Week Ending 5/10/24
I made the joke that Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery teaming up for a new streaming bundle is Cable 2.0 too, but, as many online have been pointing out, it’s not a laughing matter. The reason: cable contracts guarantee residuals. And while the recent strikes sought to level the playing field where it comes to streaming, the chasm remains wide.
So, not only are these two studios circumventing the cable companies with this collaboration, but they are also circumventing the contracts they have with creatives on shows in syndication by giving viewers a choice to watch them on their own platforms rather than through avenues that ensured the artists got a cut.
It all goes hand-in-hand with the resurfacing “think pieces” from people yelling at movie fans for not going to the theater to see THE FALL GUY. People are once again chastising ticket buyers for “clamoring for these types of mid-budget movies and then not going to champion them” as though there are no other parties involved. Don’t blame the studios for shortening the theatrical window and getting audiences used to streaming shortly after release. Don’t blame the theaters for a rapidly devolving experience of dirty floors, broken seats, and misused lenses. No, it’s the audience.
The industry is in turmoil and the studios are capitalizing on the many ways in which they can screw over those they owe to cater to those who wouldn’t be going to the theater anyway. Home viewers are now their target both because they’ll often subscribe to services despite already having cable and because the ways they watch have a better impact on the bottom-line. Sometimes lowering the overhead is more profitable than profits themselves. No wonder completed films are worth more as tax write-offs than guaranteed hits.
It’s a shame. And I’m a “part of the problem” too considering I recently canceled my $10/month MoviePass subscription (I haven’t gone to a theater since GODZILLA MINUS ONE in December) and subscribed to HBO Max for $10/month instead. But my reasoning is still COVID and our country’s unwavering decision to put the economy above human lives. I’m lucky to live in an area with clean theaters and diligent staff at independent establishments like North Park Theater and Dipson Theatres. But I also can’t always go to late afternoon showtimes on weekdays to avoid the crowds week after week.
In the end, no one is winning this game besides Hollywood shareholders—the least deserving of us all.
What I Watched:
BABY REINDEER
(streaming on Netflix)
First things first: If there is any potential that a show dealing with trauma, sexual abuse, and gender dysphoria might trigger a bad reaction, you should research what it is that Richard Gadd’s BABY REINDEER is about. This is a based-on-a-true-story adaptation of the writer/star/comedian’s own experiences being stalked between 2015 and 2017 as well as the events that occurred previously and during that period which helped facilitate his part in said crime. Gadd lets it all out both dramatically in the show’s telling and cathartically in a showstopping scene during the penultimate episode. He holds nothing back.
While many people creating work in this vein ultimately find audiences snarkily telling them to “get a therapist,” you can tell Gadd has spent the work and time mining his experience to a point where he can objectively and compassionately talk about the subject in a real way. The character Donny Dunn (played by Gadd) is cognizant to the fact that he wasn’t wholly innocent insofar as letting Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning) latch on. And while she is unequivocally the perpetrator and a dangerous figure considering her past and expertise, he doesn’t paint her as some one-dimensional villain. She’s a victim too. Maybe not quite his victim, but a victim just the same.
And that’s BABY REINDEER’s true success. It’s ability to draw out revelations with each episode in a way that exposes how we can never really know the suffering of others. Does that excuse them from the consequences of their actions? No. Hurt people might hurt people, but two wrongs do not equal a right. This incident is thus less about the threat that Martha poses and more about how her presence in Donny’s life forces him to reevaluate what he’s been through and who he is (as opposed to who he wishes he was). It’s through that journey that he discovers he’s not all that different from her … not when you strip away her unfortunate mental instability.
There’s an authenticity to his character’s progression that makes it so every new discovery resonates with context and complexity rather than merely as a cliffhanger twist meant to excite. Every supporting player possesses a duality as a result—becoming both a mirror and a contrast to who Donny is and what he wants. Tom Goodman-Hill’s Darrien epitomizes Donny’s dream and nightmare. Nava Mau’s Teri serves as an example of someone Donny can love as well as a person with the confidence to own her identity that he can aspire to match in himself. Even the toxically male co-workers he strives to hide behind simultaneously give him a disguise to wield and a target to abhor.
Gadd’s performance is as good as his scripts. Yes, he lived it, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily in a position to reenact it. And not just the interactions with an ever-unraveling Martha either. There’s the sweet awkwardness of living rent-free with the mother of his ex-girlfriend (Nina Sosanya’s Liz) as a surrogate son. There are the frustratingly combative interactions with police who can’t do anything (Thomas Coombes’ Daniels) and those who can if Donny stops getting in their way (Alexandria Riley’s Culver). It ultimately comes down to Gadd’s ability to exude the shame that drives this character both through the good times and bad. A shame that prevents him from helping himself by often ensuring there’s no escape.
