March 23, 2016

It’s Wednesday, I know, so shoot me….

I did end up watching Man Up last night with Simon Pegg on Netflicks. It is a BBC rom-com with newcomer to me Lake Bell.

The premise is simple enough, a quirky, single, 34yo woman encouraged by her older sister to “get out there” and date rides a train to London with a young woman, who carries this Self Help book. The young woman is supposed to meet a blind date. Lake has the book and mistakenly runs into Pegg and they have their awkward first exchanges. They are good here, and have some chemistry, which is all important. She gets better looking as the movie goes on, as her personality comes out and she is more endearing. You care about her, and hope for better circumstances for her. And I laughed and enjoyed (for the most part) the scenarios that they put these two through – including the inevitable scene where she must confess that she is not his blind date, and she “stole him away”. These are people who are flawed, and make mistakes and act awkwardly in awkward situations. I do believe that the ending goes too far, and it didn’t really need to. I would have been satisfied with less, and if you see it you’ll hopefully better understand what I mean.

Pegg is good and is convincing, and plays well off her. I didn’t know her before but I do hope to see her again. Not everyone has to look like Margot Robbie to have a film career, heck look at Melissa McCarthy coming out with yet another silly movie (taking the thrown from Adam Sandler). Anyway, happy viewing.

March 7, 2016

I was getting caught up on films this past weekend and caught the following:

– Dead Pool in the theatre

– Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

– Take Shelter

– halfway through 99 Homes

– last episode of new season X Files

Of those that I watched I had the most fun with Dead Pool, I am generally not a superhero kind of guy. Well, beyond Batman (Christian Bale) and Superman and maybe Spiderman (Tobey McGuire). But here is an anti-superhero. Ryan Reynolds plays the poor sap who has the mutation done to him and he also has some of the best one liners in a long time (much like the mutterings of Popeye under his breath). I had fun at this film and some good laughs and that is what it is all about at times; entertainment. This is an edgy, crass, crude and violent film. Good to see Toronto skyline in places. Interesting too to see the wife from Homeland, who wasn’t afraid of nudity there, also show it here…and their calendar celebrations were quite clever (I liked Halloween myself in particular!)

On Netflix, I watched Take Shelter with Michael Shannon and felt that this was very good work for a simple story well told. I am also a Jessica Chastain fan and felt that she brought a lot here too. Support and love for he man, but also a concern over what has been happening to him, and that he won’t share. She tries to understand his behaviour but he is having his dreams weigh on him more heavily every day. He dreams of storms and catastrophic events in great detail. Then he begins preparing his family but cleaning up an existing old tornado shelter (and even expanding on it). It speaks to mental illness and impending doom situations.

Michael Shannon again stars in 99 Homes and his role was praised far and wide (except at Oscar time). I am not finished this film but am enjoying where it is going. It is a very good compliment to The Big Short and a view on what happens on the ground as people are evicted and banks take over possession. There is a great speech here about “winners and losers”. This should be mandatory viewing for all of the boys on Wall Street and Rating Companies involved in the whole mess.

X Files (tv) was building more of a case and working towards Season 2 with a cliff hanger ending. It is about alien DNA and how the planet is going to be cleansed. Interesting stuff and Scully is the focal point which is a very good thing as she is now the much better actor.

Saturday night was Me and Earl and the Dying Girl which I had read good things coming out of Sundance. The Rottentomatoes buzz was not as good as there was a feeling of manipulation there, and that is very true. I liked the performances and you care for, and feel for the guy who is a Senior, living on the edges of his high school world, but then is forced to engage with a fellow female student who has been diagnosed with leukemia. Many heart strings are pulled and multiple opportunities to solicit a tear, but it didn’t go too far into cliche. For the most part anyway. I liked her, and I liked how Earl and the main guy interact. Was I entertained? Yes. And did I talk back to the TV screen as things were unfolding? Yes. And I liked Prom Night, and then I didn’t. But for different reasons. All this to say that it was worth staying up a little later than I wanted to finish this film.

February 29, 2016 – Oscar musings, Post Script

I had mixed feelings while watching the Oscars last night. I only saw the beginning and end due to a hockey conflict. I saw up to Alicia Vikander winning (much to my delight) and then re-joined when Best Actress was being handed out, and beyond. I missed Best Supporting Actor but actually quite liked the choice with Bridge of Spies actor here, Mark Rylance.

