Kisses Seals the Season

Christmas Eve I popped “Kisses” into the DVD player and I am so glad I did. Wow, this is a great movie and sure to be near the top of the list in my forthcoming 'Best of 2010'. The movie opens on Christmas Eve in a village not far from Dublin, Ireland. Bickering, squabbling, arguing, screaming and fighting are the home settings for eleven year old Kylie and Dylan in their houses on this festive occasion. They live next door to one another with their respective and equally dysfunctional families. While many children around the world are joyfully awaiting Santa's arrival, they are trying to hide from the chaos in their abusive home environments. Things reach a boiling point when Dylan reacts to his father punching his mother in the face by attacking him and cutting him with a broken bottle. He locks himself in the bathroom to escape the inevitable retaliation from his crazed father twice his size. As his father is busting down the bathroom door, Kylie comes to his aid by putting a ladder up to the second floor window, enabling him to escape. At this point they run and run until they are away from the danger, noise, hate and anger. They have no plan; just a common desire to put it all far behind them. Down by the canal they manage to jump aboard a slow moving barge despite the skipper's protests and off they go, away, away....

The movie begins in black and white, which suits the bleak, hopeless milieu of poverty and despair that the kids live amidst. As they journey on, the picture starts to take on some light pastel hues which grow richer and stronger, until they finally reach the shopping malls in Dublin. Here the movie explodes into deep, rich, brilliant colour; reflecting their youthful and exuberant happiness; as they revel in their freedom and go on a wild, crazy shopping spree. The barge captain has introduced them to the music of Dylan's namesake 'Bob Dylan' with “Shelter From The Storm” and Bob Dylan's music remains as a theme throughout the rest of the picture.

For now they are simply living in the moment; enjoying the freedom to be children at play. The reality, though, is that they are not at all street wise and are homeless and penniless in the big cruel city. They decide to try to to track down Dylan's older brother who ran away to Dublin a while back; but after traipsing from squat to squat the trail grows cold, as does the night. They encounter various inhabitants of the streets and the evening and experience moments of both magic and terror. A friendly hooker gives Dylan a kiss, and tells them “When you kiss, you either give or take, see; I kiss a lot”. Kisses symbolize love and hope; and this movie doesn't have the unrealistic ending of a fairy tale. Rather it concludes in the real world back where it all started; and in black and white. It ends with smiles though, and hope, and the knowledge gained that there are other worlds “out there' and alternatives to be found by those who dare to search and seek and hope.

The two young unknowns who play Kylie and Dylan give excellent performances, although much credit must go to Lance Daly who both wrote and directed the movie. He has really delivered here and I look forward to his next work. The movie was released in 2008, but was only recently released on DVD. I recommend you watch it with subtitles on as the Irish brogue is thick at times.

“Thanks for saving me.”

“You saved me first.”

“And I'll save you again.”

“And I'll save you again!”

If this movie doesn't reach you, and touch you and move you; then maybe you can't be reached, touched or moved; at least not cinematically. Note it down for next Christmas Eve. I plan to watch it again next December 24; and probably between now and then!

Just Like The One's I Used To Know

“Lovely,Still” was another movie I earmarked for watching during Christmas week. Two great talents star in this movie. Ellen Burstyn, born in 1932, plays Mary; and Martin Landau, born in 1931, plays Robert; two seniors who live across the street from one another. Mary befriends Robert a week before Christmas and during the days that follow they go on a dinner date, attend a neighbourhood Christmas party and finally end up spending Christmas Day together. Robert seems oft confused and bewildered as if layers of fog are obscuring his vision at times. Mary is joyful and warm and so much fun for Robert to be around. He glows when he is in her company as he discovers love for the first time. “I've never spent Christmas with anyone before!”

Roberts car is stuck in his driveway, having banged into the garage door and lodged there. When Mary asks him what caused that wee accident he answers that he was in a big rush because he 'had to go'! This is a movie about getting old; about lines in the face and grey hairs; about being tired, being alone and feeling lonely; and about love. Sometimes the movie is like the perfect world in a snow globe and at other moments stark realities come to the fore; “WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY HEAD?”. The acting is wonderful and the movie is amorous and charming, sad and whistful. “I'm tired and I don't want to be alone anymore”.”Let's just care about right now”. I think those of us over fifty may find this fable easier to relate to than the younger generation, but there is something here for all of us. We all have parents and grandparents and have all experienced joy in the discovery of love, and suffered the pain of loss. This a fine movie to watch during the frantic build-up to the Noel holiday and to help us remember the importance of friends and family in our life. Enjoy....and you may want to have a few tissues handy.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the one's I used to know.

Christmas Chaos on Camera

“Cooper's Christmas” was my choice for comedic relief during the week leading up to Christmas.

