2016 movies

Movie Review: The People Garden. Starring: Dree Hemingway, Pamela Anderson, François Arnaud

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THE PEOPLE GARDEN (Canada/Japan 2015) ***
Directed by Nadia Litz

Starring: Dree Hemingway, Pamela Anderson, François Arnaud

Redview by Gilbert Seah

Nadia Litz’s low budget mystery drama is yet another film set in the foothills of Mt. Fuji, Japan. The recent horror film THE FOREST and the yet to be released Cannes premiered Gus Van Sant’s THE SEA OF TREES are the other recent two. What is fascinating about the film’s setting though not specifically mentioned in THE PEOPLE GARDEN, is that the Japanese with the intention of committing suicide go there to commit the deed. Director Litz’s heroine, known as Sweetpea (Dree Hemmingway) ventures to Japan to break up with her boyfriend, Jamie (Francois Arnaud). Her film is bookended by the couple dancing in a club to the an old 80’s dance song.
When the film opens, Sweetpea lands in Tokyo. But Jamie does not meet her at the airport. A Japanese called Mak (Jai Tatsuto West) shows up instead to pick her up, only to leave her at the forest parking lot. Apparently, Jamie is shooting a rock video there and is missing. Sweetpea gets to meet the film crew.

Nothing much happens in the first half of the film. Sweetpea finds nothing and is giving the runaround by everyone. But Litz’s film is far from boring as she weaves some interesting mysteries around the plot. It seems that everyone is hiding something.

Litz ups the angst with a confrontation between Seetpea and one of the stars in the shoot, Signe, played by Pamela Anderson who, Sweetpea finds out has slept with him. Pamela Anderson parodies her bombshell sex image and is simply hilarious.

Litz clearly leaves her imprint in the film. It is a feminine film without being offensive to the males. Sweetpea is a strong character but her vulnerability comes across as well, as in the scenes where she breaks down. As strong a woman that she is, the audience can see she is unable to break her love for Jamie. Jamie, though appearing fleetingly in the film, is shown as a charming character that flirts around, but not spineless. The other male characters have strong personalities too, such as the Japanese guide, Mak. This balance is quite rare films with a strong female character written and directed by female directors – credit to Litz.

Litz keeps her film an absorbing mystery to the very end. The stunning forest segments are shot by cinematography Catherine Lutes. Music by the Dirty Beaches is sufficiently upbeat to offset the mood of the film.

THE PEOPLE GARDEN has a limited run at TIFF Bell Lightbox and is the sort of small budget Canadian feature (shot in Sudbury, Ontario) that gets overlooked. But this is Litz’s second film as director (her first being HOTEL CONGRESS) and she proves a director to be reckoned with.

the_people_garden.jpg

Movie Review: FIRE SONG (Canada 2015)

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firesongFIRE SONG (Canada 2015) **
Directed by Adam Garnet Jones

Starring: Ma-Nee Chacaby, Morteesha Chickekoo-Bannon, Brendt Thomas Diabo

Review by Gilbert Seah

Calgary born Cree-Metis filmmaker Adam Garnet Jones’ first full length feature (he has made a few shorts) begins with a teen suicide in a First Nations community. Her brother, Shane (Andrew Martin), a young Anishinaabe man is at a crossroads at to whether to start school in Toronto or stay in the Reservation after the family comes across some inheritance money. But the family also needs the money for the family house which is in shambles, as seen by a pail collecting water from a leaking roof, at different points in the film. Shane has a girlfriend who wishes to leave with him, but Shane has a gay relationship with David (Harley Legarde-Beacham), the grandson of the community’s leader. Short of cash, Shane tries peddling drugs.

The film is a universal story about youthful dreams confined by reality, set in a remote Aboriginal community and the first LGBTQ drama by an Indigenous, two-spirited filmmaker in Canada.

