THE FRENCH DISPATCH | THE HAND OF GOD | THE UNFORGIVABLE | AGNES | YELLOWJACKETS
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 10/12/2021
Hello there, I’m writing this at 2 am and I just finished watching DON’T LOOK UP. And I liked it! However, I can see a lot of people (and by people I mean USA citizens) getting really annoyed by it. So expect polarizing reviews. The film is being released in some selected theaters today. I will share my full review when the film hits Netflix on December 24th. Anyway, in this week's newsletter, I share my thoughts on the latest Wes Anderson film THE FRENCH DISPATCH that will be released on VOD Tuesday, December 14th. I travel back to 1980s Italy and enjoy the beautiful Naples through the eyes of the director Paolo Sorrentino. I also talk about the new Sandra Bullock movie THE UNFORGIVABLE, the weird, in the best possible way, horror flick AGNES and ramble about showtime’s new series YELLOWJACKETS. And as always, I share a playlist of five songs I listened to last week.
Quick Thoughts
THE HAND OF GOD - Paolo Sorrentino’s latest film THE HAND OF GOD is an actual compilation of his adolescent memories. At first, I thought I was experiencing a light comedy about a colorful Italian family. But the film transformed into a sophisticated, introspective character drama in its second half. Demonstrating how incredibly personal and sensitive this film is to Sorrentino. Fabietto Schisa (Filippo Scotti), a shy young guy with curly hair and Walkman headphones draped around his neck, serves as a stand-in for the director. His never dull family is composed of his father Saverio (Toni Servillo), his prankster mother Maria (Teresa Saponangelo), and his aspiring actor brother Marchino. The core four's dynamic is a joy to behold. Each performer offers a unique vitality to the film. THE HAND OF GOD is moving because it not only makes you wonder if Sorrentino is still trying to heal from his traumatic past. But also because it is a beautiful tribute to Naples, Maradona, Fellini, and the cinema in general. Thank you, Mr. Sorrentino, for being so vulnerable and sharing your story with us.
THE HAND OF GOD will be available on Netflix on Wednesday, December 15.
THE UNFORGIVABLE - Director Nora Fingscheidt had a difficult challenge with this Netflix Original. Take a TV series (also called THE UNFORGIVEN) and compress it into an under two hours film starring Sandra Bullock, Jon Bernthal, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rob Morgan, and Viola Davis. The movie follows Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) who gets released from jail after completing a punishment for a horrific crime. She re-enters a community that is unable to forgive her. Faced with a harsh reaction from the place she formerly resided, her only chance for forgiveness is to track down her estranged younger sister, whom she had to abandon when she went to prison. This is a difficult film to watch. It has a painfully slow exposure of the events that led Slater to her 20-year sentence for murder. But, it has also an outstanding performance by Sandra Bullock. She led the film with grace and passion. Vincent D'Onofrio also pops up as her lawyer, and Viola Davis plays his wife who wants little to do with Ruth and is not happy that her husband is helping her. THE UNFORGIVABLE has an appealing plot. However, despite its talented cast and intriguing idea, the execution, narrative, and character development of this post-prison drama fall short. And I think This would have worked much better as a series, with at least six episodes. But at least it serves to remind us what a fine actor Sandra Bullock is.
THE UNFORGIVABLE will be available on Netflix today, December 10.
YELLOWJACKETS This show tells the story of a team of wildly talented high-school girls soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. I have been watching this new Showtime series for a month now and I’m still not sure if I like it or not. YELLOWJACKETS balances two timelines and a parade of intricate lead characters while relying heavily on 90s nostalgia. It reminds me of the first season of LOST but with more gore, creepiness, and a 1990s soundtrack. The cast is great and I’m not going to lie, it is awesome to see Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci working together. I’m a big fan of both so that’s a plus. So far the show is keeping me curious to know more about what exactly happened in those woods. But I’m not sure if that will be enough to keep me coming back every week. I’m not a fan of the weekly release strategy and I wish Showtime had released all episodes at once. Anyway, we will see how it goes but I will probably wait until all the remaining episodes have been released and binge-watch them.
AGNES is directed by Mickey Reece, and it is Half exorcism thriller and half-character drama. The type of weird indie movie that I’m always up to watch. The film starts at a distant convent, where a nun's strange behavior ignites allegations of demonic possession. When a priest-in-training and his cynical mentor are dispatched to investigate the case, their efforts backfire, leaving a trail of dread and sorrow in their aftermath. Throughout its first half, AGNES seems like it will be a straight-up horror/comedy film about Agnes’ exorcism. The second half though is all about Agnes' friend Mary (Molly Quinn). She leaves the convent and tries to make sense of what happened to her friend and restart her life as a normal young woman. She has to navigate a broken world full of lousy jobs and horrible people. But when she meets Agnes's old boyfriend, a comic named Paul Satchimo (Sean Gunn), weird things start to happen to her too. Agnes takes a refreshingly different approach to a well-worn territory, and even though it doesn't provide as many straight-up scares as genre aficionados may expect, It is still an interesting film.
Magnolia Pictures is releasing AGNES in theaters and on VOD today, Friday, December 10
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
Wes Anderson is a filmmaker who doesn't create films for the masses. His unusual style of precise, diorama-like production design and bizarre characters has just as many naysayers as supporters.
THE FRENCH DISPATCH is a delightful and fascinating compilation of three short stories with a framework arc. The story is set in a fictional French village named Ennui-Sur-Blasé, and it follows the happenings of a literary newspaper (inspired by The New Yorker) called The French Dispatch, which is published by Arthur Howitzer (Bill Murray), who created the publication while traveling as a young man.
The Concrete Masterpiece, is the first of three stories, is by far my favorite of the bunch. Benicio Del Toro plays a convicted killer with a gift for painting abstract nudes of his guard, played by Léa Seydoux, who is harsh yet captivating. The painting draws the attention of Adrien Brody's dishonest art dealer and, eventually, Tilda Swinton's flamboyant critic, resulting in a hilarious debate about art fraud and cultural appropriation. And it is, in my opinion, a compelling standalone story.
The other two parts are also quite interesting and include a lot of absurdity and sarcasm. However, the storyline becomes tedious at points, and while the episodes aren’t bad, their short duration prevents the characters from being fleshed out as fully as they are in previous Anderson films. However, the excellent performances of the actors in these two stories make them worthwhile seeing.
Overall, THE FRENCH DISPATCH is a good film but like most of Andeson’s work, it is not for everyone. It is exceptionally well done and every scene was carefully and beautifully shot. Every detail was perfect. Fans of Anderson's precisely crafted style will adore this heartfelt homage to the spirit of journalism. It may be a little difficult to follow at times, but if you like his style of filmmaking, you won't want to miss it.
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.