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Spaceman (2024)
With, or without the space, it's the same old story.
I've seen this movie before; it's called Ad Astra. Ambitious, but emotionally absent(and inconsiderate, I guess) husband leaves perfect wife behind to go on vital space mission. In both movies, the man is plagued by memories of a deeply flawed father, leaving them emotionally scarred and unable to reciprocate their perfect wives' love.
While in Ad Astra, Brad Pitt's character discovers his shortcomings pieces at a time: though memory, experience, and various encounters - here, they forgo all nuance. We simply have a spider companion who directly and endlessly tells Adam Sandler what an ass he is to his wife. But both movies share one emotional theme: fathers suck and their sons are not much better. Relationships are all about men needing to open up more. This is not so bad by itself. But I've seen this in so many movies and TV shows by now it's starting to get tiresome. With all the fancy camera-work, heavy performances, and ambient music, this story still just beats you over the head with it's message without offering anything other than an overused cliché.
Other movies in the past have a truly more nuanced approach. Try Solaris(either version), for example. I appreciate the production of this film, really. It's just that this come off as a feminist fantasy rather than good science fiction.
Der Pass (2018)
Two amazing lead actors and amazing lead characters.
While the crime in Der Pass is interesting, the real treat of this series is the two police detectives tasked with solving it. German detective Ellie Stocker(Julia Jentsch) is friendly and enthusiastic, while her Austrian counterpart, Gedeon Winter (Nicholas Ofczarek) is apathetic and completely uninterested in the case of a murder on the border of their two countries.
Winter, in particular is strangely appealing as someone who's seemingly given up on life. Still, he does care just a little. Ofczarek's performance steals the show, imo. He is amazing. Meanwhile, Ellie, is shockingly(by today's standards) quite normal. Yes, she's determined and smart, but not angry and overly-aggressive as women are required to be depicted in typical police dramas. She's a refreshing character, and it's absolutely fascinating for these two personalities to slowly trade moods in opposite trajectories throughout the show.
Season 1 is essentially perfect. The ending is bittersweet and goes where it should. So I was surprised to find out there were two more after that. They weren't really necessary, but Season 2 does add some interesting dynamics, and Season 3 delves into Winter's past, hinted at in the first season. But his background story and the crime everyone's trying to solve have nothing to do with, and distract, from one another. I wonder if they could have been handled separately. That said, I'm glad I watched them all, and really appreciate the characters the show created.
The Chosen: Homecoming (2022)
Great start to season 3
We finally get to see the Sermon On The Mount. Although Christians are well familiar with its words, it's something else to see it affecting disciples visually.
Jesus also meets Judas, formally. Unlike all other invitations to join him, this particular offer sounds...heavier. It's written and played with an excellently deft touch. The writers and Dallas continue to impress with nuance and awareness.
My only gripe is that shaky-cam is back. I didn't notice it much in the second season, but back in the first season they were using this method too much, to the point of distraction. Now, in this episode is becomes noticeable again, especially in the scene with John The Baptist and Andrew. The camera is moving all over the place for such a still scene. I wish they would calm down with that.
Last Days in the Desert (2015)
If only Jesus...had something to say.
-mild spoilers ahead-
Last Days In The Desert is a stark, desolate looking film. It has a quiet and beautifully shot atmosphere that I really liked.
In the story, Jesus goes into the desert for self-reflection, to come across a family living there in the middle of nowhere. He's tempted to stick around rather than continue with his seemingly hopeless, one-way conversation with God. All the while, being harassed by Satan, in the form of Jesus himself.
Here is my biggest gripe with the film, and many other movies related to Christians. The writers stack the deck completely against any pious protagonist, Jesus being the case here. Satan constantly lectures Jesus, sowing seeds of doubt, always coming out ahead in their rhetorical matches of one-upmanship. Jesus barely replies to anything, and when he does, it's just to eek out some passive comment. There is essentially nothing written for him. Despite being a self-admitted liar, Satan's stories are given quite a bit of credence by the length of screen time they get and the tepid response from the Son of God. I've seen this in many Hollywood, Christian films, and it seems to be the go-to method of backhanding the religion. I do understand this is (fictionally) supposed to show a green Jesus trying to figure out God's purpose and how to convey His message, but fer cryin' out loud, he can barely hold a conversation. Just lost in thought.
There is an interesting parallel going of between the dysfunctional father-son relationship of the desert family and Jesus' own relationship with his Father. That's fine. I just wish they gave Jesus a voice in his own movie.
The Chosen (2017)
A most accessible Jesus
Although I was intrigued by the idea of a series based on Jesus and his disciples, historically, there was cause for concern. All too often, such productions are too melodramatic and cliche, completely lacking in artistry and subtlety. There have been exceptions, but not many.
