Preacher <> Season 1

TV

I’m conflicted about Preacher. As a whole, it didn’t reach up to my expectations but I still enjoyed most of it. I’ve heard about the comic for years and had a basic understanding of the plot. So the show finally starts and it’s weird. That I was expecting but I’m not talking about subject matter. It’s the pacing. It feels disjointed and patched together like they took sections of the book and weren’t following a normal story arc. Since I haven’t read the source material, I can’t say how true that is. There are times when I wasn’t sure what was going on. Not a good feeling but it does come together (the cowboy plotline is a real headscratcher that comes in and out and doesn’t make much sense until very far in).

It’s a slow ride, I guess that’s the easiest way to say it. I’m all for building narrative but man is this show structured weird. I stuck through to the end and I’m happy I did. There’s a lot of cool stuff and it’s the main characters that got me there (my favorite being Tulip and I wanted to see where Eugene’s story was going). In that regard, it paid off for me. Oddly enough, the plot bit I heard didn’t come into the show until the end of the season finale. For weeks I was wondering if what I heard was right or if I was remembering it wrong.

It’s really hard to explain Preacher effectively and it’s a tough blind recommend. There are some creative ideas about religion that some people won’t dig (serious gore and violence too) and many probably won’t have the patience to make it all the way through. The end is probably the best part as the set up for Season 2 points to some major changes that should be a lot of fun. There are a lot of Preacher fans out there and the promise of the best things are yet to come makes me want to see it.

There’s one line of dialog that’s stuck with me since I heard it a few weeks ago:

What’s Hell like?

Crowded…

The Revenant

Movies

revenant

The Revenant is a hell of a survival movie. Hugh Glass is leading a fur trapping expedition in 1820. It’s the dead of winter and their expedition get’s attacked by Indians (Pawnee I think). Another group of white men (French) attacked their village and kidnapped a woman. Glass and company were in the wrong place at the wrong time as these dudes come crashing through, hell bent on their rescue mission. Glass gets some of his men away and routes them off the river to trek back to base camp by land. This plan doesn’t sit well with John Fitzgerald.  As the group tries to stay ahead of their pursuers, Glass gets mauled by a bear. He’s clinging to life as his group decides to leave him behind. Fitzgerald makes some poor decisions from there and Glass survives the frontier fueled on revenge.

Sitting on a couch, after dinner, in July, in an air conditioned home really puts Glass’ journey into stark contrast. The amount of abuse and horror this guy endures is off the chart. I’m not going to detail the levels of hell he goes through because that’s really the driving force of the film. You need to witness it firsthand to get the full experience. With that in mind, I didn’t have socks on so my feet got really cold. Glass almost freezes to death a dozen times so it made me feel like I was there with him. Almost.

Production wise, this picture is the stuff of legend. It took forever to shoot, the conditions were real and they used all natural light in 99% of the scenes. That’s insane. No one in their right mind would even think of doing that. It did pay off. The Revenant is a stunning production. These amazing landscapes, the phenomenal cast, everything looks so real which adds to the brutality. Director Alejandro Inarritu has a masterful eye. He knows when and where to cut and how far away he needs the camera to be at every moment.  He loves long takes. He puts you right next to Glass in the most intense moments to shove your psyche into Glass’ head to share the experience. Masterful handheld camera work that only adds, it never distracts or confuses. Props to Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for a large portion of how this film looks. He had probably the most difficult job with this production and its flawless stuff. His resume was already in the stratosphere but this puts him well into legendary filmmaker status.

Finally, Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar for Lead Actor for a reason and I’ll leave it at that. My man Tom Hardy puts another worthy notch on his belt as John Fitzgerald. Not sure if anyone could have played him better.

A riveting film that’s not for the faint of heart.

Mr. Robot S2E04

TV

Tonight’s hack tide was low. At the start we got a pre-fsociety Elliot and Darlene hanging out at Eliot’s place. She tells him about an affiliate hack she set up to get free food delivery. This quality time together shows us the seeds of fsociety.