Despite director Jones’ sincerity, the film is crushed by the weight of the manifold issues it tries to address – teen suicide, small town captivity, drug use, teen angst, gay love, son/mother relationship, native tradition, familial duty and perhaps a few more I might have missed. (They come so fast!) The significance of the title FIRE SONG will become apparent when you see the movie.

When a man has both a girlfriend and a gay lover, it is only a matter of time before the girlfriend finds out. And David faces this confrontation in one of the film’s better scenes.

Performances from the cast of unknowns are fair at best. The gay scene with Shane and David is nothing short of embarrassing. In fact, it is the most unrealistic gay scene I have ever seen in a movie – the two lovers just sit next to each other looking lost as to what to do next. So, finally mother decides to sell the property for the son to go to school. She should have done that long ago and saved every one so much trouble!

But FIRE SONG has played at various festivals including the Toronto and Vancouver International Film Festivals. It is also the Winner of the Air Canada Audience Choice Award at the ImagineNATIVE festival and the Winner of the Best Feature Narrative at the Reel Out Festival. Am I the only one who dislikes this film?

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Movie Review: BRIDGEND (UK/Denmark 2015) ***

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bridgendBRIDGEND (UK/Denmark 2015) ***

Directed by Jeppe Ronde

Starring: Hannah Murray, Josh O’Connor, Adrian Rawlins

Review by Gilbert Seah

BRIDGEND is the name of a Welsh town in Bridgend County in south west Wales. It is a beautiful town and the setting of the new English language Danish film photographed by Magnus Nordenhof Jønck and directed by Jeppe Ronde. If I knew how stunning the area was, I would have visited the place when I vacationed in Wales two years. ago.

But it is not the beauty of the town that is on display here. The beauty contrasts with dark goings-on that cannot be explained. Between December 2007 and January 2012 seventy-nine suicides were officially committed in the area. Most of the victims were teenagers, they hanged themselves and left no suicide notes. Danish documentary filmmaker Jeppe Rønde followed the teenagers from the area for six years and wrote the script based on their life stories.

Is it the water? What was the intent? Is it a mass murderer? Is there a cult at work? And why is it that it is always the parents who discover the suicides. The suicides take place in the woods. These are a few of the questions that spring to mind as Ronde’s film opens. But as the film progresses, it becomes clear that he wants the audience to focus on the people of the village, and how ordinary folk can turn angry and unpredictable.

When the film opens, teen Sara (Hannah Murray from GAME OF THRONES) follows her dad, Dave (Steven Waddington) as they arrive in the small town in Bridgend County. The town is haunted by suicides amongst its young inhabitants. As Sara starts hanging around teens her age, she eventually falls dangerously in love with one of the teenagers, Jamie (Josh O’Connor from THE RIOT CLUB) while Dave as the town’s new policeman tries to stop the mysterious chain of suicides.

The teens are shown by Ronde as teens are. They hang around their own, get drunk, have sex and the occasional high, from swimming naked in a cold stream or doing dangerous stunts with a speeding train. Ronde also show how irresponsible they are, often forcing his audience to take the side of the adults. The local vicar (Adrian Rawlins) has good intentions but the teens mock him. When it comes time to really help, he is at a loss what to do. “Go home,” is the best advice he can give to Sara when she is in time of need.

BRIDGEND is an accomplished debut about the mystery of the suicides. It reminds one of the classic Australian film. Peter Weir’s PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK. Like that film, there are certain mysteries in life that can never be explained. Both films do not offer closure on the mysteries, but provide clues in helping the audience interpret the happenings. BRIDGEND finishes with a dreamy sequence that spoils the authentic feel Ronde had created. That is the main flaw of the film.

Jeppe is a director to watch. In 2013, he won a Gold Lion for Best Direction, plus a bronze for cinematography for Come4 ‘The Lover’, a seemingly seedy look at one man’s obsession with sex and prostitution, with a twist. The film also won the Craft Grand Prix at Eurobest.

