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COBRA KAI, Season 3

January 8, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

I’m a big fan of COBRA KAI and saw the early release of season 3 as a tiny speck of awesome after 2020, before 2021 went off the rails and smashed into a horrific new low for America. I thought the season started off rocky but ended with full punch and heart in an amazing finale episode.

The season starts with the aftermath of the school brawl where all its consequences had to be dealt with. The kids are in big trouble, Kreese is fighting a personal war, and Johnny and Daniel blame themselves for what happened. These early episodes were rocky for me. The writers didn’t compromise the characters, but it felt like they just wanted to get through it, and as a result so did I. Once season 3 gets rid of season 2’s story engine and discovers its own, the result is solid though a bit over the top, as the feud has reached a kinda psychotic level. But the show leans into what makes it great, which is plenty of genuinely heartwarming scenes and its ability to trade on the original movies in a way that has integrity and finds its own identity.

And then there’s that finale. Oh, man. There’s a great amount of action, excellent humor, strong resolutions, great surprises, and a solid setup for season 4. I won’t say more as it’s best to discover it for yourself. Overall, for me, season 3 of COBRA KAI proved the show still has legs and a solid kick. It’s just plain fun.

Filed Under: Movies & TV, The Blog

THE LODGE (2019)

January 2, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

THE LODGE (2019, streaming on Netflix) left with me severely mixed reactions. On the one hand, it’s artistically very well done, and it’s great horror if you define such as breaking boundaries and taking risks. On the other hand, the big twist and reveal is so nonsensical and mean-spirited as to not so much deny willing suspension of disbelief as slap it in the face.

The film sets up a divided family, with Dad dating Grace and wanting his kids to join them for a Christmas trip to a remote lodge. Dad has to leave, a blizzard comes, and then things take a very dark turn for the strange. It’s best to set the film up as generally as possible, so you can enjoy the process of discovery for yourself. The first two acts of the film are handled really well, with plenty of tension, simmering conflicts, and some good acting, particularly by the magnetic Riley Keough.

The conceit of Dad leaving his girlfriend with his kids who clearly resent her struck me as pretty ridiculous, but I went with it, accepting it as necessary for the plot to move forward. When things get weird, the story gets pretty involving, and what’s great about it is there are multiple possible explanations for what’s going on. When the big reveal comes–suggested earlier in the film–it was a surprise to me. It was under my nose, so to speak, but I’d discounted it. The writer in me–I’m no stranger to hurting my fictional darlings–appreciated the choice, though the movie watcher in me rebelled at just how over-the-top mean-spirited and implausible it was.

The film comes in for a very dark finish that has its own twisted sense of justice to it, but the film had already half lost me by that point. So I’m at a loss how to grade this one. There was certainly a lot to appreciate, but in the end its final act resulted in the whole missing the mark for me. As always, YMMV.

Filed Under: Movies, Movies & TV, The Blog

HIS HOUSE (2020)

January 1, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

I eyed HIS HOUSE (2020) for a while on Netflix, putting it at the bottom of my list as from the trailer it looked like a “typical horror flick but hey, look, the protagonists are refugees, so there’s your twist.” I love it when I’m utterly, stupidly wrong about a first impression and get a beautiful comeuppance. For me, HIS HOUSE turned out to be a nearly perfect horror film that follows conventions while breaking them in just the right way to create something new.

Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) flee war-torn Sudan with their daughter and end up seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, where they’re hardly welcomed by the authorities and barely tolerated by the locals. They’re assigned a ramshackle house in a low-end neighborhood. Regardless of the UK not being exactly a friendly environment, Bol, tortured by his memories of slaughter, is determined to fit in and make a new life for himself. Rial, meanwhile, is afraid of their new country, doesn’t feel like she can fit in, and suffers from guilt over the loss of their daughter during the boat ride across the Mediterranean. There’s plenty of drama here alone to carry a film, but there’s more–a malevolent spirit is determined to hold them to account.

Starting with a strong focus on story, what follows is a genuinely scary haunting that plagues a couple we very quickly care about and want to win. Their conflict–about fitting in with English society and what to do about the spirit–is genuine and strong. The message about whether refugees should be accepted in a society is organic and left to the viewer without overt preaching. The brutal civil war the couple escaped is as horrifying as the supernatural elements, and perfectly suggested until some great, emotionally charged reveals. The conclusion is very satisfying.

