Pirate Radio (2009)

Pirate Radio (known as The Boat That Rocked in the U.K.) is based on the true story of how a handful of renegade DJs influenced the future of music forever.  In the 1960s, rock and roll was incredibly popular in Britain, but it only got a fraction of airtime on the radio.  A few enterprising radio people sought to remedy this, and began broadcasting 24/7 rock and pop music from ships stationed in the North Sea.  The pirate station known as 'Radio Rock' was the most popular among them.
It's into this picture that we are introduced to young Carl (Tom Sturridge), who has recently been kicked out of school and is sent out to sea to visit with his godfather Quentin (Bill Nighy), the de facto manager of Radio Rock.  Dave (Nick Frost), one of the many DJs on board, takes a liking to Carl, and before long the rest of Radio Rock considers Carl to be one of their own.  While the DJs go through various exploits of debauchery and clashes of ego, Carl discovers one of the DJs on board may be his father, and he decides to seek him out before his return home.  Meanwhile, on the mainland, Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), and his new assistant, one Mr. Twatt (Jack Davenport) are determined to shut down the noise pollution of rock and roll for good, whether it's done by legal means or otherwise.  Carl eventually discovers the identity of his father, but only moments later, the entire crew are put into a life threatening situation at sea, and brought out of it in a most unexpected way.
The first thing I noticed about Pirate Radio was the amount of sexual content.  While I was a bit shocked at first, it was certainly true to the era, and it would hardly be fair to judge a movie for that.  The other major attribute of this Pirate Radio is that it's an ensemble film.  Thankfully director Richard Curtis has done very well with other ensemble films like Love Actually.  No one character ever truly feels left out of the story, even if they appear for a few brief moments.  In fact, one could argue that these brief moments are more impactful than the larger set pieces of the movie.  One of my favourite scenes in the film is an exchange between Carl and early morning DJ Bob (Ralph Brown).  It's a very short scene with very little dialogue, but there's a great deal of emotional information packed into that little scene.  I think this stands as both proof of my theory and proof of the great acting and direction of this movie.
As I mentioned above, just about everyone in this film gets their moment in the sun, and each character is memorable in their own way.  One of the most memorable characters is 'The Count' (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who bursts with the kind of rebellious spirit and bullish confidence that could only come from an American.  On the flipside of this, we have Kenneth Branagh's performance as the humourless, yet fiercely determined bureaucrat Dormandy.  He's a character you instantly hate, not only for his personality, but also for what he represents to the fun loving people of Radio Rock and their fans.  These are just a few small examples, of course.  Pirate Radio is so well cast, I could easily pick any given actor and have something good to say about them in this film.
It would be negligent to talk about Pirate Radio without mentioning the music.  What's most interesting is the sheer variety of music there is to hear.  It seems that not a scene goes by when we aren't hearing something play in the background.  The soundtrack is filled with all kinds of different music, from Smokey Robinson all the way to a novelty Christmas song by the Beach Boys.  At its heart, the love of music is the driving force of Pirate Radio, and it communicates this tremendously well.  
If you're fond of classic rock and roll, or have an interest in radio, Pirate Radio is a great movie for you.  It has a good mix of seriousness and comedy, and a brilliantly curated soundtrack to hold everything together.

La La Land (2016)

La La Land is one of the most talked about films to come out this year, with multiple Oscar nominations (as of this writing), as well as multiple Golden Globe wins.  The film begins its story with Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress who is currently making ends meet by working at a Hollywood coffee shop.  Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is in a similar life situation, forced to play uninspiring music for an unappreciative audience, instead of opening the jazz club he dreams of owning one day.  After a few chance meetings, the two fall in love, and begin to seek their dreams together.  However, both run into obstacles, and realize that the way to their dreams wasn't at all what they imagined.
La La Land is a wonderfully made film.  The cinematography, lighting and choreography are all excellent and deserving of all the awards attention this film has received.  The songs are memorable, and will stick in your head in the best way.  The acting is equally praiseworthy.  Not only do Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have great onscreen chemistry and captivating performances, but they also sing, dance, and even play piano, in Gosling's case.  Of course, if you've read even the smallest media coverage of this movie, you already know all of this.  The real magic of La La Land is how it makes you feel when the credits are over.
I saw La La Land in a small town theater (thanks to the folks at the Norgan Theatre!).  To the best of my memory, I haven't seen a movie in this type of theatre since the late 90s.  Being able to briefly soak in those feelings of nostalgia certainly enhanced the experience for me, so I encourage you to see it somewhere small and local, if you can.   As I mentioned before, La La Land is much more than a simple song and dance movie.  The ending will feel different for everyone who sees it, but I'm confident it will make you think about your own life and the choices you've made in that time.  La La Land also explores the idea of personal dreams and relationships.  Sometimes dreams are not what they seem, or the process of achieving them is much different than we imagine.  In the same way, people can become different over time, in their ideals and personalities.  It's a surprising amount of emotional data to unpack, but it's well worth the price of admission.
In short, La La Land brings back the classical flair of old Hollywood, while at the same time challenging the emotional intellect of the audience.  It doesn't claim to have any answers to the questions it raises, but it dares to ask those questions all the same.  I think La La Land is a film with class and complexity that will stand the test of time for future generations.

