ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Shelley McVea

National Champions: Lost at the Goal Line

by Leave a Comment

Thunder Road Pictures was probably hoping to score a touchdown with National Champions. Although baseball is officially America’s national sport, football is its favourite. This movie should be a winner. It is based on an Adam Mervis play by the same name and directed by Ric Roman Waugh. It has a strong cast of seasoned actors, an intriguing story line, and a built in group of football fans to draw on. Even this reviewer who knows little about football was looking forward to a few great hours of entertainment, and maybe gaining a better understanding of the intricacies of the game. Where did it go wrong? 

The countdown is on for the big game. The movie begins with a large, ESPN-type sports screen. 72 hours until kickoff. The most important College Champion game of the year is about to begin. Fans are arriving from around the country. Careers will be made or lost. NFL contracts are awaiting the outcome of the day.  Everyone is pumped up and ready to go. So far so good. The coaches and business partners are working out strategies, and almost counting the money in their pockets.  The great A.K. Simmons is Coach Lazor and he needs this game to solidify his reputation as the best. He loves his young quarterback like a son. He knows that LeMarcus James (Stephan James) is the best and that victory is within sight. 

But now the plot gets even more interesting. LeMarcus and his friend Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig) are planning to boycott the game. Why would the star quarterback do this? Glory will be his. A huge NFL contract will follow.  We’re now presented with a scenario that we would actually like to see play out in real life. James is going to sabotage the game for the most noble of reasons. He will become famous and a multi-millionaire. But his teammates will not be as fortunate. After sacrificing their bodies and talent for this one game they will be forgotten. Broken bodies and with few prospects after college, they will have reaped none of the benefits of their work. Meanwhile their coaches and managers and TV moguls have become multi-millionaires. He wants them to be fairly recompensed for their work and skill. 

But now the movie loses the pigskin. Are we playing football or hockey or lacrosse? James and Sunday are mostly filmed in dark bedrooms, plotting how to get their story out to the media without being found. Is this now a spy movie? The coach is sure he can find them and dissuade James of his foolishness. A detective movie now? Sometimes the young men are seen praying and asking for God’s help. But this thread is never followed up. Are they partly motivated by religious conviction? We never find out. 

Coach Lazor’s wife (Kristin Chenoweth) now decides to leave her husband for her longtime lover (Timothy Olyphant) who just happens to show up at the hotel where the the team is staying. Will the coach decide to win his wife back or keep his mind on the game? Now we’re watching a B-romance movie. The coach opts for the team and now gives them a “pep” talk speech that we’ve heard every coach give to every team in every sports movie ever.  We also find that the lover is really advising James and Sunday on their actions.  We’re now into fantasyland. 

The final act brings the fabulous Uzo Aduba into the picture. If we can’t persuade the disruptive boys to get onto the field, then we’ll blackmail them. When big dollars are in play this seems like a good strategy. We’re now in a legal beagle movie. And it works. Aduba finds out some devastating information and James gives in. I think.  Rather than ending the movie with him suited up on a football field, we are sent back to the dark bedroom to have more discussions.

It’s difficult to see such great plot potential fizzle out in the final frames. It’s difficult to see such great acting not be rewarded with a single vision and great dialogue. If you are a huge football fan, or a great fan of these particular actors, maybe check this movie out.

If not, kick the football into the stands. 

National Champions is now available on VOD.

West Side Story: Spielberg’s Update Dances into our Hearts

by 1 Comment

When I heard that a new West Side Story was due to premiere, I was sceptical. Did I really want to see a remake of one of my favourite movies? When I heard that Steven Spielberg was directing, and that he had wanted to make this movie for over 30 years, I was intrigued. When 91 year old Stephen Sondheim died in late November, seeing this new iteration became a necessity. When I heard that a new role had been written into the movie for 89-year-old Rita Moreno, seeing the movie became a happy obligation.

I was not disappointed. 

Sixty years after the original movie walked away with 10 Oscars, Spielberg’s new version soars to even greater heights – singing and dancing its way into our hearts. All of the songs are there; sung by new magnificent voices. The star-crossed lovers still pine for each other. The Jets and the Sharks still battle for their piece of the American dream. Everything beloved from 1961 is intact. 

