Tag: Children

WEAPONS – Review

As we get past the majority of Summer (Two months down, one to go before Labor Day), perhaps we can cool down a bit from the still sweltering temps by taking a trip into some Halloween-like fare at the multiplex. Why not, since this big cinema season kicked off with the jazz-loving bloodsuckers of SINNERS, and the trick ‘r’ treat supplies are starting to take over lots of retail shelf space (really, Walgreens). And speaking of those lil’ “candy-demanders”, this new flick utilizes them for the frights. Yeah, the movies have been showcasing scary kids for many decades. Wow, those blank-eyed British tots for VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED were in my “nightmare rotation” long before Regan MacNeil spewed pea soup in THE EXORCIST. Now an acclaimed horror director has mixed terror tykes with some small-town scandal and a big-time mystery in (the title is another puzzler) WEAPONS.


A soft-voiced pre-teen narrator introduces us to the town of Maybrrok, USA. Everything’s “off” at the elementary school (grades kindergarten through fifth) since seventeen of the students in Justine Gandy’s (Julia Garner) class ran from their homes at 2:17 am and seemingly vanished into the night. No clues, no leads other than some front door security camera footage (eerily silent) of several fleeing in a weird way (arms sort of dangling dead at their sides). But Ms. Gandy still has one student left, the somber, stoic Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher). The police grill both of them, but they don’t provide any answers. The town’s parents aren’t satisfied with that and start hounding and harassing her, the loudest being home contractor Archer Graff (Josh Brolin). Flustered principal Andrew Marcus (Benedict Wong) tries to diffuse the tension, while Justine turns to booze, reality TV, and an old beau, now-married policeman Paul Morgan (Alden Ehrenreich). But he has to deal with a drug-addled, thieving drifter named Anthony (Austin Abrams), who might know something about those missing kids. Ditto for the eccentric elderly aunt of Alex, the brightly garbed and heavily “made-up” (think Bozo in a tracksuit) Gladys (Amy Madigan). Can any of these victims and suspects lead to the location of those dearly missed children? And what sinister forces compelled them to disappear?

Adding her considerable acting chops to another spooky scenario, Ms. Garner (fresh off the surfboard in the F4 flick) brings a compelling vulnerability to the shunned Ms. Gandy. But we see that she’s no quivering victim. Garner also gives her a tough outer shell as she ventures out of her comfort zone, rather than cocooning in her home or “hoteling” miles away, she stands her ground against her accusers. Yeah, she can “blow off some steam” as she ignites a “former flame”. Now, not all the parents of “the missing” are shrill harpies. Brolin projects another kind of strength that somehow remains despite her crushing grief, spending nearly sleepless nights in his boy’s bedroom. We also see the anguish taking a toll on his work. Then Brolin shifts into the proactive mode, as Archer uses his work skills to follow a chancy lead. As that “flame” Paul, Ehrenreich conveys a man on the “edge”, desperate to stay on the right path, but frustrated by not only the “kid case”, but having to deal with a now listless marriage, then trudge to deal with his father-in-law (the Chief of Police) at work. He aims some of that anger at Abrams, who brings a nice twitchy energy to the “small potatoes” criminal nuisance. Kudos to the strong performance by the gifted young Christopher, who makes Alex a sad enigma, briskly trudging to and from the school where he somehow escaped that chaotic night. Also quite good is Wong as the school’s overseer, pushing back against the panic while trying to hold in his own worries and concerns. The bravest, nuanced work may be from screen vet Madigan, who makes the clown-like Gladys a lot more than a senior citizen caricature, projecting a quiet, menacing mania in every encounter.

Following up his surprise horror hit from 2022, BARBARIAN, writer/director Zach Cregger, has cooked up a delicious premise, building on the remarkable visuals of the kids almost gliding from their cozy suburban homes into a dark oblivion. He keeps us on our toes with his non-linear storytelling style, relaying info in chapters named after the characters, shifting the timeline, and often repeating scenes from different angles and viewpoints. And as with most thrillers, he piles on the shocks with lots of nightmares, with “was that actually real” payoffs. Yes, the “jump scares” work without much of the usual reliance on sound mixing (though it’s good along with the cinematography that works well in both night and day). It’s such an inspired “how” and “whodunit”, full of tension and suspense, that the final act resolution doesn’t have the strength of the “setup” and the small town “sinning”. Without giving anything away, I keep wondering if the final moments were going for horror or for humor (it can be a thin line between the two), making me question the filmmaker’s true intentions. Sure, there’s nervous laughter early on, but the titters in the finale could have leaked over from the theater next door running THE NAKED GUN. Still, the big ending veers away from the now-standard “wrap-ups” in genre flicks, so that’s to be applauded along with the cast and the overall feeling of dread and gloom hanging over these cursed villagers. For fans of these flicks, it quickens the pulse, but a convoluted third act somewhat muffles the considerable “firepower” of WEAPONS.

