Lee: Any film that has Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, and Alexander Skarsgard is worthy of some attention. This movie is the life story of model and war-time photographer American Lee Miller. Miller led a fascinating and full time, which I think viewers in 2024 should view with an understanding of her times (late 30s and into war-time 1940s). These are not exactly times where women are viewed as anywhere near equal and capable, while ironically the women were expected to contribute to the war effort in previously held positions solely of men (like in factories, munitions, mining etc.). Before the war begins, Lee Miller is living in France with her bohemian friends discussing politics and how it isn’t possible for the German to be electing the despot Adolph Hitler. They believe as they sit topless outside, sipping wine and enjoying the bounty of a life of freedom in late 30s Europe. By happenstance at this gathering, she meets a handsome Brit, Roland Penrose, played by Skargard, who was an historian, art collector and supporter of those against the growing German power, and by definition the independent French. They become romantically linked.
Miller was a former successful model, we learn, who later decided to get behind the camera. She had some very good skills. We explore more of the story through the lens of a discussion with a young man in her living room. Miller is at this stage much older, drinking more heavily and still an avid smoker. Her older pictures have been found by the young man and he would like to know the stories behind them.
Winslet admirable plays this woman who for her time was a force of nature. She would not take No for an answer. Her experience as a model leads her into a role at the British Vogue magazine where she is blessed with a supportive and forward-thinking editor and boss. Miller hears how photographers are being solicited to travel to mainland Europe as the build up continues and the inevitable invasion into France. Miller wants to be there. The British refuse. She finds a way around that and becomes an on-the-ground photographer first relegated to pictures of medics on the back end of the battle but moving closer to the front lines. She depicts scenes in war that show time and again the atrocities involved. As the war is nearing the close, she finds what has been unknown until this time at the concentration camps. The pictures she takes along with her fellow American Life magazine photojournalist, played by Andy Samberg, are some of the most impactful of the time. The movie delves deeper into censorship, protection of the public versus the need for the truth to be known far and wide. It also explores family, parents, being known and how one’s legacy can be shaped by one’s own view of your contribution. This is a remarkable life of someone who refused to do what was expected of her, and put herself at risk to journal what was happening in a troubled time. In 2024, we can talk about crisis after crisis and the “world never being the same again” but in the mid-1940s millions were being killed, and battles were taking place which shaped that world, and in this one. For those on the front lines, they lived day to day. As we enter into November and Remembrance Time, we should not forget the sacrifice made for the freedoms we hold dear, and will hopefully with some common sense, well into the future. I enjoyed this, and I especially enjoyed the ending and how it was presented.
Love is Blind – Season 7: The wedding show was dropped last week as the viewers learned how managed to get to the alter and commit to their partner, rather than walking away. Funnily enough, the one couple didn’t make it there as they had a break up with one deciding that he talked to family and friends and “just wasn’t sure”. Prior to that others had crashed and burned in more or less predictable fashion. I do believe that the premise itself is flawed. Falling in love and proposing not ever setting eyes on someone is one thing, but there are all the other real world impacts (financial, geographic, cultural and political issues) all have material impact on compatability.
For this season, there was some due diligence seemingly not undertaken by the producers. I would like to think that if a contestant has children, that this would be something that would be explored fully before they entered into such an experiment. I would further expect that if that was fully vetted, that there is a follow up to ensure that it is disclosed to those people that they are talking to. I would further expect that if a contestant for a show based in Washington DC is deeply committed to living in California that this also be disclosed up front. Better yet, why not have that contestant wait for another season in California be filmed and throw your name into the ring there. I think it is unfair to expect compromise where you are already living in DC, but later talk about looking to move. I was pleased to see that parents who throughout the process were against being involved and on camera decide that they wish to set aside their trepidation about the process and show up for a memorable day for their adult child. In any way, it would be a later regret in my view. The reunion show will be a spectacle (dropping this Wednesday) and should show the aftermath of the decisions made in this season. I didn’t enjoy this season as much as the previous LIB UK version, where the people involved seemed more genuine and committed to the process. This is mind candy for those who desire some escapism.
The Penguin: I have been struggling with The Penguin, as I had indicated just last week. I struggled with a Batman story with no reference at to Batman. I understand that this is a backstory for the super-villian Penguin, played by Colin Farrell who looks as unrecognizable here as he did in the movie version with Robert Patinson. But I have said that already. But last Sunday night when I was watching episode four, entitled Cent’Ann, this was a turning point in terms of bringing the story of the Penguin, but also the story of Sophia Falcone, played well by Cristin Milioti. This episode is focused on Sophia and her backstory. Until this time, she is a character who is being relegated to the back seat by her own family and the male mob family members. Things change, and we see how.
