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I Love That for You shows that very little is as it seems < Back I Love That for You shows that very little is as it seems Annapurna Television, 2022 30 minutes Creator: Vanessa Bayer and Jeremy Beiler Reading Time: 6 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Showtime I Love That for You Tell Dem (69KYUSWZ9TT2H6U9) 00:00 / 07:04 Jasmine Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Peach Movies and TV shows with a springtime feel or with images of the season Reba Chaisson 2023-05-04 The 1971 hit song, “Whatcha See is Whatcha Get” is about a man convincing his lover that unlike her past loves, he is for real. The medium tempo, soulful song by The Dramatics consists of lyrics penned by songwriter Anthony Hester, and begin something like this: Some people are made of plastic Some people are made of wood Some people have hearts of stone Some people are up to no good But baby, I’m for real. I’m as real, as real can get While this might be a bit dramatic (pun intended), you get the point. Things are not always as they seem, and the storyline and characters in the television series, I Love That for You , are strong evidence of this hard truth. I Love That for You depicts behind-the-scenes drama at the Special Value Network or SVN, a home shopping network enterprise. The business is headed by Patricia, a sharply dressed and dictatorial 60-something who founded the successful company. Typically, controlling bosses unwittingly work against themselves,alienating their employees with clear-cut directives and leaving no room for discussion. But this is not the case in this brightly lit series full of quirky characters. Put another way, Patricia, played by Jenifer Lewis, is a strong hands-on leader with skills at negotiating lucrative deals that keep SVN competitive and viable. Closest to her are Darcy Leeds, her smart and loyal assistant played by Matt Rogers ( Fire Island, Shrill ), and Jackie, Patricia’s 50-something best friend played by Molly Shannon ( Other People , Scary Movie 4 ), who is the most successful seller at the network for the past 30 years. While containing some funny moments, warm friendships, and lightly competitive workplace relationships, the show still holds some serious, thought-provoking moments that seem aimed at demystifying several long-held ideas about who people are and the range of their talents and capabilities. One example of this is the idea that life is over at 60-something. Though very serious and controlling, 60-something year-old Patricia is far from one-dimensional, as she is sexually active and particularly enjoys the company of younger Black men. In her words, “What are you saving your vagina for?” Indeed, Patricia is reminiscent of Lady Eloise, Eartha Kitt’s character in the 1992 film Boomerang , where she regularly pursued and seduced men much younger than herself. Like Lady Eloise, Patricia is wealthy and independent, even giving parting gifts to her lovers after their one-night rendezvouses. Despite Patricia being a big part of the series, I Love That for You centers on Joanna, an early 30-something who survived childhood leukemia and still lives under the protective wings of her parents. This is evidenced by her limited social skills (stale jokes, clothes and pajamas with characters, animals and fruits), lack of intimate experience with a partner, and living at home with her parents – who, frustratingly for her, still view her as “sick” despite being cancer-free for 20 years. Fascinated by SVN and Jackie in particular since she was a child, Joanna, played by Vanessa Bayer of Saturday Night Live fame who is also creator of the series, auditions for an on-air role and gets the job. When Patricia asks her “What story are you selling?”, during her first team meeting, she gives an emotionally immature response. Annoyed and unamused, Patricia asks experienced sellers the same – all of whom humorously articulate keen awareness of their on-air identities. Posing the question again to her new employee, Joanna, desperate to keep her job, belts out “I have cancer.” This sudden schtick conjures sympathy not only from Joanna’s colleagues, but also her shopping audience, making her a highly successful seller at SVN. But to what degree can Joanna keep up the lie about her fictitious cancer diagnosis? Storytelling is at the center of selling and perhaps I am being cynical, but many if not most of them are lies. This one is a big one though. Unseemly. It can even be viewed as making light of and profiting off the pain and suffering of people whose lives have been turned inside out by a word some find difficult to say aloud, so choosing to abbreviate it instead as “the C word.” The thing about telling lies is it warrants keeping up the facade, usually by telling more and bigger lies to do so. Finally, when the lie is told so much, it risks overshadowing the identity of the person who is lying. I Love That for You is largely light and fun, despite containing an element that does not make sense. For example, Joanna never shows signs of experiencing cancer treatments. Her skin color and body size never change, and she even maintains a full head of hair throughout the series. Yet, her colleagues make no mention of this. Each episode, though, does continue to challenge commonsense ideas. Joanna, for example, is presented as naïve and innocent but she is a big liar. Beth Ann, a self-identified Iranian woman played by Ayden Mayeri, is depicted as competitive, spiteful, and full of lust, when Iranian women are typically represented as covered and wholesome. Perry, another on-air talent played by Johnno Wilson who presents as effeminate, enjoys sex with women as well as men because “f***ing is f***ing.” And while confident and successful, Jackie carries some deep secrets that suggest she is not as okay as she seems. Even Patricia does not escape this, as while controlling, she demonstrates that she is also intensely passionate. Suffice it to say that very little is as it seems in this series, which is likely what creators Vanessa Bayer and Jeremy Beiler intended. In addition to entertaining, the show reveals the depth and breadth of people across race, gender, and age categories, as if to implore the audience to avoid judging a book by its cover. There are scenes in I Love That for You that recall the fun of Boomerang and the poignancy of the television series, How to Get Away with Murder . The diversity and quirkiness of the characters add to the series’ entertainment value and broad appeal. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back HR Representative Apply Now San Francisco, CA, USA Job Type Part Time Workspace Remote About the Role This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Requirements This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. About the Company This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Apply Now