Entertainment (2015)

To begin to understand a film as strange as Entertainment, you first have to understand Neil Hamburger.  Neil Hamburger is the alt-comedian persona of Entertainment star Gregg Turkington.  The closest comparison one can find for his act would be Andy Kaufman's Tony Clifton character.  In short, Neil Hamburger is the most offensively hostile comedian on the planet.  His jokes are either insulting, infantile, or in horrifically bad taste.  When the crowd isn't receptive to his brand of humour, Neil patronizingly urges the audience to 'put a smile on your fool faces'.  If this approach doesn't work, he moves to level two hostility, viciously targeting specific members of the audience with insults until they either retaliate or leave.
Entertainment follows Neil as he tours the Mojave desert, performing at various prisons and dive bars with his opening act, a clown/mime (Tye Sheridan) who specializes in only the crudest jokes possible.  Between shows, Neil takes stops to examine the few interesting areas of the desert, such as an airplane graveyard, or an abandoned car wreck.  He also calls and leaves messages to his estranged daughter each night and keeps her up with how things are going, though it's uncertain if she actually listens to these messages.  John C. Reilly features as Cousin John, who does his best to book shows for Neil, although he has difficulty understanding why he doesn't make his comedy more accessible to people. (much like the viewers themselves)
The cinematography and style of Entertainment owes a lot to the work of Stanley Kubrick.  (The Shining, in particular)  There are a great many long, almost glacially paced scenes, packed with uncomfortable silences from the characters.  One of the defining traits of Neil's character is that he almost never speaks a word when he's not onstage.  This is somewhat frustrating for a viewer who might want to understand his motivations, but I feel that it was a conscious directorial choice.  Another interesting choice is the sound of this film.  Many moments are punctuated with eerie, harsh white noise, which increases the strange feeling of dread and tension this film creates.
All of these stylistic choices add up to Entertainment's ultimate mystery:  why does he do it?  What good reason would a comedian have for sticking to such a controversial act, touring dead-end venues, and aimlessly wandering the desert?  Furthermore, is Neil suffering from a crippling depression, losing his mind, or is he simply bored to death?  Unfortunately, the film provides no true answers to any of these questions.  The film, much like its main character, simply exists.
Entertainment was nothing like what I expected it to be, but I think that's a good thing.  Certain scenes are very uncomfortable to watch, and the main character is barely likeable at all.  That being said, it is still well shot, and demonstrates good technique when it comes to filmmaking.

The First Three - Luke Cage (2016)

