LICORICE PIZZA | THE LAST DUEL | LOST IN SPACE Season 3 | HARLEM | THE RESCUE
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 03/12/2021
Hello everyone, can you believe it’s December already? Time sure flies, and just like that, another year is gone. In this week’s newsletter, I rave about Paul Thomas Anderson's latest masterpiece, LICORICE PIZZA. I share some thoughts on the solid film THE LAST DUEL. Then I go over the final season of LOST IN SPACE and the premiere of the new Amazon Prime comedy series HARLEM. I also talk about the amazing documentary THE RESCUE. And as always, there’s a playlist of five songs I enjoyed last week.
Quick Thoughts
THE LAST DUEL is a critically praised drama that takes place in medieval France and is based on Eric Jager's 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France. Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck, with Damon and Affleck co-writing the screenplay with Nicole Holofcener. This is a look at a horrific period in France’s history. But I really liked the costume and set design, which always adds depth to the plot and helps us to become absorbed in the movie. I also loved the practical effects and the brilliant cast. The battle sequences are among the most violent you'll ever see, the incredible armors and weaponry truly take you back in time. The film deals with some very difficult topics, sexism, and sexual assault. The story is told in three parts and recounts the terrible occurrence from the POV of Jean de Carrouges' (Matt Damon), Jacques Le Gris' (Adam Driver), and Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer). That was a gripping way to portray each one’s side of the story. But it wasn't until the third chapter when we see the only point of view that actually matters: The victim side. That was when I began to truly appreciate how the narrative was being presented. It was also when the film really became interesting. Jodie Comer plays Marguerite de Carrouges brilliantly. A strong woman who was willing to put her life on the line to have some justice. She challenged a nation and changed the course of history! THE LAST DUEL takes its time to make its point but it is worth the wait.
LOST IN SPACE Season 3 - After nearly two years of waiting the show is finally back on Netflix for its much-awaited third and final season. Following the dramatic cliffhanger of season 2's finale, I imagine viewers are ready to devour the new episodes. The stakes have never been higher for the Robinsons as their survival instincts were tested like never before across this new batch of episodes. And I’m glad to say that I enjoyed them. Sure, the dialogue was occasionally super clichéd and the Robot had more complexity than many of the show's flesh and blood characters. But LOST IN SPACE's pleasant, feel-good spirit is absent from a lot of sci-fi shows and movies these days. And I think it'll be always loved and appreciated because of that. It has been a pleasant three-and-a-half-year, and the show-runner Zack Estrin has always found a way to differentiate each season. But all this optimism doesn't mean there aren't any exciting action moments. Also, the threats that the Robinsons’ face has a feeling of dread to make each episode feel urgent and important. The production values of the show were always outstanding and it is not different this time around. Overall, Season 3 of LOST IN SPACE is a thrilling, enjoyable, and self-contained space adventure. It wraps up all its storylines, bringing the 23-hour odyssey to a largely gratifying ending. LOST IN SPACE Season 3 is available to stream on Netflix now.
HARLEM - This is a new comedy series starring Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Jerrie Johnson, Shoniqua Shandai, and Tyler Lepley that is premiering on Amazon Prime Video today, December 3. Tracy Oliver created, wrote, and executive produced the series, which follows a group of vibrant, smart, and ambitious friends who reside in Harlem, New York, a historic epicenter of American Black culture. The show was able to highlight a fantastic collection of Harlem's Black female entrepreneurs and creative minds. They pursue their aspirations, are flourished and serve as excellent role models for all of us to strive and fight harder to achieve our dreams. HARLEM also tackles themes like gentrification and modern dating habits while honoring the Harlem community and black women.
THE RESCUE - I had a chance to watch this documentary at TIFF 2021. It’s about the weeks-long 2018 rescue mission that captivated the world after 12 Wild Boars soccer players, aged 11 to 16 and their 25-year-old coach became trapped deep within the miles-long Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Thailand. THE RESCUE is a gripping and inspiring story of bravery that unfolds like fiction. And honestly, If this was a scripted film I would probably complain that the writers were way over the top. Back in 2018, I was kind of aware of this news story, but even though I already knew the outcome, the film managed to generate an almost agonizing sense of suspense. The filmmakers masterfully combined amazing archive material (most of it previously unseen), dramatic reenactments, and interviews with the main characters. The image of the divers coming face to face with the stranded kids, and their young faces shining with joy and hope, is breathtaking. With their most fascinating and masterfully constructed stress-fest to date, Oscar-winning documentary Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin further solidify their status as superstars of the intense non-fiction films. THE RESCUE was released today on Disney+.
LICORICE PIZZA
LICORICE PIZZA is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who also serves as one of the film's producers and cinematographers. The film stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. It follows the journey of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around, and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley in 1973.
What a wonderful, fun, and emotional reminder of what it's like to be young, as well as a great representation of what it's like to grow up. I loved the dynamic of the two leads. Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) already fully understood who he was, while Alana Kane (Alana Haim) was still trying to figure things out. which is funny because he is 15 years old she is 25. Alana refuses to accept Gary as a lover, but they share an inherent link — they become friends, business partners, even soul mates — that keeps them coming back to each other despite their awkward age difference.
The film’s flawless cinematography, editing, sound design, art direction, and writing are all awesome. The dialogue is always clever and hilarious. But it's Haim and Hoffman's performances that give LICORICE PIZZA its virtues. Their fresh-faced presence heavily impacts the film, even though neither had previously performed in a feature film before. Hoffman, 18, the son of the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, plays a very charming child actor and entrepreneur/hustler. Haim, the youngest of the three San Fernando Valley sisters from the band Haim (PTA is a fan and has directed numerous of their music videos.), is even more of a revelation. She has so much charisma and shines in every scene she is in.
The film is packed with comedic set pieces and amazing cameos too. Sean Penn appears as a stand-in for William Holden, Bradley Cooper portrays Jon Peters, Barbra Streisand's boyfriend, in a magnificently over-the-top performance. Later in the film, Benny Safdie appears as a local politician for whom Alana volunteers. But the most interesting appearance is from John C. Reilly who just has one line of dialogue as the camera pans past him, but it's one of the most hilarious cameos in the film.
LICORICE PIZZA is a love letter to Los Angeles and the 70s. It's nostalgic, but it's also peppered with reminders of the era's flaws. The director explores Gary and Alana's tumultuous relationship against the backdrop of key events of the era, such as the gas crisis and the birth of the water bed. PTA jumps into a surprisingly comfortable place with this film, and his newcomers’ protagonists deliver potentially star-making performances. It is a lot of fun, it has excellent writing and some of PTA's most outstanding directing. Despite the age gap problem between the two leads and the rude Asian jokes that popped out a couple of times for no reason whatsoever, this is without a doubt one of the best films I've seen this year. And it further establishes Paul Thomas Anderson as one of the finest directors of this century. LICORICE PIZZA is a masterpiece and reminded me why I enjoy movies so much!
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.