November 17th, 2025

Death By Lightning: This week’s reviews are dealing with a number of releases on Netflix recently. This one was just released in early November while the others were October releases. This is a four-part series which shows the late 1870s and early 1880s with the political landscape of the Republican Party. This is a few years after the end of the Civil War and also the assassination of President Lincoln. Michael Shannon plays James Garfield of Ohio. He was a Congressman heading to the Republican convention in Chicago where he was there to stand up for and nominate his fellow Ohio Senator John Sherman. He provides a rousing speech for that nomination in his defiance of the existing sitting President Ulysses Grant, who was well supported by the voters in New York State, lead by Roscoe Conkling. With no intention of being a nominee things happen at the convention that were unexpected.

The other main character in the story is Charles Guiteau, played by Matthew Macfayden (Tom from Succession) who is a scoundrel and a charleton, who is a former lawyer who steals from his clients and his family, lies without hesitation and exaggerates his importance and accomplishments. He has been relentless in looking to find a steady job after seeing the Republican convention take place in Chicago. He seeks out the politicians to engage with them to help with the campaign. He backs into a job by pure happenstance. He relentlessly pursues Garfield and the senior staff in the Administration, which nowadays we would call stalking. Macfayden is creepy in portraying this narcissist and it is remarkable that he is allowed access to the White House and the President so frequently, especially given the recent assassination of Lincoln.

I found this slow to get going, and the language used is updated to reflect current venacular including present day profanity. There are some uncomfortable scenes with Guiteau as time as again he takes advantage of people or simply spouts off on various untruths with people who are looking to be cordial and pleasant with him. Garfield is shown to be an idealist, looking to have government “by the people, for the people” as written in the Constitution. He doesn’t like power brokers like New York’s Conkling and wants to end the influence there. He has true faith in a running mate he never chose, but was from New York where influence was necessary. It was a poor choice. I did not know this story, and it was engaging. It was also surprising how democracy can be run, but also how individuals can have their morals overwhelmed by influence of others. It is a weakness in the system, but a necessary one. I like Betty Gilpin as Garfield’s wife as she shows herself to be strong, intelligent and resilient. She is a true partner for James Garfield, supporting, defending and standing by his side. This series taught me a number of things about this time in American history, including that Canadian Alexander Graham Bell could be involved! Imagine that!

A House of Dynamite: This was recently released on Netflix as well. It was somewhat frustrating, which was intentional by the well known director Kathryn Bigelow, that we saw three different versions of the same set of circumstances without resolution. It has a good cast with Idris Elba as the President, Jared Harris as the Defense Secretary, Rebecca Ferguson and Jason Clarke. From the political side it is interesting to see that a foreign power (not Russia or China) has unexpected nuclear capability and decides to make an aggressive, unexpected move. It is surprising that the US relies solely on limited counter-measures to combat this aggressive move and not have further ability to do anything else after that. I understand that conceptually one is trying to strike a bullet midair with another bullet, but to save countless lives it would seem to be simply not enough. I would expect that drones, planes and other missiles could be launched against it. Certainly I would also expect that other countries potentially could assist.

Much is made in the previews and pictures in spport of this movie about Rebecca Ferguson, however her time and role are limited, and mostly to the first of the three sections involved. Others play roles higher up that are more consequential, but that I think was the point because initially the event was viewed as being a mistake, a drill, or not that consequential. In a matter of minutes it gets to be VERY consequential. My biggest takeaway was that there was a reasonable, rational man sitting as the President (Elba). If this situation were to play itself out now in real life, with the current President at the helm, it wouldn’t be so thoughtful of an exercise, and I would expect that the “well done” option would be used by him (as opposed to rare or medium well). That could be wrong, and I have to hope that such a scenario never plays out with this President, but my suspicion is that rather than Elba, we would have a President from Stephen King’s Dead Zone played by Martin Sheen instead as pictured below.

I do think that the advice provided by the generals in this movie was unreasonable, as an immediate retaliatory strike back (in whatever degree or form) wasn’t necessary without seeing more missile launches being sent. Surely there is an understanding, clearly shown in all the faces but not uttered in words, that worldwide annihilation is what was at stake here. As situated, there would be an ability to track down where that original event originated from, even if by submarine. All superpowers would have an interest to bring the perpetrator to justice, if all were innocent and not knowing about the actions of an outlier. The stakes are just too high to be careless about pride and what is necessary in retaliation. I recognize that the whole point was getting to point of impact, and seeing those and their reactions to it without actually seeing the results, but the movie certainly leaves the viewer hanging. It certainly leads a viewer to question a number of things as a result. Let’s hope such a scenario never comes to pass in our lifetimes.

Ballad of a Small Player: This is a new movie with Colin Farrell, directed by Edward Berger. Set in Macau, which looks remarkably like Las Vegas, Farrell plays Lord Doyle who we learn is on the lam and a gambling addict. His game is baccarat, but he seems to fare worse than James Bond ever did. He explains that money can change hands very quickly and fortunes gained. The object is to have two cards which together add up to 9, but not over. Face cards are zero. He has a binging personality, which can be from his gambling, his eating habits and the places where he stays. He is on the lam from taking a wealthy person in Britain for a substantial sum, and he is pursued by an investigator Cynthia Blithe played by Tilda Swinton.

At a low ebb in his fortunes, Doyle meets up with Dao Ming who explains that he is playing against “Grandma” who has very deep pockets and plays with her husband’s money. Dao Ming plays herself, but also fronts money as a loan shark for other people. It seems her debts could also be quite high. The plot continues. Doyle becomes more desperate and in that hour of need, and meets up again with Dao Ming who comforts him and they discuss at length how they are very similar people. I won’t carry on further with the plot, except to say that Doyle is faced with a difficult decision. The rest is in many ways more fantasy (perhaps) than reality but certainly Doyle is a believer. In the final act, we are left seeing the choices that Doyle makes and wonder what exactly that he has learned about himself, and how do we expect that he will carry on.

I think that Farrell plays this well and shows the manic side of Doyle well. You can see the addict of any kind who will stoop to any level or means to get another hit or to play another hand. The gambler is always convinved that they are one good hand, one win streak away from turning their luck and life around. Rarely does it seem to come, because generally once on a winning streak, the gambler wants more and more. In the days of gambling available virtually everywhere, in casinos and on the phone, this is a good lesson for many to see. There is a reason why there are so many apps, and casinos in places around the world. There is a reason in Ontario that the government sets up the casinos, and that is because they make money. They profit off the human vices. Those who get as deep as Doyle does in the whirlwind can find that their lives get turned upside down. It was interesting to view and took an odd turn but was not time wasted.

