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Don’t Let This One Fly Under Your Radar. FOR LOVE & LIFE: NO ORDINARY CAMPAIGN
There’s a new film hitting Prime today that will be easy to overlook.
It’s a documentary.
About a terminal disease.
The title is a mouthful.
It doesn’t come off as an appealing pitch, and it’s not going to be the one you reach for as a fun evening’s entertainment.
But For Love and Life: No Ordinary Campaign is an incredible true story of one couple’s journey to bring hope to a seemingly hopeless situation: totally inspiring, engrossing, and heroic. In some ways it’s also absolutely gut-wrenching, and for both reasons I was moved to tears throughout most of the film.
An opening narration sets the stage for its theme: We tend to not think about problems, even very big ones, when they don’t impact us directly. That experience became a lesson for Brian Wallach, a successful lawyer and political insider who was diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2017.
I didn’t know much about about this disease but the film explains it in understandable terms: a debilitating and ultimately terminal illness in which the victim is gradually weakened until they are incapacitated and die. In the relatively short time in which this takes place (a few months or perhaps a few years at most), they are betrayed by their body with diminishing motor control and slurring speech. Eventually they are too immobilized to perform basic self care, and death is likely to occur by asphyxiation as the body struggles to continue to breathe.
Brian met his wife Sandra when they were both working for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. The pair hit it off and eventually married. They were professionally successful and politically active; and with the arrival of children, a seemingly ideal family – until Brian received a surprise ALS diagnosis which rocked their world.
They were met with the all-too-common standard response: It’s an incurable disease with no treatment, and no hope. Get your affairs in order and just try to enjoy, as best you can, the few months or perhaps years you have left.
For most, this prognosis would be a kind of death sentence, but for Brian and Sandra, it was a call to action. Learning firsthand of the bureaucratic red tape and absolute dearth of support for ALS sufferers, they sought to change things. And with their experience in the political arena and with managing nonprofits, they were uniquely qualified to actually do something about it. Not merely to raise awareness, but to bring abut real and lasting change. They created the “I Am ALS” organization and movement, and petitioned for new US legislation to not only fund ALS research, but to tear down some of the biggest barriers to getting people the financial aid and treatments that can sustain or improve their lives.
It’s incredibly engrossing and deeply emotional, spending time with this couple as they take on this devastating mission and see it through to unimaginable success. Meanwhile, Brian transforms from a capable and hyper-articulate young man to speaking in low, slow mumbles and losing his mobility. Sandra, his incredible wife, weathers the storm and shows her true colors as a devoted and determined partner, becoming his voice and body. This isn’t just a medical story or political story; it’s a love story. Not just a surface-level romance, but the realest and rawest kind of love – the kind that really hurts. Unconditional, deep-in-the-trenches, in-sickness-or-in-health love.
While centered on the story of Brian and Sandra, the film also interviews other sufferers, families, and activists, sharing their stories and providing additional context – and faces – to the reality of ALS.
Sometimes watching movies about difficult subject matter can feel like a chore, but I urge everyone to check this one out. It’s an incredible true story and as inspiring as it is devastating.
A/V out.
Watch the film on Amazon Prime: https://amzn.to/3yCpvBA
Learn more about the film and ALS here: https://www.iamals.org/for-love-and-life-no-ordinary-campaign -
DUNE PART TWO. Still Spectacular Even on the Small Screen
Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation packs a punch even on the small screen
For Dune aficionados I think the main sentiment upon walking out of Part Two was, “wow, he really did it”. Not just in terms of adapting Herbert’s tome, but also in not compromising on the tale’s commentary on imperialism and religious fanaticism. Couple this to a step up in scale, action, and emotion, and you have an epic for the ages.
The film picks up from where Part One ended without skipping a beat. House Atriedes has fallen after accepting the poisoned chalice of control of Arrakis, aka the titular Dune. A site of galactic importance as the source of the spice melange, a substance capable of expanding the mind and fueling interstellar travel. Slaughtered by a sneak attack by rivals House Harkonnen, the only survivors are the young heir Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), and his mother, the Lady Jessica (a dark and enthralling performance from Rebecca Ferguson). Cast adrift in the desert, they join a native tribe of Fremen, whose number include their leader Stilgar (the film’s MVP Javier Bardem) and a woman long glimpsed in Paul’s dreams, Chani (a captivating Zendaya). As the Harkonnen seek to purge the planet of rebellion, the Paul seeks to learn the Fremen ways, and join their cause in striking back against their oppressors. All while Lady Jessica stokes the religious fervor that surronds her son, to elevate his position, and give them an opportunity to not just hit back against the Harkonnens, but also Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (Christopher Walken) whose own machinations set in motion the fall of house Atriedes.
Part Two is bigger in scale and action, more expansive in therms of galactic intrigue, but also more emotionally resonant in terms of the character arcs and themes explored. At its core, the waging of guerrilla warfare and a burgeoning romance between Paul and Chaini, as they bond over their collaboration and inspiration of each other. Encircling them within the Fremen sietch, is a spectrum of believers, where the generational work of the Bene Gesserit order has preordained a savior, and various portents signify Paul to be this figure. Something that obviously weighs heavy on him, and must be reconciled with his own prophetic insights into the path he chooses, and the inescapable outcome of death and destruction. Beneath the comedic layers of Javier Bardem’s Stilgar theres a more perturbing figure, one emblematic of a blind faith, stoked over generations. Chaini serves as a counterpoint, a non-believer of the myth, but one who becomes devoted to the man. It’s one of the more significant changes from Herbet’s original text, and better serves the cinematic format, as well as in building a more empowered female character.
