Monday, December 28, 2020

Psycho Goreman, directed by Steven Kostanski ***

A cute yet gutsy spill of a horror film that has an evil monster visiting two kids who take control of him through this magic token type beamer light they find in the ground.

Mimi, the sister of Luke is a sassy, kick-ass brat, magnificently played by Nita-Josee Hanna. However, unlucky Luke is constantly bullied by her. So, this campy horror flick, packed with conflicts needs no pithy plot explanation; rather it is the relationships in this family that cause the malice with household moments of huge dysfunction – so despite all the ugly monsters unleashed in the film, the real earthly monsters are embodied in the human species.

The special effects, fabulous costumes and whacky humorous scenes with clever schtick are quite above the usual horror stuff.

The guy who plays the cop turned into a zombie is the scene stealer. His movements are utterly entertaining and imaginative – putting  new twists to the zombie walk.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

OVEN-BAKED TRADITION IS THE PERFECT FOOD FOR YOUR PET



Oven-baked Tradition is fantastic in every way


This is the only food you should be feeding your pet!

 

Oven-Baked Tradition is a Canadian family-owned business that prides itself on providing your pet outstanding organically baked food, made exclusively at Bio Biscuit company, in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec.  Since 2006, the Lemieux family has worked prodigiously to create the highest standards in dog and cat food. In fact, the company even has an R & D department with specialists, a quality control laboratory, impeccable equipment with stellar standards.

 


Zak, my Maltese lhasa apso dog is the pickiest of eaters, and has had several ailments from the get-go.  I was feeding him vet-recommended hard food that really was difficult for him to eat, and he hated the taste. It became very discouraging to see his bowl full of kibbles; nothing was touched. Sometimes, he wouldn't eat the stuff for two days, and that is when I knew I had to find a food that he would gobble up - a food that contained every healthy, nonchemical bio-based ingredient possible without compromising on taste appeal, I wanted 100% purity - excluding all that dangerous stuff that most of us can’t even read - let alone feel good about putting it in our pet’s stomach. 

                                                     The Happiness Factor


I set out to discover a nutritious food that he would like. I chanced upon Oven-Baked Tradition at a local Mondou store in Montreal, and took home a few samples. It was like night and day. He loved it! His tail wagged; he had more energy, and best of all, he seemed to revert to puppy playfulness, even at the age of 14 years and nine months! Judging by how fast he ate it up - no coaxing needed now - he obviously found it all delicious.  And when I introduced him to the wet food which is also 100% organic – a pate made with quail and the other - a pate made with rabbit, he was in gourmet heaven. organic.  In fact, they are enlarging their line of wet food. Nice for dogs with teeth issues.


Heaps of Health Packed into its Flavorful Food

Why is my dog responding to this food with such eagerness? Why does he love it so much? Each bag contains palette-pleasing real food, and each morsel is made without wheat, corn, soy, bovine products, artificial flavors and GMD. The Lemieux family who owns the business stresses that the manufacturing process is unique as it uses slow baking at low temperatures which allows for nutrients not to be lost, nor natural flavors. Its fresh fish recipe is prepared with fruits and vegetables, and like its crunchy companions, it’s completely holistic, devoid of hormones or antibiotics. This slow baking process is their modus operandi for all their pet food products and as the Lemieux family explains, this process increases nutrition ingredient density – a super food that tackles allergy and digestion issues, strengthens the immune system and joints.  





Another attractive aspect to Oven-Baked Tradition, is the variety of food it offers for both dogs and cast. For dogs, it considers all breeds and its kibbles cater to five different sizes of dogs. You’ve got lamb, fish and their chicken has been especially created for puppies as well as adults to address weight control. They have also put out a grain-free line for dogs of all sizes in different flavors as well.


 

 The Total Package

Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, glucosamine, chondroitin, fruits and vegetables come in all bite sizes baked for small, medium and large dogs. My dog Zak won’t go to sleep without oven baked packages surrounding him, because he knows he’s going to wake up to them in the morning.

                                                        Terrific treats



Most of the treats we buy for our pets are not uber-healthy, but we still feed our pet with them, whether it be for training or simply as a snack, or even for doing nothing.  The awesome assortment of 19 treats at Oven-Baked Traditions lives by the motto: variety is the spice of life. They include: dental for good breath care, chicken with pumpkin, liver, duck, meatballs, sweet potato and yummy bacon flavor – that is really popular for training. These goodies are organically concocted and baked with no additives or preservatives of any kind.  I enjoy changing treats, and I can with this company. It spoils our dogs with beef treats, even meatballs, sweet potato goodies and liver – to name a few.

 


                                                  Zak in blueberry treat heaven


đŸ˜» I can’t attest to how happy your cat is going to be feasting on their line for cats, but I bet you’ll have instant success. I truly believe it will contribute kidney health for your cat.