We are shown how her father, Carmine, played by Mark Strong ruled with an iron fist. He had some questionable interactions with some members in a club and Sophia even as a young woman had some insight into it. She was viewed in the early episodes as this loose cannon, a crazy member of the family who should be ignored. The powers that be wanted to basically eliminate her and her influence. What we see is a young woman who was wronged, and she through sheer guts and determination overcame the substantial barriers put before her. She takes a negative aspect of Arkham mental institution into something that she can use for power and notoriety. This brings things together for me, and this was the best episode in the series. Milioti is excellent. The time invested in the first three episodes is rewarded with a backstory with aspects of Girl Interupted, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the Godfather. Lofty company indeed. The viewer can see her substantial motivation as the episode unfolds. It is a very satisfying ending, at least in my opinion. I look forward to episode 5.
We Live in Time: This movie was part of the TIFF line up with its worldwide release September 7th. It was released with much fanfare with its cast members Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. Two A-list stars who put together a formidable team in this love story, drama.
The story is a simple one, told so many times before of how two people fall in love and then build a life together. What is does really well is stay authentic to the compelling characters, and most notably for Florence Pugh’s Almut, who really steals the show. Garfield plays Tobias as her love interest.
The story is told a various times, and does not follow a linear progression, so you need to pay attention. The biggest help is Pugh’s hairstyles. We know things later, but shown earlier in the movie which have to then see how they unfolded. I give nothing away from what has already been disclosed in the trailer that Pugh has some medical issues. The movie has a feeling like others before it in the vein of 1970s A Love Story with Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Niell, City of Angels or even An Autumn in New York. This is a more-than-one-Kleenex type of movie. It pulls at your heart strings because you care about the people. There are conversations early in the relationship which you don’t typically see in a movie like this. A discussion about children which is unusual on screen, and it makes what happens later more poignant. It is well written and delivered well. Garfield and Pugh definitely have chemistry, and I have read reports about the film crew talking about the couple going on in love scenes long after the director had said “cut”. I can see how that happened.
As to the movie, and where it goes, I am thoroughly impressed by the resilience, the commitment to one another, despite serious circumstances shows a couple who decides quite consciously to live for the day, and not spend too much time focusing on the “what might happen” in the future. The couple communicates generally pretty well about things but with a couple notable hiccups. I am reminded that no one is perfect, and the perfect mate does not exist. Everyone has challenges. No one gets through unscatched. The important question is whether as a couple that your time on this planet is made better with this person in your life. No one is promised another day. In these circumstances it brings those questions to the forefront, and asks the viewer “if this couple can act in such a manner, as shown on screen, what’s up with YOU?” Deep issues abound, like why are we here? What really matters? What is your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? Who will remember what about you? I recommend this movie if you have a beating heart and have ever had any romantic feelings at all for anyone.
Saturday Night: Saturday Night Live is into their 50th season, and while having some ups and downs over the decades it is regarded as an iconic series of sketch television. Hollywood stars like Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Kristen Wiig, and Kate McKinnon are all alumni. But it wasn’t always this way. Back on October 11, 1975, producer Lorne Michaels was green lighted by NBC to put together a late night show with a bunch of unknown twenty-something comedians for a show that was anything but fully baked. For the first episode, Michaels had lined up comics, like George Carlin to host, a number of musical acts, and sketch comics from places like Second City in Chicago. Among the now familiar cast included Gilda Radner, Lorraine Newman, Dan Ackroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtain, Garrett Morris and John Belushi. Acts on the sidelines included Billy Crystal, who later joined the cast in 1984.
The film which premiered at Teleride Film Festival in August, is directed by Ivan Reitman’s son Jason. Ivan worked with many SNL actors and those behind the scenes like Harold Ramis. The movie focuses on the disorganized chaos in the hours leading up to the live show airing at 11:30PM that fateful night. There is Michaels trying to organize the show by segments on the main storyboard, the actors becoming familiar with their roles, and the NBC brass, who we learn was expecting and hoping for this to be a massive failure and continue to negotiate with Johnny Carson who was the King of Late Night. The viewer knows where all of this will lead but it is a colourful journey.
I think that this movie did a find job of finding actors to play those people who starred in the show. I think that those portraying Belushi, Ackroyd, Morris (the BMO advertising guy), Newman and George Carlin were excellent in how they looked and sounded. The movie made no attempts to dissuade the feeling I had had for years that Chevy Chase was and is an asshole. Plain and simple. From NBC workers refusing to help set up the brick stage, to the refusal of Belushi to sign his contract, to the roles played of guests Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson with the Muppets, it all seems so very unbelievably chaotic. One wonders just how long Michaels had been given to bring this together. The sheer number of people expected to be on stage for the program was unreal. Dick Ebersol who co-created the series with Michaels isn’t really shown in a favourable light, despite calling out what seemed to be obvious to everyone else but Michaels. In the end, for those who are fans of SNL, you will get some insight into putting together a variety show, and doing it all live before an audience who wasn’t really clear what they would be seeing. There are some surprise cameos throughout and a few chuckles. I was not rolling in the aisle, but it made me laugh a few times. Is it a big screen movie? No, not really. This would be just fine on the smaller screen.