The After highlights children’s intuition < Back The After highlights children’s intuition Neon Films, 2023 18 minutes Director/Writer: Misan Harriman / John Julius Schwabach and Misan Harriman Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix The After A Dark Past (WYJRMRUKNMDQSZB1) 00:00 / 04:01 Dandelion Movies/shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2024-02-06 Many of us believe that when we lose one of our senses, the others grow stronger. In the same way, younger children, due to their underdeveloped verbal communication skills, possess stronger nonverbal abilities and even an intuition of how others feel. As adults, we are frequently too distracted with our own problems and responsibilities to recognize a grieving person in front of us. Just the same, we can often be too desensitized or callous to care even when we do. In this sense, adolescents have an advantage over us, still having empathy and observational skills that have not dulled or hardened from life experience. Misan Harriman’s Oscar-nominated short film, The After , hints at this reality over the course of its 18 minutes. David Oyelowo ( Selma ) plays Dayo, a loving husband and father whose world is turned upside down after a stabbing attack that cost him his family. A year later, his career as a businessman is a distant memory, and he works as a rideshare driver while still grieving the sudden, tragic loss he’s endured. Dayo is not without a support system, as many friends call to check up on him, but he has trouble responding and keeping up with his grief counseling appointments. Over the course of a typical day, he provides rides to numerous strangers in London and becomes numb to the conversations occurring in his backseat. Most of his customers are adults who are either conversing with each other, arguing, or on their phones. Though unspoken, it is clear from Dayo’s demeanor that he is repressing a lot of his still unprocessed emotions in order to put on a face for his job. One day, a bickering couple and their silent child pile into his backseat for a ride home. The child sits in the middle, clearly affected by her parents arguing. However, she observes Dayo’s body language and facial expressions as he drives. When they arrive, the parents exit the car and head up their front steps, but the child remains in the car. Dayo asks her if she’d like to get out and go inside, to which she reluctantly obliges. However, before heading up the steps, she turns around and hugs him from behind. The parents, still wrapped up in their own argument, suddenly turn and run down to pry their child off Dayo as he falls to the ground sobbing. They leave him on the sidewalk, where he continues crying before pulling himself together and driving off. The After ’s opening sequence is jarring and tragic enough to make Dayo a sympathetic character for the rest of its duration. However, the interesting aspect of the short film is its display of children’s intuition. Despite all of the adult passengers Dayo has in his car, none seem to acknowledge or read him at all; to them, he is somewhat invisible. The first pair of passengers make this reality evident, as the father brags about his son’s soccer accomplishments while the son tells his dad that Dayo probably does not want to hear it. Being polite, Dayo denies any disinterest, even though deep down the conversation is white noise to him. What eventually cracks him open is the child of the bickering parents, who very clearly resembles his own deceased daughter. Often, films depicting a grieving parent begin after the death has already occurred. Witnessing the sudden and violent nature of his family’s death puts the rest of The After into perspective. In particular, it is easy to become detached from the grieving of other adults, as we not only hear about so much bad in the world but witness it for ourselves. Sometimes, it takes the innocence of a young, attentive soul to recognize another person’s hurt and reach out. The After reminds its audience that although we do not typically think of children as the teachers, sometimes it is good to follow their example. Available on Netflix Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Righteous Thieves is an entertaining vehicle for showing others care about the travesties of the Holocaust Broken English Productions, 2023 91 minutes Director/Writer: Anthony Nardolillo / Michael Corcoran Reading Time: 4 minutes Righteous Thieves Turning the Tide (CCXHKP61WIO812WI) 00:00 / 05:12 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Masala Chai Movies and TV shows about toughness and athletic competition White Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Reba Chaisson 2023-03-28 Quite often, we feel our stories are isolated, that no one cares about them but us. While it can sometimes seem difficult to find a sympathetic audience, there is indeed such an audience. Occasionally, we must figure out how to navigate to them and present our stories in ways that elicit empathy. This is apparently what happened with 20-something year-old Annabel in 1985, when 60-something year-old Josef catches her breaking into his Los Angeles home and rather than shooting her, makes a deal with her. I say apparently because the film then cuts to present-day, where Annabel is the head of an all-male Jewish syndicate focused on recovering art, jewelry, and other property stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust in Anthony Nardolillo’s Righteous Thieves . This cut in the movie remains problematic for me because it robs the film of a much-needed emotional element. Clearly, Annabel, played by Lisa Vidal ( Being Mary Jane , The Event ), has dedicated her life to Josef’s cause, which suggests he had quite the effect on her. But what was that like? What conversations did they have? How did their bond develop over the subsequent years – and for how many years? Ultimately, I need to see this relationship unfold – not be told about it through a line from Annabel here and there throughout the film. The absence of this essential element made the film feel inauthentic. Despite the absence of this emotional element, Righteous Thieves is nonetheless an entertaining story about a team of mostly longtime friends coming together to recover valuable paintings stolen from the Jewish community by Nazis during the Holocaust. Led by Annabel, the friends consist of one White and four Hispanic persons combining their safe-cracking, high-tech, and fighting talents to infiltrate the highly secure facility where the items are stored. While 60 Minutes , CBS News , and PBS segments typically focus on institutions and private collectors (Nazis and their heirs) in Europe, Righteous Thieves targets a German holder in upscale Los Angeles who brags to even casual acquaintances about his expensive collection of paintings. As I wrote in my review of Your Honor , good dramatic villains do not call attention to themselves. Denzel Washington’s character in American Gangster was livid that his girlfriend’s gift to him in the form of a white fur coat brought him the unwanted attention of authorities, who until then had no clue about him. The villain in Righteous Thieves , Otto, played by Brian Cousins ( Greenlight , Southland ), brings to mind his counterpart in Bad Boys II, who was neither menacing nor scary; just a bully bolstered by the millions from his ill-gotten gains. In one scene in a nightclub, a drink is spilled on Otto’s phone and out of frustration, he throws it at his bodyguard and yells “Clean it up, clean it up!” This lack of composure is uncharacteristic of an ominous villain. A villain that engages in silly, random, and over-the-top things disrespects audience members, making it difficult for them to buy into the movie. Believable antagonists such as the ones in American Gangster , the original Beverly Hills Cop and even the original Bad Boys are cool, menacing, and thus, scary. They show the audience what they are capable of doing and how far they will go to get what they want. Otto fell far, far short of this bar. While lacking the authenticity of emotion and a menacing antagonist, Righteous Thieves is entertaining and brings up a major theme that rings quite true. It demonstrates that people other than those of Jewish background care deeply about the travesties of the Holocaust and feel strongly that stolen assets should be returned to their rightful owners forthwith. The film reminds me of the television series, Leverage , that ran from 2008-2012, where the team of two women and three men frequently used advanced technology, costumes, and slick fighting to infiltrate high society in order to recover items or expose truths. Played by Timothy Hutton, Nathan Ford led the team with the impetus of gaining leverage for their clients who rarely had any due to their lack of money or class status. Righteous Thieves is quite similar in substance and entertainment value. The teams of five differed only in ethnic and gender composition and team leader. It would not be surprising if Righteous Thieves morphed into a sequel or two, or perhaps even migrated to television as a series. