Movie reviews: Every frame of 'The Boy and the Heron' exudes warmth, wonder, poignancy and poetry
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THE BOY AND THE HERON: 4 STARS
Imaginative and visually beautiful, "The Boy and the Heron," a new film from Japanese animator, filmmaker and manga artist Hayao Miyazaki, now playing in theatres, is a unique look at life, death and friendship.
The twelfth film by Miyazaki and the 23rd film from Studio Ghibli centres on Mahito Maki (Soma Santoki), a 12-year-old boy whose mother is killed in a 1943 Tokyo hospital bombing. A year later, Mahito's father Shoichi (Takuya Kimura), owner of an air munitions factory, marries his late wife's sister Natsuko (Yoshino Kimura) and moves to her country home. Still racked with grief over his mother's death, Mahito has a tough time in his new home and does not get along with his step-mother/aunt.
Then there is the Grey Heron (Masaki Suda) who bedevils him daily.
Mahito feels lost, cut adrift from everything he once knew until he discovers a mysterious tower, built on the property by his granduncle, a famous architect who went missing.
The chatty Heron tells Mahito that his mother is inside, and if he wants to find her, all he has to do is go have a look. Inside is a mystical, alternate universe inhabited by the living and the dead. With the heron at his side, Mahito enters a world of wonder, with strange creatures, like man-eating parakeets, souls waiting to be born, secrets and just possibly, a path to happiness.
"The Boy and the Heron" is a work of great texture. Miyazaki infuses every frame with warmth and wonder, poignancy and poetry. The story can be convoluted and introspective, but at its heart, it is a simple tale, with an "Alice in Wonderland" vibe, of coming to grips with heartbreak.
The hand drawn animation is beautiful. Miyazaki uses symbolism, metaphor and fantasy to draw out his themes of grief, loneliness and fear. It's a complex movie, with equal measures of whimsy and pathos, that shows that octogenarian Miyazaki is still working at the top of his game.
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND: 3 ½ STARS
"Leave the World Behind," a new end of the world drama starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali and Myha'la, now streaming on Netflix, is a strange tale of how people become friends in trying times and the power of the sitcom "Friends."
Based on the 2020 novel by Rumaan Alam, the movie sees Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke as A-type Amanda and go-with-the-flow Clay, New Yorkers and parents to teenagers Rose (Farrah Mackenzie) and Archie (Charlie Evans). On a whim Amanda rents a luxury weekend retreat in Long Island, to get away from the stresses of the city.
"I figured if I made the reservation and packed our bags," Amanda says, "it would eliminate most of the reasons to say no."
They arrive to find a beautiful modernist home waiting for them, complete with interesting art, a lavish gift basket and an inviting pool in the backyard. It's a paradise, although Rose, who has been binging "Friends" online, is annoyed that the spotty Wi-Fi is preventing her from watching the last episode of the series. But tha'’s nothing that some fresh air and a dip in the pool can't fix.
"Oh, this is nice," Clay says. "The kids look so happy."
Later that night, after dinner with lots of wine and well after nightfall, the doorbell rings.
"Get a bat," says the edgy Amanda. At the door are strangers G.H. Scott (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha'la), who apologize for stopping by so late. "We were driving back to the city," G.H. says, "then something happened."
G.H. owns the home, and wants to spend the night in safety with his daughter. Turns out there is a blackout, or something happening in the city. With no internet, radio or television service, there is no way to know for sure what is going on. Amanda is immediately suspicious.
"Something is happening," she says. "I don’t trust them."
But, as strange things begin to happen, trust becomes essential if they are to survive.
Despite its luxurious trappings, "Leave the World Behind" is as bleak as any movie we are likely to see this year. It's a "Twilight Zone"-esque story that comments not only on societal collapse, but our reaction to it, and, as usual, the human aspect is the monstrous part. The idea of a cyberattack is scary enough, but the aftermath, the ripple effect of how humanity deals with implosion, is truly terrifying. While there are some scenes that approach action—planes dropping from the sky, an oil tanker that runs aground, and aspects of nature gone wild—this is a psychological drama with very high stakes.