Jumping to present day, Darlene is struggling to keep the hacker bus on the road. Her old hacker friend/informer/side piece, Cisco, gives her some info she didn’t know, something a hacker should really be on top of. The FBI found the fsociety hangout. She tries to pass it off as no big deal, but he gives her the kicker: Romero was on to something nasty. “Barenstein” (I spelled that wrong), a super secret surveillance program. She and her crew are most likely being followed by someone. Darlene’s first concern has been the Dark Army is gunning for them and Cisco doesn’t think so. That means an unknown person(s) are hanging back into some serious shadows and the FBI is now a legit concern. She has to reach out to her brother for help. She feels the walls closing in and needs to make some moves to get ahead of their tails.

Angela is swimming around in corporate filth. She turns over the info Phillip gave her last week and the two guys are busted. She’s not too sure what Phillip’s game plan is. When she goes over some legal documents, she thinks she’s figured it out and she tries a to pull a power move on him. It doesn’t work. She’s stuck in a really weird place. Plus! Phillip and Whiterose in cahoots! The plot thickens! I have no idea what they’re up to, it’s too early to tell.

WOW at the talk Joanna has with her boyfriend. A painful mix of insult and truth. His reaction is the exact one I would have had.

Elliot is duking it out with Mr. Robot for control. Therapy is of no help. Ray offering a chess board to him gives Mr. Robot a plan of his own and it works. “I’m here for a reason.” Once more some of the best stuff is with Christian Slater and Rami Malek.

We’re 4 episodes in and for the first time. we see Elliot reconnect. He sits in front of a laptop for Ray. Killer lead up with Elliot talking to Darlene, “When you said you wanted him, did you mean it?” “No, I just want you.” This weird reassurance that he, Elliot, is real and needed. That he can maintain some kind of control over Mr. Robot because he’s a part of Elliot, not all of him. Now Ray is up to some shady business that gets paid in Bitcoins. When he agrees to help Ray, he’s surprised by how easy the job Ray wants him to do. A website server migration. Then he’s really surprised when Ray calls some muscle into the room and advises Elliot to not snoop around his business. Keep those eyes to the bare essentials to get the job done. Great Scott, do we remember how this show opened last year? He takes down a local business owners shady internet business and walks away as the 5-0 rolls in on the guy. Can Elliot resist the Ray temptation? Elliot is only there for a clean internet connection and now this juicy worm is dangled in front of him? For now, he focuses on his own problems. First things first, he logs into a BBS to talk to Darlene and she fills him in on the threats. “Wait for my instructions.” The leader is BACK. So what does he feel compelled to do next? Figure out who they’re up against and how close the snare is to their neck. Knowledge is power so he’s off to hack the FBI.

More please!

Bojack Horseman <> Season 3

Netflix Original

bojack3

I wonder how many people pass this show up based on how it looks. You see a picture and the main character is a horse. The world is animated anthropomorphized animals (and insects) living and working in Los Angeles. If it didn’t grab your curiosity right away to make you check it out, there’s no way to see that it’s an amazingly inventive and mature show. Sure the comedy can be absurd and immature, but that’s how the medicine is coated to entice you to swallow it.

This season picks up right after 2. “Secretariat” is finished (with Bojack being replaced by a CG version of himself) and the promo push through awards season towards an Oscar consideration is underway. The horse who led a corny family sitcom 20 years ago is on an upswing many actors can only dream of. But this is Bojack Horseman. A guy who can’t figure out how, or with what, to fill the void in his heart. Happiness is always just out of reach no matter the success that befalls him.

Relationships are the big focus. The secondary characters are much more independent of Bojack this season. There’s a lot to cover so I’ll stick to some highlights. The secondary cast is integral to Bojack and kudos to the writers for separating them and keeping them such good and interesting characters.

Todd really got the chance to move around without Bojack. A great business venture with Mr. Peanutbutter and a much closer look at him and making relationships (the fear of it). The season ends with him professionally on the bottom floor, but with a personal breakthrough with Emily (Abbi Jacobson!)

The dynamic with Diane and Bojack remains interesting. They don’t spend too much time on screen together, but when they do it counts. She’s working hard to keep her marriage with Mr. Peanutbutter and despite being largely absent from Bojack’s life, she’s still his friend. She’s one of the few that reaches out to him when he’s pushed everyone else away and he’s alone.