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Blue Bayou brings well-rounded characters and a humanizing touch to a complex issue Focus Features, 2021 119 minutes Director/Writer: Justin Chon Reading Time: 3 minutes Blue Bayou Dialogues (OYGI4OTBHPZB4HUA) 00:00 / 04:23 📷 : Pixabay Chamomile: Family dramas Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2021-11-13 Rarely does a movie succeed in highlighting an ongoing political issue that affects millions of people through the lens of a personal story. Many films opt for the multi-protagonist approach, such as Crash , Traffic , or Requiem for a Dream . Having several characters as the main focus rather than one makes it easier to represent as many facets of the issue as possible. Written, directed and produced by lead actor Justin Chon ( Twilight trilogy), Blue Bayou manages to capture the turbulence and obstacles that befall many U.S. immigrants through the eyes of just one character. Through Chon’s brilliant performance, we see him navigate circumstances both in and out of his control. Blue Bayou centers around Antonio (Chon), a Korean immigrant with a daughter, Jessie (Sydney Kowalske), and pregnant wife Kathy (Alicia Vikander, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider ). Antonio is a devoted father attempting to improve his family’s circumstances and overcome his past mistakes. Along the way, he strikes up a friendship with Parker (Linh Dan Pham, Mr. Nobody ), a terminally ill woman from Vietnam who bonds with him over their shared journey to the U.S. However, friction between himself and Jessie’s biological father, a police officer named Ace (Mark O'Brien, Ready or Not ), leads to Antonio being on the verge of deportation. Blue Bayou skillfully displays the complexity of its characters. Rather than present them as purely good or evil, the film allows the audience to see them as three-dimensional. For instance, one of Antonio’s good friends is an ICE agent (Toby Vitrano) who frequents his tattoo parlor. Despite his job, the officer hangs out with and looks after several of his immigrant friends, subverting the expectation that he would harbor any hostility towards them. While Antonio is a family man that viewers are inclined to root for, he has a criminal record that he must reconcile. Despite appearing to be a villainous character, Ace simply wants to see his daughter Jessie and has no desire to negatively impact Antonio’s life. Though Kathy is a strong mother who loves Antonio fiercely, she struggles to get out from under her mother’s influence. Even Denny (Emory Cohen, T he OA ), Ace’s bigoted and morally bankrupt partner, views his actions through the lens of being a loyal friend. All of the major characters have well-established wants and tragic flaws that impact the chain of events in the story. The complexity of the characters is mirrored by the convoluted rules around gaining U.S. citizenship, as displayed in several scenes between Antonio and his attorney, Barry Boucher (Vondie Curtis-Hall, Chicago Hope ). Though being born in the U.S. grants you citizenship, arriving in the U.S. as a toddler does not. Despite being a child of adoption, Antonio is handcuffed by his specific circumstances. Antonio’s back story reveals a dizzying upbringing in which he did not feel safe or supported. As the movie delves into his childhood, we further understand the strong bond he has with Jessie and Kathy, raising the stakes for what is about to unfold. As many natives’ exposure to the issue of immigration is merely through dehumanizing commentary, a story like Blue Bayou decreases the emotional distance many people have. While not seeking to impose a viewpoint, the film puts into perspective that immigrants are human beings with hopes, dreams, and loved ones to look after. Tonally, Blue Bayou resembles a family drama of a similar name, Blue Valentine . The 2010 drama provides more of a non-linear storyline without a political backdrop, but it consists of similar family strife. Both films include a strong father-daughter relationship, a resentful and interfering ex-boyfriend, and a mother trying to escape the influence of her family to make her own decisions. Despite strong bonds, the desires of the families in both movies to stay together become threatened by outside forces and stressful circumstances. Though it tugs at the heart strings, Blue Bayou may be the family melodrama you’re in the mood for. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back The Long Game shines a light on unspoken experiences around golf Endeavor Content, 2024 112 minutes Director/Writer: Julio Quintana / Paco Farias, Humberto G. Garcia, and Julio Quintana Reading Time: 6 minutes The Long Game Living Tapestry (ZZ1KBSUU80KVDVD8) 00:00 / 08:01 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Chamomile: Family dramas Masala Chai Movies and TV shows about toughness and athletic competition Reba Chaisson 2024-04-22 “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou The Long Game centers five teenage friends in the border town of Del Rio, Texas, in the 1950s. The five boys of Mexican descent have a genuine love of golf and a serious set of skills to go with their passion for the game. They are so enthusiastic about playing that they use manual tools to convert an empty stretch of land near a highway into a golf course. They meet JB Peña, played by Magnum P.I . star Jay Hernandez, a military veteran and avid golfer who joins the San Felipe High School district as the new superintendent. After some cajoling, Peña convinces the boys to join the school’s inaugural varsity golf team. Frank Mitchell (Dennis Quaid) is Peña’s military buddy and fellow golf coach who works at a nearby country club and sneaks the team onto the course at night for practice. The coaches use their car headlights to illuminate the course, and with the help of the club’s maintenance man, played by Cheech Marin, they avail themselves of the spare equipment. Subdued and soft-spoken, Peña talks to his team about how to present themselves at the competitions. He tells them to keep their shirts tucked in at all times, to not speak Spanish on the golf course, and to avoid reacting to any negative treatment. This stirs up a couple of thoughts. The first thought concerns the adage about sticks and stones hurting and words not. This age‑old axiom falsely conveys the sense that people, especially young people, are not harmed by words, even when the language is venomous and marginalizing. In The Long Game, we hear insults hurled at the players, observe refusals for club memberships, and note outright cheating in efforts to engineer the kids’ failure. Today, we call this behavior bullying and deem it a peril to mental and potentially physical health. Naming the behavior now doesn’t negate its impact on those who suffered it in the past. Playing golf then meant paying a psychological cost to do so. Secondly, Peña’s directive to not respond to microaggressions brings 42 to mind, the film about Jackie Robinson’s experiences on the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team in the 1940s and ‘50s. The movies are similar with respect to cinematography, two-tone shoes, and the men’s hats, sweater vests, and baggy pants reflecting the era. In 42 , Dodger co-owner Branch Rickey implores 28-year-old Robinson to ignore the prejudice and discrimination