BRIDGEND does not open in Canada this weekend but in NYC at Cinema Village on May 6th. However, the film can be viewed on the SVOD platform as it is released as a Fandor Exclusive Digital SVOD release on the same day. Fandor is available in Canada and North America only.

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Movie Review: SUNSET SONG (UK/Luxembourg 2015) ****

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sunsetsong.jpgSUNSET SONG (UK/Luxembourg 2015) ****
Directed by Terence Davies

Starring: Mark Bonnar, Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan, Kevin Guthrie

Review by Gilbert Seah

Terence Davies does David Lean in this adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s novel of the same name. SUNSET SONG is considered one of the most important Scots novels of the 20th century.

The central character is a young woman, Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn), growing up in a farming family in the fictional Estate of Kinraddie in The Mearns in the north east of Scotland at the start of the 20th century. Life is hard, and made even more difficult as her family is dysfunctional. An early scene shows the patriarch (actor/director Peter Mullan) beating his son Will (Jack Greenlee) for using the words, “Move over, Jehovah,” to a horse in the barn. “I hate him,” Will confesses to Chris that night. But an almost unwatchable scene has Will being flogged later on. Davies shows that more harm comes about from human beings than the land, which is the star of his movie.

SUNSET SONG is Davies’ first film to have a setting in the countryside. All his other works were city bound. Yet Davies manages to bring out great beauty in his films despite their limitations. In THE LONG DAY CLOSES, for example, he has an extended lengthy shot of a carpet in the room, as the sun sets through a window. SUNSET SONG allows him the entire open country as his new playing field. And he uses it at the start of the film, for example, with the wide expansion of wheat in the fields before the camera lingers on its heroine lying in a spot in the field. Davies again shows his fondness for song as his characters often break out into a ditty, though not as often in this film as in THE LONG DAY CLOSES. Davies is also well known for his beautiful tracking shots. These can be observed in segments when his camera scans the deserted battlefields or the village paths where the villagers march to church on a Sunday morning.

A lot happens in the story as time progresses. The First World War arrives and goes. Its impact on Chris Guthrie comes in the form of her husband Ian Pirie (Chae Strachan) who leaves her and returns a different person, often beating her as a result of his postwar trauma. This part is particularly difficult to take by the audience but it follows the style of the book. It is the frailty of human beings that cause trouble. Only the land endures.

Davies omits the incestuous relationship between Chris and her father in the film. In the book, the father tries to persuade Chris to have incest with him, but is unable to force her after suffering a stroke. In the film, the audience sees the father falling out of bed screaming for his daughter, Chris, reaching for the door knob only to have the door locked from the outside by Chris. Davies leaves the scene to be interpreted by the audience.

The film strongest moments occur between Chris and her father. During his funeral, Chris breaks down crying at her father’s casket, unable to leave him a farewell kiss. In reality, she is unable to feel the love for this man who has given up his life for the land and his family.

The title of the film and novel indicates the fond passing of the old, traditional ways and the coming of the new. SUNSET SONG is the first of Gibbon’s trilogy “A Scots Quair”. It would be very welcome if Davies undertook the next book in a sequel to this beautiful SUNSET SONG.

 

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Movie Review: LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (Ireland/France/Netherlands 2015) ***1/2

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love_and_friendship.jpgLOVE & FRIENDSHIP (Ireland/France/Netherlands 2015) ***1/2
Directed by Whit Stillman

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Justin Edwards, Stephen Fry

Review by Gilbert Seah

Whit Stillman is a Harvard educated American writer/director famous for his trilogy METROPOLITAN (this one winning him an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay), BARCELONA and THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO. LOVE & FRIENDSHIP is his fifth film after DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, his favourite (and mine too). All films share the common theme of young adults embroiled in a social class structure. DISCO and DAMSELS featured female protagonists, the former with stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny. Stillman uses them again in LOVE & FRIENDSHIP.

