Film and Episodic Content Discussion Thread

I really have to re-watch the original MATRIX. I've seen the stars of the film (Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Lawrence Fishburne) in countless films or TV series since then. Each can carry any production on their back. I also need to rewatch all those visual flourishes the Wachowskis brought to us, new & shiny--and are now part of the visual vocabulary of so many films.

OK, a few recommendations for streaming shows that are really working for me right now:

ENDEAVOUR (Prime): If you don't know the exemplary British policier, INSPECTOR MORSE, you'll just have to take my word that this prequel is as good if not a bit better. I've seen many of the episodes in the 7 seasons, but am enjoying them all over again. The acting, set decoration, and script-writing are beyond reproach. As is typical of British productions, I never saw any of the principal actors before this production--yet they immediately impressed and continue to. And the 1K content from this 2012 production looks ravishing when upscaled to 4K on my OLED. This series is beautifully shot and framed/composed.

KATLA (Netflix): I'm crazy for Scandinavian TV (this is from Iceland) and for reanimation stories, so this series is totally working for me. It's very well written and acted. The story poses rather haunting questions about identify and the meaning of love; it also features one of the scarier child characters I've ever encountered. Imagine the quality of the great French series, LES REVENANTS ("The Returned"), where some of the returned are copies of people who never died in the first place. I'm 7 episodes in and have no idea what the final episode will bring. Highly recommended.

POST MORTEM: No One Dies in Skarnes (Netflix): I'm crazy for Scandinavian TV (this is from Norway) and for vampire/undead stories, so this series is ideal for me. It has a very particular tone of dark irony that's sustained with every character and wacko plot development. Chilly amusement pervades even the darkest parts of this story. In PM:NODIS, the undead, just like the living, are flawed personalities with lousy childhoods and imperfect impulse control. The fact that all the action centers on a funeral parlor starved for business is just part of the droll tapestry. I'm only 3 episodes in and very impressed by the acting and writing.

 

I just watched Sicario again last night. This movie is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Dynamite story, action, pacing, with great acting by Del Toro and Brolin. Emily Blunt did a respectable job as well.

 

Movie theaters are still struggling to return to post-pandemic normalcy. Part of the problem is that the pipeline of new films was so disrupted for so long--with many that make it through now being superhero/Marvel tentpole films.

I saw a film last night that completely bypassea all that: THE CARD COUNTER, written and directed by Paul Schrader. His 2017 film, FIRST REFORMED, was seen by many as a long-delayed return to form. If so, THE CARD COUNTER, a smaller, tighter, quieter film, raises the bar even higher. This is a slow, inverted, deeply compelling film.

It's not perfect. There were a couple glaring issues that annoyed me at first, then were pushed aside by the superb acting. Oscar Isaac is magnetic & memorable in the lead role. For much of the film he is contained, conflicted, and indecipherable. He reminded me of Humphrey Bogart at his best. Schrader's work often explores sin, guilt, expiation, and conflicted manhood; he's the master of this realm. Watching this film, I felt a strong connection to his similar great films of the past, especially TAXI DRIVER and RAGING BULL.

Tiffany Haddish was a real surprise here. I knew her as a comic actress, but here she's very good, more than holding her own opposite Isaac in their scenes together. In this chilly, alienated story, she exemplifies welcome warmth & unconflicted humanity.

I can't recommend this one highly enough. Oscar Isaac really should be nominated for his performance--but won't be, since it will do negligible business.

 

I have to admit that listening to these "selections" of Zimmer's soundtrack has me more interested in the movie itself:

https://www.amazon.com/Dune-Sketchbook-Music-Soundtrack/dp/B09C3YS6DX

It's streaming on Tidal and Qobuz, not sure about the others.

 

Really looking forward to Card Counter. First Reformed was subtle, but powerful and exemplary filmmaking, a definite return to form for Schrader.

