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< Back Fatale can leave viewers with conflicted loyalties Hidden Empire Film Group, 2020 102 minutes Director/Writer: Deon Taylor / David Loughery Reading Time: 4 minutes Fatale Timeless 00:00 / 04:37 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Ginseng: Suspenseful and intense thrillers Reba Chaisson 2021-07-25 Fatale is a story set in the southern California mountains about a wealthy, married man who struggles to extricate himself from the grip of a psychopathic woman, after sleeping with her in Vegas. Trying to do this without his wife learning about the one-night stand proves to be complicated to say the least. While the film’s plot is cliché and contains a few holes, it delivers as a suspense-thriller. Much of what is predictable about movies like this does not occur in Fatale . Part of it can be explained by the strong performances of Hillary Swank ( Million Dollar Baby , Boys Don’t Cry ) and Michael Ealy ( Takers , Barbershop ), who play Val Quinlan and Derrick Tyler in the lead roles. Another has to do with the viewers being left wondering which one was the ‘bad guy’ creating the conflict in the story. Movies about obsession tend to get lumped into the same category despite at least one strong distinction among them. The most fundamental is whether a real (versus imagined) intimate, consensual, physical relationship occurred between the obsessed person and the target of his or her obsession. In the 2009 release, Obsessed , starring Beyoncé and Idris Elba, with Ali Larter playing Lisa as the stalker, no actual physical relationship occurs between her and Derek (Idris Elba’s character). At the end, the audience is left with the dampened, simplistic view of Lisa as just another psychopath. A film that does involve a physical relationship is the classic 1987 release, Fatal Attraction . In it, Michael Douglas portrays a married man who has an affair with Alex, played by Glenn Close, who later obsesses over him. She inserts herself so deeply into his life that she endangers his family and even kills his little girl’s pet rabbit, leaving it in a pot of boiling hot water. The film, however, lets the audience get to know Alex as a competent career woman with a social life. This deepens Alex’s humanity and makes her character complex. As a result, viewers end up sympathizing with her rather than simply dismissing and hating her. Because of this depiction, she is viewed as a tragic character rather than a psychopath like Lisa. Fatale is much like Fatal Attraction in this respect. The film lets the audience get to know Val as capable and competent. So, she is deeper and more complex than a caricature who can be dismissed as psychotic. In some ways, she is an empathetic character because her experiences–the drivers of her mania–likely resonate with those of some audience members. In some regards, Val is also a sympathetic character who is even rooted for at times. But because the things she does are so over the top, this sympathy and empathy get stretched and shifted to Derek as the story evolves. How does this happen? How does it happen that our loyalties conflict at times? That our emotions are manipulated like this as a story unfolds? The questions themselves explain why Fatale passes as a thriller. As viewers, we are immersed in this story, given the protagonist, and then emotionally whiplashed. Afterwards though, we have to sit back and reflect. We have to ask ourselves, who is the protagonist in this drama? Who are we supposed to sympathize with when both are presented with complications? Perhaps an unintended consequence of Fatale is its fodder for discussion about the cost of stress on mental health. This includes noting the pressures to keep it all together with few options for help and no reward to look forward to in the end. The suspense part of suspense-thriller is clear–what will the climax reveal? But it’s the thriller part that’s the real kicker of Fatale . If you like edge-of-your seat thrillers with themes that cannot be easily dismissed, you might want to consider this one. Oh, and Michael Ealy’s in it too!!! 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 Independent revs up mainstream and newsroom politics Anonymous Content, 2022 108 minutes Director/Writer: Amy Rice / Evan Parter Reading Time: 5 minutes The Independent Exploring the Unknown (1ZXT82ZUXBOWIIH0) 00:00 / 06:17 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Barley Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Matcha Mysteries or whodunnits Reba Chaisson 2023-02-15 It has been a while since I’ve seen a film about journalism and the newspaper industry. The 2017 release, The Post , is probably the most iconic, though Spotlight (2015) and Absence of Malice (1981) come to mind as well. Nothing stands out for me more than the 2009 film, State of Play , starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, and Rachel McAdams. Seeing movies like these takes me back to the days when I would buy a Chicago Tribune or “Sun-Times” from the El-station vendor on my way to catch the morning train to DePaul, where I attended undergrad. The smell of the ink, the sound of a page turning, and the feel of the paper in my hands as I read the stories from the front page to the Opinion section, made me feel connected to the city and acclimated me to the day. It also helped make me oblivious to everything else about the hour-long train ride, such as vendors moving