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Jonathan (2018)
A Postmodern Prometheus
Jonathan is a retelling of Frankenstein stripped of its horrific elements and concentrating (if obliquely) on the ethical ones. Mad scientist Mina (Patricia Clarkson) creates an abomination which she is unable to control and is inclined and alternately disinclined to destroy. Rather than working to integrate the disparate personalities residing in baby Jonathan, she utilizes technology to create a switch that she can set to control who has command of the physical body and when. She has Jon/Jonathan live by a strict and secret code of conduct that allows them to live their half-lives without calling attention to or revealing themselves to society. They're trapped in a well of loneliness and can't even share their lives with each other as their only interactions are taped video messages to each other. Jon rebels and goes drinking, making friends, girlfriends, and resenting that his life is actually a half-life. His unsuspecting girlfriend wonders why he has never stayed to wake up in the morning with her as he literally runs into the night after their trysts. This is by way of extrapolation, as until the very last scene of the film, we only see Jon on the videos he leaves for his "brother", which simply contain the daily minutiae of laundry, kitchen, and other household chores. On these tapes, Jon is open, sunny, and generally upbeat, so it's worrying when he turns manic, trying to commit suicide, and threatening to kill them both. (Props to Elgort's performance - the prim hairstyle is unnecessary distinguish Jonathan from Jon - we know immediately.) Dr. Mina says she used to think Jon was adversely affected by living only at night, but then realized he "was the dark", rhapsodizing on his passions, both high and low. She seems enamoured of her "creation". Small wonder, as she is as low-key and dispassionate as Jon is bright and entreating. Jonathan, on the other hand, is just like the doctor; he could be her son. When we glimpse her private life, her marriage is as dull and listless as she is. Dutiful Jonathan adheres strictly to their written rules of behavior (or so we think) and worries about displeasing Dr. Mina. When he tells Jon's girlfriend, Elena, that there was originally three of them and that Dr. Mina "subtracted" the third when they were nine, he is palpably shaken, he fears being subtracted himself, as the doctor always "sides with Jon". He believes that the third aspect of his personality was actually killed.
The poignant last section of the film concerns the disintegration of Jonathan as he sets out to curb Jon's self-destructive behavior.
The theme of the movie emerges when Jonathan tells Elena that he doesn't think that nature creates chaos, he believes that it strives to produce order.
Optimistic finish that echoes The Three Faces of Eve. Eve White, Eve Black, Eve Grey.
The Devil's Tail (2021)
An Unexpected Horror Anthology
There's nothing as disconcerting as going on IMDB for a little illumination on what you just watched to find "I only watched for six minutes. Don't waste your time," or "It only played to the end cause I was reading." In other words, you felt compelled to review a film you haven't seen. Some people must really like to see their names in print. That said, it took me a bit to realize that this was an anthology. I think that was because they aren't so much complete stories as they are vignettes. The closest to a complete tale is the one about the metal-head chicks attending a rock festival and staying in a rental house. And maybe the one about the girl getting her first period. Anyway, the stories piqued my interest at some points, lost my attention at others, but overall provided me with some unsettling moments and some gruesome imagery, which is all I require for a direct-to-video horror flick. I look forward to these filmmakers' future works, hopefully staying within the horror genre, as it's fertile ground for innovation. Some of these vignettes could be exapanded into full-length features, such as the one about the old man collapsing at the train station.
Perry Mason (2020)
Feels more inspired by Chinatown than Erle Stanley Gardner
I knew immediately that people were going to get their knickers in a twist over the title alone. I read plenty of Perry Masons as a youth, my Aunt had a bookshelf full of them. I don't remember them having any biographical content as far as Perry's life before becoming an attorney. They were about the cases he was defending. So, if they want to give him an origin story, fine by me. If the Joker can have one, why can't Perry Mason?
The first three episodes have been riveting. The setting of 30's Los Angeles reeks of decay and corruption and, of course, the birth of redemption as spectacle. The atmosphere recalls Chinatown and Day of the Locust. Gaunt, debauched Matthew Rhys, traumatized by WWI and unable to sustain a healthy relationship doesn't immediately recall the self-assurance of Raymond Burr, but, hey, he's got issues to work through. The defense attorney he works for, played by John Lithgow, is obviously the role-model for what he is to become. The attorney's legal assistant is... that's right... Della Street.