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP is based on the Jane Austen epistolary (a series of documents such as letters, diary entries, and newspaper clippings) novel “Lady Susan”. So, most of film’s dialogue, really funny and written in the English spoken in the Austen novels is written by Stillman himself. He moulded the main character of Lady Susan with his star Beckinsale in mind, often writing into the early hours of the morning to suit the different actors in their roles.

Set in the 1790s, the widowed Lady Susan Vernon (Beckinsale) seeks refuge with her in-laws as rumours about her private life circulate through society. While staying at the estate in Churchill, Lady Susan decides to find herself and her daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark), a husband. As Lady Susan embarks on a controversial relationship with a married man, seduction, deception, broken hearts, and gossip all ensue. She also pursues a romance with handsome Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel) while pushing her daughter to marry the wealthy and extremely talkative Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett, stealing every scene he is in). Frederica is opposed as Sir Martin is (as in the words of the script) a bit of a rattle.

Stillman’s Lady Susan is a likeable one. Stillman does not judge her deeds but lets her manipulate those around her in a comedic fashion. Her victims are looked upon as weaker characters whose existence in life is primarily to be taken advantaged of. Even her pregnancy and husband stealing is given a light look, given the period of the story. The result is a light film which stresses a comedy of manners rather than a tale of morality.

The film contains a large number of characters, related, married or related by marriage They hold titles. To familiarize the audience quickly, each character is introduced, at the start of the film with a picture portrait followed by cute titles below such as: “he’s a bit of a rattle”, or “wealthy but not well liked”. The tactic works, and the audience is soon familiarized with all the story’s characters and their relations, though it requires a bit of attention.

As the film is an Austen period piece, the costumes, props and sets are important in setting the mood and atmosphere of the film. The film was stunningly shot in Ireland by Dutch cinematographer Richard Van Oosterhout. The costumes were designed by Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh in which her massive use of green (for example in the footmen uniforms) explains her Irish heritage. Lady Susan’s dresses can be seen morphing from black to purple to red as she changes moods from mourning her late husband to finding a new suitor.

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP will definitely delight Jane Austen fans who have seen their favourite Austen adaptations like PERSUASION, SENSE & SENSIBILITY, EMMA etc on the screen. LOVE & FRIENDSHIP is Austen with a naughtier, more mischievous female character, not a prim and proper one as in her famous novels, with the additional bonus of a Whit Stillman’s imprint.

 

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Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

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captain_america_civil_warCAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Daniel Bruhl, Frank Grillo

Reveiw by Gilbert Seah

Judging from the box-office successful but critically panned BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, audiences love to see their super heroes battle one another – never mind the reason, never mind who wins, and never mind anything else. In this latest Marvel superhero movie, there are lots more of the same. It is a dream come true for current action fans as there is a full 15 minute action fight scene during which two factions of super heroes battle it out with each other.

The film begins with establishing the reason for the formation of the two factions. It is a world disaster in which innocent people are killed in Nigeria following a criminal being pursued by the Avengers. As a result of the collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps, one led by Steve Rogers aka Captain America (the handsome hunk Luke Evans) and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s Ironman (played by Robert Downey Jr.) surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

This is an AVENGERS film despite the Captain America title. Other Marvel heroes on display here include Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), the Winter Soldier of the film title (Sebastian Stan), Falcon from the IRONMAN films (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye with his arrows (Jeremy Renner), Vision (Paul Bettany), Spider-man (Tom Holland) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) the latter two providing most of the humour in the film. But the script by a multiple of writers includes many one-liners that only Marvel fans will find funny, or whoever is in the mood. But the one-liners are quite mediocre and no match compared to those found in other action films like the DIE HARD or TERMINATOR films.

So there is one faction led by Ironman with Spidey, Faclon and Spider and the other by Captain America, Winter soldier and Hawkeye. There is an extended fight scene between the two leaders as well but no one really comes out the outright victor. The heroes use their powers like Spidey his web, America his shield and Hawkeye his arrows.

