“History is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.”
― David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI
Her first film in 12 years, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog is a venomous, suppressed exploration of masculinity on a disappearing Western front. Based on Thomas Savage’s book of the same name, the film follows two ranchers: Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), and his brother, George (Jesse Plemons). George is stocky and plodding, wears suits and is always polite. Phil is lean and whip-smart, but with a cruel tongue and a savage instinct at the scent of any perceived weakness – including his own. He dominates the ranch, castrating bulls with his bare hands and commanding the property with the steely swagger of a true “cowboy”. So, when George disrupts the ranch hierarchy and unexpectedly brings home a wife, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), Phil utterly rejects her, beginning a campaign of psychological torture. But he faces an unlikely foe in Rose’s son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), as Phil and Peter’s growing relationship brings up deep secrets and a long-hidden yearning.
Continue reading “Review: ‘The Power of the Dog’ Finds Another Worthy Vessel”
At some point early in high school, I got into an argument with someone in history class. The topic that day was the Civil Rights Movement, and let’s just say things got a bit heated. To make a long story short, our conversation ended after the bell with him saying to my face, “The Black Panthers were just as bad as the KKK.” One of his friends, who had been backing him up to point, made a grimaced look. Continue reading “Review: ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ Is An Enrapturing Look At American History”
Unlike the rest of the world, Charlie Kaufman has had a successful 2020. His debut novel, Antkind, was published to critical acclaim in July, while his third film, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, was just released on Netflix. Based on the 2016 novel by Canadian writer Ian Reid, I’m Thinking of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons as a young couple who are driving to meet his parents for dinner. The visit turns out to be much more eventful than anticipated. Continue reading “Review: ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a Treat For Fans of Kaufman’s Unique Style”
Vince Gilligan, creator of the Emmy Award winning series Breaking Bad, brings us back into the Breaking Bad universe with El Camino. In this “epilogue” to the series, Aaron Paul returns to give a more definitive ending to his character, Jesse Pinkman. Some of the series regulars return as well, although only in flashback sequences. They include Jesse Plemons as Todd Alquist, Bryan Cranston as Walter White, and Krysten Ritter as Jane Margolis. As a continuation of the TV show, the story’s narrative relies on the audience’s preexisting knowledge of Breaking Bad. The film picks up right where the TV series ended; Jesse is driving away after Walter has liberated him from the gang that was holding him hostage. After Jesse heads to the house of his friends Skinny Pete and Badger, who give him a change of clothes, some cash, and a new car, he tries to find a way to make a new life for himself while also escaping the law.
It comes as no surprise that a movie based on a TV show feels like a TV show. Every piece of the film resembles the TV show that inspired it. The shots look the same, the score sounds the same and the dialogue flows the same as in the series. The film feels like it could have been a bunch of ideas that Gilligan had for two extra episodes in the final season, but didn’t make the cut because they also would have felt out of place with the trajectory that the show had built as it headed for the ending it had. Because of this, the return to the series in the film form worked as a much better way to tell the rest of Jesse’s story.
However, expanding upon a series that is already highly revered seems unnecessary, and in the case of this film, it is. Regardless, Gilligan manages to enhance Jesse with meaningful character development and somewhat of a happy ending. The return to a beloved series also runs the risk of failing high expectations from longtime fans. El Camino does a good job of executing TV references by making them relevant to the plot or to the development of Jesse’s character.
While the original series gave us an ending for Walter White, the future of Jesse Pinkman was left for the audience to interpret on their own. El Camino presents a well-written and more defined ending for Jesse that leaves you with more hope for his future than before. Anyone who thoroughly enjoyed the series should go check out this thrilling epilogue that gives a proper ending to the story of Jesse Pinkman.
3/5 STARS
At first, Vice predicates itself on an intriguing concept: create a funny and darkly satirical biopic based on one of the world’s nastiest and most powerful men. It begs the question: “How does one make Dick Cheney — one of the most humorless men in America — actually humorous?” Director and screenwriter Adam McKay, who has tackled difficult subjects with a satirical tone before, seemed perfect for the job. However, instead of the biting script, perfectly timed comedic moments, and clear tone we have come to expect from McKay in the wake of The Big Short, Vice is merely a glorified, surface-level Wikipedia page.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Vice’ is a Glorified Wikipedia Page”
In the shadow of Black Panther, Game Night has a tall task of luring audiences into its theater this weekend. After a initial trailer that left a lot to be desired, it would be easy to write this film off as another February comedy dumped in the early months of the year to clear space on Warner Bro’s shelf, but I have to admit, Game Night is one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had in a long time. There is nothing spectacular in terms of thematic development, but come on, it’s a comedy. It’s more important that the film generates a few good laughs and this movie does them surprisingly well.
The film follows Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Racheal McAdams), a competitive couple who hosts weekly game nights at their home. One week Max’s brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) suddenly comes to town and hosts a game night of his own that promises thrills and excitement via a simulated kidnapping. But things go awry when their role playing game gets mixed in with Brooks’s real kidnapping, causing the group to spend the night enduring hijinks and antics in order to get Max’s brother back.
Everyone lends their comedic talents equally, but Jesse Plemon’s character steals the show. He is hands down, bar-none the best part of this film. He plays a stoic yet creepy neighbor who wants to participate in the game nights, but is left out because of his awkwardness, lack of skill, and his recently divorced status from a close friend of Max and Annie’s. Every scene Plemons is in is hilarious, striking the right balance between a sincere human being and a total psychopath. Most of the jokes stem from his inability to move on from his divorced wife, and when combined with his eerie nature and exclusion, you get a winning formula for some sadistic humor. His role is worth the watch alone (it’s that good), plus the credit sequence adds a nice touch to his character.
The jokes in the film are actually quite good and you’ll give a hearty laugh from time to time. The narrative sometimes feels like an empty vehicle to get to the next joke, but if I have to be frank, the audience isn’t here for the story, it’s here for the comedy. There are a few instances where the scene is structured around an overall punchline (namely a scene that involve’s Gary being distracted by the group while Max tries to access his computer), but it’s mostly just one liners, pop culture references, and physical humor that is overlaid on to sequential events to move the story along (and for the most part that’s ok). The plot is straightforward and the premise works well enough to keep you engaged throughout the run time of the film, and it functions so much better than I would of ever given it credit for which is a pleasant surprise.
Game Night is not a mind blowing film, but is certainly a fun film with a solid narrative and stand out comedic performances. It manages to shake the stigmas so many bad comedies have while retaining the elements that make films within the genre so enjoyable. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and in this instance, it couldn’t be more true.
Score: 3.25/5 Stars