The Dead Don’t Die is a rather gruesome horror-comedy written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, which often seems as dead as the persistent zombies roaming the street s in spite of the star power employed here.
The film stars Bill Murray. Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, Carol Kane, and quite a few others. Even their considerable talents could not keep me fully engaged in this film.
It’s a pretty standard zombie flick in many ways, but Jarmusch injects this deadpan sort of humor that seemingly falls flatter than was intended. In this little town known as Centerville, the dead start walking again due to some strange astronomical event that was nonsensical that I don’t even remember what it was called.
Murray and Driver have a sort of wooden double act as two of the town’s police officers trying to figure out the reason for these mysterious cannibalistic deaths. The town is full of strange characters played by the likes of Steve Buscemi and Danny Glover. It was kind of cool to see Glover.
Also, there were some moments that the fourth wall was breached, which was supposed to enhance the intent of this being a comedy. It didn’t work that well for me. I don’t mind that sort of tactic at times, but a better writer needs to take that on.
I appreciate that Jarmusch was trying to be somewhat innovative in this genre of film, but he just didn’t quite hold it together for me. It could be well that zombie movies are a hard nut to crack when it comes to present a more original vision, but this project didn’t really have the secret to doing that successfully.’
Anyway, it’s a little too bizarre for my taste, and that’s saying something considering my other indulgences when it comes to cinema.
Nowhere to Run by C.J. Box is another solid installment in a pretty compelling series featuring game warden Joe Pickett.
Joe Pickett is wrapping up a temporary assignment in Baggs, Wyoming before returning home to his wife and daughters. He gets reports of some harassment of campers and an elk that was illegally butchered. Pickett looks into the matter and encounters a pair known as the Grim Brothers. When an attempted arrest goes very wrong, Pickett barely escapes with his life. There also seems to be a peculiar connection to an aspiring Olympic runner who had vanished a couple of years earlier. Pickett’s word comes into question when subsequent investigators can find no evidence of his harrowing ordeal with the Grim Brothers. Pickett has to decide if he needs to return to the mountain for the sake of justice and his peace of mind.
Box kind of flirts with the supernatural here when the legend of Wendigos is mentioned. A wendigo is a legendary evil spirit that can resemble a human that may eat human flesh.
Box does a pretty good job of threading together a pretty diverse set of unusual circumstances. Pickett also deals with the challenges of being a father of growing daughters, including a traumatized and sullen foster daughter. The devotion he has for his wife and daughters is rather moving and inspiring.
Pickett is a flawed yet unquestionably noble protagonist and is too often accused of being stubborn. It is an admirable stubbornness, however.
Box continues to be a competent writer and storyteller. He has a pretty good pace when it comes to letting the story unfold.
This novel does get better as more secretes are revealed. There is nothing too extraordinary about this particular installment in the series, but Box does a good job of keeping the reader’s attention.
I have decided to take a different literary path for the time being. The next read is Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.
Doctor Who: Lethal Progress is somewhat disappointingly average collection of audio dramas directed by Helen Goldwyn and released by Big Finish Productions. Tom Baker back in the role as the Fourth Doctor does help it not be a complete waste of time. Sadie Miller is alongside the Doctor as Darah Jane Smith, an iconic role first played by her mother, Elisabeth Sladen.
The guest cast includes Alexander Cobb, Sean Connelly, Orlando Gibbs, Dawn Murphy, and Nisha Nayar. The casting was fine, but none of the three episodes in this set really resonated all that thoroughly with me.
Baker and Miller in the lead roles do make this still a worthwhile listening experience even if the episodes themselves were somewhat bland.
Tim Foley starts off with Green and Pleasant Planet in which the Doctor and Sarah meet a British space expedition on a strange world which contains a peculiar model village. The lifeforms are even stranger and become more lethal.
There are some interesting ideas here, but Foley just doesn’t present them all that coherently sometimes.