The Penguin: I have seen three episodes of this new series focusing on the Penguin character that was introduced in the modern Batman films in the Robert Pattinson version from 2022. Although the movie focused more on Paul Dano’s The Riddler, Colin Ferrell was present too. This series speaks to the backstory of this Penguin. First and foremost, in the film I was surprised to realize that the person playing The Penguin was actually Ferrell. His face, voice and body were tranformed into this unique character. Of course the Penguin has been played memorably in the past by Burgess Meredith (with his monocle, purple top hat and cigarette holder) as well as Danny Devito for Tim Burton.
Farrell plays the Penguin and a middle management worker in a crime family who wants more for himself and his reputation. He is willing to risk it all by inserting himself into a mob family war, by being the instigator for it. He plays an integral part to the happenings all the while showing himself to both side as being an invaluable asset with inside information. He uses people to get his own way and to promote his own self interests. It has been a slow burn as he becomes closer to the sister of a fallen Falcone member after the death of the head of the Falcone family. Sofia Falcone is played well by Cristin Milioti, who I remember from the Broadway musical Once. She plays an intense woman, who has previously been mistreated by being placed in a sanatorium, but it debatable whether she really needed it. She too is looking to become more relevant and exert her influence in a mostly all-male dominated mob world. She has intense almost black eyes.
I am still struggling trying to get into this series. Yes I know that the focus is the backstory of a mob character. But this is a Batman Gotham world. I am missing that Batman piece, where he isn’t even mentioned. The episode where the walls of the city are bombed by the Riddler to have the city flooded, still has no mention of the caped crusader. Yes, there is intrigue with the Penguin and he actions, crossing both of his supposed masters in a performance by Farrell that is really good. I just wish that he had more to work with. Maybe this will pick up the pace, but for me I am hoping that it is sooner rather than later.
Tragically Hip No Dress Rehearsal: This documentary was released this year at TIFF, directed by the older brother of the deceased lead singer Gord Downie, and with the attendance and full cooperation of the remaining members of the band. I feel as though I should be listening to the song “Courage” or “Wheat Kings” as I write it. The Tragically Hip are a Kingston Ontario based band that gained massive popularity and fame within this country, from sea to shining sea. Their principal song writer (lyrics to be sure) came from the lead singer who in his early 50s was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. He died in October 2017. The last concert that they played on a farewell tour was the second most watched TV show in Canadian history, watched by almost half the nation’s households. Such was the notoriety of the band. The thorough four-part documentary goes through warts and all the bands rise, popularity, struggles and then the ending with the final appearances for Gord.
Much is made by the fact that this band never “made it big” in the United States, but they defend this as a conscious choice. They are small town Canadian band. Small town Ontario and write very Canadian stories, like about former Toronto Maple Leaf Bill Barilko from reading the back of a hockey card (the song Fifty-Mission Cap). From playing high school auditoriums and bars in Kingston, they grew to be filling arenas around the world. But nowhere were they so beloved as in Canada. It has taken 7 years for these very private remaining members to come forward with this very personal memoir of their times in the band, both good and bad.
I love the creative process, and it always astounds me where ideas come from, seemingly from out of thin air. How words, for which we see Gord mastering the art as he jots down ideas incessantly into an ever-present notebook, can later be turned into lyrics. The rest of the band comes in to help bring it to life. They are a band of brothers, and we see the closeness. It is a moving tribute, and pays it due respect to the family members who for love of their children, supported them with a vehicle to allow touring. Then there are later wives and children who see their Dads go off to perform and return many weeks later. These boys lived their childhood dreams of playing music for a living. They learn along the way the business of music too. Making choices which reflect their own sensibilties, like refusing to do a concert and promotion for Tower Records which wanted to make a big splash in Canada – and these devoutly loyal customers of Sam the Record Man, declined. Much of the music, and those tunes that you recognize were produced in places like New Orleans and other places well away from Ontario. For me I like The Hip, but I am no superfan. I have a number of their songs on my IPhone. I didn’t watch their last concert until the end, as having seen Gord in his prime at a concert in Darien Lake, I didn’t like seeing him courageously performing this last time. At the end you could see the toll that it took on him. For those who don’t know the music, seek it out. Lots of Youtubes out there for their popular songs. Songs from Road Apples, Fully Completely and Day for Night are three albums with success that many bands cannot duplicate. They are worth a listen, at least to understand what Canadians choose to listen to those of their own. I think there is plenty of hyperbole surrounding the band as “the greatest poetry ever put to music in Canada”. There are so many great Canadian acts and artists that this is arogant, including among many Neil Young, Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Tom Cochrane, Guess Who, BTO, Bryan Adams and many many others. This is worthy of your time.