he was likely to experience from players on the field and in the clubhouse. During the movie, we saw balls thrown at Robinson’s head, his heels spiked while running the bases, and even his relegation to a segregated compartment in his own clubhouse. Rickey’s insistence that Robinson not respond stemmed from his goal to do nothing to jeopardize the inroads of Black players into Major League Baseball. In The Long Game , Peña’s goal is similar with respect to carving out pathways for Mexicans to move into golf. We can argue that Peña’s directive to his team is unreasonable. But when considered within the historical context of the story, it is difficult to insist that his rule was wrong. The ‘50s was a different era and times have since changed. Zippia data shows that 16% of the nearly 7,000 PGA America golfers today are of Hispanic or Latino origin, approximately 13 of whom are of Mexican descent. Nearly two-thirds of the organization's golfers are non-Hispanic White. The numbers were much more lopsided 74 years ago, indicating that people of Hispanic or Latino descent have since made some entrée into the sport. Phil Keren, senior editor of Club + Resort Business , penned a candid article on the changing demographics in golf. He acknowledges the sport’s growing racial and ethnic diversity and lauds the development of grassroots programs around the U.S. to engage kids and girls in the game. He notes, however, that the impetus for these efforts is the ongoing perception of golf and country clubs as exclusive spaces for wealthy White men. In its report on diversity , golf research company Syngenta Golf concluded that “By creating an environment and experience where minority groups feel welcome and valued — and this is reflected in your club imagery and communications — this will help other diverse groups understand that this is a place where they could belong.” But the study quotes a White golfer who insists the sport should do nothing to seek out people of color so that White golfers “feel less guilty.” In another instance, a player of color complains about a White golfer repeatedly using the N-word to refer to his ball and his clubs when he was having a bad game. While the sport’s diversity has increased, the sentiments remain unchanged from previous eras, and the underrepresentation of people of color continues to project it as a place for Whites only. It is no surprise then that Syngenta Golf reports that people of color continue to feel unwelcome on the course. The Long Game ’s dialog and imagery make clear its theme of challenging stereotypes about Mexican people. Peña speaks to Frank about the importance of golfing competition to his team, stating “They need to see us as something other than caddies and cannon fodder.” Peña and his wife Lucy, played by Jaina Lee Ortiz, are loving and respectful of one another, which contrasts with the stoicism often depicted of Mexican men. The idea that Mexicans cannot control their temper is challenged when the team resists any response to ethnic microaggressions. And stereotypes of Mexican families living in crowded apartments is countered with the Peñas’ beautiful and roomy home. The film doesn’t stop there, as it debunks the common generalization that all White people from the time period were racist. Peña’s army buddy, Frank, offers him helpful insights into the potential behaviors of golf competitors and wealthy club members to help inform his decisions on dealing with influential stakeholders. A White club manager who follows the unwritten rules about qualifications for membership privately pulls for the San Felipe High School team to do well. Challenging stereotypes about a group of color alongside the debunking of assumptions about White people is a difficult feat in historical films like The Long Game . Director Julio Quintana must be commended for his focus on insisting that each group not be painted with a broad brush. Like Rickey in 42 , Peña in The Long Game was playing the long game. Both were keenly aware of the challenges they faced in their respective sport in their time. Imagine for a bit what would have happened had any of the players responded to every insult and transgression on their respective fields of play. I wonder what golf and baseball would look like today. But I also wonder about the players’ mental health back then given the bullying and ostracism they endured. Every time I watch an independent film, I am appreciative of the story it tells. With fact-based narratives like Killers of the Flower Moon and 42 , I come away more informed of our past and with an enhanced perspective on our present. Long Game is one of those films. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back The Substance throws subtlety out the window Working Title Films, 2024 140 minutes Director/Writer: Coralie Fargeat Reading Time: 6 minutes The Substance The Great Beyond (TRJQZFP7BOZXMZSS) 00:00 / 06:17 📷 : Siddharth Vinod https://www.instagram.com/21ddharth/ https://x.com/21ddharth Saffron Movies and TV shows with great visual effects Coca Movies and TV shows about drugs or with disorienting presentations Chris Chaisson 2024-10-14 Artists and critics alike make a habit of applauding subtlety, maybe even overvaluing it. Often, viewers scoff at anything that is not filled with symbolism and subliminal messaging, categorizing it as low-brow or simple. But who made this rule? Why does every project have to take a “medicine in the candy” approach to be valued? The Substance bucks this trend as the newest critically acclaimed body horror that goes for broke at every turn. Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an aerobics instructor/actress with her own Walk of Fame star, who experiences a mid-life crisis after overhearing a crass executive (Dennis Quaid) named Harvey (hint hint) expressing his wishes to push her out the door. He insults her age and appearance, going beyond the insinuation that she is replaceable, to later just flat out saying it and firing her. Disheartened, she ruminates on Harvey’s hurtful language, and while heading home, sees a picture of herself being removed from a large billboard. The distraction causes her to get in a violent car accident and a visit to the emergency room, where the younger of her two doctors slips her a card with a phone number and quietly comments that [“she’s] perfect.”. When she calls the number, she learns about a cell-replicating chemical solution that, when injected, will “unlock her DNA” and allow her to become a younger version of herself, whom she must switch off and on with every seven days. When Sue (Margaret Qually, Sanctuary ), the younger version, starts stealing both time and anatomy from Elisabeth, the consequences for Elisabeth are irreversible and grotesque. You may have heard of the sub-genre “body horror.” The Substance is the body-horrorest of body horror films you will ever see. While the film has a clear, strong and possibly repetitive message, it is not for the faint of heart (or other body parts for that matter). During its nearly two and a half hour run time, there are numerous scenes of blood, gore, and body metamorphoses; these despite the film not having much actual violence at all. Director Coralie Fargeat ( Revenge ) goes heavy on the stylized elements of the film, using amplified sounds, extreme close-ups and the occasional fish-eye lens effect to create a sensory overload for the audience. The goal of all these disconcerting technical elements is to hold a mirror up to viewers, highlighting how ageism and misogyny operate in tandem within the entertainment industry. Rather than display the mental and physical effects of these social ills subtly and sporadically throughout the story, Fargeat amplifies them at every turn. The Substance does bear resemblance to many films