I loved seeing Bojack and Princess Carolyn’s past. Made their breakup that much more meaningful.

I think the creativity of the show has reached an all time high. While the staples are still there (the unending background gags, my favorite being the fly waiter), there are some daring episodes that really mix things up. Episode 4 is a real standout where we go with Bojack to an underwater film festival. Some of the series best animation can be found there and the lack of dialog while still maintaining high levels of storytelling is impressive. The great use of flashbacks to 2007. The long story arc with the spaghetti strainers. The story with Diane and Sextina Aquafina. The crazy last run with Bojack and Sarah Lynn that weave blackouts into meta-commentary (the takes on Los Angeles and society in general, are fantastic).

Bojack remains one of my favorite shows, both in terms of Netflix Originals and in animation. The writing and voice cast (I wasn’t expecting more of the amazing character actor Margot Martindale) continue to crush it. This show covers some deep and dark territory but is funny enough to keep it from being miserable and it doesn’t get preachy or judgemental. I love the end, can’t wait for season 4.

 

Stranger Things <> Season 1

Netflix Original

strangerthings

“There is no prize like a sur-prize.”

I love when you have no idea that something right up your alley is being made. It comes out and sweeps you up into a frenzy of hugs and kisses.

A mix of 1980’s love and horror, Stranger Things harkens back to my childhood of cinema (look at that poster!). Heavy homages to Spielberg and his various collaborations and contemporaries, I couldn’t believe what I was watching. It’s like going back in time and seeing a 1980’s series that had a stupid budget and access to VFX that didn’t exist yet.

It’s 1983 and Will is riding his bike home after playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends. In a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Will encounters something that escaped from a secret government project. His friends and family must unravel a local mystery and face a terrible darkness to get him back.

I love way more of Stranger Things than I don’t. So I’ll knock out the negatives in one sentence. Some of the effects are dodgy and there are some cliched “character making dumb decisions in a horror movie” moments.

The cast is awesome. It’s headlined by Wynona Ryder and Matthew Modine, but the real stars are the kids. The main five in particular: Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Eleven. The whole season rides on them and they are great. Chemistry you pray for when you do casting. These kids are a new generation of The Lost Boys, Goonies, and Stand By Me.

At 8 episodes, I think they nailed just the right timing to tell their story. Enough time to establish characters, set down the threads of the mystery, have all the threads lead each investigative team (the kids, the brother and sister, the adults) together and then the finale. It’s funny, spooky, scary and exciting in all the right measures. Just enough is explained while leaving a good amount of mystery and hook for another season (I’d actually be fine if they went the anthology route with this like Tales From The Crypt. The title isn’t tied to the plot).

There is a silly amount of references to movies, books, and series of years past. There are long articles out there that go into just that. The music is perfect, the show is often gorgeous (really dig the ashy haze of The Upside Down), great production and The Duffer Brothers are killer directors.

Watch it! This is the kind of original content that gets people to subscribe to Netflix. It’s all the rage for good reason. If this was a movie, I’d say it would be rated PG-13 for its content, so keep that in mind if you have kids.

 

Korn “Rotting in Vain”

Korn

The day has finally arrived! The first single from the new album! Have to wait until October 21st for The Serenity of Suffering but this is a fantastic look at what they have in store for us. I have huge expectations for it. The Paradigm Shift was just the springboard for the band to get really creative again with Brian back. It would have been killer to get this as a summer album, but it’s exciting just knowing more is coming.

Mr. Robot S2E03

TV

Elliot remains on his own and tries to get rid of Mr. Robot. A doomed mission from the start, but clearly it was necessary. Ray stepping forward to offer him a new path and more importantly another voice to talk and listen to. On the surface, it looks like Ray is someone Elliot can relate to. His journey this episode is some masterwork by Rami. The tug of war with Mr. Robot is crazy.

Angela’s time this week is interesting. She has the most strained meetings with her boss you can imagine and he ends up inviting her to dinner after taking her PR advice. She gets there with two more men at the table and it sounds like dinner goes smoothly. Then her boss gives her the means to crush those two same men for being involved in the transgressions that killed her mother. It’s a wild offer/trap/olive branch I didn’t see coming. Major “keep walking into the dark with me” moment. He straight up tells her if you disassociate yourself from emotion, you can do anything.