November 10th, 2025

Bugonia: Not sure what I was expecting as I went to the theatre to see this, but it wasn’t what I saw. Yorgos Lanthimos is not known for starightfoward storytelling, so I knew that this would be different. Some previous efforts of his have worked for me, like Poor Things, The Lobster or The Favourite. Others haven’t worked, like last year’s Kinds of Kindness. This effort stars Emma Stone once again, who won the Oscar for Poor Things, and Jesse Plemons, who was in Kinds of Kindness. The story builds upon a number of themes, and takes those themes and follows up with something that is quite over-the-top fantastic. Lanthimos is not subtle, but he makes you think and dig deeper as an audience. Seeing this literally will be a frustrating exercise. I cannot delve to much into the plot save for the basics which are established early.

Stone plays Michelle Fuller who is a high tech CEO who heads a company working on various advances in medical and other areas. She is driven, featured on national magazines, and hands on working on a new diversity campaign for her company.

Plemons plays Teddy who owns a farm in a remote part of the US. He lives there with his cousin Don, who follows Teddy closely as they work together. Teddy is the brains of the operation and he has a unique view of the world which has been shaped by his own direct experience with notably his mother, but also through research of stories and opinions on the internet. Teddy believes that something is strange, citing the situation with his own bee hives and the plight of bees, and he is planning on doing something drastic about it. He and Don decide to kidnap Michelle Fuller.

The story continues from there to its conclusion. Along the way, there are significant and substantial unexpected turns. For me, a day later I am still processing those twists. I have concluded that the themes that are touched upon include isolationism, incel culture, social media, truth vs fake news, conspiracy theories, technology moguls directing and shaping the world, extremism, political violence, global warming, climate change, indigenous people, evolution, survival instincts and many others. Although there was some laughter within the three-quarter full theatre, much of it was uncomfortable. It was NOT hilarious. In fact it was much more disturbing than funny. The pendulum swings within the story on who to believe are dramatic to say the least. This isn’t a movie for everybody. It is a physically demanding role in particular for Stone. Plemons has lost significant weight and I think he and Leo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) are vying for the nomination for Most Greasy Actor in a film. Still he plays this with conviction and I was impressed. This doesn’t need to be seen on a big screen and will do quite well on the smaller screen. I didn’t leave the theatre, like Poor Things, and feel that the Best Actress award is given to Stone. I think that there are other performances that will take the spotlight, but this does not take away from the effort involved in bringing this movie to the screen. This was released on Halloween, and grossed $5.03M over the weekend. Movies don’t have to be all about box office, but the number does show you what the people are paying to see. I am glad that a Lanthimos is out there to stretch our minds and make us think rather than find a new way to re-do Anaconda, which is top of mind as the trailer with Paul Rudd, Jack Black and Thandie Newton was shown before this as a preview. Anaconda is a hard pass for me. Bugonia is worth a viewing.

La La Land: Back in my January 9, 2017 post, after watching the Golden Globes I had the following to say:

A quick sidebar about the Golden Globes last night. La La Land was nominated in 7 categories and won every one. It became the movie with the most Golden Globe wins ever. I have to say that I have little interest in seeing this homage to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, nor particularly in the whole musical on film genre. Best Picture Oscars have been awarded to Chicago and The Artist and other such films but for me they are not all that intriguing. I certainly do not need to see them on the big screen, especially in this instance with Golden Globe winner Emma Stone who I really don’t like much.

That was eight years ago, and I had chosen to stay away from this. But then in August 2017, I did manage to see this for the first time. My thoughts then were as follows:

The story is a simple one; aspiring actress is frustrated by the whole Hollywood scene, when she meets frustrated jazz pianist (Gosling) who wants to revive the dying jazz clubs and music. I did like the bright and colourful costumes and sets. They showed joy and positive energy when so much around us can be down and dark. There are a couple cute scenes. The music I felt was good, with some catchy songs. Still this didn’t excite me, and I wasn’t enthralled. I found the singing ability lacking, and in some cases hard to hear the voices of the leads. They aren’t singers. Not in a Russell Crowe or Peirce Brosnan horrible way, but not accomplished singers. And perhaps that is one of the frustrations, is that there ARE triple threats out there who can sing, dance and act. Ryan Gosling has confidence in what he is doing, it is true, but I don’t pretend that he is playing the piano. Some of it, yes but much of it is done by others I suspect. His dancing was competent but he wasn’t channeling Fred Astaire. It is a bit forced. Like the relationship between the leads. They don’t have electric chemistry together. Alison’s description about Emma Stone’s face is right on point. The math just simply doesn’t add up. She is not very attractive; she doesn’t have a killer body; she is not a singer as we have established; she is a decent actor. Her turn in Birdman as the daughter was one of her better performances, and garnered her a Supporting Actress nomination. She is quirky and simply just doesn’t do anything for me. That she WON the Best Actress award for this just floors me. If you have seen Elle, Isabelle Huppert who won the Golden Globe had a better performance. I suspect Stone won for her song performance when she auditioned for the movie in Paris, and that song about her aunt. Still I remain perplexed. In the end the romantic in me was not satisfied with the ending, but then again that was a twist that was to be expected I suppose. It made sense. There are paths that we all choose to take and they direct our lives and have consequences. The same holds true here.

I decided to re-watch this once again, as I had completely forgotten that I had seen it. Directed by Damian Chazelle this film won six Oscars, including Best Actress (Emma Stone), Directing, Cinematography, Music, Song and Production Design. It lost out to Moonlight for Best Picture. Ryan Gosling lost out to Casey Affleck. Watching this once again eight years later, I was initially wary about the opening number of the freeways in LA in a traffic jam. Despite that start which was Meh for me, the movie progresses into the main storyline is with Sebastian, played by Ryan Gosling, and Mia played by Emma Stone. Sebastian is an accomplished jazz pianist who has ambitions of opening a jazz club in LA, despite the fact that it is recognized that jazz does not have a lot of young listeners and is fading away in popularity. He meets Mia who is an aspiring actress, struggling with auditions and her many roommates. All of them want to make it in LA. Upon meeting Sebastian, Mia confesses early that she “hates jazz”. Sebastian decides to explore that further by taking her to a jazz club so that he can explain the genre of music. Mia is in the early days of a relationship, but she thinks about her interactions with Sebastian. She dumps her boyfriend at a restaurant, and meets up with Sebastian to see Rebel Without A Cause, which she has never seen. They start to date.

The movie is split into seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter). We see the couple and how they look to support each other’s dreams. With encouragement, Mia takes Sebastian’s suggestion to write a play for herself and perform it rather than doing other people’s work. He chooses to entreat his former college buddy, played by John Legend, and play keyboards in his pop band. Jazz gets set to the side. The money is good and is a steady job. It is not taxing to his skills as a musician. Things happen and the fourth season shows the results of their efforts. There is a dynamic scene where Sebastian finds Mia and tells her about an audition that she has been invited to by a well-known casting director. The scene is effective in showing Mia’s struggles and how so many of these auditions have disappointed her in the past. She is tired of being hurt.