What West Side Story 2021 adds is context, depth and a magnificent New York city backdrop. The movie starts in black and slowly expands to light, showing derelict, crumbling buildings. “Dump”. “Slum Clearance”. It’s the late 50’s and what has been the fought over home turf to both the Irish and Polish Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks (now played by Latinx actors) will become the beautiful Lincoln Centre and the home for the gentrified rich. It’s an old story that continues to the present. The gang boys and girls aren’t just fighting each other; they’re fighting for a future that has no place for them. 

If we ever wondered why Tony no longer fights with the Jets, now we know. He has spent time in prison for almost killing a boy and he does not want to become that hate-filled person again.  The neighbourhood store owner, Doc is now replaced by his widow, Valentina. She is played by the magnificent Rita Moreno. She is the one steady adult in the film – linking both gangs and acting as their conscience. And she can still sing. I thought I would get through this movie without a tear but her rendition of a WSS favourite song (always sung by another character) defeated me. Is it possible for an actor to get the same Oscar for another role in the same movie – 60 years later?

West Side Story is known for its amazing songs and fabulous dancing. This movie does not disappoint. Here, however, New York City and its streets and stores are highlighted, along with the colourful explosion of the dancers’ movements and costumes. 

All the actors should also be congratulated. Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (newcomer Rachel Zegler) are perfect for the Romeo and Juliet leads. They’re both beautiful, have wonderful singing voices, and are able to bring both gravitas and lightness to the roles. Canadian David Alvarez is tough and focused as Bernardo (Shark leader) and is also a wondrous singer and dancer. My favourite character, surprisingly, was Riff (Mike Faist), the leader of the Jets. Faist brings a quirky vulnerability to the role – the kid with no family, whose future can only be assured if he enacts the toughness that will eventually kill him.

So head to the theatre this week. West Side Story 2021 will not disappoint you. If you don’t know the story, it will be a joyous, heart-rending experience. And if you do know the story, it will be a joyous, heart-rending experience. 

West Side Story opens in theatres on Friday, December 10th, 2021.  

C’mon C’mon: Changed by Love

by 1 Comment

A24 Productions has hit it out of the ballpark again. Founded in 2012, it has already brought us so many treasures to be grateful for. C’mon C’mon is no exception. Shot in beautiful black and white, it has the feel of a documentary – of lives of people that you didn’t know you needed to know about.

But you’ll be glad you stayed to meet them.

It might be easy to think “Here we go again. Another bonding movie about an adult male and a cute kid’ (Admittedly, Woody Norman really is a cute kid). But Mike Mills’ superb screenplay and skillful direction take this film to a deeper place. 

Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) has a great job. As a radio jockey, he is making his way around the country with his colleagues, interviewing young people about their take on the world.  The movie starts with the sound of their voices. What are their aspirations and dreams?  How do they see the future unfolding? (My understanding is that these are real kids sharing, not actors.) Their answers are tender and courageous and wholly heartening. Johnny is empathetic and interested in all they have to share. 

But life can change with just one phone call and that is what happens. Viv (a wonderful Gaby Hoffmann), Johnny’s sister, asks him if he will come to California to stay with her son. Her ex is dealing with some mental health issues and she feels compelled to travel to help him. The brother and sister have been estranged since their mother died the previous year. Although nervous, this seems to Johnny like an ideal way to rebuild some bridges with the sister that he loves, and also to get to know his little nephew. If he can listen to other young people, certainly he should be able to handle his sister’s child. 

Here is where Mike Mills’ understated direction and beautiful script shine.  He could have gone for easy laughs or sentimental dialogue. There is none of that. The nephew is “smart and weird – a whole little person” as Viv describes her son, and he is going to make his uncle work hard to figure him out. Jesse is mesmerized by his uncle’s recording equipment and loves wearing the giant headphones and pointing the equally giant microphone at anything that makes a sound. Johnny is amused by this and probably realizes that eventually Jesse will become the interrogator of his life. “Did you tell my mom to leave my dad?” “Why aren’t you married?”. Johnny is forced to question himself about why he is so reluctant to give full–or even truthful answers–to his nephew’s many questions. And, of course, Jesse’s BS detector is always on high and any answers that don’t measure up are countered with “blah, blah, blah”.  Anyone with kids, or who spends time around youngsters knows what the “novice” parent is going to encounter: 

“Let’s use the bed as a trampoline.”