Oven-Baked Tradition distributes its food beyond Canada to over twenty countries all over the world in Europe, Latin America, South America, the United States and nine in Asia. 

Their website is:  ovenbakedtradition.com

 Call: 1-888-224 4140

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, December 5, 2020

South Asian Film Festival of Montréal (SAFFMontréal)

  


MONTREAL, December 2020● Kabir Centre for Arts & Culture, is pleased to announce the jury award-winners of the 10th edition of its annual South Asian Film Festival of MontrĂ©al (SAFFMontrĂ©al), a true Covid-19 success story. The awaited closing film was the Canadian documentary, Because We are Girls.

 

In this triumph over trying times, Festival Director Dushyant Yajnik said: “I think we lived up to our aspirations at the beginning of the year to make 2020 a year of bold and clear-eyed 20/20 vision through the films that we chose. The pandemic demanded a course correction; that of delivering the festival in a virtual format. This constraint extended all the way back to the various elements in its planning and execution from the time the initial programming team was formed and virtual meetings conducted, to and through the myriad other steps needed to keep the contacts going with filmmakers, publicists, funders, financial institutions and jury members. All this culminated in an online closing ceremony in the presence of several filmmakers, special invitees and a worldwide audience. Though we did not gather in person, cinephiles did meet, share their passion for South Asian films and connect from across the world. As a result, our extended family of filmmakers, festival organizers, programmers and viewers has grown considerably.”

 

As in all closing ceremonies for such festivals, the highlight was the announcement of the prestigious jury awards. The jury presented their awards in four categories:

Feature Documentary- Bamboo Stories (Bangladesh, Bengali, Shaheen Dill-Riaz); Short Documentary- Home 1947 (Pakistan, English/Urdu, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy); Feature Fiction- Run Kalyani (India, Malayalam, Geetha J); and Short Fiction- Poet in Two Worlds (India, Marathi, Swapnil Vasant Lata Kapure).

The jury also made special mention as runners-up for the following films: The Accused, Damned or Devoted (Pakistan, Urdu/Punjabi/English, Mo Naqvi), feature documentary; Bulbul (Nepal, Nepali, Binod Paudel), feature fiction; and Dry Leaves (Pakistan, Urdu, Ali Sohail Jaura), short fiction.

 

The Festival, which was presented on Kabir Centre’s specialized video platforms, incorporated elements of high security for the protection of filmmakers’ works with the simplicity of rapid access by the viewing public. Films were offered entirely free of charge, along with post-screening discussions, and were viewed by several thousand spectators from 30 countries around the world. They elicited rave responses, including:

 “I enjoyed all the wonderful films; the Festival really opened my eyes.” (New York)

“I knew nothing about Kabir Centre and your excellent film festival. Now we are enjoying amazing films from the comfort of our home.” (Eastern Canada)

“I have not seen such good films in a long time. Wonderful for the eyes and the heart. Adieux Hollywood movies.” (Morocco)

 

The South Asian Film Festival of Montréal is the only festival of its kind in the province of Quebec which presents films from all countries of the Indian Subcontinent, a region of the world rich in its talent for cinema both commercial and independent. SAFFMontréal takes pride in encouraging independent filmmakers to showcase their films that celebrate the lived experiences of South Asians and their diaspora and in this process enhance intercultural understanding in our host country and build bridges with all other sections of the society we live in. SAFFMontréal is also the only festival in Quebec which offers all its films in original version enhanced by both English and French subtitles, a fact that resulted in a significant 25 percent of views in French among the worldwide audience of several thousands in both languages.

 

Kabir Centre for Arts & Culture  www.facebook.com/saffmtl  www.saffm.centrekabir.com

 

-30-

 

For any enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Dushyant Yajnik, Director of SAFFMontréal (514) 467-8212 or

TK Raghunathan, President of SAFFMontrĂ©al  (514) 926-4182

email: info@centrekabir.com

 

South Asian Film Festival of Montréal is supported by: city of Montreal, city of Saguenay & Heritage Canada, in partnership with CinémathÚque Québecoise

 


STOMA, directed by Kit Hung ****

 This is a great film, marvelously acted by Sing Lam. The lead character, Alex Lim has one of the rarest forms of cancer that creates tumors in his bowels. he must decide if he will have the operation that will end up with him wearing a stoma all of his life  he goes to Switzerland to have it. Lim is gay and his lover is a man with no support for what Lim has to go through. Though he does meet up with Lim in several places, Andre is basically a sex-obsessed man who's a shallow shadow of a true partner. The film shed great light on people living with an ostomy. It is a hoel through which you can evacuate your feces. Your anus is sewn up. Lim bring gay is deeply depressed about this. His passion for photography renews itself, but not before going on a journey of self-discovery as a gay man living with a stoma. The screenplay for Soma was written by the late cultural icon. Julian Lee. It is based on his long battle with cancer.