After a slow start, director Sam Esmail heaps on the tension, ensuring the audience and the characters are on an equal plane. We don't know anything more than they do, so we speculate along with them. It’s a clever ploy to draw the viewer into the story, to personalize the situation, and make us wonder what we would do in a similar situation.
An edgy score by composer Mac Quayle adds to the feeling of unease, but it is the performances that drive it home. It's a character study in how these audience proxies respond, whether it is with racism, violence, greed or down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
Roberts plays against type, edgy and racist, a coiled spring ready to unwind at any moment. Amanda wears her biases on her sleeve, seemingly unaware of the power of her words. She's oblivious to her micro and macro aggressions, a misanthrope who excuses her behaviour with a simple mantra: "I hate people." Plus, the look on her face when G.H. calls the couple's Brooklyn N.Y. neighborhood "affordable" is a highlight.
The script offers more subtlety to Hawke. Ruth says he looks like the kind of guy things come easily to. But when he is faced with real crisis, he is forced to make an extraordinary confession: "I am a useless man." In finely tuned work, Hawke calibrates the performance, allowing desperation to sink in bit by bit until there is nothing left but fear and helplessness.
The movie really finds its feet, however, when G.H. Scott and Ruth emerge. Their appearance sets the action in motion, and introduces the film's two most interesting characters.
G.H. is a bit of a man of mystery. Suave and obviously very wealthy, he has a gravitas that makes him an oasis of calm, but as the story progresses, it's clear he knows more than he is letting on. He's the only character who seems to understand the big picture, and is the conduit by which the movie fully explores the issues of technology's stranglehold on the world, trust, race, class and international intrigue. Ali pulls off a neat trick, giving G.H. warmth and empathy, while building tension with the character's fundamental unknowability.
The two daughters, Ruth and Rose are polar opposites. As Ruth, Myha'la is spirited, unwilling to put up with Amanda's passive aggressive prejudice, while Mackenzie is a wide-eyed innocent, more concerned with what happens to Rachel and Ross on her favorite show, than the collapse of society.
The film tackles many big subjects, but is most compelling when it zeroes in on the interpersonal interactions between the two families, set against the backdrop of a divided America.
"Leave the World Behind" is an elegant post-apocalyptic film that asks far more questions than it answers. It is thought provoking, but the ending (which I loved) may leave some viewers wishing for more.
EILEEN: 3 STARS
In "Eileen," a 1960s-set, Hitchcockian psychological thriller starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway, a lonely woman's life takes a sinister turn when she meets a glamorous new co-worker.
McKenzie is the title character, a lonely and unhappy 20-something secretary at a small-town Massachusetts juvenile detention centre. She lives with her ex-cop father (Shea Whigham), a widower with a nasty drinking problem and a personality to match.
"Get a life, Eileen," he says to her. "Get a clue."
To pass the days she daydreams of having relations with her co-workers and, at night, is a voyeur, spying on couples making out in their cars at Look Out Point.
She is invisible at home and at work; a blank slate.
"Some people, they’re the real people," Eileen's dad says. "Like in a movie. They’re the ones you watch, they're the ones making moves. And other people, they're just there, filling the space. That's you, Eileen. You're one of them."
A ray of light in the form of Dr. Rebecca St. John (Anne Hathaway) illuminates the dark corners of Eileen's life. Stylish and vivacious, the detention centre's new counsellor is everything Eileen isn't. A glamorous vision, squeezed into a red dress, topped with a burst of blonde hair, Rebecca drinks and smokes— "It's a nasty habit," she says, sparking up a fresh Pall Mall, "that's why I like it." —and her arrival inspires Eileen to examine her own wants and desires.
As Rebecca takes an interest in Sam Polk (Lee Nivola), a young inmate convicted of a gruesome crime, revealing a dark secret, Eileen shows there is more to her than meets the eye.
Based on the 2015 novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, "Eileen" begins as a character study, a slice-of-life look at a floundering woman, and becomes a multi-pronged psychological thriller in its final third. The film takes an audacious turn, one that changes the film's power dynamic, and closes things off with a bang (and a tremendous performance from Marin Ireland as Rita Polk, but no spoilers here).
