MEN. I first became aware of Alex Garland as a screenwriter in 2002, when 28 Days Later was released. Directed by Danny Boyle, that picture — not to be confused with the almost contemporaneous Sandra Bullock rehab comedy with a very similar title — delivered a new, kinetic perspective on the zombie/rage virus genre (yes, […]
The Miniplex
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The Evolutionary
GEORGE CARLIN’S AMERICAN DREAM. Given his insistence on examining words and everything else in context, it would be disrespectful to talk about the comedic life and legacy of George Carlin without noting the moment in which the HBO documentary about him debuts. OK, wait — there’s too much. Let’s just look at comedy. Last week, […]
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Black Crab’s Icy Terrain
BLACK CRAB. When the world’s bleakness is inescapable as it has been of late, even fewer actors have the power to lure me into an apocalyptic landscape, a gritty wartime drama or even a setting that’s a little chilly looking. Such is the supernatural draw of Noomi Rapace, who pulled me into a trifecta of […]
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The Sound of Magic‘s Misdirection
THE SOUND OF MAGIC. I believe in magic. I live in a world where people spontaneously sing and dance, and cherry blossom petals fall from trees in the most opportune times. Because of this outrageous fortune, the world of The Sound of Magic, the new K-Drama series streaming on Netflix is immediately enticing. A downtrodden […]
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Cock and Bull Stories
WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH. Why is White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch on Netflix a poignant documentary? Was it supposed to be a piece of expository journalism explaining the nature of the brand? I was waiting for a surprise, a twist, a revelation but the […]
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The Northman’s Ferocious Power
THE NORTHMAN. In hindsight, I should probably have been kinder to The Witch (2015). At the time, I damned it with faint praise, basically comparing it unfavorably to some of the cheekier arthouse horror movies of the moment. As I think I said then, this was due to shortsightedness on my part but also to […]
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Learning from Our Mistakes
SLOW HORSES. Given that my daily news podcast unloads an avalanche of horror and idiocy most mornings, what I want when I turn to entertainment is a change, something free from cruelty, stupidity and despair. The trailer for Slow Horses — a six-part Apple TV+ original starring Gary Oldman and based on a book series […]
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Game Changers
The editor suggested, due to some fairly horrific recent events, that I keep this week’s selection light, perhaps write a column about comfort viewing. I may have met her halfway. There are certainly times when I seek out broad comedy to soothe my beleaguered psyche. As previously (repeatedly) mentioned, my wife and I spent the […]
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Meta Adventures
THE BUBBLE. It was almost — only? — two years ago that The King of Staten Island, Judd Apatow’s last feature, was released. It felt noteworthy because Apatow’s comedies are events (albeit minor ones for most) in and of themselves and because it was a starring role for Pete Davidson, the anointed one. But it […]
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Throwback Thrills
X. I’ve been a fan of Ti West’s work for longer than I care to remember. Sometime more a decade ago, I heard him interviewed and was intrigued enough by what I heard to explore his work. Back then, due to his relatively brief CV, the ubiquity of DVD rental and the lost, sought-after abundance […]
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Robot Love and Human Folly
AFTER YANG. Envisioning the future is a dicey prospect in the best of times; lately it seems borderline pointless/delusional. Global dissolution aside, committing to an imagined version of progress or the lack thereof is a risky artistic decision, and one that can (and usually will) be revealed as foolish, wrongheaded or stupid in short order. […]
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Turning Red‘s Inner Panda
TURNING RED. Getting prepared for date night by changing into pajamas, cleaning my bedroom/cave and assembling the pre-bought junk food to watch a movie on TV is turning me into a huge bear, too. In the new Pixar animation feature offered by Disney, Turning Red reminds me to close my eyes, control my emotional eating […]