The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

If you're are a Gen-Xer like myself, you grew up on Nicolas Cage movies: "Vampire's Kiss," "Moonstruck," "Raising Arizona," "Wild at Heart;" then later, large action blockbusters such as "The Rock," "Con Air," and "Face/Off." Cage won an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas," and has been in other films which have endeared him to audiences like, "The Family Man," and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin." The he did some great work in films like "Matchstick Men," "Adaptation," "Lord of War," and "The Weather Man." Then there were rumours of financial troubles and for the last decade plus, Cage has been working like no other actor, churning out film after film, many it seemed, straight-to-video/streaming. I have watched many of them. There is a lot of mediocre stuff, some great stuff ("Joe," "Pig") and some off-the-wall bananas stuff,("Mandy," "Color out of Space"). Cage has never stopped working.

In his latest film, now out in theatres, Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage, an actor in debt needing a hit film. He resorts to take a million dollar gig (to pay off his debts) to show up and be the guest of a wealthy olive oil farmer in Mallorca, Javi (played by Pedro Pascal). Javi is a huge, obsessive Nicolas Cage fan and he would like Nick to read his screenplay. The movie is a riot and Nicolas Cage has fully embraced it like only Nicolas Cage can. Other actors have played fictional versions of themselves before, like Jean-Claude Van Damme did in JCVD and I have always enjoyed those who can poke fun at themselves, but Cage takes it to a new level of self deprecating narcissism which is a joy to behold. Catch this one now in theatres.  

We Need to Talk About Cosby

I'm white, if you didn't know (pretty much anyone reading my blog knows me personally, but just in case you didn't). I grew up in the 1970s and 80s in a pretty much white, middle to upper class community in Ottawa, Canada. I knew a total of five black kids by name and I was only really close with one. I think I was mature enough to understand the black people depicted on the TV show "Good Times" were, to a large extent, a truer representation of American black society in the 1970s - namely, poor and struggling. Then came along "The Cosby Show," a show where an American black family was depicted as not only, NOT poor, but well off, rich and educated. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) was a doctor and his wife Clair was a lawyer. The show depicted a family where there was a lot of love and laughter - white, black, brown, etc., it didn't matter what colour you were, everyone wanted to have a joyous home like the Huxtables had. I understood the importance of the show for black audiences in America. It's important to have yourself represented in a place of power and authority so people know it's achievable. 

I grew up on Cosby. I watched the cartoon show "Fat Albert" and loved it. I saw Cosby on "The Electric Company," in Jell-O ads, and in Coke ads, and then in "The Cosby Show." Bill Cosby was loved by everyone.

Unlike Harvey Weinstein and Michael Jackson, rumours of sexual misconduct hadn't been swirling around Bill Cosby for years, or at least not in the same public way as the other two. Everyone suspected Jackson was into kids and Weinstein was known for his casting couch. But it wasn't until 2014 that I heard anything bad about Bill Cosby. Drugging and raping of women? Shocking. Disappointing. This, this couldn't be true, could it?

Welcome to the four part, documentary series on the life and times of Bill Cosby. 

It's tough but important viewing. It showcases not only all Bill did for black actors, black stunt performers, kids, comedians, comedy, and North American black culture, but it chronicles the five decades of drugging and raping Bill Cosby did to the 60 women who have come forward. The victim count might well be double that, or more. This documentary is a survivors' diary. It's brutal and traumatic. 

Michael Jackson is dead but his music still plays on the radio - I have a tough time with that. Weinstein is in jail, his Miramax company is destroyed; people still watch Miramax films, or at least I do (I cringe when I see his name in the credits). Bill Cosby is out of jail and nobody is watching the Cosby show. Catch this powerful series on Showtime/CRAVE. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Move over Spiderman, move over Dr. Strange, the multiverse just got a little bit more fun than just three Spidermans jumping around; it's now got Kung Fu battles wearing/firmly-inserted anal butt plugs and cheese-string finger people! Say what?! Welcome to the second film from 2022 to arrive on my blog and one which will likely to be nominated for a best picture Oscar next year, "Everything Everywhere All at Once." What's it all about? Well, besides from everything, it's a family dramedy about a Chinese family who runs a coin laundry shop which is being audited by the IRS - things are not looking good! The auditor is played by Jamie Lee Curtis and she is a hoot (best supporting nomination coming her way). The star of the show, is Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang, the wife, mother and co-owner of the laundry mat. She will be getting her best acting nomination for sure. What a performance! Anyway, there is an everything bagel force moving across the multiverse and Evelyn is recruited to stop it - I really don't want to try and explain more. At the heart of the movie is the exploration of the relationships between parents and their kids, between marriage partners, and the cultural differences between generations of an immigrant family. It's a tapestry woven and borrowed from , "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," Jackie Chan fight scenes I, "Brazil," "Ratatouille," and "Sliding Doors" which all lays atop a body of deep existential angst. It's a bloody head trip and a hell of a ride. Strap in, grab the safety bar and hold on tight, this shit is bananas fun. Catch it at your local cinema now.

