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Fireside Chats: ‘Polytechnique’

September 8, 2017 / Taylor Gaines

For each movie in the “Denis 2049” series, Taylor and Sam will sit down and bounce some thoughts off each other, off-mic. Their brilliant minds will unleash many words. Make of them what you will. This time: “Polytechnique.”

Taylor: It’s not often that I have to actually put my hand over my heart to make sure it’s still beating. Typically, it’s something I trust is happening by the simple fact that I’m still walking around. When it comes to movies, I typically don’t have big reactions, either. It’s more of an “ooh, ahh” type of excitement when something tense is happening than any kind of physical reaction. I’d call it an … intellectual reaction, I guess.

In “Polytechnique,” though, I felt physically sick. I was straight-up terrified watching this movie. And I’m not saying that to try to reduce this movie to some kind of cheap thriller or horror movie. This movie is horrifying because of a realistic, eyes-wide-open portrayal of what it looks like when pure evil intrudes onto normal life.

As we discussed at length on the podcast, “Polytechnique” tells the story of a 1989 school shooting that took place on a college campus in Montreal. And as Villeneuve’s camera watched the killer wander the halls of the school, a sensation came over me that is hard to describe. I felt like I was witnessing something impossible, the act of witnessing it ensuring that I couldn’t deny what was happening right in front of me. A contradiction that I can’t justify but won’t back down from. It was surreal. I don’t think I’ve ever been so compelled and disturbed and haunted by a movie all at once.

Sam: “Polytechnique” is one of those movies – “Schindler’s List,” “Manchester by the Sea,” Villeneuve’s own “Prisoners” – that gladly asks you to pay money to get punched in the throat. It hurts to watch this movie. It’s gut-wrenching and brutal and the longest 80-minute movie I’ve ever seen.

I loved it.

It never tries to be theatrical or jumpy for the sake of fear. Villeneuve puts this story out in the cold light of day, and by mere exposure to the action, we feel every gun shot. That’s more frightening than anything. It takes something dark and unthinkable and puts it in the midst of complete normalcy – the exact place that tragedy really happens.

Taylor: I want to go on an insane tangent or make a dumb joke or change the subject randomly as I’m wont to do in these Fireside Chats, but this movie feels too serious and important to do that.

Keep talking smart about it.

Sam: Okay, try this.

The weird thing about “Polytechnique” is that, when you place someone so heinous among the everyday, he blends in. One of the most deeply affecting sequences is the intercutting series of shots between the killer and the protagonist, Valérie, as they get ready for their day in the morning. Before shots are fired, they’re both leading plain, indistinguishable lives. They’re both messy, somewhat alone, and essentially “normal.” The interwoven scenes have a two-sided effect where you feel like, “Wow, a killer could come from anywhere and be anyone,” but also, “Even the most terrible people are still just … people.”

Villeneuve could have easily made the killer a faceless, pitiless evil, but he chose to make things more complicated. He showed someone who was purely sexist and hellbent on exterminating women, and then had him write an apology letter to his mother.

You also see the suffering and stain on the survivors’ lives caused by the killer’s actions. Things are hard for them. Dillenuve is able to show the full width and breadth of a tragedy like this – the way it expands beyond just those on campus that day and affects life writ large – by zooming in with a microscope. He took a huge event that affected many people and focused in on three characters. In doing so, he was able to make something completely universal.

Denis was perfect for this movie. He told the story in a way that shocked and hurt, but it did so with total respect and integrity. It’s one of the best movies I’ll never watch again.

Taylor: Ooh, here’s a tangent. This is a list of eight movies I’ll never watch again (except when I have to for the Denis 2049 series…)

1. “Polytechnique”

Asked and answered.

2. “12 Years A Slave”

This movie is about being a slave for 12 years. I think that’s pretty self-explanatory.

3. “Prisoners”

“Hey, honey, let’s watch this movie that makes us feel what it would be like if our kids were kidnapped by a stranger and we never saw them again. I’ll make some popcorn!”

4. “Boyhood”

This is a feat of filmmaking, but it’s pretty boring in retrospect. I’m glad I saw it because it feels important, but I would like to never see it again.

5. “Lone Survivor”

Too intense.

6. “Foxcatcher”

Too creepy.

7. “Manchester By The Sea”

If you’ve seen this movie, I don’t need to explain myself.

8. “Man of Steel”

This movie is actually terrible, I just want people to know I will leave their home if this movie is ever put in front of my eyes ever again.