I was most impressed by Gosling, who played all of the music on the piano, from someone who was a beginner and took three months to learn all of the pieces, by rote (no reading music). This running contrary to my initial reaction that he couldn’t be playing the piano parts. Well I was wrong and he does an amazing job knowing this now. He worked with a coach two hours a day, five and six days a week. The results are incredible. Oh, and he also had to learn his lines, and do the choreography for the dance numbers! I can only marvel at that kind of commitment and talent. There were no hand doubles, no professional pianists filling in for Gosling. True, he is not a singer, but his dancing was very good and he is approaching triple threat talent. I also have to give credit to Stone. She embodies this role, and you can see the emotional toll that her struggles for success take on her. She also shows her connection with Gosling throughout. Add to this roles after this, like Poor Things where she won another Oscar, and she has grown as an actor. To say that Isabelle Huppert is more than a little unfair. So once again, I was wrong. The production design is first rate, and the music is an excellent accompaniment. The music and musical numbers add so much to this and give it an uplifting emotion. It is another character.

Some of the scenes are whimsical and dream-like as above shows (literally dancing in the stars). It is pure joy to see the two actors make it all look so effortless. If the aim was to introduce the movie musical back to audiences, then this does an excellent job. Funnily enough eight years later, not much more has happened in the musical form with notable exceptions like Wicked. Here, the audience cares for the two protagonists and lovers. We care about their stories, their sacrifices and support for one another. Sometimes things don’t always work out, and turn out as you might expect. Sometimes “giving all that you have got” for a dream means that there is nothing left for anything else. This story is an homage to LA as well and a fitting one. I wish that I had not been as stubborn about this, but I am glad that I came to my senses and re-watched it since I clearly didn’t remember it well. Seek it out if you can and enjoy in all that this movie brings to the screen. Old dogs like me can learn from past mistakes and attitudes and find new things to like about an older film. I note that I have seen a lot of Emma Stone this week.

November 3rd, 2025

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere: My first memories of Bruce Springsteen include Christmas 1980 when my step-brother requested The River, and my Mom when she saw the album cover wondered who “that ruffian” was on it. For me, I remember trying in vain for tickets in 1984, lining up outside a TicketMaster sales office in a record store at a Toronto mall, for the Born in the USA tour. Most recently I saw Bruce perform in Buffalo with the E Street Band in March 2023. It only took forty years to get there! There is an autobiography on Bruce out there entitled Born to Run published in 2016 which is unread by me. It might have helped me be better prepared for this film.

This movie starring The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White, deals with the time in the early 1980s after The River was released but before Nebraska. Bruce is already very successful having released in the past five years albums Born to Run (1975), Darkness On the Edge of Town (1978), and The River (1980). Bruce concludes his tour in Cincinnati and then looks to head back home to New Jersey. Bruce’s manager Jon Landau, played by Jeremy Strong, looks to move forward into a new album, more material in which to keep the ball rolling. Bruce is exhausted and looks to decompress for a while.

Bruce stays in a house by himself in a remote part of New Jersey and he will come into NYC to the Power Station music studio to record his tracks. From his earlier rock tracks, music that moves Bruce at this house is more acoustic and deeper, more personally impactful. He remembers back to his childhood, where his Mom, played by Gaby Hoffman, encourages an 8yo Bruce to go to the local bar and retrieve Dad, played by Adolescence‘s Dad Stephen Graham. Dad and Mom argue a lot, much about his drinking and staying out. Bruce is scared of Dad, and as he grows up more than a little sad about him. Mom seems always on the verge of a meltdown. Bruce writes his songs back in his room. He records using a simple TEAC machine plus an echo machine. He puts his tracks on regular cassette tapes. The story continues. It is a dark story, and also shows Bruce being introduced to Faye who is a single Mom who works at the local diner. They begin a relationship, but it is one that those who know Bruce he didn’t end up marrying. His first wife was actress and model Julianne Phillips. Jon Landau hears the new works like Atlantic City and Nebraska and feels that they represent a new more personal side of Bruce. Bruce is committed to those songs in particular. The movie chronicles the recording process and Bruce’s relationship with Faye.

I am fascinated by the creative process, and by those who have the ability to create. Springsteen, despite what Donald Trump says about him, has been creative his entire life. He wrote songs not just for him but others like Manfred Mann, Patti Smith, and The Pointer Sisters. I like that they show Bruce just noodling on the guitar, and then writing out the words on paper. The words seem to flow first for him according to this. But also he wrote a number of songs from Born in the USA, like Glory Days, I’m On Fire and Born in the USA at the same time as those from Nebraska. It is quite a difference in attitude and genre. Born in the USA is more commercial with catchy, poppy hits. One would think that these would come from a different place. Yet Bruce is so committed to Nebraska and those tunes that he decides to shelve those for Born in the USA. There is a moment in the final act where his Dad is at a concert of his, and he requests that 34yo Bruce sit on his lap. Bruce responds “I have never done that” to which I was instantly thinking, “but you wrote about sitting on his lap (in that big ole Buick) in the song My Hometown“!! This as I mention is a dark movie. It doesn’t have a lot of pace. We see the struggles but some realizations for someone who by all accounts “has it all”. Money, fame, accolades and a creative outlet, along with people who support him, especially Landau. One need look no further than Bruce’s words on his Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony to see what Landau has meant to him in his life. I was also interested to see the technology at work and how they were creatively able to put music from a cassette onto old school vinyl. It was a fascinating insight into the business of music. So this is a movie that I was glad that I saw, it provided me with a new understanding and has encouraged me to learn more about the Boss and his music. From that standpoint, it is mission accomplished.

House of Guinness: I have been to Dublin. I have been to the Guinness factory. I will admit to enjoying a pint from time to time. I will say that I agree with the adage that says that the Guinness tastes better the closer you get to Dublin (although Cork was really good too). But this drama on Netflix from Peaky Blinders‘ Steven Knight isn’t a beer story, it is a story about family and succession in 1868 in the year when Sir Benjamin Guinness passed away. His adult children Anne, Arthur, Benjamin, and Edward then are tasked with the legacy of a business as directed by their father. Like the HBO drama Succession each of the children have their skills, and not all of them involve knowing how to run the beer business. Sir Benjamin Guinness the father was a head of a brewery but also a noted philanthropist as well as someone active in government, as he was the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1851 and represented Dublin in the House of Commons in London. He was a difficult act to follow.

