Seen in August

Never look a gift horse in the mouth… look in the belly.

Summer brings the sun, the lightning, the bugs, the ice cream, the hay fever, the bike rides and the movies.

The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s imagining of the classic 2000-year-old story of Odysseus as told by Greek poet Homer is suitably epic. It apparently took over 12 hours for Homer to recite his poem, so critics should excuse Nolan for leaving some stuff out. While the original poem touched on themes of homecoming, longing and resilience, this modern take depicts “the cunning” Odysseus (Matt Damon) as a softened, damaged war veteran. The visual experience of the film is hard to deny, but there are moments of dialogue that sound a bit like a first draught. It’s very believable that Nolan writes his film chronologically in one sitting - perhaps without rewrites. Despite that, there are scenes, such as warriors hiding in a wooden horse, the depiction of Circe’s (Samantha Morton) witchcraft, and the vision of Cyclops that were wholly new and powerful. Odysseus’ stay with Calypso (Charlize Theron), however, as others have said, felt more like a beach holiday resort. I actually prefer The Return with Ralf Fiennes as a rumination of the effect of war on those touched by it, but there’s no denying Nolan’s monumental achievement regardless of how much it may be praised or criticized.

A holiday never looked hotter.

La Piscine (The Swimming Pool)
Criterion Channel
I’m not sure a sexier cast has ever been assembled for this French thriller/sexual drama. Jean-Paul (Alain Delon) and Marianne (Romy Schneider) are enjoying a sunny St. Tropez summer holiday in a fantastic villa with a beautiful pool when Marianne receives a phone call and casually invites her ex-lover Harry to join them. Harry (Maurice Ronet) appears with his teenage daughter. The flirty interactions with Harry and Marianne put Jean-Paul’s nose out of joint. It doesn’t help that Harry’s daughter, Penelope, is the striking Jane Birkin, who draws Jean-Paul’s gaze. There are some dated sequences and maddening plot turns that may put off some viewers. Yet, it’s the measured pace that gives this film its summertime vibe and adds tension between the characters. A recent remake (or film inspired by) with Tilda Swinton and Ralf Fiennes, A Bigger Splash, injects a lot more tension and viability to the whole proceedings in my opinion, and it’s also got a great summer tone set on an Italian island instead of the French Riviera.

Pluribus S01
Apple TV+
Imagine a zombie/alien invasion film where the zombies and aliens turn out to be really nice. The premise of this series is that an alien virus has turned most of the world’s population into a very pleasant hive mind, which is to say everyone is really just one. Except for a dozen people with natural immunity, including our protagonist and the rest of Earth’s antagonist, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn). This is my favourite kind of sci-fi. There are no laser battles, lovable green aliens or artificial gravity, but the story keeps trying to address the “What if?” questions that get murkier and murkier.

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Seen in June

City Choir performing at Rosedale United Church

More free time has not, unfortunately led to more movies but here’s what was seen in the last 30 days.

City Choir
Rosedale United Church
There’s not much better than hearing a choir of human voices singing together in a beautiful setting on a warm June night.

I Like Me
Prime Video
This documentary about John Candy is pretty standard stuff: talking heads, archival interviews, and film clips. The problem, as Bill Murray articulated, Candy is too nice a guy to make a thrilling film about. Candy was simply a talented, amiable, family-oriented and good person, who grew up in Toronto (not far from our current home). He lost his father at a young age, which led to a lifetime of feeling responsible for all those around him. That is the suggestion here, that Candy’s anxiety, and work ethic (too many films and projects), came from the loss of his father and led to his early death from a heart issue. Too soon. We miss you John Candy.

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Seen in May

Recreation in Marty Supreme.

Unexpectedly, I had more time on my hands than usual this month. Unhindered by labour as it were, it was also a wonderful time to be outside and enjoy the warmer weather with which we’ve been bestowed. These two competing interests, one enjoyed in a dark interior room, the other under our sweet and warming sun, did not deter me from seeing some of the more enjoyable entertainments on offer.

Still on an Icelandic glacier in Time and Water

Time and Water
Hot Docs
A strangely introspective and personal reflection of the death of an Icelandic glacier based on the writings of Andri Snær Magnason. For Icelanders there was a belief that the glaciers were always there and would always be there, so the announcement that the smallest of the glaciers had shrunk away and disappeared was a shock. The clear evidence of climate change, that seems at times unstoppable, has become not just an existential crisis but also a spiritual one for Icelanders. Near the end of the film, we see a ceremony like a funeral where a plaque is installed with Magnason’s words, asking the question to future generations, “Did we do the right thing? Did we do what was needed?”