The Continuum by John Dorney places the Doctor and Sarah on a space station that is about to go through hyperspace, but there is a dangerous presence aboard, and the whole endeavor turns even more chaotic.
This story is a little better, and Dorney is considered one of the more reliable writers for Big Finish Productions. I appreciate where he was trying to take this story and what likely influenced this episode. It helps to think of the film Event Horizon which had a similar setting. Anyway, it seems a little too confusing for an audio play at times. I can respect the ambitious idea though. Dorney will likely impress me with his next contribution.
Finally, Lizzie Hopley brings this collection to a close with The Audience. The Doctor and Sarah visit a planet in which artificial beings who want to have real feelings use theater as a means to experience something more than just stark programming. The problem is that the plays get a little too real, and Sarah may be forced to give up her life for the sake of an unwanted role.
It’s a little bit of an overused idea in science fiction, but Hopley is not too bad in presenting her take on the concept.
Baker and Miller continue to display a solid chemistry. Tom Baker’s age is starting to show a bit in his performance. He kind of goes a little over the top, although I still enjoy his participation very much.
This release was recorded during the COVID lockdowns in 2021, so that may explain some of the dip in quality here. The set is not terrible, but it just came across as more mediocre than I am used to.
Not every release is going to be the great, and I get that. Tom Baker can still hold court in his performances. Sadie Miller does well in resurrecting the part originated by her mother,
The postproduction work is still well done. The stories just didn’t hold my interest all that consistently, but that’s going to happen from time to time, even with a stellar track record like Big Finish’s.
The Long Walk is a dystopian thriller film that was adapted from an early Stephen King novel. Since I have not read the novel, I am uncertain as to its faithfulness to the source material, but it’s a pretty good movie. The screenplay was written by J.T. Mollner with Francis Lawrence as director.
The film’s cast includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.
This film takes place in some alternate history where the United States has gone through some kind of civil war in the twentieth century. There is now an annual event called “The Long Walk” in which young men from every state gather to participate in a long walk for as long as they can in order to win a large cash prize and any wish granted they desire. It’s a Stephen King story, so there is a rather gruesome catch. The lads are escorted by the military, and if they fall below walking 3 miles per hour, they are executed after three warnings. Along the way, there is a mixture of some competitiveness and camaraderie. Of course, the other catch is that there can only be one left still standing in order to reap the rewards.
It’s a pretty good movie in spite of most of it taking place on a very long stretch of road. It’s a tough movie to watch because of the ruthlessness depicted at times. Complicated and shifting relationships are king of a staple in a Stephen King story.
Those who have read the book may disagree, and I can sympathize since I also usually prefer the written version in most adaptations like this.
The performances were all quite solid, although Hamill does kind of come off as a little cheesy at times as this blustering Major. I will say that he has had worse performances, so he does not really ruin the film.
It’s a somewhat extraordinary plot in some ways. Honestly, it seems like a pointless endeavor concocted by the government, but it does a provide an interesting vehicle for the banter between the characters.
There are some moments that pull on the heartstrings, and I was actually saddened at some of the deaths. There are some pretty compelling twists as well.
This may not be the best of Stephen King adaptation, but it should hold up as at least being interesting and worthy of atj least one viewing.
Lethal White is the rather lengthy, convoluted fourth novel featuring Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith, who is really J.K. Rowling. It is still quite good, but some of the more personal dynamics between Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott, tends to grab my interest more than the actual murder mystery.
It has been a year since Robin has entered what appears to be a troubled marriage. She has been elevated to partner in Strike’s detective agency. Strike has been gaining some notoriety due his involvement in some high-profile murders occurring in London. He is also the illegitimate son of a popular rock star. He also lost a leg when he served king and country in the military. Needless to say, he is a guy with a colorful past.
