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THE DIG (2021)

March 12, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

THE DIG (2021, streaming on Netflix) is an enjoyable, pass-the-time film about archaeology while including enough drama to please those looking for more. It’s a satisfying film, though I would have enjoyed it more if it focused on the dig and its remarkable find.

Based on the novel by John Preston, which is in turn based on true events, the film is about the excavation of burial mounds on a rural property in England in 1939, which results in one of the most important archeological finds in British history. Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan), who owns the land, hires amateur archeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to excavate a large burial mound, which turns up remarkable treasures that redefine modern understanding of the Dark Ages following the Romans leaving the island. As an amateur, Brown never received credit until recently.

The find showed that the Dark Ages weren’t quite all that dark, and that culture, art, and trade survived and even flourished during these years and among the barbaric invaders of the British isles. The film plays the excavation and discovery well, and this aspect of the film kept me watching. It’s not quite explored enough, as the film gives the find’s archeological significance its due but doesn’t geek on it the way I would have loved. For that, you can Google articles about the actual excavation and treasures found at Sutton Hoo.

After the initial find, a team of professional archaeologists shows up, and that’s where things take a more dramatic bent. Thematically, it’s done well, as Pretty is dying and concerned about what of her if anything might live on, WW2 and its historical significance looms, and a young couple who shouldn’t be together realize they should live their lives on their own terms. Very artistic direction–cutaways to little details in the landscape and people looking at each other while dialogue from previous conversations take place–attempts to capture a literary feel. Even with it, the result is fairly staid, though again, it’s enjoyable, and I’m happy to see a movie made like this about archaeology and in particular this important discovery. So overall, I’d grade this film a B, though for its intended audience I think it’s an A film.

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

BARRY, Season 2

March 7, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

BARRY, Season 2 cemented BARRY as one of my favorite HBO shows. In the second season, Bill Hader and Alec Berg show more confidence as writers and directors, really going for it with fresh stakes and conflict, great twists, and terrific action.

Season 2 picks up right after the first season ends. Barry is in a relationship with Sally, Fuchs is out of the picture for now, Noho Hank and Cristobal join forces, and Barry’s acting teacher Gene is shattered by his girlfriend’s death. All of these forces draw Barry back into the violent life he left, which becomes a fight to cling to the happiness he’s found in his new life.

I love it when a second season doesn’t replay the first but instead levels up by growing organically. BARRY accomplishes this with great writing. The pacing is even tighter, the comedy achieving moments of hilarity, the inside look at the acting business goes even deeper, the characters are even better, and there are even themes of redemption and good versus evil explored. In the middle of the season, there’s an episode, “Ron and Lilly,” that is one of the funniest show-length comedy sequences I’ve seen on TV. In an interview, Hader said of the episode, “We might have jumped the shark. If we did, well, who cares? It was rad.” Perfect.

So I’m officially a fan of the show and Hader himself. I think Bill Hader accomplished something great with BARRY, which based on its synopsis may feel overly familiar but will definitely surprise you. The third season is written but waiting for the pandemic to end so it can shoot. I’ll be waiting for it.

Filed Under: Movies & TV, The Blog

WANDAVISION

March 7, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

I went into WANDAVISION as one of those rare guys who doesn’t give a crap about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Honestly, few superhero movies do it for me. The last great superhero film I watched was LOGAN, which I thought was incredible. In the end, I’m more about THE BOYS than the MCU.

Enter WANDAVISION, which I caught on Disney Plus. I knew enough of INFINITY WAR and the other movies to know the very basic setup and that Wanda and Vision were kinda boring characters, which I found a plus as it meant the show creators might be willing to take some chances and deviate from the tried-and-true formula. They did, and I found the show pretty amazing even though I was ignorant of many of the Easter eggs and cameos. I wasn’t looking to recognize the familiar but to see a good story, and I wasn’t disappointed.

In WANDAVISION, super-beings Wanda and Vision live in a small town that is idealized as a TV sitcom from the 1950s, but all is not as it seems. Each episode advances in era, imitating THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, I LOVE LUCY, BEWITCHED, I DREAM OF JEANNIE, THE BRADY BUNCH, FULL HOUSE, and others, even THE MUNSTERS for a clever snippet, until the conceit is eventually dropped in favor of reality. The show does a great job at emulating the old shows and explaining why the conceit was there. As the strangeness continues to seep into the program of Wanda’s life, we slowly discover what happened to the town, her role in it, and the effort to stop it.

The show explores some strong themes related to grief without immediately alleviating dramatic tension with a phoned-in wisecrack. Wanda and Vision develop as deep characters you truly care about without relying on them being shown heavy-handedly as cool. In short, the show takes itself seriously without becoming heavy lifting, keeping what works so well about the MCU while offering greater depth, more surprises, and a strong story that packs consequences.