Saturday, November 28, 2020

TRANSFER, directed by Elias Giannakakis *****-a great film that chronicles Greek tenacity and literary brilliance

 The film’s Greek title is a pun; a word meaning “relocation”, “transfer” and also “metaphor”.

The film develops along three principal lines.
1. The lengthy preparation and ensuing relocation of Greece’s National Library from the old, run-down neoclassical building in downtown Athens into a state-of-the-art complex, designed by Renzo Piano and financed by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, a most prominent organization in Greece.

2. A chronicle of the tense sociopolitical circumstances as reflected upon the events in the heart of Athens, around the Library. Scenes of poverty, protest and street fighting prevail, as the transfer takes place while the country experiences a rough period of depression and the massive surge of refugees. However, within the facilities of the Cultural Center, where the new building is situated, one comes across a completely different reality; tranquility and a sense of security, carefree children playing around, artistic events and music festivals.

3. The History of the National Library, which originated in 1829, well in advance of the recognition of Greek independence from Turkey, and which is closely linked with the city itself and the trials and tribulations it has gone through.

The film employs an approach of systematic, unmediated observation and recording throughout a four-year period, for themes 1 and 2, while the historic aspect is tackled through the use of archival material (both film and photographic) .

There are no staged scenes or interviews since the intent was to achieve the greatest degree of authenticity both in the workings of the National Library and in the city life.

Through this kind of direct recording, emerges the whole universe of the Library, from the Board of Trustees down to the last auxiliary worker. The Library serves as a microcosm that is a close representation of the reality in modern Greece since its Independence; dirty and decadent, cumbersome and plagued by bureaucracy, but with hidden priceless intellectual gems in its otherwise poor and ravaged collections. All that is housed in a magnificent neoclassical building, a direct reference to Ancient Greece and the Democracy of Pericles.

Nonetheless, right outside, on the streets, modern Greece is caught in a state of utter confusion following the sudden bankruptcy, the resulting social crisis and the uncontrollable flow of refugees.

Invoking a glorious past can oftentimes become a curse for a country that tries to discover its identity through the fallacy of being the heir apparent of Plato, Aristotle and Alexander the Great.

Yet, at the same time, Athens is lively and bustling. Despite its obvious extended wounds, there is beauty within the ugliness and while the rest of Europe raises walls, this city generously welcomes large numbers of refugees and turns its gaze upon the future; even with blurred vision.

The very existence of the National Library is inextricably dependent on to the essence of Democracy. Speaking in the voice of an almost two-century-old woman, the National Library sounds at times like a young girl and then again as an elderly lady.
There are moments when she exhibits the wisdom of advanced age and others when she is passionate, protesting, worried, sad, angry, angry, joyful, anticipating.


The film’s components are brought together by a female narrator who identifies herself from the very beginning as the National Library.

The choice of a personal commentary serves as a counterbalance to the matter of fact filming of the relocation process (ridden by adversity and of uncertain outcome), of the social framework of the time and of the introduction of the historical aspect through the use of archival material.
In the voice of an almost two-century-old woman, the National Library sounds at times like a young girl and then again as an elderly lady.
There are moments when she exhibits the wisdom of advanced age and others when she is passionate, protesting, worried, sad, angry, angry, joyful, anticipating.

The National Library could be Athens itself, Greece or each one of us. Near the end of the film, when the transfer is almost completed, the narrator- Library poses a few questions.

In other libraries (national, metropolitan, etc) in New York Paris or Berlin, we can readily recognize a scholarly institution that has secured, pretty early on, its place and its role so that it serves as a customary destination not just for researchers, but for the majority of the population regardless of age, race or creed.

On the other hand, the National Library of Greece is an impoverished, thief ravaged cultural foundation, ignored by both the state (which according to the constitution is responsible for it) and by the public that never thought of it as their own.

For about two hundred years the Library has been trying to get on its feet, to gain momentum, amid bigotry, fanaticism, poverty and the fixation of hereditary excellence, of being the greatest among the peoples worldwide, as many Greeks still sustain. Its collections, as pointed out by the head of the Board himself, late in the film, are terribly restricted.

However, this Library could have been exceptional, not for the collections it currently holds, of course, but mainly for the treasures that could have been accumulated or for everything it could signify...
Until that time comes, if ever, the Library awaits.

The film makes an attempt to put together a large mosaic of stories and emotions, through short scenes and narratives, thus unifying time and space aiming to create a collective existential and psychological profile of a country and a people, through its National Library.