Part Two also spices things up (sorry/not sorry) with the introduction of new players, notably the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh, who will be a notably part of Dune Messiah if it comes to fruition) and Paul’s counterpart over in House Harkonnen, the twisted nee Baron Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler).
As already alluded to, what’s most striking is the film’s tackling of themes encircling faith and fanaticism, as well as the use of religion as a tool, to suppress, control, or inspire a people, notably an indigenous one. Here, it’s the familiar elevation of a man and the myth built around him, as well as the pedestal his bloodline is placed upon (his Fremen name does mean “base of a pillar” after all). It’s bold fare for any film, and impressive that these films are so overtly woven into the rich tapestry of Dune. For writer/director Denis Villeneuve, Dune Part Two is the latest in a hell of a run of features, and further solidifies his status as a top tier director, storyteller, and cinematic visionary.
The Package
Dune Part Two is one of the most visually resplendent films you’ll see this year, and thankfully the home video release does it justice. Review covered the Blu-ray release of the film and it’s a benchmark release, which excels in terms of detail and depth of image. The textures of the Arrakis sands, still suits, weaponry and alien vistas all stand out. Colors have a strong punch, blacks are solid, notably during the Geidi Prime sequences. In comparison, the image lacks some of the depth and ‘pop’ of the 4K edition, but that’s to be expected for the more premium format.
Dune: Part Two contains the following extra features, all build into a more general “behind the scenes” featurette. Collectively, they run about about an hour. Each is well informative and polished, but with a film like this, you’ll always be wanting more.
- Chakobsa Training: Crafting the language and lore of these tribes, and the real world inspirations behind the production work
- Creating the Fremen World: Costume, culture, and communication!
- Finding the Worlds of Dune: Introducing the new players/sights seen in Part Two
- Buzz Around the New “Thopter”: A breakdown of the production design work to realize the new vehicle used in Part Two
- Worm-Riding: How physical and computer effects combined to bring the worm riding sequences to life
- Becoming Feyd: An Austin Butler-centric piece that dives into the approach to the character, and various inspirations fueling the performance
- A New Set of Threads: The costume design is one of the standout features of the film, so it’s great having a piece focusing on that, and it’s not just the still suits that get attention
- Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune: A fun addition, where we get a look at what went into the score and sound effects of the film, including the unusual instruments and items used to generate a variety of sounds
Note, there is a Dune: Part Two Premium Digital Package available if you redeem the digital code, which contains a wealth of extra extra features, not on the physical release. This may speak to a more premium home video release coming down the line, and is a bit frustrating, but it’s still a notable inclusion:
- An Ensemble for the Ages: The longest featurette here at just over 20 minutes, and one of the best, giving a good amount of time to speak to the variety of talent making up the cast
- Inside Dune: Spice Harvester Attack: Focused on one of the early action set-pieces of the film
- Filmbooks: In the same vein of those on the Part One release, brief exposes on specific topics, to help viewers get up to speed, or expand their knowledge a little. Topics here are; House Corrino, The Reverend Mother, Water, and Lisan al-Gaib and the Fremen Religion
The Bottom Line
Dune Part Two is not just one of the cinematic events of 2024, it’s one of the home movie releases of the year. A superb transfer and a wealth of extra features, back up this epic adaptation that sees Herbert’s vision brought to life in a truly impactful and awe inspiring manner, without losing any of the depth and texture of the tale.
Dune Part Two is available on 4K-UHD, Blu-ray, and Digital now
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Bitingly Comical Social Satire THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES Hits Home Video
David Alan Grier is back.
Well, technically the beloved character actor was never really gone, but he may have felt that way to movie goers. His extensive work on stage (where he picked up a 2021 Tony Award for A Soldier’s Play) and on television had reduced his cinematic output, especially in recent years.
But since last year he has returned to the movies in a big way, with memorable supporting turns in The Color Purple, They Cloned Tyrone, and Candy Cane Lane. The resurgence continues with his biggest film role in quite a long time, in The American Society of Magical Negroes.
As should be plainly evident by the film’s title, this social satire is a play on the common trope of the “Magical Negro” character, the sort of wise and inoffensive black character whose narrative existence is positioned to prop up their white protagonists. Some more familiar examples would include Michael Clarke Duncan’s character in The Green Mile, Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, and Scatman Crothers in The Shining and Twilight Zone. While these are all wonderful characters and actors, an overall narrative throughline that has emerged across many of these kinds of stories is one of palatable black sacrifice in service to an inherent white importance.
Justice Smith plays Aren, a biracial artist who is constantly aware of his blackness and of white discomfort, and lives an overly accommodating and apologetic existence as a result. Unbeknownst to him, his awkward social practice is observed by Roger, a member of a clandestine order that recruits him as a member of the American Society of Magical Negroes: black men and women who tap into magic to secretly help ease white discomfort – because white discomfort leads to more overt racism and violence. A hilarious orientation presents familiar references including a send-up of The Green Mile. Their goal, they argue, is not servitude to white people, but to ultimately make black people safer.