Great opening to the show, we got to see how fsociety pretty much got started. That leads into the loss of Romero sending the other two (except Darlene) into a serious case of “we’re being hunted.” Interesting angle to have a dark horse coming after the group that’s supposed to be anonymous. It’s just the start so we have to wait and see where this thread goes.

Very little tech this week, it was all interpersonal relationships. We now know much more about Ray and what he’s looking for. In other new character news, we got a great look at (lonely) Agent Dominique and how smart she is. Way ahead of her peers (nice fail safe Romero), she makes massive strides in finding fsociety. The current theory is that Elliot is institionalised, which I can see the reasoning behind. Not sure a agree with it though. If it’s true there’s a whole lot that needs to be explained.

Amazing looking episode. Going around Elliot’s world is super intense. The staging and lighting is some pro level thinking and execution. My favorite is when Ray moves to get the chess board and we get the return of Mr. Robot reveal. It’s so slick. Music is on point as well.

Mr. Robot S02E01 and E02

TV

MrRobot2

Titillating. Not a word a throw around easily, but good lord was the premiere good. Mr. Robot is back with a swift kick to the pants. Last year this show came out of nowhere (and on USA, a network not really known for its original shows) and instantly became a hit. So happy it’s back and it looks like creator Sam Esmail has crafted another twisted road to run down.

Season 2.0 starts about a month from the massive fsociety hack on E Corp that’s been dubbed the 5/9 Attack. The economy is reeling (cash has returned to prominence over credit cards, loans are all screwed up, the housing market is barely holding on). The only one left of the original fsociety team is Darlene and Mobley. Mobley takes more of a backseat as Darlene is the clear leader, continuing the fight to change the world. Elliot has taken refuge at his mom’s house in Queens, forcing an environment where he doesn’t have computer access to keep Mr. Robot at bay. Mr. Robot is not happy about that.

Gideon is being hounded by the feds thinking he’s to blame for 5/9. Even if they can’t prove it, he fears he’s going to be the scapegoat.

Tyrell has disappeared to avoid the cops and his wife has taken a new beau and continues to keep the devilish wheels of E Corp moving as public, political and continued hacking keep squeezing them.

Angela has taken a gig at E Corp, seemingly for altruistic spying reasons (and money) but it looks like she may have been swayed to the dark side (Antara’s parting shot at the bar is the greatest).

Every awesome element that makes Mr. Robot great is at work in the premiere. Arresting visuals and soundtrack. Christian Slater is awesome, his scenes with Rami are always intense and on point. You don’t know for sure what’s real or what isn’t, Elliot as the unreliable narrator is fascinating to be with. Theories are already flying at what’s really going on with him. The hacking stuff is cool (hijacking a smart home and a massive malware ransom on E Corp), seeing Darlene continue to push forward as the leader is great. Seeing what Angela is doing is heartbreaking. Slimy stuff with the E Corp’s chiefs (the scene in DC is some brilliant material) and the route with Gideon I didn’t see coming. Mr. Robot is unbelievably intriguing, unnerving and sexy at the same time.

If you don’t watch this show, you should be. Get on Season 1 and catch up (10 episodes). If you do watch, I’m preaching to the choir. I want more right now. Sam Esmail is a genius.

Top Gear <> Series 23

TV

I’m a big Top Gear fan. After last year’s implosion, I’ve been waiting to see how the revamp would turn out. Now with all six episodes done, I can officially say it was OK. We’re getting a remix next year to work out the kinks.

The presenter roster was a bit too deep to start with (6!). Eddie Jordan was barely used and to be honest, they don’t need him. I think they’re keeping him around for next series but I don’t know why. He doesn’t add anything significant to the show.

I like Sabine Schmitz a lot. She broke out for Top Gear fans a few years ago when she whipped a transit van around the Nurburgring at astonishing speed. All her segments were good this year and I think she’s a smart addition to the formula.

I found Chris Harris on YouTube last year and he’s a perfect fit for the show. I think everyone agrees to that. He arguably had the best two segments of the series. He’s so good BBC America is giving him airtime starting tomorrow, July 11th. I’ve never heard of Rory Reid before, but I like him too. Great personality, a great speaker, and his pieces were all well done.

