Week Ending 11/8/24
Now that Trump is heading back to the White House with a giddily greedy Elon Musk in tow, I’m finally bidding goodbye to Twitter. It’s really sad because I loved what the platform was before it got gobbled up by Wall Street and a board of directors whose fiduciary duty was accepting the South African product of a handout’s bid to destroy it. Hopefully BlueSky (or something else) can fill the void.
Why now? Because Musk being in Trump’s cabinet (or even just by his side if that doesn’t come true) is dangerous. This is a guy who stated that the only way Twitter could be the successful meeting place for free thinkers it strived to be was if it held voices on both sides of the spectrum to the fire. Then he realized how much people hated him. Discovered we all thought he was a joke. And went full MAGA to the point of jumping on-stage like a lunatic during a Trump rally.
He’s already silenced people on the platform. And he hemorrhaged so much money buying it and sending advertisers packing that he needs to recoup. What better way than selling user data for AI or other purposes? We know he monitors accounts to suppress dissension. How long before “X” becomes social media’s Ring Camera with a direct line to law enforcement under the auspices of “safety”?
Well, I won’t be around to find out.
What I Watched:
100 YARDS
[Men qian bao di]
(limited release, VOD & Digital HD)
Kids these days: entitled, rebellious, and easily offended. At least that’s what the elders are probably saying about Shen An (Jacky Heung) and Qi Quan (Andy On) in 1920s Tianjin. They’re all about tradition and they’ve taught the next generation to follow suit. It’s tough to do so when the world around them is changing so rapidly, though. An’s father realized this and did all he could to steer his son away from martial arts completely. His prize pupil Quan could take over the academy while An lived a good life away from the chaos. Except, of course, that pushing him away only stoked the fire to prove he belonged even more.
Filmmakers Haofeng Xu (who also wrote the screenplay) and Junfeng Xu present a collision of old and new school with 100 YARDS. The assumption is that Quan will maintain the status quo (the title signifies the duty to protect all who live and work that distance from the academy’s doors), but his plans reach much further. An doesn’t necessarily care, but knows he can use this friction to his advantage by provoking a personal fight. While the elders agree to a proper closed-door duel (only hoodlums fight in the street), pride and rage ultimately guarantee decorum gets ignored. The outside world is fascinated with martial arts and demand to watch. The “young masters” bow to the pressure and calls of cowardice.
The result is a fascinating spectacle because the feud between An and Quan has the passion of a brawl while still maintaining the respect of competition. Neither necessarily wants to kill the other (or have blood on their hands) and the dispute that serves as the catalyst hardly matters once tempers rise. They’re going to battle to know in their own hearts who is better. Just because the fight itself might provide an answer, though, doesn’t mean the result is everything. There are still issues of allegiances both quid pro quo and familial in origin. Fairness and loyalty aren’t thrown out the window so easily—even if a couple gunshots creating chaos from those connections render the victims soon forgotten.
What we receive is a series of sparring sessions amidst the gradual reveal of secrets to show how thin the façade of traditionalism has become. You get a couple wherein you assume the fight is fair before one side (or both) reveal, in figurative PRINCESS BRIDE fashion, that they’re “not left-handed.” Then there are a couple where An and Quan get a little too big-brained for their own good by trying to trick the other only to end up tricking themselves. And, finally, we get the climactic scene teased in the poster with An going against an ambush of men to inevitably engage in one last one-on-one versus Quan. Will it be winner take all? The answer might not be theirs to give.
Don’t therefore expect too much craziness. It all takes place in one locale and the fights are always “fair” with combatants adhering to the honor system when outmatched. Yes, the main bout leaves many unconscious or gasping for breath, but the script is very intentional in ensuring no one dies unless by natural causes or a bullet. Because even though gamesmanship and deceit are wielded, honor remains a crucial piece to the puzzle as far as proving one’s worth in martial arts circles. There’s something refreshing in that truth—especially since An and Quan’s egos are big enough for us to believe they would betray that code. Maybe it would settle their dispute, but real change is bigger than just them.