The setup feels very much like a full-length version of a Key and Peele sketch, and in fact Key and Peele actually have previously done a “Magical Negro” themed gag as well as a Harry Potter parody depicting an “Inner City Wizard School”. The film feels like a similar concept in spirit, filtered through a send-up of Kingsman: The Secret Service, the spy action-comedy in which Colin Firth recruits a young Targon Egerton to join a top-secret English spy service (an organization which, I think it’s worth noting, were almost entirely white guys while their villain was a black man played by Samuel L. Jackson).
Aren is quickly swept up into this rare and important work, but his very first job presents a huge challenge: working in a tech startup experiencing a diversity-related PR crisis under their Elon Musk-esque founder and figurehead. Even worse, Aren falls in love the same woman as his “client”, even though his job is to be the wingman, causing a very awkward love triangle and putting him at risk of putting himself before his client – an infraction which can disrupt the flow of magic for not only himself but for the entire Society.
As a satire, the film is not really quite as deeply incisive as I expected, and most of its theme is somewhat on-the-nose. But that’s not really a drawback because it’s very funny going about it, and also happens to work well on a story level. Aren is a relatable protagonist and his journey of discovery and personal growth is really compelling – you’re rooting for him all the way.
David Alan Grier, clearly no stranger to racial satire (In Living Color, They Cloned Tyrone, and the best part of Amazon Women on the Moon), is unsurprisingly a stellar presence, both sympathetic as a mentor to Aren and unwavering in his devotion to the Society and its mission. It just makes me happy to see him in a lot of movies again, and in a pretty complex role.
There hasn’t really been a lot of buzz around this film, but I found it really rewarding.
The Package
The American Society of Magical Negroes is now available on Blu-ray from Universal. The Blu-ray, which is branded as a “Collector’s Edition”, includes a Movies Anywhere digital copy. My copy of the Blu-ray came with a slipcover.
Special Features and Extras
- Feature Commentary with Director/Writer/Producer Kobi Libii
- Featurettes
Three featurettes explore the film’s cast of characters, creation, and themes. Although they’re relatively short, many of the cast and crew are featured and there re some fun and informative recountings.- Secret Society Members (5:20)
- Crafting a Magical Society (4:14)
- Speaking Your Truth (4:14)
A/V Out.
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Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have compression or resizing inherent to file formats and web imaging.
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The Two Cents Roundtable Travels Through Time to Rediscover Tim Burton’s PLANET OF THE APES
The team looks backs at the director’s ill-fated and ill-advised remake on the 1960s classic.
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
The Pick: Planet of the Apes (2001)
In celebration of the release of Kingdom of the Apes, this month the Two Cents Film Club is revisiting one of the most legendary franchises ever made! This week, we take a look back at director Tim Burton’s infamous adaptation of Planet of the Apes and determine if, despite its box-office success, this was a movie which was doomed from the start, or a misunderstood classic whose time for a reappraisal has finally come.
Our Guest
Nathan Flynn
Let’s just get this out of the way by saying that Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes is arguably the worst film in the franchise and perhaps the low point of Burton’s career. It’s the only film in his filmography that feels completely anonymous.
Even if the film had a coherent script or a captivating take on the source material (it doesn’t), it would still be undermined by Mark Wahlberg’s ruinous performance as the lead. Disastrously miscast, Wahlberg lacks the gravitas of Charlton Heston and any real investment in the plot. His portrayal feels as though he wants to bully his own character for being too nerdy.
When I went to write this blurb, I scratched my head to think of anything to recommend about the movie besides the phenomenal ape makeup which almost defends the film’s very existence and I eventually was able to find only a few redeeming qualities worth noting:
– The supporting cast has some bright spots. Paul Giamatti, Tim Roth, and Michael Clarke Duncan bring much-needed energy and fun to their roles, providing some enjoyment amidst the otherwise dull proceedings.
– An NRA-era Charlton Heston makes a bizarre cameo in ape makeup, delivering a monologue on the evils of guns. This scene is delightfully odd and offers a decent “WTF” factor that holds your attention longer than most moments in the film.
– The image of “Ape-raham Lincoln” is fun. It’s absolutely incoherent but that imagery stays with you.
Overall, while Burton’s Planet of the Apes showcases impressive makeup—the peak of the franchise—it ultimately stands out as the low point in an otherwise immaculate series. The film exudes a sense of soullessness that Burton hadn’t shown as a director up to that point.
(@nathanflynn on Xitter)
The Team
Ed Travis
I don’t bring this kind of energy to Cinapse often, but Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake fucking sucks. It’s an abject failure. It captures none of the spirit of the original series or the remake series. It has zero dramatic or thematic weight, and speaks absolutely nothing to the culture. It’s a massively disappointing whiff that carries absolutely no power when watched today, whereas the entries from as far back as 1968 or 1972 (the entries we’ve covered so far in this series) feel almost prescient in their relevance.
Mark Wahlberg is wildly miscast and a protagonist with zero dimension, who experiences almost no growth or change over the course of the preposterous plot that establishes almost no rules for its sci-fi premise. Amidst a series that has such respect for the sci-fi tropes it plays in, and speaks so much truth to culture, Burton’s remake is a bankrupt failure of epic proportions.
