A Law Unto Themselves

The General, often considered to be Buster Keaton’s magnum opus (and for good reason – thankfully it was re-evaluated after its initial release, which was not kind), also falls into the realm of being one of the most important train and Civil War films ever produced. To those who do not know the motion picture, they will likely believe that the title refers to the military designation, though it is actually the name of the train the story revolves around. Basically an intricately plotted, lengthy chase, Keaton co-wrote and co-directed the story along with Clyde Bruckman, it being based upon a famous, true Civil War happening, ‘The Great Locomotive Chase’ (also known as Andrews’ Raid). Keaton takes on the role of Johnnie Gray, a train engineer living in Georgia just as the bloody 1861 hostilities boil over. In love with only two things, his beloved locomotive and an angelic, brown haired woman, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack), he is told by his love that he too must enlist (like her father and brother). The first in line, they reject him, seeing his present job as being of the utmost importance for the South.

A little bit like the action packed, chase-filled version of Planes, Trains and Automobiles, 1988's Midnight Run finds a pair of equally mismatched individuals making their way across the country. Written by George Gallo and directed by Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop; Scent of a Woman), the action crime comedy finds a disgruntled, ultimately unhappy former cop and present day bounty hunter, Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro), surviving the rigours of day to day life. The money isn’t particularly good and the job comes with some dangerous drawbacks (criminals tend to pull a gun on you). So, when bail bondsman liaison Eddie Moscone (Joe Pantoliano) offers Walsh a seemingly simple gig in which he is to pick up an accountant named Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin) for an unimaginable sum (one hundred thousand dollars) – he jumps at the opportunity. The reason for the big ticket price is that it will save Moscone’s business, as the criminal is on the lamb, hiding out as he has stolen fifteen million dollars from gangster Jimmy Serrano (Dennis Farina), meaning that he will not get his money back if he is not brought in. Another catch, The Duke has to be back in Los Angeles by Friday – giving the bounty hunter a measly five days to track down the elusive man.

Claustrophobia is a key component of the zombie horror sub-genre. Though the whole wide world may be the protagonist’s playground, there is something ultimately daunting about having millions (maybe billions) of the world’s population transformed into deadly infected corpses – each one drawn to those few still attempting to survive, encroaching on their oh-so-important space. This concept is pushed to its most tense breaking point in the 2016 South Korean horror film Train to Busan, co-written and directed by Sang-ho Yeon. As you may have guessed from the title, most of the story takes place on a confined, tightly packed train (a perfect setting for this type of flick). The narrative’s driving force is a father/daughter pair living in Seoul, Seok-woo (Yoo Gong) and Soo-an (Soo-an Kim). Having recently separated from his wife, the family is in disarray. It is a complicated matter in which Seok-woo, a self-centred individual, sees himself as a sort of selfless father and husband, working insane hours as a fund manager for the betterment of his family. His daughter (and wife – we must surmise), see him as a non-existent patriarch – selfish and caring about no one but himself.

This past weekend saw costumes, comic books and celebrities, as the third iteration of CAPE – Cornwall and Area Pop Expo, came to town. There was something for all, as crowds surfed through a plethora of booths, looking for their favourite vintage video games, that elusive comic book, kooky new board games, or a certain desirable trading card. Likewise, cosplayers, both new and old, littered the floor. The always entertaining Dr. Stevil was even making his way around the venue on roller-skates – perhaps with a new maniacal plan to take over the world.

Sex and drugs and rock `n roll. . . (and marriage?) play a big part in the 2015 dramatic thriller A Bigger Splash. A quasi-remake of the 1969 film La Piscine (which has another sort-of remake in François Ozon’s 2003 picture The Swimming Pool), which itself comes from a novel of the same name (written by Jean-Emmanuel Conil under the pseudonym Alain Page), this very European feature is set on the lovely Italian island of Pantelleria. We first meet music icon Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton – a perfect turn as an androgynous David Bowie-like rock `n roller), who is recovering from throat surgery, and her documentary filmmaker husband Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts) as they enjoy the reclusive island, finding love and recuperation in its serene, picturesque setting. As they are frolicking in the waters of a secluded lake, they receive a call from Paul’s kind-of best friend and Marianne’s former lover/record producer, Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes), who has tracked them down and invited himself for a visit. Director Luca Guadagnino both symbolically and literally interprets the rather rude interruption by having Harry’s incoming plane cast a long shadow and make a raucous noise just over their heads as they take the unexpected and unwanted call.