A transfer that, throughout the film, only a few seem to believe will begin and when it does begin in an environment of faction, poverty, and extremity, it is met with public indifference. It might be a transfer that signifies a lot more than than a simple technical process of book relocation.

This is a great artistic documentary that vividly catalogues Greek tenacity and literary brilliance. We witness history in many ways past, present and an uncertain future.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

DOWNSTREAM TO KINSHASA, Directed by Dieudi Hamadi ****

 

The genocide of the Six-Day War in Kisangani in Congo during 2000, left thousands dead and many mutilated - living without arms or legs. The Rwandans and Ugandans waged war on the Congolese territory, and now the 12 members who are delegates demanding compensation from the Congolese government take a perilous boat trip to Kinshasa to demand the money; they have rights.

 We follow this group of amazing people who walk into town during the elections in front of the government building, only to be turned away with threats. 

When the new opposition party gets in. We meet these resilient warriors for justice, and they are actually putting on a play that chronicles their plight. In the end, President Lemalema of the country attends. A compelling documentary filmed with the director’s camera in hand that shows all the terrors of their journey including rain storms and more. A powerful film!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Saturday, November 14, 2020

MY DAYS OF GLORY, directed by Antoine de Bary ***

 Lowkey-charming, Vincent Lacoste starts as Adrien Palatine.  An actor who plays de Gaulle in a make shift sketchy production in which he never gets paid. In fact, he is replaced. His luck with girls is nil and he has moved in back with his parents who are getting a divorce. When he loses his apartment due to not paying for it, he takes action that is basically is a dead end. But as the movie goes form light-hearted offbeat quirkiness to real depressive realm, this film aptly combines the duality of a lost young man in search of love and his ability to get an erection. The ending climaxes in every sense of the world.

Monday, November 9, 2020

ALL THE PRETTY LITTLE HORSES. Directed by Michalis Konstantatos ***


They are bourgeois secret squatters living at a rich woman’s house in the countryside with their son, without her permission. Aliki and Petros are truly having problems. Something in Athens at work happened that caused her to have a breakdown. She is an anaesthesiologist and there is a hint that a patient died under her care), and Petros is out of work. Their adorable young boy is having fun, but the energy he has does not carry though to his parents. Tension builds in this film, but the action is sparse and barren, An introspective film that has overly dramatic acting segments akin to a Greek drama.

 

Sunday, November 8, 2020

OUR LADY OF THE NILE ***



Afghan director Atiq Rahimi views he brewing war between the Hutus and Tutsis in the conflict between elite Rwanda schoolgirls, based on Scholastique Mukasonga’s novel. The setting revolves aroudn an elite girls’ school runs by nuns where Hutus are accepted and only a fraction of Tutsis are. Inside intrigue, including attempting to change the nose of a Virgin Mary statue to a true-like Tutsi nose that the girls pray to every day, sets the ominous turn of events of bloodshed and then full out massacre of war that devastated this country for years.

 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

LOVE TRILOGY: CHAINED, directed by Yaron Shani *****

 A low-key family situation tat tightly and subtly turns into a high voltage plot-build-up. It’s a family drama where the central figure – Rashi - a cop - implodes with each day bringing his whoel world down on all fronts. It is hard to believe that Rashi is played by a non-actor, Eran Naim the lead role.

 

He is utterly believable as he delivers his lines that coil around his wife and her 13-year-old daughter’s lives like a cobra who can’t let go. He masterfully plays a controlling sensitive macho cop, father and husband with such suffocating energy that in the end, he loses everything dear to him  His life unravels, starting with being accused of sexual impropriety when doing a strip search  on a young male student -  having hauled him into the station, just because he felt challenged by the young man’s non-compliance to do as asked when Rashi picks on him in the park.

Family life is portrayed in this film as a fragile entity ripe with power struggles. His wife is undergoing IV treatments  but a fetus in her womb does not grow. This foreshadows the break-down that marks his life and negatively affects others he loves.

The acting ensemble is brilliant. His step-daughter, played by Stav Potay was also a force to reckon with in her role as a rebellious teen. He puts an end to her fun all the time. He puts an end to more than one could ever imagine. The climax explodes in the last scene.

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

GULL, directed by Kim Mi-jo ***


A sixty-year-old woman of little education has spent over 30 years working in a fish market. She is raped by one of the workers, but no one will attest to it to help her when together with her daughter they go to the police. The comment made by her drunken husband about rape reflect as repulsive attitude about rape in Korea. The men in this film are drunk and vulgar. A touching but disturbing film.

EMPTINESS, directed by Paul Venegas ***


Lei and dozens other hide in a shipping crate traveling from China to Ecuador. Her dream is to get to New York. She is taken into the care of a good man, but a very bad man from China has other plans for her and her friend. She has even paid for her final destination to her dream city.