The film running at almost two and a half hours is surprisingly short on both story and character development. The script contains lots of repetitions on the need to control the Avengers i.e. to substantiate the rivalry between the two groups. All this tends to be a tad boring after a while, not to mention that the matter is never resolved at the end and the film set up for a sequel.

Not much is demanded in the acting department for an action film of this nature except for the actors to look good. And they all look very bulked up or pretty as the case may be. This reviewer never liked Robert Downey Jr. as an actor (in Sherlock Holmes, IRONMAN and other films) or in person for his wise-cracking smart-ass attitude. So, the best line in the film delivered by Black Widow to him: “Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one Goddamned second?” gave me a big smile.

CAPTAIN AMERICA is a film that would delight action Marvel fans, but those serious in their taste of cinema – might want to take all this with a pinch (or rather, heap) of salt.

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Movie Review: RATCHET & CLANK (USA/Canada 2016) ***

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ratchet_and_clank.jpgRATCHET & CLANK (USA/Canada 2016) ***
Directed by Jericca Cleland and Kevin Munroe

Starring: James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Jim Ward, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Sylvester Stallone
Review by Gilbert Seah

One would definitely shudder of the news of yet another film based on a video game. Though the animated RATCHET & CLANK is one of those, the film is actually not that bad. It plays to what works best – safe bets as demonstrated in previous successful animated films.

The film’s protagonist, Ratchet (James Arnold Taylor) wants to be a Galactic Ranger – just as the rabbit protagonist in ZOOTPOIA wants to be a cop. While pursuing his ambition, Ratchet comes across a robot by the name of Clank (David Kaye) carrying important information on a planet with a desert landscape. The same premise happens with the character Rey and the robot carrying a message for Luke Skywalker in STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. The most famous of the Galactic Rangers – Captain Owark (sounding like Captain Kirk) and voiced by Jim Ward has a figure modelled after the Buzz Lightyear character (Tim Allen) in the TOY STORY films. And the line of advice given by Grimroth Razz, Ratchet’s mechanic mentor (John Goodman) to Ratchet: “Don’t aim too high so that you will not get too disappointed,” is identical to the joke/advice given in ZOOTOPIA by the protagonist’s parents. It is uncanny how ZOOTOPIA and RACHET & CLANKS have these similarities.

One can keep on counting – the nods or similarities (depending how wants to look at it). But who really cares? The video game movie is well-intentioned for the kids and family and everything is done in relatively good taste without insult or injury.

The ‘original’ story begins with how the title characters first meet and how they attempt to save the Solana Galaxy from being destroyed by the villains of the piece, Chairman Drek (Paul Giamatti) and the Blarg. With Drek’s native planet Orxon having grown toxic and overpopulated, he sets about invading and plundering large chunks of rival planets to build a new super-sphere for his people. This is the same reason used by every film for an alien invasion of another planet.

The film features a number of the voice actors from the original video game series reprising their roles with a few new ones such as Giamatti, Taylor (as Ratchet) and believe it or not Sylvester Stallone.
The film is sufficiently colourful and the animation incentive enough providing harmless fun to entertain, without scaring the kids.

RATCHET & CLANK is a moderately budgeted independent animated movie. The film does will not outdo any Disney or other big studio animated features, but it should make a decent profit.

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Movie Review: DISORDER (MARYLAND) (France/Belgium 2015) ****

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disorder.jpgDISORDER (MARYLAND) (France/Belgium 2015) ****
Directed by Alice Winocour

Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Diane Kruger, Paul Hamy

Review by Gilber Seah

DISORDER is as the film title implies, a psychological thriller/drama. It traces an Afghanistan veteran transgression into deep paranoia and how he deals with it.