No matter how good he is at mining his own trauma, however, not even he can compare to the performance delivered by Gunning. Yes, the writing allows for a lot of space where complicity is involved (Gadd’s unwavering honesty does let him admit his role in feeding Martha’s delusions), but a less worthy actor could have still rendered this stalker loathsome and malicious instead of pitiable and tragic. It helps too that Mau’s Teri (a therapist) never lets Donny (or us) forget that Martha cannot help herself. That she’s a sick woman. Pair it with Gunning’s heartbreaking pathos and the frightening turns towards rage she also supplies land with a perfect mix of astonishment and sadness.
My only hope is that people don’t decide they too can strike it rich by dramatizing their horror-filled pasts. This success should prove that time and perspective can help people understand what happened to them in a way that helps them move forward rather than keep them frozen in place. It’s Gadd’s candor and self-awareness that shines through because both allow him to remember “Martha” as a flawed figure deserving of our sympathy regardless of the pain she caused. Because that’s the hope we all have when stumbling to find ourselves hurting the ones we love. It isn’t about forgiveness or second chances, though. It’s about understanding. It’s about knowing the pain that drives them is the same as that which drives you.
- 9/10
FORCE OF NATURE
(limited release & VOD)
I’m glad to see that Jane Harper has stopped her Aaron Falk series at three novels because, if the first two cinematic adaptations are any indication, more would have me wondering just how he’s been able to survive so much tragedy. Similar to THE DRY, director Robert Connolly’s (who adapts the script alone this time) follow-up FORCE OF NATURE also has a flashback parallel to ensure the current case Falk (Eric Bana) is investigating has a connection to his past. Last time it was two old friends dying decades apart. This time it’s a woman gone missing in the same mountains that also took his mother. I wonder what mirror is used in EXILES.
The woman who’s gone missing is Alice (Anna Torv). Maybe it’s a random event considering she and a group of co-workers were traveling an unguided and arduous nature path as part of a work retreat. Or, perhaps, the fact that Falk and his partner (Jacqueline McKenzie’s Carmen) were using her as an informant to gather intel on her bosses (Deborra-Lee Furness’ Jill and Richard Roxburgh’s Daniel Bailey)—the organizers of this adventure—means something more nefarious went on. That’s up to them to find out. And to rescue Alice. And to unearth the long-hidden shack that belonged to a serial killer who was active around the time Aaron and his parents chose those same woods to camp.
It’s a lot going on. Especially since all the other witnesses have their own secrets. Why does Alice keep asking that she leave the group with Bree (Lucy Ansell) once they get lost? How much is Beth’s (Sisi Stringer) “criminal” past a lesson learned and how much a pattern of behavior? What familial issues have created a rift between Alice and her sister Lauren (Robin McLeavy)? How much of Jill’s sunny disposition is genuine and how much a carefully constructed façade to lead the police astray? Everyone is lying. Everyone’s lies are for personal reasons that may or may not involve Alice’s disappearance. And the longer Aaron is left empty-handed with an impending storm, the more anxious and impatient he grows.
As an isolated story, FORCE OF NATURE is effective. It’s engaging, twisty, and nicely self-contained as far as delving into Aaron’s state of mind and history with this place—the guilt of the past mixing with the guilt of the present. It’s also quite one-dimensional narratively thanks in large part to very thinly drawn characters where it comes to the in-fighting between these women. Alice is the “bitch.” Lauren is the “pushover.” Beth the “criminal” and Bree “little Miss Perfect.” They play these roles in their retelling of what happened as well as their current predicament to manipulate our expectations without much insight into the actions themselves. The same goes for Carmen as the “heartless” cop who could care less about Alice’s wellbeing as long as she can put Jill and Daniel away.
It’s therefore hard to not inherently compare the movie to THE DRY and realize just how flimsy things are in the juxtaposition. Perhaps it was unfair of me to rewatch it directly beforehand, but Harper and Connolly’s first go is so much stronger, weightier, and resonant. That’s what happens when you craft a scenario that brings your complex and conflicted hero back home to face his demons on two fronts. The drama is built in. To therefore try to force it here (and to toy with our assumptions in so doing with the inclusion of a serial killer who may or may not factor in at all) does the result zero favors.