The Boys S05
Prime Video
The final season of this very grown-up, violent and purposefully toxic comic book series that throughout took a satirical and critical view on corporations like Disney and Marvel, and the conflation of celebrity, politics and religion currently happening in the US. What would it be like if a large corporation controlled media, politics and the military and could create actual enhanced human super-heroes? Probably terrible. In the end there is some redemption but enough loose ends to continue another series if they desired (and they do; a ‘prequel’ is already being advertised).

Supremely Marty Supreme.

Marty Supreme
Prime Video
I can see why this film garnered so much attention and praise. Excellent performances from Timothée Chamalet and Odessa A’zion, full of surprising cameos, a great script and lively direction and editing all make this an entertaining ride. Marty Mauser (Chamalet) is a table tennis talent and champion and also a classic American hustler based on the real life story of Marty Reisman. It’s postwar 1940’s US and America is riding high on the world stage, but that doesn’t mean life is any easier down in the boroughs of New York. Marty is talented salesman, which is pretty much the same thing as a hustler and he’s determined to make table tennis as big in the US as it is in Asia. I don’t think the story wants a black-and-white hero versus villain but it’s easy to see this is the same America that created Death of a Salesman. In some ways it feels like a companion piece to Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glenn Ross. Marty is overconfident and aspires to greatness by being number one in the world. The fact that he may only be the second best table tennis player in the world isn’t enough. There’s also a bit of “you can fool some of the people, some of the time, but not all of the people all the time,” lessons in this film. While the movie is great, I found it a little hard to find someone to root for and care about. On one hand you get caught up in Marty’s own self-belief, but on the other hand, he leaves a trail of burned bridges and broken dreams to try to achieve his goals. There’s an equal amount of desperation to go with his aspiration.

A different kind of super-hero show.

Wonderman S01
Disney+
I’m not that familiar with the original Wonder Man comic but I don’t think it matters much. In the Marvel TV-Verse, Simon Williams (the very talented Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), is a struggling actor in LA, trying to keep his super abilities a secret. In this world, Hollywood won’t hire ‘enhanced’ individuals (explained in an episode about the Doorman Clause). Ben Kingsley reprises his comic role as Trevor Slatterly (aka The Mandarin), sprung from prison to assist the Department of Damage Control. It’s a different kind of super-hero show, because much of it is more about the dynamic of Simon and Trevor, both of whom are carrying heavy secrets, but leveraging those personal pressures in their acting. It’s a part of the Marvel Universe you sometimes see, and what really separates Marvel from DC.

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Seen in December

We're at the center of the Earth gents, so it's shirts off!

There was a time when I formulated and curated a Christmas watch list, but these days are busier and more prone to finding a moment to sneak in a little screen time. That seems odd given just how much down time there was when I was more prone to being in a prone position, but here's what I saw in the darkest hours of the year.

Elves away!

Prep & Landing: Snowball Protocol
Disney+
The latest in the series of Pixar/Disney Christmas animated shorts with elves Wayne (Dave Foley) and Lanny (Derek Richardson), and their misadventures. The stories revolve around Santa's helpers depicted as paramilitary strike forces, and each Christmas being a memorable campaign. In the context of ICE raids, that doesn't sound so great. The other part of the stories are centred on Wayne's anxiety about getting a promotion and the office politics of Santa's workshop. In other words, it's a very American take on the Santa mythos. 

Dames, not damsels.

Down Cemetery Road S01
Apple TV+
For those of you waiting for the next installment of Nick Herron's Slow Horses, don't worry, Mr. Herron has another reprobate character in his canon of murder mysteries set in Oxford, England. Instead of an exiled MI5 agent, our protagonist is Zoë Boehm (Emma Thompson), a private detective more accustomed to tracking down cheating husbands than uncovering a government conspiracy. A gas explosion in a house without a gas hookup, a missing girl, and the murder of her husband set Boehm and an Oxford art restorer, Sarah (Ruth Wilson), on a perilous path that leads to a remote, abandoned military base in Northern Scotland. Like Slow Horses, the plotting and pace are crisp, the dialogue is sharp and funny, and the characters are flawed and human. If you enjoy Slow Horses, you'll enjoy this.

Go with God, or at least have a clever detective to help.

Wake Up Dead Man, a Knives Out Mystery
Netflix
Like other Knives Out mysteries, this film is a clockwork of curiosities that combines the eccentricities of a Hercule Poirot detective with the complications and characters of a Ms. Marple story. The film is packed with so many notable and recognizable faces you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a SAG convention, but that's all part of the fun. Daniel Craig as Benoît Blanc is in fine form, as is newcomer (to American audiences), Josh O'Connor as Father Jud, the worried young priest struggling with a past guilt and present dilemma. Buckle up, it's a bumpy ride.

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