Each of the children have their own issues, with Edward played by Louis Partridge and Arthur played by Masters of the Air Anthony Boyle being the primary focus. They run the brewery as partners who don’t always see eye to eye. Being in Ireland, there are aspects of Protestant and Catholics, Irish and British, the aristocracy and the workers all joined in together. For a business that is looking to grow and expand, there is domestic and international challenges to bring forward and address. But the story is about people and not a business. People who had passions, and loves and desires beyond their own station. It seems this is still a time when women aren’t allowed to be heads of companies, and that being in love with someone not of your same class, or of your same sex is something which can bring disrepute to the family name. So much is done to keep the secrets hidden. I liked the series and this first season which is clearly set up for a second season. Leadership isn’t easy, and not being true to oneself isn’t easy either. We saw a lot of this in the HBO series The Crown with the life of Queen Elizabeth and her family. Certainly there are sympathetic aspects of their lives, but there are also horrific acts and situations that are perpetrated. All that to say that this along with The Diplomat most recently were quality and interesting television to watch in between baseball and hockey games! I look forward to season 2.

October 27th, 2025

Love Is Blind Season 9: This was a trainwreck. From the beginning to the end. This was a waste of time. From strange men, who find new ways to be deceptive, to the women who seem to be focused on things like their botox injections it just didn’t get any better. The wedding episode was dropped this past week with predictable results. For me, I have to admit that I just fast forwarded through talking to cut to the chase. Yawn. Not worth your time. I am hopeful that producers find a way to screen better “contestants”.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey: I saw the trailers for this starring Margot Robbie (playing Sarah) and Colin Farrell (playing David) in the romantic comedy with some fantasy undertones. By fantasy undertones I am meaning that a mythical car rental agency (manned by Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge – go figure!) and they are looking to help out Colin Farrell. They rent David a 1994 Saturn, and they insist on him taking their version of GPS guidance, and he proceeds to head towards a wedding. At the wedding he sees across the aisle in the church Sarah. They have a first conversation later outside the church. Romantic comedies live and die with your connection to the couple and how much that you cheer for them. For me, my initial reservation about this couple was the age discrepancy (he is 49yo and she is 35yo). Yes, it’s a movie, but it was a first impression. She early on says to him “I am afraid of hurting you. No matter how this plays out, I’ll end up hurting you”. They part but not before she asks “do you want to marry me?” That was very weird. Especially after what she had just said to him.

The initial premise seemed to work as the GPS within the car seems to know a lot more about David than you would expect. He later is asked about whether he is interested in a “big bold beautiful journey” to which he hesitantly responds “yes” is a maybe voice. Then he is taken to a Burger King and meets Sarah one more time, and then her 1994 Saturn won’t start. It seems that Sarah ended up at the same car rental agency. They start to travel together and have stops along the way that have random doors, like pictured above which takes them to various places in time and place. Over the visits we learn about some of the life issues that these people have experienced. They, like everyone, are flawed and we learn about both David’s idealism and Sarah’s issues. One stop is with David in high school, with him performing in the school play as the lead. David reveals there one of the early romantic relationships that he had and how it has impacted his life going forward. The rest of the scene for me was just too contrived. The story continues.

In the final act, they decide to take this in an unusual direction involving parents which is as far as I will describe it. One involves going to a place with an unusual view as seen above. Where exactly are they – clearly it appears to be from space – but is this necessary and does it make sense? The scenes with the parents don’t really work for me, save for the one conversation where a parent suggests to an adult child (who they THINK is MUCH younger) that they need to be “content”. I think that is sage advice where consideration should be made towards how you yourself feels with a potential partner. So you need contentment with you, how you feel in your life, in order to be able to bring someone else into your world. I will make a further comment that I am not so sure how one can fully embody another person without a full knowledge of that person’s life experience. But in the end, despite things concluding as you would expect, it still falls flat for me.

The Diplomat Season 3: I finished this latest season on Sunday. I think that this is one of the most well written series out there currently. The actors are universally good, and notably Rufus Sewell as Hal, Allison Janney, Ato Essandoh (as Stuart) and Ali Ahn (as Eldra Park) in addition to star Keri Russell.

The level of drama between the US and Britain grows in each episode. In culminates with the cliff hanger. I will note that there is time that passes between some early episodes of half a year. This will explain the new romantic relationship for Kate as the US Ambassador to UK. One of the things that troubles me is how Kate as the Ambassador is put in a position and meetings where she becomes a rogue element. More senior people than her voice concerns and make decisions and then she does her level best to look to influence those decisions in other ways. As a senior leader herself, she should know the value of people who work for her doing what she asks them to do. An actor who is actively working to countermand your decisions, would ensure that you are not viewed as reliable nor a team player. There is a point in this season when a comment is made to Kate that “if you are trying to do two jobs at the same time, you can only do them poorly”. I also feel as though Kate in her position should not be viewed, nor the implication made that she has gotten into her position by “sleeping her way to the top.” There are many women in power in this show which I embrace, but I do think that Kate has shown her affections along with men who provide her with status or inside information. It’s not necessary but keeps the story moving. But I still regard this as an excellent season and some of the best TV out there. Worth your time to watch, and certainly worth the time to catch up if this isn’t a series that you have watched before, and catching up for two seasons is not an inordinate amount of time to spend. I had slowed down my watching of Season 3 since I didn’t want it to end. Enjoy.

October 20th, 2025

John Candy: I Like Me: Canadian comedic icon John Candy passed away back in March 1994 while working on the movie Wagon’s East at the age of 43 years old. It is surprising to me that it has taken 31 years to bring this documentary forward. Ryan Reynolds is one of the producers and it is directed by Tom Hanks’ son, Colin. The movie brings together outstanding comedy performers like Bill Murray, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Mel Brooks, and Conan O’Brian among others. It also shows John’s two children, Jennifer and Chris and his wife.

In typical documentary fashion we go through a chronological history of the man, beginning at the end at his funeral, but then going back to his earlier times. He was born on Halloween in 1950. He has an older brother and his parents. A lifechanging moment for him was when his father passed away from a massive heart attack at 35yo when John was just 5 years old. That shaped his life going forward as those around him never really talked about it, as that generation of people was known for doing. John loved football but an injury ended those dreams. Then he stumbled into theatre in high school and was later encouraged to try out for the newly opened Second City in Toronto. The original Second City comedy store in Chicago was expanding. From there his talent blossomed to the point where Stephen Spielberg came to Toronto to speak to John about a part in his movie 1941. The movie continues with his career highlights, including his many roles working with director John Hughes which coincided with his connection with Hughes offscreen.

What sticks out about John is how he was so genuine, and authentic with those around him. He was heavy set in stature which stood out upon first glance but his depth of character and caring about people became more memorable for those who knew him. Bill Murray hopes jokingly early on in the interviews that someone “will come up with some dirt on John” because he couldn’t. He did struggle with his weight to be sure, but the discussion turns more on John’s belief that dying early was hereditary in his family and he felt that he was on borrowed time. His older brother had a heart attack working as a member of a film crew John had arranged for him. Despite this, he didn’t like going to doctors and never seemed to stop his love of smoking, drinking and eating well. The comedic genuis and timing remained throughout. Sharpening his skills on Second City and later SCTV he created so many memorable characters. From the Schemgie brothers, to Dr Tongue 3-D horror films to Johnny LaRue and the Fishin Musician he could work on many levels. Movies came calling and he preferred them. There is a touching scene at the end of the movie which I won’t spoil. But suffice it to say that the Canadian from Newmarket made his mark on the world in a most profound way even if he was taken from us far too early. I enjoyed this movie and I would encourage you to see it. It can be found on Prime now.