Overall, I loved it and recommend it.

Filed Under: Movies, Movies & TV, The Blog

1BR (2019)

December 29, 2020 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

In 1BR (2019, streaming on Netflix), a shy, insecure young woman flees her doting father after her mother’s death to move to Los Angeles to start a new life as a costume designer. Answering a real estate listing for a one-bedroom apartment in a complex, she moves in to discover herself ensnared by a cult with lofty principles and brutal methods to ensure obedience and harmony. Overall, it’s a solid horror film that reminds us sometimes the scariest horror element is human, including humans who will hurt you believing it will ultimately make you happy.

In some ways, it’s an ordinary horror movie about a cult with few surprises and an unsurprising gotcha in the last scene, but again, in my opinion, it’s a solid telling. It’s a low-budget film but doesn’t feel like it, with competent acting and slow burn if sufficient pacing to the conclusion. I liked how they showed the indoctrination techniques some cults use to brainwash people, though the real thing often goes a lot farther than what’s depicted and is even more horrific. The finale is wonderfully violent, violent in that way that feels real and impactful.

So overall, 1BR is not one I’d gush about, but I liked it a lot, it rings with competence, and I thought it accomplished quite a bit for its resources.

Filed Under: Movies, Movies & TV, The Blog

THE CURRENT WAR (2017)

December 29, 2020 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

As a writer, my time is split between nonfiction and fiction. My nonfiction deals with the lighting industry, which I’ve been writing about for magazines, associations, websites, and manufacturers for 30 years. So I was very interested in watching THE CURRENT WAR (2017), a film about the war between George Westinghouse and Thomas Alva Edison about whether AC or DC power would dominate American power distribution, as I was familiar with some of the history. The film does a good job dramatizing their war and I was happy to see this bit of history covered by a major film, though overall the result feels kinda tame, like a traditional TV movie.

The film starts with Edison’s commercialization of a viable incandescent light bulb and a DC power system used to feed electricity to these bulbs from generators. Edison is excellently played by Benedict Cumberbatch, basically reprising his eccentric genius Sherlock role complete with a Watson-like sidekick. While the bulbs are amazing for the period (they last 13 hours as opposed to two, the best anybody else could do), DC power isn’t very efficient, resulting in a huge number of generators and the air crisscrossed with thick wires. Enter George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), a railroad engineer who grew rich on investing an air brake for trains. He sees AC power as the future as it’s dramatically more efficient, but he doesn’t have Edison’s light bulbs. Westinghouse wants to work together, but Edison snubs him, starting a war to see which power system will electrify America.

Edison goes so far as to try to smear AC power as dangerous, electrifying animals in front of the press and supporting the invention of the electric chair. But AC power is clearly superior. All it’s missing is a viable motor that can accept an AC power input. Enter a genius named Nikola Tesla, a Serbian immigrant who has the answer. The rest, as they say, is history.

The film has a great cast and a lot of love went into bringing the period to life. I especially appreciated the topic, as the Current War is as dramatic as they come in terms of history, and it was fought by business and intellectual giants who were rapidly transforming America with radical inventions such as electricity, the phonograph, arc lamps, and motion pictures. The film does a fantastic job of creating a sense of wonder and how at the time a few great minds could change the world with science.

The film sags, however, in its storytelling. The writers tried to balance the human and business sides of the war without giving either the right height. The directing is also fairly staid, propping up the result with Scorcese-like visual elements (he was a producer) that feel utterly out of place and actually detract from all the effort made to create historical immersion. I also think they might have done better to give Tesla far more screen time, as he is such a fascinating figure who made science truly feel like magic. This is a guy who stood on a stage at the Chicago World Fair and electrified himself (safely because the frequency was so high), powering a forerunner to the fluorescent tube that he held in his hand. The film also doesn’t mention he got ripped off.

So in the end, this is another one I liked instead of loved. Overall, it’s very enjoyable and the history is great, though the telling somewhat sags with lackluster directing.

Filed Under: Movies & TV, Other History, The Blog

THE OUTPOST (2020)

December 22, 2020 by Craig DiLouie 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.

Filed Under: Movies & TV, Other History, The Blog

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