from car-to-car yelling: “Got those socks!” “Got that rolling paper!” The creak of the doors seemingly opening every minute to let passengers on and off. And the blare of boom boxes playing the disco versions of Evelyn Champagne King’s “Shame” and Barry White’s “Ecstasy” too loud, too early in the morning (smiley face). Yes, The Independent took me back as it went inside the newsroom. It’s a story about a young Black female journalist determined to pursue stories that matter, like issues around politics and schools. Instead, her direct and confrontational style, it seems, leads her boss, Gordon White, to dismiss her ideas and relegate her to menial, unimpactful stories, like what people do for Valentines Day. While informing the team that the paper, now electronically published, has been acquired and that layoffs will ensue, he cynically asks for story ideas that could enhance the value of the paper, minimize the inevitable layoffs that occur when companies are bought, and keep the bosses happy. Undeterred by the cynical if not rude dismissal of several ideas offered by some of her older and more experienced colleagues, “Eli,” played by Jodi Turner-Smith ( Without Remorse , Queen & Slim ), bravely offers up a couple of ideas. The first one Gordon, played by Stephen Lang ( Avatar: The Way of the Water , Old Man ), declares as effectively stupid, but she persists in her second idea to cover the new Independent presidential candidate, played by John Cena, who is giving the Democratic incumbent and Republican candidate a run for their money. Gordon yields but instructs her to “hand over [her] notes” to Kevin, a slightly more senior colleague played by Andrew Richardson ( Killer Among Us , A Call to Spy ). Raise your hand if you have seen or experienced this before on your job. Nonetheless, this scene sets the stage in the film for seeing the difference that can be made in one person’s life or career by the decisions senior colleagues make. After he observes Eli being teased by the beneficiary of her idea, Nicholas Booker intercedes, sending Kevin off with his tail between his legs. He subsequently turns to Eli, stating “Send me your best work.” Played by Brian Cox ( Succession , Bourne Identity ), Booker is a 50-year seasoned and accomplished newspaper veteran who is highly regarded by bosses, colleagues, politicians, and others who have been on both the right and wrong ends of his work over the years. Ultimately, he and Eli collaborate on the forbidden project and enter a quagmire over who is stealing funds from the lottery to pay for their political campaign. Interestingly, while the film focuses on the political story, politics play out in the newsroom and corporate offices visited throughout the film. At the newspaper, a colleague with a level of experience similar to Eli takes immense joy in watching her stay mired in menial, low-impact stories. Meanwhile he is placed on a path for his career to progress and put in a position to make a name for himself. There is also the jaded and cynical senior editor, Gordon, who is preoccupied with maintaining the status quo by avoiding risks. He routinely lets go of people who dare to challenge, to make noise, and to do what newspapers set out to do centuries ago. In a scene at a corporate office, the head of Human Resources for a company expresses her discomfort to a senior colleague about a memo “suggesting” they contribute to a candidate’s political campaign. He nonchalantly advises her, “Do it to keep the ‘ol man happy.” Unfortunately, so much of politics – traditional and corporate – is about keeping those who control jobs and livelihoods happy rather than about doing what’s right, ethical, and what ultimately leaves people with their self-respect intact. Exemplary of this is when Eli, while clearly displaying her journalistic chops, reveals her inexperience when she unethically, if not illegally, acquires the information she needs for the story. Nicholas admonishes her for her grave lapse in judgment, stating that he did not get to the end of his career and achieve prestigious accolades to have it all diminished on the brink of his retirement. In other words, ethics count for something. While not necessarily an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat political thriller, The Independent’s bright and clean cinematography, strong messages about principles and ethics, and diverse representations of the characters make it a solid contemporary piece. The unusual mentoring relationship between a 30-something Black woman and a boomer-age adult demonstrates the value of wisdom, experience, and institutional knowledge, especially when there is a genuine willingness to share it with those of a different background who are equally willing to learn. 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 Marketing Associate 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