He uses them as a mule and gets them their ticket to New York. They plan a ruse to foil the plan, but sadly, the end shows that migrants’ dreams don’t always happen the way they wish. Non-actors make this film so real. The refugee plight is harrowing.

Saturday, October 24, 2020

THE NEW PLASTIC ROAD, directed by Angelos Tsaousis, Myrto Papadopoulos ****


Davlat is a Tajik merchandiser and a humble yet ambitous father of three children. A well-respected businessman in the Pamir area, a mountainous region southeast of Tajikistan in the borders with China. His life has been transformed since the opening of the Tajik-Chinese border and the reconstruction of the old Silk Road: A road full of surprises and new experiences for Davlat and his family. The driving is long. The film documents his present life aS he speaks to the camera. He also speaks about his childhood - his favorite time of life. His life prospers, until his health with a bad back and leg caused by a car accident long ago in his childhood on route to China, now stops him from enjoying life. Traders have opened up China to the remote region in Tajikstan.  I loved this film.

 


Wednesday, October 21, 2020

TAR, directed by Aaron Wolf **

There’s a pit left open at a small out door area showing the La Brea tar pit prehistoric animals in LA. In 1976, archeologists dug a pit and went down to explore. They never came back. The tar monster got them, and though a man on the street tells the story of the monster and what happened, no one believes him. A father and son who just don’t get along work together next door, but they have to move to make way for a new development. The father doesn't think the son will ever amount to much, but guess what? Not true. This is a tar-tamed spoof of an urban horror flic, full of pretty women with big busts (one in particular), so I'm sure you can guess what happens.

 The tar monster is after them all because that area was built over this prehistoric tar pit area. Lots of guys and gals get tarred. This film has no surprises.



Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Blind Spot, directed by Pierre Trividic, Patrick Mario Bernard **

 


 The oddest film. A black man can make himself invisible. It started when he was a baby in the cradle. A crazy premise without feeling much for any character at all, the plot - it would seem that what we see is not always the truth, and the truth is hidden. I won’t say more about the film other than it holds our attention, but having the hero walk around nude most of the film to show he is invisible was just wearing. This film needs focus, clarity and editing.

Monday, October 19, 2020

Concerto, directed by Filippo Conz

 


David Zayas as Ray, the detective

A powerful short. A young violinist is caught naked in the kitchen of a detective's house. The young man just slept with the detective’s wife. The detective forces him into his car. He tells the violinist his daughter loves a violin piece, but he doesn’t know the name of it. He forces the young man to walk in the woods and tells him that two girls were found and it was the swimming coach who hid them, then chopped them up to pieces. All the while, that swimming coach had been lying to the detective. At the site where they were chopped up the two men go to. The violinist takes out his violin and plays that piece. Trevor Long as the violinist was superb in his role. It is a great short.

                                                             Trevor Long as the violinist

Comrade Drakulich, directed by Mark Bodszar***

                   

       

Comrade Fabian has come to Hungary and is welcomed by his cold comrades from the 70s. But this sexy comrade looks like he’s in his 30s. Two spies who are actually a couple, named Laci and “Birdy” are assigned the task of finding out about him and why he is so young. He ahs come to sponsor a Vietnamese blood drive, but his real motive is to take all the blood from the drive for his own. He’s a vampire, and by the end of the film, he gets the girl. Ironically was  assigned to only escort him to various events concerning the blood drive. 

But it seems the head of the party wants to gain eternal youth, and so wants Comrade Fabian captured to find out his secret. Blood not gold is the sought-after prize in this entertaining, quirky movie that puts a salacious spin with a lot of spoof on the vampire genre.




Sunday, October 18, 2020

WOMEN OF THE WEEPING RIVER, directed by Sheron Dayoc ****


In the Mindanio region of the Philippines, two families are carrying out revenge killings. A father and husband of Satra, the main character has been killed. Then two sons eventually are killed. The two women who have suffered their own tragedies in this eventually settle on peace, despite the patriarch of both families. Sadly, one father takes it into his own hands, and the ending is graphically telling, though it is a still. This slow-moving movie is really compelling. The cast is so believable and to think that except for the two women and the vengeful father, the others in the film are not actors.

 

 AFTERSHOCK, directed by Gareth Wilkes ****

A tightly crafted short. A waitress ends up at closing time; but there's a man there who wants to finihs his coffee. He begins to show her his drawings of her. She's impressed. She goes to lock the safe, and what follows is horrific. Suddenly there is an earthquakes, and both are trapped. He's under a cement block, but she has not been made immobile. Gas is leaking and time is running out for both.  She needs his help to pull the blocked door open. What happens  provide a great plot twist. The title is fitting in more ways than one. A great short made for women seeking revenge. 