It does bring its A-game in terms of production design and makeup work. In fact, in its execution of the Apes, the film is as remarkable and singular as the rest of it is a waste. Tim Roth puts in a physical performance for the ages as General Thade and manages to provide the series with one of its most powerful antagonists amidst an otherwise limp film. The makeup for the Apes is across the board incredible. So good, in fact, that it frequently tempts Apes nerds like me to revisit this entry over and over again to think maybe it’s not as bad as we remember. But it always is.
What it represents to me is a fascinating period in which the series shows what modern make up could do, but before CGI would come along and revolutionize the series visuals once again. Even Burton’s lack of vision for this entry couldn’t kill the series’ status as a showcase for incredible make up and visual effects and production design artists to display their craft to the world. But relentlessly inspired make up and production design, and even action design (the apes almost fly around here and their physicality is stunning) can’t overcome a bankrupt storytelling concept that refuses to have anything interesting to say in one of the most prophetic film series to ever come out of a major studio. The prosecution rests, your honor.
(@Ed_Travis on Xitter)
Whenever I hear a movie is “the worst” of a franchise or see that critics generally hate it, I go in really hoping I’ll disagree. I think it’s just my desire to champion the underdog in life. However, some movies refuse to let me love them. This remake is certainly one of those. As I’m certain others here have said already, the costuming and effects are quite stellar here. The film looks great. Hell, it sounds great too. The cast isn’t even bad.
But alas, bad writing always wills out. The old adage that great acting can’t fix a bad script is surely represented here. Moreover, even the (good and bad) quirks of Burton as a director are barely present here, making it not only a pretty bad movie, but one I’ll ultimately forget rather quickly. More than anything else, my greatest criticism here is that the film bored me and was a slog to get through. Once the awe of the film’s only major competence, the aforementioned effects and costuming, wore off – it was a chore to watch. At least some bad movies are interesting; this wasn’t even that.
@thepaintedman
In the 23 years since its release, Tim Burton’s attempt to remake this 1968 classic has gone down as one of the worst remakes ever attempted. This is especially noteworthy since this fiasco comes from a filmmaker who based the majority of his career on remakes and adaptations. If time wasn’t kind to Planet of the Apes in the early 2000s, it’s downright cruel now.
The movie comes across as both incredibly cartoonish and ridiculously self-serious at the same time, relying on its paint-by-numbers action and technical aspects to carry it through. To be fair, it’s in the latter category where Burton’s vision flourishes. The Colleen Atwood costumes and the Rick Baker makeup effects work wonders, as does the Danny Elfman score. Many would be right in saying it’s the creators behind those areas who are worthy of the praise above Burton, who clearly found himself a director well outside his depth.
The stories of the rushed production, mandated by the studio’s insistence on a summer release, are well-known, and no one can fault Burton for trying in vain to salvage a project many felt was unsalvageable from the moment the cameras started rolling. Still, applause must be given to Burton for stepping outside of his wheelhouse (in terms of story, and especially in terms of aesthetics) and taking on what remains one of the most ambitious projects of his career.
(@frankfilmgeek on Xitter)
I’ve never hated Burton’s remake, but it’s something I’ve seen only once and quite a long time ago; it’s possible at that time that I was not even aware there were sequels to the 1968 original. Since then I’ve visited and revisited all the other films (excepting the most recent) at least twice, so I had some excitement in returning to this with a different perspective.
It certainly doesn’t get off to a great start. The opening sequence set in Mark Wahlberg’s spaceship feels especially dated to its time; the squeaky clean white uniforms and ship’s interior, datedly rendered space storm (a swirling purple blob), and instrument panels that might best be described as Winamp skins – it all screams a distinct vibe of that period.
But the film is fun enough as a pulpy adventure and recognizable enough as Planet of the Apes while doing its own thing, and I actually appreciate some of the changes and narrative decisions it makes to distinguish itself and offer up some surprises; the reveal of the origin of the Apes in particular was, I thought, conceptually strong.
Some other changes, like the planet’s human characters being relatively intelligent and capable of speech, make little sense in the narrative. And unfortunately the original series’ scathing critique against fascism and weaponized religion mostly falls to the wayside in favor of emphasizing plotting and action (which is pretty good).
But the one distinction that Burton’s Apes still holds over any other iteration? It has the prime primates in the business. Largely created and shot practically, these magnificent creations wipe the floor against both the classic rubber-faced apes of the original franchise and the modern CGI/mo-cap versions (which are gorgeously expressive and dynamic, but will never not look like CGI).
(@VforVashaw on Xitter)
The ape cast is also notably excellent, with inspired performances from Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Helena Bonham Carter, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, plus cameos from Hollywood legends David Warner and the original “Taylor” himself, Charlton Heston. Oddly enough, one of the few things Ed actually likes about this film – Tim Roth’s villainous General Thade – is one of its worst aspects to me. Compared to characters like Dr. Zaius, a complex adversary whose convictions and loyalties can be enigmatic and sometimes disarmingly sympathetic, Thade is completely one-dimensional, a perpetually scowling, pissed-off ape who’s just evil for the sake of being evil.
