March 24th, 2025

Queer: If Daniel Craig wanted to distinguish himself from James Bond, his most well known role, he has certainly being successful in this goal. The 57yo actor has acted in Knives Out, and then this release which has been garnering him a number of acting award nominations, notably the Golden Globe and the SAG Award for Best Actor. I had heard about this film based on those awards. Set in the 1950s in Mexico intially, Craig plays William Lee, an American ex-pat living there to avoid arrest for his personal preferences. He has money, and lives a life of casual leisure. In his small town he is known for frequenting the bars, he has a problem with alcohol, and also enjoying the company of younger men. Lee is a bit awkward around people, and he has limited success with those men he meets, unless he ends up paying for their company. He has his head turned by a young American man, Eugene Allerton (played by Drew Starkey). Allerton seems to have a job, but there is plenty of flexibility for him in how and where he spends his time. The two cross paths many times as Allerton meets up with and hangs out with a woman, while Lee does his wandering with no particular purpose.

The rest of the film explores the relationship between the two men, and the complex interplay with them. Told in three distinct sections, with an epilogue, the sections explore very different themes. While as the title suggests there is an exploration into being homosexual, there are other themes like addiction (alcohol, drugs and sex), and wartime use of drugs for telepathy, understanding of people and their motivations which ring true as well. I found the third section the most confusing as the scene shifts to Ecuador and the search by the two men to find this plant used, apparently, to try and improve the human capability for telepathy. The two men head into the jungle, and meet a woman and her partner who are in their own camp. She has some research she has been protecting rather dramatically, but she also seems to have some indight into the plant Lee seeks. Craig’s character isn’t very likeable, and he describes himself at times as “disembodied”. That’s an interesting word for it. His life and lifestyle. He seems to be a man in search for a purpose, and one that has eluded him up until now. I don’t recall the word “love” being used between the characters, and in fact young Allerton has his own path of discovery into himself to address. Allerton plays nurse and provider of addiction facilitation for Lee from time to time. All the while continuing to follow him. There are steamy sex scenes which are decidedly not James Bond material. Seeing Craig in this light shows the acting chops are there as he explores his post-Bond career. Being married to Rachel Weisz, who has an Oscar of her own from the 2006 Best Supporting Actress in The Constant Gardener might also be encouraging him to take on these different and challenging roles. I do think that there is an attitude that Weisz is the more “serious actor” and that Craig cranks out the bubble gum Bond films that generate enormous sums of money. As a movie, I scratched my head over the plot, including a number of dream sequences and some basic visual effects, and the direction of the film. I can’t recommend it for any of those things, but seeing Craig in a 180 degree change in what he has be known for, this is intriguing. I will also note that in a small role in Mexico Jason Schwartzman looks almost unrecognizable.

Love is Blind Season 8: This season has concluded as they move on from Minneapolis. The flawed premise in rushing people who never lay eyes on one another, to get engaged and make a very quick decision about marriage continues to repeat itself time and again. It seems very odd to me where those who are newly engaged, so complete strangers, are upon meeting then sharing a room in a lovely beach resort, and then moving in together back in their hometown. Family are brought into it, and ultimately can be attending a wedding for which they may not know the outcome. How strange is that?!

In this season, some wrinkles that were new included a couple that gets engaged and then the guy’s sister pushes him hard not to get married and his friends were told his fiancee had dated some other guy and they questioned her motivations. Huh? In another couple, presumably they had not talked in the pods about their religious and political views. Not sure how that doesn’t happen. Hell in the US there couldn’t be a greater political divide than there is now, unless we’re back into the 1860s and the Civil War. But in Yankee-land Minnesota that wouldn’t be an issue. George Floyd’s murder took place there. All that to say, the end result with the ceremonies was dropped last week along with the Reunion which had plenty of drama and fireworks with people you would look at and think “what did you ever see in one another?” More seasons are to come of course, and more around the world. This remains forgetable mind candy showing the elusive search for love in the 2020s!

March 17th, 2025 St Patrick’s Day

I wish that I could say that I have some Irish content for this day, but I don’t. I have been away and so I am recounting a new movie that I watched on the plane from Europe on Sunday. So instead of Irish content (Northern Ireland and Ireland), of which there is plenty – from excellent movies like The Commitments, Sing Street, Once for music, to others like My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Brooklyn, Belfast and Banshees of Inisherin I have a new Clint Eastwood movie.