Statistics have shown that it takes a few episodes for a viewer to get hooked on any given series.  On average, the number of episodes is three. (thus my title) With this in mind, I welcome you to the first in a series in which I will review shows based on the first three episodes.  In this first edition, I'll be looking at the new Netflix original, Luke Cage.
To those unfamiliar with the character, Luke Cage (sometimes known as Power Man) is a Marvel Comics character who has been around since the 1970s.  The new Netflix series, produced by Marvel and ABC Studios, brings Luke Cage into the here and now, sharing the TV universe of other heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones.  Although Luke Cage's powers include super-strength and unbreakable skin, he tends to keep a low profile in the first episodes of this series.  This is in large part to the fact that Cage (Mike Colter) is a man who is running from his troubled past.  Luke does his best to live a quiet, trouble free life in Harlem while people like the gangster 'Cottonmouth' Stokes (Mahershala Ali) and his cousin Mariah (Alfre Woodard), a misguided, if not crooked politician, cause problems that end up affecting the whole neighbourhood.  When a violent tragedy strikes Pop's barber shop, the local social hub, (and one of Cage's workplaces) Luke realizes the impact crime is having on Harlem, and sets out to use his powers to make a lasting change for the city.
One of the most striking elements of Luke Cage is just how steeped in black culture the show truly is.  From background jazz or rap music to discussions of basketball and even black poets and writers, the show covers just about everything.  There were several references that I didn't understand, but this is one of the things that excites me about the show.  It gives me the feeling that the writers know what they're talking about, and that there is true authenticity in the dialogue.
Much of the black community has voiced their support of the show and its cast, though there is some divisiveness over the show's more political elements, such as the use of certain racial language, or Luke Cage's hoodie, a possible reminder of the Trayvon Martin case.  While these things may be uncomfortable for some, I feel that it's all done in the name of authenticity, and the shows writers and producers should be applauded for it.  The show acknowledges the daily issues I'm certain many black people face, while at the same time, not going the route of stereotyping.  From a writing standpoint, this is a difficult balancing act, but it has been done to perfection here, and the show deserves recognition for that alone.  
Another reason the show is so successful is the performance of Mike Colter in the iconic title role.  Colter's Luke Cage is soft spoken, yet powerful.  He will defend himself physically, but doesn't go out looking for trouble.  Throughout the series, we also get glimpses of Cage as a man conflicted by his past, and dealing with feelings of guilt.  Mike Colter brings great depth and seriousness to the character, and he's helped by an outstanding supporting cast.  The women of the series are especially compelling characters for me.  Simone Missick plays the street-smart detective Misty Knight with just the right balance of sharp wit and sex appeal.  Alfre Woodard's portrayal of Mariah is wonderfully complex.  It's clear from Woodard's performance that Mariah believes she is doing the right thing, even though she is doing it in the most unethical of ways.  In my opinion, she may be the most interesting character on the show after Luke Cage himself.
To sum up, Luke Cage is a show that will appeal to not only long time comic fans, but to people who are entirely new to the character.  It contains fantastic action sequences, as well as real human drama.  Luke Cage is great not only for its entertainment value, but is equally valuable for its social commentary.  If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you try watching at least the pilot episode.  Even if it's not to your taste, it will certainly leave you with a few things to think about.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Pan's Labyrinth recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, so I thought it would be a great time to look back and examine what makes this Guillermo del Toro film so special.
The film takes place in the late years of World War II, in Francisco Franco's Spain, which is still recovering from the Spanish Civil War.  A young girl named Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her pregnant mother Carman (Adriana Gil) have been displaced, and taken in by Vidal, a captain in the Spanish army.  While Vidal defends his outpost from guerilla freedom fighters and attempts to root out sympathizers in his ranks, Ofeila is more concerned with her mother.  Carmen's pregnancy is a difficult one, and Ofelia is concerned that her mother may not survive.  Ofelia encounters a faun, who gives her three tasks to carry out.  Not only will these cure her mother's illness, but the faun claims Ofelia will become immortal if she performs her tasks correctly.
One of the things I find interesting about this film is that it is told entirely in Spanish, with subtitles.  Guillermo del Toro could have very easily made Pan's Labyrinth in English, but I am thankful he chose not to.  While subtitles aren't to everyone's taste, I find this style choice to be the most authentic to the cultural setting.  It feels completely natural for the film to be presented in this way.  To have the same film in English would be to settle for a cheapened experience.
The contrast of brutal realism with dark fantasy is one of the things that makes Pan's Labyrinth work so well.  The score by Javier Navarrete mirrors this tone incredibly well.  There are notes of the whimsical tempered by terror and tension as the story develops.  The film has an incredibly strong cast, which also helps to draw the viewer in.  In particular, I was captivated by Sergi Lopez's performance as the cruel Captain Vidal.  His mercurial anger is as terrifying as the script intends, and makes you all the more concerned for the safety of the others.  Alex Angulo is also very good as the determined Doctor Ferreiro, who plays a dangerous game by helping the rebel camp in secret.
My review wouldn't be complete without talking about the incomparable work of creature actor Doug Jones, who performs both the fascinating, yet dangerous looking faun character as well as the baby-eating monster known only as 'the pale man'.  Jones uses every part of his body to create these iconic characters, but this is only half the story.  These performances would be nothing without the masterful technical work of prosthetics and special effects.  While the fantasy sequences in this film are brief, they are so richly detailed that they are the most memorable and iconic scenes from the film.  Credit is also due to the production design team for creating such a finely detailed and fully realized world.  
To sum up, Pan's Labyrinth is still as incredible a piece of film as it was ten years ago.  The characters are strongly written and brilliantly acted.  The effects work is beautifully well done, and solidifies the otherworldly nature of this movie.  In addition, Pan's Labyrinth was a film that catapulted Guillermo del Toro into his position as one of the most visually distinctive and sought-after directors in Hollywood.  In short, it's a high point in the ever-expanding del Toro filmography.  

