Candyman (2021)

Horror has always been a genre that explores the ills of our society and comments on the systemic problems. even the original Candyman film, shot long before the white public awakening to the recognition of issues of systemic racism, touched on these topics. So this film, essentially a direct sequel to the original despite being presented more as a remake,  feels very natural a progression as it delves into police violence, racial trauma, and other themes that are rising to the consciousness of mainstream culture in the moment. 

But the new Candyman is also a damn scary film while managing to keep most of the violence off screen. Director DaCosta masterfully builds tension, suspense, and real fear without glorifying violence. For a film that speaks to the issue of the legacy of violence I think it was a brilliant choice to downplay the gore itself and DaCosta's film lacks for nothing in the scare department without needing to revel in brutality. Most of the murders are seen obscured without sacrificing one bit of discomfort with it. 

The film is all about reflections, perceptions, and perspective using mirror imagery to symbolize this and bring it into focus while also playing on the franchise's themes. We are often exposed to images that are mirrored and in so doing changes how we look at them. The film often asks us to question what we're seeing and how we interpret it, perhaps needing another point of view. It asks some challenging and difficult questions while scaring us and the whole film is intentionally and importantly off-putting.  All of it is fascinating and scary in ways beyond just whether a spectre is haunting us from the mirror. In what I am sure will be a controversial choice, the victims of the slasher are (almost) all white and the wrestles with intergenerational trauma and the systems that perpetuate it. Critics are already demeaning the film with "woke" epithets showing they completely misunderstand what is going on. 

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II brings a humanity to his lead character amongst a strong cast overall. The film treats racialized and queer characters as fully realized which is refreshing and the cast brings this to life. DaCosta's eye is incredible using her camera to more fully tell the story through her use of perspective and point of view. The film is gorgeously filmed and while the ending feels a bit rushed and convenient, it still feels earned. I am excited to see what she will do next. 

Candyman is scary and fascinating and should haunt you as you leave the cinema. 

Candyman

Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Coleman Domingo, Kyle Kaminski, Vanessa E. Williams, Michael Hargrove, Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen

Director: Nia DaCosta

Writers: Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Nia DaCosta

 

Annette (2021)

Annette commits fully to what it's doing and therefore requires its audience to accept its absurdist aesthetic. It won't be for everyone. Those that can't embrace what it's doing will simply be annoyed. But those who can get into it can find the beauty in this tragic little story and its haunting if unnerving songs. Otherwise there isn't a way to overlook all its quirks and oddities. Some less mainstream films will allow ways in for more moderate audiences, ways to get past the eccentricities of a film that doesn't follow the regular rules of mainstream cinema. But with Annette you either get on board or it leaves you behind. 

Yes this is an almost sung through musical, sung by actors who aren't really singers, filled with songs by the fringe band The Sparks which aren't the kind that get you humming along. Yes this is a film that casts a moving baby doll as the title character (think Chucky). Yes this is a film that unironically tells the story of an opera singing baby. But besides the absurdist aspects the film is also dark, exploring the story of a very toxic man whose violence leads to the death of more than one character. All while repetitive songs echo over and over. 

So if you are going to get anything out of Annette you've got to accept all of that. That is likely more than most are going to be able to commit to. 

But hidden within all that is a powerful story about dealing with family abuse and violence. I found the ending to be more emotionally resonate than I expected. Could this story have been told with more realism and without the flare of the Sparks' influence? Probably. And it likely could have found a wider audience. But there is a beauty in Carax and the Mael's approach which is just singular, giving it a unique power that couldn't have been achieved another way. Something which gets into the heart of the darkness of a man and the impact this has on his daughter that wouldn't be there in a more traditional film. 

Annette

Starring: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Russell Mael, Ron Mael

Director: Leos Carax

Writers: Russell Mael, Rob Mael, Leos Carax

 

Reminiscence (2021)

Reminiscence is a poor man's Nolan film. A pulpy, neonoir inspired sci fi mystery that plays with time and memory. Where Nolan likely would have left us with puzzles and questions, Reminiscence lays it all out for us clearly so there is no doubt what's happened. The mystery only lasts for as long as the run time and then it's all wrapped up in a nice little bow. But you know what, it doesn't matter because despite whatever shortcomings the film has it still grabs you and doesn't let go. It is gripping from start to finish, even as all the dominoes fall in their predictable pattern.

