Tag Archives: review

Short Film Review: A Little Dead (dir by Ben Richardson)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

On a farm in Oklahoma, an old man who we get know as being Grandpa (Jack C. Hays) sits at a dinner table.  Though he seems to be alone, he’s got three glasses of wine sitting in front of the other chairs, along with with a glass for himself.  

Things haven’t been easy for Grandpa since Grandma passed away.  His two grandchildren, Hailey (Eden McGuire) and Kevin (Ben Richardson, who also directed the film) arranged for a caretaker to live with him but, when they stop by for a visit, they discover that the caretaker has vanished and Grandpa seems to be convinced that there are people sitting at the table with him.  When his grandchildren try to clean up the table, he snaps at them not to touch anyone’s drinks.  There’s a ritual going on and his well-meaning grandchildren better not interrupt it.  At times, Grandpa seems to be perfectly lucid.  At other times, he expresses surprise when Kevin tells him that it’s not a good idea to keep a big box of rat poison with all of the cereal.  Is Grandpa losing it or is there something else happening that only he can understand? 

Clocking in at a little over 10 minutes (not including the end credits) and deliberately paced without ever being slow, A Little Dead is a nicely atmospheric piece of country gothic.  On the one hand, it is a story of a man who may or may not be living with spirits.  On the other hand, I think it can be argued that the film is also a metaphor for the mixed emotions that many people have about the feelings of responsibility that they feel towards older relatives and the guilt that comes from feeling that maybe they were not there as much as they should have been.  There’s a lot of people like this film’s Grandpa, who are living alone and who are only occasionally visited by younger family members who are, for the most part, checking in to see if they still have their mind and if they’re still capable of taking care of themselves.  Is Grandpa talking to actual “people” at the table or is he just talking to the lingering memories of the people who used to be there?  And are his grandchildren correct to be concerned about him or are they just dealing with their own feelings of guilt?

A Little Dead is also an enjoyable little horror story.  It’s the type of story that you would might expect to find in an old horror comic book, complete with a nice little twist at the end.  The film makes good use of that old farmhouse and the desolate country landscape.  If you have spent anytime in the rural midwest, you will immediately recognize the film’s milieu.  If there were ghosts to be found, that’s definitely where they would probably be living.

This is one to keep an eye out for.  Pour yourself a glass and relax with A Little Death.

 

Lisa Marie’s Week in Television: 6/5/22 — 6/11/22

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yes, you are seeing this correctly.  I watched next to zero television last week and the only new show that I watched was the latest episode of Barry.  I’ve been busy cleaning around the house, listening to music, and writing this week.  Usually, I use the television for background noise but this week, I listened to music.  It was the right decision, I think.

Here’s a few thoughts on what little I watched this week:

Allo Allo (Sunday Night, PBS)

With the French Resistance broke and in desperate need of money, Michelle demanded that Rene hand over the painting of the Fallen Madonna With Big Boobies so that the Resistance could sell it.  Unfortunately, Rene had already given the painting to Herr Flick so Michelle suggested that Rene break into Herr Flick’s dungeon and steal it back.  Rene agreed, though his plan was to steal it and then sell it for himself as opposed to the Resistance.  Meanwhile, Herr Flick deal with an official order to stop having sex while on duty and, as newspaper editor, Rene was tasked with helping to select the perfect model for The Spirit of Nouvion.

The important thing, of course, is that nothing worked out and, at the end of the show, the British airmen were still trapped in France,

Barry (Sunday Night, HBO)

This week’s episode of Barry was …. disquieting.  While Gene filmed his hilariously over-the-top online acting class, Barry struggled to recover from being poisoned and Sally was fired from writing for the sitcom about the Medusas after she was filmed screaming the C-word at her former assistant.  While Barry struggles with his own mortality, Sally seems to be heading for a very, very dark place.

That said, the episode was dominated by Stephen Root and his performance as Fuchces.  Fuches has finally been arrested but, even while sitting in an interrogation room, he still managed to expertly manipulate everyone around him.  He’s like a Southern-version of Hannibal Lecter.  This episode made as a strong a case as any in the show’s history that Stephen Root deserves all the Emmys.

Full House (Sunday Evening, MeTV)

Starting as of late week, MeTV now only shows two episodes of Full House on Sundays and I do have to say that the show is more bearable when you only watch two at a time instead of four.  Last Sunday, Joey took his crappy comedy act to Vegas and he reconciled with his father, who apparently was some sort of general or admiral.  (Shades of Jim Morrison, I suppose.)  In the second episode, DJ developed an eating disorder but, fortunately, all it took was for Danny to say a few understanding words and DJ snapped out of it.  The episode had a good message but it would have been more effective if Aunt Becky had been the one to have the eating disorder talk with DJ.