I wish I could binge this. The case that's front and center is gross and there's much graphic material, I'll leave it to the other reviews to grouse about it. I'm finding it both shocking and perplexing. Kudos to Director/Producer, little Timmy Van Patten, all growed up, for an excellent kick-off. I hope he scores.
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020)
OK, Stick a Fork in It..
We're a few episodes in, and I think I'm done. It started out cute and quirky, but quickly segued into the kind of bathos usually reserved for prescription medication commercials. The musical numbers, fun as a couple of them have been, intrude upon rather than add to the storylines, which are mostly depressing. High concept series can easily lose their way and veer off into an unexpected direction to stay afloat. I wonder how this one will fare?
Nightcap: What Would Staci Do? (2017)
Brooke Shield's Comedic Prowess Presents Itself
I always thought that Brooke Shields coasted through her career off of her looks, so imagine my surprise at her deftly-played tour de force on this episode of Nightcap. She plays herself as a self-aggrandizing, scorched-earth celebrity with the personality of a hardened ex-con. After actress Kelly Rutherford dies playing a drinking game at Brooke's insistence, she advises Ali to dispose of the body and offers to help her get it into a dumpster. Later, she defends her acting skills by mock-crying, wiping her tears and presenting them to Ali, saying, "these are real tears, baby!" I wish someone would give her her own show starring this Bizarro Brooke.
A Daughter's Deception (2019)
Usual Lifetime Predictable Plot
Pretty gruesome for a pro-life screed. "You gave me the one thing I will always be grateful for... a life!" Even though it cost the murder of both your parents, your husband's co-worker, and a police detective. Oh, and the deserved beating of a school bully. She could have spared us all two hours and just killed her stepsister.
Reviewers who found the plot twist surprising haven't seen many Mar Vista productions.
Astral (2018)
Waste of a beautiful location.
The school this was shot in/around was a gorgeous cluster of buildings, too bad they couldn't come up with a script to motivate the cast to do something more than mumble glumly and vapidly stare at each other. I thought the slovenly, unkempt look of Frank Dillane was a character point in Fear the Walking Dead, but since he looks like he walked off the FWD set onto this one, I guess it's a personal choice. He needs a shampooing so bad it's distracting. And it makes it inexplicable why the hot schoolmate played by Vanessa Grasse is so insistently into him. When he actually shuts the door in her face a couple of times, she just seems to have no self-respect. All this would be negligible if there was something interesting going on with the plot. What starts off with some hokum about entering other dimensions devolves into even hokier demon possession (the Koran calls them "Djinn", a medium informs us, covering all bases). Worse, the flick dumps their far more interesting friends about halfway through, as they weren't buying any of this hooey. Well, one of them actually saw one of the "shadow people", but wrote it off as too much partying the night before. He was probably right. I wish the movie had veered off to the friends carrying on at their lovely school. Like Animal House at a posh British prep school.
Sweet Virginia (2017)
Frankly, a mess...
I give this a higher rating than it deserves because of the great cast assembled. It had interesting moments, but was totally implausible. What kind of crime syndicate would hire a hot-head psycho like Abbott's character as a hitman? We know he's not a lone gun, as he contacts a local that he's been referred to as an assist. He kills more people than he's been consigned to. There's a call to his mother while he's languishing in town, waiting to be paid (?), that I guess is supposed to illuminate his character, but it doesn't. It is mostly another excuse to display his temper, as he throws the phone at the wall. Way to lie low. He also beats a couple of local yokels for disrespecting him. Again, one suggests a low profile if you're going to hang around a small town where you just killed three people. The younger women all look alike and are hard to differentiate. There's very little police presence in a town where a triple homicide just took place. We do get to see flashing lights in the end montage, signaling justice has been served. Maybe this was a better script than what finally made it to the screen. It was too enigmatic, and not in a good way. You could skip this and instead binge Bill Hader's hitman comedy, Barry.
The Bad Seed (2018)
Run of the mill TV movie with a couple of good set pieces.