When the film opens, Vincent (Matthias Schoenaerts) is having a medical examination. He is apparently tested in his hearing and later told that the results will be made known to him as to whether he can return to active military duty. In the meantime, Vincent lands a job as security at a huge mansion estate called Maryland (the film’s original title). The camera then follows him around when he patrols the estate doing his duties as he checks certain guests, some rude, some not, as he fulfills his duties. In the process, he overhears a private conversation of the owner of an arms deal gone sour. Director Winocour shows how stressful a security job can be, and even more so with his hearing problems as he has to wear an ear piece for communication. Winocour keeps the audience on their toes. Is something going to happen? Is Vincent going to break down? At the same time, the film hovers towards being a thriller, a suspensor, a drama and an action film. This is the reason Winocour’s film works so well. Her film is always several steps ahead of her audience. The reason she does certain things is clear later. For example, Vincent undergoes a lot of repetitive annoyances – like loud sounds and blurred images, but these repetitions are necessary to explain the deterioration of Vincent’s mental health.

The psychological thriller is centred on Vincent, who has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He is later hired by the rich client, Whalid (Percy Kemp) as security and driver for the wife (Diane Kruger) and son while he is away. Vincent speeds the car up almost running into an accident when he thinks the car is being followed. The wife freaks out but finds out later that Vincent was right. A home invasion reveals the reason being due to the husband’s arms deal gone sour. The film then switches to action. Winocour handles the fight and action scenes with efficient finesse. The temptation to include some romance between the wife and Vincent is thankfully avoided.

Matthias Schoenaerts looks and acts his part convincingly. His chiselled tattooed body complements his brooding nature. He has proven himself apt in diversified roles as a troubled soul (this film and RUST AND BONE) or as a sound and dependable one as in FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD.

The film’s sound editing and effects (pounding and techno sounds) are excellent, emphasizing the imminent danger of each situation.

The imaginary ending (not revealed in this review) is subtly conceived to bring a conclusion to the movie as to the final state of Vincent’s mental state.

DISORDER reminds one immediately of classic murder films such as those directed by Claude Chabrol in the 60’s and 70’s. DISORDER is not a whodunit thriller, and is absorbing from start to finish. Winocour has proven herself a capable director and a talent to be reckoned with.

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Movie Review: MOTHER’S DAY (2016). Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts

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mothersdayMOTHER’S DAY (USA 2016) **

Directed by Garry Marshall

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Timothy Olyphant, Shay Mitchell, Jason Sudeikis

Review by Gilbert Seah

Director Garry Marshall has created his niche in directing saccharine sweet films for the not so demanding moviegoer. His NEW YEAR’S EVE, VALENTINE’ DAY and PRETTY WOMAN say it all. The 81 year-old has been at it since 1982 when I saw his first film YOUNG DOCTORS IN LOVE. He also is the creator of the iconic TV series, “Happy Days”, “Laverne & Shirley”, and “Mork & Mindy”.

So do not expect much from his latest family comedy MOTHER’S DAY. The plot involves 3 interconnecting stories with mothers. They are loosely connected. For example, a friend of one gives advice to another who is in a different story. So, the film could consists of 3 unconnected stories for all that matters.

The first mother is Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) who has two sons. Her recently divorced husband, Henry (Timothy Olyphant) is marrying young Tina (Shay Mitchell). To Sandy’s dismay, everything is going on too well with her ex. The second mother is high profile TV star, Miranda (Julia Roberts) who has given up her daughter, Kristin (Britt Robertson) for her career. Kristen seeks to find her mother while not being able to commit to marrying her Irish boyfriend. And there is Jesse (Kate Hudson), a mother who married an east-Indian against her parents wishes. All these stories are quite easy to follow on screen, despite it sounding confusing on paper. It is hard to determine which is the best story. But one can tell that there is healthy competition among the stars to do their part the best. Aniston tries very hard at being funny. Roberts smiles a bit too much looking artificially false.