Maybe something was lost in the translation from page to screen and all nuance was left on the cutting room floor or maybe lightning simply didn’t strike twice. Either way, it’s still good. Had it been a standalone story with no connection to Aaron Falk, it might even be better than good. But I’m not going to dismiss it outright via the comparison. That wouldn’t be fair. Just don’t get your hopes up too high if you’re as big a fan of THE DRY as I am. FORCE OF NATURE might be a solid continuation of Falk’s mythology, but it’s also proof that the same franchise IP potential used to help sales can hinder a story’s ability to succeed on its own.
- 6/10
THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY
(limited release & VOD/Digital HD)
Unless you have enough gas to get you two hundred more miles, you’re going to be stuck at Charlotte’s (Jocelin Donahue) diner until the gas truck arrives. All Vernon (Faizon Love) can do is explain the situation and suggest a piece of rhubarb pie before going back to his television to wait for the next would-be customer. Then Charlotte must deliver her own bit of bad news once those poor souls stuck on the road ask about the lack of air conditioning. And if all these customers knew the truth about Beau (Richard Brake) and Travis (Nicholas Logan) in the back booth, they’d realize their situation was even worse.
Writer/director Francis Galluppi makes sure two people know so the audience doesn’t have to hold that burden alone during the course of his debut feature THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY. That’s the benefit (or curse) of being the early birds. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the unnamed Knife Salesman’s (Jim Cummings) decision to scroll through the radio before Charlotte opened the diner’s door, things might have turned out different. But he did. He heard how the getaway car of that morning’s bank robbery was a green Pinto. And he saw Beau and Travis pull up in exactly that color and model.
What follows is a tense, darkly comic thriller wherein each bell ring of the front door puts our main quartet on-edge. Is it another victim to the dry gas pumps seeking refuge? An actual customer with a full tank of gas for Beau to steal and run? Or perhaps Charlotte’s sheriff husband (Michael Abbott Jr.’s Charlie) and his deputy (Connor Paolo’s Gavin) to save the day or cluelessly miss their opportunity? Whoever it is, Charlotte’s eyes dart to the sound and Beau’s eyes dart to her, gun at the ready. All while Cummings seemingly sits catatonic in fear. We know none of this is going to turn out okay.
It’s a fantastic cast of actors lending some humor (Gene Jones and Robin Bartlett as Texans passing through), anxiety (Logan’s Travis is so loose a cannon that the odds of Beau shooting him are about even with him shooting someone else), and calm (Love and Jon Proudstar’s Pete, the only locals stuck at ground zero) to the proceedings. Add Sierra McCormick and Ryan Masson’s wildcard travelers who think it would be a blast to run into the bank robbers and you never know what will happen when someone takes a wrong step and a gun gets fired. This is a southern border town after all. Everyone is armed and ready for a good old-fashioned Mexican standoff.
The first two-thirds of the runtime can start to drag a bit considering very little changes beyond more people entering the restaurant, but know that Galluppi isn’t going to end things with a whimper. Is the bang he delivers earned as a result? Maybe not. But it is a ton of fun. Not only that, but he also understands that he’s drawn a cast of morally objectionable characters with the potential to not prove as vanilla as first impressions presume. We’re talking a huge bag of cash and a lack of witnesses depending on who (if anyone) survives the inevitable carnage. And once Galluppi does unleash the violence, why would he want to stop?
- 7/10
THE ROUNDUP: PUNISHMENT
[Beomjoedosi4]
(limited release)
When Ma Seok-do (Don Lee aka Ma Dong-seok) makes a promise, he intends to keep it. So, even though the homicide he was assigned to solve finds itself bleeding into a cyber-crime case (a topic of which he knows comically little), Detective Ma refuses to take “No” for an answer whether it’s delivered by his captain, deputy, or the commissioner himself. He’ll trick them all into letting him stay on and set-up a task force with people who do know what a cloud server is and maybe even enlist long-time criminal whipping boy Jang Yi-soo (Park Ji-hwan) to help.
If you’ve seen any of the other films from this franchise and enjoyed them, THE ROUNDUP: PUNISHMENT delivers on their promise. Helmed by former stunt coordinator Heo Myeong Haeng and written by Sang-ho Oh (both newcomers to the series), the result shows the formula is impossible to screw-up. And if the idea is to truly keep doing a new one every year (THE ROUNDUP came out in 2022 and NO WAY OUT in 2023 after the original film, THE OUTLAWS, bowed in 2017), you must recruit new filmmakers to hit the ground running each time. As long as Don Lee is at the center throwing punches, botching pep talks, and protecting innocent civilians, people will keep buying tickets.
