Welcome to I Have to Return Some Videotapes! Each month, film buffs Rhianna Mehta and Kevin Maguire will take you through their cinematic journeys with all of their usual insight and humour, as they take advantage of covid-induced indoor time to catch up on their favourite films and explore new ones.

Have you been enjoying a relatively normal world as much as we have? While we have definitely taken advantage of restaurants and bars being open, and gathering restrictions being slightly lifted, we still managed to make our way through quite a few movies this month. With so much going on in our lives now, sometimes it is nice to just sit back and relax and watch a good movie (or a bad one). We hope you enjoy this month’s recommendations on what to watch, what to skip, and what you may want to give a shot.

If you would like to connect with us further on Letterboxd, please find us at rhirhi19 and Kevin_Maguire. If you want to get a sense of our taste, some of our favourites in each genre, and the way we approach film overall, be sure to check out our appearance on The Generalists.

Monthly Favourites:

Rhianna: All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950) “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.” All About Eve is the astounding 1950 Academy Awards Best Picture Winner. The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, an aging Broadway actress at the height of her career. When Margo meets an adoring fan, Eve Harrington, Margo invites Eve into her life and the two become inseparable. As their relationship progresses, Eve maneuvers her way further into Margo’s personal life, and her motivations are not as innocent as they seem. This film has such incredibly sharp and witty dialogue, that the script alone makes the film worth watching. However, what makes this film truly fascinating is the titular character Eve. Her poise and sheer audacity is so compelling – I was amazed at her ability to manipulate situations in order to achieve her desired outcomes. Along with Eve, all of the female characters in this film are complex and relatable, which was not something I expected from a film that is 71 years old. The entire cast gives memorable performances and features a then-relatively unknown Marilyn Monroe in a cameo performance. The film also shows a unique perspective on show business and the impact fame has on fans and actors alike. Eve is both in awe of and desperate to be like Margo, while Margo struggles with becoming an older actress. Overall, this is one of those classic films that cannot be missed!

Runner-up: Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders, 1992) Paris, Texas is a beautiful tale about the loss of human connection. It is a slow-paced movie, but the breathtaking cinematography makes this an enjoyable watch from start to finish. The film stars Harry Dean Stanton as Travis, a man who has abandoned his life and has been wandering in a Texas desert for four years. Travis slowly reintegrates into society, and must repair his relationship with the family he left behind. The film really centers around rebuilding these broken family relationships in an impactful way. This is one of those films that just sticks with you.

Kevin: Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979) Alien is a near-perfect summer blockbuster movie. The great cast and script made for an excellent film. Alien centers around the crew of a spaceship on their way home to Earth that has received a distress signal from another planet. They go to investigate, only to then find themselves in danger from an unknown alien species. The movie’s direction and special effects take it over the top as one of the better big budget movies in the last 50 years. In fact, I would argue that this movie features the best special effects of the entire series. Even though it was released in the 1970s, Alien has aged very well not only with the special effects, but also in its social commentary. Alien is filled with so many metaphors of struggles we continue to deal with today. Despite the different setting, the problems with human dynamics shown in the film are universal. Watching the crew debating fair value labour this far into the future does not bode well for our current situation. In fact, how hard Sigourney Weaver’s character Ripley is forced to fight for her crewmates to listen to her really reminded me of how much of a struggle it is in society to have your voice heard. Even worse, she is basically proven right at every turn. I also really appreciate the subtle use of the Alien as well. With less than four minutes of screen time, the film uses the sense of the unknown to create a sense of danger, as opposed to focusing on the menacing size and ferocity of the creature. As Ripley and the rest of the crew fights for survival, you are treated to an amazing cross-section of sci-fi, horror and suspense. After watching this, I think we can all agree that we should listen to women more.

Runner-up: All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950), Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)

Least Favorite:

Rhianna: Alien³ (David Fincher, 1992) After having watched both Alien and Aliens recently, it is frankly extremely disappointing to see what this beloved franchise has become. This is the third film in the franchise, and is set immediately after the events depicted in Aliens. At the end of Aliens, Ripley, Newt and the surviving crew members Hicks and Bishop enter hypersleep as they travel back to Earth, after having narrowly escaped the Alien Queen. At the beginning of the third film, we learn that due to a fire on their ship, a pod containing the four members on board is launched into space, and subsequently crashes into a planet that hosts a maximum security all-male prison. Ripley is awakened and learns she is the sole survivor from the pod. Elsewhere in the prison, a Facehugger has traveled with Ripley’s pod and has begun to wreak havoc. One of the most unfortunate aspects of this film is how Ripley’s character has evolved since the first film. It is clear that someone (whether it was the director, the studio, or perhaps even Sigourney Weaver herself) thought this film needed more sex appeal. A telling scene is one that comes after Ripley has her head shaved in order to blend in with the male inmates: she asks the prison doctor whether he finds her attractive, and the two proceed to have sex (off-screen of course). This behaviour seems totally out of character from the calm, rational, leader from the first two films who was never interested in a romantic or sexual relationship with her male counterparts. Another aspect of this film that is completely different from the previous two films is the production design. This film has a noticeably warmer hue throughout, with bright red explosions lighting scenes and set pieces that are made of brownish metal. This is in complete contrast to the dark production design of the previous two films. Ultimately, this darkness creates the atmosphere and tone that makes the first two films so scary. Lastly, the visual effects in this film are just horrendous. In some scenes, the Alien is a shapeless creature. Without any major practical effects, the creepiness of the Alien simply falls flat. If you love the first two Alien films as much as I do, do yourself a favour and skip this film (and also skip Alien Resurrection and Alien vs. Predator).

