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We Own This City (2022)
Big let down for a Wire fan
As a longtime fan of David Simon's The Wire, I was elated to hear about We Own This City - touted as a spiritual successor to The Wire. Nothing could be further from the truth.
While the backdrop of Baltimore and several of the cast are familiar, the writing this time falls flat. Gone is the sense of curious introspection, the sincere and earnest examination of clashing cultures and institutions. This is teleplay that would feel more at home on the CW, or even MTV than HBO. I was actually quite saddened upon first watch through, as just about every plot beat was predictable. Maybe there's time to right the ship, maybe a second season will come to fruition, and add depth here, but I'm not hopeful.
Poor Greg Drowning (2018)
Surprisingly Hilarious Low Budget Comedy
I get the impression that a group of stand up comedians wanted to make a Judd Apatow-style comedy, and Poor Greg Drowning was the result. I laughed throughout. Please don't let the obviously low budget nature of the production design dissuade you from seeing this, the jokes are just too good.
Ju-on: Origins (2020)
Gruesome, For Fans of the Film Series Only
Ju-on: Origins is an excellent piece of fan service for those already enfranchised in the Ju-on universe. It captures much of the tone of the original Japanese series and often the plot beats are callbacks to notable moments fans will remember and appreciate. However I fear newcomers might not get it; it's complicated (possibly overly so), and the non-chronological pacing isn't always intuitive.
The content is also markedly more mature in this outing. I wouldn't usually feel the need to provide a disclaimer for a horror series, but the elements of domestic abuse and violence towards children is more brutal than other entries in the Ju-on series.
Possessor (2020)
Among the Best Sci-Fi Horror Films
When telling a story, a great storyteller often begins as close to the end as possible to spare the listener extraneous details. Brandon Cronenberg takes this philosophy to it's logical extreme with 2020's greatest horror film, Possessor. We are dropped into a world of mind control and corporate assassins, but those high concepts aren't explored here - Cronenberg rightly assumes we will be able to relate much more readily to Andrea Riseborough's protagonist Tasya Vos, and instead tells us a troubling tale of her unhealthy work-life imbalance and manipulative employer. And since this is a horror movie after all, he treats us to plenty of blood and gruesome practical effects along the way.
Grave (2016)
A Painful, Beautiful, Misunderstood Film
If you've heard any of the chatter about Julia Ducournau's Raw, you've likely heard that it is bloody, visceral, and gross. That's true. However, Raw is a far cry from mindless horror movie gore. This is not Hostel or the umpteenth installment of the Saw series or some such nonsense.
There is a universally relatable and tragic human story here. Graphic viscera, and the viewer's reaction to it, allow the director to conjure bodily emotions in jaded audiences. Do you remember your first sexual urge? Your first wet dream? Possibly, but it would be impossible to rekindle the unfamiliar and overwhelming emotion you felt when you were a teenager. This film just might tap into an emotion you didn't think you'd feel.
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (2020)
Did they forget the food?
After seeing ads for Taste the Nation one might become excited to see Padma's newest food adventure; a journey across the states highlighting regional cuisines and melding traditions therein. However the cuisine we were promised takes a firm backseat to Padma's political lecturing. Before even a single recipe is shown, we see grim bystander footage of a racially-motivated mass shooting and an explanation of its impact on the community. The subsequent episodes are no better in this regard. While there is certainly a home for that sort of content, does it belong here?
Seven Pounds (2008)
Astoundingly Terrible
This is simply one of the worst movies I've seen in recent months (and I watch a lot of movies). Being a huge fan of Will Smith, I wanted to like this but it was a huge let-down. This movie feels like it was written not out of inspiration or a good idea for a script, but as a thrown-together Will Smith vehicle (I happen to feel the same way about I Am Legend, so if you liked that, you may like this). This movie also plays on every possible draw-emotion-out-of-the-audience cliché until it becomes grating. The sappy soundtrack, the close-ups of characters' faces as they become teary-eyed, it's all here. Over all, very unimaginative and surely not worth seeing (if you're looking for a true "life-affirming" movie, see The Reader).