- 7/10
AGATHA ALL ALONG
(streaming on Disney+)
I wasn’t sure what to expect from AGATHA ALL ALONG since I was pretty lukewarm on WANDAVISION while so many others loved it. I thought that series started off strong before discovering it didn’t really have anywhere to go. Not because the grief angle wasn’t good, but because it lost its visual and cinematic intrigue the moment the veil was pierced. What felt fresh and unique suddenly devolved into the same old explosive MCU nonsense sans true emotional stakes (until the theatrics finally finished to allow the characters to feel them).
Creator Jac Schaeffer seems to have felt the same because she’s fixed this error. Rather than give up the game halfway through, she hides the fact there’s even a game being played. Not fully, of course. We’re talking about Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), after all. A game is definitely afoot. The question is therefore whether another game is also being played. And, if so, which is truly in control? Because we know right from the first mention of the “Witches’ Road” that something is amiss. Agatha being the only one who knows how to get there and the only one to ever survive is simply too convenient. Lies are everywhere.
As a result, we’re forced to take it all at face value with skepticism. We’re forced to assume what we’re seeing is real. The actions are the cause of chaos and drama, not the machine itself. Rather than give one woman sole power (Wanda), Schaeffer spreads it amongst the entire cast. Sure, they don’t all grieve the death of a loved one, but they do all grieve. The past. Lost power. Waning purpose. Agency. That’s the beauty of the road, after all. It’s a construct of trials magicked into existence so those who survive can earn their most precious wish. Unlike Wanda, however, the only people put at risk here are these willing travelers.
That’s what I really loved about the show because it inherently means that earning their wish won’t always be accomplished via a happily ever after. The road doesn’t just give through addition. It also heals through subtraction. It supplies the opportunity to prove who these witches are by ensuring they learn what they seek was never truly gone. You live that long with the easy button and you forget power isn’t found in magic alone. They might all scoff when “Teen” (Joe Locke’s second lead is the victim of a sigil that won’t let witches know who he really is) suggests “analog magic,” but getting back to their roots is exactly what’s needed.
He’s our entry point—even after discovering his identity changes dynamics. And Agatha is the villain despite her position as anti-hero protagonist. The latter is crucial because we do need to respect the fact she’s a killer. This show isn’t about giving her redemption. It’s about understanding her cruelty. Yes, she isn’t as intentionally malicious as Rio (Aubrey Plaza), but the sarcasm and deflection only mask the fact she will kill whomever she must to regain her “purple.” The maternalism she shows “Teen” is thus drawn to be as potentially authentic as it is presumably a trick. Rumor does say she traded her own son for the Darkhold.
Hahn is unsurprisingly great in the role and her rapport with Locke carries the series by toeing the line between symbiotic and parasitic. That said, though, I’d be lying if I didn’t say the supporting cast really steals this thing. While Agatha and “Teen’s” arcs last the full nine chapters, Jen (Sasheer Zamata), Lilia (Patti LuPone), and Alice (Ali Ahn) are given much more potent and compressed revelations. LuPone is by far the best with her episode “Death’s Hand in Mine” proving the unequivocal highlight in writing, structure, emotion, and stakes. Add Debra Jo Rupp in a smaller comic relief role and it’s impossible not to be taken by this makeshift coven.
It leans heavily on the main WIZARD OF OZ trope that filters through a ton of media (shades of LABYRINTH and even THE USUAL SUSPECTS populate the climactic reveal as a result) for good reason considering the physical journey we see is also a psychological battle for each respective participant. The special effects work is solid, the “Witches’ Road” song is perhaps the first Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez piece that I actually like, and the humor is on point from the opening “credits” (based on the Danish series Wandavisdysen). And while it does ultimately end like most MCU fare with a tease of what’s to come, AGATHA effectively fulfills its own mysteries with definitive resolution too.
- 8/10
THE APPRENTICE
(VOD & Digital HD)
Watching Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) collecting rent checks at his father’s (Martin Donovan’s Fred) slum is the perfect picture of who this man has always been. Talks a big game. Thinks he has power. But really he’s fabricating lies about his stature and importance that, frankly, no one believes. Until he meets Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) and finds a mentor who sees a lump of clay ready to be molded into his own image rather than the pathetic disappointment his father resented. Whereas Fred thought his son’s weakness was wasted potential, Roy saw it as an open door. Instill this loser with confidence, lend him strategic political support, and reap the rewards.
