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A Perfect Day:
This film received a 10 minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival for its gripping portrayal of aid workers in a war zone “somewhere in the Balkans – at some time in the ‘90s.” Benicio Del Toro and Tim Robbins star, with support from Olga Kurylenko and Melanie Thierry. Robbins is the grizzled veteran of previous wars, an international cast shows up for what are sometimes comedic, often dramatic, and always gripping scenes, and just like the story of MASH, this is about people doing the best they can in terrible circumstances, but somehow seeing the humour and the irony in everything they encounter. Rated 14A.
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Dirty Grandpa:
Robert De Niro must have needed the money, because this Spring Break 95 minutes of pure raunch just doesn’t seem like his style. Here he plays Dick Kelly, grandfather of Jason (Zac Efron). Jason is engaged, although we can tell from the very early frames that this isn’t going to be a marriage made in heaven. Gramps convinces Jason to drive him to Florida on a road trip … and Gramps, a retired military officer, is up to no good as he makes a play for every female person that he encounters, young or old. As well, he encourages his grandson, who is set to marry in just a couple of weeks, to kick up his heels. Given the casting, I found this movie a disappointment. Expect this from Efron, but not from De Niro. Rated 18A.
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The Witch:
It’s New England, circa 1630, when a father leaves the devout Pilgrim flock of which he and his family have been a part, to set up farming on a remote plot of land adjacent to heavy woods a two-day walk from their original home. This is 40 years before the Salem Witch Trials, but witchcraft and supernatural goings-on were a frightening part of life in these times. Soon, trouble strikes … the newborn baby goes missing, crops fail, and it seems that at least one of the farm animals, and perhaps one of the young daughters, may be possessed by the devil. No good can come from any of this. It is a dark, hopeless, and very strange film that will not leave you feeling very good about the family or its fate. Filmed in rural Ontario with a largely no-name cast. Rated 14A.
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Paper Towns (2015):
Based on the YA novel by John Green, we see teenager Quentin (Nat Wolf), totally taken with Margo (Cara Delevingne) who is a super-cool girl, while he is a major nerd. Margo loves mysteries, and one night, just before graduation, Margo pays the kind of attention to Quentin that he dreamed about all teen years, and they have a night of great fun, filled with all kinds of thrills. The next morning, Margo is gone, having disappeared completely, with just a few cryptic clues left behind for Quentin and his friends to follow. What transpires is a search that reveals more than anyone ever expected. Excellent YA movie. Rated 14A.
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| The Manchurian Candidate (2004):
Denzel Washington is excellent in this remake of the 1964 movie that starred Frank Sinatra. This one updates the war from Korea to the Persian Gulf, but it still deals with the brainwashing of military personnel who are kidnapped and turned into something other than what there were. Liev Schreiber is Raymond Shaw, one-time war hero, now a vice-presidential candidate. Washington's character, Ben Marco, was there, in the desert, when Shaw's exploits as a leader became apparent. But as time goes on, and Ben has flashbacks to something different, he begins to wonder if Shaw was ever a war hero at all, and if he might be something quite insidious. Rated 14A.
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