Reviews

Skipped the local Climate Action group meeting and went to see "A Difficult Year" at TIFF a few days ago and had the reality of our ongoing Climate catastrophe and mad overconsumption served up to me with subtitles, French style and wit. Directed by the makers of film "The Intouchables" it looks beautiful and has a fabulous kinetic energy and has enough surprises and twists in its storytelling to keep you pleasantly off-balance. The story revolves around two charming conniving overconsuming scoundrels played by Jonathan Cohen ('temporarily' Lexo) and Pio Marmai (Pumpkin) who have wonderful chemistry together as they become unlikely chums. They get drawn into joining the Climate movement and into increasingly radical actions by the alluring beauty and charm of one of the leaders played by Noemie Merlant (Cactus). There is a cartoonish aspect to the depiction of over consumption and the possible ways out of debt but the passion and commitment of the climate activist group is presented in a positive light as one experiences how their sense of community and shared purpose helps them live with Eco-anxiety which is one of the film's themes. A Difficult Year sheds light on an existential crisis yet it is able to be funny with a good heart and its ending is surely inspired by activist Emma Goldman's famous line: "if I can't dance, I don't want your revolution"

I went to see 'Bottoms' with two of my offspring - one proudly queer and the other totally gay positive. We all really liked this film It played on many of the standard tropes of Guys' Gross Out comedies like Animal House and many Bill Murray films and was absurd and silly but it had a sweet warm goofy gooey heart that that was juicy and delicious, the two leads were awesome and funny and inspired, it had hot girls and hot romantic hooking up, and Marshawn Lynch the Seattle RB of ' Beast Mode' fame was a seismic revelation and one of the few male characters to root for in his own Obtuse OG Ally kind of way. Give it four erect thumbs up 👍 👍 👍 👍 and 8 sparkling stars.

I had a strong feeling I was going to really like this film from the reviews I read in IMDB and I was not disappointed. I grew up with my father reading me bedtime stories from a beautifully illustrated edition of 1001 Nights and this film transported me back to those times and those magical feelings right from the start with Tilda Swinton's narration and the name of the airlines - Scheherazade. This film is for those who love stories, the ability of film, cinematography, costuming, committed acting and set design to create Other Worlds that might have once existed or not, but that we wish did. There are many levels to this film, it is over the top, indulgent, sometimes a tad bizarre, sweet, poignant but ultimately satisfying. Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton each make the story live and breathe and in the end we care about them and about the story that has been told.