So I'm happy to say The Chosen has beat my expectations. The environment is richly detailed with loads of authentic tradition and customs. If nothing else, it's extremely educational on 1st century Israel. The tone is just right. It's not too heavy, but it treats the material with serious consideration.
Characters are allowed to enjoy mundane, light hearted moments, as much as the deeper ones. All of the apostles and various followers are unique and wonderfully cast. In particular, Jonathan Roumie, is perfect as a very down to earth Jesus who is friendly, understanding, and diplomatic in the way he handles the various personalities around him. I don't know if Jesus was exactly like this, but it's hard to imagine a better ideal of the Son of God.
The rest of the cast is exceptionally good too. They really made an effort to pick great actors who can make truly likeable characters. They're all absolutely great. Although, nobody chews the scenes better than Brandon Potter, as the Roman, Quintus. He's charming and personable, but deadly. Many have rightly compared him to Q from Star Trek.
Visually, the show is getting better and better. In the first season, there was an unfortunate overuse of shaky-cam. But over time, this has calmed down, and everything from the editing to the lighting to the framing has become more dynamic. One episode in particular, season 2 episode 4, spends the first 10 minutes showing the lives of two brothers, from childhood to adulthood, with no dialogue, just a beautiful score underneath. It seems that by season two, the producers were feeling more comfortable and taking inspired artistic chances. I hope they keep it up.
Speaking of which, the production is crowd-funded and free to watch. So no Hollywood back-handed spin here. Any woke subversion is refreshingly nowhere to be found. A rare thing these days.
The Chosen is a very watchable show that has made the message of Jesus never more attractive and relatable. And you don't even have to be Christian to enjoy it.
The Last Kingdom: Episode #5.8 (2022)
It has been...an eventful episode.
I don't usually write reviews for single episodes, but this one was particularly interesting, if not baffling. For some reason at the dining scene at Bebbanburg, half the members eating at the Lord's table are black. This sudden demographic shift in early 10th century Northumbria is puzzling. Was this historically true? Is the BBC suddenly doing casting for the show? Did these guys win some fan contest? I don't know.
Thankfully, episode 8 makes up for this by giving us the most hilarious scene of the entire series of Aelswith breathlessly recounting, to Edward and his new queen, her heroic tale of escape by killing a man with her "bare hands" (well...she was not wearing gloves). This is the only time I've laughed out loud during the entire series. Well done! Aelswith really becomes surprisingly likable in these final seasons.
1883 (2021)
Flawed journey worth taking
Throughout the story of settlers riding west to a new life in Oregon, it's hard not to wonder if it was worth the trouble. Surely those travelers contemplated the same thing when wave after wave of tragedy hit their wagon train. They were compelled by different reasons, but the goal was the same, and this is portrayed effectively in 1883.
While one might think the focus on the story would be James Dutton, whos idea the journey was in the first place, and the origin of the Dutton family's legacy in the show Yellowstone, the heart of the story really is his daughter Elsa...for better, or for worse. There are lots of reasons this decision could have been made, some of them even good. What bothers me is, I think there was only one way, in modern times, her character could have happened in this series, and they did it.
Elsa is headstrong, and wide-eyed, more than ready for the adventure ahead. She narrates the whole story, conveying her changing view of the world which results in a gradual abandonment of civilization, or should I say "white man's" civilization. And all along the way she is constantly praised for it and put on a pedestal. Towards the end it becomes almost unbearable as her preachiness infects the narrations and real dialogue. This seems to be the only way women are portrayed now, and proved my worries to be true here. It's not that these things can't be done for female leads, but that's become the only way strong women can be. It's embarrassing and condescending.
Likewise, the natives are perfect throughout. But what else would you expect? If Hollywood ever wanted to stop treating them as children, it would produce a pre-Columbian series depicting these inhabitants as humans who were not perfect, who fought and enslaved each other; a series that showed them warts and all. Maybe there is already a show like that and I just haven't seen it. I don't know.
The European immigrants get the worst of it. They come off horribly naive and are constantly screwing up. There is not a single bright side to that.
The cast in general is really good. I actually think Tim McGraw and Faith Hill do a decent job, but I found Sam Elliot and LaMonica Garrett, as the grizzled vets-turned-guides to be the most interesting. These are good men doing a frustrating and almost impossible job of guiding and protecting the hapless group to their destination.
The depiction of the west is fun and incredible accurate in many cases, but crazy too. Scores of people are gunned down and an insane survival ratio makes one wonder how the West was ever won. But, I guess they had to make it more exciting(and it is). Frankly, Yellowstone is just as ridiculously kill-crazy. And wow, the ladies have the whitest teeth in such a rugged place. I don't sweat such details usually, but you could read by Faith Hill's teeth at night.
