"Eternals"

Judging Marvel movies these days is a little like comparing Twinkies to HoHos.  The films are like fluffy cotton candy which doesn't leave much of an impression.  They all tend to be too long, too short and/or have too much or too little action.  Every once in a while the whole thing comes together and you get a really great superhero film, but mostly it is entertaining pablum to watch when you don't want to think too much.  Not for nothing, Marvel films are great choices for long flights.  

All that being said, "Eternals" has possibilities.  Which are mostly squandered.  But before I slam it, let's talk about what works.  It's got a terrific cast and many of the "underwritten" roles work because the actors make them work.  There are themes which, if expanded upon, could be intriguing.  Quick mentions of war and peace, natural selection vs. saving those in need, and those nice grey zones where you aren't sure who the good guys and the bad guys are.

(SPOILERS)  The challenges begin with how much they try to stuff into less than two hours.  There is an entirely new foundation which has to be built, a culture to create, ten characters to introduce and an amorphous big bad.  The flashbacks to give context are both helpful and superfluous.  There are inconsistencies.  They need a spaceship to get to earth but apparently can breathe in space (and some can fly there).  In the final battle, characters take sides -- but one is conspicuously absent and nothing is said when he reunites with the crew at the end.  There is an unstoppable monster who gets stopped ... fairly easily.  Character development is extremely limited.  Good actors like Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek and Ma Dong-Seok seem to be oddly restrained.  Powerful female characters are beset by insecurity and self-doubt.  Angelina Jolie's character has more mood swings than "The Three Faces of Eve".  "The most powerful of them all" is killed in seconds, leaving the viewer to wonder if they were truly strong.  Lauren Ridloff is also a favorite actor, but it seems like the producers didn't know what to do with a deaf actor so she is literally relegated to Flash-like running and living in an abandoned spaceship eating junk food and watching DVDs.  Kumail Nanjiani manages to be truly funny, bringing needed warmth.  Lead Richard Madden is stoic and dour.  Actor Barry Keoghan is equally dour but not stoic.  The one bright star is young Lia McHugh, who is given a lot of dialog and makes the most of it.  Brian Tyree Henry is also good, when he is given a chance, being the voice of the superhero struggling to balance a home life.  And those scenes were the ones I liked the most.  When superheroes try to fit into the normal world.  If they had more of that, which is amusing and grounded, it would be more interesting to me than battling a big stone-like head in the sky.  

"Quantumania"

Paul Rudd is funny and sweet, Michelle Pfeiffer is luminous, Michael Douglas does curmudgeon well, Katy O'Brian makes a lot out of little, Evangeline Lilly fades into the background and Kathryn Newton steals the show.  And I miss Michael Pena.  There are little wink-winks to other works, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, and a host of classics.  All-in-all, not the best Marvel entry but by no means the worst.  It's fast paced, heavy on action and effects, and has some twists which you only kind-of see coming.  I liked it.  But there isn't anything new here.  And, like all Marvel films these days, it mostly exists to set up the next two sequels.  And the problem with that is Jonathan Majors.  He's the big heavy in this film, and, presumably in the next two.  But he goes on trial for sexual assault in August.  And women are coming out of the woodwork to accuse him of being violent with them.  So now what?  I guess they recast.  It is, after all, a make-believe multiverse.   

"Alex Rider"