“Why aren’t you reading the story like mom does?”

“I’m going to repeat every (single) thing you say to me.”

“Can I sleep with you?”

“I didn’t hide – you lost me!”

“I’m an orphan and you have a dead child, so you can now adopt me (a nightly ritual)”

For Johnny this is all exhausting and illuminating. Jesse is wise and scared (he knows his mom and dad won’t be getting back together) and he needs some clarity or help from Johnny in figuring things out. When Viv’s time with her ex needs to be prolonged, Johnny must now take a bigger step of commitment by taking Jesse on the road with him. Homesickness and fear are now added to the mixture. But the bond between the two has now been forged and they sink or swim together. Jesse did not want to start on this trip, but found in the end that it turned out to be amazing. None of this time is easy, of course, but both uncle and nephew are changed in the process. 

Anyone who is used to seeing Joaquin Phoenix in tough guy roles (cackling as The Joker, snarling like Johnny Cash) will be again impressed with this actor’s range. Here, as a middle-aged guy thrust into a new role as uncle/parent, he shines. And he is met head on by his young companion Woody Norman. Their chemistry is beautiful to behold.  If you’re not one to see movies about family stories, or don’t like black and white movies, make an exception here.

Or, as Jesse would say, “C’mon, C’mon”. 

C’mon, C’mon is available in select theatres on Friday, November 26th, 2021 and expands on December 3rd, 2021.

RK / RKay: Love and Chaos in the Studio

by Leave a Comment

What do you do when your main character leaves the studio?

Pick a door.  Any door.  In the long blue corridor there are many of them.  Which one will the hero walk through?  Or is it the hero?  Maybe it is the director? Rajat Kapoor’s new (crowdfunded!) absurdist comedy takes us through the door and onto the set of his latest movie.

We arrive on the scene near the end of a 35-day shoot.  There is a beautiful heroine (Gulabo) who hasn’t quite learned how to pronounce the her lover’s name properly.  Neither character seems quite as in love as they should be. The hero (Mahboo) is also in deep trouble with some really bad characters and soon will be dispatched to the next life.  The movie is almost a wrap, yet no one seems satisfied with the results. Should they reshoot?  The director RK (who also plays the hero) does not want to change anything. The producer worries that no one will come to a movie where the hero dies at the end. “Who is going to want to see that? ” he asks.  A compromise is suggested.  The director should relax for ten days while the technicians remix and fix.  

This is when the fun begins.

As one of the techs leaves the editing room to take a phone call, the film keeps running.  Mahboo is being chased by gangsters and he runs right off the screen to meet his beloved Gulabo at the train station.  Suddenly the focus of the movie changes from a movie about filmmaking and “how will the film be edited?” to “where is Mahboo?”.  RK gets the call at home that Mahboo has disappeared. He is missing from every single scene in the movie. Everyone blames everyone else. Chaos ensues as the hunt begins. There is an hilarious visit to the police station to report a missing person.  The bad guys are now upset that Mahboo’s character has gotten away with their money.  Finally, RK realizes that since he is the creator of Mahboo, he will need to be the one to find him.  He is, of course, at the trian station. waiting for the beautiful Gulabo.  For safekeeping, RK brings him home.

There are now two of the same person residing at the RK household.  But what he realizes is that the created Mahboo is much happier and deeper than RK is himself. He shares his warmth and care and home cooked meals with RK’s wife and children.  The kids think having a “character” at their home is cool.  When Mahboo is told that he is going to be shot at the end of the movie, he accuses RK of being a murderer, and refuses to return to the movie. By now  the gangsters realize that Mahboo has gotten away with their money and they are out for blood.  Fictional character number two now steps into real time and more chaos ensues.

Rajat Kapoor has created a delightful movie that can be a wonderful diversion in these difficult times. The acting is stellar throughout and Kapoor, with his Peter Sellers’ looks, is especially good as Mahboo/RK. Occasionally, the film seems like it could not decide whether it was a comedy or a philosophical discussion on love, but that only weakens it slightly. Once one accepts that a character can step out of a film into real life, it is easy to be onboard for the wild ride – wherever it might take you.  