Sam: Great list. A-plus. But I would add the movie “Shop Girl.” Saw it on a cruise when I was 11 and got really excited because Steve Martin was in it, but it bored me off the ship.

Taylor: Damn, you probably missed out on a great cruise because of that.

All that being said, “Polytechnique” is easily the best movie we’ve watched so far in this series.

Sam: Easily the best.

The Denis rankings after three movies:

“Polytechnique”

(gap to show how much better I think it is.)

“August 32nd on Earth”
“Maelstrom”

Next up: “Incendies.”

Denis 2049: ‘Polytechnique’

September 5, 2017 / Taylor Gaines

Taylor Gaines is joined by Sam Hensel for the third edition of the official Denis Villeneuve filmography podcast. On this episode, they talk about “Polytechnique,” a sobering tale of a 1989 school shooting in Montreal. It’s a tough watch, but a worthwhile and powerful film.

Next time: “Incendies”

You can find all of our previous podcasts on our website, OnTheIslandPodcast.com and on iTunes. Subscribe, rate, and review!

As always, thanks to Levi Bradford for the theme song. You can find his music at poblano.bandcamp.com.

Find the written companion piece here.

(Now On The Island!)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Fireside Chats: ‘Maelstrom’

September 4, 2017 / Taylor Gaines

Taylor: Um, Sam? This movie was in French. I don’t speak French.

Sam: I speak French just fine, but remember, Taylor, this movie is French-Canadian. And in that field I can only speculate.

I believe this movie was obsessed with death, fish, dead fish, talking fish, the ocean and its relationship with cars, a fisherman and his relationship with cars, cars and their relationship with dead fish, and abortion. Really, though, only one of those thing spoke to me: the talking fish! Obviously! What is the talking fish telling us? What is he saying??

Taylor: The talking fish is the only thing I cared about, and possibly the only thing I’ve ever cared about. You know those movies where a guy or girl falls in love with someone who speaks another language or something? Where they find themselves inexplicably attracted to the other person, simply by their very nature? That’s how I felt about this fish.

Wait – I don’t mean I was in love with the fish. I just mean, I was obsessed with trying to figure out what he was saying. It was captivating! Look at this thing! (NSFW?)

I can only guess what the fish spoke to us about in his role as the Grand Narrator of our lives because French-Canadian is a dead language, but if I had to guess, I would have figured the movie was going in this direction:

Fish: Hello there. You at home. You sick voyeur. I have a story for you. One of tragedy, thoughtlessness and incessant violence against an entire race. A tale of a careless woman aimlessly wandering around murdering fish. I myself was torn from my underwater home to tell you this story. I have a son who I will probably never see again. In fact, I’m really struggling to breath on this table because fish are meant to be underwater. If you didn’t know. Before it’s too late, let me tell you some of the things you are going to see tonight. Fish will be killed. Some will be sliced up. Some will be skinned. Some will be run over by cars. Some will be slowly torn apart as people stand around drinking alcohol. Some will even suffer the worst, most unexpected fate for a fish – a car plunging into the water and killing you on impact as you go about your night. One of my good friends, Go, was out for the first time since his divorce, trying to get back into the world, when that car came falling into the water. Dozens of lives were lost. It’s not a story I want to tell, but it’s one that must be told. I call it —

[knife chops off head]

[title comes on screen]

“Maelstrom”

Sam: Taylor, you really painted Grand Narrator in a light that is both tragic and compelling. Fish have come a long way as storytellers.

I admit, I had a different translation of the fish’s narration:

Fish: AAHHHHHHHH AHHHH! AHHHHH HELP! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AAAHHHH! MY GILLS ARE ON FIRE THIS IS MISERY!!! AHHHH!

[knife chops off head]

[title comes on screen]

“Maelstrom”

I will say that once I found out this movie was not in fact a documentary about the phasing-out of the Epcot ride, “Maelstrom: A High Seas Norwegian Adventure,” I checked out. Despite that, I do want to submit to you a potentially unique take I had about this movie: It was boring! It was super boring! It was slow and brooding in a way that took itself too seriously, and I just didn’t love it. I expected more from Dilleneuve, who by this point had made a name for himself in the ‘odd movies about women ditching their cars’ genre.

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not speak the language “Maelstrom” was presented in.

Villeneuve official power rankings after two movies:

“August 32nd on Earth”
“Maelstrom”

Taylor: And with that, I suppose Sam has also checked out of this conversation.