I was elated with Brie Larson and Alicia. I was despondent about the Best Picture choice of Spotlight. It is a rare occasion indeed where Best Director and Best Picture are split. More rare when Best Actor and Best Director and Picture are split. Giving the main prize to Spotlight, which was a simple story with a great cast, where no one was particularly put through their acting paces, smacked of attacks against the Catholic church. It has been done before, but it is sad when politics and religion can from one perspective cloud one’s mind over a great films. Spotlight was NOT the best film of the year. Not even close. It may not have been a banner year, but it was not it. For me, The Martian and The Revenant were more impactful. I am distressed that The Martian didn’t get any Oscar love.

While I am happy (relatively) that Leo won his award, it was for a body of work. This performance had not enough dialogue and too much crawling around on the snow covered ground. It was an endurance test. RogerEbert.com had a good piece on why giving him an Oscar for that performance was bad for acting. I agree with the perspective. Basically he argues that losing weight, or punishing ones body for your craft shouldn’t be enough. So for this I am smiling for Leo, but sorry for the message that it sends out.

I liked Chris Rock. He identified the elephant in the room early about the White Oscars, but rightfully used humour and parody to diffuse the issue and bring it back into perspective (not many non-white nominees in the 60s either, but they were too busy worrying about grandma swinging from a tree, or being lynched or raped). And I liked the laugh about quitting the gig – “only those without jobs tell you to quit a job”. Funny. Tattooed Whoopi was front and centre because she worked on the parody clips. Okay.

Overall some cheers and smiles. I still think that Ridley Scott gets snubbed far too often. I am glad that Alicia won a well-deserved award. The more I see Rooney Mara, the more she creeps me out.

As far as the dresses are concerned, Sairose Ronan was amazing, along with Olivia Wilde, and Alicia Vikander herself. Plenty of plunging necklines and side boobage action! I was thankful for a hockey break in between.

On to next year!

February 22, 2016

This weekend was seeing Black Mass, a film that had much buzz and hype going into TIFF. For me I also see what the reviews on this film really were driving at. They were unsure about the journey the filmgoer was taken on. I was distracted by Depp’s blue eyes and general strange appearance. This is a character that was portrayed by Jack Nicholson in The Departed. Here we have more “historical” facts about the man but many of those are debated and debunked. Those who were close to the man were not consulted for the film. So there is a series of events in this man’s life and you see those around him. It’s been done better and more satisfying. I am glad that Depp did not get a nomination here. The voters were right. I continue to be astounded by stories of the police and FBI being complicit in this and supporting a “partnership” that favours one gang over another. Not really serving the greater good for the citizens of Boston I don’t think.

I watched a movie last night and frankly, it was not a good movie – I Give It A Year, was an unhappily married couple making their lives miserable and realizing that they don’t belong together. Rose Byrne is in it, and the blond guy from TV (The Interogator or something) and Minnie Driver (who I like) acting terribly and horribly for the entire picture.

February 16, 2016

There is a recurring theme in recent biopics with musicians which show that celebrity and fame also show the necessary drugs and alcohol. I am not sure whether creative people by wiring or definition can abuse themselves more to be ‘creative’ or help with the process. Certainly Glenn Fry had his issues as an artist. For movies, look no further than Ray, or Walk the Line, or Sid and Nancy or any others in the genre. Amy is a more realistic portrayal of the life of British jazz singer and star Amy Winehouse.

She had an amazing and distinctive voice. She was driven by her music and had a passion for it. Then celebrity hit, and relationships occurred that shaped and impacted her. She was surrounded by an entourage then, and enablers and yes-men (including her father) who pushed her and drove her. Even when it was clear that she had a real problem, with alcohol, bulimia and hard drugs there would be handlers who just looked the other way.

It is sad to see. She was screaming for a break, and to get away from the fame and paparazzi. She was also in a relationship with a guy who initially had left her, but then came back as fame and fortune grew. They married. He was a dick. Still is. This is a sorry tale. Sadly a bright light was doused at the tender age of 27yo. Sure, everyone takes responsibility for their own actions and their own bodies – but there has to be a touchstone or someone to keep the artist grounded. As a result, the world loses out on someone who had a gift. I felt for her in the end and wished that someone would have stepped in. An interesting film to catch on Netflix.

February 8th, 2016

This weekend was catching up with a film from TIFF that I had be meaning to see.