Writer/director Lisa Joy has made a gorgeous movie. Her dystopian Miami is all neon lovely,  just sketchy enough to be both alluring and repulsive. And everyone is beautiful from Jackman's grizzled yet perfect gumshoe stand-in, to Ferguson's too perfect femme fetal, to Newton's worn down sidekick, to Daniel Wu's misunderstood gangster. Reminiscence is visually stunning from start to finish.

It doesn't matter that the technology is too problematic to feel real or that the tangled plot relies on far too many coincidences to ring true (a hallmark of the pulp genre so we forgive it). Nothing about Reminiscence should work yet it still remains enjoyable. Sure I wish it was a better movie over all. There are so many elements here that just could have pushed this over the top into a great film. But it remains a little bit of a guilty pleasure yet still a pleasure. 

Reminiscene

Starring: Hugh Jacksman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, Daniel Wu, Marina de Tavira, Brett Cullan

Writer/Director: Lisa Joy

 

CODA (2021)

One can tell when a movie is made by and with the people the movie is about. CODA has moments in it that show it wasn't just hearing people telling a story about a deaf family but that the lived experience of deaf people and the children of deaf adults was infused into the film. The film is produced to be experienced in two languages, English and ASL, filmed so both languages are accessible. Often films by hearing people which feature deaf characters don't get this. 

Emilia Jones has a break out opportunity here and both manages the performance aspect of her character with the singing. It is a joy when she sings and the pain in her angsty teen heart is palpable. But her family, especially Troy Kotsur as her father, are also brought to stunning real life and their experience of her passion for music is contrasted with her own in a way that is revelatory and profound. The film captures this dynamic in such a powerful way. 

I want to comment as well on Marius de Vries' beautiful score. The song choices are lovely here but the original music is gorgeous as well. 

To be fair the plot is rather perfunctory in that it's about a teen who needs to chart her own path from her family and their need to let her go. We've seen that story a million times. But CODA does such an honest job of bringing this story, in this specific context to life from all sides (cleverly using Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now to highlight this) so we can feel the real struggle for all the characters. CODA really brings us something new, and a new exciting star to follow. 

CODA

Starring: Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotzur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant

Writer/Director: Sian Heder

 

Respect (2021)

I'm not a fan  of Jennifer Hudson as an actor. I think often people get her singing confused with her acting. She has one more, to open her eyes wide and stare. She doesn't emote any more than that. So I was concerned going into a movie about an artist I adore with her cast to carry the film. And through most of Respect she did that making the Queen of Soul rather soulless throughout. However she had a moment near the end where she actually pulled off a rock bottom desperation that feel authentic. Basically she didn't ruin the movie for me and that's a win. 

The film is strong otherwise. I mean the rest of the cast is a Godsend from Whitaker to Wayans to Blige to the incredible Tituss Burgess who is almost unrecognizable as the understated (I know, right?) and nurturing church choir director. Everyone around Hudson is strong (which ups her game) and when she sings she not only channels Aretha but brings her own magic to the songs. She makes us feel the magic that is listening to Franklin. 

I do have to say how remarkable I thought Burgess was. He is one of the standouts for me in this film. 

Director Tommy films this love letter with a heaping helping of nostalgia and patina that makes it all, even the hard bits, feel lovely. This is a tribute and might fudge some of the rough edges but still gets across the power and achievement of the artist at its centre. She isn't an angel but she is an incredible talent and we get to go along for the ride with a woman who defied all the odds. Respect, like some of the other musical biopics that have come recently, is a joyous film. 

I love the moments in these films where we get to be a fly on the wall in the historic moments when classic songs are written/recorded. Here it's I Never Loved a Man and the scene is just wonderfully enjoyable. Generally the entire film is, even with Hudson. 

