Seen in January

Vengeance is most fowl.

It's winter. It's cold out. We warmed ourselves by the glow of the television.

Rebel Ridge
Netflix
While this film is pretty unique, it reminded me of some classic action movies with a similar violent, vengeful bite like 1973's Walking Tall ("Walk tall and carry a big stick), or 1971's Billy Jack ("I'm going to take my right foot and whomp you on that side of your face…") but unlike those righteous flicks, this is a civics lesson wrapped inside of an action movie. We see a black man, Terry (Aaron Pierre) riding his bicycle (I already like him) get run off a small rural road by a police car (I already don't like them). Under the guise of a local bylaw they search him, find a sizeable amount of cash intended as bail for his cousin, and seize it. This is a story that is playing out all over the States, as municipalities can't afford to fund local police services, those services have been incentivized towards corruption. Terry finds himself up against the corrupt sheriff (Don Johnson) with only a local court clerk on his side (AnnaSophia Robb). What the sheriff discovers is that Terry is ex-military, and was an instructor in a particular kind of warfare. This leads to the only kind of conflict that Hollywood finds interesting. It's worth the watch and the issues addressed.



Ralf Fiennes in Conclave.

Conclave
Apple TV+
Could there be anything more boring than a bunch of Catholic clerics sequestered to pick a new pope? Oh contraire, mon ami, this film starring Ralf Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini, is as tense as any thriller you might watch. In some ways, it reminded me of the HBO series, The New Pope in its depiction of turmoil within the Catholic church between those seeking a progressive pope and those seeking a return to traditional church values. Personally, I doubt such a struggle exists but what do I know of what happens behind those cloistered hallways full of fine art and piety? The politics and machinations of these cardinals and bishops, with their devious twists and turns, are fascinating. The acting, directing and the score all manage to keep your mind spinning.



Feathers McGraw.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Netflix
The return of cinema's greatest villain, Feathers McGraw, should be heralded from upon every mountaintop. Our animated clay heroes, Wallace and Gromit are in fine form as Wallace has invented an autonomous garden gnome to help out in the garden where help is least wanted. The plot is about how much technology invades the most peaceful aspects of our lives but is mostly a way to give us another fantastical chase scene with our favourite criminal mastermind and penguin, Feathers.



The kids are alright.

Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew S01
Disney+
Cross a Star Wars story with something akin to E.T. and The Goonies and you've got yourself a fun time with space pirates. If that ticks all your boxes then your set for some fun space adventure.

Somebody Somewhere S01-03
Crave
This show is the quietest, most hilarious, most emotionally moving thing you'll find anywhere, anyplace. Samantha Miller (Bridgette Everett) had returned to her hometown of Manhattan, Kansas to help nurse one of her sisters, Holly, through cancer. When her sister passes, Sam is left adrift in a state of late-onset adulthood. With aging parents trying to manage a small farm and another sister living her best life, Sam reconnects with old friends and makes new ones as she sets out to create a life, a community and a family of her own making. Now I'm making it sound like some crap movie of the week, but this is some of the best television I've seen since The Wire, Breaking Bad or Veep. It's also a lesson in storytelling that you won't find on many other shows. It's such a fine example of "show me, don't tell me" storytelling. The actors are in such a fine conspiracy with the writers that it's a beauty to behold.

The Franchise S01
Crave
Have you ever wondered what kind of cluster-cuss the set of one of those massive action hero action movies would be like? Probably like the one depicted here. There's a feckless producer trying to deliver a film that fits within and promotes other films in the franchise. There's the terrifying studio head who rumbles through any day of shooting with unreasonable expectations. There's a director known for his artistic flair trying so hard for a movie about crap to mean something. There's the assistant director hoping to make the movie happen. There's the cameo part by an award-winning actress who is doing whatever she can to get through the gruelling makeup regime. There's a hot young lead mostly concerned with his protein intake. Finally, there's the veteran British stage actor who thinks he's too good to be in this production. It's a fun satire, but maybe the moment to take a poke at 'superhero movies' has passed? Even if this send-up is a little late to the party, I think it's fresh enough to still be fun.

Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking
Crave
Despite one of the worst pun titles you're likely to see, Seth Meyers' second stand-up special is one of the good ones.



January 6 is a fright night.

Nalujuk Night
NFB
Combining Inuit traditions with Christian ones, this short beautifully filmed documentary captures a Nunatsiavut tradition in northern Labrador where mysterious masked figures emerge from the ice on the night of January 6, Old Christmas Day, to mete out greetings, sweets and/or beatings to children who have been good or bad all year long.

4 North A
NFB
An animated short depicting the devastating loss and isolation of awaiting a loved one's passing but also the silent and meaningful connections of similarly suffering souls.



Lynch deconstructed?

Lynch/Oz
Kanopy
Many American filmmakers of a certain generation were influenced by the films of Old Hollywood, such as the iconic American fable, The Wizard of Oz. David Lynch was one such director and perhaps no one more than Lynch returned to the haunting and magical themes of Oz that became embedded in the American psyche. This documentary is a series of visual essays that discuss Lynch's work in the context of Oz. With the passing of David Lynch, maybe you will seek out his work, or maybe you're just curious. This is a great place to start.

The Lion King (2019)
Disney+
I didn't really hold out much hope for this CGI live action remake of the animated Disney classic, but it was surprisingly good and the visuals have few rivals.

A Real Pain
Disney+
On this, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, it was fitting to watch this film about two cousins, Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) who return to Poland where their grandmother survived the horrors of the Holocaust. Benji is charismatic and outgoing, while David is anxious and withdrawn. Soon it becomes clear that Benji is also very troubled and is unmoored by the loss of their grandmother. No one would assume to have suffered more than their grandmother, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, but these two men, two generations and an entire continent removed from that human tragedy still bear the trauma in their own lives. That's what generational trauma is, and recognizing is the first step in ending it.

Willem & Frieda
TVO
First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

– Martin Niemöller

Niemöller was a German Lutheran pastor who originally supported Adolf Hitler. When Niemöller became disillusioned with the Nazis' rise to power, he became the leader of a group of German clergymen opposed to Hitler.

Stephen Fry leads us through Amsterdam, the story of the Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands, and the small group of artists, including two gay artists, Willem and Frieda who defied the Nazis to save thousands of Jews from the Nazi death camps. Too often the story we hear of the Second World War is of hapless European countries being steamrolled by the German army and of timid Jews being marched to their death. Of course, it wasn't like that and there are so many other stories to be told of resistance and resilience. This is one of those stories.



The gang's all here.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Prime Video
An updated version of the origin story of mutant turtles, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael. This version partly written, produced and voiced by Seth Rogen almost helps these oddball but relatable characters reach their full potential. It's a fun movie though the highly energetic animation style, which owes a lot to the "Spider-verse" films, is sometimes a little distracting and maybe a touch too sketchy. Despite subscribing to almost every streaming service known to humankind, I wound up renting this. I'm not sure it was quite worth it.