CinAPES, aka Revisit Of The Planet Of The Apes
Upcoming picks:
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
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FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA: “Do You Have It In You To Make It Epic?” [Spoiler Free Review]
![FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA: “Do You Have It In You To Make It Epic?” [Spoiler Free Review]](https://i0.wp.com/cinapse.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-22-at-12.07.37-AM-1.png?resize=1140%2C460&ssl=1)
Warner Brothers I’m not really here to tell you if Furiosa is “better” or “worse” than Mad Max: Fury Road, or any of the other installments of the Saga.
Hell, I haven’t even processed what to do with the fact that The Road Warrior was one of my top five all time films and then Fury Road came along and caused me to question everything I’ve ever understood about cinema.
What I am here to tell you is that George Miller is a singular voice, a brilliant madman who created a wasteland, and a 5 entry deep film franchise spanning some 50 years now, that I value and appreciate and will revisit over and over again throughout my brief time on this earth.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, like Fury Road and the original trilogy before it, is a brainchild. It’s a product of an auteur unlike almost any other. It’s the latest in a series that has almost no comparisons to measure against. What other series has hit 5 entries over almost 50 years all directed by the same individual, with the level of indelible cultural significance, critical acclaim, and mythological resonance as the Mad Max wasteland? Someday perhaps the Avatar series will be comparable. They’re certainly at the scale and sheer level of vision that the mighty George Miller brings to his creations.
Warner Brothers And I know that every film ever made is a massive community effort. A veritable army of cast, crew, and studio reps all have to come together to craft every single blockbuster that’s ever come along. And yet: it seems that George Miller is simply one of the best to ever do it and leads his army of devoted creatives to generate a vision so singular that it’s unmistakable and unforgettable.
I must still admit that I had my doubts and misgivings. I’m not the world’s biggest prequel fan: it can be frustrating kind of “knowing” where it’s all leading. I’m not the world’s biggest re-casting fan: Charlize Theron (or Mel Gibson for that matter) kind of can’t be replaced. Miller also seemingly broke a couple of his own rules here, for the first time making an indisputably direct prequel to the last entry when all the other tales have seemingly been riffs on a wasteland legend with little tying one entry to the next beyond the production design and eternal loner hero Max Rockatansky. And even for the first time seemingly confirming that this wasteland is indeed his own native Australia. (At least it is this go-round).
And yet, I should never have doubted. Because Miller is a born storyteller and these films come from deep within his heart. Anya Taylor-Joy (like Tom Hardy before her) feels like maybe the only human being on earth who could have successfully headlined a major franchise like this and filled the shoes of Theron. She’s striking and believable and gives it her all. Chris Hemsworth’s antagonist Dementus is a confident, layered, humorous, and frightening presence and some of the best character work of Hemsworth’s career. Tom Burke’s Praetorian Jack plays a significant role and it’s one of those exciting situations where I’m blown away by a character and an actor I wasn’t expecting and knew almost nothing about.
Warner Brothers The inspired world building and production and action design still shine, if done on a slightly smaller budget and with a higher reliance on visual effects work. Your mileage may vary on how the CG sheen of Furiosa compares or contrasts with Fury Road, but I’m personally in a place where I just wanted some unfiltered George Miller supercharged, V-8 guzzoline, and I feel zero disappointment walking out of Furiosa. It’s a different era now and if Miller needed to use more CG to keep the budget in a place where he could still make the story he wanted to tell with the studio’s money: let him cook.
And then there’s the action. I think it’ll sound like some kind of cop out to say that Miller made a brilliant move and created a wildly different film with Furiosa than he did with Fury Road: one that’s less of an action movie. Setting out to make a never ending chase sequence with Fury Road, Miller created what might very well be the greatest action film ever made. There simply was no way to top that, so Miller instead focused on an epic tale. And I was absolutely swept up in Furiosa’s origins in a way that felt lived in and organic, not like a studio notes nightmare. But if it sounds like I’m hedging on the action, I’m honestly not. Miller will STILL show you things you’ve never seen before when it comes to massive action set pieces. My mouth remained agape multiple times as a hundred incredible visual ideas played out before my eyes. Just don’t expect the pace and tightness that was the Fury Road exercise.
Warner Brothers It’s been a rough few years for me, and frankly, for us collectively as a nation and as a planet, since Fury Road hit. We’re not living in a wasteland, but we’re facing one down all the time. My own needs and desires for what a blockbuster can give me have shifted and a story’s ability to sweep me away to a distant world and sustain me there and envelop me in its madness is somehow more important than ever. Furiosa will join Dune: Part Two and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes as some of my favorite films of the year precisely because they swept me up into an endlessly fascinating world that took me out of the troubles of this day and age and dazzled me with their spectacle, but also held a mirror up to us as we totter on the brink of a future dominated by despotism and despair. Miller is a font of ideas and his wasteland is the tapestry on which he can paint about war, suffering, resilience, and redemption.
At almost 80 years old, the visionary story teller George Miller unquestionably still has it in him to make it epic.
And I’m Out.
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FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA is the Search for Innocence on the Road of Revenge
Warning: This review goes into some detailed plot synopsis and might be considered spoilery.