As director Ali Abbasi and writer Gabriel Sherman’s THE APPRENTICE shows, however, Trump’s weakness wasn’t born from insecurity. It was born from narcissism. So, the more Cohn does to prop Donald up, the more Donald begins to delude himself into believing he doesn’t need Roy. It’s the same thing that happened during his first term as president—surround yourself with formidable people who actually know what they are doing and cut them loose when they start to take the credit or go off-book. Because Trump doesn’t care about being successful. He only craves the appearance of success … and a good tax break. He makes his losses seem like wins just like Roy taught him. The difference is that he also believes his own lies.
The first half of the film is the real highlight here because Trump is still a green puppet sponging as much insight from Cohn as he can. It’s fun because he’s able to use Roy’s name and reputation as a means to procure whatever he wants and Roy backs him up with legitimate shrewdness. If only he could have kept that sway, Donald never would have let his own deficiencies turn his wealth into debt. He never would have needed to leverage the presidency as a means for personal profit. We’d still be in as much trouble democratically as we are now considering it began with the evangelicals and Reagan, but it wouldn’t have devolved so rapidly into the broad sycophantic cult MAGA has become.
The second half of the film is therefore much slower and somber in part because the stubbornness and refusal to listen to Cohn’s advice is what pushed Trump onto his political path. It’s easier to laugh at his naïveté when he’s just a young rube with smarter men pulling the strings. Watching the false sense of value the resulting rewards bestowed upon him become a cloak of invincibility isn’t because of what it eventually wrought. He was always cruel. Always vindictive. But now he was also a celebrity. Now he thought he could do no wrong. And that vanity is what real monsters want to exploit. Cohn had to produce results to keep Trump happy. The ones pulling his strings today must only keep his name in the papers.
THE APPRENTICE is Trump’s story, but he isn’t where Sherman and Abbasi place our emotional investment. That lies with Cohn—a narcissist devoid of morals in his own right, but also, as presented in the film, a man with principles. Donald possesses neither. The thing we constantly hear from Roy is that America is his number one client. Everything he does is to “preserve freedom.” His freedom as opposed to those less fortunate. “Freedom” to make tons of money while electing a president who ultimately helped kill him through inaction on the AIDS crisis. But freedom, nonetheless. And boy does the final scene of Roy laughing at what he created after Trump wheels out an American flag cake hit hard despite neither man having a redeemable bone in their bodies.
It’s a testament to Strong’s performance. Don’t get me wrong, Stan is very good. His ability to play with the vulnerability of Donald Trump as a son and brother opposite the smoke and mirrors of him as a public figure is fantastic. But he is a facsimile. He’s the hollow mimic playing make believe. Cohn is the real deal. He’s actually invincible because he’s smart enough to know which wars to avoid. So, watching his vulnerability escape as time passes proves more impactful than Trump walling his away. Because seeing someone harden into stone will never be as interesting as watching that rock crumble. That’s what Strong delivers. It’s what earned him all the accolades in SUCCESSION. He finds humanity in amorality.
I feel bad for not yet mentioning Maria Bakalova as Ivana, but the film doesn’t really give her much beyond her role as the victim of Donald’s growing lack of empathy. She’s good in the part, but she’s as much a pawn to the whole like Donovan’s Fred. Catherine McNally’s Mary Anne is the actor to note because her voice of authority is heard where Ivana’s isn’t. It just goes to show that Donald is saddled with Mommy and Daddy issues. It’s what makes him who he is and why opportunists are all too willing to cash in on his glossy popularity to get what they want while he takes the fall. Although, after everything he hasn’t fallen for, they’ve probably realized consequences don’t exist. Sucks to be us.
- 6/10
CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT
(in theaters)
Vibes and nostalgia. That’s what director Tyler Taormina and co-writer Eric Berger provide with CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT—a rowdy family get-together that’s out-of-time enough to resonate with audiences of all ages (besides an old cell phone, Roomba, and a reference to 9/11, I would have guessed it was set in the 90s). There’s a little mother/daughter drama (Maria Dizzia’s Kathleen wishing to connect with a mother, Mary Reistetter, too out of it to truly notice and a daughter, Matilda Fleming’s Emily, too “cool” to care). A bit of familial strife (selling the house and putting Mom in a home gets debated). And a lot of simple, earnest human connections.