In The Lobster starring Colin Ferrell and Rachael Weisz you have a tale that speaks about love and relationships in a way that is telling (and funny at times) and also strange and weird. It is a parable of sorts with an underlying theme reflecting how we humans deal with being alone, or seeking out a mate.

The film starts with Colin Ferrell learning of his relationship ending and then checking into a hotel. There he has 45 days in which to fall in love and find a partner or he is forever changed into an animal of his choice. He chooses a lobster. Most people turn into dogs apparently. He is joined by others and there are rules and a routine in the hotel. There are some interesting observations made here. Being true to oneself, compromising one’s values for the sake of a partner, choosing being a couple (even with the wrong person) instead of alone. Then Ferrell moves to another area where there are Loners, where there are other rules to be followed and he meets Weisz. A series of events takes place.

In the end there is a conclusion that puzzles me and was not very satisfying. There are movies like this which deliberately test and challenge the audience. You are expected to fill in the blanks with often very little to go on. Here for reasons that are entirely unclear we have actions taking place that make little sense. And maybe that’s the point but I don’t think so. It is a head scratcher and pushes this film over to the side where I cannot recommend it. I did laugh occasionally and found the observations interesting. Farrell since he has fallen outside the spotlight of Hollywood has done some interesting films like this, and also Miss Julie. In The Heart of the Sea is next on the list to come.

Monday it was In the Heart of the Sea, the Ron Howard Moby Dick story. I had heard the lukewarm reviews and some of the commentary that this was a movie that didn’t know what it wanted to be. Did it want to be Jaws, or perhaps Cast Away? I think those criticisms miss the point entirely. This is a movie that is a story about the creating the fictionalized story of Moby Dick. From a “real life” tale of a whaling vessel attacked by a mammoth white sperm whale, it speaks to the challenges of men at sea and the drive for wealth and riches. And the author who has to decide how the tale should be remembered and what is the underlying message.

Drunkard and quiet, a man sits at home never speaking of his time on the ship Essex and what happened off the west coast of South America. His Wife has never heard the tale. While whaling, there is an attack on the ship by a whale that cripples and sinks the boat and leaves the men for dead. All the while, the vengeful whale keeps watch to ensure that the crew (who has killed his pod members) suffer. Then there are the more predictable stories about survival at sea (like Life of Pi, The Bounty or Unbreakable) that take place and the author has to decide what legacy he wishes to leave for this crew.

I thought that the CGI and the scenes with the whales were well done. The scene which details out how the last few buckets of whale oil are obtained is memorable. In the end, there are some sappy parts with Hemsworth, but also some ideas like honesty and truth and keeping the memories of fallen friends and colleagues alive with a story. My Gramps never told me any stories about WWII and his time on the ship. I wish that he had. Those stories are gone now forever. I am glad that this story was told. The Google/wikipedia story was more poignant in that Melville who wrote Moby Dick did not sell many copies and he ended up writing poetry. It was only after his death that Moby Dick got any notoriety. It is now prescribed reading in many schools in the US in high school, but not here. I have never read it but remember the Gregory Peck version of the movie. The whales are more believable and rich here than in the previous version. One thing that CGI can do is bring about more vivid images for whales, sharks, dinosaurs and other massive creatures. Better than claymation, even claymation that can go down on one another!!

February 1st, 2016

If Downton Abbey teaches us anything and virtually all period pieces for that matter – the 1800s in the UK were a troubling and difficult time. It was a time of change and a time of class struggles. People had their place and their station, and they were not to stray outside the lines. Lines that were written in imaginary ink but were as real as the hedgerows. While we in North America were hunting pelts and Indians alike, the Brits were dealing with class and relationships and farms.
So sets the stage for Far From The Madding Crowd. This is a remake of a late 1960s film starting Julie Christie (unseen by me). It has the familiar Matthias Schonerts from The Danish Girl and also Disorder. He us very good here as Mr Oak. The strong, silent type who knows and is wise about much but says very little. Fate dealt him a poor lot time and again it seems. But he stays his course and supports his independent minded woman. Carey Mulligan plays that woman. She so fiercely independent early on and rebuffing two separate men. Then she meets a swashbuckling handsome soldier and can’t seem to help herself. The rest unfolds as it should.
This is beautifully shot. English landscapes and cliffs that make me want to book air travel. It is well acted. Miss Mulligan who has received raves and plum roles earns her stripes here and is good. I have not liked her before (like in The Great Gatsby nor Wall Street Money Never Sleeps) but here she is good.
I enjoyed this. It is on Netflix and worthy of some time I think. I do think we will all see more of both actors. They do have chemistry. And here it is well served. It must be there honestly for this story to make any sense. No bombs. No light Sabres. No cgi. There it is.