Despite my criticisms, there's plenty of truth and beauty in this show that makes it well worth it, in my opinion. It's a wild trip that shows how and why people survived and died in a lawless land.
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Very satisfying adventure that avoids modern tropes.
This story is very loosely based on the historical figure of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, A. K. A - Uhtred Son of Uhtred. He is the son or a regional Lord, but loses his heritage as a child, getting adopted by the invading Danes. His story is of a hero forced to juggle and switch allegiances often in life: an indispensable ally, and a fierce opponent. Though he is possibly the greatest warrior of the British Isles, he is constantly frustrated by circumstance, always taking one step forward and one step back.
The actors are terrific. Lot's of likeable characters, but nuanced ones as well. Even some of the worst people have either legitimate feelings or appealing points. And the protagonists have their glaring deficiencies as well.
The only thing that somewhat annoyed me was the representation of Christianity. In the first season, there are numerous "Where is your God now?" moments. That by itself might not be so bad, but the Danish Viking beliefs are almost never challenged. They get a pass. After the first season, this pattern dissipates for the most part. Religion is a massive factor in the arc of the story and the daily lives of the people, so it's a subject of importance. However...there are quite a few sympathetic Christian characters, including Uhtred's stalwart friend Beocca(wonderfully played by Ian Hart), and Hild(plyed by Eva Birthistle). Her character I found particularly interesting as a devout Christian who becomes a warrior of God, but doesn't succumb to the modern, comically invincible woman trope. Hild is brave and loyal, but does show her limits on the battlefield.
Although Alexander Dreymon is excellently cast as Uhtred, David Dawson's King Alfred steals the show, in my opinion. He is a fascinatingly nuanced character of a pious leader; constantly balancing wisdom, stubbornness, and destiny. His fervent devotion to God and Country drive his sickly body to a dream of a united England, instilling admiration as well as frustration to his friends and allies.
Overall, this is a fun, historical drama with plenty of action, politics, religion, strategy and intrigue. These are themes that are always relevant, including now. But, I'm happy to say, the writers are able to stay away from a lot of the fashionably obligatory, modern storytelling elements. For those weary of such things, give this a try.
Tales from the Loop (2020)
Dreary world of passive men.
As a big fan of Simon Stalenhag's art, I was pleasantly surprised to hear about a series based around his work. But what I discovered was disappointing.
I could only get through the first four episodes, but few of his designs and landscapes are to to be found. They make the occasional cameo, but that's about it. I was really hoping to see his robots, vehicles and gigantic constructs more often.
So if that's not a thing, what's left? - Curious stories about bizarre anomalies. Great. That's right up my ally. But I started noticing an odd pattern. Apparently the men in this world have no testosterone. Most of the scientists and main characters are women, and every other man is is a cucked, passive bystander. This is not only distracting, but had me wondering if this was intentional, or just a sign of the times.
Other than that, the stories are depressing, slow, and just not interesting enough. There's not enough content to support it's running time. Perhaps shorter episodes would work better. I don't mind slow dramas at all. It's just that there's not much going on to support that here. The characters are not terribly likeable, and I can't seem to care about what happens either way.
All the years of appreciating Simon Stalenhag's paintings gave me a surreal sense of wonder and even excitement. I just didn't get that here.
Old Henry (2021)
Has some things going for it despite modern pitfalls.
Old westerns used to be sunny and vibrant, or at least they weren't afraid to show the sun. These days, in an attempt to get away from the past, many modern westerns won't show much sun. In addition to that, film makers choose to have a washed out color palette. One reason this is the trend is that people aren't shooting on film anymore, and in an attempt to create a cinematic quality, they've chosen to try something subtle. The problem is, the result is a muddy, looking movie that looks like it was shot on an iPhone. As for the actual directing and cinematography, it's very good. There are some beautiful, thoughtful shots here.
So that's how it looks, but how's the story? Well, it's not bad. There's Henry and his son Wyatt, struggling to make a living in the hills away from most of civilization. Wyatt is dissatisfied with his boring life and his father, much like what could be seen in 3:10 to Yuma. And all of his angst seems to be bubbling up right at the exact time of this story. I find it hard to believe his unsympathetic father would have put up with his complaining if it was like this every day. Then you have Henry, which is the strongest point of the film. He's what you'd imagine old school fathering was like. No coddling, positive reinforcement, or tolerance of any nonsense from a teenager. And Tim Blake Nelson delivers all that absolutely convincingly. He looks worn down by life and experience with no patience for much that doesn't really matter.
