Filling Meryl's Muumuu

Shock and Awe

(USA, 89 min.)

Dir. Rob Reiner, Writ. Joey Hartstone

Starring: Woody Harrelson, James Marsden, Rob Reiner, Tommy Lee Jones, Jessica Biel, Milla Jovovich, Luke Tennie

Rob Reiner stars in Shock and Awe

Rob Reiner really should have worn a caftan during his rousing “yay, journalism!” moment in Shock and Awe. The director and star of Shock and Awe has a big golden muumuu to fill coming to theatres on the heels of The Post. Reiner simply proves that when it comes to acting, he’s no Meryl Streep and when it comes to directing, he’s no Steven Spielberg.

Taking the First Step

Mary Goes Round

(Canada, 84 min.)

Written and directed by Molly McGlynn

Starring: Aya Cash, John Ralston, Sara Waisglass, Melanie Nicholls-King

Her name is Mary and she’s an alcoholic.

Having Their Cake and Eating It Too

The Death (and Life) of Carl Naardlinger

(Canada, 92 min.)

Written and directed by Katherine Schlemmer

Starring: Matt Baram, Grace Lynn Kung, Mark Forward 

This week’s quirky microbudget Canadian dramedy opening at the Carlton is The Death (and Life) of Carl Naardlinger. Not to be confused with Xavier Dolan’s always-in-the-works The Death and Life of John F. Donovan starring Kit Harrington, Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, and Susan Sarandon, this offbeat little oddity is as far away from the visual panache of the Dolan world as one can get. Writer/director Katherine Schlemmer concentrates on the characters and “what if” scenarios of connection and chance that her slightly speculative film develops. Most of the budget probably went to catering, but to Naardlinger’s credit, this is a rare Canadian film in which the actors actually eat their spring mix instead of just pushing it around their plates.

"I'm No Spring Chicken"

Where is Kyra?

(USA, 98 min.)

Written and directed by Andrew Dosunmu

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kiefer Sutherland 

“I’m no spring chicken!” quips Kyra late in this film. She struggles to get work two years after losing her job, at which she was supposedly quite successful, and now she toils the demoralizing grind of unemployment. Few people, unfortunately, want an overqualified woman with wrinkles on the payroll. Pfeiffer dives deeply into this character study that demands every inch of her maturity as an actress. It’s a quietly powerful and immersive performance—one of Pfeiffer’s most surprisingly turns and arguably one of her strongest.

Chatting 'Sorry to Bother You' with Boots Riley

New interview! Chatting Sorry to Bother You with director Boots Riley over at BeatRoute. You can catch this zany comedy in theatres starting Friday.

 

2018 in Review: The Best Films of the Year so Far

Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Isle of Dogs, Fake Tattoos, Meditation Park, American Animals,
and Sweet Country rank as some of the year's best films so far.

2018 slept in, but what started as a slow year for movies has become a strong one. I’ll admit that I’m still not covering as many films as I’d like to here, but there are a lot of films worth championing that I’ve let slip through the cracks and want to take the time to spotlight.