If you are looking for a faithful rendition of the books, you are out of luck.  There are dramatic changes from the novels.  Like most "book-to-TV" transitions the lead character is older, the story is much darker, and, because this is visual, the violence more visceral, the losses more emotional.  Beyond that there are substantive changes to the book narrative.  Events are rearranged and characters are heavily re-written if not utterly new.  There are contemporary comments ("Social Media allows people to take your rights and have you thank them for it") as well as AI and cellphones integrated into the tale (which didn't exist when the first books were written).  All that being said, this series is good.  Really good.  I blasted through the first two seasons in three days.  Action is well-paced and engrossing.  Storylines have nice twists and the cast is, like all British productions, outstanding.  Unfortunately it's on "Freevee" which means that commercials (ones you can't speed through), interrupt the storyline.  But it's good enough that even though my attention tends to wander with the breaks, I focused right back in after each.  The only other complaint, which is minor, is that the entire cast is British -- with some actors playing Americans, but unable to really nail the accent.  It's okay.  American actors have been butchering British accents for years.  Turnabout is fair play.  A special shout-out to Otto Farrant, who encapsulates the heart of a lost 16 year-old even though he is more than ten years older than the character.  He and the rest of the crew get snaps for VERY physical committment to the show.  It's clear Mr. Farrant is doing most of his own stunts and they are impressive.  Can't wait for season three.

"Raya and the Last Dragon"

This little animated gem was one of many missed films during Covid.  It's a shame.  Had it premiered in the "before-times" it probably would have been a hit.  The story is a completely made-up South Asian legend which feels very authentic.  Female forward and with a pacifist message, there are a good number of fisticuffs but a fair amount of fodder for the Disney-haters.  I can't help thinking, however, that a message about learning to trust each other, to love your enemy -- it's not just biblical, it's kind of what we need in this day and age.  I also appreciate that the characters aren't lily white and don't break out into song periodically.  That being said, it's not perfect.  The aforementioned dragons are a little too "My Little Pony" for my taste (although Awkwafina's boundless energy and humor bleeds through in every scene, making the movie extremely watchable) and the inevitable hard sacrifices take on less meaning when Disney goes for the picture perfect ending.  Nonetheless, I did have a tear in my eye.  This film is good.  Quite good.  I didn't get the least bit ancy and hesitated to hit the pause button when I needed to step away for a moment.  Brava.  If you are looking for newish fare over a slow summer, go for it.  

"Pelosi in the House"

This documentary has been dismissed as a puff piece.  It's not.  I mean, it is biased.  Of course.  Nancy Pelosi's daughter made the thing.  And it is, if nothing, an homage to her mom.  There are plenty of shots of Alexandra's children, playing in offices as she films her mother working.  But the story she is telling has layers.  Watch closely and you will see what it takes for a woman to succeed in a man's world.  You will see the dedication, and effort, that Nancy Pelosi put in to do a job which can be impossible.  Watching the "sausage get made" you realize that government is all about time.  The time Pelosi puts into every piece of legislation, every phonecall.  And yes, for most of this film, she is often on the phone.  And wearing makeup.  And in heels.  Clearly, she is a driving force.  What couldn't have been foreseen was January 6th.  Alexandra was filming that day.  It was a big day.  After four years of crazy, there was light on the horizon.  But it wasn't to be.  Re-watching this attack on our country was hard.  Brutally hard.  According to the documentary, Pelosi was cool as a cucumber.  As always.  But was she?  Her eyes, behind the Covid mask, flickered, just a bit.  Her hands shook.  But only for an instant.  An instant we were allowed to see.  Yes, the documentary was good.  It was interesting, informative and engaging.  I couldn't help but wonder, however, what we might have seen if we had been allowed to.  Nancy Pelosi was and is an icon.  Her strength and determination will live on.  But the human being inside?  That will remain forever private.

"Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets"