Respect

Starring: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Tate Donovan, Mary J Blige

Director: Liesl Tommy

Writer: Tracey Scott Wilson

 

Swan Song (2021) Stephens

At one point in Swan Song, upon noting the closing of a small community's original and only gay dive bar, Udo Kier asks "but where will we dance?" Swan Song is about loss, specifically queer loss, loss of ways of life that just don't exist any longer, loss of identities which no longer fit into modern experiences, loss of health including mental health. Life moves on. As the world opens up for queer men the old ways of surviving fall away. As we age, our connections to what is going on around us slips away. "I wouldn't even know how to be gay anymore" he says watching a whole new world unfold around him. 

Kier plays Mr. Pat with the same queer, outsider panache that he has brought to his roles in the past, only here he gets to be the centre of the story, not the slightly sinister yet harmless other he usually plays. He gets to be the fully human, fully flawed aging queen at the end of his life making glorious drama and bad decisions. He gives dignity to a much derided group of men who never get the credit for all their legacy they leave behind for younger LGBTQ+ people. And he is a delight, delivering a performance filled with pain and joy. He isn't a wise elder to be a device in the growth of a younger main character. He isn't a creepy troll to be feared or pitied or derided. He is the hero of this story and he's full of flaws and humanity. And he gets some closure with a world that never truly had a place for him, even amongst those who claimed to befriend him. 

Everything about Swan Song is wonderfully indie. Director Stephens brings his underground sensibilities to what is probably his most mainstream film. Sure he has cast recognizable names in his drama but he keeps the guerrilla style of film making. It still feels like it was made on a shoestring budget and impresses with all that it gets away with. Stephens spins a delightful story that packs powerful pathos throughout while remaining wildly entertaining. It is joyous and painful, perhaps very much like the lives of men like Pat.

There is a wonderful use of unreliable narrator element to the film that Stephen uses both through expressing Pat's mental health but also through simply acknowledging how much of what we experience is through perception. How much of what we see happen in Swan Song is real is a mystery and I wouldn't want it any other way. And even though the film ends exactly where we think it will it does so with grace and with a satisfaction that just makes you glad you got to experience it. 

Swan Song

Starring: Udo Kier, Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, Michael Urie

Writer/Director: Todd Stephens

 

Nine Days (2021)

One of the toughest questions to wrestle with in life is pain and suffering and while the philosophers and theologians reflect on this question, so much of our art tackles it as well. For me the most satisfying of that art is that which does not attempt to answer the questions, but sit with it, breathe it in. So much of Nine Days felt like it was meditating on and living with pain and loss, and often the film was able to evoke for me the moments in my own experience.

Winston Duke gives a performance here like nothing I have seen him do before, as someone struggling with extreme loss, repressing so much of who he is, and tasked with making impossible choices. Explaining exactly who and what he is would ruin the way the story unfolds so instead I'll just say that watching his arc through this story is a revelation and he delivers, and by the end, he comes to vivid life in a climactic moment that is emotionally powerful. While he has been charismatic in the films I've seen him in before, nothing has prepared me for what he does here. 

Playing off him Benedict Wong is just delightful to watch the entire time too, striking the right balance between being the jovial counterpoint to Duke's central character while also bringing gravity to his scenes. Zazie Beets continues to impress, cast perfectly as an inspirational soul. The entire cast is strong but it really is Duke's show and he delivers it.

The film does struggle with a premise that is a little too contrived. I felt I needed to let go of reason a bit to not get distracted with too many questions. The film is also paced very slowly, and while I like a film to take the time it needs to tell its story, here there were a lot of moments that lingered a little too long and lost some of it's power that way. The film likely would have been more powerful if it had been a more tightly constructed premise but the film overcomes most of its narrative flaws through its emotional punch. 

At the end you may not be any closer to understanding why life is filled with as much tragedy and suffering as it is, but perhaps there is some comfort in the journey together as explored in this film. 

Nine Days

Starring: Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Zazie Beets, Bill Skarsgard, Tony Hale, Arianna Ortiz

Writer/Director: Edson Oda

 

North by Northwest (1959) REVISIT

North by Northwest is the sort of film that I can always watch when I stumble across it. If it's on TV and I see it, I'll join in from whatever point it is at. It is a fun little adventure that holds up well. It doesn't take much to follow so you can jump right in and it's got a great hook so it catches your attention and holds it until the end. 