Juror #2: Released in 2024, this Clint Eastwood produced and directed courtroom drama plays a lot like a retelling of 12 Angry Men from 1957 with Henry Fonda in the principal role. It starts that way and then decides to take a little bit different take and turn on it. The cast is impressive with Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette and JK Simmons. Hoult plays a recovering alcoholic with a young very pregnant wife. She is worried about the pregnancy as she has lost children before. Hoult has been called for jury duty. He still needs to go through the selection process and understand the case he could be involved with.

The case turns out to be a homicide case, involving a couple who had a domestic dispute in a bar full of people on a dark and stormy night, and she ends up dead at the end of it. The boyfriend with a checkered past is charged with her murder. Collette plays the prosecutor, looking for an election as a District Attorney in an upcoming election. Simmons is on the jury for a time and brings forth some new ideas to the deliberation. On its face, the case seems pretty straightforward but the Hoult character has a dilemma of his own which he doesn’t share with the rest of his fellow jurors. They are no longer angry white men only but since this is set in Georgia they have a cross section of diversity. A good number of them just want to conclude their business and go home. Then the drama unfolds. It is Hoult who has the real dilemma and pressures on his personal beliefs and what is right for his family.

Given the cast this is well acted if not more or less predictable. The defense attorney, played by Chris Messina does a good job of creating doubt. The story shows how the criminal justice system can work, and also how it can stumble from time to time. One glaring error for me with a legal lens on would be that a potential theory on what took place (which was not investigated) could be to examine the vehicle driven by the accused. My second challenge is that the prosecutor herself spends time doing some of the additional legwork in digging up some facts. I don’t think that she would undertake this work but rather seek out further police investigation. After all, this is what the police actually do. The story examines whether justice means truth, or whether a person can change in a meaningful way. Hoult professes that he can. Still one also wonders why the attorney approached by Hoult doesn’t explain legal concepts like double jeopardy. Or potential sentencing for a first-time convicted felon. If justice seeks out the truth, isn’t there also a concept of mercy, accident and lack of motive which could all come into play? All in all this is a movie that I don’t even recall being in the theatres. Most Eastwood films do get that attention. This was okay to fill time on a flight but I was pleased that I didn’t have to pay for it.

March 10, 2025

Oscars 2025: The Oscars took place last Sunday, and I have to admit that the results were more than a little surprising. I had felt overall that the films generally for 2024 for these awards were not a strong as in previous years. I don’t think, despite the results, there was no clear cut Best Picture. For me, as a theatrical release, I think that the Best Picture to see in the theatres would be Dune Part II, as a visual spectacle it was stunning. As a story, I think that Conclave was more compelling in width and breadth, and in terms of gravity of a story that Nickel Boys was the most substantial. One could argue that The Brutalist also was an Oscar-worthy movie overall, for me I found it too long, with the second half weaker than the first. Anora I suspect was viewed by most on a television screen or smaller monitor. But as a story, it was quite pedestrian.

From Kieran Culkin to Mikey Madison, Wicked for Cinematography and others I was feeling that the Academy missed the mark, in a Shakepeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan kind of way from 1999. My brother, who won my Oscar Pool for the third time in a row summed it up well after his win with “Voting for and giving away awards to movies hardly anyone has seen, and no one will care about in the future”. I have been losing faith in the Academy over the past few years, and so with any art, one has to simply enjoy what we enjoy, and not worry about awards. I do think that nominations are good, as someone who saw ALL Best Picture nominees and it got me to see a really great surprise with Nickel Boys and also I’m Still Here. I would not have seen this otherwise.

Joker: Folie a Deux: I had heard all of the negative press about this movie and the almost universal condemnation of this sequel to the original Joker (2020) with Joaquin Phoenix in the Oscar winning performance, so I had avoided it. But recently on an airplane, it was on and I decided to watch. For me, I was scratching my head as to the whole concept for the film itself. From the “That’s Entertainment” song ringing in my ears, to the trial of Arthur Fleck at the television appearance in the original, and the pushing and pulling of Fleck versus The Joker as distinct persons living in the same body. One of my first observations was the weight loss from Phoenix and how utterly scary it was.

Next I thought, ‘what a tragedy to lose all that weight for this movie”. Just because you have added Lady Gaga to the cast, doesn’t mean that you should be making the film a musical, or even having musical numbers added. I can appreciate that she can sing, but it doesn’t move the story along really. Rather, for Phoenix, who is not a singer (not in a Russell Crowe (Les Miserables) or Pierce Brosnan (Mamma Mia) level of bad) and he did the biopic for Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, but this wasn’t good for him nor the character.

