Month: March 2021

Meet Dr. Jenny Cooper, the newest coroner in Toronto.

Based on MR Hall’s Jenny Cooper novels, Coroner brings a new doctor to the small screen and she is full of grit and determination. Recently widowed, Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan) struggles with grief and anxiety and she attempts to rebuild her lifer with her teenaged son following the sudden death of her husband. And she starts with a change of job from the ER to the Coroner’s Office.

A role that traditionally requires field visits, lab work and reports Dr. Jenny Cooper puts a whole new spin on the job. More than just investigating a crime scene, Jenny relies on her intuition and years of experience as an emergency room doctor to assess not only the scene but the nature behind the crime in front of her. At the start of this new position, Jenny clears house at the office and fires an old school doctor who depends on stereotypes rather than examining all of the evidence to create a full picture of the crime. This move, while drastic, gains her some loyal allies within the office and strengthens the sense of team.

Out in the field, Jenny quickly develops a rapport with lead detective, Donovan McAvoy (Roger Cross) and together they tackle a series of unsolved deaths in the Toronto area. Their relationship solidifies as they share their individual traumas with one another and make space for each other’s quirks and needs. Their combined experience, work ethic and gut feelings make them an unstoppable mystery solving duo.

Coroner isn’t reinventing the wheel, it’s a consistent series that checks all the boxes for a genre drama. The crimes, themselves are not unusual for a police drama but they provide a solid backdrop for the personal drama of Jenny Cooper’s life. The show does include some interesting techniques and angles on common types of mysteries for crime solving dramas.

Roger Cross is a great pick for a side-kick and is likeable and believable in his role. He has strong chemistry with Serinda Swan and together they portray the psychological aftermath of trauma in a respectful and authentic manner.

Coroner is a good choice for an easy binge-watching session. It is entertaining, well-written and does the police mystery genre justice.

A single mom’s day goes from bad to worse following a minor confrontation during her morning commute.  Unhinged is a fast-paced thriller filled with edge-of-your-seat action that will leave you breathless all the way til the last.

The film opens as harried single mom, Rachel Flynn (Caren Pistorious), starts her day behind the clock which leads to her losing an important client. As she rushes to get her teen aged son, Kyle (Gabriel Bateman), out the door for school, she catches a news story about the suspect of a double homicide who was on the loose in her area. Unfazed, Rachel and Kyle speed off to the school.

On the way to school, they get stuck behind an inattentive driver and nearly miss their green light. Rachel swerves around the unmoving truck in her path and honks as she zips past him and drives away. At the next red light, the driver of the truck pulls up to Rachel and Kyle, he apologizes and demands an apology in return. When he doesn’t get one, he trails Rachel through traffic, ramming into her, chasing her through red lights and hunting her through the streets.

Eventually Rachel evades him and stops for gas, while in the store, the man in the truck pulls into the gas station. Terrified, Rachel asks the gas station attendant to accompany her to her vehicle. He does and warns the man to back off and let Rachel be. The attendant blocks the truck in order to give Rachel time to get away, but the truck driver steps on it and runs over the attendant as he guns it out of the parking lot to continue his pursuit.

Rachel notices the truck in her rear-view mirror and reaches for her cell phone to call for help – except her phone is missing. Glancing in her rear view once more, she sees her phone in her stalker’s hand. From that point on the cat and mouse game escalates into a race to protect those Rachel loves the most as her stalker unravels and takes his rage out on Rachel’s friends and family

Russell Crowe gives a disturbingly authentic performance as Tom Cooper, a man pushed past his breaking point who becomes increasingly violent as the day progresses. No reason is ever given for his initial break down but that doesn’t stop Crowe from creating a terrifyingly determined madman. His slow burning rage intensifies into a homicidal fury that devolves into a dangerous calm as the body count climbs.

Unhinged delivers all the jumps, scares and terror you would hope for. The only criticism is the lack of back story for Crowe’s character. With a little more context, the viewer may have more investment in the psychological deterioration of Tom Cooper. With that being said, this flick is still well worth the time as it maintains a healthy pace and heart stopping intensity throughout. Be sure to check it out this month on Netflix.

Intrigue, conspiracies, murder and sibling rivalry – Mary Queen of Scots has it all. From the halls of the most famous palaces of The United Kingdom to the sweeping hills of the Scottish Highlands, this movie gives a breathtaking yet fictitious telling of one of the most well-known rivalries of the British monarchies.