< Back Drive My Car breaks convention even within the framework of a familiar setup. Bitters End, 2021 179 minutes Director/Writer: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi / Haruki Murakami, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and Takamasa Oe Reading Time: 5 minutes Drive My Car Awase (LREOPXDAVYJMCQWE) 00:00 / 05:26 📷 : Used with permission, Snollygoster Productions https://www.instagram.com/snollygoster.productions/ https://posterspy.com/profile/snollygoster-productions/ Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Ginger: Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Chris Chaisson 2022-02-12 If you spent much of the pandemic locked down with the same one or two people, you may have thrown around the term “trauma bonding” more than you ever thought you would. The notion that shared grief can bring individuals closer makes all the sense in the world, and often is necessary for many to push through traumatic events. Many times, our will and inspiration come from an unforeseen presence. Such is the case in director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s critically acclaimed Drive My Car . Drive My Car breaks convention even within the framework of a familiar setup. After all, we’ve seen the narrative of a troubled protagonist befriending their driver/passenger before, most notably in Driving Miss Daisy . Hamaguchi’s film presents a more personal, familial struggle for each of its co-stars than we’ve seen in past movies. Yüsuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima), our lead, crosses paths with Misaki (Tôko Miura) when Misaki is assigned to be his chauffeur while he prepares to direct a stage play in Hiroshima. As they open up to each other about troubling events from their respective pasts, it highlights the reality that there is no timetable for the grieving process. Both suffer survivor’s guilt and question their own self-worth. They each discover how much they need a sympathetic ear and outside perspective to push through their remorse. While many films present us with a basic “guardian angel” character dynamic, Drive My Car provides its audience with portrayals that we do not often get to see in U.S. cinema. One major divergent path that Hamaguchi’s film travels is in portraying its Asian male characters as sexually active and capable partners. Too often in Western cinema, Asian men are portrayed as impotent, undesirable, or even asexual. Drive My Car , while not being overly raunchy, wades into these waters and humanizes all its characters in doing so. Additionally, Yüsuke and Misaki’s bond manages to pull the audience in and steer clear of the temptation to force them together. Most stories on screen do not entertain the idea of a platonic opposite-sex relationship between single characters. Though some of the blame can be laid at the feet of the industry, the reality is audiences tend to crave that romance. Drive My Car pulls off the feat of showing two people thrust together connecting emotionally without the temptation, or at least the necessity, of a physical element. Interestingly enough, the movie pulls this off despite (or maybe because of) having already established the sexuality of its protagonist. It even shows an ancillary character who frequently seduces women but feels an emptiness over not achieving an emotional connection like Yüsuke. The story, on several occasions, illustrates intimacy in unexpected moments between unexpected duos. Another trend the film manages to buck is the dependable but familiar revenge angle. In casting his play, Yüsuke encounters a stage actor named Kôji (Masaki Okada), who he has every reason to hold a grudge against. While some lingering resentment remains, he figures out a way to work with Kôji and communicate on a meaningful level. As they meet, a possible direction the story could take would be for Yüsuke’s entire focus to shift toward plotting Kôji’s demise. This shift would have undermined the far more important internal struggle that Yüsuke already faces and instead center the story around a far less important character. This is not to scoff at the allure of revenge films but more to applaud Drive My Car for choosing a route less rooted in escapism. The most endearing element of the film, uncommon in just about any cinema, is the presence of a hearing-impaired character with a significant number of lines and screen time. One of Yüsuke’s actresses, Lee Yoo-na (Park Yoo-rim), speaks Korean Sign Language and wins her role with a strong audition. Despite being the spouse of Yusuke’s assistant director, she chooses to audition anonymously to avoid any favoritism. She invites Yüsuke over for dinner and stresses that she does not want to be treated more kindly than any other actor in the production. The penultimate scene in the film consists of Lee delivering a long, powerful monologue on stage, signing a message of encouragement with her arms wrapped around Yüsuke. In addition to Driving Miss Daisy , Drive My Car also brings to mind the classic Alexander Payne film, About Schmidt . Jack Nicholson plays a disgruntled husband in a rut who, upon suddenly losing his wife, struggles adjusting to his new identity as a widower. He makes it his mission to hit the road and reconnect with his daughter, hoping to talk her out of what he sees as a future loveless marriage. While not an identical comp, Yüsuke needs a mission and a companion to find his sense of purpose. Hamaguchi weaves together a deep, personal story that manages to go against the grain, illustrating diversity of not just race and gender, but characters and relationships. 