King of the Hill (Hulu)

I watched three episodes, two on Tuesday and one on Friday.  The two episodes on Tuesday both featured Bobby taking on eccentric hobbies that were nearly ruined by Hank, rose growing and dog dancing.  Friday’s episode was one of my favorites: Minh, Nancy, and Peggy all run for school board and end up losing to the local kooky fundamentalist.

Seinfeld (Netflix)

On Friday, I rather randomly watched an episode where Kramer and George went to the airport to pick up Jerry and Elaine.  Kramer saw his former roommate.  George ended up trapped on a plane with a serial killer.  Jerry got upgraded to first class while Elaine suffered the indignities of flying in coach.  The episode made me laugh but it also made me want to fly somewhere.  But only in first class!

Music Video of the Day: Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart by Julee Cruise (1989, dir by ????)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Julee Cruise, R.I.P.

(The person who uploaded this video to YouTube says it was directed by David Lynch. While Lynch has directed several music videos and he did write the lyrics for this song, I have not seen this video listed in any of his official credits. This very well could have been directed by Lynch, don’t get me wrong. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was. But until I get a little bit more confirmation, I am going to hold off on officially listing him as the director.)

Film Review: Hustle (dir by Jeremiah Zagar)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As I’ve mentioned in the past, there are essentially two Adam Sandlers.

The first Adam Sandler is the comedic actor who, after getting off to a good start with Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, has appeared in some of the most critically-derided films ever made.  This is the Adam Sandler who has won multiple Razzies for Worst Actor, whose films were often used, in the days before the MCU and DCEU, as an illustration of everything that’s wrong with Hollywood, and who is best known for keeping his friends steadily employed.

The second Adam Sandler is a sad-eyed character actor who has appeared in a string of dramatic and challenging films and who has consistently proven himself to be a sensitive dramatic lead.  The second Adam Sandler plays the same type of characters as the first Adam Sandler but with an added dose of regret.  If the first Adam Sandler specializes in characters with no self-awareness, the second Adam Sandler plays characters who are so self-aware that they’re often paralyzed by ennui.  The second Adam Sandler would probably be a multiple-Oscar nominee if not for the first Adam Sandler.  

If you only knew Adam Sandler from Punch-Drunk Love, Uncut Gems, The Meyerowtiz Stories, and his other dramatic films, you would be totally justified in thinking that he had to be one of our most acclaimed actors.  By that same token, if you only know him from Grown Ups, Jack and Jill, and his other comedies …. well, you would be totally justified in having the opposite opinion.  I think that’s one reason why critics get so much more frustrated with Sandler’s dumb comedies than they do with other comedies.  By the point, we all know how good Sandler can be when he wants to be.

Hustle, Sandler’s latest film, casts Sandler is another dramatic role.  Sandler plays Stanley Sugarman, a middle-aged scout for the Philadelphia 76ers.  Stan spends almost all of his time traveling across Europe, checking out international basketball players who are hoping for a chance to come to America and play in the NBA.  As a result, Stan is frequently away from his wife (Queen Latifah) and he’s missed his daughter’s last few birthdays.  Stan, who was a college basketball star but who never made it into the NBA because of his own dumb decisions, may make a lot of jokes but one need only look at his perpetually downcast eyes to see that Stan is not a happy man.  The only thing that’s really keeping him going is that the owner of the 76ers, Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall), is planning on making Stan an assistant coach.

Unfortunately, the same night that Rex tells Stan that he’s going to be promoted, Rex dies.  Rex’s apparently sociopathic son, Vin (Ben Foster), takes over the organization and announces that Stan will continue as a scout.  (When Stan mentions that he hasn’t shared a birthday with his daughter in his years, Vin smirks.  You know, just in case you needed another excuse to dislike the character.)  Stan heads back to Europe.  In Spain, when his plans to scout a local player don’t work out, Stan stumbles across a pick-up game and discovers a local construction worker named Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez, an actual basketball player who makes a surprisingly assured debut).  Bo is nearly 7 feet tall, he’s got a daughter at home, and he just happens to be a phenomenal basketball player. 