In 1591, young Mary returns to Scotland following the death of her French husband, Francis II. She is young but confident as she returns to her homeland to reclaim her throne. Elizabeth, her cousin and sister-monarch to the south, is a little older, famously unmarried and childless. Elizabeth is also a Protestant where Mary is a Catholic. The levels of rivalry and discord ran deep and was fueled into a calculated frenzy by their respective courts.

Mary eventually marries and bears a son – an heir to both the throne of Scotland and England – which escalates the conflict between the two monarchs. This conflict ignites a spark of political manoeuvring that eventually consumes both women. Suspicion, guilt, manipulation and fear eat away at both women and erodes whatever trust there might have once been between them. Eventually the political games lead to the execution of one queen and the utter isolation of the other.

Mary Queen of Scots was released in 2018 starring Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie and Elizabeth. The film was based on the book My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots by John Guy.  While there was an outpouring of praise for both women’s performance, as well for the sets and costumes, the film received heavy criticism for the historical inaccuracies that include details to the relationship between the two queens.

Despite the criticism, the film went on to receive multiple nominations including wins for make-up, hair and score. These accolades are well deserved as the historical representation through costumes, make-up and hair are intricate and breath taking. As director, Josie Rouke’s debut film, she did a brilliant job pulling beauty and moments of connections from the page to the screen in a seemingly effortless way.

In all, Mary Queen of Scots is a great watch for fans of historical dramas and period pieces. It delivers all that you would hope for from this genre and a little bit more.

Netflix’s newest quirky drama, Ginny and Georgia, is one part Gilmore Girls, one part 13 Reasons Why  with a dash of Riverdale and one part entirely a creation unto itself. It is funny and mysterious and campy and moving and creative and completely a delight to behold.

The story focuses on 15-year-old Ginny Miller and her 30-year-old mom, Georgia. Georgia is a master of reinventing herself and surviving on the strength of her wit and charms. Ginny, on the other hand, is just trying to survive her teen years. Together, with younger brother Austin, they move to Wilmington, Massachusetts to begin again – again.

Despite Georgia’s abusive past, she strives to carve out a life for her kids while following a few dreams of her won. Unfortunately, even her best efforts cannot protect her little family from the ghosts of the past as friend and foe from years gone by pop up and threaten the peace of her new life. All the while, Ginny is struggling to find her footing in her new school, among her new peers.

There are many great things about this series, though it feels chaotic at times. The honest and painfully awkward depiction of mid-teen life is spot on in so many ways and watching Ginny navigate being the new girl again is very relatable. The portrayal of LGBTQ+ teen relationships is also really terrific as is the representation of the deaf family as a key story point. How the show address teen mental health and self-harm issues is also is very well done. The only disappointment is how the show approaches it’s lead character’s biracial identity.

Ginny’s father is black yet all mentions and encounters that touch on her blackness are awkwardly handled and seem to be a collage of missed opportunities. Time and again Ginny encounters microaggressions and blatant racism but she never fully confronts the attacks. I’m not sure if this is an intentional character point meant to highlight the difficulty a biracial teen would encounter owning her identity when raised by a white parent or if the writers just couldn’t figure out how to properly address this reality in a meaningful way. Hopefully, this will be fleshed out more in season two as it really is the only fault in this otherwise engaging drama.

Brianne Howey and Antonia Gentry make a brilliant mother/daughter duo. They have really groovy chemistry and individually they fill the screen as they inhabit their characters with confidence and authenticity. Felix Mallard and Sara Wineglass also give notable performances as Ginny’s twin besties. Finally, Scott Porter, of Friday Night Lights’ fame, joins the cast as the entirely likable and lovely Mayor Paul Randolph.

All in all, Ginny and Georgia, is a well written and entertaining watch that could easily become a favourite.

Notorious B.I.G. may be one of the most filmed and documented rappers of all time but that doesn’t mean we know everything about him – not by a long shot.

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell is a compilation of video archives, interviews and anecdotes from those who knew him best. The story they tell is less about what led to his death and more about what led to his rise as one of the most prolific rap voices the world has ever known. The film is a celebration of Biggie’s quick mind, creative soul and extensive talent across many genres of music. Though he felt most at home in the rap world, he could have easily found success in several other genres.