Splitsville: This new release starring Dakota Johnson and three others that I am not familiar with, seems to be a pet project for these actors. Playing two separate couples, both married we see a change in their relationship over the course of the movie. Johnson is married to Paul, played by Michael Angelo Covino who also directed the movie. We learn that their marriage is an open one, but that the husband isn’t really as receptive to its openness when his wife talks about her recent relation. The other couple is Kyle Marvin playing Carey and his wife Ashley played by Adria Arjona, have been married 14 months and we see them at the beginning singing in the car on a trip to visit the other couple. Carey and Paul are best friends. There is a bizarre incident on the drive, and then Ashley confesses that she no longer wishes to be married anymore. Carey is caught fully blindsided. He up and runs away leaving the car and his wife behind.

There are a couple of funny moments early, but it quickly goes into the strange and stupid downhill really quickly after that. There is a rather bizarre fight sequence and we quickly learn that two of the people in these marriages are pretty repulsive people. The details are unimportant but the crucial fact for the audience is that they aren’t really likeable people and you are cheering for them and hoping for them to get themselves sorted. Rather, we things happen later on one feels incredulous that this is a course correction that one felt was necessary or even believable. Pity the young child who seems to have a way of taking things that don’t belong to him, all the while he gets conflicting and dyametrically opposed advice from the adults around him. All in all, this was a movie where I had seen a preview and thought “this might be worth checking out” especially since the other romantic movie with Dakota Johnson Materialists was quite enjoyable and thought provoking. This is NOT that movie. So this is a hard pass, and you can thank me later for giving you back 1:40 of your life! You’re welcome!

The Diplomat – Season 3: The latest season of this excellent series has been released on Netflix. I have watched the first three episodes and they pick up exactly at the moment of the end of Season 2. There was a surprising ending to last season and this continues on with the excitement and the intrigue. The series stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, who was the current US Ambassador to the UK, but had ideas of being in a higher level position within the Administration. She is married to Hal, played by Rufus Sewell, and they have a complex relationship. During this season we learn more of the backstory on just how complicated it is. Both are in the civil service. He is very experienced and was once the Ambassador to Lebanon. He has a way of speaking when he shouldn’t and pissing off all the wrong people. The relationship is more professional than romantic, and Russell is the partner with the higher profile job as the season begins. Hal, it seems, can’t help inserting himself and creating trouble along the way. This causes tremendous stress for Russell and those around her.

Allison Janney plays Grace Penn who is the Vice President in Season 2. There was intrigue on whether she would continue in that job at the end of the season. Janney is excellent. The rest of the cast playing both US and British personnel are all very good. From those supporting Russell in the Ambassador’s office to the British PM, and his supporting staff they all contribute to make this an engaging, exciting, very watchable series. The writing is excellent with clever storylines and good banter. The viewer is kept wondering where this will go next, and it remains a surprise often because we get the sense that the characters themselves don’t know which way they are leaning. Jobs are at stake for people who are ambitious and smart and work incredibly hard. Mistakes too are made and they must be dealt with effectively. Overall this Emmy nominated series takes its place alongside other political thrillers and holds its own, with Russell leading the way showing the challenges of the jobs she undertakes, but also the chess match of doing them effectively while also a woman in those roles. It isn’t lost on me that she has always needed to be smarter and more cagey then the men that are around her, most notably her husband. Janney explained to her in Season 2 about being a woman in powerful positions and how they are judged differently than their male counterparts. It’s true. All of it. I will continue to watch, but I am mindful of watching too quickly and then being over this season so quickly. I like the pace, the dialog, the performances and interplay among the cast. This is currently one of the best shows on TV in my opinion.

October 13th, 2025

Anemone: When the greatest living actor decides to return for a film, any film, then I will choose to seek it out. In this case, it is Daniel Day-Lewis, taking on a passion project undertaken by him and his son Ronan. Newly released I wanted to see this in the theatre. I saw a quick interview from Ronan where he talked about working through the script with his Dad, and then also directing his first major motion picture. Ronan had a self professed photography background and you can see it from the images in the film. The movie stars DDL as Ray Stoker, with Sean Bean as his brother Jem, and Samantha Morton as Jem’s partner who is raising teenage son Brian. It is a good cast. It tells an Irish story.

The movie starts with young Brian who is at home, and Sean Bean’s Jem tells him that he is going away for a few days. He embraces Mom, Samantha Morton and then heads out. Through the beautiful Irish countryside Jem seeks out the elusive, reclusive, quiet Ray, his brother. Even upon meeting very little is said between the brothers. The movie itself is sparse on dialog and much more about shots with silent characters, either panning in as a close up, or panning back. There are some beautiful shots, certainly those with the sky and oncoming weather. It takes time for the movie to get to the point. It seems that both brothers have military backgrounds, and years before they were dealing with the troubles in northern Ireland. Ray has stories to tell, and this is the strength for DDL. Day-Lewis embodies Ray, and takes his time in telling the stories that have profoundly impacted him. He has a number of soliloquies throughout which provide the background but also the desire for his brother. I just wish that there was more. There is plenty of brooding and quiet as men are wired to do it seems, but that doesn’t take away that as an audience we want to better understand it all.

Certainly there are some universal truths involved with relationships between partners, brothers and family but also fathers and sons. Add in some environmental turmoil, and the situation can turn toxic for those involved. Everyone has scars, and however much one feels that they can relate to one perspective, another party can view it quite oppositely. Boys grow to men and have particular relationships with their parents. Sometimes despite that history, they can unknowingly also have negative impacts on their own offspring, and can channel a parent that they didn’t feel served them well at all. Welcome to being a parent! The pace of the movie was slow. Some actions weren’t always explained. There was a Magnolia-like moment that takes place which in my interpretation was nature, viewed as a safety net by the humans, then having a sudden turn. Religion is also explored in depth and most starkly between the brothers. I am glad that I saw this. I don’t see this as a popular film for the masses, but for those who want to see more of a legendary actor it provides a taste to whet the appetite.

Love is Blind Season 9: The latest season of this franchise was dropped by Netflix October 1st. Nine episodes have now been released (the last three dropped October 8th) with the last two to be released on October 15th. The format remains the same, couples talk in pods with each other, without seeing one another to establish a relationship and become engaged. Only then do they get to meet one another. They then head off for a tropical vacation before returning to the real world of their cities. This latest group of hopeful romantics (or 15 minutes of fame TV wannabes) is from Denver. Note that there are some spoilers included below. You have been warned.