I won’t lie, though. Besides remembering that one of the previous two installments takes the gang to Vietnam, they do all kind of bleed together. There’s humor as Ma dupes his bosses and cajoles criminals to his aid. There’s usually a long knife fight in a tight space. And, of course, a stone-cold killer ready for a comeuppance. That the plot always seems to work effectively (if forgettably) almost becomes an added bonus to the vibes and action. I could tell you about the villains (Kim Mu-yeol’s Baek and Lee Dong-hwi’s Chang are the cutthroat muscle and hubristic brains behind an online casino ring respectively), but it wouldn’t sell you on anything. You’re either already excited by the brand or not.
Just know that Ma won’t let you down either. This one might be the tamest so far (I still haven’t seen THE OUTLAWS), but it’s still a lot of fun. Park Ji-hwan steals the show. Kim Mu-yeol is brutally menacing. And Don Lee is having a blast. The cyber-crime stuff is superficial with buzzword mentions of cryptocurrency and apps—a thin veneer atop an otherwise routine investigation to smoke out its perpetrators—but its presence as a way to walk Ma into easy jokes about his troglodyte relationship with technology is worth it. As Captain Jang (Lee Beom-soo) jokes, Ma’s fist isn’t digital. It’s not going to be punching anyone online. So, let Lee Joo-bin’s Han handle the computers and keep Ma on the streets to shatter sternums.
- 7/10
Cinematic F-Bombs:
No new f-bomb entries for a while. Been working on updating the page design while also testing ways to replace the silent gifs with videos. I think I’ve found a solution via Vimeo and the addition of studio credit.
With 641 titles in the collection, however, converting each page (as well as exporting everything with sound and importing them into Vimeo) will take a while (I’ve done 41 so far). I still might add some new films as I go (there’s about 20 ready in the queue to edit/subtitle and Vimeo has weekly limits for uploads), but it definitely won’t be 5 a week like before.
I’ve also improved the Index page to be a bit more user friendly. Rather than a long list of those 641 titles, it’s now broken up by letter with anchor links at top to instantly put you down where you want to go.
New Releases This Week:
(Review links where applicable)
Opening Buffalo-area theaters 5/10/24 -
FREE TIME at North Park Theatre (select times)
IO CAPITANO at North Park Theatre (select times)
“This is a familiar film built upon true tales of survivors that borders on miserablism. It hits the right emotional notes, though. And it's impossible not to root for Sarr.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES at Dipson Amherst, McKinley, Flix & Capitol; AMC Maple Ridge & Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
NOT ANOTHER CHURCH MOVIE at AMC Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Galleria & Quaker
SRIKANTH at Regal Elmwood
STAR at Regal Elmwood
Streaming from 5/10/24 -
LIVING WITH LEOPARDS – Netflix on 5/10
NIKKI GLASER: SOMEDAY YOU'LL DIE – Max on 5/11
MONSTER – Netflix on 5/16
Now on VOD/Digital HD -
ABIGAIL (5/7)
LA CHIMERA (5/7)
DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (5/7)
“Less about providing answers to fix things or stop this never-ending cycle of profiteering, however, [the film] is simply looking to expose these truths alongside the double-speak and bribes of those in power.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
FOUNDERS DAY (5/7)
“What's fun about the film is that it proves to be [about justice and jealousies] at once. And rather than be a cop-out as a result, this reality enhances the whole.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE (5/7)
HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS (5/7)
“A real slice of life drama, HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS proves a steady stream of unfortunate events caused by an escalating sense of being trapped despite their "prison" being the one place that actually gives them freedom.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
INDIGO GIRLS: IT'S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL (5/7)
KIM’S VIDEO (5/7)
“The twists and turns are often jaw-dropping while the back-patting and glad-handing always proves a bit suspicious. It's a joke gone too far mixed with an exorbitant amount of luck to correct a wrong few (if any) even remembered.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
THE PRANK (5/7)
SHAYDA (5/7)
SHE IS CONANN (5/7)
WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (5/7)
“It's a funny bit of sleuthing with a lively cast of familiar faces that earns its dramatic moments as a result of some fantastic performances balancing the tone to perfection.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
AISHA (5/10)
FOIL (5/10)
THE IMAGE OF YOU (5/10)
THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY (5/10)
Thoughts are above.
THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (5/10)