The film features several interviews with Biggie’s Jamaican born mother where she shares her impressions of her son as a young boy and rising talent. She talks extensively about his ties to Jamaica and his mentors there who heavily influenced his understanding of music and rhythm. We also hear from his neighbor, a jazz musician who mentored Biggie as a child and tried to persuade him to turn his focus to jazz rather than rap.

Interestingly, Biggie’s childhood friends break down their life experience with him, revealing that their enrollment in Catholic school kept them insulated from the harsh realities of the streets through most of their childhood. It wasn’t until their teen years that they began to dabble in drugs and gang affiliations.

Having watched many of the previous series documenting the life and death of Biggie, there wasn’t a ton of new information in this one. But still, it’s always a treat to see footage of his street rap battles and to hear his mother reminisce about her talented son. So, for fans of Biggie, this is a great watch – especially if you are looking for a flick that celebrates his life and talent more that it fixates on his death.

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell is a really nice tribute to the life, talent and love of a gifted artist that was taken far too soon.

Following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s recent in-depth interview with Oprah Winfrey there has been an increased interest in the Royal Family. In order to understand Harry, and the decisions he has made for his family, it is important to understand his mother, the much-loved Diana, Princess of Wales.  The Story of Diana is Diana’s story told by her friends and family, those who knew her best and saw what being a Royal did to their sister and friend.

The series opens with Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, reminiscing about Diana as a beautiful and charming young girl. He speaks of the heart break they all suffered when their parents divorced and how Diana took on a great deal of emotional responsibility for the well-being of her younger brother and their devastated father. And how that family disruption left a life-long wound in Diana that she was never able to find healing for.

The story follows Diana’s journey from being a shy young woman with a passion for dance to the reported girlfriend of the future king of England.  Almost overnight this 19-year-old younger daughter from an aristocratic family became a media sensation. Every moment of her life became documented by the paparazzi and sensationalized by the mainstream media. And the coverage only intensified once she married into the Royal Family.

Any chance of happiness and family the couple may have had dissolved quickly under the constant scrutiny of the media. The rules and expectations of the family were enough for Diana to contend with on their own but adding the pressure from the nearly daily reporting of her every movement drove the couple further apart and ultimately into the arms of others.

By the time Prince Charles and Lady Diana divorced in 1996, the public craving for coverage of her was insatiable. She was stalked, hunted and hounded across the country and around the globe. No matter what measures she took for privacy, she was always found out. Former friends and lovers sold their stories and photos of her, regardless of the damage emotionally and mentally that was done to her.

Diana wasn’t entirely a victim of the media though. She learned how to wield the power of her popularity for her own advantage. She new how to illicit a great photo and how to turn media coverage around so she continually ended up as the star of her own story, regardless of the spin the Royal Family tried to put on things. Diana always had the upper hand when it came to public opinion – but all this came at a heavy cost.

In the end, the media played a key role in her death. Whether by accident or orchestration, the media was there with her, right until her last moment. This truth has weighed heavily on her children since her death. Both William and Harry have been keenly aware of how treacherous the media can be and they both have tussled with the media over the years but once Harry chose Megan Markle as his bride, the media frenzy, and viciousness, was reignited. But Harry wasn’t having it.

The Story of Diana is a two-part docu-series that is packed with photos and video footage and loads of interviews from members of the Spencer family, historians and media personalities. It lays out the history Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, had with the media and gives context to Harry’s own decisions as a husband and a father. Knowing The Story of Diana will hopefully bring a deeper understanding of the stresses and trauma that has haunted Diana and her children through the years.

If you’re a fan of action movies, or space movies, or sci-fi movies, you’ll like Space Sweepers. If you enjoy all of those, you’ll love it. 

The story begins in 2092, where the earth and its resources have been depleted and humanity has moved to the stars. James Sullivan has created an outer space empire called UTS. The company offers residential areas where people can live in paradise, as long as they can afford it. For the rest of humanity, existence has narrowed down to surviving in whatever ways they can. Since jobs are scarce many have turned to space sweeping — essentially waste management, except that the waste is in space. 

The crew of the sweeping craft The Victory — Tae-ho, a man on a mission (Song Joong-ki), Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri), stoic Tiger Park (Jin Seon-kyu), and the robotic Bubs (a tag-team performance by Yoo Hae-jin and Kim Hyang Gi) — are all simply trying to stay afloat in this cruel, cold world. When they accidentally acquire a dangerous, potentially deadly android disguised as a toddler, their objectives change. What follows is an entertaining space adventure as the crew tries to make themselves some money and save humanity at the same time.