I never watched any of the Duggar family series or specials.  But I did watch this three part mini-series.  It is part of an ongoing quest of mine to understand these extreme Christian faiths and the people who are involved in them.  Watching it was far more of a roller coaster of emotions than I expected, and the content was far more ranging than just the Duggar family.  I began with a sense of bemusement -- how could anyone buy into what the IBLP was selling?  But, like all cults, there was an appeal.  Safety in a scary world.  Security that you are surrounded by people who support you and love you (so long as you tow the line).  The promise of a reward, albeit after death, for the suffering we experience.  Okay.  As the series went on, it became both interesting and more personal.  The breakdown of the IBLP was fascinating.  I liked how the producers made it clear that the structure of the organization almost invited abuse (and agree with that premise).  It was interesting to hear from the spectrum -- those who had left the organization ranged from sad Christian to very angry atheist.  In the end, I connected more than I realized.  In my dysfunctional childhood there was a veneer of propriety.  I don't think there were many people outside of my family unit who knew what was going on behind closed doors.  This documentary is kind of an indictment of the "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it to Beaver" idealization which is still hailed by conservatives.  They glorify a lie which they see as truth.  And maybe that's the core of these kinds of religions.  Believing what you are told instead of what you actually experience.  Which is ... not a happy place.

"If These Walls Could Talk"

This 1996 film is now living on HBO Max and I have to say, watching it on a streaming service is probably better than doing so in a theatre.  It is a film about abortion, complete with really difficult, cringey scenes.  I had assumed it was pro-choice but after viewing it, I'm not sure.  I mean, yes, the folks who created it are pro-choice but they do a pretty good job of showing all sides of the issue.  And not for nothing, the most violent parts are those where abortions occur.  I would say you will take away what you bring to it.  If you are pro-choice, you will see those arguments, if you are pro-life you will see the opposite.  Taking place in the same house in three different time periods, 1952, 1974 and 1996, it shows the struggles of three women wrestling with unexpected pregnancies.  And it is the thoughtful reflections of these women which is the point.  The real point.  Abortion is not a simple subject and is the case nowadays it has been reduced to hashtags and platitudes.  The reality is much messier.  The brilliance of this film, if it has brilliance, is found in the subtle, amazing performances by a seasoned and well-known cast.  The weaknesses have to do with poor cinematography and an over-the-top ending which isn't unrealistic but ends up being too much.  That being said, this had more substance than I expected.  It isn't clean-cut.  And for this subject, it never is.  

"Kiss Today Goodbye, the Sweetness and the Sorrow ..."

It's that time of year.  The time to say goodbye.  To shows I watched but was so-so on -- like "Andor".  To shows I stopped watching a good while back, including "The Blacklist" and "The Flash".  To shows I liked but which came to an expected end, like "New Amsterdam" and "The Umbrella Academy".  There was also, of course, "A Million Little Things".  This kleenex show went out as came in ... with grace, gravitas, and a few laughs.  I saw it coming with some shows I liked, such as "Call Me Kat" and "Fantasy Island".  I didn't see it coming with other shows I liked, such as "Kung Fu".  Or shows I loved, like "The Company You Keep".  Or shows I was just getting to like, such as "East New York".  

Oddly, the show I'm having the hardest time bidding adieu to is "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel".  Beyond really liking the amazing cast, the smart and fast-paced dialog, the incredible clothes; I really liked the messages.  About women and power.  It's also ... weird.  The series began in 2017.  When I look at how my life has changed since 2017 I am a little dumbstruck.  It is as if I watched season one in another life and I have been completely reborn since.  It's as if the person watching season five is a completely different person.  It's almost dystopian.  But not.  In any case, as they say, it's not over until it's over.  Finales for "The Crown", "Stranger Things", and "The Handmaid's Tale" are coming.  But thanks to the WGA strike, and possibly the SAG strike, it could be a while.  Probably have another year before having to mourn yet again.