Well, this caper starts off with a very troubled young man bursting into Strike’s office and claiming to have witnessed a strangulation when he was a child. When he and Robin start to take a look at this claim, a minister in Parliament shows up and hires the agency to assist in a blackmail situation which sends Robin undercover, much to the frustration of her new husband.
Anyway, a connection between the aforementioned strange visit and this minister’s problem becomes apparent. Once again, Strike and Robin have to risk their lives as they also navigate the complications in their friendship.
Galbraith is unquestionably a talented, interesting writer on the whole, but this novel felt a little more dense than necessary at times. Strike and Robin’s banter certainly helps one navigate this unwieldy plot.
Robin’s situation with her husband feels a bit cliche at times, but it was still interesting. There is an obvious “will they or won’t they” vibe going on between Strike and Robin, which is a little trite but still engaging.
As I work my way through the series, I doubt Lethal White will rank as a favorite, but it’s still worth the time. Galbraith still manages to be compelling enough to keep me returning to the series.
As usual, I will get the next installment a few books down the road. For now, it is time to revisit the living room of 221B Baker Street as Nicholas Meyer unveils the story of Sherlock Holmes and the Telegram From Hell.
Young Washington is a pretty well-put together film depicting the early failures and successes of the first President of the United States with William Franklyn-Miller in the lead role as George Washington. Jon Erwin sits in the director’s seat of this film which he co-wrote alongside Tom Provost and Diederik Hoogstraten.
Other familiar talents such as Kelsey Grammar, Andy Serkis, Mary-Louise Parker, and Ben Kingsley are part of well-chosen cast.
Much the film delves a bit into Washington’s childhood and reveals that his father died when he was quite young. Washington had an older half-brother who took charge of his education and was apparently an important inspiration to the boy. Of course, older brother Lawrence teaches George the rules governing the game of chess. Washington initially wanted to serve in the British Army but was denied because of his colonial roots. He was given a position in the Virginia Militia where he started making a name for himself. The film then starts to hone on the French and Indian Wars, and Washington’s experiences there, including a rather humbling loss. It takes the love and wisdom of George’s mother to reignite that spark of inspiration that propels him to build on the purpose that will eventually help form a nation from the ground up.
It’s not the greatest historical film I have seen, but it holds up quite nicely and is certainly one of the better projects to hit the screens this year. Franklyn-Miller does a decent job portraying a very young George Washington, although I don’t know there is anything that unique about his performance.
The film seems to not stray too far from historical record, although I am sure there were some flights of fancies utilized.
It was also a pretty straight-forward film in a lot of ways without a lot of strange surprises thrown in for effect. It was a little odd to see Washington portrayed at such a young age during a period of his life that doesn’t seem to have much of lore that most have come to associate with him.
The film is certainly intended to celebrate who would become the United States’ first president, but it also brings out his human frailty and reminds the audience what he had to overcome to be seen as one of the Founding Fathers.
The set design and wardrobe seemed well crafted.
There are times that the film likely exaggerates the accomplishments a bit, but it’s nothing too outrageous. The film does have moments where it could have used a quicker pace, but it’s no worse than many other releases in that regard.
The film still delivers a good time, and I did actually feel like that I learned something new about a period in Washington’s life that is likely overlooked in the schools.
As I write this, I am thinking I should add a more comprehensive biography of the man to the reading queue.
The Trap is not one of the better films to feature Charlie Chan, as played by the late Sidney Toler. Howard Bretherton directed this film which was written by Miriam Kissinger. The character was first created by the late Earl Derr Biggers, who was also given some writing credit. Biggers died in 1933, so he probably didn’t have much to do with this bit of tragic cinema.
Victor Sen Yung, Barbara Jean Wong, Mantan Moreland, and Tanis Chandler are also included in the cast.