Then the trial aspect is explored with Fleck speaking with his lawyer, talking about multiple personality disorder and whether his troubled past made him not aware of the actions that he was taking. Enter Lady Gaga, Harley Quinn, as fellow inmate in Arkham, who seeks him out because of his actions on TV, as well as a made-for-TV movie that is referred to about the live air shooting. His fame and following is enticing for her. She disagrees with the legal defense of “I was not of sound mind when I did these acts” but thinks he needs to show his more chaotic personality, intent on tearing down the State from the outside. The singing continues with various numbers some of which are in dream states for Fleck. It is all rather confusing. Since her breakout performance in the re-make A Star is Born, Gaga has struggled with following it up with House of Gucci and this performance. Neither of which were compelling. Of course THIS Joker was never meant to be in the Christopher Nolan Batman universe. Other than being in the DC Universe, and having Harvey Dent as prosecutor, it really has nothing to do with it. The original was a turn on the Scorsese film The King of Comedy, right down to Robert Deniro, but this without the same underpinnings has lost its way, and floats in a no man’s land of obscurity never really finding out what the main message and the story should be. Maybe, those who are media sensations can also fall from grace just a quickly as they arrived. The mob doesn’t want realism, they want sensationalism. When you don’t deliver, you are dismissed. There are other stories that can can tell that tale better. In short, I agree with the negative reviews and I cannot recommend this.

March 3,2025

A Real Pain: Released in 2024, this movie is directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg. It tells the story of two Jewish male adult cousins David and Benji (played by Eisenberg and Culkin) who are making a pilgrimage back to Poland. Their grandmother had recently passed away, and she was from Poland. She had survived the holocaust through “a thousand miracles” according to the boys. She had left a sum of money for the boys to see where she had lived and experience Poland. It is a memorable trip.

In Forrest Gump fashion we meet the Culkin character, Benji, sitting on a chair at the airport, watching the people go by. In contrast there is Eisenberg leaving him an endless succession of voicemails to make sure that they meet up. The boys couldn’t be more different in personality or how their lives are presently situated. Jesse has signed them up for a guided tour through Poland with a small group of other tourists led by a young British man as their guide.

Culkin is getting the acting accolades for his performance. He plays a guy who outwardly is witty and charming. Inwardly and once he gets acclimatized, he can become hurtful and dark. He lives on the edge. He finds ways to be a rebel. In contrast, Jesse plays a married online content seller who has a responsible job, a wife, a child and responsibilities. He is straight laced. He follows the rules, while wishing he was more like his cousin. There is a love/hate dynamic for Jesse. We see this in various scenes. The culmination of the trip is a subdued visit to a concentration camp. And it should be subdued. Thousands have been murdered there. They are desolate, grim reminders of an incomprehensible past and how human beings can treat one another.

I am not an Eisenberg fan. Haven’t been since I watched him play in The Social Network. He is unlikeable and pompous for me with a face that just screams “punch me”. This movie doesn’t change my opinion about him. Culkin will forever be tied to his brilliant role in Succession with the smart assed, quick witted and unreliable Roman Roy. This movie was 1:30 and it kept a quick pace. The pattern of Culkin doing inappropriate things while Jesse quietly looks on and later apologizing for him becomes repetitive. I liked the scenes of Poland. In many ways I wish the film took the Culkin advice to heart given to the tour guide and male there be more interaction with native Poles. Speak with the people. Break bread with them and share stories of grandma and who she was. I think that this could have been more. I do not see this as a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as others had more significant impact on the main character, like a Guy Pierce in The Brutalist. The was average. I am thankful I didn’t pay for this is a theatre. Fun fact: the divorced woman on the tour with the boys is played by Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame.

February 24, 2025

Nickel Boys: This movie was the last of the Best Picture nominees that I needed to see. I had honestly not heard about it, nor seen any promotions featuring it, so I went into the viewing expecting that this would be a movie without much Oscar pedigree. I had no background nor any knowledge of the source material, which is a Pullitzer prize winning book by the author Colson Whitehead. This is a movie which speaks about the not-too-distant past (starting in the early 1960s) in the Southern US. It details the story of two young black men in a Reform School in Florida called Nickel Academy.

