RKS 2024 Film: “Last County”: Pedantic Then Taratinoish!

“Last County” opens with a dead cop and two criminals fleeing the scene. Then a brief glimpse of an older silver long haired gentleman (Nicholas Campbell) waving an enormous pistol. What is happening?

Then struggling alcoholic Abby (Kaelen Ohm) who likes her vodka laced smoothies has an automobile accident with her daughter Grace and smoothie by her side. Poof goes her relationship with husband Brian and if she gets off the juice just maybe supervised visitation rights with Grace.

Three months later off to the family cottage Abby goes for some quiet time and more vodka. Two of the crooks seen at the opening of the film barge in waking up Abby from her pill and booze stupor. One is gushing blood but they have a bag full of dope and cash. A drug deal gone sour. Abby and one of the crooks Bennet (Gord Rand) manage to co-exist. The film is oh so predictable and a bit plodding with the hostage and criminal bonding.

Then an obese deputy arrives after Abby calls the police for help. But the deputy is more interested in the bag of cash. The cops are into enriching themselves with the proceeds of crime. Poor corrupt deputy is killed by a gardening tool lodged in his neck by Abby.

Not hearing a response from the deputy the sheriff Bill McLean arrives at the house and he is the silvered haired older gent at the scene of the crime at the beginning of the movie. He is corrupt as hell as are his police officers. Bedlam breaks out and a shoot out ensues not a big one but a series of Taratinoish blasts sending Sherriff Bill McLean, an evil force, to the world beyond.

In the midst of all the evilness strange comedic moments add an absurd element to the film. Soaked in blood Abby and Grace saunter off in the distance leaving her vodka bottle behind.

Where is the good? Where is the evil? Are evil and good even identifiable?

May I say placidity is transformed into brilliance. But there would be no brilliance without the placidity.

This Canadian film is directed by Barret Mulholland. It will be released on VOD/Digital on 9August2024.

RKS 2024 Film Rating 92/100.

The 4th Annual Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada): Shorts: “Jasteece”

Mrs. Zoe (Nina Menti) is a 65-year-old school cleaner from Xanthi, Greece.  Her terminally ill husband is at home confined to bed and is being cared for by her. Medical bills are mounting forcing her to take two additional jobs cleaning houses.

As she tidies up her house and administers medications for her ailing husband the television news reports a man that was arrested over ten years ago for resisting arrest at a demonstration against police brutality has returned to court again over this long period being forbidden to travel and having to report once every two weeks to the police. His never ending entanglement has a Kafkaesque flavour!

Then in another news story a secretary to a Greek minister having run over and killed a pedestrian failing to stop just aside Greek Parliament after a public uproar has been suspended from his position for two months. His widow had demanded manslaughter charges but as his arrest was not at the scene there was not “sufficient evidence” to prosecute. Political connections and justice?

Then a Dean at a school walks free after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and child abuse as despite an inquiry with multiple witnesses there were “doubts” as to the evidence.

Mrs. Zoe is arrested at home, handcuffed and led to the police station and as we heard on the news broadcast at the beginning of the short sentenced for fraud and forgery having forged a primary school certificate so she could get the job she has worked at for 22 years.

Small fry getting nailed and the big cheeses walking free. You now know why Justice was misspelt!

The director was Christina Charcharidi.

In which city and with what feature film this short will be paired with check out https://gifft.ca

The 4th Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada): “Professional Sleepwalker”: More Tragedy Than Comedy? Why You Should Love Greek Cinema

The 4th Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada) is rather unique in that it is Canada wide showing in 11 Canadian cities from 1-31 October2024.

There are comedic if not absurdist elements to the film but it is interwoven with strong implied warnings of substance abuse as a destructive force even if the victim believes the substance is a lightning rod to creativity.

Angelo (Michalis Kaliatsos) is an Athenian poet ghost writing for a well known author. On his moped he is hit by a horoscope obsessed driver who fails to notice stop signs. Injured, almost unable to walk, he must recuperate at home under the care of his mother the sarcastic and caustic Mrs. Efterpi (Eleni Gerasimidou).

The sleeping pills prescribed to Angelo cause him to speak in his sleep in a completely coherent fashion. Angelo has recurring dreams he hears confessions and advises mostly women. Unknown to Angelo Mrs. Efterpi arranges for Angelo (for a fee) to hear confessions from various people some seeking advice on extramarital affairs, if their dog loves them or if their husband is cheating on them et al. Angelo, being a poet advises his “clients” in poetic language and his poetry vastly improves and his advice is impressive. He is quite a “Pythia” i.e., Pythia was an oracle in Delphi whose advice was often sought concerning the outcome of war or politics.  Mrs. Efterpi decorates his room with all manner of religious artifacts giving him a mystical aura.