KHAMSIN, directed by Gregoire Couvert**

 

A documentarythat features musicians, installation arts and more as they tackle war-torn Lebanon using their art to reflect the ongoing devastation of this country. The Golden age of Lebanon is finished, and wars have turned the county into shattered buildings. Black and white clips show it all. Many of the artists left, but returned to their homeland, specifically Beirut.


Friday, October 16, 2020

 

MOSSAD, Directed by Gur Ayre ***

This hilarious spoof of the Israeli Mossad is part Peter Sellers and part James Bond.  From the get-go, the whacky humour punctuated with penultimately funny one-liners gets you laughing at every second. Yet the plot is serious enough. A billionaire tech dude is kidnapped by terrorists, so a handsome Mossad agent named Guy teams up with a less than perfect FBI agent. Sadly, the FBI guy gets fried in the most noble of sacrificial ways right at belly body level. But all is not lost; he’s rebuilt like a Robocop wizard. The bungling duo has got to succeed in their mission, or else the retiring director of the Mossad will  ose his chance to light a torch in the Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony. Such ridiculousness typifies the entire series of events that combine exaggeration with comedic entertainment.

The beginning moves like an action packed low-budget nail biter (but as a spoof). However, the movie sputters part way through, but still ends up befriending our silly bone in a refreshing way.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

FANTASIA REVIEWS 2020

The roundup of films this year are spilling in iconic horror, quirkiness, surreal and   realities. But violence is one thing you can depend on in this festival’s red rush of films.

Take for instance Fly Me to Saitama  - Japanese discrimination is addressed in this comedy and snobism graphically modern in style with a story that reflects parental prejudice and homophic tendencies. Then you have a more old-fashioned style of kicking and shoving as in A Hero Never Dies. A film with depth imbedded in a twisting plot is Witness out of the Blue. A jewelry store is robbed but the “who dunit” perennial question gets you an answer that will shock you. Wrongly framed, the hero finds his own way in life after the mayhem gets sorted out. SPL: Kill Zone was a hectic head spinner with a plot that could have spun circles around even the best whirling dervish dancer. It pits an ageing detective cop against a brutal gangster. But the characters and the psychological aspect in the film made for meaty entertainment enhanced with intellectual fodder for thought. My favourite this year was The Columnist. A female writer is constantly harassed with sexist jokes and serious allegations based on her sex that make any woman with smarts shudder. She gets her own kind of revenge in the goriest way. Suffice it to say that a knife into the neck and slicing off the finger of every male who maliciously lied about her, gives pleasure to the heroine protagonist who has been so beaten down by men – just for being smart and saying what she thinks.  

All Fantasia films were screened on line during the pandemic

 I missed the live exciting ambiance from the Fantasia crowd.

Thursday, October 8, 2020

FNC 2020 Faces Covid by Going on line with a Round-up of Unique Weird Movies



SIN LA HABANA, directed by Kaveh Nabatian****

Leonardo and Sara hatch a plan. As Cubans, they both want to go to Canada. She wants to practice law, and he wants to get a job in Montreal ballet company.  That’s because he got fired from the company in Cuba for his arrogance and disrespect – even though he is the best dancer there. Nassim, an Iranian Jew, is visiting Cuba and Leo pretends to love her. She sponsors him to come to Montreal. Sara is okay with this as it will be her ticket to come as well. Leo find a guy to marry Sara and bring her to Montreal. But things turn badly for all three. The ending is ambiguous. It’s a great film that could very well be true.


THE DROWSY CITY, directed by Dung Luong Dinh ****

Set in the Vietnamese slums of a city, the film brings us sweet-faced Tao, who slaughters chickens in sadistic ways, pouring boiling water on them, and defeathering them alive and more. He sleeps in the rubber vat he slaughters them in. one days he peeps in on three thugs who are physically abusive to a prostitute they are holding against her will. These violent thugs capture him and torture him, even making him dance like a chicken, and feed them.

 He is let go, and in his makeshift hovel, he makes them a big chicken soup but melts sleeping pills inside. The tables trunk on these men and Tao turns them into chickens by sticking feathers in them. Revenge, evil survival tactics, misery and lawlessness in this film graphically reflect the state of affairs in the slums of Vietnam


The Tremor, directed by Balaji Vembu Chell   bomb

So dull that even this tremor will put you to sleep. A photojournalist plays Tamil music in his car as he drives to a site reported to have had an earthquake of sorts. He walks paths, goes to villages, and is once or twice told that years ago there was such a thing. He never really discovers proof of a present-day tremor.  


