October 28th, 2019

First off this week I will note that the TIFF film Kursk that I saw two years ago, reviewed and liked here, is now available on Netflix but it’s called The Command. It’s worth checking out and builds on the theme from Chernobyl with government pride (and I will purposely not call in Russian pride since I believe many countries and people can suffer from the same ailment) impacting their citizens negatively by choosing to not accept outside help and believing that they have a situation under control. This is based on a true story. No matter your politics or thoughts on Russians, this movie provides sympathy for sailors and their families, and not just sailors but submariners who I regard as extraordinary people who can go months without seeing the sun or even the sky. It’s worth checking out.

In the theatre I went to see the well reviewed Parasite. It is a South Korean film which won the Palme D’or at Cannes Film Festival this year (Best Picture). This is first South Korean film ever to win. This is no small feat. I went in not knowing what to expect. It is a story about a poor family of four that manages to infiltrate and become more involved with a very successful family with two young children, stay at home Mom and well known father. It starts with the friend of the poor family’s son seeking help to fill in to tutor the older girl of the rich family. The friend was leaving for overseas, and needed a fill in. The younger poor son agrees, while getting a recommendation from the friend, and forging some documents with qualifications from his sister. He gets the job. Soon enough he invites his sister to help with the young boy and the story continues. There are some genuine surprises that I won’t divulge. They are worthy of a good script where a family learns some valuable lessons, and at unexpected costs. Last year I scratched my head and didn’t understand all the love for Roma, with all the kudos and great reviews that it received. It made me a little skeptical heading into this one. I see this film more along the same theme of Shoplifters. Also the really good Burning. In the end, there are funny moments, and some surprising moments. Worth seeing if not in the theatre but ahold it get to Netflix or other.

On Netflix I did catch Only The Brave which is based upon the true story of a firefighting brigade (troop) based in Arizona. The group was elite in fighting outdoor raging fires. They were highly trained and counted on to take risks. It comes with the familiar trappings with an outsider looking to join who had challenges earlier in his life, and he wants to do the right thing with his new baby and baby Mama. The troop is trained by a hard nosed veteran (Josh Brolin) who plays the role as expected. There are new colleagues that have a history that they must address. Others are looking to gel into this elite fighting group. Add to that spouses and significant others. One is Jennifer Connolly, playing Brolin’s wife, who after master performance in A Beautiful Mind hasn’t found a role worthy of her talents. This is no exception. It is unfortunate that she can’t get better roles to test her and push her talents. Back to the movie, the group shows their talent in various situations and then there is a fire in Yarnell Hill, Arizona in June 2013. I didn’t know the story before watching this. I followed up a bit after seeing it. I was reading that there were challenges carried on for many involved here and that is sad to hear. It was okay. Not great. But a story good to know.

June 10th, 2019

This past week I finished watching the gripping and educational 5-part drama Chernobyl, based upon the book by Svetlana Alexievich titled “Voices from Chernobyl”. It stars Jared Harris, who was previously in Mad Men and also played King George VI in The Crown as Elizabeth’s chain-smoking and stuttering father (of The King’s Speech fame played memorably by Colin Firth). It also stars Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson. Harris plays real-life person and nuclear physicist Valery Legasov, who along with many others was part of the clean up project that became the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in April 1986. In a few ways I see parallels with the story of Kursk, the Russian nuclear sub that had an accident and the seamen were put in a perilous position with their lives at stake due to no fault of their own. It poses the question, what would you do if your government denies the level of severity of an accident to keep up appearances, while putting others as risk while looking to fix the problem. The Kursk had the challenge of a sub being down, and the mini-sub that could connect to it to remove the trapped sailors being old and incapable of docking and locking onto it. The UK offered to help but was denied. In Chernobyl, there was highly radioactive materials sitting strewn about on the plant rooftop, and no capping measures of the radioactive steam could take place without that material being moved back into the core. Robots from Germany that were ordered to remove it were sent incorrect specs on the level of radiation that the robots would be exposed to, and they subsequently (and inevitably) failed. What results is part of the most heartbraking and painful aspects of watching what unfolds; the human toll of ordinary people who are doing their duty. Sometimes these real life heroes knew what they were doing and went in with eyes wide open. Others, sadly did not and they were told nothing. They were mostly young men, doing their mandatory military service and they ended up getting the short end of the stick as far as perilous duty. Little did they know about the risks that they were facing, that their superiors who made decisions did. Could this happen in the West? Absolutely. Pride is not limited to the Russians. Nor is human error and other everyday failings (like wanting to get a promotion and looking to push ahead with a procedure that might be called risky). It’s disturbing moreso because it has all-to-familiar human failings, and can’t be dismissed as just a Russian problem.

