I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with host Bill Carroll to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the animated “Zootopia 2,” the existential romance of “Eternity,” the detective story “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” and the touching story of “Meadowlarks.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the animated “Zootopia 2,” the historical drama “Hamnet” and the touching story of “Meadowlarks.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Meadowlarks,” a new family drama now playing in theatres, four Cree siblings are reunited in a week-long retreat in Banff fifty years after having been forcibly separated during Canada’s Sixties Scoop. “We were five little birds in one nest,” says Anthony (Michael Greyeyes), “and they scattered us like the wind scatters meadowlarks.”
CAST: Michael Greyeyes, Carmen Moore, Alex Rice, Michelle Thrush, Lorne Duquette. Directed by Tasha Hubbard.
REVIEW: Based on Tasha Hubbard’s 2017 doc “Birth of a Family,” “Meadowlarks” is an intimate, emotional look at the devastating personal effects and loss of cultural identity that came as a result of the Sixties Scoop.
The film reunites siblings Anthony (Michael Greyeyes), Connie (Carmen Moore), Marianne (Alex Rice), and Gwen (Michelle Thrush), a Cree family separated as babies by the Sixties Scoop, placed in the child welfare system and raised by non-Indigenous families.
Apart for fifty years, they are strangers who share DNA and fragmented memories, but little else. Over the course of a week in Banff they share stories of their lives, past and present. Emotions ebb and flow as they get to know one another after a lifetime of estrangement.
Director Tasha Hubbard, herself a Sixties Scoop survivor, keeps the story simple to highlight the complexity of the situation. Although siblings, these four are very different people, and once the initial “get-to-know-ya” small talk fades away, raw memories surface.
As they ride a rollercoaster of emotions they become closer, closing the gap that has separated them for decades. When camaraderie develops so do vulnerabilities as they talk about their lost childhoods in a way that would be impossible with anyone else. Their trauma isn’t erased, but reconnecting and sharing their experiences leads to a certain kind of comfort.
Fueled by terrific performances, “Meadowlarks” is a hopeful, heartfelt movie, one that suggests that the fabric of family can be mended no matter how frayed.
“Bones of Crows,” a new period drama now playing in theatres, covers decades of history, but is tied to recent, horrifying events.
Jumping through time, from the 1800s to the 2020s, the story of the intergenerational trauma caused by the Canadian residential school system, focusses on the family of Aline Spears (Grace Dove). A Cree woman born to a large, happy family in 1930s Manitoba, everything changes when Aline and her siblings are forcibly taken from their parents who are told they will be thrown in prison if they don’t sign over their children to the residential school system.
Abused, physically and emotionally—“I could kill you and bury you out back and nobody would care,” a priest snarls at the headstrong Aline.—the priests and nuns systematically attempt to strip the siblings of their Indigenous heritage, religion and identity, forcing them to assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture. It is, as one character says, “a lesson in unrelenting cruelty.”
During World War II Aline escapes the horrors of the school by enlisting in the Canadian Army.
“The only way we can make sure they don’t send you back to that school is to send you to war.” During her raining to become part of an elite squad of code talkers who used the Cree language to disguise military intelligence, she meets and marries Adam (Phillip Lewitski).
Returning home from war to raise their family, Adam suffers PTSD, while Aline is haunted by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her sadistic teachers.
As the movie skips through time, we learn more about the residential school, Aline’s life after the war, her sister’s legal woes and the next generation, the children that carry the trauma in their DNA.
The process of healing is ever present, however, as Aline remembers the words her mother said to her as she enlisted in the army. “You be everything you are meant to be. Don’t let the darkness win. Don’t let them win.”
Métis-Dene writer and director Marie Clements covers a great deal of ground, much of it hard going. The cruelty and attempts to dehumanize Indigenous youth are brought to horrific life, and the depictions of residential schools; child abuse, sexual and psychological abuse and racism may be very unsettling for many viewers.
But even though the film chronicles a century of generational trauma, it is also a celebration of Cree resilience and tradition. There are eye-opening depictions of atrocities, necessary to tell the story, but as Aline confronts the past, there is also a sense of justice.
It is a story of hard truths, told with skill—despite its sprawling nature, it doesn’t feel bloated—and emotion that gets to the heart of how generational trauma forever altered the lives of the characters.
Seven movies in, the “Predator” franchise takes extraterrestrial terror back 300 years to the Comanche Nation in a new film now streaming on Disney+.
The action centers around Comanche warriors Naru (Amber Midthunder) and her brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers). Raised on the Great Plains, Naru is a skilled hunter but isn’t allowed to participate with the men. Her expertise is put to the test when strange things happen in her camp.
“There’s something out there,” Naru says. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I’m not frightened by a bear,” snorts Taabe.
“It’s not a bear,” she replies.
Turns out it’s a Predator, a highly evolved alien hunter who resembles an outer-space crustacean and announces his presence with a series of unnerving clicks and throaty gurgles. Equipped with the power of invisibility and technically advanced weapons, the Predator attacks a group of colonizing French fur trappers and then Naru’s family.
The odds seem stacked against Naru in the resulting showdown, but, as she says, “It knows how to hunt. But I know how to survive.”
It’s been tough to be a Predator fan in recent years. The alien bullies have featured in several not-so-great flicks, including 2018’s suburban terror entry, “The Predator.” That one included lines like, “They’re large, they’re fast and ‘bleeping’ you up is their idea of tourism.” It’s a really bad movie that makes “Sharknado” look like “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
I’m happy to report “Prey” is a return to form. Directed by Dan “10 Cloverfield Lane“ Trachtenberg from a script by Patrick Aison, this is a stripped-down sci fi action movie with a strong hero and tension to spare. The story is a bare-bones tale of survival, but given an interesting twist.
As an Indigenous woman Naru is a determined central figure, one battling for her place in the tribe as well as for the survival of the only way of life she has ever known. Midthunder is terrific, making Naru jump off the screen with a minimum of dialogue. It’s a performance that delivers the required action, while still allowing a fully-formed character to emerge.
“Prey” takes the “Predator” franchise in a different direction while still maintaining the bloodthirsty scenes that fans crave. The image of an invisible Predator made visible by bear blood and guts is a standout.
“Prey” is a period piece, that delivers solid action, but just as importantly, doesn’t treat its Indigenous characters as secondary to the story. A primarily Indigenous cast transcends stereotypes to create varied, interesting and complex characters in a genre that has not always been inclusive or respectful.