in the “robot takeover” sub-genre in that, though not an actual robot, Sue begins as a seemingly empty vessel. In a heartfelt, dramatic version of this movie, she and Elisabeth would develop a mentor/student relationship that enriches both of their lives. But in the sci-fi universe, they are not allowed to co-exist and instead end up pitted against each other. Sue learns how to navigate the world through social interactions and the attention and opportunities that she is awarded; thus, she quickly views Elisabeth as disposable, nothing more than a barrier to her own continued success. In this way, the drug has the opposite effect from what Elisabeth intended. The film will definitely turn a few stomachs, and as with the release of other gruesome films, such as the new Terrifier sequel, a common criticism will be that the volume of gore is unnecessary. Certainly, everything isn’t for everyone, and regardless of message, The Substance may not be everyone’s cup of tea (hmm). However, if you gravitate toward films of the Coca and Saffron variety, maybe you have already decided that you’re game. One could also criticize the film for being repetitive in its messaging, but then again, discrimination to oppressed parties feels very repetitive. An unfortunate reality is these social ills have spanned many generations. In this respect, such a story probably holds true and resonates with those who can relate. The abundance of visual effects should not overshadow how strong the performances are. Quaid effectively plays Harvey, who is not just a smarmy chauvinist but a fairly disgusting human being. Early on in the film, he goes to the bathroom while on the phone, does not wash his hands and leaves to eat. His table manners in the next scene leave a lot to be desired. Harvey’s interactions with both Elisabeth and Sue lack any level of professionalism, empathy or genuineness, and he consistently speaks about Sue to others as though she is his “creation.” Just the same, Moore commendably plays a forlorn former star who cannot peacefully appreciate the success she has achieved. While her decision to inject the substance in the first place suggests she is desperate to revisit her youth, her actions later in the film indicate that deep down, she would have relished simply having an authentic relationship with a protégé. Lastly, Qualley strikes a perfect balance in her role as an adaptive humanoid. Early in the film, she gives off blank expressions, empty stares and minimal speech. As she has more exposure to others and more time in the spotlight, her non-verbal communication becomes much more nuanced with eye rolls, head turns and shrugs. For sci-fi and horror fans, The Substance may bring to mind Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream , a film about the crippling effects of drug use on four people with intersecting stories. Both films come across as quite downtrodden, with Requiem being the classic “It was good, but I’ll never watch it again” movie. The Substance dabbles in satire and offers a few more chuckles with its absurdity. One way or another, this film exists as the perfect example of how important it is to find your cup of tea. Although after watching some of the visual effects, you may trade the tea out for a large bottle of mouthwash. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Soft and Quiet, Along With 6 Other Movies Shot in One Take A Brief List of Movies Shot in One Continuous Take -- er, Supposedly Chris Chaisson 1/27/23 Reading Time: 9 minutes 📸: Used with Permission, Snollygoster Productions (hello@snollygoster.productions ) I recently watched the Blumhouse indie film Soft and Quiet , which premiered last spring at the SXSW Festival. While the film has too many twists and turns to discuss without spoiling, one noteworthy aspect about the project is how director Beth de Araújo chose to shoot it: all in one take. “Whenever there’s a cut in a film, there’s a sort of inherent exhale where you give the audience a second to catch their breath,” Arajuo said in an interview with SXSW. “And so if you never give them that, they’re feeling the tension a little bit more effectively.” The style of shooting with no cuts or breaks originated over 70 years ago (more on that later), but we rarely see directors incorporate this technique for a variety of reasons. For starters, this approach completely changes the story that the writer crafts. Writers traditionally follow a rule of thumb with their scenes: “Get in late, get out early.” In other words, start the scene at the latest moment possible when the audience can still understand everything, convey the important plot points, then move on to the next scene once all exposition has been delivered. Scripts usually cut anything mundane, even if it is true to real life, to avoid losing the audience’s attention. When directors shoot a film in one take however, they do not have this luxury of compressed time. Additionally, shooting a feature-length film in a single take requires precision with camera and lighting setups, set design, and dialogue memorization that are very difficult to pull off with no break in the action. Thus, what many filmmakers shooting in one take have to do is rehearse ad nauseam before shooting the entire film a handful of times, ideally becoming more comfortable with each rep. The post-production crew will take the best run-through and, if needed, incorporate bits and pieces from other takes before smoothing it over to make it look uninterrupted. Which genres does this style attract? Horror movies and crime thrillers choose the shooting style more so than other genres. Its immersive nature builds more suspense and anxiety in the audience, making it an asset to thrillers and horror. For instance, a hostage or home invasion movie, where you want the audience to experience arrested development, would be movies that may utilize this technique. Here are a handful of such movies spanning several decades that embraced the challenge of presenting a story in one take: Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Best Picture-winner Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) follows washed-up actor Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) attempting to revive his career by creating and starring in his own stage play. Its use of the one-take method conveys the dizzying state of being a live performer, especially one with a troublesome personal life. In no scene is this more apparent than when Riggan is forced to run through Times Square donning only a pair of whitey-tighties in order to re-enter the theater and continue his performance. While many one-take films attempt a very grounded feel, Birdman dabbles in the surreal, using voiceover narration, pulsating non-diegetic jazz music, and the occasional telekinesis. Oh yeah, and Michael Keaton flying over Manhattan streets in a bird costume. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu stuck to a very rigorous and meticulous schedule, including both the lines and the blocking of the actors. He stuck mainly to one location and both rehearsed and shot the film in sequence, with very strict lines of dialogue and choreography (McKittrick, Creative Screenwriting ). 