RK / RKay is available in theatres and select virtual cinemas.

Leonardo: The Beauty of Art History

by Leave a Comment

We feel that we know him. We’ve known him for five hundred years.  The artist who is probably the most famous painter in the world. Mona Lisa. The Last Supper.  Annunciation. The Vitruvian Man.  The artist: Leonardo Da Vinci.  He was the polymath of the 15th Century.  A true genius.  Now he is a bingeable TV series.

Entitled Leonardo, Sony Pictures and rtve have produced a riveting eight episode murder mystery about the life of Da Vinci. If you did not realize that the artist had been accused of murder, don’t despair – and don’t stay away because of this re-imaginging of history. It serves as a wonderful framing device for the series, even if it’s difficult to find factual information for said murder.

We begin the first episode with Da Vinci in prison and being interrogated about the death of the beautiful Caterina da Cremona. She was his friend and a muse for many of his sketches. As the questioning goes on, we enter into Leonardo’s mind as he looks back over his entire life, remembering the events that have led him to this point.

But, even without this extra intrigue, the series is compelling viewing. The casting is superb.  Aidan Turner is completely believable as the main character and brings a brooding sensitivity to this lead role.  Leonardo is sure of his own genius as an artist, but still questions his place in the world.  His upbringing as a bastard child, unwanted, and under a mysterious soothsayers curse, has turned him into a wary adult.  Because of this, he sees with a true eye to detail and is able to discern both the pain or happiness in each model’s face.  

Some paint to please a patron, creating exactly what is wanted. Leonardo paints what he truthfully sees, a practice that often gets him fired. 

Other cast members are equally believable.  They have “Renaissance” faces”, truly looking like they have stepped out of 15th century Italy.  They would all have made worthy models for Da Vinci’s brush. The gorgeous costumes and splendid sets add to the enjoyment and believability of the series.  Kudos too to the cinematographer – the series is a feast for the eyes. The indoor scenes, so often lit by multitudes of candles, are truly lovely, and worthy of a series about a great artist.

It was fascinating to see how paintings began and progressed.  The heaps of vibrant colours used to make the paints were worthy of a still life picture.

I think my greatest joy, however, was to be giving a backstory to so many of Da Vinci’s works.  We watch as an unhappy Genevra Benci sits for her engagement portrait. We find out who Jesus is modelled on in the Last Supper.  Perhaps the most fun is getting to meet the Mona Lisa. Haven’t we all wanted that? I know I have. 

Please check out this series.  You won’t be disappointed.

To hear our conversation with star Aiden Turner, click here.

Leonardo is now available on TELUS Presents.

Stray: Noble Creatures Unleashed

by Leave a Comment

“Dogs keep watch over human beings, not to ensure that they do not lose their property, but rather that they do not get robbed of their integrity”. Themistius 352. 

Zeytin. Nazar. Kartal. These will be our guides for a tour of Istanbul. Elizabeth Lo, in her short 72 minute documentary lets the melting brown eyes of these three strays show us this magnificent city in a way that we could not have experienced it had we chosen more articulate chaperones. They also become a metaphor for the numerous human drifters that inhabit this thriving city. Each vignette is prefaced by wise words from an ancient philosopher. He was obviously an early observer of the ways of strays. 

Istanbul is one of the oldest, most populous, and beautiful cities in the world. The bridge between Europe and Asia, east and west, it attracts people from around the world. Zeytin, our chief guide, has seen both its famous buildings and its cruelest dives. Being a stray dog, she is at home wherever she travels. If we are used to North American strays – thin and mangy – we will find it hard to imagine that Zeytin is out in the world on her own. She is a healthy, weighty dog and looks like she just stepped out of Hollywood casting. One observer in passing calls her “the tan beauty”. Many Istanbul workers know her by name and are always happy to give her a pat and maybe some morsels of food. In fact, Zeytin and her friends seem to know where and when to arrive for daily handouts at many locations. Like needy street people, they are free, but also totally vulnerable. 