Matt LeBlanc is going to be the new anchor of the show. He’s got charm that brings people in, keeps you engaged and he’s a pro on camera. He always looks really relaxed and just wants to have a good time. His segment with the Porsche 911 R shows his enthusiasm that Top Gear thrives on.

Chris Evans tried his hardest which might have been his undoing. Too much from him felt forced, like he was desperate to keep this giant bird in the air by himself. Behind the scenes, he was an alleged diva that rubbed everyone the wrong way. With ratings down and people digging LeBlanc, the decision to let him go was easy, I think.

The production values remained top notch. Rory’s Ford Mustang segment is a real knockout. Of the six episodes, 3 and 6 are the stand out episodes that capture the most of what makes Top Gear great.

They still need to mess with the formula though to make it more their own. Ditch the celebrity segment. In an attempt to make that part different, they have 2 celebrities come out, talk about their first and their favorite car they’ve owned and then a race around a new route around the Top Gear track. The only part worth watching is the driving. Unbelievably boring segment that has to go. It’s like 15 minutes too, so it’s a slog to get back to what everyone really wants to see.

For Series 24, I’d like to see some more creative segments be thought up. Get some next gen Top Gear thinking and get the four presenters I like  out there to have fun together.

Clarkson, May, Hammond have been busy making The Grand Tour for Amazon which is coming…soon? No premiere date has been given yet but I’m going to guess the middle of September. It’s all eyes on them now to see what they can do without the BBC. A legion of fans are waiting so the pressure is on.

It Follows

Movies

ItFollows

It Follows rode a hype wave when it first hit the film fest scene in 2014. Check out that poster. How ominous looking is that? The movie maintains that tension through almost it’s entire run time.

It Follows is about a young woman who is stalked by a supernatural force after sleeping with a guy.

With that setup, you have the obvious societal implications. It’s a parallel to reality that grounds a social message that some of the best horror movies accomplish.

I loved almost everything on display here. A great opening scene to establish the threat that makes you question what’s going on. The pacing is dead on from there with some gorgeous cinematography and direction. The movie never stops being creepy. Annie is on a normal date with Hugh at the movies, but there’s something a little off about him. Things go well until the sinister switch is flicked on and the horror stays with you as well as Annie.

The visual language of the movie is expertly crafted. One of my favorite things is that the movie is relatively nebulous in its era. Aside from an e-reader like device that one of the girls has, it looks like this takes place anywhere in the 70’s to the early 00’s. You can also practically taste the paranoia through the camera. The Follower (what I named it) can only be seen by the person it’s after so there’s that immediate doubt from those around her that she’s just broken from her experience with Hugh (and he can’t be found by the police because he used a fake name and took off). When the Follower shows up it’s always in really cool and menacing entrances. It comes off not as a physical object, but a force that can’t be stopped, like waves on a beach. Director David Robert Mitchell had the great idea to occasionally plant the camera and slowly turn it to scope out the outdoor surroundings.  It reinforces Annie’s unease and trains you to keep an eye out on the background for the threat in every scene. One of the best cinematic presentations of paranoia I can remember.

The soundtrack is also a killer throwback to 70’s-80’s synth that helps make the movie seem like it’s from a different age of film. It’s the perfect marriage to the visuals.

My only problem is the end, I’m not too sold on it. It’s a “that’s your idea to handle this?” that seems half-baked. I think that’s kind of the point through, I’m not too sure what these kids could have done (and respect to the dude for putting his neck out there). I would have liked to see them do some more research, to maybe figure out where this thing came (some culture or whatever) to come up with a concrete plan of attack. The idea come up with to help Annie is one of those plans that seems good when you think of it, but is so flawed it’s stupid. They find that out the hard way (Annie should have told them that Hugh said the Follower wasn’t ‘stupid’). There’s also a low body count and low gore content, but more of either probably wouldn’t have added much.

It Follows is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen recently, I’d put it right behind The Babadook which is high praise. Check it out.