As much as I liked The Matrix 4 trailer, it played 10 times better on a huge screen. Went to see Malignant last week. Forgot how much impact a larger screen adds to just about anything, and why theaters are so important in leaving substantial impressions of things, rather than fleeting memories. Malignant was an insane, gonzo, batshit, wild ride that reminded me of Paul Verhoeven's big studio output from the 80s and 90s. Wan was really channeling those old Italian Giallo flicks... cheesy, melodramatic, campy horror from the 80s... as well as over the top action thrillers from the 90s. And of course almost no one got this, which is why it had disastrous test screenings and bombed at the box office. Mass audiences don't understand camp, and how it can be a stylistic choice and not a failing of the movie. Cheese has its own charms. But everything big studio mainstream now has to be either stupid toilet humor or deadly serious (I blame Christopher Nolan, as much as I like him, for the latter).

 

This probably doesn't count as film, but is one of the more thoughtful things I've watched lately, not sure where else it should go.



On a different note, still weird for me to drive by the movie theater and see it empty every time.

 

Thank you very much for the recommendation! I'm a longstanding fan of Inspector Morse but had been put off by the sequel, Lewis, which was much less well done - more middlebrow and, frankly, quite dull and silly. One of its main failings was a lack of clues to ponder, there having been no more Colin Dexter novels to base the episodes on. (If you haven't read them, the books are very good as puzzles). I'd skipped Endeavour, assuming it would merely be more of the same.

I'm really glad I followed your great advice, then. On the strength of the first episode, Endeavour seems to be a return to form. I had a good feeling in just the first few minutes: we were back to the setting out of clues among the opening credits, just as in the original Morse, which you always had to watch carefully. It's refreshing to have an actual mystery to watch again.

 

I'm also grateful to the posts above recommending The Expanse. I enjoyed the first season but stalled a couple of times trying to watch the second. After persevering and getting over that hump, I got hooked - it's been among the best I've seen in the past couple of years. Not much else has been all that appealing; I've been harrumphing to myself about the end of the so-called "golden age" of TV but I'd be happy to be proven wrong about this.

To that end, I enjoyed this article in The Guardian today about a couple of sci-fi programs: Foundation looks appealing, based as it is on the old Isaac Asimov novels, as does For All Mankind. Of course, the article might just be part of the hype machine for a new release. But the article does have a couple of interesting things to say about how the sci-fi genre has evolved in recent decades. And it might be worth giving Apple TV+ a whirl. Seven prospective seasons for a narrative arc that's supposed to last a few centuries sounds great!

 

Last night I rewatched THE AMERICAN, the 2010 film that bears certain topic similarities to THE CARD COUNTER. I was especially interested that TA contains elements of transgression, regret, and expiation (forces that supercharge the story of TCC), but they're beneath the surface and contextual, not at all overt, in TA.

Sin & expiation appear central to the creative impulses & Calvinist worldview of Paul Schrader, judging by how often & prominently these elements appeared in his scripts over the years.

In this context I'm reminded of another great film (one discussed here not long ago): Paul Thomas Anderson's HARD EIGHT, in which transgression and expiation play a subtle, subsumed role.

 

Money Heist - dubbed into English. Most engaging series since The Wire for me.

 

Wow, a netflix show that doesn't suck. I highly recommend the recently released MIDNIGHT MASS, from Mike Flanagan. Didn't plan on binging, but I burned through half of it last night. Very compelling stuff.

And lookie what we have here:

 

2 more streaming tips:

A WOMAN WALKS ALONE AT NIGHT (AMC; Prime Video)
The 1st time I pulled out the credit card to pay for a film on Prime--I'm glad I did. This gorgeously shot vampire tale is one of the more vividly creative indies I've seen in decades. This film swept the festival awards in 2015, and it's easy to see why. Shot in anamorphic black & white with striking cinematograhy, this film is overtly influenced by Sergio Leone, Jim Jarmusch, and Fellini, among others. The script, plot, characters and actors all nail it. This is director Ana Lily Amipour's masterpiece. IMO it belongs with other indie vampire classics such as NADJA, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, Abel Ferrara's THE ADDICTION, and Jim Jarmusch's ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE.

