RKS 2024 Film: “Place of Bones”: The Good, Bad, Ugly and a Taste for the Finer Things in Life: Canadian Film Fest

I can’t think of any Canadian westerns I have encountered so I snapped up the opportunity to watch “Place of Bones” set in 1876 Canada. In many respects it is a traditional 1950’s and 1960’s western. Good god-fearing sodbusters Pandora Meadow (Heather Graham) and her daughter Hester (Brielle Robillard) living a marginal existence in aContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Place of Bones”: The Good, Bad, Ugly and a Taste for the Finer Things in Life: Canadian Film Fest”

RKS 2024 Film: “Valley of Exile”: Canadian Film Fest

It is 2013 and Syrian sisters Rima (Maria Hassan) and Nour (Hala Hosni) arrive as refugees in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. They find a temporary home in a “camp” with Haifa (Najwa Kandakji) and her niece Shirin. Rima is the older sister conservative in views and dress. Nour could be a teenager in any North AmericanContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Valley of Exile”: Canadian Film Fest”

RKS 2024 Film: “Doubles”: Canadian Film Fest

Doubles are a Trinidadian street food. Curried chickpeas (channa) between two pieces of fried flatbread in tamarind and coriander sauce with mango chutney, kuchela and cucumbers. Dhani (Sanjiv Boodhu) who is of Indian descent and his mother run a small roadside stand selling doubles in Trinidad. It is a marginal existence worsened by a robberyContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Doubles”: Canadian Film Fest”

“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”: The Final Cut: The Lights Dim and We Are Live at the Academy Awards! Riot Police Called as Larry David Attacked by Penny and Bosco: Reggie Becomes a Swiftie: Chapter Seventy Six (76)

We hold our breath as the nominees for best song are announced. And the winner is…….Gordon Lightfoot for “Paco A Girl’s Best Friend”! Mr. Gordon Lightfoot grabs Bosco and me under his arms and carries us on the stage. He has 90 seconds to speak to the world. “I would like to thank the Academy.Continue reading ““Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”: The Final Cut: The Lights Dim and We Are Live at the Academy Awards! Riot Police Called as Larry David Attacked by Penny and Bosco: Reggie Becomes a Swiftie: Chapter Seventy Six (76)”

RKS 2024 Film: “One Life”: Shuffles Along but Finishes with a Sprint

“One Life” is the story of dedicated volunteers in 1938 Prague attempting to whisk children (mostly Jewish) to safety in Britain by train with Nicholas “Nicky” Winton pressuring the British bureaucracy to issue exit visas to the children. Of course, being bureaucrats, they insisted 50 £ be posted as return money to return the childrenContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “One Life”: Shuffles Along but Finishes with a Sprint”

“Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”: The Final Cut: Reggie is Up for an Academy Award! Dancing with Mr. Gordon Lightfoot in the Kitchen: Malivoire, Lightfoot, Kidman, Dylan the Westie and Reggie up for Oscars! Chapter Seventy One (71)

Needless to say, Bob, Fay, Dylan the Westie and I were floored when we received a call at lunchtime from Nicole Kidman in Los Angeles. “A Dog Saved My Life” is nominated for the best picture, Nicole Kidman for best actress, Mr. Gordon Lightfoot for best song, Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog-Russell Crowe for bestContinue reading ““Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog”: The Final Cut: Reggie is Up for an Academy Award! Dancing with Mr. Gordon Lightfoot in the Kitchen: Malivoire, Lightfoot, Kidman, Dylan the Westie and Reggie up for Oscars! Chapter Seventy One (71)”

RKS 2024 Film: “Cherry”: A Fly on the Wall Not Wanting to be on That Wall

Marie-Lise Chouinard (1986-2002) a beloved Quebecoise dies slowly in front of the camera. At age 36 she has lymphoma with months to live and heroically with vivacity and humour, but not without moments of sadness and distress, lifts her persona to the very end. When I grasped her terminal state I did not want toContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Cherry”: A Fly on the Wall Not Wanting to be on That Wall”

RKS  2024 Film: “Piss on Patriarchy”: Ladies, Welcome to the Esteemed Category of Mass Killer: Equality Richard Speck?

Gender Equity in Media Society presents their 19th annual international film festival, GEMFest in Vancouver in person 5-9March2024 and virtually 12-16March2024 with 14 Canadian films. The festival, now in its 19th year, continues to provide a platform for challenging gender imbalance and the lack of equity and diversity in the screen-based media industry. In aContinue reading “RKS  2024 Film: “Piss on Patriarchy”: Ladies, Welcome to the Esteemed Category of Mass Killer: Equality Richard Speck?”

RKS 2024 Film: “ Praying For Armageddon”: The End of the World…..Again

Watching “Praying For Armageddon” what struck me was the look of the Christian fundamentalists in this documentary. I thought for a moment these were the same faces and personalities as in the “Freedom Convoy” which descended in Ottawa on 22January2022. Ostensibly their protest centred on COVID governmental restrictions on individual liberty but were much broaderContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “ Praying For Armageddon”: The End of the World…..Again”

RKS 2024 Film: “Suze”: Go Ahead and Dump Everything on a Good Trooper

Suze (Michaela Watkins) is a single divorcee living with her self centred and spoilt daughter Brooke (Sara Waisglass) in Hamilton, Ontario. Nothing is going Suze’s way. Just as Brooke is off to start McGill University in Montreal her goofy boyfriend Gabe attempts suicide and his father then dumps Gabe on Suze to watch as heContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Suze”: Go Ahead and Dump Everything on a Good Trooper”