Actor Elijah Wood fits the pattern of playing characters that are gutless and non-violent. But in many of his films, including those when he was quite young, the characters he plays often grow and be brave.  Wood’s roles fit this pattern in The Good Son (1993), The Ice Storm (1997), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003), and Green Street Hooligans (2005). Come to Daddy is a movie where that pattern is still with him, but instead of being serious or sad, this film is mixed with comedy and horror. Come to Daddy is hysterical with comic violence, but the violence is also disturbing. It is a film that had me thinking seriously one moment, and then laughing the next.  This film is a strange journey of wonder and unanswered questions that have many disturbing, yet funny outcomes.

Come to Daddy gears on a man named Norval, an artist of music and other forms of entertainment (not specified) with previous alcohol dependency issues. He decides to travel to see his father who he has not seen for decades. Supposedly, his father is Gordon (played by Stephen McHattie). Norval visits him at his giant home that is on a scenic waterfront in Canada. Norval goes to visit because he has received a letter from his father for that purpose. However, as the visit begins, Norval begins to realize that Gordon displays some bothersome language and creepy personality traits. With Norval’s prior issues with alcoholism, this is a dangerous situation because along with Gordon intentionally being a jerk, he also drinks heavily. In short order, the father and son time for Norval and Gordon turns out to be a horrid adventure for Norval as the movie continues.

Many people view Come to Daddy as silly or average and I agree due to how the film evolves. The tense moments between Norval and Gordon are sparked by the personality traits of Gordon. We see that in the moments where Norval tries his best to establish a form of connection, but Gordon rejects it with opinionated humor, and consistent mocking. Those scenes grasped my attention because it made me think of real-life scenarios in times of conflict. The answers Gordon gives Norval are not what one would normally expect. McHattie has the evil looks, the menacing laugh, and the snarky comments that make it clear that Come to Daddy is only going to get uglier.

As I mentioned earlier, Wood is someone known to be play gutless characters who build guts later.  In this film, he runs into various scenarios as he makes dangerous discoveries along the way. This makes Come to Daddy funny because Wood’s character, Norval, is still not very brave, but he approaches the life and death problems being unprepared and finds himself at odds thinking about whether he did the right or wrong thing. Wood’s ability to portray a sensitive personality along with genuine comedic flair is a plus for Come to Daddy. I had a fun time with this movie although Come to Daddy is a movie that not everyone will enjoy.   However, if someone wants a good laugh with some unexplained conflicts thrown in, it is an entertaining film. I am going to give Come to Daddy two and a half stars.

At the Music Box Theatre in downtown Chicago, I had the chance to attend a screening of Scarecrow.  The movie, originally released in 1973, is directed by Jerry Schatzberg and stars Gene Hackman and Al Pacino.  The film was in 35 MM projection and is a superb dark flick that is not remembered or appreciated. Back in 1973, Scarecrow was in a competition section at the Cannes Film Festival and won the big award, the Palm d’Or (back then it was called the Golden Palm), but it shared the award with the Alan Bridge film The Hireling. Besides receiving that award, Scarecrow did not receive much attention. That is unfortunate because it is a deep and authentic drama that is essential for avid film fanatics.

The film gears on Max and Lionel (Hackman and Pacino). Max is an ex-con artist who is a drifter with a goal to save money by opening a car wash. Lionel is an ex-sailor who is homeless. Once they both get acquainted, they begin to go on the road together in hopes of finding ways to make income and start a car wash business. However, the title Scarecrow has a meaning which Lionel explains during a discussion in the movie.  However, it is important to see it in order to   understand the connection and why the film has this title.

Realism is such a critical element of Scarecrow. This film brings its audience back to the era of low technological support. The film also shows how networking was such a challenge in this time frame. There are moments where Max and Lionel hit plateaus and experience other troubles that make the goal of the car wash even more challenging than they have anticipated. Also, Max starts to resent Lionel, because he feels Lionel has no craft and is lacking in so many areas required for success. The realism with the anger and frustration brings out the harsh authenticity that Scarecrow portrays.

Given how brilliant Scarecrow is, I believe if it got the recognition it deserved, it would have led to more opportunities for the actors and people involved with the film. Hackman has said this role was his favorite, but because it was poorly recognized, it prompted him to pursue more commercialized films. While the movie got some recognition with awards and reviews, for some reason it never found an audience to help the film grow. Unfortunately, the film alone was off the grid, and not released on DVD until many years later.

Despite, the poor attention, Scarecrow is a film that is imperative for the 1970s and the film world we are in now. The film needs to be seen because of its character development, and its central conflict. The dialogue is top-notch, and viewers will sense deep feelings during this movie.  There are many films like this one I love that are also underappreciated. I am giving Scarecrow four stars.

From the opening of Birds of Prey, the audience already knows what kind of rollercoaster ride is coming their way. The film opens with our lead actress Margot Robbie (who plays Harley Quinn).  In the first twenty minutes, she narrates what crazy conflicts exist and describes what her ridiculous priorities are which include graphic violence. Robbie steals the opening act with her violent, spunky, and neurotic personality. Birds of Prey is the one film where I believe DC makes its mark as it almost rivals Marvel’s Deadpool. That is because it opens almost the same way with vulgar yet funny language, and acts of violence intended for laughs. However, Birds of Prey takes the hysterical violence to a whole different level.

The plot of Birds of Prey is gearing on life with Harley Quinn after breaking up with the Joker. Viewers are used to viewing Quinn as the villain, but in this one she is geared more on being the protagonist. She falls into a position where a wealthy and egotistical villain, Roman Sionis (played by Ewan McGregor), and his assistant Victor Zsasz (played by Chris Messina), are after a young woman named Cassandra Cain (played by Ella Jay Basco), because she has something that is worth a lot to Sionis. This puts Quinn in a position where she falls into a scenario of building up a team of other crazy ladies who include Renee Montoya (played by Rosie Perez), Helena Bertinelli/the Huntress (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and Dina Lance/Black Canary (played by Jurnee Smollett-Bell). The film becomes a ride of over-the-top, lethal, and loud violence that will make viewers laugh.

The acting by Robbie is superb and McGregor is also outstanding. However, I found that some of the violence seemed repetitive. I figured that this was done to keep the audience laughing. An example of this is there are scenes where Harley or others break people’s legs. The leg breaking is comical, but it was just repetitive. Also, I felt that the film was only gearing on breaking of body parts as a goal to keep the action going. The dialogue is top-notch, but the fighting moments are repetitive.

What grabbed my attention the most with Birds of Prey was how both Robbie and McGregor play such egotistical characters. Each had moments where they felt they had more power over the other and then it would be the other way around. That made the film interesting for me because it gave me a hint that later one character had something that the other character was not aware of, and then another catastrophic moment would come around. The film is full of surprises.

Overall, Birds of Prey goes over the top by utilizing the same acts of violence, but it’s still a funny and entertaining time for those superhero fanatics. I find that it is one of those films that DC has been needing. A film where the violence goes up many levels because that is what gives a DC movie its mark by making the intensity and realism feel dark and heavy. I am giving Birds of Prey three stars.