It’s kind of a classic murder mystery set-up where a where a theatrical ensemble is staying at a beach house where scandal and blackmail are ruining the camaraderie among the showgirls. When one of the showgirls is murdered, a pair of them fall under suspicion. San Toy happens to know the son of the great detective, Charlie Chan, and reaches out for some help. Jimmy Chan starts his own investigation; however, the big man turns up when he receives some information that Jimmy himself had been murdered. Charlie devises a trap to ensnare a murderer who has claimed a second victim as he discovers the secrets held by the performers.
There isn’t much about this particular film that works. Charlie Chan isn’t all that involved in the story as expected. I did a little research here and learned that Toler had been coping with a severe cancer diagnosis at the time of production. In fact, he died the following year. The story was not that interesting. Well, it did follow the basic tropes of the genre and the other films in the series, but it was not executed all that well. It felt rushed and a bit incoherent. Now that I am aware of Toler’s condition during filming, it does seem the studio was rather ruthlessly trying to make as much money as possible from a star who was terribly sick.
I do think the Charlie Chan movies themselves are worth some viewing time due to the cultural impact at the time of release, but I also believe this particular film deserves a pass. The actors did their best, but the script did little to help.
The Night Clerk is an almost painfully mediocre suspense film written and directed by Micchael Cristofer about a motel clerk with Asperger’s Syndrome who sets up cameras in rooms to spy on guests so he can learn how to imitate their mannerisms. He apparently believes this will help him be less socially awkward.
Tye Sheridan is in the lead as Bart Bromley with Ana de Armas, John Leguizamo, Helen Hunt, and Johnathan Schaech included in the pretty small cast.
Bart finds that he is the lead suspect when a pretty lady is found dead in the motel room with him in the vicinity. He is assigned by a sympathetic boss to another location where he meets another pretty lady who flirts with him and reveals that she is in an affair with a married man. The detective, played by Leguizamo, continues to hound the hapless Bart while the real killer is desperate to cover his tracks.
This is a bit of a knock-off of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, which isn’t a bad source for inspiration even if it has been overcooked over the years. The cast is solid enough with convincing performances; however, it just feels so slow. There are no real surprises. Bart does come off as a bit creepy at times, so I found it hard to maintain any real sympathy for him. An actress of Helen Hunt’s caliber feels wasted in the role as Bart’s protective mother. There are also times where it feels that the killer takes a somewhat more convoluted approach than necessary to keep his secret. I can go on and on, but I have a full plate today.
The bright spots in this film were there but seemed a little muted at times. Overall, I think audiences have seen this kind of setup too many times, and Cristofer really doesn’t offer up much in the way of an interesting or unique twist. I didn’t really care much about the protagonist in spite of him being inflicted with a very challenging condition. Sheridan does do a solid job in his portrayal, but that wasn’t enough for me to muster up any real appreciation for the film as a whole.
Doctor Who: Pursuit is a reasonably entertaining audio boxset which is the second volume in the series known as Time War Uncharted. Paul McGann is back before the microphone in the Big Finish studio. The set was directed by Ken Bentley and is comprised of four episodes. The Eighth Doctor has had his TARDIS stolen by his great-grandson, Alex Campbell, played by Sunny McGann. Emma Campbell-Jones returns as Cass, who is accompanying Alex on his escapade separated from the Doctor.
The mysterious Hieronyma Friend, whose face is often changing, is played by Lizzie Hopley and then Niky Wardley. Friend seems to be in the employ of someone or something else and seems to shift from being an ally to an adversary. Either way, the Doctor needs to remain wary.
Dan Starkey returns as various Sontarans encountered throughout the set. Sontarans are apparently now Time Lords as a consequence of the Doctor’s meanderings through different realities. A Time War does strange things to the universe, and even the Doctor will have a challenging time keeping up with the sudden shifts in reality.
As mentioned before, there are four episodes that should be given some brief impressions.
Spoil of War is written by Mark Wright and brings Alex and Cass to an estate where an unusual auction is about to take place. The Doctor and Friend are on their trail but have problems of their own. The Time Lords are now Sontarans. The Doctor is about to discover bow navigating the consequences of the Time War is going to throw many obstacles in his pursuit of his stolen TARDIS and his renegade great-grandson.