Bill Gates: What Is Next? The Future: Also on Netflix is this documentary with Bill Gates and various celebrity guests (like James Cameron, Lady Gaga, or Dr Fauci, Bernie Sanders) which addresses topical issues like Artificial Intelligence, Global Warming, Fake News and Social Media, Billionaires and being too rich and Outsmarting Disease.
It is fascinating listening to this man address the issues of the day and how he, after stepping down as CEO of Microsoft, has been spending his time trying to make the planet a better place, one issue at a time. His charitable company, started when he and his wife were still together, has spent billions of dollars in the hopes of making a difference. He challenges other billionaires to do the same with their wealth. He takes no pleasure it seems as being acknowledged as the Richest Man in the World. With great wealth, comes great responsibility it would seem.
He will further acknowledge that the tech moguls he stands with at Facebook, Google, Amazon have created the social media where the long term effects weren’t fully understood or realized. How could they be? But much like the proverbial toothpaste, it can’t be put back into the tube. So he poses to the next generation the questions of dealing with massive issues like global warming, which they note needs immediate attention on a number of fronts (transportation, energy, food, etc). For those who are interested in this perspective, you also see how many won’t be interested as they see this as “liberal left” thinking. But for a man who deals with facts and business, he has some keen insight while not having all the solutions. But if were to rely on an opinion as to where things could be going, this is someone that I would want to listen to. He did foresee the personal computer on every work desk, and in every home. He didn’t foresee it being in the palm of our hands in the beginning but not everyone bats 1.000. Well worth your time.
Love is Blind Season 7: This new season just dropped is set in Washington DC. It follows the familiar pattern where it will be the contestants who will decide and reveal whether it is worth watching. The first season was very watchable for likeable people who you cared about. I am only an episode and half in, and already I am undecided. I am hopeful that the second half of episode 2 will show us a large cross section of the contestants. It is early days in the pods as people talk, and try to connect. The over-use of the word “like” admittedly hurts my ears for these mid-20-somethings and early 30s people. But that is me showing my age. All of these seasons are mind candy, which I can watch after a day of work and decompress. Watch at your own risk. 🙂
Mothers’ Instinct: This movie stars Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway. Two A-list actors who have a real following. Chastain has won the Best Actress Oscar, for her work as Tammy Faye Bakker, but I have been disappointed in some of her choices of movies in the recent past. This movie just adds to it. Some of those include Ava, IT Chapter 2, and The Forgiven, which for the most part she is also acting as Producer with her production company. These just haven’t been very strong. They seem to be more independent, smaller budget films which in itself is not an issue but the stories haven’t been very compelling. I have liked Chastain ever since I saw her work in the Mallick film Tree of Life back in 2011. This is a story about two housewives in suburban America in the 60s or so given the attire. Chastain playing Alice, and Hathaway playing her best friend Celine are having a party for Celine. There are husbands and kids and friends gathering at the party. The two are genuinely connected and support one another. Then tragedy strikes.
There is blame and suspicion between the women and a level of discomfort and strain between the two that wasn’t there before. Based on a book by Belgian writer Barbara Abel, unread by me. There are then a series of incidents which creates more drama, suspicion and paranoia. But is it justified? Is there really something sinister going on, and if so then who is telling the truth? Would you believe a spouse who after a tragic event is then telling fantastical stories that seem so out of character. The men are really there for window dressing and don’t add much to the story. I will not delve further into it, but I was mediocre and predictable even when it tries very hard not to be. It’s almost as if there was a desire to take it to a wild extreme that seems implausible. Yes it is Hollywood. But still if there is a full exploration of the bond between these women and what could make it unravel this deals with it superficially. I cannot recommend.
Captain Fantastic: One would be forgiven in thinking that by the title, this movie from 2016 (not sure how it slipped through the cracks for me) was a superhero movie. It isn’t. It is on Netflix and I caught it this past weekend. Starring Viggo Mortensen, who garnered an Oscar nomination for his role, which was definitely merited. He plays Ben Cash, a father of six children who has made the choice with his wife Leslie to get off the grid with the children and live in the remote areas of Washington State, but it just as easily be Alaska. As we open the story, Ben has the children to himself is he is hunting a deer with them. They all have wilderness skills, and he ensures that they are all reading and thinking critically. There are some informative exchanges between the father and children showing the nature of their relationship and their bond. The set up of this tight family informs when something happens which from his face we see that Ben was half expecting it. There are choices to make with the family and he struggles mightily with the dilemma. Ben is torn between his commitment to his wife and her wishes, and the security of his life in the wilderness with his children. Add into that some formidable drama with his Wife’s family.