I cannot in recent memory think of a more disheartening group of people to provide cringe-worthy television than this crew. My goodness. I don’t even know where to start. From the first ever proposal in the first episode that I can recall, which is just shocking in its own right, to the later virtual pronographic descriptions used by a temptress (Kacie) to enshare her man (poor Patrick) for good. But then, just moments after setting eyes on her prey, confessing that she just “can’t proceed with the experiment any more”. Apparently love is definitely NOT blind for her, and her desire to find her “Chad”. A Chad is a good-looking, successful man with the three sixes; six feet tall, six pack abs, and six figure income. Now you know. But the men are also as disturbing if not more. From liars who blantently hide with a wink the number of tattoos they have, to another who professes his love to two separate women literally minutes apart and to the emotionally crippled man who can’t seem to stop crying while being passive aggressive with his fiancee at the most inopportune times. It all amounts to a train wreck, where I am genuinely shocked that in previews for the coming two episodes, there are actually couples who will be putting on wedding dresses and tuxedos! Really??!! It is a forgettable season with unlikeable people involved. A couple of seemingly genuine people were dissed earlier by those playing the multiple people juggling act (“my Number One just did [insert offensive act or speech]”). They should consider themselves very lucky to have dodged a bullet with those who chose otherwise. From my perspective, if you are so torn about which of your opposites might be the right one for you, then the answer is, neither! You’re not ready to be heading into marriage if there isn’t some true certainty for you. The fact that you bring your families and friends into this is quite shocking. So in the end, I cannot recommend this and you are welcome from being saved from almost eleven hours of mindless TV.

October 6th, 2025

Weapons: there has been an online buzz around this movie and the movie Sinners which I reviewed a couple of weeks back. People are raving about it, and I was intrigued. The horror/thriller genre has gone through a shift away from the gross-out hacker/slasher films like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw and Halloween into more psychological thrillers with less gore and more jump. Sinners was a good example of this. This movie too was a different take on a thriller with a novel approach. It stars Ozark‘s Julia Garner, Josh Brolin and Benedict Wong. I was entertained. It didn’t suck and kept my attention, despite a couple traditional and anticipated scare tactics.

Garner plays an elementary school teacher, and one day she comes to work to find that all her students except one have disappeared inexplicably. She is stunned, and quickly the townspeople are anxious to get answers from her. The movie is filmed in six separate segments that focus on different characters in the story. Individually they show one perspective, but as more segments are seen, then more pieces come together. It is very effective, most notably when the segment with the principal, played by Benedict Wong is revealed. There are a few good shocks as the mystery around these children deepens.

Brolin plays a father of one of the missing children, and he is impatient with the police and their apparent lack of progress, and lack of investigation into the teacher. Garner too decides that she needs to reach out to her only remaining student and ask some questions, despite being cautioned against doing so by the principal. It is all good fun, and the climax comes together as a surprise. I won’t reveal any more than that because I was surprised by the resolution and the notion involved. I will say that the actor involved in it, who I have seen in many roles, looks virtually unrecognizable. It is startling but a nice pay off with a satisfying resolution. All in all, I like this trend with horror movies and enocurage it. Others like Hereditary, Nope and Talk To Me are fine additions along with Sinners which to me is a notch above. This movie is worth your time if you like a good thought-provoking scare once in a while.

Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery CBC Documentary: I watched this on YouTube this past week. Lilith Fair was a women’s music festival organized by Canadian Sarah McLachlan from 1997 to 1999, with a brief reboot in 2010. McLachlan was already an established star with numerous hit albums to her name. She has come up with the idea of having a music festival that would focus on female artists of all genres in music. Despite her success, she had heard a typical refrain from (male) music business executives that she can’t have multiple women music acts and “it just won’t sell”. Earlier in her career she had heard that some of her new music couldn’t be released at a certain time because another artist, like Sheryl Crow (who was a member in Lilith) had released a song and they couldn’t have them together. Determined as Sarah is, and wishing to show those naysayers what can be accomplished she gathered up some female artists and had a concert at The Gorge amphitheatre in Washington State on July 5, 1997. The event had 15,000 tickets sold out to see the all-female performers including Sarah, Paula Cole, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Fiona Apple and the Indigo Girls. It was a rousing success.

McLachlan not only wanted to support female artists, she also wanted to support causes that she and women generally believed in. A portion of ticket sales would be used for charity in the cities where Lilith played. Charities like Planned Parenthood, Battered Women Shelters and many others were supported. Over the first three years, over $10M was raised for charity alone. As part of the event, there would be multiple stages, and this would allow for up and coming artists to be seen and heard encouraging more female artists. In total there would be 139 shows in those first three years. The documentary shows the backstage interaction among the artists as well as the challenges in booking certain acts. Getting Tracy Chapman was a big deal, but also Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders. Artists came and went with a core group that stayed throughout. It was strange to hear about the backlash about the concerts. First there wasn’t enough diversity in acts and their ethnicity. Then it was exclusion of men that became an isssue. Also there was push back in markets like Texas where they objected to Planned Parenthood to be encouraged along with abortion. You can see the look on Sarah’s face when asked about these issues, as she just wanted to be a positive and support women, without really considering all the other angles in which it can be viewed. The artists were very good, they all proved a valid point that an all-women line up can sell out concerts, and they had fun while doing it. Charity benefitted. New artists benefitted. I think that Sarah McLachlan showed the music world that for that time, this was a niche that needed to be filled. In 2010 they tried once again to modest success. It won’t be resurrected again, as in this day and age an artist like Taylor Swift has shown that a female artist can be a dominant force in music with the largest and most successful tours. I enjoyed seeing this, as I never did get out to see the festival when it was playing near Toronto. I missed out in that.

The Lost Bus: This is a new movie released on Apple TV starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera based upon a true story in Paradise California back in late 2018. It is a survival story about a wildfire which starts small but quickly grows into a massive scale. It surprises the residence in a nearby town eight miles away from where the fire first starts. The story focuses on a bus driver McConaughey, Kevin, who can’t seem to buy a break. He has a sick mother who has medical bills that are piling up, and he is divorced from his wife, and they share a teenage son. His father had recently passed but they weren’t close, and he needs jobs to get on top of these bills. He acts as a bus driver for the local school board where he has a strained relationship with the bus manager and dispatcher who finds him to be unreliable. She isn’t wrong.

Kevin ends up on the day in question when the fire begins running late and ending up picking up 23 school children from a school in the evacuation zone, along with a teacher where they were supposed to move about ten minutes away to an evacuation gathering point where the children’s parents would be. Unknown to them as Kevin picks them up, the fire has intensified, with firefighters having no luck slowing down the inferno. The evacuation gathering point is overcome with flames and they cannot proceed there. There is traffic. There are flames gathering around as the bus looks to make some headway into getting away from the flames. All the while Kevin’s teenage son is under the weather and with a flu. His ex-wife is calling him and wanting to know the son’s status. The story continues.