All these shenanigans are mildly funny. An example are the stand up comic routines during the comedy contest at Burn’s (Jon Lovitz) club. Those routines including the $5000 prize winner are just ok funny at best. The other shenanigans also invoke a tear or two as niceness is pulled out of these stories, which director Marshall is so good at. There are a few genuine funny moments like the runaway trailer with the laptop screen having the image of the East Indian mother as it topples of the table when she says” “Where is everyone gone?”

Marshall has assembled quite the all-star cast. Marshall has got most of the big names, like Julia Roberts, who has worked with him before. Also noticeable is his use of minority groups to play bit parts (like the down-syndrome girl at the film’s start). But then, his film goes in the opposite direction with some very racist East-Indian jokes later on in the film. He also stereotypes East Indians having the mother, for example, always appearing wearing a full sari and always having all Indians speaking with a strong accent.

Midway during the film, the hit song “Photograph” by Ben Shereen is performed, only emphasizing Marshall’s desperation to get his film liked.

Otherwise, MOTHER’S DAY is just the typical Garry Marshall film: mildly entertaining at best and irritatingly full of sentimentality and niceness. As the saying goes, every Marshall story (he cowrite this film) has a happy ending.

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Movie Review: MEN & CHICKEN (Denmark/Germany 2015) Top 10 *****

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menandchicken.jpgMEN & CHICKEN (Denmark/Germany 2015) Top 10 *****
Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen

Starring:
David Dencik, Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Review by Gilbert Seah

Director Anders Thomas Jensen’s (THE GREEN BUTCHERS) is a very black comedy – none can come blacker, about two different brothers – same father but different mothers. Firstly, it should be noted that writer/director Jensen is an Oscar winner – for his short film in 1999. So, this brilliant piece of filmmaking is no stroke of luck.

Gabriel (David Dencik) is a worn down university professor and Elias (Mads Mikkelsen) is a man whose only concern is women and trivial knowledge. At the film’s opening, Elias is having dinner – apparently a first date with a woman in a wheelchair. The reason he picked her are manyfold. One is that he thinks that girls in wheelchairs are easier. Secondly she is a psychiatrist and that he can get free advice on his dreams. It is a hilarious scene that ends with him jerking off in the toilet. It is there that the story picks up. Gabriel receives a phone call that their father is dead. Things take a turn when the brothers learn through a videotape recorded by their now late father, that he in fact wasn’t their biological father. Gabriel and Elias discover that their biological father lives on the island Ork. They set out to the island and here they meet their real family. And the family – all brothers with hair cleft lips behave like the three stooges, constantly beating each other up and obeying weird rules made up by one of them, Josef (Soren Malling).

They all live in a dirty abandoned sanatorium where animals roam everywhere. The sets are made as as dirty and disgusting as they come. The actors are also dressed as poorly as possible and everyone is plain ugly in the film. All this is pure delight for those who love their humour served up weird and different.

There are too many extremely weird but hilarious segments to mention. One of the best involves the four brothers driving out of the old sanatorium to pick up girls. Where do they go? The old age home. “What happens if we don’t get any?” one asks. Elias replies, “It will be a world record if I don’t get lucky.” But there are slim pickings and they quibble who will get the jig-saw lady with the walker. Another is the dinner table set-up (inspired by the director’s childhood experiences at the dinner table) when the brothers argue on the dog plate (the plate with a picture of a dog on it). The one with the cow plate wants it. Elias volunteers to give him his owl plate to prevent a fight but is told the owl plate is worse than the cow plate. When an argument ensues, Elias switches his owl plate for the cow plate. The situations get weirder and weirder, but director is dead serious on his material, pushing it past boundaries.

Mikkelsen and Dencil and the other actors work wonderfully well – weather fighting or sleeping together. They have worked before with director Jensen.

I first previewed MEN AND CHICKEN last year at the Toronto International Film Festival. Second viewing still proves the film fascinating weird, hilarious and inventive. Not for the faint of heart nor for those who like their humour sane This is insanity at its most heightened. Love it or hate it, MEN AND CHICKEN is the weirdest movie of the year, hands down.

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