Mr. Nobody (2009)

Mr. Nobody is the surrealistic tale of a man known as Nemo Nobody.  Some time in the distant future, the one hundred and eighteen year old Nemo is now the last living mortal on Earth. (humans having discovered medical immortality)  A reporter secretly finds his way into his hospital room in order to interview him and find out the details of his life.  Nemo tells the story of his three distinct lives, insisting that they all happened.  We witness the different ways his life unfolds with Elise, Anna, and Jean, each of whom were married to him.  As the stories play out in jumbled bits and pieces, things slowly become stranger and stranger.  Finally, we are led to a final explanation that makes everything, impossible as it is, make sense.
Mr. Nobody is, at its heart, an experimental art film.  This is evidenced by the number of awards it won on the European film festival circuit, and the lack of attention it received in North America.  The visuals of the film echo other similar works such as Terry Gilliam's Brazil, or the dreamlike works of David Lynch.  This dreamlike quality even carries into the camera work itself.  Some scenes are prone to shift in and out of focus, or to run in reverse, reinforcing the confused nature of the narrative.
The narrative itself is good, but also frustrating for those who expect a traditional story.  At about the midway point, I found my attention wandering.  This was simply because of the slow paced and confusing nature of the story.  There is no way to tell what is truth or fiction, and because of this, I found it incredibly difficult to become emotionally invested in any character.  This is not to say that the cast doesn't deliver a solid performance, however.  Jared Leto does quite well with such a challenging role.  This is helped by a top rate makeup department, who provided some of the most captivating, realistic looking age makeup I've seen in some time.  My only true criticism is that Nemo appears to magically lose his British accent when he becomes an adult, though the plot does have a built in excuse for any inconsistencies.  Of the three wives in the film, Sarah Polley delivers a frighteningly believable performance as a woman suffering from an extreme form of bipolar disorder.  Acting-wise, I think Polley's scenes are some of the best in the entire film.
As the film descends into more dreamlike surrealism, the intent of the film as an art piece becomes much more clear.  These sequences are the most visually interesting, and a welcome change of pace from the rest of the film.  I found the final revelation of the film quite satisfying, but I can completely understand how it might leave many viewers frustrated.  As I said at the beginning of this review, Mr. Nobody is an experimental film about memory and choices.  On that conceptual level, it works remarkably well.  Unfortunately, in the terms of a traditional narrative, it's incredibly difficult to like or care about the characters.  So, if you choose to see Mr. Nobody, it's important to go in with the right expectations, or else you're going to be sorely disappointed.  If you're a fan of the unusual in film, or like to challenge yourself with your media, this will be right up your alley.  If you prefer your stories to have a proper beginning, middle, and end, this probably isn't for you.

Snowpiercer (2013)