3 Out of 4

WEAPONS is now playing in theatres everywhere

MARTYRS LANE – Review

(l-r) Sienna Sayer with Kiera Thompson as Leah in MARTYRS LANE. Photo Credit: Shudder

A sullen 10-year-old girl named Leah (played by Kiera Thompson) is living in a rambling, creepy old house by the woods, in a family obviously strained by some previous trauma. What could possibly go wrong? Those who’ve seen scary movies with a supernatural premise like MARTYRS LANE know the range of possibilities is enormous, and most of them prove to be less than benevolent. Frankly, after decades of such films, often with graphic displays of carnage, I’m surprised that anyone would ever rent a cabin in the woods, or buy a big old house with a “history.” It’s probably Hollywood’s pervasive influence that inspired the various laws requiring disclosure of deaths and disasters in any realty transactions.

In this case, the house in this British supernatural thriller came as part of the compensation package for Leah’s father (Stephen Cree) as church pastor. Mom (Denise Gough) is a wreck, easily triggered to anger or tears. Leah is left largely to herself, interrupted periodically by taunting from her older sister (Hannah Rae). That leaves room for an imaginary friend (Sienna Sayer), who might derive from something other than whimsy, and who may come with her own agenda. Guardian Angel? Devil kin? Delusion? Time will tell.

Leah’s little pal visits her mostly at night. They play some games, including clues to find objects that may explain (to Leah and the audience) why the family is so screwed up. The slow-moving mix of disclosure and growing danger sets a suspenseful tone. That eerie quality is enhanced by writer/director Ruth Platt’s decision to keep the camera closer than usual to her subjects for most of the footage. That creates a tension akin to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT but without the risk of motion sickness.

The proceedings keep viewers more on edge than grossed out as the story unfolds with subtlety and understatement. That may make the product too slow and tame for thrill seekers, but fine for the palate of those who prefer queasiness nipping at their emotions. The two young girls turn in superb performances, with Thompson projecting childhood innocence despite her discomfort, while trying to understand the pain of all around her, and Sayer keeping the scales tantalizingly balanced between good and evil until “The Reveal” near the end.

MARTYRS LANE is available for streaming beginning Friday, Sept. 9 on Shudder.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

CAPERNAUM – Review

Zain Al Rafeea as Zain. Photo by Christopher Aoun, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

The title of Lebanese drama CAPERNAUM can be translated as “chaos,” a word that describes the life of young boy named Zain struggling to live on the bottom of society in modern Lebanon Zain (Zain Al Rafea), who is perhaps 12-years-old, is a penniless boy being held in a Lebanese jail for attacking a man but we first meet him in court for another reason: he is suing his parents for having been born. We are uncertain about Zain’s age, because he is uncertain about his age. Among his complaints about his self-centered parents is that they did not bother to register his birth, which means he has no birth certificate, no papers, and therefore does not officially exist. As a non-person, he is not entitled to even the most basic of social services, no matter how poor he is. He is excluded from even the meager help given refugees from Syria, putting him in the same situation as other undocumented immigrants even though he was born there.

This is one of several social criticisms director Nadine Labaki aims at Lebanese society in CAPERNAUM. The film won the Cannes Jury Prize and was nominated for the Palme d’Or. It has been nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The social commentary matters but what really makes this film compelling to watch is the remarkable performance by the child playing the one at the center of it. Wise-cracking, clever Zain takes us on a heartbreaking tour of life in the underclass of Lebanon, where people live in nightmarish conditions of extreme poverty on the edge of society. The drama brings to mind Dickens’ London, for although Zain is not an orphan, he pretty much could be for all the care his exploitative parents give him or his many siblings. Zain is both tough and wise beyond his years but it is his enormous heart and kindness to even more helpless victims that surprises and moves us.

