DRIVE MY CAR | THE BATMAN | FRESH | PIECES OF HER
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 04/03/2022
Hello, everyone! This week’s newsletter has me reminding everyone that one of the best films of 2021, DRIVE MY CAR, is now available on HBO Max. I’m sharing some thoughts on the new Batman movie and Hulu’s Romantic-Horror film, FRESH. And I also talk about the new Netflix series PIECES OF HER. As always, there’s a playlist of five songs I enjoyed last week.
I also wanted to say thanks to the nice folks from Substack for putting together “Substack Go”. The Friday roundtables that we had for the last four weeks helped me to connect to fellow Substack writers and find some really cool newsletters such as:
I <3 Mess, Memeforum, On Repeat, The North Texas Apocalypse Bunker Weekly Report, The Shift, New World Dreaming, Valid Feelings and Future of Belonging.
QUICK THOUGHTS
THE BATMAN was directed by Matt Reeves and has Robert Pattinson as Batman and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman. The movie clocks up around 170 minutes, which is a bit long for my taste, but it looks and feels like a genuine psychological thriller film. This isn't your typical DC/Marvel movie. THE BATMAN is a grounded and gloomy film, not just a CGI extravaganza like other superhero flicks. The gritty nature of the movie really appealed to me. Gotham City appears to be in dire straits. Everyone is hooked to a substance known as "drops," and the violence seems so real. The visual effects are very smooth. Furthermore, the cinematography and production design are equally excellent. Sometimes I felt like I was watching a David Fincher movie. It feels like SEVEN and ZODIAC had a baby and he likes to dress up like a bat. A few things in the movies bothered me though. Some dialogues are very corny and the one-liner “I am vengeance” is as cringe as Machine Gun Kelly saying “I am weed”. Also, even though the first two acts are great, the third act drags a little and it could have used some more work. And I saw that twist coming a mile away. Overall, THE BATMAN is a fantastic noir detective story. And I believe it eclipses THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy. But I'm not a major comic book fan and I’m not super invested in superhero flicks. So take this opinion with a major grain of salt.
FRESH is Mimi Cave’s feature film debut starring daisy Edgar-jones and Sebastian Stan. The film had its world premiere at Sundance and will stream exclusively on Hulu (US) and Star+ (EU). FRESH follows Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who meets the alluring Steve (Sebastian Stan) at a grocery store and, given her frustration with dating apps, takes a chance and gives him her number. After a couple of dates, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve’s invitation to a romantic weekend getaway. Only to discover that her new lover has some odd tastes. FRESH defies all romantic conventions and aggressively addresses the dangerous aspect of modern dating. The movie is interesting in its set-up, a 33-minute pre-credits prologue that introduces the two main characters and their connection before everything goes south. When the film's horrific surprise is disclosed it becomes successfully disgusting and horrifying. Unfortunately, in the last act, FRESH falls victim to horror genre cliches. The movie resolution was a major issue for me. Yes, the characters were in an evident fight or flight situation, but they act so unreasonably. This is a shame because FRESH was so unique and smart until that point, but it's still an interesting experience.
PIECES OF HER follows Andy (Bella Heathcote) and her mother Laura (Toni Collette) after they escape a frightening near-death encounter at a small-town Georgia cafe. The women's lives are turned upside down as a result of the media attention, and Andy finds herself alone and on the run, doubting everything she ever knew about her mother. As a result, the mother and daughter relationship shifts completely. Collette's presence anchors the series, which is mainly a gripping thriller. Laura's backstory is told in a sequence of flashbacks set against a backdrop of tumultuous politics. And we see the impact of her traumatic childhood, particularly her problematic relationship with her father, played by Terry O'Quinn. PIECES OF HER isn't flawless. It feels overstuffed and short at the same time–but it's indisputably interesting television, courtesy to its great ensemble cast and a never-ending supply of twists.
DRIVE MY CAR
DRIVE MY CAR is a delicate, slow-burn film about a man who travels to Hiroshima following the loss of his wife to join a small theater troupe putting on a play “Uncle Vanya”. He then hesitantly accepts Misaki's offer to drive him to rehearsals. Throughout it all, the pair learns that life is messy, but that all you have to do is keep going.
The film, which premiered March 2 on HBO Max, is about love and grief. And it is full of twisting roads and unexpected relationships as well as a story about creative expression. This is an unusual film that masterfully blends acting, plot structure, and well-written dialogues to the point that you forget you're watching a film.
DRIVE MY CAR manages to engage us in its story rather than trap us in boredom despite having a duration of over three hours and sequences that are largely verbal dialogue. The film made pretty much all critic’s best-of-the-year lists for a simple reason: It is a masterpiece.
Top 5 Songs
These were the 5 songs on heavy rotation in my house last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
Thank you for the mention! I had so much fun in our cohort.
"Haptics" is a fantastic track. Listening to it as I type this!