MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN
3 1/2 stars
Deepa Mehta takes on the vast contours of Salman Rushdie’s Booker Prize-winning novel about the birth of an independent India, and one boy who can conjure the voice of his generation through his unnaturally large nose. At times, the movie — which was named to Canada’s Top 10 for 2012 by the Toronto International Film Festival — has so many elements to deal with that the denouement feels random, but Mehta doesn’t panic. Instead, she creates a dreamlike feel for the film that can accommodate the book’s chaotic plot as well as its magical mood as it relates the story of Saleem Sinai (Satya Bhabha) — a boy whose identity was changed at birth by a well-intentioned act of revolution. Saleem was placed in a rich household, while the rightful heir and soul brother is now a pauper. The lives of both men intertwine in opposition during the movie to create the spine of drama, but the best moments arise in the nooks and crannies of narrative, as Mehta settles on specific moments that showcase the redeeming power of love, in all its forms. Special features unavailable.
HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
3 stars
Bill Murray brings a fiery spark to Roger Michell’s gassy mixture of history, biopic and boudoir confessions in Hyde Park on Hudson, a movie that dares undress one of America’s most beloved leaders. Based on the posthumously published diaries of a distant cousin, the film introduces us to U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the height of his political and personal charms, having instituted the New Deal and pulling the nation from the depths of the Great Depression with his buoyant attitude and shining faith in the face of overwhelming odds. But it’s 1939 and the Second World War is looming, with Britain staring down Hitler on its own — and seeking a little American support. Michell’s film focuses on the meeting between FDR and the freshly crowned King George, but it’s not politics standing centreframe — it’s the people, particularly FDR and the cousin he’s kissing at the moment, played by Laura Linney. It’s a very bizarre journey that includes purposefully awkward moments, but Michell has a deft hand with the absurd (Changing Lanes, Enduring Love) as well as weird romance (Notting Hill), ensuring this period biopic has enough grown-up charms to win you over. Special features include commentary, audiotaped diary of the first shooting days, Inside Hyde Park on Hudson, deleted scenes and more.
NAKED LUNCH: CRITERION COLLECTION
4 stars
Well-executed faux drug trips have almost become a genre unto themselves. Witness the distinct desperation of Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Alfred Hitchcock’s deliciously dreamy Spellbound and Danny Boyle’s white-knuckle rides in Trainspotting. Hallucinogenic fantasy gives directors carte blanche when it comes to crafting their specific horrors, desires and dreams — giving us unique insight into their demons, even if they’re just adaptations of someone else’s bogeyman. David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch is based on William S. Burroughs’s like-titled book, but it’s undeniably part of Dave Depraved’s canon as it stars Peter Weller as a novelist slowly losing his grasp on reality. Featuring some of the best work from Cronenberg regular, production designer Carol Spier, there’s no doubt you’ll be thinking of cockroach suits and typewriters for years to come. This new edition features a new high-definition transfer, audio commentary, documentary on the making of the film, special effects gallery, collection of marketing materials, audio recording of Burroughs reading from his book, photo gallery by Allen Ginsberg and booklet featuring reprinted pieces by Janet Maslin and others.
YOU’VE BEEN TRUMPED
3 stars
Making fun of Donald Trump takes little more than a one-minute study of his scalp. But pointing a truly critical finger at The Donald takes a lot more. The man is notoriously litigious and he’s clearly a control freak, all of which makes You’ve Been Trumped a remarkably ballsy movie. A documentary by Anthony Baxter, a longtime veteran of U.K. TV shows such as Top Gear, You’ve Been Trumped chronicles the rather depressing story of Trump’s luxury golf resort on the Scottish seaside. A sprawling, 500-hectare development in the ecologically sensitive dunes of Aberdeenshire, Trump’s plan involves the creation of two golf courses as well as “an iconic hotel set amidst an array of luxury holiday homes” that would change the face of the shire forever.
Local council members halted the plan, but shortly after that, the Scottish government overturned the decision — setting in motion a bitter fight that continues today. A good example of the grassroots versus big government battle lines, You’ve Been Trumped offers a larger-than-life villain and delivers more drama than one might expect. Special features include additional footage, Trump in Parliament, director interview and more.