January 25th, 2016

In some films you can tell when an actor is “mailing it in” to get a paycheque, like Michael Caine in Jaws 3, or perhaps he just wanted a paid vacation in the Bahamas for a few weeks. But nevertheless, you realize that they are going through the motions and capable of better work. In Tomorrowland, George Clooney has such a role. He plays the adult version of a once positive and enthusiastic young boy, proudly displaying his new Jet Pack at the New York Expo back in 1963. That was the boy. The man is left a bitter recluse who is down and not very positive at all. The story is a mess and jumps all over the place, but ultimately is a social commentary on humanity and our seeming unending appetite for bad news and evidence that the world is a bad place. What to do? Well the “smart people” decided to create a utopia with no politics, or greed for money and allowing science and technology to advance the human condition in another dimension. I was underwhelmed and not convinced. The robot was interesting for a while and some of the effects but it was too long and did not capture my attention. In the end I was glad that it was over.

Yesterday I saw The Revenant with Alison’s review dancing in my head as the movie that she liked best this year. Her review was so glowing that my expectations were high despite my meager understanding of a plot that seemed relatively simple; Man loses son and seeks revenge in the woods up north. The cinematography and look and feel of this film is excellent. One gets a real sense of what living in those times, and in that place, was like. I don’t want to experience it. Snow, cold, sleeping outside, small fires and braving the elements made me shiver as I watched. Then there was the brutality. Stabbings, shootings, arrows, knives and all manner of violence to a human body. But the simple story moved along at its own pace.

For me, it was a pace that was a bit too slow. I was shifting in my seat, and thought I can only see so much of Leo on the frozen ground pulling himself along with his fingers, one painful pull at a time. I got the point that he had a struggle. Tom Hardy was very good here, I think likely better than Leo who couldn’t say much other than groan for most of the film. These are two excellent actors with good direction telling a believable tale. I saw a lot of Tom Berenger’s performance in Platoon in Hardy. The guy struggling to survive, disagreeing with authority and making his own rules up as he goes along. The young solider who stays behind I couldn’t get beyond the spider scene in We’re The Millers out of my head (I chuckled to myself whenever I saw him). If you haven’t seen it, google it and then try and put the seriousness of The Revenant in context with it (it’s NOT easy)! Anyway, visually this movie is stunning. It can also be gross, and make you turn your head to the side. I am not sure whether I needed a veterinary lesson in anatomy of a horse in a film but basically I got one as Leo does his best Empire Strikes Back Taun-taun impression of Han Solo helping Luke Skywalker. In the end, revenge is exacted as is to be expected, and everyone in the audience is exhausted from being put through the paces. This is a physically demanding role and I suspect that Leo won’t personally sign up for another winter outdoor movie for quite some time, if ever. I can’t blame him when The Beach 2 would be so much easier to make! Would he EVER feel warm after a day of filming here? One wonders. I don’t see this as a Best Actor (sorry Leo) but I do for Tom Hardy.

I was glad to see this, and see it on a big screen. I just wish it hadn’t been so intense and graphic.

January 18, 2016

In the Best Picture movie from 1998, Shakespeare in Love, Queen Elizabeth asks the question to the crowd whether a play can show the very truth in nature of love. The reference there of course refers to Romeo and Juliet. In the unknown film to me before Alison mentioned it, The Beauty Inside, a Korean film, it puts forth the fantastical idea that one man (person) can have their body change each and every time they wake up, and still be able to live fully, including finding love.

This film takes the premise and treats it logically and seriously. The man involved literally changes every time he wakes and has to deal with that (man, woman, older, younger, with and without glasses etc.) He has the wardrobe to prove it! He like everyone else seeks love and to be loved. But how can you do that? The rest of the movie explores this. It explores it well and makes comment about the very nature in truth of love. It takes it down to its bare essence with satisfying conclusions. I won’t spoil the plot because it goes places that you wouldn’t initially anticipate. But I will say that it is touching and you feel for these characters and the struggles that they face, and that everyone faces. This accomplishes what The Curious Case of Benjamin Button couldn’t do. So I can wholeheartedly and without hesitation recommend this film if you don’t want to see things blow up good! Perhaps it is the romantic in me that feels this movie more, but I think that those who don’t feel anything should check themselves for having a pulse (or a heart) at all.