With the help of a Facetime call to Dirk Nowitzki (one of the many former and current basketball players to appear in Hustle), Stan is able to convince Bo that he actually is an NBA scout.  Stan takes Bo back to America but it turns out that 1) Bo has a criminal record that makes the league weary of him and 2) Vin would rather humiliate Stan than give Bo a fair chance.  Driven to quit his job, Stan devotes his time to trying to get Bo ready to enter the NBA draft.  Not only is Stan trying to make Bo’s dreams come true but he’s also trying to find some redemption for his own past mistakes.  And, of course, Stan is also trying to save his career because it’s not like his daughter’s film school is going to be pay for itself!

Basketball is my least favorite sport, largely because I can’t stand the sound of all those squeaky shoes on the court.  And Hustle is a film that was definitely made for basketball fans.  Between all the player cameos and the jokes about Philadelphia sports fan, Hustle has a very specific audience in mind.  That said, Hustle is such a sweet-natured and sincere movie that it can be enjoyed and appreciated even by those of us who aren’t into basketball (or sports in general).  Hustle hits all of the expected sports movie clichés but, wisely, it keeps the focus on Stan and Bo’s friendship.  Neither Stan nor Bo are portrayed as being perfect.  Instead, they’re two men who are trying to do their best, despite both carrying a lot of emotional baggage.  As such, the film becomes less about getting drafted and joining team and more about making peace with both the past and the present.  Sandler and Hernangómez both give heartfelt performances and director Jeremiah Zagar does a good job of framing the action.  This is a film about basketball that was made be people who obviously love basketball but, fortunately, the rest of us can enjoy it too.

The TSL’s Grindhouse: Bad Georgia Road (dir by John Broderick)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This 1977 film is, for the most part, set in Alabama so I don’t know why it opens with a shot of a car driving down a country road while someone on the soundtrack sings about running moonshine down a “bad Georgia road.”  Then again, I’ve been to both Alabama and California and it’s pretty obvious that, while the film may be set in the former, it was filmed in the latter.  Those hills and mountains in the background definitely belong more to Hollywood than anywhere in the South.

As for the film itself, it’s about Molly Golden (Carol Lynley), a spoiled New York fashion designer who inherits an Alabama farm from an uncle that she barely knew.  When Molly finds out that the land is worth $100,000, she promptly quits her job and moves to Alabama, accompanied by her friend and assistant, Larch (John Kerry and no, not that politician with the private plane).  Molly is planning on selling the land and then heading back north with her money.  Unfortunately, it turns out that her uncle died owing everyone in the county money so, as a result, his farm is worthless and Molly is now in debt.

What is Molly to do?  Fortunately, her uncle’s two farmhands — Leroy (Gary Lockwood, who once co-starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey) and Arthur (Royal Dano) — are onhand to explain to her that her uncle was a moonshiner.  Molly decides to become a moonshiner, too!  Her plan is for Leroy and Arthur to do all the work and for her to make all the money.

While all of this is going on, Molly is also falling for Leroy.  She doesn’t want to admit because she’s a sophisticated New Yorker while Leroy is a redneck slob.  This leads to some conflict between the two of them, as she’s always talking down to Leroy and trying to deny that she’s totally in love with him.  Eventually, in a deeply uncomfortable scene (all the more so because the films attempts to play it for laughs), Leroy literally forces himself on her and Molly realizes that she could be totally happy runnin’ moonshine with a barely literate hick.

I’m a Southern girl and, perhaps even more importantly, I’m enough a country girl that I usually enjoy a good moonshine and car chase film.  And Bad Georgia Road gets off to a good start with an enjoyable chase scene, even if the road that the cars are roaring down is clearly located on the West Coast instead of the Deep South.  But things go off the rails as soon as Molly and Larch show up in Alabama.  What there is of a plot plays out at a painfully slow pace and there’s absolutely zero romantic chemistry between Gary Lockwood and Carol Lynley.  On the plus side, Royal Dano is enjoyable eccentric as Arthur, an old-timer who may not be educated but who knows everything that needs to be known about both the Bible and moonshine.

Bad Georgia Road is the type of 70s film that was specifically made to play in Southern drive-ins, where audiences would undoubtedly appreciate the film’s portrait of a clueless Yankee getting outsmarted by a bunch of country folk.  (For me and probably most other people, that’s actually the main appeal of the moonshine genre.)  But even if you think that Molly is a totally smug and self-righteous New Yorker, she still deserves better than to get stuck with Leroy, a man who looks like he probably reeks of chicken feed and spilled beer.  Especially if you’ve seen his personable performances in films like Model Shop and 2001, it’s hard not to feel bad for Gary Lockwood while watching this film.  What did that bad Georgia road do to him?