Until then, it is a slow burn, a film that luxuriates in its characters. McKenzie balances the character's bored exterior with her bombastic inner life, creating Eileen, a ticking time bomb of emotion, careening toward a life defining moment (no spoilers here). It's finely tuned work that cuts through the film's dark ennui.
Hathaway has the showier role as Hitchcockian icy blonde Rebecca. Intelligent, enticing and ultimately empathic, she stands in stark contrast to the movie's deliberately dull backdrop. Rebecca is a polar opposite to Eileen, the catalyst that gives the movie its spark.
"Eileen" is more about what's left unsaid, than it is about the obvious story points (keeping it vague and spoiler free here). The suggestion of a budding relationship as a hand brushes against a knee, a shared slow dance in a bar and stolen looks, is ultimately more suspenseful than the pulpy twist at the film's end. The end, while impactful, is more conventional than we might have expected from this moody period piece.
CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET: 3 ½ STARS
"Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget," a new stop motion animated film from Aardman Animations and playing in theatres this week before moving to Netflix next week, comes with great eggs-pectations. The original film, 2000s "Chicken Run," is a beloved classic of British humour, heartwarming and heavy on the charm.
But can a sequel, twenty-three years in the making, be all it's cracked up to be or will it lay an egg?
The new film picks up years after revolutionary chicken Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and American circus rooster Rocky (Zachary Levi) escape the prisoner-of-war style Tweedy's Industrial Farm. The happy couple now celebrate their freedom, living on an island bird sanctuary, far from the dangers of humanity, with friends Babs (Jane Horrocks), elderly rooster Fowler (David Bradley), Bunty (Imelda Staunton) their rat BFFs Nick and Fetcher (Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays) and daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey).
"Life doesn't get better than this," Ginger says. "We've put the past behind us. We have Molly to think about now."
It's a wonderful life, but Molly, who has her mother's rebellious spirit, feels fenced in. "You can't make me stay here," she tells Ginger.
Molly flies the coop, eager to check out Fun-Land Farms, a new operation on the mainland. With her feather-brained friend Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies) they soon discover the new farm is a processing plant for, you guessed it, chicken nuggets.
"Behold the dawn of the nugget," says evil plant owner Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson).
It's up to Ginger, Rocky and Company to come to the rescue. "Last time we broke out of a chicken farm," says Ginger. "This time we're breaking in."
Like so many sequels, the story has bloated from the simplicity story of the 2000 film. But despite the food-for-thought subtext involving fast food and heavier plotting, "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" is still nimble and action packed.
The original "Chicken Run" was a riff on World War II "The Great Escape"-style films. "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" pays homage to the first movie, but leans into the James Bond and "Mission Impossible" franchises as inspirations for the wild poultry action.
Most of all, there is something welcoming about the Aardman stop motion animation. The house style is bold and beautiful, vivid and uncluttered, but it is the eccentric characters that really appeal. With their large eyes and exaggerated mouths and eyebrows, the Plasticine characters brim with personality and unmistakably come from the same creators that gave us the cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his mute and long-suffering canine side-kick Gromit. Shot one frame-at-a-time, the animation feels handcrafted and organic, and has a warmth most CGI kids flicks don’t have.
"Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" is an entertaining family-friendly mix of charm and craft.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday appealed for the country to 'unite as one nation' after Saturday's attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and said he was ordering an independent security review of the lead-up to the attack.
The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in Saturday's attempted assassination of former U.S. president Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
American actor Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as high school student Brenda Walsh on hit 1990s television drama "Beverly Hills, 90210," has died after years living with cancer, People magazine reported on Sunday. She was 53.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, handed Carlos Alcaraz the champion's trophy after the Wimbledon men's final at the All England Club on Sunday in only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.
An educational assistant at a Catholic elementary school in Welland has been charged after allegedly having an "intimate relationship" with a 14-year-old boy who was her former student.
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The fire that forced thousands out of their homes in Labrador City Friday night was gently smoldering and under control this week, but a sudden change in conditions caused it to explode into 'an extremely aggressive inferno.'