I will preface this explanation with a credit to the director for finding a way to tell a story effectively over time using what is for the most part a first-person account of the action. Initially it was a little disorienting, because I wasn’t clear on whether the view was from a person with a camera versus with their own perspective. I learned that it is a perspective thing. Over the course of the film, the perspectives do change which is helpful, as well as it assists in filling in some plot points. It is also used to better introduce us to the main character Elwood Curtis (played by Ethan Herisse) and also Turner (played by Brandon Wilson). Much of the earlier images have a feel like a Terrence Malick film with short snippets and close up shots. Add in some timely news items of that time with Martin Luther King and you can see how the times impact the story.

Elwood is a bright 17yo young man, who has a loving grandmother. He does well in school and is offered a chance, by a teacher, to visit a school in northern Florida which is tuition free and for people of colour. On his way to the school, he has a fateful hitchhiking pick up from an older young black man driving a nice car. He quickly is in the back of a police cruiser and being dropped off at the Nickel Academy. He along with other boys there, in this segregated school, are told that there is a hierarchy of actions which will lead to their being deemed fit to be released. But it becomes evident early that this is a forced labour camp with little schooling and reforming going on. The boys who misbehave are whipped. Family members are not allowed to see the boys. It all feels a lot more like a prison with no real way to ever escape.

In Canada, we have more recently been told about residential schools for our young indiginous people, taken away from their parents, family and heritage with a view towards making them more able to “integrate” into the mainstream white society. It is a national disgrace. I am reminded that horrible things have been happening in the world as long as man has been around. In the southern US, this movie poignantly shows the life of young men being forever changed in a government, State sponsored institution. A young man whose only mistake, not even a crime, was to be in the wrong car offering a ride, has his life forever changed. We can see the impact that is has had to him and those around him. It is a very sad commentary. This is especially true when the new US administration speaks to “merit” being the sole criteria for jobs and advancement while here circumstance greatly shapes this young man’s life. The end result of Nickel Academy is not unlike the residential schools. I think that this is a worthy film for nomination. It is a good story, effectively told which speaks to a situation that I knew nothing about. Imagine being the grandmother in this situation? How utterly helpless you would feel! Even when she tries to do something about it, she is taken advantage of. How sad! Images of space, and advancement in technology in space highlight the fact that in many ways a lot of these institutions that aren’t helping can still exist, or that as we explore space, we don’t explore what happens in our own backyards with our children. I recommend and enjoying this experience. Check it out if you can find it.

Love Is Blind Season 8: I find it most interesting that some of the greatest drama introduced into this season revolve around social media. The dating world is challenging enough with finding a person that you are compatible with, with all of its social, monetary and other challenges. But add in your online presence and it adds a new dimension and one which you may have no control over. We have five couples who seem well connected going into the last two epsiodes dropped friday, and we learn the one couple has a contestant worried about his choice having been on a “date” with a guy before the show began. She is, in fact, single, and single people do this. But his level of insecurity, and disbelief in her makes it feel more like an excuse for him, while making her feel terrible about something that she is not responsible.

Then the second couple has a distraught ex-date from 4 years before posting some viral video where she is looking to torpedo the character of the guy who is entirely committed with his new person. It’s all rather bizarre for those who clearly want to have Likes and Friends on social media ahve an issue on whether someone followed them, before the show, and then later unfollowed them. If you don’t share so much on social media, then perhaps this isn’t an issue. Seems the issue is on the person with the profile than those who follow. But I am old!!

The merciful conclusion will be dropped on Feb 28th. Then we can all move ahead with our lives!

February 17th, 2025

Nosferatu: Back in 2000, there was a movie released called Shadow of a Vampire, starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe about the filming of the German early horror film from 1922 titled Nosferatu-Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu-a Symphony of Horror). Shadow was nominated for two Oscars, one for Dafoe as Max Schreck who seemed to take his role more seriously than was anticipated. The other was for Best Makeup. Neither nomination won. Fast forward to 2024, and this movie is released on the subject of Nosferatu, but this is a period horror vampire film about the reknowned vampire.

Set in Germany in 1830s, a young newlywed Thomas Hutter (played by Nicholas Hoult) with his new bride Ellen (played by Lily-Rose Depp). She as a young girl summoned a friend, but we will get back to that. Young Hutter is a new employee at a real estate agency, and his boss played by Simon McBurney, requests that he ride to Transylvania and personally some papers to allow this count to purchase a crumbling estate in this small German town. Ellen has no interest in this trip which will take weeks. Off Thomas goes to fulfill this well-paying assignment. He meets up with Count Orlok (who is unrecognizable played by Bill Skarsgard).