Siberia, directed by Abel Ferarra **

Not even Willem Dafoe can save this surreal film that pits a loner living in a shack in Siberia who makes love to a native woman to find her bleeding to death with her mother She was pregnant. He travels to different area with his husky dog mashing his way into caves, where he meets his dead dad, to his ex-wife and his son and travels so far into hallucinogenic settings that one wonders if his is more than a lost soul. Beautiful cinematography.  In the end after his long journey into haunting places, he returns only to find his entire shack has been destroyed along with his husky cage. Life is pretty scary in this hypnotic but obtuse film. 


MY SALINGER YEAR (Directed by Philippe Falardeau)***

Joanna Rakoff is an aspiring writer. She moves to New York, leaving her boyfriend karl behind to start her literary journey. She gets a job at an agency whose main task is to shred letters to J.D. Salinger from all fans, but she ends up writing to some. She is given strict instructions by Margaret (Sigourney Weaver) who heads the agency, never to talk to “Jerry” when he calls. In short, she takes up with Don, a no-good boyfriend who also writes, but in the end follows her real passion and it’s not him.  There are some absurd surreal moments but all in all, I would say this film is flatly delivered. all the film really falls flat. Based on a book by, one wonders it had a better read than watching this film. An FNC Sreening 

THALASSO, directed by Guillaume Nicloux ***

It started out with understated brilliant acting. The narrative teams up to ageing men (Michel Houellebecq and Gerald Depardieu taking cures in a French spa. They discus death, sex and family issues that leads to a shocking disruptive ending that totally does not fit into the film at all. It is a documentary of sorts in intent that talks about the kidnapping of Michel. Confusing at the end, the film falters dramatically as it can’t make up its mind if its about kidnapping or fighting getting old.  Great acting.  


La Hija de un Ladron, directed by Belen Funes ****

Remember this title and watch this film! Greta Fernandez as Sara is outstanding. She has a baby to care for and really no hone. She gets a job in a cafeteria kitchen but struggles constantly to make ends meet and care for her baby. The father comes and goes and helps her but doesn’t want any intimacy with her. Sara is abandoned by her lying father who waffles between handing her a baguette and crumbs, literally and figuratively. mean to her. She files for custody of her little lame brother Martin. Hoping to take him from her irresponsible father. In the final scene isn’t court, she breaks down, and mutters, “Will I be alone?” That is her fear, and that is what she lives every day. A amazing performance by the lead actor. The ensemble cast is superb. The film makes a intense comment on the working class in Barcelona, and that each day is a struggle to get through it and meet the next one with bravery and vigor – as Sara does


RED POST ON ESCHER STREET, directed by Sion Sono*

Despite the director’s vision to create the chaos and manipulations that happen when making a feature film, he ended up creating a massive mayhem collage of would-be nobodies who wish to be a part of a movie directed by their idol. It is totally absurd in presentation and plot. Taken to the realm of impossibilities, the exaggerated approach in content fails to resonate or convey his message. Instead, we are delivered a hodgepodge of scenes that show the obsession to be in a film and one that has a famous director. There was one funny episode when an old man who has made a career out of being an extra plays his video to some of the kids that show his moment of glory. This rings true as so many extras strive to be more than that a human backdrop. In his case, he is proud of his long career as an extra. 


 APPLES, directed by Christos Nikou **

A mans is found one a bus with amnesia. He is put into a program to reinvent himself. He is tasked with taking pictures with his polaroid camera of him on a bike, dancing, having a lap dancer on his lap, fishing and more. He even has to find a sick person in the hospital to care for before the dying man dies which happens within days. He befriends a girl also in the program and she is more open than he is. His one constant are the apples he eats. W keep waiting for something to happen but it doesn’t. Perhaps this movie is a metaphor for our disenfranchised society – Greek drama modernized and stuck in the confusing world we all live in where memories are a blur and present-day life is a place in time we wish not to remember.


Il n' y a pas de faux metier  (directed by Olivier Godin) bomb 

A runaway actress who manically wishes to learn English; a screenwriter who has a poet defusing bombs, a priest who is into smell-based sermons, and is crazy for Denzel Washington - this is the madhouse cast of characters who are helplessly lost. Using Greek chorus techniques and monologues, this terrible film is a mess fo a burlesque/comedia del art creations that showcases the worst of Quebec cinema - theatrical silliness passing for art.


KHAMSIN, directed by Gregoire Couvert **

A documentary that features musicians, installation arts and more as they tackle war-torn Lebanon using their art to reflect the ongoing devastation of this country. The Golden age of Lebanon is finished, and wars have turned the county into shattered buildings. Black and white clips show it all. Many of the artists left, but returned to their homeland, specifically Beirut.