I feel a lot of the same energy and writing with this story as with the Oscar Winner CODA from 2021. There are real debates on what is in the best interests of the children, and how, if at all, they should be eventually integrating into society. The children run from the eldest son of an age to be applying for College to the very young who are in early primary school. Ben needs to think through his priorities and what is truly important for him and his children. He has a paradox of always telling the truth, and treating each of his children as growing people capable of doing of knowing more than most adults give them credit for, while at the same time with limited means financially a trip to the grocery store becomes an operation involving all of the children. For a man who believes deeply that people are to be judged by their actions it has him re-examine the direction of his life and the leadership of these children. The children are each with their own strengths and attitudes, not just window dressing. They imapct on their father. I found this an engaging and emotional journey with a family who I care about. The one daughter’s explanation of the book Lolita that she is reading was great insight to the father and his family. I felt that interaction showed so much of this teachings. There really hasn’t been a lot of quality films out this year, but this one if you are like me missed it the first time, I think you should check out. By the way, Casey Affleck won the Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea (which I refer to a Misery by the Ocean) and for me I would rather Mortensen had won the award. I am glad that I got to know the Cash family, and I am hopeful that they will do well. I will admit that I was puzzled about where the funds came from for the proposed ending, but I was happy to go with it.
Firebrand: Who knew that there was a Henry VIII period piece released in 2023 with Jude Law and Alicia Vikander? Certainly not me, and I am a fan of the period and the intrigue of that time. Henry VIII was the King of England from 1509 until 1547. He was obsessed with having a male heir and to that end was married no less than six times. He was so committed to this aim that he took on the Catholic church, and made himself his own religion to allow the annullment to his first wife. He was first married to Catharine of Aragon for 24 years (1509-1533), which generally the films and books about the time do not focus on. They show him as impetuous and demanding a child. Later he had two of his wives beheaded (Anne Boelyn and Catherine Howard). This movie focuses on the last marriage to Catherine Parr who he married in 1543 until Henry’s death in 1547. While married, Henry was in France and he had called Catherine his wife the regent (acting in his stead doing the business of government).
Jude Law shows Henry as a man who was in constant pain from his leg. It was an infection that would not heal with the medicine of the day. He was gaining weight and moved from being fairly lucid to being more unstable and eratic. He seemed to have a conspiracy complex of those around him always looking to find ways to hurt him. Law shows this well. He is married to Catherine Parr who was well regarded and genuinely seemed to have affection for the King. Still he was a woman in difficult times, and surrounded by men who wanted power and prestige. Vikander plays Catherine and shows her torment in being married to this unpredictable man. Of course no woman was thought to be ready to rule but she embraces acting as a stpe-mother to Henry’s children including the young Edward and also Mary and Elizabeth (two future queens of England) who are taught some valuable skills. I liked the interaction between the two capable actors. Vikander walks a fine line, especially with power in the balance along with her life. It was no secret about how Henry treated his prior wives, and the children knew it too. I am not clear how historically accurate the ending of this movie is but it is something to ponder. At the very least it is a story that is compelling. I do find more than a little hard to believe but that is alright. I haven’t seen Vikander in a while but it was a welcome sight to watch her work again. I think that Law is a versatile actor who gets better as he ages. If you can find this movie, it is worth checking out.
Sunday night is the Emmy’s, and as I am writing this I don’t know who the winners are. I find it interesting that the Best Drama series is all streaming services. Included in the nominees are: Shogun, 3 Body Problem, Mr and Mrs Smith, Fallout, Slow Horses, The Crown, Gilded Age and Morning Show. I do not get all of these series on my limited list of streaming services. I have seen The Crown, which will be difficult to beat since that series has been completed. And what a series it has been. I do think that the did an excellent job of concluding it. I have also seen 3 Body problem, which I enjoyed and I just finished watching the first season of Shogun, from FX. I think Anna Sawai as Moriko in Shogun wins the Emmy for Best Actress. Stating it for the record here.
Shogun: James Clavell published this book back in 1975. Set in the year 1600, the book is a work loosely based on history, all of which I was not familiar. I am actually was reading the book as my older brother had talked about it previously and I remember him liking it. He has since told me that he prefers other similar books. I am 420 pages into the 1200 page paperback. I also remember that my Mom was deeply entrenched in watching the Richard Chamberlain starring series back in 1980. I have recollection of it being on TV, but no real recollection of what happened and how close to the book that it remained. I then started watching the FX series, and by episode 3 it was surpassing where I had read. The story is one of power and internal civil war among competing regions of Japan after the death of the Taiko (Supreme Leader) who has relegated his powers to a Regent Council of 5 members who will hold power before the very young son of the Taiko comes of age to lead. The intrigue occurs between the regents. One of whom is Lord Toranaga. In the midst of these circumstances, a foreign, unknown ship crashes onto the shores after a perilous journey killimng most of the crew. They come under a Dutch flag but have as their new Captain a young British navigator, which the Japanese call Anjin.