This film is beautifully and carefully shot. There are images of grey, forboding with an ancient castle, along with many others. The set design, production, makeup and cinematography are all first rate and are well deserving of the Oscar nominations. It is stunning. The movie is also a horror film with some startling moments, as well as moments to make the audience queasy. You have been warned. It is a very dark story. A story of love and love conquering all things. It is also about actions, whenever they might be, having lasting implications. Back to Willem Dafoe, he is in this film as a professor who educated the town’s local medical doctor, but Dafoe fell from the scientific path, was dismissed and disgraced as he followed along the dark arts and psychological aspects of human behaviour (remember that these are days when the doctors would still bleed their patients). He becomes part of the team back in the town who are looking to avoid a catastophic plague which has engulfed the town since the arrival of the vampire in his coffin. There are some very traditional aspects of vampirism, like the nocturnal nature of the vampire, and having to sleep in his own soil each night in a coffin. He engages with minions who assist him. Count Orlok is imposing, intimidating with a well versed in the dark arts.

Did I like this? It was an experience, with a horror film that takes the vampire story in directions not always anticipated. I still admit that Gary Oldman in the 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula is still my favourite vampire. Plenty of elements from Dracula are followed in Nosferatu. So this was a different take which I did enjoy as a visual spectacle and I felt as though I was transported into a different place and time. That is something to be sure. It will not surprise me if this wins an Oscar or two.

Love Is Blind (Season 8): Well, Netflix seems to be churning out as many of the Love Is Blinds as they can. I had just finished watching the German version of this and noticed that another American version had been dropped. This time set in Minnesota. We learn in a few episodes that it was done over Valentine’s Day a year ago. As we are too familiar, the premise is the flawed one can fall in love with someone without setting eyes on their physical appearance, and they must propose to this person and be engaged as they then set off on a beach vacation together, and then live together with this complete stranger. What could go wrong??

The first six episodes were dropped by February 14th, with two more episodes being released February 21st. It takes the first six episodes for the participants to sort themselves. We are told that this is the largest group of participants in the history of the show. The drama of course ramps when there is one participant who is the focus of more than one person’s attention. In the Men’s and Women’s Quarters many use the code-speak of “Number 1” versus “Number 2” or others. This looks to keep hidden who they are focused on as the dates continues and fewer contestants remain. For me, those who are so perplexed on a couple people, should know that the answer is that neither one is “the One” and they should reconsider. A first from my experience with these shows is a woman who makes a very personal confession in her past which falls flat with her dating partner. She chooses to pull herself from further consideration rather than risk the rejection which she could feel coming. But she is presumptuous and didn’t even allow herself the chance to go forward. It is also interesting to see a participant focused primarily on one person, and then pivot to a Number 2 when they get rejected. Not sure how I would feel about being a Consolation Prize. An Option B. Don’t you want your person to find you, choose you, and focus on you? Just a thought. This is mind candy as I have always said. I will continue to watch. Incidentally, there are both men and women who are playing the Number 1 and 2 cards, stringing along both when they are seemingly have a very hard time making up their minds. The falsehood is that no one can know anybody thoroughly as you may hope to make a major decision on a TV show, or even in real life for that matter. It is still amazing to see just how many people are willing to lay out their personal lives for the world to see and judge!

February 10th, 2025

A Different Man: Sebastian Stan has had a busy year, certainly with filming in 2023, and then releasing of movies in 2024. He starred as Donald Trump in The Apprentice, recently reviewed by me, and also got a Golden Globe nomination and victory for his role in this 2024 release. Directed by Aaron Schimberg, it tells the fictional story of a New York actor, Edward, who has a disfigurement similar but not as extreme as John Merrick from The Elephant Man movie. Proteus syndrome is what John Merrick suffered from, but he had the added complication that his mother, according to the movie was injured by an elephant when she was pregnant in the late 1850s. Here in modern times, Edward is an actor working in a play. His lives in an apartment building alone, and keeps mostly to himself. He is used to people acting badly around him, and not knowing how to react. A new woman rents in his building and she seems fairly interested in him. She, named Ingrid and played by The Worst Person in the World actress Renate Reinsve, is a playwrite and wanting to do a play with someone with Edward’s skills. In time Edward when visiting a doctor is told that the doctor knows of someone who doing some experimental testing on looking to find a cure for his ailment.