Movie Mangerie 3

Movies

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl– This one will hit you right in the tender parts. Greg (Me in the title) is a high school senior who’s spent his time floating around every click. He struggles to socialize, has the self-confidence of a trout, and has no friends, even though he has one (Earl) who he refers to as his “co-worker.” They’ve known each other since kindergarten and make spoof movies that they share with no one except Greg’s dad. When Rachael, a classmate he’s an “acquaintance” with is diagnosed with cancer, his mother pushes him to hang out with her. Greg has a hard time getting out of his own way, stuck in the perpetual motion of being a self-doubting loner. Through his time with Rachael and Earl, his life is changed. Well written in all regards (deft jumps from comedy to tragedy) with a great cast (RJ Cyler as Earl rules) a ton of movie references and some really striking direction. I like the narration angle they used, smart way to move things along and hold the audience’s hand when necessary. Great movie.

Tomorrowland– Directed by Brad Bird (he’s made some great stuff), this movie got completely crapped on by critics. It did alright in theaters, just making a profit in worldwide total. As a whole, I liked it but it does have it’s problems in the final act (mostly). Essentially it’s a story about hope, the future, and the pushback from pessimism. Frank Walker and Casey Newton are a generation (or two) apart but they both have a brilliant and creative mind that gets them into trouble. Their personality traits put them on a collision course to help a far off land in ways that stretch the imagination. I thought George Clooney was great in this and Britt Robertson made for the perfect partner. This movie is stuffed with special effects that make for some really wild scenes. The whole segment at Frank’s house is a blast. There’s a ton of cool future tech like androids, laser blasters, rocket packs, and vehicles. The movie starts a little slow, picks up for the middle and then gets real rocky for the third act. The movie stumbles over itself with convoluted ideas and explanations (Nix is a crap character) that make it hard to follow. I thought the end was satisfying with a good message so that saved it for me.

Focus– An interesting movie that’s got a really long set up. Nicky is a con-man on the professional level. He meets Jess when she tries to con him, not knowing his expertise. They hook up, she becoming his protege. They work New Orleans during the Super Bowl and then when Nicky gets cold feet about them having a lasting relationship, he cuts her loose. Then, three years later he runs into her while doing another job. Is she still in the game and running a con or did she leave the game? A lot is on the line…can they trust each other? If you’re a fan of Will Smith, I think you’d like this for sure. He’s got his charm cranked to the max as Nicky. I love Margot Robbie and she’s got great chemistry with Smith so they make this work. Not an incredible movie but I think it’s a fun movie worth watching. Great for a rainy day.

The Peanuts Movie– a.k.a. Charlie Brown gets a crush. Really simple movie where Charlie Brown tries to talk to the new girl in town and Snoopy writes a story/hallucinates saving his crush from the Red Baron  (weird way to put action into a Charlie Brown movie and it totally pads the movie to get it to  feature length runtime). The highlight is the animation. They found the perfect way to update Peanuts with modern CG animation technology while keeping the classic aesthetic. The texture is understated but beautiful that adds a lot of depth to the characters and sets. I was surprised at how much of a bummer this was until the very end. Charlie Brown is straight up cursed. The entire world is against him to the point where the laws of physics change to screw him over. The kid is a nervous mess and can’t catch a break. Congrats on not being on any meds for depression Charlie Brown.

Fantastic Four (2015)- The behind the scenes chaos is probably more well known than the actual movie. The studio was so unhappy with the movie they basically took it away from director Josh Trank during editing (lots of rumors about him being difficult while shooting). There’s nothing terribly redeeming about what I saw (good cast). The story is bizarrely simple, to the point where you can tell a ton of stuff must have been taken out and the bare essentials stitched together to make something cohesive. It’s a (boring) superhero origin movie for a series that doesn’t need another origin story and it’s shot really dark for some reason. There’s very little action. The villain, Dr. Doom, is barely in it and he shows up at the very end simply to be evil. Right around release, Trank said that there’s an edit of a very good FF movie (his), but no one is going to see it (because of the studio). I’d love to see it because I want to see what the studio was so unhappy with that they went ahead and released it the way they did. Was it just too weird or controversial? Bad acting? Too many poorly shot scenes? I hope someone digs up the truth in a few years. This has essentially killed FF movies, it’ll take Marvel to get them back and integrate the family into the ongoing MCU.