Henry rescues a wounded man, takes him back to their isolated house, only to find out that a posse of outlaws are in pursuit. As the leader of the gang, Ketchum, Stephen Dorff does a good job. He's a bad guy, for sure, but fairly practical and not crazy. The problem is, he's not that dangerous without a lot of support, and when the final shootout takes place, Henry dispatches everyone with ease, then has to suddenly lower his skill and logic level to make his fight with Ketchum somewhat challenging. Henry's skills are second to none, while Ketchum is average at best. So they have Henry inexplicably walk out from cover to get shot by Ketchum.
Anyway, there's an interesting twist towards the end that I won't get into, that was kind of fun.
I'd recommend this movie mostly on Tim Blake Nelson's acting and character alone. For that, I think it makes it worth a watch.
Dune (2021)
Slick, but dull by comparison
As a movie by itself, it's ok. Competent acting and directing to be sure. It makes few mistakes, but is....safe. But I can't really express the faults of this movie(and, by association, many modern movies) without comparing this to the 1984 David Lynch movie that has been nothing but trashed for over three decades.
As flawed Lynch's Dune is, it offers so much more, despite being less faithful to the source material. His movie takes considerably more chances on every level. Visually it's more dynamic with varied and creative designs. Look at random screenshots of Villeneuve's movie, and you'll notice there are only a few color tones. You'll barely be able to tell them apart. Dull. And injecting scenes with fog, haze or sand for a thick atmosphere may be his style, but that's the most superficial attempt at art. He doesn't offer much more than that. He's a one trick pony in that regard. Other scenes of people talking, or fighting are actually rather conventional.
Lynch's characters, while certainly more over the top, are more memorable and impactful. They range from crazy to taciturn. There are spectacular scenes in the original that people remembered for years, but here they blend into each other more. It's amazing how many scenes are actually from the '84 version here, but are so tame, and conservative artistically, the difference is night and day. The sheer amount of creativity, dynamism and risk taking in the '84 version is almost entirely missing in this movie. Really, this one almost seems rated G. Lynch's production had an edge. It was weird, creepy, bizarre, fantastic. This is .....pleasant to look at, I guess.
To be fair, this is only part one. But I don't expect much to change in part 2. Why would it? The problem with Dune 2021 is that everyone was so desperate to run in the opposite direction of Lynch, they ran too far and ended up somewhere between ok and mundane.
Silence (2016)
There's nothing to reveal in Silence.
Torturing Christians while lecturing them on their religion and misguided actions is all Silence adds up to. Unfortunately this is not a surprise from Hollywood but it is disappointing to see Scorsese be so attracted to such a lopsided story.
Two Portuguese priests travel to a 17th century Japan, where Christianity is outlawed, to find another priest there who is missing and might have recanted his faith. The script focuses on Padre Rodrigues.
Everything profound is saved for his Japanese captors while he is left with little to say in reply other than that which could be written by any layman amateur author. It's embarrassing. It's just a relentless verbal beating of this padre and his inability to effectively refute anything. From the opening scenes I knew this would happen. They were doomed from the start to never make a point. I wish I was wrong. It would have been a better movie if I had been.
The poor abused peasants are seen as ignorant and naive while their brutal overlords are wise, with their best interests at heart(despite the frequent murder, execution, and torture...). Never is the motive of the government questioned, at least verbally. It's hard to think of a less challenging and dynamic story recently, and that's saying something. I suppose I could forgivingly recognize the unanswered faith of the Christians as the tragedy of the message, but honestly, I think the philosophical lashing the authorities heap on Rodriguez is what the writer really wants to get across.
Visually there's not much to offer except competence which would otherwise be good enough save for the predictable but disappointing script.
Completely unnecessary narration pops up from time to time usually telling us what we can already see on screen. Ironic for a movie called "Silence" to feel the need to spoon feed the audience with redundant exposition that really adds very little to the movie other than interruption.
While the two priests don't offer much to the viewer, and the Japanese authority plays the same pious note, unchallenged, throughout(save for some ineffectual token rebuttal), there is one intriguing character by the name of Kichijiro, played wonderfully by Yosuke Kubozuka. Friend of the priests, he is a Japanese Christian, but a coward, endlessly failing spiritual tests and begging forgiveness afterwards, all the while keeping faith, even till the end. Hands down he stole the show, leaving me with at least one character to enjoy.
I understand the author of the the book, from which this movie is based, intended to depict the futility and ignorance of Christian missionary work in Japan, and apparently Scorsese was fascinated by this too. But all we get is a message and plot that never challenges itself and does nothing but relentlessly handicaps one side. This movie is like watching a tennis match with player A playing and player B standing there doing nothing. It simply doesn't make for a good story. I wish Martin Scorsese, and Hollywood in general would, rather beat down player B, take a chance on an actual game.