Depending on how deep you’re into the Mad Max lore, you would know that there were three scripts born from the fire of the creation of Fury Road. Along with Mad Max: Fury Road, there was also a Furiosa script that was given to Theron on the background of her character and a Mad Max prequel to setup how Max showed up at Immortan Joe’s doorstep. At one point Miller was going to do all three films back to back to back, but disaster hit the shoot on its first attempt, so much so that there’s a rather excellent book about it Blood and Chrome. After said troubled production, Fury Road would then go on to be released, fuse with the cultural zeitgeist, reinvigorate the action genre and win 6 Oscars. Now why it took 9 years to produce a script that already existed, was thanks to Warner and Miller fighting over the profits from that first film.
Now that that’s over, we now have Furiosa, starring Anya Taylor-Joy replacing Charlize Theron and playing a much younger take on the character. Miller’s choice to replace Theron seems more rooted by his lack of confidence in the current state of CGI anti-aging, something he’s been very vocal about as something that could easily tank a film. That said, Taylor-Joy is a fantastic choice and actually only inhabits the character for the second hour of the film, since we spend about an hour with a very young Furiosa (Alyla Browne) in a film about one woman’s loss of innocence and her journey to win it back, only to dedicate her life to protecting the innocence of others. This film is a prequel, that while setting up the events of Fury Road adds an enormous amount of depth and pathos to the character of Furiosa and gives us the tragic how and why of the one armed war rig driver.
The film starts off in the fabled green place in better days, when a group of raiders have discovered the paradise. These raiders work for Dementus, a new warlord introduced in this film played by Chris Hemsworth, who is obviously having the time of his life with a prosthetic nose and the kind of scene stealing antagonist bravado we have yet to see from the actor. The raiders kidnap the young and healthy Furiosa as proof that the place has not only food, but no radiation allowing the birth of “Full lifes”. Along their way the men are killed one by one by Furiosa’s mother before they can make it back alive and spill the location. She is immediately captured attempting to rescue her daughter, only to be graphically tortured and killed in front of her daughter. Furiosa is then off the hook when Dementus discovers some lost war boys who lead them to Immortan Joe’s Citadel, which offers the charismatic warlord resources and another path to power.
This has Dementus quickly executing an operation taking over Gas Town and to keep it, offers up the young girl to Immortan Joe as a soon to be wife. After spending some time as one of the wives locked in the vault, Furiosa is nearly raped by one of Joe’s sons and escapes within the Citadel. She takes up residence with the war boys becoming a mechanic in the lower levels of the compound, where she rises through the ranks due to her intelligence, resilience and tenacity. There is a mild romantic bit with the current war rig driver Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) who takes the woman under his wing until she can learn to the ways of “road battle” and make her epic getaway as seen in the previous film, but that’s not the bulk of the story. It’s an origin story, but one that really centers on a character stuck in a terrible place trying to escape after being stuck in a worse place.
Structurally, the film is a more traditional 3 act narrative compared to the frantic pacing and non-stop action of Fury Road, which was simply a two hour chase sequence. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, we still have those over the top action beats and sequences that up the ante adding raiders on parachutes and hang gliders to deliver the spectacle you’d expect here. Furiosa’s tale is not the kind of story I was expecting, it’s just bleak, because we need to witness the lengths she’s pushed to get where she is at the beginning of Fury Road, and we see why she’s willing to go to those lengths to get back home. Taylor-Joy handles not only the heavy character work as expected saying volumes of dialog with simply a darting glance, keeping the audience locked in, but also doing the action proper justice. This is opposite more than a few returning faces from Fury Road who really help to infuse that world with even more savagery this time around.
The visuals are a bit amped up from Fury Road, with almost a surreal color palette employed, that seems like HDR on steroids. While the majority of the film looks spectacular with lots of practical effects seamlessly flourished with CGI. There are however a few very jarring obvious green screen shots that could have benefitted from cooking a bit longer and stick out like sore thumbs here and there, but those are forgivable given how big Miller is swinging here. The editing on this film is a bit more traditional compared to Fury Road, which may throw off some action junkies expecting another simply the same film. The pacing here, with the film broken up into chapters, feels purposeful to highlight stages of the journey we’re taken on that does not deliver the same respite as the previous film. Tom Holkenborg is back scoring and it really helps to solidify the connective tissue between the two films as you’d expect basically doing more of the same, thankfully.
Furiosa is a brutal punch in the face of an origin story that shows the flames that forged her into the woman who, even after it all, would remain unbroken and never stop fighting. It’s a bit more graphic compared to its predecessor, but that’s the story that needs to be told and the journey we need to endure to get the end of this chapter. The film is an examination of innocence, the loss there of, and the search for that unquantifiable thing when you’ve survived trauma. Is there a way to get it back through vengeance? Is it as easy as that? What are you willing to endure to achieve your end goal? Of all the questions I hoped this film would answer, and this film does, is it perfectly explains that dead, bottomless stare that we’re granted with when we first lock eyes with Furiosa in the war rig at the beginning of Fury Road and its we earned.
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Eric Bana is Back on the Case in FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2
2020’s The Dry is a one of many early pandemic movies lost in the shuffle of the more important real-worlds events at the time. Those who found their way to it discovered a great mystery. Adapted from the Jane Harper novel of the same name, The Dryscratched two itches. First, it’s trendy to stretch adaptations into TV shows that inevitably drag. The Dry is a tight two hours. Second, it gave Eric Bana a character he could sink his teeth into. With the release of Force of Nature: The Dry 2, it appears we have a new series on our hands.
