Author Archives: casewright

Thrash, Film Review by Case Wright (wri/dir: Tommy Wirkola)

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It’s not quite shark week, but we’re still all in on sharks eating people here at TTSL. I watched this shark v people movie with Lisa and it was pretty fun. It did have a touch of environmentalist gobbledygook, but it was brief enough to ignore. My advice to anyone doing a shark film is to stick to reality: sharks. You don’t need to bring in vampires, werewolves, or climate change to raise the stakes.

see above

There is a category five hurricane that hits a South Carolina town, it breaks the seawall, the town is taken by the sea, and sharks come in to eat everyone. There were some decent tropes to keep the popcorn popping: abusive foster parents, redneck foster kids, a pregnant woman who gives birth, an annoying anxiety-ridden lady who stares at things through the movie and rises mostly to the occasion, and a wise sailor/marine biologist who actually saves the day.

The mean foster parents and some good Samaritans become shark food, but that was about it. I was happy to see the foster parents die, but one of the foster parents was straight up murdered by the foster kids, which made the foster kids less sympathetic to me. Yes, foster dad was a horrible jerk, but there was no reflection on the fact that they killed him. You would’ve thought the abusive foster parent would’ve been well thought of by the director and writer because he was a state subsidized parent. I thought government intervention was supposed to make everything better?

My three big critiques is that there were not enough deaths, some scenes were too bright, and the protagonist did not get to save the day. “Thrash” was low on the body count; it made me wonder if they ran out of money or had to donate half of their money to an NGO. Did it have to be “Sharknado” levels of shark chomping? No, but I think that there were only five deaths in this film and that’s a little light.

The other critique is the lighting; typically, Netflix films are really dark and I don’t mean mood; it’s actually difficult to see. “Thrash” went the other direction and there was clear sunlight in a number of scenes that were supposed to be at night. The director had an environmentalist streak; so, maybe it was purposeful to lower a carbon footprint and use daylight to film? I do not have a good answer because it took me out of the story.

Finally, the anxiety-ridden star, whom I will call Anxious Girl, was more annoying than inspiring. Also the film ended where the Anxious Girl and the pregnant woman needed to be rescued by Anxious Girl’s uncle. I don’t think the writer understood that this was a failure. The Anxious Girl faced her fears and should’ve saved the day, but it was her Uncle, a minor character, who had to save the protagonist and pregnant woman. Was the Anxious Girl annoying? Sure, but she grew as a character and by taking away her chance at true heroism, it made the victory hollow and deflated.

Is the film worth watching? Sure. Like a tinder date missing a left-arm, “Thrash” was all right.

Song of the Day: “2085” AJR

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Case Wright

The song is all about failure. He’s clear-eyed that he’s run out of time. There’s so many things that he could’ve done, but now he’s broken and on his way out. It’s hard to face when things aren’t going to be ok- even these guys feel like failures and they’re rich and surrounded by eager groupies. What does that say for us plebes?

I can only write this from the male perspective. Maybe you keep going to spite your enemies? Maybe you keep going because you still have stupid hope? Maybe you keep going because you’re scared you’ll survive – sort of? Maybe you just keep going because you can’t afford your preferred means to end it? Maybe you keep going because yes it will get worse and yes you are failure, but most people are failures and you figure that you’re not even the worst failure; so, maybe there’s room left to fall? Maybe, like George Carlin suggested, you just don’t have the time to schedule it in?

Whatever your reason, eventually the reason will resolve; so, you need someone to remind you of a backup reason or we will miss you.

Weapons (w & dir: Zach Cregger), Film Review by Case Wright – No Spoilers

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I should get an academy award for reviewing this film without spoiling it. It is so hard. I won’t post a spoiler review, until the Shattered Lens staff tells me that they’ve seen it.

I know, I know… Case, Weapons came out a while ago! What gives?! In my defense, it’s Oscar nominated; so, I’m not late until April. Take that!

Zach Cregger presents his story through six different perspectives: Justine a teacher/alcoholic, Archer a self-loathing father, Paul an alcholic/cheater cop, James a drug addict, Marcus the school principal who wants to be good, and Alex the crux of the plot. Cregger uses these different perspectives to force you to pay close attention to discern the subtle plot points. One thing that stood out to me was that he told the story through cinematography (showing not telling) to such a degree that the scenes with dialogue could be counted.