This little unknown gem is sure to become a cult classic for those who don't mind humour that can be crude, lewd and cringe-inducing at times. This movie was originally released as “Cooper's Camera “ in 2008. The recent DVD release changed the name to “Cooper's Christmas”. The setting is the Christmas day of a very dysfunctional family in 1985. Gord Cooper, his wife Nancy and their two sons; whiney effeminate 17 year old Marcus and smart little budding teen Teddy; are hosting their friends and relatives for the festivities. Gord has accepted a 'barely-used' VHS camera from his sleazy neighbour in lieu of $2,000 owed him. Nancy is not very happy about this as she had earmarked that money for a family vacation to Disneyland before her current pregnancy was too far along. Teddy grabs the camera and proceeds to film the day as it descends into total chaos fuelled by massive amounts of alcohol consumption.

The movie is laugh out loud funny at times and is true to the period with appropriate hairstyles, clothes and mannerisms; plenty of Star Wars references and talk about the 'new Coke'. Gord wears a loud Christmasy sweater and Uncle Nick sports a big mullet hairdo. The ladies have some great hairDO's too. Uncle Nick is one of the great variety of wild and crazy characters that make this movie so entertaining. He is a loud, lecherous oaf who is constantly bragging of his inappropriate extramarital sexual liaisons: “Some would call it rape , but I'm sure she would have said yes if she was awake.” Jamie Balognie arrives with a big bowl of her homemade coleslaw. “It's got some raisins, beets and anchovies in it. They really add some zip”. Nana is my favorite ; she is constantly grumpy and always has a cigarette dangling out of her mouth with a long ash about to drop off it. She insists on a traditional Christmas family breakfast of 'mushrooms-on-toast'. Sexy cousin Heather's arrival gets Teddy's immediate attention and she manages to 'tease' him out of most of his saved-up allowance. The simmering tensions reach a crescendo when Gord's brother, Uncle Tim, shows up for the first time in 15 years. Rumours fly around about Tim and Nancy on Gord and Nancy's wedding night. From here on everything 'goes to hell in a handbasket'.

There is a running joke about erectile dysfunction, including a gift of a penis pump and the comment “Who would ever go to the doctor to get their penis to work?” Viagra was a million miles away back then. Boorish Gord's unhealthy obsession with the mannequin he keeps hidden in a closet is only one of the awkward squirm inducing moments that assure that this movie will never reach a full family audience. I'm sure many will be 'Rolling On The Floor Laughing Their Ass Off'. Just make sure you are ready for abundant gross male sex talk and you'll be OK.This movie was made in Toronto , Ontario in Canada, but I am betting many of my American neighbors will be able to relate to it. We all have some dysfunction in our family; or our neighbo(u)r's family; or someone that we know. LOL

Here are a few more lines from this flick:

“You don't like Shamu?”

“You may be my father, but this guy, he's my Dad!”

“Your family is fucked , you know?”

“You remember when you were born?”

and “I WAS A GIRL ?”

Don't get a stomach ache laughing too hard, and don't blame me if you do.

Christmas Blues

The week leading up to Christmas finds me watching a few movies related to the holiday season that I have put aside during the year. First up was “Powder Blue”, a drama made in 2009. The story is about the lives of four people crossing paths in the underbelly of Los Angeles in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. Jessica Biel is Rose Johnny, an exotic dancer and single parent with a young son in a coma ; Forest Whitaker is suicidal ex-priest Charlie; Ray Liotta is Jack Doheny,an ex-con back in the city after 25 years incarceration and Eddie Redmayne is Qwerty Doolittle, a mortician who has inherited the failing family business. Each of them is looking for something; redemption, love, faith, a second chance. They are filled with fear, guilt, insecurity and most of all loneliness. They meet and interact with one another and also with Lexus a transsexual prostitute (Alejandro Romero) and Sally a newly divorced and terribly lonely waitress (Lisa Kudrow). The movie is very stylized with strong colours, some hypnotic and erotic music tracks and a good pace and atmosphere in the build up to the climax on Christmas Eve.

The format is not new; it is very similar to other movies like “Crash”, which weave various threads together in unexpected ways to create an unforeseen fabric. Kris Kristofferson has a small cameo role and Patrick Swayze plays the part of Velvet Larry, the owner of the strip club 'Wild Velvet', where Rose dances. This was Patricks' final work in a feature film before his untimely death due to pancreatic cancer in September 2009. The story has some sad and tragic moments and some uplifting and hopeful outcomes. It may not be what you want to watch to get into the 'Christmas spirit', but it is a good drama reflecting the vagaries of the paths our lives can take, the effects of chance encounters and our power to seize the moment and create happiness in our life. I enjoyed it, but I'm ready for a good comedy next.

A Splice Of Life

 “Splice” is a very good little sci-fi film starring Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley. They are a couple who also work together as research scientists. In the lab they are conducting research by splicing together the DNA of multiple organisms. Their early efforts have resulted in a creature that they hope will produce new proteins that they can use to feed livestock. At a demonstration of their progress things go badly awry and it appears they will be shut down. Proceeding on their own they splice some human DNA into their experiments and create an organism that becomes increasingly humanoid as it develops. It becomes more difficult to keep their creation hidden in the lab and they begin to face logistical dilemmas and serious moral and ethical issues.