First, McKenna Grace must be a forty year-old actress in a child's body; her performance is that good. One of the best scenes was her practicing being bubbly and sincere in the mirror, then revealing her cold, calculating interior.
I think it was a mistake to make the flick about a single father raising his daughter rather than a mother, like the original. The natural mother/daughter frisson helps build the tension more than the basket-of-kisses father/daughter cliché that we're given here. (The kisses/hugs call and response is how the original play ends. Many of the reviewers here don't seem to realize the ridiculous lightning strike death in the original movie was because the Hayes Office wouldn't allow the film to end like the play did on Broadway, with the mother dying and the daughter living, similar to this remake.) As another reviewer mentioned, the title is meaningless with the change in storyline that doesn't address the idea that evil is in the blood. I kept thinking that there was going to be a reveal that the dead mother was a bad woman, perhaps executed for her crimes, but, alas...
Rob Lowe was really too old to play the father of such a young girl, but never mind. He should maybe concentrate on directing. The pacing moved the film right along. Even the scenes that were logistically problematic, like the wasp nest in the car and especially the babysitter in the garage bit, were deftly shot and exciting to watch. The latter also had some good special effects.
I find it amusing that some reviewers were upset by the use of the word **** while tuning into a movie about a little girl who kills everything in sight. And she wasn't even the one who swore. No, not Little Miss Butter-Wouldn't-Melt-in-Her-Mouth.
American Horror Story: The End (2018)
Has the potential to be an "American Horror Story".
Unfortunately, Channel Zero has been providing quintessentially "American" horror over AHS. We can hold out hope for Apocalypse, but some observations:
Another claustrophobic season. The horror genre often exploits people's fear of being closed in. Every season of AHS has been basically a one-set piece. Build a nice set and everyone will think it looks high budget, when you are apparently really spending your money on a Love Boat level of guest stars. It would have been more gratifying to see Joan Collins irradiate in her opulent mansion than be brought along for the ride. And though you save money without pesky special effects, it's unforgiveable to end the world and not give us a good look at it happen. Oh, well, it's only the first episode, I trust it won't devolve into a spoof of Road Warrior, which would make it Australian Horror Story. I'm really not understanding Evan Peters becoming Murphy's muse. He reminds me of Liza Minnelli, who Pauline Kael said, "persists in being electrifying when merely charming will do". I enjoyed Adina Porter, Leslie Grossman, and Billie Lourd is becoming a favorite. Her topknot made her look like a refugee from Whoville. Of course, Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson are Les Grandes Dames of the piece, at least until Jessica Lange shows up. I'm loving the reference to the Black Plague in the contamination suit masques and am holding out hope the whole train goes gloriously off the rails.
Love, Gloria (2012)
Odd little indie is an unexpected treat.
I can understand why this was an apparent direct-to-video movie. It portrays Hollywood as the cesspool it is, but in an oddly affectionate way. It proudly wears its political incorrectness on its sleeve and some of the more sophomoric humor doesn't work, but the result is strangely big-hearted. A washed-up TV actress who is more trouble than she's worth is kidnapped and her handlers see this as a way to get her name back in the spotlight. It showcases fine performances from the two leads, Heather McComb and Stephanie Hodes. (For some reason IMDB lists a couple of the bit players and hardly any of the number of well-known actors in the cast.) McComb really anchors the film and Hodes is a delight. Jillian Bell was more restrained than I've ever seen her (especially in a comedy) and just when I wondered where Nip/Tuck's John Hensley had gone, here he is. As I watched, I was thinking the plot was predictable, but it had a few surprises in store for me. All in all, a good diversion on a rainy afternoon.
Take Two (2018)
Two Breakout Stars... but not who you think.
I've always had a soft spot for Cibrian and Bilson, so it was a given that I would enjoy this show, no matter how slight the summer fare. The breezy repartee... check. The twisting, yet easily wrapped-up-in-an-hour crimes... check. The delightful kicker, though is the added fun of Xavier de Guzman as Berto and Alice Lee as Monica. As the agency's tech geek, Berto, and the TV star's assistant, Monica, Guzman and Lee double the fun quotient. Example: Monica, about a client's film career consisting of Lost Idol, Lost Idol 2, and Lost Idol 3, "You'd think that after the first one, they'd be more careful where they kept the idol."