Rather than going to school, Zain and his siblings are sent off daily by their parents, mother Souad (Kawthar Al Haddad) and father Selim (Fadi Kamel Youssef) to make money, either by helping shopkeepers or just hustling home-made fruit drinks on the street. There is no school, and also no kind words, no toys, no beds – only life as an endless battle just to avoid being evicted from their crowded, leaky apartment. With Zain’s favorite sister Sahar (Cedra Izam) teetering on puberty, his parents start planning to sell her into marriage, throwing Zain into panicked action to save her.

Zain is propelled on a journey that brings him in contact with other people struggling on the harsh edge of life in Lebanon. Although Zain’s hard life has made him old beyond his years, at other moments, he is still a child, a boy who wants to play, watch cartoons, and is drawn to an amusement park. Yet even in his most boyish moments, Zain keeps a practical eye out for things he can re-use or sell for the next meal.

Director Nadine Labaki chose to cast mostly non-actors whose lives were close to these characters for her searing drama. There are striking parallels to both SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and Charles Dickens in this grim but gripping drama, from the focus on innocent children trapped in appalling poverty, to indifferent parents, to a cast of nefarious characters, harsh officials, and yet sprinkled with unexpected moments of kindness from strangers.

While CAPERNAUM can be preachy and the device of this penniless boy suing his parents seems far-fetched and even contrived, the film is rescued by a riveting performance by Zain Al Rafea as Zain. Al Rafea has a remarkable, even fiery screen presence, breaking our hearts while impressing us with his fierce will to live, his resourcefulness, and his unexpected inherent kindness.

The film spotlights the hidden world in Lebanon, of people caught in this legal limbo, where having been born in a place does not automatically confer citizenship, putting generations of people born in this shadowy state in the same predicament as illegal immigrants.

While the story type is familiar, we remain caught up in it, not knowing what will happen next. Most astonishing is the heartbreaking performance by Zain Al Rafea as the boy Zain, part Oliver Twist, part Artful Dodger, as he struggles to live amid the chaos, first battling to protect his favorite sister from his selfish parents, and then to care for a toddler whose Ethiopian mother befriends him. Although we see other children play in the middle of this squalor and chaos, Zain is always hustling, and has very few moments of childhood. Still, at one touching moment, he spots an amusement park from a bus, and suddenly gets off, as if hoping to just live there.

Despite his appalling circumstances, Zain will touch your heart through his sheer charm, his resourceful determination and his innate human decency. CAPERNAUM is not an easy film to watch nor a subtle film, but it is powerful, nail-you-to-your-seat human drama.

CAPERNAUM, in Arabic with English subtitles, opens Friday, Feb. 1, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

PADDINGTON – The Review

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Just what we need, another cute kids’ movie about a lovable, talking animal. Children can’t seem to get enough of these movies, despite how dreadfully awful they usually are, by most adults’ standards. Spy on parents some time while they treat their little ones to these chatty creature films and you’re likely to find most of them struggling to grin and bear the experience. Yeah. See what I did there?

Normally, you’d be hard pressed to find me caught anywhere near one of these movies. There are, of course, always those rare exceptions that lead you to eat that bitter N word… “never.” This is why I try and never say never about a film, unless its in the title. PADDINGTON (2014) is a family-friendly film, and by that I mean its friendly for the entire family, children and adults. The film is based upon the beloved books by author Michael Bond, who wrote his first Paddington piece n 1958, inspired by the childrens programs he worked on for the BBC at the time.

I will be honest. When I first heard about the new PADDINGTON movie, what went through my head was the cliched assumption that they’ve yet again — or, still — run out of original ideas. This ended up being an unfair assumption about a movie that works surprisingly well. The reason for the film working out this well is simple. PADDINGTON is written and directed by the same person — always a promising sign — and that person is Paul King. For the coolest of our readers, you’ll likely know this name as the director of the quirky British series The Mighty Boosh (2004-2007). For a show recognized as possibly being created while on acid, and could be described as the love child of Wes Anderson and Pee Wee Herman, parents may be alarmed to learn it eventually led a feature-length PADDINGTON film. Fear not. The only addictive substance being consumed here is freshly made marmalade.