They become more and more attached to her and name her 'Dren'. Their problem becomes a serious conundrum that begins to divide them in seeking a resolution; and the choices that they face make those of us watching increasingly uncomfortable. The acting by Brody and Polley is first rate and the CGI is very good. The movie has a very small cast; only six main characters. It was filmed in Ontario and looks as good as many big budget films. It is quite captivating and tense in the early going but loses a little in the ending. Nonetheless I was entertained and recommend it to those who enjoy good science fiction; a genre that we don't get enough of in recent cinema output. 

Women's Right to Equal Pay

“Made In Dagenham” opened in theaters December 17 and I was glad to get to see a preview screening of it. This is an excellently executed telling of the story of a piece of history involving women's rights. In 1968, at the Ford motor plant in Dagenham England, the women working as machinists in the plant, were reclassified as unskilled workers and assessed a substantial pay cut. Working under sweatshop conditions cutting, sewing and assembling the upholstery and seat covers for the automobiles made there, they felt that they were performing skilled labour and entitled to wages equal to the male employees. Supported and encouraged by their union rep (played wonderfully by Bob Hoskins); the 187 female employees walked off the job. The strike brought the plant's operations to a standstill and led to the women meeting with Barbara Castle who was the Secretary of State for Employment in the Cabinet of Harold Wilson's ruling Labour party. Miranda Richardson delivers a great performance in this role. The movie is not only an historically accurate slice of the 60's , but it is also very entertaining; with a nice mix of humour and drama, supported with nostalgic music,authentic costumes, wonderful cinematography and great locations.

The star of the movie is Rita, a woman with no background in politics or union actions, who is invited to join the negotiations, and becomes the key difference maker with her honest, heartfelt speech touching everyone. Sally Hawkins stands out in this role and deserves to receive Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for her performance. Sally starred in Mike Leigh's “Happy-Go-Lucky”, one of my favorite movies of 2008. In this movie she played Poppy, a woman so amazingly happy and insanely cheerful, that you almost wanted to give her a slap upside the head. How can anyone be that cheery? She played a North London primary school teacher who was so exasperatingly optimistic that when in the movie she comes out of a shop to find her bicycle has been taken, she utters the line “Oh,and I didn't even get to say goodbye”. She then decides she needs to take driving lessons and hires as her instructor Scott, who turns out to be as dour, bitter pessimistic and tightly wound as Poppy is upbeat and joyful. It is so nice to see Sally Hawkins turn out a dramatic performance in “Made In Dagenham”, as powerful and well executed as she did in her comedic output in “Happy-Go-Lucky”.

Go see this tale of 'girl power' and you will come away uplifted and glad of your trip to the theater.

Make sure you stay for the credits,which have comments from some of the real life women from the Dagenham plant in 1968.I'm sure that when this movie is released to DVD they will include even more features on the actual history of the people and events portrayed in the movie.

Delightfully Despicable

 

“Despicable Me” has just been released on DVD and is sure to enjoy brisk sales as a Christmas gift. This movie is a great work of animation suitable for the whole family. 'Gru' is the main character; a criminal mastermind who wants to be known as the greatest super villain ever. With the help of his assistant Dr. Nefario and their helpers; the little yellow guys known as the 'Minions'; Gru is planning to steal a shrink-ray from a secret government laboratory and take it into space in a rocket-ship to shrink the moon and pluck it from the heavens. Young upstart villain 'Vector' has recently been in the spotlight after absconding with the Great Pyramid from Egypt and is determined to overtake Gru as the baddest baddie on the planet. No sooner has Gru acquired the shrink-ray than Vector steals it from him and takes it to his fortress. Gru is totally stymied in all attempts to break into Vector's home to retrieve the shrink-ray.....And then Gru sees Vector admitting three little orphan girls to his house to sell him some cookies. Gru decides he will adopt the three orphans and use them as a cover to get into Vector's house and recover the shrink-ray.

The three orphan girls Margo, Edith and ohsocute Agnes are absolutely adorable. Can they melt the heart of an evil genius? Will Gru read them a bedtime story? Will he give them a goodnight kiss?Can a bad man really become a good guy? This movie is charming and goofy, warm and silly, dark and absurd, refreshing and cutesy, slapstick and funny,outrageous and hilarious..The animation is simple but bright and colourful. I saw this on an ordinary television, and although I'm sure it looks great in the Blu-ray version on a HDTV, it is such an entertaining story that it doesn't NEED theses extra bells and whistles to make it enjoyable. The movie played in 3-D in theaters this summer. If it returns in 3-D I will make the effort to see it with my young nephew, as I heard good reports on it's 3-D look. Treat yourself and your little friends to this year's “Up”. “Despicable Me" will be replayed again and again in many households over the holidays. It'll make you smile and warm your heart. Don't miss it!

There are 3 extra mini-movies on the Blu-ray release, which are also available on a second disc with the regular version. It is titled“Minion Madness”and stars the little yellow guys in much more mayhem.

Here is a link to a preview of the mini-movie “Bananas”. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYBw_o_2nG0