I sometimes question the tone of the story as Grant seems to be having too much fun for a man who is in the dire straits he finds himself in. There are moments, such as the famous plane scene, where the gravity of the situation seems to dawn on him, but for most of the movie he wanders around cracking jokes, flirting, and generally seeming to be enjoying himself. A man who realizes his life is on the line and has been framed for murder should seem more exasperated than Grant does through most of the film. 

But the film works anyway, especially in moments like the plane scene. It is quite cinematic with Grant being dropped off in what feels like the middle of nowhere with big sky all around him. The tension builds as he waits, things pass but nothing to indicate what is coming next. Hitchcock frames this scene so well, setting Grant against the prairie so he stands out so dramatically. Then when the plane flies in the growing sense of dread, the raising sound, it all builds such suspense. I'm not sure it really makes sense to run a man over with a plane but yet the scene just feels so powerful. It is one of my bucket list items to see this on a big screen as I've only experienced it on a TV. 

A lot of North by Northwest may not make a great deal of sense but it just works anyway. The plot is just absurd enough and Grant is, as I explained, slightly out of the movie, but damn if I don't want to watch it all play out each time I come across it. 

North by Northwest

Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau 

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writer: Ernest Lehman

 

Beckett (2021)

Washington is a natural action hero but with an everyman sort of quality despite his leading man good looks. He oozes charisma, likability, and athleticism; he just feels like the whole package. A film like Beckett should be a slam dunk. It's a simple premise that should hook you and give him a chance to shine. And it manages okay but too often the film just feels too rote. It manages to be an entertaining enough film but never quite makes it to the next level. 

Beckett is very much a this-happens-then-this-happens-then-this-happens sort of story. There is little art put into how the story is told or the characters developed. We are just presented with characters that exist and they go through the plot points. That works for what it is but I kept thinking of ways that it could be better, richer and more exciting. 

Washington is very good. There are a few moments he gets to shine both as an actor (he is believably traumatized by the events of the movie) and as an action star (his set pieces are well put together). But the story just never holds together enough to take it seriously enough. 

So overall Beckett is a simple distraction. And here's hoping Washington has more Tenets in his future and less of these. 

Beckett 

Starring: John David Washington, Alicia Vikander, Boyd Holbrook, Vicki Krieps

Director: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino

Writer: Kevin A. Rice

 

Don't Breath 2 (2021)

I was trepidatious about seeing Don't Breathe 2, a sequel to a very strong thriller that presented itself inexplicably as an attempt to rehabilitate the villain of the first film by making him a hero. "The Blind Man," as he was known, was a rapist, kidnapper, and killer who menacingly escaped (as horror villains tend to do) at the end of the last film. There was a great deal of potential for a sequel exploring this. Yet the film makers decided they wanted to go another way, a way that just didn't feel honest. 

I kept thinking about how perhaps the film would succeed somehow by either tricking us into presenting him as the villain again (which would have been a stroke of genius) or perhaps give him a real redemption arc. But sadly neither of these turned out to be the case. Instead we got a very subpar sequel that throws out almost all that worked in the first film, copies the most basic elements but not nearly as well, and shamefully excuses a cruel, evil character. 

Sure the film ends with him admitting his crimes and going through the motions of accepting responsibility for them. But the film does no work to actually get him there. He just says his "sorry" and that's supposed to be good enough. In fact the way the film makes its excuses for him is pathetic. He decides not to kill a dog that's attacking him, later even going back to save the canine... so clearly he's not so bad despite raping and forcefully confining people!?! He saves the young girl from (heaven forbid) drug pushers so we are to overlook that he has (1) kidnapped her, (2) forcefully confines her, and (3) downright tortures his sick survivalist games. But hey, he's not as bad as her bio mom and her sick goons so....

But perhaps the worst of it is that the film just isn't that good. None of the great suspense building or tension from the first film carries over. This feels like the bought-it-on-wish version of the film. And it even throws out the concept really. The first film was all about the need to be silent. All that's just forgotten here. It's just another home invasion movie, and not a very well done one. 