THE REPUBLICS **, directed by Huw Wahl

From the Isle of Dogs and  the Western Isles through to northern Italy, this grainy black and white documentary shows poet. Stephen Watts reading form his texts with backdrops of city lines and nature that visually reflect his poems. They are full of images and scorn at the way things have been ruined, but there are also poems about the miraculous world of nature. His cerebral poems reflect intellect,insight and though sometimes bitter in image, his thoughts collide  magnificently inside his genius mind.


  

Monday, October 5, 2020

DON’T READ THIS ON A PLANE (Directed by Stuart McBratney) ****

Audience Award Winner at Dances With Films - LA 

Starring Sophie Desmarais – a wide-eyed Audrey Hepburn look-alike, this gem of a quirky comedy features Jovana, an author who embarks on touring her book in Europe. But the first stop, Venice, gives her a rude awakening. Her publisher has gone bankrupt, and her reservation at the Ramada Hotel has been cancelled. This sets her on a course of true roughing it where she meets an assortment of characters in various countries, her give her rides and put her up.  The funny part is she hides in interviews the poor situation she is in, preferring to pretend she is staying at great hotels across Europe.

 The crux of the movie has us all wondering and the people she reads to in various bookstores in different countries, if the book is autobiographical. Did she really sleep with 100 women?

 The ending comes as a shocker. I loved this charming film. The story is offbeat and the events often entertaining. The constant in this film is her dragging her suitcase on wheels over all kinds of airports and terrains. It is most effective in evoking our sympathy for her tiring journey and dispelling any glamour of being on tour – in her case. Her bohemian adventure is as surprising as some of the places she ends up sleeping in. The lovely scenery in this film certainly adds beauty to her rather sketchy book touring experience. The ensemble cast is perfect. Mr. McBratney - an Australian director -  tastefully peppered his delightful film with humour and even pathos. 

 

Audience Award at Dances With Films-LA this month where the film had its World Premiere

 The film premiered in LA, winning the Audience Award at Dances With Films.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

TRIBES (Directed by Nino Aldi)


Three guys wheeling guns - one black American, one white, the other Middle eastern are robbing people in a subway, until they realize these people are all part of their heritage too. It’s a funny film because the people are asked to move to one side if they are immigrants or not, gay, if they prefer paper or plastic, and the division list category continues. A cute short with a very powerful message.

Monday, September 21, 2020

GUIDED CRUISING TOUR ON RIVIERE DE MILLES ILES

Hop on the Blue Heron cruiser, and listen to all the information given by the guide who is so animated, she makes it all interesting. But you have to be in the mood to listen.  As there is not a silent cruise.


  Benoit the, captain, made me feel right at home

Passing islands, you’ll find out abut some of the population who inhabited them. For example, the Darling family owned the island that takes their moniker. Tragically one if the sons crashed his plane on the bridge.   One family never made it to church at Christmas. The ice gave way on their caleche.


 



I enjoyed the animal information, especially the fish images they held up. Some pretty scary ones too. There are so many species of fish in the river, you’ll marvel at how varied they are. Ducks too abound here and they are always within sight of your cruise tour.

It was wonderful to spend an hour passing islands gazing at the shorelines and the lovely houses that dot the it. The tour is only in French, so beware if you are going to soak in all the historical and botanical side of things on this tour.


 Supplement the tour by gliding close to the water on a kayak or canoe. You can even catch some of those fish the guide brought to our attention.

                                                     Listen or dream on.







For more information about the cruise, call, 450 622 -1020
email: info@eco-nature.ca

Visit: www#parc1000iles







Friday, September 18, 2020

THE ANTENNA (Directed by Orçun Behran) ****

                                                                   Orçun Behran

Unique beyond the usual visual statement of a lifeless group of depressed people caught in a totalitarian nightmare of dictatorial orders - in this case, it comes from the installation of a new rooftop antenna somewhere in a dysopian city in Turkey.- This highly carefully crafted visually tightly woven film puts us into the thick of gooey black guck coming from the antenna itself.  This flawed piece of technology perched high on the roof - set to announce the midnight broadcast of the president intent of uniting all under his Turkish oppressive tyranny. Mehmet the caretaker for the tenement building discovers that all is not right and bit by bit he uncovers how most meet their deadly fate. Suspense slides into our psyche like massive oily goo pouring all over us. Each scene is utterly original in its horror.

The plot ominously thickens, starting with the opening scene when the man installing the antenna meets his own death; he falls off the roof when bricks cave in where he’s working. This foreshadows even darker events to come. The great electronic music, dark sets and narrow hallways create a somber mood that reflects the real-life terrible yoke that shackles all people living under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-year-old oppressive regime.  Acting was terrific, and hats off to the director to capturing the all-male domination of women that strongly peppers each scene in different contexts including marriage, fatherhood and work boss. See it and believe it!