"How to be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi

Loved, loved, loved this book.  Tore through it.  Mr. Kendi does a wonderful and hugely personal job of explaining the Black experience and drawing conclusions from it.  In addition to better understanding life from the point of view of a Black person in America, it brings true humanity to the stories told.  Unlike "White Fragility" it is a book which mostly avoids the blame-and-shame tactics and drills down into facts, drawing ideas and thoughts from the facts, and weaving them into solutions.  In other words, it's not a book about complaints, it is a book which encourages readers to do more than think.  It pushes readers to act.  The book is thoughtful, powerful, gentle.  I could read it over and over.  The main premise, one I have espoused for a long time but never articulated as well as Mr. Kendi, is that "we" are a "we".  Not "us" and "them", but simply humans.  People, who are as unique and special as any individuals.  The challenge of the book is to step away from ever referring to Blacks as a monolithic group.  To see each person as a human being who has their own stories, their own backgrounds.  We are challenged to stop assigning any kind of attributes to a person based on race and culture.  Which can be difficult, even for the most enlightened.  Even for Mr. Kendi himself.  This is also a book which pushes the idea of intersectionality.  We have more in common than we are different.  Paradoxically, Mr. Kendi also brings up the essential inequities of those who are Black, explaining structural racism.  He explains it very well and uses data (my favorite thing in the whole world) to support his statements.  It's a simple, clear book.  You read it (and then read passages over and over again, as I did) and see so much.  It's like Haiku.  Every word, every phrase is understandable, but together they provide something which is so much "more".  Yes.  Read it.  Re-read it.  And reflect on it, as I did.  What is it really saying?  And why does it scare people so much?

"Strange World"

It's a good film, and very Disney.  After all the controversy, I had to see it for myself.  It's typical fare.  The kid (and dog) are smarter than the adults.  There are plenty of laughs for the kids and snickers for the adults.  There is a terrific score and great animation.  There are more than a few "nods" to other works:  Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Horton Hears a Who, ET, even Hieronymus Bosch.  It pushes peace and cooperation, even in the midst of family drama and daddy issues.  And, of course, there is a lot for conservatives to hate.  The kids reject their parents.  Forcefully.  The core family is interracial.  The teen is gay (this has been fixated on but it such a minor plot point it takes up little screen time and has no impact on the story outcome).  A shop-keeper and the ubiquitous dog are differently abled.  Women of color are in charge.  And the "kill everything" mantra of the pseudo Yukon Cornelius character is soundly trounced by an eco-message.  "Just because we can take from the planet, maybe we shouldn't".  This is quickly followed by "Maybe we should understand how to live in concert with other life forms" (yeah, this is actually stated).  It's all very nice and upbeat and ends happily.  Two characters bond over a brewsky (no one has complained about this, BTW).  And they all lived happily ever after.  Unless you are a teacher in Florida who dared to show the film to students.

"American Born Chinese"

Almost unrecognizable from the award-winning graphic novel, this is still an impressive and timely take on the tale.  In the book, Jin Wang, the titular "American Born Chinese" is a middle schooler who deals with an unending barrage of racist behaviors and comments.  He is filled with self-loathing and experiences dissociation regarding his role among his peers.  This results in three stories being told which interweave.  There is Jin's thread, the thread of the Monkey King (drawing heavily on Chinese mythology) and a hyper-stereotype, drawn as a 1940s movie character.  The Disney miniseries updates Jin to a 10th grader (in order to cast a 23 year-old actor) and plays with the racism in a more subtle way which is both powerful and layered.  The character of Jin isn't clear about his feelings, or even who he is.  Well-performed by actor Ben Wang, Jin is a mountain of confusion, frustration and struggle.  I think he would be very identifiable to most teens, particularly those of color.  Newcomer Jimmy Liu creates an equally dimensional foil for the Jin character and a certain amount of chaos insues.  The three threads are overlap well, with the mystical element fitting in better, I think, in this live action production.  The stereotype tale is smaller, due to major plot changes, but provides Ke Huy Quan a lovely moment or two.  It also gives the Jin character an opportunity for a lot of reflection, which isn't scripted (and doesn't need to be).  This is not a series for little kids.  There are real parental issues, alcoholism, some intense fight scenes and a lot of Chinese subtitled sections, including most of episode #4.  It is, however, a great series for reflecting on how Asians are viewed and treated in our world.  In any case, I liked it a ~lot~ and watched the whole thing in one afternoon.  And yes, a second season is coming.  This is Disney, after all.