There probably was a good idea for a Don't Breathe sequel out there, this just isn't it. In fact, it's a bad idea. 

Don't Breathe 2

Starring: Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, Madelyn Grace

Director: Rodo Sayagues

Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

 

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Boourdain (2021)

You know what's missing from Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain? Anthony Bourdain. The documentary while touching and quite entertaining is an exercise in the futility of telling a biopic in this form. The film isn't about him. It's about what is missing due to his loss. It is about how he impacted others. It is about him being gone. 

I am not overly familiar with Bourdain. I didn't follow him or his shows. I had heard a lot of tales of the "bad boy" of the chef world. I think I expected something different. I've seen documentaries of celebrities lives, those alive and dead, even those involved in the film itself. A commons staple of the genre are the tense drama scenes, the temper tantrums. None of that is here. For all his reputation all we see of Bourdain in this film is him being very likeable, relatable, and generally decent. Talking heads tell stories of him being difficult but he never really see it. This could be because the footage just doesn't exist. Or maybe the film makers just didn't want to include those scenes out of respect for the man. Whatever the reason they aren't here. 

And that's because this is about a man who is no longer here. He is the missing piece and this film is about all that he offered and what's not here because he's gone. And that in itself is fascinating. The film is very watchable and very engaging. But it's about piecing together things that just aren't there. And maybe that's the point. 

I imagine fans of Bourdain will enjoy seeing this tribute to him, a film that paints him a very flattering if tragic light. For someone like me that didn't know much it was an opportunity to learn about him as if I was discussing him with many of his surviving circle. His journey certainly is a compelling one and the loss of him feels quite tragic. But I'm not sure we get to know him. Once person in the film points out we don't get to know what happened the night of his suicide. We don't really get to know the man. We get to know what everyone around him thought of him. And perhaps that's all we'll ever get. 

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Director: Morgan Neville

Vivo (2021)

I think what I appreciated about Vivo, which made it stand out from other productions from Sony Pictures Animation and the director's previous works, is that it eschewed the tendency of so many non-Disney American animation toward the absurd, irreverent, and refusal to take itself seriously enough to build real gravitas and feeling behind their stories. It's usually all about being silly because, you know, it's animation so why would anyone take it seriously? Vivo on the other hand tells a very earnest story about legacy, outsiders, and all within the Cuban American context. 

The film takes its inspiration nostalgically from the colours and beats of Havana. Bright and energetic, the film follows its adventure in a very alive manner. There is just a positive energy vibrating from the story. Much of this is the influence and inspiration of star and composer Lin Manuel-Miranda.  From the opening song the music is quintessential Manuel-Miranda. Fans will recognize it right away, even more so than his work on Moana. His enduring optimism is present too and the film. If his schtick is up your alley then Vivo will be for you. For those who don't enjoy his work, Vivo likely won't change that.  

The story may not be quite enough to carry the run time and there are segments in the middle which drag on for a while and do not necessarily benefit the story. But the film is still more engaging than many of its contemporaries. Animation still has a long way to go towards making animated films that rival their competitors but Vivo is a step in the right direction.  

Vivo

Starring: Lin Manuel-Miranda, Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, Gloria Estefan

Director: Kirk DeMicco

Writers: Quiara Alegria Hudes, Kirk DeMicco

 

The Suicide Squad (2021)

When I first started reading comic books as an early teen, one of the first books that grabbed my attention was The Suicide Squad. The original books written by John Ostrander offered something I didn't see in many other comics, what felt like more grown up action, morally ambiguous characters I wasn't sure I should be rooting for, and a never ending sense of dread as I realized I couldn't be sure which characters were going to make it to the end. Seeing this concept and many of the characters come to life on the big screen has brought a lot of that back for me. 

I enjoyed David Ayer's take on the story in the first film to have this title, even though now we know that what we saw wasn't really his vision. But it captured that feeling I missed from the series, especially the character of Amanda Waller and her ends-justifies-the-means ruthlessness which was never far off actual government actions on the global stage. His interpretations of characters I loved like Deadshot, Harley, and yes Boomerang (among others) were exciting to see realized. We now understand there is another version of the film out there, one that might be closer in line with what I might appreciate if we ever see it, but I still got what I needed out of the first film and this is the kind of concept which can just keep giving.