In an emotional moment, Edward decided because he felt like an outsider, and not fully enjoying life that he would try the procedure.

There is an element of “body horror” in this movie too, which I won’t disclose fully, but it is a transformative moment for Edward where he is no longer physically different from others, and in fact he is quite handsome. It is difficult for him to adjust to people reacting so differently to him, and especially women. However, his role in the play as written for him, is something he no longer appears outwardly ready to capture, from the playwrite/neighbour’s perspective. In her mind, Edward just disappeared. The story continues.

This is a fable, and one which delivers the old adage “be careful what you wish for, you might just get it”. For all purposes, it would appear that Edward has won the lottery and his life can now be lived fully. But some elements of his old life, he yearns for, like his neighbour, and the acting gig. He has become a successful real estate agent, as it seems you only need looks to be successful in that in NYC. But this movie carries that theme to an extreme to make a point, and look to be entertaining. I think it doesn’t make a lot of sense that this situation would happen, as most people outwardly may embrace the new reality for Edward. But maybe that is me, putting my only narrow lens onto Edward, and how I would want to look more like everyone else. Maybe, but I think it would be very unusual for an Ingrid to embrace Edward and then later the new actor Oswald, who shares in Edward’s affliction, in the way that she does. Once again, it seems exaggerated to make the point, and impact Edward most profoundly. I liked this. I thought that Stan did a very good job at revealing the complex emotions and feelings of Edward. People want to be love and accepted and acknowledged for who they are. Edward is no exception. But when his perceived dreams are seemingly granted, the story turns to provide a moral. This is worth seeing. I saw it it on Crave. I am not sure whether this Award worthy from Stan but the Golden Globe is his. Ironically Stan was nominated in The Apprentice for an Oscar and not this role. Check them both out and judge for yourself which one you thought was most deserving.

Silo Season 2: I have just begun getting into season 2 of Silo with Rebecca Ferguson. This season takes two directions, as the now exiled Ferguson sherriff is outside the original silo, and then there are the happenings within that silo for those that remain. The inhabitants of the original silo are not sure whether Ferguson’s Juliette Nichols is alive or dead. But it is creating dissention in the ranks as many believe that she is alive and that they are being lied to by the powers that be.

There is a good cast with Ferguson joined with Tim Robbins, Steve Zahn and Rashida Jones and Common. I will continue to watch this and see where it goes. Between this and Yellowstone on Netflix, there is plenty of content to watch. Stay tuned for more fulsome reviews.

February 3rd, 2025

I’m Still Here: This movie is based on real events. It is in Portugese with English subtitles. Set in 1970 in Rio De Janeiro Brasil, Eunice and Rubens Paiva have five children (ages 17yo or so to much younger). Golden Globe Winner and Oscar nominated Fernanda Torres plays Eunice. The family lives well with a servant, a car and beach front property on the famous Leblon Beach. They are also developing another property nearby. Rubens was formerly a minister in the previous government. He had gone into exile after that government was deposed. A new military dictatorship has taken power and they are quickly addressing a burgeoning rebellion/public protest against this government. Early on we see the Paiva’s eldest daughter and her “hippie” friends stopped in their car at a road block with military aggressively checking for “terrorists” who have kidnapped a foreign ambassador.

Things happen and both Rubens and Eunice are separately taken away from their home and family for interrogation. It seems Rubens has, along with some of his friends, been looking to fan the flames of discontent. It has been noticed.

The family is close. They joke and play and are a tight group, even with eldest daughter deciding to head to London UK just before Mom and Dad were questioned. Fernanda Torres shows in spectacular fashion her range of emotions in dealing with the unexpected; including an illegal search and seizure within her family. Torres within her face shows the pain and anguish of addressing her immediate uncertainty for herself but also to calm her children. It’s a balance of being real for them while sheltering them from a situation that one doesn’t control and are uncertain of the outcome. Parents do this all of the time, thinking about their children first rather than their own safety. Kids need to feel safe. The parent also needs to keep older children from saying too much in front of the little ones. Torres encapsulates all this so well. This resilient woman isn’t bowing down to the new people in power. She pivots and dedicates herself in ways that are impressive, reflecting a desire to understand, educate and overcome. She decides personally and professionally on a new direction that can support her family but also reflect her desire to show the horrible actions of a regime not that very long ago. Absolute power it seems can corrupt absolutely especially for those looking to be dictators and rule with an iron fist.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It has just been released in Toronto. It surprises me that a movie without the coverage still garners the nominations and wins that it has including Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best International Film (a first ever for a Brazilian film). This is worth your time and seeking out.

