Author of sci-fi/fantasy, horror and adventure/thriller fiction

THE OUTPOST (2020)

by Leave a Comment

I spotted THE OUTPOST (2020) on Netflix and thought, well, here goes another predictable war movie about lovable, earnest soldiers fighting the evil Taliban with plenty of action and American grit, and I ended up pretty surprised to discover instead one of the best films about war ever made, at least in my opinion as a civilian.

Based on the book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper, the film depicts the events surrounding the incredible Taliban assault against Combat Outpost Keating, one of a series of bases strung across the mountains near Pakistan to prevent arms and Taliban fighters from crossing into Afghanistan. It was that war’s bloodiest battle, which involved hundreds of Taliban assaulting the base with the advantage of the high ground. It’s the inspiration for a similar fight in my novel THE INFECTION.

Few war movies have the courage to tell it like it is and let soldiers be real people. GENERATION KILL did it, and so does OUTPOST. There’s very little hooah sap and “band of brothers” here. They’re just regular guys, and we see them interact with wit and the usual friendships and frictions you’d expect. They are also somewhat fatalistic, as they’re under constant harassment, the base is poorly situated surrounded by high ground, and they know a big attack is coming that they will likely not survive. But they’re professional soldiers and have a job to do, so they do it stoically.

The film gives us time to get to know the grunts as the CAV unit goes through several commanders, each with a different command style. The acting is strong and perfectly understated, led by a cast that includes Orlando Bloom, Caleb Landry Jones, and Scott Eastwood (the spitting image of his dad). Meanwhile, the unit’s relationship with the locals slowly sours, and the tension builds. When the attack finally comes, it’s absolutely savage–as exciting and powerful as the likes of BLACKHAWK DOWN–and this is where we see the hooah and band of brothers come out–naturally in the soldiers’ actions–as some fight back with incredible courage and others risk their lives for guys they serve with and sometimes don’t even like that much.

The film has been praised by veterans, including men who fought in the actual battle, for its depictions of everyday soldier life, war in general, and the battle in particular. The film made me care, had me on the edge of my seat, and respected my intelligence. I absolutely loved this one. While 2020 sucked in general, it absolutely shined for war films with the release of the likes of THE OUTPOST and GREYHOUND. I hope we get more like it.

MANK (2020)

by 2 Comments

David Fincher’s MANK (2020, streaming on Netflix) tells the story of the how the script for the classic film CITIZEN KANE came to be, revealing a corrupt Hollywood and something of the inspiration of the film himself, media baron William Randolph Hearst, through the lens of the scriptwriter. I found it a bit pompous and a little tedious until the story took hold, where it becomes quite beautiful, and in the end, while I didn’t quite love it, I found much to admire.

Set in the 1930s and early 1940s, our hero is screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (brilliantly played by the great Gary Oldman), an alcoholic wit working for MGM, headed by Louis Mayer and funded by William Randolph Hearst. In the past, we see Mank befriend Hearst, who keeps him around as a sharp if amusing and harmless court jester. In the present, Mank is writing CITIZEN KANE for Hollywood outsider Orson Welles (Tom Burke, who eerily gets the iconic voice right), despite all the pressure and warnings about the consequences of messing with the rich and powerful. Almost all the major characters are based on real people, and many of the major events are at least roughly based on what really happened.

The film is a loving homage to 1940s films and CITIZEN KANE itself, mirroring it from its structure to its examination of a life to its use of black and white film, hefty score, and pointed transitions. As for Hollywood, there is little romanticizing, presenting it as a dirty business where workers received big pay cuts during the Depression while Louis Mayer lived like a king, and where actors were used in political smear campaigns.

As I said, at first I found the film to be somewhat pompous, from its heavy handed music and effects to its stilted, witty dialogue to its delivery of the overwrought trope that is the alcoholic but rascally writer. Despite its light heartedness, it’s heavy lifting. The more I watched, however, the more the story revealed itself like a puzzle (much like CITIZEN KANE itself) and the more interested I became until by the end if I wasn’t in love with it I was certainly liking it a lot and admiring its subtle complexity.

Overall it’s an enjoyable and very interesting film, and I would recommend it for its unique flavor alone.

BLACK BOX (2020)

by Leave a Comment

In BLACK BOX (2020, streaming on Amazon Prime), a man who loses his wife and almost dies in a car crash deals with mounting bills, trying to raise his young daughter, and brain damage that has seriously eroded his ability to remember things. When he undergoes an experimental treatment, which forces him to plumb memories deep in his subconscious, he begins to question who he really is. With lackluster direction, this sci-fi horror flick was largely unremarkable for me, but it’s a solid watch. Not a B movie but a B+.

The film has some good acting, notably Phylicia Rashad (of THE COSBY SHOW and other fame) in the role of the scientist and Mamoudou Athie, who looks like the nicest guy in the world and instantly brings sorrow to his struggling character and makes you want to root for him. The mystery is guessable but not obvious, with just the right amount of tension building to the reveal and climax.