Still need to see The Revenant. Brother saw it and felt that it was brutal and intense. That is a common theme.

A word too about the snubbings at the Oscar nominations. I cannot understand how Ridley Scott gets overlooked for The Martian. That and an increasingly impressive body of work which includes Best Picture Gladiator. Still there is no respect. I also feel for the young boy in Room, who was terrific, and Alicia Vikander for Ex Machina that was overlooked. It is all too bad. There are other awards of course SAG, and BAFTA, and Golden Globes, but the Oscar is the pinnacle really. Sorry that they don’t always get it right.

January 11th, 2016 Bowie memorial

As we enter into awards season, I wanted to first pass along some words for an actor, singer and legend who passed away yesterday. I didn’t even know that David Bowie was sick, let alone had cancer. I had heard about his new album that just came out. Then this morning I see the news feed that said that he had died. He was an incredible talent, and had a nose for the fashion and being on the cutting edge. His catalogue of songs is impressive with early tunes like Space Oddity and Young American and Heroes (talking about people kissing at the Berlin Wall in East Germany). But then morphed into Ziggy Stardust and then later the Thin White Duke. Then in the 80s he changed once again to the yellow suited guy who sang Modern Love, China Girl and Let’s Dance. He left a lasting legacy, and his music will go on and on (although my kids are hard pressed to know who he is). RIP David Jones…funny you changed your name to avoid confusion with The Monkees’ David Jones who pre-deceased you, and few will remember like you. You also starred in films like The Hunger, Labryinth, and the Man Who Fell to Earth.

On to the films of the week. I saw Pawn Sacrifice finally and this gave me more insight personally into my own family than speaking to me as a film. This was a film that I had wanted to see with my step-father. He is a renowned chess player from the 50s and was a Canadian Junior Chess champion. He won the US Junior Championship in 1954. He represented Canada as well. I saw this on my own, but he had seen separately. Bobby Fischer was his junior in age, but was shown here with all his eccentricities. He was a strange and beguiling man. From a young age, he was catered to, and he was demanding and bossy. His Dad was no where around and Mom was not a stable provider. But he had a gift with chess. An amazing gift to see the board and make amazing plays. The Russians ruled the sport, and took a team approach. Fischer noted this and then refused to play. Later as this movie shows he was the centrepiece with the matches with Boris Spassky. It was Cold War TV, at a time in 1972 which also brought about the Canada vs Russia hockey series. Finishing on my step-father, he played against the “second” of Fischer’s who is played by Peter Sarsgaard who had turned to the priesthood. Step-father beat him. Anyway, this movie is not great, but it shows how difficult it could be to manage and be around Fischer. It also shows that he recognized his value to the sport, and by refusing to play and participate, he could get compensated (as he rightfully should) for showing his talents. The Russians were all State supported. The Americans were privately funded. In the end he won the Spassky match and was world champion. There is an element of madness in those with great talent. Certainly in the chess world it seems but in many facets of life. I am glad that I saw this. As it was more personal for me, this likely doesn’t translate well for others, but was interesting nevertheless.

I did see Joy as well, and Jennifer Lawrence wins for the Best Actress in a comedy. This wasn’t really a comedy at all, but then again, neither was The Big Short nor The Martian. I found this bio-pic slow to start with the early days and dysfunctional family elements almost a parody on a real family. It was a caricature of what real might be like. Yes, Hollywood and movies do that anyway but it was just strange here. Virginia Madsen as the mother was just bizarre, and De Niro as her Dad was also just odd. Later when there is a moment of decision, he buckles and does what no father should ever do – although it reminded me of Silver Linings with the Dad after the Eagles game when the fight took place. The second half where the business things start happening is where this movie gets better and Lawrence shines. There is a pivotal scene in a hotel which I think was brilliantly done and a sophisticated negotiation strategy. Lawrence plays it to perfection. And ends up getting even more than the expectation. This was not big screen at all for me, and I was glad I saw it on my smaller screen. It is not as satisfying as Silver Linings with the same cast (mostly) and Director.

As for the Awards, I need to see Revenant which won and even Leo too.

I was saddened that Alicia Vikander did not win, but happy for Brie Larson, and Kate Winslet. Also pleased for Matt Damon and The Martian which is my top pick of the year so far. I did not see the awards. Oscars are next.