His doctor, Dr. (Maria Kechagioglou) advises him to cease taking his sleeping pills and agreeing to do so his poetry and advice to his “clients” hits the skids but back on the pills his “brilliance” reignites. He dumps his publisher and joins another “marketing guru” seeking to build an image of a “sleepwalking poet”, a veritable Stephen Hawking of poetry which includes having him tilt his head at a strange angle.

Where does savvy marketing end and fraud begin? Is there a price to be paid for drug induced “creativity”? Where does drug infused creativity begin and does it end in self destruction? What is the price to be paid for financial success? Think Janis, Kurt, Ernest and Johhny Rotten to name a few.

Priceless comedy at the beginning of the film with a gaggle of bumbling poets facing the scathing sarcasm of Mrs. Efterpi and at its ending with a bizarre dance number with Angelo and his physician. In between social commentary on fame, substance abuse, marketing, greed and manipulation of both the individual and the public. A good reason to appreciate Greek cinema. Often there is nothing like it.

In Greek with English subtitles.

Directed by Vasilis Riasis who holds a Masters and PHD in Philosophy and History of Sciences.

RKS 2024 Film Rating 91/100.

For screening information and tickets https://gifft.ca.

The 4th Annual Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada): “All Happy Families”

If you watch the trailer (below) for “All Happy Families” you might conclude why is an American made film screening in a Greek film festival? Any film showing in the festival qualifies if there is Greek connection to it be it shot in Greece, a main Greek actor, producer or director. Haroula Rose, the director of the film, was born in Chicago to Greek immigrant parents.

So many “family themed” movies are simply stupid such as Robert DeNiro’s  embarrassing performance in “About My Father”. Some are comedic, light and happy as Spencer Tracy in the 1950 “Father of the Bride”.  Some have a raw edge like “Rebel Without a Cause”. Some are fantasy such as “Peggy Sue Got Married”. “All Happy Families” has its comedic moments and is just a bit of a romcom but it never loses itself to fluffiness. I leave it to you to determine if there is any happiness to the Landry film family and is a compliment to the film if you give this some thought!

Graham Landry (Josh Radnor) is a struggling actor and writer in Chicago who has had no real success since his college acting days. At 42 it looks like he has flatlined. Then there is his older brother Will (Rob Huebel) a successful Los Angeles family themed soap opera where he plays a father to several daughters.

Will arrives in Chicago to stay with brother Graham for a few days. Will bought the house and Graham manages and lives in it. The upper floor is a rental and Dana, a former college “friend” shows up to rent. Dana thought Graham had talent as an actor in college. She is a chef.

Hearing that a new tenant Dana will be moving in his parents Sue (Becky Ann Baker) and Roy (John Ashton) arrive in Chicago to help Graham prep the upper floor for Dana. All rolls along somewhat smoothly until Will is caught up in a Harvey Weinstein issue. This is a secret that can’t be maintained due to media exposure. Then there is the groping incident Sue has endured which needs to be kept secret. And that secret about Roy wanting to borrow money resulting from for a possible gambling issue. Then Will’s son (who wants to be a daughter) Evy arrives in Chicago.

The great familial disintegration explodes on the screen to the point of physical violence. No folks this is no “Brady Brunch” or “Family Affair” as for a moment it looks like a Telly Savalas romp in “The Dirty Dozen”.

Despite the jealously, deep secrets and the brawl it may very well be this family gets along in a rough and realistic fashion. Reality indeed. Do you know any ideal family other than sappy familial portrayals on the screen?

Kudos to Rose as writer and director for a believable accounting of family life.

You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-dxrystGJE&t=11s

RKS 2024 Film Rating 86/100.

The Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada) plays in 11 Canadian cities. For further details check out https://gifft.ca

The 4th Annual Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada): “Minore”: Thoroughly Greek and Outrageous B Horror-Comedy Film

The Port of Piraeus has a problem. There are a series of minor earthquakes and citizens disappear. Mists roll in. An island appears in the middle of the harbour. Many walk-like zombies toward the island. Gooified bodies begin to appear many missing limbs.

Meanwhile in Gotham City, ooops wrong movie but similar vibe, the merry life continues at a taverna with traditional Rebetiko music, drinking and dancing until the creatures attack it causing a pile of severed limbs and intestines to pile up.