Like its predecessor, The Dry 2, is a smart, adult drama. It’s the kind of movie people like to lament isn’t made anymore. Butthat’s not true and it never has been. You just have to know where to look, which is admittedly trickier that it used to be.
Picking up a year after the events of the first film, The Dry 2finds detective Aaron Falk (Bana) working the disappearance of Alice (Anna Torv) during a hiking trip with her colleagues. Falk is working a money laundering case, of which Alice is a potential key cog. Not only that, but the forest where the story is set is an important part of Falk’s past, which is slowly revealedthroughout the film.
With at least four potential suspects, combative local police, and looming storms, the atmosphere is suffocating. Returning writer and director Robert Connolly proves himself to be a strong craftsman. The nuts and bolts of the mystery intertwine with Falk’s personal drama deftly, creating a sense of inevitability as the story progresses. Fans of the genre won’t be particularly surprised by how the story plays out, but there is a certain satisfaction comes from telling a mystery well and landing the plane. Connolly knows how to deliver the goods in that regard. As a director, he paces the story well and leaves plenty of room for the actors to find their moments. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but it is a highly effective use of tools.
Of all the things The Dry 2 does well, the best thing it does is a prove itself as a worthy film series that will hopefully lead to The Dry 3 and beyond. Connolly and Bana have a strong take on the character of Falk and a great sense of location. I’d love to catch up with this world every few years.
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Joe Carnahan’s NARC Comes to 4KUHD From Arrow Video
Joe Carnahan’s Narc is the kind of rough and tumble crime movie that leaves the audience feeling just as bruised and battered as its characters. That applies to all of Carnahan’s films, but whether it’s good or bad varies from film to film. In the case of Narc, it’s meant as a compliment.
Jason Patric stars as narcotics officer Nick Tellis. The film opens with Tellis chasing a drug dealer. It’s a thrilling bit of filmmaking from Carnahan, and a devastating opening scene for the film and Tellis. The story jumps ahead 18 months and Tellis is looking to get off the streets and into a boring (read: safer) desk job. First, he’ll have to team up with Detective Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) to investigate the murder of Michael Calvess, an undercover officer who got in too deep. It’s about as sturdy as a plot for a cop drama can be.
Narc features Carnahan’s typical muscular filmmaking. From the kineticism of the opening foot chase to the unflinching confrontations that litter the film, Narc pulses with energy. These characters are livewires and it feels like they could explode at a moment’s notice. That comes through in the performances as well. Tellis is warped by his time undercover and ready to jump at the chance to leave it behind. It’s a fool’s errand, of course. You can’t outrun your past anymore than you make yourself grow a third arm. Tellis’ desperation is reflected back at him in Oak. Patric and Liotta make for great sparring partners. The differences between the two men in stature and demeanor only serve to highlight the similarities that have brought them together.
The cinematography by Alex Nepomniaschy gives the film a starkness and clarity of secrets coming to light. There is nowhere for Tellis and Oak to hide, from themselves or viewers. The inexorable march toward truth gives Narc its ultimate power. Inferior crime stories are content to wallop audiences with twists that provide a sugar high. Cool in the moment, but ultimately hollow. Carnahan’s script drops hints along the way that final reveals will be something that sticks, and he’s right. By the time all the cards are on the table, it’s clear Tellis and Oak were drawing dead the entire time. For these men, their fates were written long ago and all that’s left is a final reckoning.
For me, Carnahan is at his best when he’s exploring the codes and principals that drive his characters. His films are hyper masculine and the more they lean into that, the better they are. Narc and The Grey fit the bill to a tee. Carnahan loses me when he brings in too much silliness (looking at you, Smokin’ Aces).Narc wears the influence of its 70s forebearers proudly.
I hadn’t seen Narc before but I’m glad the new Arrow 4KUHD release gave me a reason to check it out. The review copy I received only came with the film and the recycled commentary track (which is fun and informative). The 4K restoration looks great. The retail version of this release features a second disc with enough new and old supplements to make this a robust release.
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THE BLUE ANGELS Have Rocketed into IMAX Theaters
Now playing in IMAX theaters for just one week before making its digital release on Amazon Prime on May 23, The Blue Angels takes viewers on an incredible journey with some of the world’s most elite pilots.
Rising star Glen Powell, who has played aviators in Hidden Figures, Devotion, and most notably in Top Gun: Maverick, and who holds a pilot’s license in real life, serves as a producer and spokesperson for the outstanding documentary, which uses thrilling cinematographic techniques like those pioneered for Maverick to bring similarly riveting immediacy to the real-life exploits of the nation’s most skilled fliers.
And as the previews like the one above demonstrate, it’s an amazing ride. All of the film’s aerial action is absolutely outstanding with knock-your-socks-off cinematography, bringing an immediate sense of reality to just how impressive and even intimate these maneuvers are. In some formations, jets may be roaring forward at 200mph while huddled only 12-18″ apart. Seeing this from a cockpit view is a lot different than getting the “air show view”. It’s eye-opening and hair-raising, especially in IMAX.
