Tag Archives: film

RKS 2024 Film: “The Great Salish Heist”: Of Rezy Indians, Well Meaning White Folks and Russian Mobsters

If you enjoy a good heist movie with tension, action, humour, sarcasm and more than a few double crosses you will enjoy the Canadian feature film “The Great Salish Heist”. No state secrets, secret and revealing information on a disc, gold or diamonds are the object of the heist. Steve Joe (Darrell Dennis) is aContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “The Great Salish Heist”: Of Rezy Indians, Well Meaning White Folks and Russian Mobsters”

RKS 2024 Film: “The Madones”: The B Side Life of a One Hit Wonder Group

No typo here. This film is not about rockers The Ramones but a fictional all female Canadian rock group The Madones. They had their only big hit,” Mad Ones” twenty years ago. We know these bands as one hit wonders. Three sisters Rose (Lucy De Coutere), Gladys and Stella (Terra Doyle) were in this all-girlsContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “The Madones”: The B Side Life of a One Hit Wonder Group”

RKS 2024 Television: Turner Classic Films: “The Power of Film” Series

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is premiering an all-new original documentary series, The Power of Film, which explores some of the most popular and memorable American films of all time. New episodes of the six-part series will premiere every Thursday beginning January 4 at 8pm ET. Hosted and curated by renowned UCLA professor emeritus, founding chair ofContinue reading “RKS 2024 Television: Turner Classic Films: “The Power of Film” Series”

RKS 2024 Film: “Come Lie with Me” (Arrête avec tes mesonges): The Torture of Remaining in the Closet

I take issue with the translation of “Arrête avec tes mesonges” which in my French means “stop with your lies” far more appropriate than “Come Lie with Me” given the path and plot of the film. You see Stéphane Belcourt (Guillame de Tonquédec) is a gay novelist who is quite out of the closet. OnContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Come Lie with Me” (Arrête avec tes mesonges): The Torture of Remaining in the Closet”

RKS 2024 Film: “Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer”

“Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer” is a documentary scanning the live and films of German director Werner Herzog. Herzog quips all his films emanate from pain and not pleasure. While many of the actors and directors in the documentary laud Herzog as a dreamer Herzog says he rarely dreams but sometimes when walking or driving longContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer””

RKS 2024 Film: “After the Fire” (Avant que les flames): Tired Old Plot Barely Saved by Fresh Talent

The French film “After the Fire” suffers from tired old plot syndrome perhaps more common in the news of the day or in documentaries than in a feature film. Minority member brutalized and killed by the police. It happens ubiquitously in almost all countries. In this film Karim El Yadari of Strasbourg dies after aContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “After the Fire” (Avant que les flames): Tired Old Plot Barely Saved by Fresh Talent”

RKS 2024 Film: “Double Down South” Meets “The Hustler” and Oliver Twist

Iconic films are shunted aside, but never replaced, by successors. In this case “The Hustler” (1961) is complimented by “Double Down South”. There are so many hustlers in this keno film I am not sure who is hustling whom but the “pool hustle” has been upgraded most enjoyably to the modern era by “Double DownContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Double Down South” Meets “The Hustler” and Oliver Twist”

RKS 2024 Film: “Fallen Leaves”: Awkwardness, Alienation and Depression Perfected

Ansa (Alma Pöysti) and Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) are two lonely souls portrayed in a gloomy, stark and industrialized Helsinki. Ansa meets Holappa at a karaoke bar full of strange “out of the ordinary” people. In fact the film is full of distracted out of place people in equally stark and bizarre settings. The music throughoutContinue reading “RKS 2024 Film: “Fallen Leaves”: Awkwardness, Alienation and Depression Perfected”

RKS 2023 Film: “Re: Uniting”: Together Again For The Final Big Chill

Some say this Bowen Island (British Columbia) set and shot film is an ensemble drama that is similar to “The Big Chill”. I can agree with that. It is in the reunion genre of film. Let’s sort out the bad and good. Sound echoes in the early moments of the film seem not to haveContinue reading “RKS 2023 Film: “Re: Uniting”: Together Again For The Final Big Chill”