Luckily, laws in Istanbul have changed recently and citizens are not allowed to kill stray dogs. Officials cannot euthanize them. Instead, strays are tagged, spayed or neutered, and returned to their favourite places. It’s not perfect, but it is a start. 

These chaperones introduce us to street life in Istanbul. Zeytin and her friends roam day and night. They are not the only lonely inhabitants of this city. We are privy to solitary souls – human strays – some lamenting their lot in life; some living as nomads. Like the stray dogs, they are cold and hungry much of the time. Every day is another struggle to find food and shelter. Like the canine strays, they often meet concerned citizens that are able to help them in their daily wanderings. But most ignore them. 

A group of young refugee boys from Syria form a bond with one of Kartal’s puppies and despite having nothing, feel that they can take care of this little girl. Of course, they must steal her first. That goes off without a problem. They name her Sari, and they do care for her as a little member of their band of brothers. Their plucky dedication is touching. It is a reminder that kindness and attachment are not the prerogative of only the rich and housed. It is also a reminder that our cities – so vibrant and beautiful – often have a lonely underbelly that can easily be overlooked. 

In this short film, Elizabeth Lo reminds us of the beauty of a great city. Its most lowly inhabitants in their own way contribute to the vitality. If you are a dog lover, this is a film for you. If you are not a dog lover, prepare to have your mind changed. These noble creatures, with ingenuity and persistence in a hard life, will win you over. 

Stray is available on VOD on March 5th, 2021.

Minari: What is This Place?

by Leave a Comment

“What is this place?  Our new home.”

Set in rural America in the 1980’s, Minari tells the story of a young Korean couple forging a new life in a new place.  A new home.  Produced by American companies A24 and Plan B Entertainment, the film reflects award winning director and writer Isaac Chung’s childhood on a small farm in Arkansas. Minari invites us to accompany the film’s protagonists and their children as they move from urban California to a totally new landscape. The new life they encounter is sometimes unsettling, sometimes hilarious, and always bone-tiring. It paints a picture of the life of so many of our fellow travellers as they leave less than perfect situations for what they hope will be life changing situations.  

The journey from urban to rural is often a difficult transition. “What is this place” is a real question and provides the movie with a potent motif.  Will this be a place to provide a living and happiness?  Will it be a place of beauty and grace, or only a temporary stop to an even better living?  Will our children be at home and accepted here?  How will Grandma survive, newly arrived from Korea? Will the farm be close enough to the hospital if young David need surgery?  Jacob and Monica come to different conclusions on many of these questions and their divergent views put a strain on their tiny family.

The divide is not simply between rural and urban, however.  The jobs that were so taxing in the city (chicken sexing) follow them to the country.  The divide between traditional and new also colours their decisions and discussions.  Jacob and Monica had vowed in Korea that they would come to America “and save each other”.  But has this happened?  The gap between aspiration and reality seems only to widen as the movie progresses.  

There is usually a crisis point in most lives, and in most movies too. When this happens in Minari, loyalties must be selected and decisions made.  The choice of family or farm – running or walking – grandma staying or going -must finally be made from the heart.

This film would be simply a sweet and time honoured immigrant story if it were not for the bright humour as well as the genuineness of the script.  In the hands of such skilled actors the words come alive and stay with us.  Kudos too to the exquisite musical score.  At times haunting, at times disjionted, at times lilting; it too reflects the immigrants’ experience.  Minari is visually appealing as well. The countryside is filled with lush beauty.  It acts as a compelling character in the story.  And in the final analysis it provides the ground in which the non-native plant – the Minari – can thrive and grow and bring sustenance to all.

Minari is now available on VOD.

HeartWorn Highways: Back to Simpler Times

by Leave a Comment

Coming to you from 1976. This is a film that is guaranteed to warm your heart and get your toes tapping. Crimson Productions is re-releasing Heartworn Highways, a documentary from two generations ago that reminds us of how good outlaw music was and the role it played in our current country and western scene. This movie doesn’t have the polish of the later 2015 documentary The Wrecking Crew, but its down-home style complements the down-home style of the artists that it portrays. 