A brush fire caused by youths setting off fireworks at a popular park in Nanaimo, B.C., the day the ban took effect has the city's mayor on edge about the province's vulnerability to wildfires as the season heats up.
The second bout of deadly flooding in as many years has some Nova Scotia residents and municipal leaders saying it's time for the provincial government to accept that extreme weather is the new normal and make sure people have the tools they need to stay safe.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday appealed for the country to 'unite as one nation' after Saturday's attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and said he was ordering an independent security review of the lead-up to the attack.
Law enforcement officials say investigators believe the weapon used in the Donald Trump rally shooting was bought the father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who's been identified as the shooter, at least six months ago.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, handed Carlos Alcaraz the champion's trophy after the Wimbledon men's final at the All England Club on Sunday in only her second public appearance since announcing she was diagnosed with cancer.
Four people died in a shooting at a Birmingham, Ala., nightclub late Saturday, while an earlier shooting outside a home in the city killed three people including a young child, authorities in Alabama said.
Canada's prime minister and other leaders condemned political violence following a shooting at a Republican rally Saturday, during what appears to have been an assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump.
While Republicans and Democrats alike have long complained about Canada's sluggish military spending, experts say Canada is more likely to suffer consequences under a second Trump presidency, which could also end U.S. support for Ukraine.
After months of pitching what they describe as the most ambitious housing plan ever, a new poll shows concern about the cost of housing is on the upswing while support for the Liberal government is down.
With temperatures rising for the oncoming summer, many shutdowns due to the toxic blue-green algae has made for a tough time finding a safe spot to swim in the region – with one of the most recent shutdowns at Cunard Pond Beach in Halifax.
Sex and gender are often conflated or equated in everyday conversations, and most American adults believe a person’s gender is determined by sex assigned at birth. But a new study of nearly 5,000 nine and 10-year-olds found that sex and gender map onto largely distinct parts of the brain.
The Federal Court of Canada is being asked to declare that only humans — and not artificial intelligence — can be considered authors under Canada’s copyright law.
A SpaceX rocket has failed for the first time in nearly a decade, leaving the company's internet satellites in an orbit so low that they're doomed to fall through the atmosphere and burn up.
American actor Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as high school student Brenda Walsh on hit 1990s television drama "Beverly Hills, 90210," has died after years living with cancer, People magazine reported on Sunday. She was 53.
A wedding reception on Sunday wrapped up the monthslong celebrations as the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man, married his longtime girlfriend with a price tag running into the millions.
The company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic is undertaking its first expedition to the ship's wreckage in years, and those involved in the mission said they have both heavy hearts and lofty goals for a trip happening a year after a submersible disaster involving another firm killed five people.
The provincial regulator responsible for policing B.C.'s real estate industry has ordered a former Realtor to pay $130,000 and cancelled her licence after determining that she committed a variety of professional misconduct.
A Black man has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against a hotel in Detroit, Mich., alleging the hotel only offered him a job interview after he changed the name on his resume, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by CNN.
One of the most effective retirement savings strategies is to pay yourself first. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines strategies for consistently saving and investing over time and building a solid nest egg.
One writer used to make do with deli sandwiches and brought-from-home snacks, but now they have a secret weapon for quick but satisfying road trip lunches.
As North America navigates what U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy described last year as a loneliness epidemic, employers and employees are trying to address what for many people is a lack of real friendships at work.
At age 18, a decade before Barbora Krejcikova won Wimbledon on Saturday, she was done with junior tennis and couldn't decide whether to pursue a professional tennis career or move on, go to school and find a different path.
Police north of Toronto have released dramatic video of a car chase that led officers across York Region in pursuit of a Lamborghini SUV that was clocked at speeds in excess of 200 km/h.
As many as four out of 10 Canadians say it is 'important' to know if a vehicle they're interested in purchasing is more likely to be targeted by thieves, according to a new Nanos Research survey.