Runner-up: A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006) It is unfortunate that this film did not come together, as the underlying premise and its source material (Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name) presents an interesting concept. In a dystopian future, a large percentage of society has become addicted to a powerful hallucinogenic called “Substance D”. In response, the government has implemented a large network of undercover informants, who use aliases, wear disguises that are ever changing amalgamations of different people, and are virtually unknown to one another. One of the informants is called into work and has been tasked with investigating his true identity. The film is animated using the rotoscoping technique, in which animators trace over filmed footage frame by frame. The animation lends to a very surreal, dark visual style, which suits the mood of the film, but it is jarring upon first watching it. Animation aside, I felt that despite such an interesting concept, the film ultimately went nowhere. This is a rare miss for Linklater.

Kevin: Batman & Robin (Joel Schumacher, 1997) Holy unwatchable pun-filled trash, Batman! This might be the worst superhero movie of all time, and almost killed the superhero genre (which would not have been the worst thing to happen, but that is an article for another day). I felt like I was watching a terrible attempt at making a live action version of the 90s Batman cartoon. This movie was campy in all of the worst ways, and I am pretty sure Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze did not deliver a single line in the movie that was pun-free. George Clooney has the right look to be a perfect Bruce Wayne, but his stilted acting in his parts as Batman leave a lot to be desired. I can safely say he was the worst choice for Batman out of all movie versions. When it comes to the acting, the only bright spot is Uma Thurman’s portrayal of Poison Ivy. Her campy villainous delivery makes most of her scenes enjoyable, despite the terrible script and camera work. The only thing I admired was it only took ten minutes into this dumpster fire to have Batman and Robin in space, unlike the Fast and Furious franchise that took 9 movies to get there. Batman & Robin was worth another watch as a childhood favourite, but it definitely does not need to be revisited again. Put this one on ice.

Runner-up: The Skulls (Rob Cohen, 2003), Alien³ (David Fincher, 1992)

Biggest Surprise:

Rhianna: Living in Oblivion (Tom DiCillo, 1995) This independent film is full of surprises. Steve Buscemi stars in this film as a director of a low-budget film who is dealing with a melodramatic actor, an actress who is dealing with lots of personal emotions, and a crew that would rather be doing anything else. The film is split into three parts, each of which explores the anxieties of the different cast and crew members during an early morning shot of a crucial scene. The film is extremely funny, and really underscores the façade that filmmaking is glamorous. As a viewer, I quickly realized we would never understand what the low-budget film is about. Instead, all that matters is the effort and work (and sometimes drama) that goes on behind the scenes. Catherine Keener gives an incredible performance as the lead actress in the film, portraying the hardships and difficulties that come with the demanding nature of the film industry. If you are in the mood for a dark comedy, definitely check this out!

Runner-up: Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, 2021) It is truly a tragedy that such gorgeous footage from iconic performances is only being shared with the world now. From the opening act featuring Stevie Wonder to the closing performance of Nina Simone, this documentary is filled with electric music that inspired so much of our music today. From funk, to Motown, to gospel, this festival covered everything and really highlights the wide range of music present in 1960s Harlem. Get on up and dance to the music!

Kevin: Blood Quantum (Jeff Barnaby, 2019) Starting off the Canadian Screen Awards with 5 straight wins and ending the night with 7 awards for its 10 nominations, Blood Quantum was demanding that we pay attention. Typically, I don’t enjoy horror movies, but my one exception is zombie films. I love a good zombie movie, and Blood Quantum delivers. The movie centers around the Mi’kmaq people of the Red Crow Indian Reservation in Quebec as they deal with a zombie apocalypse. No one in the area is safe except the Mi’kmaq people, who seem to be immune to the zombie infection. It is up to them to decide whether to take care of their own or help their white neighbours who oftentimes looked down on them, and historically mistreated them. I think this movie does such a beautiful job of balancing the horror with the sociopolitical undertones. It touches on the existing imbalance of power, and what would happen if it were to flip, while also exposing the dangers of having too much power or the consequences of not using it properly. With a large ensemble cast, I was really impressed with the intertwining stories told through character driven narrative. The acting was very good with Michael Greyeyes really standing out as the lead character Traylor. He is an amazing actor and should be featured in so many more films to come! I really enjoyed every aspect of this movie and highly recommend it.

Runner-up: Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, 2021), Living in Oblivion (Tom DiCillo, 1995)

Coming Attractions:

Summer blockbusters are here! We purchased tickets to our first film in theatres and we are so thrilled! We are excited to watch the fantasy film The Green Knight on the big screen. As more films are premiering in theatres, we know we will be spending much more of our time there. We are looking forward to sharing our August recommendations next month!