1917 1917 surrounds a pair of British lance corporals (Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay) during WWI sent into enemy territory to deliver a message that would halt a planned ambush. Winning multiple Oscars for sound mixing, visual effects and cinematography, the Sam Mendes picture uses its continuous take style to illustrate the very sudden nature of life-and-death situations in a war zone. It is not as graphic and gory as many other war films but nonetheless effectively illustrates that soldiers are never really safe, even in quiet moments. The project was quite a commitment for all actors involved, as they spent 6 months in rehearsal prior to shooting. While the film appears to be one continuous take, Mendes concealed many edits through camera movements behind objects and the occasional black screen (i.e. dirt being kicked up in front of the lens, etc.). Rope Who better to take on a herculean filmmaking task than Alfred Hitchcock? Nicknamed the Master of Suspense, Hitchcock applied the one-take filmmaking aspect to his 1948 project, adapted from a Patrick Hamilton stage play by the same name of nearly 20 years prior. In the adaptation, two students, Brandon and Philip (John Dall and Farley Granger respectively), murder their classmate and hide the body in the same location of their dinner party later that evening. The point of their daredevil tactic is to test the precision for executing the crime. As Brandon’s guilt weighs on him Telltale Heart style, one of their guests, Rupert (Jimmy Stewart) grows suspicious. Shot on 35mm film, Hitchcock had to resort to shooting a series of 10-minute takes and stringing them together due to the technological limitations at that time. As in Soft and Quiet , the camera heightens the effect of big revelations by panning around, zooming in and resting on particular props, such as a gun in one’s pocket, a message on a piece of stationary or a design inside a bowler hat. Silent House Silent House is adapted from an Argentinian horror film titled La Casa Muda . It revolves around Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen), a young woman trapped in her family’s lakeside retreat with an intruder and no way out. Without spoiling the ending, Silent House utilizes the “unreliable narrator” trope and places the audience in Sarah‘s limited perspective, leading to a dark and shocking plot twist. The film doesn’t shy away from the jump scare method through lighting effects (or lack thereof), tight shots and sound mixing. Similar to Rope , Silent House was shot as a series of 10-minute takes edited to appear continuous. Timecode Like the other films on this list, Mike Figgis’ Timecode filmed multiple run-throughs using the one-take style. Unlike the others, this particular selection incorporated a split-screen to show four takes at once. While this sounds like a battle of attrition for one’s attention span, the film foregrounds the audio of the screen that it wants the audience to focus on at any particular point. Timecode tells the story of a jilted lover (Jeanne Tripplehorn) discovering her partner’s (Salma Hayek) infidelity and listening in to a Hollywood production company’s casting call, located in the same place her partner was heading. The initially separate characters eventually intertwine, culminating in a tragic ending. Rather than containing meticulous dialogue and action as the other films on this list chose to do, Timecode consists largely of improvisation, with each actor and actress responsible for their own clothes, hair and makeup. Figgis shot the film fifteen times over the course of two weeks, always as a continuous take. Victoria Sometimes, tourists who trust strangers can get more than they bargained for. Such is the case for the titular character, a twenty-something Spanish woman (Laia Costa) who leaves Madrid for Berlin and runs into a group of friends at a nightclub. After a fun and flirtatious start to the evening, Victoria finds herself coerced into a bank robbery with dire stakes and consequences. As is common in one-take movies, Victoria takes place in real time over one evening. The film contains many emotional swings, as the protagonist goes from guarded to trusting, euphoric to depressed and back multiple times. As Victoria is in every scene, we see the events unfold through her viewpoint. The limited perspective also drives home how loneliness can compromise anyone’s judgment. Like Timecode , Victoria leaned heavily on its actors to improvise, with the original screenplay being just 12 pages long. While other one-take movies use clever editing to smooth out cuts, Victoria was shot as one continuous take three different times during the early morning hours in Berlin. Director Sebastian Schipper watched them all and picked the best run-through. What are the takeaways? For starters, a lot of one-take movies are not actually one take. Editors tend to weave together clips in a way that appears continuous by using black screen, extreme close-ups and stagnant frames as in and out points. Movies meant to appear as one continuous take tend to require a lot of preparation, even relative to other detailed shoots. Some of the movies on this list performed well at the box office while others didn’t. Some received critical acclaim while others did not. The reality is that this style can be a turnoff for moviegoers who see it as a gimmick used to distract from a script’s gaping plot holes. Despite viewers' complaints, one-take movies can be done very well, as evidenced by the critical acclaim and accolades of Birdman , 1917 , and others not on this list. It is yet another cinematic tool that provides directors, crews and cast one of the best things about art: an opportunity to challenge themselves. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

The Waltz shows the importance of time spent with loved ones < Back The Waltz shows the importance of time spent with loved ones Coffee Ring Films, 2015 11 minutes Director/Writer: Trevor Zhou Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Trevor Zhou The Waltz Storyteller (X7JIUSHW6XB99CDH) 00:00 / 03:45 Jasmine Movies/shows with heart, positive vibes, warm message Chamomile Family dramas Chris Chaisson 2022-10-29 “ Remember to stay light .” Many people have become fond of the phrase “invest in experiences, not things.” The platitude suggests that fulfilling experiences will bring more long-term happiness than prized possessions, which quickly bore us. Such emotional journeys as learning a new skill or traveling to another country also make for better stories to share. Less often stated is the importance of sharing these experiences with people you love the most. The Waltz , Trevor Zhou’s touching short film, encapsulates both of these sentiments through the eyes of one affectionate couple. The Waltz follows Ling, an immigrant mother and wife who takes up dance lessons in order to shake up her routine. She becomes invested in her new hobby to the point of shutting out her husband Jian, who wants to support her despite his busy work schedule. Several weeks into the class, Ling’s teacher confesses that he must end lessons in order to return to his home country and take care of his sick mother. He mentions that his family must take priority over anything else, prompting Ling to reflect on her relationship with Jian. As her class is coming to an end, she greets Jian coming home from work and, much to his delight, teaches him the waltz. Ling’s desire to take dance classes stems from the loneliness she feels, largely due to the absence of her son. Combined with Jian’s work schedule, the fact that her son never visits makes her feel neglected. Her interactions, even with complete strangers, amplify these feelings. For instance, at the grocery store, she gets a nasty attitude from the cashier and the man behind her in line while trying to redeem multiple coupons. These experiences are consistent with those of many immigrants, who are subject to the impatience or irritability of others not comfortable interacting with them. When she spots the flier for waltz lessons, she sees an opportunity to not only take up a new pastime but join a community. The Waltz brings to mind a recent Academy Award Best Picture winner, CODA . CODA ’s protagonist, Ruby, struggles to balance her newfound passion for singing with her efforts to be supportive of her family. Ling in The Waltz