Then along comes James Gunn and we get a very different take for the second film with almost the same name, and something else for me to enjoy. The film delivers on what I expected from the trailer, that few if any of the characters make it to the end. I don't think I'm spoiling anything to say you can almost count the survivors of Task Force X on one hand. And some of those deaths come a lot earlier than I expected. There were a few shockers too, characters I thought they'd want to keep around. No one is safe and that's what you need from a Suicide Squad movie. 

I also knew the film would be even more irreverent than the first. Perhaps the Ayer Cut will give us the more dramatic Squad movie I crave. But I went into this expecting it to err on the side of silly. Gunn manages to strike the right tone for that adding just enough pathos to get me invested while he layers on the humour thick. He always seemed to just go to the line and then pull it back. So in the opening moments, as characters are dying left, right, and centre, he gives us just enough gravitas to make us feel the gravity of it while balancing that with making it funny. He wants to tell a fun story, but he gives us a little relationship building here, a little global political commentary there, a little gross-out eww factor sprinkled around, and surprisingly more male nudity than one would expect. Yet through it all he keeps the mood light enough that it ends up just being fun. 

But perhaps the movie is just a bit much. There are so many characters and only a handful get any amount of screen time. While for many they are on screen enough (Blackguard anyone??) but others like Storm Reid's angsty teen and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller get short changed. Waller, despite being played expertly again by Davis, just isn't the threat she was in the first film. I do appreciate the development they do on Peacemaker, Rat Catcher, and Bloodsport. There is almost too much going on to really make it all come together without certain parts feeling extraneous. I am conflicted about the film's use of Harley Quinn as she often feels tacked on, never quite seeming essential despite Gunn's best efforts. Yet she remains, as portrayed by Robbie, so fascinatingly watchable. I just wanted to see her every time she was on screen.  But maybe I was spoiled by Birds of Prey where she got to go through a character development arc. Here she just is, running around doing Harley shit. And while that's great to watch, it's not the same. On second viewing I appreciated her arc here more, truly the completion of a story that has been building over three films. We get to see her be true to herself and that is deligthful. 

I had fun! I got to watch a movie where Starro the Conquoror terrorized the world, and it was throughly as gross and disturbing as it should be. I got a great story arc about 5 or so characters. I got more Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. I got a film that made me laugh out loud and truly surprised me sometimes. And there were one or two character deaths which actually moved me. In the end it was solid entertainment. I do hope we get more Suicide Squad movies as I think there are other stories and other approaches that can work with this concept. Also I want to see Waller being the real threat she is. So bring it on!

The Suicide Squad

Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stalone, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Alica Braga, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, Sean Gunn, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Taika Waititi

Writer/Director: James Gunn

 

Pray Away (2021)

Jason Blum makes a lot of horror movies. As this documentary produced by Blum begins it quickly becomes clear how terrifying this film is itself. By focusing on people within the ex-gay movement, people who paint cis-heterosexual life as the only healthy way of living, the film drives home how terrifying these hate groups are, how insidious they are to force people to hate who they are. 

The film moves between two narratives. On the one hand it follows a number of high profile ex-ex-gays, people who were leaders in the movement who have since left. They talk about their trauma in the movement, the way they were forced to lie, how the cult created belonging and how hard it was to leave. But the film also follows one particular person who remains in the movement and we watch as they push hurtful and hateful beliefs. And it's painful to watch. 

I know people who have been through conversion therapy movements. They have shared with me a lot of the abuse and trauma they suffered. While it is hard for many of us to watch this sort of pain being inflicted, I can't imagine what it would be like for someone who went through it themselves. 

The film does offer some hope as we see some of the survivors build new lives, find happiness and hope with new partners and find peace being their true selves. 

This remains important testimony. For survivors, for those who might be currently struggling in such abusive situations, and for those who might be considering it as an option for people they might love. Hopefully Pray Away raises awareness of the harm these ministries bring, the lives they ruin, and how dangerous they remain. 