The aerial action is not the whole story though, and the film also shares the boots-on-the-ground story of the pilots, and to a lesser extent their large support teams of trainers and mechanics, and occasional glimpses of family and home life. The film also impresses with the unreal talents and dedication of the pilots, both in the sky and on the ground – their job isn’t just in the cockpit; it’s a total immersion in training, study, and even legacy: one of the team’s duties is to select and train their successors, a process that we get to see play out as one generation of the program gives way to the next (notably including the program’s first female pilot). For their intelligence, bravery, and distinguished excellence, each of these pilots is worthy of respect and admiration.
But stepping back and thinking more critically, the film ultimately fails to provide a satisfactory answer to a simple question: Why?
What is the purpose or necessity of this program? Why are the Blue Angels worth millions of dollars in tax-supported defense spending annually? (The most recent number I found online was $36 million in 2022; other years or estimates range up to $40 million). Why does the US military assume the extreme risk of pilots very tangibly putting their lives on the line – and 28, we learn, have paid this ultimate price – for a function that’s for neither defense nor combat, but for an extreme form of showboating?
I hoped for a thoughtful response addressing this, but the film inadvertently ended up reinforcing my more cynical presupposition. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, it’s explained, created the Blue Angels as a means to bring public attention to the skills and accomplishments of naval pilots. That’s their stated purpose. The Blue Angels are a marketing machine, and it’s hard to ultimately see this film as anything but a piece of that machine.
A thrillingly shot, stupefyingly immersive, worth-seeing-in-IMAX piece of that machine.
– A/V Out
Despite being heavily emphasized in its marketing as “Filmed for IMAX”, The Blue Angels won’t be there long! Get tickets now or watch on Amazon Prime beginning May 23rd.
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Criterion Review: DOGFIGHT (1991)
River Phoenix plays a Marine about to ship out to Vietnam in Nancy Savoca’s romance
River Phoenix and Lili Taylor in DOGFIGHT. Courtesy of Criterion Collection. Nancy Savoca’s classic wartime romance Dogfight was once a challenge to find on home video, but Criterion Collection now gives it the respect and appreciation it deserves in their new Blu-Ray package. Set within a 24-hour period – a break for new Marines before they ship out to Okinawa on the way to Vietnam – the drama takes the audience through early ‘60s San Francisco as young Birdlace (River Phoenix, Sneakers) gets to know Rose (Lili Taylor, Say Anything…). The title refers to the misogynist betting game between the Marines, an event wherein the men bring the ugliest dates they can find, and whoever the “judges” select wins a pot of money.
Birdlace is one of the 4Bs, along with three other guys with B last names he met in basic training. These young fellows don’t yet know themselves, so easily adopt the group machismo, this brute masculinity that doesn’t fit them comfortably. Phoenix as Birdlace is playing a character who is playing a role. We see Birdlace’s misplaced aggression at times, also his hesitancy to actually bring Rose into the club once he’s swayed her into going out with him. In an interview included on the Criterion disc, director Savoca and actress Taylor speak of Phoenix’s deep dive into the role and the vulnerability he allows to peek out.
(L to R) Anthony Clark, River Phoenix, Mitchell Whitfield and Richard Panebianco in DOGFIGHT. Courtesy of Criterion Collection. Rose’s character in the original screenplay was underdeveloped, but Taylor, Savoca, and her crew added dimension during filming. She’s a gentle soul in contrast to Birdlace’s bluster. There’s an intelligence to her and yet an optimistic naivete, as well.
She tells her date, “I wanna have an effect on the world,” dreams of singing folk music on stage, and perhaps one day joining the new Peace Corps. Taylor skillfully portrays her with an eager awkwardness. The relationship that grows between Rose and Birdlace is sweet in its clumsiness.
The storytelling contrasts Birdlace and Rose’s quiet evening together with the raucous night shared among the other 4Bs (including a cameo from a young Brendan Fraser as an aggressive sailor). There’s a deceptive simplicity to Dogfight, even as it includes underlying themes of toxic masculinity and the brutality of war, and as the two main characters search for themselves within and without the gender norms of the day.
Savoca and her talented crew pull the audience into the period setting through the locations used and the songs from the era that pepper the film. This being one of Phoenix’s limited screen performances before his early death adds another layer of emotion to the work and makes it that more memorable and wondrous. How lucky we are to have Dogfight as part of his legacy.
Lili Taylor and River Phoenix in DOGFIGHT. Courtesy of Criterion Collection.
The recent Blu-Ray release from Criterion Collection includes:
- director-supervised 2K digital restoration
- an audio commentary track with Savoca and producer Richard Guay (recorded for a previous release)
- a 2024 interview of Savoca and Taylor by director Mary Harron. The women talk about Bob Comfort’s original screenplay and the necessary changes it meant for Rose’s character, the trickiness of casting women for the central “dogfight,” the different ending the studio wanted and Phoenix and Savoca’s refusal to shoot it. Taylor talks about how she chooses and creates characters, and her charting of scripts is discussed. Harron comments that the reason the film remains so fresh is the painful, raw, realness at its core.
- Various crew members from Dogfight participate in a 2024 interview called The Craft of Dogfight. Participants vary from the production designer to the DP to the music supervisor. They all speak with nothing but praise for Savoca, the actors, and that specific filmmaking experience.