Yellowstone: Netflix just released the full four seasons of Yellowstone in the last few weeks. This is a series that I have heard from many people that it is worth watching. Sadly it was on Amazon, and I don’t carry that service. I have seen a couple episodes on airplanes every now and then but it has never stuck with me, because it was so limited. I am already five episodes into season 1, and I have enjoyed it. This seems in many ways to be Succession on a ranch, with Kevin Costner as the patriarch, a powerful man of influence and land owner. He has a wide ranging farm (larger than Rhode Island within the State of Montana). Created by Taylor Sheridan it has been the source of a number of spin offs.

There is much intrigue at the ranch. There is a competing real estate development, there are challenges with his various children, as well as the ranch hands, along with political intrigue. This is well written, well shot with lovely scenery. It is acted well, with complex characters, especially Costner and his children.

I will continue to watch this, although I am told that the last season without Costner is not as good. But one must start somewhere and this has caught my attention enough to merit more time.

January 27th, 2025

The Wild Robot: Universal Pictures brought forth this animated feature, which was very well received, with a box office over $324M. It was nominated for four Golden Globe nominations including Best Animated Feature, Best Score and the new Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. I came into this knowing no more than above. I had no knowledge of the premise, but was interested to see what all the fuss was about. With a bit of a chaotic beginning, we see shipwrecked a number of boxed up robots. One in particular survives, and we learned is named Roz (voiced by actress Lupita Nyong’o). She is a robot meant for a modern industrial world and human interaction, defined by assigned tasks and being useful. She has fallen into an animal kingdom with many different creatures about. The creatures are terrified of the robot, who has created some destructive events around her. The robot chooses to reprogram herself, and better understand the animal languages, this is useful as we can then understand the creatures in words, rather than just actions. Among the creatures are ducks, fox, a beaver, possum, a bear and others.

Roz is definitely an outsider, and feared. Things happen that result in Roz taking on a task that was unexpected, with results that many audience members can relate. From this, many new tasks are created that are not always in Roz’ control, and she is offered some assistance. The assistance while at first seems self-serving to the assistant, there is a bond that is formed that grows as a result. I won’t get into the details, because it is from this that the basis of the emotional connection of the movie takes place. It is strong.

From one challenge, there is another challenge that takes place with Roz and those around her. It requires some coordinated effort and shows to the animal world what Roz is all about. She, of course, is a robot with programs as opposed to emotions and a brain to rule her actions. There is growth in many of the characters and creatures, and they learn some valuable lessons about working together and putting differences aside for the sake of the greater good. All the while there is the primary relationship character arc with Roz. It is moving. This movie had more soul and emotion to it than I had expected, which is interesting when you know the focus is a robot. A machine can learn, and that machine can teach others valuable lessons. This not only will be cute for kids, but the adults will get much out of it. For me, this is the sign for a quality animated feature; adults and kids can enjoy on different levels. This is worth seeking out.

Inside Out 2: I liked the original Pixar Inside Out when it was first released back in 2015. I think that the premise of creating characters inside the head of the little 11yo girl Riley was creative in showing how a young girl perceives the world around her, especially when the family moves from her known home of Minnesota to San Francisco. The original emotions characterized were Joy, Anger, Fear, Disgust and Sadness. They are voiced by well known actors, although I don’t really see the need for that. In this sequel, the hockey-playing Riley is entering puberty and there are a whole new set of emotions that have come to take control of Riley’s mind. These emotions include Anxiety, Embarrassment, Ennui, Envy, and Nostalgia (Anxiety is the orange character below).

Anxiety takes centre stage as Joy is pushed to the side. A teenager’s worries are pondered, then re-examined and turned upside down which leaves little room for other emotions. Many of those emotions can be negative. Riley has challenges with her existing friends, a new hockey team, a potential new school and dealing with all these crazy feelings inside.