The various parties interract with plenty of drama, lead by the regents but with supporting characters and family members intermingling. All of the language among the Japanes characters are in Japanese with subtitles. This keeps the authenticity high. There is the church, brought in by the previous outworlders Portugese, who have an detailed maps of travelling around South America to reach Japan and China. The Dutch are catching up, and also as enemies of the Portugese on the oceans. The outsiders realize that the Japanese are different from them, but highly focused on loyalty, honour and duty. There is an uneasy relationship between the Christians and the Japanese leaders. Anjin brings a different perspective onto it. The story is about that political battle, but also about the foreigner Anjin and how he becomes a valued member of the Toronaga house, raising in stature and titles much to the chagrin of those in the Toronaga inner circle. There are some surprising plot turns as this moves along. I was engaged, intrigued and surprised. This is well acted, with fully formed characters who have motivations of their own. In yet another series, there are strong women who have substantial contributions to be made, despite the times and and their place in Japanese society. I look forward to seeing more of this.
This has been a very busy week, including three straight days of seeing a film in a theatre. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The common thread among all of them is that they were sequels. Some original movie I have seen, others I haven’t. Early September in Toronto has been the Toronto International Film Festival since 1976 when it was the Festival of Festivals. I am always excited to walk down these days at King Street where the main theatres are located (Roy Thompson, Royal Alex and Princess of Wales). There is just a buzz and energy in the streets. Actors and actresses are in the city. People who love movies gather and line up to see the over 240 movies over the roughly ten days. Covid put a pause on the activities, but it is fully back. On Thursday I had the opportunity to see a film, which ended up being a total shot in the dark. I had been looking for tickets and the gala prices were on resale were over $350, which is silly for a movie like Andrew Garfield’s We Live in Time, which will be released in a few weeks.
I, The Executioner: With no background, I found a reasonably priced ticket to see the South Korean film, I, The Exectioner. I knew that this movie had been shown at Cannes earlier in the year. Still the director Ryoo Seung-wan and his producer buddy were there with an interpreter. They also mentioned that they added a new vignette post the credits that was never seen before.
The film is a sequel to his 2015 film Veteran, and has the same cast returning. To cateogirize this movie broadly it is a high energy cop/team film where this team, lead by the very good Hwang Jung-min, as a veteran cop and his team try to solve a series of revenge killings. A number of perpetrators of murders who have been perceived publicly as been given too light sentences from the justice system, are then being hunted down and killed (presumably) by a killer who kills them in the same manner as they killed their victims. Social media is well engaged, with an influencer/broadcaster talking about the injustices and egging on someone to do something about it. All the while our team of police investigators have a new boss who wants to make a splash with a high profile case. In the opening sequence, it is like a Bond opening with a set up and then a sting going sideways with chases and fights. It engages the audience straight away.
As the plot unfolds, and the intrigue increases with tracking down potential suspects, there continues to be fights, car chases and mixed martial arts. All the scenes are well done, and with backdrops that would make for challenging filming (like a stone bridge in the middle of a city with a festival going on). The stakes rise for the team as they grapple with more high profile murders and attempted murders. I liked this because it kept my attention from beginning to end. There was some good laughs, some moments where injuries clearly would have occured and would have hurt. Still those involved show tremendous skills in combat and other physical acts. They are also people, notably our main character, who is not a rookie, and he has a wife, a teenage son and young daughters. His demanding job can take time away from all of them.
This movie that I never would have seen anywhere else was a very pleasant surprise. I see that it was picked up for distribution at Cannes which is very good. It deserves an audience. I also now am interested in tracking down the original Veteran from this same group. Well worth tracking down and checking out.
Alien Romulus: I saw this movie on Thursday night with a sparse crowd in the theatre. I have seen all of the Alien movies. I have liked them to varying degrees. There have been nine Alien related films, but I am going to discount the Alien vs Predator films, which means seven films. I will include Prometheus and Alien Covenant in this series though. The first Alien (1979) with Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver and the crew battling the alien remains a sci-fi classic with scenes that were unique for their day. State of the art effects and film effects were used to raise the level of anxiety in the crew and the audience. It was such a success that the sequel in 1986 with the studio choosing James Cameron as opposed to Ridley Scott to direct. Aliens was a smashing success, building on the original premise and ratcheting up the number of alien creatures, but also the personal relationships, notably with Sigorney Weaver (playing Ripley) and a little girl and the humanoid robots (synthetics) who are in both films. We learn more, and we see the arc of Ripley’s character as she takes a more grey vision of those around her, and avoids painting all people and synthetics with the same brush. But that’s background. So what happening with this latest installment? Where did it go wrong? For me, this is the first Alien movie that I left and I was bored.
This film is NOT a continuation of Alien Covenant and the Prometheus direction. Think of it as another unrelated story in the Alien world, where Weyland Industries is the dominant name in space exploration, mining, terra-forming and building worlds. Remember that in Alien the ship Nostromo was a mining space craft returning back to Earth, before being sidetracked in a rescue mission for a distress signal on an unknown planet. Here we have a much younger group of miners in a dreary planet that gets no sunshine at all. These seemingly twenty-somethings don’t like their lot in life, and one has this idea to leave the planet and explore a nearby space ship which has been decommissioned and presumably abandoned and empty. Inside there are some cryogenic pods that would allow these young people to head off to a new and more exciting planet. Early on we see our main protagonist Cailee Spaeny (Rain) and her brotherly companion and we learn that he is a synthetic named Andy (played by David Johnson). He is constantly being picked on.