The series jumps around in timeline somewhat from later in the story initially and then back to the evening itself when the accident occurred. My heart goes out to every one of those first responders who did their duty (fire fighters, medical staff, those brave souls working inside the power plant). Then there is the aftermath shortly thereafter with some individual stories, and others that are longer. The political side kicks in as this issue goes up to Gorbachev and his leaders in the Kremlin. The global impact can be felt shortly thereafter as neighbouring countries begin to notice higher than normal levels of radiation. All the while one thinks about the people on site, doing clean up, and the impacts that are being done across the board (people, animals, environment etc). The final episode pulls it all together as you see what was driving the humans in charge of the test. You see the chain of events which scientifically lead to the result. And the results are devastating as you see an area surrounding the city that is cordoned off, and uninhabitable. The area covers 2600 square kilometres. People were told their leaving would be a “temporary measure”, which was 33 years ago. The official Soviet death toll of the event, unchanged to this day, is 31. In the end this series does what television and movies can do best; teach, inform, and open up communication on how things can change and be different. It also gives a glimpse into the lives of people and places you wouldn’t have been exposed to before. There are villains, there are many heroes and plenty of people that we can identify with. A show worth finding and catching if you can.

TIFF edition (Monday Sept 17, 2018)

TIFF was a really good experience this year, and I enjoyed the three movies that I saw. I had a conflict with hockey on Sunday and missed The Elephant Queen documentary.

22 July – is a film by Paul Greengrass, who had previously done United 93, and some Bourne films. I knew that Matt Damon liked working with him. This film is a dramatization of the events in Norway in 2011 in Oslo (bombing at Prime Ministers Office) then at the summer camp island where teens went (politically sponsored – the current PM had gone here as a youth) where 69 people were shot. The actual event takes up about a third of the film, but then there is the trial and the rehabilitation in one instance of a young man who was shot 5 times. He wants to face his assaulter in Court and provide a statement of his own, to combat the hate of this calm and deliberated racist. The film deals with the facts of the event, but the strength is with the acting (the young man and also the assailant) and playing their roles well and with respect. There are things said by the assailant that simply are incredible to hear. He is so matter-of-fact and calm. This is a Netflix film and will be available likely sooner rather than later. IMDB says it’s to be released Oct 10 in theatres.

Driven is a story about John DeLorean, the infamous GM executive (creator of the GTO) who went on his own to create the new gull-winged sports car. He was flamboyant and larger than life, and flawed at the same time. The story deliberately uses the focus of the film as his neighbor played by Jason Sudekis, as a liar and a screw up, who tries to do the right thing (well sometimes). Set in southern California at the end of the 70s, it tells the story of these two men, and how they crossed paths, and how the FBI gets involved in their lives. Ultimately DeLorean was having a cash flow problem, much like Tesla, and the solution was for DeLorean to use a cocaine deal to make up for the deficiency and ultimately keep control of his company. There are a couple of laughs. Judy Greer stands out here as Sudekis’ wife. Also Lee Pace of bad guy Guardians of the Galaxy fame. He plays the much older DeLorean well. This was fun. I enjoyed 22 July more as this was paced slower at times.

Finally, there was Kursk which is the dramatization of the Russian nuclear submarine (two football fields in size) that went down in August 2000 during Russian war games. Russia at the time was suffering economic challenges and made cut backs in military and other spending. This story covers the event and also some of the pushback made by the Russian people which was completely new for them. Russia had gone from a northern fleet of 100+ subs in the glory days to about 40. They were not well maintained, and they carried torpedos with equal treatment. They used torpedos with hydrogen peroxide, which if not maintained and leak, if it contacts metal is explosive. On the day in question, it is suspected a torpedo blew inside the Kursk and it set off even more torpedos inside which took out most of its bow. It sank. Of the 111 men on board, some survived in the back, moving to the stern for an air pocket. The Russian Navy then has an ill equipped ad maintained rescue sub that would attach to the sunken Kursk, but it isn’t connecting and it fails. The Russians refuse any assistance from Britain, US or Norway with better rescue subs. Pride is a terrible thing in the situation and the men (and their families) pay the price. I also enjoyed this a great deal. Mattias Schonnerts is here, and I have seen him in a number of TIFF films. Colin Firth has a minor role. Well worth checking out.

TIFF People’s Choice went to Green Book, which to me is a surprise as I would have thought First Man would be there. This award is a harbinger of good things to come though, as many get Oscar nods and a few of those have won in the past. The story sounds good on Green Box and Mahershala Ali seems to be the strongest of the actors (Viggo Mortenson also is good too apparently). I have not seen. Expect a flurry of these TIFF films to get to theatres in the next few weeks and months ahead. First Man is Oct 5. I will see it. Others too. I did see Julia Roberts from afar, and Maggie Glylenthaal up close for her movie Kindergarten Teacher which is a remake of an Israeli film. It looks good. Fun to be on the red carpet. Always good to see these people and all the fanfare. Another TIFF is closed and I always enjoy these Fall time to get immersed in films. Beautiful Boy, Beale Street, A Private War, Ben is Back, Burning, and others are all movies that I would seek out in time.