I think that this movie does a very good job, without any formal psychological education on my part, at explaining how a human being creates and holds their core values. These are depicted very well with moments in time (shown as marbles the size of a 5 pin bowling ball) having a growth (like a plant) into the sky to then form a complex personality with an overall theme. For Riley, it is “I am a good person” initially. Then it changes with the introduction of more anxiety to be “I’m not good enough” with some consequences that she acts out in ways that she normally would not. I think that it is powerful when one realizes the influence of joy. It’s not a mistake that Joy drives Riley in the first movie. Joy in the second must overcome many obstacles in order to gain control back from Anxiety the character. For my generation, this impact of anxiety on young people is very different than when I grew up. For me, we got nervous at certain occasions, but this became an opportunity for growth rather than a place I think where these days kids succomb to the anxiety and it becomes a source of inaction. For us, it didn’t always work out, of course, which could also be growth of a different kind. All this to say that I enjoyed this movie as well. It had some fun moments, but also some moments which were emotional and telling for a young person. It gives insight into adults who try and understand behaviour. This is a Disney production and the ending is predictable. But the journey was worth it, and I enjoyed the time getting there. Well worth checking out.

January 27, 2025

Oscar Nominations: The Oscar nominations have been released this past week with some notable snubs. For me, the biggest snub remains Sairose Ronan for The Outrun. It seems not enough people saw it. But the lack of nomination for the performance especially given the next review from Anora is a head scratcher. I was also surprised with Denis Villeneuve not being acknowledged for Dune Part 2 which was better than the first film. Edward Berger also was not nominated for Best Director either for Conclave. Kate Winslet was not nominated for Lee. I have to admit that I am pleased that Pam Anderson, Nicole Kidman, and Selena Gomez were not nominated. Overall I see 2024 as a thin year for quality movies. The long listing of Best Picture nominees of which I have seen eight of the ten nominees, for me, truly only has two or three legitimate contenders. Those would include Conclave (my personal favourite), The Brutalist and Dune Part 2. In years to come the movie most people will come back to watch multiple times likely with be Dune Part 2. We’ll see if this is another year where a more artsy film like Bird Man, or The Artist wins over the more compelling and entertaining film.

Anora: I watched this movie this past weekend. It has received six Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Director, screenplay and editing. One would think that this would be excellent entertainment. In short, I don’t see it.

As a story it is a tale set in NYC about a young female exotic dancer from Brooklyn, played by Mickey Madison, who one night meets up with an equally young Russian male customer. She is requested by the club manager to meet this guy because she speaks Russian. She meets the young man, named Ivan, and his buddy and turns on the charm. He likes her and manages to spend time and money with her and hopes to see her some more. She meets Ivan away from the club and they do what adults do.

The young people party, have fun and head to Vegas. On a whim, Ivan proposes to her. They head to a chapel and get married. For Anora (she calls herself Ani) the wedding is her ticket to a life of leisure with no money worries, and at her age the money is the primary factor for being interested. This is a transaction. So it seems. The news of the Ivan’s wedding is not welcome to his oligarch father and mother. The parents are back in Russia, but they have an older Armenian man overseeing the young man in NYC. He didn’t know about the trip to Vegas. Like Ivan’s Mom he is furious and see Ivan being married to a “prostitute” as a very bad thing for the reputation of the family. The Armenian overseer sends his men to talk to Ivan and confirm the news about the marriage back at his house in NYC. It doesn’t go well. Ivan has been watched by this overseer for most of his life. Apparently he has been a handful. He manages to elude the henchmen and the overseer and they need to find him in NYC. Good luck. In the end there are some funny situational moments, but this is really a simple story. There is plenty of nudity. None of the acting struck me as particularly effective. Anora was perhaps the best. The nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Yurily Borisov, is particularly surprising as he doesn’t say anything for the first half of the movie. He is present with Anora but not interacting much. He is the muscle on the team, along with the overseer’s bearded brother. Only later does he have much to contribute. There is a great deal of yelling. A lot of profanity. Not a lot happens. An eventful long weekend for Ivan ends fairly predictably as the spoiled, entitled man has his parents fix what he has created. It’s not the first time and most certainly won’t be the last.
The ending can be interpreted in different ways. I think Anora’s final reaction stems from her finally feeling some real feelings, with no ulterior motives or transaction in the balance. Maybe it was the reaction from the culmination of a series of dramatic events? When the movie ended my reaction was “is that it?” It is hard to compare a movie like this or The Substance with a movie like Conclave or The Brutalist. The former are over-the-top and tongue in cheek while the others are more dramatic and seriously told. I cannot recommend this movie despite all the award nominations.