banks for them. It sounds ridiculous and it is! Goofy fun. Have a laugh, catch this one when you get a chance.

Nowhere Special

What's it all about? John (James Norton) is a window washer, a single dad of a three year old son, Michael (Daniel Lamont) and John is dying (presumably of some inoperable cancer). If it sounds grim, it is. John, with the help of social services is trying to find a new home for Michael when John finally succumbs. Bring a big box of tissues for this one, like a big one. Maybe some paper towels too. There will be tears. It's a subtle and thoughtful film about fatherhood, other people's values, and the fragility of everything. It's also a moving portrait of a father and son. If you are up for a deeply emotional ride, I highly recommend going to Nowhere Special. Catch it on streaming services.

I Care a Lot

How do you take your comedies? I take mine black. I Care a Lot is dark. It has a cruelty and goofiness which is reminiscent of a Coen brothers picture. What's it all about? Rosamund Pike plays Marla Grayson, a conniving, evil woman who dupes seniors; Marla has them fraudulently committed to old age homes or psychiatric care against their will, has a judge give her all the rights to manage their affairs, and then she goes about selling off all their material wealth so she can steal it all for herself. She's an evil piece of work. Things are moving along just fine until Marla happens to put the wrong old lady in a home (played by two time Oscar winner, Dianne Wiest). Wiest wasn't nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe, but she steals ever scene she is in. She is a joy to watch. Peter Dinklage plays her son Roman. He is just as evil as Marla. Let the games begin. This is a battle of wills between two monsters and it's a zany fun ride. Rosamund Pike was nominated and won the Golden Globe for best actress in a Musical or Comedy. Well deserved. Catch this on Amazon or Netflix depending on where you live. 

A Quiet Place Part II

It's rare for sequels to be better than their originals - The Empire Strikes Back, Godfather II, The Raid 2, to name a few. A Quiet Place Part II now ranks amongst them. I enjoyed the first but I loved the second. This is an origin story - what happened on day one. For those of you who didn't see the first one, we have monsters running around that have super hearing. If they hear you, they will find you and eat you. They have ruined the entire planet and have wiped out most of humanity. A Quiet Place Part II works so well because everyone is in jeopardy in parallel but in different places. You cut from one dramatic scene to the next, over and over; it's relentless and breathtaking. Let me tell you, you will be on the edge of your seat for the duration. John Krasinski has taken his talent to the next level. It's a hell of a fun ride. Catch it on Amazon.