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My Name inserts a less common hero into a common revenge tale < Back My Name inserts a less common hero into a common revenge tale Studio Santa Claus Entertainment, 2021 50 minutes Creator: Kim Va-da and Kim Jin-Min Reading Time: 6 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix My Name Treacherous (HASFF8RDHNWNIWOB) 00:00 / 06:09 Rosemary Movies and TV shows with intense action Chris Chaisson 2023-04-04 “To take revenge is to become a monster. A monster is what you are.” The action genre is littered with revenge stories. More often than not, though, the central character is a man with combat training and a violent past. He is an underdog merely in the sense that he is outnumbered and has made strides to retire his violent persona. Less common in the genre is a revenge story centered around a female protagonist going undercover in order to achieve said vengeance. Ji-Woo (Han So-hee, Nevertheless ) is that protagonist, joining organizations on both sides of the law in the Netflix K-drama My Name . When her father (Yoon Kyung-ho, All of Us Are Dead ), a cop masquerading as a powerful gangster, is murdered while trying to protect her, Ji-Woo seeks both the truth and payback. She joins the dojo of gangsters funded by her father’s closest friend, Choi Mu-Jin (Hee-soon Park, Seven Days ), and learns martial arts. Once she has honed her skills, she infiltrates the local police force, operating as a mole for Choi Mu-Jin’s criminal organization. Once she gains her footing in law enforcement, Ji-Woo transfers to her father’s old unit in order to gain access to the documents she hopes will lead her to her father’s killer. The draw of My Name is Ji-Woo’s character arc, with the story taking place over a 6-year period. She must keep growing both as a martial artist and a detective if she wants to achieve the vengeance she craves. As a teenager and student, she has raw anger and aggression that she must learn to harness. Ji-Woo fends off an attack from school bullies, showing that while she is not a trained fighter, she can still defend herself. When she first goes to Choi Mu-Jin for help, he puts a knife in her hand and challenges her to stab him as though he were her father’s killer. She cannot bring herself to even make an attempt, causing him to impatiently throw her out of his headquarters. After she returns, she becomes a highly skilled and disciplined fighter over time, besting all of the male gangsters in the dojo who have harassed and bullied her. Ji-Woo’s ability to quell her blind rage and learn to think like a detective make her a lethal weapon. We see Ji-Woo’s progression continue when she first joins the police force. Thanks to her experience of being surrounded by violence and misogyny at the dojo, her gut instinct in every mission is to beat up the bad guys rather than complete the objective in covert fashion. This tendency lands her in hot water multiple times with Pil-do (Ahn Bo-Hyun, Itaewon Class) , who eventually becomes her partner. Once Ji-Woo learns to operate with patience and discipline, she draws less attention to herself, which allows her to escape several close calls where her identity is nearly revealed to her co-workers. As she admits multiple times throughout the series, Ji-Woo has made her entire existence about catching her father’s killer. This would be hampered if her motives were found out prematurely. Where My Name excels the most is in its action sequences. Ji-Woo’s petite frame makes her appear overmatched in every fight, so she must use her agility, quickness and any objects handy. In the very first episode, she finds herself in a caged match at the dojo with dozens of other gangsters as part of a free-for-all. They must fight until only one of them is left standing. She and fellow martial artist Gang-jae Do (Yull Jang, Welcome to Waikiki ) outlast every other member and face off with one another. Many other scenes show Ji-Woo taking on several villains in confined spaces: bathrooms, narrow corridors or even elevators. She generally does not have the option to run, rely on back-up, or even use a firearm. The claustrophobic nature of the hand-to-hand combat illustrates the sense of self-reliance Ji-Woo has had to take on without her father’s protection. As the fight scenes play out, a recurring thought a viewer may have is that Ji-Woo does not really have to endure any of these life-and-death situations. Yet, as she states, “I gave up my future and my name to get my dad’s murderer!” She grieves over his death many times throughout the series, as seeking information about those responsible forces her to relive the agony repeatedly. While on the surface level she is fighting for temporary survival, Ji-Woo is always essentially fighting for revenge. A major motif of revenge stories is whether or not success ultimately fulfills the protagonist. Generally, the main character finds that they are still not satisfied when they reach the end of their mission. They still carry the emptiness they previously had and realize that nothing will bring back the loved one they lost. Ji-Woo questions out loud not only if vengeance is worth what she loses but also what the quest for vengeance has turned her, and others, into. Similar to other revenge stories, My Name incorporates the “fish out of water” trope. In shows like Lupin and The English , the main character comes from a different background or socioeconomic situation as the villains they target for vengeance. In spite of her combat skills, Ji-Woo certainly qualifies as a fish out of water by first infiltrating an all-male criminal organization and later the predominantly male police force. Her mission is not steeped in greed and malice like the gangsters, but it is also not in criminal justice like the other police officers. She is merely there to avenge her own father’s murder. As far as revenge stories go, My Name is most reminiscent of the 2010s ABC hit Revenge (hard to get more on-the-nose than that). Emily Thorne arrives in the Hamptons seeking payback against those who wronged her father. While Revenge is more based around money than violent crime, Emily and Ji-Woo both serve as good examples of characters who have broken off their life paths in search of retaliation. 