THE CHESTNUT MAN (Netflix series)
This Danish policier is extremely good--a dark, twisty, violent murder mystery. The script is in no hurry to reveal its secrets; the audience is always a few steps behind the fascinating main characters, who themselves barely keep abreast of events suddenly spun off their investigation. I'm 2 episodes in (of 6) and thoroughly hooked.

 

@Pharmaboy I think you mean A GIRL WHO WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, and yeah it's fantastic. I'm really pumped to see her latest, Mona Lisa And The Blood Moon, but I don't think it has a release date yet.

 

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I just finished watching the mini-series Dr. Death. It bounced around the timeline a bit so was hard to follow in places, but the story was fascinating, as well as being disturbing because it is based on a true story. All in all definitely worth the 8 hours.

 

Thanks for correcting my title error ... that's an oddly non-intuitive title, hard for me to remember for some reason.

Never heard of her new film but just read a review of it (link below) and I'll drag my ass over broken glass to out this film when it opens. Not only is it directed by Ana Lily Amapour (the review calls her "aggressively inventive," which is wonderful)--but the film's star, Jeon Jong-seo, has haunted me ever since I saw her in BURNING. I also like that this new film uses The Big Easy as a carny/campy backdrop for an insane story (a la ANGEL HEART).

https://www.rogerebert.com/festival...the-blood-moon-illusions-perdues-the-promises

My love affair with cinema has raged on and off for decades. When I see films like A GIRL WHO... I'm suddenly right back in it, pandemic or no pandemic.

 

Where did you see this? I wasn't aware DD had been made into a series yet.

I know the material well, having heard the authoritative "Dr. Death" podcast on Wondery...

 

In the US it is on Peacock.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dr_death

I believe it is based on the podcast, as Wondery is one of the producers. There is also a follow up series - Dr. Death: Undoctored, which is more of a documentary than a dramatization.

 

I always seem to be behind the times. I just watched Skyfall last night. Really liked it, even more than Craig's Casino Royale. Javier Bardem can play psycho bad guys well. Remember Anton Chigurh anyone? Really liked the theme song by Adele too. Has anyone here seen Spectre and have any opinions/comments they would like to share?

 

SPECTRE is a Bond film, with all the good & bad that implies. Tentpole film excesses aside, Javier Bardem's acting in the film is exceptional, as it almost always is.

IMHO 2 other films he made before SPECTRE give a more straightforward view of what he can do as an actor:

BIUTIFUL: The film is terribly sad, but Javier's acting is transcendent, encompassing rage, denial, love, acceptance, and finally, a magical kind of deliverance. I can't think of any actor who could act this role better.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: There's plenty of great acting in this film adapted from the Cormack McCarthy novel, but Javier's terrifying performance stands out to the point that his character, Anton Chigur (think of the devil as a man, methodically exacting merciless vengeance) dominates in a way it doesn't in the book.

PS: The novel is actually superior to the film IMHO. Then again, the film has Javier Bardem...

 

3 comments about TV & film:

NO TIME TO DIE: I don't do well with big tent-pole films. This one was no worse than other big Bond films. The low point was the non-scary villain played by Rami Malek. RM was good in MR. ROBOT, but he's not up to this. He spoke in such an arch, mannered way that much of his dialogue was inaudible. Always liked Daniel Craig, IMO the best Bond since Sean Connery. But the real stars here were the fierce actresses who ran this story. Lea Seydoux and a beautiful little girl actress were especially good.

GANGLANDS (BRAQUERS)/Netflix: I've seen everything I can find with the great French actor Sami Bouajila. This heist/kidnapping thriller is typically kinetic & violent (good things). Sami anchors this series effortlessly--he's not large in stature, but he has true gravitas & usually plays a leader. You can see him in the equally excellent THE CREW/BRAQUERS on Netflix. I'd watch this guy read the phone book...

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1957): I was delighted to find this on Prime last night & watched it for ~the 20th time. Director Don Siegel had a magic touch with tough, cynical, low budget films. This one is more apocalyptic than most & perfectly captured the paranoid '50s zeitgeist. I was dazzled all over again by the tension & compression of the plot--it wrings you out to watch these innocents hurtle toward annihilation. The scenes of Kevin McCarthy pleading with motorists remain rather terrifying.