The Fallout

I think the enduring thing about "The Breakfast Club," the reason it continues to be discovered by new generations, is because of the honesty in the writing, the dialogue. Those kids, John Hughes' kids, felt real; they still feel real. The Netflix series, "Ginny and Georgia" is one contemporary example of honest dialogue - at least it felt that way to me. "The Fallout" is a teen drama about a high-school shooting. It's a heavy subject. It's the first feature film written and directed by Megan Park. Wow, what a way to come flying out of the gate. I can't say enough about how impressive this debut is - the level of honesty in the writing and in the performances is extraordinary. Jenna Ortega (also in 2022s "Scream" and "X") as Vada and Maddie Ziegler (found also in 2021's "West Side Story") as Mia are both really impressive - they seem accomplished beyond their years. This is the story of the post-traumatic effects of a mass school shooting as we see it through the eyes of four select students, the main one being Vada; how it affects her family, her relationships, and mostly how it affects her. From the phone messaging/texting to the music, this film feels contemporary. Hats off to Megan Park for putting together something so honest and human. I look forward to seeing what she does next. Catch this auspicious debut on HBOMax/CRAVE.

The Innocents

This Norwegian horror/thriller is remarkable. What's it all about? Sisters, Anna and Ida, maybe aged 12 or 13 and 10/11 respectively find themselves living in a new apartment complex with the majority of the residents away on holiday. Anna has autism and she is non verbal. Her sister Ida seems to resent her existence. She pinches her, puts broken glass in her shoe - mean kid stuff. Ida meets two kids about her age, Ben and Aisha. They both have special gifts - telekinesis, telepathy, and an uncanny empathic synchronization. Turns out autistic Anna has some powers too. The problem is Ben. He is like a serial killer in the making and he is beginning to discover his own magical abilities. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Swedish film "Let the Right One In." This film gripped me like a rare few have. And the performances of these kids are simply phenomenal. I can't say enough good things about it. One of the best films to come out last year; I just got around to seeing it. You should too. Catch it on streaming services or your local video store when you can.  

Flee

My mother was born in Copenhagen, immigrated to Canada with her family in her early teens. I've heard stories of the five of them living in a one bedroom apartment and the hardships that come from learning a new language and culture. This also makes me half Danish by bloodline, so I have a soft spot for Danish films. "Flee" is a Danish film nominated for three Oscars, Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature Film, and Best International Feature Film. It tells the true story of Amin and his family, growing up in Afghanistan during a time when the USSR was invading. Amin's father is taken away and is never seen again. He and his mother, brother and sisters flee to Russia. From there they entrust themselves to human smugglers to get them safe passage to Sweden - a few of them almost dying inside a shipping container with no means of escape. Amin's first attempt to flee lands him and his mother on a leaking boat, almost dying. It's harrowing stuff. It brought me close to tears a few times. Considering what is happening in Ukraine, this film is timely and important to feel the impact of displaced and traumatized people by acts of war and violence. Catch this remarkable tale of survival on Amazon Prime. 

The Batman

When I was five years old I wore a Batman cape to school - on a regular basis. I watched reruns of Adam West's Batman on TV and loved it. Couldn't get enough. As I have matured (well many might argue that point - ha) so too has Batman. When I was nineteen (1989), Tim Burton's "Batman" came out - I remember lining up outside the Place de Ville theatres in downtown Ottawa. Jack Nicolson as the Joker - this can't possible get any better, could it? Tim Burton's second feature "Batman Returns" was better! -  Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, yes! But then came Kilmer and Clooney and my childhood fascination with the caped crusader began to wane. Then, when I was thirty five years old (2005), Christopher Nolan gave the world, "Batman Begins." I was in love all over again. This, this was the mature Batman, the one I had been waiting for my entire life. Could it get better than this? 2008 brings us Nolan's central masterpiece of his bat trilogy, "The Dark Knight." When this came out I lost my mind. All Batman films would be judged against it. Heath Ledger posthumously won the Oscar for his role as the Joker. The opening bank heist scene was right out of Michael Mann's "Heat" - this was gritty and raw and realistic. The story was epic and I would argue this was the comic book version of "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas" - an epic crime drama where the source material has been elevated to high art. It was the best Batman movie ever made. Then came 2022.

Riddle me this, who is Matt Reeves? Well for starters he is the director of "The Batman" staring Robert Pattinson as Batman and Zoë Kravitz ("Kimi") as Catwoman. Before this, Matt Reeves directed "Cloverfield" (a Godzilla knock off) and the last two Planet of the Apes films ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "War for the Planet of the Apes"). I must confess, I loved the Ape trilogy. Thought is was spectacular. If you haven't watched them, you should. 

Matt Reeves film resume isn't long enough (in my humble opinion) to get a sense of who Matt Reeves is as a director. I really liked those Ape movies but I had no real confidence going into "The Batman," only hope. If you told me David Fincher directed this movie, I would believe you. Reeves borrows heavily from Fincher's "Se7en" and "Zodiac" films. The main villain is the Riddler; hooded like the Zodiac killer leaving clues and cyphers and doling out punishment, one victim at a time, to corrupt city officials. Played by Paul Dano, the Riddler is simply terrifying. 

Nolan's "Dark Night" remains great but there is a cleanliness to it - a surgical precision. If "The Dark Night" is Georges Seurat, then "The Batman" is Vincent van Gogh. The grimy streets of Reeves's Gotham are out of of a rainy "Blade Runner" set. The batmobile has been stripped back down to a lean machine that looks like a souped-up version of a Mustang rather than the tank-like machine Christian Bale drove. Even Pattinson's bat suit looks more homemade-commando and far more flexible than any previous.

It's dark, it's grimy, it's epic. The entire cast is fantastic. It's simply brilliant. But is it better than Nolan's? If "The Batman" stands shoulder to shoulder with "The Dark Knight," by my tape measure, "The Batman" is just a little bit taller. 

Catch this in theatres. And if you are going, take me with you, I will gladly see it again.