I guess that’s fair, given how indecipherable most of this movie was. I just want to say that this movie deserves a re-release in HD with English subtitles, so we can truly judge it on its own merits. The American people deserve everyone catering to our every desire.

Actually, scratch that. I want more. I want this movie remade entirely. I don’t care who the director is, either. I want an English version of this movie where the talking fish is replaced with a talking Big Mac. Instead of being about the endless, ongoing genocide of fish, it’s a commentary on what fast food has done to the world and how we interact with it without even knowing. The lead is Alicia Vikander (obviously).

That’s it. It shouldn’t take anything more to sell the movie to a studio. Show them the talking Big Mac animation and Alicia Vikander in anything (except “Jason Bourne,” don’t ever let anyone see “Jason Bourne” for any reason), and you’ve got yourself at least a billion dollars in funding.

Get to it, Megan Ellison.

Next up: “Polytechnique.”

‘GLOW’ Is Downright Delightful

September 1, 2017 / Taylor Gaines

“The great thing about Netflix shows is you can always pretend like they just came out.” -Me

“Orange Is The New Black” debuted in 2013. As you may recall, it received tons of praise from critics and fans alike. A rare all-around hit – and rightfully so. It was an enjoyable show, in that Netflix kind of way where you would find yourself watching episode after episode without really thinking about it. It also allowed women to be characters in a way they have often been robbed of over the years. Full, colorful, complicated characters. It felt fresh.

The problem I always had with “OITNB” was that Piper Chapman, the main character, was never as interesting or complex as the other characters (at least in the show’s early-going). Things tended to drag when Piper showed up, particularly when the show briefly devolved into a story about her and her husband Larry or whoever. That sucked.

So now, imagine that delightful “OITNB” aesthetic, but instead of a frustrating lead, you have a perfect one. Now imagine that one is Alison Brie. Also, imagine the show takes place in a wrestling ring rather than a women’s prison. You’ve got “GLOW.”

“GLOW” tells the story of a struggling actress named Ruth Wilder (Brie) who is desperately trying to find work in Hollywood. And not stereotypical women’s work either. She wants to play big, compelling characters like any man would have the chance to do. (The show opens with her intentionally reading a man’s part during an audition and pretending it was an accident.) Her friend, Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin), seems to have a perfect life after her time on a soap opera. Ruth is jealous. Then Ruth stumbles onto an opportunity to join some kind of wrestling show directed by a scumbag named Sam Sylvia (Marc Maron). Many other women come to try out as well. Story ensues.

Although many people have probably already finished the new Netflix series and I’ve only watched two episodes, I’ll leave the rest of the plot to the show for now. Suffice it to say that Jenji Kohan (the showrunner of “OITNB” and an executive producer on “GLOW”) and her crew have done it again. “GLOW” (created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch) is the most enjoyable show I’ve watched all year and easier to breeze through than an episode of “Parks and Recreation.”

The thing about the show is that it’s perfect. The characters unfold at just the right pace, identifying themselves to the viewer with entertaining quirks and developing into compelling characters as things progress. The writing functions like a series of perfectly interlocking gears, spinning comfortably in motion and bringing stories together in ways that are at all times surprising, sensible, entertaining and emotional. The aesthetic feels very distinct, in the way I suppose I would imagine a 1980s Los Angeles to feel (someone from there can tell me if I’m wrong, but basically: kind of gross and scummy but full of hope and cocaine?).

Brie (speaking of perfect*) is the show’s beating heart, as TV critics like to say. Rooting for her as she goes through her daily life is easy, despite everything she does that is contrary to her outwardly upbeat and proper personality. She is ambitious, nervous, hopeful, hopeless, broken, and confident. Her thoughts and feelings are always written on her face.

*The only false note in the show so far is Maron’s character, Sam, telling Ruth that she is sometimes really ugly to look at, which is obviously an insane thing to say to and about Alison Brie.

I want to write more about “GLOW” when I finish it, but for now I kind of just want to hang out inside of it. It’s the kind show that envelops you, fully engaging your brain will simultaneously switching it completely off for a while. When it’s over, you just feel warmer. It makes you want to smile. I guess you could say … it makes you glow?

Denis 2049: ‘Maelstrom’

August 29, 2017 / Taylor Gaines

Taylor Gaines is joined by Sam Hensel for the second episode of the official Denis Villeneuve podcast. On this episode, they try to decipher a film that they did not understand, because it was entirely in French. This one was a challenge. “Maelstrom” tells the story of a depressed, alcoholic woman whose life nearly unravels after having an abortion.

Next time: “Polytechnique”