The latter is what ultimately prevails considering there’s no real plot or desire to follow through on major conflict points with any resolution beyond begrudging acceptance. It’s more about hoping we get to hear what Uncle Ray (Tony Savino) wrote as the next chapter of his secretive manuscript and placing bets on whether Gregg Turkington and Michael Cera’s deadpan police officers will ever utter a word. There are familiar faces like Elsie Fisher and Francesca Scorsese flirting, heartwarming moments like Savino’s Ray tearing up when VHS footage of his late wife appears on the TV, and a bona fide brilliant comedic cameo from Laura Wernette as enraged bagel shop owner Mrs. Mott.
Lenny (Ben Shenkman) adorably tries to fit in with some friendly ribbing at his in-laws’ expense. Uncle Matthew (John Trischetti Jr.) struggles to get his siblings to understand how much pressure he’s under watching over their deteriorating mother. Cousin Brucie (Chris Lazzaro) endears himself as the cautionary tale with dreams his mistakes in youth have rendered impossible (I love his reaction when Brendan Burt’s Eric plays the piano better than him despite him being the one to start getting the family going with a sing-along). And Emily goes off to be a teen with friends scamming beers, making out, and engaging in some light theft.
Taormina simply films it all as it’s happening, crosscutting brief vignettes together with serious conversations butted against celebratory tradition (boy did that scene of firemen throwing mini candy canes smack me backwards thirty years). The most memorable moments are the gags (JoJo Cincinnati’s Isabelle being sent on automated staircase rides while sleeping) and weird asides (Turkington and Cera talking about how police officers shouldn’t hit on other police officers while on-duty), but the best ones are those from the heart (Kathleen finally saying enough is enough before resting her head on her mom’s lap regardless of the latter’s lucidity).
The finished piece won’t be for everyone—I feel like Taormina’s HAM ON RYE and HAPPER’S COMET are equally divisive in that “acquired taste” sort of way, but it ultimately won me over. Maybe I wouldn’t seek it out to watch again with intent, but I’m glad to have gone through the experience and probably wouldn’t turn it off if it somehow started playing in the background. While the adult parts work much better for me because the production’s theatricality felt more superficial in the children’s scenes, the prevailing charm keeps things from ever falling apart. A fantastic soundtrack helps too.
- 6/10
CUCKOO
(VOD & Digital HD)
It’s been six years since Tilman Singer’s LUZ (a film I’m still astounded to know was his graduate thesis), but he’s finally back with a follow-up. While CUCKOO still takes place in Germany with characters speaking German, it’s definitely got a Hollywood polish both in casting and atmospherics (although it’s still shot on 35 mm, it’s less reliant on film grain textures). That the main German character is played by Dan Stevens only plays into this dual world juxtaposition considering he’s not leaning into his British-ness while speaking the language like he did (with intent) in I’M YOUR MAN. No, his Herr König is Bavarian through and through.
The film centers on seventeen-year-old Gretchen (played by twenty-five-year-old Hunter Schafer). Still mourning the death of her mother, this teen has now been forced to move to Europe with her father (Márton Csókás’ Luis), his new wife (Jessica Henwick’s Beth), and their mute daughter (Mila Lieu’s Alma). The parents are on their way to help König develop his latest resort after meeting him years ago on their honeymoon, so Gretchen finds herself a stranger both in setting and family. Her hope is to scratch up the necessary money to head back across the Atlantic and live her life in her mother’s home alone.
This is, of course, easier said than done once the weirdness of her current situation turns from paranoia to true danger. First there are the sounds coming from the forest behind their property that cause Alma to have seizures and Gretchen to become stuck in a brief sort of time loop. Then there’s the discovery of puking women staying in the bungalows König owns at the foot of his preservationist mountainside. And, finally, an unnamed woman (Kalin Morrow) skulking about and chasing anyone in sight with murderous intent after 10pm—a woman no one seems to believe exists despite Gretchen narrowly escaping her wrath.