Snowpiercer takes place in the not-too-distant future, in a world where attempts to stop global warming have gone horribly wrong, and the Earth as we know it has been frozen solid.  What remains of humanity has been left to circle the globe (for generations) on a gargantuan train named Snowpiercer.  In the time the the train has been in operation, the system of government has become corrupt and murderous.  While passengers in the rear of the train are beaten and served slabs of black gelatin, the elite people towards the front are treated to the luxuries of steam baths and sushi. When low-class citizens Curtis (Chris Evans) and his friend Edgar (Jamie Bell) decide they've seen enough, they organize a revolutionary group to get to the front of the train in order to confront Wilford (Ed Harris), the mysterious figurehead and operator of Snowpiercer.  Along the way, they encounter both political and physical resistance, until they are finally faced with the monstrous realities of how the train operates, as well as being faced with an impossible choice that affects all the lives on board.
The production design of Snowpiercer is brilliant from top to bottom.  It makes great use of the techno-industrial ghetto aesthetic used in such films as the Matrix and Alien franchises.  Almost immediately, the film gives you a very clear sense of place.  This feeling also serves to reinforce the ideals of the characters.  We understand why they want out of the place they're in because we're shown how awful it is.
Equally important to this theming is the costume design.  The uniforms of the train guards call to mind soldiers of Nazi Germany.  Train overseer Mason (Tilda Swinton), on the other hand, wears clothing that would have been highly fashionable in the 1980s.  John Hurt's Gilliam wears patched, sooty clothing, concealing his artificial limbs, which are themselves cobbled together from canes and various scrap metal.  These costume choices are not only wonderfully made, but they solidify the idea of the class system, which is a key theme of the film.
Snowpiercer is just as well made behind the camera.  Director Joon-ho Bong (credited as Bong Joon Ho) brings a totally unique combination of techniques to this film.  Both the camera work and lighting seem to magnify the emotion of the actors, which makes the story all the more thrilling.
The acting is brilliant across the board.  Chris Evans is a picture of grim determination, in a performance which only gets more intense as we approach the ending.  Tilda Swinton displays a bureaucratic tyranny that might remind one of Margaret Thatcher's iron-clad vision for England in her time as Prime Minister.  While John Hurt's role has less screen time, he plays it with a depth and believability that is unmatched.  Also of note is Kang-ho Song as Namgoong Nimsoo, the drug addicted security expert who is drafted to get Curtis' team to the front of the train.
I was somewhat surprised at the amount of violence in Snowpiercer, but I found that it was well handled, if slightly graphic.  This approach to violence works in much the same way it does in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.  The violence serves to drive the plot forward, as well as reinforce the grander themes in play.
Snowpiercer is a film with many faces.  You can watch it as a thoughtful art film, or simply as a great piece of sci-fi action.  It's thrilling in its originality, and in my opinion, it is one of the most smartest sci-fi films made in the past decade.  If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favour and check it out today!

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Imagine you're playing a game of chess.  Now, imagine all of the game pieces and all of the squares on the board are the same colour.  It's difficult, isn't it?  It's difficult to know whose pieces are whose, which moves are legal and which aren't.  Finally, imagine this is a high-stakes game, and the results determine life or death for someone else.  This is the world of Bridge of Spies.
Set during the Cold War, this Steven Spielberg film tells the true story of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), a New York insurance lawyer who is drafted to defend one Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) on multiple charges of Russian espionage.  Most people, including the judge, believe this is an open and shut case, and the trial is merely a show for the public.  Donovan doesn't see it that way, and is determined that Abel receives the fairest treatment possible, if only to demonstrate American values to the USSR.  Despite his best efforts, Abel is found guilty on all counts.
Meanwhile, Francis Powers, an American air force pilot, is shot down over Russia while flying a U2 spy plane.  He is captured and held in a Soviet prison, which offers an opportunity to Donovan.  An exchange of prisoners is offered between the USA and the USSR.  At the same time, in Germany, a young American student named Frederic Pryor is caught on the wrong side of the under-construction Berlin wall, and is held in prison.  Donovan then determines to negotiate with both parties in order to free both men in the exchange.
With the assistance of the CIA, James Donovan is sent to Berlin to perform the negotiations.  From here begins a strange game of misinformation, tricky negotiations, and secrecy.  Donovan succeeds against difficult odds, and the film concludes with an edge-of-your-seat exchange set on the Glienicke Bridge, where we discover if everyone is true to their word or not.
The script, by Matt Charman and the Coen Brothers, is superbly written.  Every line drips with hidden meaning, and the tension is consistent until the very end.  Unlike other films of its kind, Bridge of Spies chooses not to use any subtitles, despite numerous scenes with dialogue in German and Russian.  I find that not knowing the other languages serves to increase the mystery, as well as communicating Donovan's experience of being a stranger in foreign territory.  The audience never truly misses anything from the lack of subtitles, but I can't help but wonder if the film experience is different for people who are fluent in German or Russian.
The script is helped with an outstanding cast.  Tom Hanks gives a wonderfully convicted performance as James Donovan, a man who is well aware of the odds against him, but is determined to do whatever it takes to see justice done.  Equally good is Mark Rylance, as the always stoic Rudolf Abel, a performance which earned him an Academy Award.  Among the rest of the well-rounded cast, I especially enjoyed Mikhail Gorevoy as Ivan Schischkin.  His performance reminded me of the work of classic bad-guy actor Peter Lorre.
At its heart, Bridge of Spies is all about the concept of freedom.  It examines how we define freedom, as well as the effects of limiting freedom, or removing it outright.  To James Donovan, it was irrelevant whether Rudolf Abel was a spy or not.  What mattered was his being given a fair chance at living a life of freedom.  This film provides a very interesting look at history, and how extreme politics can affect a country's society.  Considering the political climate today, it's an important lesson to be reminded of.