What Could Have Been: Obsession: A Taste for Fear

As you can likely imagine, I go through quite a few horror movies every October. . . and not every one I watch meets my strict criteria and earns a review. But, that is not to say that these films may not interest you, so, instead of letting them fall behind in the forest for the proverbial psychopathic serial killer, I’ve decided to start this new blog feature in which I will provide you with the good, the bad and the ugly on those horror flicks that just missed the bloody cut. 2017's A Ghost Story, written and directed by David Lowery, is arguably one of the more creative and unique iterations on a spectre in some time. A deep philosophical rumination on love, life, death, loneliness, time and ghosts, it takes the rare position of showing the ghost’s point of view. Less a typical horror story and more along the lines of a fantasy drama, the movie stars Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara as the two leads. Kind of a spoiler, but not really, Affleck dies early on, and, instead of moving on, he feels like he has unfinished business, and returns to live a pale existence of what life once was.

I would be remiss if I did not write an important tribute on the Toronto International Film Festival selected documentary Long Time Running, which tells the closing tale of the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip (who I was lucky enough to see perform at the Canadian Football League halftime show at the Grey Cup in Ottawa). Filmizon.com was never set up to review documentaries, so this short commentary finds its way into the blog section – also signifying the importance of this movie. For those of you who do not know, The Hip have been one of the pre-eminent Canadian rock and roll bands of the past thirty years – consisting of lead singer Gord Downie (his words that of a lyrical lyricist poet), guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay – they have all been friends since childhood. With iconic hits like “New Orleans is Sinking”, “Boots or Hearts”, “Courage”, “At the Hundredth Meridian”, “Fifty-Mission Cap”, “Ahead by a Century” and so many others, they are the number one selling Canadian band of all-time. Never truly gaining major ground in The United States or the rest of the world, they are the rare example of a Canadian artist/group who have resisted the cultural draw to the south and instead stayed in their home and native land. And their music speaks to this. . . in a rare country that does not tout its past, The Hip are the unusual example of making history come alive, developing an almost folkloric mythical quality for Canada’s memorable moments (including hockey), and of late, the longstanding aboriginal plight.

It is already October 1st (kind of hard to believe), and you all know what that means. . . time for some great horror films to be reviewed leading all the way up to Halloween. Expect modern miracles as well as classics, so keep your eyes open for a variety of intriguing movies that show the diversity and creativity that lies within the suspense-filled genre. Also, as a lead in, I wanted to quickly highlight the anniversary of a little known cult classic that I only found out about a little over a year ago, titled Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told. Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year, it was actually filmed three years earlier over 12 sweltering hot days in August of 1964. Bankruptcy issues with the producers stalled it for three and a half years; eventually it did arrive in theatres on December 24th, 1967 (an odd time to be sure), though not to much fanfare.

You may be wondering why I am writing about Mother!, Darren Aronofsky’s new horror film, as a blog post and not as a review. A complex piece of cinema that is both rewarding and frustrating, it is something I cannot wholly recommend for viewing – a must for me. To many viewers, it will likely feel like the exclamation point should be replaced by a question mark. . . perhaps several. Likely to leave many audience members baffled, it is still important to understand the basis for the story, as well as the text, subtext, and sub-subtext that makes the tale so seeped in allegory. This will hopefully provide brave cinephiles with a guidepost that will enlighten them to Aronofsky’s vision, whether they walk away from it with one viewpoint or another, loving or loathing it.

Over misty mountains and through coniferously wooded dales, I made the three plus hour trek back through the picturesque Adirondacks, returning to the beautiful town of Ticonderoga, New York. Nestled between striking Lake Champlain, Lake George and the Vermont border, the third annual Trekonderoga, the aptly named convention, provides fans of the original Star Trek series with a multitude of opportunities and activities. Starting on Friday, the 25th of August and running through the weekend, attendees were able to tour the meticulously constructed set of the original USS Enterprise, see the Batmobile, browse through a plethora of vendors, listen to a wide array of panels, and meet their favourite celebrities – a rich, nuanced and vivid experience for all those looking to collect, learn, and make long lasting memories.

As a change of pace, I thought that it would be fun to take a look at Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, not from a review perspective, but rather, to connect some of the dots to the Harry Potter franchise (be it novels or movies). Right off the bat, we hear John Williams’ iconic score from the first Potter feature (when the Warner Bros. logo appears), which then transitions into an original composition from James Newton Howard. Written for the screen by J.K. Rowling (her first time writing a script, there is no one better to build upon the imaginative world she created more than 20 years ago) and set in the Roaring 20s, specifically 1926, the story follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) on his many adventures – the name may mean something to true Potter afficionados, as he is the author of one of the Hogwarts required textbooks, which just happens to have the same title as the film. The tale takes place just prior to said book’s publication, with the Brit taking a trip to New York City. As he explores the metropolis, many of you may chuckle when an anti-witch group leader asks, "are you a seeker?", to which he slyly replies, "I’m more of a chaser, really" – a quidditch joke for those in the know.