The group of friends embark on their journey to the hobbled space station, not a ship, and it has predictable results. The challenge with this movie is that it offers nothing new to an already vibrant Alien universe. The creatures don’t talk. There is no interaction. They are just very difficult to kill, and once they get a hold of a human host, then really bad things happen. We already know about the babies spawning and extricating themselves from inside a human body from the chest cavity. I was surprised with the quickness by which it takes place here, versus the original when John Hurt’s character had the creature on his face for some time, then it disappeared and he seemed fine, until he wasn’t. The timeline has been enhanced greatly. This young crew doesn’t gain from having space experience, nor a science officer or a crew who knows the ins and outs of the ship. It is the youngest crew in the series, which was likely the goal. Alien has always had strong female characters. Ripley is, and has always been, one of the best of these women. Rain reminds me more of the new Star Wars Rey than Ripley. So young, without the training for taking on a substantive monster creature. Rain is no Ripley. They are lines from earlier Alien movies scattered in this version, but they fall flat. It feels like a movie trying too hard to live up to a movie series with impressive and intimidating pedigree. I wasn’t engaged with this young crew and cast. I knew what would happen with the creature. I learned nothing new. It seemed pointless to send these young people to die in this way. I also wasn’t convinced on the need to deal with the synthetic story as it happened. Those who saw and love the original I suspect will know exactly what I am referring to. It seems the ongoing underlying message is that humans always seem to find a way to mess with an unnatural engineered creature. Apparently there is no effective communication for people to be documenting the horrors of this creature that the Weyland company wishes to bring back to civilization. In short, the connection and story that engages you with the crew and hopes that they can find a way to survive, we just don’t know how, is missing in this latest version. It feels like a money grab, with the hope of introducing the series to a younger audience. I wish that they had surrounded the younger group with a better story, and a means to have a few new aspects of this complex creature. Sadly it was lacking.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: The original Beetlejuice from 1988 was directed by Tim Burton. It featured a young couple, played by Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin, who lived in this old house on a hill. They die trangically but retain their overall kind disposition and life attitude despite being dead. They are the focal point and when a new family purchases their beloved house. The new family is husband and second-wife (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O’Hara) with a young goth teenage daughter played by Winona Ryder. The new ghosts struggle with scaring away the step-mother O’Hara who is looking to change everything about this house. Beetlejuice is an underworld smart-ass character who offers his services of the supernatural and human real person exorcism. In the original, Ryder manages to thwart an effort by Beetlejuice to extract a marriage out of her in exchange of assisting with helping the Davis and Baldwin characters. Honestly I have to admit before seeing the sequel that I wasn’t entirely sure that I had seen the original. In the end it didn’t really matter. I think it helps to know the original but not fatal.
In the sequel, Charles Deets has passed on. A wise choice given the real-life complicated life of the actor Jeffrey Jones who played him, given the fact that he was on the Sex Offender list and was sentenced to five years probation back in 2002. The sequel cleverly tells the story of Charles Deets’ death and how Catherine O’Hara will movie forward with the house that she is in. Meanwhile, grown up Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz) has a daughter of her own and is using her abilities to talk to ghosts. Just not the ghost of her departed husband, and the father of her daughter. Daughter doesn’t believe any aspect of what Mom does on TV and online. They don’t speak very often.
Meanwhile we learn that Beetlejuice in his prior life was married to the beautiful Monica Bellucci. He tells that backstory with the knowledge that she has returned to his world, in an unusual fashion and wants to kill him. She has some unique abilities. Meanwhile, moody daughter hears about her grandfather’s untimely death, as well as engagement of her Mom, Lydia, to her new boyfriend. It is all too much for her, and she bikes off into town, having a meet-cute with a local boy sitting in his treehouse. Ultimately Ryder needs to re-engage with Beetlejuice and his shenanigans in order to address a pressing problem. Michael Keaton clearly enjoys this role. This is a movie for pure entertainment sake. Did I laugh? Yes there were some laughs. I take this as some campy retro fun, much like Stranger Things which ressurected Winona Ryder’s career, and made 1980s music (like Kate Bush) become so popular again. Does this need to be seen in a theatre as opposed to at home? Not really. For those who loves the original, then this is fun to see. I actually don’t feel that the source material is all that strong, and they made the most of this plot. I think that Catherine O’Hara continues to show her genius, and turns what was a villian role in the original into a more sympathetic role in the sequel. Monica Bellucci plays a role that is thankless, with no redeeming character and used as a plot device to give something else for Beetlejuice to deal with. At a time when there hasn’t been much to watch in the theatre, at least Beetlejuice can provide some relief. For Toronto residents of course there is TIFF to enjoy for another week. Enjoy!!