The film is clearly rooted in the storytelling of Fulci. There is plot and dialogue, but the vast majority of the story is told visually with unique Americana. Just as The Beyond had to be filmed in New Orleans, Weapons had to be filmed in summertime Suburbia. The setting succeeded in bringing additional tension to the story where the visuals were the storyteller.

He filmed it so that the suburban setting is a character itself. There are scenes where characters are quickly isolated by going from a backyard into the woods. I am certain that this was intentional to show that all normal civilized society is immediately adjacent to an untamed wild forest that can consume us whole. The theme of line crossing both physical and metaphorical is woven throughout the entire story. Lines are crossed that are professional, societal, relationship-based, and actual physical lines. The line crossing is another element that induces a cringe-suspense that ratchets the tension continually.

The score shares the circulatory system with the setting and story so that it is used as a stand-in for dialogue. There are entire scenes without a single word spoken; so, the music and cinematography fill that vacuum, which pulls us in deeper and deeper into Zach Cregger’s world. What makes the story more challenging is that it is a world we know: the suburbs. The music is both congruous and incongruous depending on what part of the story is told.

I believe that I have succeeded in reviewed this film without spoiling it. Normally, I DO NOT CARE, but this film is so well done and rooted in the Fulci storytelling that I can’t do that to the staff and especially not Lisa. I hope that you all watch it soon or we schedule a watch party.

Divorce, by Case Wright

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Divorce is Hell. Losing a common law marriage is Hell. Losing the love of your whole adult life is Hell.

I was in denial for YEARS!!! It was over MANY MANY years ago, but I just couldn’t sign the papers or sell the house. Maybe the Catholic upbringing? Maybe it was losing that connection to when I was 23 and when that young man just KNEW that it was going to be forever? She was my forever, but she left a LONG time ago.

I was in denial. Understand, denial isn’t lying; it’s when your brain is so offended by something that it rejects this horrible true fact. My denial was twelve years old and halfway through the 7th grade. Technically, I was married even though for all intents and purposes- I wasn’t. It wasn’t until she said, ENOUGH- it’s time for government to get involved in all this and really end it, when I finally agreed.

It’s funny that was how my marriage ended because that was also how it began. Years ago, we’d been living together as husband and wife and she said – why don’t we get married? My libertarian instinct replied: why do we need government up in all this? Her: true, but we’d save on taxes and why not?
A few months later, we were married. As for finishing the divorce, I would’ve stayed in marital purgatory forever, if she hadn’t stepped in and said – Enough!

Marriage doesn’t need governmental intervention; for example, in my beloved Texas, there is common law marriage- have joint bank accounts, live together, say you’re married, and presto change-o – you’re married! Sadly, nowhere in America is there common law divorce. I get that there are property issues for some, but for us there weren’t property issues and common law divorce would’ve been a mercy to break the veneer, expose my broken heart, and allow the healing to start. Common law divorce could’ve stepped in where I could not even bear to look. Divorce was beyond looking into the abyss; it was losing decades of jokes, tears, loss, Christmas ornaments, hospital visits, hopes, homeownership, and most importantly – children raised with us together.

Many of whom who know me well, know that I have real problems with things ending: I’m just now watching the last two seasons of “The Office”; so, imagine me admitting to a divorce! I never talked about my separation or divorce, but I can tell you that the hurt is GRIEF, not sadness- GRIEF. Grief grabs your soul by the balls! Grief is the Babadook! Grief is the irresistible pain that you are addicted to because you can’t possibly move on! Grief is borne from death and divorce is death and grief gives your heart that mirage of hope and that fix so that you can keep hurting until you either let go or be consumed. I was nearly consumed.

Divorce is unfair not just because of grief, it is unfair because while the court can award property, it cannot award years back so that you can face the pain with more strength and youth. No, you have to face divorce with the wisdom and cynicism as an adult. No one knows the world’s cold pain like an adult. I knew “adulting” when I was young because of my father. I used to call the scars that he left on my face – my memories of my father. I just took ownership- you think you broke me you SOB? You’re not good enough to even bruise my soul. Divorce hit worse than anything my father did. Divorce got my soul where he could not.

Maybe I am still young because for this reason: I have stupid hope. There is nothing more stupid than hope because hope is the biggest gamble of all. Hope makes buying a Powerball ticket look like buying a mutual fund. Hope is the gamble that you’ll get it right, that it will get better, and this time it’ll be ok. Hope is what I have though, so I’m going with it. I will get right this time and I will find my forever lady. I hope.