What I learned from this story is that school busses and virtually indestructible. They are a modern day tank. The bus Kevin drives, goes through hell and back in places it appearing like the fire was going to get the better of them all. There were some scary moments, and a whole lot of therapy will be required for these young students should they ever get out of the bus. The movie feels like a composite between Speed and Backdraft ably directed by Paul Greengrass who directed the Bourne movies with Matt Damon. I have to imagine that filming fire and working with it wouldn’t be easy. All is handled well in this film. Jamie Lee Curtis is involved as a producer, and she has been doing the talk show circuit on this. This didn’t suck. There are certainly parts of it that seemed to be unbelievable. The size of this fire and how quickly it spread, along with the number of casualties was very surprising. This is the highest death toll fire in American history. The fire chief during a press conference talks about such fires happening more frequently and with greater intensity and shakes his head as how little is done to combat them proactively. Global warming deniers are put into their place. I am glad that I saw this and I was entertained.

September 29th, 2025

One Battle After Another: Paul Thomas Anderson has a habit of bringing forth thought-provoking stories that also bring out the best performances from his cast. From legend Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread or There Will Be Blood, to Philip Seymour Hoffman in Magnolia and The Master or Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights he brings forth movies too that have timely social commentary. For me, I can find that the depth of his films require multiple viewings to fully explore his themes and messages. In this movie the cast includes heavyweights Leo Dicaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Regina Hall. Each of whom provides an excellent performance. Added to these well known actors includes newcomers to me Teyana Taylor (looking quite a bit like Rhianna) who plays anarchist Perfidia Beverly Hills and Chase Infiniti playing her daughter Willa.

Leo plays Bob Ferguson, who begins the film as a pyrotechnical expert brought on board by the leader of an anarchist group, led by Perfidia Beverly Hills. She is looking to attack an immigration deportation centre and free the captured. It is at the Deporation Centre that, unbeknownst to Bob, that she meets up with the Penn character who she humiliates. It begins a singular focus by Penn with Perfidia that sets the main plot in this movie in motion. Bob falls in love with Perfidia and they begin a relationship as they continue with their attacks on the world at large. Perfidia comes from a long line of anarchists and revolutionaries, but we find too that she is also a person focused on her self-preservation and she will do virtually anything to ensure that she can carry on. Perfidia ends up pregnant but she has no real interest in being a Mom, but rather she wants to keep doing what she does. The child and the responsibility for raising her becomes Bob’s. Bob wishes that Perfidia shared in his commitment to the young baby girl. But Bob is not very committed to anything, and he wallows away with alcohol and weed living life each day with very little direction. He loses his direction, but is snapped back into reality quickly when his former life of anarchy comes back to change his life again.

Although this movie is being marketed as a DiCaprio film, I would say that the more startling performance within it is from Sean Penn. The two-time Oscar winner plays military man Steven J Lockjaw with a single-mindedness on his own glory and advancement all the while revealing that he has his own particular fetishes and needs. He is the main foil to Ben and Perfidia. He embodies this quirky intense man through and through, from his odd haircut right down to his gait, which looks like he is bow-legged. Lockjaw will do whatever is required for him, and utilize any means available to him. There is no ideal about community nor social utility in what he does. The fact that he is a decorated military man, just gives him more levers at his disposal.

There are other supporting characters including Benicio Del Toro who assists with the young daughter Willa with training her in martial arts. Later he helps Bob out while also showing how spanish-speaking people are reacting to the current hostile environment in that area in California. There is also an all-white “Christmas Adventurers Club” who use all means possible to advance the aims of their unique and highly selective group. Lockjaw wants to become one of them. So within the movie you run from a socialist anarchist perspective, to the military right wing dictator to a extreme right wing elitist group all interacting. It speaks volumes about the world we are living in today.

As the credits rolled in the theatre I was still processing what I had just watched. There is an element of “what did I just watch?”. But the performances were all really strong, with likely plenty of Oscar buzz within. Will everyone like this? I doubt it. But it is unique story-telling in a time when sequels and superheroes rule the box offices. It has some genuinely funny moments surrounded in a serious story where the characters play it seriously. It does show how divided those in America have become and how more extreme they are becoming in their actions and views. Of course this isn’t everybody, but maybe too that is the point that the vast majority of ordinary citizens are ignored so that these extremes can advance their aims at the general populous’ expense. I do think that I will likely need to see this again, but likely not on the big screen. I came away entertained. It has stuck with me as I think through it and discuss it. So if you are an Anderson film fan, then you should seek this out.

September 22, 2025

This entry was delayed in being posted because I was out of the country and my eSim didn’t allow me to login. So this is the result.

Kelly’s Heroes: This is a war film from 1970. It stars Clint Eastwood (as Kelly), along with Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland and Don Rickles. I have never seen it, and had an opportunity to watch it on an airplane. I knew nothing about it, except that it was a notable film for Clint Eastwood. As a general overview, this is a heist movie in the midst of WWII. There is plenty of discussion about Nancy France. The Germans are well entrenched, and while American forces try to hang on, they are looking to potentially pull back. Within this context, we have an American officer who measures a yacht to take back to the US, while he leaves to Savalas (Sargeant Big Joe) in charge of fighting the battles in the war.

Inexplicably we have Kelly (Eastwood) bringing through a German position a Nazi colonel who has been kidnapped and asked some questions about the German position. As part of the interrogation, Eastwood finds a metal bar in the Colonel’s possessions which the Nazi dismisses as “lead”. It turns out that it is gold, and it is learned that there is a sizeable sum of gold bars in a bank behind German lines (30 miles into that territory). Kelly has the idea to rob the bank, and seeks to recruit a few people to help out. Among those approached is hippy dippy free spirit Donald Sutherland who happens to be leading three Sherman tanks, and necessary. The story unfolds with a tangental over-the-top performance of a general by Archie Bunker Carroll O’Connor.

This movie isn’t as good as other 1970 war flicks Patton nor Tora Tora Tora. Patton was excellent and won George C Scott an Oscar for Best Actor (which he refused). This film seems to think it is a combination between Dirty Dozen and Great Escape with colourful American characters coming together for a common goal, against the Germans. But war as we know is for strategic aims rather than selfish goals (like bars of gold for those involved). It doesn’t work with the idea that these assets should be used to line individual pockets. I am also amazed at how poor the Germans are portrayed, with them having seemingly no communication from one area to another, nor any way to have a coordinated attack against the American attackers. Right up to the end, the Germans are soundly defeated and have horrific shooting ability, nor do they question why a church bell in the town with the bank would be ringing inexplicably. The Americans don’t have heavy casualties, despite the challenges. As the credits roll, one is left to wonder where this group of soldiers will go, on both sides. The war isn’t over. More battles are to come, and yet they will need to address their individual gains and return to their units. It’s pretty confusing and not particularly satisfying. I won’t recommend seeing this but would suggest those who are interested in the war genre should seek out other better films.