Those familiar with The Might Boosh will notice the little influences of this style from the very beginning, as PADDINGTON opens with an old newsreel about an explorer named Montgomery Clyde, who ventured out into “Darkest Peru,” where he stumbled upon a rare species of highly intelligent bears. Befriended a young bear cub (Paddington), his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) and Uncle Pastuzo (voiced by Michael Gambon), Montgomery Clyde left more of an impression on the bears that he could have ever imagined. Fast forward several years, and natural disaster in Darkest Peru has Aunt Lucy sending Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) off to London to find a nice family to take him in and raise him as their own. London is about to host its first ever talking bear, and with him all of his accompanying adventures.

The Brown family are an average lot, but display a familiar hint of dysfunction. Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) is a work-aholic risk analyst with a tendency towards OCD, while Mrs. Brown (Sally Hawkins) is a loving, free-spirited illustrator of childrens stories. Judy Brown (Madeleine Harris) is a typical angst-ridden teenage girl and Jonathan Brown (Samuel Joslin) is a curious, adventurous adolescent boy. One day, the Browns happen upon a young talking bear whilst walking through Paddington Station, hence the origin of the title character’s human name. His bear name becomes one of a handful of low-key running jokes that are sprinkled delightfully throughout the film. Under pressure from Mrs. Brown and Jonathan, Mr. Brown caves and Paddington finds himself the newest addition to the Brown family.

As Paddington assimilates into his new family, he must also avoid the fiendishly obsessed desires of Millicent, the villainous taxidermist set upon capturing Paddington and adding him to her personal collection of permanently preserved wildlife specimens. Millicent, played by Nicole Kidman, is portrayed as a more modern Cruella Deville. Kidman relies heavily on textbook villain tactics, providing an acceptable but minimally impressive performance. Even her name Millicent is strangely similar to Maleficent, and despite being a family film, she offers little in the way of believable danger. As for the remainder of the supporting cast, here lies one treat after another. Mrs. Bird (played by Julie Walters) is a tough, but oddly grounding force within the Brown household. Mr. Gruber (played by Jim Broadbent) is a funny old survivor who helps Paddington find what he’s seeking. Mr. Curry (played by Dr. Who‘s Peter Capaldi) serves as a sort of sub-villain turned anti-hero and strange neighbor to the Browns.

PADDINGTON exploits modern computer technology to bring the talking, accident-prone bear to life. Even ten years ago, it’s unlikely this film could have succeeded on any respectably mature level. Its this technical mastery that adds half of the character’s charm, from his appearance to his mannerisms to numerous sight gags, but the other half is courtesy of Paul King’s playfully odd sense of humor. Subtle puns, plays on words, silly observations and misunderstandings, these are all tools in King’s box of tricks that are used to give the film its well-rounded appeal. On many levels, I could stretch my analysis and call PADDINGTON an analogy for immigration and society’s difficulty in accepting change and the arrival of outside influences. There is definitely a correlation there, but I’ll let you read into that as much or as little as you feel comfortably inclined.

Visually, PADDINGTON is thoroughly engaging, filled with action, visual gags and no shortage of hijinks put innocently into play by the well-meaning Peruvian bear cub, struggling to adapt and find his place in a foreign land. The 95-minute running time falls nicely between being too long and feeling rushed. With all this said, there is still clearly the element of filmmaking for kids, which is only to be expected. Fortunately, these elements are well incorporated and never overwhelmingly present. Combine this with a vivid color palette and you have a film that should do remarkably well with boys and girls alike.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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OCULUS – The Review

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Scaring people has become a lucrative business over the years and decades since Hollywood first embraced the concept of fear for fun. Some of the most profitable contemporary films in terms of investment-to-return ratio have been horror films. In theory, this sounds like a good thing. Unfortunately, profitability does not always equate to a film being a creative success. For those looking for casual scares that appeal to little more than our base reflexes, similar to riding a roller coaster, there is no shortage of options on the market. However, for those of us looking for something more in our horror films, the selection is more limited.

I am happy to report that OCULUS satisfies that craving rather well. No. It’s not a perfect film, but few are these days. That really should go without saying anymore. The film’s marketing proudly announces “from the producer of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and INSIDOUS.” Try your best to take this with a grain of salt. Each of those films carry their own merit, and certainly fit well within the same genre wheelhouse, but refrain from allowing the franchise stigma to cloud or influence your opinion before seeing the film.

OCULUS is not the most original story at its core, playing on a number of popular and recognizable themes. However, the method by which the story is told is rather unique and definitely engaging. Far from linear and disjointed by design, the film leaps forward and backward in time between the present day and childhood for our two main characters. Kaylie, played by Karen Gillan, is an attractive young redhead engaged to the owner of an auction house by whom she is employed. Tim, played by Brenton Thwaites, is her slightly younger brother, recently released on his twenty-first birthday after having spent time under psychiatric care.

