Drones, lobsters, fastballs, teen rebels and family
Eye in the Sky (out of 4) Starring Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Barkhad Abdi and Aaron Paul. Directed by Gavin Hood. 102 minutes. Opens Friday at major theatres. 14A
This riveting drone thriller is contemporary edge-of-your seat stuff, propelled by a crack cast led by Helen Mirren as single-minded British Col. Katherine Powell. She’s determined to finally nab the radicalized Englishwoman she’s been tailing for six years, now finally located in a house in Kenya.
The capture plan, monitored with tiny flying drones half a world a way, escalates to a kill mission with evidence of a suicide plot. When a young girl sets up a table to sell bread outside, words like “collateral damage” have chilling meaning, especially to Aaron Paul’s drone pilot, awaiting orders in a room at a Nevada airbase. Powell tries to convince skittish higher ups (including Alan Rickman in his final onscreen role) to “put a Hellfire through that roof right now,” in a series of leapfrogging buck-passing exchanges as everyone “refers up” while the clock runs down. Linda Barnard
The Lobster (out of 4) Starring Rachel Weisz, Colin Farrell, Léa Seydoux, John C. Reilly and Ben Whishaw. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Opens Friday at TIFF Bell Lightbox and Canada Square theatres. 119 minutes. 14A
There is no sanity claws for Yorgos Lanthimos. The Oscar-nommed Dogtooth helmer ups the ante in every way with The Lobster, his first English-language movie, coscripted with his Dogtooth co-writer Efthymis Filippou. It comes with a bigger budget and boldface talent, plus a significantly grander mind flip.
Call it “high” concept: In a future world, people who don’t get married are turned into animals. They’re sent to a specially designed hotel/prison, where they are given 45 days to pair up or face beastly change. There are other Byzantine rules, no bonding by loners being among them. It’s a real challenge for newly single introvert David (Colin Farrell) and the visually impaired woman (Rachel Weisz) whom he has eyes for.
Bone-dry dystopian satire, with Lanthimos piling absurdity upon absurdity, results in a film that is by turns entertaining and baffling, but also fully in command of its crazy world. Peter Howell
Fastball (out of 4) Baseball documentary written and directed by Jonathan Hock. Narrated by Kevin Costner. Opens Friday at the Carlton. STC
Batters can’t always see a fastball, but they sure can hear it: “It sounds like trouble,” says ex-Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
He’s one of many baseball stars who weigh in on Fastball, a doc by ESPN director Jonathan Hock that really clocks the most storied pitch of the game. With Kevin Costner narrating, Hock illuminates and entertains as he sketches portraits of the greats, from original fireballer Walter Johnson to the indomitable Nolan Ryan.
Combining rare archival footage with contemporary interviews, Hock chases both the legend and science of the fastball, something that couldn’t even be precisely measured until the radar gun arrived in the 1970s.
We learn why there’s a world of difference between a 92 mph ball and a 100 mph one, and why physicists dispute batters’ claim of a “rise” over the plate.
Don’t listen to them, record hitter Hank Aaron says: “I don’t believe they ever played baseball.” Peter Howell
About Scout (out of 4) Starring India Ennega, James Frecheville. Written and directed by Laurie Weltz. 109 minutes. Opens Friday at the Carlton Cinema. STC
Scout is a rebel. She needs to be. She lives with a grandmother who can’t be bothered to enrol younger sister Lulu in school and has a carny roadie dad who despises her.
When Scout meets Sam, confined to a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt, they find kindred spirits in each other. Small problem: Scout is only 15 and Sam has both a deeply despairing nature and a moral compass.
Director Laurie Weltz has chosen well in casting India Ennega as Scout and James Frecheville as Sam, two young actors with plenty of screen presence even if Ennega is a little too flamboyant and Frecheville a tad understated.
Screen veterans Ellen Burstyn as Gram, Danny Glover as Red, who’s tasked with tracking down Sam, and Jane Seymour as Sam’s toxic mother provide solid backup.
Road movies have become all too common. But the cast is excellent and there’s a genuine sweetness and poignancy that makes this one worth the journey. Bruce DeMara
The Clan (out of 4) Starring Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani. Written and directed by Pablo Trapero. 110 minutes. Opens March 25 at Cineplex Odeon Varsity. PG
The Puccios aren’t your typical family seeking upward mobility and a better life.
As democracy begins to flourish in Argentina in the early 1980s, patriarch Arquimedes — drawing no doubt on his experience as a former state security officer — goes into kidnapping for ransom.
Arquimedes draws his clan into the family business, keeping hostages right in their home. How can they ignore the sounds of despair emanating from behind closed doors?
Son Alex is increasingly torn. Sure, the ransom money allows him to set up his own business. But his conscience won’t let him forget a rugby team mate was cruelly executed, even though his family paid up. It gets worse.
Guillermo Francella is absolutely riveting as the monstrous Arquimedes, with an opaque stare that is downright chilling. Peter Lanzani is immensely watchable as the troubled Alex.
Based on true events, director Pablo Trapero has crafted a compelling tale about the tragic price of unquestioning loyalty. Bruce DeMara