Seven-year-old goalie Hudson Hardill is an unlikely Calgary Flames fan, being that he lives in Peterborough, Ont., and his dad Chris is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
A Kelowna, B.C., man says he's always liked gnomes because they have a 'bit of mystery' to them. And he recently got a taste of that whimsy when his garden gnomes disappeared, and came back to him in a peculiar fashion.
Some say a photograph is simply a memory frozen in time – and a high school graduation photo taken in Churchill, Man. takes that adage to a completely new level.
Would-be homebuyers who backed out of a deal to purchase a B.C. property in a hot real estate market have been ordered to pay the seller the difference between what they offered and what he was able to sell the home for when the market cooled.
A brush fire caused by youths setting off fireworks at a popular park in Nanaimo, B.C., the day the ban took effect has the city's mayor on edge about the province's vulnerability to wildfires as the season heats up.
At Okini Restaurant and Bar in Vancouver, co-owners Steph Wan and Kevin Lin craft gorgeous plates of AAA steak served with duck fat potatoes and broccolini, and golden eagle sablefish doused in a fuji apple broth and adorned with zucchini.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
American actor Shannen Doherty, best known for her role as high school student Brenda Walsh on hit 1990s television drama "Beverly Hills, 90210," has died after years living with cancer, People magazine reported on Sunday. She was 53.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says a truck driver will be facing charges after falling asleep, and losing control of their vehicle on Highway 416 in Ottawa.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
Four years ago, the City of Montreal promised a new social housing project in a neighbourhood that desperately needs it, but today, that Parc-Extension building sits empty and in disrepair.
Authorities in the northern Quebec town of Fermont have lifted an evacuation pre-alert as the risk from a forest fire on the other side of the provincial boundary with Newfoundland and Labrador has subsided.
Some Canadians will receive another instalment of the 2024 Canada Carbon Rebate in their bank accounts or in the mail this Monday. But who exactly is eligible? And how much could you receive?
Saskatchewan Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace called out fans this week after the team had its lowest attendance since new Mosaic Stadium opened seven years ago.
The Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund is advising that the distribution of the multi-billion dollar treaty annuities settlement for past compensation may be “affected” by a pair of outstanding legal matters.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
The FBI identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania as the suspect in Saturday's attempted assassination of former U.S. president Donald Trump at a campaign rally.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
“I’m sick and tired of having to leave my town to go find culture and art and large scale installations,” said artist Sarah Steele. “I think it's time for our little small town to have something neat to happen”.
Scott Windram, who founded the non-profit organization in 2022, said "we're actually working on a framework to bring adult racing into this as well. For a lot of us who have kids racing, we have built our own cars — myself included."
“I’m sick and tired of having to leave my town to go find culture and art and large scale installations,” said artist Sarah Steele. “I think it's time for our little small town to have something neat to happen”.
On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former U.S. President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but 'fine.'
A brush fire caused by youths setting off fireworks at a popular park in Nanaimo, B.C., the day the ban took effect has the city's mayor on edge about the province's vulnerability to wildfires as the season heats up.
At Okini Restaurant and Bar in Vancouver, co-owners Steph Wan and Kevin Lin craft gorgeous plates of AAA steak served with duck fat potatoes and broccolini, and golden eagle sablefish doused in a fuji apple broth and adorned with zucchini.
A recent attack on a Victoria paramedic and the subsequent threats against cops who were called in to help mark the latest incidents of violence against local first responders, the city's police chief said in announcing emergency personnel would no longer respond to calls from a specific neighbourhood without police backup.
Mounties in the Okanagan say they're continuing to focus on speed enforcement this week after a spike in the number of fatal collisions on B.C. highways.
The judge in the trial of two men charged with conspiracy to commit murder at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., has cautioned the jury about an opening statement by a defence lawyer.
The Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund is advising that the distribution of the multi-billion dollar treaty annuities settlement for past compensation may be “affected” by a pair of outstanding legal matters.
Outgoing Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod is among several Indigenous leaders who are calling out federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre over a speech he made at the Assembly of First Nations' annual general meeting. Here is what he said.
The fire that forced thousands out of their homes in Labrador City Friday night was gently smoldering and under control this week, but a sudden change in conditions caused it to explode into 'an extremely aggressive inferno.'