And there is much traditional Greek music peppered throughout “Minore” but there is also heavy metal. There is also a plethora of many odd but striking characters including a yia yia (Efi Papatheodorou) as you have never seen before! There is Vikingesque body builder with a love of swords and modern automatic weapons. There is a mysterious elder bouzouki player Nikodimos (Meletis Georgiadis), a raunchy taxi driver, Greek gangsters, icon painter, mama’s boys, ancient Greeks, cheapskate priests, obsessive papu tavli players and many others.

Nikodimos warns children of the great devourer are passing through cracks to prepare a feast for him. Could it be typically Greek the monsters look like octopi! And strange that the showdown with these creatures and big mama al la “Alien” occurs in and on the grounds of a Greek Orthodox church and the weapon of greatest effective is amplified bouzoki music! And what a final battle it is with heads and limbs severed, faces ripped off and guns blasting and swords chopping off tentacles. And the monsters look far more realistic than a 1964 B horror movie. Were you ever remotely frightened by the blob in “The Blob”?

Enough horror here to keep you from that popcorn run yet enough humour for a few guffaws and priests, psychiatrists and Even Golden Dawn are not free from some of that classic Greek cinema jobbing you will find in many 60’s Greek films.

Looking for a jovial night out this Greek B comedy-horror movie is well worth it. So Greek even if you can’t clue in on this you really won’t miss much.

Half in Greek and half in English and when Greek there are subtitles.

This film screens in Toronto and go to  https://gifft.ca for further details.

RKS 2024 Film Rating 88/100. 

You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agy3j21q3sY

Director is Konstantinos Koutsoliotas.

RKS Literature: The Danger of Over Protectiveness of Children (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

There were other patients to see: an American girl of fifteen who had been brought up on the basis that childhood was intended to be all fun-his visit was provoked by the fact that she just hacked off all her hair with nail scissors. There was nothing much to be done for her-a family history of neurosis and nothing stable in her past to build on. The father, normal and conscientious himself, had tried to protect a nervous brood from life’s troubles and had succeeded merely in preventing them from developing powers of adjustment to life’s inevitable surprises.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Tender is the Night”, 1934.

RKS 2024 Film: “Only the River Flows”: A Murder Investigation Takes Centre Stage

If you are an aficionado of murder mysteries you will enjoy the film. A twist of clues with no obvious viewer conclusions to be made.

If you enjoy film noir there is almost enough stylistically here to merit slotting the film into that genre.

If you enjoy symbolism in film and subtle political criticism it is in the film.

An elderly woman with the nickname Granny Four is slashed in the neck in 1995 small town China. Her body is at the edge of a river. There are no witnesses to the murder. The only clue is a purse, not belonging to Granny, that contains a cassette tape with music but with a message from Qian Ling to her lover Hong. They are in an “illicit” relationship and the purse at the murder scene is Ling’s. And Ling admits to stumbling upon the deceased Granny but “ran off in terror”.

Then a hairdresser with a criminal record is a possible suspect.

And the obvious suspect, so you think, is The Madman who was adopted by Granny Four.

The local police chief Captain Ma (Hou Tianlai) assigns detective Ma Zhe (Yilong Zhu) to the case. Captain Ma is a ping pong obsessed loyal political cadre looking to boost the “collective morale” of his small force and is being pressured by his superiors for an arrest and he is being watched by the political and bureaucratic machine for a quick resolution.

Ma Zhe, a good cop through and through, doggedly pursues his case not comfortable with a quick arrest to satiate those “in power” who are watching the case.

As the investigation commenced the police force moved their headquarters into an abandoned cinema and they are hard at work “on the stage” investigating the murder. Yes indeed they are being watched by an audience that is pressuring for the happy ending of a quick conviction. All the police officers are also on the stage being pressured by Captain Ma to promptly file their merit applications.

The bureaucrats and party members are seen applauding the brave and diligent Ma Zhe who snags the murderer. Or did he? Could it be the bureaucrats are the winners in the big show. Is justice but a simple political inconvenience?

Very dark cinematography, incessant rain and diametrically opposed characters edge the film toward film noir but perhaps a hot babe and black and white cinematography would have conclusively edged the film into official film noir categorization.

Subtle jabs at the political and bureaucratic cadres in China.

Directed by Wei Shujun.

Theatrical release 1August2024 in Canada.

RKS 2024 Film Rating 90/100.

The 4th Annual Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada): “Listen to Who’s Talking”:  Yes, Greeks Can Make Romcoms

Looking for something bright, breezy and humorous? Look no further than “Listen to Who’s Talking” a Greek feature film playing at the Greek International Film Festival Tour 1-31October24 in 11 Canadian cities. Buried under the covers or dreamt up by my film weary mind is the concept of mindfulness meditation possibly present in the film.