Kaylie and Tim have a secret. As children, their parents died and, despite the incredibly horrific events that led to their deaths, Tim ultimately was blamed for murdering his parents. The fantastic truth landed Tim in a mental hospital and prompted Kaylie to commit herself to keeping the siblings’ promise to destroy the entity responsible for the death of their parents. Kaylie’s journey of supernatural vengeance begins with a beautifully dark and ornate antique mirror that once adorned the wall of her father’s home office and has recently been sold by her fiancé’s auction company.

Directed and co-written by Mike Flanagan, who last previously ABSENTIA (2011), OCULUS works on the viewers’ mind in much the same way the mirror twists and pries on Kaylie’s and Tim’s minds. Truth and reality, time and memory, these are tools by which the entity uses to protect itself and wreak havoc on the lives of those who possess the mirror. The origin and story of the entity, for the most part a great mystery, does have a name revealed most briefly and without much ordeal. Marisol. Perhaps the filmmakers felt this was of little importance, but I feel if more attention had been given to the antagonist’s back-story the film would have been that much more engaging.

Steven Spielberg’s classic JAWS comes to mind, not directly, but when explaining the relative absence of Marisol from the film. Like minimizing our visual exposure to Bruce the shark, the viewer is not overexposed to Marisol, instead leaving much to the imagination and focusing on the mystery and suspense that actually drives the film. OCULUS does not delve too deeply into the back-story of Tim’s and Kaylie’s lives, outside of the events that led to their parents’ deaths. The frightening flavor of the film is not seasoned so much by knee-jerk scares and cheap thrills, but rather by a sense of the unknown powered by disorientation and distraction. Just as Marisol keeps the siblings’ distracted from their goal of destroying her, the film keeps the audience distracted from its flaws and weaknesses by immersing the audience into a more cerebral and visceral experience.

For the wannabe ghost hunters out there, pray you never encounter the likes of Marisol. One of the most intriguing elements of OCULUS is how formidable a foe she turns out to be, as creative and patient as she is brutal. Despite its correlation to films such as PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and INSIDIOUS, OCULUS actually has far more similarities to that of THE RING, both in it’s evil antagonist and in the type of fear the film instills in the viewer. The modern meets Gothic mood of the film is enhanced by the cinematography of Michael Fimognari, experienced in the genre, and original music from The Newton Brothers.

In retrospect, given time to reflect and analyze the film, OCULUS is engaging as an in-the-moment cinematic indulgence. It will surely hold up to a second viewing as a way to watch for details missed in the original viewing, but I question the longevity of the film’s ongoing appeal. Ultimately, how the film ends in general is more predictable than the details of how that ending plays out. From early on in the film, the audience gets a sense of what must inherently happen, but it’s the thrill of watching that inevitability unfold before us that is as enticing as it is appalling, but isn’t this truly at the core watching any good horror film?

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

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Review: ‘Let the Right One In’

Let The Right One in

I looked forward to this film for the better part of a year, and now – having seen it – I highly recommend it. The title “Là ¥t den rà ¤tte komma in” translated, is “Let The Right One in,” and the film is based on a book of the same name. It has the benefit of being written by the author of the source material, John Ajvide Lindqvist. The director, Tomas Alfredson, is more than capable, having been at the helm of several features. His work, as well as cinematographer  Hoyte van Hoytema’s, raises the film above and beyond its genre trappings, turning it into a formidable drama concerning vulnerability and manipulation, innocence and experience.

It stars two young children,  Kà ¥re Hedebrant and  Lina Leandersson, and they carry the film remarkably. This is their show, and the material succeeds because of their collective performances.

“Let the Right One In” won Best Narrative Feature at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and the  Gà ¶teborg Film Festival awarded the feature with Best Film & Best Cinematography awards.

The story takes place in Sweden, circa 1982, in a suburb of Stockholm. Everything is snow and ice and frozen breath. Oskar (Hedebrant)  is twelve years old, bullied relentlessly, and has violent revenge fantasies. New neighbors move in, an older gentleman and a girl, Eli (Leandersson),  that appears to be Oskar’s age, and the filmmakers waste no time revealing their bloody business.

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