How everything connects is right there in the title for those who know cuckoo birds and have Singer’s warped mind to project certain details about them upon another species. While he does sprinkle in the context so we understand what’s going on, however, he doesn’t bog us down with explanations for every little thing. These are the players and this is the motivation, but all the strange occurrances are simply a byproduct of nature’s mystery. We don’t need to know the specifics of Singer’s mythology, just its impact on Gretchen. CUCKOO is about her surviving this horror. One mustn’t fully comprehend an evil’s origin to combat it.
So, we glean a timeline from supporting characters like resort concierge Trixie (Greta Fernández), local policeman Erik (Konrad Singer), and enigmatic guest Henry (Jan Bluthardt). We have fun with Stevens’ unhinged performance steeped in enough charm to fool those who want to be fooled (Luis and Beth) and launch red flags for those who don’t (Gretchen). And we excitedly wait for the return of the “Hooded Woman” to figure out what it is she seeks with her time loop aural reverberations that call to mind “Dr. Who’s” weeping angels. Because while those in her radius keep repeating themselves, her approach gets closer and closer.
The nightmare itself is worth a look. The story surrounding it isn’t perfect, but something in its messiness works considering the emotional impact comes from grief and despair. A pointed meaning exists in Gretchen refusing to call Alma her sister both literally and figuratively since this is a tale of nurture over nature and the idea that you can love someone regardless of whatever obstacles your immaturity puts in the way. Despite everything Gretchen endures that has been ignored by parents who obviously never truly wanted to bring her into their home until tragedy struck, someone is listening. Someone does care.
- 7/10
Cinematic F-Bombs:
This week saw JANET PLANET (2024), SOURCE CODE (2011), and UNDERCOVER BROTHER (2002) added to the archive (cinematicfbombs.com).
Julianne Nicholson dropping an f-bomb in JANET PLANET.
New Releases This Week:
(Review links where applicable)
Opening Buffalo-area theaters 11/8/24 -
ANDREA BOCELLI 30: THE CELEBRATION at Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
ANORA at North Park Theatre; Dipson Amherst, AMC Maple Ridge; Regal Elmwood & Quaker
APPUDO IPPUDO EPPUDO at Regal Elmwood & Transit
THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER at Dipson Flix & Capitol; AMC Maple Ridge; Regal Transit, Galleria & Quaker
BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 at Regal Elmwood & Galleria
CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT at AMC Market Arcade; Regal Transit, Galleria & Quaker
Thoughts are above.
ELEVATION at Dipson Capitol; AMC Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
HERETIC at Dipson McKinley, Flix & Capitol; AMC Maple Ridge & Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
“Credit the strength of Grant's performance too—a fork-tongued vaudeville act meant to distract us as much as his victims. HERETIC might not be as smart as it thinks, but boy is it fun.” – Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
I AM KATHALAN at Regal Elmwood
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL at AMC Market Arcade; Regal Transit & Quaker
OVERLORD: THE SACRED KINGDOM at Regal Galleria
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE at Regal Transit, Galleria & Quaker
THE TROPHY BRIDE at Regal Galleria
VEER-ZAARA at Regal Elmwood (weekend only)
WEEKEND IN TAIPEI at Dipson Capitol; Regal Transit & Quaker
Streaming from 11/8/24 -
BLACK CAB – Shudder on 11/8
UMJOLO: THE GONE GIRL – Netflix on 11/8
VIJAY 69 – Netflix on 11/8
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE – Disney+ on 11/12
EMILIA PÉREZ – Netflix on 11/13
HOT FROSTY – Netflix on 11/13
RETURN OF THE KING: THE FALL AND RISE OF ELVIS PRESLEY – Netflix on 11/13
CARVILLE: WINNING IS EVERYTHING, STUPID – Max on 11/14
THE LOST CHILDREN – Netflix on 11/14
Now on VOD/Digital HD -
A DIFFERENT MAN (11/5)
HE NEVER LEFT (11/5)
THE OUTRUN (11/5)
SOMEONE LIKE YOU (11/5)
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (11/5)
V/H/S/BEYOND (11/5)
100 YARDS (11/6)
Thoughts are above.
THE LAST RIFLEMAN (11/8)
MONSTER SUMMER (11/8)
OKIE (11/8)
STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF (11/8)
STOCKHOLM BLOODBATH (11/8)
A SUDDEN CASE OF CHRISTMAS (11/8)