experiences a similar struggle. While Ruby’s family is dependent on her communication skills and labor, Jian simply needs Ling’s companionship. The film’s theme can be summed up in just a couple of moments. The first moment comes when Ling admonishes Jian about moving her things out of the garage to make space for a dance floor. The other occurs when she tosses some of her own things to recreate the same open space. Her dance teacher’s words ring in her ear during the latter of these two moments: “Remember to stay light.” While he is referring to footwork in the midst of the waltz, Ling applies this advice to her familial situation. She makes the conscious decision to choose experiences over things and, furthermore, shared experiences over isolated ones. The waltz itself is a dance for companions, yet in her haste to learn, she shuts out her most loyal one. As they reconcile at the end, we see that Ling has learned to balance her newfound interest with her love for Jian. Available on YouTube Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Acidman uses sci-fi to make a statement about meeting people where they are Manageable Monkey, 2023 87 minutes Director/Writer: Alex Lehmann / Chris Dowling and Alex Lehmann Reading Time: 4 minutes Acidman The Great Beyond (RVQZ12B923YUQG2A) 00:00 / 05:17 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Sage Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Yarrow Movies and TV shows about illness or set in hospitals or similar medical institutions Reba Chaisson 2023-04-10 I must disclose my bias against science fiction cinema up-front. I am just not feeling this genre. But I will admit I do indulge my family on occasion and happen upon one, two, maybe three that I have enjoyed over the years: The Empire Strikes Back – I like Yoda; Alien – gross, but good; the original television series, V – good suspense. None of these matters, though, since despite Acidman’s synopsis alluding to sci-fi, the film has very little to do with extraterrestrials, UFOs or any other interplanetary objects – fortunately. Acidman is about the reuniting of a daughter, Maggie, with her long lost father, Loyd. Close and inseparable when she was a child, the two became estranged when Loyd, a successful engineer, suddenly left the family and never made contact again. After a long search, she arrives at his home - an isolated mobile trailer with the word “Acidman” spray-painted across the window in orange. She finds him nearby with his dog, Migo, looking a bit annoyed. Kind, but begrudgingly hospitable, Loyd shows her around his home, including the unkempt room where she can stay. During her visit, Maggie learns of her father’s fascination, or rather, ongoing communication, with extraterrestrials that manifest as lights in the sky at night. Seeing him super-excited that they care enough about him and the planet Earth to reach out and watch over him, Maggie, played by Dianna Agron ( The Family , I am Number Four ), indulges him. Throughout Acidman , Loyd, played by Thomas Haden Church ( Spider-Man: No Way Home , Sideways ), repeatedly asks Maggie “Why are you here?” Her reply is always a loving and consistent, “I told you, I came to see you, to check up on you.” Loyd occasionally zones out in the middle of the two talking, and at these moments Maggie says, “Dad? Dad?” and waits patiently for him to reconnect. Realizing there is a problem, she offers to take him to see someone. But he ignores her and asks once again, “Why are you here?” We fervently believe that no one knows us better than we know ourselves. But how often have our parents proved us wrong? While something is amiss with Loyd and he has abandoned the world to create one that is better suited for him, he suspects there is a purpose to his daughter’s visit and that it has little if anything to do with him. Thus, he persists in his question to Maggie, “Why are you here?” Several themes run throughout this film. One of which is the tendency to collapse all mental illness into the monolithic view that they all lead to unpredictable, dangerous behavior. Something seems to be awry with Loyd but at one point, the “townies” harass him at his home, and he pulls out his shotgun and shoots several rounds into the air to scare them away. While this frightens Maggie, who perceives this as Loyd shooting at the kids, Loyd asserts and rightfully so, “I didn’t shoot at them. I shot in the air to scare them off.” Another point in the film concerns young adults’ preoccupation with being or becoming like their parents. Maggie berates her father for leaving her and the family and fears she could do such a thing, as if it is a hereditary trait. It brings to mind a theme in the 2023 film Saint Omer where a central character, Rama, expressed concerns about being like her mother who was emotionally detached from her. As well in the lighthearted 2007 movie, This Christmas , where Ma’Dere so feared her teenage child would be like her wayward husband and saxophonist that she refused to support her son in his musical pursuits. Maggie, in Acidman , carries the baggage of her father and conflates it with DNA. Yet another theme in the film is the imploring upon people to begin relationships where people happen to be in their lives. Maggie wants to connect with her father but struggles to find a receptor — a place to plug in or common ground — largely due to the impediment his mental illness presents. He is unavailable to her in the usual ways — as a confidant for example as he was when she was a child, or as a source of comfort through her struggles and disappointments. After a knock down drag out fight, she realizes that to see her father and to have the relationship she desires with him, she must not only accept where he is in his life. She must also meet him and deal with him in that space. I did not expect to like this movie, but the strong messages overwhelmed me. Consider making contact with Acidman if it seems like your cup of tea. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Dream Scenario examines obsessions with fame and the subconscious A24, 2023 102 minutes Director/Writer: Kristoffer Borgli Reading Time: 6 minutes Dream Scenario Path of Purpose (TRMMUPNBM4ILZX8U) 00:00 / 06:01 📷 : Used with permission, Aleks Phoenix https://www.instagram.com/aleks_phoenix/ https://twitter.com/aleksphoenix Saffron Movies and TV shows with great visual effects White: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Chris Chaisson 2023-12-05 A24’s new sci-fi feature Dream Scenario follows Paul (Nicolas Cage), a tenured professor, husband and father who traverses a monotonous existence. His students view him with complete indifference, and to his daughters, he is the uncool dad. Paul’s major objective is to publish a book on his academic research, an idea with which he is very possessive despite not having written a single word. His reality suddenly changes when family, friends, and strangers alike start seeing him in the backdrops of their dreams. Similar to his role in their real lives, Paul serves little purpose in the dreams regardless of how dynamic or perilous they appear. He still plays up his overnight (no pun intended) fame, enticed by the thought of being relevant. He tries to parlay it into a book deal after meeting with a talent agency, who instead steers him in the direction of superficial viral moments. Eventually, the nature of the general public’s dreams about Paul turn dark, rendering him a menace in the dream world and a social pariah in the waking world. The target of much scorn, Paul must figure out how to revive his image. The film begins in the middle of a dream sequence, immediately placing the audience in the universe of Paul’s burgeoning fame. Not only does this keep the audience engaged from start to finish, it mirrors most of