Once again, the performances make an otherwise average story a little more enjoyable. The strange relationship between Friend and the Doctor provides enough intrigue to keep one engaged, but I find the plot somewhat unmemorable.
The Tale of Alex by Katherine Armitage sort of sets up Alex as taking up the legendary mantle of the Doctor. Sam Stafford is on hand as a kind of bard and narrator and does a good job with it.
It’s kind of an obligatory offbeat sort of story but has the sense of being done before. Armitage still manages to have a story that feels overdone because we have heard this type of poetic narrations before. She does a good job with it, but it does not come off as original as intended.
James Moran dips a bit more into the spookier aspects of the series with See-Saw with another sometimes-overdone trope with creepy children reciting whispering nursery rhymes. Alex and Cass sole the mystery alongside the Doctor and Friend without being able to see of communicate with each other, which is actually quite intriguing. I sort of like creepy tropes in Doctor Who, and this episode is probably the one that gripped me the most. It’s actually a pretty clever idea in spite of some of the story elements having a history of being overused.
Finally, Tim Foley brings this collection home with The First Forest. John Ramm plays a strange hermit type character who finds an injured Alex, who is separated from Cass. The Doctor and Friend finally find Alex and are close to the purloined TARDIS. Of course, more mysteries are revealed even when the Doctor accomplishes an important goal.
This was a little mid of a muddled episode, but the performances and the climactic encounters make the time well spent.
On the whole, it was an enjoyable but unremarkable set. This series in which we get to experience the Eighth Doctor’s somewhat limited participation in the Time War is a fascinating venture. Of course, he will become more active when he regenerates into the shunned incarnation known to us fans as the War Doctor. Paul McGann is a still a joy to hear in these episodes.
I don’t know how one can chart a course through a Time War, but I am still enjoying the ride.
Apartment 7A is a mildly interesting horror film which I just read was supposed to be some prequel to the classic film, Rosemary’s Baby. The film is directed by Natalie Erika James, who co-wrote the film alongside Christian White and Skylar James. Julia Garner is in the lead as aspiring stage dancer, Terry Gionoffrio. Other cast members include Dianne Weist, Jim Sturgess, Kevin McNally, and Marli Siu.
Terry Gionoffrio is a dancer who was seriously injured in a fall onstage and is having some difficulty getting booked for other Broadway gigs. She meets an elderly couple who befriend her and offer a rent-free apartment in a lavish old complex. Of course, Terry starts having strange dreams and hallucinations. She does have a seemingly convenient fling with a Broadway producer which could lead to her desired fame on the stage. In the midst of these strange circumstances, Terry learns that she is pregnant, but there is something odd about the developing child. It turns out that Terry has been ensnared by some dedicated Satanists eager to bring forth a manifestation of the one they worship.
The film hits some of the right notes that engage my interest. It takes place in the 1960’s in New York. There is a rather spooky apartment, although we’re not really confined there with Terry. Terry does get to leave and figure out what kind of situation keeps her on the edge of hysteria. I have no real complaint about the cast. Garner is a pretty good actress. Wiest is kind of a legend and is easily able to pull off the part of a strange old woman who can be deadlier than she first appears.
The script is okay. There is nothing really that unique about setup or plot. Geriatric Satanists seems like an interesting idea, but I just ultimately found it to be kind of hammy. Some of the imagery of the devil was kind of clever, but nothing too jarring or unique.
I don’t think I have gotten around to seeing Rosemary’s Baby. Even though I may eventually be curious enough to see it, this film didn’t really kickstart my interest that much.
Apartment 7A is not a bad film on the whole and does have some merit in the horror genre, but there isn’t much that’s unique and will likely be considered another unnecessary prequel that has a tenuous connection to the film that inspired it.
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