Fotis is an Athenian life coach whose life is caught up in a boring routine. Work, return home exhausted, eat processed and delivered food, pat the dog and then go to bed, get up, have his kolouria at his coffee shop then head to the office to speak with his clients. Over and over with no girlfriend or friends for that matter.

But there is this voice that speaks to him primarily to rouse him from his dullard existence. The voice can be critical such as “Pizza again. How exciting” or “If you keep eating this crap you’ll develop scurvy.” “Another wasted day.” The voice can be encouraging, “What a babe. Get her telephone number.” “You’ve got to chase her. This is not like applying for a permit at the Ministry.”

After 200 days or ordering koluoria for his breakfast he finally looks up to see a beautiful woman, Chrysanthi, serving him. He is captivated so is she now that he has finally looked at her.  The voice is his life coach advising how to develop his relationship with Chrysanthi. While there is this external voice directing, nagging, and criticizing Fotis, Chrysanthi’s friend Maria is a voice directing her. The voices heard by Fotis and Chrysanthi are comedic even if critical.

There are Fotis’ clients that are oddball one being a priest who slurps down communion wine as to throw it our would be a sin, a bribe taking soccer referee, a volleyball coach obsessed with his female players’ bottoms and a man obsessed with pigeons and mosquitos.

The movie concludes in a classic romcom manner. Good fun.

But this voice Fotis hears? Some external voice?

In mindfulness there is a key factor in mediation practice and that is shutting up the voice in your head that is judging, criticizing and thinking in many different directions. Could this be the voice Fotis hears? I am trained and certified in mindfulness and you think it is easy to shut up that voice. Think again it can take months of training and more than a few can’t master this simplest yet most difficult task.

The film shows in Vancouver and Toronto.

You can see the Greek trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvx_WMsrVAg . The film is in Greek but with English subtitles.

For more information check out https://gifft.ca

RKS 2024 Film Rating 81/100.

The 4th Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada): “Kapetan Mihalis”: Can a Greek Classic Modernist Novel Survive the Big Screen?

The Greek film “Kapetan Mihalis” is based on the Nikos Kazantzakis novel “Freedom or Death” chronicling the struggle of Cretans for independence in their Ottoman occupied Crete in the late 19th century. To transform this epic novel onto the screen requires guts! “Tampering” with a national treasure is risky business. However the filmmakers here have succeeded although what film could ever fully bring to life such a novel?

Kapetan Mihalis (Amilios Heilakis) is the protagonist in the film. He is a fierce Cretan advocating the independence of Crete and it’s joining the Greek nation. He is a driven man not without contradictions. One might refer to him as an obsessive madman while not afraid of baiting and humiliating the Turkish occupiers somewhat skilled at maintaining peace until the time is right to drive out the Turks.  

While a hater of Turkish occupiers he is a blood brother of Nuri Bey (Alexos Sissovitz) a prominent Turkish captain. As children they cut their hands and mingled blood making them blood brothers with an exchange of promises not to hurt each other. He is also tempted by Bey’s Circassian concubine Emine.

Yes there is a memorable battle scene where the Turks and Cretans fight. How memorable is it that the abbot and his monks join in the fight to save the monastery under Turkish attack and shocking about the carving out of his face by the Turkish attackers.

In addition to the anti-Turk momentum of the film there are subplots galore concerning incest, the nature of an uprising, jealousy, life under occupation, hatred, dissipation, drunkenness, loyalty, treachery and so forth. One watches here an epic which is not solely focused on “military matters”.

An excellent film that has broad appeal. It was as faithful to “Freedom and Death” as it could be. RKS 2024 Film Rating 93/100.

Directed by Kostas Haralambous. In Greek with English subtitles. Here is the Greek trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xonR_4ioDLk&t=126s

Check the GIFFT website at  https://gifft.ca to determine in what 11 Canadian cities the film will be playing at in the 1-31October2024 GIFFT festival.

RKS Literature: Can Scars of the Mind Ever Heal? (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

“One writes of scars healed, a loose parallel to the pathology of the skin, but there is no such thing in the life of an individual. There are open wounds, shrunk sometimes to the size of a pin-prick but wounds still. The marks of suffering are more comparable to the loss of a finger, or of the sight of an eye. We may not miss them, either, for one minute in a year, but if we should there is nothing to be done by it.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Tender is the Night”, (1934).