End of summer is here. Man it flew by fast!! In Toronto we have the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) Air Show all weekend. It’s fun!!
Mad Max 2: Road Warrior – back in 1982 George Miller released the sequel to his first film in this series set in Australia after an apocalypse. I decided to revisit this film after the most recent Furiosa just released and reviewed by me with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. The latest release lacks all of the things that made the Road Warrior movie some compelling and a success that drove the series forward. Mel Gibson is the young star who builds this successful role into super stardom. But what’s the difference? Same director. Many years later in a similar world. For me it’s the human heart and soul of the original. There were a band of people that you cared about. They were keeping their decency and humanity while fighting off the vermin of society, leftovers in an age when violence and might rule the day. The good guys wearing white are introduced after we see Max (the former cop) on the wild highways with chases and explosions. Everyone is seeking petrol which is in limited supply. Max has a dutiful and loyal dog who helps him greatly and early on meets up with a gangly stranger who has a flying helicopter contraption. They aren’t exactly friends as Max makes him a prisoner. Together they see a task, hoping to help the protectors of a refinery who seek new life and hope. The bad guys with two ferocious and merciless leaders just want what they want. The gas, and along with it the power. The intrigue begins along with the humanity in a few forms. The mercenary and loner learns a lesson about being human and having purpose.
The contrast is striking to Furiosa where it seemed the focus was on the crazy stunts and make up while losing any sense of connection. Humungous and his sidekick are played straight and intensely in Road Warrior. Hemsworth have made it a caricature. It is laughable how Hemsworth plays his role which is as disingenuous as the make up and prosthetic nose and chin that he wears. Sometimes it isn’t a good idea to remake what was a success. Having said that Mad Max: Fury Road was a decent episode in the series. There is always another movie to be made and more money to be made at the box office.
Find Me Falling: Netflix has released this romantic comedy starring Harry Connick Jr who plays a worldwide music star who has decided to move to the island of Cyprus. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Meditteranean in the eastern end of the sea close to Turkey, Syria and Greece. The scenery is very similar to Greece. His reasons for choosing this destination become apparent pretty quickly. He has decided to slow down, focus less on his career, and his first step is buying a piece of property which has an enticing cliff, but one that he learns has positives and negatives.
He is introduced to the local grocery store and woman in charge who sends along a pleasant young woman to deliver his purchases to him. Things happen. The reasons for his choosing Cyprus materialize with a history lesson for Harry and a woman on the island. The rest is fairly predictable. There are issues to be addressed and Harry needs to show that he is a changed man. He is hoping that his presence on the island shows that this is the case. Overall, this is a straightforward romantic comedy film set in a pretty location. I like the travel log as I have never been to Cyprus but it looks nice. I don’t need to meet Harry when I am there.
Love Is Blind UK: The Love is Blind franchise began in 2020 in the US has had six seasons. It has spawned eight (!!) international shows including Love is Blind Sweden, Love is Blind Mexico and now UK. I prefer watching where the contestants are speaking English and I don’t need subtitles but I have been told that Love is Blind Japan was very interesting to watch.
This season has 11 episodes and then a still unreleased episode 12 with having the contestants come back together in a reunion show. As in the US, the show puts together 28 singles who are unable to see the members of the opposite sex, but can speak with them in pods. The pods are small rooms with opaque seperators where each one of the dating couple can have a seat and just chat. The couples will continue with dating and chats, and only if they become engaged do they actually meet face to face. Then the next phase of the experiment occurs where the engaged couples head to an exotic beach location to explore their physical connection. Finally they come back to home (in this case London) and meet friends, families and utlimately decide if they want to actuall marry in the last episodes of the show. For the UK, we have six couples who passed the exotic destination test and went to the altar.
Of course this is mind candy. Reality TV with real lives impacted and at stake. I liked this season and those involved generally, because I think that they generally communicated well, and were in the show for the right reasons. A few were a little older, and this is beneficial to the overall feeling. They want to find their match, this is a new idea from the apps and online world which can be very superficial focusing on looks alone. By contrast the idea is these contestants fall for the person, the content of what they say, how they say it and their values. The intrigue happens when a contestant is choosing between more than one person and has to make a choice before ever setting eyes on these people. Of course for dramatic purposes those people have an opportunity to meet those people that they rejected. It all culminates with a dramatic finale with friends and family there, wearing full dress and tuxedo and deciding whether to marry or never see the person again. For me, I was cheering for many of the couples. Others may not seem ready, or have those around them who aren’t ready for them to be married (like a parent). I can say that I was surprised at a few of the end results. I do hope that there are more UK versions with their fun accents and hopefully people wanting to find love rather than their 15 mins of TV time. I think in this genre of dating reality shows that this was one of the better seasons. I have never professed to being immune from watching mindless TV!!
Mondays With Robbie 