Pray Away

Director: Kristine Stolakis 

 

Dial M for Murder (1954) REVISIT

Dial M for Murder remains one of my favourite Hitchock mysteries. I love so much about it, but especially how overly complicated the murder plot is, how the heroine is a woman having an affair who the film makes us side with despite the values of the time which normally would have had us condemn her, and how she manages to defend herself instead of waiting for a man to rescue her. The story remains a gripping one no matter how many times I watch it, each time I hold my breath in anticipation of what will happen although I know from all the times I've watched it. 

What should be a liability is a strength for me for I love the way Milland's character lays out his maniacal plot, so well thought through and yet so precarious. It relies so heavily on so many dominoes falling exactly right and is always on the edge of failing yet he steers it so deliberately it almost cannot fail. And even when it does fail he just maneuvers again and takes it on another path. He is so odious the way he draws his petty criminal acquaintance into this scheme and how he revels in having come up with the perfect murder. But then Kelly manages to throw it all into disarray by fighting to keep herself alive. Milland's determination is so strong he twists it all into a new plan. He is one of the most vile villains I've seen on the screen with his jealousy and his willingness to use others without showing hardly any feeling. 

In fact it is the way this film centres his jealousy as his evil which I find so fascinating. Especially for the time, when a woman having an affair would have been the ultimate shame, the fact that this story makes her the hero we sympathize with while it is the jealous man which is painted as wrong and downright repulsive, is so refreshingly progressive. Even today, toxic monogamy and masculinity would justify him seeking a revenge of some sort even if not murder but Hitchcock's point of view doesn't let him get away with any sympathy. He's a monster, frustrated that he couldn't' control her and bent on exploiting his wife for her money. 

The film isn't perfect in this angle as Kelly's character falls into a shock reaction which forces her to wait for the clever policeman to solve the crime. And her dim witted but well meaning lover, while willing to sacrifice anything to save her, is not up for the job. This is a battle of wits between two men with very different views on how to use their intellect. 

But in the end it is the plot's relentless teetering on the edge of success or failure that keeps me glued to my seat. It's got scandal and violence and mystery and it's all wrapped into such a tight and satisfying package. When the film's big moment comes the film switches from its rather stage like approach of telling the story to add a more cinematic flare. The score and movement of the camera swell into a perfect storm of emotion and pure silver screen glory. The attack is one of the most gripping moments I've ever seen on screen and each time it takes my breath away. 

Dial M for Murder is easily one of Hitchcock's best films as a portrait of an evil man whose luck and scrupulous intellect almost let him get away with the perfect murder. 

 
Dial M for Murder 

Starring: Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writer: Frederick Knott

Beans (2021)

Beans falls into a proud and long tradition of setting a coming of age tale amidst some specific historical event. In this case, it is the story of a young Mohawk woman entering her teens just as the Oka Crisis in Quebec in 1990, a moment that sparked in the Canadian consciousness the awakening of indigenous rights and an awareness of how much colonialist racism underlies Canadian culture. Film maker Tracey Deer has crafted a touching and powerful story about a young woman finding herself while surrounded by a cultural moment of danger and opportunity. 

My main critique of the film is that there are a lot of not-great performances within this cast which will often take us out of the picture. However that cannot be said for the film's incredible lead, young actor Kiawenti:io who lights up the screen every time she's on it and imbues the title character which such a life force. She is captivating and I hope we'll get to see her in more films soon.

Beans does a wonderful balancing act between telling the story of this young woman in a sensitive and nuanced way while also paying historical witness to the events of the Crisis itself. I was young when it was happening but the film felt like it was immersing me in the time and even for people who have never heard of the events, the film gives a very clear chronicle of the event and the importance of those days. 

And Beans works powerfully for almost all ages except for the youngest of children. Overall it is a wonderful film and a showcase for its star. 

Beans

Starring: Kiawenti:io, Paulina Jewel Alexis, Violla Beauvais, Rainbow Dickerson, Joel Montgrand

Director: Tracey Deer

Writers: Meredith Vuchnich, Tracey Deer

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