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< Back Decision to Leave turns romance tropes on their heads Moho Film, 2022 139 minutes Director/Writer: Park Chan-wook / Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung Reading Time: 4 minutes Decision to Leave Haunted Romance (9OGOZYCCB7PWGYD3) 00:00 / 05:02 📷 : Used with permission, CMB Graphic Design https://www.instagram.com/cmbgraphicdesign/ https://www.facebook.com/cmbgraphicdesign/ https://www.cmbgraphicdesign.com/ Matcha Mysteries or whodunnits Saffron Movies and TV shows with great visual effects Chris Chaisson 2022-12-13 Stories of romance, regardless of book, movie or series, often tug at the heart strings with melodramatic actions that are not actually relatable (and in some cases, ill-advised). While audience members may have experienced passionate flings, they likely have never hung from a Ferris wheel or laid down in the middle of the road to win someone’s heart (see The Notebook ). Grand romantic gestures like these appear and reappear in movies for a reason; they work when it comes to engaging the audience. Watching lovers be rational is considerably more boring than seeing them run back on to a sinking ship, draw each other naked or hold up a blaring boombox outside their bedroom windows. Nonetheless, it can be refreshing to experience a romantic narrative that steers clear of such over-the-top, unhinged expression. Despite incorporating surreal elements and a shocking conclusion, Park Chan-wook ( Oldboy ) pulls off such a feat in his newest work, Decision to Leave . Set in metropolitan South Korea, Decision to Leave tells a story of forbidden love surrounding Jang Hae-joon (Park Hae-il), an accomplished investigator assigned to solve the murder of a rock climber. The chief suspect is the victim’s widow, Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei), a caretaker who emigrated from China. Despite his marriage and Song’s seemingly obvious guilt in the murder, Jang becomes deeply infatuated with her. His conflict of interest heightens as the evidence against her continues to mount, negatively affecting his decision-making. Jang’s brilliance and professionalism as a detective is laid bare in the early stages of the film, highlighting how much his desire for Song compromises his integrity. He picks up numerous clues from the crime scene at the beginning and excels at handling adjacent cases. Not only does he chase down and apprehend a suspect from another case, he effectively cross-examines the man at the police station. However, as the plot progresses with his main case, he overlooks damning evidence, both concrete and circumstantial, pointing at Song’s culpability. His dishonesty to his wife surrounding the chief suspect adds to his list of bad decisions, as he eventually struggles to keep up with his own lies. Park Chan-wook, who won Best Director at Cannes Film Festival for this romantic thriller, makes many interesting stylistic choices throughout the movie. For instance, he depicts Jang as being in close proximity with Song several times when he is either on the phone with her or staking her out from a distance. Chan-wook also incorporates a language barrier between the two leads into the story, which they must overcome in order to have a stronger connection. When he first interrogates her, Jang and Song must use a translator app, as Song’s Korean is not the strongest. This barrier evolves into Jang trying desperately to learn her native tongue. Whereas most romantic stories involve a night of passion or montage of tactile experiences, our two leads in Decision to Leave have no physical relationship for much of the movie, placing all the emphasis on their emotions. Chan-wook does a superb job of using the supporting characters to intensify the romance between Jang and Song. Jang’s partner, Soo-wan (Go Kyung-Pyo) serves as the comedic relief by cracking jokes and struggling with the physical duties of law enforcement. During several scenes, Jang either carries Soo-wan along or leaves him behind when pursuing suspects and evidence. Jang’s wife, Jeong-ahn (Lee Jung-hyun) has a demanding career of her own and thus rarely spends time with Jang. She speaks very practically to him about their relationship, quoting statistics about behaviors they should adapt in order to live longer and healthier. The absence of romance between them, coupled with the comedic presence of Soo-wan, contrast sharply with the deep longing between Jang and Song. Billed as a romantic thriller, Decision to Leave delivers much more on the side of romance than thriller. Even in doing so, creative story and shot choices convey intimacy without absurdity. Rather than engaging in exaggerated gags that convey obsession instead of love, Jang’s desire comes through in very relatable ways, mainly poor decision-making. While this is not to talk down the more theatrical approach to romantic storytelling, Decision to Leave may provide you a breath of fresh air from the many Romeo and Juliet -styled yarns that line our DVD library shelves. 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!