Unless you are a country music fan already, most of the artists highlighted in this movie might not be familiar to you. David Allan Coe, Gamble Rogers, Barefoot Jerry. Maybe Guy Clark or Townes VanZandt will ring a bell, but you probably cannot recall a song to go with either of those names. Once these artists start playing, however, you’ll want to “rewind the tape” to hear the great picking and playing all over again. 

In many ways, this documentary has the feel of a “home” project. There are no sophisticated intros or fancy sets. The first artist (Guy Clark) just starts playing guitar and singing a sweet and winsome song. Then comes Larry John Wilson. Wow – an amazing guitarist. No intro – just playing. 

From place to place, we follow artist after artist as they do their rounds down country roads, past cows, horses, cool 70’s cars, and lots of snow – and smokes (even as they’re singing). The one interview we’re treated to is from singer Townes Van Zandt as he talks to 79-year-old Seamore Washington, the walking blacksmith. We get his best advice on how to shoe a horse – and to talk to the good Lord. Then, Van Zandt breaks into the chords of the first song he ever wrote, and Washington is overcome with emotion as he listens and thinks back over his life. Even from a distance of only 45 years, we feel like we’re stepping back in time to a simpler era. 

From cafe to tavern, from school gym concert to Tennessee State prison, the music of these artists either moves people to tears or gets them up dancing. This documentary shows us both. 

From the blacksmith, Washington and his horse-shoeing lesson, we move on to Guy Clark fixing a broken guitar and telling us the merits of ivory over bone, and bone over wood. I feel like I’m learning as I’m being entertained. And being reminded that life is hard and beautiful and can only be improved if you have one of these artists singing about it. 

The movie ends with more snow, car headlights in the dark of the night, and the boys singing Silent Night. Watching this movie again the time of Covid, it portrays the dignity of humbleness and is disarmingly poignant. Most of the artists are gone now but once you’ve heard them sing and play they’ll be firmly implanted in your mind. You’ll be glad that this film was re-released. And you’ll be glad that you watched.

Heartworn Highways is available now on VOD.

Gloria Bell: Dancing through Life

by Leave a Comment

Middle age is tough. When you are Gloria Bell, however, you handle it with verve and joy.

In Gloria Bell, the English remake of his 2013 film Gloria, director Sebastian Lelio casts the luminous Julianne Moore in the lead role. Gloria leads a happy life. She’s divorced but on good terms with her ex. She’s involved in the lives of her children and grandchild. She has an office job that she seems to enjoy and girlfriends to confide in and laugh with. She also loves to dance, spending her evenings at dance clubs.

It is at one of these clubs that she meets Arnold (John Turturro). They make eye contact on the dance floor and from there the romance begins. Arnold comes with lots of hurts and complications from his own recently ended marriage and these will play out in sad, yet frustrating ways throughout the movie. We are rooting for both of them and are never really sure whether their lives will come together in a happy way. Both Moore and Turturro give sensitive and true-to-life performances. Youth is a complicated time in life, but Gloria Bell shows that mid life is every bit as daunting. Between Arnold’s needy family and Moore’s sudden change in circumstances (terrible neighbour, daughter moving to Europe, friend losing her job, son unable to stay in his apartment), they find that they have unexpected challenges to cope with. Will their budding love offer strength for these changing situations?

Gloria’s life is also chronicled by her daily drives. Karaoke-style she belts out whatever song is playing on her playlist and the music is always a reflection of her current situation in life. The songs are all golden oldies and add an 80’s vibe to the movie. It was a bit heavy-handed linking the music to her status but Moore looks so convincing as she sings along off key, it’s hard not to find it charming.

Julianne Moore is truly magnificent in this role. Her acting is subtle and nuanced. In the worst of circumstances she keeps her character even keeled and moving forward. These are skills and coping mechanisms that you learn with age. When she needs to make a bold statement she nails it. When she is happy she radiates joy and delight. Other than fitting her with overlarge glasses (to age her?) Moore looks like a woman barely into her forties, rather than mid-to-late 50’s woman that she is portraying. Even with an amazing supporting cast, this movie belongs to her.

So, if you are a fan of Julianne Moore (or have lived through a few crises yourself) this is the movie to see.

Gloria Bell is in theatres now.