Probably my only significant qualm was the inconsistency of Nolan’s condition. He can’t remember where the plates go in the kitchen but remembers how to drive and use a cell phone. He needs Post-Its to remind him of things but can’t use his cell phone alarm to remind him to pick up his daughter, etc. No biggie, but it was irksome.

Overall, I didn’t love the movie but I liked it and consider it a solid watch.

RELIC (2020)

by Leave a Comment

In RELIC (2020, streaming on Netflix), an Australian literary horror film, Kay travels to her mother Edna’s house with her daughter after Edna goes missing. They find a life in ruin due to dementia and possibly sinister forces at work. I liked it a lot as an example of a literary take and slow burn done exactly right, though the allegory is a bit on the nose.

I loved the pacing of this story, which is very character driven and slow burn but never gets boring. The dialogue is somewhat sparse and very realistic but somehow manages to convey a lot of character development and story. Both of the younger women want to care for Edna but in different ways, which establishes real, instant, and deep conflict.

I also liked the mounting dread. Something is not right in the house, which the younger women are discovering, and it slowly builds to a terrific climax and a powerful message about mental illness and love. Oddly, this is where I had probably my only qualm with the film, which was the allegory was a little direct for me, as I tend to like when this type of thing is teased.

Overall, I found RELIC a solid horror watch.

THE WARLORD CHRONICLES by Bernard Cornwell

by Leave a Comment

I didn’t so much read Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Chronicles as devour it. Wanting more, I discovered his Warlord Chronicles (THE WINTER KING, ENEMY OF GOD, and EXCALIBUR), a retelling of Arthurian legend. I normally don’t go for Arthur stories, as the basic legend is overly familiar, but wow! Cornwell did again. He made the characters larger than life, made the legend feel like history, and interpreted the legend in a fresh and exciting way.

The story is told in first person by Derfel, now old and a monk living in a British kingdom under threat by a fresh Saxon invasion in the 500s. His reminisces cover all of Arthurian legend from his perspective as a young man who becomes one of Arthur’s most valued friends and warriors. Through him, we meet Arthur, a warlord who is unbeatable in battle but idealistic to a fault; Merlin and Nimue, who are seeking to restore the Old Gods of Britain; Guenevere, who is clever and beautiful but ambitious; Lancelot, a prince of Brittany who is revered but vain; Mordred, the malevolent child king who grows up to become a monster; and more.

Their Britain is under constant threat from political and religious disunity and the Saxon invaders, and Arthur’s mission is to unite them all in a kingdom ruled by peace and fair justice. But its real ruler and threat is passion–love, vanity, and spite. The result is a riveting retelling of Arthurian legend that is both magical and believable. “Of all the books I have written, these are my favorites,” Cornwell said of this series, and no wonder.

THE LIBERATOR (2020)

by Leave a Comment

Based on the nonfiction book by Alex Kershaw, THE LIBERATOR (2020, Netflix) is a four-part WW2 miniseries chronicling infantry commander Felix Sparks and members of the 157th Infantry Battalion of the 45th Infantry Division, which fought for 500 days during the Italian campaign. The series is compelling, realistic enough that old tropes feel lived in and comfortable instead of saccharine, and emotionally powerful.

The series was originally conceived as a live-action, 11-part series for the History Channel. The daunting cost, however, consigned the project to the file drawer. The showrunner, Jeb Stuart, however, loved it enough that he and his team found a way to produce it as a four-part series and animate it. The result is an extraordinarily powerful drama about war that lacks the excitement and action of say BAND OF BROTHERS but has equal if not more emotional impact.

Interestingly, the story of the 157th is also a diversity story. To get bodies at the front, the services began to integrate. The 157th–the “Thunderbirds”–was an integrated unit made up of white cowboys, Mexican-Americans, and Native soldiers from across the American West. They fought long and hard in some of the most horrific battles of the war and as a result became one of the most decorated American combat units. In the series, the diversity element is handled very well, letting it speak for itself, and rather than present Sparks (played by Bradley James, nailing the role) as a “White savior,” he is merely an officer who believes if the men he’s given command of are simply treated fairly, they would become excellent soldiers, and he was right.

The animation works well and doesn’t detract at all from the show, though I’m not sure it enhances it other than enabling costuming, equipment, and special effects that wouldn’t been allowed by the budget. You can see the lack of budget in the number of people onscreen–at one point, several units are fighting and then surrender en masse, but we never see more than a handful of people on screen. I didn’t mind, mostly because the acting was terrific and the script was fantastic. One phrase that jumped into my mind while watching it was “the banality of war.” The series has a very lived-in feel, making it seem real even with the animation, and most of what we see is the men simply trying to survive. The real drama isn’t from the combat but instead the men we come to care about, particularly Sparks himself, and the way familiar war tropes surface while others are challenged. As for the Germans, they’re presented as real people as well instead of comic-book villains, though sometimes the SS–who were absolute fanatics–are humanized a bit too much for credulity.

In short, I loved it and highly recommend it.