Emmy Awards: The Emmy Awards were handed out before I went away and I was please to see that the Netflix series Adolescence received many well-deserved awards. Other shows that I have not watched like The Studio and The Pitt also won multiple awards. I was extremely please to see that The Penguin‘s Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone won in her category. This made up for the Golden Globe. Also both actresses from Hacks winning was excellent and well-deserved. Nate Bargatze was the host and he tried a novel idea of donating $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club if the winners keep their acceptance speeches to 45 seconds or less. They didn’t. But it was a creative way to keep winners on topic and on time. Seth Rogan and John Oliver took the challenge to heart to be sure. The awards certainly give me ideas on what to watch next when there is truly so much content out there.

September 15th, 2055 (TIFF edition)

Glenrothan: One of the many things I love about the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), running this year for its 50th time, is that you see films that you may not otherwise see, but also that directors and talent will show up. The city has a buzz around it, surrounding King Street by Roy Thompson Hall and Princess of Wales theatre. I was lucky enough to go to both theatres on Thursday night. For the audience, you see the movie and then afterwards the talent come out to speak about it and answer questions from the audience. It provide a really interesting perspective into the film you just watched on the screen.

So first the movie, which starred Brian Cox (Succession) and Alan Cumming (The Good Life), which is Cox’s directorial debut. When asked about being a director, Cox admitted he never thought he would be behind the camera. The story is about estranged brothers, through 40 years being apart and geographically with Cumming in Chicago, and Cox in Scotland. The movie’s third main character is Scotland itself, as this is really a love letter to the Scottish highlands.

For me having been in Scotland in May 2024 for the first time, the breathtaking scenery brought about many fond memories. It was a magical place. The brothers are the living descendants of a family who have been distilling scotch whiskey for centuries. Older brother Sandy has been running the distillery after father had passed away about 25 years earlier. Mom had predeceased father fifteen years earlier. Father was a crusty and driven man, who as a father and husband handed out love and support sparingly. He was a hard taskmaster with his two boys. We see the results as the movie progresses and we begin to better understand the estrangement. The story continues in a predictable way. I enjoyed it. I thought that Cumming was very good with a troubled grandfather, with a daughter and grand-daughter in tow heading back to a homeland that he never thought that he would revisit. He has run from his troubles for most of his life. But this is a story about family, legacy, duty, love, choices and relationships. The measure of its effectiveness for me is did you care for the characters, and what happened to them? I did. Those who are hoping to see Cox playing Logan Roy will be sadly disappointed. Funnily enough, that was more the father’s character in this movie, and it wouldn’t suit him. The movie ended and the audience erupted in applause. On came Cox, with co-stars Shirley Henderson (who forever for me will be Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter) and Alexandra Shipp (playing Cumming’s daughter who plays peace maker). They all sit down as pictured here (I was seated in the balcony):

An audience member quickly blurts out a question (“May I ask a question?”) to which TIFF director and host says “we will take questions in a little while”. The immediate response back is “can Brian please cross his legs?” Cox wearing a kilt, and being a Scot he is naturally not wearing anything underneath. As he says “if you’re going to wear a kilt, nay on the undergarment”. He is a very good sport and the audience laughs. So the interview proceeds as follows:

I have never seen anything like this in all my years at TIFF and it was just excellent. The true character of Brian Cox is shown in an unexpected way. I am so glad that I saw this movie, and even more excited that I was part of this unrehearsed exchange. As Cox finishing commenting, sounding more like Logan Roy, “it was probably the fucking producer encouraging the wearing of the kilt to begin with…” A good laugh!

The Wizard of the Kremlin: we are living in strange times, with wars in Ukraine, Gaza, new incursions into Polish airspace by Russia and continued beliefs of foreign interference with western elections (most notably the US Presidential election, where current President Trump continues to deny he lost in 2020). I am painfully aware, and this movie makes more aware that I know so very little about Russian President Putin. But he and his countrymen are well engaged in many of these current hotspots within the world of 2025. This movie directed by Frenchman Olivier Assayas (who attended this screening) is based upon the book by Giuliano da Empoli (not read by me). The movie has a dream cast with Paul Dano playing Vadim Baranov (the wizard), Jude Law as Putin, Alicia Vikander as Ksenia, and Jeffrey Wright as an American researcher and writer in Russia.

This is a advertised as a political thriller and comedy. There are some laughs within it, but it a much more serious story with a history lesson of the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of Russia with their version of democracy, freedom, oligarchs and later a new authoritarian leader in Putin. Divided into various stages, we see the early life of the Paul Dano character. He speaks into the past after having invited Jeffrey Wright to his residence where he would speak to him about “something interesting”. There Wright hears about the early days of being in Soviet Union where Gorbachev takes over, immediately hiking the price of vodka and looking to provide freedoms. Then power transitions ultimately to Boris Yeltsin, and finally transitioning to Putin. Baranov had gone to school to be an artist, in putting on plays and expressing his new freedoms. He puts on plays effectively. Later he moves into television and creating content for a private TV station. Throughout the movie there are truisms about people, certainly the Russian people, but people generally and how they can be manipulated. There are poignant observations about battling for the minds of people and those of your enemy. We see the public TV executive persuading then KGB Director Putin to think about running as the leader of the country. The Putin reaction is a fascinating one, focusing on where he thinks he can have an impact, and how he can retain any power he is given, not ever wanting to lose it. This is where he seeks the assistance of Dano’s character. Time and again, Dano’s insight into a situation provides the tools for Putin to move forward in a confident and self-assured manner. World events are spoken about between the Wright character and Dano.

I am very glad that I saw this. It gives a perspective for actions taken by Putin now and in the past, without a western spin. A few years back at TIFF I saw the movie Kursk later renamed The Command, which spoke about the sinking of a nuclear submarine in the North Sea and those Russian sailors aboard her and their families. It was heart-breaking and moving. This movie addresses that as an early test to the Putin leadership as he was summering in Sochi while it was taking place, refusing any help from Western countries. The Putin regime is committed to staying in power and ensuring that what they felt was the dissolution of the great Soviet state will be reversed. Ukraine is living proof of this commitment. I come away feeling as though I need to learn more about this man Putin, and those who advise him. It was noted at the beginning of the film that this is a work of fiction. Director Assayas mentioned that the Baranov character was a complilation of other people for the book, which then was taken further within the movie.

This was a tour de force roll for Dano, who is the focal point. His paints the picture of a calm and collected man, who had started out so wild and full of life. As he becomes more deeply involved in the Putin administration he looks to pull away and lead a quieter life. At the same time, he wants to be known as we all do in some way. This is someone who has quietly become a most powerful person, unexpectedly, but embraces it and regards himself as a professional who can organize events like opening ceremonies at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, but also manipulating the internet to serve the Russian purpose as being seen as the country controlling it. Perception is reality, whether true or not. This is definitely worth checking out for those who wish to better understand the world we live in.