our experiences with dreams. We rarely dream lucid, where our fear dissipates because we know we are not awake. Rather, we experience the surreal and wake up in a panic. This scene, and every dream sequence throughout the film, pull the viewer into the movie’s universe. Through Paul’s interactions in the first 30 minutes, we get a sense of his character and his routine as it was without needing any exposition spoon-fed to us. This story choice allows us to spend more time watching the dreams play out, as well as Paul’s various human interactions with the characters who were not previously part of his life. Kristoffer Borgli’s feature gives an original take on the trappings of celebrity. The common perception of the public’s treatment of celebrities is that we build them up only to tear them down. Though the nature of the dreams about Paul are out of everyone’s control, their treatment of him fluctuates along this same sine wave. Paul finds himself being held accountable for actions that he did not commit in the real world, and to compound his issues, he does not have the charisma or public relations team to smooth over his image. Thus, he winds up digging himself into deeper and deeper holes, even alienating his own family. Arguably, Paul’s biggest mistake and tragic flaw is his welcoming of the attention in the first place. Against the warnings of friends and family, he sacrifices his own privacy simply for undeserved fame. Similar to many famous people in the real world, giving away privacy can create mental health issues and tumultuous personal relationships. Though Paul never has control over whether or not people dream about him, embracing his celebrity legitimizes the recurring dreams in the eyes of everyone else. The temptation to do so comes from his dissatisfaction with his mundane life as it previously stood. His feeling of being underappreciated is a growing trend even in the world today, especially as people assess their own value or celebrity by their social media presence. Fewer and fewer people are satisfied with an anonymous lifestyle and embrace attention that is, or could, turn negative. Dream Scenario presents other social commentary as well, most notably the power that many people lend to their dreams. Instead of viewing dreams as random and meaningless, many people interpret them as a call to action. For instance, early in the film, Paul’s ex-girlfriend approaches him to tell him that she has seen him in her dreams and asks him out for coffee in front of his wife. Just the same, an attractive talent manager from the agency he meets with asks him out for drinks in order to get to the bottom of her recurring dreams featuring Paul. Despite his marriage, Paul rejects neither of these advances, paving the way for turmoil later on. Both interactions, however, speak to how often people let dreams guide their behavior and spur them to connect with those that they may have ignored. A subtler theme in Dream Scenario is the disregard for academic prowess. As a professor with a doctorate, Paul’s work receives little to no attention and is not appreciated. His lectures fall on deaf ears until the students start having dreams about him. He finds his most engaging sessions are when he foregoes the class material and simply discusses the students’ dreams with them. Similarly, the talent managers he meets with do not care about his expertise or his goal of writing an educational manuscript whatsoever. They instead discuss commercials, talk shows, podcasts and celebrity meetups to amplify his mystique. Paul very clearly starts to devalue his own work, simply riding the wave of his popularity and begging for sympathy when it runs out. Dream Scenario presents itself as the sci-fi twist on the Oscar-nominated 2022 film, Tår . Lydia Tår allows esteem and celebrity to inflate her ego to a point that she mistreats others. Once the collective opinion of her takes a turn for the worst, the same people who propped her up ostracize her and cast her out. Paul gets put on a pedestal by people who have never met him and he enjoys the positive attention he initially receives. Once he allows it to go to his head, the dreams change and public opinion turns on him quickly. Just as is the case in the real world, both Lydia and Paul become victims of the trappings of celebrity. Each film demonstrates that fame is a kind of power, and those who get a taste scramble to hold onto it while thirsting for more. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Denzel Washington plays an old-school homicide detective who shows a young investigator, played by Rami Malek, the need to pay attention to the smallest details. Gran Via Productions, 2021 127 minutes Director/Writer: John Lee Hancock Reading Time: 3 minutes The Little Things Life's Mystery 00:00 / 03:37 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Matcha: Mysteries or whodunnits Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 We could say that The Little Things is a waste of time. That it contains a star‑studded cast with a weak storyline that left us disappointed. Or we could say that the film does an excellent job of conveying the loudness of subtlety. That the absence of things is just as important as the tangible evidence to getting at truth, or in this case, solving a crime. The Little Things is a film about just that – what it is that we are not seeing. Denzel Washington plays Joe “Deke” Deacon, a California deputy–formerly a homicide detective in the Los Angeles Police Department–who encounters young, hotshot but reserved detective, Jim Baxter. The viewer is quickly drawn in by Deke’s obvious demotion from big city to small town, wondering about the story behind his fall from grace. Played by Rami Malek ( Mr. Robot , Bohemian Rhapsody ), Baxter struggles to solve a string of murders when he meets Deke, who is running an errand to LA to pick up evidence for an unrelated case. Fittingly, the film is dark and shrouded in the aesthetics of the 1970s to mesh with Deke’s old‑school approach to solving crime. Indeed, the dark, dense forests and empty highways give it the southern feel of Mississippi Burning , rather than the palm trees, warmth, sun, and blue skies that typically signal Southern California. Clearly respected by his former colleagues, Deke draws the curiosity of Baxter, who begrudgingly but desperately finagles a way to get the "old man’s" help on the case to catch a serial killer. A predictably bumpy relationship at the start, the two grow to trust and rely on one another, as Baxter resigns himself to the need to look at his case a different way. What he learns is that he relies more on what he sees than what is not so obvious. The suspect adds enough mystery to make him a conundrum. His walk, appearance, and lack of predictable behavior make him a puzzle piece that belongs but fits the completed work too loosely. He challenges, perplexes, and even frustrates Baxter, while Deke’s response is one of deep thought, patience, and process. It is difficult to say if you will enjoy this film, despite its intrigue and the familiarity of its cast. We think, though, if you are willing to go deep to appreciate the lessons of the story, you might find it worth the sitting. Some of the themes are quite relevant to our common lived experiences, while others reiterate well‑known adages: that young people learn from older ones; the myth that older people have outlived their usefulness; the belief that outdated tactics are too old and slow to be of any value; and the piéce de résistance—that things don’t always appear as they seem. A barn burner? No. Emotionally impactful? We didn’t think so. But if you like good acting and a story with themes that spur discussions with family and friends, go for it! Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!