So I liked this one a lot and would recommend it even for those who aren’t fans of the MCU, though it would help to at least read a synopsis of the last few Marvel movies leading up to the events in the show.

Filed Under: Movies & TV, The Blog

THE RECKONING by Jeff Long

March 4, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

THE RECKONING is another terrific horror/thriller novel by Jeff Long, the author of my one of my favorite horror works, THE DESCENT. I recently reread it (it was originally published in 2004) and liked it even better the second time around.

Like THE DESCENT, THE RECKONING reads like Michael Crichton decided to do a horror novel, though Long is far superior to Crichton in my opinion in building strong characters. I don’t know if I’d classify it as thriller fiction with horror elements or the other way around, but who cares because either way, it works for me.

Molly, a photojournalist, travels to Cambodia to document the recovery of bones belonging to dead and missing American servicemen fighting during the Vietnam War. After a dig goes bust, she and two searchers meet a mysterious stranger, who tells them where they can find an entire lost platoon. They jump at the chance–Molly to get her story, her companions to recover the dead–and lead a team into what they discover is a lost city in the jungle. There, the ruins brood and sleep, haunted by ghosts, and Molly learns that here, the war never really ended…

Long’s is one of my favorite writers. He’s a master of producing wonder, ticking time bombs, likeable and capable heroes dealing with an escalating catastrophe, and a sort of visceral and moody horror that keeps you reading. If you haven’t checked out his work yet, I highly recommend it.

Filed Under: Books, Reviews of Other Books, The Blog

THE MIDNIGHT SKY (2020)

March 3, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

Based on the acclaimed debut novel GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT by Lily Brooks-Dalton, THE MIDNIGHT SKY (2020, streaming on Netflix) is a competent and polished film about stakes both large and small at the end of the world, though for all its literary ambition, it left me feeling kinda empty.

The film begins with some type of nuclear catastrophe that is spreading deadly radiation throughout the world, producing an extinction event. At an Arctic research station, the researchers prepare to evacuate, as they want to be home for the end. A single man doesn’t: Augustine, a brilliant scientist accustomed to solitude. Meanwhile, out in space, all the other missions have returned to Earth except for one, whose crew doesn’t know what’s happening. Augustine hopes to reach them to tell them the news.

The film has some great actors such as George Clooney as Augustine, and you can sort of see the literary nature of the novel that produced the story, but overall there’s so little action, and the dialogue is so clipped and slow, that I never really felt like I got to know anybody and come to care about them. I think I was supposed to feel the movie, but the gravitas never came through for me. For the apocalypse, the whole thing seemed very calm and antiseptic, almost sleepy. As a result, when some big reveals come at the end, the emotional punch didn’t connect for me.

So in the end, it was an okay watch, though I had to apply some energy to stick with it. I have a feeling it might be better to read the book first, that way I could have filled in everything that seemed to be missing while I was watching.

Filed Under: Movies, Movies & TV, The Blog

BARRY, Season 1

March 3, 2021 by Craig DiLouie Leave a Comment

In BARRY (HBO, also streaming on Google Play), SNL veteran Bill Hader stars as a Marine veteran working as a hit man, who while tracking a target ends up in an acting class. Falling in love with it, he sees the possibility of a new life, but getting out of the business will be much harder than he thought. This show could have easily overplayed its hand but keeps the humor constant and subtle while hitting every other note right.

One of the things I loved about PULP FICTION is how it humanized criminals instead of making them 2D villains. In an opening scene, here are two murderous henchmen of a mob boss talking about what they call a Big Mac in Holland and whether a foot massage is technically cheating. You end up finding them charming, and the juxtaposition is often humorous. A lot of movies have tried to imitate this cool but gratingly overplay it, as imitators often do. BARRY hits the mark even better than PULP FICTION in my view, offering truly likeable 3D characters and great humor without laying it on too thick.

Otherwise, the show hits every other note just right–the portrayal of hungry and needy aspiring actors, acting itself, the action–making it a lot of fun to watch. The cast is terrific.

I have to add one of the highlights of the show is Henry Winkler. I’ve seen him in a few things after his iconic role of Fonzie in HAPPY DAYS but have never seen him have as much fun as he’s obviously having in the role of Gene, Barry’s acting teacher. He chews the scenery every time he’s on screen, and I love it.

A recommended watch. No heavy lifting, just fun comedy. On to season 2, and looking forward to season 3 once they can start shooting again.

Filed Under: Movies & TV, The Blog

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