While the plot is a bit basic, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It’s clever, there are satisfying character arcs, and there’s an adorable robot baby, but there are also lots of languages!

It always irks me when a filmmaker is apparently unaware that there are languages other than English. Sci-fi, in particular, seems to enjoy sporting either English with accents or entirely made-up languages. Not so with Space Sweepers. Since everyone came from earth but need to be able to communicate, there are translators, so each character simply speaks their mother tongue. We, the audience, are able to keep track of what’s happening through the magic of subtitles. I am a big fan of languages, and this linguistic representation made me very happy.

I’m also a fan of cute children, and of tough guys having their hearts melted by cute children. We get both of those things in Space Sweepers. The crew of The Victory are all hardened by the life they lead. Sentimentality ranks low on their list of priorities. Little by little, though, Dorothy manages to worm her way into their hearts, until the rough-and-tumble crew looks more like a family.

And don’t even get me started on the cinematography. Byun Bong-sun somehow struck the perfect balance between outlandishly impressive and completely believable. The spaceships and stars and residential areas and robots are all beautifully done. I felt like I could step through the screen and into space. 

Yet another aspect of Space Sweepers that I enjoyed was its delicacy. I don’t know when I started thinking of “action” as synonymous with “graphic,” but I do know that I noticed the lack of gore. Although the characters have more than their fair share of blood and bruises, the filmmakers chose to censor the actual moments where our heroes are wounded. People are shot, stabbed, and burned, but it’s all offscreen, and I, for one, appreciated it.

The healthy helping of explosions and sci-fi violence keep me from calling it a family movie, but overall Space Sweepers is a wholesome, heartwarming film that I’d say is well worth your time.

The White Tiger is a strong title for a strong movie.

Made in cooperation with Array, Ava DuVernay’s film distribution company, this is a striking, snappy, smart film that explores issues of class in India. 

Adarsh Gourav gives a magnificent performance as Balram Halrai, a driver that dreams of becoming more. His peers insist that Balram should be content with driving for a rich man, but Balram has his heart set on becoming an entrepreneur. Neither his conscience nor his caste will stop him! As his ambition grows, so does his disregard for morality — which ends about as well as anyone would expect. 

There’s lots to get excited about here. Paolo Carnera orchestrated some fantastic cinematography. Ramin Bahrani adapted Aravind Adiga’s award-winning novel into a beautiful script. Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra, along with a strong supporting cast, join Gourav to provide some memorable acting.  

My attention is stuck, however, on how thoughtful the film is. At first, I thought The White Tiger was going to be about the caste system in India. I felt prepared. 

And the caste system in India is criticized, sure. But the film focuses less on the issues of castes, which feel comfortably distant from Western viewers (or this Western viewer, at least), and more on the issues of class, which are prevalent in all societies. The unsettled feeling that ensues is uncomfortable, but healthy — a bit like flossing your teeth. 

From the very opening scene, we see there is a line drawn between the wealthy and the poor. And, Slumdog Millionaire style, the story follows the protagonist’s journey from one side of that line to the other. Unlike Slumdog’s Jamal Malik, though, Balram has to haul himself across using whatever means he has. As it turns out, those means are unethical, dishonest, and bloody — all characteristics, Balram insists, of a successful entrepreneur. 

While a film that forces its viewers to think may sound like too much work, The White Tiger does so with surprising grace. For example: the methods Balram employs to rise to the top are undeniably awful. We can’t really condemn him, though, because we’ve seen how horribly his superiors treat him. So where’s the middle ground? Who should we be rooting for? There is no right answer, which I think is part of the beauty of the movie.

And if you don’t want a lesson in ethics, fear not. There’s lots more to The White Tiger than philosophy and economics. It also boasts jokes and charming characters and stunning scenery.

All of this being said, viewers be warned: The White Tiger isn’t all fun and games. Its already heavy subject matter is made heavier by a gritty approach, with plenty of violence and raunchy humour. If that’s not your cup of tea, this may be a movie to avoid. (But hey — maybe you could read the book!)

To summarize:

The White Tiger a good movie, but a difficult one. Thought-provoking, but entertaining. In my opinion, it’s well worth a watch.